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ふたりでおかしな休日を #1
Confessions of a Shy Baker, Volume 1
Toshimitsu Yamamura owns a real estate company and loves baking delicious, healthy snacks in his spare time. When his coworker comes to him one day with the idea of advertising their real estate agency as LGBT-friendly, Toshi realizes this little change could really help people who often face discrimination in his industry. He's terrified, though, because he worries this move will out him as gay. Joined by his boyfriend Gonta who inspired him to bake in the first place, Toshi navigates a changing world that's slowly becoming more accepting, faces his fears and discomfort, and bakes some incredibly lovely treats along the way.
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First published January 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
January 15, 2023
I generally always give comics 5 star ratings, because if I like the art style and I find the comic captivating enough to not DNF it, I want to give it 5 stars. But when I finished this comic all I felt was irritation and discomfort.
The art style is okay. It's not really my cup of tea but it's not bad. Some art choices with character designs are questionable and portray harmful stereotypes, but other than that I don't feel any need to critic another person's art style.
CW: Fatphobia, calorie-counting, dieting, homophobia, gay-fetishization, gay stereotypes, internalized homophobia. This review includes spoilers.
The story itself is a slice-of-life about two men that have been in a relationship for 4 years. Every chapter includes a baking recipe Toshimitsu bakes for his boyfriend every Wednesday. If you have any problems with fatphobia, diet-culture and calorie-counting, DO NOT READ THIS COMIC Toshimitsu is restrictive of what his boyfriend Genta can eat, and berates him if he eats more than Toshimitsu thinks he should. Toshimitsu allows Genta to have one treat every Wednesday, and bakes said treat for him, and puts a LOT of emphasis into how healthy the food is because he's cutting calories by not using butter or using healthy substitutes, etc. I am all for using healthy substitutes in baking, but the way this is portrayed by always focusing on the calorie intake is really frustrating.
One aspect of this story involves Toshimitsu talking to a co-worker who says she thinks the men outside their shop were gay, and she wants to market the real estate agency they work at as LGBT+ friendly so they can get more gay clients. Toshimitsu is nervous to do so because he worries it'd out him, or that his agency will get bad reviews. The way the co-worker talks about gay people is really frustrating, though, as she basically fetishizes gay men by trying to guess if men she talks to are gay or saying she's never met a gay person before. Toshimitsu deals with this by telling her to go to an LGBT+ talk happening nearby in the hopes that she'll realise that what she's saying is problematic.
This part of the plot was probably the only part I really liked. While I found the co-worker extremely irritating and frustrating, I have met plenty of people in life that are like her - who say they're allies but actually have no idea how to talk to or respect queer people - and I think the way Toshimitsu handled her by telling her to go to a talk was really well done. This interaction is the reason I'm giving this comic 2 stars instead of 1.
Another plot point is Genta going to work and finding out his boss has left. He asks a co-worker about it and he thinks from what she's saying that the boss had sexually harassed a lot of co-workers, and he is drooling and imaging his boss having sex because of this and?? It is INCREDIBLY uncomfortable. When the co-worker says the boss also preyed on a man and on her, Genta reacts in shock saying she's so old, why would the boss have gone for her, and also if the boss goes for men too, why didn't he try and harass Genta?? But the co-worker was just playing a joke on Genta, and what actually happened was the boss was preying on workers to get them to going his multi-level-marketing scheme.
This "joke" where Genta imagines with delight his boss sexually-harassing people, and getting offended that the boss didn't try and harass him as well, is in incredibly poor taste. Like I don't think I have to explain why this was a really uncomfortable chapter to read.
There were so many elements in this comic that really irritated me, and I could keep going -- I won't even go into detail about the gay-caricature that was a character introduced near the end that is one of Genta's friends, who was the personification of every bad gay stereotype you could imagine. But overall, I found both Toshimitsu and Genta dislikeable at times, and we do not find out anything about their relationship other than seeing a flashback of Toshimitsu baking a cake for Genta four years ago for his birthday, which was how he started baking for him in the first place. The relationship was very flat and I didn't really understand why they were even dating each other.
Most of the daily difficulties Toshimitsu faced was in trying to keep himself closeted and being concerned people he works with and is friends with know he's gay -- which could be a compelling story to tell, but trying to tell it in a light-hearted comedic way like this manga attempts to do is difficult, and ultimately just left me feeling sad and frustrated.
I will not be picking up the second volume.
The art style is okay. It's not really my cup of tea but it's not bad. Some art choices with character designs are questionable and portray harmful stereotypes, but other than that I don't feel any need to critic another person's art style.
CW: Fatphobia, calorie-counting, dieting, homophobia, gay-fetishization, gay stereotypes, internalized homophobia. This review includes spoilers.
The story itself is a slice-of-life about two men that have been in a relationship for 4 years. Every chapter includes a baking recipe Toshimitsu bakes for his boyfriend every Wednesday. If you have any problems with fatphobia, diet-culture and calorie-counting, DO NOT READ THIS COMIC Toshimitsu is restrictive of what his boyfriend Genta can eat, and berates him if he eats more than Toshimitsu thinks he should. Toshimitsu allows Genta to have one treat every Wednesday, and bakes said treat for him, and puts a LOT of emphasis into how healthy the food is because he's cutting calories by not using butter or using healthy substitutes, etc. I am all for using healthy substitutes in baking, but the way this is portrayed by always focusing on the calorie intake is really frustrating.
One aspect of this story involves Toshimitsu talking to a co-worker who says she thinks the men outside their shop were gay, and she wants to market the real estate agency they work at as LGBT+ friendly so they can get more gay clients. Toshimitsu is nervous to do so because he worries it'd out him, or that his agency will get bad reviews. The way the co-worker talks about gay people is really frustrating, though, as she basically fetishizes gay men by trying to guess if men she talks to are gay or saying she's never met a gay person before. Toshimitsu deals with this by telling her to go to an LGBT+ talk happening nearby in the hopes that she'll realise that what she's saying is problematic.
This part of the plot was probably the only part I really liked. While I found the co-worker extremely irritating and frustrating, I have met plenty of people in life that are like her - who say they're allies but actually have no idea how to talk to or respect queer people - and I think the way Toshimitsu handled her by telling her to go to a talk was really well done. This interaction is the reason I'm giving this comic 2 stars instead of 1.
Another plot point is Genta going to work and finding out his boss has left. He asks a co-worker about it and he thinks from what she's saying that the boss had sexually harassed a lot of co-workers, and he is drooling and imaging his boss having sex because of this and?? It is INCREDIBLY uncomfortable. When the co-worker says the boss also preyed on a man and on her, Genta reacts in shock saying she's so old, why would the boss have gone for her, and also if the boss goes for men too, why didn't he try and harass Genta?? But the co-worker was just playing a joke on Genta, and what actually happened was the boss was preying on workers to get them to going his multi-level-marketing scheme.
This "joke" where Genta imagines with delight his boss sexually-harassing people, and getting offended that the boss didn't try and harass him as well, is in incredibly poor taste. Like I don't think I have to explain why this was a really uncomfortable chapter to read.
There were so many elements in this comic that really irritated me, and I could keep going -- I won't even go into detail about the gay-caricature that was a character introduced near the end that is one of Genta's friends, who was the personification of every bad gay stereotype you could imagine. But overall, I found both Toshimitsu and Genta dislikeable at times, and we do not find out anything about their relationship other than seeing a flashback of Toshimitsu baking a cake for Genta four years ago for his birthday, which was how he started baking for him in the first place. The relationship was very flat and I didn't really understand why they were even dating each other.
Most of the daily difficulties Toshimitsu faced was in trying to keep himself closeted and being concerned people he works with and is friends with know he's gay -- which could be a compelling story to tell, but trying to tell it in a light-hearted comedic way like this manga attempts to do is difficult, and ultimately just left me feeling sad and frustrated.
I will not be picking up the second volume.
July 12, 2023
I'm only coming in to write a review because I'm seriously getting tired of people labeling this "fatphobic"
If Toshi was using food to make Gon feel guilty or manipulate him... fine. But he's not. We have a situation where one partner was making so many sweets, the other gained a lot of weight and the doctor shared concerns over that partner's blood work results and overall weight. So what does he do? he helps his boyfriend stay on track and takes the time and energy to not only continue to bake for him but to do it in a way that his boyfriend can still enjoy the sweets that he loves without it negativly affecting his health. He would be doing a disservice to Gon if he'd just continued to bake and disregard Gon's health. Instead he makes him sweets full of love and care... just people see one person helping another stay accountable and it's all "noooo you shouldn't dictate what your partner eats. That's so horrible~!!" *facepalm* IF THAT PERSON CONSENTS TO/ASKS FOR THAT KIND OF HELP ITS NOT FLIPPING BAD. As someone who struggles with weight, having a partner there to help keep you on point so you can stay happy and healthy is in no way "fatphobic" and is incredibly helpful. It's the *way* that it's done - and Toshi does it in the most loving way possible
If Toshi was using food to make Gon feel guilty or manipulate him... fine. But he's not. We have a situation where one partner was making so many sweets, the other gained a lot of weight and the doctor shared concerns over that partner's blood work results and overall weight. So what does he do? he helps his boyfriend stay on track and takes the time and energy to not only continue to bake for him but to do it in a way that his boyfriend can still enjoy the sweets that he loves without it negativly affecting his health. He would be doing a disservice to Gon if he'd just continued to bake and disregard Gon's health. Instead he makes him sweets full of love and care... just people see one person helping another stay accountable and it's all "noooo you shouldn't dictate what your partner eats. That's so horrible~!!" *facepalm* IF THAT PERSON CONSENTS TO/ASKS FOR THAT KIND OF HELP ITS NOT FLIPPING BAD. As someone who struggles with weight, having a partner there to help keep you on point so you can stay happy and healthy is in no way "fatphobic" and is incredibly helpful. It's the *way* that it's done - and Toshi does it in the most loving way possible
February 21, 2025
Some reviewers seem to have an issue with the way certain characters are portrayed. I did not. People like this exist—flamboyant gay men, straight women who fetishize gay men, closeted homophobic gay men, and bosses who grope their employees. They all exist, and I either know them or have met them.
Confessions of a Shy Baker is a cute slice-of-life story about a gay couple. Toshi is still in the closet, but his bf, Gonta, is out. Their attempts to navigate this dichotomy within a loving relationship are what make the premise interesting to me. Toshi is a home baker who replaces heavy cream in his recipes with almond milk because he wants to make healthier treats. (It seems like too much of a stretch to call this #fat-shaming.) Again, the back-and-forth between Toshi and Gonta about watching what they eat is something very familiar to me.
Heavy topics such as internalized and externalized homophobia are made light through comedic character interactions and situational comedy. You’ve got to like baking, though—each chapter includes one or more actual recipes.
Confessions of a Shy Baker is a cute slice-of-life story about a gay couple. Toshi is still in the closet, but his bf, Gonta, is out. Their attempts to navigate this dichotomy within a loving relationship are what make the premise interesting to me. Toshi is a home baker who replaces heavy cream in his recipes with almond milk because he wants to make healthier treats. (It seems like too much of a stretch to call this #fat-shaming.) Again, the back-and-forth between Toshi and Gonta about watching what they eat is something very familiar to me.
Heavy topics such as internalized and externalized homophobia are made light through comedic character interactions and situational comedy. You’ve got to like baking, though—each chapter includes one or more actual recipes.
August 29, 2023
What an absolute delight!
This beautiful manga tells an honest, genuine story about a gay couple navigating life today. The writing and issues explored are modern and realistic, a refreshingly pleasant change from the tropey outdated traps some stories tend to fall into.
Toshi and Gon have been living together happily for several years. Between their jobs in real estate and healthcare and various hobbies, they face a number of situations that challenge them. But no matter what happens, they can come home to one another ready to talk through their lives and find a solution while eating something delicious.
And I mean delicious. Every chapter features a different mouthwatering treat, usually something low calorie and always crafted with love and care. The full recipe is included, along with additional notes or tips following at the end of the chapter.
The art mixes a more traditional manga style with some hyper realism, often as part of the recipes. The shine on those mixing bowls is impressive!
This story is cozy and lovely, with a gentle exploration of realistic situations. The strong relationship between Toshi and Gon is very chaste and sweet, their personalities contrasting and yet fitting together perfectly. Toshi's anxiety is so perfectly written and relatable. I love the both of them so much! and am so looking forward to seeing where the story takes them.
Wowza after a look at some other reviewers thoughts, I think it's important to discuss some of the themes in this story. This little volume does not deserve the criminally low rating it has! This is about to get a little ranty, but I'm upset that some reviewers seem to be willfully misunderstanding. Yes, there are absolutely problematic beliefs and people present in this story - it's a story that genuinely depicts real life and real people. Their existence on the page doesn't mean they are condoned or presented in a positive light. The characters live in a realistic world and face everyday situations, and they work through them in healthy, respectful ways.
To get into specifics:
If you're bothered to read about some of these real life situations because they strike too close to home, that's a valid reason to dislike the book. If you don't like all the cooking or the art style, that's a valid reason to dislike the book. But if you just can't fathom a healthy exploration of real life situations, then go find an easier book to read where no one ever frowns and the sun always shines on a perfect world. Please brush up on your critical reading skills.
This beautiful manga tells an honest, genuine story about a gay couple navigating life today. The writing and issues explored are modern and realistic, a refreshingly pleasant change from the tropey outdated traps some stories tend to fall into.
Toshi and Gon have been living together happily for several years. Between their jobs in real estate and healthcare and various hobbies, they face a number of situations that challenge them. But no matter what happens, they can come home to one another ready to talk through their lives and find a solution while eating something delicious.
And I mean delicious. Every chapter features a different mouthwatering treat, usually something low calorie and always crafted with love and care. The full recipe is included, along with additional notes or tips following at the end of the chapter.
The art mixes a more traditional manga style with some hyper realism, often as part of the recipes. The shine on those mixing bowls is impressive!
This story is cozy and lovely, with a gentle exploration of realistic situations. The strong relationship between Toshi and Gon is very chaste and sweet, their personalities contrasting and yet fitting together perfectly. Toshi's anxiety is so perfectly written and relatable. I love the both of them so much! and am so looking forward to seeing where the story takes them.
Wowza after a look at some other reviewers thoughts, I think it's important to discuss some of the themes in this story. This little volume does not deserve the criminally low rating it has! This is about to get a little ranty, but I'm upset that some reviewers seem to be willfully misunderstanding. Yes, there are absolutely problematic beliefs and people present in this story - it's a story that genuinely depicts real life and real people. Their existence on the page doesn't mean they are condoned or presented in a positive light. The characters live in a realistic world and face everyday situations, and they work through them in healthy, respectful ways.
To get into specifics:
If you're bothered to read about some of these real life situations because they strike too close to home, that's a valid reason to dislike the book. If you don't like all the cooking or the art style, that's a valid reason to dislike the book. But if you just can't fathom a healthy exploration of real life situations, then go find an easier book to read where no one ever frowns and the sun always shines on a perfect world. Please brush up on your critical reading skills.
March 20, 2023
I almost dnf’d this because I wasn’t engaged in the story and couldn’t connect with the characters. If you like manga where a character cooks and then they have the recipe at the end of each chapter, then you might enjoy this more than I did. The way Toshi was always policing his partner’s calorie intake really rubbed me the wrong way.
February 18, 2023
I'm honestly disappointed with this. It seems like such a cute idea but the entire book is about internalized homophobia and the boyfriend being seemingly okay with it, fetishization of the gay male community/ cross dressing community, and not that I'm huge into body positivity or anything but it seemed kinda crazy that Toshi was dictating what Gonta could and couldn't eat like it's any of his business. Not to mention that there's very little indication of the two actually being a couple. I'm fine with no smut, and little to know affection, but this straight up felt like two gay men in a house share situation and not a relationship. 🤷♀️
March 9, 2024
The only reason this is 2 stars - the recipes. Seriously. I mean yes, love the LGBTQ+ representation but it's a funhouse mirror of cliche and stereotypes. I'm not sure if this is deliberately facetious for awareness' sake or if the author just didn't perform his due diligence. Regardless, Toshi is a passive, internalized doormat and Gonta is a self involved toddler. Don't get me started on Poroni aka Haruka and his tasteless crassness. The recipes and baking are the only saving grace. Will not be continuing the series.
July 21, 2023
Unfortunately this is my first manga and I did not enjoy it. The characters were honestly rude and horrible people for the most part. The fat phobia in this is awful. I understand what it was trying to do with sexuality and society, but it just wasn’t it for me. If anyone has any mango recommendations feel free to suggest something to me!
November 20, 2024
food and real recipes
Love that it was charming and informative for queer information and baking information. Love this one and can’t wait to read volume 2.
Love that it was charming and informative for queer information and baking information. Love this one and can’t wait to read volume 2.
September 9, 2023
thought this was gonna be a cute little manga about baking, but it was a not so cute little manga about counting calories and restricting your boyfriend's food intake 🙃
January 1, 2026
Unfortunate to start the new year off with a low review and I'm honestly quite disappointed in this, especially as it was a present from my husband.
I expected it to be a cute, slice of life book focused on an lgbtq baker with less of the problematic things going on. I couldn't connect with the characters and honestly found their choices/opinions quite jarring, especially the internalised homophobia and the divide between the lgbtq/straight characters.
I think the main redeeming feature was the colleague learning more about the lgbtq community.
Overall, it felt too problematic/the characters weren't likable enough for me to want to continue this series unfortunately.
I expected it to be a cute, slice of life book focused on an lgbtq baker with less of the problematic things going on. I couldn't connect with the characters and honestly found their choices/opinions quite jarring, especially the internalised homophobia and the divide between the lgbtq/straight characters.
I think the main redeeming feature was the colleague learning more about the lgbtq community.
Overall, it felt too problematic/the characters weren't likable enough for me to want to continue this series unfortunately.
December 19, 2023
Cute but a little problematic
February 26, 2023
3.5. i liked the recipes and overall the story’s sweet but i somehow didn’t expect the incredible amount of internalized homophobia. also the sexual harassment joke was iffy at best. overall cute though.
April 18, 2024
That was not at all what I expected.
Why was it so homophobic and what was with the obsession with calories and losing weight?
Nope, not what I expected at all. Pretty disappointed because I thought I was getting a friendly baking oriented queer book and I got..this.
Why was it so homophobic and what was with the obsession with calories and losing weight?
Nope, not what I expected at all. Pretty disappointed because I thought I was getting a friendly baking oriented queer book and I got..this.
August 21, 2024
Even though the title uses the word "shy" I actually consider consider Moshi to be introverted. Anyway this is a cute and wholesome yaoi manga about a man named Moshi. He lives with his boyfriend Gon and bakes treats for them to share He is the owner of a real estate agency and his secretary Kozue suggests marketing his company as LGBT-friendly, while not knowing that her boss is gay.
Kozue's behavior is at times icky, and I'm glad there is a panel in which Gon rants that the way Kozue talks about gay men, and LGBTQ+ people in general is problematic.
Also, as an introverted queer person I found myself relating to Moshi when he visits a gay bar with Gon and feels uncomfortable. Also found it hugely relatable that he does yoga.
The parts where they talk about calories bored me though, and that's why I'm not giving this five stars. Although I do really like that not all the men in this manga are conventionally attractive. I'm definitely gonna read the rest of this series.
Kozue's behavior is at times icky, and I'm glad there is a panel in which Gon rants that the way Kozue talks about gay men, and LGBTQ+ people in general is problematic.
Also, as an introverted queer person I found myself relating to Moshi when he visits a gay bar with Gon and feels uncomfortable. Also found it hugely relatable that he does yoga.
The parts where they talk about calories bored me though, and that's why I'm not giving this five stars. Although I do really like that not all the men in this manga are conventionally attractive. I'm definitely gonna read the rest of this series.
January 31, 2026
Little episodes out of a gay couples life and the problems and anxiety they face. Also in every chapter one of the main characters bakes something and at the end, there are some extra tips for the baking.
In general I liked the baking idea but I couldn't figure out if these were real recipe's or not which drove me a little crazy. If then they make very little cakes. I was also annoyed how Toshi told his partner what and how much he should eat or not. To me he completly talked down to him as if he was a child. But it gets better as the book progresses but the bar scene was also a little bit weired.
I enjoyed the artwork so I gave it 3 instead of 2 stars but I won't continue this series.
In general I liked the baking idea but I couldn't figure out if these were real recipe's or not which drove me a little crazy. If then they make very little cakes. I was also annoyed how Toshi told his partner what and how much he should eat or not. To me he completly talked down to him as if he was a child. But it gets better as the book progresses but the bar scene was also a little bit weired.
I enjoyed the artwork so I gave it 3 instead of 2 stars but I won't continue this series.
November 26, 2024
Whoa
This was super cute! I'm really curious to get the back story on how they met and decided to live together. It's interesting to hear about one partner who's out and one who isn't but I'm glad it doesn't seem to cause a big tiff in their relationship. Also, it's adorable that he bakes for his partner so often and it doesn't feel like a chore.
The friend of petty but I need to know how long the relationship lasts. Wanting to move on together after a month is craaaazy.
This was super cute! I'm really curious to get the back story on how they met and decided to live together. It's interesting to hear about one partner who's out and one who isn't but I'm glad it doesn't seem to cause a big tiff in their relationship. Also, it's adorable that he bakes for his partner so often and it doesn't feel like a chore.
The friend of petty but I need to know how long the relationship lasts. Wanting to move on together after a month is craaaazy.
January 31, 2026
honestly their dynamic is really wholesome and i don’t understand all the hate 🤷 he’s not forcing him to be different he’s just helping his partner live a little healthier and obviously his boyfriend still loves him
January 23, 2026
reading the reviews made me scared to rate this 5stars but I genuinely liked it AND I think people are misunderstanding Toshis care for Gonta’s health.. he clearly loves him and wants him to be happy and enjoy food without guilt. I don’t think it’s fatphobic at all (coming from someone who struggle with binge eating) ALSOO yess the coworker is annoying but that’s the point, she’s supposed to be and they clearly acknowledge that. Not everyone has to be this perfect character. It’s realistic BUT I do agree that the calorie counting or food focus can make others uncomfortable or triggered so beware of that!! The book is about a baker who makes healthy alternatives after all.
April 13, 2024
I feel kinda meh after finishing this volume. I'm not sure if I will continue the series. I don't really enjoy the art style and the story just didn't really catch my attention much.
September 15, 2023
Wish this was a little bit less of a cookbook. While the recipes are folded into the chapters as seamlessly as possible, I think it may make it less engaging as a reread. It's a series that will be more appealing, I think, for people who will actually go through and bake each low calorie recipe (9 included here!). I'll probably recommend it to some friends after I see how more of the volumes are, and if there's enough substance behind the story itself.
So far, it's a pretty low drama slice-of-life manga, without much of an overarching plot. We have a couple in their 30s that's been together for four years - realtor Yamamura and caregiver-for-the-elderly Gonta. Yamamura is quiet, closeted, and much more on the finicky side; he started baking because he wanted to give his boyfriend a birthday cake without revealing their relationship to any professional bakeries, then transitioned to weekly reduced calorie treats to help keep his boyfriend's weight and health under control (while letting him still eat delicious snacks).
Gonta is a pretty big contrast: loud, friendly, and exuberant - and out to his coworkers, and with a decent sized network of other gay friends. But he and Yamamura clearly love each other (although there's basically no physical touch between the two of them?), and spend their days chatting about what's going on in their lives, at their workplaces, with their friends, etc.
I'd be curious to learn a bit more about how the two of them met, and maybe get some backstory with their families, but I don't get the impression their relationship is going to really be much of a topic in this series. They're quietly and firmly established as a couple, and each chapter is a fairly straightforward recipe + vignette about their lives together.
It's funny that Yamamura and Gonta seem like a pretty "pure" couple - I'm not sure they even sit next to each other on the couch at any point, and it seems like they have separate rooms? - but when they spend an evening at Gonta's college friend's gay bar, the conversation gets realistically raunchy real fast. (By realistic I mean - I've basically heard that exact conversation numerous times while out at bars with friends.) So it's not that Ito is uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the sexual side of things, or that this series is meant to be squeaky-clean like something like Sasaki & Miyano. So I can't quite figure out why the two of them don't show each other overt affection, even in private. Gonta, at least, seems like he'd be very touchy-feely and would crave physical closeness, but who knows; maybe that'll be addressed later on, or maybe it's simply not the point.
They do bicker off and on (like an old married couple) and have a very comfortable, trusting relationship with each other, so they do fit together really well. And I like how they gossip about their friends, and judge whether a new relationship will even last a month. Also loved the bit with the dog.
It's interesting, too, how thoughtful some of the chapters are - there are real discussions of well-meaning casual homophobia (from Yamamura's employee, who doesn't know he's gay and says deeply offensive things while assuming she's a great ally), and I appreciate that asexuality is mentioned several times. Ito definitely comes across as either part of, or deeply familiar with, the queer community, and I appreciate that realism and gentle introductions to important topics. I also like how different the characters are so far, and how Ito shows there are many, many ways to be queer, and that all of them are equally valid.
I'm honestly confused by how many reviews here are hating on the "internalized homophobia" of the main character - missing the point, much? No one is Required To Be Out in any culture, and Gonta is an openly out gay man who isn't bothered in the slightest by his longterm boyfriend's much more private choices. Some of the readers' reactions are making me think of how Yamamura's employee would likely react if she found out that he was gay, and keeping quiet about it. Sometimes it's just someone's personal choice, and that's their business. Whether he eventually decides he's okay with his yoga friends knowing about his boyfriend, or whether he discloses his relationship status or sexuality at work, is entirely up to him. I found that very relatable, too, and part of what's giving this series depth.
I'm definitely interested to see where it goes from here. This may just be a long, meandering series without any sort of concrete narrative to follow, but I'm not sure I'll mind that. It's refreshing, in its own way. And maybe I'll eventually try some of the recipes.
So far, it's a pretty low drama slice-of-life manga, without much of an overarching plot. We have a couple in their 30s that's been together for four years - realtor Yamamura and caregiver-for-the-elderly Gonta. Yamamura is quiet, closeted, and much more on the finicky side; he started baking because he wanted to give his boyfriend a birthday cake without revealing their relationship to any professional bakeries, then transitioned to weekly reduced calorie treats to help keep his boyfriend's weight and health under control (while letting him still eat delicious snacks).
Gonta is a pretty big contrast: loud, friendly, and exuberant - and out to his coworkers, and with a decent sized network of other gay friends. But he and Yamamura clearly love each other (although there's basically no physical touch between the two of them?), and spend their days chatting about what's going on in their lives, at their workplaces, with their friends, etc.
I'd be curious to learn a bit more about how the two of them met, and maybe get some backstory with their families, but I don't get the impression their relationship is going to really be much of a topic in this series. They're quietly and firmly established as a couple, and each chapter is a fairly straightforward recipe + vignette about their lives together.
It's funny that Yamamura and Gonta seem like a pretty "pure" couple - I'm not sure they even sit next to each other on the couch at any point, and it seems like they have separate rooms? - but when they spend an evening at Gonta's college friend's gay bar, the conversation gets realistically raunchy real fast. (By realistic I mean - I've basically heard that exact conversation numerous times while out at bars with friends.) So it's not that Ito is uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the sexual side of things, or that this series is meant to be squeaky-clean like something like Sasaki & Miyano. So I can't quite figure out why the two of them don't show each other overt affection, even in private. Gonta, at least, seems like he'd be very touchy-feely and would crave physical closeness, but who knows; maybe that'll be addressed later on, or maybe it's simply not the point.
They do bicker off and on (like an old married couple) and have a very comfortable, trusting relationship with each other, so they do fit together really well. And I like how they gossip about their friends, and judge whether a new relationship will even last a month. Also loved the bit with the dog.
It's interesting, too, how thoughtful some of the chapters are - there are real discussions of well-meaning casual homophobia (from Yamamura's employee, who doesn't know he's gay and says deeply offensive things while assuming she's a great ally), and I appreciate that asexuality is mentioned several times. Ito definitely comes across as either part of, or deeply familiar with, the queer community, and I appreciate that realism and gentle introductions to important topics. I also like how different the characters are so far, and how Ito shows there are many, many ways to be queer, and that all of them are equally valid.
I'm honestly confused by how many reviews here are hating on the "internalized homophobia" of the main character - missing the point, much? No one is Required To Be Out in any culture, and Gonta is an openly out gay man who isn't bothered in the slightest by his longterm boyfriend's much more private choices. Some of the readers' reactions are making me think of how Yamamura's employee would likely react if she found out that he was gay, and keeping quiet about it. Sometimes it's just someone's personal choice, and that's their business. Whether he eventually decides he's okay with his yoga friends knowing about his boyfriend, or whether he discloses his relationship status or sexuality at work, is entirely up to him. I found that very relatable, too, and part of what's giving this series depth.
I'm definitely interested to see where it goes from here. This may just be a long, meandering series without any sort of concrete narrative to follow, but I'm not sure I'll mind that. It's refreshing, in its own way. And maybe I'll eventually try some of the recipes.
September 22, 2023
I don't know if it was the translation, or just me not getting on with the characters and plot, but I couldn't get on board with this book or series.
May 16, 2024
Ah… where do I even start with this one…
When I started reading I wanted to rate this manga high because the fixation on baking as love language and the couple were both extremely cute (this cuteness died down quickly), but there was such an obsession with calories and weight, which was literally repeated every other page, that it got very triggering, despite me not usually getting triggered by stuff like this. It seems the mc's boyfriend is trying to lose weight (it's not really specified if it's because he wants to or if he needs to for medical reasons) and the mc is always changing his recipes to make them healthier and lower in calories which alone would not have been a problem and could even be seen as a loving thing to take care of his boyfriend, but every time he feeds him he always mentions the calories and how his food is "healthier" and that his boyfriend needs to lose weight and eat less. It's like the mc is more obsessed with his boyfriend's weight than he is, controlling everything he eats and never letting him breathe. There's even a scene in which, as soon as they get in the car after eating at a restaurant, he YELLS at his boyfriend for eating more noodles than him. What the fuck.
He babies his boyfriend a lot, both for the weight thing and for other stuff. For example when he takes in his aunt's dog because she went into a care facility, he has to literally scold his boyfriend telling him they can't have a dog because it's a big responsibility and blah blah blah, basically making it sound like his boyfriend is not capable of taking care of any living thing, himself included. Reading those pages literally felt like a father talking to his son.
There is one scene with the mc's boyfriend, when he goes to work and his coworker tells him their boss no longer works there. When she explained the reason he misunderstood it as the former boss having harassed multiple coworkers (and she realized he misunderstood but she kept fueling his belief because apparently joking about sexual harassment is funny), and he was genuinely like "it's not a big deal" and "it can't be true", plus he was fantasizing about the boss as she spoke and imagining him in the situation, and when she mentioned that he approached a male coworker as well, his only concern what that the boss had never approached him to flirt/sexually harass him and he took that as an insult to his attractiveness and desirability.
The mc has both internalized homophobia and a big fear of coming out due to possible (and probable) discrimination. This obviously is reflected in anything he does and says during the story. I know that there's many more volumed to this manga, and I don't think I'll continue reading it, but I hope the author will address this at some point.
I need straight women to stay away from the LGBT community, ASAP. The rage I feel any time straight women try to infiltrate themselves into queer spaces because they fetishize gay men is astronomical. I'm glad that the story went with the approach of trying to guide the mc's coworker to educate herself, but no matter how many meetings she attends, her attitude won't change.
At some point there's the annoying line "then there are asexual people, who may not experience sexual or romantic attraction at all" conflating asexuality and romanticism together as the same thing. The author was clearly trying to be more inclusive by trying to mention all the other identities of the LGBT community and not just focus on gay men, but they clearly failed miserably (we see it with the asexual line, with the casual biphobia, with the weird comments about crossdressers, and with the gay caricatures and multiple walking stereotypes).
Towards the end they meet the boyfriend of a friend, who mentions being divorced with a kid (giving, at that moment, no other context) and the mc immediately goes "he identified as a straight man until now"… yay to casual biphobia (/s). At least the guy tells them immediately after that he might be bi or gay (he's still unsure), but the mc's assumption is still there.
And last but not least, the story was boring. I love slice-of-life, but if you have nothing else to keep you interested (like, you know…. likable characters), then it's just flat.
Content warnings: diet culture, fatphobia, calorie-counting and obsession, body shaming, biphobia, fetishization of gay men, gay stereotypes, internalized homophobia, sexual harassment, joking about sexual harassment, transphobia.
When I started reading I wanted to rate this manga high because the fixation on baking as love language and the couple were both extremely cute (this cuteness died down quickly), but there was such an obsession with calories and weight, which was literally repeated every other page, that it got very triggering, despite me not usually getting triggered by stuff like this. It seems the mc's boyfriend is trying to lose weight (it's not really specified if it's because he wants to or if he needs to for medical reasons) and the mc is always changing his recipes to make them healthier and lower in calories which alone would not have been a problem and could even be seen as a loving thing to take care of his boyfriend, but every time he feeds him he always mentions the calories and how his food is "healthier" and that his boyfriend needs to lose weight and eat less. It's like the mc is more obsessed with his boyfriend's weight than he is, controlling everything he eats and never letting him breathe. There's even a scene in which, as soon as they get in the car after eating at a restaurant, he YELLS at his boyfriend for eating more noodles than him. What the fuck.
He babies his boyfriend a lot, both for the weight thing and for other stuff. For example when he takes in his aunt's dog because she went into a care facility, he has to literally scold his boyfriend telling him they can't have a dog because it's a big responsibility and blah blah blah, basically making it sound like his boyfriend is not capable of taking care of any living thing, himself included. Reading those pages literally felt like a father talking to his son.
There is one scene with the mc's boyfriend, when he goes to work and his coworker tells him their boss no longer works there. When she explained the reason he misunderstood it as the former boss having harassed multiple coworkers (and she realized he misunderstood but she kept fueling his belief because apparently joking about sexual harassment is funny), and he was genuinely like "it's not a big deal" and "it can't be true", plus he was fantasizing about the boss as she spoke and imagining him in the situation, and when she mentioned that he approached a male coworker as well, his only concern what that the boss had never approached him to flirt/sexually harass him and he took that as an insult to his attractiveness and desirability.
The mc has both internalized homophobia and a big fear of coming out due to possible (and probable) discrimination. This obviously is reflected in anything he does and says during the story. I know that there's many more volumed to this manga, and I don't think I'll continue reading it, but I hope the author will address this at some point.
I need straight women to stay away from the LGBT community, ASAP. The rage I feel any time straight women try to infiltrate themselves into queer spaces because they fetishize gay men is astronomical. I'm glad that the story went with the approach of trying to guide the mc's coworker to educate herself, but no matter how many meetings she attends, her attitude won't change.
At some point there's the annoying line "then there are asexual people, who may not experience sexual or romantic attraction at all" conflating asexuality and romanticism together as the same thing. The author was clearly trying to be more inclusive by trying to mention all the other identities of the LGBT community and not just focus on gay men, but they clearly failed miserably (we see it with the asexual line, with the casual biphobia, with the weird comments about crossdressers, and with the gay caricatures and multiple walking stereotypes).
Towards the end they meet the boyfriend of a friend, who mentions being divorced with a kid (giving, at that moment, no other context) and the mc immediately goes "he identified as a straight man until now"… yay to casual biphobia (/s). At least the guy tells them immediately after that he might be bi or gay (he's still unsure), but the mc's assumption is still there.
And last but not least, the story was boring. I love slice-of-life, but if you have nothing else to keep you interested (like, you know…. likable characters), then it's just flat.
Content warnings: diet culture, fatphobia, calorie-counting and obsession, body shaming, biphobia, fetishization of gay men, gay stereotypes, internalized homophobia, sexual harassment, joking about sexual harassment, transphobia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
this manga was kind of charming at its best and pretty uncomfortable at its worst. i purposefully seek out lgbtq+ themes and/or characters in many of the books i read because it's important for me to hear the stories of the authors and illustrators in my community. unfortunately, i'm not sure if i'll read the next few installments of this series. i really enjoyed the beats nestled within the story where the plot would pause and we were immersed in a recipe. Toshi bakes for his long-term boyfriend, Gonta, in his free time, and I loved when he would detail the steps to the recipes he was baking in the story! I didn't love the repeated, nearly overkill emphasis on how the treats were low calorie, low sugar, low fat, etc. etc. to help his boyfriend lose weight. Toshi controlled Gonta's eating habits, only allowing him those snacks once a week, even though he loves sweets! I liked how toshi was essentially expressing his love towards Gonta through his cooking rather than words, especially because a common theme with him is that he keeps his feelings very private (especially at work). I just wish it was presented in a less diet-cultury and restrictive way. I think i had different expectations for this manga and when they were not met, i was left feeling disappointed. this is not really a story about baking or a relationship! those things are moreso the framing used to present the struggle of a gay man trying to strike the delicate balance between staying true to himself while being private about his orientation in the workplace, especially when his airheaded coworker keeps trying (and failing) to be a good ally as a privileged straight women. I wasn't hooked, but I enjoyed nonetheless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2023
It was okay; nothing special, but not bad. I see where a lot of reviewers are coming from with their complaints about internalized homophobia, gay stereotypes, fatpobia, etc... but like, all of that exists, and this is a really real feeling story, so I didn't really see it that way when I was reading it.
I think the internalized homophobia (though it didn't read like that to me, personally) and fear of being out is something worth talking about an exploring. Not everyone can be out and a lot of people are concerned about discrimination; I don't think this makes the story bad or the character bad, it's just a specific set of life experiences that some people can relate to and some people cannot. Personally, nothing pisses me off more than stories where a character doesn't want to be out for whatever reason and their partner ends up making them in order to stay together and be true to themselves, so it was really refreshing to read about a character who did not want to be out and his partner was completely accepting of that and even helped him navigate what to do to stay in the closet.
Yes there is a character who is a caricature of gay sterotypes, but guess what! People like that exist. Just like people who present non-queer, have internalized homophobia, and are open exist. And I think this manga does a good job of showing a variety of queer experiences through very real characters. Are they perfect? No. But no one is perfect, and I think these clear flaws make them more real and relatable. If you are looking for an escapist manga where every character is completely true to themselves and the world they are in is 100% accepting, I totally get it, and this manga is not for you. If you're looking for a pretty good and real depiction of queer experiences in modern society, then you might enjoy this.
The fatphobia and calorie counting comments... that opens the whole can of worms around the current fatphobia debate that I personally don't want to get into. I can see how that would be upsetting to some people, but as a fat baker myself, I didn't mind it too much. For me, it was interesting to see what the substitutions and recipes were, especially since I've recently had to cut certain things from my diet due to allergies. I don't think these sections of the manga were bad, but I like baking and recipes and I still found them a bit tedious at times -- I ended up skimming over the ones near the end, and basically skipping the ones in the second volume.
I think the internalized homophobia (though it didn't read like that to me, personally) and fear of being out is something worth talking about an exploring. Not everyone can be out and a lot of people are concerned about discrimination; I don't think this makes the story bad or the character bad, it's just a specific set of life experiences that some people can relate to and some people cannot. Personally, nothing pisses me off more than stories where a character doesn't want to be out for whatever reason and their partner ends up making them in order to stay together and be true to themselves, so it was really refreshing to read about a character who did not want to be out and his partner was completely accepting of that and even helped him navigate what to do to stay in the closet.
Yes there is a character who is a caricature of gay sterotypes, but guess what! People like that exist. Just like people who present non-queer, have internalized homophobia, and are open exist. And I think this manga does a good job of showing a variety of queer experiences through very real characters. Are they perfect? No. But no one is perfect, and I think these clear flaws make them more real and relatable. If you are looking for an escapist manga where every character is completely true to themselves and the world they are in is 100% accepting, I totally get it, and this manga is not for you. If you're looking for a pretty good and real depiction of queer experiences in modern society, then you might enjoy this.
The fatphobia and calorie counting comments... that opens the whole can of worms around the current fatphobia debate that I personally don't want to get into. I can see how that would be upsetting to some people, but as a fat baker myself, I didn't mind it too much. For me, it was interesting to see what the substitutions and recipes were, especially since I've recently had to cut certain things from my diet due to allergies. I don't think these sections of the manga were bad, but I like baking and recipes and I still found them a bit tedious at times -- I ended up skimming over the ones near the end, and basically skipping the ones in the second volume.
November 28, 2022
Literal two stars: It was okay! The concept is cute, but the characters come across as flat; it's borderline slice of life, with what little sequential drama there is pretty boring in comparison to other manga which tackle modern Japanese homophobia. I did appreciate that Yamamura provides a different perspective; he's a truly normie gay man, and that gives the author a chance to point out that straight people absolutely do talk over gay people and advocate in their name. "It's only cool when straight people do it" indeed.
September 16, 2025
9/2026:
Finished all five volumes!
12/2023:
Read up to volume three! A cute slice of life baking manga that discusses relationship issues and difficulties of living LGBTQ+ in Japan, along with delicious recipes...
Finished all five volumes!
12/2023:
Read up to volume three! A cute slice of life baking manga that discusses relationship issues and difficulties of living LGBTQ+ in Japan, along with delicious recipes...
February 19, 2023
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. In general I enjoyed my time reading it, but it also has some problems.
Pros:
- Sweet slice of life read
- loved the cooking and recipes and how it set a really charming tone
- I appreciated that it addressed real things that we need to be talking about (the self-assigned "ally" who actually makes a lot of microaggressions)
- I love Gon
Things I'm Neutral On:
- The main characters internalized homophobia; I'm neutral on this because it's a real thing that people experience and need to work through and because it's integrally connected to the culture in Japan around LGBTQ+ and I don't know enough about that culture to know whether the MC's concerns are valid and common.
Cons:
- So. Much. Fatphobia. Non-stop references to dieting and calories
- the term "cross dresser" I don't know who translated this but this was NOT the right word. In English there are a variety of situations and words that this could be referencing: They could be speaking about a trans character - this is not a crossdresser. They could be speaking about a genderfluid or person who wears drag who may or may not be gay - this is not a cross dresser. It could be a straight person who wears clothing from the opposite gender (typically seen in men wearing women's clothing) as part of a kink or fetish - this IS a cross dresser, but is NOT a part of the Queer community. It seems clear from context one of the first two is meant here but it's impossible to know which because this is not the right word.
- at the 2/3 point where we meet Gon's friend we start seeing some really mean and shitty content that seems completely off from the vibe and content up until that point
- everyone in this book had more personality than the main narrative character
I'm giving it a middle of the road rating (rounded up to three stars) though without the con content it would have been a favourite.
Pros:
- Sweet slice of life read
- loved the cooking and recipes and how it set a really charming tone
- I appreciated that it addressed real things that we need to be talking about (the self-assigned "ally" who actually makes a lot of microaggressions)
- I love Gon
Things I'm Neutral On:
- The main characters internalized homophobia; I'm neutral on this because it's a real thing that people experience and need to work through and because it's integrally connected to the culture in Japan around LGBTQ+ and I don't know enough about that culture to know whether the MC's concerns are valid and common.
Cons:
- So. Much. Fatphobia. Non-stop references to dieting and calories
- the term "cross dresser" I don't know who translated this but this was NOT the right word. In English there are a variety of situations and words that this could be referencing: They could be speaking about a trans character - this is not a crossdresser. They could be speaking about a genderfluid or person who wears drag who may or may not be gay - this is not a cross dresser. It could be a straight person who wears clothing from the opposite gender (typically seen in men wearing women's clothing) as part of a kink or fetish - this IS a cross dresser, but is NOT a part of the Queer community. It seems clear from context one of the first two is meant here but it's impossible to know which because this is not the right word.
- at the 2/3 point where we meet Gon's friend we start seeing some really mean and shitty content that seems completely off from the vibe and content up until that point
- everyone in this book had more personality than the main narrative character
I'm giving it a middle of the road rating (rounded up to three stars) though without the con content it would have been a favourite.
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