Glaring, Metal-Listening Cutie Pie Who Loves to Cook
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series The Metalhead Next Door. 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 sexism, unsafe living conditions, prejudice, anxiety, self-deprecation, excessive drinking, sexual assault (specifically someone kissing a sleeping person), bullying, speech impediment, comedic depictions of death, and politics, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Kento’s got it rough. He makes pennies at his part-time job, he has college classes to attend, and his dorm rent is about to go up because of all of the security updates. Kento has no choice but to move and downgrade. Thankfully, not too far away, there is an apartment available for rent on the cheap. The catch? The heating is currently out. As long as Kento is willing to pay for repairs, he gets to stay there for well below standard rent prices. Kento, with very little other option, jumps at the chance.
Unfortunately, Kento underestimated just how cold it would get. Despite wrapping up in as much outerwear as he possibly could, Kento ends up passing out just outside of his door. When he wakes up, he finds himself inside, warm, and tucked in. It would be a very comfortable way of waking up if not for the dark-haired and glaring man hovering above him. As it turns out, this man is his neighbor, Soshi. Though Soshi initially comes off as scary and angry, he’s actually quite nice. Soshi feeds Kento, ensures he’s good and warm, and even sends him home with dessert.
It turns out that Soshi isn’t as scary as he might appear. He’s just a shy, metal-loving cutie pie. So begins their neighborly friendship, with Kento going over and having dinner with Soshi. But this friendly veneer is starting to crack because Kento is keeping a secret. He’s gay, and he’s starting to develop feelings for Soshi.
Review:
The art in this is inconsistent. It’s very sketchy and has a boxy quality to it that I didn’t anticipate based on the cover art. I would usually complain about this to some extent, but I have to admit that it grew on me. Soshi, in particular, really carries this for me. I’m a sucker for cute chibis, and Soshi has some of the cutest chibi panels of all time. The boxy, sketchy little metalhead being all shy and awkward will make your heart soar. I think this is worth reading for him alone.
The story, however, rules. It’s such a soft and fluffy story of an extrovert and an introvert coming together and learning about each other. Of course, there is so much to learn about Soshi, and a major point in the story is Soshi realizing he wants to be close to people despite his fears and anxiety. But where this really shines is in Kento’s growth. He doesn’t come off as a character that needs much exploration and growth beyond accepting Soshi and learning who he is. But as it turns out, Kento has his own fears. Unlike his best friend, who is openly gay, Kento is in the closet, and much of the issues between him and Soshi arise due to his fear of being rejected because of that. It’s very powerful, especially when Kento finally confesses, and Soshi finds himself having to not only find his voice and learn to want friendship but also to learn about what romance and love might mean for him. Both of these people have to be painfully vulnerable for very different reasons, but they aren’t so different deep down.
However, as much as I love the story, it isn’t perfect. There is a substantial time skip between when they initially meet and when they start hanging out all the time, so it can feel a bit jarring. This is a single-volume title, so I understand why the skip happened. However, because it is a single volume, I desperately long for all the content we missed out on because of the time skip. I fell in love with both characters (especially Soshi), so I wanted every minute I could get with them. If ever this became a full-fledged series, I would be all over it, but for what little time we do get with them, it is such a sweet and fluffy time.
Speaking of sweetness and fluff, while this is categorized as yaoi and has that yummy little ‘Explicit Content’ warning on the cover, the entire main story has zero sexy time. If not for the extra at the end, this would no doubt be shounen-ai. That isn’t necessarily a detractor for me. Still, I imagine some people might come into this expecting a smutfest at most and a smattering of lusty times at minimum, but this is almost entirely platonic, minus some kissing over the course of the main story. With that said, for anyone who wants to avoid sexy time in their BL, just don’t read the extra, and you won’t be missing much of anything. Meanwhile, for my fellow degenerates, don’t come into this expecting a bedroom scene in the first chapter. You will be disappointed.
Results:
This was so stinking cute. I adore characters like Soshi, who are misunderstood, shy, and super kind people and are super passionate about what they love. It’s a very sweet story that just leaves you feeling good. It isn’t necessarily revolutionary or anything like that, but it’s still a good comfort read. I would recommend this to anyone (though my fellow degenerates might be disappointed).
Have you read The Metalhead Next Door? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!