Okusan no Mousouteki Nichijou
Oku-san's Daily Fantasies

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I like Takatsuki’s art, but the stories are usually middle of the road for me. Oku-san’s, in particular, was one that felt like a chore to get through. I’m not saying that it’s bad (I did like most of the closing chapters), but the daily fantasy format—chapters lasting only 10 or so pages and making the same point each time—grates on my nerves. I can probably name on one hand the number of half-hour sitcoms/dramas I was a fan of. I have a strong bias towards continuous, novel-like, stories. I said that to say, don’t be swayed by my score for this title; if you ... don’t mind this storytelling format or you enjoyed Rokka Sugiura’s Fantasy Paradise, this may be right up your alley.

I find this manga to be a masterpiece in its own right. It was a simple premise, but it had me laughing almost to tears so many times and filled me with all kinds of warm happy fluff. The storytelling and art had a great personality in itself, and kept me smiling the whole time. The story was almost just slice-of-life, with a happy ending, and dude, it’s just an absolute delight!!!

It constantly knowingly plays with the standard yaoi tropes and uses them in really great ways. Instead of the often-used porno-like situations that yaoi frequently have, this one pokes fun at them, dealing with ... a guy’s everyday fantasies involving his unrequited love. The story was full of hilarious ongoing bits involving his fantasies, and the artwork held so many tiny details that added a whole new dimension of humor and cleverness to the story. It’s almost self-aware in the way it exaggerates his fantasies and the ridiculousness of typical “porno” situations, and even the culture around it, in relation to who we really are as individuals. There were no huge twists and turns in the plot, but still, there was even some relatable real-life stuff, and I found myself surprisingly touched by the overall message: sometimes the beauty we’re looking for is not just in our fantasies, but in the world around us.

I think this manga is definitely underrated. It was quite short, and you can read the whole thing in only a little while, but it’s got more depth than comes across on the cover or in the description. It’s a light story and can really lift the spirits, as it did mine.

If you’re looking for something light and humorous, simple and sweet, this one is so fantastic, I’m sure you’ll enjoy~! :D Happy yaoi reading, friends!