▪	RELEASED BY:		DIGITAL MANGA PUBLSHING
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		HYOUTA FUJIYAMA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE/ B&W
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		M
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		08/01/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/08/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

Over at the 1K apartment tenements, longtime friends Kouno and Natsu share a passionate evening one Christmas eve. It was a drunken bout of desire that saw Kouno’s long suppressed longing for Natsu finally fulfilled. However this was not a night filled with confessions of love, but heated flesh meeting flesh. As their intimate friendship continues, can Kouno keep it at “just friends” when his heart needs more? Meanwhile just next door, a straightforward love confession from his male roommate leaves inexperienced Naomichi reeling. Struggling to understand his feelings for his friend and roommate Kei, will he be able to return Kei’s ardent emotions and finally succumb to passion?

Lover’s Flat is an enjoyable upbeat yaoi tale that is really two stories for the price of one. The manga volleys back and forth between the journeys of both couples. While Naomichi fights to understand his own feelings, he finds a surprisingly sympathetic ear with his next door neighbor Kouno.  His story starts from the time Kei confesses to him, to the realization of his own feelings and sexuality, to what happens during his first time. For Kouno, his story is unlike Naomichi’s in that it starts at the moment of physical passion and then leads into the journey of how he and Natsu meet with their hearts and not just their bodies.  This interesting, almost juxtaposition of the two stories – one fellow follows his heart to a culminating moment of physical expression, while the other acts impulsively on his physical desires to then entangle his heart – makes a nice counterpoint in these engaging romances.

Lover’s Flat is more down to earth than the average yaoi. There’s a certain verisimilitude in the stories and struggles of the characters. Whether it’s dealing with Naomichi’s coming to terms with his sexuality, or Kouno’s fears about being open in his gay relationship to others at school, they are real life concerns that the author imparts with a gentle touch. Although in many ways ideally optimistic, it is a sweet optimism that is enjoyable and holds an embracing acceptance in its tone that any gay person would hope for. The stories are sweet and show hidden depths in their pages. Like the author’s other works, the art work has a lovely style with appealing characters. This is a manga sure to please fans of gentler romances.    

IN SUMMARY:
Two couples, two apartments, one manga filled with tumultuous and passionate desire.