In Tomoko Yamashita's Dining Bar Akira, romantic passions battle with cool logic behind kitchen doors. There's always drama when you're trying to run a busy bar and restaurant. Akira Koji, the manager, is stuck in the middle of it all, trying to keep his cool. Then he gets a late night confession from one of his employees. Not only that, it's a very attractive male employee a full six years younger than him, 26-year-old Torihara. Akira has never considered a homosexual relationship before, but things start to change when he can't get the young man out of his head. Will the two of them be able to remain professional when things start to get serious?
(c) 2007 Tomoko Yamashita. All rights reserved. Online transmission rights for English language version authorized by Tokyo Mangasha through Nihon Manga Gakuin.
- Total 24
reviews Avg. rating
(9.6)
La Casa de Gatas
SebastianMB
08/26/09 19:25
Azureus888, frequently a "Cat House" means a brothel.
This was a really good, really strong title. It made me think of what "Top Chef" would be like if there was more harmony between the contestants, and if any of them ever fell into such a relationship. Can you imagine how fun that would be??
Anyway. What I really loved about this story was how relatable the characters were, both in their interactions with one another, and their internal struggles. Whenever you fall for a person who is unlike anyone you have ever been with before-- whether it's an issue of personality, type, country of origin, religion, or in this case, gender-- it can be very confusing, but ultimately rewarding. I really loved that aspect of the dynamics between Torihara and Akira. I know in many Yaoi/BL titles one of the characters may start out not realizing his attraction for another boy/men in general, but I think that this story handled it very well. It really showed what it's like to fall for another person simply for the person's own sake, and how gender or what one "should" be attracted to don't even always enter into the equation.
The art was well-done, the characters had hillarious facial expressions, the dialogue was heartfelt and funny, and it was a great ride! I'm excited for this one to come out as a book book :-)
Another great chapter, but is it the end of the story? I hope not, I like this couple and would like to read more about them. This is a very real and touching love story, very sweet.
- 
