Wow. Reading Jazz is like reading the yaoi version of Hot Gimmick. And you know how well that turned out for me.
To be honest, I was aware of the negative reviews it received on Amazon, but there were positive ones as well, so I thought to myself when I saw it in Borders: “Why not?”
(Note to self: Don’t buy a manga without reading it first, even if it embarasses to read it at the counter in public.)
It started out so promising too. Dr Narusawa treats a patient, Naoki, who has an overbering mother. Naoki feels really grateful to Narusawa, and they get closer, having many deep conversations together. Narusawa thinks that it’s just natural that Naoki will go to university and get on with his life. They have one final dinner before Naoki goes to university where Naoki gets him drunk, brings him back to his home and … rapes him. YUP.
At that point, I went: WTF?? What happened to the sweet Naoki who had soulful talks with Narusawa? Overnight, that guy morphed into an abusive boyfriend who demands to find out, after that yucky night, why Narusawa was avoiding him. Like, DUH!
All the yaoi cliches are here – weepy uke, overbearing bullying seme, and that ever popular plotline of seme rapes uke who ends up falling in love with seme.
Narusawa, apparently, hangs on to Naoki because he wants someone to love him and Naoki is the only person who can. Sure. When he actually develops a backbone and decides to leave Naoki for the States, he actually angsts about it.
I heard that Jazz Vol.2 is even worse, with yet another rape scene. This time Naoki actually feels guilty about it – you deserve a whacking, you!
Narusawa, of course, misses and pines for him despite what Naoki did twice. Man, doesn’t this sound familliar?
Jazz can’t even be categorised as fluff. It’s just simply bad. Naoki is just simply unlikeable and Narusawa needs to be put in counselling.
Avoid this, I tell ya! Avoid this!
Anime Bento 
Eh…cliches are bad, but BAD cliches put together…er,well, that’s just brain damage right there
[…] Yaoi alert: A few days ago, David Welsh expressed some doubt about a new title from BLU, Gerard & Jacques, which features an unequal relationship between a wealthy older man and a younger, poorer one. The debate continues in a followup post, with opposing opinions (read the comments) from two readers. Meanwhile, Anime Bento pans Jazz as being more rape than romance. […]
I just read this… took about 45 minutes. I spent the entire time saying, “WTF???”
Just horrendus.
I really had high hopes for Jazz because I really loved the style of the art, but- alas!- I agree, it really was pretty bad. And its not even that I’m against non-con. (I happened to really like Gerard & Jacques and I think the non-con in that was acceptable because the story has substance and depth. In other words, the scene had meaning and moved the plot forward. It wasn’t there for just titalltion.)
The problem with Jazz was that there was so little, honest character development. Some artists can use the cliche scenarios and still can create a good story, others just fall back on the formula and put no effort into the storyline at all. This is one of them. *sigh*
I hate it when I adore the art, and the plot sucks!
Yes, thats true!
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I know exactly how you feel. I looked at the cover of Jazz and thought, “Huh…this looks okay. The art is pretty and it’s yaoi, how bad could it be?” >
I disagree. I liked it very much.
I feel far more individuals will need to read this, very very good info.
i’ve read up to Jazz volume 04 and i found it wonderful. even though there were moments that are way too used up in the yaoi genre that were present in the story, it still makes a good reading coz the situations were realistic. i mean, there are people out there like Naoki who are too hotheaded and people like Narusawa who can frogive the one they love no matter what that person does…but then, to each his own…im just saying that this manga isnt a complere waste of time, in fact its a good pick
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i’ve read up to Jazz volume 04 and i found it wonderful. even though there were moments that are way too used up in the yaoi genre that were present in the story, it still makes a good reading coz the situations were realistic. i mean, there are people out there like Naoki who are too hotheaded and people like Narusawa who can frogive the one they love no matter what that person does…but then, to each his own…im just saying that this manga isnt a complere waste of time, in fact its a good pick