During college at the University of Chicago, I attended an event called the Lascivious Costume Ball (LCB), a rather interesting party featuring mostly erotic costumes or in many cases, no costume at all! I was fortunate enough to attend the last of the "authentic" LCBs before its popularity (ie, a Tribune article) forced university officials to shut the whole thing down. Anyway, during this event I stepped into a room where X-rated movies were being shown and took a seat. Onscreen a young man proceeded to give another young man a serious blow job. Well, I don’t know what happened next (I could guess of course) because it wasn’t what I was looking for so I left. I cannot say that I was disgusted, just shocked and a little amused to have stumbled into something I had not expected.
I’ve just finished reading Legal Drug Vol. 1 by CLAMP and I have that same sort of amused feeling because I’ve stumbled into something I was not expecting, yaoi! I know what yaoi is, and I know that it is rather popular on the Japanese manga and anime scene right now, but it was not something I would seek out (yuri maybe, but not yaoi). Unlike the gay porn at the LCB, I’m not planning on walking out on Legal Drug because it is an interesting story with interesting characters and it’s pretty funny at times too. If volume 1 is any indication, the yaoi elements are more of a tease than hardcore shonen ai, boy on boy action. Everyone’s brain should be tickled on occasion, so I’m looking forward to more! Besides, I’m a big CLAMP fan!
Here’s some CLAMP info in English on the Anime News Network.
One reply on “Legal Drug: My Accidental Yaoi Adventure”
Hello — I am doing research for an essay on the Lascivious Costume Ball. I would love to email back and forth come time. I graduated in ’86 and believe I attended one of the last LCBs in 1984.
Wayne