Assertiveness is a positive trait for many.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Netoro Morikon
What They Say:
Give your feelings a light.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Originally serialized in Comic Kairakuten from the August 2023 installment, “Smoking Increases Your Risk of Love” is a twenty-two-page story from creator Netoro Morikon, who has ten other stories on the service as of this writing. I’d read a couple of their stories from back in 2018 and 2019 and then another one in 2022, but got back underway in 2025 as some older chapters got added. Morikon’s artwork is a big part of the draw, but I also liked their storytelling from before, which felt a bit more fleshed out than some creators, while also having a setup that definitely felt like it wasn’t designed around just getting to the good stuff. But really, the kind of really rough and raw artwork is just so damn appealing.
Having grown up in a smoking household in my younger days, there is no draw to the actual habit of smoking. But it’s used as a setup here where we’re introduced to Mai and Tomohiko, two folks who are attending a wedding party. Tomohiko was there as a seat-filler of sorts while Mai got a gift for the couple, but neither is really enthused about the whole thing. Once past the main part of the ceremony, the two end up taking their smoking break from the facility to a bar nearby, where they do manage to click pretty well. There’s a lot of laughter, a lot of booze, and just a lot of shared interests that keep conversation flowing for hours. So, when it’s time to call it a night, Mai realizes she’s missed the train and suggests a love hotel instead.
They both joke about it, but she does admit that she had him picked out from early on and basically worked the event and evening to get what she wanted. But they clicked so well that it’s going even better than planned. It’s cute that he jokes about her being a maneater but she says the reality is that she’s just horny, which is always welcome to see. So much hentai used to be focused on the always on the prowl men, but having more and more female characters taking the lead is a lot more interesting. The two have a kind of light approach to how they engage in things carnally here, but it’s a lot of fun to watch the kind of small teasing and playfulness that unfolds, and that it builds into some solid intensity because they’re connecting on all levels. It’s got some really great dialogue that, if brief, feels realistic, and the enjoyment that they get is visible through both that and the expressiveness of the artwork, even if it’s a very vanilla sequence itself.
In Summary
I’m always a bit iffy when there’s smoking in the title and it’s part of the characters, but it’s really just the setup and little more. This story works so well that you want to see a lot more of these two and if that easygoing first connection can expand beyond that into something more. Both of them are fun and amusing to watch when they’re out at the bar, but they’re a lot of fun when in bed together as well. Beyond just the actual adult elements, just the way they talk and play at things feels more honest than a lot of stories do. It’s enjoyable and felt very humanizing overall, making for a lot of fun. It also helps that the artwork is great, and the designs for both of them are a delight. Definitely an easy recommendation.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 18+
Released By: FAKKU
Release Date: August 2023
MSRP: FAKKU Subscription
