A retired actor/model, Chihaya, is assigned to manage up-and-coming model (and his childhood friend) Shion! An emotional BL love story between childhood friends reconnecting as adults in the entertainment industry!
 

Having grown up in the spotlight as a renowned child actor, Chihaya is finally ready to step offstage for good.

After announcing his retirement, Chihaya is appointed to manage an up-and-coming model returning from abroad: Shion—Chihaya’s childhood friend, whom he hasn’t seen in three years.

The last time they saw each other, they were consumed by lust and almost crossed a line… until Chihaya stopped them. And Shion never forgot it.

Now forced to work together, old embers of desire begin to spark between them, and Chihaya and Shion must confront their long-buried feelings and decide what they are to each other before the paparazzi has a chance to decide for them…!

Content warnings: explicit sexual content, dubious consent, intended for readers 18 years of age and over.

This is quite the sexy BL manga with lots of steamy scenes amid a story filled with delayed love, regret, and the perils of living and working in the spotlight.

It’s been three years since model Shion left Chihaya suddenly and fled to America, after a night of dubious consent that would’ve crossed a line if Chihaya hadn’t stopped Shion from going further. There is some resentment Chihaya possesses after all of those years, as things were never resolved between the two.

Chihaya decides to quit acting after a long and relatively successful career that started in his childhood, and then suddenly, he learns Shion is back in Japan and that he’s been chosen (without being consulted) to be Shion’s new manager.

The expectation is that Chihaya works very closely with Shion–he’s even expected to move in with him!! The tension builds with this as the two are antagonistic towards each other at first, then their relationship becomes very, very physical. It turns out neither Chihaya nor Shion have forgotten about the rough night they had with each other three years prior–the thing readers have to wait for is whether or not they can come to terms with it and move beyond it. Especially when Shion expresses romantic feelings for Chihaya. The good news–it happens!

I thought it was a great scene–nice and calm amid all of the sex they were having. And everything felt genuine about it, too; even Chihaya’s response.

The next obstacle: fame. Paparazzi find Shion and Chihaya together alone and post photographs of the “steamy scene” they shared together, which could cost both their careers. Chihaya thought because they were both men, being alone with Shion wouldn’t matter, but not according to the press.

Shion was picked to star in a movie, a deal made with a director and secured by Chihaya, and the news could harm the film’s success. On opening night, Shion must decide how to play his cards to protect himself, Chihaya, and the people in the film industry who work with them.

I’m not going to share how that goes because I don’t want to spoil it, but suffice it to say it’s a very satisfactory choice that I think readers will like. And, as romance requires, regardless of the medium, the manga has an HEA.

I was torn with how to rate this manga at first. I thought that the physical scenes dominated the plot a little, but the more I write about the story in my review, the more I like it. I’m settling on four stars. And I really like Ikugao’s style and character designs, so I would pick up another manga by this artist in the future.

I think the best part of this manga is watching how these two lovers reconcile their past and support each other’s futures. It’s nice to see they’ve resolved an awful episode in their life and are ready to move forward, and how their feelings grow into something open and mutual. I hope you give this one a look!

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Waiting for You at the End of the Runway will release April 12, 2026 from TOKYOPOP and other online book retailers. You can preorder now or wait until publication day. Support the publisher by ordering direct!