About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Adorable And Impossible. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to dubious consent (dubcon), inappropriate student-teacher relationships, confinement, sexual assault, coercion, cheating, BDSM, and prostitution, as it appears in the manga.
Synopsis:
Tatsuya has decided to take a part-time gig teaching graphic design at an art college. He doesn’t have a passion for teaching or anything like that, but he needs money to help support the business he wants to start, so he accepts the dreaded task of educating the youth. One such youth he finds himself teaching is a particularly bubbly young adult named Tsumugi. Tsumugi wants to be a fashion designer, but he is often late to class, is quick to play around, and often comes in hungover or buzzed, which doesn’t convince Tatsuya that Tsumugi is all that serious about his goals.
That is, until one day, after a class training students on a program that allows people to design things, Tsumugi ends up begging Tatsuya for personal training after hours. While Tatsuya isn’t fond of working for free, he can’t help being moved by this serious Tsumugi he’s never seen before, so they stay after and train on the program together. Once again, Tatsuya is surprised by how serious and diligent Tsumugi is about this. He’s really drawn to his student for the first time… until Tsumugi decides to reward him with a sexual favor.
Tatsuya, though he is swept up in the heat of the moment, knows just as well as anybody that this can’t happen again, but after the first time, Tsumugi seems to be obsessed with getting him back in bed by any means necessary.
Review:
I have read a bunch of stuff by Owal at this point (though this is the first review I’ve done for them), and I have to admit, I love their work so much. The art is always really nice (albeit inconsistent at times), and they typically go for that escort or prostitute with a heart-of-gold trope that I can’t help but love. This is no exception. Tsumugi is super cute and very aggressive in bed, while Tatsuya is a calm, cool older man. The only downside is Tsumugi’s hair. It’s wild and looks so messy, but not in a stylistic way, but in a rough, dirty way. I have to also point out that sometimes Tsumugi’s ass gets super wonky. You’ll see what I mean if you read it.
The character types are some of my favorites, though I admit some people will probably find them obnoxious, particularly Tsumugi. Tsumugi is the bright, bubbly, pretty, and ditzy airhead. Think Sunyool (From Points of Three), Chanwoo (BJ Alex), or even Ingyu (Welcome to the Café of Love), but multiply it by 1,000. He’s super cute, and I love the juxtaposition of his ditzy personality alongside his aggressive sexual prowess. To see this airheaded college student overpower his professor is great. There is inherently an unequal power dynamic due to the relationship between teacher and student. Still, Tsumugi does get a lot of power just by his domineering nature in bed at the beginning. Tsumugi becomes less powerful as their relationship continues, which is disappointing, but I still enjoy their dynamic.
Now, unfortunately, it isn’t all fun and games. Tsumugi works as an escort and prostitute, which is not a big deal. Sex workers deserve love, too, but he also has a sugar daddy who pays for his home and schooling. When Tsumugi is caught with Tatsuya having sex outside of Tsumugi’s job, the sugar daddy punishes Tsumugi. It’s cruel, coercive, and super rapey. It’s a bit unexpected, so I wanted to make sure this was talked about, as I know some people might be shocked by it in the middle of the manga. It’s pretty fun and innocent up until that point, so it could be pretty shocking when you’re faced with it in the middle of the story.
It takes a very sharp and dark tone with Tsumugi stuck in captivity, being passed around as punishment by his sugar daddy. It makes me a bit sad that rather than Tsumugi saving himself, Tatsuya comes in to save him, and Tsumugi ends up living with Tatsuya while Tatsuya takes on all of the responsibility of taking care of and paying for Tsumugi. One thing I did like about this arrangement, though, is how rather than being asked to do something in return, Tsumugi just jumps into helping around the house, finds a new job, and they make it a point to say the money Tsumugi is using is being borrowed. He is expected to pay it back, which makes Tatsuya want to avoid having sex with Tsumugi because he doesn’t want to become another sugar daddy. I like that they recognized that fear in Tatsuya, which makes their relationship feel more real.
Results:
This is a fun one. It has one of my favorite character types of all time, and it is full of smut, and it’s pretty. But if you expect a deep, well-thought-out storyline, this probably isn’t for you. Sex is definitely the focus for this one, but I am not one to complain about that. Just be warned, though, it’s not all sexy time and consent. It goes down a dark alley for a while, but it’s not long before we are back into the fluffy lust.
Have you read Adorable And Impossible? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!