An arc was provided in exchange for an honest review… however, me being me, it’s late. 😅

This story is honestly so sweet. Our main protagonists is in a relationship that’s going nowhere and soon to end; while attending his father’s store — and the old man’s next door — he meets “Hama,” a man who became houseless. They bond and are there for each other until they fall in love. (Or maybe it isn’t love but I need there to be hope so we’re calling it love!) happy ending. what else do you need?

I honestly didn't know what to expect out of this manga but it definitely surpassed my expectations. The message about the homeless and the gays being not "dirty" was great and I definitely loved it and teared up.

The artstyle and humor was great but there were some events that didn't make sense and felt out of place.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

Did not enjoy the way I wanted to. The story meant to be a bit serious one, but it didn't turn out to be as gripping as it was expected to be.

Not my usual go-to genre, or type of story at all, but I was pleasantly surprised. Plus, the art was amazing.

Gorou Kanbe’s Don't Call Me Dirty is the story of a chance friendship between a vagrant and a liquor store owner’s son that peeled away all insecurities until pure love revealed itself to these two young men whom society deemed dirty.

I was skeptical about getting a review copy of this book because the cover wasn’t that appealing to me. Art plays a huge role in my decisions when it comes to picking manga or comics that I would like to read. What I do like about the cover is the earthy color palette used because it represented what the characters felt: dirty. I eventually got a copy because the synopsis was too enticing that I kept thinking about it, and I am so glad that I did! The illustrations inside are gorgeous and made up for the cover’s look. The characters are distinguishable and very adorable.

The story itself was humbling and kind as it dealt with the issue of feeling unlovable because of who one is. It’s not your typical yaoi/shounen ai story that highlighted the intensity of feelings and the way hearts can furiously beat. Don’t Call Me Dirty felt tranquil but lively at the same time, the way seawater caresses the shore on a summer day, somehow taking away the burden the sand may carry.

It was easy to empathize with the characters. Openly-gay Mita Shouji, the liquor store owner’s son, has been in and out of uncertain, shaky relationships. His most recent relationship was a complicated and toxic one that made him doubt himself and made him feel unwanted. Shouji meets Hama one day when the homeless man wanted to buy food from Kaji’s Snacks, the store beside the Mita Liquor Store. The two eventually form a friendship that draws out the goodness from within each of them.

I adore this manga and it’s one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s underrated, in my opinion. The ending was very sweet and hopeful, and I think there’s more to tell. A sequel or another volume would be very lovely.

This was a different genre for me and I really enjoyed it. The illustrations are very nice and an interesting story. I thought it was a meaningful story exposing community and personal attitudes toward the homeless with a romantic twist.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

While this book is about the budding romance between Shouji and Hama, it also forces the reader to take a look at their prejudices. In the case of this book, how people think of gay and homeless people and the labels we assign to them.

When it gets down to it, this book is adorable and also had me emotional. I really started feeling for the characters and getting so mad when others were being close-minded. Truly, worth the read.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The pace is very fast, and the story is interesting although much less romantic than I expected. The plot focuses more on the prejudices of society itself than in the love between our protagonists.

On the one hand the history shows the prejudices that Japanese society (although it could be extrapolated to any country's) has towards homosexuals. Shouji, who works at his father's liquor store and also helps in the store next door, is openly gay and everyone in the neighborhood knows it. Luckily for him, nobody discriminates him for it and so, he can be honest about his sexuality. But maintaining romantic relationships is not that simple for him, as he lives in his own flesh the rejection of his partners who are not willing to openly maintain a relationship with a man.

On the other hand, we have Hama, our other protagonist who happens to be a homeless man. Because of this, all the neighbors look at him sideways and mutter when he passes by, calling him dirty and judging him by his dirty and unkempt appearance. But Shouji, on the contrary, after starting to to come into contact with him, gradually becomes aware that beyond that facet, an honest and sincere man is hidden, and becomes aware of the fact that he doesen't deserve that treatment from those around him.

I loved how the author deals with these issues, with the addition of the secondary characters who are all very funny and affectionate with Shouji. This makes the story entertaining and touching.

But if it's romance what you are looking for... this title wouldn't be for you, as romance is not even nearly the main topic. There is, of course, some of it. Hama and Shouji fall in love slowlly... but the focus is not on that, it just happens and the epilogue is the one romance-centered chapter of the manga.
Although if what you want is a romance as such, I will not be the best choice because this aspect is very, very secondary to the story.

This was honestly too cute. I've been wanting to read this for a while but it's been a hassle getting a hold of an app that can read the file type

This story tackled some heavy issues that I totally didn't expect. I'm not convinced that QUITE pulled it off, but they definitely made a good go of it, and made some really solid commentary on how society behaves around both the homeless and homosexuals with its different uses of the word 'dirty'.
The only reason I'm not sure it quite worked is because I felt some sort of disconnect with the story. I can't really say why - I don't think I grew as fond of Hama as I wanted to. I loved Shouji though, and I did still like Hama, and they're relationship and how the whole thing was more real than a lot of yaoi mangas one can read.
Overall, this was good story to read. The art was decent, but necessarily my preferred style but still very good. I would totally read more by this author!

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

I loved this! It was a super cute story, with a lovely message, and some great art work.
I was nervous to start, because I thought it would be all about the love story of Shouji falling in love with a homeless man and taking him in, cleaning him up etc, but it was actually about a lot more than that.

This is a yaoi with heart, a touch of romance, and a whole lot of life lessons. From how to treat people, to hurt feelings and broken hearts, and teaching the younger generation what is most important, the story deals with a lot of different issues. There are class issues, it deals with how people blatantly and inadvertently treat old people, sickness, homelessness, and the poor. There's a touch of internalised homophobia, as well as outward homophobia.

In the end, it was a really nice story about a little village, centering mainly around Shouji and Hama. I utterly fell in love with it and will be reading it again, when I need that feel-good glow.

Don't Call Me Dirty by Gorou Kanbe is being published by Tokyopop and came out 31st December 2019. Compared to other BL I've read, it's fairly original and very refreshing in the sense of the idea. I've never read about homeless man before and I must say I really enjoyed the storyline. But it's not just that - we also follow several other events that contribute to overall story. Kanbe's artstyle is pretty clear and neat and was really enjoyable to look at. As for the characters, I enjoyed Hama's (homeless) a little bit more, eventhough I felt for Shouji as well. Their slowly growing relationship was just beautiful. Sex scenes were pleasant bonus in the end.

I'd gladly recommend this stand-alone to anyone interested in BL/yaoi manga. It's sweet little read with no graphic sex (I wouldn't mind that, but it was perfect the way it was).

This was a very interesting BL manga. It has a nice way of tackling the issues of homosexuality and homelessness in Japan and how they can be seen as "dirty" or "lesser" individuals. It was really refreshing to see a manga tackle some serious issues. The translation was better than most and the art's pretty good, Not the most amazing I've seen, but it fits the setting and the pencil-style shading is really nice. The only bad points about this manga are the lack of affectionate/love-making scenes and that it's crammed too much story into just a few chapters. It could really have helped if it was a couple of chapters longer to show more of a build-up to the romance and slow the pace a little. Otherwise, I'd definitely pick up another book (I've read a couple of Gorou Kanbe's works in the original language, and this title has a spin-off featuring the father and his friend from this book) from this author if it's published in English and look forward to more of Tokyopop's foray into BL titles.

"Don't Call Me Dirty" is a sweet stand-alone story. Shouji is a young gay man who helps run his father's liquor store and the snack store next door. One day, a homeless man comes to the snack store to get as much as he can buy with only 50 yen. Shouji soon befriends him, insisting that his dirty outside is not a good reason to look down on him, and that it's a person's character that is truly important. The characters are well-developed for a one off story, and the art is lovely. Recommended for collections with BL and yaoi.

This is a manga/graphic novel that I chose because the description sounded very interesting. However, when I read it, there were a few different things going on but none of it wound into a coherent story. I also struggled with the illustrations. They were done in a black and white pencil shading style and my eyes had a difficult time focusing on them. I didn't connect with this piece as a whole, but if you are into manga, you should give it a try. Someone who is into the genre might appreciate this book more. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This story is about a young man whoshows kindness to a homless man and along the way they develope feelings for eachother.

It was very touching, I really enjoyed their relathionship and the way it developed.
I also enjoyed how the word "Dirty" is used to reference the things that are deem wrong or disgusting by their society,like the homeless or homosexuality, booth of which are slightly touched on and affect the characters actions.

I expected more. As a person who enjoys manga and LGBTQ themes, I thought I would enjoy this and it was just meh. I couldn't get invested in the characters and it almost felt like I was going back and forth between time lines. The drawings were fine, but the story line needs a bit more work.

Shoji is heartbroken when he realises that his boyfriend doesn't really love him. His boyfriend has simply been experimenting and using Shoji to see what it is like to be in a relationship with a man.

Shoji is heartbroken by his boyfriend's callous behaviour but these difficulties do not stop him from showing compassion to a homeless man called Hama.

Shoji works in his dad's shop and also helps out at his elderly neighbour's shop. As Shoji works out the pain of his broken heart he comes to appreciate the people around him such as the kids who come to buy their snacks in the old mans's shop, the old man himself and his own dad, even though his dad posts everything about Shoji's life on line and doesn't really help that much in the shop.

As Shoji takes care of others in his life he begins to care for Hama the homeless man even though the man is dirty and very smelly. Shoji watches the way that people shun and ignore Hama and he decides to go against the grain and show compassion and care.

Eventually Shoji's compassion and care grow into love and attraction but Hama doesn't appear to be able to return these feelings and Shoji continues to do good to the people around him, nurse his broken heart and ignore his growing attraction for Hama.

Meanwhile there are all sorts of other things happening. Shoji's old neighbour can't manage his shop and so his son decides to close the shop, but Shoji decides to resist that. Someone else is stealing from the shop and trying to blame Hama for the theft and Shoji intervenes and then there are the people of the town who follow Shoji's love life with interest because they have seen the details from twitter (Shoji's dad). This is a great book because there are little stories within the overall story and they bring the manga to vibrant life.

Shoji thinks he is dirty because of his attraction to men and here he is attracted to someone who is physically dirty but who deserves love and compassion like any other person. Shoji has to navigate the desires of his heart whilst managing his shop, his neighbour's shop and doing his best to discourage his dad from posting Shoji's private life on line.

And Shoji has to learn to love and appreciate himself and who he is.

This is a really enjoyable story with humour and lots of well developed characters and great artwork. I really enjoyed reading it and manga fans who enjoy stories about same sex relationships will enjoy this one.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This graphic novel tells the story of Shouji, a young gay man who befriends and falls for a homeless guy after getting dumped by his ex. The story plays with the themes of homelessness and what it is to be “dirty.” It’s a cute love story but does have sex at the end.

The story itself wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking, but it was still sweet and I found myself looking forward to seeing how it would end. The artwork is also lovely and adds much to the storytelling.