Tsuma ni Damatte Sokubaikai ni Ikun ja Nakatta (English: I Shouldn't Have Gone to the Self-Published Event Without Telling My Wife) is a Japanese adult manga and OVA series that explores themes of domestic neglect, secret hobbies, and netorare (NTR).
The work originally debuted as a manga in 2018 and received an animated adaptation by Studio Antechinus in 2023. Core Narrative and Plot
The story centers on Yumiko Kimura, a housewife who feels sexually dissatisfied and lonely because her husband frequently leaves her alone to attend "summer business trips".
The Discovery: Yumiko discovers her husband’s secret stash of adult magazines and doujinshi, revealing that his "trips" are actually excursions to attend otaku conventions and self-publishing events (sokubaikai).
The Escalation: Frustrated by his neglect, she begins exploring her own desires using her husband's materials. She is eventually caught in a vulnerable state by a young neighbor, Kazuya Yamamoto, leading to a secret relationship.
The Confrontation: In the second part of the story, Yumiko decides to disguise herself in cosplay and attend a convention to catch her husband in the act of his secret hobby, only to find herself further entangled with Kazuya at the event. Key Characters
Yumiko Kimura: The protagonist and neglected housewife whose curiosity leads her into a world of secret conventions.
Kazuya Yamamoto: The younger neighbor who discovers Yumiko’s secret and becomes a central figure in her sexual awakening and subsequent betrayal of her husband.
The Husband: An otaku who prioritizes his hobby of collecting doujinshi and meeting cosplayers over his marriage, setting the plot in motion through his lies. Production and Reception
The animated adaptation is noted for its high-quality character designs and fluid animation, which are hallmarks of Studio Antechinus. tsuma ni damatte sokubaikai ni ikun ja nakatta work
Format: The OVA consists of two half-length episodes, approximately 16 minutes each.
Critical Feedback: Reviewers on MyAnimeList have praised the art and sound quality while noting that the short runtime resulted in some scenes from the original manga being cut.
Themes: The work is frequently categorized within the NTR genre, focusing on the emotional and physical consequences of a partner's secret life and neglect.
Tsuma ni Damatte Sokubaikai ni Ikun ja Nakatta - MyWaifuList
Title: The Silent Auction: Confessions of a Husband Who Learned to Stop Lying and Love the Flea Market (With Permission)
Subtitle: How a secret Sunday morning ritual nearly unraveled a marriage—and why the real bargain was learning to bring his wife along for the ride.
By: Kenji S.
Feature Length: ~2,400 words
In Japanese marriage dynamics, particularly among middle‑aged or traditional couples: Tsuma ni Damatte Sokubaikai ni Ikun ja Nakatta
Last month, I came home from a solo trip to a sokubaikai. Yuko was at a parent-teacher conference, so for the first time in three years, I went alone. I found a 1960s Sony transistor radio. It didn’t work. The leather case was peeling. I paid ¥500.
I brought it home. I set it on the kitchen table. I left a note:
“Found this. It doesn’t work. But I thought you might like the way the dial glows when you plug it in. I missed you. Let’s go together next Sunday.”
When she came home, she didn’t say anything. She just plugged in the radio. The dial lit up amber. She turned the knob. There was static, then a distant, crackling broadcast of a baseball game from 1974 that somehow still echoed through the wires.
“This is nice,” she said.
“It’s junk,” I said.
“No,” she said. “It’s our junk.”
And that, I finally understood, is the work that was worth doing all along. Not the secret dawn raids. Not the hiding. Not the solo victory.
The work of finding a shelf in your shared home for a broken radio. The work of watching your wife smile at a glow that costs less than a cup of coffee. The work of saying, “Tsuma ni damatte sokubaikai ni ikun ja nakatta” — I didn’t go to the flea market without telling my wife. Title: The Silent Auction: Confessions of a Husband
Because now, I don’t want to.
Imagine this: It’s a Tuesday afternoon. A colleague whispers, "There’s a sokubaikai at the wholesaler near the office — 70% off premium whiskey and watches." Your eyes light up. You think, "If my wife finds out, she'll say we don't have the budget." So you go anyway, buy an expensive watch, and hide the bag in your locker at work.
Later that night:
"How was work?" she asks.
"Same old. Busy." you reply.
That lie — "work" — becomes the shield. But it’s also the sword that cuts later.
Let’s look at a hypothetical case study, based on real anonymous posts from Japanese forums like Hatsugen Komachi or Oshiete goo.
Name: Kenji (42), salaryman in Tokyo
Incident: Went to a luxury brand sokubaikai during lunch, bought a ¥150,000 briefcase (70% off → ¥45,000). Hid it for two weeks.
Discovery: Wife found the receipt in his coat pocket while doing laundry.
Outcome: She didn’t yell. She quietly stopped sharing her own small purchases. Three months later, she admitted she had opened a separate savings account "just in case." The emotional distance took over a year to repair.
Kenji later wrote on a forum:
"Tsuma ni damatte sokubaikai ni ikun ja nakatta. I thought it was harmless. But it taught me that marriage isn’t about hiding — it’s about sharing even the embarrassing impulses."
Sokubaikai can refer to:
The wife’s reaction might stem from:
Agree on a monthly "no-questions-asked" amount for each spouse. If your sokubaikai purchase fits in that fund, you’re free to buy it — no guilt, no lies.
Data triangulation enables a mixed‑methods perspective that captures macro‑level trends, lived experience, and linguistic framing.