Kizuna Deluxe Edition 1, by Kazuma Kodaka
Review by Cyn C. (Cyn-Sama) 
I have a special relationship with the Kizuna series. It was the first series that I picked up in it’s original, untranslated format. I had found a text translation online, and I would go line by line, looking at the images, and getting the dialogue from my translation.
This had to have been at least ten years ago, and at that time, it was pretty hard to find manga here in the states, never mind find a slightly perverse sub-genre.
I remember wandering around the Japanese bookstore in a daze, trying to guess which series was the one I was looking for, when I couldn’t even read the spines for help.
Ever since then, I’ve been hooked.
I have the entire series in the original Japanese.
I have books one through seven, which were released in English by BeBeautiful, before they crashed and burned.
I even have the DVD’s.
So, with all this, why would I need to collect the new deluxe edition?
Because it’s the closest thing that I’m going to get to the original.
When BeBeautiful brought over the series, they censored out a kiss on the cheek that one character gives to another, that foreshadows their relationship, once they both come of age.
Since a kiss on the cheek does not pedophilia make, saying the fans were slightly cranky is an understatement.
June had the sense to leave that page in, when they did their deluxe edition. It’s cute. It’s charming. It makes me happy.
The Kizuna series revolves around lovers Kei and Ranmaru – and all the trials and tribulations that come with Kei being part of a dysfunctional yakuza family. Including a rebellious half-brother, and the yakuza member assigned to help keep the rebellious half-brother out of trouble.
It’s over the top, quite silly, ultra violent and sexy as hell. Kazuma Kodaka has always been, and will always be one of my favorite manga-ka.
She is part of the reason that I have no money. I’ve spent it all on her manga.
