Light of My Life

by Fuuko Minami, Takiba (Illustrator)

Back in high school, best friends Aki and Minagi were inseparable. Aki dreamed of becoming a professional football player, while everyone called Minagi a genius and urged him to chase his dream of working in medicine. Years later, Aki has taken over his grandfather's hair salon, and Minagi has set his interest in medicine aside to work in a host club. Despite the growing tension between them following their high school fallout, Minagi shows up at Aki's apartment one day asking for a place to stay. Can the two men confront their past in order to repair their future?

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Queer, Yaoi, Graphic Novels, Contemporary

Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Teru · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

High school friends to later roommates/fuckbuddies to proper lovers, this has been a very nostalgic dip back into BL manga world, full of misunderstanding, angst, old guilt, and suppressed life ambitions that end up not being the most important thing; unlike the people we love the most.
The ending was a bit too rushed for my tastes. I was high on the angst between the MCs, but it suddenly got resolved, and I got pouty about not being hurt for longer 😅

The mangaka's art is beautiful though. This is what I always loved about manga; no matter how silly the plot seems, the art rarely fails in making me emotional (those gut-wrenching expressions! 😩)

Although how the fuck did I manage to randomly pick a manga where one of the characters' dreams was to study medicine and become a doctor? What a shitty timing lol. Nevermind.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this manga as an e-arc!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️

It doesn’t really mean anything…
But I still can’t keep my hands off him.

I’ve read these tropes a million times, but I still can’t get enough of cute friends to lovers romances. This was simple, sexy and sweet, adorable characters, a bit of grumpy/sunshine, a touch of feels.

I didn’t really understand why there was conflict between them, but honestly I’m just here for the vibes…. And the smut.

“I’ve always loved you.”

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Lau ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

💛A cute and very spicy mm romance graphic novel💛

Light of my Life tells the story of two best friends as years pass. There is a lot of angst and miscommunication, because they don’t really talk about their feelings, but their love language is acts of service and it’s so heartwarming!!😭😭

I’m a bit on the edge about this one. It didn’t quite work for me, in part because I love slow burn and this got too spicy for my taste too soon, which always makes me cringe. That being said, they were adorable and I loved the drawings so much I somehow ended up caring for them.

I found the story a bit confusing because of the time jumps and the lack of communication at times. They jumped to have sex without really talking and everything was moving a bit too quickly for my taste. I’d rather see their dialogues, their feelings and all the angst over a lot of scenes. However, it’s true that it reads as a standalone (I’m pretty sure it’s a standalone) so they didn’t have much space to tell the story with the amount of detail I would have liked.

Overall, although I don’t think I was quite the audience for it, because I love slow burn and low spice, I would recommend this if you want a story that’s both sweet and sexy, as long as you don’t mind lack of communication.

I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[˗ˏˋ mckenna ˎˊ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh so many feels! Light of My Life is this author’s english manga debut and they did not disappoint!!

This story follows the adult lives of childhood friends Aki and Minagi, going into the story you know there’s history between them but you aren’t sure yet what it is. As the story unfolds we get flashbacks to the past with these two and it’s emotional, sad and sweet all at the same time.

The spicy scenes were very fun but there was still a good plot to back them up which is sometimes hard to find! I look forward to more BL from this author soon!

Huge thank you to Kodansha and Netgalley for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ rounded up!

This is a good quality manga.
Nice love story, maybe a bit too much delayed communication.
The characters are very handsome and so is the drawing style in general.
I admit I am partial to coloured and Korean manga, but this was a really tasty diversion between one book and another 💗


❁ Thank you to Netgalley, Takiba, Minami and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read the ARC of this in exchange of my honest opinion ❁

[Lydia Ralte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this short and sweet but also is average in terms of plot and characters.

[cyd⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

wowwwwww, maybe rtc
I loved this sm guys

the pub date on here shows oct 28th but on netgalley i was still able to get the arc..
so if it’s considered an arc i want to say thank you to netgalley, kondansha comics and Takiba !

(5/5)⭐️💇

[alex :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

very cute childhood friends to lovers story! i enjoyed reading about aki and minagi as they navigated their feelings for one another up until they officially became a couple. i absolutely loved the angst as well. one thing that i wished we could’ve gotten more of was their romance, in general. i was happy that they confessed and became a couple, just for the book to end not long after. besides that, i enjoyed the characters and the smut was good too ;)

thank you to kondasha and netgalley for sending me a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was confused for like 40% of the story, and then it finally made sense, kind of. It was cute, and a little ridiculous.

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

I feel like my heart will drop. My hand was freaking shaking while reading this, seriously! I mean, atonement is my freaking jam! Like seriously! Augh, and ANGSTY STUFFS! GIMME MORE! I NEED MOOORE ANGSTY STUFFS! But, gawd, ignoring the steamy stuffs tho, what can you expect from a gateau comics entry anyway? Of course, more smuuuuuut and one way or another, smutty ending. Koff! Koff! But overall, I love this so freaking much!

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angsty and Delicious Romance!

Light of My Life is a delightful romance that readers are going to love! It’s angsty and hysterical at times. The two main characters are best friends from early years that have found their way back to one another. A romance blossoms and the pages are easily devour-able from there! The romance is infused with dorky comedy that was just full of sheer joy. I know it will have readers clamoring for more. I certainly found it to be something that made me want to keep coming back for more. The romance is also very spicy. The illustrations are genuinely HOT! The BL comes to life within these pages and this is an author that I will be checking out again ASAP!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent one-shot bl but I felt it lacked character depth to be really good. I thought the art was nice, but I did have some trouble following some of the conversation as it wasn't always indicated clearly who was taking. The plot was OK and this volume had quite a bit of spice. Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Kodansha for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Light of My Life has a surprisingly engaging story and characters, especially considering that it's a standalone. On the flip side, if falls into some common BL traps that might make or break it for some. I am more in the latter group, but I will say that I found the story so well done that I am largely willing to ignore that.

Minagi and Aki are high school friends who meet again as adults. They are both, for different reasons, critical of the others choices in life such as their career options. While Minagi seems almost naive and carefree, Aki is more serious and grounded. In a way, they compliment each other but there are also clashes around their different approaches and it's clear that there is some unresolved business from their high school days.

Minagi and Aki's relationship, whether from a friendship or romantic point of view, is complicated, laced with unexpected hurt but also very deep rooted care. I really enjoyed that the narration wasn't exactly linear with flashbacks popping up at appropriate times to slowly fill the bigger picture. I confess to initially thinking the title is a little cheesy but now that I've read it, it's actually a really nice fit for these two. The art is pretty and I also really liked their best friend - he is a side character but he fit in in an organic manner and was a good friend to both leads.

Personally, I prefer less explicit content, especially when it comes to standalones. It is not unusual for a BL to be peppered with a lot of it and I'd argue that this one is on the upper end; there are many quite explicit scenes and I find it would have worked better without. In terms of story, two scenes would have felt more appropriate as I do think it's relevant to the plot, but all the additional ones felt like spice for the sake of spice and that's just something I don't care for. However, plenty of people do so this is probably a good pick for them - plenty of explicit scenes but with a proper plot and likeable characters you'll no doubt root for.

[Emily Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Which is more important, following your dreams or being with the love of your life? This comic explores that question with a hairdresser and a host (someone who pours drinks in a nightclub and makes charming conversation. It's a Japanese thing.) It also explores what happens when guilt gets tied up and confused with love. How do you untangle those two things and figure out how you feel? As with all manga, remember to read the panels and bubbles right to left. Note: when the sticker on the front says warning explicit content they are totally not kidding. Yowza. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

[Mychelle Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

first yaoi of the year !! yeppie

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was lovely. A oneshot with room for tons of angst that turned out to just be a beautiful story about friendship and love.

The usual arc of stories like this is:

* best friends in high school, with a Big Event that pulls them apart
* one disappears right after graduation, changing his number for maximum separation
* they run into each other years later and mourn all the missing time because it turns out they were in love all along

Here, we have ten years pass after high school and the Big Event - Minagi feeling responsible for Aki's career-ending injury - but they never actually pull apart. At least not physically.

It's a little difficult at the beginning to tell what their relationship has been over that time, since they seem pretty chilly with each other when Minagi's getting his hair cut at Aki's grandfather's salon. But I think they were still interacting over the course of those years - just not as intensely as when they were younger. Which is realistic; I live in the same city as my college best friend, and it takes effort to actually make the time to hang out.

They have a third friend, Sarara, who seems to have stayed close with both of them, kind of bridging the gap with feelings that are a lot more stable because they're a lot less complicated. After the death of Aki's grandfather - which leaves him running his hair salon alone - Sarara drags Minagi to Aki's door and claims Minagi needs to live with him for a while, because of some handwavey excuse about trouble with housing.

Honestly, this made very little sense, and probably did to Aki as well. There was some excuse about a "dorm" not allowing him to rent there - but I think they're all well out of college by this point? - and about Minagi having trouble finding another place to live, even though he makes a ton of money from his host job.

I'm okay not looking into it too closely, which...is probably true of Aki as well. Because there isn't really any bad blood between them. Just some lingering frustration about the abandoned dreams from their youth.

In their third year of high school, the three of them were incredibly close, and all had big ambitions for their future. Minagi was brilliant (although not possessed with a ton of common sense) and planned to follow his parents into the medical field, spending time studying abroad as well. Aki had a university sports scholarship, for soccer, and had hopes of going pro. Sarara hadn't really figured out his future yet, but he and Minagi had been scouted by a modeling agency on their school trip, so that was a possible path.

But Aki's dream got crushed, which led to everything else derailing.

It makes sense, actually, that they spent a decade not talking about the formative moment, because Aki never had any reason to blame Minagi for what happened. They'd simply been on a staircase at school, and some jealous guys had been talking smack about Minagi and then roughly bumped into him to show their anger. (He was incredibly intelligent and handsome and good at everything and from a wealthy family, so a lot of people hated him and thought he got whatever he wanted without having to even try.)

Minagi lost his footing and started falling down the stairs, at which point his memory is that he grabbed for Aki's arm. In the flashback panels, this doesn't seem to be the case - his hand is limp, while Aki is lunging forward and grabbing at his forearm. Regardless, because Minagi fell and Aki tried to save him, Aki wound up with an injury that left him unable to play soccer - at least for the rest of their school season, and with his sports scholarship going up in smoke.

When Minagi and Sarara visit him in the hospital, Aki puts on a brave face, as he always does, saying it's not a big deal, and he'll just do a trade school and work for his grandfather. But when Minagi goes back a few minutes later, wanting to apologize, he sees Aki with his hands over his face, crying.

Because Aki is an incredibly kind, selfless person who would never blame anyone else but who was also devastated by seeing his dreams fall to pieces.

Minagi, in his brilliant but weirdly-brained way, decides that means he can't follow his dreams either. If it was his fault that Aki can't play soccer, then he won't become a doctor. What's fair is fair.

He does still go to medical school - his parents insist on that - but after he finishes his degree and gets his license, he starts working for a host club instead. Aki can't understand it, but no matter how often he brings it up, Minagi just shrugs and says it's fun. Plus he does make a lot of money. And anyway, he points out to Aki's annoyance, Aki isn't playing soccer either, so things change.

It takes Aki a while of living with Minagi to finally put the pieces together and understand that Minagi very specifically gave up on his dream because of him losing his own dream. And that devastates him...not because of soccer, but because it means Minagi has just been doing everything out of guilt this whole time. Staying friends with him. Moving in with him. Giving him way too much money for rent. Even sleeping with him...

...because four years prior, Minagi had still been a virgin, going to work for a host club, and Aki had offered to be his first, since Minagi wanted some experience to be able to talk to his clients. A stupid idea: Aki had been in love with him for years, while Minagi just viewed it as another interesting life experience to learn from, since that's how he interacts with the world.

And Aki, naturally, feels horrified and hurt and betrayed when he realizes that Minagi has been sleeping with him all the time after moving in with him because he feels bad for him. So he stops everything and basically kicks Minagi out - it's not like he's actually destitute or in danger of not finding housing on his own.

But when we finally get Minagi's point of view, a lot of the pieces shift into their proper place. It's true that he took the host job solely to stay close to Aki and take responsibility for his injury. As a popular host - the face of the club after four years - he has the pull to send a ton of clients Aki's way, which boosts his business and transforms it into a place where Aki can really make a good future for himself. (Sarara, who became an actor instead of a model, also sends his celebrity friends to the salon, so both friends are taking care of Aki.)

More importantly, though, Aki is just way more important to Minagi than anything else in his life. It takes a while for Aki to understand what that means and to be okay with it, and with the idea that dreams changing doesn't mean the person has lost anything. Minagi truly takes enjoyment out of what he does - he spends most of his time as a host simply chatting with people and learning things and pestering them about their health and medical checkups.

I think that he does go into actual medical research once he and Aki sort things out? There's talk of him going abroad for conferences etc finally, although he still seems to have ties to the host club? But the point is that they talk about things, realize that things change a ton as you grow up, and it's important to prioritize what you value most, while finding ways to support each other so you don't have to give up on anything you do still want.

It's a complicated, very grown up story, with an intense loyal love at the heart of it. I also appreciated Sarara, who is very straight but loves his friends very much. It's a story with a lot of heartache but deep kindness grounding all their actions.

[frau.meln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light of my Life hat es geschafft mich emotional vollkommen mitzureißen, weil die Protagonisten ihre Emotionen mit Leichtigkeit auf mich übertragen konnten. Beim Lesen wurde mir immer wieder schwer und gleichzeitig leicht ums Herz. Manchmal brach es und im nächsten Moment musste ich schmunzeln.

Minagis wissbegierige, fröhliche Art, hat der emotionalen und teilweise melancholischen Stimmung eine schöne Unbeschwertheit verpasst. Während Aki eher der stille Grübler ist. Die beiden stehen sich so nah und dennoch bekommen sie einfach keine offene Kommunikation zustande.

Trotzdem, oder gerade deswegen, sind sie der Grund aus dem dieser Band für mich so besonders war. Deren Gefühle standen ihnen grafisch ins Gesicht geschrieben, ohne stark überzeichnet zu sein. Allgemein hat der dynamische, wunderschön detailreiche Zeichenstil, der Geschichte enorm viel Atmosphäre verschafft.

Insgesamt eine klassische Friend-to-Lovers Story, voller Schuldgefühle, Herzschmerz und Licht. Ich für meinen Teil bin hin und weg. Man merkt bei meiner Rezi auch direkt, wie sich meine Gedanken zu diesem One Shot überschlagen 😂, bitte seht es mir nach. 🙏🏼

[Curious Madra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty OK yaoi story about two high school friends going into different career paths such as the uke being the host and seme being a hairdresser. Seme isn't happy with the ukes decision because he was thought to be studying medicine and thinks the uke threw it away for nothing. Whereas Seme wanted to be a footballer but couldn't because of injury.

It's an OK quick read btw

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Like always, I really enjoyed this BL manga, whilst not the most overly emotional or deep romance, it was still angsty, heartwarming and definitely spicy throughout!

The manga follows Aki and Minagi, best friends (and unrequited lovers) who are forced to live together due to circumstances out of their control. From there, their shaky past is brought to the present, and obviously their feelings finally come to light.

Aki and Minagi's romance was smutty but slow burn. They messed around but took a while to realise that they're feelings aren't as shallow as originally thought. I really enjoyed the golden retriever and doberman energy they had, and I liked that they both balanced each other out perfectly. The miscommunication provided a lot of angst, I'm not usually a fan of the trope but this time around the reasons were valid, and it actually made sense- due to an accident back in their high school days, Aki was forced to give up on his dream of becoming a soccer player, feeling guilty for being the 'reason' he got injured, Minagi also sacrifices his dream of becoming a doctor in order to somehow stay close and make it up to Aki.

The art in this manga was beautiful, sometimes I did get confused as to who was talking during long conversations since the speech bubbles weren't obvious, but I could work it out pretty easily after learning the characters personalities and their dynamics.

I really loved that whilst this was a romance, it also showed the affects of judgement, loneliness, guilt and grief. The ending wraps up happily- with some spicy spice, as usual- it's still sweet and joyful. I liked that it didn't suddenly have the impossible becoming possible, and how the manga showed that roads not travelled don't always lead to dead ends, sometimes they open up new routes with more possibilities!

4/5 🌟

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I was granted access to this material through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful love story, and the artwork was absolutely lovely. Facial expression especially were really beautifully captured.

It’s not perfect — there is little to no intro to the characters and I think having lingered a bit longer on how they met and how they became friends would have added more dimension to the individual characters and all the relationships; but more details are unveiled as the story progresses, and we are able to put together a storyline, character motivations, and a relationship arc.

I think Sarara should have gotten more story for himself because the group friendship is so beautiful and I’d love to know about all three to them, however I realize that this is meant to focus on the love story so I understand the focus on Aki and Minagi; it’s just that Sarara is reduced to a bit of a plot device and I find that a pity.

One other note I have is that the first steamy scene occurs too soon and unexpectedly with little to no character development or relationship development; but other than that the rest feels suited to their growing bond and their changing relationship.

It’s not a top favorite, but I did quite enjoy it and I think many readers of adult romance will enjoy it as well, as it blends very passionate and steamy moments with a very heartwarming, hopeful and sweet story, making it quite a well-rounded and realistic portrayal of a romantic relationship. And again, that artwork! Just lovely. I can definitely see myself reading more by this author and artist in the future.

3.75 STARS

[⋅˚₊‧ ୨bree୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ · Rating 3 out of 5]

minagi kuze and shuhei aki are two high school best friends. when minagi can’t seem to find an apartment he moves in with aki temporarily. their relationship is interesting to put it simply. they’ve been with each other intimately in the past and have never spoken about it since.

minagi’s goal in high school was to become a renown doctor and help people but currently he’s a host while aki is a hair dresser which is his family’s business. they both had to give up their dreams for different reasons and minagi will always feel at fault for ruining aki’s dreams.

for a portion of this manga i was a little confused but i didn’t mind. i’d figured as the story went on more things would start to piece together and i was right. you’ll slower understand their behavior towards each other when there’s more of the story being revealed as the manga moves forward. there’s a lot of flashbacks that showcase memories and major events that occurred between the pair.

i did cry like 4 times while reading this and its an emotional story for sure! so be prepared if you’re an easy crier like myself lol. not full sobs but definitely some watery eyed moments. i do wish they communicated better so that’s likely why im rating this a 3 star rather than a 4 star manga. if they’d communicated their feelings with one another we could’ve saved so much time and years of pain.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for allowing me to receive a free e-copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review!

[Lucy Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would first like to start this review by thanking Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of this book to read.

I was very very excited to start reading this manga. I was excited because I have actually read a lot of this artists other works in Japanese so I was excited to read it in English! I was not disappointed. I love to read these when I’ve read it in both languages because it’s interesting to see how, despite the art remaining the same, the feelings of the story can shift just slightly in a different language. This one I think was a really good example of how the vibe of the story can shift just slightly. In English, this story had a much more frantic and heated feeling to their interactions than in Japanese.

I also just really loved the art. I already knew that I would love the art because of the fact that I knew that I loved this artist already but there were several panels that I literally just had to stop and stare at it because it was gorgeous. I also appreciate how well the SFX were cleaned up and translated without taking away the beauty of the artwork. The story was just fascinating and combined with the art, I want to read it again and again. The spicy level was a level 5.

Overall, I would rate this book as a 5 out of 5 star rating. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait until it is finally published in English and I can buy my own physical copy.

[ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this ARC!

Rating: 3.5 Stars rounded up.

“Light of my Life” is a single volume Manga by Takiba. It tells the story of Aki and Minagi, who were inseparable during highschool, but lost contact for a few years afterwards after having a falling out. One day Minagi shows up at Aki’s apartment, asking for a place to stay. As they live together, old feelings resurface and their relationship changes, but not everything has been fixed, and old wounds resurface…

It’s been quite a few years since I last read Yaoi Manga, and this was a fun way for me to rediscover the genre. The story is full of angst and yearning, but also has its sweet moments. I wish this had been a little longer, or possibly extended to two volumes, because I think that some aspects of their current relationship and their past together deserved to be explored some more, and therefore felt a little rushed.

I generally like angst and miscommunication, and if you do too you will probably enjoy this, but man were there some moments that had me frustrated. Luckily I also enjoy that frustration, so in a way it was still a win for me.

The art was also wonderful, both of the main characters look appealing, especially Minagi is absolutely stunning, which made the reading experience very pleasant.

If you like green flag BL and don’t mind some angst and miscommunication, this one’s for you!

[Neurospicy Potato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light of My Life is about two childhood best friends that want to be more than friends. But that road doesn’t come without any hardships.

The spicy-level of this book was much higher than I expected, and at the same time it was so incredibly wholesome. I found myself shipping the two main characters from quite early in the story, and it was enjoyable to read how they grew closer to one another. I loved the friends to lovers trope that they had going on, it worked incredibly well for this storyline and these characters.



There was a third best friend character, and I really liked that dynamic! At first, I was a little afraid it would give third-wheel vibes, but the artist managed to make it work!

The art style was nice to look at too! It was very standard for a BL-Manga though, but I had not expected otherwise when I picked this book up. Sometimes the conversation stalled a bit or was a bit awkward, but that didn’t bother me too much. It was barely noticeable, and in this case I am really nitpicking.

For my smut-loving BL-readers, this is definitely a recommendation!



Disclaimer:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Lanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aki and Minagi have been best friends since high school the two of them along with the third member of their trio Sarara had big plans to follow their dreams and head to Europe together after graduation. Aki as a pro soccer player, Minagi as a world-renowned doctor, and Sarara as an actor. Unfortunately, right when the boys feel like their future is within their grasp Aki suffers an injury after stopping Minagi from suffering a serious injury putting an end to Aki's dreams. Minagi is devastated knowing he ruined his best friend's life and immediately quits on his own dreams becoming a host instead. After a weird turn of events aka Sarara forces the two men to live together both of them realize that they, more than anything, were each other's dream.

Too freaking cute! Minagi and Aki are absolutely adorable in that "we don't know how to talk to each other" way that justifies the entire existence of the miscommunication trope. Especially since it's Sarara that seems to be pulling all of the strings here, it's fairly obvious early on that he's well aware that his best friends are dancing around each other and it's clearly his job to make them see that. Honestly, this is romance but it's also a story about these three men's friendship and I love that. It was so nice to see Aki and Minagi just happy with Sarara there cheering them on!

Highly recommend this as just an adorable slice of life romance!

As always thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eArc!

[InfiniteLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book completed of 2026!

Thanks to Takiba, Fuuko Minami, Kodansha and Netgalley for a complimentary e-arc of this manga in exchange for an honest review.

This stand alone manga is a mature and emotional story about the love story between two best friends who went through high school together but took very different paths then their original goals. Now a hairdresser and the lead host of a host club, the two are forced to realise the past trauma they share and their own feelings for one another.

I thought this was a really well done stand alone romance and I appreciated the maturity and emotional depth the characters had throughout - there was never any gay panic storyline, and the main focus is on how one feels guilt over he believes he ruined their dreams, and how the two can get past that to form a proper balanced relationship with one another. The smut was very well done and as always, Takiba's art is gorgeous and very expressive in how they draw the characters. I'd definitely check more out from this author as whilst the story itself was somewhat predictable in its eventual outcome, I really enjoyed seeing the characters get to that point and there wasn't any lengthy angst and drama which got them to that point.

[⚡eli⚡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light of My Life by Takiba & Fuuko Minami is a friends to lovers one-shot bl manga, that follows the journey between Aki and Minagi. Once they were glued to each other, but due to an incident during their high school years, not only their dreams but also their friendship took a sharp turn. Or rather, ended. Years later, Aki runs his grandfather's hair salon and Minagi works as a host at a host club. Not the dreams they had in mind, huh..? When Minagi show's up at Aki's place asking for a place to stay, old wounds eventually are reopened and unresolved feelings surface.

This classic trope manga has beautiful illustrations, packs enough emotional impact to keep you invested, and gives you enough moments to experience intimacy, guilt, hope and love. At moments, it was bit too silly and rushed for me, but overall, it was fine read. Nothing unique, but enjoyable nonetheless. 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Light of my Life” by Takiba

5⭐️/5⭐️

Oh. My. Goodness. This was so hot, and so angsty, and overall such a captivating story. Aki and Minagi were close friends in high school, each expressing ambitions and supporting one another with their life goals. One day everything changes, and instead of pursuing football professionally, Aki begins working in his grandfather’s hair salon. Meanwhile, Minagi drops his intention of going to medical school, and instead starts working in a host club.

There’s so much tension between these two characters, so many words unspoken. One day Minagi asks to move in with Aki, and the two are now forced to face some difficult topics: why didn’t Minagi go to medical school? What feelings are Aki hiding from Minagi?

This is quite an explicit story, and the physical and sexual nature of their relationship does complicate the dynamic. However, it ends on a really nice and hopeful note. Overall, I really enjoyed the story!

[bookissbyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ✨
𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.
...
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦...𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞?

A story about two childhood friends who later became lovers! Ahhhhh I just loved this story and the ambience the art created! The drama and the angst between them was my favourite part and I feel like maybe I wanted a bit more on this part(?)
But still I loved the story and the characters as well as their mutual friend, the three of them in their own personal school reunion were just goals!
One thing I also liked about the art was definitely the fact that when their thoughts became desperate the drawings became also darker!

The spice was there and it was hot, personally I needed a bit more foreplay(?) But again Aki & Minagi were just 🔥🔥

[Niki.reads.rainbow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aki and Minagi were high school friends until an accident ruined Aki’s dream of being a professional football player.

Minagi, feeling guilty for his part in this accident, gave up on pursuing studying medicine, and started working in a host club to stay close to Aki.

Minagi now needs a place where he can stay, so Aki agrees to letting him live in his apartment. After becoming fuck buddies and then hurting each other again, they need to finally talk about what happened years ago.

This was a good one-shot angsty story. I think the second half was definitely stronger, and I enjoyed reading it more.

The art style was good, there was a lot of smutty scenes, so if you’re fan of them, you’ll definitely be happy.

I also like how the story shows that even if your dreams don’t end up becoming reality, you can still find something else that makes you happy.

Overall I would rate this 3.5*