By Courtney
I am so excited that we picked Love Nest for our February Manga of the Month. This book has been sitting on my shelf for almost a year, and although something about it was alluring enough to make me take it home from Barnes & Noble, nothing had pushed me to unwrap the cellophane and dig into it until this book club. All this time, one of my favorite couples had been sitting there unbeknownst to me.
The story is a spin-off of the author’s other works, but it stands alone as an independent tale. If you are like me and haven’t read Sayonara Game or Change World, which precedes this series, do not fret. Almost nothing is spoiled or lost on the reader for having jumped straight to this couple. Now that I’ve read this title, I will absolutely be backtracking and collecting those, as well as the sequels to this, Love Nest Vol. 2 and Love Nest 2nd.
The story revolves around our main character, thirty-year-old Masato, who is looking for a new place to crash when his neighbors become unbearably noisy. His friend offers him a room at his second home, and Masato jumps on the opportunity for a change of scenery that involves a plasma-screen TV. When he arrives at his new digs, he is confronted by a preexisting tenant with bad manners and even worse consideration for others, Asahi.
Asahi is eight years older, straight, and a bit unkempt. He doesn’t cook, clean, or share common spaces very well. He eats the food Masato prepares for himself and is unapologetic when confronted. Masato can hardly enjoy his new TV as Asahi hogs the couch and doesn’t seem bothered that his mess and presence bother Masato.
Over time, the characters compromise on the things that led to their initial dislike for each other, and they grow closer. I love that the artist shows their proximity on the couch as a sign of their growing friendship and potential intimacy. Against the odds, the pair becomes agreeable roommates, and something like companionship or domesticity develops between them.
As they get to know each other and inadvertently help each other heal from trauma, they find that their loneliness is subsiding in each other’s company and that something akin to desire is forming between them. Masato confides that he is developing feelings for Asahi despite him being assumably straight, and Asahi encourages him to see if there might be more available to them in terms of a relationship than meets the eye.
The story ends with the characters sleeping together and the audience hopeful that Masato’s cooking and bedtime skills will convince Asahi to give love another chance—and that Asahi genuinely reciprocates his affection and isn’t just using him to fill the hole his ex-wife left. I am so excited for the following books in this series and can not wait to continue reading the developing romance between these two. The spicy scenes are uncensored and extremely gratifying, although there are only two, and they are at the end of the book. Fingers crossed, we get even more sexy and explicit moments of heat from these two in volume two.
The art was beautiful, and the pacing was believable. Both characters were unique and likable in their own ways while still having enough character flaws to be relatable. I love these characters and want them so badly to have a happy ending and the found family they deserve. What other drama could the author have in store for us to fill at least the next two volumes available? Will there be trouble in paradise?
What did you think of this manga? What are your predictions for the following issues? Let me know in the discussion forum, and make sure to tune in for the podcast episode on February 5th! If you subscribe now, it will auto-download, so you never miss out on hearing it hot off the press! Until then, remember that sometimes, the delusion is the solution! Bye!
Yours in Deep Delusion,
Courtney