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MANGA: Bakeneko Katatte Sourou
Bakeneko Katatte Sourou – Hayane Dento
Matoi Souta is a salaryman who’s tired in both body and spirit. One day, on his way home from a grueling bout of work, he stumbles upon a koudan performance and decides to see it on a whim. During the performance, he sees a changed cat, causing him to jump in surprise, but eventually attributes it to the fatigue and brushes it off—until he sees it again.
Orations of a Changed Cat is all about cat boys!
It’s a story of a man given a new lease on life after a life spent overworked, depressed, suicidal, and so very tired he keeled over and nearly died. It just so happened this new life involved being a mate to a bakeneko, a kind of cat shifter.
Kihachi is a bakeneko who performs the koudan because he loves stories and how they make people look forward to tomorrow. It was his performance that gave Souta a jolt of energy. Upon seeing his effect on Souta and that the other man was able to see his cat form, he sought him out again and proposed.
Kihachi took Souta to the bakeneko headquarters to announce their union and introduced him to their leaders. It’s where the more surreal scenes happened. Not only did cats make their appearance, but there were also unidentified supernatural creatures.
Souta is a precious cinnamon roll. I want to hug him. He has depression and often thinks about death. He has so little joy in life that he cried while eating the delicious meal Kihachi prepared. He kind of looks like Ichigo from Bleach. I loved how the mangaka drew his eyes. So expressive!
Kihachi is totally devoted to his mate but fears the pain he will experience with the loss since humans have shorter lifespans. Because of that, he doesn’t want to get too close to Souta. Which made the poor Souta think he was unwanted.
It may sound like this is heavy drama, but the author perfected a balance of fluff, comedy, cats, angst, and drama. It’s a tender slow-burn romance with a Spirited Away feels underscored by melancholy.
One hilarious side character was the super nosy ryokan cat who lives for gossip. He shamelessly eavesdrop on Kihachi and Souta’s private moments and loves to annoy Kihachi.
The illustrations gave off dreamlike otherworldliness that made me think of the Ghibli anime. Especially how the scenes jump back and forth to the supernatural and the real world.
This is one of my top manga of the year. I loved how it’s so moving and emotional and, at the same time, has a calm, low-key quality. The mangaka’s note at the end gave me a pang with its vague resolution of the lifespan dilemma. I’d like to think magic gave them all the time they could ever ask for.
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MANGA: In Your Room
In Your Room – Hino Youhe
Kadokura and Yamasawa are surprised when they both fall in love at first sight… but are their feelings aligned?
In Your Room is a cozy, domestic one-shot of two guys who fell in love at first sight and fell into a routine.
Kadokura frequently comes over to Yamasawa’s apartment. After having sex, he usually ends up cleaning Yamasawa’s messy room. At first, he didn’t mind, being smitten by the other man. Then doubts gradually seeped in, thinking Yamasawa was only having sex with him in exchange for doing chores.
What’s great about these two is that they really took the time to talk properly. The plot was pretty straightforward, a slice of life of mostly nothing but sex and doing chores. Far from being boring and explicit, it was able to convey the feels in a laid-back low-key manner.
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MANGA: Musunde, Hodoite, Kiss wo Shite
Musunde, Hodoite, Kiss wo Shite – Mitsuki Emi
Tsukasa, who owns a tailor shop in a downtown shopping arcade, is reunited with his middle school friend Ren under the worst possible circumstances. Ren has joined the mob, who plan to demolish and redevelop the entire shopping arcade! To protect the neighborhood where he was raised, Tsukasa tries to persuade Ren to change his mind… But Ren says his goal is to “make Tsukasa’s dream come true.”
Tie Me, Unravel Me, Kiss Me is about a tailor, for which I gave a happy dance because there’s bound to be beautiful clothes! SUITS MOE!!!!
Tsukasa is the current owner of a three-generation old tailor shop in a downtown district shopping arcade soon to be demolished. It was announced to him by a middle school friend, Shinagawa, who was in charge of the project. Matters became more complicated when the yakuza got involved, and they found their other middle school friend, Adachi, was working for them.
I spent a huge chunk of the manga wondering what’s going on. The plot was a convoluted drama of demolition prevention and yakuza machinations. Then there was a love triangle. Whatever feels the story was hoping to generate was slightly dampen by these. I also had no idea why the title is such. I hung on because there was a promise of a suit and I was really, really hoping Tsukasa chooses the right guy.
If the second lead syndrome frustrates you, this manga is a balm to it because Tsukasa did choose the best guy! Yay for that! And the suit was indeed lovely. So it might not be perfect, but this manga is worth a peek.
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MANGA: Hoshizora wo Mitsumeta Sono Ato De
Hoshizora wo Mitsumeta Sono Ato De – Kida Bisco
Miyazawa Subaru is a designer, who thanks to the recommendation from his planetarium creator friend, managed to get a job to work on a pamphlet for one of the planetarium’s event. What’s more, the event involves Amase Togo, a photographer he really admires who specializes in taking pictures of starry skies.
On the day of the event’s private screening, there Subaru met…
This is a pure BL between a photographer and a designer who is also a wheelchair user.
After Staring at the Starry Sky is one of the most adorable manga I’ve read this year. The sheer level of adorableness is OMG!!!
The story stars designer Miyazawa Subaru, an avid fan of nature photographer Amase Togo. One day, his best friend Akari, a planetarium designer, asked him to work with her. Little did he know, she set it up so that he meets his idol.
Hands down, Akari is the bestest best secondary character ever! Not only did she set them up to meet, she actively encouraged their relationship. I loved how open and accepting she was of Subaru’s bisexuality.
Subaru uses a wheelchair because he cannot walk since birth. He’s mostly at home and thinks he can’t go abroad. Part of the story is about broadening horizons. Togo always encourages Subaru to step out of his comfort zone, taking him to places he only dreamed of.
Togo is total seme material!!! Also, the kindest, most gentle seme there is. His first appearance, yeah slayed! The meet-cute was endearingly awkward and hella cute. It was all floofy, and sweet, and tender until Subaru had an attack of insecurities.
The separation sucks, but it paved the way to the most heartfelt, tear-jerking reunion ever! My kokoro almost couldn’t take it, watching Subaru move his wheelchair while ugly crying!
My favorite part was the illustrations of the constellations. The big reveal of Togo’s message to Subaru was the most breathtaking scene. It was worth all the tears!
Boy, you deserve all the stars in the universe.
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MANGA: High Pressure
High Pressure – Totsuki Eko
You used to be my teammate. And together, we formed the strongest duo. Now, you’re my rival, and also my lover. Under your adoring gaze…I cower.
A seesaw game that hovers between the threshold of Lover and Rival.
High Pressure is a one-shot of two basketball rivals AND lovers, Ogata and Hasegawa.
Hasegawa has an injured knee and cannot play right now. So he watches from the sidelines and admires Ogata playing for a rival team. He worries about how his lover thinks about him. There is a possibility of a permanent injury. Ogata has said before he like Hasegawa as a basketball player the most.
The two have most likely been friends for a long time. They are an established couple very much in love, but you could also see the easy camaraderie born from a childhood connection.
They mutually admire each other as athletes. Their life revolved around basketball. Ogata’s words seemed callous in a way. I loved how it later paved way for Hasegawa’s change of perspective, taking what seemed a negative into a motivation.
The way this unfolded was the best part. It was super poignant. It’s why one-shots could be devastating or devastatingly good in their shortness.
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MANGA: Mata Ashita To Iwasete
Mata Ashita To Iwasete – Aoi Nuwi
On the way home from a drinking party he attended at work, Maizumi encounters a boy. Wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible, he lied that “the boy is a relative of mine”, so he got involved with him…? A cold young man× a boy who tends to expect a lot of things, and their days begin to take on a color from a chance encounter.
Let Me Say See You Tomorrow might not technically be a BL manga since nothing overtly romantic happened. It reads more like two solitary people, an antisocial salaryman and a lonely high schooler, were brought together by happenstance and developed a friendship.
The scenes where the salaryman made efforts to make the younger man happy by celebrating his birthday, possibly the boy’s first in many years, were quite endearing. This slice of life one-shot laid a good foundation for a super-cute age-gap romance should the mangaka choose to add a sequel. I loved this little story so I hope they do!
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MANGA: Karasu Otoko ni Kiotsukete
Karasu Otoko ni Kiotsukete – Kawai Ame
Shiratori, a civil servant in charge of controlling the city’s crow population, was approached in the park by a handsome but suspicious-looking guy named Kuroo. As Kuroo had no address and was unemployed, Shiratori was wary of him, but somehow found himself unable to dislike him. One day, he finds out that Kuroo is actually a crow…?!
Be Careful Of Raven Man starts with civil servant Shiratori doing his park maintenance duties. Part of this is controlling the crow population. He spies a crow being bullied by two others. He kindly reminded the crows about their precarious situation. The man tended to talk aloud to the birds. He has a soft spot for them and doesn’t want them exterminated.
Then his watch was stolen by one of the birds. The bullied crow took after it to retrieve it. This is when Kuroo makes his appearance. He promptly latches on to Shiratori, who made it a habit to feed him because he thought Kuroo was homeless.
Kuroo has Grell’s (Kuroshitsuji) personality. Clingy, has no concept of personal space and has no shame whatsoever declaring in his love for Shiratori. He’s quite the drama queen, employing his Oscar-winning acting skills to persuade Shiratori to declare his affection.
He might sound like a bad person when I say it like this, but he’s actually very endearing. I never found him pushy. The poor crow is kind of a pariah in the bird community. So it’s no wonder he’s attached to the person who showed him kindness.
The plot is pretty simple and straightforward, so you can already guess how things play out. Given that, I still loved the whole thing. This is an example of a manga that spins a cliché into a highly entertaining story. While not employing any groundbreaking twists, this little paranormal one-shot is very cute and charming.
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MANGA: One Week Family
One Week Family – Yatsuhashi
“I’ll never forget those seven days for the rest of my life.”
Young actor, Fujimaru Ren’s one flaw is that he is “not good with children.” So in order to overcome this particular weakness, his manager proposes that he spend a week living with his co-star and child actor, Yuu. On their first day of living together, Yuu’s manager, Kei, shows up at his door and it’s none other than the former child actor that inspired Ren to start acting?!
A lot of things can change for a person in one short week of living together.One Week Family takes us to the fleeting and often tragic world of child actors. This manga is a lighter yet still nuanced look at that world.
Ren is a young actor who claims he is hopeless at dealing with children, so his manager set him up to live with his future co-actor, the child prodigy, Yuu, for seven days. To Ren’s surprise, Yuu’s manager was none other than his idol, the former child acting prodigy, Kei. He was completely starstruck, then later in the story, he realized he was in love with the former actor. But why did Kei suddenly left acting all those years ago?
First of all, I was so glad this is not a love triangle between the child and the two adults as some manga tend to go down that route. I really don’t like that, so I’m happy Yuu’s admiration towards Kei was more of a child looking up to his role model.
Also, I loved the artwork. It’s so nice to look at. It conveys a wholesome, calming atmosphere that resonates strongly with the story’s vide. Also, the characters are so attractive, and Yuu look so cute. Sometimes in BL manga, female characters are not drawn as carefully. Some don’t even have faces. So bonus points for not drawing the female characters like an afterthought.
The romance is tender and sweet, evolving at a languid pace. It’s quite adorable and touching. The childhood connection trope plays a role here. This is one of my favorites and I love how it is used here. It always gives me a pang when I think of the what-ifs, what-could-have-beens, and fate bringing two people together once again, like Ren and Kei.
The story is full of heartwarming scenes. Aside from the MCs, another major thread here is Yuu and his relationship with his super busy C.E.O. mom. I felt sorry for the kid. He’s only five years old, but he’s working harder than many adults. His talk with his mom was super moving.
Overall, this manga is a feel-good, almost angst-free story about family, the showbiz industry, and building connections. I loved the cover! It perfectly captures everything in the story.
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MANGA: My Boyfriend The Rabbit
My Boyfriend The Rabbit – Shouoto Aya
After his pet rabbit dies, Hiro becomes friends with a classmate who resembles his former pet.
My Boyfriend The Rabbit is a silly little one-shot of two boys who each thought the other look like a rabbit. The shorter boy, Hiro, just lost his pet rabbit. The taller one, Ren, is a popular boy in school with a pretty face and a cold personality. They became friends when Hiro witnessed Ren breaking up with his girlfriend.
This is told from Hiro’s naive POV. He sees Ren being surrounded by girls and not happy with it so he jumps to the rescue. The two started hanging out together. Ren complains to Hiro about having to stay up all night writing rejection letters to all the girls who sent him love letters. Then he drops the bomb that there was somebody he likes.
I would have loved Ren’s POV because he was so generic. Getting inside his head would have revealed more of his personality.
The humor comes mostly from Hiro’s thoughts and reactions. He drove himself crazy thinking who is it that Ren likes and why does he care. This is an older manga, around 2000s, so there are no mentions of being gay. It’s mostly confused pining and slow realization of feelings. It’s cute but not that memorable.
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MANGA: Urahara Megane-sama no Ounou
Urahara Megane-sama no Ounou – Honjou Rie
Yutaka is a designer who does remote work and hates the sun. In fact, the only sunshine he needs in his life is his old childhood friend, Akira, a shop clerk at a glasses shop with an ultra positive spirit. If only Akira knew how much Yutaka yearned for him… But what would that do? Akira is straight… A love story between a straight sweetheart and a successful designer who doesn’t know how to open his heart!
The title roughly translates to The Trouble of Urahara Glasses-sama. The official English title is Reframing. It is a story about a change in the way you see something.
This is a childhood friends-to-lovers story between a grumpy designer, Yutaka, and an upbeat eyeglasses sales clerk, Akira, who was completely oblivious to Yutaka’s deeper feelings for him. That is until he started feeling more than friendly feels to towards his grumpy friend.
We first see Yutaka’s perspective, bravely enduring his friend coming over to his apartment to bring him food and sleeping over in the same futon. He had practically resigned himself to a life of singlehood because no one could compare to Akira. I feel for the guy. Especially with his best friend blithely invading his personal space.
Then, the perspective gradually to Akira’s. He saw another man coming out of Yutaka’s apartment and learned something new about his friend despite being together for most of their lives. This realization caused him to rethink how he felt back in their high school days.
If you’re into megane-moe, you’ll love the moe-ness of this manga. You get, not only one, but both MCs wearing eyeglasses, not to mention Akira also working for an eyeglasses shop.
There is a lifetime of pining happening here but it’s not heavy on the angst. The humor is low-key too, enough to amuse but nothing I would really call hilarious. This is an easy manga to read. There are no wordy dialogues but all the feels hit you where it matters most.
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