Same Difference by Hiiragi Nozomu

Rating: 4
Juné 2012 - Kaiousha 2011
1 volume
Translation: Jocelyne Allen

I like BL manga set in an adult working environment. I like bickering men who argue their way into a relationship. So when the back cover blurb says, "Same Difference pits suave and sexy businessmen against one another in an all-out war for bedroom dominance!" I'm easily sold. This sort of story sounds right up my street but unfortunately even my receptiveness cannot overcome what is an extremely mediocre offering.

I'll be blunt, I found it boring. Is a good reviewer allowed to say that? Oh well, there go all my pretensions of becoming a decent reviewer. I wouldn't say it's bad, I would even say it's competent in delivering a basically ok story, structure, characters and even balance of humour, angst and romance. However, it's not a good thing when I'm flicking forward through the pages to see how much more of the story I'll have to get through.

This type of story that doesn't have much of a plot depends on its characters and dialogue to impress and it falls flat on both counts. Some mangaka are good at packing a lot into a small number of pages but most aren't and Hiiragi is another of them. The first chapter is rather short at 23 pages and there just isn't enough characterisation, the two leads are cardboard cut-out BL stereotypes, one a confident sex symbol, the other a cool 'prince'. They enter into a combative relationship of sorts with absolutely no preamble which even in the realms of fiction I found hard to believe in. The next two chapters are longer and improved in giving the characters some substance but there is still no sparkle to the story. The dialogue is unoriginal, the artwork though competent is not expressive enough and I sat through the entire book feeling like I'd seen it all before.

There is also an unrelated one-shot story in the volume that's set in high school about a pair of twins and the guy they both like. I liked this one-shot more than the main story, I felt that the characters were better realised and the romance more believable. This short story served to improve my opinion of Hiiragi-sensei somewhat, but not really enough that I'd consider buying any more of her work in future.

Overall I'd say that this is a very run-of-the-mill manga and that if you're looking for salary men manga there are definitely better out there. I'd recommend Yamada Yugi's classic Close the Last Door series for starters (I grab any chance to plug my fave manga) and if you like light novels, then try Konohara Narise's The Man Who Doesn't Take Off His Clothes.