Bergamot & Sunny Day Review

I received a reviewer copy of Bergamot & Sunny Day from TOKYOPOP in exchange for an honest review. This review also contains light spoilers.

It’s no secret that I have not been in the dating game for a long, long time. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t love dating stories, both real and fictional. Many people stupidly advise married people not to have single friends (trust me, this is very stupid advice.) I think it’s so beneficial to not only have single friends but to have friends in all different types of romantic situations. Life is a lot more fun when you surround yourself with different experiences and while you may not always relate, you gain a new understanding.

All this to say, I am a sucker for all love stories. The more whimsical, unrealistic, and could never fly in real life type of love, the better. If you’ve seen my previous reviews, you know at the core I just love a good love story, especially those featuring adults doing adult things. So when I read the premise of Bergamot & Sunny Day, I knew this was the perfect story for me.

About Bergamot & Sunny Day

Bergamot & Sunny Day is a one-shot manga from Lyee Kitahala published by TOKYOPOP. Riku is a café worker who was recently dumped for being “too much.” When he falls for someone, he falls hard but his relationships don’t seem to last more than three months. While is he brooding at work one day, the café’s owner, Josh happens to comfort him. One thing leads to the next, and they end up sleeping together. Did I mention Josh is an older man with money?

Riku and Josh enter a friends-with-benefits arrangement and next thing you know, Josh is wining and dining Riku all over town. On these dates, Josh offers Riku perspective on his dating approach and mindset about love. Riku has always felt like he was doing too much in relationships. He also was never himself fully, for fear of scaring away his partners. Exploring this “no strings attached” dating style with Josh allows Riku to realize he hasn’t been the problem.

The Whimsical Fantasy

I won’t pretend that Bergamot & Sunny Day is a super realistic story but the fantasy is so sweet. A hot, older, rich man wants to shower you with love and affection? Yes, please! Josh is the epitome of a perfect man who only wants to show Riku how adorable he is and how much can be loved. He let Riku take the lead on their relationship and respected his boundaries. A MAN!

The hot, older, rich man part may not always be easily available in real life, what is realistic is the part underneath that about Josh. There are so many people you can be “too much” for but there is always someone that will want all of you and more.

In the whimsical fantasy lies the reality that relationships are what you make them. A bad relationship in the past does not dictate your relationships moving forward. It can be painful to get over a breakup and to realize that you may have played a role in that. But you can use those lessons and apply them to your new relationship in the future. If there is one more lesson we can take away from Josh and Riku in Bergamot & Sunny Day it’s this: IF HE WANTED TO, HE WOULD!

Bergamot & Sunny Days can be purchased from TOKYOPOP.