Rakka Koibumi (Falling Love letters) by Minazuki Akira

     Rakka Koibumi immediately introduces Isa, the landlord, and Hasegawa, the author residing within Isa's rented room, with an enjoyable conflict that resides within their relationship as tenant and landlord: Hasegawa is messy and never pays rent on time. Isa finds this completely and utterly irritating and scolds Hasegawa to throw his trash in his own trashcan rather than in the yard where he has to clean. Based on the title of the story, it was very predictable that the "trash" were love letters for Isa to find. However, rather than focusing on the love letters at hand and allowing the readers to witness Isa's astonishment when he reads the crumpled pieces of paper, the author completely stears away from Hasegawa as a messy tenant and focuses on Isa's amazement of reading and loving one of his books. How does a book fix a conflicted relationship between tenant and landlord? Please, someone enlighten me. I thought this was supposed to be "Falling Love Letters" not "Finding a Book". Anyway, continuing from Isa's discovery of Hasegawa's amazing writing talent they form a friendship, which, I think is out of no where. However, one day Isa buys a book under Hasegawa's pen name and, oh so predictably, is shocked to find out that its a boys love novel. And even more predictably, its a gay romance between a landlord and his tenant, who so happens to be an author. And after finding this secret Isa is so driven by his never before mentioned feelings for Hasegawa to suddenly force himself upon the author. Then they live happily ever after. The end.
     What truly irritated me in this story was that it had so much potential if only it remained with the concept of "Falling Love Letters". Where were the falling love letters? They were never discovered until after Isa read Hasegawa's gay novel. It would have been more enjoyable for Isa to discover for himself. And once more, please, someone explain to me how a book suddenly makes people, who once hated each other, become best buds. I really don't understand! The beginning conflict was very interesting and I wish it remained or at least slowly dissapated rather than vanishing completely. Not to mention the art lacked the emotions and the beauty expressed when one is in love and skipped over much needed scenes of the growing relationship at hand. The steamy scenes were very nice to view, yet by that point I felt nothing for the characters and what they had gone through to get to that point. Not to mention, how come everyone is simply okay with being gay? Where's the angst and the drama of having to find out you're attracted to men rather than women? Having read hundreds of Yaoi I know this is a common scenerio, yet without creating believable characters the readers can empathize for, not showing the growth of the relationship, and letting the plot become ridiculously predictable I find myself also focusing on the lack of angst in finding out one's sexual preferences isn't considered "normal" by society.
     Thankfully, though, there was a plot that was easy to follow and the ending was resolved rather than left hanging unlike some Yaoi I have read (hint hint). The art was unique as well, but not the manga's saving point. I was truly dissapointed, because I thought it had so much potential at the beginning, yet it fell into a deep watery abyss that not even a fish could swim out of. Definitely not a re-read and, if you don't want to be dissapointed, not worth the time. I give it a 3.1/10.