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Title:  Object of Desire

Author: Tomoko Noguchi

Publisher: Luv Luv

ISBN: 9781934496497

May Contain Spoilers

Object of Desire is a steamy anthology that’s typical of previous Luv Luv releases.  It’s not awful, but there’s not much content that will be remembered a week from now.  Other than the two chapters with Shizuka and Kimura, the balance of the book is pretty forgettable. 

Things kick off with the title chapter, about a girl who wishes that guys would just be honest about what they want from her.  To her surprise, classmate Mizoguchi is up front about his interest in her – he just wants to sleep with her.  Kako takes him up on the offer, and is surprised to discover that the two have many interests in common.  Can lust turn to love? 

“Lovey-Dovey” is about Atsushi, a guy who’s girlfriend is a text message junkie.  If he doesn’t respond to her messages right away, she tracks him down and wants to know why he’s ignoring.  He takes her for granted and sleeps around on her – will he ever realize that she’s the only girl for him?  I liked this story quite a bit.  Atsuko is an annoying, persistent girl, and she becomes Atsushi’s girlfriend more because he got tired of chasing her off than because he loves her.  She just kind of wears him down, until he’s too weak to fight the inevitable. 

My favorite chapters are “Oil and Water” and “With Lemon.”  Shizuka is a tomboy and a brainiac to boot, which doesn’t make her very popular with the boys.  She has an especially volatile relationship with Kimura, the not so bright guy who sits next to her in class.  Shizuka will never to the girly type, and falling for a guy like Kimura has her doubting herself all the time.  I liked Shizuka because she’s level headed and smart and she stayed true to herself.  And she still got the guy in the end.

“Maid for Love” was brainless fluff, as Airi, who works at a maid cafe, tries to be the perfect girl for Yuji, her salaryman boyfriend.  An invitation to a party at his boss’ house leaves her feeling like she’ll hold Yuji back from success.  Yuji was the nicest guy in the entire book, so I’m not sure why I didn’t like this chapter better.

“Summer Prince” wrapped everything up, but unfortunately, it was another weak entry.  When foreign exchange student Steve invades her home and her dreams, Mami can’t stop thinking about the handsome stranger.  How can she get him to look only at her, and ignore all the other girls?  Steve was a jerk, and Mami should have had her first fling with a nicer guy.

Object of Desire doesn’t add up to anything special, but the mix of stories makes for a decent way to waste some time.  The art is plain and kind of ugly, but it gets the job done.  Aside from all of the guys cheating, the majority of the characters are fairly likeable, especially Shizuka.  If you’re looking for some racy, somewhat romantic fluff, this will probably fit the bill.

Grade: C+

Rated for Mature

Review copy provided by Luv Luv