Machi is a young man looking after a sweet two-year-old, Kokoa, by himself. With no job other than survival sex work, he is homeless, couch surfing, and ill when he faints in the street and is helped by Mihiro. Mihiro remembers him from high school and offers to let Machi and Kokoa stay with him until Machi is back on his feet. Machi has had a hard life and is leery of the offer, assuming that Mihiro only wants him to stay so that he can have sex with him. On the first night, Machi gives Mihiro oral sex but Mihiro turns down Machi’s offer of more, telling him that he wants him to value himself more. With the safe foundation that Mihiro offers, Machi starts to stabilize his life and to work through some of the demons of his past.
Putting aside the portrayal of sex work as an inherently degrading thing, I thought overall this was a pretty sensitive exploration of someone in a desperate situation being offered a way out, and the hesitation that that can cause. Machi has trouble understanding what anyone could see in him and it takes a while for him to realize that he’s safe. He also has to learn about caring for the broader public and relaxing into the overall idea of people doing kind things for each other. I did think that this hit all the broad strokes of this kind of book and wasn’t breaking any new ground, and the plot gallops along in order to hit all of the beats in a way that can be a bit breakneck, but it had an optimistic spirit and a nice message of the importance of support and developing self-worth. I also liked the messaging around the broad definition of a family and how you don’t have to accept abuse from blood relations.
The end sex scene I thought was particularly nice and felt intimate and tender in a way that can be missing in some of this genre. The art was sometimes a bit clunky and their proportions were wild at times, but I could handle it, and the way the artist used slanted lines gave it a unique look that I liked. This book didn’t necessarily change my life or do anything new, but it was good for what it was, basically, with some additional elements that just edge it into a 4-star for me.
Warnings for — explicit sex throughout, sex work, car accidents, off-screen deaths, grief, post-traumatic symptoms (flashbacks, fainting), abusive relationships (in past)
