Holiday Review #14: HABERDASHERY GINMOKUSEI by The Manga Test Drive / Anime Blog Tracker

Holiday Review #14: HABERDASHERY GINMOKUSEI

But that's enough straight romance! There was plenty of fine BL released this year and this series in particular was one of the most handsome examples to hit the shelves.HABERDASHERY GINMOKUSEI (Ginmokusei no Shitateya), by Mamita. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2025.PLOT:Ubuki chose to leave his job and take over his grandfather's tailor shop because he wanted to honor him, but he barely had a chance to learn the ropes before his grandfather died and now the shop is on the verge of failure. That's when a statuesque blond named Theo walks through the door, insisting that only he can save the shop. Ubuki soon realizes the two of them met before during a drunken hook-up, but he's in no place to refuse help. As the shop transforms under Theo's guidance, Ubuki finds himself questioning just what Theo's true intentions might be.STORY:Reading Haberdashery Ginmokusei was a truly refreshing experience. It's been a long while since I've read a BL manga was was so self-assured and mature in tone. It's downright classy.I think part of its appeal is that much like Ubuki's shop, the cast and scope are small and thus gives the whole thing a very intimate feeling despite featuring very little intimacy. The reader is swept up just as much by Theo's good looks and confident air as Ubuki is. It also helps that the drama of revitalizing the shop is compelling in its own right and Ubuki himself is a fairly relatable protagonist. Where Theo is all confidence and allure, Ubuki is a stew of anxieties just under the surface who's still grappling with the loss of his beloved grandfather, the married ex he can't quite let go of, and the discomfort he feels over his darker skin. On top of all that, Mamita leaves a little bit of mystery to keep the reader hooked. Since these two already had sex before this story began, she doesn't have to use the promise of sex to keep her readers hooked. Instead she uses the mystery of Theo himself. Ubuki is pretty much an open book, but the reader only knows what he knows about Theo and that isn't that much. We know that he was a maître d'hôtel at a fancy restaurant and that that has given him a lot of connections with various vendors within Ginza and some very high-class tastes, but we're only given hints as to why he left his previous job and why he's so fixated on Ubuki in particular. This mystery is what draws in both Ubuki and the reader in a way that's so elegant that you barely notice it even as it's happening. It's genuinely good writing.ART:Mamita's art possesses a lot of the same refinement and confidence of her writing. Her characters might be all legs and limbs, but this feels more like an affectation borrowed from fashion design that allows her to better show off how well she draws men in suits. There's a lot of nuance in their poses and hand movements between Ubuki and Theo that are really good at showing their respective personalities without a word. The paneling is quite smart and zippy too, keeping things moving across the page without getting lost in clutter. I was particularly struck by her use of negative space for dramatic emphasis, which reminded me in a positive way of Fumi Yoshinaga.PRESENTATION:This volume itself is handsomely put-together, with fine paper and a shiny silver-accented cover and slip cover that further adds to the book's classy tone. This fine air does make the few flubs that do slip through all the more jarring. There's one moment of weird lettering midway through and the blurb on the slip cover keeps referring to the lead as Ibuki instead of Ubuki. It's not enough to bring my rating of this book down, but it does make me think a tiny bit less of the editor.RATING:Haberdashery Ginmokusei is a very well put-together book. It's got sharp character writing, an attractive look, and approaches its central relationship with a level of restraint and maturity that is seldom found in the genre. It's one I would heartily recommend, even to my non-fujin readers.This manga is published by Denpa Books under their Kuma imprint. This series is complete in Japan with 2 volumes available. 1 volume has been released and is currently in print.There's only eleven days left in our Holiday Review Giveaway! To find out more and potentially win a $25 Bookshop.org gift certificate, click the link above.

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