When you’re all alone, a bit low and horny, what’s better than reading some Boy’s love with an ounce of peppery playfulness, a pinch of drama and tablespoons of wholesomeness?
Volumes: 1
Mangaka: CTK
Hotness: 2
Summary:
Pickpocket Jimmy is captured by the middle-aged Reese at the scene of the crime. In revenge, Jimmy breaks into Reese’s home when he is out, but he finds out that Reese is an ex-cop who furthermore is suffering from PTSD. Curious about this adult man with his complicated past, the closer he gets to him, the more rapidly his feelings change to love…
It’s always astonishing to witness so much personality and character development in the span of a single volume and have it flow naturally and not rushed at all. The inner battles of the characters and their vulnerability, their mistakes of omission and regrettable intentions make them endearing and it’s their courage to admit their errors and give forgiveness that bring them truly close.
CTK- sensei’s clean, crispy lines look fragile adding to Jimmy’s and Reese’s humanity. There’s attention paid to body language to convey their inner turmoil, too. The script is pretty straightforward as one would expect in such a small amount of pages but that’s what needed to let space for the characters shine and underline how they help each other grow.
Volumes: 2
Mangaka: Matsuo Marta
Hotness: 3
Summary:
Brash med student Jonathan has been stealing drugs from his school’s hospital and selling them to his classmates! When a sly professor discovers his racket, Jonathan agrees to a physical relationship in exchange for keeping mum. But what happens when a simple business transaction turns into a heated almost-love affair?
Readers are in for a delightful dance around illegality, immorality and true desires. This might sound very pompous and heavy but it’s obvious from the brightly coloured book covers and the visual puns (note the slogan on Jonathan’s tee and the object in Paul’s hand on the first cover) that this is a…bold little series. It seamlessly transitions from high energy to mellow, and its mischievous protagonists are the secret ingredients for such a story that pops in your mouth and leaves a smooth aftertaste. They are whimsical, bratty, push each other’s limits, get hurt, walk in circles, until they open up and understand the complexity of their situations.
There’s not a moment that things drag out or passed by too fast. Even though there are chapters that might look like a tangent, they flesh out backstories and shed light to the main duo’s feelings and personalities. The mangaka manages to make us laugh and cry, doubt and ponder, and ultimately be compassionate -even when it comes to privileged individuals. Family expectations, consequences of choices one makes, circumstances that corner people into a path, hiding in the closet and cheating are carefully and honestly examined and re-examined.
Matsuo-sensei style has a perfect balance between strong and delicate: her lines might not be but are dynamic, her screentones are used for sharing but are chunky and single layered. It really gives off an air matching to the American setting. She’s very strong in her expressions as you can notice in the above panels. And there’s such a wide range, really: from amused to hilariously dumbfounded and angry, from flirtatious to smug to hurt and scared and deeply sad. These two volumes are a great ride. They are available in English by June.
Volumes: 3
Mangaka: Zakk ( Ishie Hachi)
Hotness: 0 (2 in the extra)
Summary:
Business is tough at men’s haberdashery Dante. A big sale is coming, and they are extremely understaffed. So after getting chewed out by his staff a broken Satoru heads home to find a stray napping in the rain. Ryou isn’t your standard American longhair, though. He is a mysterious nineteen-year-old with charisma, good looks and an air of someone with a past, despite their age. After a meal, a nap and a shower Ryou was ready to model for Satoru. But their contract was for just one day. And the reason why Ryou had to go was he had a meeting with the mafia.
It’s not easy to find the proper words to express how much you want to hug these men and how genuinely happy you are going to be by the end of this. It’s not easy to decide on where to start either. The title is probably an good point to do so. Mr. Rain and Mr. Hatter refer to Satoru due to his job and the peculiar phenomenon of raining whenever he has on anything important. Canis is the Latin word for dog and stands both for Satoru’s adorable deceased pet and for Ryou himself as an underlying of a gang. The reason it acts as a connecting link with the spin off may be that his bosses were the underdogs during their childhood. Although the word “dog” itself has a pejorative undertone, the Latin equivalent doesn’t, and the sound of the latter is soft, much like the protagonists, their relationships and their motivations in these first three volumes.
This is a beautiful story of searching for one’s own place in life and the influences we had as children; our need to be useful, to be cared for and care in return; the pressure of expectations, our fear of connecting due to our differences and the courage to put ourselves out there as many times as it’s needed. The themes captivate you, or at least leave a strong impression on you, from the first couple of pages, when Satoru’s grandma reads him a story about angels and death. In Satoru’s tender young psyche leaves such an imprint that it becomes the reason he decides to follow this particular fashion niche later in life. It shouldn’t be spoiled, so no further details are going to be divulged, but it’s definitely one of the most wholesome plot threads one has ever encountered. Add to it the honest fumbling of emotions by Ryou and his despair to belong and it’s a sure fire way to develop blood sugar.
Zakk-sensei has created a small gem thanks to a combination of lyric and tender script, reflected in both words and images, her unique American-esque character style, and great panelling. She hardly ever packs too many panels or speech bubbles in a page -and it’s intentional when that happens. She generally let’s the page breathe and the characters’ faces do all the work. You can notice, for example, how in the left page above the shots transition from paired mid shots to paired close shots to a single dutch wide shot to convey the intensity of the moment and the emotional upheaval that might flip over their worlds. Additionally, she succeeds to put fashion and hands in the forefront and incorporate them in the story; it’s not just a display of her drawing skills but a clever and meaningful strategy as a story writer. Thankfully, KUMA publishing has peaked up the title for the English audience and anyone will be able to enjoy delving into the world of Satoru and Ryou.
Tea Time 