A collection off 7 short stories on love, they are all connected by the upscale bar the characters visit and the bartender who observes, listens and offers sage advice to those who frequent his establishment. This stand-alone yaoi manga starts off interestingly. It begins with the story of a novelist using his books to hide his true feelings for his former school friend. Reality and fiction begin to blur as he spends more time with his old friend. Can the other man learn to read between the lines? And what will the author do if he does? The way the story starts gives you the sense the manga will be about these two men, but as the stories continue, it is more about the slices of romantic life that revolve around this unique bar and the intriguing bartender Shiraishi. 

The stories are diverse and offer everything from unrequited love, to first time stories, disappointed crushes, and sexual realizations. Out of all the stories and characters, the most intriguing for me was the bartender Shiraishi. He’s handsome, suave, and has a confident air about him while dealing in a gentle manner with his clientele. A couple of stories deal with him. One offers a potential love interest in a work colleague and another gives readers a childhood story about Shiraishi and a pivotal moment in his maturing from teen to adulthood. He’s a very enigmatic character and readers are likely going to want to know more about him. In the end, it could be that the sage watcher in the wings may need some love advice of his own.

The art style is very appealing. Due to the diverse characters, readers are given a variety of men, form the younger bookish types with glasses to the lean and fashionable looking men like Shiraishi to a more playboy style with some of the characters. There’s a little something for everyone in the pages of this manga.

IN SUMMARY:
La Vie en Rose is a collection of 7 yaoi stories that offer a diverse range of romantic entanglements about attractive men attracted to each other.  It offers a variety in tones but never gets too heavily angst driven, just mild drama and erotic romance for fans to enjoy.

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