Yakuza Lover is a fresh breath of air in the crop of shojo romances when you have a taste for more Josei manga content. And it does NOT disappoint-- it is STEAMY, STEAMY, STEAMY smutty goodness! Outspoken and fiesty college student Yuri has a fateful meeting with striking Toshiomi Oya, the underboss of a yakuza syndicate once night when he saves her at a party. Their meeting that night by chance leads them to meet once more and a love affair starts!

I think what grabs me the most is the handling of the tropes: bad boy meets girl” the mafia/yakuza man falls in love with an ordinary girl--certainly a hit or miss read for those who don’t care for those tropes or stories that employ them. What was refreshing was the push for consent in the narrative--Oya never pushes Yuri to do nothing she doesn't want to. It is refreshing to see her be assertive and take the reigns on what happens regarding their bedroom activities. There's a really superb scene near the end of the book between the two that is really illustrative of the mangaka's purposeful placing of Yuri on the page. Yuri's desires, her agency, the dynamic of being the only one who can see certain vulnerable faces and pieces of Oya and the power she gets from it. WHEW. That scene alone connects some much of the narrative tissue and holds together a pretty winning first volume.

Yuri isn’t a plain jane type of girl who is a timid wall flower. Oya isn’t a muscled brute of a man who deals in illegal backroom activities who doesn’t have much emotional intelligence. It is too early to truly say that they step out of their roles that we see them in now as they are still developing as characters but I can say first volume in: it is headed in a good direction.

The art is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I really became captivated by some of the scenes like the two lovers in a hotel in each other arms near a window with fireworks (not so subtly) signifying the climax of their passion. I loved all the chibi Yuri illustrations of her raging out throughout the book.

You want a delicious romance yakuza flavored for the manga reading grownups in the room? You may want to pick this one up. This first volume isn’t perfect, there’s a handful of pages with pieces of dialogue that tickled me as corny and made me laugh unintentionally. Some readers may think that the relationship has progressed two far too soon (towards the middle, Yuri mentions that she’s seen him once in two months due to his busy schedule)--yet I have to say that this first volume is a fast paced, heart pounding smutty volume of Josei genred manga that I loved reading. How often do we get Josei manga licensed and printed? This was a good move on Viz’s end (through the shojo beat imprint) who seem to be better known for their shonen titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for an ARC!

This manga follows Yuki who is a very fiery college student and is determined to find a boyfriend as she is now 20. In walks in Toshiomi Oya. Her knight in shining armour happens to be a Yakuza boss (If you haven't already guessed by the title...)

I would like to point out that this is definitely a josei manga, although it has the teenage dramatic scenes. It is incredibly graphic and raunchy! It was a fun read and I pre ordered volume two!

This is a fun erotic josei manga that skips pesky things like plot, backstory, and character development and jumps right into what women want - boning with a crime lord. It's a fun romp, but it really doesn't have any depth or plot aside from how hot this yakuza is. I personally enjoyed it, it gave me what I wanted, but I don't think the patrons at my library would enjoy this as much as they would the milder Kaikan Phrase because that at least attempts to have a narrative outside of sex. I think this is something that a larger library system on par with Seattle or NYC would benefit from, but smaller libraries might want to look at other series like Sweat & Soap.

I usually read Shoujo manga rated "T". This is rated "M" for a reason... it's really steamy. I do read romance, but it took me a bit to get used to the explicit visuals. Enjoyable for someone who likes mafia romances with side of cute. I plan to continue reading this series.

This book was steamy and gave me Mafia au fanfiction flashbacks that I didn't mind at all.
While I enjoyed this manga book, I found it hard to believe that they could fall in love that fast, and while I know the real plot is coming, this volume held nothing but daydreaming and steamy situations.

Looking forward to future volumes!

Stunning artwork and a killer good character design for Oya, our protagonist's love interest, make this an easy story to slip into. I can't wait to read future editions! Recommended for readers who want a sweet story with some spice and a real dose of danger in their romance. Nudity levels (obscured genitalia, but lots of sex scenes feature our main girl topless) may make this a pass for many libraries, but individuals shouldn't worry.

For lovers of the "girl falls for bad boy" trope. This is only volume 1 but the action ramps up quickly as Yuri's chance encounter with yakuza Oya leads to a relationship. It's not long before Oya's philosophy of living every day like it may be his last is adopted by Yuri, who pledges her lifelong devotion to her new man. Surprisingly for a title coming from the Shojo Beat imprint of VIZ, there are quite a few scenes with erotic illustrations, so keep that in mind if that's not your shoujo manga cup of tea.

I was not a fan. The characters had crazy instalove and there was absolutely no build up. There wasn’t much character or plot development either and was all over the place with scenes suddenly changing in a confusing way. I was also pretty put off with the kissing? It was a whole lot of tip of the tongue touching. I was really excited about the premise, but the book fell flat.

VIZ Media's imprint Shojo Beat may have shojo in the name, but it also publishes some amazing –and sometimes steamy– josei titles. Yakuza Lover is by far the steamiest from the imprint in quite some time and it's a welcome change of pace. Created, written, and beautifully illustrated by Nozomi Mino. Volume 1 is localized and published by Shojo Beat with translation by Andria Cheng and touch-up art and lettering by Michelle Pang.

Embracing the yakuza boss romance that you can infer from the title, Yakuza Lover Volume 1 follows a feisty college girl as she falls in love with an underboss and gets swept into a steamy and extremely dangerous love affair. The girl in question is Yuri, and she's anything but your typical mousy romance lead. After she is attacked at a party (and fights back with a chair—yes, a chair), she’s saved by Toshiomi Oya, the underboss of a yakuza syndicate.

Of course, this leads to a budding romance but despite her obvious attraction to him, she convinces herself that she’s not in the market for a bad boy type. After the attack at the party, Yuri goes to see Oya to thank him for saving her, and as much as she hates to admit it, she can’t deny there’s an attraction. However, when tragedy strikes, Yuri attempts to turn her back on Oya and his dangerous lifestyle for good. But it isn't that easy. Yuri starts to think about Oya nonstop, waiting for his text and imagining steamy nights.

Now, I have to be really clear, Yakuza Lover embraces its Mature rating. While it isn't hentai, of course, we do get multiple scenes of physical intimacy between Yuri and Oya that showcase their passion, and well, Oya's attentiveness. While adult romances do exist, finding a good josei manga that is licensed and easily bought is a bit of a task compared to the many teen romances out there. And while Mino's artwork in the moments of intimacy is beautiful and compelling, it's the way they illustrate Oya as both intimidating and beautiful that makes Yakuza Lover stand out.

That said, beauty isn't the only reason I'm in love with both Oya and Yuri; it's also how they're written. Yuri isn't scared to speak her mind or defend herself, using violence a couple of times herself (violence fit for a cute lead, sure, but still aggression nonetheless). Additionally, Oya's attraction to Yuri comes from her beauty, but it's made overtly clear that it's also because of her strength. It's because Yuri stands up for herself and pushes back that he sees her as an equal.

Often with yakuza boss romances, you end with a wilting flower for a female lead or male lead who falls in love with them. Sure, Yuri is scared of Oya's world, but she learns to embrace it. And if anything, her fear isn't because of Oya's deeds, but rather comes out of the real chance her lover will be assassinated.

Finally, as a josei with sex scenes, it also handles consent well with Oya continually leaving the door open for Yuri to leave and end things. Which, while romance manga have been embracing enthusiastic consent more often, there still are often many grey areas in romances embracing the yakuza trope.

Overall, Yakuza Lover Volume 1 is a must-buy for adult manga readers who are looking for a romance to sink their teeth into that doesn't focus on yearning for 50 chapters. Plus, Mino's art makes it gorgeous as well, from the cover to each and every panel.

I was just out looking for some new manga to check out when I came across this baby. It was nothing I expected it to be and really enjoyed it. Theres romance with a bit of danger and some steamy scenes that go along with it. It was a fun read and I can't wait to get more in the next one.

With this manga comes another exploration into something that I was infinitely curious about. Especially since Yakuza and normal people having relationships with members or former members from those organizations seems to have been on the raise recently. There were some things that I knew about this manga walking into it, but I wasn’t completely prepared for what appeared in the manga or how it was presented. What I am getting at is this manga is rated mature and it is rated mature for intercourse. Consensual intercourse if you wanted to be sure of that fact. It’s pretty hot honestly and I felt a little embarrassing watching a couple in action and I was reading manga and am used to mature content. I’m just saying that should say something.

Yakuza Lover starts with how a lot of stories like this generally start. A college student named Yuri went to a college party with her friend and upon seeing how awful guys are, leaves the party and gets involved in a situation beyond her control. Still, she stood out to the new guys who wants to assault both of them and she impresses a certain young Yakuza higher up by the name of Oya who she finds immediately attractive. He gives her his coat and takes Yuri and her friend home, but in returning the expensive jacket, Yuri encounters him once again and finds herself under his allure. After that, Yuri becomes his women that he meets from time to time for very intimate interactions.


The great premise and a great idea in a somewhat manic pixie kind of love story, but I can’t help but think that the structure of this manga isn’t going to be up to everyone’s tastes. I looked at the ratings online and on MAL and it’s pretty clear that it’s not to a lot of people’s tastes. Especially since each chapter of the manga is a time skip from the last one. In some ways, it really hurts the romance between the two but then again, this isn’t like a normal romance. Oya is a dangerous yakuza person who must be on the run a lot or goes through a lot of dangerous activities every once in a while due to the nature of the yakuza life style. Or at least it is for the dramatization for this. With Oya wanting to keep Yuri safe, she is going to be left wanting between meetings with her boy.

For all those weird structural differences compared to most normal stories, the chemistry between Oya and Yuri is really good. Maybe a little too forceful in some ways, but Oya always gives Yuri the chance to leave at anytime and he will never return or fall back. All of which means that a lot of the manga comes from Yuri wanting to interact with Oya more and more like an addiction. I do think that the manga has doomed itself to doing broken apart unless it wants to spend more time building the relationship into being more normal. With the current vacation arc at play at the end of the volume, all of that lust and attraction is going to have a more normal turn for a while. I am very curious about where that goes from here.


With that comes a lot of thoughts towards Yakuza Lovers. I think reading this is complicated and not for the explicit content between Yuri and Oya. Mainly because this is an introduction chapter into the world of this relationship and a lot of time is dedicated to making the relationship feel beyond understanding and normality. It feels so wild as a result of that. So in the end, I had fun and it was good but not great yet. The art work and the character designs are fantastic and there is a lot of potential for this story to go somewhere interesting. I suppose that we will find out how this relationship moves forward in the next volume. I am very curious to see where that volume will go and what will appear for his to learn. I suppose that will mean waiting for a while.

Really wanted to love this based upon the premise alone, but the execution just didn't do it for me. Yuri, the heroine, begins the novel desperate for a boyfriend at a house party. She stumbles into a wrong room, and whoops, there's some drugs and Yakuza. Luckily underboss Oya is there to save the day, give Yuri his jacket, and begin a whirlwind "love" affair with Yuri. It's instalove/lust to the max, lots of weird tongue tangling, and Yuri declaring herself in love and ready to be Oya's lover by 30% into the book. It was hard to root or care for either Yuri or Oya when things when so quickly. Disappointing.

Yakuza Lover Volume One tells the story of how a young woman becomes a lover to a member of the Japanese mafia.

Yakuza Lover Volume One
Written by: Nozomi Mino
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: June 1, 2021

The story focuses on a college student named Yuri. When she and her friend go to a party, she keeps getting hit on by guys who are obviously only looking for a one-night stand. This isn’t what Yuri wants… she’s only interested in a guy who is actually in love with her. Yuri shows her feisty side when she shoots down the advances of the host of the party.

When Yuri and her friend try to leave the party, they stumble into another room where there’s a party with drugs taking place. Yuri and her friend are taken by the people in this party to try to force them into being accomplices, but Yuri shows off her feistiness again when she grabs a stool and attacks one of the guys causing problems for her and her friend. A group from a yakuza overhear the racket and burst in. Toshiomi Oya, the underboss of the Oya Syndicate, is an attractive man, and he and his group save the day. Toshiomi gives Yuri his coat, which he says she can keep, as well a card she can show if other bad guys give her trouble.

Two weeks later, we see Yuri thinking about Toshiomi and how much of a gentleman he appeared to be. She decides she wants to thank him and return the coat, and she finds where he lives. Toshiomi begins trying to seduce Yuri, saying the strength that she showed when she was protecting her friend was attractive to him. Yuri becomes so flustered and confused, because while she finds him attractive, she’s also concerned about the fact that he is part of the yakuza and the dangers that come with that.

And thus begins a game of “cat and mouse.” Oya doesn’t reach out to contact Yuri, but she doesn’t exactly call the number on the card he gave her, either. When she gets to the point of trying to convince herself that she won’t see Toshiomi again, he finally reaches out to her and says he wants to see her. When she goes to see him, he suddenly kisses her and wants to sleep with her. While they don’t go that far, this is the beginning of the relationship that forms between these two characters.

And this is where I start having problems with this series. Yuri goes from being a feisty girl with spunk to a girl who falls so hard for a guy she hardly knows that she loses all of the edge that we saw at the beginning. She turns into a bit of a simpering wimp who easily falls for Toshiomi’s “charms.” I put that in quotes, because what I see here isn’t a Prince Charming situation. As the volume goes on, Toshiomi becomes more possessive of Yuri. He’s also buying her things, such as clothes and a trip… but he seems to be going overboard. Instead of coming across as sweet gestures, they come across as a way to “buy” her love and keep her. Maybe it’s just me, but Toshiomi comes across more as a toxic character than a romantic male lead. And in a lot of respects, Yuri comes across more like a protagonist from a shojo manga that features high school characters instead of a character in a story that’s being aimed at slightly older readers than the high school shojo. I understand that Yuri is only 20 years old, but there’s a lot of ways where she comes across as immature. The art style also looks more like what readers would associate with shojo manga that’s being aimed at the pre-teen and teen audience.

To me, it feels like the mangaka of Yakuza Lover is basically telling a story with a tone similar to the high school shojo that I mentioned in the previous paragraph but incorporates actual sex scenes in order to sell this story to an older audience. From what I saw here, I’m not really sold on Yakuza Lover. However, I would be willing to read a second volume to try to give the series a chance to potentially progress past what we see here.

But after reading Volume One, I’m not really sure who the intended audience is for Yakuza Lover. I can’t really recommend it to the pre-teen and teen audience that would appreciate this kind of story due to the visual content of the sex scenes included in this volume. However, I’m not really sure that this story or these characters are going to have much of an appeal to the older audience that the manga is rated for.

Not the book for me. The falling in love/lust at first sight, the off power dynamics, the sitcom plot, and the cardboard characters make this something less sexy than icky. I'm sure this has an audience but it's not the book for me.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Viz Media for allowing me to read this manga in exchange for an honest review!

I'm typically not a fan of romance, and not gonna lie, I really only picked this up because I wanted to read about the Yakuza boss with all the tattoos and the girl he falls for. "Steamy" is definitely the right word for this story! From the moment they meet, there is an undeniable attraction between the two and I love Toshiyomi's gentlemanly and respectful attitude towards her. He never pushes her to do something she doesn't want, but he can get jealous at times. I look forward to seeing if Yuri will accept Toshiyomi and all the danger that comes with him, or if she'll walk away from him forever.

SPOILER: if you don't like seeing nipples or sex scenes, don't read this manga. Nozomi Mino does not hold back with those.

English translated paperback edition releases June 1st, 2021!

This was my first time reading a romantic/smutty manga and I was not a fan at all. I have other romance mangas on my TBR that I'm really excited about so when I saw Yakuza Lover on NetGalley I thought it might be a nice introduction to the genre. Instead, I was left with a really jumpy and childish story. There was absolutely no character development and the plot was all over the place. I was expecting a lot more depth if I'm being honest. The illustration style also bothered me. Sometimes characters were drawn in a more realistic fashion, while other times they were drawn more cartoonishly. That alone did not bother me much, but there were a handful of times when, in a single panel, the male MC would be drawn in a realistic way and the woman MC would be drawn more bubbly. This felt really creepy to me and I didn't appreciate the symbolism associated with that. Overall, just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and VIZ Media for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was pretty standard fare for a shojo comic. I don't know why I was expecting something different, but Yuri is your standard good time gal who gets attacked and falls into the arms of a bland yakuza lord who for some reason is charmed by her naivety and youth. Insta-love occurs and Yuri steps into the dangerous world of yakuza, where she is almost immediately threatened.

I was definitely excited to read this book based on the description. However the main story itself just seemed to fall a little flat. I was hoping for a bit more character building but everything just seemed to move very fast. It is an okay romance series and I would still be interested in continuing to read this series.

The story is entertaining so far and pretty steamy. Yuri is hilarious especially when her temper abruptly fires up and Toshiomi Oya is a serene counter to Yuri—only firing up when passion dictates. This uncontrollable attraction between them is entertaining and when they are together they are adorable beyond words. Hopefully going forward questions are answered to keep readers enthralled. Hopefully, we learn why Yuri was searching for a boyfriend and what drew Toshiomi Oya, who seems relaxed and refined, into being a Yakuza boss. If the story is as gripping as their need to be together, it will both draw readers in and maintain their interests.

I love a sexy josei title as much as the next girl but I have to admit that this one feels very confused and aimless. The smutty sections are rather unsexy, the love interest is a caricature and over idealized, and the heroine Yuri is just odd. The whole story was far too much like a huge deus ex machina, with each scene feeling like it was plotted in advance to within an inch of its life. It just made for a rather boring read.

When romance-starved Yuri attends a party, she is accosted by gangsters. But she is then saved by their rival gangster head - Oya. He respect the feisty girl and she is mesmerized by them. But can an ordinary girl survive in a Yakuza world?

This is yet another josei where the hero can do everything, is filthy rich, handsome, sexy, powerful, and yet lives only for the heroine. He's respectful when she wants to take it slow and knows when to go full. It's all a bit too convenient and takes away the suspense and organic nature of a romance.

Each chapter has a plot we have read in every shoujo romance before: mistaken situations, communication crosses, etc. I know I've read the exact thing in countless novels in the past and I was hard pressed to find anything original in the story.

The artwork felt very old fashioned and I became sick of the same expressions on the faces. Yuri spends most of the book wide eyed like a deer in the headlights. Oya has the same smirky smug expression in every scene - whether he is walking or making out. It got old fast.

In all, it was hard to find much to like here. I felt like I've read it before and the artwork didn't bring anything new to the table either. It especially pales to similar titles such as Midnight Secretary. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.