Wild Rock



Generally considered Takashima Kazusa's most popular Boys Love manga, Wild Rock is a romance between young men of two rival clans set in the prehistoric era. Because he is useless at hunting, Yuuen is sent by his father to pretend to be a woman to charm Emba, the best hunter of the lake clan, into giving him food. The more time they spend together, the more Yuuen falls for Emba and regrets deceiving him.

The side story Innocent Lies covers the relationship between Yuni and Selim, Yuuen's and Emba's respective fathers, and their choice to place duty before love. There's also two short chapters that serve as a Babies Ever After epilogue to the work with Nava, the son of Yuuen's brother and Emba's sister.

Wild Rock provides examples of:

 * Blue Eyes: Yuuen has absolutely huge blue irises.
 * Braids of Action: Emba has a single braid that shows he's an action guy
 * Close-Call Haircut: Emba just barely escapes the alligator, with his braid being cut clean off by the alligator's snap.
 * Conflicting Loyalty: Yuni and Selim choose loyalty to their clans. Emba chooses loyalty to Yuuen.
 * Disguised in Drag: Yuuen dresses up as a woman to gain Emba's favour.
 * Distressed Dude: Yuuen, who is small, weak, and looks like a girl, is helpless against most giant prehistoric animals.
 * Doting Parent: As doting as Nava's uncles are, his dad is even worse.
 * Double In-Law Marriage: Yuuen's and Emba's siblings meet during their ceremony, which leads to the Babies Ever After extras.
 * Dropped a Bridget On Him: Subverted. Emba knew all along Yuuen was a guy but didn't mention it because he didn't want him to stop seeing him.
 * Feuding Families: Although they avoid bloodshed, the lake clan and the forest clan have tense relations because their natural hunting grounds overlap. Thanks to Emba's prowess the forest clan is not getting much meat at all, hence Yuuen gets sent on a Honey Trap mission to convince Emba to give him some of his catch. In the end Yuuen's and Emba's feelings for each other lead to the clans setting aside their rivalry and uniting, and Yuuen's and Emba's siblings get married.
 * Fundoshi Shot: The loin cloths don't cover that much to begin with, but there's still many moments where the reader gets a peek at what's under them.
 * Furo Scene: The Child Rock chapter features doting uncles Yuuen and Emba bathing at the lake with baby Nava.
 * Generation Xerox: Yuuen and Emba end up falling in love just like their fathers did.
 * He-Man Woman Hater: Yuuen's brother states he just doesn't get the what the deal is about women and prefers hunting. Not long after this he meets Emba's sister. The end result is predictable.
 * Honey Trap: Yuni thinks that if Yuuen pretends to be female, he can convince Emba to give them some of the game he kills.
 * Hunter Trapper: Hunting is an important food source for both clans. Emba is the best hunter/trapper in either clan by far, leaving the forest clan hard up for food.
 * I Will Definitely Protect You: Emba swears to devote his life to protecting Yuuen and promises that his soul will continue to do so, even after he dies.
 * Keet: Nava as he gets older.
 * Loin Cloth: The default dress for young men, it seems.
 * Love At First Sight: Part of what gives Yuuen away is simply that Emba's been entranced since the first time they saw each other and knows exactly who (and what gender) he is.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Emba's design is pure beefcake Fan Service.
 * Nemean Skinning: Goes with the prehistoric setting.
 * Nubile Savage: Applies to both men and women who all look far too perfect for the setting.
 * Loves My Alter Ego: Yuuen thinks he's doing a much better job at being a woman than he actually is and assumes Emba's in love with that side of him. He's not.
 * Luminescent Blush: Yuuen.
 * My Own Private I Do: Emba takes Yuuen away in the middle of their ceremony to make their own vows of eternity alone.
 * Non-Action Guy: Yuuen, to the point his father decides he will be more useful pretending to be a girl.
 * One Million BC: Set in a fantastical prehistoric time.
 * Prehistoric Monster: The world is full of them.
 * Puppy Dog Eyes: Nava know how to use them well.
 * Reptiles Are Abhorrent: A giant prehistoric alligator nearly eats Yuuen.
 * Rescue Romance: The first time Yuuen and Emba meet Yuuen is about to be killed by a giant sabre-toothed animal that he had been trying to hunt. Emba flies in out of nowhere and stabs it in the neck, and promptly tells Yuuen he's incapable of wielding a weapon. Emba also has to rescue him from a giant alligator later on.
 * Samaritan Relationship Starter: Yuni falls into an animal trap set by Selim. Selim gets him out and nurses him back to health. Since they're of rival clans, Yuni wouldn't have given him the time of day before this.
 * Sarashi: Emba gains something of one to bandage the injuries from the alligator.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Yuuen is the small and pretty Non-Action Guy and Emba is the beefcake Hunter Trapper with a big sword.
 * Spoiled Brat: Nava is absolutely spoiled rotten by his dad and uncles, gets into everything and has the attention span of a fruit fly.
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Yuni and Selim decide there's no way to overcome the fact that they're from Feuding Families and are both future chieftans, so they part and have families of their own. It isn't until their sons fall in love and unite the two tribes that they meet again, agreeing it was long overdue.
 * Tender Tears: Yuuen gets these, which reinforce the fact he is just not a manly man like the others.
 * Walking Shirtless Scene: The young men of both clans. Emba in particular.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: All of the men running around in Loin Cloths and leg warmers have them, even Yuuen, but Emba's Grade A is worth mentioning specifically.