Candy Color Paradox is the latest yaoi series form Isaku Natsume. I recently read Volume 1, and it is fairly standard fare--with a welcome difference.One of Natsume's strengths is that she gives her characters jobs. In a prior series, False Memories, the main characters work for a toy company and its marketing firm/distributor. In Candy Color Paradox, the main characters work for a weekly magazine (the equivalent, as far as I can tell from the description, of People magazine: serious news alongside gossip stories).
I've said it before--I'll say it again: giving characters jobs strengthens their characterizations.
In this case, the two characters, Onoe and Kaburagi, while investigating a gossip story, stumble across a yakuza story--or at least, ties between yakuza and the entertainment industry. Although Onoe, the writer, comes across as more impulsive and inexperienced, he is the one who spots the possible yakuza in the corner of one of Kaburagi's pictures. He may be prone to overreactions; he is still good at his job. His strength is his memory and research. On the other hand, Kaburagi, the photographer, is the one who came up with the initial leads through his networks and his willingness to obfuscate in order to get information. His strength is his adaptability.
One can see why the bosses put them together. One can even see why a relationship might work. Their strengths complement each other.
Very smart writing.
