Book Review: False Memories, volume 1

We all have relationships we would like to forget, past partners we wish would drop off the face of the earth and for Nakano, that had finally happened. He is successful in his job, and as he’s about to meet the contractors he will be working with closely, his past catches up with him in the form of old friend, Tsuda Keisuke, the lead contact for the contracting group. What is so special about Tsuda? Apparently not much more than one homoerotic dalliance near the end of their senior year in high school.

Oh, yes, my fellow manga enthusiasts, this is a yaoi manga.

For those of you not in the know, yaoi can mean several things (my favorite being “Yamete, oshiri ga itai” which means “Stop, my ass hurts!”), but first and foremost, it means love between two boys.

Nakano is a no nonsense sort of person, intent on maintaining a professional demeanor at all times, but slowly the cheerful Tsuda chips away at his armor. As their first project comes to a close, Nakano slowly begins to question his skills as a professional as he completely flubs their presentation leaving him angry as he waits for Tsuda to break the news. This escalates into a fiery outburst of hurt feelings and rejection, all of which Tsuda was left speechless by as Nakano storms off into the night, bluntly stating he’ll ask to be reassigned so he won’t have to see Tsuda any longer. As is the case in most romantic manga, the odds are stacked against the resolute Nakano and he is repeatedly thrust together with Tsuda until one night, they drink too much.

An incredibly hot kiss spans several panels before Nakano’s brain overthinks everything and he forcibly kicks Tsuda out at the same time, burying his feelings toward him. Work becomes increasingly more awkward and just when it seems like the two can finally understand each other, the volume ends.

Yessiree, that’ll definitely keep you coming back for more, particularly if you’re a fan of common manga tropes.

False Memories doesn’t bring anything entirely original to the reader, but it’s a fun, fast read that will absolutely keep you entertained…until you have to wait for volume 2 of course!

False Memories volume 1 is out in stores July 9th and my fellow yaoi lovers…enjoy.