Iason saves him from being killed by a gang and Riki tries to pay his debt by offering his body to Iason. Riki the Dark, a slum mongrel without an ID number and leader of the gang Bison and considered therefore to be the lowest of the lowest meets one day Iason Mink, a Tanagura elite Blondie the most powerful man in the city. However it was written in the novel that Tanagura even manipulated the 'natural' births of Ceres, ensuring that its population did not grow by restricting the number of female births. The true separation is between those genetically created in a lab (those in Tanagura) and 'mongrels' formed the natural way (those in Ceres). Further emasculation is seen in the 'Furniture,' young boys who serve the Blondies.Ĭontrary to popular belief, the hair-color caste system only applies to those working in Tanagura and not in Ceres. Blondies keep 'pets' (young teenagers) purely for voyeuristic purposes and they are kept for about a year before being discarded. Under Jupiter's restrictions, the Blondies are sterile and forbidden from indulging in sexual activities. They travel to the satellite pleasure city of Midas, which has an independent slum area called Ceres. The Blondies, genetically engineered by Jupiter, are the highest social class and occupy the capital city of Tanagura. Among other things, social status is determined by hair color, Blonde being the highest, down to black or dark brown being the lowest. Jupiter has installed a number of strict social rules to its society. The novel is licensed for an English language release in North America by Digital Manga Publishing which is publishing the novel across six volume series, with the first released in November 2007.Īi no Kusabi takes place on the world of Amoi, ruled over by a computer named Jupiter. A new thirteen episode anime OVA adaptation, also from AIC, is scheduled to begin releasing in Japan in spring of 2010.

In November 1993, an audio drama entitled Erogenous Dark was released focusing on a time period left unexplored in the original novels. The novel was partially adapted into a two-episode anime original video animation (OVA) by Anime International Company (AIC), with the first episode released in August 1992, and the second in May 1994. Focusing on the ill-fated love between Iason and Riki, Ai no Kusabi also explores issues of caste systems and social exclusion. Iason Mink, a high-class Blondie, runs into Riki, a black-haired Mongrel, and makes him his 'Pet.' As Riki learns of the dangers Iason faces by keeping him, he finds himself developing feelings for his master. This futuristic tale is set in a world where men are assigned various social classes based on their hair color.

Originally serialized in the yaoi magazine Shousetsu June between December 1986 and October 1987, the story was collected into a hardbound novel that was released in Japan in 1990. Ai no Kusabi ( 間の楔 ?) is a Japanese novel written by Rieko Yoshihara.

Aoi no kusabi wedge of love sub indo