Only Serious About You (Sorenari ni Shinken Nandesu) is a Boys' Love manga by Auso Kai, which was serialized in Cita Cita from 2008 to 2010. The manga is available in English from Digital Manga Publishing.
Oosawa is struggling with the stress of being a working single father to Chizu, often lamenting the fact that he cannot spend more time with his beloved daughter because he has to work hard to make ends meet.
At the shop where Oosawa works, there is one customer in particular who is always coming and going: Yoshioka. Because of their long acquaintance, Oosawa has gotten to know Yoshioka quite well and it's no secret that Yoshioka is gay; he seems to have an endless repertoire of love stories. Oosawa, who has only ever been married to one woman until their divorce, cannot seem to comprehend Yoshioka's character at all. However, when Chizu gets sick and his capacity as a single father is questioned, Yoshioka comes out of nowhere offering help. Slowly but surely, Oosawa starts to realize that the man he despises is very different than what he appeared to be!
Notable in the genre because of the young daughter, allowing the manga to explore the theme of same-sex partners raising a child.
This manga provides examples of:
- Amicable Exes:
- Yoshioka retains friendly relationships with all his former boyfriends, much to Oosawa's puzzlement.
- Chizu's mother is still in the picture and Oosawa seems to get along all right with her. That is, until she attempts to take Chizu away from him, claiming that she and her new husband can provide a healthier environment for Chizu than Oosawa can.
- Maternally Challenged: Chizu's mother ran away because she couldn't deal with Oosawa throwing himself into his work in order to provide for his new family, leaving her to essentially raise Chizu alone. She's not a bad mother per se, she just has trouble dealing with things on her own and keeping track of several things at once.
- Beneath the Mask: Yoshioka is always wearing a smiling mask for the world, when in reality, every break-up hurts him and he has had a rather unfortunate childhood.
- The story basically revolves around Oosawa gradually discovering what's beneath the mask.
- Benevolent Boss: The shop owner is very understanding of Oosawa's circumstances, letting him leave early so he can take care of Chizu properly, and planning to hand over the shop to Oosawa when he retires.
- Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: In an extra, Yoshioka dreams that Chizu (now grown up) states her intention to marry the shop owner. He wakes up at tells her "anyone but him." She's still in kindergarten!
- Bunnies for Cuteness: Chizu carries around a toy bunny for no other reason than to tell us that she's a sweet and innocent girl.
- Florence Nightingale Effect: Played with when Chizu is sick. She is the patient, but it's Oosawa who suddenly finds himself touched by Yoshioka's unexpected kindness and earnest desire to help.
- Later played straight when Oosawa gets sick and Yoshioka nurses him, taking on all the responsibilities around the house and looking after Chizu.
- Friend to All Children: Yoshioka and Chizu hit it off immediately, which is one of the first indications that he's not such a bad guy. Could have something to do with Yoshioka growing up in an orphanage and taking care of the other children.
- Heroic BSoD: Oosawa has two minor instances. The first is when Chizu gets sick and he realizes he has no one to turn to for help and the second is when he finds out that Chizu wandered off from her mother and her new husband at the amusement park and got lost.
- Lap Pillow: Yoshioka to Oosawa in chapter 1. It doesn't count though, cause Yoshioka is drunk.
- Later echoed at the end of the story with Yoshioka facing inward instead of outward, making Oosawa fairly uncomfortable.
- Now, Let Me Carry You: Yoshioka has spent most of the story looking after Oosawa and Chizu, it's now Oosawa's turn to nurse Yoshioka.
- Parental Abandonment: One of the driving forces behind Yoshioka's character, and one of the reasons he thought himself incapable of serious relationships.
- Wise Beyond Their YearsAfter I got divorced, the reason I am able to raise Chizu all alone is that she's such a good girl.
