Well this was fun!

Onoe is a wonderfully anxious, socially awkward reporter who has had a few recent blows to his self-esteem. Not only have he and his girlfriend recently broken up but he’s also being moved from the political section, which is what he wanted to write for, to work with Kaburagi, the stealthy news photographer. Kaburagi is well-liked but unconventional and has enough of a bad attitude to drive Onoe mad.

Onoe wants to be ethical and do a good job as a reporter, but Kaburagi is the one who knows how to get the stories that keep their jobs intact. He makes friends with the lower rungs of society to get information out of them and uses that information to get photos in the act. This makes him incredibly likable but questionable morally, and Onoe can’t seem to figure out how he feels about working with him, aside from being endlessly frustrated.

Of course, it takes Onoe a while to figure out that he’s only frustrated because he’s a little bit in love with Kaburagi.

Slowly the two begin to warm up to one another and as always, they make assumptions about the other and their interest level. They’re both clearly bisexual and don’t really have any grand breakdown over being attracted to one another, more breakdowns because their personalities clash. This first volume has a good rhythm, it always felt like something was happening in the story whether it be romantic, or plot-based. I really enjoyed it!

Title:  Candy Color Paradox (Vol 1)
Author: Isaku Natsume
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9781974704934

Three Descriptors: Steamy, Enemies to Lovers, Tension-filled