Thank you to NetGalley and Viz for this ARC

Second volume in this series and it does not disappoint! Yuri and Oya's relationship, is put to the test when Yuri is kidnapped by a rival! No spoilers! read for yourself you will not regret it!

VIZ Media has turned up the sexy, and they’re not stopping with Yakuza Lover Volume 2. Created, written, and beautifully illustrated by Nozomi Mino, Yakuza Lover is localized and published by VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint with translation by Andria Cheng and touch-up art and lettering by Michelle Pang.

In Volume 1, feisty college student Yuri is attacked at a party and saved by yakuza underboss Toshiomi Oya. Having fallen head over heels for him, the end of the volume saw the two heading to Shanghai on vacation. Now in Yakuza Love Volume 2, their romantic getaway in Shanghai is cut short when sinister Russian mob boss Semilio kidnaps Yuri and tries to make her his own. But Yuri won’t be won over so easily and fights off his advances, and of course, Oya suddenly comes to her rescue. But that’s not all; we also get to see a glimpse of Oya at work as he confronts Semilio.

My only issue with Yakuza Love Volume 2 is that it’s hit the patch of storytelling that is all too common in josei romances. Creepy obsessive guy kidnaps female lead and threatens sexual violence. This is all done to build Oya’s dedication to Yuri and, in turn, showcase hers to him. To be honest, the scenes illustrated and the dialogue chosen by Mino for the scenes where Semilio holds Yuri captive are really disturbing. Not to mention the voyeuristic turn the sequence takes before Yuri escapes.



That said, Yakuza Lover Volume 2 shows a Yuri that has fully matured into her intimacy. She knows what she wants and how and isn’t the shy girl from Volume 1. In fact, one particular panel sounds like a line a yakuza underboss would say during sex and not the mild-mannered college student who was convincing herself that she couldn’t love a bad-boy type chapters ago.

For that alone, I’m in love with Yakuza Lover. While they do exist, it’s rather rare to find a josei romance lead who is so self-assured in her body and her sexuality that she puts demands on her partner. It’s refreshing, and I’m sure it’ll only get more so as the volumes continue. While the main story shows her taking control, it also showcases how she is still vulnerable in all of this.

While Mino does a great job of showcasing the woman that Yuri has become, she also manages to work in the fear that comes from well, falling in love with a yakuza underboss. There is danger and fear, but when they’re together, it all just works. Which brings me to the other point, Mino’s artwork is stunning. It’s sexual and sensual and somehow not graphic. It’s whimsical and sexy, and the detail on Oya’s tattoos are perfection.

All of that makes Yakuza Lover a series to pick up, especially for those looking to start their adult romance journey. Yakuza Lover Volume 2 may be a lot to handle, but it’s one I’m happy I picked up.

I loved Volume 2 more than I loved the first one. Oya and Yuri are cute and killing it - literally! Incredibly steamy (don't read in public) but it also has its sweet moments. Not sure there is a deep plot, but you don't always need it to have a good time reading. This volume features a romantic getaway between the couple and maybe even a kidnapping? Will the pair come through it alive with their relationship intact? See for yourself.

Volume two continues to be hot-and-heavy, while also revealing that being a yakuza lover does come with its potential drawbacks. Be forewarned that some of the "romantic" scenes are bordering on erotica territory. But if you're looking for a mature-audience manga that goes beyond schoolgirl romance, Yakuza Lover may be a series worth trying on.

Yuri and Oya relationship is tested when Yuri is kidnapped by a rival Yakuza family.

Two volumes in and I'm still unsure of this series. I like Oya - he lives by his code (even if it is a bit morally ambiguous). I can't stand Yuri - she's a crybaby. Your mileage may vary.

Yuri and Toshiomi was trying to have a romantic getaway when Russian mob boss Semilio decides to butt in a kidnap Yuri. Clearly Toshiomi isn't happy about this and will do everything in his power to get to her.

Whew that was quiet a read, it was almost too fast in my opinion. I love that chemistry that Yuri and Toshiomi have. I love how much of a mouse she is but a firecracker when things get a bit tense. Also I some how forgotten how graphic this book can get when it came to the steamy scenes, I quickly was reminded how much from the very start of this book. I loved the banter and when things got tough Yuri wasn't about to back down. Overall pretty good book I really enjoyed it.

Yakuza Lover Volume Two introduces a new character to the series, as well as focuses on the interactions between Yuri and Toshiomi.

Yakuza Lover Volume Two
Written by: Nozomi Mino
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: September 7, 2021

Even though I hadn’t been terribly impressed with Yakuza Lover Volume One, I decided to give Volume Two a try because I wanted to give the series a chance to potentially improve. One of the big issues I had with the first volume was that it felt like Mino didn’t quite know which demographic the series was being aimed at, because at times it felt more like a shojo manga instead of a title being aimed at an older female audience. However, with Volume Two, Mino makes it clear very early on with the sex scenes that this is a title aimed at the older female demographic. It probably helped that we only see Yuri with Toshiomi in the yakuza world in this volume. In Volume One, it seemed like the series felt most like a shojo was when Yuri was in her regular world of school and being around her friends.

As I mentioned in the teaser at the top, Yakuza Lover Volume Two introduces a new character: Semilio, the leader of another yakuza gang. He has his subordinates kidnap Yuri and bring her to their headquarters. While I had issues with Toshiomi in the first volume, I actually gained a better appreciation for him after being introduced to Semilio. While it’s established here that the Oya Syndicate goes easy on women because they don’t want to hurt them, Semilio is portrayed as being cruel and not having any hesitations like that. We especially see this cruelness in his interactions with Yuri. He only views Yuri as a pawn, and he makes it clear through his words and actions that he doesn’t see Yuri as a person. I was glad to see Yuri’s feisty nature rear its head during this scene with him, because after seeing it early on in Volume One, Yuri basically quit showing that side of herself and acted like a simpering and lovesick schoolgirl. Even though Yuri knew what she was doing could cause her to be hurt by Semilio, she decided to go ahead with this action anyway.

Fortunately, Toshiomi shows up in the nick of time and is able to save Yuri from Semilio. However, he makes her leave so he can deal with Semilio without any distractions. Toshiomi’s men have to keep a frantic Yuri locked up in the villa, because she would rush back to where Toshiomi and Semilio are and potentially put herself in danger. While it was cruel of Toshiomi’s men to lock her up, they were trying to follow their boss’s order to keep her safe at the villa. Unfortunately, Yuri is tormented because she’s wondering what happened to Toshiomi. And when he doesn’t come back in the morning like he promised, she is at first understandably upset. However, when she accepts the idea that Toshiomi might be dead, she calms down and she asks to be let out. At this point, Yuri’s demeanor completely changes, and she’s obviously putting on a brave face. When Toshiomi returns unharmed, she’s actually angry at him for what he put her through. She starts chewing him out, but he whisks her away from his men because he can’t allow her to make him look bad in front of them. Yuri’s anger doesn’t last long, but it was, again, nice to see Yuri’s feisty side come out. I hope we see this out of her more often in future volumes of the series.

While I have to admit that I liked Yakuza Lover Volume Two better than Volume One, I still wouldn’t necessarily consider it to be a great manga series. I’m still willing to continue the series, though, and to try to see it through to the end. However, if you read the first volume of Yakuza Lover and enjoyed it, then you should have an appreciation for Volume Two.

So spicy! So satisfying! An absolute must read for adult shojo and josei fans, I'm glad to live in a world where Yakuza Lover is licensed. I encourage VIZ to keep diversifying like this. While I can't buy this for my school library, it's a title worth having in an adult collection at a public library.

Volume 2 of Yakuza Lover picks up where volume 1 left off - Oya and Yuri are in Shanghai enjoying a romantic trip together, but the sessions between the sheets are interrupted by a rival gang leader who is determined to dominate Oya by threatening Yuri.

Much like volume 1, there's a fair amount of sexy (but not too explicit) romance, and we do see. hints of how yakuza boss Oya is when he's not being gentlemanly and romantic with Yuri, but the moments of danger are fleeting and I didn't see as much character development or story development for the main characters. It would be interesting to see some new characters introduced to give us more of a glimpse of what Yuri is in for, by having a relationship with Oya -- whether it's her friends or family finding out, or meeting other women in the Oya's yakuza world to add an element of danger and tension that's more about "wiill they stay together when the going gets really tough?" instead of just 'rival gangsters putting Yuri in danger so Oya can rescue her." I'm hoping that things get more interesting in volume 3, but for now, volume 2 mostly maintains the status quo from volume 1.

Thank you Viz Media and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc copy.

I enjoyed the first one and could not wait to read this book.

I got the creep vibes from a character in the first book within only two pages, and he does not disappoint in the second book. The creep factor went up exponentially as the story progresses. I personally wanted do violence to him.

There is a lot of emotional upheaval for Yuri in this book as she realizes some home truths. For me, it was hard to read, but the ending of that arc was amazing.

This was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. I enjoyed the ride with this book. I can't wait to read the third volume!

Thanks again Viz and NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz media for the arc for an unbiased review.
I loved the first volume. And I loved the second volume just as much. This one is definitely more fluff-filled than the first one which was spicy. But also it had more action that involved Yuri directly. The developing relationship between Yuri and Oya while is a little unbelievable is still pleasant and refreshing to read. Who doesn't want to read about a couple so in love and devoted to each other?
I continue to love this self-indulgent manga and cannot wait to see what comes next.

Yakuza Lover is a great romance manga for anyone who loves old-fashioned styled romances. Lovely illustration, gorgeous characters and a relationship to make even a cynic’s heart melt. Yakuza Lover guarantees a good time!

Not as spicy as the first one but so much fluff <3
The story is definitely growing as their relationship develops, and I really adore how they care about each other; I do want more stories because that mobster/mafia one moving is VERY slow.

This volume was just as loveable as the first for me. Incredibly steamy, high stakes, and this one had more action than the previous volume. I think this also did a really good job of showing how dangerous Oya's word is, and how Yuri is beginning to truly understand the danger, where she wasn't as aware before. I cannot wait for the next volume!

If you enjoyed volume 1, then I feel like you'll also enjoy the second volume as well. We were introduced to a new character, which further developed the world that our protagonist Yuri now finds herself in. Because of this, we saw some conflict between our couple, which I feel like is going to bring Yuri and Oya closer together. To wrap the story up, we also got more of the very spicy scenes that set the first volume apart.

With a beautiful art style yakuza lover was a great read. It’s slightly spicer than volume one but still had a plot that made sense and had substance. It was nice to meet a new character and also see character development more towards the end. I would give a warning while recommending volume two for sexual assault.

Volume 2 of Yakuza Lover offers more of what made volume 1 great (which is a gritty romance for mature readers). There is, however, what feels like an inevitable "heroine gets kidnapped/used as a pawn in yakuza power dynamics" storyline, but thankfully the entire volume doesn't linger on that and it does point towards character growth for Yuri. By the end of the volume what appears to be reality and reminders of how relationships can't exist in a vacuum, this time on the non-yakuza side for Yuri start appearing so that works as a wonderful tease for Volume 3.

With the huge surge in popularity in manga there is a need to adult romances. More manga series like these are very much in need!!

Liked the introduction of a new character who I’m sure we’ll see crop up again. Felt rather short over all and like less happened but if the volumes are regular then I’m sure it won’t matter.