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Manga: Nana To Kaoru
Aren't they cute?

Nana Chigusa and Kaoru Sugimura have been neighbors and childhood friends for years, but they've started to drift apart in high school. Nana is an ace student and member of the student council, while Kaoru is an unattractive slacker. But one day, an... incident occurs to shake up their relationship.

See, Kaoru, as it happens, has a strong BDSM fetish. One day, his mother, fed up with the weird toys that Kaoru has been wasting his money on, steals all of them to get her son to study instead of spending his evenings jacking off. But since she can't keep them in their apartment (where he'll find them), she asks Nana to keep an eye on them. Nana, wondering what Kaoru has bought, looks through his stuff... and immediately pulls out a leather one-piece, which looks suspiciously close to her size. Intrigued, Nana tries on the suit... and accidentally locks it. Even worse, she doesn't have the key, so it must be in Kaoru's room...

This is the beginning of Nana to Kaoru, an ongoing Ecchi manga by Ryuta Amazume. It chronicles Nana and Kaoru's adventures in BDSM, from erotic posing and leash-wearing to bondage and blindfold play, and more. It isn't subtitled Nana and Kaoru's S&M Diary for nothing.

Noteworthy for portraying BDSM as something complicated and careful if done willingly, requiring not only trust between the people involved but also preparations and care. Also notable in that it does this without sex ever happening or even being implied (outside of the Black Label story there's not even any nudity) despite the subject matter it's a relationship/romance manga, not hentai.

An OVA and a Live-Action Adaptation have been released, the trailer for the live action adaptation is up on the website, and some stills from the anime are here.

Now with a shiny Character Page, please contribute.

This series contains examples of:

  • Accidental Kiss / Sacred First Kiss: Probably. Even Nana and Kaoru aren't sure if it happened or not.
    • It's strongly hinted that Kaoru felt something on his lips; Nana was a bit more attentive and touched her lips afterwards. But as the end of chapter notes pointed out, the potential kiss wasn't the big movement in their relationship, it was Nana realizing she wouldn't have minded kissing Kaoru.
  • Adaptational Attractiveness
  • A Date with Rosie Palms: Implied when Kaoru moves the kotatsu into his room... and there's a box of tissues beside it.
  • Adorkable: Kaoru.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love: The emotions during their breather in chapters 30 to 36 finally get to Kaoru, causing him to face his feelings for Nana head on. Unfortunately, at the time, she had earplugs and a blindfold on.
  • Animal Motifs: Tachi plays mischievous, disobedient kitty cat to Nana's obedient and loyal puppy dog. This gets rather explicit in chapters 68-70.
  • Ascended Fanboy: Kaoru in Black Label. At first he only pretended to be Sarashina's characters during his breathers with Nana. In this, he ends up one of the characters in Sarashina's books, role-playing alongside and learning directly from said author at that.
  • Ass Shove: One volume is dedicated to Nana and a suppository.
  • Author Appeal:
    • BDSM
    • Girls sticking their tongues out, usually as a sign that they're turned on or being mischievous.
    • There is not a panel, not a chapter, but an entire volume dedicated to asses. More specifically, Nana's ass.
  • The B Grade
  • Beady Eyed Loser: Kaoru
  • Betty and Veronica: In the mind of the class president's sister in regards to Kaoru, with Nana as Betty and Tachi as Veronica.
  • Beta Couple Black Labels' Shuutarou Sarashina and Mitsuko Tachibana
  • Big Bra to Fill: The live-action Nana is smaller in both bust and height.
  • Big Damn Hero: Kaoru at the start of chapter 38/YA 16 saves Tachi from a nasty fall... by using his own body to cushion the impact. Amazingly, Not the Fall That Kills You is averted — he's shown with a torn-up shoulder afterward that keeps him from getting any sleep from the pain.
  • Big "NO!": Nana. Often.
    • A handful of chapters both use and play with this. Nana's so conflicted about having to use a suppository as a fever remedy that she can't let her doctor insert it (leading to the actual use), and then her butt clenches so tightly that she can't put it in herself (the playing with). It eventually takes a blindfolded Kaoru holding her hands and Tachi inserting the suppository for things to get resolved... and then she nearly breaks Tachi's finger by clenching up again.
  • Blackmail: Tachi gets a second "breather" from Kaoru by threatening to tell Nana how much work he puts into their sessions, which would show Nana how deeply Kaoru really feels for her.
    • It's probably for the best that she hasn't threatened to tell anyone else. If you think about it, Nana's mother is a police chief, while Nana is a class president; Tachi could do some real damage if she felt like spreading rumors.
  • Bland Name Product: The "Moogle" search engine and a "Ricon" camera.
  • Blank White Eyes
  • Bokukko: Tachi
  • Bound and Gagged: Well, this is about BDSM after all...
  • Brains and Bondage:
    • Nana, though she'd never admit the second part ... in public.
    • Mitsuko, too. She graduated from Tokyo University, arguably the most prestigious school in Asia, and just happens to also run a sex store and is a confirmed, lifelong submissive.
  • Breast Attack: In Black Label when Kaoru and Nana go to a nearby river they find a girl catching fish with her bare hands and give it a go themselves. Nana succeeds only for the fish to escape and land in her cleavage. After failing to get it out herself, the girl slaps Nana's breasts together which causes the fish to fall through back into the river.
  • Buxom Is Better: In chapter one of the first volume Kaoru notes that Nana has very large breasts and calls her "a total knockout"; her breast size is commented upon by Those Two Guys as well.
  • Can Not Spit It Out:
    • Kaoru is afraid a confession would end the breathers. He's also absolutely terrified of any progress for the same reason.
    • As much as it is blatant, Nana's fascination with BDSM is something that she has a hard time putting into words. The last time Kaoru pressed the issue, all he got was a Luminescent Blush for the inquiry.
  • Caught the Heart on His Sleeve
  • Character Development: Yes, BDSM can make for some absolutely adorable character development.
  • Chekhovs Boobs: In Volume 9 Chapter 64 before the 3000m race we see Nana's main opponent staring and thinking to herself "damn her and her huge breasts", at the end of the race it would have been a dead heat except for Nana's larger bust getting to the tape first
  • Chekhov's Skill: Kaoru's running becomes really important later on when he has to take a Diving Save to protect Tachi, long after everyone's forgotten about it. He's not even winded by the run (although his shoulder is pretty banged up from the fall) while his unknown rival, the student council president, is openly exhausted and couldn't keep up. Considering the president is an all around perfect bishonen, and Kaoru is, well, not... character isn't the only thing that Kaoru is developing.
  • Chivalrous Pervert: Kaoru. He tries to be as nice as possible to Nana as he eases her into more and more erotic territory.
    • One example involved Kaoru acting as if he left Nana and Tachi, bound up alone in his room for hours. But he carefully watched the whole scene from a window ready to jump into action if anything went wrong. It's worth noting that he was waiting outside in winter weather, which was cold enough to make him sick.
    • He also starts working out and running after Nana has a scary run-in with a couple of shoplifters, just so he'll be better able to handle such situations.
  • Covert Pervert: Nana. Having Kaoru draw this side of her out is more or less the driving focus of the story.
  • Creator Cameo: Ryuuta Amazume can be heard in the OVA.
  • Crosscast Role: As part of Class 2-F's skit in the farewell party, Kaoru is made to wear a swimsuit and wig. Nana helps with his makeup.
    • Man in a Bikini: Well, it's a Playboy bunny-girl swimsuit (including ears), but the effect is the same.
  • Cross-Popping Veins
  • Cuffs Off Rub Wrists: Averted, except for Tachi's initial outburst; she complains about her limbs being numb after Kaoru unties her.
  • Decompressed Comic: To the point where one twenty-page issue started at the beginning of a "breather" and ended after the first spank - out of ten. But it's mostly build-up for the massive amounts of fanservice.
  • Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: In Chapter 18 Kaoru brings a ball gag and then does an Infodump about the different types of gag used in S&M including images which makes it seem to be directed only to the reader, then we get a Beat Panel of Nana giving him an odd look.
  • Did Not Do the Research:
    • Inverted with Nana — as shown in the Black Label series, she has done a little research on BDSM, although she keeps this as a secret from Kaoru.
    • The shopkeeper's backstory where she allows the BDSM author to tie her up, even though they just met, is none too safe either. At least her friend was with them before the actual bondage started and could talk to the police if she vanished. Though when she's talking to Nana she does say it was a reckless thing to do.
  • Did They or Didn't They?: Played with — Nana isn't quite certain if she accidentally kissed Kaoru, but she does realize that she wouldn't have minded if she had, which was a far bigger realization overall.
  • Distracted by the Sexy:
    • The reason Kaoru can't concentrate on his revision with Nana. At first, until the nipple clips are introduced.
    • A variation in Chapter 54, Nana keeps getting distracted by thinking about what Kaoru has in store for their next "Breather". At one point she's apparently been standing in the middle of the girls changing room with a big grin on her face for several minutes.
  • Diving Save: In Chapter 15 (in the newer Young Adult series), Tachi runs away from Nana after she is trying to cover her and Kaoru's relationship by badmouthing him in front of her friends (in addition, the Smug Snake sister of the student council president has an idea that she's wearing rope under her coat), causing her to fall over a high road. Kaoru instinctively knew he had to run back instead of waiting for them at Nana's apartment, leaving him in prime position to catch her. Well, sorta.
  • Erotic Dream:
    • Kaoru starts off the series having a wet dream about Nana as his personal slave.
    • A couple of chapters later, so does Nana.
  • Eyelid Pull Taunt
  • Face Palm: Several.
  • Fanboy: Kaoru.
  • Fan Disservice: Kaoru in a girl's swimsuit. 'nuff said.
  • Fan Nickname: Nana to Kaoru: Arashi, scanlators (and therefore fans) used this to differentiate the main series running in Young Animal to the newest one running in Young Animal Arashi; in truth the Arashi magazine also reffered to the new series as Nana to Kaoru, they didn't feel the need to create a new title till the first collected Volume was published. Nana to Kaoru: Black Label is the official title of what fans have been calling Nana to Kaoru: Arashi for quite some time.
  • Fanservice: This manga skirts the line between Ecchi and full-blown Hentai. (Unsurprisingly, because most of the author's previous work is full-blown Hentai.)
    • And it's done without explicit sex, nudity, or even kissing — at least until the more explicit arc in a sister publication.
    • Nearly all of it's justified by schoolboy ogling or the 'breathers', out in the open, so it doesn't quite count. Nana (sorry, "Chigusa-sensei") tutoring Kaoru is true, old-fashioned why-the-hell-is-she-wearing-that fanservice. It's not just the stockings. It's not just the glasses. It's the stockings and the glasses and the tight blouse and the short skirt and the teasing.
    • Well, Nana seems to have a thing for doing this to him. In a mini-arc, she invites him to a shrine visit, alone...and really she looks and acts the part for the day, most of the time. Bonus points for wearing a special yukata that announces that she's looking for a husband. She couldn't be more blatant with him without sticking her hands down his trousers.
  • Fetish Fuel Station Attendant: Between Nana, Tachi and Mitsuko, we have the following, though Nana still takes the cake:
  • Foot Focus
  • Friends with Benefits: A non-sexual version. Or at least they tell themselves that they are just friends.
  • Foregone Conclusion: The Black Label timeskip series has Nana and Kaoru still together and still having breathers (and playing footsie under the table). Instant drama kill for any worries 'bout the Student Council President stealing Nana away from him.
    • However, it also kills the possible eventual development of Kaoru and Nana admittedly becoming boyfriend and girlfriend in during the 8 months the main series must fill to reach the Black Label timeline, so it's safe to say the main series must surpass Black Label's timeline for Nana and Kaoru to truly become a couple.
  • Freud Was Right: Discussed in-story in Kaoru's lecture on anal play.
  • Funbag Airbag
  • Genki Girl: Mitsuko Tachibana, the porn shop manager. Never has anybody been so "enthusiastic'' about leather, gags, and whips♥!
    • She even takes over Kaoru's position of Mr. Exposition about the finer points of BDSM in NTK Black Label!
  • Genre Savvy: Nana eventually remarks upon the fact that, despite her initial refusals, she ends up doing the things anyway.
  • Gilligan Cut: When Nana discovers the leather one-piece, she thinks about trying it on, but:
    Nana: N-No, never. Never! Never!!
    cut to Kaoru contemplating his loss
    cut back to Nana wearing the one-piece
  • Gonk: Both Kaoru and his mother at first, although this is more of a Generic Cuteness failure on her part. Both are moving away from this, especially since Kaoru started running and putting some effort into studying.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Nana upon seeing Tachi tied up (tighter than she had been).
    Nana: "God please, somehow...
    help me to make it look...
    as though...
    I'm still smiling."
  • Guilty Pleasures: Nana originally just went over to get the key, but the bondage session was a great form of stress relief for her, to the point that it saved her rapidly falling apart school performance. She used that as justification to keep going. Now, she genuinely enjoys and looks forward to her sessions with Kaoru.
    • Probably a meta example for some readers.
  • Harsh Word Impact: The speech bubbles containing Kaoru's lambasting of the class president nearly crowd him out of the panel.
  • Hello Nurse: Subverted with Nana. Yes, she's gorgeous (in line with the trope), but her imperious manner scares people off.
  • Hidden Eyes
  • Hopeless Suitor:
    • The class president to Nana.
    • Kaoru to Nana...at least in his own mind.
  • Hotter and Sexier: A very sinusoidal example. The series was originally in Young Animal Arashi, a softcore pornography magazine. When it became a runaway success, they moved it to the more mainstream Young Animal series, and toned the content down — there isn't even the occasional nipple in the YA series. It was still wildly successful, so they have a second concurrent series — something that's almost unheard of outside of spinoffs — Nana To Kaoru Black Label, which takes place after a minor timeskip and has definitely taken the series back to hotter and sexier territory: the new series starts off with a topless Mitsuko tied up with weights attached to her exposed nipples, rewinds and then builds from there.
  • Ho Yay:
    • The class president noticed Kaoru going running with the very boyish Tachi, and, thinking she was another boy, told Nana. Nana's suspicious of tardy ol' Kaoru actually making an effort, and comes to an interesting conclusion. Never knew you had it in you, Nana.
    • Amusingly, between Kaoru and his bondage-mentor Sarashina. When the latter is whipping his girlfriend and hands over the whip to Kaoru, the breathless Kaoru is thinking: "Aaaaah, sensei's hands are so big...and warm..."
  • Indirect Kiss
    • Kaoru and Tachi, though Kaoru only becomes distressed about it after finding out that Tachi's a girl.
    • Averted with Kaoru and Nana using the dental gag - when Kaoru teases Nana about tasting her saliva from his hand, it's another Boot to the Head before he can.
  • Instant Cosplay Surprise
  • The Internet Is for Porn: Nana's research. Step 1: enter search term for [BDSM term]. Step 2: receive torrents of porn. Step 3: get entirely the wrong idea about what Kaoru's going to do.
  • The Immodest Orgasm: Chapter 3. She reacted badly. Very badly.
  • Jerkass Façade: Kaoru really plays up his sleazy domination role with Nana, although she knows he isn't really like that.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kaoru again. He is generally unpleasant with everyone, and it's baffling that Nana can even stand his company. He feels the same way.
  • Kuudere: Kaoru in his "Master" persona.
  • Large Ham: When Kaoru and his favorite BDSM author are discussing the books, Kaoru begins ranting and raving about how much they moved him emotionally. The author says, "But after all, they're only porn books." Kaoru: "IS IT WRONG TO BE MOVED BY PORN BOOKS?!"
    • Even more funny are his constant facefaults 'bout just how moved he is that Kaoru is that moved. Kaoru is oblivious, the author is barely keeping himself from screaming out yes and dancing.
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
    • Hiroshi angrily thinking to himself that Kaoru's "got a secondary character's face!"
    • Sarashina Suutaro is described as being "like a literary master out of some manga". Apparently it's part of his writing process.
  • Les Yay: Between Tachi and Nana. Some of the things they do when one or both are tied up are very...close, especially in ch. 36.
    • Tachi and her team captain, too.
  • Lethal Chef: Nana tries her hand at Valentine's Day chocolate in a side story. Key word: tries.
  • Luminescent Blush: This plus sticking her tongue out is Nana's sign that she's intensely turned on.
  • Male Gaze: Apart from the specific instances (see Fanservice), Nana almost always takes center stage with a three-quarters or full-body shot during the 'breathers'. Tachi too.
  • Married to the Job: Nana's mother. Kaoru's mother is almost always at work, too.
  • Marshmallow Hell: When Kaoru is hugged by the Porn Shop Manager.
  • Meganekko
  • Megaton Punch: Nana's usual method of telling Kaoru he's gone too far with his teasing... unless her arms are tied up; then, it's a Megaton Kick.
    • Kaoru gets smart in a later breather and ties up both her arms and legs.
  • Moment Killer: Several. Some intentionally.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Nana.
  • Nipple and Dimed
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: In Chapter 11 when the guys are putting the faces of various girls from their class on the bodies of fetish models, some of the names are similar to real Japanese glamor models.
  • Not so Different
  • Not So Harmless: So far, their 'breathers' have been filled with tsundere kvetching from Nana, Kaoru alternately teasing and tempting with a side of moderate humiliation, all while Kaoru is plagued by self-doubt, hidden love and his fear of upsetting her. It comes as something of a shock to Nana when after 50-odd chapters, he shows his true Dom side with a pointed, "Shut it."
  • Oblivious to Love: Nana hasn't quite picked up on the fact that Kaoru loves her. Somehow. Nor has she put 2 and 2 together and realized she's in love with him.
    • Meanwhile, both their friends pick up on things fairly quickly. Tachi appears to be wavering between wanting to steal Kaoru for herself and wanting to help get them together; Nana's friend in the student council immediately warns her brother about the deeper meaning of her words.
  • Oh Crap: "Oh crap" faces are frequent. Kaoru's and Nana's are especially amusing.
  • Only Six Faces: Nana shares a lot of features with the other female leads in Amazume's series.
  • Out-of-Genre Experience: The track day. Excuse me, I ordered a BDSM romance manga; this is highschool sports manga.
  • Parental Abandonment: Kaoru's father is deceased and his mother is a nurse, while Nana's mother is almost never home.
  • Playing to the Fetishes: Ryuta Amazume has started making a career out of taking various fetishes and putting them into romantic comedies: BDSM this time.
  • Plot with Porn: Only without most of the defining aspects of porn (no explicit nudity, no actual sex)...until the canon-sidestory/Time Skip chapters of Nana To Kaoru: Black Label.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Nana mistakes Tachi as being her Rival in a love triangle when in reality she's Kaoru's Secret Keeper. What secret? He's in love with Nana. Understandably, it's a bit hard to explain this to Nana... But Tachi also is a bit sweet on Kaoru, too, and is starting to hesitate when doing things that might bring them closer together.
    • Specifically, the entire track day is one long string of misunderstandings on the three's parts. Nana keeps seeing Tachi with Kaoru, not realizing Tachi is basically dragging him along to cheer Nana (and herself) on, sees the lunchbox he brought, not realizing it was for Tachi and Nana (mostly Nana), not just Tachi, Kaoru mistakenly thinks that Tachi is the one at his door harassing him for a lunchbox when it was really Nana (and he's too embarrassed to apologize), etc etc.
  • Porn Stash
  • Potty Emergency: Tachi during her first "breather," leading to...
  • Potty Failure: ...Tachi at the end of her first "breather."
  • Reclusive Author: Sarashina Shuutaro, Kaoru's favorite writer. It turns out to be an act.
  • Red String of Fate: Mentioned in the end-of-chapter comment, at the end of their totally-not-a-date visit to the shrine.
  • Right Behind Me: Kaoru angrily corrects his friends on the appearance of Nana's breasts...while she's leaning in the doorway.
  • The Rival: Tachi to Nana. Not that Nana overtly cares.
  • Say It with Hearts
  • Secret Keeper:
    • Both Nana and Kaoru keep their "breathers" secret from others (indeed, it's part of the thrill). Tachi has also gotten in on it now, and agreed to keep it a secret.
    • Inverting it is the student council president and his sister. They're aware of Nana and Kaoru's mutually exclusive secrets — namely, that they're in love with each other and oblivious — but instead of keeping the secret, they're trying to exploit the fact that they are unaware.
  • Separated By The Wall: Nana and Kaoru live in adjacent apartments, and the common wall is between their bedrooms, which they use to signal each other by knocking. They also tend to think about their feelings for each other while staring at it.
  • Sexy Santa Bikini: Nana's wearing one on the fanservice art page at the start of Chapter 66. Specifically she's wearing the santa hat and boots and Kaoru's dressed as a Reindeer in the background.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend/He Is Not My Boyfriend: variation: Nana and Kaoru each deny being in love with the other when questioned. Apparently simultaneously [1].*
  • Shown Their Work: All about fetish gear and their uses, but yeah...
    • Just look at the lengthy scene of Kaoru preparing a rope for the "breather".
    • And check the chapters about the spanking. Kaoru himself gets a lecture from the fetish store lady about the whole thing.
      • Said store lady later turns out to be the personal slave and model of Kaoru's favorite BDSM master, which is played up in the Time Skip concurrently running "sequel", Nana to Kaoru: Black Label. So she'd have very, very good reason to know the ins and outs of BDSM technique.
  • Shout Out: Little Nana bringing home a certificate for winning the Tenkaichi Tournament.
  • Smug Snake: The student council president, who openly accosts Kaoru when they're alone, demanding he get on his hands and knees to beg to see an email when the group gets split up, talking about how he's more deserving of Nana 'cause... well, 'cause.
  • Spank the Cutie: Not a mere panel, but two entire chapters are devoted to Nana getting a spanking, plus half of the next chapter just to rub lotion on her sore bottom. And it's clearly an erotic spanking, which is meant to titillate Nana rather than hurt.
  • Speech Impediment: Kaoru has a stammer when he's nervous (fan translation - unsure whether it's in the original). It gets worse when he's administering the breathers, displaying his nerves and excitement.
  • Spit Take
  • Stupid Sexy Flanders: When Nana finishes a race looking more like she's had a 'breather', one of the younger girls feels her heart skip a beat at the sight of it.
  • Suspiciously Specific Denial:
    • Kaoru is somewhat guilty of doing this from time to time. It's part of his issues with Nana and himself. This can lead to some curiously funny exchanges among him and those he calls friends...
    • Nana can be guilty of this herself, but for different reasons and not nearly as much as Kaoru.
  • Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Nana.
  • The Tease: Nana, subconsciously at first. Overtly later on when she's professionally made up and dressed in a kimono, just to go on a shrine visit with Kaoru. Kaoru, naturally, nearly has a heart attack.
    • Specifically, she's wearing a furisode, an advertisement to everyone that she's a "Young, single woman available for marriage".
    • Then in Black Label, While still at the retreat and before another session, Tachibana is told by Sarashina to tease Karou before Karou ties her up. Let's just say this much, she doesn't disappoint. Oh and just to note, Sarashina-sensei and Nana are watching while this goes on.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Kaoru gives a SPECTACULAR one to Nana's teacher, club kohai's, and fellow council members, telling them they're pushing too much on Nana, and only thinking about themselves. Cue everyone picking up the slack and falling over themselves to say they're sorry to Nana.
  • Those Two Guys: Kaoru's friends.
  • Time Skip: A minor one. The "sequel", Nana to Kaoru: Black Label takes place during summer vacation, where Kaoru and Nana end up being tutored on proper BDSM technique by Kaoru's favorite author. Both are running concurrently, with Black Label having much more adult content (open nudity, for one).
  • Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: One chapter shows Kaoru has to stand on tiptoe to whisper into her ear.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tachi and Nana respectively, although Tachi is more obviously feminine during the breathers.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Kaoru's been running every morning ever since Nana was accosted by shoplifters during a breather. By chapter 15, he can sprint around town without even breaking a sweat, whereas the much more athletic (on paper) student council president can barely keep up. Similarly, it's spelled out very clearly that Kaoru is every bit Nana's match intellectually, he just has trouble focusing on studying.
  • Triang Relations: Type 5 in the student council.
  • Tsundere: Nana, although with a twist — she's the submissive in an on-again-off-again BDSM relationship with her ChildhoodFriend. Thus, she has a very good reason to be embarrassed about her relationship with him, and motive for denying it when asked. It boils down to her being type B towards him, and he type A towards her.
  • Twice Shy: The only people who don't realize that Nana and Kaoru are in love with each other are Nana and Kaoru themselves. Nana almost confesses to him at the start of the chapter in response to his self depreciating comments about how she must not like being around him (and part of her Character Development is her starting to realize her feelings for him), and he's quite open with himself and his friends about being in love with Nana. The student council president and his sister are also quite aware of this, and are plotting to get the president and Nana hooked up before the two figure it out. Given the NTK Black Label timeskip has Nana and Kaoru still together, still having breathers, and off at a BDSM author's house for private tutoring in history BDSM techniques... The president isn't going to win this one.
  • Two Scenes, One Dialogue: When Sarashi-sensei begins telling Kaoru how he met Tachibana, it switches to Tachibana in the bath telling Nana how she met Sarashi.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: An unmarried example, but no one could be blamed for doing a double take at seeing Kaoru and Nana together. Kaoru's friends even take a jab at their supposed unsuitability for each other.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Played with. Kaoru feels this way about Nana in general, but the breathers have given him a chance to connect with her, and the growing attraction each feels for the other could lead to an actual relationship down the road.
  • Unusual Euphemism: After reading this, you will never again be able to talk about "taking a breather" without giggling.
  • Urine Trouble: In what happens to be one of this series' few overly tasteless moments (chapter 6 and chapter 21).
  • UST: Considering the things that Kaoru does to Nana, the fact that there is UST is impressive.
    • But then again, this is not without some pain.
  • Visible Silence
  • What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?: When his friends are debating whether or not the anus counts as genitals (What) and ask for his opinion, Kaoru goes into a lecture about anal play... complete with references to Freud and enemas. Cheers, Kaoru.
  • What Do You Mean, It's Not Symbolic?: This manga can make BDSM and bondage look like an art form!
    • Shibari (rope bondage) has a long tradition in Japan, where it was used to restrain prisoners. It was (and still is, in traditional samurai martial arts schools) taught as part of a samurai's training.
  • When All You Have Is a Hammer: Kimono's come undone? Fetch the rope and bind her breasts with bondage ties so it'll fit better.
  • Write Who You Know: It's implied in Black Label that Sarashina-sensei uses this to come up with the plot of his books.
  • Wrong Genre Savvy: The poor student council president realizes that Kaoru has a secondary character's face, but doesn't realize he's in an Ecchi, Ugly Guy, Hot Wife comedy. He's also absolutely dumbfounded at Kaoru's sad, depressed resignation about Nana being way outside of his league, expecting some form of argument or fight.
Nanamaru SanbantsuMangaNanatsuiro Drops
alternative title(s): Nana To Kaoru
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