Then Comes Love

Creator: Riyu Yamakami

Publisher: Juné
Genre: Romance, Yaoi

Release Date: March 2011

Summary: “Midori had an offbeat air and a gorgeous face that gets him tons of attention…but he’s completely antisocial! His popular pal Takahiro couldn’t be more different, but behind his sweet smile, there’s something that suggests he wants more out of life than just night after night of drinking and flirting. Will these two opposites finally come together and find the words to tell each other how they truly feel?”

So I have to give props to whoever wrote the synopsis. That sounds like a book I’d want to read. Sounds like a book that definitely isn’t Then Comes Love. One of the benefits of being new to yaoi manga is that I haven’t read enough to recognize the tropes yet. That being said, I get the feeling that Then Comes Love is just… unbearably average. 

Let’s start with the story. Ignore the description, because it doesn’t really explain the situation: Midori and Takahiro have been friends for a while, and when Takahiro invites him to a drinking party, Midori accepts. All goes well until Takahiro starts complimenting him—embarrassed, Midori runs from them room. He’s found by another man at the party, Soejima-sempai, who accosts Midori until Midori realizes that he’s gay. Seeing nothing else to do in that situation, Midori agrees to date Soejima-sempai.

This of course leads to a series of events where Takahiro proves that he’s too stupid to live. “I don’t know myself! (…) But just imagining you with sempai turns my stomach.” He comes right out and says “I love you!” to Midori, but— surprise— he only means it as friends! There’s a limit to how much stupidity I can take, and he crosses it in leaps and bounds. Later on, Takahiro even tries to have sex with Soejima-sempai, to see if he can have a relationship with Midori… just, what?

And speaking of Soejima-sempai, he was actually my favorite character in the book (not that hard, when there are three characters…). He had just the right amount of “Is he evil? Or is he trying to help, in a roundabout way?” Honestly, I don’t even know if he’s good or bad— but he’s definitely entertaining. And that’s my main problem with this book: if the side character is so interesting, why not write about him?

And of course, I haven’t even mentioned the art yet! It’s boring too, just like the story. The men look like they were rectangles in a past life. It’s especially noticeable in the sex scenes: their bodies are just all angles, and not in a good way.

Bottom Line: I wouldn’t recommend this title. While it isn’t bad, per se, it just isn’t good either. Both the story and art are lacking, and the only interesting character doesn’t show up half the time. Give me a book about Soejima-sempai and I’ll be interested.