 |
 |
| |
OUR REVIEWERS
SAY:
Tracy:
It puts the "Ai" in kawaii, so check it out! ^_^
"Val & Laren" is a sweet story about love; finding it,
accepting it, and embracing it. This romantic undertaking
is portrayed by two very different teenage boys, Val and
Laren (obviously ^_^). Laren is the son of a wealthy man
who is trying to push him into getting married. Laren
has the attitude of a typical spoiled brat in the beginning
but as time wears on, it is revealed to us that he harbors
many insecurities in emotional matters. And the cause
for many feelin' a stirrin' is boy named....can you guess?
C'mon, guess! You'll never get it! ;p
An innocent jog on the beach turns into a day of emotional
upheaval. Finding a injured dolphin on the beach, Laren
reluctantly dredges up enough concern for the mammal to
find help. He finds Val, who looks like a guy who can
get the job done. A sorcerer in training no less, which
is pretty damn lucky. Plus he's cuuuuu~te..why don't these
kind of things happen to me? ^_^;
Val follows Laren to the dolphin and is left to his own
devices as Laren searches the beach for shelter from a
storm that is starting to brew. In spite of Val's efforts,
the dolphin dies and Laren takes the grieving boy away
to a cave he had located.
It is at this point that the tension between Val and Laren
really commences. Their brief time of seclusion led to
heated arguments that were soon regretted. Regret turned
to a vague sense of comradery, that leads to a kiss.
Val and Laren seem to be constantly perplexed by one another's
moods and motives. The anger between them seems to stem
from this confusion but it becomes secondary to their
attraction to each other. As the story continues, the
level of affection between Val and Laren is *cough cough*
confirmed. H_H
The aftermath, however, was less that ideal....for Laren
wakes up in his bed alone. So, feeling less than ideal,
Laren goes downtown only to see his lover in the arms
of another! Val, you bastard!!...just kidding ^_^
Alas, our fair Val was telling his best friend about his
whirlwind romance and was in the midst of receiving a
hug of solace when his crazed lover, in true Jerry Springer,
launches himself at Val and knees him in the gut. Isn't
love beautiful?? ;_;
They argue and Val's best friend manages to beat a wise
and hasty retreat. Val lets Laren know that he left him
alone because he had school. ^_^; Such an eager student.
They apologize to each other and make arrangements to
see each other again later that day.
Their date together ends up in some playful frolicking
on the beach and that is where we leave them....for now.
^_^
I think this story is very cute! I came across this site
about a year ago and it struck me as very sweet with an
air of innocence.
Maybe Val is coloring my judgement. ^_^
The drawing style has a nice, steady style to it as does
the writer's depiction of the continual battle of emotion
between the two protagonists. The characters have dealt
with their feelings with a certain consistency so far,
such as when they take out their insecurities out on one
another.
I'd use a more positive example, but I think they've spent
more time brooding and arguing than actually do dancing
the horizontal mambo or romancing. Love is hard, ne? ^-^;
I give "Val & Laren" my anime critics' sign of Victory!
^v^
It puts the "Ai" in kawaii, so check it out! ^_^
--review by Tracy
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
VAL
& LAREN
