Volume 2 of Therapy Game is basically just the story of how Minato and Shizuma learned to speak each others' metaphorical language, how to communicate with and trust each other, and you know what? It's a delight. Shizuma is exactly the sort of person Minato needs, he's steady and solid and dependable and knows just what to say and do to soothe all of Minato's fears and help him move past his trauma and I just... man. Theirs is such a lovely story.

Therapy Game is a duology, but continues in Therapy Game: Restart and, while I do prefer Restart because it allows the author more time to get in depth with the cast of characters, Therapy Game also stands alone pretty well too. I just love this series a lot okay

Ok my Therapy Game reread kick continues so I guess I'll review them as I reread through. Anyway, I love Therapy Game so much.

Minato is an extremely messed up person with an extremely messed up backstory that still haunts him. Shizuma is about as grounded and healthy as a person could be (albeit nursing a broken heart). They come together by sheer accident of circumstance, with Shizuma coincidentally blackout drunk in the same bar Minato frequents, on the day Minato is upset over something else, and that chance meeting changes both of their life trajectories in ways neither could've expected. Shizuma discovers that he's bisexual. Minato finds himself faced with feelings he can't really handle, feelings that terrify him.

I am actually, personally, very fond of Minato as a character. He's a very realistic (and relatable) portrayal of the ways our parents can fuck us up, and how childhood trauma can echo long into our adulthoods without us even necessarily realising it, causing us to sabotage ourselves repeatedly in ways that reinforce our twisted, hurt worldview

I fucking love Therapy Game, guys.

Reread this one recently and thought I'd finally leave a review on it. I love Secret XXX, it's an excellent prequel to Therapy Game – it's a weak standalone though. It was Hinohara's debut in both English and Japanese, and I think that does show somewhat. The plot is a little silly and oddly-paced, things resolve very quickly when they could've lingered as longer arcs. But it's a debut BL manga, everything had to come together in one volume.

Hinohara's art style is a delight to read, very clean and expressive, and her characters are very well-rounded and three-dimensional. She's one of my favourite BL mangaka for a reason.

As I say, this story works best as a prequel to Therapy Game (the spinoff that runs longer and focuses on Shizuma and Minato, the brothers of Secret XXX's leads), to such a point that I'd actually recommend reading Therapy Game before this one despite the chronology. Reading it that way makes Minato's introduction here in Secret XXX far more endearing, rather than threatening, it's like "oh here we go, Minato being Minato" lmao

Anyway, solid read, particularly as a primer for Therapy Game.