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MANGA: Joushitsu na Otoko to H
Joushitsu na Otoko to H – Sonoo Michiru
Kifumi Tsuzuki is a tax auditor and as such, people despise him. No matter, Tsuzuki loves the sight of defeated businesspeople as they reluctantly hand over their due assets. Nothing gets him more excited. Perhaps, not even sex. However, Tsuzuki might have to face the reality that maybe somebody is interested in him. That somebody being Shinichi Nakahara, the CEO of the company that Tsuzuki has just audited. What kind of man tries to court the very person who ripped away money from his arms? Oh, how the tables turn. And this time, it looks like Mr. Nakahara is after Tsuzuki and HIS assets, too
Taxes, or worse, tax penalties, are not on the list of things we expect to spark a romance. So when the words “tax auditor” jumped at me from the blurb, along with that same auditor pursued by the CEO whose company he just cleaned out, I had to investigate immediately.
This is from Sonoo Michiru, who created Dental Darling and S.O.S.? Salt or Sugar?. I loved that her works feature characters in not-commonly written about jobs.
Her story telling here, where the chapters show the events from current to how they meet, was an interesting way of showing how the relationship evolved and the various nuances of their dynamics. The characters, like in her other works, tend to speak bluntly which leads to many humorous dialogues, and are open about their sexuality.
Sex with a High-Grade Man is as it says on the tin. And so much more! The “more” is a ridiculously swoony and spicy romance that, by all accounts, should have been an intense psychological/legal battle between enemies turned lovers.
Instead, dog personality CEO, Shinichi Nakahara, happily regales their friends with how he met his boyfriend, the rabid hyena of a tax auditor, Kifumi Tsuzuki. who hit him with atrocious tax penalties. He likened the experience to paying tribute to a king, to which Kifumi smiled with regal smugness.
People tend to call Nakahara a stupid third-generation CEO. He lets them think what they like. He’s deceptively good at what he does. His laid-back, smiley personality belies a keen mind. Most of his brain power is used to plan dates he thinks Kifumi would like. Nakahara adores his Kiki and dotes on his boyfriend every chance he gets.
Kifumi is that person whose life revolves around his job. He loves taxes so much he spent his summer break checking financial papers, helping weed out crooked employees in Nakahara’s company, or New Year’s Day counting the taxes he can squeeze out of anything taxable. Nakahara saw him there and quickly roped him in.
His cat personality has an aversion to touch and has as many moles on his face as I do. He’s lonely but would rather eat 100-yen pennies than admit it. Nakahara latched on to Kifumi and pursued him with the jolly kindness of a Labrador.
Together, this unlikely power couple has the healthiest, most supportive, and most affectionate relationship I’ve seen, especially among workaholic characters with high-pressure jobs. The implicit trust and the open communication are giving me life, especially knowing they were, in a way, on “opposing sides”. The gentle face touches hit me in the kokoro every time!
Overall, this manga is definitely a top pick for this year. Nakahara is the best BL boyfriend!!! Our Kiki is one lucky cat!
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MANGA: Dental Darling
Dental Darling – Sonoo Michiru
Sensei Hani is the director of a dental clinic that looks like it’s going to collapse at any moment, despite his good skills.
Morisawa, a surly and handsome doctor, is forced onto him by his teacher from university!?
Dental Darling is a deceptively charming story of socially awkward people, blunt in speech and dorks all around. It’s also an interesting peek into the secret lives of dental professionals.
Hani is a dentist at a barely surviving dental clinic. He was forced to take in an apprentice despite being unable to afford the salary. Morisawa is a tall, good-looking man whose direct speech can be off-putting. Later, it was revealed that he’s actually nervous about interacting with people.
At first, the conversations between the dentist and assistant cycled from how broke Hani is, persuading Morisawa to quit, to bemoaning that the clinic might close soon. Later, Morisawa started enticing Hani to eat via stockholder tickets for free meals and encouraging him to think of ways to keep the clinic going.
I loved how the story crept up on me, and before I realized it, I was completely invested in these two dorks and their efforts to keep the clinic in business. Similarly, I initially found their conversations repetitive. Then, I was laughing out loud at ridiculous antics.
Things became even more hilarious when a third person joined them. Saijo is a big, muscular man they hired as the dental hygienist. Hani wanted to hire a big-breasted woman because he thought the male patients might like it. Morisawa, who handled the hiring, went with Saijo because he had the biggest chest.
This musclehead became their biggest cheerleader, shipping Morisawa with Hani, because he noticed Morisawa’s interest. The scenes where Saijo jumped to conclusions or his spectacularly obvious *wink*wink *nudge*nudge signals were a riot!
I didn’t expect to like this manga as much as I did but I loved how funny and lovable these awkward doofuses are. Each character is a play of contrasts, the gap between appearances and personalities creating a refreshing dynamics between the three MCs. Together, they turned the clinic from struggling to thriving!
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MANGA: Koi Tokidoki, Yakisaba Teishoku
Koi Tokidoki, Yakisaba Teishoku – Oshima Kamome
Contains three short stories: Love Is Sometimes a Grilled Fish Set Meal, Memorable Memory Reunion and The Reason Kuro Became Human.
Love Is Sometimes a Grilled Fish Set Meal is a tale of the cocky investment manager setting out to woo the aloof restaurant owner, who wouldn’t give him the time of day no matter how shamelessly he flirted.
Nagase is openly gay and openly pursuing Ishizuka right in front of Ishizuka’s father and customers. The nosy old geezers took a vested interest in their relationship and cheered them on, blatantly asking for the sordid details. Nagase, the narcissist, was eager to regale them.
This is a play on the indoor/outdoor faces people have. Nagase wants to project coolness with every move but gets flustered by Ishizuka’s reactions. Only when he realizes Ishizuka is only interested in his real self that the dork devolves into the dork that he is.
I love the subtle reactions that explode into heartfelt declarations. I’m a huge fan of food-centric BL manga, and out of the three stories, this takes the cake!
Memorable Memory Reunion is a gap-moe romance between two recently reunited childhood friends. This is also a take on that trope where the bullied kid grew taller than his protector.
Rihito and Masami used to play near the graveyard as kids. Rihito protects the then-smaller Masami from bullies. One day, they found a porn mag and started wondering about kissing. Then, they did kiss and found they enjoyed it. The next day, it was as if nothing happened.
Fast forward to the present, Rihito returns to his hometown for a funeral and finds that his old friend Masami is now a monk. A smoking, drinking monk who slyly stole another kiss from him.
This one is okay. It’s enjoyable but not my favorite. There’s the illicit thrill of debauchery with a monk, but overall, it’s a standard childhood friends-to-lovers story.
The Reason Kuro Became Human is why we don’t deserve dogs.
One day, Tohru opened his bedroom door to find a naked man putting on his clothes. A man with dog ears and tail claiming he is Kuro, Tohru’s dog.
Kuro said he wanted to help Tohru with his fish shop because sales have been low a.k.a. Tohru is grumpy and scares off customers. Seeing Kuro’s boundless good cheer that’s winning his customers’ hearts, he lets him assist in the shop.
Until one day, Kuro revealed the real reason why he turned human
A bit iffy in a way. I mean, it’s his dog. Tohru had to process, but eventually, our boy realized he got good things going. Kuro won my heart from the get-go, because how could you hate this ray of sunshine?! He’s just too adorable.!!
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MANGA: Chiba Kyokan wa Nabikanai
Chiba Kyokan wa Nabikanai – Kingyobachi Deme
Driving School Love Story of a Complicated Shoujo Manga Artist and a Popular Instructor Who’s Timid in Love!
In Love
Driving school instructors are popular. They really are!
Chiba is the most popular instructor among female students for his soft manner, careful guidance, and sweet looks. However, he brushes off his popularity with his students as “child play” and doesn’t take it seriously at all. His new student is a mysterious man named Yaotome, who is the talk of the school under the nickname “The Prince in a Suit”. He looks and acts just like his nickname, but when he meets Chiba, the instructor in charge, for some reason he acts suspiciously even though it’s their first time meeting…?
A pure shoujo manga artist with a complicated unrequited love! × A popular instructor who has made up his mind not to fall in love anymore
A frustratingly fresh love story of adults in a driving school.
Moe unlocked!
Instructor Chiba Isn’t Flattered is my introduction to ‘gap moe’, a moe for when the personality is unexpectedly different from the person’s appearance.
Chiba is very attractive and good at his job as a driving instructor, thus very popular among female students. To avoid complications, he’s usually assigned to teach male students.
One day, a striking young man in a suit oozing ‘prince’ aura came in and was assigned to Chiba. To his surprise, Yaotome was adorably shy and nervous, and on the first meeting, mistook him for someone named ‘Maki-chan’.
I always loved the past connection trope. Yaotome is a shoujo mangaka whose MC is based on Chiba, whom he met while working as a convenience store clerk. Chiba was blissfully unaware of how huge his impact was on the then-unrecognizable Yaotome. So how heart-stopping it is to come face to face once again with the person who inspired your character out of the blue!
This is a light-hearted slice-of-life, friends-to-lovers story with a lovable couple and a low-conflict plot. This manga’s charms lie in how wonderfully Chiba inspired and supported Yaotome and in Yaotome’s pure-hearted adoration of his instructor.
They’re such an unexpected pairing! And they’re too cute, OMG!!!
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MANGA: Bokura no Scramblues
Bokura no Scramblues – Mame March
Haru Kurosaki once heard a stranger’s song in high school that made him decide to finally follow his passions. Now, he’s a graphic designer who’s recently been put in charge of designing a CD jacket for the prodigy musical artist Eddie Astley. On the outside, Eddie is intimidating and aloof — but when Haru spots him at a rock concert, he realizes how wrong that assumption is. As he sees beyond Eddie’s surly exterior and catches a glimpse of the man beneath the affectation, Haru begins to think about the message and emotions that Eddie tries to convey through his music. And in trying to get to know more about Eddie for his design project, he discovers that music always has a way of transporting you to a vital moment from the past.
The mangaka must have been rickrolled once, hehe.
Our Scramblues is a tale of talent, inspiration, and the art of capturing an artist’s soul. Haru, a graphic designer and hardcore music lover, jumped at the chance to design the CD artwork of famous music prodigy Eddie Astley.
Eddie is from Britain but moved to Japan at a young age. He’s fluent in Japanese. The man is also notoriously temperamental. He rejected Haru’s initial drafts, so now the graphic designer is struggling to come up with a design worthy of the prodigy’s fabulous songs.
Haru decided to spend more time with Eddie to see what made him tick and hoped to hell he could capture that in his design.
While the majority of the plot focuses on the humorous interactions of the two MCs, part of it is filled with nostalgia mixed with grief at the loss of Eddie’s grandfather, also a talented musician who constantly encouraged him as a child. Eddie longs to capture those childhood songs he composed with him.
Eddie was an asshole but thawed little by little because of Haru’s sunshine-y charm. He initially tried to get under Haru’s skin by hitting on the supposedly straight man, but oooh, how the tables turned!
Haru’s guileless adoration and solid belief in Eddie’s talent, and just being a creature of pure happy dog energy crumbled Eddie’s walls and laid him bare. Add to that the childhood connection drama that initially broke hearts, but trust the eternal optimist in Haru to turn that into a powerful confession scene!
I liked the artwork, but I’m not a fan of how the mangaka drew the facial expressions. The ugly-cry faces and other intense expressions of the characters looked unattractive. But the characters look great in normal situations. Eddie’s appearance is yum!
As somebody obsessed with rock music all their life, I loved this behind the scenes glimpsed of an album’s creation. Though I was underwhelmed with Haru’s final design, overall, this manga is a wonderful ode to artists who pour heart and soul into their creations.
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MANGA: Itadakimasu wa Koi no Aji
Itadakimasu wa Koi no Aji – Matsumoto Ayaka
A high school boy’s lunchbox is filled with excitement! A BL about young love between a picky eater and a cooking fanatic!
Mizuno, a cooking fanatic, is so preoccupied about what other people eat thate even keeps a close eye on his classmates’ lunches. He’s particularly taken aback by the picky eater, Hashimoto, and worries that someday he’ll get sick, and after a certain chain of events,
Mizuno gets stuck with making Hashimoto’s lunches for him! At first, Mizuno isn’t crazy about the idea, but as he watches Hashimoto’s face as he eats his perfectly balanced and nutritious packed lunches with gusto, Mizuno starts to enjoy his lunch time as well…Roughly translating to Itadakimasu, the Taste of Love, this is a cute shout-out to good nutrition and home-cooked meals.
Mizuno dreams of becoming a nutritionist and is quite obsessed with cooking and the benefits of healthy food. Upon learning his classmate Hashimoto, a picky eater, is not eating well due to his parents not being home all the time, he volunteers to cook for him.
This lil grumpy/sunshine romance proved yet again the adage of winning a man’s heart through his stomach in the most adorable way possible. This one-shot also has kawaii character designs, lovingly detailed food drawings, and floofy moments that, alas, ended too quickly.
I’m begging for more servings of fluff, food, and feels!
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MANGA: Itooshiki Hibi
Itooshiki Hibi – Sono.N
A 50sX60s BL. We met when we were 18 and 28, from that time… until now, I’ve always loved you.
“I’ll wait no matter how long, even 10 years or 20 years. Even when we’ve become old men.”
Following the life path of two people from different generations – This is a tender life story. Akihiko, an employee in his 50s and Makoto, who’s 10 years older than him, are lovers, sons and family. From when we meet as tutor and pupil, things that have changed, and things that are unchanged…
Old men yaoi with plenty of old men sex? The ultimate relationship goals!
Our Lovely Days is one of the most heartwarming portraits of a happy couple’s lifetime of love and togetherness. The story opens with the two men in cozy domesticity. Makoto is in his 60s, already retired, and bored puttering inside the house alone. Akihiko is in his 50s, already keen to retire and putt around the house with Makoto, but still has 10 years to go.
The two are still as lovey-dovey as they were young, still active in bed, though with their age, admittedly need magic pills to get going. And boy, do they keep going, even well into their 70s and 80s.
The chapters flash back to the decades they were together. They first met when Akihiko was a senior high schooler struggling with his entrance exams, and Makoto, then 28 became his tutor. Soon feelings developed, Makoto as the adult, tried to step back but Akihiko was determined, using his crush as the motivation to ace his exams.
The succeeding chapters were about their lives as working adults, later becoming a family, up until the inevitable ending that one makes peace with. This is a couple who are not only husbands but also each other’s best friends. They communicate their feelings openly, talk about each other’s hobbies, and affectionately notice how the other has changed throughout the years.
One interesting thing in Japan where same-sex marriage is not allowed, is that gay couples use adoption as a way to become legally recognized as a family. In this case, Makoto adopted Akihiko as his “son” and with that, they were essentially husbands. Akihiko takes Makoto’s last name.
In the mangaka’s note, they said they set out to write a straightforward happy ending. It is the simplest plot there is yet rarely written. We do love our plot twists, angst, and conflicts. But here the mangaka created the most basic story and they went HARD! Read this and I dare you not to bawl!
It’s one of the most emotional, uplifting manga I’ve read!
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MANGA: Sugar Dog Life
Sugar Dog Life – Yoriko
Isumi Sakuraba, a university student with a short stature and baby-faced complex, is mistaken for a minor and is guided home by police officer Amasawa. Although he was a real student who showed his student ID, he later met Amasawa again at a convenience store where he worked part-time. Amasawa, who works at a police box nearby, became a regular customer and asked Isumi for a recommended dinner every time they met. Though Isumi felt awkward, he was worried about Amasawa’s eating habits, uttered, “Why don’t I make food for you?”
Hands down, the cutest gremlin uke!
Sugar Dog Life is a grumpy/sunshine romance between a smol, fangy university student and the friendly neighborhood police officer. Isumi and Amasawa meet when Isumi is walking alone in the dark streets, looking like a young kid, and the officer tries to escort him home.
Isumi belongs to the cooking club and works part-time at the convenience store. Upon learning Amasawa always eats convenience store food, he volunteers to cook for the officer.
I loved the character designs! Isumi’s grumpy face is super adorbs, and being chibi size and feisty, he’s the floofiest thing I’ve ever seen!!! I loved how Amasawa, with his chill, sunshiney vibe, and tall physique, is a wonderful foil to Izumi’s character.
The romance was surprisingly laidback. The two didn’t dive headfirst into a relationship. They took a step back and waited to see how they truly felt. Nobody had a hissy fit. It was all very level-headed and mature. Even our grumpy boy Isumi, who reminds Amasawa he’s an adult too.
It made the manga’s pacing off for a bit but the delayed gratification led to a satisfying conclusion. The romance itself is pretty standard, but the play of opposites, the height difference, the contrasting personalities, and even the age gap, were deployed to maximum adorableness, elevating the entire story to another level.
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MANGA: Kon-kon Ton-ton
Kon-kon Ton-ton – Satou Chidori
A manga where nothing happens because neither characters can give into the other.
Kon-kon Ton-ton is like a one-shot Seinfeld episode where two dorks, so obviously into each other, try to start something each chance they get but go nowhere. The two have been living together for years. Awkward confessions have been made, awkward hand-holding has been done, and awkward attempts have been tried.
It’s funny and silly and hella cute, the way these two dorks were mutually pining so hard and know that they both like each very much. But just too proud to bottom.
I say, switch.
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MANGA: Tokyo Hikari Auction
Tokyo Hikari Auction – Tokiha Kanenari
In the district of desire, Tokyo, there is an auction hall that once shone bright, bringing in huge amounts of money with black market dealings. Now, after being hit by the recession, it’s set to fade away without a hint of its former glory. At that run-down black market auction hall, a gambler, Sengoku, who’s covered in debt is being sold. Not wanting to be left with leftover stock, the auction master, Tsubame, decided to buy him for two yen only to free him afterwards. Because of that, Sengoku took an interest in his new owner, and even offered some “special services…?!”
The cover intrigued me to no end. Here you have a fully-clothed eye-patch guy I would typically peg as a dominant villain type, being manhandled by a shirtless, muscled guy in chains. With the title Tokyo Hikari Auction and the scattered money, plus the gavel in the eye-patch guy’s hands, we could assume someone, the guy in chains most likely, was sold.
So, how did they end up like this?
This humorous, psychological tale of a happy slave and his reluctant master is one of loneliness, aimlessness in life, and gambling addiction told with the infectious good cheer of Sengoku. This man signed himself up to be sold to a slave auction and waited for his fate to be decided with such genki spirit you’d think he’s the one offered slaves at his beck and call.
Scarred and dour auction master Tsubame was irritated and annoyed by the cavalier attitude and how Sengoku was starting to get under his skin. A series of events led Tsubame to free the other man, who then promptly offered himself to be Tsubame’s slave.
It was the start of a deceptively toxic relationship where Tsubame tried devious tactics to get rid of the devoted Sengoku, only for them to backfire, and he ended up with warm fuzzies. My favorite part is watching Tsubame feeling his feels despite trying really, really hard not to feel them.
Because who wouldn’t when our boy Sengoku is always eager to please and hellbent on doting on the sad solitary Tsubame who put his life on the line for an aimless stranger like Sengoku twice? Our boy is holding on to his man tightly and employing his nifty tricks to thwart smiley psycho slave masters from stealing Tsubame away.
The smut is plenty and hella sizzling to complement the endearing, slow-burn romance. Overall, deep and passionate and yeah, maybe a little fucked up.
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