MANGA: Business-Like

Business-Like – Higa Shidumu

Masaki has been modeling for the sole reason that he’s in demand.
One day, Usami, his lover-slash-photographer, tells Masaki that it’s over between them and he’s getting married.
Dejected, Masaki loses interest in modeling, nothing matters anymore, and he becomes a recluse.
It’s then that a friend tells him about a live-in job.
His new employer looks like a pleasant enough guy at first… but looks can be deceiving…!!

What will happen between the top salesman who’s interested in nothing but his work and Masaki, his live-in housekeeper…?

A lovely slow-burn, forced proximity story between a former model turned housekeeper and an aloof salaryman who was all work and no play.

The story starts off with Masaki quitting his rising modelling career after a bad breakup with the photographer. Then he was roped in to a job as a live-in housekeeper to his friend’s brother.

The manga was perfectly paced for most of its chapters. I loved how their relationship developed. It really showcased how both of the characters grow individually and how they fit together.

Takaomi wasn’t intentionally a standoffish guy but he did his job too perfectly that people felt intimidated. He also saw how people tend to distance themselves from him which in turn led him to keep his distance. He doesn’t go out of his way to connect to people, merely accepted that he’s not the type to make friends.

Masaki did as he was instructed at first, keeping to his chores and following the house rules. He hardly interacted with boss despite being in the same space together because Takaomi preferred it that way. Then one day, he noticed Takaomi seemed troubled and offered to lend his ear.

That talk led to a gentle friendship then to gradual realization of deeper feelings. This was then complicated by the fact Takaomi’s mother arranged for him to marry a girl. Things came to a head after an accident. I wished the story ended after that emotional scene at the hospital because the closing chapters were a mess.

The last part was rushed and unnecessary, with a meddling, homophobic mom and a controversial exhibit thrown in for conflict. The scenes weren’t executed well, the resolution unsatisfactory.

Still, this is an enjoyable manga overall. The colored illustrations at the beginning of each chapter was a great treat.

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