i have read most of seven seas‘ Publish under ship imprint, in large part because I’ve been working for years on the concept that we little girls read Sailor Moon and cardcaptor sakura Now that we are grown women, we might enjoy some adult comics aimed at us. Overall, the brand has been very successful in launching a variety of sub-genres and eccentricities in the romance novel space, ensuring that just about every reader interested in the series will find something. So what is Shindu-kun’s tight gripangle? It doesn’t do any transactions like lady on topsub/dom theme, get marrieda reverse harem, or suitable fetishAn exploration of kink. It’s pretty much what it sounds like on the cover: a basic co-worker-to-lovers love story. So what does it bring?
Almost as soon as you open the book, the answer appears: unambiguous, uncensored anatomical correctness. Other comics may omit details such as “pubic hair” and use light bars or white space to avoid showing specific details of human genitals, but Shindo-kun Unwilling to compromise. Do you want a clear depiction of the inner and outer labia? clitoris? Normal size penis? All these things coming together? Then this is the comic for you. It does all of this while still staying within the confines of pornography rather than pornography – more of a sense that an artist is painting these things because that’s what they look like; that’s what they look like. No excess fluids or overtly sexualized glances. The vulva has these parts that are part of the character’s interactions. That doesn’t mean it’s not trying to be exciting either, because it is, but the semantic difference between explicit romance and erotica is an important one, and this is somewhat biased towards the former, reminiscent of Western romance novels.
If that’s the case, what’s the plot like? As I said before, this is pretty basic in this regard. Rinko, the heroine, has been working for a nostalgic snack company for three years as part of a recruiting program to bring in young people to keep their penny candies relevant. She loves her job, but she’s a bit of an office dog, so she’s surprised when she’s asked to mentor new employee Shindo Ryoma. But she was willing to give it a try, and it felt really good…until she started working with him. Shindou is not only faster and more innovative than her, but he also has the clout and social skills of a moderately edgy rocker, so he comes across as even less likeable than she does. Rinko is not sure whether her cooperation with him will be successful any grade.
But of course, that has to change. Shindou can be read as either neurodivergent or extremely awkward (I think both readings are valid), he’s just not sure how best to communicate with people, probably because he’s spent his life largely by not doing so. (In one scene, he mentions to Rinko that he’s never been to a drinking party before, and she realizes that he’s probably never been invited to one.) But he’s interested in Rinko, and he uses his welcome party to show it… by drinking too much and insisting on going home with her.
It’s not a great look, but it’s fairly typical of the type and it gets the job done, especially since he does bother to ask her permission, albeit not in the most graceful way. In Shindo’s case, expressing his feelings physically is the only way he can express them – something that happens surprisingly often in romance genre novels. But he also knows how to use his words, because at the end of their first sexual encounter he blurts out that he loves Rinko, which tells us that this isn’t an unexpected event for him: he’s been working on this for a long time.
While most of the book is about their sex life (each chapter has a graphic sex scene), in between we see how their relationship helps Rinko and Shindo. By dating Rinko, Shindo learns social cues he was unaware of, allowing him to live more comfortably and interact better with those around him. While this does cause problems to an extent – he is a handsome man, after all – it is mainly to help them get closer, since as he becomes more comfortable in the world, he is also able to express himself better. By the end of the volume, their relationship has moved beyond sex, and that balance only looks to improve in the second volume.
Shindu-kun’s tight grip Probably not the most creative romance manga out there, explicit or otherwise, but if you’re looking for a spicy good time, it’s perfect for you. Hey, there’s something to be said for an artist who knows what everything looks like, more or less. this is not the best ship series, but it is the most anatomically correct.
