Nana to Kaoru

I actually like a lot this manga because of the pinning, the not so background romance between Nana and Kaoru, and specially how Kaoru is in love with Nana and he tries his best to become a better person worthy of her, even when he sees himself unworthy of her, from his looks to his grades, and even when he could totally do something to Nana (not really consensual stuff, which happens on smut shoujo manga often enough, and they fall in love because the guy is hot and beautiful). Kaoru actually loves Nana, he doesn't betray her trust on him.

BDSM doesn't even have to be of your like (I don't love it either), and it's nothing like that 50 shades book. btw.

The sad part is, though, that I don't really see this manga ending with Kaoru and Nana being a couple, and that breaks my heart.

I'm not very new to manga in general, but I became interested in it just at the start of last year. Since then, I've read quite a few, and I have to say this was actually one of the first I read.
After seeing a few of the comments talking about how 'ugly' Kaoru is, I just HAD to make an account and post my opinion. First, I like the fact that the main isnt such a perfect person, and actually makes an effort to grow through the manga. I'm not a person who judges a book by its cover, so to me, the personality of the character is everything. Unlike some other manga, Kaoru isnt exactly a wimpy fag and he actually pushes and exerts himself, and I think that is worthy of respect.

I have to say, the part which touched me most was when Kaoru engages in a short bout of self pity before picking himself up and training his stamina. At least he tries.

In short, read it, and may you find the motivation to push yourself as Kaoru does.

The overall set up of the story is great, but that's about it. Sadly it gets pretty repetitious after a while and overall the story is going nowhere. They just add a new toy or an outfit and call it a new arc. The guy acts retarded, like a grade school kid. He has feelings for nana but he has no intentions of ever telling her and about the only thing he can say to her is "shut-up" like an elementary school kid. There is just no ryme or reason for the way he acts. He's brave enough to engage in their "little breathers" but yet he doesn't have to guts to express his real true feelings. I still skim the new chapters once in a while, but unless something new happens, I'm just not interested anymore. If I were about 13, I wold probably love this, but being an adult, I just find it boring.

16+ volumes and there has still been no developement or progess in their relationship. i wonder how long this can go on bevore readers get bored.

This manga truly excels in stretching the sensual tension to a fever pitch, releasing the tension through a gradual revelation of the care and affection between the romantic leads.

I initially couldn't get on board how such a dorky male lead would win the heart of the most attractive female high school student in high school. It's the equivalent of the head cheerleader falling in love with the pimply ordinary kid - it just can't happen.

That the author is able to make this believable by imbuing the male lead with significant touches of sensitivity and thoughtfulness in the exercise of their BDSM relationship - it's the equivalent of Cyrano long-nose winning the woman of his dreams through poetry.

So, thumbs up on this manga!

Not bad, but Kaoru's personality is just like a retards or someone from pre-school, no-one at his age would hate to be around a beautiful woman, in fact he's more likely to want her to find out his feelings if he was a normal human being. I hate it when personalities in manga are like this, there aren't many like it but it sucks when there is.

I absolutely adore this series! It's rare to find a manga with a theme such as S&M that still has such an interesting story line that can keep one reading. Several people complain about Kaoru's looks which I just don't understand at all. I'm a girl and Kaoru's appearance doesn't take away from this series for me at all. In fact, I think since he is NOT perfect it makes reading this so refreshing. On top of that I really think Kaoru has his cute/adorable moments (he's hard for me to dislike! He's so endearing in his love for Nana!) On that note... if you don't like this series because "EW HE'S UGLY WTF" then go read Vampire Knight or something where every character fits the ideals. You'll find me here, eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

I think that kaoru will get the mental healing that he need from the "breathers" and develop into a more appealing character. Everyone keeps saying that the only draw-back is that kaoru is ugly, I personally think he is adorable, but the way the story is going I think that the mangaka will start displaying kaoru in an appealing way. I've seen it happen, like with mangas with a girl who is supposedly "ugly", then you may get a glimpse at how cute she is when that mangaka draws a frame of her without her glasses or something like that. All the mangaka has to do is show kaoru making a face that makes him look handsome. All-in-all , kaoru is like a character development arch and a short time skip away from being all of what you guys desire. Or I could be wrong.

Well it is my favorite manga at the moment. It introduced a borderline H category to me. Before I just though it is some kind of creepy porn, but what a surprise that it actually has one of the greatest plots I read. Sex related (but no actual sex) based relationship, great idea. How can I go back to Shojo now? It seems so fake to me now.

if only they had an average lookin guy instead of this midget alien creep i'd love this manga. unfortunately the chick is a 10 and the guy is as ugly as she is pretty/sexy/hot and i just can't stand such a preposterous couple on top of such a preposterous premise. also i'm a 19 yr old guy and i've seen my fair share of ero but why the hell does every other male protagonist have an addiction to porn?!

I guess the old saying that you should not judge the book by It's cover might be true.
At first glance it looks lika another hentai about S&M. I was really suprised to find somthing more than just sexy artwork. It's really more a story about trust and love then sex. I would never had guessed that bondage could be about so much other things then just a sexual intercourse.
It is beautiful to watch and see how someone who has been hiding her feelings of guilt,anger and sadness, and just be realesed by a game.
I don't think many people know about the psychological aspect of the act of BDSM. It's a lot more than just perverted fantasies. It also may be a way to find your inner feelings and forgotten sadness over somthing. And I think this manga is a fantastic exempel of this.

It's hot, sweet and entertaining in It's own way. You just can't help feeling empathy with Nana and Kauro. And has definitly changed my opinion about BDSM.

This is my first in this genre, and I gotta say it's a completely different world from all the manga/H I've read so far. No maiden desu-desu, no harem, no fight scenes, no handsome male protagonist, and no complicated philosophies - just a simple story about two distanced childhood friends, who by chance, are once again reunited through their secret adventure together.

I love how NtK can be so erotic, laying bare the humanly nature of lust, lewdness and desires. In many ways, it is far more revealing than most H-manga out there, which I believe merely serves as a quick physical release...

More importantly, the beauty of NtK is that it hardly ever make use of (if at all) explicit sexual acts. The plot, dialogues and character developments blend extremely well, and the characters are portrayed with with real-life personalities. Of course, the gorgeous artwork just made something perfect even better.

I noticed many comments about Kaoru's fugly looks. I agree, it was a quite a big turn off in the beginning. However, this became increasingly irrelevant as we get to better know his personality. Yes, he is a BDSM fetish creep whom you'd probably not want to meet in real life (but hey, who doesn't have some kind of fantasies?), but he would do everything he can to satisfy Nana's needs (as well as his own...). Moreover, his bad looks is essential to the plot in order to fulfill his role as an unworthy match to Nana to the outsiders' eyes, as well as to keep his own self-esteem low throughout.

Up till ch 51 and arashi 9, we can see how the limit in their BDSM experience is getting pushed further and further. I am really looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds when (if ever) they get beyond the point of acknowledging/confessing their love and/or really doing it.

Lastly, this series is probably be directed at a more mature audience, given the BDSM the theme. Nonetheless, it did opened my eyes on this theme of softcore BDSM and in the psychology behind the play... if it were ever close to reality.

This manga is amazing. I've never before read a manga that was so good at exhibiting the actualities of a BDSM relationship. As such, it's definitely one wild (and exciting 😉 ) ride. I love how the story provides plenty of titillating scenes and ideas... surrounded by a solid plot and characters you can actually get to know and care about.

However, there IS one thing I would change about this manga if I could. I believe that the overall scenario and the "breathers" can be equally appealing to men and women who are into BDSM or at least curious/open-minded about it. However... this manga falls prey to the same cliched "Male Lead is an Insufferable Dork" syndrome that every other shounen romance manga has. It's really a shame, because if the male lead was just a normal guy instead of a mega-dork, this could be an amazing powerhouse of a BDSM manga for men AND women.

Don't get me wrong - I still do believe this manga is amazing and one-of-a-kind. It's more than worthy of the "10" I'm rating it. I just wish the sexy bits weren't interrupted by so many "Hey, remember, he's a DORK, guys!" moments.