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I really got into the main story of this when I read it. No evidence of masculinity at all in her uke. It was an interesting fantasy story. I generally like the art, but I think that the uke this mangaka draws is way too feminine - like bishoujo feminine, as opposed to bishounen. So that was a bad thing for me, but if you like that sort of thing, or you just don't care as long as it's yaoi, then by all means give it a try. The stories are fluffy, sweet, romance stories that should suit the BL-lover.
Surprisingly, I wasn't disappointed by my purchase. Though not short on dialogue, much is still left unsaid, relying more on subtext and the reader's imagination to fill in mood and emotional undercurrents. Absolutely not. In this case, apprentice sorcerer Mewt is sent to protect Kazuomi, a mortal to whom the royal crest of Mewt's land has been mistakenly transferred. (Who were, I might add, present in only two out of five stories anyway). Realistic. I picked up "My Only King" on a whim - it's the first time I've actually bought a shounen-ai collection, as typically I just read them online, being a very picky reader. bursts into the life of a beleaguered but good-hearted human boy.
However, it also has what I found to be the most intriguing plot. This is often my favorite style of one-shot, as it creates a melancholy feel and leaves you with a sense of possibility for the characters' futures, rather like a subtle cliffhanger."My Only King" - Essentially a yaoi version of the 'magical girlfriend' variety of manga (Chobits, Oh My Goddess., WISH, and so forth), in which an attractive, exotic alien/supernatural being/etc. In a twisted fairy-tale land, a king sells orphans for profit - all except two who cannot be sold, a gentle albino girl named Emma and the titular Rune, a rebellious young boy. They inject an additional note of fantasy into Hoshino's soft, sweet romances. Hoshino's art does run to the very feminine side (to which a previous reviewer rather strenuously objected), but as I tend to enjoy androgynous characters, I loved her ethereal, long-haired uke boys. The plot is of course nothing special, but I was hooked by the cute character design."Twinkle Twinkle Horoscope" - A more realistic school story; playfully taking the advice of a horoscope book, recently-dumped Masuzawa takes up with (male, of course) classmate Yabana.
But fun - yes. (Yup, no graphic stories here, just a couple of gentle kisses and some brief halves-of-bedroom-scenes).With the exception of the title story, the stories were brief, often vignette-like, much like the sparse, smooth artwork. I was suprised by the relative emotional maturity towards the end, as shounen-ai stories are often lacking in realistic emotional development."The Ghost in the Bath" - A businessman has his first real talk with the lonely and suprisingly tangible ghost who takes up residence in his bathtub."Mixed Chocolate" - A continuation of two of Hoshino's other stories, featuring a brief, tender love-moment between two romantically involved classmates."The King and Rune" - This story had the most amateur art; I suspect it was drawn much earlier than the others, as its spiky inking and misplaced features are far from the delicate linework of the other stories. Not only does the story create an intriguing relationship, it is also possibly the first shounen-ai story I've ever read to involve a female character who is as central and engaging (or nearly so) as the male characters.All in all, I thought that the volume presented a fun, varied collection of love stories, and I definitely look forward to investigating Hoshino's other works.
I don't usually review, but I had to with this.One of the previous commentors (the "dedicated" yaoi fan) was incredibly harsh in her comments on this book, and Lily Hoshino in general.Alone in my king's harem is intended to be a light, shounen-ai work, just as Super Double (another Lily Hoshino work) is.Bokudake's a bit more graphic, but not too.In general, Lily's sci fi works tend to be a bit softer.But do NOT judge her works based on 2 manga. Her career comprises a lot more than that, and a lot of those works are much more graphic (almost disturbingly so).Anyway, Lily Hoshino tends to be more creative than others, and is currently a leading manga artist in Japan. Her art work is included in the rising stars of manga works, and I definately encourage buying this particular manga.I mean no insult other reviewers, but one must understand that yaoi is a wide and varied genre, and just because you don't like your uke exceedingly pretty, it's no reason to bash it and deprive others of a great reading experience.
Of course I don't agree with the review posted before me, because that is complete bashing. Lily Hoshino has a very soft, delicate, and detailed drawing style. I suggest that before you buy any manga from an unknown (to you) artist, that you look online for scans or scanlations of that manga or one from that artist. Now if anyone has seen any of her art, then her mangas might look like shota. Her semes are always masculine looking, while her ukes are typically younger looking and wear more feminine clothing. Her stories are simple and short and appeal much to the fantasy crowd, but her stories aren't so out there that one can't relate. Basically, her art is mostly soft and delicate (the style of drawing, not the stories, though it does apply somewhat) if you can't already tell from the cover.
I am NOT a fan of Lily Hoshino. And don't get me started on her dull and boring art style.This is a sum up from all her horrible titles (DMP stupidly licensed her other horrific title - Alone in My King's Harem). I don't know HOW her titles can be considered Yaoi. Her Seme characters look like men I'll give her that - but her Uke characters are ALWAYS in drag, looking like eight-year-old girls and even in the her Manga there's no proof they are male. If you want hetero romance, go find something from Viz because Lily Hoshino is a horrible Yaoi Manga artist and writer and shouldn't even be considered one. Stay away hardcore fans.
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