Hi everyone! I’ve returned to the 30 Day Yaoi Challenge as promised! Only slightly late because yesterday I spent the time I meant to be blogging on dealing with back pain instead. (I am having terrible luck with my health lately. =.=)
Good Morning by Ritsu Natsumizu
One day Hayashi, a salesman, wakes up naked next to a known-to-be-gay client/friend named Shinohara. Hayashi got too drunk the night before to remember how he managed to get into bed with Shinohara.
Shinohara decides to play like they actually slept together, but Hayashi quickly discovers that they didn’t, making Shinohara blush in shame. Hayashi finds this adorable, and this propels the story into a lot of Hayashi questioning his sexuality.
Hayashi is so confused by his feelings for Shinohara that he gets jealous when Shinohara meets an old gay professor of his. This eventually causes Hayashi to try and pressure Shinohara into various sexual acts, all of which go nowhere and setback their relationship instead of moving it forward.
Finally, Hayashi figures his feelings out, but Shinohara is so upset that he ignores Hayashi and runs to his old professor for comfort. This causes Hayashi to literally pull him away from the guy on a busy street and confess his feelings for Shinohara as he bickers with the professor about who Shinohara should be with.
Of course, the two of them have sex and everything’s great. Shinohara even gets back at Hayashi by trying to play the “you slept with me and forgot everything” trick again, even though Hayashi is more than happy to have done so now.
The second story is about two co-workers, Fujino and Kuraki, who have never really spoken to each other until Kuraki puts down Fujino for liking plain melon bread (with no filling) a lot. Fujino is upset, thinking that Kuraki finds him inferior, and Kuraki starts a challenge to find an interesting melon bread that Fujino will like.
The tense air between Fujino and Kuraki begins to clear up when Kuraki acknowledges Fujino’s dedicated work ethic and tolerance for putting up with his boss’ scapegoating. This allows Fujino to discover Kuraki’s feelings for him, and the two begin dating soon after a steamy mutual masturbation scene.
The next chapter is about Fujino and Kuraki trying, for the first time, to have anal sex, but fumbling because Kuraki is harebrained enough to immediately whip out the sex toys. Fujino isn’t prepared to get that kinky yet, so it causes him to think that Kuraki is only interested in sex, a mind-trap made worse when he discovers Kuraki about to embark on a group “date” with some girls. Turns out though that Kuraki was forced into the group date by his boss, so he could get the time off to have a more intimate date with Fujino and the two finally get it on.
Good Morning is cute and even humorous at times, but I can’t get behind Hayashi and Shinohara’s relationship. Parts of it are annoying (“I’m not gay, but…”), kind of offensive to gay men (“I may be a homosexual, but I’m a well-behaved homosexual!” among other awful lines that implying that gay men are predatory) or just downright abusive (the way Hayashi pushes Shinohara into awkward sexual situations, which cause Shinohara some emotional trauma, not to mention Hayashi’s jealousy over Shinohara’s relationship with the professor.)
Thankfully, Kuraki and Fujino are a way better couple. The only problem with them is that their second story is ridiculously melodramatic and it winds up playing more like they’re in a male/female relationship sometimes. Still, there are some good parts like when Fujino decides that the more stylish Kuraki is a “strawberry custard danish” and proceeds to call him things like “strawberry custard danish asshole.”
There’s just nothing in this manga that grabs me enough to care or to seek out more works by this mangaka, even though there feels like there should be something. Ah well, can’t win ’em all.
