Gentle Cage by You Shizaki

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Itsuki and Tokiwa were friend when Tokiwa was still a struggling artist. Even if young and without money, Tokiwa was a proud man and also a persistent one; his interested for Itsuki went beyond friendship and he told so to the boy. He was gently wooing the man when sudden and serious family issue forced Itsuki to accept the proposition of an older artist, Yamabe, to become his personal assistant in all for all, almost a pet for the man to play as he please. Itsuki was forced to stop to seeing Tokiwa without giving the man a reason.

Years later Itsuki knocks to Tokiwa's door: Yamabe is dying and the old man wants to make Tokiwa the full recipient of all his possession. Tokiwa includes in them also Itsuki, and with the help of an injury who forces Itsuki to accept Tokiwa's hospitality, Tokiwa takes Itsuki in captivity. Day after day Tokiwa destroys the doll image that Yamabe built for Itsuki, but at the same time treats the man no more than an object, arriving also to rape him.

The rape is dealt as always in the japanese yaoi world, Itsuki protests vehemently against Tokiwa forced seduction, but in the end his body betrays him, arriving to crave Tokiwa's touch. In this novel maybe the contrast is more heavy, since Itsuki's mind doesn't accept Tokiwa, and almost till the end Itsuki continues to refuse Tokiwa's attention.

The book is pretty interesting, I don't know how much realistic... the idea of an adult man who is treated like a doll only for the pleasure of eyes is quite unbelievable; plus Itsuki's behavior is a bit too submissive, first with Yamabe and then with Tokiwa, sometime it makes me want to scroll the boy and push him to react in some way.

There is a lot of sex, Tokiwa and Itsuki's relationship is very intimate, above all since Tokiwa is forced to take care of Itsuki in all the most intimate moment when he is injured; but even if a lot, the sex is almost detached, not very graphic. Maybe also for this reason, when Tokiwa forced Itsuki, it is even more strong and unsettling.

Amazon: Gentle Cage (Yaoi Novel) (Yaoi Manga)

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