This post includes a brief plot summary, an analysis, a review and an explanation about the ending of the anime “Ai no Kusabi”. There will also be a relationship analysis between the two main characters: Riki and Iason Mink. Beware of spoilers.
Note: “Ai no Kusabi” is a Japanese yaoi novel written by Rieko Yoshihara. The novel was later adapted into a two-episode OVA (original video animation) in 1992 and 1994. Today’s opinions are solely based on the 90s anime adaptation, not the novel.
The anime adaptation is not as detailed as the novel. So here’s a little introduction to the world of “Ai no Kusabi”.
The World of “Ai no Kusabi” Explained
There’s a planet called Amoi, ruled by a computer named Jupiter. Tanagura is the capital of Amoi and the Eos Tower is where the elite resides. Midas is essentially a business center. Then, we have Ceres, an independent slum near Midas, populated by Mongrels (people that live in high poverty).
The people of Amoi have a cast system determined by hair colour. The darker the hair colour, the lower the individual’s position in that society. Having said that, the elites have the lightest hair colour and the Mongrels have the darkest.
Blondies are not human. Jupiter created them to govern Tanagura under her rules. In addition, they often keep “pets” (teenagers) for voyeuristic purposes, only to discard them a year later. Then, we have “furnitures”, castrated young men who take care of “pets”.
“Ai no Kusabi” is a tragic love story between two individuals whose affair defies all societal norms prevalent in that same dystopian society.
A young man named Riki stumbles upon a rival gang. They beat him severely, but out of nowhere, a tall blonde man, Iason Mink, steps in to save Riki. As a sign of gratitude, Riki offers his body to Iason. After that encounter, Riki disappears from Ceres for three years.
So what really happened? Iason “kidnapped” Riki and made him his “pet”. But then he agreed to release him. Now that he is out in the “streets” again, Riki reunites with Guy, his former lover and his right-hand at Bison (gang name).
During a pet auction, Riki spots Iason for the first time since his release. Against everyone’s advice, Iason is determined to get Riki back. Therefore, he concocts a plan to lure Riki back to Tanagura and he succeeds. In order to protect his gang, Riki agrees to return.
Nonetheless, Iason and Riki are not supposed to be together. Riki is considered too “old” to be a pet and Iason is risking his reputation by keeping Riki. Iason arranges a job for Riki at the black market, and he’ll be working under Katze, Iason’s trusted employee.
Seeing that Iason is also sacrificing something to be with him, Riki schedules an encounter to meet him. However, there is someone who is really unhappy with this pair: Guy. So, the former lover decides to kidnap Riki and cut his penis to remove Riki’s pet ring. Then he lures Iason to Dana Banh.
Iason meets Guy at Dana Bahn. The Blondie is furious because of what Guy did to Riki and injures him severely. But none of that matters because of the bombs that Guy planted earlier. Riki begs Iason to save Guy. As they are trying to escape, an explosion takes place and Iason sacrifices himself to save Riki. He loses his two legs. Incapacited, Iason tells Riki to take Guy and leave.
The ending of “Ai no Kusabi” shows Riki leaving Guy to Katze and returning to the danger zone to die with Iason. Before that, Katze offers him some Black Moon cigarettes to ease the pain. Together, Iason and Riki smoke their last cigarette, share for the last time a “deep kiss” and die together.
Riki and Iason have a complex relationship because of power dynamics and the harsh realities of a rigidly stratified society.
Can “Ai no Kusabi” be called a love story? In my opinion, yes. However, Riki and Iason are not a good example of what a healthy relationship looks like.
There is a huge power imbalance between Iason and Riki because there is essentially only one individual who calls all the shots: Iason. He holds Riki’s fate in his hands and can destroy him if he literally desires to.
As one can see, Iason Mink is no saint. Although he sacrificed himself in the end to save Riki, he also put his lover through hell. In a way, Iason pushed Riki (and Guy) to the edge. Also, Iason Mink used Riki as a pet for three years. In other words, he made Riki his sex slave for three years!
The pet ring was the thing that made Riki unable to resist Iason’s sexual advances. Although Riki enjoyed having sex with Iason, it wasn’t out of his free will. The pet ring played a huge role in Riki’s attraction to Iason.
When Riki and Iason had their last sexual encounter, it was the first time that Riki reached out to Iason (sexually).
After having a small conversation with Katze, Riki realized that a lot of the things that Iason does are for him. In addition, he understood that he wasn’t the only one facing prejudice at Eos. The elites were talking ill about Iason too. Having said that, Iason has more to lose by keeping Riki than by letting him go.
Both characters don’t really know how to express their true feelings, they communicate mostly through sex. During Riki and Iason’s final sexual encounter, both let their guards down and engaged for the first time in couple-like interactions.
This was also the first time that Riki showed some concern for Iason. Nonetheless, his pride won’t let him admit it. And what was Iason’s reaction? Delight. The prideful Blondie was more than happy to see his object of affection open up to him.
The feelings that Iason Mink has for Riki are somewhere between love and obsession.
Iason Mink is not human, meaning he wasn’t built to have feelings. Having said that, in the beginning, the Blondie wanted to own his pet. This is how Iason interprets his feelings for Riki. As a matter of fact, Iason never addresses Riki as his love but as his pet (his possession).
Also, as mentioned before, Iason and Riki’s relationship is very toxic and unhealthy. Iason’s infatuation with Riki comes initially from his ego. The Blondie wants Riki because he doesn’t want him. After making Riki his pet, he became sort of a trophy for Iason.
As time went by, Iason’s feelings for Riki matured. Iason realizes that Riki is more than just a “pet”, hence his decision to let Riki “go free” for an entire year. This time, Iason doesn’t want Riki to be with him by force, but by his own will.
For Riki, Iason defied Jupiter’s orders, saved someone he despises, and sacrificed his own life in exchange for Riki’s. After the explosion in Dana Bahn, Riki and Iason could have escaped if they had left Guy behind. However, Iason decided to respect Riki’s wish (saving Guy), even if that would cost his life. Having said that, it’s right to say that Iason loved Riki.
At the very end of “Ai no Kusabi”, Riki learned to appreciate Iason.
Riki came back for Iason, therefore, he definitely has feelings for Iason. Nevertheless, those two have a troubled past together, making it difficult for Riki to openly admit that Iason is more than his former master.
Let’s not forget that Iason raped Riki many times to “tame him”. How can you love someone who sees you as a mere object of desire rather than a human being? Despite everything, Iason changed over the years.
When Iason opened the door at Dana Bahn, he didn’t look at Riki with disgust. After finding out about the castration, he was genuinely concerned for Riki (as a person). That reaction totally caught Riki off-guard because he really thought Iason would let him go after knowing that.
After the building’s collapse, there was pain in Riki’s eyes when he saw that Iason had lost his two legs. At the time, Riki was heartbroken to leave the place without Iason. That’s why Riki came back (when he recovered his senses) to die with Iason. If Riki hated Iason so much, would he have done that? It doesn’t seem to be the case. Was it a case of Stockholm syndrome?
Riki is a man who always pays his debts.
When Iason saved Riki from some rival gang members, Riki decided that he didn’t want to owe Iason anything. So Riki offered sex as a “payment method”, which Iason accepted. Having said that, Riki is a prideful individual with a strong sense of loyalty.
Riki came back for Iason because he felt like he owed him for saving Guy and losing his legs in the process. Since Riki was also heavily injured, it was impossible for him to carry Iason and leave the danger zone. As a result, he decided to have one last peaceful moment with Iason: “one last deep kiss”.
Having said that, it’s clear that Riki has feelings for Iason. Although the two characters die in a very tragic manner, they got, in a very twisted way, the happy ending they deserved. At the very end, Riki came back for Iason out of his free will, which is what the Blondie wanted all along.
Realistically speaking, Riki and Iason would not make it as a couple in the dystopian world depicted in “Ai no Kusabi”.
Despite Iason’s status as a powerful Blondie, he still had to listen to Jupiter and abide by Tanagura’s rules. Being in a relationship with Riki would only put them in greater danger. As much as Iason Mink tried to go against the rules, he would eventually face dire consequences if he continued the affair with Riki.
Final Thoughts
“Ai no Kusabi” is one of those stories that will stand the test of time. The bittersweet ending will leave you sad and happy at the same time. It’s sad because the two main characters die, but it’s also a happy ending because at least they get to die next to the person they love.
This anime belongs to a very specific genre, yaoi, which features mainly male-to-male relationships. Some viewers might shy away because of the genre. Nevertheless, personally, I believe the world portrayed in “Ai no Kusabi” is enough to give it a go, from a sci-fi enthusiast standpoint of view alone.
Overall, “Ai no Kusabi” is a noteworthy anime to watch. As a matter of fact, it’s a beautiful work of art. I wasn’t expecting such complex relationship dynamics to be portrayed in an anime. By the way, “Ai no Kusabi”’s soundtrack elevates the anime to a whole other level. The music perfectly captures all the tension, sensuality and angst between the two leads.
