-
MANGA: Kiss de Egaku Ittousei
Kiss de Egaku Ittousei – Wata Rainy
Chitose canโt take his eyes off the guy from the class next door, dozing off in class by the window. Each time Chitose leans out the window to sneak a look at him, heโs always there, dozing off as expected. His name – Seno. Heโs a year older, but according to rumours, he was absent for a year because he was involved in a fight. Chitose is a friendly and sweet-hearted high-schooler and Seno is a mysterious guy. The two polar opposites gradually open their hearts to each otherโฆ A chaotic and heartwarming school-love between a cheery puppy and a questionable grade repeater.
The most adorable meet-cute I’ve seen for a while!!!!
A First-Magnitude Star Drawn by Kissing starts when Chitose glimpsed another boy sleeping by the window. One day, the boy caught him staring, and they started talking via notes. Completely entranced, Chitose set out to know more about the mysterious boy who seemed to be subject of some nasty rumors.
This is a dog energy/cat energy pairing. Chitose is a cheerful, genki individual who blurts out whatever he’s thinking. Seno has a cool, aloof manner and speaks only when needed. I love his eyes! The two became friends because Chitose is irresistibly friendly. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was in love with Seno.
This has mentions of rape and abuse that caused trauma to Seno and made him keep everyone at arm’s length. However, the story is generally fluffy and light-hearted, with some emotional moments. The characters are adorable, and I adore how they adore each other! Chitose’s boundless energy and unbridled joy just being with Seno is contagious! I loved how he drew Seno out of his shell and earned his trust. The scene where the title was based was โกโกโก!
The best supporting character is their art teacher. Sensei made his students draw each other. His comments on Chitose’s and Seno’s graded artworks were gold!
My only complaint was how the characters proportions looked. I was surprised to learn how tall Chitose actually was. All the while, he looked smaller while Seno was drawn to look tall.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Ore to Buka no Koi no Saki
Ore to Buka no Koi no Saki – Nanameguri
Takanashi and Tokunaga were spending their peaceful office lovers’ life until Takanashi suddenly got transferred to another department. Separated with his partner, Tokunaga gradually realized the true depth of his feeling. But that doesn’t mean their relationship was getting better. The more important Takanashi becomes in his eyes, the clearer Tokunaga can see the dead-end of their relationship. In a world that sometimes becomes unkind, can the two lovebirds walk to the future they wish for…? “Another Love Story Between My Trainee and I” is a sequel from the famous “Love Story” series by Nanameguri!
The sequel toย Ore to Joushi no Koi no Hanashi,ย Me, My Trainee, And the Sequel to Our Loveย continues the workplace romance between the openly gay Chikashi and his boyfriend, the used-to-be-straight Tomoaki.ย
The two have become inseparable at home and work, but a sudden change in the sales department had Tomoaki transferring to that department.
This sequel is more dramatic and angstier. Chikashi is swarmed with insecurities. It didn’t help that Tomoaki was struggling with his sales quota and the self-sacrificing Chikashi decided to take extreme measures to save Tomoaki’s career. I loved Tomoaki for holding on as tightly as he could. I rooted hard for these dorks!
The plot dealt with real-world problems, such as how being openly gay can affect work. This is in contrast with the prequel, where the emphasis is on how their company was accepting of Chikashi’s sexuality. It also depicts how a relationship evolve and how it can change a person.
My heart went out to Chikashi during some of the emotional scenes. The humor balances out the heavier moments. I prefer the first story, but this is a moving sequel.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Soujou Fly Again
Soujou Fly Again – Munaita
Yoshiyuki Kikusawa is a talented mechanic at JAW. He’s kind but stern when it comes to training his juniors, and he’s loved by his co-workers, who call him “Yoshi.” Because he’s open about his sexuality, people often assume he’s had many partners, but he’s strict in not letting his personal feelings affect his work and often says that airplanes are his boyfriends. But, while he’s dealing with the persistent rumors about him, he bumps into Gaku Maizuru, a young marshal. Even though Yoshi thinks Gaku is distant because he’s like him, he soon realizes that Gaku is friendly and they finally end up close-literally face-to-face…!
I love it when a story is about people with uncommon jobs.
Synergy Fly Again gives us a rare peek at the secret world of airline ground crew. These are the unsung heroes that keep the planes flying. Airplane nerds, most of them.
Yoshi is a middle-aged mechanic, strict, well-respected and well-liked by his colleagues. He’s a bit jaded and has sworn off dating after having poor luck. He had a bad break-up with a fellow mechanic who’s now married.
Yoshi meets Gaku on the airstrip, a popular, attractive young man man enthusiastically directing planes with so much zeal he positively sparkles. Gaku soon approached Yoshi making his interest known. The older man has issues and insecurities to deal with and doesn’t know what to do with such an honest confession.
Gaku has an open and direct attitude that I found refreshing. The age gap romance would have been cute, but it was, unfortunately, buried under piles of speech balloons and multiple secondary characters I couldn’t keep track of. The storytelling could have done better with more show than tell
I was more interested in the airport ongoings. The manga showcased the characteristic Japanese passion for work and attention to detail. The characters are the type of people who have poignant anecdotal reasons for choosing their careers. Very admirable. Me, I work because I need the money.
Even the little things have deeper meaning. They have a custom where the ground crew waves as the plane takes off. According to the story, this originated in Okinawa. They wanted to thank the people who visited the island and give them something to remember. Pretty awesome, right?
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Shitsuke ga Nattenai
Shitsuke ga Nattenai – Ueda Niku
One night, Kazuho, a hotel worker who possesses a rare blood-sucking constitution, helps a drunk man he found lying on the side of the street by giving him a place to spend the night. The next day, instead of waking up to the man he brought back to his apartment, Kazuho unexpectedly finds a dog sleeping in his bed!
Roughly translates to Lack of Discipline, the manga’s fangy cover promised all kinds of fangy moeness.
I was very disappointed to learn, it wasn’t to be. There were hardly any fangs on displays. A missed opportunity especially since it paired a reluctant vampire with a fluffy dog shifter.
This is a forced proximity, forced-feeding romance set in a world where people either have vampire genes, animal shifter constitutions, and on rare occasions, spirits. The story quickly lost me when it dwelled too long on the two characters discussing vampire and shifter constitutions, and healthy diets. The manga had too much dialogue that was uninteresting. I skimmed, hoping it would get better once the romance sparked. No such luck. A complete blah, all in all.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: and310 ~ Hi-mote Hakase to Koisuru Android
and310 ~ Hi-mote Hakase to Koisuru Android – Saku Hiro
Dr. Nijo and his beloved android Mio’s love grows within this short period of time from the first day they met.
Roughly translating toย An android in love with a non-Mote Dr. ~ย this is a story of Dr. Nijo forever trying to fix a bug that somehow refused to be fixed, resulting in the cancelations of his rental android, Mio. During one of his tune-ups, Mio suddenly confessed that he likes the doctor.
It’s a heartwarming story tinged with melancholy at the thought that androids can live for eternity and humans have shorter lifespans. There was a notable portion of dialogue I skimmed, presumably discussing why relationships with androids are forbidden, procreation and homosexuality, and the doctor coming to terms with his relationship with Mio. After that, the manga picked up the pace.
Among android romance stories, this tackled practical concerns, such as the issues mentioned above, the AI getting used to new sensations via newly installed genitals, etc. However, it still highlighted the softer, more joyful side of things giving the good doctor and the android a happy ending, even if it’s just a happy-for-now.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Stock
Stock – Kagis
A story of two graduating students and their secrets.
One-shot endings will be the death of me one of this days…
Stock is pretty much what the blurb says. The beauty of this one shot lies in the tension between what is said and unsaid. It gave what would have been your usual friends-to-lovers romance extra depth and squee factor.
The ending is a tease, closing the story just as things were starting to take off. Drove me crazy!
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Kimi no Hitomi ni Ubawaretai
Kimi no Hitomi ni Ubawaretai – Haizaka Kiri
โI like guys.โ
Jun, a photographer, meets Haruka while they were both working at a wedding hall. Harukaโs persona for work and his true personality are very different. Enchanted by Harukaโs natural smile, Jun blurts out, โWill you be mine?โ He was so sure that he scared Haruka away, but he received an unexpected response back.
Roughly translating toย I want to be robbed by your eyes, this is a calm, gentle story of a wedding photographer, Jun who was enamored by a hotel employee, Haruka’s photogenic looks. The more time he spent with him, the more he was drawn to the beautiful man.
One thing this manga got going for it is the beautiful delicate-looking characters, especially Haruka. Their meet-cute was super cute too!
However, the longer I read, the more bored I became to the point I skimmed. This had the makings of a super adorable floofy story, but the execution lacked the oomph to generate feels.
I don’t know if it’s the translation, but the dialogue was flat. The characters also came across as uninteresting. There was an attempt to give them dimension, but it wasn’t enough to hold my attention. This has rave reviews, though, so it could just be me.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Ore to Joushi no Koi no Hanashi
Ore to Joushi no Koi no Hanashi – Nanameguri
Tomoaki Takanashi has just started at his first proper job and soon learns that his manager, Chikashi Tokunaga, is gay. The other employees all know, too, but they also all know that Chikashi’s romantically interested in Mr. Furuya, the CEO. Although Tomoaki’s taken aback by such an open and welcoming company, he soon realizes that he can’t keep his eyes off Chikashi. Are these feelings… love!? This is a cute love story between a straight subordinate and his gay manager.
A Love Story Between My Boss and Iย is as cute as promised and a great opportunity to ogle people in suits. It’s a workplace romance between a trainee who goes for what he wants and the passionate gay manager hopelessly in love with their straight silver fox CEO.
There might be pining, but I’m happy to report there are no love geometries here. The CEO, Furuya, is happily married and is a staunch supporter of his two employees’ blossoming relationship.
Chikashi is a strict boss but a complete dork everywhere else. He agonizes over the risk of dating a straight guy who might one day wake up and realize he’s not interested in a boyfriend anymore. Meanwhile, the straight guy, Tomoaki, had no issues whatsoever that he was suddenly in love with his male boss.
The two idiots navigate the crisscrossing of their personal and work lives as their co-workers gossip good-naturedly and their CEO pushes them in the right direction. Their workplace is refreshingly progressive and accepting of Chikashi’s sexuality. It is so progressive that employees pass out on the floor overnight, and nobody bats an eye.
The plot might be clichรฉ, but this is a really fun manga. I laughed at the stupid expressions on the characters’ faces, the nosy co-workers, and how much of a mess Chikashi is when he’s completely sloshed. Furuya, the true hero of the story, has his own chapter, a more subdued backstory that gave weight to the entire manga.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Shinigami wa Korosenai
Shinigami wa Korosenai – Mikka Mita
“You are still by my side, aren’t you?”
Eiji, who has an abnormally dangerous constitution, has faced the danger of death many times since ancient times. However, every time he encounters danger, he realizes the existence of a mysterious “shadow” that protects him. Eiji, who had come to have special feelings for the shadow, wanted to know the identity of the shadow, He tries to throw himself out the window, but what appears is a masked man with a terrifying appearance!?
Absolute undying escort love by elite grim reaper!
Death God Who Can’t Kill continues the glorious tradition of making the shinigami as drool-worthy as possible.
Caleb, the death god in question, is obsessed with protecting a human. Eiji was at death’s door when he was a child, but the half-glimpsed Caleb refused to take his soul. Now a grown man and frustrated with the half-glimpses, Eiji forced Caleb to show himself and keep him company. Unknown to the human, the shinigami is breaking rules, and such disobedience has serious consequences.
Caleb is an enigmatic presence that only Eiji can see. He’s a Chrollo look-alike, for which I drooled because Chrollo is an all-time anime crush. He says very little and looks scary but looks at Eiji with such softness in his eyes. Like all shinigami, he doesn’t need to eat or sleep, and doesn’t feel emotions or sexual desire. Doesn’t stop the big smexy scene from happening, though.
Eiji’s personality has contradicting sides in that inside/outside, private face/public face thing that people have. As chef of a cafe, Eiji intimidates rude customers with his scary face. With Caleb, though, he’s a different person, softer, more smiley, and needier. He wanted so much to repay Caleb, and so, he all but demanded the shinigami eat what he cooked.
The story is a floofy cutesy affair with a sense of impending doom hanging in the air. Anyone who likes tall, dark and mysterious seme with single-minded devotion to their uke would adore this. Eiji’s embarrassment at knowing Caleb was actually there all those times he jerked off to the “mysterious shadow” was hilarious. There was a tear-jerking part that end with a happy resolution. It was a bit rushed, but heck, if it gives me a reunion, I’m all for it!
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
-
MANGA: Konna Koi ni Narunante
Konna Koi ni Narunante – Haruyama Moto
Office worker Kida loves his private time and prefers silence to socializing. But one day, the previously empty seat next to him is filled by salesman Takamura, turning his peaceful days upside-down!
Takamura drags him out to eat lunch every day and chats with him constantly. Plus, it turns out they live in the same company apartment block, and ever since then, Takamura won’t stop barging into Kida’s place…! Kida would never have taken this lying down before, but Takamura has him strangely charmed… But why…?
A puppy-like playboy meets a serious, socially awkward introvert in this tortured, bittersweet office romance! The Love You’d Least Expect: Continued: Chapter 3 After a bumpy beginning, the positive, puppy-like Takamura and the shy, negative Kida are finally lovers. Takamura, who can’t stop brimming with passion for Kida, is inflamed by his every move. He’s tiring poor Kida out with a life of non-stop romping. Feeling bad for the feeble, indoorsy Kida, Takamura decides things can’t go on like this, and starts doing his best to avoid interacting with Kida, who keeps obliviously turning him on…!
This is the sequel to the action-packed manga “The Love You’d Least Expect”!
Someday, we’ll get a manga where the extrovert learns to shut up, enjoy the silence, shun the world and just chill with his introverted boyfriend. This is not the day.
The Love You’d Least Expect is yet another grumpy anti-social introvert forced outside his comfort zone by a persistent sunshiny extrovert. It’s a tale told a million times already, but this manga delivered the charm and kawaii-ness that made this old trope a fan favorite.
Kida, the introvert who enjoys the peace and quiet of being left alone, is my spirit animal. Takamura, who practically bulldozed his way into Kido’s life, could have easily been annoying. Happily, he’s kind of adorable in his puppy-like adoration of Kido.
The plot followed the expected course, but the endearing characters, floofy scenes, and the overall engaging execution make this manga worth a read
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
