Getting to the root of the problem in Ikuyasu’s “Boys, Love and Plants”

Japanese title:
愛玩男子ラブグロウアップ
Aigan Danshi Love Grow Up

Love is in bloom in over 200 pages of in-your-face beefy man action! The manga follows the many antics of Midori Sasaki, a young man running a greenery store. In addition to selling plants from his small shop, he also delivers to various offices. His business isn’t faring well (understandable, in this economy), so his side gig is offering special “escort services” to rich businessmen to supplement his income.

Things suddenly take an unexpected turn for Midori when his top client, an I.T. CEO named Eiichi Iwasaki, asks him to date his younger brother, Mizuki! Apparently, their parents are pressuring him to date, but none of those dates have been fruitful. Midori’s first encounter with Mizuki leaves much to be desired, with Mizuki insulting his job, life choices and lack of money, but still sleeps with him. Not to spoil too much but the more you read, the more gets revealed about their backgrounds, personalities and how money and social status has shaped each of their views on relationships and intimacy. While I felt like the two clashed like oil and water because of their differing views at first, seeing them eventually develop a close relationship and Ikuyasu’s gorgeous art made it a truly enjoyable story! Ikuyasu is very skilled at drawing buff men, and combined with the characters’ expressive faces, fluid poses, and steamy sex scenes, you are in for a real treat!

Part two follows Yuuma Shiroyama and his budding relationship with Eiichi from part one. Yuuma makes deliveries for his family’s boxed lunch shop. Though diligent and hard-working, his family is in dire straights due to his father’s medical bills. He catches Eiichi’s eye by chance when making a delivery to Eiichi’s office, who immediately accosts him for sex. To Eiichi’s surprise, Yuuma instantly agrees, and without spoiling too much, that initial encounter leads to a truckload of assumptions, misunderstandings and not the happiest of conclusions… at first! They do eventually end up as a couple, but it’s quite the hurdle for them both to overcome.

Another delightful part of this comic is all the little side stories included. Again, I don’t want to spoil the fun, but there’s a lot of six degrees of separation going on, and later you get to find out more about Yuuma’s and Eiichi’s families! Highly recommended if you like a mix of humor, drama, fluff and naughtiness! The characters are the true driving force behind this story and is a testament to how you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Midori seems like a money-hungry, morally grey sex addict, but he has a gentle streak, truly cares for the plants he sells, and struggles with forming meaningful relationships outside of sex. I thought Mizuki would be just another dime-a-dozen rich snob type, but despite his gruffness and extreme lack of tact, his love runs deep.

Eiichi struggles with balancing societal expectations as the eldest son of a prominent family and CEO of his own company, along with being naïve, as he’s lived his entire life never knowing what it’s like to have financial troubles. Yuuma, despite giving off strong innocent and shy vibes, is fiercely independent and stubborn. There are also a few allusions to flowers and plants in describing some of the characters, befitting of the title. I hope you’ll give this a read; it’s well worth your time!