Lies Are A Gentleman's Manners (嘘つきは紳士のはじまり) by Matsuo Marta

I bought this manga in the recent Cosplay Mania '15 market, not knowing what to expect from the art style and synopsis. The art was significantly different from what I usually see, for better or for worse, and the blond, I thought, doesn't look very bishounen nor does he look like my type. But because of the mere fact that it was rated 16+/Young Adult plus the hooking, eye-catching title, I decided to buy it. (I know, it was presumptuous of me. But usually, I notice that the yaoi manga with less sex scenes have more story to make up for it.)

Front cover of the book, with Jonathan (left) and Professor Paul. 

Back cover of the book. I'll never understand the basis of their ratings...

Revolving on the story of college student Jonathan and his professor Paul Thomas Haskins, Lies Are A Gentleman's Manners by Matsuo Marta is a story of discovery, marital affairs, and loose relationships between two very mature-minded characters. It starts out with Jonathan being reprimanded by Professor Paul for stealing drugs from the university hospital and selling them to students. To shut the professor up, Jonathan agrees to partake in a physical relationship with him.

This manga deviates from the common tropes of BL manga in so many ways. It's highly story-driven, the relationship between the characters are realistic in the sense that there is no dependency, and in its place maturity and a leeway for personal space which is something that most real-life relationships actually highlight because of the individuality of the people in the relationship. The story is not something straight out of a shoujo manga like many BL nowadays, and its art style is a bit more on the realistic side, too. (By that I mean everyone really does look English because they're in England, especially the professor. I also appreciated the diversity of character designs of the classmates and other people in the background.)

There is a confusion about their relationship but the mangaka plays it off well such that the blurriness of their relationship becomes due to their non-commitment and the casualness of their relationship. While they are not devoted to each other, the artist manages to make me feel the excitement of their romance like the other more generically romantic books in her own way. For example, Jonathan's attempts to mess with the professor (which sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't) and the professor's smooth words and comebacks will make any yaoi fan blush. Really, in the end, this manga is simply a mix of comedy and playful revenge between the two idiots.

The book also features a background of the professor and his past love Daniel, whom he remembers after receiving a letter from him. Both of them already married, they shared a secret affair that unfortunately, ended in failure.

I especially loved the way Jonathan slowly fell in love with the professor throughout the manga and how it was portrayed. There was no solid chapter where he realized that "Oh, I'm actually in love with him. What should I do?", none of that, but in its place are his monologues of hesitation and apprehension upon experiencing love for the first time, coupled with his rejections and pushing Paul away.

I also especially liked how the manga focused on the failed past love affair of Paul, with the cowardly Daniel, in a sort of 'side story' type of storytelling which at the same time humanized Paul's character a lot better through sympathy. It gives us a chance to understand Paul more as a person more than just some old perverted and sex-crazed professor. The part after he cried upon reading Daniel's letter of apology was especially emotional.

Paul in his younger years, seducing the cowardly and weak-hearted Daniel.

The mangaka mentions this herself in the afterword, but the art style also changed throughout the book—noticeable if you compare her art style on the first few pages with the last few. Was it a positive or a negative change? Definitely positive. It went from a sort of 'slapstick comedy' art style to a more characteristic, natural style that nonetheless still retained the uniqueness that marked an impression on me, and would make me remember Matsuo Marta's work among the others. It's especially noticeable with the way the professor was drawn.

End of chapter one and beginning of chapter two. If you compare Professor Paul's face here
from his face in the later chapters, there is an obvious change.

Halfway through the last chapter of the book, after an interesting turn of events wherein Jonathan meets Paul's family.
The change in the art style can be seen here when compared with the first chapter's picture.

All in all, Lies Are A Gentleman’s Manners is more than just a manga with a catchy title. It's a good story to read, with minimal explicit scenes (They're there, and passable in terms of attractiveness but not so eye-catching that they take away the story. Which is a good thing.) but either way, it's a manga with good plot and character development. I really loved how the story unfolded. Honestly, I have no complaints about this book; even with the shift in art style, I didn't mind it much. It has its endearing sugary moments without being too cliched or too sappy, and there's a sort of excitement with the lack of romantic commitment between them while retaining the slow sense of falling in love. I'd give it a 10/10, to be honest. Surely, Matsuo Marta is a name I'll remember the next time I buy more manga, adding to the list of my recommended/favorite artists.