Famed yaoi or "boys' love" creator Nitta (Embracing Love
) introduces her readers to the cutthroat world of anime voice acting. Wataru Jouichi is a newcomer to the industry who is trying to land a role in an upcoming program. Unfortunately, he's up against celebrity voices belonging to Hideyumi Kurokawa, a veteran in the business; Touma Kokubu, who is at the height of his career; and the beautiful, talented and insensitive Renji Kazama, the darling of the voice-acting world. Sparks fly between Kazama and Jouichi, who share a childhood history and a love of acting, both fueling the competitive fire between them. Nitta takes great care in setting the tone, illustrating the formalities and competitiveness of the business, as well as Jouichi's alternating feelings of self-doubt and desire to succeed. Compared to Embracing Love
, which is set in the adult film industry, this is more "yaoi-lite" with less sex but also less chemistry. Much time is spent introducing the large cast of characters which dilutes the narrative drive of this first installment. Librarians who don't mind mild sexual scenes may have more success in introducing this to their collections. Book buyers, on the other hand, will appreciate Be Beautiful's attention to shrink-wrapping. (July)
