MANGA: Nigeta Hitsuji no Tsukamaekata

Nigeta Hitsuji no Tsukamaekata – Aoyama Toomi

Reporter Oikawa Hidemi, Hide for short, chases after the mysterious professor Eli Y. Stafford, the reclusive medical researcher that managed to solve the “Alice conjecture,” the math problem of the century. He is dead set on interviewing the secretive genius. Feigning an illness, Hide infiltrates the soft-hearted professor’s residence and makes himself at home. How will Eli deal with the sudden nuisance?

Not sure if horn moe is a thing but if you like ’em horn-y, you’ll love this manga!

How To Catch A Runaway Sheep is the main story about intrepid reporter, Hidemi, who was very determined (his editor gave him an ultimatum) to interview elusive scientist and mathematical genius, Eli Y. Stafford. So determined that he was willing to stoop to faking illness, live with the professor, gain his trust and betray him. Little did he expect to catch feelings. When it was time to betray the professor, he found he couldn’t do it. Then he learned why the professor and his young ward were always on the run. 

This is a story about building trust. It touches upon genetics, diseases, experimentation, and discrimination. It is told in a humorous tone but also has sad undertones.

Eli is an herbivore tsundere, the kind who gets easily flustered and blushy. He looks so pretty with his horns. He lives with a young boy, Conia, who also has horns. The two were on the run from their sad past, making Eli suspicious about everything and everyone. He does his best to keep it together, but there is a fragility about him that’s hard to miss once you know him better.

I didn’t warm up to Hidemi. I didn’t like his too pushy, too suave demeanor. Plus, I’m not a fan of manga characters with facial hair. Later on, he redeemed himself by helping Eli and Conia with their predicament. And that he made himself worthy of the trust Eli gave him.

My favorite part was the Hide Times, a makeshift newspaper Hidemi created and posted on Eli’s wall. He encouraged Eli and Conai to contribute their articles there. The morning after he and Eli made love for the first time, he wrote only three words in big letters on it. Eli read it, scowled, blushed to high heavens, and added his own article. Also with only three words. Kyaa~♡

Sparkling You is a one-chapter, almost kiss story about college buddies Yuuto and Shiro.

Shiro is popular with girls. He turns them all down because he knew, they only like him for his horns. Meanwhile, Yuuto has it bad for his friend. So bad he thinks Shiro positively sparkles.

This is one of those hopelessly pining after one’s best friend stories. It teased the reader with a brief, intense moment, then left it hanging. Why Yuuto can’t confess wasn’t really explained so I didn’t understand why he didn’t.

Transfer Student Tsunoi-kun Grew Out Horns is about high schooler, Ogata, who befriends the new transfer student, Tsunoi. He soon found himself becoming fascinated with the other boy’s horns to the point of having wet dreams about them. He also learned Tsunoi lives alone and is actually an experimental subject of a research facility.

I loved this chapter too! Tsunoi first came across as a stoic, poker-faced character but as soon as Ogata came to know him, he was more animated and cheerful. He has a lonely life, moving from city to city, depending on where the researchers want to place him. He even has a transmitter embedded on his left elbow. My heart went out to him.

This has a more subdued and melancholy mood despite the raging hormones. I even thought it was going to have a sad ending. Thankfully, it wrapped up on a happy note. This one deserves a full volume.

The Lake Of Nul is a tearjerker story of a man who came to pay respects to a former college schoolmate. He was received by the dead man’s brother who listened to his story. 

It seems that the late scholar, a man known for his strong personality and equally strong gaze, had been heard by his brother frequently complaining about the deer man before. The deer man, in turn, poured his heart out to the brother about his feelings for the late scholar.

Meanwhile, the brother gazed into the deer man’s clear blue eyes and promptly lost himself in its depths. Realizing at the same time, his brother was in love with this man all along.

This is a heady experience of feeling grief and new love all at once. It’s why I want this as a full volume, but I”m also very relieved that this is only one chapter.

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