Details
Title:
Darlin' Give Me a Break!
ダーリン、いいかげんにしやがれ (Darlin', Iikagen ni Shiya Gare)
Author: Minta Suzumaru
Artist: Minta Suzumaru
Volumes: 1
Publishers:
Studio JG (Polish, 2024)
Ichijinsha (Japanese, 2017)
Darlin’ Give Me a (Gaming) Break!
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
June is a particularly intensive month for gamers, with numerous games releasing that make it difficult to keep up. After marathoning THREE games (Lies of P + DLC, Raidou Remastered and Death Stranding 2), I felt like BL mangas were calling to me. But hey, there’s no rest for the wicked! Back to yaoi posting.
As I decided to tackle my backlog by reading all books of a specific author on my shelf, the next in my queue is Minta Suzumaru. The bright pink cover caught my attention, and the pleasant art style reaffirmed my choice.
The story revolves around Haiji, a delinquent blonde farmer in the Japanese countryside. The quiet small town gets a small shake-up when a half-Italian, half-Japanese Kokoro moves in there. Raised abroad and outside of Japanese society, he is extremely friendly and honest, which quickly gains him popularity in the small community. Haiji can’t help but look out for the sweet but inexperienced neighbour who may be rich in money but less so in life experience.
This is the author’s second serialised manga, but my first from her works. It is pure fluff and good vibes; there are no high stakes in events or characters. Any slight misunderstanding that comes from cultural differences gets resolved very quickly. I enjoyed the author’s depiction of WTF moments, when the seme just goes mind blank and his brain needs a reboot. I wish there were more to say than ‘it’s nice and cute,’ as it lacks more memorable characters or events. It’s a cute story of an aloof, grumpy man meeting his Italian sunshine, kinda nothing more, nothing less.
The Polish edition has been published by Studio JG. It features everything I like in a high-quality manga release: crisp white paper, a dust jacket with hidden art under the cover, and strong lettering work. The title has not been published in English, either digitally or physically; however, as other authors’ work has been, there is a slight chance that it may be picked up in the future. Though I don’t consider it her best work (she only gets better), it’s a great read if you’re looking for a nice BL void of big drama or high emotions.
It may not be the most memorable title, but it was ideal to read after a stressful day at work. I recommend it if you’re looking for a light read and the art style suits your taste.
