Enemies-turned-friends open Pandora’s Box together and search for a place where they can live their truth in this complete-in-one omnibus coming-of-age manga

A must-read for older teens and adult fans of seinen and LGBTQ+ series like Welcome Back Alice, The Flowers of Evil, and Boys Run the Riot

A single tube of stolen lipstick unlocks an unforgettable summer

Suffocated by his rural hometown and the ruthless homophobic bullying he endures at school, Futoshi Mishima has only one escape: late at night, he swipes his mother’s lipstick and delights in quietly dolling himself up. So when that liberating lipstick slips out of his pocket one day, Mishima is at a total loss—until he finds his worst tormenter trying it on for himself. The two stumble into a summer of unprecedented freedom…but as they soon discover, freedom doesn’t come without a cost, and they may not be the only ones in town with something to hide.

I’m familiar with this manga first through a dubious scanlation, then when I lived in Japan I sought out the original copies (which are two volumes) and bought them, and then when I found out Kodansha was coming out with an English translation in a single edition, I was overjoyed, because this is one of my top BLs. Even though I received a digital review copy of this work, I will be buying a hard copy when it releases.

Due to some sadistic bullying and a demented, pedophiliac teacher, this book is heavy, and not everyone will like it or be able to stomach it. But if you can make it through the darkness, you’ll find an emotional story of young boys learning to define themselves and live as they really are, and the pressures that come with being “out.” It’s filled with young love (though it comes about in a really twisted way, which may turn some readers off) and deep friendships, and the ending is bittersweet when you see how each character’s lives turned out in the end when they are adults. Sometimes there are consequences to living as you really are, so not everybody does. That’s what makes this manga both enjoyable and sad.

Mishima starts out in the manga with beautiful long hair that many of his classmates find to be feminine and disturbing. He is teased about it relentlessly by classmates Yumeno and Kirino, although Kirino tends to stay in the backgound a bit more while Yumeno leads the sadistic teasing.

One day, Yumeno, Kirino, and some other classmates kidnap Mishima and start cutting his hair off. (Click the pic to enlarge).

The job is messy and ugly until Kirino decides that more hair needs to come off…and it ends up looking really, really cute on Mishima, to his surprise. Mishima wonders if Kirino helped him out, despite the nasty things Kirino said to him.

Mishima starts to pay attention to Kirino a little bit more, like randomly observing him at soccer practice, and he notes that Kirino is “dead behind the eyes.”

One day, Mishima puts on his mother’s lipstick (he accidentally left it in his pocket) and is walking down the road when he is hit on by a car full of young men who mistake him for being a lady. Mishima is overjoyed but it quickly becomes dangerous when the men harass Mishima for “just a drive.” Kirino happens to be there on his bike and recognizes the danger (although he outs Mishima as “him”) and has Mishima hop on his bike to flee the scene.

Mishima thanks Kirino for saving him, and Kirino seems cool for a moment, even complimenting Mishima on his lipstick, before turning around and shouting, “Don’t get the wrong idea!” and hurling insults at Mishima. Mishima goes home feeling awful about himself and notices the lipstick is missing from his pocket.

Later Mishima spies Kirino on the school roof. Kirino secretly puts the lipstick on himself. Mishima realizes Kirino is a kindred spirit, and even Kirino admits “we’re the same.”

Thus begins the strange but budding friendship between Mishima and Kirino. Even Mishima’s biggest bully of all, Yumeno, starts to treat Mishima better one Kirino says he’s tired of bullying and wants to stop. (Kirino tells Mishima that he’s pretty sure Yumeno likes him–as in, romantically).

While all of this is happening, a dark figure looms over everything–the absolutely disgusting Yanagida-sensei. He’s gay (which is not disgusting) but he likes young boys (which is). He is predatory and manipulative, hiding under the facade of a handsome, kind, and caring teacher even as he narrows his sights on Mishima. His disturbing thoughts are rendered as dark, scribbling lines floating above his head, and they appear a lot when he’s looking at or thinking of Mishima.

We see some backstory with his character, where he used to be married but his wife found a porn DVD of young boys. They quickly divorced. Yanagida-sensei remarks in the manga that he can’t help what he is. I don’t know how I feel about this. I don’t think you can help if you’re gay, but is he saying he can’t help being a pedophile, too? That’s kind of disturbing. I don’t know how to work that out in my mind. Anyway, Yanagida-sensei has his sights set on Mishima and won’t let up.

The manga features scenes where Kirino and Mishima get even closer, and Kirino starts expressing his femininity more, feeling more comfortable about his gender and sexuality. Even Yumeno slowly starts “warming up” to Mishima and dealing with his unrequited feelings.

A lot of stuff happens, but the big culmination is when Yanagida-sensei takes Mishima into his car and tries to rape him, but Yumeno and Kirino save Mishima and drive Yanagida-sensei off, who escapes and disappears from the rest of the manga.

The trio (Mishima, Kirino, and Yumeno) have solidified their friendship, and Yumeno even tries to be romantic with Mishima, although there are some conflicting thoughts there. Kirino has to deal with his mother finding out about his sexuality, and it’s a horrific reaction. Kirino loves his mother, so he vows not to be true to his identity, and to grow up, get married, and have kids.

There is a time jump where we get to see how each of the three have chosen to live their lives, and there’s a happily ever after and a “happy enough” that comes from sacrifice. It’s a bittersweet ending.

This manga is an emotional rollercoaster that really affected me while reading it. It covers some really difficult topics and the depiction of bullying and sexual assault is harrowing, so this manga might not be for everyone. There’s a lot to endure here, but the story is worth it. Highly recommended.

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Smells Like Green Spirit collects the original 2-part manga into a single volume translated into English. You can order the book from Kodansha directly in digital and paperback, or purchase online from wherever books are sold.