Ai no kusabi (TV Mini Series) Ai no kusabi 2 (1994) User Reviews

Strange second half.

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 6/10 · 6 March 2024]

Love Wedge 2 is probably heavier on the romance/melodrama side of things than the science fiction stuff which I found more interest in, in the first part. It all raced towards an ending and made me feel like this overall could've been a bit longer than it was, with just two episodes in the miniseries overall, even if both parts technically make the entire thing feature-length.

I guess there are still affecting parts of Love Wedge 2. It's still fairly well-presented, and the ending is good, but it flounders a bit on the way there, and somehow doesn't feel as grand or emotionally rich as it could be. Part of it leaves me a bit cold, but it still works decently enough. I'd say the first part's better, but anyone after the oddly specific flavor of anime this provides may as well watch both halves.

Beautiful tale of love and power

[h_a_eriksson · 31 July 2011]

Ai no Kusabi (both parts, to me it's one movie and should be viewed as such) is a story centered around the relationship between Iason Mink, a high-class "Blondie" and Riki, a black-haired "Mongrel".

The movie is a beautiful tale of love and friendship, of power, caste systems and class differences. As I've been told Ai no Kusabi means Wedge of Love or The Space Between.

Ai no Kusabi is rightfully seen as a classic movie of the yaoi anime genre. I must say it's the best best yaoi anime I've seen to date. But to "reduce" it to being a yaoi movie (as the genre seems to have a bad reputation) is doing it injustice.

It's a powerful movie refreshingly free of the "one dominant and one submissive" stereotype of male same sex stories. A futuristic movie set in a complex and interesting world. Artistically a piece of art.

I haven't read the novel, so I can't convey any insight on the standard book vs. Movie issues. I'm also not proficient in Japanese, so I can not say anything about the dialogue other than that having watched a fan-subtitled version the dialogue felt right and authentic.

Really interesting gay anime series

[Irishchatter · 14 March 2018]

This anime was very interesting because it's set in a futuristic (not that the 21st is exciting as that) setting and like the characters just had their own unique personality. Although it is strange to hear that the slaves are considered "pets" rather than the word "slaves". I thought the blond haired character Iason Mink wasn't really thinking of dark haired babe Riki as a pet but also as a lover. Both of them were class together and it was such a shame that they both committed suicide together when the buildings were about to be burned down. Still this was a good anime to watch especially the first part of it. I give it 8/10!