There are readings that are more complicated than others. I wanted to try something different this time and picked a manga that seemed would do the trick, but I'm not that convinced. This time, I want to tell you about a series: Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, by Rie Honjyou.
- Total Length (so far): 275 pages.
- Publisher: Shusuisha inc.
- Publication Dates: August 30, 2022 (Vol. 1) and October 25, 2022 (Vol. 2)
- Genres: Crossdressing, Drama, Gay, Homoerotic, Manga, Romance, Yaoi.
- Rating: 3 / 5 stars.
Haruta is introverted and always wears a bra to protect his sensitive nipples. What happens when his extroverted coworker figures out his secret and urges him to wear sexy lingerie...?!
I have complicated feelings with this story. It has a good amount of comedy, some drama, the crossdressing topic which I'd like to see more often, and the art is also really good. The script seemed very solid most of the time as well, so I was genuinely enjoying it at some point. I liked that Rie Honjyou took the risk of doing something different to what's usually seen, and that's something I aplaude.
However, the beginning of the first volume was problematic to me. There's the issue of consent, and also some harassing, manipulation, blackmail... I'm fine with those topics if they're treated as they should, but there were several scenes when I expected Haruta to grow more as a character, and he failed to do so.
He was pushed around, standing his ground now and then, just to go back to a complicated relationship that was mostly based on sexual attraction. The sexual scenes were good, sure, but I didn't feel the romance was getting enough importance. Things improved a bit in the second volume, there was more chemistry, the cript was more solid, and things were heading a better direction, until the ending with such a sudden, important question that felt too rushed.
Why am I giving it three stars, then? Because I did enjoy some of it. I did like bits and pieces of it, and I do hope that, if there's a third volume coming up, things improve significantly. Self-Love and Lingerie How to Love Your Coworker was okay, not wonderful, but I think there could be readers out there that will enjoy it. Just be critical about it.
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