Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

This was overall a pretty nice story! For such a short story there was a surprising amount of depth to Jason and Frank's characters, but I just felt the story was lacking spark - so it didn't leave a strong impression.

All in all I'd say it is worth checking out!

Super fun comic with wonderful art and dialogue. Very easy to get into and relax. The story is very interesting and captivating

Confessions of a 35 Year Old is part of a new batch of Taiwanese BL (MLM) comics put out by Media Do and Yuzu Comics. It's the story of a Project Manager and his new report who ends up moving into his spare room after the suggestion of another coworker. From there, they become friends in their roommateship, but maybe, some other feelings are blossoming...

It's refreshing to have a story from the point of view of someone over 30, someone who questions if he threw away a chance (even if we have, again, the 'but we're both men??' trope in there-- not that it was successful in his youth), bisexual characters, maybe even demisexual? Ah, the perils of app dating and differing expectations when you actually go out...

Anyway, this one-shot comic was short and sweet enough, we have some 'caring for my coworker-that-I-like when he's sick', we have cute note keeping, we have learning to understanding each other little by little. While like the other MediaDo/Yuzu Comics books released in this batch the translation was a bit clunky at times, it wasn't quite as noticeable as the other three, and I enjoyed myself here.

I really liked that this author acknowledged the existence of bisexuality and had the MC to learn to view sexuality as more complex. I feel like that's lacking in quite a few romance books these days. I also liked that the MC was older and it was an age gap that didn't feel too unrealistic.

Volume unico che racconta la storia di un 35enne che non ha mai avuto una relazione.
Il protagonista vive costantemente nel rimpianto dopo aver rifiutato un suo amico anni prima, perchè sentiva che ricambiare sarebbe stato "strano e sbagliato". Ma non si rendeva ancora conto che lo era solo per gli altri.
Sul posto di lavoro incontra un suo collega più giovane e si offre di dividere l'appartamento per via del lungo tragitto coi mezzi che era obbligato a fare ogni giorno.
I due iniziano a convivere tranquillamente, finchè tra loro iniziano a presentarsi situazioni imbarazzanti, come la visita non preventivata della madre del protagonista, che non fa altro che impicciarsi della sua vita e di lodare i risultati ottenuti dal fratello.
Solo dopo la strana confessione del collega, il protagonista si rende conto piano piano dei suoi sentimenti, cercando di affrontare le paure che lo hanno sempre tormentato, accettando a piccoli passi la sua prima relazione, infischiandosene di quello che penseranno gli altri.

Credo sia una storia buona, che tratta argomenti importanti come il bullismo sul lavoro, le prime relazioni e la conoscenza di sè stessi.
E' realizzata in maniera delicata, ma allo stesso tempo manca di sentimento. Infatti non ho sentito nessun affetto per i due personaggi, ne per la loro storia. E' una buona base, ma andava lavorata un po' di più, dando più dettagli e affrontando con altre scene il loro rapporto.
Forse se avesse avuto un altro volume o pagine in più, avrei sicuramente apprezzato maggiormente questa storia.

Grazie Netgalley per avermi permesso di leggerlo in anteprima.

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Single volume that tells the story of a 35 year old who has never had a relationship.
The protagonist constantly lives in regret after having rejected a friend years before, because he felt that reciprocating would have been "strange and wrong". But he didn't yet realize that it was only for others.
Years later at work he meets a younger colleague and offers to share the apartment due to the long journey by public transport that he was forced to make every day.
The two begin to live peacefully, until embarrassing situations begin to arise between them, such as the unplanned visit of the protagonist's mother, who does nothing but interfere in his life and praise the results obtained by her brother.
Only after his colleague's strange confession, the protagonist slowly realize his feelings, trying to face the fears that have always tormented him, accepting his first relationship in small steps, not caring what others will think.

I think it's a good story, which deals with important topics such as bullying at work, first relationships and self-knowledge.
It is delicately crafted, but at the same time lacks feeling. In fact, I didn't feel any affection for the two characters, nor for their story.
It's a good start, but it needed to be worked on a little more, giving more details and addressing their relationship with other scenes.
Maybe if it had had another volume or more pages, I would definitely have enjoyed this story more.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me preview it.

very cute and im a sucker for romance mangas that are about adults and not teenagers. The budding relationship between the two characters is precious and cute and i am excited to see the development of the relationship.

Honestly this story was cute. I liked the pacing and the story. The art is stunning!!

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Society is much more open about attraction and relationships than it used to be, but change on an individual level can be slow, especially for those who were raised with a more limited range of expectations. Jason is one the latter. At 35, he is single, and had yet to be in a relationship. He knows he wants to meet someone, to have a partner, but he’s never been physically attracted to the women he’s dated, although he’s been attracted to the conversation and company. When a new employee, Frank, is hired, Jason is conflicted by his response to him - an issue complicated by the suggestion that Jason, who has a spare room, allow Frank to move in as his roommate, to save him and excessively long commute.

This is a novel of self-exploration, of discovering yourself as a person separate from the expectations of those around you, and all the uncertainty and stress that such exploration brings with it. The illustrations are understated, and yet complement and supplement the text beautifully. Recommended for teens and adults, especially those who are exploring their own understanding of who they’re attracted to, and those who care about someone who is in the midst of such exploration.

I voluntarily read and reviewed and advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought the growing relationship between Jason and Frank was really sweet, especially on Frank’s side where he truly just wanted Jason to know he was loved, whether he could reciprocate those feelings or not. There were a few plot points I found difficult to really understand, like Jason’s hyperfixation on the classmate he turned down out of a lack of attraction, but it didn’t significantly take away from my enjoyment. The epilogue said there are more Frank and Jason stories to come, so I’m interested to see where their relationship goes and how Jason actually ends up identifying.

Very soft, very sweet love story between a 35 year old virgin man, and the new hire, a young man in his 20s. At times it feels as the the MC doesn't care if he never finds love, at other times, he feels as htough he is being forced, by his family to finally get together with someone, anyone, man or woman. But he refuses.

But then the new IT worker needs a palce to stay, and the other people in the office suggest the MCs appartnment, which has an extra room. And so the MC has a cute new roommate, but he still isnt' sure if he is feeling attraction to him, or not.

This goes on through the whole book, until, he even tries dating a woman, to see if he can get a feeling of love from that, and it doesn't happen.

thankst to NEtalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Short, sweet, hopeful, and introspective. A really nice change of pace for me. Jason and Frank truly deserve to be happy together.

This book was written for my 30-something self! The story leaned more slice of life to me than romance but I liked that because the story's progression felt very realistic. I would have liked more to the end of the story but it still left off in a place where I don't have to have more. I also did find that there were some points where the translations felt a little off but they were few and far between. This is the kind of book that I would recommend for people in their 30s who want to read about other people in their 30s who don't feel like they are living up to their own (and their families) expectations. That is where this story shines!

Overall disappointed with this one - it follows a 35 year old virgin who has never experienced love and his younger colleague who moves in with him after their coworker sets them up to live together (and they were <i>roommates!)</i> The “romance” wasn’t clearly set up, and I didn’t get any sort of connection between the two of them. Additionally, I felt that there was a disconnect between a lot of the dialogue, and the translations were definitely weaker in this than in even some of the fan-made translations I’ve read.


<b>I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</b>

This was cute. It was a quick easy read with a great cast of characters. I wish there was more but I loved what was in here!

It's been years since I've read any Manga so this was something different.

I grabbed a copy via NetGalley after reading the blurb. It seemed like a good story could be built and I wanted to know more. It was less than 200 pages, which makes it a quick read for me.

While I enjoyed some aspects of the story, I felt a little lost at times too. The relationship was rushed in a way I can't really explain. It just felt like I blinked and suddenly they were going to be together. I would have loved more time on their journey or even some time together on page after they got together. Nothing erotic, just simple romantic moments.

Now don't be fooled, there is still some sweetness in this story. The main characters both have difficulties outside of the relationship itself that manifest and pull at the heartstrings. I'd definitely give the author another read down the road to see what other stories they come up.

A short and healing story about finding yourself. It touches on sensitive topics workplace bullying and the weight of a parent's expectations. I thought it was a short and sweet story and I liked how they approached these topics, even if they didn't resolve most of them. I wish we saw more scenes of the main characters talking to eachother and forming a stronger emotional bond. The romance felt rushed.

A cute, quick read. It felt a bit more like a slice of life than a romance. Jason is single at 35 years old and feels the pressure to find love. He invites a coworker to move in with him, and they start to form a connection. I loved that the characters were older, but I really wish the characters had been developed more. They felt very one dimensional. I also wish their relationship and sexualities were explored more. The two characters are supposed to have a connection, but we never really see it. Also, the ending was really rushed, and it seemed like things just kind of worked out to tie everything together quickly. I would have liked to see them together and see how their relationship unfolded.

Now I enjoy short fiction, don't get me wrong. But this was just too short. I would classify this more as a coming of age (even as a 35 year old yes) rather than a romance, as there isn't really romance? The MC is just trying to figure out who he is and what he wants with his life. Which like, yeah, relatable. But I do wish it had been marketed thus and the blurb had focused on that as opposed to romance. It was overall kind of a meh read. I don't regret it but wouldn't read it again.

I received a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

I really liked this story and the characters.
They start as work colleagues and housemates and their relationship gradually grows and they get used to each other.
Until their feelings start to change without them even being aware of it.
I really liked them talking to each other and sorting things out.
It was a really sweet slowburn.
I really liked the art that conveyed the story and personality of the characters.

This was my first foray into manhua, and in all honesty this one wasn't for me. It was a little confusingly translated in some parts and you could see the layout didn't suit English as all the speech bubbles were very portrait oriented so the text looked awkward.
The story was quite sweet, but the obsession with who is junior to whom (in age and job seniority) was a cultural issue I found a bit irrelevant to me. Also how the main character hadn't even really heard of bisexuals. However it was apparently a very personal story to the author, so I appreciate them sharing their experience.