Mobsters in Love Volume 1 Review
Aki (Akihiro Kashima) is second-in-command to Shojiro, the head of the Sawatari Group. And yes, they’re yakuza. Ever since the boss rescued him from a life of delinquency on the streets sixteen years ago, Aki has been hiding his love and undying devotion (or so he hopes) from Mr. Sawatari. For this is a love that can never be declared; Aki must suffer in silence, while doing his utmost best to protect the one he loves and stay by his side at all times.
Copyright © Chiyoko Origami SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved
The best laid plans… One day, the boss asks Aki out of the blue to “slip out of those clothes for a bit.” Aki’s mind goes to all kinds of places… but it turns out that the boss merely wants him to try on one of his old shirts. There’s a formal dinner that night with the Ogawa family and if Aki is to accompany him, it’s a smart affair that requires wearing a suit. (The shirt’s a little too tight but Aki’s delighted to receive it, nevertheless!) However, his sixth sense that trouble lies ahead is far from misplaced – and Aki finds himself faced with a sneak attack on his beloved boss from another mob family, trying to get in cahoots with the Ogawa faction. When it’s all sorted, though, Aki receives praise from the boss who even goes so far as to say (teasingly, of course) “Will you stay with me, for better or for worse?”
Copyright © Chiyoko Origami SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved
And then, after a hard day’s work, Aki is enjoying a quiet solitary soak in the public bath house, when who should appear beside him but – the boss! Poor love-sick/smitten Aki keeps finding himself in suggestive situations. Has his boss realized how he feels? Is he teasing him on purpose? Or is he just oblivious? As Aki’s trying to figure it all out, who should return from Hokkaido (temporarily) but the assistant captain, young and good-looking Ritsu Hibiya. There’s no love lost between the two but nevertheless, the boss sends the two of them undercover as bouncers to a local establishment in the hope they can get along and keep some unruly customers that have been causing trouble under control. Afterward, Ritsu seems to have been observing Aki rather too closely. “Captain,” he says, “you like the boss, don’t you?” Could it be that Ritsu also likes the boss ‘in that way’? Things between the three are about to become a lot more complicated!
‘Light-hearted rom-com’ and ‘wholesome’ are the words chosen by Square Enix Manga to describe this three-volume Boys’ Love manga by Chiyoko Origami – and their choice of words is very apt indeed. This story of a hard-bitten yakuza pining for his boss’s affection is seriously cute; if you’re a fan of BL manga about older men in suits, you’ll love this! Chiyoko Origami’s art is just right for this story, concentrating on the facial expressions of the cast and delivering some wonderfully timed reaction panels. And as for the yakuza background… well, this isn’t the grim crime mob world of Twittering Birds Never Fly by Kou Yoneda or Scarlet Beriko’s Jealousy, this falls more into the ‘yes, they’re criminals but they’ve got a softer side to them’ genre of Tsukiya’s The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting or Kousuke Oono’s Way of the Househusband.
Mobsters in Love seems to be the first of Chiyoko Origami’s manga to arrive in an English print translation and Square Enix Manga have brought it out in a mass market edition with one colour image at the front. It’s translated by the ever-capable Jan Mitsuko Cash, with lettering by Vanessa Satone that delivers everything from Aki’s tortured inner thoughts and wild fantasies through normal conversations to essential sound effects. It’s rated OT (Older Teen) and the second volume is due out in early September 2024.
If you’re looking for a light but engaging and amusing BL manga (with attractively drawn older men) then why not give Mobsters in Love a try?
Our review copy from Square Enix Manga was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).
