is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series by Yoriko. It was serialized in the monthly

boys' love , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts Homoeroticism, homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it fro ...

manga magazine are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...

''Gateau'' from January 30, 2019, to December 28, 2019. A live-action television drama adaptation was broadcast on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

from August 3, 2024, to September 29, 2024.

Plot

While returning home from a

drinking party Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages and often enduring the subsequent intoxication resulting from them. Evidence of the existence of drinking games dates back to antiquity. Drinking games have been banne ...

late at night, university student Isumi Sakuraba is mistaken for a minor due to his short, youthful appearance by police officer Kyōsuke Amasawa and is almost taken into custody. When Amasawa shows up at Isumi's part-time job at the convenience store, Isumi answers his recommendations on food. Since then, Amasawa often shows up asking for more recommendations. Despite Isumi getting annoyed at Amasawa talking to him, he becomes concerned about his diet. One day, out of the blue, Isumi suggests going to Amasawa's home to cook for him. As the two grow closer to each other, Isumi finds himself falling in love with Amasawa, but Amasawa remains oblivious to his feelings. Eventually, Amasawa realizes he reciprocates Isumi's feelings, and the two become a couple.

Characters

; : :Isumi is a college student, but he is often mistaken for a minor due to his short stature and his appearance. He works part-time at a convenience store. He is part of his university's cooking club and has a personality. He is described as a slightly "cunning" and "mischievous" boy with a "pure-hearted" personality. ; : :Amasawa is a police officer with an easy-going, naturally flirtatious personality. He works at the

police box A police box is a public telephone kiosk or callbox for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police. It was used in some countries, most widely in the United Kingdom throughout the 20th century from th ...

close to the convenience store where Isumi works. ; : :Yōhei is one of Isumi's friends at university who is also in the same cooking club. Yoriko stated that Yōhei and Shōji were important in the story so that they could show a different side to Isumi compared to when he is with Amasawa. ; : :Shōji is one of Isumi's friends at university who is also in the same cooking club.

Media

Manga

''Sugar Dog Life'' is written and illustrated by Yoriko. It is serialized in the monthly

''Gateau'' from the February 2019 issue released on January 30, 2019, to the January 2020 issue released on December 28, 2019. The chapters were later released in one bound volume by

Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga ...

under the Gateau Comics imprint. In July 2023, during

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

, Manga Planet announced that they would distribute the manga in English on their website. In 2020, Yoriko stated through an interview with that she had wanted to draw an age gap romance, and that she made one of the characters a police officer because she had also wanted to draw a height difference. While drawing cacti in ''Sugar Dog Life'', she ended up buying and raising one herself.

Television drama

A live-action television drama adaptation of ''Sugar Dog Life'' was announced on June 14, 2024. It was broadcast on

on August 3, 2024, and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

on August 4, 2024, for their late-night Sunday programming block . The series stars member as Isumi and

Hideya Tawada is a Japanese actor who is represented by the agency GVjp. He played the role of Kinji Takigawa/Star Ninger in the 2015 Super Sentai TV series '' Shuriken Sentai Ninninger''. On November 2, 2018, he changed his stage name to "多和田任益 ...

as Amasawa. The supporting cast includes as Yōhei and as Shōji. Additional cast members include

Toshiki Kashu is a Japanese actor, best known for his role as Shouichi Tsugami, the main character of the Kamen Rider series ''Kamen Rider Agito''. Biography He graduated from the Hyōgo Prefectural Amagasaki North High School. Although he was originally a m ...

as Keiichirō Sakuraba, as Nanao Toyoshima, and

Liyuu Liyuu (born 9 January 1997) is a Chinese singer, voice actress and cosplayer who is affiliated with HoriPro International and signed to Lantis. Beginning her activities as a cosplayer before 2016 under the stage name 黎狱 (, pronounced same ...

as Shiorin, original characters created for the drama. The television drama adaptation is directed by , , and Kozue Sasaki. , , , and Fumino Ikuzaki are in charge of the script. The soundtrack is composed by . The opening theme song is "Sweets" by Super Dragon, and the ending theme is "Futari Yōbi" by YaYuYo.

Episodes

References

External links

* {{in lang, ja 2019 manga 2024 Japanese television series debuts 2020s Japanese LGBTQ-related television series Cooking in anime and manga Ichijinsha manga Japanese boys' love television series Japanese television dramas based on manga Josei manga Romance anime and manga TV Asahi television dramas Yaoi anime and manga