Something I think about often is how stories that prominently feature sex all get reduced to just “smut,” without thinking there’s a deeper story to be told. And of course, there exists a lot of manga and specifically BL, that is just smut with “vibes” for plot. However, for as many as those “vibe” plots, there are just as many stories that hold a meaningful and relatable story, while still containing sex scenes.
That is the case for Natsume Wants to be Trained. On the surface, it may look like a guy without experience trying to learn to have sex. But underneath, lies a story of attaching your worth and value as a person in relationships to sex and compatibility. And how linking the two can hurt and fundamentally impact your self-esteem.
About Natsume Wants to be Trained
Natsume Wants to Be Trained is a two-part series by MAMITA, published by Seven Seas Entertainment. MAMITA also created 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 and The Metalhead Next Door. Natsume is a single man frustrated by his circumstances. He sucks in bed and because of it, is all alone! He is ready to make a change and hatches a plan to become “the biggest freak in the sheets in Japan.” This plan includes getting trained by a “call boy.”
On the day he is supposed to meet the call boy he hired, he opens the door and finds his housekeeper instead. As it turns out, Kou, the hot housekeeper who cleans his apartment, is ALSO a sex worker! Initially, Natsume is ready to call the whole thing off, but Kou is determined to help him achieve his goal.
My Thoughts
With MAMITA, there’s no surprise that there’s going to be a sweet and tender story under a fun and wacky plot. What you think is going to be a story of just some hot guy teaching another about sex turns out to be a thought-provoking journey about overcoming insecurities. Natsume has been hurt in the past due to his lack of sexual compatibility with partners, and Kou is more than happy to help him work through that.
Of course, having sex with someone you have insane chemistry with doesn’t just stop at that. As Kou and Natsume start blurring the lines between work and learning, the stakes get higher. While Kou is dedicated to helping Natsume see his worth and get over the past, he’s slowly falling for him, and Natsume is falling too. I love seeing Kou come undone over his growing feelings for Natsume, despite being the one with more experience.
These two are so different from each other, but that makes watching them fall in love all the more fun. I also appreciated how Natsume’s plan for revenge transforms, and he explores what went wrong in the past and how he can move forward in the future. This story has a little bit of everything, and it’s all well done.
Where to Buy Natsume Wants to Be Trained
Natsume Wants to be Trained Vol 1
Mangaka: MAMITA
Translation: Caroline Winzenried
Lettering: Ray Steeves
Editor: McKenzie Carnahan
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Natsume Wants to Be Trained Vol 1 is available now.
Thank you, Seven Seas Entertainment, for an advanced reviewer copy.
