Smut That Doesn't Suck: The Man of Tango

It’s kind of shocking that it took Viz so long to start a yaoi imprint of their own, SuBLime. Over the years it seems that most of the major publishers have at least dabbled with the genre, if they didn’t have a dedicated imprint or were themselves dedicated to the genre.  SuBLime certainly has been far more wise in their title selection than most, and by being more selective about what goes to print, they can afford to explore more unconventional titles.  Amongst the most unconventional of the lot is The Man of Tango by Tetuzoh Okadaya.

The titular man is Angel, a renowned tango dancer who himself has never experienced the sort of passion that tango is renowned for. He’s become something of a heartbreaker over the years, and one of the few constants in his life is his fellow dance teacher/best friend/roommate Bene. A performance at a local bar leads to the two of them meeting Hiro. Hiro is half Japanese and half Latino, and he’s dealing with both a cheating girlfriend and the death of his abusive grandfather. Needless to say, he’s having a hard time and in the two of them he finds both sympathy and comfort. Hiro gets so comfortable that he ends up passed out drunk at Angel’s place, and Angel in turn takes advantage of Hiro in his drunken stupor. Their encounter leaves Angel hungry for more and Hiro in a state of confusion. Soon enough, though, Hiro comes to terms with his feelings and the two discover passions for tango and for one another that neither could have imagined.

The first thing about this book that caught my eye was the artwork. It’s simply unlike anything else you’ll find on the American yaoi market. The character here aren’t the willowy bishonen that populate most yaoi works, but instead something closer to the big buff dudes that are usually found in the pages of gei comi (aka bara). Everyone here is built like a brick outhouse, even those who don’t have the excuse of being ex-judo champions like Hiro. This did make things a little bit confusing with Bene, as her muscular frame and square jaw left me wondering if she was meant to be a transwoman until a character profile confirmed otherwise. What's truly marvelous is that Okadaya can make these muscle-bound men so graceful. The dance scenes are rendered beautifully with a vivid sense of motion and elegance. It really helps to sell the reader on the notion of Angel as this extraordinary dancer, the sort of dancer whose skill would readily inspire others to learn. That same sense of fluidity and motion can also be applied to the sex scenes, and those that like their action explicit will not be disappointed. It’s also incredibly thorough when it comes to techniques. I can't recall ever seeing something like intercrural sex in a yaoi story, so points to the writer for knowing there's a lot more to gay sex than just BJs and buttsex. While I do wish that Angie and Hiro’s first encounter was not quite so questionable as far as consent is concerned, it's nice to see a yaoi story that isn't afraid to be upfront about the sex within it.

Of course, that’s helped by the fact that in spite of the shortness of the story, Okayada does a great job establishing the relationships around our leading couple – not just the romantic ones, but the platonic ones as well. Yaoi has never been known for its great portrayal of women, but I really loved the way she portrayed the friendship between Angel and Bene. There’s a wonderfully casual, natural

rapport between those two that comes through in every conversation. They genuinely sound like adults who have been friends and partners for years. They know everything about one another and are completely comfortable around one another, and it’s so rare to see a friendship between a man and a woman like this. With a dynamic as friendly and warm as theirs, you can understand how someone as repressed as Hiro could open up so quickly to them and why he would want to stay. That just makes all the more shameful that Bene is written out so flippantly at the end. Yes, the story is meant to be about Angel and Hiro’s romance, but her relationship with Angel had been given just as much depth and importance as Hiro’s and to leave her out of their happy ending feels dishonest somehow.

That’s not to say that Okadaya slacks off when it comes to her leading men. Hiro has a lot of baggage coming into this story. Years of abuse and isolation have left him as something of an emotional wreck. He’s constantly trying to live up to others’ expectations, even if it brings him no joy. He’s also unable to connect to others, so much so that when he discovers that his girlfriend is cheating on him he can’t even bring himself to be mad. On top of that, his biracial background makes him a foreigner wherever he goes, making him all the more disconnected from the world. Angel, on the other hand, remains something of a cipher throughout. He’s not one to linger on his past, but instead focus on his passion for tango and the community of clients, friends, and lovers he’s built around him. He’s both impulsive and empathetic, and what draws him to Hiro isn’t so much his muscular build or Latin heritage but instead his innocence and the emotional scars that Hiro can barely conceal. While I do think that Hiro comes around a bit too quickly towards accepting Angel as his lover, I do get why they work as a couple. With Angel, Hiro finds the acceptance and understanding that’s been missing for most of his life. Angel in turn gains a partner that he’s both physically and emotionally drawn to, and every new thing he learns about Hiro only makes him that much more adorable in his eyes. It’s a very steady foundation to a relationship, and it helps to bring both of their arcs around full circle.

The world of manga publishing these days likes to play things very safe. Even in the world of yaoi, publishers tend to stick with what sells, and what tends to sell are the usual sort of seme/uke stories drawn in conventional, shoujo-styled ways. That’s why I like to single out those creators who are willing to deviate from the norm, as by doing so they can often create love stories that are both refreshingly unique and emotionally resonant. The Man of Tango is one of those pleasant deviations, and it’s one that any discerning yaoi fan should experience.