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The first two chapters and one of the end chapters are the main couple, Tsubaki the writer and Yuuta. The story skimmed along too quickly for me to really be interested in their feelings.I did like the last story about them though. He finally had a little personality.The other chapters are separate stories. They also reappear in the extra chapter "You Have To Pet Us In Order" which was short but cute.Next comes "The Helplessly Romantic Type". The cover is pretty and the dust jacket is always a nice touch. It struck me as something that should be a bonus chapter for an established couple, not a stand alone.
Since he's incapacitated he makes Yuuta type his latest novel. Unfortunately their story is rushed and actually skips over some parts that could have been interesting. He doesn't want that. It did have a couple cute moments though.Overall, I wasn't too thrilled with the artwork. Unfortunately he's got competition from their other neighbor.Then we come to "Open 24 Hours", about a convenience store clerk who falls for one of the customers. I really did. There were some nice touches of personality to them. A freshman moves into the dorm and tries to woo his neighbor.
There's a WHAM and next thing you know Tsubaki is in the hospital bed all bandaged up. Overall, I thought it was entertaining enough to read a couple of times but not something I would want to keep. Yuuta has been helping Tsubaki with his work until he realizes that he's getting paid for kissing the boss. Yuuta helps him with work and eating and suddenly they're in love.The second chapter deals with their relationship after Tsubaki is released from the hospital. I think."Love Battle In The Dorms" is after that. I bought Author's Pet because I love stories about writers.
It features a young man who works as a mechanic at his father's shop so that he can get the attention of the man he likes. The regular stories were rushed but did have a few good moments. I wanted to like it. We see before the accident but not the accident itself. So I was really excited when it came.
I would have liked this one but I felt like I was missing something. The manga does have good points though, making it worth two or three reads before I pass it along.Author's Pet is actually a collection of shorts. The two meet when Yuuta is hurrying along and knocks Tsubaki down the stairs, apparently breaking his arm and both his legs. I did enjoy the little mini comic strips at the end of each story though. The lines were a little crude for my taste, a little too thick.
Unfortunately I was largely disappointed. They were cute and entertaining, even if I didn't care much for the story that preceded them. The story seemed to move along a little slower and I think it's probably my favorite of the book. The translation seemed fine. The story was a bit more original but again too short for me to get too interested in.Then last we have the super short "What Should I Do." about two students. I don't remember any big problems with it. This time it just happens to be a man and not a cat.
There are sex scenes but nothing explicit is shown. Tsubaki got to act a little more loopy so I found it pretty enjoyable. Unfortunately they were only four panels long. It just didn't happen. High school I think. "To Keep A Cat" is about a rather cold man who takes in a stray. Sounded promising.
He wants a relationship.
Naruse's cats really added to the story. This anthology doesn't have explicit sex (soft), although there is sex, but the stories are heartwarming, and I've reread them many times. Handcuffs never hurt my enjoyment of a story, either. The Helplessly Romantic Type has a neat twist at the end. I really loved Author's Pet.
In Open 24 Hours Sakamoto loses his job at the convenience store that Shirokawa shops at, but Shirokawa doesn't leave him unemployed for long. It was totally comedic and I felt sorry for Oohashi. There's a cute little dog in this story. There are also 5 extra 4-square cartoon panels after each main story which really add to the enjoyment. What Should I Do. Kaiwatani finally comes to school perfectly dressed which floors Sanai who of course can not allow this to continue.
My favorite stories were the three involving the characters of Author's Pet, the title stories. Both Noriaki and Oohashi vie for Youhei's affections, and it appears Noriaki wins, but you never know. There's no sex in this one, but it's so cute. After Yuuta hurts Tsubaki's hands accidentally he has to take over the author's typing duties which involve some very sexy writing. is about Sanai, a member of the school morality squad, and Kaiwatani, his hapless vicim who always has something wrong, and needs to be disciplined. When Mutsuke wants to pay Naruse back with sex, Naruse's use of cigarette smoke to discourage him was hilarious.
My second favorite story was Love Battle in the Dorms. To Keep a Cat involves Naruse helping a beaten up stranger, Mutsuki, who was running away from his sadistic lover.
The main story is a little longer but again it did feel too fast. The people go from meeting each other to the lovey-dovey in a few short pages. This manga has non-explicit graphic scenes. I feel so-so about this one. The volume is filled with lots of shorts stories and while there were enough graphic scenes they felt too rushed for me.
Yes, it happened in a few cases, but it didn't prevent me from understanding the text and the story. Certain parts reminded me of Ashika Sakura's "Sensitive Pornograph" (though a bit less explicit), especially Ashika's "Trophies Belong in the Bedroom" story.
So, if you like Ashika Sakura's works, be sure to check this one out as well.I almost hadn't bought this story due to such a bad previous review, and I'm very glad that I did. (Yes, some very mild BDSM-play is implied in a number of stories in this collection).
Though the previous reviewer might be partially right (there are indeed some typos, and editing overall might have been better), but all that didn't distract me from the story at all, and I enjoyed this manga quite a lot. It's also more explicit than average June production.
Definitely, this is a worthy addition to my manga collection. I also think that overall, all stories in this collection were clear and easy-to-follow - and I definitely disagree that "half the text is chopped off on the edges of the paper." (I'm citing from a previous review) - this is simply not true.
Overall, the quality of editing is pretty typical for June editions, but the story itself is one level up their average, and very original.
You made sure printing was up to standards. try a bit better. You used to publish such great works of art.
A few instances, I couldn't even understand what the speech bubble was trying to say, because of the poor print job.This manga itself was cute. June, you really have ended up a on the bottom of my trusted publishers list. I liked the characters, but honestly.
Dear June Publishing,I don't know what happened to you. Speaking of effort, this copy I hold in my hands not only has typos, missing words, and extra words that don't need to be there--but half the text is chopped off on the edges of the paper. Which is sad, since you used to be at the top.
You did spell check. You tried your best.Now, you come out with crap--the same thing, all the time, regardless of art, story, or effort.
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