Author/Artist: Shinano Oumi
Publisher: Juné
Rating: M – 18 and above
Genre: Yaoi, Comedy, Romance, Organized Crime
Shinri Irie was raised by his mother and grandmother and never knew his father. But after his grandmother dies he receives a letter from a man, Daigo Irie, claiming to be his father and extending the invitation to live with him. When Shinri arrives at his father’s house he’s surprised to find a café with an interesting theme. It turns out that Daigo Irie was the head of the Fujisaki Clan but decided to disband to give Shinri a place to come home to. They decided to jump on the themed café bandwagon and transformed into Café Fujisaki Clan, a yakuza café. But there is one problem. No one comes even though there are handsome men and tasty food. It turns out that the tea is horrible. Shinri’s grandmother loved tea and handed that down to him. With Shinri’s good looks and mastery of tea it looks like the café might have a chance.
With Shinri surrounded by all these men one stands out. Something about Mikado seems familiar but Shinri is unable to figure it out and Mikado seems awfully overprotective. Will Shinri figure out why Mikado is so familiar?
When it comes to lovely art and silly story lines Shinano Oumi-sensei is an artist that fills that void. I love stuff like that. In the case of Yakuza Café it was a wacky read but could have used a little more character development. The main characters fall into the typical seme/uke roles and we have the forced sex. At least in this case Mikado shows remorse and tries to cut off a finger yakuza style. It seems Mikado goes crazy when someone touches his yakuza tattoo. It turns out that Mikado has been in love with Shinri for quite some time and had spent some time with Shinri when he was younger. Shinri doesn’t really know how to deal with his emotions but it seems that he’s attracted to Mikado as well.
There is also a brief chapter dedicated to Zaoji and how he came to the gang. This chapter is more serious and sad but adds greatly to the book. You’re probably wondering who is this Zaoji guy. He’s the brains behind the café and runs things. He and Mikado butt heads on a lot of things.
This manga is full of cheesy goodness that only Shinano Oumi-sensei can deliver. I stumbled upon some of her titles in scanlation form and was captivated by her art. I’m really excited that we finally have one of her titles in English. I found it to be a fun read and just as long as you don’t take it too seriously you might enjoy it as well.
***Copy Provided by Publisher***
