About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Prescription for a Lonely Boy Who Wants Love. 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 break ups, sex and intimacy in exchange for a place to stay (possibly considered sex work), perceived cheating, sex addiction, rape, slut-shaming, self-deprecation, and mental illness, as it appears in the manga.
Synopsis:
Kippei is, essentially, a professional live-in boyfriend. He doesn't necessarily love any of his partners, but they want a boyfriend to have sex with, and he wants a place to live, so it works out for a time. But, inevitably, his partners want more from him, and he can't give that to them. So, they break up. This time is no different, and Kippei's already on the hunt for his next partner. Thankfully, he doesn't have to go very far, as he sees a couple of guys possibly going through a breakup.
Kippei is bisexual, and when he sees one of the men left behind and heartbroken, he swoops in to save the day. The man isn't necessarily Kippei's type, and Kippei even considers him to be a little plain-looking, but Kippei isn't all that picky and plays the field all the same. After a surprisingly short conversation, the two end up in a hotel room where the stranger, Sosuke, turns out to be much more aggressive in bed than his appearance might suggest. After an intense romp, Kippei wakes up in the morning alone in the hotel. He laments that he didn't get Sosuke's number, but with nowhere to go and nothing else to do, Kippei makes his way to his sister's house.
Once there, Kippei ends up catching a cold, and not wanting him to spread the cold to his niece, his sister demands he go to the doctor. After much pushing, Kippei unwillingly goes. As it turns out, this was exactly what he needed. The doctor Kippei ends up seeing none other than Sosuke. Not wanting to miss this chance, Kippei jumps at the opportunity, offering his live-in services in exchange for sex, which he punctuates by having sex with Sosuke in the doctor's office. Sosuke agrees, and Kippei quickly settles into life at his new partner's place. But Kippei soon discovers that Sosuke isn't as needy as his former partners have been, and while this usually might be a plus, when Kippei isn't needed, what good is he?
Review:
There is something about this art style I don't like. It isn't terrible by any means, but there's something off-putting about it to me. I believe it might be the facial features. They are really, really wide. There are panels where, from an angle, the eyes come off the characters' faces, which is just an odd choice. The mouths are also exceedingly wide and seem disproportionate to the size of their faces. I'm just not the biggest fan of this style. It is very clean and consistent overall, but it's not for me. One plus about the art is that it is incredibly expressive. The more prominent facial features lend themselves really well to expressing intense emotions, which I like.
Story-wise, this is one of my favorite dynamics, with a playboy being played. I love that Kippei sees Sosuke as just some plain-looking guy that he can use for room and board in exchange for sex, only to fall hopelessly in love with Sosuke. Kippei is a rather dislikable guy because of the way he initially sees Sosuke, but I have to give it to him. I like that he isn't just a warm dildo. He cooks and cleans, actively tries to take Sosuke out of on dates, and even initiates nonsexual intimacy. I have to admit, I'd be pretty tempted by Kippei, thanks to all of that. Most playboys being played we see are just there for sex and not much else, but Kippei strives to be a worthwhile partner, perhaps not emotionally, but in most other categories, which I really appreciate.
However, his need to be needed by his partners leads to Sosuke having all the power in their relationship. For Kippei, most of his partners need him because they don't have the time or energy to find someone who actually loves them. Furthermore, they need someone to take care of the house so they can fund his lifestyle. Unlike his other partners, Sosuke doesn't need Kippei in any way. The sex is convenient, but he easily goes out and finds other partners when he is denied sex. He doesn't need someone to cook or clean for him, as he is naturally neat and active. And he has no desire for nonsexual intimacy, so that ends up being more of a detriment to their relationship than a bonus. Unfortunately, this does lead to Kippei doing extremely cruel things to Sosuke due to his own insecurities in their tenuous partnership, but this also leads to him developing feelings for Sosuke. Is it because that's all he had left to give? Is it because he genuinely fell for him? Who knows, but I love that shift. Sosuke can live without Kippei, but he chooses to let Kippei in any way.
Something that I have never seen explicitly discussed in manga (or really any other BL medium) is sex addiction. If it did mention it, it wasn't important enough in the story for me to remember it. I was pretty pumped to find out this was the main narrative point in this title, especially since it is pretty well-explored. Seeing Sosuke struggle to balance a monogamous relationship with his addiction is heartbreaking, and it was refreshing that this addiction began pretty subtly with no terrible trauma or violent history associated with it. He had sex with his friend in their youth and discovered he was gay as a result, but no matter how many times he had sex with someone else, he just couldn't find peace with this unrequited love. I am no expert on addiction in any form, but this seems like a pretty realistic depiction. I also like that Kippei decides to be with Sosuke anyway, willing to help him overcome his addiction.
Unfortunately, it's all wrapped up very quickly, with Sosuke suddenly deciding not to have sex one night and that implying he is “cured.” The addiction was so well-crafted and explored, so to just have it magically cured through Kippei's love, though as romantic as that is, is super disappointing all the same. I know part of this is because it's so short at around a single volume's length, but it needed so much more time to allow Sosuke to grow independently. There's a brief time skip of six months when this occurs. In that time, we learn that Kippei finally has a job, which would've been nice to see more of, and while I'm sure brief stints of no sex are probably common while recovering from sex addiction, it just feels so quick and out of nowhere following a random time skip. I would've liked it better if he had been shown to be working on it rather than just being cured, as it would've been much more realistic. I keep picturing a sweet scene of Sosuke coming home to a homecooked meal after therapy or something, just happy to be at the table with Kippei and learning how to cope, but that's just fanfic for me at this point.
Results:
This had me in the first half. Well, a bit more than the first half, but it lost me in the end. The rape scene was unfortunate and didn't make much sense to me narratively (this coming from someone who typically likes noncon), and the sudden “I'm cured” aspect of the sex addiction left me feeling icky. I think this has a ton of potential, but it needed so much more time or at least a better ending for it to be a favorite. I'm happy I read it, as it was pretty refreshing overall, but I don't picture myself re-reading this all that often.
Have you read Prescription for a Lonely Boy Who Wants Love? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!