There’s an old chestnuty saying that “you should never meet your heroes.” In Mikan Uji’s Now Loading…! this is simultaneously true and untrue at the same time.
Takagi has scored her dream job at a small gaming company. As an independent game developer, she loves creating new stages, but has hit a plateau in downloads and ideas. Her boss, Sakaurazuki is pretty harsh, but when she learns that Sakarazuki developed her favorite game ever, Takagi is motivated to try harder. Takagi is pretty sure the boss hates her, or at least hates her work, until one day Sakarazuki kisses her suddenly.
The team they are on can see that they like each other, so while they are working overtime on the game, the team is also working overtime to set the two of them up. As the volume closes, they get it together and finally admit what literally everyone else in the office can see.
I find that I never reviewed the Japanese edition of this manga, although I know I read it. Having re-read it in English, I absolutely know why. While I acknowledge that stories, that is, fictitious works of workplace relationships can be fun, the reality is not good and boss/employee relationships are very not good….and relationships that begin with a boss suddenly kissing an employee without their consent is extremely not good. So much not-good that I find it hard to enjoy most narratives that begin that way. Worse, with “happily ever after” after that particular beginning premise.
As the anime industry is flailing with the idea of consent being a thing that everyone deserves in every single situation, this is a particularly difficult “cute” story set-up.
So, while I’d like to say that this is a cute workplace romance, which is how it is presented, it just comes off as a little tone deaf. Unless this particular situation is your boom…and then, by all means enjoy. I won’t judge, I like MURCIÉLAGO. ^_^;
Ratings:
Art – This is early for this creator so let’s give it a 7
Story – 5
Characters – 6
Service – 0 Not really
Yuri – 7 Two couples out of five characters
Overall – 5 I wanted to love this when it ran in Comic Yuri Hime. It could have been a 9 with a single change, but it was just too problematic for me to enjoy.
I have long had a difficult relationship with anime and manga culture’s obsession with varying degrees of non-consent being held up as romantic (or erotic, depending on the material). It doesn’t do anything for me, and while I appreciate that the *fantasy* version of this is enjoyable for some people (maybe a lot of people, judging by its popularity) I am uncomfortable with the potentially normalizing effect it may be having on impressionable youth and young adults.
It used to be I studiously avoided anything that strayed in that direction, but it was so omnipresent (and yuri in general so scarce at the time) that I’d start making exceptions for this or that author or work that had art or stories I otherwise liked. It’s gotten to the point now where I can effectively tune out or compartmentalize the aspects I don’t like and just enjoy the ones I came looking for. But I’m not sure if that’s really such a positive development overall.
I guess in general I just wish that there were more series with a healthier outlook on love, sex, and relationships. But maybe that’s a bit arrogant given that I’m outside of the cultural context of these works.
Yuri Life, which is coming out this year from Yen Press is about a healthy adult relationship, so you can look forward to that and Shinanami Tasogare, which actually addresses how humans build self-esteem and relationships.