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Desire: Dangerous Feelings
Toru is a shy and quiet student who has developed a special crush on his close friend Ryoji, the most popular member of the high school swim team. In front of Ryoji, Toru hides his feelings and acts as if he is just one of Ryoji's good friends, but in an out-of-the-blue moment, his world will be turned upside down as Ryoji confesses a secret desire for Toru!
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 8, 2025
lowk peak but wtf was i reading
i wish he got with the club president instead 💔
i wish he got with the club president instead 💔
August 8, 2015
So I just learned yesterday night (because right now it's 12:41 am haha), that Desire (the manga) had a novel. I began to read it and I couldn't stop, before I knew it the story was over.
I seriously wish I could give this book a 5/5 because I just loved the manga and the characters but the novel kind of fell short in terms of pace. The novel's first part was exactly like the manga, which I had no complaints on. Afterwards we get a glimpse into Toru and Ryoji's love life after they confess and lastly, we get a side story where Ryoji wants to get Toru a birthday gift, only to realize he knows next to nothing about him.
**Part 2/3**
It's an interesting continuation to the story, especially since we see that Keigo isn't just being passive in his feelings. It sort of makes me angry, just thinking that he's waiting for a moment to strike and take Toru away but at the same time it makes me wonder, like what will you do now Ryoji?
To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement. Ryoji is rather childish and hot-headed (not something new but here it's just too much...) His character doesn't seem to change much and it almost feels like it's crumbling until finally I've given up by the end of the book. Also, the problem is resolved too quickly, with just a single command. And in that conversation (I don't know if I missed it perhaps?) when Toru tries to figure out what Ishihara's motives are, I get confused. Did he do it because of his god-like worship towards Keigo or was Ryoji's ex relevant in this? Why bring her up and then leave it without an explanation?
**Part 3/3** The thing that really killed it for me was the last section, when the story goes into Ryoji's POV. At first I thought it was interesting, I liked it, wanted to see more, know how Ryoji really felt. But then I realized he was a douche boyfriend? It took him a couple months (apparently) to figure out that he should get to know Toru on a more personal level and not just physical.
But who cares if he is a douche, what bothered me (the most)was the pace. Everything moved too quickly, even when he was explaining what was going on, his insecurities, I felt like I couldn't keep up. Perhaps it could have been expanded.
Overall, I feel like I should give each section a rating, so I will
1. Desire (like the manga) 5/5
2. Dangerously Bad (Ishihara Issue) 3/5
3. I Have Worries, Too (Ryoji's POV) 1.5/5
I seriously wish I could give this book a 5/5 because I just loved the manga and the characters but the novel kind of fell short in terms of pace. The novel's first part was exactly like the manga, which I had no complaints on. Afterwards we get a glimpse into Toru and Ryoji's love life after they confess and lastly, we get a side story where Ryoji wants to get Toru a birthday gift, only to realize he knows next to nothing about him.
**Part 2/3**
It's an interesting continuation to the story, especially since we see that Keigo isn't just being passive in his feelings. It sort of makes me angry, just thinking that he's waiting for a moment to strike and take Toru away but at the same time it makes me wonder, like what will you do now Ryoji?
To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement. Ryoji is rather childish and hot-headed (not something new but here it's just too much...) His character doesn't seem to change much and it almost feels like it's crumbling until finally I've given up by the end of the book. Also, the problem is resolved too quickly, with just a single command. And in that conversation (I don't know if I missed it perhaps?) when Toru tries to figure out what Ishihara's motives are, I get confused. Did he do it because of his god-like worship towards Keigo or was Ryoji's ex relevant in this? Why bring her up and then leave it without an explanation?
**Part 3/3** The thing that really killed it for me was the last section, when the story goes into Ryoji's POV. At first I thought it was interesting, I liked it, wanted to see more, know how Ryoji really felt. But then I realized he was a douche boyfriend? It took him a couple months (apparently) to figure out that he should get to know Toru on a more personal level and not just physical.
But who cares if he is a douche, what bothered me (the most)was the pace. Everything moved too quickly, even when he was explaining what was going on, his insecurities, I felt like I couldn't keep up. Perhaps it could have been expanded.
Overall, I feel like I should give each section a rating, so I will
1. Desire (like the manga) 5/5
2. Dangerously Bad (Ishihara Issue) 3/5
3. I Have Worries, Too (Ryoji's POV) 1.5/5
May 14, 2020
A bittersweet story about a high school boy coming to terms with his feelings for another boy when it is not "normal", his fear of the reaction of those closest to him, and the heartbreak of being so close to the person he loves, but not being able to confess his feelings. This is all made worse when his crush starts being curious about what it would be like with another male and instigates a friends-with-benefits situation, unwittingly playing with the main character's feelings and causing him a lot of heartache. Add in an observant best friend and another suitor and there is a lot of potential for hurt feelings and misunderstandings.
Surprisingly, this actually wasn't nearly as angsty as it could have been. The story almost exclusively follows the main character (except for a few key moments showing scenes he isn't aware of), and whilst his one-sided affection does cause a lot of misery on his end, as the reader, you sympathize without necessarily feeling bogged down by the negative feelings. I think because this story is shown from an objective viewpoint - one that portrays events without making you feel like you are living them. It was easy to see each person's fault and rationalization along the way, as well as the character growth.
I actually read this book many years ago, but recently picked it up again. It was a short read, start to finish (being only a single manga book), but it had a nice premise, progression, and close. The art is soft and only the four main characters are drawn distinctly. The rest of the characters kind of fade into the background where they belong. The art shows what it wants to show, without letting the details detract from the story. It actually made for a very soothing read.
It wasn't an original story. It wasn't the best drawn. It wasn't the most profound, or funny, or creative. It was almost literally the definition of "slice-of-life". That being said, I liked it when I first read it and I still enjoyed it now. It was a well put together, enjoyable experience and concluded well enough that it gives you a nice warm, contented feel when you read something just right. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it is definitely something I could see myself sitting down to read again, cup of tea in hand.
Surprisingly, this actually wasn't nearly as angsty as it could have been. The story almost exclusively follows the main character (except for a few key moments showing scenes he isn't aware of), and whilst his one-sided affection does cause a lot of misery on his end, as the reader, you sympathize without necessarily feeling bogged down by the negative feelings. I think because this story is shown from an objective viewpoint - one that portrays events without making you feel like you are living them. It was easy to see each person's fault and rationalization along the way, as well as the character growth.
I actually read this book many years ago, but recently picked it up again. It was a short read, start to finish (being only a single manga book), but it had a nice premise, progression, and close. The art is soft and only the four main characters are drawn distinctly. The rest of the characters kind of fade into the background where they belong. The art shows what it wants to show, without letting the details detract from the story. It actually made for a very soothing read.
It wasn't an original story. It wasn't the best drawn. It wasn't the most profound, or funny, or creative. It was almost literally the definition of "slice-of-life". That being said, I liked it when I first read it and I still enjoyed it now. It was a well put together, enjoyable experience and concluded well enough that it gives you a nice warm, contented feel when you read something just right. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it is definitely something I could see myself sitting down to read again, cup of tea in hand.
January 7, 2020
Una historia entretenida
April 30, 2023
It isn't a good thing when I feel like I can't say much about a book I literally read yesterday, and yet here I am. I feel like I have nothing to say that I haven't said about many other DMP June light novels.
I will now attempt to say something about Desire: Dangerous Feelings because I owe it to the $5 I spent to debrief and free my mind of what I've read.
Toru is in love with Ryoji, his high school best friend who he thinks is way cooler than him in every way possible. I don't know why Toru is in love with Ryoji and I really do not care. One day during their lunch period, Ryoji tells Toru that he gets horny when he thinks about his face or whatever. Toru gets upset because he feels like Ryoji is messing with him and Ryoji says to forget about it.
Except Ryoji didn't want Toru to forget about it. He gets mad that Toru says he forgot about it (he didn't but that is beside the point). He tells Toru that when he has sex with his girlfriend, he imagines Toru to get off and asks Toru to have sex with him so he can find out if it is better or worse than he thinks it would be. Toru, again, is upset by the prospect because he's in love with Ryoji and feels like he's being played with, but he ultimately agrees.
Ryoji wants to keep having sex with Toru and Toru begrudgingly goes with it because he is in love and doesn't know how to say no to Ryoji.
By this point in the book, I was absolutely tuned out. The dubious consent was already a big turn-off, but the focus on sex as a form of romantic expression was what really pissed me off about this book. Toru had a lot of emotional intelligence because he understood he was being used by Ryoji, but his feelings for Ryoji made him too forgiving.
Even after the two of them come to realize they are mutually into each other, the story really only focuses on the sexual side of their relationship. It isn't until the third story of the book that Ryoji even realizes he should learn more about his boyfriend which is absolutely insane to me.
The writing itself was clear and concise. It made the book a very fast and easy read, and I also appreciate that the translation was well-done. Regardless, I had no interest in any of the characters in this book outside of two supporting characters who were way better characters than Ryoji in every single way.
I will now attempt to say something about Desire: Dangerous Feelings because I owe it to the $5 I spent to debrief and free my mind of what I've read.
Toru is in love with Ryoji, his high school best friend who he thinks is way cooler than him in every way possible. I don't know why Toru is in love with Ryoji and I really do not care. One day during their lunch period, Ryoji tells Toru that he gets horny when he thinks about his face or whatever. Toru gets upset because he feels like Ryoji is messing with him and Ryoji says to forget about it.
Except Ryoji didn't want Toru to forget about it. He gets mad that Toru says he forgot about it (he didn't but that is beside the point). He tells Toru that when he has sex with his girlfriend, he imagines Toru to get off and asks Toru to have sex with him so he can find out if it is better or worse than he thinks it would be. Toru, again, is upset by the prospect because he's in love with Ryoji and feels like he's being played with, but he ultimately agrees.
Ryoji wants to keep having sex with Toru and Toru begrudgingly goes with it because he is in love and doesn't know how to say no to Ryoji.
By this point in the book, I was absolutely tuned out. The dubious consent was already a big turn-off, but the focus on sex as a form of romantic expression was what really pissed me off about this book. Toru had a lot of emotional intelligence because he understood he was being used by Ryoji, but his feelings for Ryoji made him too forgiving.
Even after the two of them come to realize they are mutually into each other, the story really only focuses on the sexual side of their relationship. It isn't until the third story of the book that Ryoji even realizes he should learn more about his boyfriend which is absolutely insane to me.
The writing itself was clear and concise. It made the book a very fast and easy read, and I also appreciate that the translation was well-done. Regardless, I had no interest in any of the characters in this book outside of two supporting characters who were way better characters than Ryoji in every single way.
August 20, 2017
The first half of this follows the manga faithfully - It has a few illustrations too though of course not nearly as many as the manga! Not much I can say really I love the manga and this is what you'd expect from a novel version of it - its a bit fast on pace but otherwise pretty good.
In the other half we get two bonus sequel stories. In the first misunderstandings abound - Tadashi warns Ryoji that he's physically too rough on Toru. If he cares about him he should back off a little - Rioji does and this leads Toru into thinking he is having an affair. Toru turns to Kashiwazaki for advice/support making Ryoji insanely jealous. There's a further complication because a lower classman admires Kashiwazaki and starts sending Toru death threats for making the president so unhappy.
In the last story Ryoji realises that he knows very little about Toru - their relationship being mostly physical. He wants to change things and make Toru happy but he's pretty clueless as to how. Its Toru's birthday coming up and he's determined to get the perfect present...
The last story here is really sweet. Its nice to see more of Ryoji's POV too.
Overall I enjoyed this one. Didn't have the same impact on me as the manga - this may simply be because it doesn't have the wonderful artwork which makes the manga stand out. Or it could be that I've read the manga so many times that this no longer held any surprises. Still its a great little BL romance and a nice extension of Ryoji and Toru's story.
As with most of the yaoi novel versions it is lightening paced, and over far too quickly.
In the other half we get two bonus sequel stories. In the first misunderstandings abound - Tadashi warns Ryoji that he's physically too rough on Toru. If he cares about him he should back off a little - Rioji does and this leads Toru into thinking he is having an affair. Toru turns to Kashiwazaki for advice/support making Ryoji insanely jealous. There's a further complication because a lower classman admires Kashiwazaki and starts sending Toru death threats for making the president so unhappy.
In the last story Ryoji realises that he knows very little about Toru - their relationship being mostly physical. He wants to change things and make Toru happy but he's pretty clueless as to how. Its Toru's birthday coming up and he's determined to get the perfect present...
The last story here is really sweet. Its nice to see more of Ryoji's POV too.
Overall I enjoyed this one. Didn't have the same impact on me as the manga - this may simply be because it doesn't have the wonderful artwork which makes the manga stand out. Or it could be that I've read the manga so many times that this no longer held any surprises. Still its a great little BL romance and a nice extension of Ryoji and Toru's story.
As with most of the yaoi novel versions it is lightening paced, and over far too quickly.
July 31, 2011
I read the manga a few years ago and really liked it. This is a novelized version of the manga. This is a story of best friend Ryoji and Toru. Ryouji one day tells Toru "I wonder Why, When I look at you, I get turned on". Toru doens't know how to react to this comment especially since Ryouji has girlfriends.
As time goes on Ryouji approaches Toru and wants to have sex with him to find out why he keeps thinking of him, and what it would be like.
Do these two end up having sex, if they do how does it progress from there. Do they stay friends, become sex friends or does it turn out to be something more.
You would have to read it to find out. This was an enjoyable book of self discovery for both of them.
As time goes on Ryouji approaches Toru and wants to have sex with him to find out why he keeps thinking of him, and what it would be like.
Do these two end up having sex, if they do how does it progress from there. Do they stay friends, become sex friends or does it turn out to be something more.
You would have to read it to find out. This was an enjoyable book of self discovery for both of them.
August 1, 2014
***Български***
Съжалявам, че давам 4 звезди на тази книга. Наистина беше добре написана. Лесно ми беше да се поставя на мястото на главните герои, особено на Тору (чиито характер намирам близък на моя). Бях доволна от развитието на Рьоджи. Щеше да ми хареса, ако връзката между Тору и Кашилазаки беше по-дългосрочна, но предполагам че и така беше добре.
***English***
I'm sorry that I'm giving this novel 4 stars. It was really well written. I could connect with the main characters especially Toru (whose character is kind of similar to mine). I was pleased with the growth of Ryoji's character. I would have liked it if the "relationship" between Toru and Kashiwazaki was longer but I guess it's all right like that too.
Съжалявам, че давам 4 звезди на тази книга. Наистина беше добре написана. Лесно ми беше да се поставя на мястото на главните герои, особено на Тору (чиито характер намирам близък на моя). Бях доволна от развитието на Рьоджи. Щеше да ми хареса, ако връзката между Тору и Кашилазаки беше по-дългосрочна, но предполагам че и така беше добре.
***English***
I'm sorry that I'm giving this novel 4 stars. It was really well written. I could connect with the main characters especially Toru (whose character is kind of similar to mine). I was pleased with the growth of Ryoji's character. I would have liked it if the "relationship" between Toru and Kashiwazaki was longer but I guess it's all right like that too.
June 2, 2009
Very cute. I found the characters personalities adorable. I wish it had been a bit longer or drawn out more since things went by so quickly.
April 27, 2010
Loved it! Don't have much to say only that I really liked this yaoi book would love to read the manga for it too!
Want to read
December 15, 2015Sweet :3
February 16, 2016
A cute m/m romance. I am glad the author really hit the not just the fun physical aspects of a relationship but delved in to the jealous and hiding and anger as spects as well.
March 22, 2020
❤️😍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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