Even Shojo Beat was willing to get a little raunchier than usual this year with titles like this one.
YAKUZA LOVER (Koi to Dangan), by Nozomi Mino. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Yuri's ready to find herself a boyfriend, but she refuses to settle for just any loser. By chance she meets Toshiomi Oya, the second-in-command of the local yakuza clan. He's captivated by her beauty and fiery temper and she in turn finds herself drawn to his good looks, elegant manner, and dangerous allure. Their passion for one another cannot be contained, but can their love withstand the perils that Toshiomi must face on a regular basis?
STORY:
Yakuza Lover isn't here to be deep. It's here to offer you some of the spiciest shojo in all of the Shojo Beat imprint while deftly avoiding a lot of the pitfalls that tend to turn me off when it comes to sexy romance manga.
First of all, there's Yuri. She's no trembling jellyfish of a girl, but instead a playful young 20 year old who isn't afraid to tell a chud "no" (and if they don't get the hint, is more than willing to pick up a chair to try and bash his head in). Since she's actually an adult, that means she also understand what being horny means, which is a big part of what keeps her coming back to Oya. In short, she is a delight.
As for Oya himself, he's also pretty good (aside from the whole yakuza thing). He admires Yuri not just for her prettiness but her willingness to throw down. He treats her like a princess, respects her boundaries, and understands consent, which alone makes him better than a lot of shojo male leads. Plus, he also knows what oral sex is, which is notable considering that foreplay in these sorts of stories seldom goes beyond a bit of light fingering. I actually get what Yuri sees in him, and in turn I see how being with Yuri is something of an escape for him as well.
We don't get any hints of actual plot until the very end of this volume, as this one is dedicated mostly to bringing these two together in-between regular rounds of enthusiastic sex. Yet I was more than willing to come along for the ride with these two because it manages to wrap not just Yuri but the reader up in this heady, sexy, glamorous atmosphere that's simply irresistible.
ART:
Mino's art is fine, if a little wonky in places. She sometimes struggles with angles and seems to be tweaking designs as she goes. This is most obvious with Oya, between his weird-looking head on the cover and the final chapter here where his face suddenly becomes a lot narrower for no apparent reason. She also tends to rely a lot on heavy panting during the sexier scenes which are clearly meant to be erotic but just made me think "feed me, mama bird."
Those quibbles aside, the art here is generally quite lively and cute and both Oya and Yuri are attractively drawn. I particularly like Yuri's eyes, which don't so much sparkle as they do shimmer like water in the sun. She also manages to find a fine balance between sensuality and tastefulness in the sex scenes. She doesn't try to hide what's going on, but she also frames things in a way where she avoids showing naughty bits or nipples.
RATING:
This series is published by Viz. This series is ongoing in Japan with 9 volumes available. 3 volumes have been published and are currently in print.
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