You Will Drown in Love cover image is courtesy of Anime Castle Books.

Rated “M” for “Mature”

In the yaoi manga, You Will Fall in Love, from creator Hinako Takanaga (The Devil’s Secret), Reiichiro Shudo apparently lost the guy to whom he was attracted to his own younger brother.  Now, in the sequel, You Will Drown in Love, Reiichiro struggles with finding happiness.

Thanks to a family connection, Reiichiro becomes manager of Fujinoya Fabric Store, which specializes in selling fabrics for kimonos.  The store’s assistant manga, Jinnai, who hoped to become manager, is furious that nepotism has cost him a promotion to a guy ten years younger than him and also with no sales experience.  Jinnai is at first intolerant of his new boss, but he does take it upon himself to train Reiichiro, who is terrible and pathetic at customer service.

Jinnai and Reiichiro eventually become confidants, with Reiichiro sharing his dilemma involving his brother and his former friend.  Still, Jinnai is sometimes sarcastic when speaking to Reiichiro, and doesn’t seem to realize it.  Does Jinnai even realize that he’s falling in love with the boss he still resents?

THE LOWDOWN:  As I wrote of You Will Fall in Love:  “All these beautiful boys, with their faces full of sadness, worry, and desire, actually make for fun reading,” I can also say of You Will Drown in Love.  Does the story live up to its title?  You Will Drown in Love reads like the prelude romance – a hint of the passion of one lover that will “drown” the other lover.  Also, while You Will Drown in Love is a sequel, its story actually takes place at the same time as the events of You Will Fall in Love.

Just as she did in the first book, Hinako Takanaga draws in a smooth as caramel style, but here, the composition features stronger line work and more solid figure drawing.  In You Will Fall in Love, the art was so delicate and light, making everything look wispy and winsome.  This story is also strongly romantic, with a surprising amount of humor based on bickering.  Reiichiro and Jinnai are good characters, each with stubborn personalities, so someone could read into this that “happily ever after” is not a given.  The most disappointing thing about this book is that it ends before the good stuff begins

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of boys’ love that focus strongly on romantic drama will like You Will Drown in Love.

B+