[Susan] Boys of Summer by Chuck Austen and Hiroki Otsuka

[cirquedesgeeks]

Boys of Summer by Chuck Austen and Hiroki Otsuka // Tokyopop, 2006 // Bought as part of a lucky dip/grab bag from Forbidden Planet // Read November 2011, reviewed December 2012

Meet Bud Waterston, a decent-looking guy who happens to be in full hormonal bloom. He's also on his way to college, and drools over the sexual liberation he will no doubt face living in a coed dormitory full of hot babes. Unfortunately for Bud, things don't go exactly as planned--he meets the girl of his dreams, who won't give him the time of day. But just because he strikes out on his first attempt doesn't mean he won't keep trying to hit a home run...as long as he doesn't drop the ball!

This book was really disappointing. I mean, it could have been good, but... No. The art isn't bad! It manages to be ridiculous when it's called called for, and dramatic when it suits the mood. It's got decently clean lines nice contrast. It just feels gratuitous as all hell.

Seriously. I've read books twice as explicit and didn't feel half as scummy as I did reading this one. I think it's because one of the recurring gags is "LOL TITS AND PERVERTS ARE HILARIOUS LOOK AT ALL OF THIS SWEET PERVO-VISION WE BROUGHT YOU!" and that's... No. Seriously, this is something that actively annoys me (especially when it's combined with poses that physically couldn't work and "Here's a picture of the main cast fully clothed - except for the girls!" See also: the cover.) and turns me off books at the speed of light. I don't find it funny.

It's disappointing though because when it's not being gross, the story's not that bad. It's a lot better when it's focusing on the sports-related shenanigans and Bud being SERIOUS. When he's having sweet moments with his family or being a baseball wizard, it's actually okay! When he's got something to prove with baseball, it's pretty dramatic and fun! However, I really don't care about the romance aspects or the "OMG you have a girl on your team I DEMAND YOU REPLACE HER WITH MY LESS COMPETENT BFF!" plot point, and some of the humour just goes right over my head (for example, the two team members who struggle with english feels like a pop culture reference that I'm just not getting.).

Basically when it's good, it's pretty okay; but when it's bad, it's bad in all of the ways that get on my wick.