Manga Review: Don't Be Cruel, Volume 3 & 4, by Yonezou Nekota

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2016

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1&2. 5. Akira's Story. Plus+.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Playboy Maya catches studious Nemugasa cheating on a test, and to ensure his silence Maya blackmails Nemugasa into doing whatever he wants!

Maya and Nemugasa are now officially lovers, but it's the summer of their third year of high school, meaning even more studying for college entrance exams. Their relationship is reduced to stealing kisses over lunch recess and the occasional sleepover. Stressed and desperately wanting some alone time, the two wind up having a massive—even dangerous—misunderstanding! Things only get worse when the two eventually end up attending separate colleges, meaning they will no longer see each other every day. How will Nemugasa handle Maya’s continued popularity with the ladies? And can Maya accept Nemugasa making a new college friend?

Review:

In the first volume of this series, we get some more angsting over not getting a lot of time together. We also get some parental drama, because Nemugasa's mom doesn't approve of Maya on first sight. (We don't get any coming-out plot yet, though.) I liked seeing how it was solved, though.

In the mix of all this, there's the underlying theme of both Maya and Nemugasa worrying about their appearance. Maya starts worrying if he looks too much like a thug, taking out his earring at one point, and even going so far as to dye his hair. Later in the book, we get to see Nemugasa worry whether his clothing choices are good enough, and if he should be more stylish, since he's never really thought about it before. It's interesting to see them both wonder and worry, and how they both just want to look good for the other.

In the second volume, they've graduated high school! Suddenly they're in the real world. Maya has a job, and Nemugasa is still in school, though he feels more alone and without friends. Nemugasa makes a gay best friend, but Maya gets jealous. It's super cute, and I actually liked seeing their fight and how they made up.

We also get to stray from the main couple for a bit, to see what Jutta is up to, and how he's tormenting one of his teachers. He gets what he deserves in return, and I hope to see him be put in his place a little more.

I seriously love this series. It's hot and sweet and adorable. I can't wait to read more.