Minamiya has a strange talent. Just by looking at someone, he can imagine what they'd look like when they're super turned on. In fact, he can't really stop. However, there's one exception--for some reason, he can't picture what his cute male coworker, Kitayama, would look like in the throes of passion. Unable to get these thoughts out of his head, a misunderstanding leads to the two men going out. But can the frisky Minamiya handle the real deal?

Kitayama and Minamiya has story and art by Sugar Satoh. English translation is done by Margaret Ngo and lettering by Ray Steeves. Published by Seven Seas Entertainment (January 27, 2026). Rated M.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

If there's one thing you can say for Minamiya, it's that he's very, very self-aware…in a certain way. The book opens with him frankly discussing his OP imagination, which, when paired with his high school boy hormones, allows him to imagine anyone's face when they're in the throes of passion. Well, almost anyone – his coworker Kitayama's sex face remains a mystery to him, no matter how long he spends staring at him. So when Kitayama mistakes Miyamoto's persistent gaze for a crush, it seems like the perfect way to fill in the gap in Miyamoto's imagination: if they date, he'll get to see it for himself!

Obviously, nothing is quite that simple or this would be a thirty-page short story rather than the first volume of a manga series. The drive of the book isn't necessarily the two of them jumping into bed together, but Minamiya realizing that maybe emotions have something to do with dating and sleeping with a person. In fact, Kitayama has zero interest in just cutting to the chase; much to Minamiya's initial frustration, he wants to…follow steps like holding hands and kissing before going all the way. This isn't because he's a prude, though – he simply wants to make sure that his boyfriend is both comfortable and ready and not just acting on overexcited hormones. As later chapters make very clear, it's not that he doesn't desire Minamiya. It's that he wants to do it right.

That's one of several nice details in the book. Kitayama's care is certainly a highlight as far as the actual story goes, but I also really like that there's never a question of whether or not they're both gay. When Minamiya introduces Kitayama to his older sister, she's not at all surprised that he's got a boyfriend rather than a girlfriend, and while the fact that the guys met at a convenience store called “BL Mart” is clearly a gag, the fact that Minamiya is busy staring at guys to imagine their sexy faces and is never shown doing the same for a woman is less a joke and more a tacit acknowledgement of his orientation.

The plot's a bit thin and the art is partially censored when you get to the naughty bits, but overall Kitayama and Minamiya is a light, fun read. I'm not sure I'll read the second volume, but I enjoyed my time with this one.