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It's an interesting story.

Mind, this is nothing like a lot of Hiiragi Nozomu's fluffy stories. Mugimaru, the seme, is much closer to a red flag than otherwise. While it's nothing compared to, say, Harada's characters, Mugimaru is still a psychopathic, manipulative bastard with very violent fantasies who drugs and molests someone he has a crush on. And Roku is straightlaced to a fault, to a point he'd apologize for defending himself against being sexually assaulted.

The characters strain the suspension of disbelief, and many people would dislike this story because of it. But for me, I actually enjoy reading this story. The back and forth between ... the main characters are intriguing, the chemistry strong. And while I -do- feel they shouldn't end up together THIS easily, I do find myself believing what they're trying to say.

Judging from the ones that have scanlated there, this story is REFRESHING.

The miscommunication and social ineptitude featured in this story is not based on some outlandish scenario like typical RoFan. No; it's something very real, a deadly mixture of a toxic ideal of masculinity and a lot of assuming what your partner wants instead of actually talking to them. And this story manages to express that.

It also manages to drive its message of female independence -and- deconstructing typical RoFan behaviors while also being entertaining as a romance story.

While there's a lot of groveling and yearning and "WHAT HAVE I DONE" from ML, ... MC is not at all interested in taking him back just yet. There may come a future where they actually got back together, but believe me when I say we're going to see a LOT of effing around and finding out and a LOT of yearning before we reach that point.

Aside from the story, the characters are also pretty well-written. MC's character growth is steady and consistent. The princess is so handsome goshdangit. And even the ML, as DUMB as he is, is not written flatly. And side characters who usually ends up being obstacles here end up being friends and allies of the MC.

It's a damn good story, but sadly an unsatisfying BL.

First, insofar as red flags are concerned, Mah is actually pretty low on the list, but he's hella well-written. He's feral and arrogant and cocky and most of all, consistent in his inconsistency. He is a red flag who knows full well he's a red flag. That's his charm, but his character is very well-written because it is shown in a very subdued manner. He just do what he likes without the usual posturing / "mwahaha I'm dangerous kitten" that so often appears in red flag BL. Mah is all Show, not Tell.

In contrast, Hitoshi is ... also very well-written. He's not just a typical blushing uwu helpless Stockholm Syndrome uke, but neither is he the badass unyielding uke that sometimes like to be paired with red flag semes in more hardened BLs. Hitoshi is...ordinary, really. He freaks out, he pisses his pants, he has a pathetic dream as much as he is dogged and persistent. The relationship between Mah and Hitoshi is so entertaining (red flag understanding) precisely because both of them are LOUD and JAGGED.

The ex, uh, Nakamura? I think? He's a delightful antagonist. Disgustingly slimy, while also seductively charming. A character that I definitely loves to hate, for sure.

But again, this works better as a dark story about the underworld with bits of gayness instead of a dark BL about the underworld. The story focuses too much on how much Hitoshi and Mah contrasts each other instead of how they complement each other. The moments that usually appears to be romantic in BL instead ends up reinforcing that gap. So even by the end, I feel a bit unsatisfied by the state of Hitoshi and Mah's relationship. Especially since the extra chapter instead focuses on Mah and Nakamura.

But again, that is only a minor gripe. On its own, this is already a brilliant story.

This is one of my earliest villainess series, so I thought this was the standard. I was wrong. This is exemplary.

This story may not be the deepest, but it still possess an excellent handle of their characters. Despite the comedic tone, I am particularly impressed by how they handle both MC, the prince, and the isekai-ed villainess. The prince is so cold and ruthless and bored that he is borderline sociopathic, and as much as his relationship and interest towards the FL should be creepy, obsessive, and somewhat bullying in form...I found it heartwarming instead.

Similarly, the FL might be a blockheaded simpleton with well intentions, ... but the writer manages to make her...not stupid. Bertia DOES have a horse goggles named 'original plot' that restricts much of her movements, but she is not passive and neither is she in much need of help.

The way they handled the OGFL is also interesting. I mean, she's as stereotypically two-faced as one can be, but the way they handled THAT is much more interesting that a lot of similar isekai. They take the threat of the OGFL at face value; never underestimating her but also never putting much weight into her potential trouble.

The ending does stretch a bit too long than what I expected, but it is still pretty touching.

While the genre is all too common these days, using philosophy as the main conceit for connecting our two main characters is an interesting move, and the dynamics between the two MCs are very refreshing and unique for BLs of this kind. Whie I do hope for a bit more philosophy, I find it but a minor complaint. The romance is relatively easy and pleasant, not cloyingly sweet nor full of drama. The art is also very clean.

I'm particularly impressed by the way MC is portrayed. He is one hell of a sleaze and yet he's also very loveable. It's a rare achievement, and sign ... of a good writing.

The love interest is a nice contrast for the MC, but he's not too annoying either. I find that characters like him have a danger of being overtly strict and annoying, so I'm glad that he manages to avoid that.

There is a lot to say about the MORALITY of this story, given that this is the kind of messed up story where everyone is broken in their own way and everyone uses each other for their own purposes. It goes double as it relates to the notion of sexual assault and forgiveness.

And while I personally don't mind SA featured in this kind of story, it's a fair discussion to have.

But even with all that, it can't be denied that this story wields its emotions like a weapon. It's so dramatic and emotional that even as I question the direction the story takes at ... the end, I still find myself swept by the wave of angst. Each betrayal and pleading just hurts my heart in the best way possible. And the little bit of corporate espionage is the delightful cherry on top.

The story is not without its flaws, but its core is good.

The romance, for one, is a bit clumsily written. The relationship between MC and the ML are written to be this slowburn-with-smut type that is so common in BLs, but it takes so many unnecessary detours via old-timey BL tropes of miscommunication and "I hate you but I'm drowning in pleasure too much to actually hate you" that the relationship itself doesn't develop properly.

So many of the main conflict of their relationship can be summarized as "the MC or the ML aren't honest with themselves and that hurts the other." And the fact ... that both MC and ML are written to be different flavors of tsunderes does not help much.

Many of the smut scene in the first half feels perfunctory, the dubcon uncomfortable, and even after their relationship starts to improve, the story is still prone of making one character withhold crucial feelings and information.

The story is also prone of using the side characters as unnecessary obstacles. Almost everyone, even MC's sister, has their moments where they are positioned as obstacles for the main relationship. It's honestly a bit annoying because these obstacles are often the moment where both main characters make any progress. In other words, these moments are used in lieu of actual communication.

But again, even with those flaws, there's still a very good story here.

The emotional highs are fairly high, when the emotional lows are given proper weight. The art is very neat and detailed and expressive. And the smut is very lewd. Regardless of how clumsily the romance is written, you still end up wanting to root for both characters.

It's a good slow burn romance, and a good isekai story too. The basic premise of the story is refreshing compared to most isekai, and the story not only takes it seriously but also takes its sweet time developing the world. Both the romance and the story shines because of it-- the stakes are clear and palpable.

If I have a complaint it would be that the MC's growth is too slow for 30 chapters / 5 volumes. I understand that this is the kind of story where the main antagonist is the MC's toxic mindset, and so far that side of MC's personality is developed ... really well, but the lack of progress makes certain parts related to the romance unnecessarily frustrating because it feels like ML is talking to a brick wall.

Again, I know it's the point. But still. Ughghghgh.

For context, just like Yoshinaga Fumi's What Did You Eat Yesterday, this is published in a Seinen magazine. In other words, this is actually a Seinen story.

Both the premise and the story structure of this series also mimics What Did You Eat Yesterday.

Most chapters start with a small tidbit of the MCs' lives, followed by tons of cooking (baking here), with a little bit of reflection and then some couple time to close off the chapters. The MCs have an Opposite Attracts dynamic, with the more cooking-centered half of the pair being a salaryman who's way more high-strung, health-conscious, and image-conscious compared to the relaxed ... half of the pair, who's working in the service industry.

Overall, while I do feel the story can try to be a bit more different, I do enjoy the formula so I don't mind much.

Where it differs is in the overall tone and its underlying politics. A lot of people in other places have THOUGHTS about them, and I sort of agree with them; the tone of this story is pretty conservative.

The characters hate prejudice, yet they also hate those who are being too open about their queerness. They hate society's lack of understanding but they themselves are pretty judgmental towards others who live different lifestyles than them. All they want is to maintain their own peace and nothing more. Even the later moments when they actually came out to people are mostly done bcs not coming out is directly affecting them or people around them.

And the tone is also more... vivid.

Yeah, vivid. At best.

More exaggerated faces and dramatic reactions. More arguments and whining. Sometimes they even cross the line to catty and bitchy.

The main characters complain about other people and each other, they hold biases and prejudice even about their supposed friends, they are very conscious about staying in the closet and gets suspicious and jealous and defensive very easily when someone else suspects they are gay.

It's a portrayal of gay community that dances between the line of 'unflinchingly real' and 'just call me a slur.' With all that in mind, I can completely understand the distaste some people feel here. I definitely like the whole cast much less than the cast of What Did You Eat Yesterday.

But.

But I personally find it all very compelling read.

As harsh as it is, as catty as it is, this is all a very real portrayal of a certain subsection of gay people, especially the ones living in a majority conservative culture. The ones who just want to live quietly in the shadows, for better or worse. The ones that mistake pride with bitchiness.

Still reading through it so I'm waiting to see if that worldview gets challenged, but overall the portrayal manages to portray the nuances of living as a (image-conscious) gay person that I suspect either the creator is themselves queer, or they personally know someone with this kind of mindset.

Overall I still recommend What Did You Eat Yesterday first, but this is easily a good counterpart/comparison.

It's a really good story and I cannot believe I have missed this all these years.

It's a series of interconnected mundane interactions; sometimes stiff and awkward, sometimes surprisingly heartfelt, but all treated with the same level of ordinary conversation you'd see often in slice of life stories. Tiny details like the manga that always been talk about, and the karaoke songs they STILL sing every now and then, gives the story a very grounded presence in terms of time and space. That feeling of mundanity is also why the budding tension(s), to which there are many, becomes so engrossing.

But I do feel like something has ... been lost in the transition between Karaoke Ikou and Famiresu Ikou. As someone who DOES read BL, and age gap BL in particular, I feel like the creative decision to focus on Satomi's growing feelings for Kyouji takes quite a lot away from Satomi's own personal development.

Is the tension delicious? Absolutely. But in Karaoke Ikou, Satomi's unwitting bond with Kyouji is used as a vessel for Satomi's growing pains and coming of age. Now, by tethering Satomi's character development deeply to Kyouji, Satomi actually loses a bit of intrigue and charm that once existed in Karaoke Ikou.

Karaoke Ikou shows a Satomi that, in reaction to Kyouji's various antics, become willing to break away from routine and expectations upon him. Here, everything is reversed back to the way it was, and the scant amount of personal development Satomi receives in this story is used as a way to process his growing attraction to Kyouji, with the rest being him simply riding the wave--or being caught in one. As much as I enjoy Satomi's moments with Kyouji, I also wish he could have gotten closer to his surroundings instead of simply begrudgingly existing around each other like he does so far.

Still, I deeply appreciate the hanging cloud of uncertainty looming between Satomi and Kyouji. It's a very real 'I know you know that I know but this is also a very bad idea' tension that very few age gap BLs manage to replicate, a tension that should exist in an age gap relationship that is not grooming.

Whatever direction this story choose to take, whether it's happy or sad or tragic, I trust they will deliver it in an appropriate manner.