The not-so-domestic adventures of two handsome yankees living in a small apartment
"Let's go, just you and me."
Dousei Yankee Akamatsu Seven is an Boys' Love manga written by BL mangaka SHOOWA and illustrated by shounen yankee mangaka Hiromasa Okujima. Before the release of the official English translation by SuBLime, the manga has developed something of a cult following due to the combination of BL with a tough shounen aesthetic, its positive yet realistic depiction of LGBT issues, the way consent is handled, and the friendly, casual relationship between the lead characters.
High-school yankee Aisuke Akamatsu regularly picks fights with Seven, a strong homeless man who lives in the local park. Fighting Seven is the biggest thrill in Akamatsu’s life, so when it seems like Seven may have to leave the park, Akamatsu suddenly invites him to share his house! What starts out as a comfortable friendship begins to blossom into a sweet romance... But when Seven's past comes knocking, it's going to take Akamatsu more than puppy love to fight for his man.
Primarily a heartwarming slice-of-life comedy, with the edge of a serious crime thriller.
Dousei Yankee Akamatsu Seven presents examples of:
- Age-Gap Romance: One between Aisuke (who is still in high school) and Seven (an adult in his mid 20s, if Eight stated his age of 24 is true).
- Artistic License – Martial Arts: Subverted. Seven's fighting skill seems to consist of fairly realistically-depicted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu mixed with other common self-defense techniques.
- Aisuke's hotheaded attempts to roundhouse kick or execute flashy jumps always end with him bleeding on the ground.
- Berserk Button: Do NOT mess with either Aisuke or Seven unless you want the other one to come after you.
- Big Brother Mentor: Hako to Seven and Takanami to Eight.
- Hako might even cross over into a Parental Substitute, with Seven asking him if he'd adopt him at one point.
- Break the Cutie: Subverted. Toys with the possibility, but Aisuke is just too much of a hothead to break.
- Arguably this has already happened to Eight.
- Code Name: Sachiko, a friend of Seven's, turns out to be one of these for Hako.
- Seven's code name in Hako's phone, by the way, is Andrew. The two of them use these to keep their friendship secret from the mob brass.
- Hako later gives Aisuke one of these as well - Stacy. Would double as an Embarrassing Nickname, but Aisuke doesn't seem particularly bothered by it.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: At first, every time Aisuke and Seven fight. Aisuke does improve, though.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Seven. Dear god, Seven. It's a miracle he's as well-adjusted as he is.
- Delinquent Hair: Aisuke is a blonde Japanese boy with a spiky undercut, though the color may be natural since he was also blonde as a child and his non-delinquent brother is blonde as well.
- Several of the animal traffickers have this too, most notably Takanami.
- Despair Event Horizon: Eight manages to have TWO despite not being one of the main characters.
- The Determinator: Aisuke
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Aisuke hates his name because he thinks it sounds too cute and kitschy. After finding this out, Seven makes an effort to not use it, occasionally trying out a new nickname on him.
- Dropping the Bombshell: When Aisuke's brother Shuusuke meets Seven for the first time while delivering rice, he congratulates Seven for dating Aisuke. Not knowing that, 1. Seven & Aisuke are not dating yet 2. Seven did not know Aisuke is gay at that time 3. It come after an awkward moment of them trying to relieve Aisuke's boner
- Emotional Bruiser: Seven is a beautiful example of nontoxic masculinity despite being a huge fighter.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Takasu, the terrifying head of the Animal trafficking ring, is upset when he finds out what Seven and Eight have been subjected to by their adopted father.
- Though his reaction is nothing compared to drug dealer Takanami, who turns away from the whole organization due to his anger at Eight's treatment and disgust over the leniency shown to the perpetrator.
- Gayngst: Gloriously subverted for the most part, but briefly discussed by Aisuke in Chapter 5 and 9.
- Genki Guy: Aisuke, though he hides this side of himself from his school friends and family.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: Aisuke's preferred method of stress relief though he's not a particularly great fighter until Seven teaches him.
- Hidden Depths: Seven may just seem like your average ex-thug, but his upbringing has led him to have a host of unusual skills and strange habits, ranging from the useful (extreme bargain hunting and laundry wizardry) to the highly concerning. (He is used to fighting an armed opponents, and his reaction to Aisuke getting hard when they bathe together says very concerning things.
- Hilarity in Zoos: Aisuke and Seven's date in Chapter 9 ends with a penguin attack.
- Honest John's Dealership: Eight's "pet shop" is instantly obvious to readers as being one of these. However, Aisuke and his friends are too stupid to question it.
- Human Traffickers: The animal traffickers who Seven grew up with smuggled him to Japan from the Philippines after the death of his parents.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Aisuke's twin brother Shuusuke has a mole near his mouth, and while his hairstyle is similar, it doesn't have a shaved undercut.
- Idiot Hero: Aisuke frequently crosses over into this.
- I Have No Son!: Downplayed between Aisuke and his father, the former moved out after his father found out his sexuality to reduce the tension. Some time later and with the help of Seven, Aisuke and his father have a proper talk that while still tense, their relationship has improved.
- I Have Your Wife: Eight uses this tactic to draw Seven out.
- Japanese Delinquents: While this manga is set in the modern day, when old-fashioned gakuran-clad yankees are a dying breed, Aisuke's adoption of many traits associated with them marks him as a modern example and plays on the Japanese stereotype of excessive manliness being associated with gay men.
- Love at First Punch: Does this even need to be explained?
- Manly Gay: Both Aisuke and Seven are quite masculine and behave like young men, though some might see them more as Straight Gay.
- Mooks: Yamada B-suke and his boys
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Seven adopts one in Chapter 3 to avoid being caught by a bunch of animal traffickers while shopping.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Aisuke is a gay hothead who doesn't care about school or his future. Shuusuke is straight and extremely chill, and seems to be quite studious.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Aisuke has a pair of pink underpants with flowers on them that Seven is particularly fond of.
- These become something of a Tragic Keepsake to Seven when he accidentally leaves Aisuke with them still in his pocket. He even has a Cradle of Loneliness with them.
- Reformed Criminal: Once, Seven was a bouncer and thug for a group of animal traffickers. Now, he just wants to hang out with his boyfriend and work at the local bakery.
- Relationship Upgrade: Chapter 5.
- Retired Badass: Seven is a young example of this though he comes out of retirement after Eight forces him to.
- Sick Episode: Chapter 2
- Shirtless Scene: While Aisuke gets a few, Seven is the usual culprit.
- Sleep Cute: Both Aisuke and Seven have several moments of this. Seven is the subject of a particularly cute one on a bus in Chapter 9.
- Slice of Life: And what a comfy life it is. Until Seven's past catches up.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Even with the Relationship Upgrade between Aisuke & Seven, both of them had to contend with a lot of other commitments (highschool, jobs, housekeeping, dealing with Seven's past and exhaustion from those commitments) before finally doing the deed.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Seven makes a strong first impression.
- The Runaway: Seven is an adult example of this.
- Trauma Button: Both Seven and Eight have theirs pressed several times, to different degrees of severity.
- Unknown Relative: When Shuusuke shows up at the end of Chapter 4, Seven is extremely confused to find out that Aisuke has an identical twin brother.
