>Hugz<

Antique Bakery is a Korean movie based on a Japanese Comic Book of same title. (See the article of October) I watched the Premiere of this movie at a theater near home. And I really enjoyed it. Wait and watch it when this movie runs in your own town.

Giovanni's Room is a novel by African-american writer James Baldwin. The narrator of the book is David, a white American. While staying at Paris after proposing to a girl named Hella, he met an Italian bartender, Giovanni and fell in love with him. But David left Giovanni which devastated Giovanni and in the end Giovanni was about to be executed for killing his employer. I don't know since when and why.. But I got obssessed with this story and I finally found a used book (thanks to my friend's help). And that, it's a Korean book. Now I'm waiting the book's delivery.

Maurice is a James Ivory film based on the novel of same title by E. M. Forster. The main Character Maurice is a Cambridge student from rich family. But after a short affair with senior student Clive, he gets dropped out of Uinversity. And he hegitates to accept his sexual desire for men. But while staying at Clive's, he has a visitor at night, Alec, a gamekeeper who works for Clive. They make love and at the end they decide to live together whatever it may bring. I saw this film when I was a Uinversity student. I could relate to Maurice so much and the movie really shook me up and down. I read the book in English before the book got translated into Korean. I bought the book in Korean, as soon as they released it. I bought the DVD from a British online shop, maybe Blackstar or something. So you can tell I'm a huge fan of this book and this movie. And lucky me that one of my friends got me two 'Maurice' books in English.

Ralf Koenig is a German cartoonist who draws gay comics. I've never had the chance to read his works. (Not easy to find his comics translated in English around my town) First I recognized him from a book on European comics called 'I went for the European Comics' or something. The book introduced him as a cartoonist having alternative theme, gays' life. The second time that I ran into his name was when I watched a movie called Killer Condom which is based on his comic book, Kondom des Grauens. I kinda like his style and I wish I could buy his books some day.

Fumi Yoshinaga is a Japanese cartoonist who is famous for dealing with love affairs between men. She got a fame via Slam Dunk(famous Japanese Comics on high school basketball teams) parody cartoon in which the characters of Slam Dunk are portrayed as gays. In Japan, there are many yaoi comics dealing with love affairs between men. But usually they tend to focus on one thing, sex. Not like usual yaoi cartoon, works of Yoshinaga show people's various feelings from suffering, agony to joy and happiness. One of her works, Antique Bakery(see the picture) was adopted to Japanese soap opera and animation of same title. And in the upcoming winter, a Korean movie of the same title will be run in the theaters.

Tom of Finland is a Finnish gay-erotica illustrator who got international fame. He drew masculine men who wear jeans, leather trousers, police uniforms or nothing!!! His influence on following illustrators is beyond words. And the way he portrayed gays as fun-loving and bright as the word "gay" means, has had positive impact on the viewers. He's done an amazing job for people around the world, including me. :)

Go Fujimoto is a Japanese gay bear manga artist. He's famous for bear calendar series. And he reguarly updates his works on his personal website. Like Tagame Gengoroh or Jiraiya he's so talented in drawing Japanese men wearing only fundoshi , which is so sexy and exotic. Go, Go Fujimoto .