I believe the concept of “guilty pleasure” is based more on other people’s perceptions of the subject than your own. To me, my guilty pleasure books are something I don’t often enjoy but crave once in a blue moon. And while I adore light-hearted slice-of-life shoujo manga, where the two main leads blush furiously over holding hands, sometimes I venture to the mature side!

Now, even though I read them, I rarely like series that are just that; they need to have a plot, not just fanservice. Well, they’re good sometimes, but I’d rather spend time reading something I can fully immerse myself in—that’s the reason I read anyway. It is why it took me a while to warm up to this genre because those one shots I read were like, “WTF? THAT’S IT?!” Shinjo Mayu’s works are definitely no go area for me! *roll eyes*) and my first impression was just so strong that it took some time for me to reevaluate and give it another chance.

And then I got older, and, well, I tried some of them. Same formula, but there are some I highly enjoy. I’m excluding the josei series since they’re usually mature in nature (but I did rec something adult here, so a little warning for kids out there!)

コーヒー＆バニラ (Coffee and Vanilla)

It’s my all-time guilty read! Like, this is seriously super sweet in a sexy kind of way. I’ve always been a big fan of this author’s works, but she rarely released full serializations prior to this, so I was actually excited when she made this a serial as opposed to a short or just a series of one-shots like her earlier works were. Maybe people will raise their eyebrows (or be thrown off?) with my comparison, but I think it’s like Fifty Shades of Grey minus the whole traumatic childhood, cougar Mrs. Robinson, and the you-know-what *winks* (and yes, I read FSoG and yes, all three of them). It’s the same in the sense that the male lead is a young CEO and the female lead is an innocent college student. But that’s where the similarity stops, because Fukami is so loving and protective of Risa. Risa, however, sometimes makes me literally *SMH*, but their overall vibe is so sweet. There are conflicts here and there, but they easily get resolved as the author really wants to showcase the vanilla rather than the bitterness of the coffee (the bitterness in a relationship).

Black Bird

If Coffee and Vanilla have similarities with FSoG, then Black Bird is kind of like Twilight (yes, that Twilight—yes, that Bella + Edward vampire story, in case you forgot). It’s a fantasy series, but instead of vampires, the male lead is an Ayakashi, specifically a Tengu. The female lead is called “Senka Maiden” or the “Bride of Prophecy,” in which she bears fortune on whoever possesses her. If her blood is drunk, it will prolong one’s life, while her flesh extends it, and finally, whoever marries her will bring luck to this person’s clan. She was initially intended to marry the older brother, but the younger and the male lead fought for her! What I loved about it was how fiercely Kyo loved Misao. It was shown over and over in a very subtle yet strong way (like how he looked out for her, and I loved those details). It really showed me how much he loved her. SPOILERS ALERT FOR BOTH BLACK BIRD AND TWILIGHT: When Misao got pregnant, it reminded me of how it happened to Renesmee (I read Twilight before this one, so…), that carrying the child was life-threatening and fatal. And the agony it was for Kyo totally came across! I loved how, in the end, he made way for both the baby and Misao to live; and the sheer emotion when he saved Misao was just so overwhelming. *coughs* So where’s all the smut here, Mitchii? Ah yeah, Kyo is a pervert, and then the whole thing about being a bride entailed *winks, winks, nudge, nudge*

モトカレ←リトライ (Motokare Retry)

It’s a story of second chances. The two main leads are middle school lovers who broke up because of circumstances, but fast forward to college, where they are neighbors, and the sweet ex-boyfriend is now a player? so different from what he used to be. BUT! Since their break-up wasn’t so squeaky clean, there were still lingering feelings, plus some added convenient plot moments that pushed them together. Again. And there you go—a couple made from trying it out again. What I like about it is that it showed how naïve they were back in the days when many decisions were not well thought out. They were impulsive and reckless. But now that they’ve matured, they tend to talk more about it; they actually weigh in on decisions now, and the most important thing is that they TRUST each other more—which is fundamental in any kind of relationship, peeps. Since they’re, well, adults now, the level of intimacy has leveled up as well—it’s not hot a la Coffee and Vanilla hot, but it still has that, y’know?

GAME～スーツの隙間～ (Game – Suit no Sukima)

This is the only adult series I’ll recommend because chances are, if you pick up josei series, there’ll be intimate scenes there. But this one takes the cake! It’s freaking HOT, alright! *wiggle eyebrows* The thing that draws me in here is that the main leads are very strong characters, and they’re playing this sort of hot and heavy kind of bedroom game—the one who will fall in love loses (BTW, it’s just very hot vanilla, alright?!). And these two are bold, assertive, and quite stubborn—no one likes to lose! They’re basically sefure セフレ or friends with benefits, in other cultures. They both work for the same company, and they’re hiding it pretty well, but they have those looks so palpable that you can cut the sexual tension with a knife! They seem to be into each other, at least more than just night buddies, but who will actually admit that?! Yeah, things are progressing quite nice~!

ヒミツのアイちゃん (Himitsu no Ai-chan)

It’s a fun series! I always advocate for love stories that showcase the ups and downs of relationships instead of ones that get interfered with (yeah, that says a lot coming from a love triangle fanatic)! And this one is the former! Sure, there are other people who are interested in them, but I think as the story progressed, their bond got stronger! They’re cute because they were rivals (at basketball), and the girl was sort of tomboyish at the start. A little maid cosplay, and BAM! She got him hook, line, and sinker (although he liked her even before that, but she just didn’t see herself as a prospect). The smut isn’t so much, but you know it’s a smut. That part for me is just added oomph because I enjoy the story regardless; even if I removed that aspect, I think the comedy and dynamic of the characters are strong enough to keep the gears rolling. So yeah, I liked this in a cute kind of way.