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~This is a shounen ai manga with tinges of yaoi, so if that creeps you out, move on~

It's always nice to stumble across a manga you thought would be mediocre at best and be so pleasantly surprised that you feel the need to tell others about it. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much - honestly, I only read it because I was in no particular mood for anything and to get it off my "plan to read" list, and here I am, writing a review!

This is a simple, funny, and lively story that is as much about family relations as it is about ... the romance (yes, there is one). There's neither angst nor sappiness in here nor smut and love triangles/quadrangles/whatnotangles.

The plot itself doesn't sound like much and isn't really that extraordinary, but there's enough going on to keep you interested and wanting to find out what's going to happen, and the character interactions and the male household's atmosphere are what make this manga truly enjoyable. It's kind of hard to describe without giving spoilers, but the brothers' attitude and reactions towards some revelations and turns of events were really funny and endearing. Moreover, the brothers seemed like real people rather than stereotypes; there's no trace of harem or even bishounen manga, it's just a family with actual persons. The dialogue is fresh and funny and will make you laugh and chuckle quite a bit, and the story elicits a feeling of happiness and contentment. It's a well-written warm fuzzies manga, really.

The art isn't stunning or sexy, but pleasant enough and very fitting for this type of warm and funny story. It's consistent and there are no slips of proportion, and I thought the mangaka really has a knack for drawing simple but effective comedic expressions without resorting to full chibis or extreme distortion.

I wouldn't label this as yaoi but as shounen ai; although there's a teeny tiny bit of sex, it's nothing graphic or porny, and the short sex scene clearly focuses on the fact that they have sex, not on how they do it. (To be clear: no penises, body fluids or actual close-ups of penetration etc. My, do I sound like a veteran perv now.) So, if you're uncomfortable with the smex or new to yaoi, don't be afraid, it's very light and you'll definitely be able to stomach it. If you're usually *looking* for the smex, read it anyway, because the comedy and characters make up for the lack of sex and the whole thing is just worth reading.

I was a bit reluctant to start this one, but I'm glad I did - it was FUN. I was worried that it'd be full of meanness disguised as comedy and end up being a crying uke/fufufuing seme caught up in S&M rape, but this manga is far from that (although there are some fufufu moments. Fufufu.). Despite the title there's no real sadism in there and no trace of any S&M, Nagi is just a strict teacher and uses some harsh educational methods - there's a bit of comic violence, but not the bothersome kind that you sometimes find in yaoi. The "super-sadism" actually ... doesn't really play a big role. Neither does the teacher/student relationship - it's only there as setting, really. Talk about a misleading title!

In fact, the story is pretty sweet. It's not really out of the ordinary and I guess you can't have a yaoi title (or any manga) without clichés, but it's presented in a fresh and entertaining way and has some ingredients and spice that sets it apart. The characters are both likeable and unique and their relationship develops at a nice pace and actually has some depth. I felt a real connection there, it was even touching at times (and Riku is adorable. Adorable!).

The comedy had me laughing hard. There are some pretty silly scenes and some hilarious chibis (I flat out loved the chibi scenes. They were great. Hilarious chibis, I insist!), and it was consistent and not chucked in favour of drama, which I approve of. Neither was it overwhelming to the point that the dramatic aspects became insignificant - all in all it was nicely balanced and well told.

I liked the art, it had its own style, was very well drawn and consistently good, and the characters were pretty hot. The smex was a mixture between pragmatically realistic (full man-parts, everyone) and decently hot, thankfully without being fantastically sticky and sweaty. Nothing to write home about, I guess, but then I like the emotional aspects of yaoi better, anyway (call me strange if you want).

Overall I was pleasantly surprised and intend to read this again some day, and if you're looking for an above average, feel good yaoi with a bit of fluff and a lot of humour, by all means go for it.