After Finder was continued following her BDSM Be x Boy Special Edition entry, it was published in the form of a series of one-shots. Of course each one-shot had to have a sex scene-- after all, that's what Be x Boy readers expect to see. So, this part is correct.
Once Finder was serialized (a continuing storyline, with a single chapter published every two months) she was able to concentrate on a more complex plot rather than having to have a token plot revolve around the sex scenes. The first story serialization was the prequel consisting of Fei Long's history, which has almost no sex in it. This was well before Libre's predecessor, Biblos (the first publisher), tanked in 2006, and prior to start of The Naked Truth.
Since then, Yamane-sensei finds herself sometimes having to fit sex scenes in (occasionally at the expense of character development, or the plot itself) because this is what her audience demands.
Not that I'm complaining.
I also like that this series grew from the BDSM story-- unlike some other readers who seem to wish that this chapter never happened. It was Asami's surprising brief affection at the end, giving a hint there was a human being behind a brutal facade, that drew me in.
An interesting bit trivia some may not know: Fei Long's backstory was originally only supposed to be two chapters long. This Finder side story was set up to be foreshadowing for the soon-to-come story "The Naked Truth".
Also conceived was a continuation of "Flower in the High Loft" where Asami and Fei Long were supposed to have full-on sex, but it was felt this would undermine the development of Asami and Akihito's relationship in the series.
Love the background info. It is interesting. That was a good arc abt. Fei and yet she gets put down for not being able to write esp. that exchange with Asami. she wrote heat between them
Full-on sex???? O-O O-O If something like that had happened that would have burned in my mind forever and ever ! O^O
That's interesting. I wonder what that means for the potential of Asami and Kuroda in the next novel? I don't really want them to have been lovers, but I don't see a whole novel without sex in it. Maybe Kuroda has sex with someone else so as not to undermine the main couple. :) Maybe it could be young Kirishima--but that would be asking too much.
Yeah, it's hard to imagine a Finder novel without sex, but we are talking something happened far back in the past. I don't know if a teen couple (Asami & Kuroda) would undermine the main couple. I was looking forward to it *0*
Oh, I don't really think it would--but I wanted them to be half brothers and I ship Kuroda w/Kirishima. I'll live if Asami had sex with Kuroda though. It just makes the currant jealousy for Aki petty instead of brotherly. Oh well. :)
I get your point, but sometimes we act all brotherly and protective with an old lover. I know that by experience. (⌒▽⌒) (⌒▽⌒)
I'm glad you liked it! Yes, the twining of the two stories really made it for me. The art in the Scheherazade story reminded me of Aubrey Beardsley. And this is one of the few mangas that have made me cry. I actually gasped, chapter 6, page 7. Oh my gawd.
Though you can't judge a book by it's cover, I think it's fair to say much of the tone and context of a manga (or manhwa) is conveyed by it's art. The Finder cover at the top of the page reflects elements of the classic "bodice ripper" cover in an homage that could almost be seen as tongue-in-cheek (depending on how the reader interprets the story). Asami in his dark suit bends over Aki, whose white shirt is ripped open and their eyes suggest this is a story of passion and desire. Compare it to a typical bodice ripper cover like this one for Pirate in my Arms:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c6/dc/3f/c6dc3f24342d1c3e5dc11ab58c334450.jpg
The dark haired pirate bends over the woman in the white dress whose neckline is open to show skin. The woman exposes her neck in a gesture of surrender.The pirate grabs her in his strong, manly man arms. See where I am going with this?
But modern romance has changed. Now, the man on the cover would probably be shirtless (see e.g. https://hotandbotheredbooks.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/captive-bride-johanna-lindsey-1987.jpg?w=714).
Compare this to the cover of Killing Stalking:
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/killing_stalking/
On one level, both Finder and Killing Stalking have story elements that involve the main character "stalking" and pursuing the seme for his own reasons until the seme captures, imprisons, and rapes him. But look at the difference in the art. These stories use the same elements in very different ways. Sure, the KS MC has on open shirt just like Aki, but he is looking down and is unaware that the seme is about to wack him from behind. The seme doesn't look passionate in that picture. He looks menacing--and not in a sexy way. And the MC looks sad and lonely. The background is dark and blood red. Without even reading the stories, we can see that the tone and intent seem to be very different.
Of course, Finder isn't for everyone, and everyone is entitled to an opinion. But it is worth noting that the context varies depending on the story, and how story elements are used matters. It just seem to me that even if people don't read the tags, if they see a cover of a manga that looks like a bodice ripper, they should consider that the story may be like a bodice ripper.