Love Control, Vol 2
Author: Ai Hasukawa
Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing
American
release date: August 4, 2009
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Yaoi/200 pages
Overall
Personal Rating: ★★★★
The path of true love never did run smooth… Yamashiro is jealous of everyone he sees Okumura with, including the lovely Ishikawa. And now there is a new young bartender, Sasatani, and Kei is afraid he is after his lover, which only feeds his insecurities. It doesn’t help when Takashi confesses that he scouted out the young man and lured him into his employment. Even back at the office, Kei can’t get away from the admiring comments about Okumura, from men and women alike. Frustrated, he calls him and suggests they meet at the bar.
An argument leads to a misunderstanding, and Kei gets drunk. It’s not until Sasatani puts him into a cab because of his inebriated state that he realizes he has totally misjudged who is the object of the bartender’s affection. Sasatani keeps working on Kei’s low self-esteem, and lies to him about what Takashi said, widening the gulf between the lovers. He promises to treat Kei better than Takashi, says he would never hurt him. Will Kei be swayed by his pretty words?
Ichinose has a meeting at the bar with a new client. Although he tries to explain that he doesn’t really drink, his words fall on deaf ears. The client orders a blue drink from the sexy bartender, but it’s stronger than Ichinose expected so he excuses himself to the bathroom. The client follows him and the situation grows ugly when Sasatani unexpectedly intervenes and kicks the older man out, making sure he will never be admitted again. Ichinose blacks out, waking some time later to find he’s never left the bar and Sasatani has been with him all night.
Ichinose is grateful for what the bartender did for him, even if he does make fun of him for being such a lightweight when it comes to drinking. He wants to thank the owners, as well, but Sasatani says he doesn’t come in all the time. Even so, Ichinose is determined, so he keeps coming back to the bar in order to properly thank him. At least, that’s what he tells himself. But he still doesn’t drink and is thinking of requesting tea when Sasatani fixes him a drink that looks like a cocktail but is non-alcoholic.
Sasatani continues to tease Ichinose and he responds. They develop a strange back-and-forth relationship. Ichinose has never felt this way about a man before, and he is confused, his feelings only compounded by Sasatani’s hot-and-cold behavior. Will they ever be on the same page and admit their true feelings to one another? And can Ichinose make Sasatani forget the man who broke his heart.
In the last story, Takashi makes a cheese dish for Kei.
I was hoping to see Kei and Takashi again, and I wasn’t disappointed, as they work their way to a better understanding of their relationship and themselves. I liked the second story, but I didn’t feel the same chemistry between Ichinose and Sasatani as I did Kei and Takashi. Maybe it’s because Sasatani stated out as something of a villain lol Interesting series, definitely worth a read.
