Boyfriend from Hell: A Konya mo Nemurenai Review
Posted Nov 20, 2019 Last modified May 4, 2025
Scans courtesy of September Scanlations, quite literally the best ladies in the biz. Accessed via my literal bookshelf and two manga aggregators for translations.
We gather on my blog today to honor Endo Guar Adroone from Konya mo Nemurenai [Another Sleepless Night]. All hail the one true Short King of my yaoiverse!
It seems appropriate to move on from gushing about my favorite uke to talking about a story which features a seme that I love dearly, even if he isn't my all-time fav. Don't expect my feelings of affection to ecstatically overflow like before, though, because what I feel for Endo is something more akin to how two really macho guys respect one another.
Like with Shio, there are elements of Endo's personality that I find super relatable, but our similarities are things that make it difficult for me to fantasize about him in a romantic way for extended periods of time.
Konya mo Nemurenai is my favorite BL manga periodt. It came into my life during college, when I was much more disconnected from the BL world, reading manga that were new to me maybe once every six months or so. I loved this manga so much that I binged most of Yamamoto-sensei's work in one night, with the exception of Koi wa Go Go! and Mankai Darling, which I had already read.
As a result, my reigning queen, Tsuta-sensi, had to make space for a co-owner of the title "Shio's favorite mangaka." My favorite BL manga before this was something by Tsuta-sensei, but memory of what that was has been completely wiped from my mind… maybe Akanai Tobira?
This series is a bit longer than Merry Checker, clocking in at three volumes (not counting the sequel), so we have a bit more ground to cover when it comes to plot. I'd love to continue to provide more unnecessary backstory, but everything I instinctually feel like talking about here is getting bumped to my review section.
Plot Summary
Content warning: This manga depicts scenes of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault.
Spoilers. I feel like I shouldn't have to say that, but I'll just buy insurance here.
We begin with our protag, Higuichi Rikiya, an 18-year old college freshman living on his own for the first time, as he signs up for the gay singles meetup site You❤️I, which appears to be the complete opposite of Grindr, much to my chagrin. After years of being shy and boyfriendless, Rikiya is trying to switch things up and put himself out there, like all formerly shy losers freshman year. Don't worry, kids; we all revert back in time when we discover people are even more fucking insufferable in college than during the government-mandated 13 years of schooling.
The next day, Rikiya's walking around campus thinking about getting fucked when he gets a friend request notification from a 24-year old office worker named Yuuji through You❤️I. Rikiya accepts the request, which I guess lets the guy on the other end know his email address.
Later that night, Rikiya is about to get dinner after work when he gets an email from Yuuji. He expresses happiness that Rikiya accepted his friend request and hopes that they can become internet penpals. He ends this first message by saying that he welcomes Rikiya's late night messages, which to me seems like he wants to cyber, but I'm just a dried up old internet hag so maybe people are a tad more classy nowadays. Anyway, Rikiya is quite touched by Yuuji's basic af message:
For the next two weeks, Rikiya and Yuuji message one another in their free time. Eventually, Yuuji asks Rikiya to meet up IRL and Rikiya agrees even though he's nervous. The next day, the two rendezvous in a public place and wowowow Yuuji is fucking hot.
Unfortunately, things turn ugly very fast. Yuuji hits up gay dating sites to meet guys, slip them drugs, and force them to film amateur pornos that he goes on to sell for cash. If that weren't bad enough, Yuuji not only taunts Rikiya for falling for their scam, but for even desiring a monogamous relationship with another man:
Dozens of guys on singles' sites like you fall for this kind of thing. Give 'em a few pretty words and they come running… You're starving for a man of your own, aren't you?
Well, Rikiya is having fucking none of it and does his best to get away from that creep despite being under the influence of whatever was slipped into his soda. It's impossible for Rikiya to escape, though, and he is assaulted, leading him to ejaculate against the wall. Normally that last bit wouldn't be worth mentioning, but when his cum hits the wall, some magic shit happens and a dude and a parrot come tumbling out of nowhere. Thank god for Endo, who manages to diffuse the tension of the decidedly un-hot circumstances in which Rikiya has found himself:
Of course, everyone in the room freaks because they just witnessed some dark-sided shit. One of the background no-name dudes, let's call him Colonel Mustard, tries to fuck Endo up with a candlestick, but is unsuccessful. Rikiya's attackers are scared off when their violence has no effect. During the scuffle, we learn that Endo is a demon, which gets my monster-fucking senses tingling like no other, even if Endo seems to not like being called a monster.
Endo and his butler Mark (the parrot) explain to Rikiya that he cummed on a genuine magic square (aka summoning circle) and ended up opening a portal to the demon realm through this bodily sacrifice. I guess when you summon a demon, they offer you one magic wish. Rikiya first asks for a boyfriend, which he then backs out of because he doesn't like the idea of using magic to manipulate someone into falling in love with him.
Unable to think of anything else, Rikiya asks Endo to go back home. As he flies off, Endo gives Rikiya the nickname Hiriki (combining his first and last name), which he's getting called from here on out because it's funny as shit:
Endo doesn't want to go back home just yet, so he's waiting for Hiriki when he gets back to his apartment. Turns out Endo is locked into an arranged marriage with his childhood friend back in the demon realm and answered Hiriki's unintentional summons so he could be a runaway groom. Because the summoning circle wasn't intended for Endo, it looks like he isn't held to the same rules as a traditional demon and human contract holder. Now Hiriki's uninvited guest, Endo follows Hiriki as he goes about his daily life. Interestingly, Endo encourages him in his endeavors to get a bf.
After getting catfished and curved by some old guy from You❤️I (this site really fucking sucks), Hiriki and Endo spot Yuuji walking with another guy who he is ostensibly trying to trick. As Yuuji sees Endo, he flees the scene, thereby abandoning his "date." Hiriki ends up striking up a friendship with the abandoned date, Sakamoto Gorou. They're both gay, go to the same college, and (as they discover) live directly across from one another, so it works out nicely.
Gorou is romantically interested in Hiriki and asks him to consider going out with him, but he keeps getting the feeling that there's something going on between Endo and Hiriki already. They're technically not together at this point, so the denials that Hiriki and Endo are a couple are still true. However, Hiriki's heart starts doki-ing around Endo soon after, nor does he seem too enthused to enter a relationship with his new friend despite his desire to have a bf. Basically, Gorou is onto something.
Back in the demon realm, Endo's fiancé, Verde, is hella fucking pissed about their delayed wedding and still thinks that Endo was formally summoned instead of being a demon on the lam. So, he (yes, in typical yaoi logic, gender doesn't matter in demon marriages) decides he's going to get Gorou to summon him, kill Hiriki to end Endo's contract, and bring Endo back so they can get married. It's terrible timing, too, since Verde tunes in magic mirror style to see Hiriki as he admits to himself that he's falling for Endo, making Verde even madder than he was before.
After Verde gets himself summoned by Gorou, he commits attempted murder via waterbending. Whatever–Endo comes and saves Hiriki from dying. The following morning, the whole gang (Hiriki, Endo, Gorou, and Verde) is eating breakfast at Gorou's house and trying to act like nothing ever happened. Breakfast suddenly transforms into a dysfunctional Thanksgiving moment when Endo says some hurtful shit to Verde and makes everyone feel fucking awkward:
Ugh, shut up. You've been brainwashed ever since we were kids to think "marriage" whenever you look at me. I'm not going to marry you.
Hiriki, on his empath shit, really feels some type of way at Endo's coldness towards his fiancé and tells Endo as much that evening when they're walking home together. Their convo takes an unexpected turn when Endo informs Hiriki that he can read his mind what with being a demon and all, which means:
Like anyone getting called out for something they don't want to admit, Hiriki denies everything, which pisses Endo off. He steals a smooch from Hiriki and comments that it might be fun for a human and a demon to get together. I do really feel for Hiriki here because that kind of flippant attitude would infuriate me, too, as someone who doesn't want to have casual sex, even if I am in love with the person in question. Luckily, Hiriki has no problem speaking his mind to Endo and he pops tf off:
What do you mean 'fun'?! All it'd be to you is a way to kill some time. Don't treat me like an idiot! You're… horrible! You've got no delicacy… you ignore people's feelings… you're just the worst!
Endo ignores what Hiriki says regardless, and now he's the one trying to pressure Hiriki into having sex instead of Yuuji. Hiriki calls out to Mark for help, who flies off to get Gorou and Verde. Luckily, Endo falls asleep before he can force himself on Hiriki. Everyone goes to bed.
Our other human/demon pair, Gorou and Verde, have started to hit it off together and invite Hiriki and Endo out on a double date at a theme park the following day. (These four are a masterclass in pretending nothing ever fucking happened, if you haven't noticed yet.) While at the park, Hiriki is in the process of telling Endo that he can't be with him anymore–because what he wants is for Endo to love him back—when he's sucked into the demon realm. Mark was perched on his shoulder at the time, so fortunately he's not by his lonesome.
Basically, Endo's older brother Kaim hates his guts, so he's using Hiriki to call Endo back to the demon world, get married, and take over as clan leader, which is the opposite of what a frivolous and willful guy like Endo would want to do. In another bout of yaoi logic, Endo is the youngest brother, yet is supposed to take over as clan leader because he's the strongest of his siblings or something. So many BLs fuck with the aesthetics of hereditary power structures, but rarely seem to want to make the seme a first born son. Whatever.
Mark (in his true form) and Hiriki end up in a prison cell, where they're constantly threatened with death by Kaim. Now it's a waiting game for Endo to show up and bust them out.
Back in the human world, Gorou and Verde confess to one another before Endo and Verde dip back to the demon realm to save Hiriki. Endo decides to barrel ass through the front door and ends up getting himself locked up in a room with some kinda anti-magic barrier. Verde tries to help once Endo is out of commission (he promised Gorou he'd get Hiriki back safely), but that's also a no-go.
Endo's other brother, Dewey, who helped steal Hiriki from the human realm using his teleportation familiar, starts to sense that Kaim is going to betray him and decides to help Endo's cause instead. Because of the anti-magic barrier, Hiriki is the only one who can get through to Endo without being detected, so they teleport him just above the barrier with a grappling hook and drop him down onto the roof of Endo's tower. This bit of the plot really tickles my fancy because it has Hiriki do a bit of a Courage the Cowardly Dog turn around, becoming brave for the man he loves. In so doing, he gets to show a bit of his manly side, which is rare for an uke:
I don't want to become baggage that the person I love has to drag around! This time… I'll be the one to save Endo!
Well, we're just gonna get killed if we stick around here! So I'm going to do it! I don't want to regret anything!
As Hiriki is propelling down and around the tower to try and figure out which room Endo is in, Endo hears his thoughts, busts open the window, and snatches up his bf mid-air. Hiriki doesn't recognize Endo at first because… Endo is a short king fraud. In his true form, he's hella tall and has long hair… boo! 🍅💨
I guess I can let it slide, though, since their reunion might be my favorite moment in this manga:
Our boys share a lil kiss before Hiriki gets Verde to send him back to the human world. Meanwhile, Endo dashes off to fuck up his older brother, who by the way is a fucking racist!!!!!!
After three days, Endo has successfully beaten Kaim's ass (btw, Endo's a fire bender… kind of). Hiriki keeps waiting around for his bf to show up and starts to despair when he remembers he and Endo didn't exactly commit to a relationship back in the demon world.
Gorou tells Hiriki that he's going to summon Verde, so Hiriki goes over to Gorou's house in the hopes of getting some info about Endo once Verde comes thru. But instead of Verde popping through the summoning circle, Endo comes out in his Short King form (thank god), grabs Hiriki, and takes him back to their apartment, where they finally consummate their relationship!
That's basically the end, but we have to take a moment to honor Hiriki for the level of chill he has after making his sexual debut:
My Busted Opinion
So, I just discovered that Konya mo Nemurenai is pretty hard to review because I love it so much. My plot summary is no doubt as long as it is because I was stalling on writing what I actually think about it. I genuinely believe its value as a BL manga is self-evident, needing no comment… or at least I thought that until I went to Baka-Manga Updates and saw people even slightly criticizing it!!!! So let's get to it:
Without a doubt, the best part of this manga for me is Endo. I love how roasty and cavalier he is about everything and anything. I find his discomfort and disgust with romantic and cliché shit deeply relatable, even as I commiserate with Hiriki for his lover not being openly passionate and romantic. I feel like Endo acts like I would were I ever in a committed relationship—I'd probably be a little too mean and roasty with my partner and show my affection covertly through acts of silent loyalty and dedication.
The fact that their reunion in the demon realm (see above) is my favorite part of this manga really tells you all you need to know about me and what I'm into re: heartfelt moments. I would rather call my partner gross for crying all over me than be all like "I missed you! Thanks for saving me!"
Endo is also the very rare short seme, so we need to savor every last moment we have with him. I don't understand people who don't like shorter semes in the same way I don't understand straight women who aren't into shorter male partners. Like, if you're taller than the dude you're seeing, you can pretend to be some hot Amazonian lady stealing away some normie dude to Themiscyra… Hello. That's hot. Endo is still hella masculine and aggressive, so the juxtaposition of his traditional masculinity and his smaller frame is super fucking erotic to me. How can people not see this?????
It is sad to me that Endo isn't a genuine Short King, but I'll take what I can get. I feel like Cody and Noel would probably get a kick out of a story in which certain characters can change their height and dick size at will, too.
We can't forget Hiriki while we're showing character appreciation. He's such a fucking sweetheart and really comes into his own over the course of the manga. Even though I clearly relate to and have some attraction for characters that are kinda unaffectionate, I do still love characters that are more idealistic and honest in how they show their love. Of course, I can't help but relate to any character that has little to no experience with romantic relationships, even if their innocent energy is something I never really had myself.
Hiriki probably reminds a lot of us of our first year in college, striving to make changes in our lives and to our personalities that we felt we couldn't escape before leaving home. I admire the fact that he remains quintessentially himself—nervous and a little weepy—even when engaged in some serious acts of bravery. For someone as shy and submissive as Hiriki, he sure doesn't have a problem telling his supernaturally powerful bf what the fuck is up, too, which makes him endlessly cool to me! Their bickering is something that will never stop giving me heart eyes.
Strangely, it's a rare BL manga from this time period (i.e. late aughts, early 2010s) that focuses on characters that are actually homosexual; more often, we're treated to the "I'm not gay, but you're special" trope (i.e. heteroflexible tendencies), which sometimes works but more often makes my eyes roll so far into the back of my head that I start astral projecting. So, hats off to Hiriki and Gorou for being gay! Not sure about Verde, but we also have Endo, who is "exclusively top bisexual," in the words of Gorou.
It's an even rarer BL manga of this era that doesn't use their gay characters as a chance to squeeze in some tragedy porn. I would argue that Hiriki is unhappy with the fact that he felt the need to silently admire the boys he liked in the past, but he feels more isolated by his shyness than his sexuality. Instead of internalizing any homophobic messages from the world around him, he rightfully believes it's possible to have a loving relationship with another man. I definitely think that gay characters with past trauma related to abuse, bullying, and physical violence are legitimate and representative of the lived experience of some members of the LGBTQ+ community, but I think those traumas are too frequently mishandled as plot points in BL manga and are probably best avoided for that reason.
I saw some comments out there that a lot of the chapters felt like filler, but if my long ass plot summary has told you anything, there's a good deal that happens in this story. I will admit the pacing can seem a bit off at times and some chapters would probably work better combined or cut off at different points, but I think the length is just fine and I never feel myself losing interest even after multiple re-reads.
This story is sweet, funny, and all-around just a good time. Even if unintentional, I love the Avatar-esque bending element of demon powers. More generally, the worldbuilding and lore of the demon world is one of the strongest points of this manga; it stands out amongst other supernatural BL for its uniqueness by far. Just trust me here, okay guys?
I'm ending this one on a bit of a half-assed note and not really talking about Gorou and Verde this time around since I'll be reviewing Kimi to Kore kara [Here on Out with You] at a later date. I will say in advance that I totally get why people might prefer the sequel, since the over-the-top in love "silly couple" Gorou and Verde might be fundamentally more appealing to those not into emotionally unexpressive lovers.
I will say, though, that it's a lot easier to love Kimi to Kore kara in the same way it's easy to love fanfiction. Konya mo Nemurenai lays down all the plot and backstory so that you can enjoy more fluff and sex in the sequel. And if there is one complaint that I have about Konya it's that Endo and Hiriki only have sex once in all three volumes. For comparison, Shio and Miya get it on once in Merry Checker, but that's only a single-volume story.
If Kimi to Kore kara wasn't already out when I finished this first part, I might have had to take up drawing just to create more sex scenes for myself. Bottom line: I understand if some of you got blue balls from this one.
Anyway, bye for now. Read this manga and love it or get my foot up your ass!
xoxo shio
Notes
Post History
This post was migrated from WordPress to Neocities in February 2022 and converted from my whack ass hub formatting back into a single post in May 2025. During the transition, the plot summary was moved inside a details element.