Eventually he finds the courage to confess, and then everything is awkward and uncomfortable. At first they are just coworkers who hardly interact, then they gradually become friends and begin to hang out after work, then Seki realizes he is in love with Tamaki. I liked that this grew over time rather than being instalove. Mechanic Seki had not previously been interested in men (that he was aware of, although he seems to have been not involved with women, either) but begins to feel attraction to a coworker in another department. 'Reply' is the longest and most realistic. It's a cute story, well-conveyed, and ends happily for everyone.Īlso: introduced me to the band Ellegarden. As he spends time with Usui he develops feelings for him. Taking pity on the shy Usui, he decides to help him get together with Nakaya. Poised Kugo sees a quieter classmate watching him and his hot, popular friend Nakaya. There is one use of the word fuck to upset parents who think their kids don't know that word already otherwise this would be perfect for a YA anthology. 'Emotion Spectrum' in contrast is an almost totally PG high school love story. This feels like it ought to be the first half of a longer story. One thing I did find unusual was that it ended ambiguously, with the narc apparently rejecting his love interest until he was willing to find an honest career. The titular 'NightS' is kind of like a summer action blockbuster, a not terribly convincing set-up with drug trafficking and law enforcement pursuit functioning mainly as a backdrop for hot actors characters bantering and having Hollywood sex (you know, the kind where everyone in in sync as to what they want, gets out of their clothes gracefully, is toned and flexible, and none of the poses look weird to the observer). They differ in length, genre, and rating. Other than the m/m element these short stories don't have a ton in common.

Kou Yoneda's art is excellent, especially when it comes to subtle expressions.

Told from the alternating perspectives of an emotionally reserved salesman and the shy mechanic who's in love with him.Ī short story (8 pages) that takes place one month earlier than 'NightS dj - Another Story' (thus one month after events of 'NightS' ), when Karashima first time visits Masaki after he discovers his whereabouts.Except for the first story, these are ordinary people in realistic situations. InĪ high-school student tries to be a good wingman for a classmate, with an unexpected result. When he's hired by yakuza gang member Masaki Hozumi, he finds himself attracted to the older man, and what starts out as a business transaction quickly spirals into a cat-and-mouse game of lust and deception. Masato Karashima is a 'transporter', a man paid to smuggle anything from guns to drugs to people.

NightS by Kou Yoneda