セラピーゲーム(上) [Therapy Game 1]

Therapy Game #1

by Meguru Hinohara, 日ノ原 巡

甘いササヤキなんかいらない。
だって、みんな嘘つきでしょ?
俺が欲しいのは、めまいがするような
最高のセックスだけだよ。

超・ブラコンでゲイの湊(みなと)は、
バーで酔っ払いの男・静真(しずま)と出会う。

彼の甘やかすように触れてくる指先に絆され、
ホテルで一夜を共にするが、なんと、
目覚めた静真は何も覚えていなかった!

怒り狂った湊は、ノンケの静真を落としてみせると宣言し、
ゲイ仲間と賭けをするが……! ?

『シークレット×××』にも登場の湊の恋を描く、
日ノ原巡のセカンドコミックス!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Yaoi, LGBT, Boys Love, Queer, Graphic Novels

172 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2018

About the author

HINOHARA Meguru
Name (in native language): 日ノ原 巡

Reviews

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus]]

4.5 stars ☆

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why didn't I read this manga before? It was fantastic. I loved every single second of reading "Therapy Game". Infact I finished all three available volumes within just 2 days. This series has quickly become one of my all time favourite manga series. It was cute, sweet, sexy and absolutely hilarious. At the same time it was very very emotional. The author portrayed grief, trauma, depression, abandonment issues so sympathetically that it left me at awe. It was a short illustrated book, yet it managed to make me feel so much! The characters were wonderful. I loved Minato and Shimuza as the main couple. Their chemistry was sizzling hot. But they also had a good understanding in between them. The side couple was cute too. Overall, "Therapy Game" is an amazing Yaoi Manga series to read. It's definitely worth your time. Highly recommended....

[hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ADORED THIS 🥺🫠💓💖🥰🥲
towards the end, it did break my heart a little bit.....it was worth it though 😭

"i didn't expect him to open up about himself. it makes me glad. he's surprisingly cute when he smiles and looks to me for affection. i find it hard to look away."
~ plssssssss i can't 😢

"i've never met anyone like you before....someone i just can't tear my eyes away from."

"this is my own fault. i finally found something to hold dear. and i ruined it."
~ my heart hurt so bad for minato in this moment. i could sympathize with him so much 💔

i love how quickly they fell for each other. and the art is so gorgeous, it made me want to cry.

i honestly want to give this 5 stars but i find i judge too quickly with manga and i need to read more before i fully decide on a rating that high. the last manga series i read i rated the first one 5 stars and the rest of the volumes were all 3 stars so....😭 and by the end i regretted giving the first one 5 stars.

anyway, onto the next volume!

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

2019:

A good story! I like that it has depth to it. The plot isn't new, Minato wants revenge because Shizuma forgot about the night they spent together. Minato places a bet with his co-workers that he can make (straight?*) Shizuma fall in love with him and plans to break his heart. People who know this kind of story will also know how this turns out. Since this is only volume one, the problem is not solved yet and the cliff-hanger ending was really quite cruel!

Despite this predictable plot I liked how Shizuma and Minato get to know each other and see their bond grow. Plus points for Shizuma calling out his friend for being homophobic towards Minato and saying he doesn't want people around him who don't respect others.

While the plot that brings Minato and Shizuma together isn't very innovative the way the story is told and how their feelings and the relationships are handled make the difference. And I really enjoy that.

*EDIT (in 09.2020): Presumably straight at first, it turns out that he later identifies as bisexual.

Content warning for both volumes (may be incomplete)

- dubious consent
- murder
- suicide
- (childhood) trauma
- homophobic & biphobic rhetoric

[Shu Wei Chin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooh a couple of the scenes were so filthy, but..

Your Honour, they're in love .
They're flawed, they mess up, but they found each other and they're growing (and they're downright gorgeous).

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm liking this story more than the one in シークレット××× Secret XXX , the characters are more interesting and the story more complex. The art keeps being stunning. I'm looking forward to read how this is going to end.

[MaDoReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutamente enamorada del bellísimo Minato

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely has one of the prettiest drawings.

Plot? Meh, everything happened too quickly.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh, probably should have planned my work reading and my not-work reading out a little better - BL is not exactly the thing to read right after a book on the importance of consent.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, hilarious, sweet, sexy. These two are going to live rent free in my head for a good long while. I can't wait to continue their story.

[rory (jess' version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

08/09/23: i would never have guessed that mito would be a jerk here given how adorbs he was in the last volume. i know the revenge thingy is an overused plot narrative, but i can't help but always get teary-eyed whenever the couple breaks up :( (it's not like i've experienced it myself or what, but it always gets me everytime)

01/04/25: rereading this is me manifesting that i get to have a partner like shizuma MY BOI IS JUST PERFECT

[Marureviere · Rating 5 out of 5]

On my hands and knees for them both 🛐

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't understand why this manga is so popular; the characters were exquisitely done, and the drawing is undoubtedly gorgeous, but the plot was really simple and nonexistent. There were clearly elements of dub/non-con afterwards that didn't sit well with me, and the relationship was really hurried, beginning with a one-night stand when one half of the couple was quite inebriated and can't actually remember the events of the night.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites 🖤
Minato = 🐯

Spice 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Art 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 x Million

[Ash🍉 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’ve read this 3/4 times now? But each time is 5 stars, I love Shizuma and Minato so much

[honeybean · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY! A manga that explicitly expresses consent and says "No is No!" - Also the main character recognizing that he is at least bi without the whole trope of "maybe I'm straight but just into this one guy" that manga tends towards. I love the scene of him standing up to his friends for LGBTQIA+ rights. I'm so happy with this author.

[Daesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were many cute and funny parts, but this story was also more serious and a bit darker than the other one, still I liked it.

4 stars.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cries

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a yaoi vlog project on YouTube, check it out: https://youtu.be/xQXDRVCfBr4

[Ray Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

[ Read in December 2021, May and November 2023, and January 2025. ]

Minato and Shizuma woke up next to each other after a drunken night and Minato basically tells Shizuma that he has to take responsibility of what he’s done, never being explicit but you kinda guess what happened.

Minato is stylish and emotionally reserved, but when it comes to sex, he’s eager to have it with Shizuma, who just got his heart broken by a cheating girlfriend. He comes as a straight man but he cannot resist Minato’s luring body. Yet, he’s a kind man and takes him on a date, at least to get to know each other.

They do fall in love (Minato doesn’t want to admit it but he’s fully there too) but there’s a bit misunderstanding and with the help of side characters, they talk things through and hopefully will date each other –officially, at least.

I love this manga’s art style and of course I kinda saw myself in Minato’s personality, so it’s almost embarrassing to say that I was high heels in love with Shizuma the moment he gave him that sincere smile.

But be careful ‘cause it mentions some heavy topics like suicide, domestic violence and abuse of minors.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ever BL manga and it was quite the wild ride. Thanks Maddy for gifting me this one!! So much fun :3

[Ana Karenina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pero... AY 😩
NO ME DEJEN ASÍ.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! I can see why people really like this story.

Though I haven't read the series this spun off from, I didn't find it too confusing to read. The art was lovely, the premise was interesting and I liked Minato as a character. Weirdly enough, I found the extra scenes to be where you really see Shizuma's love for Minato grow because during the main series, I just didn't get why it seemed like a day passed and he was suddenly in love with Minato.

I get Minato's perspective - he never thought anyone would make him feel that important and loved. However, in Shizuma's case, he seemed confused by Minato's affection and pretty sure he was straight. Just reading the main story, it looked as though Minato gave a really, really amazing b***job and that was enough to make him fall for him. And I get that men can be fickle, but really?

Anyway, the extras added some much needed context like more of their trip to the amusement park and scenes that show Shizuma really thinking about the future. I was worried when they were in the club and some of Minato's friends made those casual biphobic comments. You know, like don't get invested in dating a bisexual because they will eventually leave you and marry someone that lets them fit the heteronormative view. I was pleasantly surprised the book sort of seemed to push back against that. The last manga I read pushing that mindset just leaned into that harmful stereotype.

So, overall, this was enjoyable. Not my favorite story, but I was entertained.

[Meagan (FranticVampireReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. This book! I really loved this one. The ups and downs, the little twists and turns, and all of the emotions. I just didn’t know what to do with myself when I finished this manga. Especially when it ended on a fucking cliffhanger like that! *shrieks into the fandom void*

I loved that this started with a drunken one nightstand and turned into some sort of revenge seduction thing. And then when Minato and Shizuma catch feelings for each other?? Good god! It was just so good. I love these two idiots to pieces and I want them to work their shit out. I also really loved Shizuma’s pets. I wish they had been in the story a little more like the rabbits in Secret XXX, but I’m sure we’ll see them again in the next volume.

If you can’t tell, this book left me a sobbing mess and I’m ordering the next volume as soon as I’m done writing this review. I just need more of Minato and Shizuma in my life. Therapy Game is getting a solid five stars.

[Adelle R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

NA TAKOVÝHLE CLIFFHANGERY JSEM SI V MANZE ODVYKLA, do háje, ještěže mám po ruce hned druhej díl 😂

Mnohem lepší, než jsem čekala. Místy trochu rychlý, ale vtipný, „protiklady se přitahují" tu jede na maximum. A má to nádhernou kresbu.

Rereading prosinec 25: Přečetla jsem si to letos ještě jednou? Ano. Asi tak mě to bavilo a s takovou chutí jsem se k tomu vracela. :D

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minato

The art is just gorgeous. Love how Minato is drawn and characterised. Would love a birthday date like Yuka got. She's horrible, though

[sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this one and how unproblematic it was, the main topics were the importance of communication, and how trauma and your flaws don't have to be a barrier for experiencing love.

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
ko-fi • Instagram • TikTok

**I use the CAWPILE rating system created by BookRoast to do my reviews

Character - 9/10
Okay so right now I am thinking that Minato and Shizuma are going to be taking spot number one next to Kurose and Shirotani on the whole BL couples scale. I just loved them together and when they were apart. You can tell that Shizuma is a very serious character and thinks in the long term of things and that Minato is the complete opposite of that. These were very clashing characters that kinda just fit. I also loved that Shizuma was very honest about his feelings and not only that he did not put up with any homophobia bullshit.

Atmosphere - 8/10
I just feel like there was just so much more that was going on that I loved. I felt like I was there with our characters when they were in the bar, or the school, or when Minato visits the bunny shop (ughhh Shohei I can't get enough of him). I think it was just perfect. You definitely felt when there was a shift in emotions and the surrounding area on the page got dark. It was just so lovely!

Writing/Art Style- 9/10
I don't know about you but I think the writing and art style in this manga was 10x better than what it was in シークレット××× Secret XXX . Everything was so much clearer. There wasn't a bunch of stuff clogging up the panels. I loved how everything just flowed together so perfectly. It was wonderful and it definitely made me fall in love with the mangaka's work even more.

I loved how you knew when there was a "past tense" coming on. The mangaka fills in the page black and I think that's wonderful. At least I know I am in a different time frame. I sometimes would get confused with this in other manga's.

Plot- 8.5/10
I definitely loved the idea of revenge to lover type trope. I think it's cute. Especially with Minato's personality. However, many times (even if I loved this manga so much) I was like "this is kinda cliche" or "this reads too familiar". The idea was wonderful but I think I have read too many of the whole "revenge to lovers" type of tropes.

Intrigue- 9/10
You bet your sweet butt I couldn't put this manga down for one second. Page after page I was drug in. I wanted to know more about Minato as a person. I wanted to see Shizuma come into his sexuality. I just loved every moment of it all.

Logic - 8/10
I definitely noticed more of a plot to this manga over シークレット××× Secret XXX and I really enjoyed it. I loved that I knew that the book was progressing into something other than nonsense. I am also glad that there was more focus on the relationship rather than sex or otherwise. The one thing that made me pause was the beginning. I mean I understand why Minato was angry and wanted revenge....but come on the guy was drunk. You should never trust a drunk guy even if it's the most truthful drunk person. So I found the beginning kinda of silly. If it was something more serious maybe it would have been believable.

Enjoyment- 10/10
I absolutely loved this manga from the beginning to the end. There were so many funny moments and so many times I wanted to just hug these characters. I absolutely love Meguru's way of bringing in "her" (is it a her) readers and wrapping them all around the characters fingers. Just wow.

[78sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich habe von Meguru Hinohara bereits „XXX Secret“ gelesen und sehr gemocht. „Therapy Game“ spielt im gleichen Universum und es kommen auch Charaktere daraus wieder hier vor. Der angeblich hetero veranlagte Minato, betrinkt sich nachdem seine Freundin mit ihm Schluss gemacht hat. Dabei trifft er auf Shizuma und beide verbringen eine Nacht von der wir als Leser auch am Ende des Mangas nicht wissen, was genau vorgefallen ist. Minato kann sich auf jeden Fall nicht mehr erinnern und Shizuma fühlt sich dadurch verletzt und ersinnt einen unschönen Plan. Er will Minato erobern und dann fallen lassen. Naja, man kann sich denken, dass dies dann doch anders läuft, aber an Drama und Missverständnissen wird hier nicht gespart. Das gefiel mir sehr und auch die Charaktere fand ich sehr interessant. Weniger schön fand ich die teils sehr verwirrende Erzählweise. Manche Szenen ergaben für mich keinen Sinn. Da die Sprechblasen auch so merkwürdig gesetzt wurden, dass man gar nicht wusste, wer da gerade spricht, wurde es noch verwirrender. Die Charaktere sind zwar wunderschön gezeichnet aber leider ähneln sie sich sehr und ich habe leider oft damit ein Problem in Mangas. Vor allem die Nebencharakter fand ich schwierig auseinanderzuhalten und es wurde auch nicht wirklich erklärt, wer diese jetzt sind und warum sie so reagieren, wie sie reagieren. Es wirkte teilweise als müsste man sie bereits kennen. Vielleicht hätte ich vorher noch einmal „XXX Secret“ lesen sollen, da einige der Nebencharaktere daraus stammen, aber das habe ich leider versäumt.
Der Zeichenstil im Allgemeinen gefiel mir unglaublich gut. Ich mag die Gestaltung der Charaktere und ihre Mimik und Gestik. Die expliziten Szenen sind nicht zu häufig, dafür aber sehr gut gezeichnet und nicht hässlich zensiert. P18 ist hier absolut angebracht.
Die Farbseite am Anfang des Mangas gefiel mir sehr.

Story 4,0/5
Charaktere 4,6/5
Zeichenstil 4,0/5
Gesamt 4,0/5

[Amber Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this volume from Viz Media SuBLime via Edelweiss for review.

I sought out a copy of this book after seeing the gorgeous cover of the upcoming Therapy Game Restart Vol. 1, coming out in December 2021, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. I only have a few BL/yaoi series in my home collection (Given and I Hear the Sunspot), but I adore them both dearly, so I was excited to see what would come out of this series. To be completely honest, I did not check the rating on this series before I started reading, and it is 100% for mature audiences. There are graphic sex scenes and common romance tropes present, but unlike several romance series I've read, this short series actually had an important plot. Hinohara-san carefully crafted her male leads to address trauma, understanding, and consent. I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes.