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エンゲージ [Engage] #1
Engage, Vol. 1
The greatest love is one that surmounts even the greatest obstacles in this romance featuring Naru from the Love Nest series.
When a young chef confesses his love to a mysterious and attractive older stranger, he’s drawn into a deep web of intrigue and buried family history that could threaten his attraction to the only man he’s ever loved.
The highlight of chef Mei Suzumori’s year is the Tanabata Festival—the one day a year when a pair of mythical lovers reunites. For Mei, it’s the day that a mysterious handsome stranger visits his adopted family’s restaurant to buy tasty seasonal taiyaki. Unable to hold his feelings for the attractive stranger back any longer, Mei professes his love—and finds he’s linked to the enigmatic Naru by a bond much deeper and more complicated than he ever imagined.
When a young chef confesses his love to a mysterious and attractive older stranger, he’s drawn into a deep web of intrigue and buried family history that could threaten his attraction to the only man he’s ever loved.
The highlight of chef Mei Suzumori’s year is the Tanabata Festival—the one day a year when a pair of mythical lovers reunites. For Mei, it’s the day that a mysterious handsome stranger visits his adopted family’s restaurant to buy tasty seasonal taiyaki. Unable to hold his feelings for the attractive stranger back any longer, Mei professes his love—and finds he’s linked to the enigmatic Naru by a bond much deeper and more complicated than he ever imagined.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 25, 2026
Pues... es rarete.
El dibujo es bonito y la historia no está mal.
Mi problema es que el del pelo largo conoce al chaval desde que era un bebé.
Lo siento pero NO.
El dibujo es bonito y la historia no está mal.
Mi problema es que el del pelo largo conoce al chaval desde que era un bebé.
Lo siento pero NO.
May 3, 2024
this manga is weird, like- don’t lie to the person and tell him you’re his lost uncle when you’re NOT RELATED AT ALL and only lied to him about something like that was to get close to him. it’s just weird, having the whole “i’m you’re uncle thing” be for almost the entire book, only to find out they’re not at all related and it was a lie, but you won’t tell him it’s a lie and lied only to get close to him and use his weakest points against him like that and are somehow wanting to make yourself a better person?
i don’t get it, it’s weird and definitely is just… wow. i need a drink or six after this one now!
i don’t get it, it’s weird and definitely is just… wow. i need a drink or six after this one now!
April 14, 2024
No one could be more astonished than I am that I loved this.
Look, Sayonara Game and Change World were absolutely wonderful, and were at one point easily in my top ten, probably top five manga series. Then we spun off into Love Nest , and while I was a bit disappointed to shift the focus so heavily away from the characters I'd adored, I was startled to find how much I was enjoying that new couple, too.
But Naru. I have struggled with Naru throughout the rest of the series. Any time something happened in Love Nest that put a sour taste in my mouth, it was due to Naru's overbearing, invasive personality. So starting up another spinoff about him? Urgh. I was dreading it. I took time peeling the shrinkwrap off this volume, thinking about how to find a way to return it if the story all went south for me.
But instead...Minaduki worked some magic.
This volume is mostly from the point of view of 21 year old Mei, who works in his adoptive family's taiyaki shop during the annual Star Festival, and is trying to figure out what to do with himself for the rest of the year, since the handyman shop he'd been working at had shut down. The high point of every year is when the beautiful, kind, patient listener Naru shows up for the special festival taiyaki and a little bit of conversation.
Because Mei, who first met Naru when he was 5 (and falling out of a tree where he was trying to hang a wish about his family's health and safety), has been in love with him since he was about 15.
Quietly in love, not expecting anything to ever come from it: Naru is older and entirely out of his league (as Mei's sister puts it), they barely know each other, and Naru has made it very clear that he already has a romantic partner. But things like that don't stop feelings from forming.
Mei is an absolutely delightful character. He manages to be vibrant and optimistic and open-hearted and emotionally expressive without any of that coming across as annoying or naive. He is young, still, especially once you throw him in rooms with some world-weary nearly 40 year olds, but he's intelligent, thoughtful, and adaptable, and learns fast.
And he, remarkably, brings out the very best in Naru.
I was not, for a single second of this volume, annoyed by or frustrated with Naru. That's big! Who knows if it'll continue for subsequent volumes, but for this one, I finally felt like I started to understand him at his core, past all the "hah hah he's aggressively hitting on someone again or teasing someone sexually or poking his nose into other people's personal business" that had been making me dislike him so much.
The thing is, Naru and Asahi have been friends for decades, and Asahi is not the type of person to stay friends with someone truly obnoxious, so the Naru of this volume really makes more sense. I'm hoping if this spinoff turns out well, it will make his presence in the Love Nest volumes less grating and stressful.
There is a lot of ground to cover, though, and I honestly have no idea what it is that Naru's actually hiding at this point, or how it will potentially impact my or Mei's opinions of him. There is something going on with Naru's family. The reporter digging around in his past, trying to find out more about the accident that killed his father, Mei's parents, and much of Naru's household, seems like he's potentially going to be some sort of villain, but I'm not sure.
All we know right now is that Naru immediately put a bunch of plans in motion to separate Mei from this guy, and that Mei's adoptive parents are completely on board with those plans. There's no reason to suspect anything nefarious from their end; his adoptive parents are kind, loving people who knew Mei's birth parents and have absolutely treated him like their own child since they took him in as a little kid, too young to remember anything before them. (Although there are strong hints of childhood trauma, including a fear of abandonment and something he's blocked out of his memory that made him aggressive and upset as a toddler.)
And Asahi, having known Naru longer than Mei's been alive, seems to know the truth behind what's going on, too, although he and Naru don't talk about it in enough detail for the readers to fully see behind the scenes. The big twist is that I'm on board for any of it, though; the writing is honestly so good, at a level I haven't quite seen for a couple volumes in this series, so I suspect Minaduki had been aching to dive off into a big complicated mystery plot with a little bit of achey romance thrown in.
I love mystery, so I'm cool with it.
The one thing I'm not sure about is how the romance is going to be resolved between a deeply polyamorous character and a guy who makes it clear that, at least at this point, he's very monogamous. Mei and Naru, and then Mei and Asahi and Masato, have some decent conversations about what he wants out of a relationship, and what that can look like for different types of people.
Masato is mostly startled that Mei's generation gap is big enough for him to be openly gay without ever worrying about whether his family or anyone else around him will treat him differently. Naru...well, Naru explains quite gently that some people just love differently, and sometimes you love more than one person at a time, and as long as you communicate properly, everyone in those arrangements can be perfectly happy with it.
Meeting Naru's partners in a situation where it was not all one big joke about trying to get Masato to cheat on Asahi made worlds of difference. I really liked them. I think I'm actually going to be sad if Naru breaks up with them in order to be with Mei? (Although to be honest I'm still emotionally monogamous enough to not want to see more of Naru with other people once he and Mei sort out their issues.)
So it'll be complicated. But I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. I adore Mei; he needs to be happy. And while it's hard to know what Naru's up to, I do think he has Mei's best interests at heart, and wouldn't do anything to hurt him. But what is going on with their family and all these huge secrets! Can't wait to find out.
Look, Sayonara Game and Change World were absolutely wonderful, and were at one point easily in my top ten, probably top five manga series. Then we spun off into Love Nest , and while I was a bit disappointed to shift the focus so heavily away from the characters I'd adored, I was startled to find how much I was enjoying that new couple, too.
But Naru. I have struggled with Naru throughout the rest of the series. Any time something happened in Love Nest that put a sour taste in my mouth, it was due to Naru's overbearing, invasive personality. So starting up another spinoff about him? Urgh. I was dreading it. I took time peeling the shrinkwrap off this volume, thinking about how to find a way to return it if the story all went south for me.
But instead...Minaduki worked some magic.
This volume is mostly from the point of view of 21 year old Mei, who works in his adoptive family's taiyaki shop during the annual Star Festival, and is trying to figure out what to do with himself for the rest of the year, since the handyman shop he'd been working at had shut down. The high point of every year is when the beautiful, kind, patient listener Naru shows up for the special festival taiyaki and a little bit of conversation.
Because Mei, who first met Naru when he was 5 (and falling out of a tree where he was trying to hang a wish about his family's health and safety), has been in love with him since he was about 15.
Quietly in love, not expecting anything to ever come from it: Naru is older and entirely out of his league (as Mei's sister puts it), they barely know each other, and Naru has made it very clear that he already has a romantic partner. But things like that don't stop feelings from forming.
Mei is an absolutely delightful character. He manages to be vibrant and optimistic and open-hearted and emotionally expressive without any of that coming across as annoying or naive. He is young, still, especially once you throw him in rooms with some world-weary nearly 40 year olds, but he's intelligent, thoughtful, and adaptable, and learns fast.
And he, remarkably, brings out the very best in Naru.
I was not, for a single second of this volume, annoyed by or frustrated with Naru. That's big! Who knows if it'll continue for subsequent volumes, but for this one, I finally felt like I started to understand him at his core, past all the "hah hah he's aggressively hitting on someone again or teasing someone sexually or poking his nose into other people's personal business" that had been making me dislike him so much.
The thing is, Naru and Asahi have been friends for decades, and Asahi is not the type of person to stay friends with someone truly obnoxious, so the Naru of this volume really makes more sense. I'm hoping if this spinoff turns out well, it will make his presence in the Love Nest volumes less grating and stressful.
There is a lot of ground to cover, though, and I honestly have no idea what it is that Naru's actually hiding at this point, or how it will potentially impact my or Mei's opinions of him. There is something going on with Naru's family. The reporter digging around in his past, trying to find out more about the accident that killed his father, Mei's parents, and much of Naru's household, seems like he's potentially going to be some sort of villain, but I'm not sure.
All we know right now is that Naru immediately put a bunch of plans in motion to separate Mei from this guy, and that Mei's adoptive parents are completely on board with those plans. There's no reason to suspect anything nefarious from their end; his adoptive parents are kind, loving people who knew Mei's birth parents and have absolutely treated him like their own child since they took him in as a little kid, too young to remember anything before them. (Although there are strong hints of childhood trauma, including a fear of abandonment and something he's blocked out of his memory that made him aggressive and upset as a toddler.)
And Asahi, having known Naru longer than Mei's been alive, seems to know the truth behind what's going on, too, although he and Naru don't talk about it in enough detail for the readers to fully see behind the scenes. The big twist is that I'm on board for any of it, though; the writing is honestly so good, at a level I haven't quite seen for a couple volumes in this series, so I suspect Minaduki had been aching to dive off into a big complicated mystery plot with a little bit of achey romance thrown in.
I love mystery, so I'm cool with it.
The one thing I'm not sure about is how the romance is going to be resolved between a deeply polyamorous character and a guy who makes it clear that, at least at this point, he's very monogamous. Mei and Naru, and then Mei and Asahi and Masato, have some decent conversations about what he wants out of a relationship, and what that can look like for different types of people.
Masato is mostly startled that Mei's generation gap is big enough for him to be openly gay without ever worrying about whether his family or anyone else around him will treat him differently. Naru...well, Naru explains quite gently that some people just love differently, and sometimes you love more than one person at a time, and as long as you communicate properly, everyone in those arrangements can be perfectly happy with it.
Meeting Naru's partners in a situation where it was not all one big joke about trying to get Masato to cheat on Asahi made worlds of difference. I really liked them. I think I'm actually going to be sad if Naru breaks up with them in order to be with Mei? (Although to be honest I'm still emotionally monogamous enough to not want to see more of Naru with other people once he and Mei sort out their issues.)
So it'll be complicated. But I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. I adore Mei; he needs to be happy. And while it's hard to know what Naru's up to, I do think he has Mei's best interests at heart, and wouldn't do anything to hurt him. But what is going on with their family and all these huge secrets! Can't wait to find out.
March 1, 2024
A la altura de Love Nest. Minaduki ha mejorado tanto a la hora de crear plots. Empezó la saga con una historia muy cliché para ir evolucionando a tramas y personajes más complejos y adultos. Por fin vamos a conocer a Naru y su historia a la vez que entra en escena Mei, un joven que lleva enamorado de Naru desde siempre. Aunque solo se veían una vez al año para el Tanabata, cuando Mei se entera de que Naru puede estar relacionado con la muerte de sus padres acude a él y ya ambos se seguirán viendo. Y es que hay algo que los une, sobre todo sus sentimientos.
Leer la reseña completa:
https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...
Leer la reseña completa:
https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...
April 16, 2024
2.5--I picked this up because I heard it had a polyamorous character (I loooove) but the twist gives me the ick. I will be very hesitant to get the second volume.
March 26, 2024
Si las historias anteriores rondaban más en la mecánica del romance, los traumas y problemas de comunicación, aquí el punto de partida es un misterio del pasado en torno a los padres del protagonista. No esperaba menos siendo Naru (el personaje más ambiguo y enigmático de la saga) la otra parte de la posible pareja.
December 12, 2024
Multiple red flags alert
June 24, 2025
This was a tense read, in a very good way. There's so much wrong (suspense/tension-inducing) happening at once that it's difficult to know where to start.
First off, for most of the first volume, the MC is convinced that his love interest is his uncle which gives all the obvious ick. Fortunately, I had trust that that was going to be a lie/deception of some sort, and yes, it is. They're not blood related.
But that can't solve the age/experience gap that's also going on. Mei is 21 and innocent as all get out. His raunchy fantasies about Naru are about getting kissed on the forehead. Contrast that with Naru, who is 39 and has multiple partners in a polyamorous set up, holds debauched sex parties and sometimes gets in on the action with his friends (Love Nest). None of that is problematic on its own, and Naru's free-spirited sexuality is a huge part of his character's appeal, but it's difficult to see how he could possibly develop a healthy power dynamic with Mei with such a large gap in their life experiences to date.
Yet, on balance, I have to say that their love story is very compelling. Mei is a bit of a himbo, but Naru is the mysterious, multifaceted type that is so much fun to see slowly unravel. I've got reservations, but everything seems above board for now? I can see why the two characters are drawn to each other, as well as a possible healthy path forwards once they've communicated a bit more solidly. Mei is very obviously not someone who is going to accept an unequal relationship, or someone who will let his choices be made for him, so I have hope that his character can bridge the giant age/experience gap.
Add to all of this a subtly threatening subplot of family inheritance, murder?, blackmail, revenge and general power shenanigans that Naru is trying to protect mei from, and there's a lot to keep the reader on their toes.
The art is also beautiful. Naru, in particular, is just a gorgeous character to read about, so I was really pleased when the author announced a spin off story focusing on him. That said, I have no idea what's going on with the cover, because if I didn't know any better I'd think this was a sci-fi story based on the weird glowing orb of stars.
Overall, this is a very detailed, interesting love story. It's not without its red(yellow?) flags, but I'm hooked. I'm peeved that this is ongoing, because I want the author to give me the happy ending already so I can stop worrying about all the problems these two have to overcome together.
First off, for most of the first volume, the MC is convinced that his love interest is his uncle which gives all the obvious ick. Fortunately, I had trust that that was going to be a lie/deception of some sort, and yes, it is. They're not blood related.
But that can't solve the age/experience gap that's also going on. Mei is 21 and innocent as all get out. His raunchy fantasies about Naru are about getting kissed on the forehead. Contrast that with Naru, who is 39 and has multiple partners in a polyamorous set up, holds debauched sex parties and sometimes gets in on the action with his friends (Love Nest). None of that is problematic on its own, and Naru's free-spirited sexuality is a huge part of his character's appeal, but it's difficult to see how he could possibly develop a healthy power dynamic with Mei with such a large gap in their life experiences to date.
Yet, on balance, I have to say that their love story is very compelling. Mei is a bit of a himbo, but Naru is the mysterious, multifaceted type that is so much fun to see slowly unravel. I've got reservations, but everything seems above board for now? I can see why the two characters are drawn to each other, as well as a possible healthy path forwards once they've communicated a bit more solidly. Mei is very obviously not someone who is going to accept an unequal relationship, or someone who will let his choices be made for him, so I have hope that his character can bridge the giant age/experience gap.
Add to all of this a subtly threatening subplot of family inheritance, murder?, blackmail, revenge and general power shenanigans that Naru is trying to protect mei from, and there's a lot to keep the reader on their toes.
The art is also beautiful. Naru, in particular, is just a gorgeous character to read about, so I was really pleased when the author announced a spin off story focusing on him. That said, I have no idea what's going on with the cover, because if I didn't know any better I'd think this was a sci-fi story based on the weird glowing orb of stars.
Overall, this is a very detailed, interesting love story. It's not without its red(yellow?) flags, but I'm hooked. I'm peeved that this is ongoing, because I want the author to give me the happy ending already so I can stop worrying about all the problems these two have to overcome together.
April 27, 2024
Amb aquesta mangaka és una de freda i una de calenta... Sayonara Game i Change World, Vol. 1/Change World, Vol. 2 no em van agradar gaire (fins al punt que no les tinc a la col·lecció), però amb Love Nest, Vol. 1 sí que vaig connectar. Ara, novament, em trobo una història que no m'interessa gens, amb uns personatges que em generen rebuig (Naru) i llàstima (Mei) i una trama que no em desperta prou intriga per continuar. Després de llegir el més que previsible gir final, és evident quin rumb prendrà el següent volum . Indiferència total, ves...
April 14, 2024
Okay I'm kind of an idiot because when I reviewed Love Nest 2nd like literally three days ago. I said "It seems like she's doing more? I'll be looking forward to the spin offs." and then next day my preorder for this book comes in. Completely forgot that Engage was the spin-off.
I don't know how to feel about this tbh. I don't mind age gap romances. I like business x college student BUT I don't like adult x child they've known since a very young age. This story took me through a roller coaster of emotions. I mean from experiencing Naru from previous volumes he's def a bit of a freak, but this volume really shows how much. There are moments I like the relationship, because Yuu Minaduki is good at what she does, but the situation they're in just makes me feel iffy. I'm curious to see how all of this will end up in the second book though. There's a lot of crazy backstory happening and a little mystery moment happening so I want to see it all unfold for sure.
I don't know how to feel about this tbh. I don't mind age gap romances. I like business x college student BUT I don't like adult x child they've known since a very young age. This story took me through a roller coaster of emotions. I mean from experiencing Naru from previous volumes he's def a bit of a freak, but this volume really shows how much. There are moments I like the relationship, because Yuu Minaduki is good at what she does, but the situation they're in just makes me feel iffy. I'm curious to see how all of this will end up in the second book though. There's a lot of crazy backstory happening and a little mystery moment happening so I want to see it all unfold for sure.
February 2, 2025
Ummm… huh?
Firstly, WTAF!! Pls author, this felt so wrong. At least maybe tell the readers that Naru is NOT the uncle first so it doesn’t mess with us! (it was predictable but I had to make sure cause 😬)
The story was lost on me. I had know idea what the f was going on… but there is a bit of mystery that still needs to be brought to light. Just the whole approach to this manga was so bad. And there was too much text, like wayyy too much. The only thing that stopped me from giving a lower rating was the art. The art is so beautiful!
Firstly, WTAF!! Pls author, this felt so wrong. At least maybe tell the readers that Naru is NOT the uncle first so it doesn’t mess with us! (it was predictable but I had to make sure cause 😬)
The story was lost on me. I had know idea what the f was going on… but there is a bit of mystery that still needs to be brought to light. Just the whole approach to this manga was so bad. And there was too much text, like wayyy too much. The only thing that stopped me from giving a lower rating was the art. The art is so beautiful!
July 4, 2025
3.5⭐️
I’m not sure how I feel about this. First when they were complete strangers I was like awe it’s so cute. Then it turns out he’s his uncle and I was like oh no. This is so Awkward. Poor baby is in love with his uncle. Then souji said something how he’s not sure how he feels about him and they aren’t actually related and I was again all awe he’s going to be confused and piss when you tell him you lied about being related then I remember souji has been in the his life since he was 5 and now I’m looking for Olivia benson to work this damn case.
I honestly have no idea what’s going on.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. First when they were complete strangers I was like awe it’s so cute. Then it turns out he’s his uncle and I was like oh no. This is so Awkward. Poor baby is in love with his uncle. Then souji said something how he’s not sure how he feels about him and they aren’t actually related and I was again all awe he’s going to be confused and piss when you tell him you lied about being related then I remember souji has been in the his life since he was 5 and now I’m looking for Olivia benson to work this damn case.
I honestly have no idea what’s going on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2024
Okay. When I first read the summary on the back before reading this, I whole heartedly thought Naru was a dragon in human skin 😂 But while I was reading, I quickly came to the realization that THAT is not the case lol. However, the true twist that ended up being revealed pretty early on definitely did throw me for a loop. And then there was the one that got revealed later on?!?!? LIKE WHAT. I ATE THIS UP. The story building is pretty gripping, so I can't wait to read the next volume 😊💖💕
May 14, 2024
I found "Naru" to be an interesting character from this creators other works so I was super excited to read this. Tbh it wasn't at all what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of Mei's and "Naru"s relationship. (Spoiler?) I knew the first time it was "revealed" that they weren't actually related, it just felt like that was going to be the twist, and it was. I look forward to reading the rest of their story!
February 16, 2025
Rollercoaster manga, twists and turns, some very predictable too. I like seeing more Naru, who is just as freaky and messy as he was in the previous spin-off series. Masato and Asahi show up for a bit too. And as for our new protagonist Mei, I kind of feel sorry for him because he's so young still and figuring out life, goals, emotions, motives, people, work—everything with being an adult.
May 4, 2024
Imagina decirle al que tiene un crush por ti "soy tu tio", esperando que el posible incesto lo espante... y que no funcione. Me encantan las historias de Yuu Minaduki y quiero saber cómo sigue, pero estoy frustrada. Al menos tuve migajas de Masato y Asahi T_T
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2024
I need to start looking my BL up on Goodreads because I hate the 'we are relatives but not by blood so it's ok but I'm gonna hide it from you' bullshit. Idk probably gonna be dropping this one off at a Half Price Books.
June 21, 2024
Me ha costado meterme pero al final he acabado dentrísimo. Naru me sigue dejando descolocada, no sé si va o si viene y Mei es una ricura, más bonito que todas las cosas. Quiero ver como sigue avanzando la historia porque me da que aquí Naru esconde muuuuuchas cosas.
September 30, 2024
Mmm I had my suspicions about Naru, but it wasn't to this extent! Guess I gave him too much credit! This man is carrying so many secrets, but it's for a reason! Souji, I hope to learn more about you in the next volume.🙇♀️ Till then~
May 17, 2025
I have no idea where this story is going, but it is wild to tell someone who is in love with you that you are their uncle when you are not actually blood related. Although, Naru has always been a bit odd but who knows what he’s up to at this point.
April 7, 2026
Interesting story with some odd, borderline taboo tropes. I was hoping for a bit more drama and some more escalated contact as this book was plastic-wrapped on the shelf. I only *might* give the next volume a read.
March 28, 2024
incheresting…
April 10, 2024
I am seriously loving this whole series. I am so excited to know more about Naru! It's nice seeing Masato and Asahi return. ❤️
June 5, 2024
His uncle???!!! That is all I have to say for now.
October 14, 2024
This story didn’t go anywhere I thought it would.
My heart
My heart
November 1, 2024
Just not for me.
November 2, 2024
The plot twists are giving
March 5, 2025
at first i was like ew they are ucle and nephew but then it turns out they arent that so now i really wanne read vol 2
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2025
What in the fresh hell is this
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