Synopsis
The world of Patarillo! resembles our own in nearly all respects, except for one notable difference. The original manga ranks among the popular titles aimed at teenage Japanese girls, and it includes a significant number of gay male characters and attractive youths, i.e., bishounen (beautiful boys). The majority of the story unfolds in Marinera, a nation of everlasting spring situated somewhere in the South Seas. The country is a leading source of diamonds, and these gems drive much of the anime's conflict. They are extracted from one of the world's richest mines, which belongs to Marinera's own boy-king Patarillo—a ruler who is vertically challenged yet horizontally well endowed. The International Diamond Syndicate—a massive, quasi-criminal secret society hell-bent on seizing control of the entire global diamond trade—covets that mine and will go to any lengths to acquire it. At the beginning of the series, the Syndicate dispatches a series of bishounen hitmen to kill Patarillo, forcing the boy-king to take on a bodyguard: Major Jack "Bishounen-Killer" Bancoran, an agent of England's MI6. Bancoran's epithet does not imply that he guns down bishounen in cold blood. Rather, it stems from his irresistible sexual appeal—no male below seventeen can resist his charms. Much to Bancoran's perpetual dismay, Patarillo himself is no exception. The scene frequently shifts between Marinera and MI6 headquarters in London (which appears to be a mere two-hour flight from the South Seas), as well as Bancoran's palatial condominium on the outskirts of the city. Incidentally, MI6's headquarters closely resembles Fritz Lang's Metropolis, and Jack's apartment bears a faint likeness to Randolph Hearst's estate. The plot also ventures into the past, the future, and outer space, making it clear that Patarillo certainly gets around.
