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Don't Worry Mama #1
Don't Worry Mama
If you were stuck on a deserted island and you could pick one person to keep you company, who would you choose? For Yuichi, it would be anyone but his uncooperative, self-absorbed, good-for-nothing boss Imakura! But as fate would have it, the two are mistakenly left on a deserted island during an important research expedition. Yuichi would prefer to drown Imakura in the sea with his bare hands rather than listen to his constant complaining. But as the days fade into weeks, Yuichi finds himself craving Imakura’s company more than civilization itself. Will the two find a forbidden love in this tropical paradise?
258 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
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386 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 29, 2018
A consensual novel from my endless free box of yaoi that I found?! Be still my heart! (Terrible editing, though.)
June 2, 2025
Man wtf is this, it should be renamed Fatphobia: The Novel. Light novel where a guy gets trapped on a deserted island with his unlikeable boss. The book goes into graphic detail about how the MC is disgusted by the love interest’s weight and often describes him as animal-like. His shit personality? Fair game. But rambling on about his weight is just mean-spirited and petty. The MC dislikes him until… he doesn’t. No buildup, one moment he’s disgusted and the next he’s frantically jacking off. He then manipulates the love interest into having sex with him. I know these old light novels are often trashy but this is just straight up trash.
CWs: fatphobia, bullying, vomit, homophobia, manipulative relationship, controlling/abusive parent
CWs: fatphobia, bullying, vomit, homophobia, manipulative relationship, controlling/abusive parent
April 6, 2011
This was a very unusual story and my opinions on it varied far and wide as I read it.
I think the best word to describe the first part of the book when the characters are stranded on the island would be disturbing. Yuichi’s physicial attraction to Imakura was gobsmacking. I couldn’t honestly understand how Yuichi was turned on by Imakura when he kept saying he was fat, wrinkled, had a quadruple chin and a thumb sized penis. There was absolutely nothing sexy about him and it made no sense.
Yuichi is described as hardworking and having a cool, calm façade, yet he is also very manipulative. He coerces Imakura into having sex with him under the pretense of introducing him to sex so he will be able to have it with a woman, and poor Imakura falls for it. For his part, Imakura was awful at the beginning. He was selfish, conceited, and whiny, yet I found myself liking him as the novel wore on, even if I did think that the change in his personality came along a little too fast. In terms of believability, the story would have benefitted from an actual explanation of his attitude and a more gradual change for the better.
Once they were rescued from the island, things completely changed. The characters owned up to their feelings, even if it was a bit of rocky ride. I really enjoyed reading the story from Imakura’s POV. Once he discovers that the pharmaceutical company he and Yuichi had been working at had gone bankrupt, he decides to pursue his dream of becoming a sommelier and enters into training. The second half of the book allows us to see that he really is a different person, to the point where I couldn’t reconcile his personality to that of the island. It was hard to believe that this was, indeed, the same person who hoarded chocolate and stomped on carrots. This part, where we get to see them in love and in the real world was what really did it for me and when their story reached its end I found myself wishing that there had been more pages to read.
I think that at the end of the day, Imakura and Yuichi were true soulmates and that is what allowed them to fall in love under the most unusual of circumstances, proven by the fact that not even Ikamura's personality or appareance or even Yuichi's beliefs of what his ideal partner should be like were an obstacle.
I think the best word to describe the first part of the book when the characters are stranded on the island would be disturbing. Yuichi’s physicial attraction to Imakura was gobsmacking. I couldn’t honestly understand how Yuichi was turned on by Imakura when he kept saying he was fat, wrinkled, had a quadruple chin and a thumb sized penis. There was absolutely nothing sexy about him and it made no sense.
Yuichi is described as hardworking and having a cool, calm façade, yet he is also very manipulative. He coerces Imakura into having sex with him under the pretense of introducing him to sex so he will be able to have it with a woman, and poor Imakura falls for it. For his part, Imakura was awful at the beginning. He was selfish, conceited, and whiny, yet I found myself liking him as the novel wore on, even if I did think that the change in his personality came along a little too fast. In terms of believability, the story would have benefitted from an actual explanation of his attitude and a more gradual change for the better.
Once they were rescued from the island, things completely changed. The characters owned up to their feelings, even if it was a bit of rocky ride. I really enjoyed reading the story from Imakura’s POV. Once he discovers that the pharmaceutical company he and Yuichi had been working at had gone bankrupt, he decides to pursue his dream of becoming a sommelier and enters into training. The second half of the book allows us to see that he really is a different person, to the point where I couldn’t reconcile his personality to that of the island. It was hard to believe that this was, indeed, the same person who hoarded chocolate and stomped on carrots. This part, where we get to see them in love and in the real world was what really did it for me and when their story reached its end I found myself wishing that there had been more pages to read.
I think that at the end of the day, Imakura and Yuichi were true soulmates and that is what allowed them to fall in love under the most unusual of circumstances, proven by the fact that not even Ikamura's personality or appareance or even Yuichi's beliefs of what his ideal partner should be like were an obstacle.
October 12, 2016
Review originally published at mangaupdates.com in July, 2008.
There are so few translated yaoi novels that I, for one, am glad they are listed here at mangaupdates.com. Yippee!
The illustrations by Yuki Shimizu are a refreshing break in the novel, if a bit biased. Why are there no illustrations of Imakura when he's heavy? Doesn't Yuichi fall in love with him as he is? That bugged me. One would think it'd bug the author as well. I wonder if that was a publisher demand.
It was a good change of pace to see characters that were so believably unlikeable (people ARE like that) and yet still have someone realize that they are a person with the same wants and needs and feelings beneath all those layers of defenses.
I think the only thing that could improve this story would be a second look at the translating and maybe a proof reader, hummmm?
There are so few translated yaoi novels that I, for one, am glad they are listed here at mangaupdates.com. Yippee!
The illustrations by Yuki Shimizu are a refreshing break in the novel, if a bit biased. Why are there no illustrations of Imakura when he's heavy? Doesn't Yuichi fall in love with him as he is? That bugged me. One would think it'd bug the author as well. I wonder if that was a publisher demand.
It was a good change of pace to see characters that were so believably unlikeable (people ARE like that) and yet still have someone realize that they are a person with the same wants and needs and feelings beneath all those layers of defenses.
I think the only thing that could improve this story would be a second look at the translating and maybe a proof reader, hummmm?
August 19, 2015
Some parts of this book are very disturbing and unsettling, left me with a bad taste in my mouth,especially in the beginning of the book, i hardly liked any character and the way the book kept on going about how fat and "disgusting" Imakura was made me feel really sad and disturbed ... i was struggling through the first pages but nevertheless i completed the read .... i didn't really love this book i think its okay,The story was interesting ... and that's all there is to it.
March 4, 2019
Do not read this book, I would get rid of it, but they won't let me. It is very much a pornographic novel and an unhealthy relationship at that. I don't want to go further into detail. I could have gone my whole life without reading this novel.
July 12, 2022
NEVER HAVE I EVER FOUND A MANGA OR LIGHT NOVEL THAT I FOUND TOO MUCH TO HANDLE UNTIL NOW! This has so many 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩.
July 7, 2025
I don’t know why 2022 me enjoyed this enough to have it on my shelves, but 2025 me 100% did not.
The island stuff actually gave trauma bond. Yuichi was even giving predator vibes?? He’s younger than Imakura sure, but Imakura behaved like a naive child for the majority of the book, so their whole romance was whack to me. It felt like Yuichi was just pressuring/coercing Imakura into a lot, which would be expected if this was some sort of dark romance, but it’s not?
Also, why did Yuichi even fall out with his brother for a year and a half? Did he honestly think he was in the right? He purposely started antagonising him in the first place purely because he didn’t know where Imakura was???
All in all, I had to laugh so I wouldn’t rage. Definitely unhauling.
The island stuff actually gave trauma bond. Yuichi was even giving predator vibes?? He’s younger than Imakura sure, but Imakura behaved like a naive child for the majority of the book, so their whole romance was whack to me. It felt like Yuichi was just pressuring/coercing Imakura into a lot, which would be expected if this was some sort of dark romance, but it’s not?
Also, why did Yuichi even fall out with his brother for a year and a half? Did he honestly think he was in the right? He purposely started antagonising him in the first place purely because he didn’t know where Imakura was???
All in all, I had to laugh so I wouldn’t rage. Definitely unhauling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2018
Not really a fan of yaoi novels, I want comic format! Having said that, this was decent.
January 29, 2019
Anyone can help me? I'm a new user. I found my favorite book already but I don't know how to find pages to read😭😭 please help me 🙏🙏
August 15, 2023
Um no.
May 2, 2008
Don't Worry Mama is unconventional in at least one aspect. One of the characters is fat and he is mean-spirited.
Yuichi works under Imakura and the two of them are sent on a business trip to gather herbs on an isolated island. Yuichi didn't volunteer to go. Imakura chose Yuichi out of all the other employees because Yuichi is the only one that doesn't snicker or gossip about Imakura's weight and his overbearing attitude. The trip takes a disastrous turn when the boat that dropped them off at the island never stayed to pick them up.
Imakura, true to his character, blames everything on Yuichi and exhausts Yuichi's patience. Imakura doesn't share his chocolate or his shrimp crackers. Actually, he hides it from Yuichi and eats it when he thinks Yuichi is sleeping. At one point, he even steps on the carrots that Yuichi found as food for them to eat. Yuichi becomes so disgusted with Imakura that he punches him in the face and leaves him to fend for himself.
That doesn't last for very long. Yuichi actually has a conscience, so he returns to see how Imakura is doing. During that time, they fall in love. You may find it hard to believe since Yuichi says that he goes for younger guys (his boss is older), and he goes for cute guys (his boss is fat). But circumstances on the island has miraculously turned Imakura into an object of desire. Apparently, Imakura loses tons of weight due to the island diet, and he's actually very cute, despite the fact that he's older than Yuichi by about five years. I was willing to believe that, since Imakura also seems to have been cured of his attitude problems. What's a little harder to swallow is the sex. It seems very painful for Imakura, and he protests often. But don't let that put you off, because there's not that many sex scenes, and the focus is more on the plot.
The story's very positive. Imakura doesn't start out as an attractive character but being on the island with Yuichi, who tells him to stop being a Mama's boy, and having to learn to share and compromise with another person brings about a good change in his personality. He also establishes his independency from his mother by pursuing his dream of being a wine connoisseur. All good reasons for Yuichi to still be in love with Imakura.
The prose is very easy to follow, no fancy language. Narise Konohara's illustrations are also very attractive. I just wish I could've seen Imakura's fat face. Despite the small faults I might find with the plot, Don't Worry Mama is a very addicting read. It was hard to put down, and I finished it in one night. It's not what I usually read or would ever look into reading, but I still think the book is very appealing.
Review first posted at Lincoln Heights Literary Society
PURCHASE LINK
Yuichi works under Imakura and the two of them are sent on a business trip to gather herbs on an isolated island. Yuichi didn't volunteer to go. Imakura chose Yuichi out of all the other employees because Yuichi is the only one that doesn't snicker or gossip about Imakura's weight and his overbearing attitude. The trip takes a disastrous turn when the boat that dropped them off at the island never stayed to pick them up.
Imakura, true to his character, blames everything on Yuichi and exhausts Yuichi's patience. Imakura doesn't share his chocolate or his shrimp crackers. Actually, he hides it from Yuichi and eats it when he thinks Yuichi is sleeping. At one point, he even steps on the carrots that Yuichi found as food for them to eat. Yuichi becomes so disgusted with Imakura that he punches him in the face and leaves him to fend for himself.
That doesn't last for very long. Yuichi actually has a conscience, so he returns to see how Imakura is doing. During that time, they fall in love. You may find it hard to believe since Yuichi says that he goes for younger guys (his boss is older), and he goes for cute guys (his boss is fat). But circumstances on the island has miraculously turned Imakura into an object of desire. Apparently, Imakura loses tons of weight due to the island diet, and he's actually very cute, despite the fact that he's older than Yuichi by about five years. I was willing to believe that, since Imakura also seems to have been cured of his attitude problems. What's a little harder to swallow is the sex. It seems very painful for Imakura, and he protests often. But don't let that put you off, because there's not that many sex scenes, and the focus is more on the plot.
The story's very positive. Imakura doesn't start out as an attractive character but being on the island with Yuichi, who tells him to stop being a Mama's boy, and having to learn to share and compromise with another person brings about a good change in his personality. He also establishes his independency from his mother by pursuing his dream of being a wine connoisseur. All good reasons for Yuichi to still be in love with Imakura.
The prose is very easy to follow, no fancy language. Narise Konohara's illustrations are also very attractive. I just wish I could've seen Imakura's fat face. Despite the small faults I might find with the plot, Don't Worry Mama is a very addicting read. It was hard to put down, and I finished it in one night. It's not what I usually read or would ever look into reading, but I still think the book is very appealing.
Review first posted at Lincoln Heights Literary Society
PURCHASE LINK
March 17, 2017
saya antipati pada hampir keseluruhan aspek novel ini. plotnya berantakan, setiap tokoh karakternya buat saya ilfil. dari awal hingga akhir bacaan si pengarang sukses bikin sisi tergelap dalam diri saya muncul kepermukaan. saya berharap Yuiichi & Imakura berakhir tragis di pulau terasing, entah mati kelaparan, penyakit ato dimakan binatang buas. yang penting endingnya tragis tanpa perlu tangisan mengharu biru ala sinetron yg kerap muncul di TV, namun faktanya (saya sudah duga sebelumnya), ending ditutup dgn kesempatan kedua buat Yuiichi & Imakura untuk menjalin kembali rajutan percintaan (hubungan sex??) dgn kesepakatan (pemaksaan??) tidak ada lagi campur tangan orang ketiga yg menghalangi (notabene yg dimaksud Yuiichi adalah ibu Imakura). dgn kata lain mereka berakhir bahagia (setidaknya untuk saat ini) yg menurut saya terkesan konyol. kalo ada yg mengatakan ini novel roman, maka dgn gamblang saya katakan "BULLSHIT". apabila saya menemukan pria dgn karakter & emosi seperti mereka dari jarak 50 meter maka saya anjurkan buat kaum hawa: JAUHI!
PS : dari sekian kekurangan yg saya sebut diatas ada satu hal menarik tentang Imakura, ia diceritakan berhasil mewujudkan cita2nya menjadi seorang sommelier. saya mengagumi orang2 yg berhubungan dgn pekerjaan ini.
PS : dari sekian kekurangan yg saya sebut diatas ada satu hal menarik tentang Imakura, ia diceritakan berhasil mewujudkan cita2nya menjadi seorang sommelier. saya mengagumi orang2 yg berhubungan dgn pekerjaan ini.
May 16, 2023
Sick 🤢
August 27, 2009
I was kind of disappointed by this book. (The cover hides the fact that the uke is obese very well by the way.)
It really rushed into it when they got off the island and there was still half a book left. I didn't like Imakura's whininess and dependency or Yuichi's possessiveness. (but that's them).
This book took a few turns for the worse, but it gave me a good laugh at the sex scenes. (trust me).
The pictures were well drawn, but in my opinion, there weren't enough of them. :)
Oh and just a little something to make you want to read it, one of the characters dresses up in a girl's school uniform and well... you know where that goes.
It really rushed into it when they got off the island and there was still half a book left. I didn't like Imakura's whininess and dependency or Yuichi's possessiveness. (but that's them).
This book took a few turns for the worse, but it gave me a good laugh at the sex scenes. (trust me).
The pictures were well drawn, but in my opinion, there weren't enough of them. :)
Oh and just a little something to make you want to read it, one of the characters dresses up in a girl's school uniform and well... you know where that goes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2009
I thought this book was really cute. I was a bit disappointed at first with the two main characters. Their personalities were just irritating at first, but in the end I loved them both and it turned out to be a really good book. The art really left an impression on me for this book, not just the style but how the characters were shown/not shown (You'll have to read it to understand what I mean)
This is a yaoi novel that all yaoi novel fans should pick up.
This is a yaoi novel that all yaoi novel fans should pick up.
October 8, 2013
Yaoi novels are a mind trip. They're definitely yaoi, with ukes and semes and borderline to way over-the-line rape. But they're also interesting because you're let inside of the character's minds a whole lot more than with the comics, and these stock characters are fleshed out, their motives made more clear.
This one was ... hm. I liked that the uke didn't lose all of the weight, that was interesting. I expected the author to completely slim him down to a waif.
This one was ... hm. I liked that the uke didn't lose all of the weight, that was interesting. I expected the author to completely slim him down to a waif.
March 26, 2025
I will admit the first 10 pages were a bit boring to me but this was one of Konohara Sensei's sexiest work that I've read so far. Wow! The romance was so good, the writings, the usual complex characters.... The way both Imakura & Yuichi changed while beingon the island. Imakura's eeird mommy obession was funny at times, I'm glad he grew up & changed out of that...
"It's my birthday. I can get freaky if I want."
"It's my birthday. I can get freaky if I want."
September 26, 2012
Absolutely horrid. Advertised as a "romance" this is the creepy story of two desperate dudes who fuck while stranded on an island together. One is an obese dude with a messed up dick and the other guy is a totally flat douche bag character. I don't know how this got past a shitty fanfiction site and on to paper because it is god awful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2009
Absolutely horrific and riddled with grammar mistakes.
October 7, 2008
This was the first Yaoi novel that I read. I was amazed at how good it was. I really enjoyed reading this.
May 21, 2010
I don't even have the words to describe what I've just read lol. Err...in a twisted sort of way it has it's cute moments, I guess.
October 30, 2015
The first part is good and differ. I'm excited to know what happens next.
But, regretful, main point of book change to the other --such as lust...
But, regretful, main point of book change to the other --such as lust...
Currently reading
October 5, 2010it is very beatiful
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2013
I love this story.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews