Afterglow

by Wagimoko Wakase

A doctor at rock bottom finds himself entangled with a handsome yakuza who helps ease his sorrows with a night of passion. Is this relationship just what the doctor ordered or merely a case of lust-clouded judgment?Higuchi Kiyotaka has hit rock bottom. Once a rising star in the field of cardiovascular surgery, a traumatic incident derailed his career and sent him spiraling. Now transferred to a remote town in rural Kyushu, he spends his days practicing general medicine--struggling to understand the thick local dialect of his elderly patients and to suppress the crushing guilt that haunts him.
Each night, he drowns his sorrows in alcohol, but one particularly miserable evening, he's approached by a mysterious man who calls himself a yakuza who offers him a night of escape.
Swept into a haze of unfamiliar pleasure, Higuchi begins to feel something stir beneath the numbness. And as the afterglow of the night refuses to fade, one question gnaws at   Who is this man--and what does he really want from me?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Comics, LGBT, M M Romance

Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[Katrine Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This artwork was ridiculously beautiful. Highly rereadable. Sexy HEA. I wish there was more of this author!

[Jolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for sure 😩
The art and story are just perfect. I absolutely loved this manga and will be re reading it until the end of time.
Highly recommend!!!

[Davina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The balance between plot and smut is just amazingly good. A yakuza and a doctor make such an unusual pair but it worked so well 😣😣😣

[a ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my god this is the definition of good writing. my jaw is on the floor.

THE SMUT WAS SO HOT. THE DIRTY TALK FROM THE SEME HAD ME BLUSHING LIKE HE WAS TALKING TO ME. LMAO

AND I DIDN’T EXPECT TO CRY WHILE READING THIS BUT I DID… OH PLEASE LET THEM BE HAPPY FOREVER.

six stars for this manga actually. five stars isn’t enough.

[Katie Morriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. The plot felt a little rushed at times, but overall I loved the story and their dynamics as they learned to trust and lean on each other.

[Ryofire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. The general art style and writing are pretty, and I like the premise. The problem is the over-use of actual photographs and 3D objects for scenery, particularly the car and one shot where a very grubby photo is a centerpiece of a shot meant to impress the viewer, which I always hate when artists do. Using a shortcut for something people aren't going to pay attention to is one thing, but using a photograph that is not interesting and also the main attraction of a large panel is just lazy. A secondary problem is that the art is great until it isn't: a lot of artists I like have hands that kind of mold together in certain shots that don't look like DC Comics' Clayface has entered the narrative. This manga failed that, and it makes certain smut scenes uncomfortable to read. Hands in general seem to be this mangaka's problem, which is sad because the cover art is so nice. Generally, bodies can be beautifully drawn (though faces are hit or miss), and the tattoos on the top are lovely. But overall, between awkward panel framing and the weird hands and the cheapness of using photographs and 3D objects, this isn't worth it.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art—one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Story—meh.

This is a BL manga and the story follows Higuchi, a cardiovascular surgeon who gets transferred to the middle of nowhere to work in internal medicine where he meets Tenju, a takuza member who seems a little softer than most. It’s their love story but it was super spacey/spotty, like parts were missing to really make all the dialogue and whatnot cohesive.

But goddddddamn, the art is SO PRETTY and this is at least 50% smut lol. Very hot, very pretty boys 🥰🫡

[Feather Bound · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so incredibly beautiful 🙏🙏💕 from the art style, the relationship between the two characters, and the portrayal of the town and the MCs’ pasts. (The little comic from the writer at the end was also hysterical lol 🤣) Despite being a mafia romance, it’s also not highly tropey—all of the characters are very well written, and the story just unfolds naturally on the page. I really hope there is a sequel in the future because I will not be able to stop revisiting this story either way.

[Jade✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caruccio ma poteva essere di più! Si percepisce molto che è troppo breve il volume, sicuramente facendo più capitoli si poteva creare una storia con maggiore intensità e profondità nella struttura dei personaggi.
La parte che meno ho apprezzato sono i disegni nelle scene spicy, un po’ sproporzionate per i miei gusti.
In conclusione una lettura godibile, per chi ama il genere secondo me può piacere.

[Dayamarali Espinosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The balance between the plot and smut scenes is amazingly good. It is about the doctor and the gangster. OMG It was so damn HOT and Spicer. I read it in one day. Which I am glad I picked this up. I rate this book overly 5 stars or more. Having this gangster tattooed omg it HOT. I highly suggest you to pick this book up and read it. ◡̈

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🥵🌶️🥵🌶️🥵🌶️🥵🌶️🥵🌶️

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is beautiful even without the uncensored spicy scenes but having those in addition 😘👌

For a one shot the story is nicely balanced and paced well. I love a green flag yakuza ML that knows how to praise his partner.

Kiyotaka’s trauma around his career and the pacing of that part of the story was well done as well.

[jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

um i adored this.

i really enjoyed the dynamic between the two differing characters and them learning about each other's was well balanced with the smut (which was amazing). i do wish it was a bit longer since they fell for each other very quick and tenju pushing him away to keep him safe felt random despite making total sense. overall enjoyed!

[Imani Gudger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The yakuza MMC is the most grounded person around. Straight cofy core. Doc is a hot mess of trama (performance-work, failure, and internal anxiety) and he has just the person to help him work through it.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good blend of romance and smut, and the art style is just phenomenal. Everyone is so god damn pretty.

[G.✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!!!

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love.

Doctor x Yakuza
Spicy
Hurt/Comfort

One of the best of 2026 so far.
Gorgeous art.
Intense, sexy story with heart.
One-shot, single volume with a COMPLETE storyline!

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first manga I have enjoyed. The storyline was adorable and the artwork was amazing. Well done. Looking forward to more like this in this genre.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak peak peak i love tenjus tatoos and kiyotaka is so so cool

[el. · Rating 2 out of 5]

indecisa se 2 o 3 stelle.
non male, ma niente di nuovo e un po' noioso.
interessante scelta di sex toy.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, also I think this would have been better as a series.

[Kenedie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! I wish there were more!

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally 10/10 BL! The art and story were amazing 🫪

[Angie☺️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️I love them both so much. I wish the it was more longer and the ending wasn’t so rush but beside that I loved it.