Home Office Romance Review
If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, you may remember my fondness for Kintetsu Yamada’s Sweat and Soap, which Kodansha brought to the West. Today I have the pleasure of reviewing her latest work to make it to the English market: Home Office Romance.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Japan, like the rest of the world, chose to go into lockdown and it’s this period in which our story takes place. Protagonist Nokoru Mitsuhashi is a salaryman who is used to working in an office but with lockdown coming into effect he, like many others, finds himself working from home. To make his living space more comfortable and suitable for his day-to-day life programming, Nokoru transforms his humble apartment with practical furniture and fills the balcony with greenery and items that remind him of his favourite fantasy manga.
The balcony catches the eye of his neighbour, Natsu Izumi. She’s a grad student in archaeology who, due to the pandemic, hasn’t been able to go out on any field work, although she does still occasionally go into college. To end the first chapter, Nokoru as the narrator tells us “Ridiculous as it might seem… this was how my wife and I first met.” which reassures us readers that the two are destined to be together, despite the circumstances that frown upon face-to-face interactions.
Despite this proclamation, Natsu and Nokoru don’t become an item that quickly. The story of Home Office Romance is a relatively slow burn, but it does move their relationship along at a comfortable pace. The two start off occasionally talking across the balconies and exchanging greetings when they run into each other around the area. This eventually transitions into them sharing snacks, book recommendations and talking online through Discord.
It’s this natural sense of progression that I appreciate the most about Home Office Romance. Natsu and Nokoru might not have a lot in common, but from their very first meeting, it’s clear that Natsu is attracted to him even if he has no idea why. She might be younger than him, but Natsu more proactively engages with Nokoru who is quiet and more likely to retreat when his anxiety gets the better of him. Especially as just when they’re starting to grow closer, Nokoru spots Natsu getting out of her handsome professor’s car and wrongly assumes they must be an item! He fears he’s been misreading the vibe between him and Natsu all this time, which is a concern I’m sure all of us will be able to relate to for one reason or another.
I really like how assertive Natsu is as a character. Asako in Sweat and Soap was likewise a strong female character although she was anxious at times due to her backstory (which was well justified and explored through the story!) so it’s nice to see a similar situation here with Natsu and it not be at the expense of Nokoru’s personality. Yamada as a creator has a real talent for creating romantic pairs that complement each other, grow together and are relatable for the reader.
In the afterword, Yamada talks about this being their first single-volume release rather than a one-shot or longer serialisation. Despite this being the first one, I think it’s a perfectly balanced package that’s sure to delight fans of more mature romance titles. Not only are the story and characters solid, but the artwork has a lot to offer as well.
This premise in many ways is perfect for a short, snappy release like this. There aren’t a lot of characters and the setting is mostly Natsu or Nokoru’s apartments. You’d think that would give Yamada a ready excuse not to go overboard with backgrounds after establishing them, but actually, there’s a lot of detail in every chapter. I especially enjoyed spotting the differences in the apartments as time went on with more things being added. The scenes feel lived in and you can tell time is moving on without the characters bringing it to attention themselves.
Home Office Romance comes to the West thanks to Kodansha and has been translated by Matt Treyvaud with lettering by Sara Linsley, who also worked on Sweat and Soap. The release reads well and includes some translation notes at the back and several colour pages at the beginning. Hopefully, Kodansha will bring over Kasane and Subaru next, which Yamada recently wrapped up after five volumes.
Overall, Home Office Romance is a must-have for fans of Kintetsu Yamada’s other work as well as those simply looking for a new romance. Despite being a single volume, this demonstrates that short can be just as satisfying as stories that run much longer. This is an entertaining and heartfelt story that showcases all of the mangaka’s strengths.
A free preview can be read on the Kodansha website.
Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.
