Mitsuka, Volume 1

Mitsuka #1

by Akabeko

Leo is host at a nightclub, and he always thought he had no interest in men — until he slept with Takahiro, a sex worker who introduced him to pleasures he'd never felt before. Now, sex with women doesn’t satisfy him, and after begging Takahiro to sleep with him again, they agree to a “friends with benefits” arrangement.

But just when Leo thinks he may be falling in love, one of his best customers asks him to sleep with her. Takahiro catches him in the act, and things take a dark turn…

This book contains explicit content, including sex work, dubious consent, and sexual violence. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age.

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Romance, LGBT, Boys Love, Comics, Erotica

192 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2023

About the author

Birthday: February 24th

Inclinations: Heartrending story

Pixiv: akabeko

Instagram: ranchiki_iberiko

「かべうち」[kabe-uchiroom]: akabeko

Reviews

[L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

yo wtf did I just read?

Like, I am kinda at a loss here.

The opening was insanely rough, with some of the most aggressive noncon I've seen in a hot minute -- and I'm normally not that fazed by non-con as a long time fan of the genre, but this just felt really bad given how upset Reo was and how clearly he was not into what was being done. Some other reviewers are calling it cnc, but he never came around to the "con" part of "con non-con" in those first two chapters... so like... yeah... (loved the cross dressing cameo though, hell yeah)

What followed that was a series of chapters that didn't really feel connected; like yeah, there was some connective tissue there, but the overall flow was weak. Each chapter felt more like a quick glimpse into the lives of these two characters, which just happened to be in a kind of linear succession -- until the last chapter, when a real semblance of plot decided to appear. Yes, it needed the prior chapters to exist, but still, their relationship feels weak when it is fueled by the only two things we really get to see so far: Reo's insecurities and Takahiro's possessiveness. Oh wait, make that three things; there is also Reo's straightness, which he, and everyone else, keeps declaring... along with Reo's love for Takahiro and how they are actively boyfriends (tries very hard not to roll my eyes at sexuality being treated as something stagnant and never changing )

Maybe I'm missing something? Some of the reviews mention that it is a sequel/spin off of another manga, which I did not know and have not read, so maybe the way these characters are introduced there makes this make more sense. I am interested in reading that first manga, as the chemistry and design of the those characters at the beginning is really good.

I normally like crying during sex in BL, like a lot, but this was just obnoxious. I'm not counting, but I am willing to bet there are more panels of Reo crying than not crying, and his crying isn't really the "I'm overwhelmed with pleasure and it's great" kind of crying I usually see in BL; it really reads more like "I hate this" or "I am completely overwhelmed" or "I am being aggressively bullied" kind of crying, which, yes, I know, are some people's thing, but it was overkill for me, as was Reo's constant spiral of doubt about their relationship.

The art was really nice though; I like the kind of retro touch to Takahiro's design, and Reo's expressions, hair, and eyes keep reminding me of another mangaka... but I can't think of who...

[Peppa · Rating 1 out of 5]

WTF?! what is this😭?? Dnfed after the second chapte, this is just a really toxic- rape - noncon - manipulation thing.

[Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover art is chef's kiss, which drew me in. But the actual art is not the same. To be honest, something like this that seems like it's all about the smut and not about the actual story, I would assume the art and composition would be stronger. The translation I read was distracting, too.

The story leaves a lot to be desired. The couple they initially introduced is not the main couple, and I really wasn't invested anyway, so it was a very weak and boring introduction. Nothing is going on with the plot as far as I could tell. I skimmed through a lot this.... The relationship between the mains is kinda confusing, I don't know why they are together. It's not sweet or touching. And the angst is not for me. It's just kinda miserable.

Would not recommend.

[Ellie]

What did I just read? Idk. Will I continue though? Probably 😅

[Tammy (Thorns_and_Proses) · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️/5

This isn’t romance, it’s abuse. The relationship dynamic is toxic and manipulative, with no sense of balance or care between the characters. Instead of exploring difficult themes with nuance, it glamorizes harmful behavior. The writing never gave me a reason to root for or empathize with either person, which made the story feel hollow and uncomfortable. I couldn’t find anything redeeming here, and the experience left me frustrated rather than moved.

[♡ Dakota ♡ (Sarcasm is my middle name) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nonsensical and disturbing. One Star.

[Louise]

•dnf•

[Summerfire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picks up right in the middle of...a dude quitting his job? But not this dude. And then MMC walks in and we are off to the races with 0 explanation. It was hard to pick up where we were at, how much time has passed, did they move in together after that first scene, or were they already living together? The implication is that this has been a long-term arrangement, but we never saw the arrangement being made either in real time or a flashback so it's impossible to know. The dialogue is also sometimes difficult to follow. I'll keep reading the series because I kind of like the relationship between the two. But we'll see if this ends up being more upsetting than not.

[ベッカ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dude this was so absurdly bad, I wanna scrub my eyeballs out. I was baited by the pretty cover but the art inside is Not Good and the “story” was even worse. This isn’t dubcon, it’s straight up SA🚫🚫🚫

[Ester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hace años unos compañeros de trabajo hicieron que Leo, un escort de mujeres hetero, acabara yendo a un prostíbulo gay en donde acabó por probar el sexo anal con uno de los mejores prostitutos del lugar, propiciándole la experimentación de un placer indescifrable e inimaginable para el joven escort. Sin poder hallar a ese hombre, y probando con otros tíos sin obtener ni de lejos los orgasmos que lo volvieron adicto al placer por el trasero, finalmente Leo da con él y consigue lo que tanto ansiaba: que se lo volviera a follar. Para redimirse por lo que le hizo a Leo años atrás, siendo este hetero y por la mala baba de sus compañeros de trabajo, Takahiro le hará lo que le pide; sintiendo que la carga que tenía sobre sus hombros desaparece, así como el sentimiento de culpa que le hacía incapaz de correrse con otros hombres. A partir de ahí, Leo y Takahiro continuarán viéndose hasta que empiezan a vivir juntos.

Justamente en este punto cuando comienza el primer tomo de Néctar.

Empezado in medias res con la narración, Akabeko prosigue la historia que inició en la antología titulada en japonés Rakka (Crazy fruit es su título internacional, obra licenciada en francés y en inglés), profundizando más en aquellos dos personajes antagónicos que se conocieron en la peor de las circunstancias y que, si bien podría haber sido una experiencia traumática para ambos, fue todo un descubrimiento para uno y un mal trago para el otro. Su reencuentro, no solamente es una redención, sino que hará que ambos desarrollen una relación de follamigos y que eso haga que más sentimientos despierten en sus corazones.

Leer reseña completa:
https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...

[Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this is going to be a really cute bl.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is this a spin off or something? I felt like I jumped into the middle of a series and had no idea what was going on.

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. What a rough start. I got it by the 2nd volume extra that it was a spin off, which makes sense why the setting andcharacter introduction were weak after switching from two characters we never see again (presumably from the first series).

[Sim · Rating 1 out of 5]

i feel like i got dropped in the middle of a story with no warning and it just progressively fell apart

[Sera Nova · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artstyle is what did it for me. Not bad, but not what I wanted.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna it has promise, but all that at the beginning? I feel like I missed part of the story. The end leads me to believe that it would be good/better so we'll see.

[Bianca _Your_Sad_Anime_Boyfriend · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spin off sequel to a different BL by Akabeko for those who are confused.

It's okay, but I would like to say that I never realized how much the depictions of mens hands have been lacking until reading this one. Akabeko has done some of the best rendering of male hands I've seen in manga / comics. So that's cool.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so confused reading this. The storyline does not seem to be linear and honestly, I was tired of hearing how "straight" Leo was. It's almost like we were dropped into the middle or end of a volume but instead it was page one.

I won't be continuing.

[Cheyenne Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly really loved this. It’s definitely scandalous. My only issue was the story was a bit confusing because it felt rushed but I’m invested in the relationship and I want to see where it goes.

[Madison Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

nah this had me hella lost because it’s so rushed in the beginning that i was hella confused. like it’s basically two different couples fucking with no context as to who they are 😭

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

where to read: inkr, will also be in print eventually by Tokyopop

Rating: 2.75*

This is a sequel to Crazy Fruits. It shows a little bit of an update on the first couple, but the majority of this volume focuses on the second couple, the boss and Reo.

First of all I've said it before and I'll say it again, I absolutely despise that angrily forcibly fucking someone out of anger or jealousy and that happens in this one. It was made worse by the fact that Reo was crying and apologizing the whole time while also asking him to stop. It's not sexy!! Like as far as we've seen it's not Reo's kink so I just hated that entire situation.

I'm very confused by this relationship. We spend the majority of this volume in Reo's head and I don't even know how to properly gather my thoughts about this. The main conflict is the fact that Reo is "straight." According to Anzu, one of the employees, the boss is picky with who he gets with and he wouldn't even choose a bi person because "bi people always end up with the opposite gender." So it's a surprise that the boss would be with a straight person. Then Reo is like why won't he believe I love him even though I'm straight!! and it's like um... I think you stopped being straight a while ago, but labels aren't a huge deal, I guess. It's a trope I dislike in bl, when they handle sexuality in a way that seems like it's not a real thing you know? Anyway it was mainly miscommunication because they both love each other and just weren't saying anything since they didn't think the other felt the same way? Something like that. It was all very messy and this volume ended with the boss being really sus.

Idk there were a few cute moments between them that really enjoyed and I liked the art. I just wish the story was told better. I think akabeko's writing in general is a bit messy and all over the place. I remember being confused when I was reading the Yakuza story too. I think I liked this, but there was too much I disliked that I can't quite be sure.

[MunWolfieSNM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tras leerlo me he dado cuenta de que es un spin off de otro manga que no he leído, así que el principio me pareció muy abrupto y no entendía de dónde había salido esa relación que ya estaba establecida.

Hay muchas escenas de sexo y me parece que Leo no disfruta NI UNA. Todo el rato le pide que pare, y no es como en otros mangas que al principio piden que pare pero en realidad les gusta o se ve que lo disfrutan, es que aquí no he sentido que le gustara NUNCA.

No lo he pasado bien, y eso que en ficción me gusta leer cosas así, pero es que Leo perdona al otro sin que haga nada por ser perdonado cuando lo ha violado, y eso ya no tiene sentido. Me gusta el noncon si tiene sentido, si viene de alguien malo al que luego vamos a hacer sufrir, o si empieza así y luego se vuelve otra cosa, o dentro de un juego previamente pactado. Pero no cuando es tu supuesto novio y no hay ningún tipo de consecuencia, es todo el rato, se ve que no te gusta y aún así se lo perdonas todo.

Además no tenía sentido como avanzaba la historia y eso de que estuviera dispuesto a acostarse con otro o siguiera entrenando a los escorts estando ya con Leo... No. Puedo soportar cualquier cosa pero no cuernos o intento de cuernos. Eso no lo perdono, y creo que Leo merece algo mucho mejor.

Me he leído el segundo porque ya lo tenía y para ver si mejoraba pero nada.

[James Garman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story including the sex was hot except that got confused about the character. The character names were confusing because there were more than one name being bandied about for each person, it seemed. I have a really hard time keeping the characters seperated in this MANGA. Previously read volumes were less confusing.

I started out thinking that Reo and Takaholi were reversed, but then later thought maybe the boss of the place just looked like Takaholi and that was what confused me. In addition, the blurb somehow didn't' match upto the way the characters were behaving to me. The one that was so hot after the other and the tempter seemed to be the same person so maybe the summary was what was confusing.

I recommend that anybody else that reads this be something more familar with the genue. I though I had captured the idea of how they worked, but this one threw me.

[Kyrsau · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one puzzled me. Picking it up blindly, you can tell that it's a continuation of something... Or should be. While the story is interesting and the characters clearly have a lot of thought behind them, we're not really let into their world, other than kind of seeing the current state of things. No real understanding of their past or how they got to this point or how the couple mentioned at the very beginning ties in...

I wanted to like this more. I will still seek it out for at least the 2nd volume, but if this is indeed a sequel piece that Tokyopop decided to bring over it feels like a disservice to the author to not have published the first ... Well, first.

[Azathoth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I can still say I’ve read worse. Although usually either the writing and plot has some substance to it, or at least the characters do. I can honestly say this book has nothing going for it. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve actually lost braincells after reading some of these lines. Why would you mention colons. Just why? I literally hate the rapey undertones. And the cursed “I’m in love with him, but I’m still straight!” GAG. I had no clue what’s going on the whole book. And I think I deserve a gold star for going back and reading it twice.
Am I still going to buy volume 2? Probably. Not because it’s good. Just because I like being a hater.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

BL protagonitzat pels personatges de la 2a història de 落果 Rakka (Rakka Spin off). Moltes anades i vingudes, problemes bàsics de comunicació, de com estiquetar la relació i dilemes al voltant de la feina i l'amor (perquè un és host i l'altre treballa en un sex club). La trama per si sola és molt tipicota i l'únic que la fa interessant són les il·lustracions tan expressives de la mangaka.

[Amanda Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading some of the reviews I thought I wasn't gonna like this and while I think the story was all over the place, there is a story there, it's just kinda confusing, just like Reo is about whether or not he's straight! 😅 Poor Reo is kinda clingy and has trouble sorting through his feelings as Takahiro is so bad at expressing himself it's like he has no other emotion except for "vibe". I give this about 2.5-3.5/5 because the story is messy but the characters are interesting.

TW there is quite a bit of dubious consent and very messy sex scenes.

[Yeollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takahiro and Reo have a transactional relationship, but they move in together to facilitate their arrangement. The structure is a little confusing, but the story’s been getting good!

Given Mitsuka’s confusing structure, I’d recommend reading them back-to-back in this order: Volume 3, 1, 2.

This is a PWP, but it’s confusing the first time you read it. Volume 1 throws you into the action with little to no explanation, Vol. 2 has the plot’s development, and Vol. 3 is pre-Vol. 1 context.

Overall thoughts
Mitsuka is for a specific audience given its trope. Misunderstandings and miscommunication are a huge part of the story. Although the plot isn’t the strongest point, it’s still interesting. It shines in the spicy scenes, and as a PWP, it does its primary selling point justice. Despite its caveats, the art is beautiful, and the spice is done well. Just be prepared to have patience with the plot.

Who is this manga for
I’d recommend this to manga fans who don’t mind a complicated story. Misunderstandings and miscommunication are essential to the plot, so fans of the tropes, or patient tropes will likely enjoy this PWP with a plot.

Check out the full review on the blog: https://yeolliestorytime.com/mitsuka-...

[Sushie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The order of information delivered is really wacky, focusing very specifically on the boning and pining and skipping a lot of slice-of-life that might make the story more clear, but honestly I’m rooting for this emotionally stunted little “straight” guy to get himself figured out. Reo’s overly expressive, clingy, and extreme while his boss-turned-live-in-boyfriend is a cruel, distant top who keeps him at arm’s reach to protect him from his flaws. Meanwhile his flaws are mostly being a big, cool jerk who looks too good in a sweater.

[Nicky Silber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starts at volume 2, not volume 1

Something seems to have gone wrong here and this book contains the elements described in the second volume, with only a brief mention of the elements from volume 1 as having occurred in the past. So there seems to be a mixup and volume 2 ended up being released in the place of volume 1.