Ten Count Vol 1 – Manga Review

Finally got a hold of volume one of this popular yaoi manga and I can happily say this is a manga that has lived up to the hype and this is not something I say often. I tend to avoid anime and manga that are over hyped because there has been so many times in the past where I have found myself greatly disappointed once I did sit down and watch the anime or read the manga.

The series is about Tadaomi Shirotani a young man who suffers from severe OCD and mysophobia, but he is ok with this as long as he does not cause trouble for others. This is how he has lived his life for as long as he can remember, this becomes a big problem for him however when his boss is in an accident he could have saved him from if only he could have reached out to the man. Lucky for him his boss is saved by a stranger on a bike, who happens to be a child psychiatrist by the name of Riku Kurose and upon talking Shirotani recognizes his disorder and offers to help him.

Kurose decides to help Shirotani by having him make a list of ten things he can not do because of his disorders and that he will help Shirotani work through his list and once he reaches number ten he will tell him why he is helping him.

This is a really interesting set up for a slow burn story and the first volume treats Shirotani’s disorder with respect and not just a plot element which I must admit I found really amazing in knowing the level of social stigma Japan has for mental illness.

I also really enjoyed the relationship growing between the two and also found it fascinating that as they seemed to grow closer it was Kurose who pulled away and not Shirotani. There is a mysterious pull Kurose seems to have and it becomes very clear that even though Shirotani might not realise it but he is falling for his mysterious new friend and the ending of the first volume left me wanting more and to see where the relationship will go in the future.

I ask that if you comment on this post you keep all comments about only the first volume as I am trying really hard to avoid any spoilers for this series. Also I would like to know if you my readers would like me to do more single volume reviews of yaoi manga series? If so let me know below.