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Title: Living for Tomorrow

Author: Taishi Zaou

Publisher: Doki Doki

ISBN: 9781569700846

May Contain Spoilers

Tasuku has a little problem and it’s driving him nuts.  He’s in love with his friend Ryouta, but he doesn’t want him to know.  Not ever!  To hide his wayward feelings, Tasuku, a black belt in karate, has taken to regularly beating the crap out of Ryouta in hopes of driving him away. Forever!  But Ryouta’s not taking these subtle hints, and Tasuku is wondering how he’s going to get Ryouta out of his life so he can keep his feelings a secret.  When Tasuku learns that he might have inherited the power to bestow good fortune upon others from his mother, his life gets turned upside down.  While strangers are hounding him to give them good luck, Tasuku wonders if it’s possible to give himself and Ryouta a happily ever after?

This was a really cute book, but I have to admit that I have a fondness for Taishi Zaou, aka Mikiyo Tsuda.  I love her art, and her sense of humor is so sweet.  Her characters are all quirky, and you wonder how they are ever going to resolve their problems because they are so so so dense.  Tasuku gets so caught up in his own emotional turmoil that he can’t even communicate with his best friend Ryouta.  They’ve  been buddies since they were little kids, but after Tasuku’s mother dies, their relationship begins to change.  Ryouta promises to take care of Tasuku and be there for him forever, and Tasuku slowly begins to fall in love with his loyal friend.

Because they are both guys, Tasuku’s solution to his problem is to chase Ryouta out of his life.  He doesn’t think that they can ever find happiness, so he mocks, kicks, and punches Ryouta with a fanatical ferocity, and Ryouta’s continued acceptance of this treatment makes you wonder if he’s got a screw loose.  Maybe all of the blows to his head has caused permanent damage.  There can’t be any other explanation for putting up with all of that abuse.   

Katsuyama is a friend to both Tasuku and Ryouta, and even he is amazed by how dense they are.  It is obvious that they have feelings for each other and he wonders why they keep trying to deny it.  He  offers Tasuku advice, but even his patience beings to wear thin when he realizes that both of them are beyond hopeless.  Throw in the possibility that Tasuku might have mystical powers over happiness and luck, and you have a fun, entertaining story with silly situations, attractive art, and two guys who are so emotionally challenged that they deserve each other.

Grade:  A-

Review copy provided by Doki Doki