Gunji is the latest English-language publication of Gengoroh Tagame's manga, translated by Anne Ishii for Bruno Gmünder. It includes the brilliant four-part title story, about a sushi chef entangled in a deeply psychological BDSM relationship, as well as Tagame's excellent one-shot manga, Ballad of Oeyama.Gunji was originally published in Kinniku-Otoko magazine, a short-lived publication Tagame credits with helping bring together the worlds of BL and gay manga. As a result, the story is a hybrid of BL sensibilities and Tagame's trademark brutality. Ballad of Oeyama is a 10th century period piece that about a military commander's encounter with a foreigner. Tagame cites Japanese legend and Osamu Tezuka's General Onimaru as a inspirations for the work. The version included in this book is a revision of the 2004 original, with fuller body hair amongst the enhancements Tagame has provided. "Like the Director's Cut or DVD extras you'd see in restored versions of films," he writes in the book's afterword, "it'd be safe to call this the 2013 Ballad of Oeyama Redux."
Page Count: 160 pages
Dimensions: 7" x 9.75"
Language: English
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Bruno Gmünder
Gunji is the latest English-language publication of Gengoroh Tagame's manga, translated by Anne Ishii for Bruno Gmünder. It includes the brilliant four-part title story, about a sushi chef entangled in a deeply psychological BDSM relationship, as well as Tagame's excellent one-shot manga, Ballad of Oeyama.Gunji was originally published in Kinniku-Otoko magazine, a short-lived publication Tagame credits with helping bring together the worlds of BL and gay manga. As a result, the story is a hybrid of BL sensibilities and Tagame's trademark brutality. Ballad of Oeyama is a 10th century period piece that about a military commander's encounter with a foreigner. Tagame cites Japanese legend and Osamu Tezuka's General Onimaru as a inspirations for the work. The version included in this book is a revision of the 2004 original, with fuller body hair amongst the enhancements Tagame has provided. "Like the Director's Cut or DVD extras you'd see in restored versions of films," he writes in the book's afterword, "it'd be safe to call this the 2013 Ballad of Oeyama Redux."
Page Count: 160 pages
Dimensions: 7" x 9.75"
Language: English
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Bruno Gmünder