Mobsters in Love Volume 3 Review
In a yakuza family, everything depends on the unquestioning loyalty of the members to the family and above all, to the boss. Second-in-command (and blindly faithful) Akihira ‘Aki’ Kashima has been conflicted for a long while about the fact that his loyalty has somehow morphed into love for his boss Sawatari. And only now has Sawatari (with some prompting from friend/rival mob boss Minakami) begun to realize that his feelings for his loyal captain are above and beyond the usual bond. Surely, this should mean it’s confession time? Well no, because both men are not used to being open about their feelings and then there’s the whole issue of boss and subordinate to be negotiated as well. Now that Aki’s good-looking second, Ritsu Hibiya, has given up trying to seduce him, ostensibly to make the boss jealous but maybe, just maybe, because he also fancies him, there’s nothing for it but to try to persuade the two to recognize that they’re in love.
One evening, Boss Sawatari has more than a few too many when out drinking with Minakami who brings him back very much the worse for wear. In vino veritas turns out to be only too true as drunk Sawatari has no inhibitions and tells Aki that he’s ‘just adorable’. Next thing, Sawatari is kissing Aki and before Aki (who’s unable to believe it’s really happening) can react, the boss passes out. The atmosphere in the gang’s headquarters becomes very awkward as Aki wants to believe that his boss meant everything he said and did but also realizes that he was blind drunk at the time. Sawatari is also doing a lot of soul-searching over at Minakami’s place. Unaware that the vengeful Marukawa family has been tailing him, he decides that he’s going to tell Aki that he really does love him ‘in that way’ and sets out – only to get knocked down in a hit and run. Aki gets the call from the hospital and rushes to Sawatari’s bedside to find that he’s in a coma. Is it too late to tell the boss how he truly feels?
The third and final volume of Chiyoko Origami’s first manga series to be published in English reaches its climax here with some nail-biting moments for readers who have come to know and root for the two protagonists. With the mangaka’s attractive character designs (especially so if you’re a fan of ‘old man yaoi’ or older protagonists in your BL) it’s a page-turning read and tough Aki and his slightly oblivious boss Sawatari make a sympathetic will-they, won’t-they? pair. There are panels showing Aki with his hair down again, as at the end of the second volume (he looks so much younger and more vulnerable) as well as Aki in full mobster bad-ass mode when he has to take charge of the family after Sawatari’s ‘accident’. No spoilers here but just to say that the romantics among the readers will not be disappointed! The yakuza side of the story is inevitably downplayed; one suspects that in real life, no one would have walked away unscathed (or walked away at all) from the confrontation at the end but this is far from hard-bitten yakuza BLs like Twittering Birds Never Fly by Kou Yoneda or the classic Kazuma Kodaka’s Kizuna: Bonds of Love.
The translation for Square Enix Manga is by Jan Mitsuko Cash and catches just the right tone of voice for the mobsters’ daily banter; the lettering by Vanessa Satone helps to bring the conversations and interactions to life. There’s a charming Side Story (more of an epilogue, really) at the end and brief comments and afterword from mangaka Chiyoko Origami, as well as a Bonus Art Gallery (probably from under the dust jackets of the original editions). A bonus for us is the colour page at the front of this mass-market edition paperback. With its Older Teen rating there’s nothing in any way explicit here, just some rather sweet intimate moments between two older guys who have taken a very long time to acknowledge how they feel about each other.
Our review copy from Square Enix Manga was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).
Read a free preview at the publisher’s website here.
