Yakuza Lover
by Nozomi Mino
published in English by Viz (complete 12 volumes)
2021-2024
Volume 12 was just published this month, so I can write about this breathless, living-dangerously fantasy of an assertive college girl who falls in love with a handsome, high-ranking professional criminal.
Yuri wants a boyfriend, and after a stylish organized crime boss gets her out of a bad situation at a party, she seeks him out to return his coat… And is dazzled by underboss Oya’s good looks, pretty tattoos, wealth, henchmen, aura of power – and his DRAMA!
If you want an obsessive older guy who says he’ll see you next week IF HE IS STILL ALIVE, this is the series for the impressionable and unwise young version of you!
Yuri doesn’t have non-guy goals, so she gets purpose and unusual experiences out of this relationship. Oya is a possessive / obsessive boyfriend who is wild for her, providing immature intensity, approval, good sex, excessive gifts, and access to luxurious places she would never ordinarily experience. Their relationship also puts Yuri in sketchy situations, gets her kidnapped, leads to being threatened by thugs, alienates people close to her, and requires her to make adjustments to accept his criminal underworld and its drama.
Hardships only bring Yuri and Oya closer together. The more people in their circles object, the tighter they hold each other, and the more delighted they look together in bed.
The drama, danger, Yuri’s giant-eyed-open-mouthed surprise at everything, and Oya’s lovey-dovey excessiveness make for an over-the-top, entertaining story.