Nase Yamato

Uke's company goes bankrupt. Unable to bring himself to go back to his guardians' home, he asks to live with his older brother while he searches for a new job. As it turns out, his brother lives in a company dorm with a bunch of other attractive businessmen. No live-in visitors are allowed, so uke hides with the help of his brother and the others on the same floor, who he does chores for and who call him their pet cat. In particular, uke is of course interested in our seme, who has a grumpy exterior but is very kind to uke when they are alone...

The usual vacantly cute and earnest uke, the usual grumpy (but not violent or pushy, thankfully) but kind seme. Consequently, the romance here is basically the same. Sweet and mushy, inane. Both seme and uke like each other, they realize it, and then spend the rest of the time trying to find time alone together.

But if I turned down my brain (to probably critical levels), it was actually a little amusing. Mainly, this was because of the rather anonymous but endearing businessmen who live in the dorm. It's nothing too clever, but it is rather refreshing that these men find the uke cute but don't actually try to molest him. They call him their pet, but really they treat him more like a little brother. It's not the main point of the manga and I probably would have liked it more if it wasn't so exaggerated (all the guys seem to practically live to please him), but it WAS a little sweet. Also, the cat comparisons were sometimes cute, too.

The art is very detailed and the sex scene short, as usual, but pretty. (I can't really judge whether it was 'hot' or not since caring for the characters so little made it hard for me to get into it.) It is annoying that all the other characters besides the uke have that generic tall handsome slightly square-jawed seme look to them. With their different hair you can certainly tell them apart, but none of the character designs are that distinct. Also, the pages are pretty jam packed with panels. It's not too overwhelming when you get used to it, but it does take the overall look of everything down a little.

This manga is just a sweet little confection, with the relationship being a bit bland, but the manga overall having a slightly more distinct flavor because of the setting/supporting group. If you like cute, definitely add a star. And maybe half of one for those that really like pretty art. Otherwise, there's nothing special about it.… (mais)

This a very cute and funny one-shot manga about young Mizuki who loses his job when his employer's business folds. In desperation he calls upon his older brother who lives in a dorm owned by the corporation he works for. The only problem is that outsiders are not allowed and when Mizuki goes there to live he becomes the secret "pet" of the fourth floor. Mizuki feels a bit awkward about the situation but is willing to live with it until he can find a new job and apartment of his own. However, he soon becomes close to his brother's roommate Kudou, who is a work-a-holic with a secret of his own and has to decide what exactly he truly wants.

I really love this contemporary little manga. Both Mizuki and Kudou are innocent in an endearing way and their growing relationship is very sweet. Yes, this is a yaoi title with a mature rating but this one really is more about the story line.

This manga is nicely drawn although Mizuki appears much younger than his what his age is supposed to be in the manga. All the dorm boys are drawn to look a bit more mature, being in their early to mid 20s as opposed to late teens.

Overall a charming love story with better than average artwork and sprinkled with a fair bit of humor besides. I'd highly recommend it to those who enjoy yaoi and are looking for something that isn't violent or overly angsty.… (mais)