Manga Review: No Touching At All

No Touching At All by Kou Yoneda

Publisher: DMP June / Taiyoh Yosho
Price: $12.95
Genre: Drama, Romance, Yaoi
Themes: Work place romance
Rating: Mature 18+
Volumes: 1 Volume
ISBN: 978-1-56970-185-0


Basic Premise
Shima has just started a new job with a boss who doesn't mind bending, or flat out breaking, the rules of office propriety. It doesn't take long for Shima to get caught up in his boss's pace, and they wind up in bed. Shima has played this scenario before. He is more than willing to run away before he gets hurt, but will his boss let him.




Sex Shown
Kissing, pressed bodies, suggestive positions, invisible penis, and groping/fondling.



Review
Right away you can tell from the cover that this story is going to be heart-wrenching. It depicts Shima huddled against the wall looking close to tears while Togawa is trying to console Shima, though Shima seems to be holding him back. Pain, fear of betrayal, understanding, and love. The book has all that and more.

Togawa, the boss, is a character you can't help but love. His irreverent, non-apologetic attitude makes him a fun and easy to identify with. Shima is the character that makes your heart ache. You feel every bit of his pain and understand all of his unease about his budding relationship with Togawa, especially since Togawa wasn't gay until he met Shima.

Office romances are hard to begin with. Add the fact that Togawa is Shima's boss and it gets really complicated. But, that's not the plot of this story. The plot is Shima dealing with past hurts and learning to trust his current lover. Neither man is perfect, both have emotional scarring in their past, and both are in desperate need of a person who will understand but not pity them.

Seeing their relationship play out was a real treat. The plot is solid. The art is a little more angled than I'm used to for this genre, but it grew on me. I'll be happy to read another manga by Yoneda-sensei.