That Time I Got Stuck to the Guy I Hate

by Tarona

A supernatural Boys' Love manga where two bickering men are brought together by a strange spell that will have them getting more intimate than they ever expected!Kuga is a first-year university student stuck with the worst roommate ever--the surly, disagreeable Igarashi. Whenever Igarashi opens his mouth, it's just to complain, and Kuga can't stand it. But one day, these two suddenly wind up literally stuck together with no way to pull apart. They're desperate to find a solution, except the only way to break this bizarre spell is for them to get closer and more intimate than they ever expected!

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Romance, Yaoi, Boys Love, Fantasy, Enemies To Lovers

226 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2024

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you wanna race, I run like crazy / If you wanna ride, I drive ya daily (Stuck to You – Nikka Costa).

Heh more like that time I got tired of reading too many tender and meaningful gay love stories in a row and went out of my way to read absolute slop only to then realize that even the slop ended up being a tender and meaningful gay love story. Talk about a mouthful! Okay look, I enjoyed this manga, the art is great and the “roommates-to-lovers” thing is a classic that can’t be topped (har har “topped”), but I can’t lie that this is one of those times where my ability to get annoyed by literally anything started to get in my way, because I went into this expecting a manga purely full of dumb hijinks without the usual kind of yearning and pining that I’ve come to expect out of gay manga, and yet I still came out the other end of this thing feeling a bit irritated. Am I wrong for just wanting to read one gay story that’s simply gay without it being about the gay experience? Okay, I'm well aware of the fact that I'm starting to sound pretty whiny here, but I'm sure you know where I'm coming from. It reminds me of how when that movie Crazy Rich Asians came out, several of my Asian brethren were adamantly against and highly critical towards the movie because they thought that it promoted the wrong image of our community and that it didn’t properly capture the true “Asian experience.” And in portraying an excess of wealth and vapid superficiality, it gave people the idea that we all live like this, that it's problematic to tell an Asian centric story that's not reflective of the average Asian person's life. And as a fellow Asian myself (#asanAsian), that argument has never really held water because to me, not only would somebody have to be really dumb to base their entire opinion of a race on what they see in the movies (though I'm sure that happens a lot), but I’m of the mind that it can only ever be a good thing when movies go out of their way to show as vast an array of diverse backgrounds as possible, as it expands everyone's palate; whether that be in seeing exuberant wealth on the screen or experiencing our racial “struggle” through a universally beloved Oscar bait film that’d be out there winning all the accolades come award season. I'm just saying that everybody deserves a set of stories outside of The Struggle™, and adding every shade of the rainbow to the screen or on the page is always helpful in showcasing that there's more than enough room for all of our experiences. Basically, diversity = good. I guess this is my way of segueing to my other point in that I feel the same with queer stories, like… why does everything have to come back around to long-form yearning and a love that could move mountains? Because damn, I just wanted to read something completely brainless and fun for once, and if I can’t find that in something called That Time I Got Stuck to the Guy I Hate, then I honestly don’t know where else to look! But who knows, maybe I just figured this manga would be dumb enough that I wouldn't be forced to describe the romance in it as “transcendent” all over again! Oh well, there's nothing here a good ole thesaurus can’t solve!

Oh yeah, you don’t even know what That Time I Got Stuck to the Guy I Hate is about yet. Oopsie, my bad! Must have slipped my mind. Well, if you're so inclined, That Time I Got Stuck to the Guy I Hate is about that time a college student named Kuga gets magically stuck to the guy he hates, Igarashi, his roommate. Huh, that was pretty easy. I don't know why I was dreading talking about it. It’s a classic story convention and a daring reexamination of a trope that hasn’t been tried since the monumentally unique and trendsetting tent-pole of a film, Stuck on You, starring Matt Damon and some other guy came out many a year ago. Truly a masterclass of the genre! That was sarcasm, Stuck on You might possibly be the worst movie I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching, and that's coming from someone who's seen Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. Anyway, that's probably not the most flattering of comparisons, because this manga actually has more in common with Freaky Friday, where an outside magical element forces two people who don’t get along to consider each other more closely, and thus creating a stronger bond. With Freaky Friday, this is shown in a quasi-racist adventure where a mother and daughter learn how to put themselves in each other’s shoes (quite literally), and with That Time I Got Stuck to the Guy I Hate, it’s about two roommates who can’t see eye-to-eye getting stuck together (duh) with the only way to get unstuck is by zerking each other off and “arriving” at the same time, if you catch my drift. That's what they call a... sticky situation! Badum tsss. That’s really all there is to it, but like I already talked about, I noticed that around the half-way mark that the love-story between Kuga and Igarashi got a little more emotional than I was expecting when the manga explored each of their respective backstories in depth. We see it explained how Kuga is trying to break out from under his mother’s smothering nature and yet is crushed under the weight of immense guilt from the prospect of being ungrateful. Then there’s Igarashi who's baseball injury back in high school halted all his original plans to go through college on a scholarship, with his only continuing motivator being when Kuga unintentionally gave him a heartfelt pep-talk, and in that created a “childhood friend” link that a lot of manga like to fall back on. Look, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because I always appreciate it when a story goes out of its way to elevate itself past its packaging, but sometimes it can feel like authors are trying to make gold out of coal, and a manga with such a silly premise could have easily been just as entertaining if it had decided to forego the “destined lovers” angle and simply been about wild ass things happening for six chapters and then ending. Don’t worry, I’m still totally cool with how this manga ended up, which is to say it was... yes, a transcendent love story. Or you know, as Thesaurus.com is telling me: it's "fantastic," "sublime," and/or of "ultimate" quality!

[alex :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

stooop i love them so much!! igarashi’s tablet message at the end had me squealing and kicking my feet hehe. i love when characters have history together. it makes me believe they really are in love 🥹

[Peppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, let’s be real, this is a perfectly fine palette cleanser read. It’s not gonna blow your mind, but it’s got good art, a simple storyline and manageable drama. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need!

The best part? Hands down, the ending lovemaking scene. It was actually well done, emotional, consensual, caring and super sensual. You could feel the chemistry and genuine want between the characters. Major props to the artist for that.

But…yeah, there’s a but!! The pacing felt rushed, and Kuga’s personality shift from high school to college was kinda jarring. I get that he was always a little condescending, but the development didn’t feel totally organic. Honestly, you can guess the whole plot from chapter one, it’s that straightforward.

Igarashi was more likable, mostly ’cause you feel his pining from the start. But neither character had tons of depth. They felt more like tools to move the plot along than real, layered people. And that supernatural element? A little ridiculous, but hey…it served its purpose.

There’s some dubcon early on, so heads up if that’s not your thing. But overall? The art carries this hard, the technical stuff is solid, and if you go in with low expectations, you might actually enjoy it.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers



I liked this a lot more than I was thinking.

Kuga is a first-year university student stuck with the worst roommate ever—the surly, disagreeable Igarashi. Whenever Igarashi opens his mouth, it's just to complain, and Kuga can't stand it. But one day, these two suddenly wind up literally stuck together with no way to pull apart. They're desperate to find a solution, except the only way to break this bizarre spell is for them to get closer and more intimate than they ever expected!
-

[Sera Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont read many "stuck" tropes, but this was super cute. I loved the MCs dynamic. Was super funny and cute. What a fun short read!

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Who sucked me in***
Mizz Manga in their HUGE Haul of Manga, Webtoons, Light Novels, & More!! video published on 2 dec 2024.

It reminded me of a podcast I just finished listening to the other day:
Roommates. What can I say? I'm basic like that.


***dinsdag 3 december 2024***
⭐4 - liked it
Translator: Philip Reuben

Very smutty but I did get the same feeling I had while listening to 'The Roommates' so that was fun. Perfect to knock out in a hour (I am disgustingly proud of that pun) or so.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was so much better than expected, and I ended up really loving it.

At first this appears to be a silly gimmick; two roommates (one of whom hates the other) become physically stuck together, and are only able to fix their problem with sexy times. But this develops into a sweet romance between two characters who truly belong together.

The supernatural twist is creative and quite moving, and the confessions are wonderful.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5*

I liked this a lot more than I was thinking I would. It's a pretty silly premise and it could've gone really bad, but I think the story turned out pretty sweet. I feel like a broken record saying this, but I would've liked a little tiny bit more relationship development but I think there was enough there to fill the blanks in for myself. So I ended up really enjoying this one.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the idea behind this one. The execution could've been better, especially for the early stages.

I think the initial struggle was setting up a way for the two of them to realize that in order to unstick their magically magnetic hands, they had to be intimate. Especially since it was a plot requirement that Kuga couldn't be attracted to or interested in Igarashi for the majority of the time. In order to accomplish that, Tarona had Igarashi rush into straight up dubcon territory in a very early scene.

It honestly didn't make sense for their dynamic or their personalities; it would've been better for them to have followed the legend's path, naturally discovering it through built-up frustration after a few days of being unable to be apart from each other. So that's a bit of a bummer, plot-wise.

From the glamping trip on, though, the relationship dynamic was really good, and Igarashi's strong feelings for Kuga definitely came through. I liked the emphasis on Kuga having given Igarashi a new perspective on his future, and the sense that he could find a new path forward after losing his baseball dreams.

Kuga's interest in Igarashi wasn't developed as well. Honestly, part of it was more tied to his realization that he'd been wrong about Igarashi hating him. Kuga is a kind, friendly person who assigns negative emotions to people based out of things like guilt/embarrassment. For instance, his resistance to seeing his parents isn't because he hates them - it's because he was mean to his mom before leaving for college in Tokyo, and he's all torn up inside at the idea of her being upset with or hating him. (Being his mom, she of course forgave him right away and still cared and worried about him, as Igarashi had correctly predicted.)

The same kind of goes for Igarashi. Kuga had badly wanted a good relationship with his roommate, and had assumed from Igarashi's awkward reaction at their "first" meeting that his roommate hated him. So he hated him back, harder, to protect himself. Over time, once he got to see how kind and thoughtful Igarashi really was, and how much Igarashi cared about him, it melted away all his hatred into the feelings he probably would've had all along, if Igarashi had been better about to show his own feelings from the start.

So I liked a lot of their dynamic and development. I just wish the first smutty scene hadn't been so completely out of nowhere.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great enemies to lovers story, or sort of that. Kuga and Igarashi are college roommates and polar opposites. Kuga really hates Igarashi, especially how the other guy doesn’t seem to care that he does. After a fight, their hands become stuck together like with magic. They try everything to get unstuck, until Igarashi decides to try sex. Mostly, I think, because he wants to, as it comes kind of out of blue, and definitely so for Kuga. And it works—until the next day that the same happens.

This could’ve been a mere sex comedy where the two become constantly stuck, followed by sex, but little by little, the boys start opening up to each other, deepening the story. There’s nothing tragic, but we learn that Igarashi has had a crush on Kuga already before college. And then Kuga’s feelings change, and so does the spell. So what to do when the spell is now determined to keep them apart?

This was a stand-alone with just enough content not to feel rushed, or like something is missing. Kuga starts as an annoying brat and he really changes during the story. Igarashi learns to smile. The boys’ love story is just beginning, but reader is fine leaving it there. Art is good.

[Tuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This BL manga is super cute and funny. Honestly, the cover was enough to get it because it has something I like in my manga and the authors art is great. The characters have perfect chemistry and address one of my favorite character tropes, the roommates to lovers and how they are kind of opposites that attract. Indeed especially when you consider the backstory.

The manga is pretty R18 even in its first chapter and the whole premise requires them both shooting their loads simultaneously, but eventually they form feelings and what not. I like the drama and the premise behind the situation they found themselves in.

Its a great single volume story. I do wish there were more or at least a different epilogue just to see how they are together. Really fun.

[ru · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/3.5 ★
fun read, more spicy than i was expecting (on me for not reading the synopsis tho) and i expected a bit more of comedy but it was the usual "bickering with a guy you find really annoying". overall fun tho

[G.✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers is always a win ❤️

[BL reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire premise of the book is insane, but the book isn’t the worst, it’s very obviously more explicit heavy with its content so just be prepared.

[Leeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä yhden pokkarin BL-tarina on yhtä typerä kuin miltä nimi kuulostaakin, mutta minulla oli hauskaa sitä lukiessani. Piirrostyyli on kantta upeampi ja hahmot erottuvat sen verran BL-mangan massasta, että tämä jää mieleen niinä parempina genren edustajina. Tässä tosin on ihan jatkuvasti seksikohtauksia, en suosittele mikäli se ei nappaa.

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kuga Senri reinvented himself for college, only to get landed with a stickler, Kyouhei Igarashi, as a roommate.
They touch hands when Kuga is about to fall and Igarashi grabs him to stop his fall. They get stuck together, unable to pull apart. For some reason *cough* 👉👈 Igarashi decides that if they get freaky, it might release them. But the key is to come together. 😜 Miraculously, it works! They become UNstuck.
However...they soon end up stuck together again...and again...and again... A pattern emerges and they end up stuck together EVERY DAY! Which, you know, requires *special circumstances*.
This was all very convenient for Igarashi - the quick learner - and irritating for the super sensitive Kuga.

The plot is very quick to get to the point, which was actually a good thing because there was a lot of plot AFTER the main concept of them getting stuck to each other.

We get Kuga's POV up until the 50% mark, then it switches to show a dual POV, which is important for...reasons.

I LOVE how Kuga's feelings slowly begin to develop, changing gradually in a very natural way. I really love that he puts some time and effort into researching their 'urban legend' curse of being stuck to each other. It was a really original idea, rather than the other stuck together concepts I've read.
I really loved the grumpy but very deep Igarashi.

This was such a fun story with two great MC's.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an original idea. This was such a fun story. I had a blast with this one. One day two roommates who seem to hate each other grab hands and they are stuck together and can’t let go no matter what they do. One roommate fell over and the other went to help him and bam, they couldn’t let go no matter how they tried. So they did find a way to unstick later.

Someone, each day they end of getting stuck together, over and over and they have to go through the one thing that will release them.

The artwork is great. The character work is nice too. Kuga is annoying. He hates his roommate and he’s a slob. He does grow on you after some time. Igarashi is the roommate and he is a quiet type. He’s also a neat freak and he keeps the dorm room from falling into utter chaos. It looks like he is sort of finding ways to touch Kuga and make this happen.

I have to say how pleased I am by this volume. It’s so wonderful. I just had so much enjoyment reading the story. I couldn’t put it down. What a great idea. I would love it if this becomes a new trope like Omegaverse and we got a lot of stories like this. How fun.


Spoilers ahead:
e










So, we find out there is a cupid like god who has thrown this curse on these two. The problem comes when Kuga starts to want to touch Igarashi. Then, they are repelled and they can’t touch. It’s only after a declaration of love from both that the spell is undone and they can touch again.

[Cassie Renais · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute, but don't think about it too hard. This is a light-hearted, fun read. The concept is a funny excuse for smut, but it doesn't hold up to too much scrutiny, even though it is properly dealt with in the plot and given an actual explanation, which is more than I can say for plenty of other stories that rely on similarly ludicrous premises.

The characters themselves have a bit of flesh, but nothing that distinguishes them as particularly interesting or unique. Their chemistry is there, but not mind-blowing. The enemies-to-lovers thing is done well, but suffers from the usual confusion of how these people could be so confused about the other's character and feelings for so long, only to miraculously realise they've been wrong and then fall in love.

Overall, a cute, funny palate cleanser, but unlikely to be a story that cracks your "top 10 of all time" list.

[Henli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A goofy supernatural sort of rivals to lovers story. Kuga is a first year university student who is not a fan of his roommate, Igarashi. One day the two end up with their hands literally stuck together and after trying all sorts of ways to separate they’re forced to get quite intimate.

It's a silly premise but it's pretty cute. The bickering between the two is amusing, it gets pretty spicy, and it's actually quite sweet as well. I think some things could have been expanded on throughout the story, but for a one-shot it felt fairly complete. I had fun reading this one.

[Bee C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute but I feel like there could’ve been more. Two fighting roommates get stuck to each other after an accident and the only way to separate is to help each other out 😏. Turns out it happens quite a bit and that when one of our characters catches the feels they can no longer actually get near one another. We get some background history between the two but I feel like it needed to be a little longer. Other than that it was a good one shot and the ending was cute.

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 2-star read for the first half or so, as there was some pretty questionable consent (which is a gross and unfortunate reality of a LOT of BL manga), but it did a good job of creating a cutesier atmosphere in the latter half and creating a more solid relationship based on communication and mutual love. A fun premise but not one I'll be recommending.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't sure what to expect going into this. I like an enemies to lovers story. It did turn out to be much smuttier than I thought. But I did end up crying. So when the smut makes me cry I like it better lol 🤔😏😌🤷🏼‍♀️🥹

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5★ rounding up because the art was great and I ended up enjoying this more than expected!! the tsundere + calm/cool/collected combo is one of my favorites and it works really well here. quite spicy, but there was a really sweet backstory and relationship that develops out of the silly premise.

[Zero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have gone without the sexual assault… like maybe a conversation where Kuga agreed to it before Igarashi started to touch him… on multiple occasions.

Can’t believe I bought this- I want my money back.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐s

Sometimes, you've got to take your logic - and everything you know about the laws of physics - and simply chuck 'em all out the window. Not only was this hella cute but also pretty funny and much spicier than I expected

[0lympik · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ENDING MADE ME TEAR UP OMGGGG!!! Cute little one shot, I grew to love them so much. It’s so simple, but paced nicely and had depth! Such a good read, gave me the HIT o needed! I love them so much.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the first little while I was sure this was PWP. I was surprised when it turned out to be a little more than that 😆 Its still very simple and dirty but I’m a smut slut so I didn’t mind. I thought it was a fun ride and I liked the characters more than I expected to.

[bela · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm begging you... could you start to hate me?" this broke me /3

There's more 18+ scenes than i was expecting, I think I might've underestimated the part in the synopsis that talks about them getting "more intimate than ever" lol

[Mosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the top ridiculous! This one shot jumps right to it and is very fast paced but it’s very unforgettable. This enemies to lovers story has it all, comedy, spice, romance, and even a little sprinkle of fluff.

[Nore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly serviceable, perfectly sweet little romance story with a tsundere bottom and the typical secret crush. I enjoyed the use of forced proximity, so even though I think this is ultimately forgettable in a sea of BL manga, I can say it's a genuine three stars: I liked it.