History Literature / AiNoKusabi

* ArtificialHumans: Jupiter's "children".

* EatingTheEyeCandy: Riki gets this a lot.
* EmotionsVsStoicism: Explored with Tanagura's social structure and Iason and Riki's "relationship".

* WhatMeasureIsAHumanoid: Lightly brought up with Iason's issues an ArtficialHuman Elite that engages in a physical relationship with a human bing.

Iason Mink, a high-class Blondy, runs into Riki, an unusual black-haired Mongrel, makes him his "Pet" which Riki resents being. As Riki learns of the dangers Iason faces by keeping him, he finds himself developing feelings for his master. Focusing on the relationship between Iason and Riki, Ai No Kusabi also explores issues of caste systems and social exclusion.

* SuperHumanTrafficking: [[DesignerBabies Designer Baby]] and chimera Pets are highly sought after prizes on the BlackMarket.

* XanatosGambit: Iason pulls quite a scheme when he sends Riki back to Ceres to save his life from being executed in Eos, give him time to figure his feelings for Riki, give Riki time to see how he no longer belongs in the slums and get intel on Riki's life in general as a mongrel. This also yielded in an

* YourNormalIsOurTaboo: Sex among normal humans is all too common but taboo to Elites that are forbidden to indulge in sexual activities themselves. Furthermore, Iason choosing a mongrel for a Pet, sleeping with him and even treating him special is downright disgraceful and disgusting to Raoul. Even Katze feels that Riki has dragged Iason down to his level since Iason puts his own status at risk for Riki's sake. Yet, Iason doesn't care about any of this.

* {{Seme}}: Iason is quite a tall and dominating Blondy. In the novel, Riki ''used to be'' the seme in his previous relationship (yes, despite being shorter) as he pursued that relationship and Guy did whatever Riki wanted on a whim. This reversal is logically, one of the reasons Riki hates being a Pet.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The other Pets of Eos look down on Riki and treat him poorly for being a ''[[WrongSideOfTheTracks mongrel from Ceres]]''. They are filled with hate and envy that although Riki is low born, he is higher ranking as Iason's Pet and guaranteed a better life than they ever will have despiting being purebred Pets. Status and rank is everything to a Pet and the higher the status of the master, the greater the status of the Pet.
* AllThereInTheManual: It's much more complicated to understand some characters' motivations without having read the novels. If you watch the anime ''and'' listen to the CD drama you will understand the story much better, because the CD drama contains parts of the story that the anime doesn't show. Like the fact that Iason is no ordinary human but an ArtificialHuman but not an android, which explains why he is so disturbed from having feelings for Riki. It also explains why he has minor blood loss or emotes little pain when he [[spoiler:loses his legs]] (we know that he does feel pain due to the time Riki bit him but Iason seems to have a high tolerance for it).

* OverTheShoulderCarry: In the OVA Iason carries Guy like this. In the novel it's Riki that carries Guy by himself while still in pain.

* AIIsACrapshoot[=/=]GoneHorriblyRight: The novel explains Jupiter's origins to power as having been this.

* CrackPairing: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by ''everyone'' that see [[OfficialCouple Iason and Riki together]]. A Blondy and a mongrel just walking down the street together in Midas is quite an unfathomable spectacle that stops onlookers in their tracks.

The 2012 OVA series has now been licensed by MediaBlasters for distribution in the US for a April 2013 release.

* RapeAsBackstory: Inverted with Riki. Aside from the prologue where we aren't told who the man and slave are, when we are properly introduced to Riki, he's depicted as an apathetic drug addict who's behavior worries his friends. Then in the second volume are we shown via flashback what happened as a Pet to make him that way.

* LimaSyndrome ''and'' StockholmSyndrome: subverted in Iason and Riki, respectively (instead of the feelings for each other deriving from their captor-captive relationship, Iason intends to keep Riki as his pet ''because'' of the feelings he has developed for him, and Riki loves Iason ''despite'' hating how he controls him).

* AllThereInTheManual: It's much more complicated to understand some characters' motivations without having read the novels. If you watch the anime ''and'' listen to the CD drama you will understand the story much better, because the CD drama contains parts of the story that the anime doesn't show. Like the fact that Iason is no ordinary human but some kind of ArtificialHuman but not an android, which explains why he is so disturbed from having feelings for Riki. It also explains why he has minor blood loss or emotes little pain when he [[spoiler:loses his legs]] (we know that he does feel pain due to the time Riki bit him but Iason seems to have a high tolerance for it).

The 2012 OVA series has now been licensed by MediaBlasters for distribution in the US for a March 2013 release.

* MoralMyopia: Where to begin with how the Elites exploit and use the people of Ceres whether it be as Furniture or Pets? Nobody in their society seem to think it's wrong and nobody else speaks against it because they are so powerful and the BlackMarket and sales of Pets are very lucrative. Then there's the fact the system and usage of Pets and Furniture as disposable slaves exists in the first place...

* NotSoStoic: In the novel and 1994 OVA, both [[spoiler:Raoul and Katze]] shred their stoic facades and [[spoiler:Katze]] CryCute break down in tears]] when they learn about [[spoiler: Iason and Riki's deaths.]] Also all furniture that meet Riki have trouble keeping their composure.

* [[spoiler: DyingAlone]]: Subverted in the TwistEnding.

* [[DyingDeclarationOfLove Dying Demonstration of Love]]: After finally acknowledging how much he loves [[spoiler:Iason]], [[spoiler:Riki]] refuses to let [[spoiler:Iason]] face death alone and [[spoiler:returns to be with him at the end]].

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Twice. Aside from some pain, [[spoiler:Riki]] takes having his penis cut off rather well (he doesn't have any ill will towards [[spoiler:Guy]] and views the incident as LaserGuidedKarma for his previous {{Jerkass}} treatment of [[spoiler:Guy]]). Other than a brief look of concern and discomfort, [[spoiler:Iason]] has no reaction at all to [[spoiler:losing his legs.]][[hottip:Note:In reality the first injury would leave the victim unable to walk and screaming in pain due to the high density of sensory nerve fibers denoting the penile area; the second injury would leave the victim dead in about... 30 seconds (massive hemorrhage from multiple major blood vessels: would bleed out almost as fast as slicing someone's throat)]]

* PowerBlonde: All of the Blondies but Iason Mink IS this trope and he knows it too.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Elites of Tanagura come in a variety of HairColors and they are ranked by it. There are Onyx (black-haired), Rubies (redheads), Jades (green-haired, Sapphires (blue-haired), Platinas (silver-haired) and of course the top class are [[PowerBlonde Blondies]]. None of which is an ImplausibleHairColor because they are all [[LegoGenetics genetically engineered]].

* CryCute: Both [[spoiler:Raoul and Katze]], until then stoic guys (mostly in [[spoiler:Katze]]'s case), break down in tears when they learn about [[spoiler:Riki and Iason]]'s deaths.

* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Riki has a very distinct and striking appearance with pure black hair and eyes that are quite unique for a mongrel and make him stand out in a crowd. [[AdaptationDyeJob For some reason]], Riki's eyes are brown in both OVA adaptations.

* LimaSyndrome ''and'' StockholmSyndrome: subverted in Iason and Riki, respectively (instead of the feelings for each other deriving from their captor-captive relationship, Iason keeps Riki his pet ''because'' of how he feels for him, and Riki loves Iason ''despite'' hating how he controls him).

* TimeSkip: A couple. about a year goes by between Iason and Riki's first meeting and when Iason kidnaps him from Mistral Park. About another 2 years go by between when Riki beds Mimea and is temporarily set free to return to the slums.

* LimaSyndrome ''and'' StockholmSyndrome: subverted in Iason and Riki, respectively (instead of the feelings for each other deriving from their captor-captive relationship, Iason makes Riki his pet ''because'' of how he feels for him, and Riki loves Iason ''despite'' hating how he controls him).

* {{Wimpification}}: Riki over the course of the story. Iason did [[DoubleEntendre a bang up job]] [[BreakTheHaughty breaking him]]. Katze [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] Riki's state after finding him near the end.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Twice. Aside from some pain, [[spoiler:Riki]] takes having his penis cut off rather well (he doesn't have any ill will towards [[spoiler:Guy]] and views the incident as LaserGuidedKarma for his previous {{Jerkass}} treatment of [[spoiler:Guy]]). Other than a brief look of concern and discomfort, [[spoiler:Iason]] has no reaction at all to [[spoiler:losing his legs.]]

* LimaSyndrome ''and'' StockholmSyndrome: played with in Iason and Riki, respectively. It's really more "love ''in spite'' of" instead of "love ''because'' of."

* LimaSyndrome ''and'' StockholmSyndrome: Iason and Riki, respectively.

* ExplicitContent: One major reason ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' stands out amongst many other YaoiGenre titles is due to the intricate story and how the setting drives the motivations and actions of the characters. Sex plays a major role but is ultimately not the point of it.

** ShinyMidnightBlack: Again Riki's hair which is very much like that of the Onyx Elites.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The other Pets of Eos look down on Riki and treat him poorly for being a ''[[WrongSideOfTheTracks mongrel from Ceres]]''. They are filled with hate and envy that although Riki is low born, he is higher ranking as Iason's Pet and guaranteed a better life than they ever will have despiting being purebred Pets. Status and rank is everything to a Pet and the greater the status of the master, the higher the status of the Pet.