[Review] Ibitsu na Koi no Seesaw Game by Kashima Chiaki

Ok guys, I’m a little lot emotional about this manga so if I start sobbing halfway through…it’s because I love this 😭

First off, Kashima Chiaki is one of my all-time favorite mangaka. I randomly stumbled upon one of her doujin called Tonari no Haruka-chan, back when I was in the FREE fandom. Suffice to say I loved her art and searched for more of her work. That eventually led me to her original stuff like Flower and Bunny, which I loved, and since then I’ve been reading her stuff like a slave to her beautiful art.

And I thought I’d go ahead and review a couple of them while I wait for the Scarlet Beriko titles to update (as well as another I’m excited about showing you all)

Ibitsu na Koi no Seesaw Game is about a phantom thief named Grey and Inspector Sudo. Grey is notorious for sending cards to the police, announcing his next crime and successfully slipping away undetected. Meanwhile, Sudo has been working on the Grey case for what feels like forever now, but no matter what happens, Grey always slips away.

This wouldn’t be his burden alone except for a small fact: he always retrieves the items Grey steals. Nobody knows how he’s been in contact with Grey long enough to get back the stolen item but not capture him. And if they ever found out…well, he’d be in quite some trouble

Out of all the characters, Sudo is the most normal of them all. He’s an older guy who’s been working as an officer for 10 years now and was put on the Grey case. He smokes a lot, has an angry looking face, and dislikes animals to the point of fainting, but he’s an honest cop who helps out civilians even when they’re not being super honest with him. And ok, I can’t hold it in anymore. I’m sure all you fujoshis know already but those dirty tricks are indeed dirty.

Aside from being a pretty good officer, Sudo also has sex with Grey in exchange for the items he steals each night. Not because he wants to, but because that’s what Grey demands of him

At first I thought Sudo seriously wanted to nab Grey but was outsmarted all the time (plus liked the sex), but there was a case where Sudo actually went out of his way to let Grey escape. It was hilarious since a new character had been introduced and there was always the worry of A) Sudo and Grey getting caught doing the naughty or B) Sudo getting caught aiding Grey escape

Grey on the other hand, seems to be a total mystery. We don’t really know who he is (though there’s some backstory that might be his), but we know he’s infatuated with Sudo, using the items he steals as an excuse to have sex with Sudo. We also end up learning that Grey had been so close to Sudo as he lived right next door and even helped him with his chores at times (throwing out his garbage)

Overall I really enjoyed this manga because it had everything I love and say I hate but love, in it. It’s got a stupidly cute grey haired guy, it’s got an older guy, it’s got the whole cop and thief scenario, it’s got older guy tied up, it’s got beautiful art, and it’s hilarious (and I’m not much of a comedy person). Like, you guys have no idea how much I was cracking up while reading this

As for complaints, I was really sad that there was no conclusive ending. I thought maybe this wasn’t complete but I looked it up and found it’s a oneshot. We never really learn who Grey is, unless we follow what Sudo believed. Sudo never really confesses and it’s implied their little games will just continue

Regardless, I need to buy this and add it to my Kashima Chiaki collection

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