SHY INTENTIONS (Syouko Takaku)

Yoshiyuki is a middle-school art teacher who visits the hospital often to see his dying mother. Also there is furniture designer Kaoru, there to visit his dying grandmother, and when he runs into Yoshiyuki he is instantly captivated.

“So how did you guys meet?”

“Well it was thanks to our relatives dying…”

Despite the depressing start the story doesn’t really have dark or tragic undertones. This is a nice, quiet, slow-burn romance between two adults characters. Yoshiyuki is quiet and reserved, and the more forward and open Kaoru is always trying to get him to come out of his shell. Yoshiyuki seems to sort of just go along with dating Kaoru, it’s not immediately clear how he really feels about him. Kaoru’s feelings are revealed to be more casual at first, but soon he realizes Yoshiyuki is the one he truly loves. It’s kind of like a shojo plot honestly and the uke is written like a girl, which was the case for another work I’ve read by her (Kissing), so on the wholesome side with the idealized swept-off-your-feet romance.

Yoshiyuki and Kaoru

Unlike a typical shojo plot though there is a good amount of sex in here. The censoring kinda sucks but that’s typical of June work from this time. Here’s a couple spreads for you, in line with my classic review theme of “say a few words about the plot and then just post sex scene pics.”

I like how she left the shirts on

They do have really sweet sex though, don’t you think? Takaku’s art has a soft touch and it’s a little weak in some parts, but overall I thought it fit the story pretty well.

Kaoru has a friend names Akira, who seems like he used to be a fuck buddy once upon a time. There’s hints that Kaoru used to be this type of non-committal guy. Akira is an artist and he and his studio assistant/lover are featured in another older Takaku work called From Yesterday which has been scanlated, if you like this mangaka’s work.

Akira is the token mischief maker character and teases and causes trouble for Kaoru, but Kaoru doubles down on his commitment to Yoshiyuki. We get to see the inner thoughts of both characters and get to watch them help each other grow and change. Just an all-around really sweet romance that’s easy to enjoy and a couple that seems great for each other. I liked how they were both older characters too, with a healthy dynamic.

I liked Kaoru a little better with his glasses off

Takaku is also the author of a handful of author June titles including Kissing (which like this one has another shojo-style plot), the four-part Passion, and I’ve Seen It All. A lot of her work has been scanlated if you like her style!

TL;DR Quiet, slow-burn romance between two adult characters who meet in a hospital while visiting dying relatives. Under the hood it’s basically a shojo with peen but for people who like those kinds of wholesome romances, it’s very sweet, and I liked that both characters are well-adjusted adults with a healthy relationship and help each other grow as people. The art is on the soft and wispy side and shows its age but it fits the mood of the story.

TheBL Rating: 5.25/10