Tsundere Top Falls in Love with His Stalker
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Satoshi and Kakeru. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Content Warning: There may be references to breaking and entering, stalking, obsession, noncon/dubcon, blood, attempted self-harm, attempted suicide, manipulation, social gap, mentions of death, violence, age gap, perceived cheating, depression, somnophilia, bullying, extortion, and overwork, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
This a sequel and spin-off of the manga The “Flow” in Flower. While you can read this without reading the first, I recommend reading them in order to get the full context.
Kakeru is being stalked. Well, he was being stalked. But after turning the tables on his stalker, Satoshi, and developing an intense physical attraction for his stalker, they now live together. Kakeru doesn’t love Satoshi, of course, but he does love his body. Satoshi is so sensitive and surprisingly cute in bed, which is the only reason Kakeru lives with him. But Satoshi isn’t interested in sex. Actually, Satoshi wants pure and platonic love with Kakeru. But Kakeru has no interest in such a relationship.
But as they spend more time together, Kakeru finds himself pampering his awkward, romantic little stalker. He says he doesn’t love Satoshi. Just how true is that?
Review:
We’re back with my fave: Tsutako Tsurusawa. This particular title makes me very happy because, though this isn’t part of their cat-man-verse, this volume’s art style and designs give me those same feels. As I said in the previous entry in this volume’s series, this couple’s designs remind me of the first couple of the cat-man-verse as if they were the templates for that series. But then we get the extra story at the end of this volume, and the bottom in that couple, Ayato, reminds me of another character in the cat-man-verse. Add in that we also get a scene where the top, Tsukasa, gets animal ears, and I was living. Is this art style perfect? Not at all. It’s very wonky, but I love it, and I really reveled in this series.
Now, I have a bunch of things I want to discuss regarding the main story, but before we get to that, let me talk about the treat, which is the extra story at the end. For one, uncensored butthole. Yes, there is a super sexy panel with an uncensored butthole. That is such a great panel. If you’re shocked and offended by this note, I’m sorry, but I’m a degenerate through and through. So, I’m going to get excited about the uncensored butthole. Plus, there is a woman’s lingerie fetish in here, another wonderful addition. This story isn’t the most emotional out there, but it doesn’t have to be. The strong point is certainly the smut, which this does excellently.
Now, on to the main couple and the main story. Unlike the original story, where most of the main couple’s story is focused on the dubcon nature of their relationship, plus revealing how dark and suicidal Satoshi is, the focus in this series is definitely seeing Kakeru’s attraction toward Satoshi changing. Sex (including the dubcon nature of their physical relationship) is certainly still a significant focus, but this series is much more emotional. There’s a chapter dedicated to Kakeru pampering Satoshi through his catatonic depressive state that is just so tender and sweet that it hardly feels like the same couple. Knowing Satoshi isn’t conscious gives Kakeru the freedom to love Satoshi in the sweet way he craves because Kakeru won’t be embarrassed. Kakeru’s tsundere pride stays intact while we get some sweet loving we’ve missed out on. I love it.
But maybe the best part about this, beyond seeing Kakeru’s sweet and pampering side, is seeing Satoshi’s protective side. Within their relationship, there is a clear power dynamic setup. Though Satoshi is rich, putting him in a much better place financially, Kakeru is definitely the one who controls the relationship. This makes Kakeru seem like the untouchable and all-powerful man, but then we see him being picked on and bullied by former coworkers. At this moment, Kakeru appears vulnerable, and his rich beau swoops in to save him. We see hints of this dynamic when Satoshi expresses his jealousy over Kakeru’s clients, but here, we see just how powerful he is socially thanks to his money. It’s such a nice change in dynamic and shows Kakeru’s softer side again. The first time we see this couple, it’s all about the sex, and while sex is still important this time around, this volume is more focused on peeling back Kakeru’s hard exterior to hopefully, one day, have him admit that what he feels for Satoshi is love.
Results:
I like this. I’m so glad Satoshi and Kakeru got their own dedicated volume (and just recently got another entry, which I plan on reading and reviewing soon). It has a lot of the cat-man-verse vibes, lots of heavy smut, and even a little bit of heart. I certainly still prefer the cat-man-verse because mpreg, but I’m enjoying this all the same. Would this go on my favorites list? Probably not. But if you love Tsutako Tsurusawa’s work, I have no doubt that you’ll enjoy this one, too.
Have you read Satoshi and Kakeru? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!