Ranked #4072

Kuimonodokoro Akira (Manga)

I can't believe no-one has rated this jewel yet!

I stumbled upon this one by pure chance of combing through a list of mangas.

It was put in the yaoi genre, but really, it's not about fanservice and the sweet romance one *would* expect. This is a tale of a small restaurant and the life of the workers there who want to get through the day, and hope for the best. The story, which I believe is the first of the mangaka, is very powerful, and sometimes painfully honest, about how one really has to work for a relationship to work, not just stalking someone for a long time or wishing really hard.

The art is also charming - most of the characters are in, or over, their mid-twenties. They look tired, they look annoyed, they look old, and - thank god - even hungover. They are far from perfect and struggle with the burden of feeling something for someone.

The relatable characters and the graceful brilliance of the story really make this manga outstanding.

I'll definitely read it again. read more