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You Are My Happiness
Yokoi is your average college student with a slightly unusual job. After class he tends to a food stall in a hard to reach park. His food is hearty and cheap, but he doesn't have a liquor license. One night while working his booth, an unusual customer walks in. Sakuma has a tail and wings and is extremely thirsty. Yokoi offers a meal, but that isn't enough to satiate Sakuma. So when Sakuma offers Yokoi a treat, the college student's life starts to long for something different also...
182 pages, Tankobon Hardcover
Published November 2, 2021
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 3, 2025
i was curious about the low rating and like everyone else, i’m so confused 😀. i’m not sure if either of the characters are actually happy..
March 18, 2022
Definitely not for everyone, mind content warnings. Worth a read if you enjoy darker themes!
The visuals are gorgeous and I love the building up of sinister vibes.
This would have been a 5 star for me if the ending were a little stronger, I would have loved to see an extra chapter or two to give the story more time to breathe.
The visuals are gorgeous and I love the building up of sinister vibes.
This would have been a 5 star for me if the ending were a little stronger, I would have loved to see an extra chapter or two to give the story more time to breathe.
July 22, 2024
what the actual fck did I just read ………??
November 16, 2021
Does Kuma just publish weird titles? I don't think I've read anything "regular" from them. They've all been a little off lol.
This was interesting. I wasn't expecting it to take the turn it did and I wasn't the biggest fan of how quickly everything got resolved. I liked it for the most part, but I wish that it would've gone more into Yokoi's guilt and insanity and also into why Sakuma was there in the first place. What was his purpose? This just missed the mark for me.
This was interesting. I wasn't expecting it to take the turn it did and I wasn't the biggest fan of how quickly everything got resolved. I liked it for the most part, but I wish that it would've gone more into Yokoi's guilt and insanity and also into why Sakuma was there in the first place. What was his purpose? This just missed the mark for me.
November 23, 2021
I didn't get the plot at all.
1/2 way through I just was over the story - there was no happiness involved and just a lot of random plot points stuck together.
1/2 way through I just was over the story - there was no happiness involved and just a lot of random plot points stuck together.
April 1, 2022
I’m confused?
September 11, 2024
This was so weird. I don’t know if I really followed what happened apart from all the sexual encounters.
It felt like a big chunk of story was missing especially in the later part towards the end.
- the second short short story was also very disjointed.
It felt like a big chunk of story was missing especially in the later part towards the end.
- the second short short story was also very disjointed.
November 7, 2021
1.5* ...and the .5 boost goes to the bonus story about the kappa which was at least kinda cute*. If I'd paid attention to the author rather than the story blurb, I'd have skipped this, so I guess that's my fault. (Melting Lover is among the worst kind of BL this side of 2005 and I seriously hated every minute of it.) But seriously, this was an abandoned horror comic retooled as BL? Just... no, thanks.
At this point I'm calling done with KUMA -- at least if/when/unless they actually continue putting out Canis, which as a series, and one with no actual BL in the first volume, at least has promise. The tripe they have picked for the US market .... it's 15 years too late to ask me to pay a premium for this kind of production value but not actually offer decent content.
*kinda cute, except for the MC oh-so-casually telling himself not to rape the drunk/passed out hottie. Come on, Japan.
At this point I'm calling done with KUMA -- at least if/when/unless they actually continue putting out Canis, which as a series, and one with no actual BL in the first volume, at least has promise. The tripe they have picked for the US market .... it's 15 years too late to ask me to pay a premium for this kind of production value but not actually offer decent content.
*kinda cute, except for the MC oh-so-casually telling himself not to rape the drunk/passed out hottie. Come on, Japan.
November 11, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up for its ingenuity.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this manga. It was disturbing, confusing, and compelling all at once. There is a pervasive sense of the surreal throughout the book that kept me entranced. This will definitely not be for everyone. There's very little that is romantic or sexy, but if you're open to something different, more akin to psychological horror, it's worth checking out.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this manga. It was disturbing, confusing, and compelling all at once. There is a pervasive sense of the surreal throughout the book that kept me entranced. This will definitely not be for everyone. There's very little that is romantic or sexy, but if you're open to something different, more akin to psychological horror, it's worth checking out.
November 4, 2021
eeeeeeeeeh. this got so much darker than I was expecting. I absolutely love the art style and the book itself is gorgeous, just fantastic quality cover/paper and even has a dust jacket...but the story made me super uncomfy. one guy literally tries to strangle/kill the other, and sticks a doll up his ass. yikes. no thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2021
This story is a little different to the typical BL stories given the fact that the author started developing it as a horror story and then decided to make it a BL story. Some topics can be weird at times and a second read-through is good to clear any questions that could exist while reading. Overall is a good story taking the weird scenarios is a regular BL story.
January 17, 2022
The art is gorgeous and bumps my review up a star for that alone, but beyond that there isn’t much worth reading here. It’s not well developed and doesn’t really make much sense, leaving a general sense of dissatisfaction after you finish it.
December 26, 2021
2.5 stars
That was an actual waste of money
That was an actual waste of money
October 16, 2023
not as weird as everyone tries to act like it is i was expecting gore and other horrors based on how everyone in other reviews talked about it
y'all would not survive the gothic winters
y'all would not survive the gothic winters
December 23, 2021
Imagine if David Lynch did boys’ love manga.
I’ll let that thought sink in for a bit.
Everything feels hazy and dreamlike. Statements seem simultaneously vague and meaningful, like something half-remembered through the fog of memory. Two people speak, but the dialogue seems disjointed, like they’re both having a different conversations together. The world is lush, shadowy and unsettling.
That’s the experience of reading You Are My Happiness, another art-porn entry into the Kuma oeuvre from the same mangaka who dreamed up Melting Lover. The main story follows people-pleaser college student Tamaki and manic demon nightmare boy Sakuma. Tamaki’s devoted his life to do anything for anyone, including letting co-workers take advantage of his generosity, or women take advantage of his body. He does it all out of a sense of empty duty to the world, not because it fills the void inside him. Sakuma shows up at Tamaki’s job, a remote food stall deep in a park, and seduces him away. As Tamaki begins to indulge in his dark, psychosexual urges his tightly controlled life starts to come apart. A second shorter story, “The River’s Water Tastes Sweet”, is about former gay porn director turned film crew caterer Mitsuru as he connects with actor Fujisawa… who may be more than he seems!
Check out the entire review on my boys' love blog: https://michaellyonswrites.wordpress....
I’ll let that thought sink in for a bit.
Everything feels hazy and dreamlike. Statements seem simultaneously vague and meaningful, like something half-remembered through the fog of memory. Two people speak, but the dialogue seems disjointed, like they’re both having a different conversations together. The world is lush, shadowy and unsettling.
That’s the experience of reading You Are My Happiness, another art-porn entry into the Kuma oeuvre from the same mangaka who dreamed up Melting Lover. The main story follows people-pleaser college student Tamaki and manic demon nightmare boy Sakuma. Tamaki’s devoted his life to do anything for anyone, including letting co-workers take advantage of his generosity, or women take advantage of his body. He does it all out of a sense of empty duty to the world, not because it fills the void inside him. Sakuma shows up at Tamaki’s job, a remote food stall deep in a park, and seduces him away. As Tamaki begins to indulge in his dark, psychosexual urges his tightly controlled life starts to come apart. A second shorter story, “The River’s Water Tastes Sweet”, is about former gay porn director turned film crew caterer Mitsuru as he connects with actor Fujisawa… who may be more than he seems!
Check out the entire review on my boys' love blog: https://michaellyonswrites.wordpress....
July 19, 2025
I stumbled on the author’s other work “Melting Lover” and decided to give this one a try first.
Hmmm…this one was interesting but I feel like a lot was missing from the story. I don’t mind toxic relationships or ambiguousness but there was too much ambiguity. It was just sex and vibes. There was the basis for an interesting story about Takami’s past, was Sacchan really a demon or was it in Takami’s head. People pleasing and self destruction/self sabotage, obsession, lots to work with but none of it came together. Takami tried to kill Sacchan and they acted like nothing happened. Uhh??
The second story was the same way. Interesting bones about a Kappa and his human lover. They had a past but do they have a future. Sigh…just sex and vibes. I like sex, I like vibes but I want a good story. Either one of those stories should’ve been developed a bit more and they could’ve been really good.
The artwork was really good. Definitely needed a clearer focus on the actual storytelling. Oh well at least I read a library copy.
Hmmm…this one was interesting but I feel like a lot was missing from the story. I don’t mind toxic relationships or ambiguousness but there was too much ambiguity. It was just sex and vibes. There was the basis for an interesting story about Takami’s past, was Sacchan really a demon or was it in Takami’s head. People pleasing and self destruction/self sabotage, obsession, lots to work with but none of it came together. Takami tried to kill Sacchan and they acted like nothing happened. Uhh??
The second story was the same way. Interesting bones about a Kappa and his human lover. They had a past but do they have a future. Sigh…just sex and vibes. I like sex, I like vibes but I want a good story. Either one of those stories should’ve been developed a bit more and they could’ve been really good.
The artwork was really good. Definitely needed a clearer focus on the actual storytelling. Oh well at least I read a library copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2022
Um, what was the point of this book because nothing that transpired was happy or intriguing?!?!
Also, I was expecting some kind of build-up to the connection between the two characters, heck even a semblance of a spark between them. But nothing sparked. No fireworks when they got together. Just an um, okay, that was fast.
I fail to comprehend what was "unusual" about Yokoi's job -maybe for his community or culture? I'm lost on that one.
Now, the "unusual customer" that was spot on, but I don't understand his purpose or reason. Also, yes Sakuma was real thirsty.
Also, I was expecting some kind of build-up to the connection between the two characters, heck even a semblance of a spark between them. But nothing sparked. No fireworks when they got together. Just an um, okay, that was fast.
I fail to comprehend what was "unusual" about Yokoi's job -maybe for his community or culture? I'm lost on that one.
Now, the "unusual customer" that was spot on, but I don't understand his purpose or reason. Also, yes Sakuma was real thirsty.
November 14, 2023
The paranormal aspects of this story is a bit confusing, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the overall story. However, sometimes the ambiguous nature of alluding to a paranormal world without actually expressing it outright in a concrete way is a huge turn off.... Why did he have wings then no wings? What's with the weird doll? The side story made me question stuff to, but the side story explained stuff better than the main story....
Anyway, it was a quick read and kept me entertained for the most part. So, a wins a win.
Anyway, it was a quick read and kept me entertained for the most part. So, a wins a win.
November 3, 2022
CW: Dubious consent, Death, Bondage
This was a decent manga. I really like the artwork and I appreciate the creator's style and imagination. I found the story to be a bit messy and confusing at times, and by the end I still had more questions than answers. I'm just very hot and cold with this creator. I liked this one as much as the other work I've read by Yamada sensei. I may have to give it a re-read to see if I'd enjoy it more. Thanks to my friend, Michael, for sending me this comic!
This was a decent manga. I really like the artwork and I appreciate the creator's style and imagination. I found the story to be a bit messy and confusing at times, and by the end I still had more questions than answers. I'm just very hot and cold with this creator. I liked this one as much as the other work I've read by Yamada sensei. I may have to give it a re-read to see if I'd enjoy it more. Thanks to my friend, Michael, for sending me this comic!
October 30, 2023
Per usual KUMA pulls out beautiful art to a very strange two sets of story. I can’t lie there was a point that I was literally lost, like what? Why is the dude going crazy and how does he go back to normal so fast. It doesn’t feel like that’s sense. This has way more sexual activity and than in the Pet Detective Agency. But the plot really moves along the book
May 8, 2024
The art is so pretty but … what? Can someone please explain to me what shoving the doll up the demons ass means. LOL ✋🏼😭
I mean I think I get its representation but I digress..This coulda been good if it stayed horror and ended horror. overall I got lost along the way, the ending was abrupt and ooc for characters that didn’t even get developed… big bummer.
I mean I think I get its representation but I digress..This coulda been good if it stayed horror and ended horror. overall I got lost along the way, the ending was abrupt and ooc for characters that didn’t even get developed… big bummer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2021
Interesting Concept
This is an interesting concept and it’s psychological. First imagery is very important as well to the main characters personality. Also, it does foreshadow what’s going to happen. Yet I recommend reading it again to understand it better and see if you can find clues that the author sprinkled.
But what I dislike about it is the ending seemed rush. I wish they also put the backstory of the demon guy, but atlas we get nothing. In short, don’t expect a fluffy story.
P.S. The title is misleading.
This is an interesting concept and it’s psychological. First imagery is very important as well to the main characters personality. Also, it does foreshadow what’s going to happen. Yet I recommend reading it again to understand it better and see if you can find clues that the author sprinkled.
But what I dislike about it is the ending seemed rush. I wish they also put the backstory of the demon guy, but atlas we get nothing. In short, don’t expect a fluffy story.
P.S. The title is misleading.
August 29, 2022
Uuuugh I wanted to like this story so much!! The first few chapters have an untone of creeping dread that falls completely flat by the ending. I love a good horror story, throw in some BL and I'm sold but there were too many unanswered questions and no resolution.
November 3, 2022
Definitely buy this book if you’re a collector. The art is great and the book itself is very high quality compared to your regular manga! The plot is very confusing though, I don’t really get what happened exactly. You’re left guessing.
January 14, 2022
This was a really confusing messed up story. Waste of time.
February 4, 2022
My first thought when I finished this is 'wtf did I just read'. It left me a little confused, but it has a beautiful style and the atmosphere of Japanese horror stories. Overall, I liked it.
June 11, 2022
This manga was so confusing. Really hard to follow the story. Also kinda boring. Sexy scenes were great though.
October 24, 2022
I have so many questions.
November 26, 2022
It got too weird for me to follow along.
February 12, 2023
Someone mentioned in another review about Kuma only publishing weird stuff. Well I think it’s true but I don’t mind. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. It was ok. I like the art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews