Details
Title:
Bad Boys, Happy Home
Akamatsu i Seven: Pod jednym dachem
同棲ヤンキー 赤松セブン (Dousei Yankee Akamatsu Seven)
Author: SHOOWA
Artist: Hiromasa Okujima
Volumes: 3
Publishers:
SuBLime (English, 2021)
Dango (Polish, 2022)
Akita Shoten (Japanese, 2018)
Two bros chillin’ in a hot tub five one foot apart cause they’re not gay
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
My reading slump for the last couple of years has felt insurmountable, especially in regards to yaoi manga. The backlog has just grown so much on my shelf that I didn’t even know where to start. Not being able to decide just added to my frustration. I can’t even express how happy I am that it’s this specific title that I decided to read and review!
Bad Boys, Happy Home (known as Akamatsu and Seven: Under One Roof in Polish) is a 3-volumes BL manga from the duo of yaoi mangakas: SHOOWA and Hiromasa Okujima. It tells the story of Akamatsu, a typical blonde-haired delinquent high-schooler meeting a homeless guy called Seven. Having similar yankee vibes and hitting it off, Akamatsu invites Seven to live with him in his flat. They get used to the mundane everyday life and stupid shenanigans, but their past problems quickly catch up with both of them…
As soon as I saw the book’s cover in my local comic book store, I thought ‘The artist must be a man’ and lo and behold, he is! This series has this particular vibe coming from a gay man’s perspective and art direction. I don’t know how to describe it better, but the two main characters feel alive and human. They truly seem like two teenage dudes you possibly knew when growing up, with their specific kind of male silliness and stupidity. The art style is right up my alley, more distinct from BL’s mainstream.
The strongest aspect of the manga is how fucking funny it is. Holy shit, Akamatsu and Seven bounce one brain cell between each other like a hot potato. I couldn’t help but giggle aloud. And this comes as a surprise because the manga has very dark themes. Heavier than I was anticipating in such a supposedly light-hearted title, to be honest! While it sheds light on child sexual exploitation and trafficking in a non-bullshit way, the story never loses its core heart and warmth.
I have a Polish and English edition of the first volume, so it’s an ideal opportunity to compare the yaoi publishing formats in those two cases! SuBLime and Dango have the standardised formats they keep throughout all their releases. Both of them have their perks and disadvantages, as you usually cannot have it all: the English release added a colourful glossy page, while the Polish one just kept it in black and white form. On the other hand, the quality of the paper for Polish manga always beats the English releases being white and crisp, which means no yellowing problem for long-term collecting! Thus, I usually opt for a Polish release if available, but I don’t always know beforehand which I would grab first.
An interesting translation/tone difference where English version strongly foreshadows fucked-up shit, but Polish one made it too jokey to hit it home (“When I see a willy in need, I can’t refuse helping”).
I definitely recommend this title to all yaoi aficionados, especially those looking for an unforgettable reading. You rarely see a title in any media that balances dark topics with humour so perfectly and this one will remain in my memory for a long time.
