Tokyopop continues its streak of releasing cute and fun BL titles that I thoroughly enjoy. Written and illustrated by Kyohei Azumi, Katakoi Lamp is a fluffy little romance full of both humor and heart.
Synopsis:
Kazuto notices that Jun, a regular customer at his café, is always staring at him and blushing, and he realizes that the other man has a crush on him. While Kazuto has never been in a relationship with a man, he’s so flattered by the attention and finds Jun so adorable, that he starts to return the shy young man’s feelings. Kazuto decides to gently nudge Jun into confessing his love to him, so that he can then tell him that he feels the same way and they can finally start dating. But it turns out that Kazuto has completely misread the situation and Jun actually has a crush on the waitress who works with Kazuto at the café! To make matters worse, Kazuto winds up agreeing to help Jun ask her out! How is Kazuto going to help Jun find happiness with someone else when he’s in love with him himself?!
Review:
Since both Kazuto and Jun are a bit on the dense side, the misidentifying of who Jun was interested in is just the start of the comedic misunderstandings that occurs in this manga. In an effort to help Jun out, Kazuto asks his attractive friend, Kyosuke, to chat up the waitress and see if she already has a boyfriend. This, of course, leads her to think that Kyosuke is into her, a complication that these dum-dums should have seen coming a mile away. This doesn’t lead to a happy-ever-after for Kyosuke and the waitress, however. Turns out, Kyosuke has had secret romantic feelings for Kazuto for years!
Well, this quickly turned into a big ol’ mess!
If you’re thinking that this love quadrangle set-up sounds annoying and are considering passing on this title, I want to assure you that, despite generally not being a fan of these kinds of plot lines, I actually liked how the situation is handled in this manga.
When Kyosuke first reveals his feelings to him, Kazuto doesn’t know what to do, but he isn’t ready to abandon their friendship. So, he has a frank heart-to-heart with Kyosuke, where he clearly explains that he isn’t interested in him romantically, but also emphasizes how important Kyosuke is to him. I thought it was a touching speech and that scene wound up being my favourite part of the book. It’s nice to see characters being so sincere and mature!
I also liked the relationship that develops between the two leads as Kazuto tries to help Jun gain enough confidence to ask his crush out. Kazuto is a warm and open person who isn’t afraid to let Jun know how great he thinks he is, even if he doesn’t think there’s much chance that Jun will ever like him back in a romantic way. But with Kazuto being so supportive and kind, it doesn’t take long for Jun’s feelings to start to change and the romance between these two winds up being very wholesome.
Katakoi Lamp was an amusing read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. If you’re looking for a light-hearted and cozy BL romance, I’d definitely recommend giving this manga a shot.
Final Score: 8 out of 10
For more information on this manga, visit Tokyopop’s website.
What did you think of this manga? Let me know in the comments.
Be sure to check out some of my other recent BL manga reviews:
- The God & the Flightless Messenger Review
- The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions Vol 1 Review
- Sasaki and Miyano Vol 1 Review
- I Cannot Reach You Vol 1 Review
- Manga Mini Reviews (The Cat Proposed & MADK Vol 1)
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