RAMEN WOLF & CURRY TIGER, vols. 1 & 2, by Emboss (Seven Seas, 2022-23)

This foodie bromance sets the reader a series of puzzles about people and their relationships. What do we make of relationships for which we don't have readymade labels, like that between our two leads? Chubby gourmand Jiro's biggest appetite is for life itself; he's so upbeat he lifts the spirits of everyone around him, including muscular loner Kagetora. Glum, taciturn, and obsessively comparing himself to his physician brother, Kagetora's natural state is sleepy, nearly motionless; his gym-sculpted body rarely moves, except to light a cigarette. Jiro, for all his bulk, is constantly in motion, with a dancer's gracefulness and (when he wants to) a ninja's stealth. Their food dates become a thing when a plate of curry serves as Kagetora's Proustian madeleine, reawakening his soul.

Emboss won't spell out how the supporting cast know each other; getting there is part of the fun. Shiori, Kagetora's ex-girlfriend (?), startles him by walking into his bedroom early in the morning. Hiroo, Jiro's co-worker, knows Kuroda, Kagetora's black panther sidekick, and she really enjoys pulling Kuroda's chain. Harima, Hiroo's junior colleague, is the fourth-wall-breaking observer who gets to address the reader directly; his goal, like ours, is to understand these characters, and if "to know someone is the highest form of love," then this is a love story. The sexy pinup drawings of Jiro and Kagetora don't hurt, either.

https://www.amazon.com/Ramen-Wolf-Curry-Tiger-Vol-ebook/dp/B0B846KBKP/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678459102&sr=1-1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BT65KK1X?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_1&storeType=ebooks