Afterglow – Wagase Wagimoko

“On one awful night, I met the strangest man.”

Kiyotaka Higuchi was on his way to becoming an elite cardiovascular surgeon after graduating from medical school. Yet, just before getting his specialty qualification, he was sent off to a remote rural town in Kyushu. Now practicing as an internal medicine physician, he struggles every day to listen to the strong accents of the elderly people he treats. Feeling dejected by what he sees as his sudden demotion, Higuchi spends his evenings drowning his sorrows, until one night, while he was drunk and crying, a yakuza named Tenju, rescues him. Not knowing what’s going on, he decides to go with the flow—

Sensei must be a K-pop fan because that muscular guy on the cover looked eerily similar to a K-pop idol.

Also, yakuza MCs come with the most GORGEOUS TATTOOS! Based on a real-life illustration of a six-armed god and fabulously illustrated on Tenju’s glorious body!

Afterglow started when drunk and miserable about his life, Higuchi bumped into the imposing and enigmatic Tenju in a dark alley. Tenju proceeded to dub-con his way into Higuchi’s life with a bold proclamation that he would make Higuchi fall for him.

Guess who fell first?

The good doctor not only has to deal with work pressure and culture shock at the small seaside town he moved to in Kyushu, but he also has to wrestle with conflicting feelings about the relentless Tenju, given that he is a man.

Higuchi is such a dork and a fish out of water the first few months he was there. I rooted hard for the doctor who tried to do his best but was held back by his PTSD. This is a huge blow to his self-esteem, and surprise, surprise, he had an unlikely but effective cheerleader!

I was prepared to hate Tenju the first time he borderline non-conned Higuchi, who was conscious but too drunk to fend off the attack. As the story progresses, we see the surprisingly tender, kinder side of the yakuza underboss, especially in his support of Higuchi’s dream.

Later, we learn that Tenju lives the underground life because it is the only way he knows how to live, being the son of the boss. As cocky as he is, he has a healthy respect of Higuchi’s accomplishments and acknowledges his own humble education

My favorite part of the story is how a respected doctor and a feared yakuza developed a deep connection. I was skeptical at first, but I was swept away by their earnest if unconventional relationship. That they are good for each other was so obvious that even Tenju’s underlings cheered them on.

This one’s a super steamy manga. The drawings are detailed and include cross-sectional highlights. The smut is off the charts, and so are the FEELS!

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