In our case I actually found it quite normal as Kaito is depicted from the start as a clearly non-gay man, so I would have found it weird if he had sprung to full action without hesitation after his initial feelings that were strongly against a homosexual relationship. I mean, I know enough (German) men who (at least say that they) are super-weirded-out / disgusted by the idea of even kissing a man, let alone having sex with them. Now if we add the fact that this is a book written for a Japanese audience, where the standard representation of these topics is that people long for each other forever and ever without even going so far as confessing their love, and then they get married.
Also, how much time has passed since Kaito met Jeoffrey? A couple of months, at best. I think he went almost full-circle pretty quickly. And it seems to be clear that he is not categorically against sex, just that he needs some time.
I also wonder whether Kaito is a virgin after all, as he lived in that (boys-only) boarding school and so I donāt think he had lots of opportunities to get intimate with girls either. So if thatās his first relationship ever, then thatās another good reason for the author to take it slowly.
Not saying I donāt see your points, not at all! Maybe I just got used to how love and relationships are depicted in Japanese media and admittedly I donāt have much to compare it with because I donāt usually read romantic literature because I hate the kitsch and the omnipresent doctrine of monogamy which is (in my experience) no different from the doctrine of heterosexuality - for some it is the only thing they can live with, for some it doesnāt matter one way or the other, and for some itās clearly the opposite. Anyways
Kaito arrives at his new quarters and makes friends (through buying alcohol) with his new fellow fools and clowns. Soon he gets to attend the table with the queen. He had been warned by his comrades to not draw the spite of Robert, Earl of Essex. But of course, Robert provokes him in an unbearable manner.
Chapter 12 thoughts:
Kaito is being rescued by his fellow clowns, at least for the time being. Later he entertains the audience by singing a 1980ās pop song Queen Elizabeth then suggests that he should get baptized in order to make life much easier for him, and also to keep Walsinghamās criticism at bay. Kaito talks to a bishop and they decide to perform the baptism the next day. The Queen and Drake are designated to be his godfather and godmother. But before this can happen, the bishop suddenly dies in Kaitoās arms during dinner, and Kaito gets accused of having poisoned him! And with this dramatic cliffhanger, the story is deferred to Vol. 5.
Overall impression:
That was really dense! So many different people and places, and everything is somehow intertwined. Makes me really aware of how much of a ratās nest the royal court must have been back then. Every other dude is Elizabethās favorite, and basically everybody is connected to everybody else via family bonds. I guess it also got more complicated in this volume because we directly encounter many people and so the historical aspects get much more detailed, compared to previous volumes.
What I totally loved was that I knew so many of the places! I used to work in London for two years, and although that was a remote job, I was in the city roughly every six weeks, and therefore got to know it quite a bit. Iād sometimes go to Borough Market for lunch; this place is right around the corner from where Jeoffrey and Kaito confessed their love to each other.
Many of the housing blocks in the old city center, namely around Moorgate and Aldgate, contain footpaths that look like theyāre taken from a medieval museum; each time I walked through there, I kinda expected to bump into a knight on a horse, or maybe into Jeoffrey with his sword and gorgeous overcoat
Well, Jeoffrey dumping Cyril clearly had some unforseen consequences: Cyril is now no longer able to play his role in the upcoming play by Marlowe due to heartbreak! (well, more like heās drowned himself in drink and is out of it in time for the performance). I guess, he didnāt deserve that, even if I didnāt particularly like the character.
Marlowe intends to make the responsible parties fix his problem, and so Kaito is drafted into the theatre troupe in place of Cyril. Kaito is quickly moving professions! XD
Apparently, Marlowe is perfectly fine with a rank amateur trying their hand at performing in his play, going so far as suggesting no-one learns their lines, lol. I guess, it IS historically accurate to say that at this time, while there are people who have a profession of performing music, theatre, opera, we also donāt have professional institutions supporting the arts yet. For example, itās only in the 19th Century that we get a stable set of instruments used (many were also previously in development-stages before becoming the instruments we know today), so for example if you wanted to put on an opera in the 18th Century, you would have to rearrange the music to suit the available instruments/musicians (something Mozart and his peers constantly had to do). Not to mention, some singers would demand changes to the opera, as well, to suit them. That could include insisting on singing something else entirely from the opera music, like a famous song everyone knew or something that just allowed the singer to show off for their personal fans. While Iām less familiar about the facts of the 16th Century, semi-professionalism and amateurism isnāt farfetched assumptions to reach. So, Kaito might just fit right in?
In any case, more trouble is heading their way as another theatre member falls sick and even Marlowe is forced onstage. XD Clearly itās a cursed performance! Thereās also another historical person lurking backstage: Good Will, aka Shakespeare! This is quite something! But in a way, I guess fitting as apparently Marlowe is presumed to having been a big inspiration for Shakespeare according to the wiki on Marlowe.
Tbh, itās a bit much to have Shakespeare as a ācharacterā in this story. I guess, it does make for a fun twist. XD
Yes, another layer upon all the other layers
Gave me a bit of a feeling like it must have been in Paris around Fin de SiĆØcle, when all the now-famous painters lived in Montmartre and hung out together all the time, and all the now-famous authors hung out together in Quartier Latin all the time
Iāve just started chapter 6, and ugh; Iām feeling as stressed out as Kaito. This is giving me new job āI canāt screw upā vibes. I hope he can get back to the Gloria soon!
Finished chapter 6. No real comments from me that other people havenāt already mentioned. I donāt know why Iāve been so stressed reading this chapter; I think poor Kaitoās influencing me. Iām glad Jeoffreyās going to be around, at least; I was really surprised when he and Drake followed Kaito to chat with the Queen, haha. āYou guys are still here?ā
I was actually quite confused by that; I read that the girls giggled because of Drake and Jeoffrey and initially I was not able to put that together in my head (I was like āwhen did the girls see them?ā ), but later on it became clear that they were indeed still there. I first thought itās a bit strange, but then again, Drake is one of the richest and mightiest persons in England (apart from royalty) and so itās only reasonable that the queen wants to hang out with him. And Jeoffrey just follows in his wake
Finished chapter 7~ Phew. Man. That went 0 to 30 to 120 real fast. I have to say, Iām really enjoying whatever Kit brings to the party. I bet heās definitely got a stake in getting Kaito and Jeoffrey together; frees up Nigel for himself, haha.
As for which way Nigelās leaning so farā¦ my thoughts are this: I see Kaito seeing Nigel as a more brother-like figure for sure. Hard to tell with Nigel so far, given how he hasnāt had any viewpoint chapters so far. He could definitely go either way if you know what I mean. I wonder how heās going to deal with those prostitutesā¦
So speaking of, super random: is Cyril just an actor? Or is he also a prostitute on the side? For some reason I thought he was a prostitute since meeting him in volume 1, but now Iām not sure about my memory.
Since Jeoffrey and Cyril was meeting at a brothel, it does come across as Cyril being an actor who is also a prostitute. itās also not a stretch of real history either, as it was difficult to be in the performing arts without āpatronsā to support you. Ballet is infamous for this, historically, but it also goes for the other stage arts as far as I know.
Thatās all Iāll say there. Very sweet chapter; Iām in between Nicole amd ekg on timing. I think Jeoffrey really needed this moment because his jealousy was spiraling way out of control there with Nigel. Kaito the author could definitely have stretched things out for a while longer and it wouldāve felt right; heās definitely got a lot of things going against anything less than a thoughtful decision. As ekg (I think?) mentioned, that power imbalance really screws with what he can make of the situation. Iām eager to see how things develop from here!
Good question! I guess, one can hope heās all big-brother happy for them. But, that kissā¦ Though, heās clearly a very loyal person as well, so putting others before himself?
Yes, absolutely! That moment when he asked Kaito whether he loves Jeoffrey, Kaito replies āI love you as wellā and Nigel says āThatās not what I askedā - omg that was so heartwrenching
I just hope he doesnāt harm himself too much while being loyal, and that he doesnāt explode at some point.
By the way, I always wanted to ask, if you were Kaito, whom would you pick? (I mean, just based on the persons, leaving all power dynamics aside)
Finished chapter 9! Gonna have to take it slow for the rest of today; Iāve got too much work piled up to ignore. -.-;
A little bit of an in-between chapter; Kaito gets roped into performing the leading lady part of Tamburlaine, and while setting up he meets William Shakespeare! I gotta say, I geeked out a little bit when I read that; I was really hoping weād meet hm. :3 Itād be so cool to be in Kaitoās shoes at the end of this chapterā¦
I got a laugh out of that; āno one can remember all the long speeches I write anyway; youāll fit in.ā
Did you do research on the 19th century music knowledge, or are you a particular history buff? Thatās super cool!
Wait, I think I missed this. I know Marlowe was helping Kaito rehearse, but he needed to be on stage himself?
That was If I had to put my feelings in emojis. Made me a little angry when Jeoffrey stormed in, haha.
I think Iād pick Nigel, personally. Nothing against Jeoffrey, but Iām not as outgoing as he seems to be, and I think Iād just end up embarrassed in a lot of situations, haha. Might also be a slight bias against whoeverās āwinningā; I like rooting for underdogs, and Jeoffrey doesnāt need my help cheering him on, haha.
I think I missed that as well What scene especially were you thinking of, @ekg?
Interesting! I think so too. On average I seem to like the looks of the dark-haired types much more than the fair-haired ones Dunno why, maybe the darker tones seem to add more character? (although I must say, I found really really fair hair to be incredibly soft and fluffy )
And while Jeoffrey is probably super-fun to hang out and have fun with, Nigel feels more like a haven of tranquility which is good to return to to recharge. So, ideally, can I have both please? but if I had to pick, I think in the long run Nigel would win.
Thatās a really good way to put it. I bet Nigel would be fun to read and discuss books with. :3
Ah, and speaking of Shakespeare, Iām actually going to see one of his plays performed this Saturday: Much Ado About Nothing! I havenāt seen/read that one before, so Iām super excited! ^o^ Iāll see if I can take pictures if the venue allows it.
I guess, I can see more of a relationship vibe between Kaito and Jeoffrey. Kaito and Nigel makes for great brothers in arms/mates/friends and so forth for me. But, maybe, in the end, Kaito goes forā¦Evan!
Ah, no, Iāve studied musicology at university, so itās part of learning about music history I guess. I always loved opera and musicals and stage art. ^>^ hopefully, Iāll get to watch kabuki theatre one day. I was lucky and managed to watch a rare touring Noh-theatre troup in Stockholm over 10 years ago, which was a truly stunning performance. It was one of those Noh companies where the acting goes many generations back!
Hoping to see some pics later! ^>^ Iām sure youāll have a great time!
In any case, back to F&Bā¦
I could always have misread. But, someone was called in as having fallen sick at least at the last minute, causing even more problems as the performance draws near. Iāll see if i can find the passage again.
No, thatās just one of the mates on Gloria! XD He was the one calling the depth of the sea at La Rochelle! Or at least, I assumed his name was Evan, though I guess if could be Juan, but thatās not very English sounding.
Now if we add the fact that this is a book written for a Japanese audience, where the standard representation of these topics is that people long for each other forever and ever without even going so far as confessing their love, and then they get married. 
And with this dramatic cliffhanger, the story is deferred to Vol. 5.
XD
Thereās also another historical person lurking backstage: Good Will, aka Shakespeare! 
This is quite something! But in a way, I guess fitting as apparently Marlowe is presumed to having been a big inspiration for Shakespeare according to the wiki on Marlowe. 
This is giving me new job āI canāt screw upā vibes. I hope he can get back to the Gloria soon!
Though, heās clearly a very loyal person as well, so putting others before himself? 
)
but if I had to pick, I think in the long run Nigel would win.
I always loved opera and musicals and stage art. ^>^ hopefully, Iāll get to watch kabuki theatre one day. I was lucky and managed to watch a rare touring Noh-theatre troup in Stockholm over 10 years ago, which was a truly stunning performance. It was one of those Noh companies where the acting goes many generations back!
