It is a yaoi (male-male romance) series that follows the relationship between a rock musician and a soccer prodigy.

Kōji Nanjō is one of the most successful rock stars in Japan, with his hauntingly beautiful voice and very attractive features.

But beneath all the fame and glamour, he is a damaged and hurt young man who has absolutely no happiness or interest in life.

It is later revealed that the reason Kōji sings is to find the person he fell in love with at first sight six years earlier, whom he remembers for showing extreme ferocity on the soccer field and for a particularly penetrating gaze.

Ken on the other hand, is heir to a martial arts school, and is constantly under pressure to quit soccer, and suffers an injury from trying to be the best in both fields.

Since then, Bronze has outpaced the original Zetsuai with 14 volumes, with the current story arc called "Restart".

[citation needed] The word "Zetsu-ai" is a compound created by Minami Ozaki which has been translated as "desperate love".

[5] Zetsuai 1989 was licensed in French (by Tonkam), German (Carlsen Verlag), Korean, Spanish (Glénat España) and Italian (Panini Comics) languages.

At the time of its writing, the genre as a whole was not commonly recognised by those not creating it, but Zetsuai 1989 is considered one of yaoi's "major works"[31] and "one of the greatest icons of shōnen-ai".

[4] Critics have commented on the series' melodramatic plot[33] its "semi-insane characters", and for the controversial style of its artwork.

[4] The depiction of love in the series has been described as "nearly violent", which is regarded as a "true revelation" for female readers.

[2] Anime News Network has criticised the melodramatic tone of the OVA Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989.