“The Incubus and the Woodcutter” review
by V.E. on April 28th, 2011
filed under anime/manga, recap/review
I first read The Incubus and the Woodcutter as a manga add-on in the manga Winter Demon 1. Today, I’m reviewing the illustrated short story, not the manga version.
There are a lot more pictures in “The Incubus and the Woodcutter” (28!, including the color title) than in Incubus Master, part 1 (just 2, including the color title) because—I suspect—the images are taken directly from the original manga. (I don’t have the manga sitting here next to me to compare, however, so I’m not sure on this point. Besides, comparing the two versions isn’t the point of this review.) The story is a quick read; there are less than 30 pages in the pdf I was given, including all the images.
As for the content itself: it is—simply put—romantic porn. (And that’s a good thing!) The main character, an incubus named Figaru, seduces a young human named Ichiro the Lonesome. He finds Ichiro chopping wood and immediately sets upon the days-long task of wooing the younger man. He makes quick work of it, however, and by the second day, Figaru has already managed to masturbate Ichiro and extracted a promise that he’ll be allowed to continue to court him. The next day, Figaru explains to a very worried Ichiro, “I don’t want to kill you. I want to make love to you. That’s how incubi, demons like me—that’s how we feed.” They go to Figaru’s house where the incubus teaches Ichiro how to kiss and then… well, you’ll have to read it to find out. Really: read it. It’s totally hot.
I noticed some incorrect grammar and punctuation and a couple misspelled words, but it wasn’t enough to really detract from the overall charm of the piece. For example, instead of writing,
This time when he lied back he threw his arm across his eyes.
I would have written, “This time when he laid back, [with comma] he threw his arm across his eyes.” I admit I’m pretty nitpicky; I have extremely high standards for everything I read. This story isn’t going to get a pass just because it’s smut. All it really needs is a solid hour with a good proofreader, and I’m sure it would be fine.
If you do end up buying it (totally worth the $1.50, seriously!), you may find yourself shelling out more cash for the Winter Demon series (search for “Winter Demon” on everythingyaoi) because the characters in this story also feature in all four volumes of the manga.
PLEASE NOTE, though: “The Incubus and the Woodcutter” is a story that contains graphic depictions of sex between men, so only read if yaoi is your thing. If you don’t know what yaoi is, find out before you go any further. Seriously. You have been warned.
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Though I was given access to Royal Pain 1 and Saihoshi Redemption 1, I haven’t been able to read them because the type of computer I use won’t let me open the type of files I was sent. If someone else likes yaoi, has a computer that can open .exe files, and would like to review one or both of those titles, please let me know. I will gladly give you the access I was granted (since I can’t use it anyway) and offer you space on this journal to post your thoughts about the beginnings of two great series!
EDIT 1 May 2011 @ 12:30 PM PDT: The lovely publisher has given me access to Royal Pain, so I’ll be reading that one for myself. (Yay, me!) Saihoshi Redemption 1 is still available for someone else who would like to review it, however. Look for my review of Royal Pain soon!
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