Believe it or not, I'm not a tremendous fan of slash in the Harry Potter fandom. Certainly, I'll read it, but there isn't a great amount that I'd condone. Like Weiss, the series is very heterosexually oriented (Cedric and Cho, Harry and Cho, Hermione and Viktor, etc.). However, in this particular case, I'll make an exception -- I've become quite the fanatic regarding Sirius Black and Remus Lupin together. There's just something about the hardened innocent and everyone's favorite reluctant werewolf that sets my heart a'flutter. Either that, or it's the leftover pizza I had for lunch...
BRAPPERS
Title: Mix-Max
Size: B5
Published: 12/29/01
Pages: 48
Novel: No.
Rating: Normal
This doujinshi is comprised of mostly gag tales, including what happens when Remus sends Sirius out to do the shopping, Harry, Ron, and Hermione on Halloween, and various scenes inside the Shrieking Shack. It also includes an angsty story in which Remus walks the halls of Hogwarts. As he walks down one passageway, he sees the "ghosts" of James, Sirius, and Peter. These ghosts call to him, and as he stands startled, a younger version of Remus walks through him to join his friends.
CHERRY BEANS
Title: Kagerou
Size: B5
Published: 4/28/02
Pages: 48
Novel: 7 pgs.
Rating: Shounen-ai
Several very cute stories surrounding Remus and Sirius at various points in their life. One tale involves a "first kiss" scenario in MWPP days, while another shows Sirius catching up with Remus after he resigns as a Hogwarts professor. This doujinshi is cute... Not the best I've owned, but definitely not the worst. I think that the artist draws the "older" Remus and Sirius too gangly and skinny, while the "younger" boys look like hobbits.
FUKU-ZIN
Title: The Silver Apples of the Moon, the Golden Apples of the Sun
Size: B5
Published: 4/29/02
Pages: 88
Novel: No.
Rating: Shounen-ai
Despite the less-than-appealing cover, this doujinshi was absolutely wonderful. The artist has an excellent style, very unique, yet also very Japanese. After a rash of violence linked to a werewolf, Remus is isolated by the teachers of Hogwarts, who think that he is behind it all. James, sneaking around under his invisibility cloak, rescues him. Along with Sirius, Remus and James look for the real culprit. Another story revolves around Sirius following Remus into a body of water and tackling him in a fit of angst. Sirius is then shocked when Remus shows him his scars, including the large scar from the original werewolf bite in his skin. Aah, angst.
G-CLEF AND CHOCOLATE DEVIL
Title: Full Moon Fever
Size: B5
Published: 12/29/01
Pages: 46
Novel: 3 pgs.
Rating: Shounen-ai
I was a little disappointed in this doujinshi, as a good portion of it consisted of advertisements for other circles. Good art, certainly, but I would have liked to have seen more stories. This one consists of some cute Sirius and Remus tales (ooh, pun!), mostly the two of them talking. However, there is one scene where Sirius kisses a very surprised Remus, and another where Sirius is carrying Harry in his arms. It also contains a somewhat poignant scene where Remus is overcome with emotion while cutting Sirius' hair, and he compares the carefree Sirius he knew as a youth to the hardened, emaciated Sirius that emerged from Azkaban as an adult.
I told myself I'd never get a doujinshi by Chocolate Devil, since I really don't like their art style (and they're a purveyor of the evil 13x5 in GDW!), but I didn't expect this one to be by them. The circle names aren't on the cover, but on the spine of the doujinshi, and I'd been under the impression that I was getting a different circle. I still don't like their art, but it's a fairly decent doujinshi, nonetheless.
HARIBOTE
Title: Dounimo Tomaranai
Size: B5
Published: 2/17/02
Pages: 36
Novel: No
Rating: Shounen-ai
This doujinshi came with several pages of rough translation into English, which was the selling point for me. Much of the translation is very difficult to understand, but some of it you can easily understand the context. In one, James and Sirius confront Remus about why he is away from school once a month and why he never changes or showers with them. Remus confesses that he is a werewolf, and James and Sirius act surprised -- they had thought that Remus was really a girl (especially Sirius, who blushes as he tells Remus that he thinks he's cute). In another story, grown-up Sirius tells Harry that he can leave the Dursleys to come live with him, and Harry gleefully proclaims that he will call Sirius 'Mom.'
Title: Seisyun Zankou Monogatari
Size: B5
Published: 3/17/02
Pages: 24
Novel: No
Rating: Shounen-ai
Other Pairing: James x Sirius
An interesting doujinshi in which Sirius follows Remus, the reluctant uke, around making googly eyes while Remus just gets angrier and angrier. At one point, Remus whomps Sirius, leaving him bleeding -- yet smitten. In another story, Remus and James visit Sirius while he is in bed sick. The ending pages show Remus sitting around being mopey and morose, when Sirius comes along, kisses him, and makes him smile again.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS STATION
Title: Shining Moon
Size: A5
Published: 05/02
Pages: 48
Novel: No
Rating: Normal
This doujinshi contains a series of both gag and serious stories, primarily centering around Remus. One tale tells how Dumbledore came upon Remus as a child and brought him to Hogwarts. Remus had been working as a kitchen slave after apparently biting someone in his family during one of his transformations. After that, Remus was forced to spend his transformations completely in chains. Also contains an amusing one-page tale of how Sirius is forced to shake hands with Severus. As he does so, all the fleas on Sirius run away at Severus' touch.
The interesting thing about this doujinshi is that it's in Mandarin, as opposed to Japanese. Unfortunately, it makes it a little more difficult to attempt to translate...
Title: Synodic Month
Size: B5
Published: 12/29/01
Pages: 144
Novel: 11 pgs.
Rating: Shounen-ai
This has got to be one of my favorite circles... Shishinden are apparently a very popular circle, and I'm glad to have come across this one. Yep, this is officially the largest doujinshi that I own as of now. This thing is huge! And, being that it's Shisinden, I'm not complaining in the slightest!
Synodic Month contains several stories surrounding Remus and Sirius. The first tale shows Remus going a little loopy as he reads the paper and discovers that Sirius has escaped Azkaban. Later, he accepts the position of professor at Hogwarts and watches over Harry and Ron, seeing in the two boys the same bond of friendship that once existed between himself and Sirius. Another tale tells of Sirius watching over Remus' monthly transformation with a silver-bullet-loaded gun (I think Remus bit Sirius the previous month). The last tale tells of Remus' resignation from Hogwarts, and he writes to Sirius (sending an owl, who looks remarkably like Pigwidgeon, addressed to 'Somewhere by the lake in the forest') asking that he pick him up at a designated point. Sirius shows, and after a bit of arguing and angsting, Sirius tackles Remus for a good snog.
Title: The Moon Is Made of Green Cheese II
Size: B5
Published: 4/29/02
Pages: 44
Novel: 8 pgs.
Rating: Shounen-ai
Other Pairing: Harry x Ron
This doujinshi contains a series of very cute stories involving Sirius and Remus acting as godparents to Harry. Sirius and Remus are also horny as all getout. There's no Yaoi, but it's certainly suggestive. There are some gag stories, such as the one where Harry interrupts Remus while he's sewing his robes, causing Remus to prick his finger on the needle and pass out at the sight of blood. In another tale, Harry runs to Sirius for comfort, and Remus decides to get in on the comforting as well. However, his version of comforting involves snogging Sirius, who places his hands over Harry's eyes as the two make out. Funny stuff, this. I only hope I can manage to get the first one, one of these days!
Title: Lagrangian Points
Size: B5
Published: 6/16/02
Pages: 88
Novel: 8 pgs.
Rating: Shounen-ai
Holy shit. Whereas The Moon consisted of cute and gag stories, this is angst at its best! The man story centers around James, Sirius, and Peter and their reactions when Remus reveals that he is a werewolf. James seems to have expected it all along and reacts calmly, while Peter is both surprised and scared. Sirius at first shouts at Remus before throwing himself into his friend's arms and bursting into tears -- it seems Sirius had suspected Remus of even worse wrongdoing (my suspicion is that he thought Remus was a vampire) and feels guilty for his actions. In the end, Peter -- who has been portrayed in a very good light, much to the circle's credit -- bandages Remus' self-inflicted wounds, while James comforts Sirius and Remus, who is by this time crying himself.
Yeah, I must say that this has got to be my favorite doujinshi of all time. Angsty werewolves, and angsty Sirius, and such droolicious art...
Title: Flame of Wing
Size: B5
Published: 9/23/2002
Pages: 40
Novel: No.
Rating: Shounen-ai
Other Pairing: Harry x Ron
Okay, so it's a Harry/Ron doujinshi primarily, but Remus and Sirius are in it too, being all cute and lovey. And Harry and Ron being all shmoopy as Ron acknowledges his crush on Harry. And an odd scene in the kitchen where Remus makes Ron cook supper with him.
