Dysfunctional Family Theory Vol. 1

堕落家族論 [Daraku Kazokuron] #1

by Mayo Tsurukame

Two men are thrust into a competition for fatherhood that neither of them is sure they really want. But when they’re all forced to live together, thoughts and feelings may change in a big way. A Boys’ Love manga about building a family even in the weirdest of circumstances!

When Sentaro goes to pay his respects to the family of his late ex-girlfriend, Ririko, the last thing he expects is to be named the father of her child! Well… potentially the father. As it turns out, he and a certain thorn from Ririko’s past, Touma, have both been declared possible dads to a young girl named Meguru. But there’s a catch—according to Ririko’s will, there will be no DNA test. Instead, Meguru will live with them and decide for herself who she wants to call her father.

Now, two men with a complicated past must navigate an even more complicated future—under one roof, raising a child together. As tensions rise and unexpected bonds form, will this dysfunctional family find a way to work… or will the growing feelings between Sentaro and Touma make things even messier?

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Queer, Boys Love, Contemporary, Yaoi

228 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2025

About the author

Mayo Tsurukame (native: 鶴亀まよ) is a Japanese author of Boys' Love manga.
Her debut work is Mikami to Sato wa mada yamashikunai 三上と里はまだやましくない (2018), that is getting a second volume in 2022.
Other works include: Akari to kare wa nayamashii あかりと彼はなやましい (2019, 2021) and Perfect Propose パーフェクトプロポーズ (2020).

Reviews

[james · Rating 4 out of 5]

why pick a papa when you could just have both of them?

[kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4✨

i read this when it was a fetus. best believe i’m getting that physical copy

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

it really is true that this is buddy daddies if they are canon! a refreshing cohabitation story about two gay men on determining fatherhood to a cute sharp-tongued 6 year-old meguru 😭💕

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein netter, gut gezeichneter Manga über zwei Kerle, die plötzlich Vater sein sollen, und somit zusammenleben müssen.

Der Anfang war ehrlich gesagt ziemlich dumm - und für mich üebrhaupt nicht nachvollziehbar. Aber dann gäbe es die ganze Story nicht. Sentaro und Toma werden zu einer Oma gerufen, die ihnen sagt "Ja vor 7 Jahren hattet ihr Sex mit meienr Tochter, einer von beiden is vermutlich der Vater von meiner Enkelin. Aber keine DNA-Tests." Das ist halt Bullshit - sorry. Um den Vater rauszufinden, macht n DNA-Test, sonst wär ich aufgestanden und gegangen... aber wie gesagt, sonst gäbs die Story nicht, also bitte.
(Wieso die beiden das mitmachen, versteh ich eh nicht, beide haben die Mutter schon Jahrelang nicht mehr gesehen, also ja.. dumm.)

Danach folgt aber ein spaßiger, aber auch hier und da ernster Manga, wie die beiden Kerle, die sich nicht ausstehen können, zusammenleben müssen und gleichzeitig ne 6jährige Tochter haben. Das Mädel ist überraschend spaßig zu lesen, find ich, und der Manga hat gar nicht soviel mit Kindererziehung zu tun, wie ich gedacht hatte, sondern es geht mehr ums zwischenmenschliche, darum wie scheiße die Gesellschaft ist, was man tut, um zu überlebn etc.etc. Es ist für den Titel her überraschend ernst bei einigen Sachen, hätte ich nicht erwartet.

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué divertido y, a la vez, tenemos una historia más seria y profunda de lo que parece y todo partiendo de una premisa que parece totalmente absurda, pero que logra que dos personas vuelvan a verse y que la vida de una niña solitaria pueda llegar a ser feliz y con una familia de verdad.

Leer la reseña de la obra completa en mi blog y sin espóileres:

https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...

[delphine ☾☼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i found this and IN LOVE WİTH

[Leila ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy lindo si tenes en cuenta solo lo superficial, muy triste si te pones a pensar en la vida de la nena.

3.5 de 5 estrellas.

[Sheep9877 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy daddies? Oh hvað er málið með mömmuna?!

[nervous young inhuman · Rating 3 out of 5]

meguru is going to grow up thinking that beer can turn you gay 😭😭😭

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

what do you mean pick a papa? the other one is a mama!

this is unbelievably engaging! i love the character dynamics so much i can’t stop smiling!! and little meguru reminds me so much of dakota fanning in that uptown girls movie. they got the same energy and haircut?! nonchalant fluffballs!

i was honestly thinking of merely skimming the first few pages before i sleep but i ended up finishing the whole volume!

tell me it did not stop at that scene?! how cruel could you be, sensei? i’m so deprived of boys love these days and the few drops from slow-burn danmeis are really killing me—and you just had to add this one today!! i can’t wait for the sequel!!

p.s. the alternative german cover is everything! i love them fluffballs so much!!

[Demian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al inicio sentí q era muy forzado eso de no hacerse una prueba de paternidad, pero según investigue en Japón el pedido de un difunto es muy importante tomar en cuenta, entonces saltando nos esto; me parece una lectura bastante ligera y disfrutable.

[Jule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Überraschend gut dafür, dass ich ihn spontan am Bahnhof gekauft hab. Bin obsessed mit dem Kind.

[Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was super cute, I liked the characters, ready for the next volume already!

[Jona Litjens❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5☆

[Iyas Utomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga has a weird premise, but surprisingly, it has a really good storyline—totally unexpected, haha!

[Jimena · Rating 4 out of 5]

La combinación de comedia y temas más serios me ha encantado, le da un equilibrio y profundidad a los personajes que logras conectar. no puedo esperar por leer el siguiente volumen 🫶

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few confusing narrative bits aside, this was really cute.

Although...while I'm unfamiliar with Japanese law, I'm pretty sure a woman writing a will and saying "one of you is my daughter's dad, don't take a DNA test though to find out which one, just let her choose" wouldn't hold any water in court. It's not totally explained why Sentaro and Touma would go along with it - particularly since Sentaro had literally only dated the woman for a single week seven years earlier. And Touma, while he was her boyfriend for longer, and far more likely to be the actual father, isn't exactly the most responsible guy.

Plus, would a grandmother really turn her granddaughter over to a couple of good for nothing men? Even if she is regularly staying in touch with Sentaro via video chats while he tries to learn how to cook and care for a 6 year old.

But for some reason they form a weird little household for the three months they're meant to stick together until their maybe-daughter decides which of them she likes the most. Touma, I think, is mostly along for the ride because he has zero doubt that Sentaro is going to "win" (or lose, depending on if they actually want a kid...which neither does). Sentaro is just kind of a pushover.

I went back and forth on being confused about Touma's job...I thought he was yakuza, then a host, then I thought maybe an undercover cop, but looks like he was just yakuza all along. Which is a kind of random complication to throw into the mix. Would the grandma really be okay with that? But maybe she just...didn't care that much about being a parent to a grandchild her own delinquent daughter had pretty much tossed to her.

This leaves Meguru in a pretty rough spot. It's not much surprise that she's a loner at school and doesn't know how to connect with the other kids. It seems like she hasn't gotten a lot of love or attention at home, so she keeps herself pretty closed off and just stays in survival mode. She needs a dad because she's a kid who can't take care of herself. Otherwise she's not all that bothered about who she lives with.

Sentaro and Touma are, to varying degrees, doing their best, and are gradually becoming kinder and more attentive. Their main family-bonding moment so far is trying to encourage Meguru to participate in the relay race at school, even if they're bumblingly bad at both encouragement and the physical act of running.

Beyond fatherhood, there are additional complications to the relationship between the two potential dads. We finally discover through slow flashbacks that while Sentaro had "dated" Meguru's mother for a week, he'd been in love with her coworker, Touma, the entire time. Pointlessly in love because Touma wasn't all that friendly with him and had said some disdainful things about Sentaro's band and his role in it.

So Sentaro gave up on the band - no one else in it was invested in making a career out of it, anyway - and in love, and wound up seven years later in a job that I found kind of confusing. He seems to work for some kind of music agency as a composer, but he also seems to be rejected regularly from competitions and things, so is he actually getting any sort of a regular paycheck from them? Or is all his money coming through the ghostwriting he's doing for a very popular composer?

Frankly, I'm not sure anyone actually knows who writes the jingles for ads or even the opening songs for children's cartoons, so it doesn't seem to me like a particular person's name would hold much sway with the public, eagerly waiting for a commercial to air...plus I don't get how that dude got big name recognition to begin with before his success was riding on Sentaro's ghostwriting.

Weird little plotholes that maybe I'm not fully understanding. But the theme is about Sentaro being willing to finally step out of the shadows and go for what he wants, under his own name, instead of taking the easy, secret path for all these years.

And when he celebrates that decision by getting a little tipsy, he winds up kissing Touma and telling him he'd been in love with him 7 years earlier...so that's going to be a bit of a mess to clean up.

[Jonah · Rating 3 out of 5]

She was a bright person through and through.

It doesn't happen very often for me, but sometimes I come across a premise I can't keep out of my head. And Dysfunctional Family Theory caught me hook, line, and sinker. So to have to rate this three stars makes me a little sad, since it sounded right up my alley; the distinct queerness and 'dysfunction' of found family, a cute kid, and two guys who definitely couldn't stand each other.

I'd like to say first that the manga's art is very beautiful, especially the color spreads. Tsurukame has an incredibly grasp on color theory and knows exactly what to use to make their saturated art stand out. I also love the sort of fountain-pen style linework. However, the speech bubbles' common lack of a tail made reading a little clunky, sometimes I'd have to pause and parse out who exactly was saying what.

This manga is obviously character-driven, so I completely overlooked the technical inaccuracies of how Ririko's will would even fly in court when it came to guardianship of Meguru. The interactions between Meguru and Sentaro were some my favorite parts of the volume; seeing him act like a dad was genuinely so amusing and made my teeth ache.

Though I think in this case I expected too much out of what is meant to be a short-and-sweet, cute slice of life. I couldn't suspend my disbelief on the development of Sentaro and Touma's relationship, it just felt so sudden and out of nowhere. I can believe that Sentaro had a big fat crush on Touma in the past, but they only met a couple times and to claim that he's "in-love" with him when he barely knows anything about Touma (and neither do we, for the most part) just didn't make any sense to me. Not an insta-love fan, sorry. Worse, Touma hasn't really shown any sort of attraction back, so it's this whiplash between Sentaro supposedly being lovesick and then Touma, who's still in the backburner. The character arcs were neat, but I feel like if this manga was given more time and more chapters there could've been a lot more done and explored. If Ririko and Sentaro had dated longer, if Touma and Sentaro had maybe known each other and been friends for longer, if we were given more time during those three months to develop their relationship more slowly. It comes to the fact that Dysfunctional Family Theory could've benefited from being longer just so that its potential could've been fully realized.

The star of the show for me was definitely the conversations about the dead, their legacy, and how they're meant to be spoken about posthumously. Should we really sanitize their image just to preserve our own feelings? Or is it better to confront the grime head-on and brute force through the hurt that comes from being honest? I was pleasantly surprised, and wish that the story had given more on that and on Ririko as a mother and a person.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was! Not only was the art really wonderful and standout, but I really enjoyed the plot points and theming. Especially with our main character Sentaro and his struggles with his career path, which I found really powerful (probably partially since I'm the same age as him and can definitely understand the place he's at in life). I also found Touma and the posthumous Ririko to be really interesting characters. In general, having a little one suddenly be dropped in the lives of Sentaro and Touma makes them reflect on the things that they want to impart on her, as well as the lives that they've led and the points of view that they've taken for granted so far.

One thing that really connected with me too was Sentaro's grief over Ririko -- I totally got it. Even if someone wronged you terribly at one point, they were still part of your life, and it can still hurt when they pass. I thought the scene where he thought back on his good interactions with Ririko, and considered the fact that he was actually envious of the carefree way that she lived, was really powerful.

I am definitely looking forward to reading volume two since the way volume one ended was kind of a major cliffhanger!! I can't wait for more of Touma, Sentaro, and Meguru's dynamic. I think that they're already exemplifying a good family who are all there for each other.

As a side note about the quality of the book itself, I really liked the size of this book. That was also a standout to me for some reason, the slightly bigger dimensions really fit the quality of the art, I felt. Also, the color pages in the beginning were really beautiful!!

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m such a sucker for a story about two well-meaning disasters accidentally acquiring a child. It’s a truly undefeatedable trope.

Almost always a 5/5 star experience—as evidenced by this series.

This is just FANTASTIC.

Not only do we get accidental child acquisition here—we’ve also got a super “Type A”, earnest sunshine boy x blasé, devil-may-care grumpy, bad boy.

Are you kidding me? Take all my money.

Anyway.

If ALL of that wasn’t good enough, this series also scratches that queer, found family itch in such a satisfying way. The dynamic that our central trio has is both humorous and endearing. Watching the three of them grow together as a family is one of the most wholesome and charming things you’ll come across in this genre. It may even summon some tears.

Also, the chemistry between our two lover boys is delightful. They play off each other so well. Watching them go from being at each other’s throats over every little thing to calling each other home is the queer representation we need. It’s just so nice to see two characters who genuinely respect and care for each other fall in love. That sh*t matters.

Anyway, anyway.

Highly recommend this series! It’s one of the stand-outs in the genre~

[Alexa's Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not a perfect manga, but it's an enjoyable reading. Pick a Papa or Dysfunctional Family Therapy is about to guys, Sentaoru and Touma, who end up living with a kid for 3 months. The kid is the child of an ex-girlfriend who died. When she died, she left a will saying she didn't want them to do a paternity test and that her candidates for the child's father were Sentaoru and Touma. So, the grandma made them live together so Meguru, the child, could choose one of them as her father.

This is not a manga to compare to real life because there are some things that only could work in fiction like Touma being part of a mafia or the part when they took too lightly that Touma left drugs near a minor. But, it also shows what a child really needs, parents who make them feel secure and love. Despite how much of a disaster Touma and Sentaoru were, they always make sure to give Meguru a home, food, love, and support. That's why Meguru led her guard down for them, as you can see when she was worried that Sentaoru would die for being drunk or when Touma dissappear.

If you're looking for a short and entertaining story that somehow can touch your heart, this is a good choice.

[Esmeralda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sentarou, un compositor, es citado por la madre de su exnovia. El motivo es doble: informarle del fallecimiento de su hija y comunicarle que debe hacerse cargo de una niña. Y NO SOLO ESO. Para añadir tensión, EXISTE OTRO SUJETO, Touma, QUE TAMBIÉN ES UN POTENCIAL PADRE.

La señora les dice que los dos deberán convivir con la niña durante tres meses. Finalizado el plazo, la niña elegirá a quién tener como padre.

Touma acepta a regañadientes, mientras que Sentarou lo hace más que nada porque esa era la voluntad de su ex.

Lo que tengo que decir es quE ME ENCANTÓ. ESTE PRIMER VOLUMEN. ES UNA JOYITA. NO PUEDO ESPERAR PARA LEER EL SEGUNDO.

Sentarou es muy responsable y realmente se preocupa por la niña, aunque no cree ser el indicado para tomar un rol tan serio como el ser padre. En cambio, Touma es un alma libre. Dice abiertamente que no quiere ser el padre, pero aún así, a su modo, muestra preocupación.
Si yo fuera Meguro, la niña, elegiría a Sentarou. Pero esto es un BL. Los va a elegir a los dos. Creo.
¿Quién será el padre? Si veo a Meguro, veo a Sentarou, pero con la personalidad de Touma.

En fin, me encanta mucho este tipo de historias.

[sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*contain some spoilers*

One of my happy reading this year! I'm so happy to have stumbled this manga and have read it the premise is so funny and interesting it got me right away. The situation of the 'Family' borders on comedy but also the raw of it. All three of them are understandable by their circumstances and situations. The dynamic is very funny and not forced and im kinda glad it didnt just 'change' dramatically one day, it just feels like a family that is trying to come by, unconventional start but somehow they all find their placement and the title really just proves that without giving it like a hard time.

The romance aspect of this is kind of my taste lmao but I hate the flashbacks so much like youuu idiootsssssss (im kidding) but they just bloom in the present somehow, i love how theres no dramatic declaration but some little 'spark' together that just continue to fire up til the end.


WHY IS THIS MANGA SO SHORT I NEEDED MORE, that was scrumptious read though i enjoyed it.

[RoastedBeefed · Rating 4 out of 5]

- lady dies, and in her will says that her daughter could be the kid of two guys she had slept with, one she was dating, and one she would just mess around with
- I honestly enjoy the chemistry between them, I’m glad the yakuza thing didn’t get dragged out too much
- Sentarou is a really sweet guy, I like the scenes where he gets flattered and immediately falls for it
- Touma is a pretty good guy too, it’s nice how he can’t really fault sentarou for having an easier life, he’s still very empathetic
- I find it sad how much that girl has to be mature, but it seem to be realistic in her situation

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Història que s'acaba convertint en BL de dos possibles pares d'una criatura de 6 anys que hauran de conviure amb ella arran de la recent mort de la mare (vividora, despreocupada i que no explica la veritat al testament). Un triangle amorós raríssim, amb gens de comunicació i comportaments egoistes totalment immadurs. Percebo zero química entre els protagonistes i només em lamento per la pobra nena, massa madura per a la seva edat, que no té més remei que conformar-se amb una família desestructurada... En fi, no m'ha agradat gaire ^^'

[Janina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Sterne. Das Konzept ist süß und ich mag auch das Dreierkonstrukt der zwei Väter und der Tochter, aber ich bin mit Toma als Charakter noch nicht warm geworden und ich war nicht so der Fan davon, dass Toma anscheinend in der Yakuza/bei einem Klan arbeitet? das fand ich unnötig - konnte er nicht irgendeinen anderen unkonventionellen Job haben? Auch Toma und Sentaro hatten nicht genug Entwicklung in ihrer Dynamik, kommt mir so vor, als würden sie sich gar nicht richtig kennen.

[Hikaoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my favourite trope, accidental kid acquisition with force cohabitation.

subplot
realising even though as adult you have some gripes about the world, you have to make sure the kid still looks at the world with some hope and joy. be responsible, even if previously all you eat is konbini food, learn how to cook for the kid. like duh, you're the adult.
somehow, these kids are doing the co-parenting thing well.

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute story.

Only one bed; forced proximity; grumpy/sunshine; mafia/Yakuza connections

This was really funny! I loved little feisty Meguru; she's so sassy. Both main characters are great; very individual and interesting individually and together as a potential future couple.

I loved the bonus story and that line at the end: "That was a good lesson."

But what a place to end it! I'll be reading the next volume, though it'll be torture to wait until March.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun concept and great chemistry between the main characters
This little kid is so funny I can't hhahahah
I love that it goes back and forth between present and past so you understand the character's motivation and emotions

[Not Very Extroverted · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved their dynamic so much and the bonus story with the outfits was so funny (* >ω<)

Really can't wait for the rest of the volumes come out, because as far as chosen family stories go, this is by far my favourite (*≧ω≦)