The Two Lions

by Nagisa Furuya

Not long after he starts university, friendly, big-hearted Junpei runs into the very unfriendly Leo. As they speak, Junpei learns that they went to the same high school and that Leo was the "Demon Lion" feared back then as a secret gang leader. After those days spent as a lonely, misunderstood high schooler, Leo escaped to a faraway college to make new friends. Junpei becomes his first and vows to help Leo make more, but are his feelings for Leo stronger than friendship?

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Boys Love, Yaoi

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2019

About the author

Nagisa FURUYA (古矢渚, Furuya Nagisa) is a Japanese mangaka.

See 渚 for her doujinshi works under circle PLUG.

Reviews

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have said this before and I will say it again Nagisa Furuya writes one of the best yaoi mangas ever.

Her books are pure joy and beautiful.

-the book explores the theme of moving on from past experiences and giving chance to new life which lay ahead of you.
- what's interesting is that fact that the book is written from other person POV so we get an outside look like through eyes of someone else.
- the art us spectacular as expected from Furuya.
- the fact that major emphasis of the story was on building the grounds of friendship first between our introvert and extrovert MCs is something I cherished the most.

Overall a fun, heartwarming and beautiful manga. Highly recommended to someone who want to read something light yet full of emotions!

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update : 26.05.2023

Two years later, I still like this book. It’s a simple yet heartfelt story and reminded me of Our Dinner Table although it does not reach that level of wholesomeness. It’s a story without any judgement and just two people slowly falling in love. The best kind of romance in my eyes. I just wish this author wrote longer stories for us readers to fall in love too. Just when the story gets good, she ends them.

End of Update

What a simple but cute story. The whole thing had a really sweet vibe to it. If you're looking for a realistic wholesome story that you needn't to wait for years for an update, this is the one for you. The art style is simple yet beautiful making the experience of reading this much more worthwhile. The story itself will leave you with little pangs in your heart that will really feel good. Sit back and enjoy the short but cute ride.

[james · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading manga is way more exhausting than reading a full length novel...

i didn't really care for this at all... it was fine. i guess they are kinda cute. the "dark past" subplot felt kinda unnecessary though.

also there's something about yaoi manga i don't really vibe with idk


read as part of 202-Queer 🌈✨

april reading: 23/26

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo was babysitting a cat named acoustic oh my god 😭 this manga was pure wholesomeness and joy.

Junpei coming out to himself so nonchalantly was everything and also so funny: ’Turns out I like boys. I had no idea. Never know what’s gonna happen in life.’ That’s my unbothered king!

This wasn’t anything unique or never seen before, but with romance manga, I tend to really enjoy the more mundane. Simple school romances and yearning between friends always gets me. Both leads were really sweet in this case, making the story altogether really enjoyable!

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely discovery! Nagisa Furuya is an entirely new mangaka to me and Les deux lions is a sweet and tender story of friendship - and perhaps more - between two former schoolmates who finally get to know each other once at university.

The story is made up of small events and details, chats during lunch and friends hanging out in idle moments. On these events, Furuya builds up the characters of Leo and Junpei, with their different personalities and idiosyncrasies.

Story and art are both beautiful and subtle. Recommended!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love it when an author gets it right about how certain things influence our behaviors, and Leo's tendency to assume that he's the problem in every social situation based on how he was treated in high school is spot-on. That this is also a super-sweet love story just makes it even better.

[Peppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels so nice to read a BL where a little kiss makes my feet kick after reading multiple BLs with smut 🥹

[Clau · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Es lo más tierno que he leído este año! 🥰

Me declaro totalmente enamorada de Leo y Junpei. En especial de Leo.
La historia es tan bella que aun después de haberla terminado sigo sonriendo.

La verdad es que no tenía idea de que me iba a encontrar cuando comencé la lectura, pero este manga es perfecto; es lindo, tierno y divertido. Junpei y Leo son super tiernos, lo juro.
La historia, aunque es sencilla, me ha encantado porque relata como ambos chicos inician una amistad y posteriormente como se va transformando en algo más. Además, tiene ese toque del chico extrovertido con el chico reservado y malo al que todos le tienen miedo.

PD: Necesito con urgencia que esta historia tenga más capítulos.

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like expected more romance and swoony moments in this than the reality lmao. It's a good story though! The flow was good and easy to follow. The characters charming and you instantly love them. The grumpy x sunshine trope, the loner x the outgoing one, The friends to "oops I fell in love with him" to lovers??? Iconic. But I still wanted a lil bit mooooore.

It deserves a sequel where they show you their time together after the confession/decision to go out *eye emoji*

[Brigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so nice and just totally my kind of BL story (pacing and romance-wise).

Junpei starts his first year of uni and he notices a student on campus who seems very familiar. A while later, he sees the student's library card and realises they went to the same school. Not just that, but the guy was the rumoured "yakuza" boss of the school. Despite this, Junpei befriends Leo who's very much an introvert and has a hard time making friends. He even introduces some of his friends to Leo, and is happy to see him branch out. But then Junpei realises he might be feeling something else besides friendship.

It is a sweet story, I really love reading about characters becoming friends and how their relationship progresses. The panels with Junpei and Acoustic the cat were adorable!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Super cute!

[L Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars, rounded up

For a BL with a 13+ age recommendation I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did not dislike this story. Most oneshots geared toward a younger audience leave me either bored or wanting more.

This story wasn't anything groundbreaking and I've seen slightly altered versions of this story on more than one occasion but this variation was entertaining enough to hold my interest till the end. Onizuka's physical appearance reminded me so much of Takato from Dakaichi (Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu) that I just went ahead and imagined him to be his younger brother...and that helped too.

Junpei was such a sweetheart. The way he immediately reached out to Onizuka, knowing his reputation without knowing the story behind it, shows just how incredibly kind he was. Onizuka had been misunderstood throughout high school and all he wanted was friends. He was lucky that he and Junpei ended up at the same college.

There wasn't really any romance depicted in this story. Its mainly about a boy discovering that he has feelings for another boy. In terms of intimacy, there was just one kiss and it took place in the bonus story after the main story was completed. Ultimately, this story is pretty forgettable with nothing really standing out about it, but in the moment it isn't too bad. Younger audiences will appreciate it a lot more. 💛

[Keiko the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

You did it again, Nagisaaaa! I love you! The magic is still there! Man, I was sobbing way too hard when Oji-san met Onizuka once again and expressed his gratitude. I love that scene so so much. It was worth it. I love that kind of feeling.

I'm just really happy that Leo finally found someone who will treasure him. Gosh, I'm literally crying. Waaay too good for me.

Anyway, I love this manga so so so so much! I hope there's a volume 2 on the way because I'm thirsty for mooore of Junpei and Leo.

And heeeeey, Junpei's gay panics are freaking hilarious!

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! It was so good. A simple and short manga but it still managed to surprise me. I expected it to be cute, sweet and funny. And it was, all of those. At the same time, this manga was quite emotional. I loved the characters and how fleshed out they felt. The romance was swoony. The art style was really good. The social anxiety rep was wonderful. I finished it in a single sitting. Someone said Nagisa Furuya writes the best bl manga. I, now, totally understand what they meant by that. I second their statement, it was amazing.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Adorable and so pure, just wish there was a bit more to the ending.

[ariana esnifa libros · Rating 3 out of 5]

dale hermana como me vas a censurar UN PIQUITO

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dibujo 5⭐
Personajes 4⭐
Argumento 3⭐
Coherencia 4⭐
Originalidad 4⭐
Disfrute 4⭐

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable relatively low-angst sort of story. Very G rated.

I picked this up because I liked My Summer Of You: Vol. 1: The Summer Of You by the same mangaka.

This is very cute. It has a kind of condensed feel, like it runs though a number of tropes without wallowing in any of them. I liked the couple a lot. I'm not sure if anyone will consider this a spoiler or not, but it's basically one of those

A: OMG, I wanna kiss him so bad! Huh, I guess I'm gay, who knew.
A: Oh, gawd! I'm so sorry for being gay and loving you! Oh you must hate me!
B: Nah, it's cool. You wanna kiss now?
A: GASP! OMG! I couldn't possibly! (dies of embarrassment)


There's a cat. If you're into that.

[reese ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lighthearted undiscovered gem from Nagisa Furuya. Reading this feels rewarding after a long day of work.

[Green Yuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cómo es posible que sea tan cortito 🥺.
Me quedé con ganas de más, sin duda los dos me gustaron mucho. Amo a Leo y a Jumpei.

[Shu Wei Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh why isn't this a series! They make a beautiful couple 💖

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: 4.5 stars

Okkkk, I just love this one. It’s nothing special and more like a slice of life of two university students who met in university even though they kinda indirectly know each other from going to the same school.

Junpei with his out and friendly personality making friends with the very unapproachable Leo. Their friendship is so fun to see where Junpei taught Leo the meaning of how friendship works but how he unexpectedly falls for Leo. Just when it is getting good, the story ends but I do love that it shows the beginning of their relationship.

Overall, I adore this one and it helps that the artwork is just lovely!

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute manga that tended to be subtle instead of saccharine. We focus on a popular very friendly guy who eventually becomes friends with a rumoured "demon king" from his highschool. The demon king in question however, is just a defamed strongly trained guy who does not like seeing injustice looking to turn things around in university.

I loved how there were so many small moments (like eating meals, opening up and being awkward) that built towards developing feelings. The supportive friends, actual communication (no drawn out angst, just good old fashioned coming-to-the-point - YAY!) and great plot cohesion were plus points.

It was wow seeing everything come full circle the fighting, Junipi's ears, the homeless man - nothing was left untied. I just wish there was more fluff after they started dating. Like a short epilogue isn't enough but I guess the manga was more inclined towards friendship/companionship and atmosphere.

[Juan Arcones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los yaoi siempre son mi debilidad aunque el problema es que siempre están cortados por el mismo patrón y es lo que le pasa a este. El dibujo es bonito pero sin nada especial, aunque Oni es monísimo y me encanta. Quiza le falta algo de fuerza, un giro sorprendente o un algo más

Aún así, se lee rápido, se disfruta y es una historia de autodescubrimiento muy bonita. Se agradece que estén en la universidad en vez del instituto como otros yaois

[Kartik · Rating 2 out of 5]

The romance went by way too quickly and the characters had absolutely no chemistry with each other. That would’ve made this manga mostly average but the ridiculous and over the top ending pushed it from ‘meh’ to ‘wtf’ territory.

[Sol · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Do I like him? Yeah, of course. I like him, but… … no. This… This is the kind of ‘like’ that makes your heart jump into your throat.”

Right off the bat, I just want to say: what business does this book have being as thick as it is!? Barely anything at all happens in this book. Why didn’t the editor encourage the mangaka to cut down like 10-20% of it? It meanders at such a slow and relaxed pace and yet I can hardly think of any actual plot action of note that happens in this book.
Two college students meet and a few feelings blossom. That’s pretty much it. I simply do not think that this book earned the length that it ended up with.

Conversely though, I will say that the quiet, pensive atmosphere is something that I enjoyed about this book – I just wish more interesting things had happened during those pensive times, and that the character & relationship development that happened during this book had been a bit more challenging and dove a little deeper. What do these characters feel about having feelings for a man for the first time? Is there any concern that this will disrupt their friend group, college life, or work life? What if confessing would have ended up ruining their own friendship? Why isn't there any fear that Onizuka's past will catch up with him here and threaten the people that he holds dear? Everything just falls into place so easily that I never felt a sense of stress or urgency.

And just about the characters themselves – does Onizuka have any deep sense of shame or regret about his violent and lonely past? I would have liked to see a wider breadth of emotion from his character. Everything in the Onizuka backstory is so surface-level, that I wish he had told Junpei about it while not under the influence of alcohol. Not to mention, Onizuka is never a challenging character in general. We have a notion that he is cold and rude, but it turns out that he's actually never done anything wrong. Why can't he have done wrong in the past? Why couldn't he have been a bad person that wants to start fresh? All of this sweeping-of-the-flaws-under-the-rug makes him such a boring character to me. Narratively, it’s so cheap and doesn’t feel realistic, in this manga that is so realistically-paced and -characterized.

The writing in this is weird in general. It feels like such a real-life world, with real life conversations and happenings you’d have with your real-life friends. And yet some things are just so absurd, like this one guy beating up a bunch of guys on his own, being super OP in self-defense because his grandpa taught him, getting suddenly super drunk after one can of alcohol and confessing your whole backstory fairytale-style… these happenings all just took me out of it, and I couldn’t bring myself to fully enjoy it.

The first chapter had this really leisurely, thoughtful, subtle pace that I did enjoy, but as we went on, I realized that the whole book was completely unhurried, and that we were really just wandering around in search of a happy ending. This book felt purposeless to me, and lacked any meaningful punch as it stumbles into an ending that wraps everything up nice and pretty. There were moments of decent characterization and realistic writing, but they are completely overshadowed by fluff.

If I were the editor, I would have encouraged the mangaka to cut about a quarter of the pages off and focus on making a snappier climax and resolution, as well as focusing a bit heavier on the highs and lows of the characters emotions. I would also have encouraged the mangaka to consider her theme and try to interject it centrally into each chapter. If the theme of this book is that you can turn your life around, I would have liked to see more concrete examples of the ways that both Junpei and Onizuka have changed for the better since meeting each other. Right now, it feels lackluster. Not the worst I've read, but could have used more time in the editing room.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely ADORED their relationship so much!! Leo is so so cute. I love his grumpy face!! This would've been 5 stars if it weren't for the end.

I didn't love that whole conflict with the ex of the ex because it just seemed out of nowhere. Like sure they mentioned the ex in that flash back, but really?? Dude's been holding a grudge since high school? Enough to hunt down the guy his ex left him for at a far away school years later and threaten to chop off an ear as revenge? It all just seemed implausible especially because that girl was like a spec in that whole flashback. I would've believed the og gang he ran into in 10th wanted to get their revenge more than this random ex. Or it could've just been a group of unrelated dudes. Their connection to the attackers wasn't really necessary because the main purpose was to make Leo mad and attacking Junpei would've done it no matter what. Also the whole running into the guy Leo helped in 10th grade after he suddenly changed his life around was so corny. I don't think the scene itself was bad and I thought it was a sweet moment. It was like that moment ruined Leo's high school life, but now he can look back and not regret it because he changed someone's life, but that paired with the whole ex situation was meh. I just think it could've been better. I really loved that the situation prompted an unexpected confession though. It was great, but!!!! They were really like yeah we can try this and then it ended??? They didn't even kiss in the main story. Only in the bonus at the end. Not even a hand hold?? a date?? SOMETHING? I just wanted more

Despite my issues with the ending the entire build up there made me absolutely giddy. I love the sunshine boy x grumpy boy pairing so much. I really loved these characters and watching their friendship grow.

I just need a sequel or spin off because I'm so unsatisfied by that ending. I wanted to see more of a romantic relationship happen. :((

[aria ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are different types of strength, that's all. Become strong, and then become just as kind

This was such a nice, short and cute read. We follow Shishido and Onizuka as they start university. Though from the same high school, Shishido does not recognise Onizuka until he learns his name. Onizuka had a reputation of being an undercover boss who beat up people and because they were in different classes, they never interacted. Because of the rumours, Onizuka never had any friends. So he goes to a university far away hoping for a fresh start. He doesn’t expect someone from his old school. Intrigued by the aloof man who seems to hate him, Shishido starts noticing him everywhere and when he learns who he really is, it doesn’t deter him from being friends.

Ugh this was so cute and adorable.

[Meagan (FranticVampireReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one! Leo was just looking for a fresh start in college and Junpei kind of was too. When they met they somehow figured out they went to the same high school without ever really knowing each other outside of the rumors about Leo being a gang leader. I loved that they had this reluctant friendship (at least on Leo’s side) that grew into feelings and wanting to spend more time together. And a little bit of a sexuality crisis on Junpei’s part. It was sweet and fun and it’s getting four out of five stars!

[Nahia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qué bebés, qué lindos. Muero de amor.