I'm keeping the ball rolling with this month's romance manga challenge with a slightly weird pick. BACKGROUND:
As I said with the previous entry, I wanted to keep things diverse in terms of the tone of the stories I read for this month. Against my better judgment, I looked for a manga with a synopsis that leaned more towards the sexual aspect of relationships, and this fits the bill in some way. SUMMARY: After having too much to drink the previous night, Tatsu Yunoki is shocked to find a woman sleeping next to him on his bed. She introduces herself as Kotoka Hatsushima, who tells him that they hooked up last night over their... very specific kinks. Kotoka says that she was instantly attracted to Yunoki's back (that's a thing?), while Yunoki was apparently super into Kotoka's hair (what?). Yunoki is quick to apologize (as well as freak out) over the mess, but Kotoka insists that since they both satisfy each other's kinks, they might as well start dating. The rest of the manga follows their time together as they go on dates, spend time at home together (they move in together after a month, which is wild), and get to know each other. A lot of the scenarios (which are presented in bite-sized pieces) focus on them navigating their weird kinks, which leads to a fair share of hilarious moments. It's entertaining to see them indulge each other's respective obsession by saying or doing some bizarre shit, as well as the many instances where they call the kettle black and speak out on the strangeness of the other's kink. Despite the odd circumstances that led to the relationship, both Yunoki and Kotoka view it seriously, as they make genuine efforts to be considerate of the other, show their appreciation, and try to take things slow as they aim for a deeper connection. Although the manga focuses more on the humor of the two navigating their kinks, it slowly becomes clear that both parties are developing an attraction to the other that goes much deeper than the reason they got together in the first place. There are sexy times in this volume, although it focuses more on the silliness of each character's kinks than it does on the intimacy or passion between them (although that level of connection is shown to be developing here), and you won't really get any actual scenes beyond the occasional implied nudity in the shower. Yunoki being completely fixated on his thing with hair is particularly hilarious, as it leads to Kotoka expressing her light-hearted frustration over him willfully ignoring the rest of her body (to the point that she smothers her boobs on his face in a desperate attempt to divert his attention). In the last chapter, Kotoka meets Eno, who is Yunoki's younger sister. As it turns out, being a freak runs in that family, as Eno is unhealthily obsessed about legs. That aside, she wants her brother's relationship to succeed, and goes to... extreme lengths to ensure that it does. After that, the volume ends on an interesting note, as Kotoka and Yunoki will have to interact during work. Yunoki and Kotaka are not ashamed about expressing their kinks at all, and that makes the fact that they find themselves flustered over developing deeper feelings all the more amusing. It's heartwarming to see them make efforts and do things that aren't just to satisfy their kinks, and that has me invested in seeing their relationship mature in later chapters. The art is quite a treat to look at thanks to the abundance of pleasantly light shades, plus the prominence of wacky facial expressions complements the light-hearted tone of the story extremely well. I also found Kotoka's design quite notable, as the art goes out of its way to make her look super cute with her eyes and the emphasis on her lovely locks (which takes on many different hair styles throughout the volume). VERDICT: What I Love About You definitely leans into the weirdness of each lead character's respective kinks, but it never feels creepy because of how Yunoki and Kotaka consent to, accept, and find the humor in it. This being a core aspect of their relationship leads to its fair share of hilarious moments, but what really hooked me on this book is the slow but sure growth of said relationship where both characters come to terms with the fact that they love each other for more than just how they satisfy each other's kinks. This reminded me a lot of Sweat and Soap (I talked about that here) in that it's a manga centered on a relationship built on something many would consider weird, but it ends up being quite wholesome. I wouldn't mind reading more of this one to see how things develop. There's definitely a bit of steamy imagery and intimate moments if you're into that sort of thing, although this volume focuses more on the comedy than it does the sex. If that's the kind of balance you're looking for, this rom-com might be for you. - end -
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June 2024
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