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MANGA: Omaede Dame Nara Moudameda
Omaede Dame Nara Moudameda – Sonoo Michiru
Best friends turned lovers in a single night…?
“The only one who can ever be with someone like me is you!!” Office worker Isejima suddenly goes down on his knees to propose to bar owner Yakumo, his best friend of ten years.
Jilted by his bride-to-be before their wedding, Isejima pleads his case about being single for the rest of his life and his fear of dying alone. Taken aback by Isejima’s ardent words, Yakumo nonetheless feels moved enough to unthinkingly accept!
If You Can’t Do It, It’s No Good Anymore is a best-friends-to-lovers romance with understated charm.
Isejima views marriage as social security. Freshly dumped by his fiancee and terrified of lifelong loneliness, he begs his best friend Yakumo to date him with marriage in mind. Having been a steady, reliable presence for a decade, he claims Yakumo is the only one for him. Isejima earnestly proposes, and Yakumo agrees.
This is a refreshingly straightforward story of two adults approaching dating and marriage with clear heads. Despite having no experience with men, they tackle hurdles and expectations sensibly, treating dating as a natural extension of their bond.
What will hit you straight to the kokoro are the zingers of care and affection, dropped so casually you’d almost miss it. For two men who had never been in love, these two aced the boyfriend roles effortlessly.
One zinger is how Isejima quietly makes sure not to repeat his past relationship mistakes, ensuring his ring and proposal to Yakumo is perfect. He even organized a flashmob for the occasion when he learned Yakumo loves them. The way he always declares Yakumo is the only one, or else he’s doomed, completely slays!
Another is how Yakumo prepares elaborate bento boxes for the workaholic Isejima. He even surprised Isejima by showing up in his office dressed to the nines, delivering bento when he learned Isejima’s co-workers gossiped about an “ugly boyfriend”.
Everything is done in a matter-of-fact, slice-of-life style, which only highlights the depth of Yakumo and Isejima’s connection. The third-person commentaries add a layer of humor, either showing how clueless Isejima could be or Yakumo’s hidden intentions.
Their relationship speaks of long years of friendship and trust. It’s a comfortable companionship and a blossoming passion. It’s the perfect example of the joys of dating one’s best friend.
Bonus couple is Iku, a fellow bartender, and Mito, his hikikomori artist boyfriend. These two have a unique dynamic, and I want their story.
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MANGA: Koh-Boku
Koh-Boku – Michiru Sonoo
From good morning to good night, working like a horse, aiming for the betterment of Japan’s tomorrow… that is the duty of a civil servant (Koh-Boku), a public official of Kasumigaseki. One such Koh-Boku, Kyuu-san, has Kashiwagi by his side, a super-elite who is a dozen years his junior. Even though he thinks that he really should push his junior to stand on his own, he couldn’t bear to be parted from the pleasure of working passionately every day with Kashiwagi… but one day, their cozy relationship changed…?!
Civil Servant turned one of the most boring jobs into a setup for the most ridiculously endearing romance ever!
Imamiya works at the Ministry of Economics, Trade, and Industry, supported by his fiercely devoted second-in-command, Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi’s loyalty is legendary, he prepares Imamiya’s lunch, fixes broken fingernails, offers his lap for naps, and bombards him with reminders to take care of his fragile health.
Colleagues affectionately compare Kashiwagi to a loyal dog, and looks upon the two men’s relationship fondly. They would even go so far as to warn those interested in Kashiwagi not to bother because he has eyes only for Imamiya
That is to say, Kashiwagi and Imamiya were boyfriends even before they started dating. They just don’t know it yet.
The opening chapters may feel dry with policy talk, but I found them irresistibly charming. Amid the paperwork, Kashiwagi dotes on Imamiya with seamless care, heating meals, brewing tea, anticipating every need, spoiling his mentor so thoroughly that even Imamiya marvels at it.
The surly but reliable Kashiwagi is shaken to the core when Imamiya has a heart failure. His co-workers were so shocked when the normally unflappable Kashiwagi burst into tears. The second-in-command also clashed with Imamiya’s adopted son, adding another layer of tension.
When Imamiya returns to work and is temporarily transferred, Kashiwagi upped his already formidable devotion game even more. The transition from co-workers to lovers was a heartmelting scene of a very grouchy Kashiwagi with Imamiya coaxing him into hug because he knows the younger man badly misses him.
The koh-boku are hardcore workaholics, often in the office until 2 AM, quietly crafting policies for Japan’s future. Kashiwagi and Imamiya’s personal lives intertwine with their work, not effortlessly, but with dedication and fulfillment. Their romance mirrors that same commitment: low-key yet passionate, understated yet deeply impactful, and purely a desire to make each other happy.
I’m sorry, but this old men yaoi completely has me in a chokehold.
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MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2024
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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: S.O.S.? Salt or Sugar?
S.O.S.? Salt or Sugar? – Michiru Sonoo
Oshio’s job requires him to wine & dine potential clients—but Satou from the rival company is always a step ahead!
OMG!!! This is sooo freakin’ adorable!!!!!
S.O.S.? Salt or Sugar? is a salarymen romance between two elite med reps from rival companies. Oshio, popular, cheerful, considerate, is from a traditional Japanese pharmaceutical company and Satou, cool, suave, know-it-all, is from a foreign-owned pharmaceutical company.
The two met in a snowstorm and quickly bonded over food.
If there’s any BL couple I’d love to be friends with, it’s Oshio and Satou. These two are hardcore foodies! They know all the best restaurants, from high end steak shops to nameless hole-in-the-wall izakaya. I want them to be my food guide if I visit Japan!!!!! The way these two go on and on about food, I’m drooling!
Oshio sparing no expense on his meals and cheerfully declaring he’s broke, “I spend half my money on food…sometimes I’m on the red.” I feel you, man!
Satou is the enigmatic one. How he knows everything from career advice to hospital feng shui is a mystery. We know little about him, but you should see the way he’s smitten with Oshio.
Alongside workplace woes, the rivalry between the companies, and the endless food trips, an understated romance developed. It was gentle and sweet, an oasis of calm for the constantly on the go couple. Oshio and Satou quietly support each other, unknown to their fiercely competitive co-workers.
The humor is quirky, the effect enhanced by people in the background drawn as mere silhouettes or caricature reactions. The MCs are drawn as slim and slender men who look fabulous in suits. How they manage to maintain that, with all the meals they ate, I don’t know. All I know is they ate their way to each other’s hearts.
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