Japan's Gengoroh Tagame, revered globally for his erotic gay manga, went mainstream with My Brother's Husband, published in the U.S. in two volumes; it won major awards including an Eisner. He continues irresistibly to entertain general audiences with Fish and Water, translated again by writer/musician Anne M. Ishii.
Akira, who works in sales, isn't sure what to do with a hefty box of fresh-from-the-farm cabbage he's given during a site visit, especially since he can't cook. Remembering his culinary friend Koji, Akira calls him with an offer to share and happily accepts Koji's invitation for "something delicious" he'll create with the veggie windfall. Proactive with masks and sanitizers, Akira arrives at Koji's and immediately notices Koji's long hair--he's "always worked from home." Koji admits, "I haven't been to the barber in a while. Pandemic lockdown." He encourages Akira to stay over so they can both drink with dinner. His toothsome spread, with multiple cabbage dishes, inspires Akira's gratitude: "I could eat like this every day," to which Koji quips, "In that case we should get married." Akira is quick to admonish him about saying things he doesn't mean, but he underscores his sincere appreciation by doing the dishes.
The two exchange stories of early lockdown challenges, with Akira "eating nothing but convenience store bento" and Koji "being home alone all the time." Akira's heartfelt "I love being with you like this, Koji" brings a moment of discomfort, but the friends quickly settle back into easy camaraderie. When they part the next morning, Koji notices Akira has left his toothbrush in the bathroom, and Akira wonders why he made things awkward. An omniscient narrator presciently deduces, "It's possible that... unbeknownst to these two men... the romance between them has already begun."
In meticulously drawn black-and-white inked panels (with a few R-rated glimpses) Tagame reveals a charming love story about which the readers quickly know more than the two single men, who are perhaps not quite ready to admit their attraction. The small joys of domesticity they increasingly share nurture both bellies and souls. Manga aficionados will likely notice inventive, tempting foodie parallels with Fumi Yoshinaga's delectable, ongoing What Did You Eat Yesterday? series. Beyond-the-kitchen experiences--shopping, an arboretum visit, a walkabout--cement the not-yet-lovers' compatibility. Tagame particularly excels in capturing nuanced emotions and gifts audiences intimate access to a couple tentatively falling in love. An appended "supplemental chapter" provides their meet-cute backstory. Satisfyingly swoon-worthy fun indeed. --Terry Hong
Shelf Talker: Gengoroh Tagame's culinarily inspired Fish and Water centers a heartwarming love story of two friends enjoying post-pandemic, gratifyingly quotidian home-cooked meals.