KOH-BOKU

by Sonoo Michiru

Tasuku Kashiwagi and Kyu Imamiya are public servants, working for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Imamiya thinks his reliable junior should hurry up and get himself some new friends and a lover already - but Kashiwagi just insists on doting over him...almost like some loving wife.

Genres: Manga, Comics, LGBT, Yaoi, Japan, Romance, Graphic Novels

Paperback

Published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazingly boring. The complete first chapter was completely dedicated to the job description of the Koh-Boku. Slow, slow, slow burn. So slow it could barely be counted as burning. Art work was rough, squiggle style, and of course, the MC's are older bureaucrats, so not exactly a lot of sexiness happening. Probably the most touching scenes were the ones in the hospital where Kashiwagi is waiting to hear if Imamiya has recovered from his heart attack. It's a subject that is not broached in YAOI manga often, but as same sex marriage is not recognized in Japan, such topics where a "next of kin" must be consulted, precludes the partner who really may be the only family they have. Thankfully, no one dies in this, but that lack of being able to be "next of kin" or "spouse" has far reaching consequences that can affect so many aspects of the surviving partners life.

[Mandy Szewczuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow, slow burn, and I think I definitely got lost a bit in the Japanese government bureaucracy stuff, but the emotions were real, and it's always a pleasure to read about an older queer couple!

[luci · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m a sucker for stories about old queer couples being together and happy

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is that its English publication - 11 years after it was originally written - came about largely because the mangaka discovered the English term "old man yaoi" and successfully catapulted the book into big enough popularity for its first run to sell out.

It's honestly probably more of a 3-star story, but I'm leaving it at four because I would love to see more of these types of stories licensed. Ones where the "old men" aren't just turning 30 and complaining about being over the hill with their aching bones.

The color plate is lovely, and there were a few really wonderful scenes. The first was when Kashiwagi slowly broke down crying in the taxi, after leaving the hospital where Imamiya had gone after collapsing from overwork in their office. The second was their first kiss, which had a wonderful aching buildup and had Kashiwagi literally shaking because he was getting things he never knew he could actually expect.

I also enjoyed their matter-of-fact conversations about what their relationship would become, with no misunderstandings or obliviousness. Imamiya was fully aware that Kashiwagi was in love with him, and he simply had to decide whether to ever acknowledge it out loud or do anything about it. After a number of health scares, he decided to just go for it: what was he waiting for, anyway?

Imamiya's son - or adopted son/nephew, really - being against their relationship was an interesting touch that wasn't quite explored enough. There's a lot more this story could've done, and so much of the art is exceptionally sketchy - like, literally feels like the initial storyboards were published rather than the final art. But it seems to have been fairly early in Michiru's career, and it really is a unique story for the genre.

Also kind of a horrible portrait of the Japanese workforce, particularly on the "public servant" political side.

I'm glad this was licensed, and I truly hope to see more!

[Shiva Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'était génial. Mature, calme, réaliste, touchant et intéressant. Le "Old man yaoi" est supérieur et cette lecture en est une énième confirmation. 😌 J'ai beaucoup aimé le rythme lent, le quotidien centré autour de leur travail épuisant qui permet pourtant de saisir pleinement leur relation et de la voir évoluer lentement et de façon crédible. Michiru Sonoo m'impressionne par son talent narratif. Les émotions et chaque subtile évolution sont dépeintes clairement et on se laisse complétement porter par le récit. J'ai hâte de lire leurs aventures à Hawaï !

[Diana Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giggling and kicking my feet on the entire train ride home reading this. I love a serious devotion pilled man & his older, more laid back but still confident & competent lover. They're boyfriends and they love working together and they are SO cute and fun to watch together. The realism of dating when you're older was delightful and very well handled. I really loved every second of this old man yaoi. Favorite line: "be a good boy...and put down that pulse oximeter."

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old man BL! This was a really cute read. Their relationship is very mature for it being a boss and subordinate relationship. They had really good banter and kept things mostly professional. I really like the drama in this book. One of the characters gets sick, and it adds a lot of tension to the story. I highly recommend this one.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambientazione inusuale e molto curata. I protagonisti sono una coppia di impiegati di un ministero, è piacevole leggere storie con personaggi non giovanissimi. Peccato che la qualità del disegno fosse davvero molto altalenante.

[Curious Madra · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s honestly boring which is such a shame because I thought the characters would be interesting instead of being bland. Disappointing;/

[Linda Baergas]

A sweet domestic story. Very comfy and fulfilling the need for mature relationships in the genre.

[Maria ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

you know it's old man yaoi when it involves literal heart failure

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old man yaoi

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love and support this, because while I think Old Man Yaoi needs to have a place in this world, the story didn’t quite flow enough.

[Rachel]

Surprisingly funny! Very much enjoyed it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too much jargon on being a public servant and not enough old man baby making imo.

[Emily Chimento · Rating 3 out of 5]

OLD MAN YAOI. honestly there was way to much lore for me and too much about their job that went right over my head lol

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un BL entre dos funcionaris del govern japonès madurets que es prenen la feina molt seriosament (reflex de la cultura de l'esforç i el col·lectivisme de la societat nipona) fins al punt que posen en risc la seva salut. És un slow burn força agònic que afortunadament acaba bé, però que fa patir perquè cap dels dos s'atreveix a fer el pas tot i que és evident que s'estimen...

[Cas ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s yaoi day, so it seemed fitting I read the viral old man yaoi that everyone keeps talking about. It might be partially the translation but it’s a bit of a mixed bag?? Not what I was expecting from the hype, at least.

The pace is slowish (but also fastish too because the relationship comes outta no where, zero confession or talk about they might be gay for each other), and it’s kinda boring at times because there’s a LOT about their work that maybe we didn’t really need to know… but also on the other hand it was kind of nice that they were both normal regular ol’ adults that acted like, well, grown-up regular ol’ adults? I did like the art style, it’s a very comfortable and familiar older manga style, and there were a lot of cute aspects to it (like how the subordinate takes care of his mentor, the first kiss scene and “rehab” lol), and I ofc love that they’re older.