Nekoze ga Nobitara – Oshima Kamome

After being asked to by his boss, office worker Arai heads to Nichome without knowing it’s gay town! There he meets personal trainer Yuu, who takes him to a bathroom?!

If The Hunchback Stretches is an opposites attract, slow-burn romance between salaryman Arai and his personal trainer Yuu.

Yuu is openly gay, though he keeps it discreet in his gym. He once flirted with Arai, who mistakenly entered a gay bar. After learning the man is straight, Yuu bemoans the fact and being straightforward, told Arai he liked him.

They met again in Yuu’s gym, and the two men began noticing each other’s cute personality quirks as they interacted with one another and other people. A drunken night together led to an attempt at dating. The rest of the story follows Arai and Yuu as they learn more about each other and navigate through the uncertainties in their relationship.

The story is mostly in Arai’s POV. The hunchback in the title referred to his slouched posture that Yuu is determined to correct. Arai is tall, has French and Japanese blood, attractive and well-liked. By all means, he should be a confident man. But Arai struggles to be himself around people.

As their relationship develops, Arai also grows as a character, confronting his past and begining to feel more like himself. Yuu takes things at Arai’s pace, taking things slow, knowing his boyfriend is new to most of it. I loved how his confidence balanced Arai’s personality.

The vibe is more mature and realistic. There are no grand gestures and the feels are low-key yet they made me smile.

But the gags, they made me LOL!

The best character is Xavier, the chubby middle-aged bar owner squee-ing at Yuu and Arai. He witness it all, from the meet disaster, to the blossoming romance, to the heartbreak and the reunion.

Xavier is hilarious! The man bodily threw himself between Arai and another man about to hit on the clueless Arai, because Xavier knew the salaryman was meant for Yuu. Sometimes, he’d get a derpy jealous face when his favorite couple were too lovey-dovey. But he’s always in their corner and their biggest cheerleader.

Overall, common plot but great execution!

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