V.1 Thoughts
First, New York New York was one of my highly anticipated reads/buys for 2022 because I enjoyed Marimo Ragawa's other manga The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions. She's only the artist on TVAHPC, but she is the writer and artist for New York, New York as well as the old shoujo Baby and Me (couldn't get into it) and the shounen manga Those Snow White Notes (haven't tried reading the manga, but the anime is on my "to watch" list).
So, Yen Press is releasing NY NY as a two-volume omnibus, and the first omnibus finally dropped. (It was supposed to come out last year!) The manga is nicely bound, and I really love the design. The front and back cover is orange and decorated with some of the best non-spoiler panels/story moments from the manga. The "1/2" numbering is weird but whatever.
So, the story itself...The story is a roller coaster ride. If you're looking for gritty and some realism in your boys love, you've picked up the right manga. The manga is an old shoujo BL set in 90s New York, and it follows a closeted policeman who meets and dates a barista. Drama ensues. Important to note that both men are gay, and it's set in the 90s. Very heavy topics are explored, and those topics include: HIV/AIDs, homophobia, sexual assault/rape, tragic past, outdated/bigoted terminology (the book gives readers a heads up at the beginning about this), the works. However, the sex between the leads is all consensual. The manga is mostly a romance/relationship drama with a good dose of police/crime action and drama to shake things up. Looking forward to reading the conclusion!
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