Review
Kento Kumagaya has always wanted a caring wife and loving kids. You know, the ideal kind of life. Life, however, dealt him a different hand. After having his proposal rejected by his girlfriend, a handsome guy at the bar let him cry on his shoulder. The two of them had quite a bit to drink, and ended up having a hot, sweaty night of sex. Kento is a science teacher in a high school and his girlfriend is the school nurse. After his night of hot lovin he was in for a surprise at work. It turns out his one night stand is the new art teacher Akira Kazuki. That night Kazuki got a little drunk at his own welcoming party and Kento was given the pleasure to take him home. Once they got to Kazuki s place, another night of hot, passionate sex ensued. It turns out that Kento might not be as straight as he thought. Of course, Akira is a self-assured gay man.
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Future Lovers vol. 1 is a very enjoyable manga. The premise of coworkers dating one another is not new in the world of yaoi, but Saika Kunieda-sensei s story is a refreshing read due to its humor. It really is quite funny. I found myself giggling through the whole manga. Kento is just a big, dumb ox. Yet he s very sincere and tries to show Akira that he cares for him in his own way. Akira, on the other hand, is wily like a fox and enjoys teasing not only Kento, but Kento s grandfather as well. They have a very wild relationship both in the sack as well as out on the streets of town. Akira is a fascinating character. He s constantly wearing wild shirts and seems to have several different personalities. I guess that s what you get in dealing with artistic types. I found this title to be a breath of fresh air that I really needed, with all the angst-ridden manga that I ve been reading lately. With Winter Rabbit, it is a much more serious and angsty story. I ve always struggled with brother falling for brother stories, yes, even when they aren t blood related. However, the story is well told and because I loved the rest of the manga, I was able to get over my hesitation. Plus, at the very end Kunieda-sensei included a section called "Assorted Ramblings" which made me laugh so hard, I nearly wet myself.
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This is another quality release by Deux Press. With their no-frills approach to manga publishing they let the manga do all the talking. Now when I say no-frills, I don t mean shoddy publishing. They always print on a higher quality of paper, printing is always clean, and this time around I didn t catch any missteps in clean up or editing. Good job Deux Press, keep up the great work!
This is one manga that you don t want to miss. It is a very funny and clever manga. I guarantee that you will fall in love with these characters and will anxiously await the next volume (but I have no clue when that will be coming out). I know I m impatiently waiting for the next volume (which I assume there will be one since it s entitled Future Lovers vol. 1), but while I wait I can tell you that I ll read this one many more times. --Kris - Lincoln Heights Literary Society
