Writing is hard. Creating plots are hard. So, it’s not surprising that old plots are suddenly new again, as Yuri moves out of school scenarios, into adult life. When I reviewed Yuni’s office life drama, Nikurashi Hodo Aishiteru, I wrote “The initial premise, which is not yet all that common in Yuri manga, is the same plot as a zillion lesbian romances of the 1990s. ^_^ As a result, it felt both fresh and incredibly comfortable at the same time.”
Upcoming star in the planning department, Fujimura, and her competent and supportive boss Asano…are having an affair. It’s pretty much a crass office affair, as Asano is married and pretending that she’s happy, and Fujimura is lying when she says that this is all she wants from their relationship. When rumor of an affair between a manager and their subordinate spreads around the company, it puts a damper on their own affair. But Asano isn’t happy in her marriage and Fujimura does want more.
I Love You So Much, I Hate You, from Yen Press, is a very decent guilty pleasure read. In real life, Fujimura and Asano and their hidden-in-plain-sight affair, would probably be absolutely intolerable separately and together, but as a fiction, it all feels, well, kind of sweet…and, with an epilogue that ties the story up, satisfying. Yuni’s art is stylish and adult. The characters feel like real adult women in a real world, caring about their clothes and their professional success. This book also had the added benefit of someone, somewhere actually having talked to a woman who has had lesbian sex. I will leave it to you to discover what I mean, but those of you who know what I mean probably smiled, as I did. The sex itself is tasteful and evocative, rather than pornishly explicit.
Yen only credits the translator and letterer, so let me say that both translation by Eleanor Ruth Summers and lettering by Erin Hickman contribute greatly to an authentic reading experience, of a very likable, yet slightly guilty, new-old adult life lesbian romance.
Ratings:
Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 9
Service – 3 Nudity, but mostly tastefully done.
Overall – A strong 8
I’m a big fan of Yuni’s work and hope that you too, will enjoy this translation of some fun, tawdry Shakaijin Yuri.
Liked this one a lot, the only significant flaw for me was that the ending felt like it happened too quickly – like the story was rushed to a conclusion to fit everything into 1 volume.
I came for the trashy, guilty pleasure as you said, premise, but found myself staying for the surprisingly sweet moments between Fujimura and Asano. I for one am up for the potential living-together sequel the author mentioned wanting to write!
I agree that it was a tad pat, but given that 30 years ago, the ending would probably have been Fujimura alone, and Asano with a kid she loves, happily straight, I’ll take it.
I really enjoyed this one too. I’m really happy with stories like these that are “one and done” , it just felt like the right amount of space to tell the story without lingering on the low emotional points overly long. Great review!!
They definitely scratch an itch. ^_^
It was really good and left me wanting more. Now I wonder if there is any yuri series about adult women longer than 3 volumes that is finished and has already been published in English. I’ve been looking to no avail. Anthologies don’t count.
BTW, I do hope Yuni will have her wish granted and will revisit these characters in the future. For her sake and ours.