In the final years of the Meiji era in the early twentieth century, demand for electricity has skyrocketed following the Russo-Japanese War. Ryouji Saeki, a young engineer, has just returned home from Europe, and as he helps plan for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant, his daily life has taken a feverish pace. By his side is the loyal attendant Edward, who Ryoji took under his wing two years ago. Little by little, how does their relationship as master and servant begin to shift…?

Meiji-Era Master-and-Servant Tungsten has story by and art by Mio Tatsumoto. English translation is done by Nic Smith. Lettering by Dietrich Premier. Published by Yen Press (November 3, 2026). Rated M.

Content Warning: sexual abuse

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

How slow do you like your slow burn romances? Meiji-Era Master-and-Servant Tungsten is shaping up to be quite a languid one, at least on the emotional front. It follows engineer Ryoji and his servant Edward in the late Meiji period, and it delights in drawing out each conversation, encounter, and glance. Yes, they sleep together by the end of the volume, but that's by no means a signal that their romance is settled. These two are in it for the long haul, and only one of them seems convinced that things will work out.

The reason for that may be uncomfortable for some readers. Two years before the main action of the plot, Ryoji found Edward living in a backwoods town with no real idea of how he got there. The young man (who had a remarkably impressive beard for a fifteen-year-old) didn't speak Japanese, didn't see well, and was basically barely getting by. Ryoji, almost on a whim to combat his own fear of the dark, took the boy in, cleaned him up, gave him glasses, and they've been together ever since. Edward styles himself as Ryoji's servant, but it's clear that his feelings run much deeper – and since Ryoji has basically been raising him, well, it's kind of awkward.

But at least it's something Ryoji can understand, because as the book goes on, we learn that he was taken sexual advantage of by his teacher when he was also a teen. (Edward was also sexually abused by a woman who initially took him in.) Ryoji is attracted to Edward, both physically and emotionally, but not only is he still under the sway of his teacher, he's leery of inflicting the same harm that was done to him. It's a difficult situation, made even more so by the fact that Edward has no idea how he ended up alone in Japan. (My guess is shipwreck, but we'll see.) The two definitely aren't in an equal relationship, but they also find comfort in each other, so it's a tricky one to parse. That means that you'll need to leave some sensibilities at the door, and if you prefer your fiction not to dabble in these sorts of themes, I'd suggest giving this a pass.

If you don't mind, though, this may turn out to be worth it. The art is clean and attractive, with nicely drawn male bodies (and different figures), and the slow burn is delicious. It's uncomfortable, but romance is a fantasy genre. If you can get behind this particular fantasy, I think it will pay off.