Content warning: there is one scene with sexual aggression and non-consensual touching, and the narrative doesn’t meaningfully explore any relationship consequences this might have.

I’ve enjoyed Kozumi Miura’s contributions to Yuri anthologies (White Lilies in Love BRIDE’s, Yuriquer Alcohol Yuri Anthology,

and to creator-owned magazine Galette, as well as her collection of one-shots, Totsuzen Nantonaku Tonari no Seki no Douryou to Kiss Shitaku Narimashita, so I was quite excited to see her office worker romance Mr. Right Turned Out To Be A Younger Woman!? made available on digital manga site Renta. It’s not only the first of her works to be translated into English, but also the longest Yuri story she’s created so far. Originally published by iProduction’s women-focused web manga label Comic Donna, the story was expanded from a one-shot to about the length of a single print volume.

Our heroine, Haruki Shiina, is a 33-year-old marketing professional who’s stalled out in romance and at work. She feels like her time is running out to find a boyfriend, get married, and have children, and she’s built up quite the reputation around the office as a energy-drink-guzzling, hard-partying, almost salaryman-like figure. So when she awakens after a night of drunken revelry with her co-workers to the clear aftermath of a one night stand, with vague but positive memories, she’s hopeful that it’s going to be the start of a magical office romance that’ll lead straight to marriage. There’s only one problem – she’s not quite sure who the previous night’s paramour was!

We know from the first page, however, that her opposite number is none other than her workplace rival, the serious and high-achieving 23-year-old Risa Takagai. Risa treats her coldly, makes competing marketing proposals, and interrupts her when she chats up her male co-workers. Though the two frequently butt heads, they also inspire each other to do their best work. We see a magnetic attraction quickly develop between them, culminating in the early reveal of Haruki’s anonymous lover.

The characters and their chemistry are compelling enough that I’m glad the story was expanded beyond the original one-shot, and that we get to see their relationship develop beyond this point. There’s a lot packed into these 6 chapters, but as a result, many interesting threads feel under-explored, and the dramatic tension comes and goes a bit erratically. There is a sustained focus on Haruki coming to terms with dating a woman for the first time, and on the pressures that the difference in their ages puts on the relationship, topics that are depicted realistically and with care. There’s even some attention paid to lesbian culture and the issues faced by queer women in Japan, though it ends up feeling a little “Lesbians 101” at times.

The anonymous translation, credited only with “Localization by Renta,” occasionally stumbles a bit, and the quality of lettering similarly isn’t up to par with releases by the major US publishers. More than the sometimes-stilted language, though, my primary issue with the translation is that it introduces a somewhat misogynistic tone to certain scenes that’s not present in the original work. This is a shame for a manga that otherwise draws on the best traditions of female-focused manga in its heart-pounding moments, emotional introspection, and appropriately-adult sexuality without unnecessary fan service.

Mr. Right Turned Out To Be A Younger Woman!? is absolutely worth figuring out Renta’s points system for (bad news: it’ll cost you $15 to buy, and you’ll end up with 300 points afterwards. sigh). The art really shines. The important moments are lovingly rendered, as are the outfits, and the jokes are paired with deeply funny reaction faces. I quickly got invested in Haruki, Risa, and their happiness, and was glad to see the story reach a satisfying ending. Our pair and the rest of their co-workers are realistically flawed, but there are no villains here, and our cast comes together to support one another when it matters.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 6
Characters – 7
Service – 3
Yuri – 8

Overall – 7

Em Evergreen is a lonely lesbian with a manga addiction. Find her at linktr.ee/em.evergreen.