Alcohol, Shirt, and Kiss

This was pleasant but not particularly engaging. I actually set this aside multiple times while reading, which is quite unusual for me. The yaoi elements were very mild, almost an anticlimax. However, it did have some sweet moments.

The characters were fairly well-developed. It was nice to see Kita's transformation and his realization of true feelings for Naruse.

The side story showed promise until it took a strange turn with the aliens.

Overall, this receives a rather uninspired "hmm" from me. It just didn't resonate with me much.

Nanashi Moriko
02/09/2007
*Not an Alcohol, shirt and kiss fangirl*

This isn't something I would have picked up on my own. It was mistakenly sent to me when I ordered a secondhand copy of another manga, so I figured I might as well give it a read. So, how does it fare?

Honestly, not great. Overall, this manga is pretty bland and uninspired. It starts off quite vague, with the lead character Naruse waking up several days in a row at his coworker’s place after heavy drinking; by the third morning, coworker Kita jokes that they had sex, which leads them both to start developing feelings for each other.

I was a bit concerned going in that it might turn out to be copaganda, but Kuwabara was willing to show a cop beating up a suspect as early as chapter two just to soothe his own hurt feelings. So, that's something, I guess? At least the manga acknowledges police brutality exists. However, there's no real overarching plot beyond the development of Naruse and Kita’s relationship. Even that lacks drama, intrigue, or excitement.

As for the characters, well. Kita is a misanthrope, and it’s established early on that he’s interested in Naruse because he’s one of the few people Kita doesn’t hate – that old “I hate everyone but not you” scenario. (Which, honestly, relatable.) The author sticks with this character trait throughout – Kita’s dislike for others is clear, and he has no idea how to build a functional relationship due to lack of experience. It’s not like some stories where the author tells you a character hates everybody without writing them that way. The author does try to delve a little into Kita’s character. Unfortunately, that’s all the characterization this manga has. Everyone else is incredibly bland, with no discernible personality. Kita says Naruse doesn’t bore him, but I don’t see why not. There’s nothing particularly interesting about him.

I’m sure some of you reading this are thinking, “Morgan, you’re asking too much of a one-volume yaoi manga! You can’t expect them to have stories or character development!” I disagree. I’ve read enough one-volume yaoi that excel in those areas (like Amasakaru by Moka Azumi, Stranger by Hayate Kukuu, and Midare Soumenishi by Kazuma Kodaka) that I have little patience for any manga whose author doesn’t seem to care about the story they’re telling. Even the artwork is best described as lackluster, though at least the men don’t have fish lips. The oneshot at the end of the volume was slightly more interesting because it actually had a bit of a story, but not enough to really carry it.

“So what about the porn?” I hear you ask. I’m sure that’s what most of you are here for, and I’m sorry to tell you there was only one barely depicted sex scene, certainly nothing to get off to. If you’re looking for good porn in a one-volume yaoi, I point you again towards Amasakaru.

Overall, I was unimpressed. It’s alright if you want something mindless to read to kill some time, but I would hardly recommend it. This was a poor substitute for Gorgeous Carat: Galaxy; I won’t be keeping it in my collection.