Don't Be Cruel (manga)

Don't Be Cruel (Japanese: 酷くしないで, Hepburn: Hidoku Shinaide, Treat Me Gently, Please in Japan[2][3]) is a Japanese yaoi manga series written and illustrated by Yonezou Nekota. It is serialized in the monthly manga magazine Magazine Be × Boy since 2006.

Don't Be Cruel
Cover of the Japanese first edition of vol. 1, first published on January 10, 2007
酷くしないで
(Hidoku Shinaide)
GenreYaoi[1]
Manga
Written byYonezou Nekota
Published byLibre
English publisher
ImprintBe × Boy Comics
MagazineMagazine Be × Boy
DemographicJosei
Original run2006 – present
Volumes11 (+1 side story)
Manga
Don't Be Cruel: Plus+
Published byLibre
English publisher
  • NA: SuBLime
ImprintBe × Boy Comics
MagazineB-Boy Cube
DemographicJosei
Published2015
Volumes2

Don't Be Cruel originally had a limited run as a series of short stories in 2006. After publishing several dōjinshi and Don't Be Cruel: Plus+ in the magazine B-Boy Cube, Nekota decided to resume the series in 2010. Over the run of the series, several drama CD adaptations have been released, and by 2018, 1.4 million physical copies of the series have been sold.

Plot

Takashi Nemugasa is a student at an elite high school, but he is at risk of losing his scholarship due to his grades. He decides to cheat on his test, but he is caught by the school's womanizing playboy, Hideyuki Maya, who blackmails him into having a sexual relationship in exchange for not reporting him. Over time, Maya discovers he is attracted to Nemugasa and does his best to support him, while Nemugasa slowly realizes that he may return Maya's feelings for him as well.

Characters
Takashi Nemugasa (眠傘 隆, Nemugasa Takashi)
Voiced by: Yoshiki Nakajima[4]
Nemugasa is an honor student with a conservative, strict upbringing.
Hideyuki Maya (真矢 秀幸, Maya Hideyuki)
Voiced by: Takuma Terashima[4]
Maya is Nemugasa's classmate, who is reputed to be a delinquent and is popular at school for his womanizing ways. When he blackmails Nemugasa, he realizes he is genuinely in love with him and becomes more mature about their relationship and his image.
Akira Takanashi (小鳥遊 彰, Takanashi Akira)
Voiced by: Wataru Hatano[4]
Akira is Maya's cousin and tutor. He is protective of Maya and initially antagonizes Nemugasa, but later becomes a source of advice for the two. He is jaded after his high school teacher rejected him, but he finds support through Shimakawa.
Naoya Shimakawa (縞川 直也, Shimakawa Naoya)
Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi[5]
Shimakawa is a 5th year medical student in college who is infamous for being a womanizer, but he falls love with Akira and patiently waits for him to return his feelings.
Ruka (流夏)
Ruka is Maya's senior in college.
Shotaro Okino (沖野 正太郎, Okino Shōtarō)
Voiced by: Kazutomi Yamamoto[5]
Okino is a boy who Nemugasa befriends when they enter college. Okino identifies as gay and openly dreams of getting a boyfriend, believing Maya to be his ideal man.
Jutta Takanashi (小鳥遊 十太, Takanashi Jutta)
Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi[4]
Jutta is Akira's younger brother. He sabotages Sanada and Akira's relationship out of possessiveness for Akira.
Mr. Sanada (真田先生, Sanada-sensei)
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa[4]
Sanada is Akira and Jutta's high school teacher. Despite his feelings for Akira, he rejects him to protect his future.

Media

Manga

Originally titled Treat Me Gently, Please in Japan, the manga is written and illustrated by Yonezou Nekota. It was serialized in monthly manga magazine Magazine Be × Boy since 2006. The chapters were later released in 9 bound volume by Libre under the Be × Boy Comics imprint.

Nekota had originally published Don't Be Cruel in 2006 as a short story, which became the title work of an anthology that was published with several other unrelated short stories. Following the release of the book, Nekota then self-published several short sequels as dōjinshi, which were sold exclusively at Comiket. Afterwards, she published Don't Be Cruel: Plus+ in the March 2010 issue of B-Boy Cube and later decided to continue the main story. The first volume was reprinted with a new cover illustration in 2016.[6] The dōjinshi were compiled and published in the volume version of Don't Be Cruel: Plus+.

Throughout the series' run, Frontier Works published a series of audio drama CDs. The first drama CD was released on October 22, 2008, and charted #219 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart.[7] The second drama CD was released on December 24, 2014, and charted #154 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart.[8] The third drama CD was released on November 28, 2018,[5] with a special track included in the first press limited edition.[4] The fourth drama CD was released on December 21, 2018.[5]

In 2016, Viz Media licensed the series for North American distribution in English under their SuBLime imprint with the title Don't Be Cruel.[9] The first four volumes were published as two 2-in-1 omnibus.[10]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 January 10, 2007 (2007-01-10) (original release)
October 8, 2016 (2016-10-08) (re-release)[6]		978-4-8626-3101-5 (original release)
ISBN 978-4-7997-3081-2 (re-release)		June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14) (omnibus)[11]978-1-4215-8697-7
2 October 9, 2010 (2010-10-09)978-4-8626-3851-9June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14) (omnibus)[11]978-1-4215-8697-7
3 August 10, 2012 (2012-08-10)978-4-7997-1168-2September 13, 2016 (2016-09-13) (omnibus)[12]978-1-4215-8698-4
4 December 10, 2013 (2013-12-10)978-4-7997-1396-9September 13, 2016 (2016-09-13) (omnibus)[12]978-1-4215-8698-4
5 January 9, 2016 (2016-01-09)[13]978-4-7997-2842-0September 12, 2017 (2017-09-12)[14]978-1-4215-9377-7
6 October 8, 2016 (2016-10-08)[15]978-4-7997-3082-9December 12, 2017 (2017-12-12)[16]978-1-4215-9378-4
7 October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)[17]978-4-7997-3518-3September 11, 2018 (2018-09-11)[18]978-1-4215-9379-1
8 August 10, 2018 (2018-08-10)[19]978-4-7997-3928-0October 8, 2019 (2019-10-08)[20]978-1-9747-0832-1
9 June 10, 2019 (2019-06-10)[21]978-4-7997-4350-8July 14, 2020 (2020-07-14)[22]978-1-9747-1299-1
10 April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21)[23]978-4-79-975212-8July 12, 2022[24]978-1-9747-2526-7
11 March 10, 2022 (2022-03-10)[25]978-4-79-975650-8April 11, 2023[26]978-1-9747-3642-3

Side stories
No. Title Original release date English release date
1Don't Be Cruel: plus+
Hidoku Shinaide Plus+ (酷くしないでplus＋)		August 13, 2013 (e-book)
August 10, 2015 (print edition)[27]
978-4-7997-2637-2 (print edition)		June 13, 2017[28]
978-1-4215-8700-4
2Don't Be Cruel: plus+
Hidoku Shinaide Plus+ 2 (酷くしないでplus＋ 2)		July 29, 2014 (e-book)
August 10, 2015 (print edition)[29]
978-4-7997-2637-2 (print edition)		June 13, 2017
978-1-4215-8700-4
3Don't Be Cruel: Akira Takanashi's Story
Hidoku Shinaide: Takanashi Akira-hen (酷くしないで 小鳥遊彰編)		December 10, 2014 (2014-12-10)
978-4-7997-2466-8		March 14, 2017 (2017-03-14)[30]
978-1-4215-8699-1
4Don't Be Cruel: Plus+ 2
Hidoku Shinaide Plus+ 3 (酷くしないでplus＋ 3)		April 27, 2017[31]May 11, 2021[32]
978-1-9747-2227-3

Dōjinshi

Under the pseudonym "Komeya", Nekota has also self-published unofficial dōjinshi of the series and sold limited copies exclusively at Comiket. The Don't Be Gentle short stories were later compiled and officially released in Don't Be Cruel: Plus+.

No. Title Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1Don't Be Gentle Chapter 1
Yasashiku Shinaide (優しくしないで)		August 12, 2006 (2006-08-12)—
2Don't Be Gentle Chapter 2
Yasashiku Shinaide 2 (優しくしないで2)		December 2007—
3Don't Be Gentle Chapter 3
Yasashiku Shinaide 3 (優しくしないで 3)		August 17, 2008 (2008-08-17)—
4Don't Be Gentle Chapter 4
Yasashiku Shinaide 4 (優しくしないで 4)		December 30, 2008 (2008-12-30)—
5Shinaide Mix (しないでMIX)August 16, 2009 (2009-08-16)—
6Don't Be Gentle Chapter 5
Yasashiku Shinaide 5 (優しくしないで 5)		December 30, 2010 (2010-12-30)—
7Don't Be Gentle Chapter 6
Yasashiku Shinaide 6 (優しくしないで 6)		December 30, 2011 (2011-12-30)—
8Imasara Burīfu no Miryoku o Kizukimashita. (今さらブリーフの魅力に気づきました。)December 20, 2012 (2012-12-20)—
9Onsen Furagu Kaishū!! (おんせんフラグ回収！！)December 30, 2013 (2013-12-30)—
10Shinaide Mix 2December 30, 2013 (2013-12-30)—
11Boku no Kareshi Tonikaku Kawaii. (ぼくのカレシはとにかくかわいい。)August 16, 2014 (2014-08-16)[33]—
12Nemugasa, Yopparau. (眠傘、酔っ払う。)December 28, 2014 (2014-12-28)[34]—
13H: EcchiMarch 29, 2015 (2015-03-29)—
14Boku no Burīfu ni Ana (ぼくのブリーフに穴)August 15, 2015 (2015-08-15)—
15Omocha ni Shinaide (おもちゃにしないで)December 29, 2015 (2015-12-29)—
16Shinaide Mix 3 (しないでMIX3)August 12, 2016 (2016-08-12)—
17Kimi de Hitori Asobi (君でひとり遊び)August 12, 2017 (2017-08-12)[35]—
18On the Bed...December 30, 2017 (2017-12-30)[36]—
19Akakute Oishii (あかくておいしい)August 11, 2018 (2018-08-11)[37]—
20Ore datte Sonna Hi ga Aru. (俺だってそんな日がある。)December 29, 2018 (2018-12-29)[38]—
21Kiss Me[lower-alpha 1]August 10, 2019 (2019-08-10)[39]—

Reception

By August 2018, the series had sold a cumulative total of 1.4 million physical copies in Japan.[40][41]

Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network praised the story and artwork, but noted that the first two volumes bundled in the English omnibus were different in tone, with the first volume opening with non-consensual tropes while the second focusing on more emotional romance.[42] Silverman also reviewed the story and artwork in Akira Takanashi's Story favorably, but felt uncomfortable with Jutta's non-consensual parts.[43]

Notes
  1. The cover lists the title as Please Kiss Me Once More, but the story itself is titled Kiss Me.[39]

References
  1. ""ねこ田米蔵ティーパーティー"開催決定!!『酷くしないで』最新刊の購入者限定で先生と交流できるスペシャルイベントへご招待". Book Lister (in Japanese). August 9, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019 – via PR Times.
  2. "ドラマＣＤ 酷くしないで ＴＲＥＡＴ ＭＥ ＧＥＮＴＬＹ，ＰＬＥＡＳＥ". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  3. "【合冊版】酷くしないでplus＋【電子限定・18禁】". Libre Publishing (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  4. "ドラマCD『酷くしないで』3巻のジャケットイラスト公開！ 初回限定盤のタイトルは「ラブラブ初詣エッチ盤」に決定". Animate (in Japanese). November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  5. "『酷くしないで』4年ぶりのドラマCD続編が発売決定！ 縞川役で竹内良太さん、沖野役で山本和臣さんが出演！". Animate (in Japanese). August 9, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  6. "【10月8日付】本日発売の単行本リスト". Natalie (in Japanese). October 8, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  7. "ドラマCD「酷くしないで」". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  8. "ドラマCD「酷くしないで2」". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  9. "Global Yaoi Imprint Sublime Announces Worldwide Debut of Yonezou Nekota's New Series Don't Be Cruel". Viz Media. June 22, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2019 – via Anime News Network.
  10. Ressler, Karen (September 19, 2015). "Viz's SuBLime Adds Ten Count, Midnight Stranger, Don't Be Cruel Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  11. "DON'T BE CRUEL 2-IN-1 EDITION V1 (INCLUDES V1 & V2)". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  12. "DON'T BE CRUEL 2-IN-1 EDITION V2 (INCLUDES V3 & V4)". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  13. "ねこ田米蔵、デビュー15周年！「酷くしないで」5巻記念で広島サイン会". Natalie (in Japanese). December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  14. "DON'T BE CRUEL V5". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  15. "ねこ田米蔵先生の『酷くしないで』最新6巻目が発売決定！ 眠傘くまめいと付きアニメイト限定セットも". Animate (in Japanese). August 15, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  16. "DON'T BE CRUEL V6". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  17. "ねこ田米蔵 大人気シリーズ『酷くしないで』最新7巻10月10日発売決定！". Libre Publishing (in Japanese). August 8, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2019 – via PR Times.
  18. "DON'T BE CRUEL V7". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  19. "ねこ田米蔵大人気シリーズ『酷くしないで』最新8巻が8月10日に発売決定！ アニメイトではギャルソン姿の真矢くまめいと付き限定セットが同時発売！". Animate (in Japanese). April 28, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  20. "DON'T BE CRUEL V8". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  21. "本日発売！ ねこ田米蔵先生の最新巻『酷くしないで９.』アニメイト限定版他、コンビニブロマイドも登場！". Animate (in Japanese). June 10, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  22. "DON'T BE CRUEL V9". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  23. "酷くしないで⑩" (in Japanese). Libre. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  24. "DON'T BE CRUEL V10". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  25. "酷くしないで⑪" (in Japanese). Libre. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  26. "DON'T BE CRUEL V11". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  27. "酷くしないでplus＋<電子限定>" (in Japanese). Libre. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  28. "DON'T BE CRUEL: PLUS+". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  29. "酷くしないでplus＋ 2<電子限定>" (in Japanese). Libre. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  30. "DON'T BE CRUEL: AKIRA TAKANASHI'S STORY". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  31. "酷くしないでplus＋ 3【電子特別版】" (in Japanese). Libre. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  32. "DON'T BE CRUEL: PLUS+ V2". SuBLime. Viz Media. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  33. Nekota, Yonezou (August 20, 2014). "インテのお知らせ" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  34. Nekota, Yonezou (December 14, 2014). "冬コミのスペースと販売物。" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  35. Nekota, Yonezou (June 15, 2017). "コミケ92のお品書きです。" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  36. Nekota, Yonezou (December 6, 2017). "コミケ93のお品書きです。" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  37. Nekota, Yonezou (July 28, 2018). "コミケ94のお品書きです。" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  38. Nekota, Yonezou (December 14, 2018). "コミケ95のお品書きです。" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  39. Nekota, Yonezou (July 29, 2019). "コミケ96のお品書き" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  40. "累計140万部突破の大ヒットシリーズ「酷くしないで」8/9に最新8巻発売！ 12/10にはイラスト集発売も決定!!". Libre Publishing (in Japanese). August 9, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019 – via PR Times.
  41. "累計140万部突破の大ヒットシリーズ『酷くしないで』最新8巻が発売中！ 12/10にはイラスト集発売も決定！". Animate (in Japanese). August 10, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  42. Silverman, Rebecca (July 2, 2016). "Don't Be Cruel [2-in-1 Edition]". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  43. Silverman, Rebecca (April 7, 2017). "Don't Be Cruel: Akira Takanashi's Story". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
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