Alcohol, Shirt, and Kiss

This was nice but not very captivating. I actually put this down several times whilst reading it - very unusual for me. The yaoi was very mild, an anticlimax really. It did have some shippy bits in it though. The characters were fairly well done. It was nice to see Kita changing and realising how he really felt for Naruse. The side story had potential until it got werid with the aliens. Overall this gets a very uninspired hmmmm from me, it just didn't do anything for me. Nanashi Moriko 02/09/2007 *Not an Alcohol, shirt and kiss fangirl*

This isn’t something i would have chosen to read on my own. It was sent to me by mistake when i ordered a secondhand copy of another manga, and i figured i might as well read it. So how does it do? Honestly, not great. Overall, this manga is pretty bland and uninspired. It starts out quite vague, with lead character Naruse waking up several days in a row at his coworker’s place after a night of heavy drinking; the third morning coworker Kita pretends they had sex as a joke, and then they both start to develop feelings for each other. I was a little worriedgoing in that it would turn out to be copaganda, but Kuwabara was willing to show a cop beating up a suspect as early as chapter two for no other reason than to soothe his own (the cop’s) hurt feelings. So that’s something, i guess? At least the manga knows police brutality is a thing. There is, however, no real overarching plot beyond the development of Naruse and Kita’s relationship. Even that has no drama, intrigue, or excitement. As for characters, well. Kita is a misanthrope, and it’s established early on that he’s interested in Naruse because he’s like the one person Kita doesn’t hate – that old “I hate everyone but i don’t hate you” scenario. (Which, honestly, relatable.) The author carries that character trait through, as well – Kita’s dislike for others is clear, and he has no idea how to build a functional relationship because he has no experience in that area. It’s not like some stories where the author will tell you a character hates everybody without writing them that way. The author does try to delve a little bit into his character. Unfortunately, that’s all the characterization this manga has. Everybody else is bland as shit, with no personality i was able to discern. Kita says that Naruse doesn’t bore him, but i don’t see why not. It’s not like there’s anything interesting about him. I’m sure some of you reading this are thinking, “Morgan, you’re asking too much of a one-volume yaoi manga! You can’t expect them to have stories or character development!” I disagree. I’ve read enough one-volume yaoi that excel in those areas (Amasakaru by Moka Azumi, Stranger by Hayate Kukuu, and Midare Soumenishi by Kazuma Kodaka come to mind) that i have little patience for any manga whose author doesn’t seem to care about the story they’re telling. Even the artwork is best described as lackluster, though at least the men don’t have fish lips. The oneshot at the end of the volume was a little more interesting, because it actually had a bit of a story to it, but not enough to really carry it. “So what about the porn?” i hear you ask. I’m sure that’s what most of you are here for, and i’m sorry to tell you there was one sex scene, barely depicted, and certainly nothing to get off to. If you’re looking for good porn in a one-volume yaoi, i point you again towards Amasakaru. Overall, i was unimpressed. It’s alright if you want something mindless to read to kill some time, but i would hardly recommend it. This was a poor substitute for Gorgeous Carat: Galaxy; i won’t be keeping it in my collection.