Cressida's manga / #Coworkers(8)

The first couple are simplistic and predictable. The weirdest thing about this author is that they skip vital chunks of the story and go straight into the main couple being in love and committing right away. Seven years go by like it's nothing. It felt like the author did not enjoy writing romantic developments and was only interested in cohabitation dynamics. It's like they're being forced to write romance, but they can't write an exciting start to a relationship; they can only write about couples midway through. This results in a monotonous story devoid of romantic motivation from its characters, something any electrifying romance would need. They continue to inform us that they are happy and that life is good, but we never see any of that excitement. The secondary pairing is much better: middle-aged men who have children get married and are seen as a valid couple.

It's pretty cute, I like any story that focuses on an introverted person in the workplace.

The first story is about a rich boy who starts working for the first time alongside a colleague from college. He tries to pursue Naitou and confesses after falling in love with his whole personality. He refuses because he finds Tsutsui to be too dependent on others. So the Tsutsui leaves his family's house and becomes poor; only then does the Naitou give him a chance. It's pretty fucked up that Tsutsui has to change virtually everything about himself at the request of his crush. Naitou states that he can't go out with someone who makes him doubt who he is. We know that Tsutsui would never make him feel dislocated on purpose, but we know he would be thrust into this world that would make him feel like he is less than. So before any of that can happen, he rejects the lavish life Tsutsui is casually offering him. It's an unheard-of approach to class dynamics, and I appreciated the point of view that a working-class college student would have. In a lot of similar stories, the poor person who is being courted by the rich person doesn't get to feel uncomfortable about it on any level. They are supposed to just feel thankful that a rich person took an interest in them. And is there to save them from this horrid life they have built for themselves. This story definitely doesn't believe in the idea that wealth is a birthright and divine calling. If you're a young master, people exist to serve you, and you should never feel any negative emotions about that. As if nothing from their "previous life" had any value to begin with. The second story is about Tsutsui's butler and the restaurant's manager, which is quite boring and rushed.

This is a very comprehensible way to explain how healthy sub and dom dynamics work. Of course the setting of everyone being either a sub or dom by nature helps to tackle the prejudice against kink in a new light. Because they are literally given no choice on the matter, it also works as a metaphor for wanting these things and being convinced they are unnatural and wrong when they feel natural to you. The main character has very harmful misconceptions about what these dynamics entail, mostly due to the kink-shaming he had been exposed to. He is definitely not an inherently kind and accepting person at first and grows a lot throughout the story. The seme is a wonderful dom (definitely more on the pampering side than the punishment one), he is respectful of the uke's boundaries the entire time. Most of the play they engage in is not sexual and as a person who identifies as ace, I loved seeing non-sexual ways of satisfying each other being portrayed as just as valid as others. It is acknowledged that there are multiple levels of play and you can do whatever feels right and safe for you. In summary, it is an imaginative story with important things to say about safely practicing kink. With a wholesome couple that develops at a slow and natural pace without losing passion. It's not my favorite type of art style though.

What the author was able to accomplish within 3 chapters is truly astonishing. Their portrayal of the protagonist's lifetime suffering from anxiety was relatable and heartfelt. With characters that never fail to surprise you, for better or for worse. A manga that exudes warmth while contending with the cold realities of the world. It hasn't been updated in over 2 years, I'll keep holding on to hope though. Update: Yay it's completed now.

The main character walks in on his girlfriend and some guy, who follows him when he storms out. The man invites him to go drinking together, they have sex and he proposes that they live together for now. That's one hell of a meet-cute.

They are roommates in an all-boys school, are madly in love with each other, and at first believe the other doesn't feel the same way. The couple is wonderful together, unfortunately, the same can't be said for the side characters. Who continuously meddle with the couple and harass the uke on multiple levels. Great art. A good serving of misogyny accompanied by lots of homophobia and normalization of sexual harassment when directed at men. Proceed with caution.