No Guard Wife vol.1 and 2

When I look around for translated doujin, I certainly have a "type" that I like to read, namely wholesome romance or comedy series, so imagine my delight when I happened across a series that incorporates both, with Hosimaki Project's No Guard Wife.

The setup is simple - newlywed Julie Takasaka is a loving wife to her handsome husband and takes great pleasure in doting on him. Sadly she has no defence for his affections and becomes flustered whenever he does the same for her. It's a very charming series that (currently) spans 12 volumes on DLSite, with 4 translated so far by the Translators Unite group. There's even an artbook full of sketches to pick up too, which is well worth considering given how good the artwork is.

I love the cute expressions throughout the manga

There's not much in the way of an overarching plot in this first volume, just slices of everyday married life and the humorous way in which our married couple interacts - and that's really all it needs. Julie's cunning plans to please her husband (in every way a wife can) are always thwarted by her teasing husband who seems to know exactly how to throw her off while showing her lots of affection. It's great to see a balanced relationship where both characters seem to think the world of each other and the comedy is both gentle and slightly racey.

The second volume fleshes things out, showing the pair flirting at home as many couples do, but more importantly also features a chapter of before they were married, which shows Julie as a formidable office worker. I enjoyed seeing another side to her and Kouki's first impressions of his future wife.

The artwork is gorgeous - not overly complex but expressive and with plenty of depth - cute expressions help to sell the humour and with the chapters short and to the point, no panel feels wasted. The translation is pretty good too, it all reads naturally with no obvious mistakes or grammatical issues and the characters come across well. 

The No Guard Wife Sketchbook is full of clear, adorable images

I also picked up the volume 1 & 2 of the sketchbook, which really showcases the artwork in sketchy, chibi and detailed styles. The artist has a real talent for using tone to make shapes look soft and inviting, so naturally the books mostly showcase Julie in various outfits and emotional states. It's a great little set of books and I wish I had some physical copies for the shelf. 

I may get my wish too, because thanks to the ol' Google Translate app, I can see that the series has a physical release courtesy of Ichijinsha with extra chapters and enhanced artwork, so I hope someone picks it up for Western audiences. I think this would make a welcome new addition to my collection once Nagatoro concludes.

In the meantime you can catch the series translated on DLsite. If you have a crypto wallet, you can even buy your points with site sponsor DLpay's Crypto payment gateway.