Black and White: Tough Love at the Office, Vol. 1

Black and White: Tough Love at the Office Manga #1

by Sal Jiang

Sparks (and fists) fly in this violent yuri love story.

Shirakawa Junko is headed for the top of the corporate ladder in the Overseas Investor Department at the bank where she works–until Kuroda Kayo transfers over from Corporate Sales. Kayo is another all-star employee, and she has a foreign university degree to boot. When Kayo and Junko are assigned to work together, their heated rivalry reaches critical mass. Whether they’re banging each other’s heads or simply banging each other, these two office rivals are ready to go at it!

Genres: Manga, Yuri, LGBT, Comics, Queer, Romance, Lesbian

180 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2021

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Junko is a rising star at her office, but her rise may get cut short when Kayo arrives and proves to be every bit her equal. Emphasis on the bit(e). Yes, it’s one thing to climb the corporate ladder, but another to try and push somebody off it. And while they might not be striking a blow for women’s rights, they need to watch out for one another’s lefts as well!

Work lesbians punch themselves horny. That’s the premise of this kind of insane book that knows exactly what it wants and wastes little time in getting there, deciding that, rather than fighting the idea that women are pitted against one another in the corporate workplace, it will take that idea incredibly literally.

It’s definitely a different form of yuri, a page from the whole ‘I hate you so much I want sex now please’ textbook rather than a lot of what we get. And, hey, it’s not at all bad if you like this sort of thing. We rarely get solid adult-focused yuri, so even something this outrageous is welcome.

Now, I wouldn’t call this nuanced. One of them is the white queen (Junko) and looks all prim and proper, while the other (Kayo, by process of elimination) wears form fitting outfits and oozes sex appeal (the art does do a fantastic job of portraying a sexy adult female with her design, I have to say).

Which might be interesting if it wasn’t a whole lot of nothing except some basic colour coding. Junko’s as happy as Kayo to climb into the muck and roll around to get what she wants and she throws the smack down as often as not. The comparison doesn’t really amount to anything if they both want to pummel one another.

The sheer volume of bonkers brinksmanship (womanship?) is hilariously over-the-top and they both get the better of one another constantly (and common enemies, naturally). If you love this sort of office politicking you’ll be well served by the madness here and I do like that neither of them is the big loser constantly. It’s pretty telling that when they work together they achieve great things, in fact.

Now, you also have to accept combat as foreplay and this story is much more interested in the wallopings these two frequently visit upon one another instead of the actual sex part. These are pretty visceral and graphic, so if you’re just thinking of seeing a slap or two, be forewarned this might not be your cup of tea.

Look, this is silly trash. I wouldn’t put it anywhere near some of my own yuri favourites, but I sure as heck read Citrus and I will sure as heck keep reading this. I don’t think it’s doing amazing things, but it’s a very unique take on the office romance if nothing else and it’s a pretty outrageous portrayal of a brutally dysfunctional (and brutal) relationship.

3.5 stars - I mean, I can’t give this four stars, the plotting is too nebulous and the premise too crazy, but I had fun with it and I won’t need to be dragged kicking and screaming to another volume of kicking and screaming.

[Debo]

dnf @ 45%
I think I'm calling it quits, so sorry babes! There is not enough hate-fucking to read this for the lust, there is no intriguing office plot to make the story worthwhile, so far it's just non-connected financial babble in meetings and presentations and there is not a single character, side or main, that is thoroughly fleshed out or interesting to me. I really thought this would be a funny, horny romp, but I am not getting the trashy enjoyment out of it that I anticipated and I feel myself dragging my feet when I go to pick it up and that's just not the vibe

CNs for physical violence within and outside of sexual encounters, workplace intrigue

[Mileena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black and White Vol 1
4/5 stars

Holy shit this was horny. I honestly don’t have much to say cause the plot kind of looped and repeated. New issue arises, they step on each others toes, fuck-fight. It was super fun and easy to fly through. I anticipate this series getting pretty angsty which I’m excited to see. It was hella hot and aggressive and the art style was so pleasing to look at. Glad I finally got around to it and definitely plan on continuing.

[Taelyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not as good as I expected, though still a fun read. I wanted it to be a little more real but it's extremely dramatic and over the top in their rivalry.

[Mien · Rating 4 out of 5]

…these bitches gay as hell 😳

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A toxic office romance about two women that take their 9-5 jobs WAY too seriously. Jealousy, scheming, and chaos ensues. Sadly it ends very abruptly on a cliff-hanger… I wish it would’ve went on for longer.

[Alexis Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black and White: Tough Love at the Office is a wonderfully drawn manga, the tension between these two very fake women as they show their real sides to only each other is fantastic. There is a lot of chemistry in their heated just off screen violent sex scenes. They are the stars of the book but the story does focus on the stakes of their jobs or potential promotions or whatever else and I just can't get invested in that. Regardless, I Would read Volume 2 just for them but I would hope that we would zoom in even more on them, get to know them internally better to understand them. I am detached from office culture and for sure not attached to Japanese corporate culture, like the dorms sounds dystopian to me in a way that I doubt the reality of this fiction, even though it's probably a perfectly normal thing. Regardless, I enjoyed my read of the book and I think there is a particular flavor of sapphics that will have this be their favorite series.

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Initially, this premise has merit. Who doesn’t like to watch two catty girls going off on each other, getting those perfect ‘so there’ moments? And having that devolve into a hot and heavy session, I’m all here for it and would 100% love to see it. Unfortunately this manga is not it. Beginning with a beautifully drawn hot page spread between the women, we’re told exactly where this is going, nothing about the marketing of this manga is subtle, including the “Yuri slugfest at the office” tag line on the back and the two ladies about to throw the deciding punch on the front cover. We meet the two characters and off we go, already rushing through office life toward their first explosive encounter encounter - so what’s the problem?

Read the full review at Well, Are They? A Queer Review Blog:
https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2023...

[jo ✰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was supposed to be sexy! WHERE'S THE SEXY?

the main characters' relationship gradually takes a turn from the sexy mean-spirited flirting that the first part tricks you into believing you're reading, into a serious and abusive storyline.

the creator should've stuck to the smut instead of attempting the overdone "false angel" character trope. they wind up as caricatures of their former selves in order to pursue this narrative, and the reader doesn't develop a meaningful relationship with the main pair for the story to even be pulled off.

this was supposed to be detached from reality—i went in thinking; FINALLY. a non-fluffy lesbian manga about *adult* businesswomen who have mean sex. they don't even have sex again after the first chapter!!!!! the moment they nearly do, it's unconsensual. what a massive disappointment.

[§ïå ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was messy...but I liked it? First of all I love the art style, and I love a good rivalry with a hint of attraction. The whole "I hate you so much but I can't stay away from you" thing? Yeah, I eat that up. This manga steps that up all the way to 100 though, these women are literally going into battle with each other every time they're in the same room alone. Biting, scratching, hair pulling, everything. I found this to be a physical representation of their workplace rivalry and an extended metaphor for the whole "there's a fine line between love and hate" and "opposites attract". It's weird, but I'm open to reading more.

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

The office intrigue in this book is so paper-thin, so unspecific that it may as well not exist. And without that backdrop of skullduggery to build up the tension, the scenes of violent sensuality fail to hit with any real intensity.

Nothing here's especially bad, and the character art is mostly good (though the composition is rarely exciting) but without any narrative excitement, this one just falls flat.

[Minnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️ Girls love manga
✔️ Coworker-Enemies to rivals to hatefucking
✔️ They beat each other up and then have rough angry sex ok i love it
✔️ They despise each other and still need to work together I'm so here for it

Why is the rating so low this is everything i ever wanted in a yuri manga🫶😭 don't give me the kawaii cute shit, i want an angry lesbian to destroy me

[Marureviere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black & White: Tough Love at the Office by Sal Jiang is a wild ride of toxic yuri goodness. It’s about Junko and Kayo, two high-powered bank employees who can’t decide if they want to kill each other or make out. The mix of workplace drama, heated rivalry, and messy, hate-fueled passion makes it a chaotic but fun, at least for me. If you’re into messy, toxic romance, this one might hit the spot.

[Kristilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I like my GL to be a little more spicy and this definitely delivered! It's not really graphic in the sex scene's but the hateful lust these two feel for each other is devine! (The cover photo really says it all)

[Sucre · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly wanted a bit more fighting in this fighting-to-fucking yuri! i like that their jobs have actual impact on the story but it could use a little bit more of the ridiculous-but-well-drawn fight scenes throughout

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is how i like my yuri... over-the-top and crazy violent. wish they dived in more in the fury of things and was honestly nicely surprised how the workplace element rly took a focus, so i take what i get.

[Sephreadstoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storia tossica in un ambiente tossico. Il mondo del lavoro in Giappone e' duro, tanto piu' per una donna che vuole fare carriera e non vuole mollare tutto appena si sposa.
Da questo lato e' ben strutturato perche' non e' una storia che fa amare le protagoniste ed e' giusto cosi'.

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since nobody else seemed to like it, I want to point out that I was very invested in the office affairs & schemes. Throughout the series, Junko & Kayo prove that they're both manipulative geniuses, and I kinda liked the intrigue of it all.

[Ani Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living happily is the best "revenge". This story was a wild ride filled with manipulation, sexual violence, and a crab-mentality x climbin the social ladder at a toxic workplace. Junko "won" but at what cost ...

[Zayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually like this kind of ending where the two acknowledge their relationship, what it was, and then they agree they're better off moving away and living their own lives without each other. I kind of wish they had gotten together, but I also kind of like this ending here.

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as both women are abusive towards one another as colleagues, the story literally is sizzling and interesting!

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god they are so dysfunctional and I love it

[Blue Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

they’re so messy i love it

[M ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the concept but didn’t find the actual office work interesting.

[luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

sapphic hate fucking at the office and dysfunctional and toxic dynamics?

oh this is good

[Shannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very stupid concept will read if another volume comes out x'D

[Venus of the Snakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot.

[Alice bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me go insane and feral(in good way)

[poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just incredible. I feel so seen. It's like someone knows exactly what my tastes are.

[LaVonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank god still gay. Love the art, the fact that it’s drawn like some mission impossible action, and the characters.