A Foreign Love Affair
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Ayano Yamane
. The manga is licensed in North America by Digital Manga Publishing
, which released the first volume in March 2008, and in Germany by Tokyopop
, which will release the manga in December 2009. It was adapted into a two-episode OVA in 2007. A Foreign Love Affair is about the son of a yakuza
mob, Ranmaru, who gets married for convenience to a yakuza daughter, Kaoru, on a cruise ship in Italy. Because they are Japanese they are the center of attention on the boat. On their wedding night, the couple fight and Kaoru kicks him out of their room. Ranmaru goes to the boat's bar and fights with some yakuza. He is assisted by a blond Italian man who can speak Japanese, Alberto, and as a thank you Ranmaru asks Alberto if he wants a drink in the bar. They get thoroughly drunk and have sex. The next morning, Ranmaru finds out that Alberto is the ship's captain.
for the best yaoi of 2008 ranked A Foreign Love Affair first. Deb Aoki speculated that its popularity could be due to its setting, the characters, and Yamane's character designs and "knack for drawing very hot guys in sizzling situations".
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Ayano Yamane
Ayano Yamane
is a Japanese manga artist, known for specializing in yaoi manga. She debuted as a professional manga artist in 1996 and since then has published several yaoi series and illustrated many light novels. Ayano Yamane is known for her humour and detailed art. She is one of the top selling yaoi manga...
. The manga is licensed in North America by Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
, which released the first volume in March 2008, and in Germany by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which will release the manga in December 2009. It was adapted into a two-episode OVA in 2007. A Foreign Love Affair is about the son of a yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
mob, Ranmaru, who gets married for convenience to a yakuza daughter, Kaoru, on a cruise ship in Italy. Because they are Japanese they are the center of attention on the boat. On their wedding night, the couple fight and Kaoru kicks him out of their room. Ranmaru goes to the boat's bar and fights with some yakuza. He is assisted by a blond Italian man who can speak Japanese, Alberto, and as a thank you Ranmaru asks Alberto if he wants a drink in the bar. They get thoroughly drunk and have sex. The next morning, Ranmaru finds out that Alberto is the ship's captain.
Reception
Patricia Beard, writing for Mania Entertainment, found Alberto's capture of Ranmaru "sexy and funny", appreciating Yamane's attention to detail in the art. Beard noted there wasn't much character development, but regarded this as being symptomatic of the romantic comedy genre of A Foreign Love Affair. Rachel Bentham, writing for Active Anime, enjoyed the sexy character designs. Leroy Douresseaux, writing for Comic Book Bin described A Foreign Love Affair as "a bawdy comedy ... with intermittent scenes of torrid sex." A reader's poll for About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
for the best yaoi of 2008 ranked A Foreign Love Affair first. Deb Aoki speculated that its popularity could be due to its setting, the characters, and Yamane's character designs and "knack for drawing very hot guys in sizzling situations".