From Eroica with Love

Infobox animanga/Header
name = From Eroica with Love


caption = Cover of Japanese volume 34
ja_name = エロイカより愛をこめて
ja_name_trans = Eroica Yori Ai o Komete
genre = ComedyInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Yasuko Aoike
publisher = flagicon|Japan Akita Shoten flagicon|USA CMX Manga
demographic = Shōjo
magazine = Princess
first = 1976
last = ongoing
volumes = 34

nihongo|"From Eroica with Love"|エロイカより愛をこめて|Eroica Yori Ai o Komete is a long-running shōjo manga by Yasuko Aoike which originally began publication in 1976 by Akita Shoten. The English translation by CMX began publication in 2004.

The series revolves around the adventures of Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, an uptight NATO major, and Dorian Red Gloria, an openly gay English lord who delights in bothering Klaus. Dorian is also an art thief, known as Eroica, and states in the first volume that he makes it his purpose to pursue and capture beautiful things...and people. After developing a certain fondness for the uptight Major, Dorian flirts with him incessantly and ends up interrupting many of Klaus's missions, much to Klaus's dismay.

Also featured are Dorian's gang of thieves: chiefly Mr. James (the clingy, wailing, tightfisted accountant), Bonham (Dorian's right hand man), and John Paul (who only appears occasionally, and whose name changes from time to time). Dorian and his gang are based on the band Led Zeppelin, of which Yasuko Aoike is a fan. The story of Eroica is inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

Klaus's boss (the Chief), his butler, and his subordinates also appear frequently. The men working for Klaus are known as the Alphabets; A, B, G, and Z appear more often than the others. A is in charge of the Alphabets, B is generally portrayed as sort of a bumbling clown, G enjoys crossdressing, and Z is a young agent who hero-worships Klaus.

The series is generally comedic, although it involves a great deal of violence, theft, and bizarre international incidents. Much of it spoofs James Bond type stories (hence the title).

Volumes

English

* Volume 1 ISBN 1-4012-0519-4
* Volume 2 ISBN 1-4012-0520-8
* Volume 3 ISBN 1-4012-0521-6
* Volume 4 ISBN 1-4012-0523-2
* Volume 5 ISBN 1-4012-0522-4
* Volume 6 ISBN 1-4012-0875-4

Japanese

* Volume 1 ISBN 4-253-07109-0
* Volume 2 ISBN 4-253-07110-4
* Volume 3 ISBN 4-253-07111-2
* Volume 4 ISBN 4-253-07112-0
* Volume 5 ISBN 4-253-07113-9
* Volume 6 ISBN 4-253-07114-7
* Volume 7 ISBN 4-253-07115-5
* Volume 8 ISBN 4-253-07116-3
* Volume 9 ISBN 4-253-07117-1
* Volume 10 ISBN 4-253-07118-X
* Volume 11 ISBN 4-253-07119-8
* Volume 12 ISBN 4-253-07120-1
* Volume 13 ISBN 4-253-07121-X
* Volume 14 ISBN 4-253-07122-8
* Volume 15 ISBN 4-253-07123-6
* Volume 16 ISBN 4-253-07124-4
* Volume 17 ISBN 4-253-07125-2
* Volume 18 ISBN 4-253-07126-0
* Volume 19 ISBN 4-253-07127-9
* Volume 20 ISBN 4-253-07128-7
* Volume 21 ISBN 4-253-07129-5
* Volume 22 ISBN 4-253-07130-9
* Volume 23 ISBN 4-253-07131-7
* Volume 24 ISBN 4-253-07132-5
* Volume 25 ISBN 4-253-07460-X
* Volume 26 ISBN 4-253-07461-8

Reception

As of the mid-1980s, fan translations of "From Eroica with Love" began to circulate through the slash fiction community,Thorn, Matthew (2004) [http://matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/outofhand/ Girls And Women Getting Out Of Hand: The Pleasure And Politics Of Japan's Amateur Comics Community] in Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan William W. Kelly, ed., State University of New York Press] creating a "tenuous link" between slash and shonen-ai. [cite web|url=http://www.matt-thorn.com/shoujo_manga/girls_stuff/gs94-03-08.html|title=Girls' Stuff, May (?) '94] "From Eroica with Love" is more popular with slash fans than it has been with dōjinshi artists. The series has been described as an example of a movement in shonen-ai and yaoi to depict more masculine men, as part of the audience's increasing comfort with objectifying males. [Suzuki, Kazuko. (1999) "Pornography or Therapy? Japanese Girls Creating the Yaoi Phenomenon". In Sherrie Inness, ed., "Millennium Girls: Today's Girls Around the World". London: Rowman & Littlefield, p.251 ISBN 0847691365, ISBN 0847691373.]

References

External links

* http://aoikeyasuko.com/ (Author's site, mostly in Japanese)
*
* http://www.dccomics.com/cmx/?action=on_sale&i=2362 (CMX Eroica page)
* http://www.eroicafans.org/ (Fan Page)
* http://www.fried-potatoes.com/ (Fan Page)
* http://www.thecomicbookguy.com/fromeroicawithlove.html (Manga Review)