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 A Look At ... From Eroica With Love
Written by Grey Bard
Overall grade: A
Created by: Aioke Yasuko
Released by: CMX
Volumes: 29 volumes (1&2 already in print)
From Eroica With Love is not a Will They Or Won't They comic. After being an ongoing series since the 70's it's pretty clear that they won't - at least, not on the page. However, in an odd way, that doesn't seem to stop it from being one of the most romantic and good-natured shounen-ai comics around.
The infamous art thief and cat burglar Eroica is not only an extremely handsome man, he's also openly and flamboyantly gay. An improverished British Earl, Dorian Red Gloria turned to a life of crime to support himself in the style to which he had been accustomed, stealing art and leaving taunting notes for the former owners signed with his criminal alias. Usually the notes read "From Eroica, With Love".
It shouldn't surprise anyone that such a man would be arrogant, more than a little vain, and fond of annoying people for his own personal amusement.
Eroica likes to steal beautiful art that he feels is underappreciated, usually depictions of gorgeous and scantily clad men. He also appears to feel this carries over to real flesh and blood men, and that's how the manga begins.
Eroica sees the young, attractive, effeminate, and very innocent art expert Cesar Gabriel and abducts him for immoral purposes. Cesar is an almost stereotypical love interest of yaoi manga. He's all outraged chastity with a side order of "I can't say it out loud, but I want you to ravish me!", he's an 18 year old prodigy, oh, and he has psychic powers. Cesar is, in fact, something of a fainting ninny. He's also a decoy.
The *real* love interest is the competent, hot-tempered, gleefully violent, deeply repressed and exceedingly handsome West German Nato Major sent to abduct Cesar for *slightly* more moral reasons... the intelligence community would really like a tame psychic. Major Klaus von dem Eberbach disapproves of Eroica on general principles - not only is the thief a criminal, he's also an irritating foppish pleasure seeker. The two men know each other in passing from the time when Eroica attempted to make off with a portrait from the Eberbach family collection. It was snark at first sight, as Eroica simultaneously praised the painting and snubbed the owner, while the maybe-not-as-butch-as-he-seemed Major Eberbach made some fairly catty comments on Eroica's admittedly eccentric dress sense.
During the convoluted chase and squabble over the custody of Cesar Gabriel, "Iron" Klaus lets down his guard a little, and Eroica decides that his opponent is far more fascinating than the art-loving uke, immediately transferring his affections.
The rest of the storylines in the manga series can be summarized as: Wacky adventures involving Cold War espionage and/or art theft. Eroica and Major Eberbach just keep running into each other - and wherever they meet bizarre, enjoyable, and unlikely plots are sure to follow.
As for their relationship? Eroica's attitude toward the Major turns from a mixture of attraction and enjoyable rivalry to a deep and openly professed love mixed with enjoyable rivalry. On the Major's part disapproval and annoyance gives way to respect, interest, and a really rather sweet and tentative friendship. Not to mention frustration, irritation, oneupsmanship, and lots of banter.
As to the gay? Well, obviously, Eroica is as gay as a very gay thing. But less obviously, Major Eberbach doesn't exactly come off as a straight man either. As uncomfortable as he can be with Eroica's advances, it has nothing on the frozen terror Iron Klaus exhibits when confronted by an attactive woman of his own age. The mixed repulsion and horror reaches levels unknown by straight men. Also - there's no other word for it - the Major is snide. Whenever he deigns to exchange put downs instead of merely snarl insults, the reader is tempted to say such things as "Oh, snap!" and "You tell him, baby!", and not in an ironic fashion at all.
Whether they're hollering at each other and thowing objects, working together as smoothly as a well-oiled machine for professional reasons, or relaxing together in rare moments of peace, the sexual tension between the two leads is almost always palpable. From Eroica With Love is all about the tease and the unrequited lust, but a very fine tease it is!
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