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A quiet and shy member of the school's art club, Toru is quite a contrast to his best friend Ryoji, who is a handsome, loud and brash jock. Toru has harbored a crush on Ryoji for the longest time, but hasn't confessed his feelings for fear of rejection. But from out of the blue, Ryoji suddenly admits that he gets "aroused" whenever he looks at Toru. Curious about this feeling, Ryoji proposes that he and Toru sleep together. Though appalled at the thought of having casual sex, Toru's attraction towards Ryoji makes the proposition enticing nevertheless. Will Toru's secret desire for Ryoji compel him to accept his friend's sexual overtures?
179 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2001
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670 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 5, 2016
Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)
When I picked this up, I only wanted to pass the time and, thank God, the plot wasn’t overly complicated or anything and the main character, Toru, was a cutie :)
Baically, is the story of two friends: Toru and Ryoji. Toru loves Ryoji secretly and Ryoji has a sexual atraction towards Toru, but none of them knows about each other’s feelings until Ryoji admits to Toru that he gets aroused near him.
Honestly, I didn’t like Ryoji. I don’t usually like forceful males in any sort of way and he was a total ass. Toru, in the other hand, was very sweet, he deserved better… My rating was 4 out of 5 stars. It was nice, but I would have liked it waaay more if Toru had ended up with another character, whose name will be kept in secret, as I don’t want to give spoilers away ;)
I recommend it if you, like me, like a good yaoi manga and want to spend the time without much thought <3
Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)
When I picked this up, I only wanted to pass the time and, thank God, the plot wasn’t overly complicated or anything and the main character, Toru, was a cutie :)
Baically, is the story of two friends: Toru and Ryoji. Toru loves Ryoji secretly and Ryoji has a sexual atraction towards Toru, but none of them knows about each other’s feelings until Ryoji admits to Toru that he gets aroused near him.
Honestly, I didn’t like Ryoji. I don’t usually like forceful males in any sort of way and he was a total ass. Toru, in the other hand, was very sweet, he deserved better… My rating was 4 out of 5 stars. It was nice, but I would have liked it waaay more if Toru had ended up with another character, whose name will be kept in secret, as I don’t want to give spoilers away ;)
I recommend it if you, like me, like a good yaoi manga and want to spend the time without much thought <3
Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)
June 12, 2010
HATE the "description" attached to this record on goodreads. It's a bit inaccurate and rather a spoiler to boot.
June gave this an explicit content advisory (semi-true) and M rating, but I would probably still suggest this to an older teen. It has a lot of teen-relevant themes and exploration of sexuality (and the characters are teens), much as some might prefer to think they're never considering choices like "love without sex or sex without love."
Ryoji's repeated disregard for Toru's clear protests early in the book makes me a bit uncomfortable, though. (Knowing Toru's feelings helps a little, but still. I'd have preferred a bit more obvious consent, even if reluctant.)
Despite that, I loved the four main characters, the art, the story, the placement of the panels...
Nothing particularly original or surprising, but it didn't need to be, because it was still well told and rather touching.
June gave this an explicit content advisory (semi-true) and M rating, but I would probably still suggest this to an older teen. It has a lot of teen-relevant themes and exploration of sexuality (and the characters are teens), much as some might prefer to think they're never considering choices like "love without sex or sex without love."
Ryoji's repeated disregard for Toru's clear protests early in the book makes me a bit uncomfortable, though. (Knowing Toru's feelings helps a little, but still. I'd have preferred a bit more obvious consent, even if reluctant.)
Despite that, I loved the four main characters, the art, the story, the placement of the panels...
Nothing particularly original or surprising, but it didn't need to be, because it was still well told and rather touching.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2021
This has not aged well at all.
Toru's internal, emotional journey is easily the most compelling part of this story. And if the story was about how he moves from an abusive sexual relationship with his best friend to self-love and understanding, it would be great. And we almost get there. But nope. This narrative is dead set on Toru uncritically ending up with his abuser (who has not grown or matured at all over the course of the story) and expects the reader to be happy about it.
In short: this falls prey to prioritizing genre conventions over good storytelling.
I loved this so much when I was younger, but now it just doesn't sit well with me. The artwork is still lovely, it's just too bad about the story itself.
Toru's internal, emotional journey is easily the most compelling part of this story. And if the story was about how he moves from an abusive sexual relationship with his best friend to self-love and understanding, it would be great. And we almost get there. But nope. This narrative is dead set on Toru uncritically ending up with his abuser (who has not grown or matured at all over the course of the story) and expects the reader to be happy about it.
In short: this falls prey to prioritizing genre conventions over good storytelling.
I loved this so much when I was younger, but now it just doesn't sit well with me. The artwork is still lovely, it's just too bad about the story itself.
January 6, 2018
One of the first BL mangas I ever read. Over the years I've come to understand its problems, but it will always have a special place in my heart and my memories.
March 24, 2014
Inilah salah satu komik yg sukses bikin aku jengkel setengah mati wkt bacanya. 2 tokoh utamanya sama2 menyebalkan karakternya.
February 26, 2017
This one shot remains one of my favourite yaoi titles. Art student Toru is in love with his seemingly straight best friend Ryoji. He is completely thrown for a loop when Ryoji claims that Toru turns him on and asks him to sleep with him to appease his curiosity. Toru reluctantly agrees but becomes tormented as he adores Ryoji who is simply using him for sex... and indeed continues his relationship with his girlfriend and makes no secret of the fact. The president of the art club takes pity on Toru and suggests that he pretends they are dating so that he can break things off with Ryoji - He does but becomes even more miserable than he was before.
Ryoji is a complete insensitive jerk but I don't know there's just something about him and the way he's completely clueless about his own feelings. I love the art on this one and how it's both sexy but also manages to depict a real depth of emotion. Read this one oh so many times and it still pulls at my heart strings.
Ryoji is a complete insensitive jerk but I don't know there's just something about him and the way he's completely clueless about his own feelings. I love the art on this one and how it's both sexy but also manages to depict a real depth of emotion. Read this one oh so many times and it still pulls at my heart strings.
September 20, 2025
Rather confused story-telling. It's not plain who is saying or thinking what. If this is typical of the genre then I feel like my interest is waning already. It feels very mediocre, both visually and plotwise, and the numerous rape scenes are rather troublesome in the context of this particular book. There's nothing here that can really be commended. It's readable but that is as much as I can say for it. There are far better things to read. A series like I Hear the Sunspot feels so superior in terms of the quality of the illustrations and the story. Or if you enjoy fantasy rape scenes go for Gengoroh Tagame. But this book is easily forgettable.
December 20, 2020
One of the stories I might have enjoyed way more as a teenager. I missed on the yaoi train ;_;
(seriously though, content warning for this one,
(seriously though, content warning for this one,
July 8, 2021
A morally bankrupt story, published in 2004, that doesn’t attempt to redeem itself narratively or visually. A larger, more athletic boy, Ryoji, rapes his smaller friend, Toru - repeatedly. The art is as uninspired as the writing. Don’t waste your time.
July 28, 2022
I loved this book during middle school. I'm really into the seemingly unrequited pining cause I like that romantic yearning that makes your heart hurt.
But reading this with fresh eyes in 2022... well, I still like it but Ryoji is an asshole and there are a lot of consent issues.
But reading this with fresh eyes in 2022... well, I still like it but Ryoji is an asshole and there are a lot of consent issues.
August 24, 2017
Sweet coming of age yaoi, one of the first I read/collected and still a favorite.
February 14, 2018
Not worth reading
December 9, 2023
I had a hard time liking this one. The art was pretty but Ryouji just came across as a complete asshole.
January 24, 2024
I read it for and like the art, but the storyline wasn't that great.
January 30, 2024
This was bad, really bad. I can kind of see what they were going here for, but the execution is so, so questionable.
February 18, 2024
Cw warning of SA/dubious consent.
I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews on this one. And I can see the points. I did read this when I was younger, but I don't ever remember thinking that their relationship was a good one. Ryoji is repeatedly described as a selfish person who doesn't care about others, and to the end of the book it STILL proves true. Our main character, Toru, is the one who has the courage to be true to himself and his feelings. He's learned honesty, and he's always been considerate. It's heartwarming on his end. We see slight growth with Ryoji that he actually thinks outside of himself a bit. It's not enough to lead the reader to believe that things will be smooth sailing for our mains. It's a bittersweet story about exploring your sexuality, the dangers of selfish people being cruel and self-centered, and crossing lines that would be unforgivable for adults with boundaries.
I love an angst ridden, psychological, sad love story with a sprinkle of hope. It's still a favorite for me years after reading it.
As an older adult, I do appreciate Tadashi as a character. I had second male lead syndrome even though he wasn't a male lead at all. He presented an observant, intuitive, considerate friend who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He definitely is tactless and too honest at points as a device to move the story along. But for the most part, I really liked his character as a contrast against the other men in our main character's life who were oblivious, uncaring, and manipulative.
I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews on this one. And I can see the points. I did read this when I was younger, but I don't ever remember thinking that their relationship was a good one. Ryoji is repeatedly described as a selfish person who doesn't care about others, and to the end of the book it STILL proves true. Our main character, Toru, is the one who has the courage to be true to himself and his feelings. He's learned honesty, and he's always been considerate. It's heartwarming on his end. We see slight growth with Ryoji that he actually thinks outside of himself a bit. It's not enough to lead the reader to believe that things will be smooth sailing for our mains. It's a bittersweet story about exploring your sexuality, the dangers of selfish people being cruel and self-centered, and crossing lines that would be unforgivable for adults with boundaries.
I love an angst ridden, psychological, sad love story with a sprinkle of hope. It's still a favorite for me years after reading it.
As an older adult, I do appreciate Tadashi as a character. I had second male lead syndrome even though he wasn't a male lead at all. He presented an observant, intuitive, considerate friend who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He definitely is tactless and too honest at points as a device to move the story along. But for the most part, I really liked his character as a contrast against the other men in our main character's life who were oblivious, uncaring, and manipulative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2015
A lovely and entertaining manga. The characters had depth and were compelling. The blend of humor with the otherwise melodrama narrative was balanced wonderfully. There were a couple of moments when the translation seemed to have missed something, something that was trying to still be conveyed in the images but got lost in the language. I fear this happens far more often than it should. There were also a couple of sequences were the artist left faces half drawn or not done at all and while this seems to be a convention of the genre, it annoys me. Thankfully this particular manga didn't plaster every other page with such laziness. There were some disappointments in the story, but as a whole I enjoyed it enormously.
February 23, 2015
3.5 stars
The random italics of the translation I read were REALLY IRRITATING.
Otherwise, I really liked the story and the drawing style. Point deduction for emotionally manipulative second main character. Though it sometimes created humour. And I guess there's no fault in portraying people like that, it's just that I don't personally enjoy reading these portrays too much.
The random italics of the translation I read were REALLY IRRITATING.
Otherwise, I really liked the story and the drawing style. Point deduction for emotionally manipulative second main character. Though it sometimes created humour. And I guess there's no fault in portraying people like that, it's just that I don't personally enjoy reading these portrays too much.
April 10, 2016
The love interest is an asshole only thinking of himself, even forcing himself on the protagonist and breaking his trust. But I don't know if it's part of his personality or part of puberty. He is kinda dumb and slow, but once he understands that he should devote him to only one person he is actually a nice person. The story is a bit gloomy but I like it, it screams puberty :D
May 5, 2013
I don't know how to feel about this one. I liked the plot but I didn't like the plot. It had its moments when the story was pretty great but the romance that went on I didn't understand sometimes. It seemed okay.
Read
June 12, 2008very nice
January 10, 2011
I thought it was very cute when I first read it about two years ago. To this day it is one of my favorites.
^_^,
^_^,
December 31, 2021
CN: rape/dubcon
November 23, 2016
yan karekterler hatrına 3 yıldız veriyorum yoksa senin hakkın 3 değildi
April 21, 2014
KERENNNNNN!!!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews