Manga Debuts: Host to Shachiku

In my last edition of Manga Debuts, I took the time to talk about Hon nara Uru hodo, which was the perfect read for book lovers everywhere, from newcomer Ao Kojima. Today, I’m swapping my love of stories about books for a slice-of-life called Host to Shachiku (or Host & Shachiku) by another relative newcomer - Mitsuru Kawajili. 

Host to Shachiku has been serialized in Futabasha’s Manga Action since early 2023, with its first compiled volume releasing in August 2024 and a second having just come out in April this year. For this column, I usually come across new works due to being from creators I like, recommended by prolific creators, or from having stumbled across them on social media. 

However, this one came to my attention thanks to the Futabasha Comics YouTube channel sharing a voice comic of the prologue and first chapter (they have since gone on to release further chapters in this format). Featuring Natsuki Hanae and Taku Yashiro as the two lead characters, Ren Sasaki and Naoto Suzuki, it’s difficult not to immediately become invested in this sweet story. 

Due to the videos, this is also quite accessible for language learners as not only does the manga feature furigana, but having the voice over gives you to opportunity to get some reading and listening practice in at the same time! Since it’s largely a slice-of-life series, there’s nothing too intensive on the vocabulary side either. 

The Premise

So what is the story about, I hear you ask? Well, our setting is a beef bowl restaurant that salaryman Naoto Suzuki frequents every day at 5 am for breakfast. There, he becomes friends with Ren, a host who comes to the restaurant to finish off his day with a tasty meal. As Naoto works during the day and Ren at night, these two are people who ordinarily wouldn’t meet and whose lives overlap for just 15 minutes a day. What can become of such a fleeting relationship? 

The Charm of the Everyday

What I like most about Host to Shachiku is the laid-back atmosphere. Naoto, who is in his thirties, works a demanding office job and is often burnt out from the daily grind. Ren, meanwhile, is 20 and still bursting with youthful enthusiasm for life. Usually, these two opposites would have never found one another, but here at the restaurant, they soon become something resembling friends as Ren goes out of his way to talk to Naoto. Before long, Naoto finds himself looking forward to these 15 minutes every day, where he can enjoy good food and lively company before tackling his day. 

One of the tags for this on the Manga Action website is ‘healing’, which I think describes both the content and the effect on the reader quite well. Rather than talk about their daily lives, Ren and Naoto’s conversations are usually about more generalised topics. One chapter, for example, is about a new gachapon set of keyrings that have just been released. Naoto has been hoping to get one character in particular, but is so far unlucky. By a twist of fate, it turns out Ren both wants the keychain Naoto drew and also has the exact one he was after, so after a swift trade, both boys are happy. 

It’s these small, perhaps meaningless, interactions that make this one so charming. Chapters are kept relatively short, befitting the short amount of time that our two leads spend together. This ensures that a storyline never overstays its welcome and makes it easy for readers to dip in and out of at will (or, as it turns out, works well for adapting to short videos). And most importantly, each chapter is crafted in such a way as to ensure you have a smile on your face by the end.

The Mangaka

Prior to Host to Shachiku, Mitsuru Kawajili has released a single-volume boys’ love series, Mayonaka Driver's High, and they also handled the artwork for Maison Bungo with author Keiichi Kanada. Host to Shachiku is now their longest-running work, and it’s not hard to see why with its charming cast and thoughtful story. 

Kawajili’s artwork also helps it stand out from the crowd. The attractive Ren, in contrast with sleep-deprived Naoto, makes for a recognisable pair at a glance and befits the fact that their personalities are such opposites of one another. The backgrounds are always well detailed as well, as is the food (which, as you can imagine, is a recurring theme!), but I also appreciate how expressive the cast is. Ren is almost always sparkling, but he has worries of his own, and Kawajili does a good job of expressing the change in his features when he is weighed down by something. The same can be said for Naoto, which is especially important in his case since he’s less likely to voice what’s on his mind than Ren is. 

As the story goes on, the setting branches out from the restaurant, and we begin to spend more time with just Ren or Naoto. This means we get to see other sides of their life, including their workplaces, which gives Kawajiili’s art more room to shine with a bigger variety of settings to choose from. This also helps prevent the story from becoming repetitive and offers more character development for the two as we get to meet other people they interact with day-to-day. And it just so happens that one of Naoto’s coworkers is a big fan of Ren and, having spotted the two together, she’s very eager to figure out what their relationship is… 

Although Kawajili has worked on boys’ love before, there’s no indication that this story is going down that route. Things are strictly platonic right now, which I appreciate as I think any kind of romantic feelings would take away from what is otherwise a very wholesome friendship. 

In Closing:

If you’re looking for a heartwarming atmosphere and something gentle to spend your time with, this is the manga for you. It’s rare for us to see two working adults getting to relax together without any drama, particularly when they come from very different backgrounds. 

The prologue and first two chapters of the series can be read on the Manga Action website for free, with the second-to-last chapter also available. The two volumes released so far as available in print and digitally, with Volume 3 set for a release in the fall, so plenty of time to catch up ahead of that! As mentioned earlier, the voice comic editions are available on the Futabasha Comics YouTube channel. 

© Mitsuru Kawajili / Futabasha