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MANGA: Beast & Dispar
Beast – 4U
A beast frontman who has nothing but a body to believe in. A bizarre beautiful white dragon who wants to tame him and get his hands on him. Three pieces of muddy history that began in the late 80’s.
Dispar – 4U
Miha has always felt like an outsider, even within his own family. Sohwa takes full advantage of that, forcing him to do his biddings. However, an incident takes place that helps Miha and Sohwa to reflect and figure out what they are feeling for each other.
A double feature for Christmas with two riveting dark psychological manga about fucked up relationships.
Beast is the prequel, set in the 80s. Korean Jeon Doo-in, known as the Beast, works for a Chinese mob boss, Baek Ryong, known as the White Dragon. I picked this up because it reminded me so much of Captive Prince.
Doo-in does whatever Ryong tells him to do. Their relationship has always been antagonistic. At first glance, it seems like the larger man is some sort of very rude, highly aggressive indentured slave. There was a big scene of him being chained to the wall and whipped. I immediately thought of that scene where Laurent had Damen whipped.
There is a strong BDSM element here. Their sex frequently involves pain and blood play. The power dynamics is explicit with the dominant White Dragon fully clothed and the uke Beast naked. Later in the main story, the Beast gains power and is showed with some clothes on beside the White Dragon.
I really enjoyed the enemies with benefits thing they had going on and how they always gravitate towards each other. As the story progressed, we see stronger, more complex feelings and deeper ties between the two. I liked this one more than the main story.
Dispar is about Doo-in’s two sons. Miha is the older brother, the illegitimate son who is hopelessly in love with his younger brother. He tends to be submissive and passive. Sohwa is younger by 8 years but he’s bigger and more dominant. He’s also the biggest asshole there is. He’s the favorite causing Miha to feel left out. According to his bio, Sohwa loves Miha but doesn’t know it yet. Whatever.
The two are sleeping together, or more like, Miha lets himself get used by his younger brother just so he can get whatever crumb of affection he can get. Their already complicated relationship got even more convoluted when Sohwa was stabbed and had amnesia.
The story has the same vibe as Stalking Killing where the abused one is obsessed with his abusive love interest. I wasn’t really rooting for the two because I wasn’t drawn to any of them as characters. But there was something about the story that kept me reading.
It’s a very compelling manga by itself. Aside from the psychological aspect, we also get mystery, revenge, love triangles, and very intriguing side characters. With the additional motivation of seeing Doo-in and Ryung together again, I finished all the existing chapters up to the part where the mangaka went into hiatus. It’s a testament to how good it is because I normally wouldn’t read anything with more than 10 chapters and certainly not one with 30 chapters and still ongoing.
I won’t go outright and recommend this because I’m pretty sure this is not most people’s cup of tea. Please do heed the TWs: trauma, rape, incest, abuse.
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MANGA: S to N
S to N – Furuya Nagisa
“I’m Seto Takakuni, a first year. I like you, please go out with me.” Natori, a third year who has lived a peaceful and uneventful high school life, one day receives a sudden love confession from Seto Takakuni, a kouhai he has never seen before. Naturally, he politely refused, but since that day, his slowly increasing ferocious attack started! Now everyday Seto Takakuni would unexpectedly appear at every chance he got, but with Natori’s patience reaching its limit, he ends up mercilessly exploding in front of Seto. With this, his peaceful days would come back, or so he thought… somehow this guy… has got hearts in his eyes!?!??!!?
S And N is a more light-hearted offering from the mangaka. It’s just as adorable as the rest of their works. It also has an openly pansexual MC.
This is a gay for you, high school romance between persistent kohai Seto and straight sempai Natori. The former confessed to the older boy but was turned down. However, to Natori’s surprise, the freshman kept finding ways to talk to him. Yelling at the younger boy to stop only made him fall harder for the exasperated Natori.
I’m glad that most manga I’ve come across nowadays have characters who won’t take no for an answer take a more respectful stance. We all know how notoriously rape-y yaoi manga could be so it is a relief when the pursuer, while still very determined, respects their love interest’s boundaries.
Natori and Seto are two average high schoolers. Seto is more carefree and cheerful. Natori is a doting big brother to twins. Being a senior, he spends most of his time studying for college exams.
What I love about Seto is that he knows how to give his guy some space. He’s super considerate. He knows it’s a critical time for seniors and that Natori has to study for entrance exams. Even if he’s stubborn in his pursuit, the boy politely kept his hands off his sempai.
Majority of the story is Natori trying to dodge Seto. He complains to his friends about the annoying freshman. In turn, his friends give him advice on how to repel said freshman. Usually, these backfire. While it’s pretty easy to see Seto’s feelings for Natori, Natori’s progression was very slow, changing almost imperceptively but surely. When he falls, he FALLS.
There is a big mystery why Seto fell in love at first sight with Natori. The joy on his face whenever he helped Natori in some way is a pure and precious thing. So was that scene of him trembling when he hugged the love of his life.
I loved how the story came full circle, revealing the past connection between the two boys. I really like shared past reveal moments, especially where casual acts of kindness the do-gooder barely remembers actually mean so much to another person. It always makes for an impactful plot twist.
This one’s a ray of sunshine!
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MANGA: Spoon ga Magattara
Spoon ga Magattara – Yuukura Aki
Tomoki Hoshiko is a troubled student who others steer clear of. Hidaka Asai, on the other hand, is the top student in the school, but his quiet bookishness hasn’t made him any friends, either… After the two of them get teleported away from school by accident, Hidaka confesses that he has powers to Tomoki. Why did he tell him his secret? Maybe Hidaka is the only one who knows Tomoki’s true nature… Check out this super power love story!
Bending The Spoon is a ridiculously floofy story of a straight A student with psychic powers who became friends with the notorious delinquent.
The two came together when a bored Tomoki threw a ball that accidentally hit the window just as Hidaka was passing by. In a flash, they teleported to the next town over. Hidaka then confessed he had psychic abilities. He willingly told Tomoki because he knew nobody would believe the other boy if he spilled his secret.
Hidaka mostly keeps to himself and deliberately tries to live an uneventful life so he wouldn’t trigger his powers. He has an over-protective dad who set up all these rules so that Hidaka doesn’t hurt himself or others. As a result, he end up missing out on basic stuff such how to ride a bus or going to the beach.
Tomoki is the despair of his teachers. He intimidates most of his classmates. As the story progressed, we see his naturally caring side coming out. I loved how he looked after Hidaka almost by instinct.
This is a slow-burn, friends to lover romance. I loved the pure, gentle atmosphere and those magical doki-doki moments of young hearts falling in love for the first time.
Stories about bad boys with heart of gold is catnip to me, especially when it is told from their perspective. So I really enjoyed that the manga is mostly from Tomoki’s POV. We also get parts of Hidaka’s POV.
This dual perspective worked really well in that sleepover scene where Tomoki started counting sheep really hard because he thought Hidaka might be able to read his thoughts. Meanwhile, Hidaka goes I wish I knew what he was thinking. Kyaa~! ♡ (๑￫‿ฺ￩๑) ♡
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MANGA: Shinonome Tantei Ibun Roku
Shinonome Tantei Ibun Roku – Taratsumi John
The stage is the Daybreak Detective Agency, located on a dark alley. Detective Waki, who takes care of everything, from finding missing people to ghost exterminations, is beloved by part-timer Rika. Hoshihiko follows Waki, who he says is attracted by a smell. The door of the Daybreak Detective Agency opens to a client… A mysterious story by Taratsumi John.
Loved the cover art but mixed feels for this paranormal detective story.
On one hand, The Annals of the Strange Tales of the Daybreak Detective has an interesting set-up. It follows Douchin Waki, a private detective going about his investigations that always involved ghosts. The detective agency is owned by Shinonome, an elderly ex-cop who took an orphaned Waki under his wing. The agency also employed a young college student, Rika, and later on, Hoshihiko, a ghost Waki encountered in the opening story.
The plot and the mysteries were intriguing. The manga has a melancholy atmosphere that is offset by bursts of humor frequently delivered by the genki Rika. The more serious parts relate to Waki’s past and Shinonome’s fragile health. These are the ones that grippped me the most.
However, I wasn’t a fan of the romance. Rika has a bad crush on Waki. He’s like an adoring puppy with the way he makes eyes at the man. Waki is attractive in his own worn out way. However, he’s such a heavy smoker I could practically smell the stink all the way here. I don’t find him appealing as a love interest.
The worst part is that the feelings were one-sided. Rika asked the older man to go out with him. Waki seemed to be just going with the flow so he agreed. He even upfront said he didn’t know how he feels about the younger man. The closing chapter rushed into making them a couple and giving happy endings all around but I remained unconvinced.
The romance could have been better developed but overall, this manga is enjoyable.
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MANGA: Old-Fashioned Cupcake
Old-Fashioned Cupcake – Sagan Sagan
Sleep, wake, and work — sums up the day-to-day life of 39-year old, Nozue. A routine that eases him, and conversely weighs heavily on him — which worries the hard-eyed but reliable Togawa, a 29-year old subordinate of his. In an unexpected turn of events, the two of them end up visiting a pancake shop bustling with girls.
Old-Fashion Cupcake is a beautifully drawn age-gap, workplace romance. Cupcake is an apt title because Nozue is a total sweetheart. He’s a mild-mannered man, a little too hang-up on his age, good-looking, well-liked, and highly respected at work. While always kind, he’s also spectacularly clueless about his subordinate, Togawa’s advances towards him.
I loved that this is from Nozue’s oblivious POV but we can see Togawa’s subtle but unmistakable attraction towards his superior. The two started going on food trips when Nozue casually mentioned a desire to enjoy things the way two girls they spotted on the train station were having fun hanging out. Togawa then gamely took Nozue to various cafes popular with women. They eat pancakes and parfaits while taking pictures of the food the way girls would do.
The love story is wonderful! Togawa is one of the best manga boyfriends there is. He’s super thoughtful, very perceptive, and completely devoted to Nozue. He talks the older man out of his I’m-an-old-geezer funks. I love how the two poke fun at the 10-year age gap between them.
The manga tackles middle-aged woes. Nozue spends too much time angsting about his old age. But this is not a story about recapturing the glories of youth. It’s more about learning to live rather than being stuck in a rut because of fear of failure.
I enjoyed how the story flowed smoothly. Even at some parts where there was a huge chunk of text, they didn’t bog down the pace. The romantic development was slow but so emotionally moving. I rooting hard for Nozue. The guy could use definitely use some TLC.
And, OMG! That ending! Togawa really knows how to drop a bombshell.
But this is just volume 1. The story continues in “Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino“
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MANGA: Koi no Mimiyori Chuuihou
Koi no Mimiyori Chuuihou – Okuyama Puku
Hajime can’t wait to make the scene at his high school……… but his dreams of coolness are soon dashed by the appearance of the weird and wily Nagura! A third-year elite student with a serious thing for perfect ears, Nagura will stop at nothing ’til he’s swabbed Hajime to his heart’s content! How long can this pair of almost friends keep their cat-and-mouse game going? Warning! Whispers of Love tickes your senses with astrange and sweet tale of bold obsession, braving obstacles……… and plenty of surprise crushes! Two cute guys give their all in a playful tug-of-war where no one’s sure who’s calling the shots… Which one will get everything he desires……… before the final school bell rings?
Of all the silly, ridiculous plots… ʱªʱªʱª (ᕑᗢूᓫ∗)
Warning! Whispers of Love is two idiots going on a merry chase all over the campus because sempai wants to clean kohai’s ears.
Resist he might but as expected, kohai couldn’t help but slowly fall for sempai. But dare he let sempai do it to him? Clean his ears that is…
The title story is already super hilarious. It’s extra funny to me because I’m one of those people who have a Q-tip addiction. I feel the issue of itchy ears is not talked about enough. We should have a Q-tip addiction support group. Who’s with me?
The adorableness of the story is perfectly matched by the kawaii art. I’ve always loved how the mangaka drew her characters. They look so floofy!!!
The volume also includes one shots of slightly less ridiculous but still cute stories.
My Room is a roommates to lovers stories of a Tokyoite who found himself falling for the stranger he agreed to live with for two weeks. This has the most subdued and melancholy mood.
Beyond The Lens is a reunited childhood friends to lovers romance of two high schoolers. This is the least interesting chapter for me. The characters were pretty generic, The story was so-so.
Tomorrow, Dogday, Sunny and Clear a.k.a. cockblocked by a corgi is one high schooler competing with a dog for his boyfriend’s attention. This one’s a riot. And hella frustrating because boy badly needs to get some.
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MANGA: Loveless
Loveless – Penguin Frontier
Lee is doesn’t feel love. Or so he thought…
Thirty-something salaryman Lee is living a lonely life, incapable of feeling love since the time his parents died when he was young. He’s roommates with another man, a guy who trusts no one after breaking up with his girlfriend. The two lived together and occasionally sleeps together, all out of convenience. One day, their simple arrangement changes…
Loveless is a one-shot that will crush your heart into tiny pieces in one short chapter. It’s a very succinct portrait of a life barely lived, of people going through the motions of living. It’s about a relationship that can hardly be called a relationship and how one doesn’t realize what they truly have until it’s gone.
The manga is very melancholy. The gorgeous colored art really did a good job reflecting that broody, introspective mood. I imagined this would make a great short film. I could already picture the beautiful soft-focused shots of the lonely people in the city at night ala Wong Kai Wai.
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MANGA: Only Mine
Only Mine – Katou Setsuko
A collection of stories.
This volume is a collection of slice-of-life stories, mostly about salarymen and a couple university students.
Only Mine is a romance between a taxi driver and his passenger. The salaryman was pretty forward but I liked the way their relationship developed. The taxi driver was adorably blushy. This needs to be a series or a full volume at least.
Omoi Megurasu (Think About) is two antagonistic coworkers bonding over a dog. Well actually, it was more like one begged the other to play with his dog. He was turned down but the stubborn man showed up unannounced anyway. This one had some twisty surprises. Really liked how the story played out.
Dare yori Negau Shiawase wa (I Wish Your Happiness More Than Anyone) has an interesting premise but boring execution. This is about two men working in the bridal industry. Couldn’t say more about it because it was so meh.
Boku no Jiman no Koibito desu (You Are My Special Lover) is about a salaryman who had to endure his coworkers boasting about their girlfriends. They all thought he was single and wanted to set him up. Dare he show them his boyfriend’s pictures? This is a nicely-done coming out story. The couple had such a great relationship. They really took time to talk things out. The boyfriend is a total sweetheart! So worth showing off!
Mokuyoubi no Yoru, Sentou de (At Thursday Night, In Public Bath) is about a university student who goes to the public bath owned by his classmate. Said classmate would then stare at his body, smiling like a loon, while he takes a bath. I’m all for a guy who’s upfront about things but ogling your customer while they bathe is creepy. The story was boring too.
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MANGA: Inoue-kun Hajimemasen ka?
Inoue-kun Hajimemasen ka? – Fujitobi
When Inoue’s asthma acts up on the first day of school, a boy named Karasuma helps him out. Inoue falls in love with him almost instantly, but Karasuma insists that he’s not interested in love. Inoue doesn’t give up and continues to ask him out at least three times a day. When Karasuma’s emotions get the best of him, Inoue mysteriously gets hurt by a mysterious breeze smashing a nearby window. But how could the sudden wind be Karasuma’s fault?
Adorbs!!!
Wanna Try Dating Inoue? is a collection of two interconnected stories set in a world where all sorts of furries and other mythical creatures exist.
The title story is about an asthmatic high schooler, Inoue, who was assisted by a poker-faced senpai, Karasuma after a particularly bad asthma attack. The super cheerful, super positive, super persistent Inoue promptly fell in love and was asking Karasuma to go out with him every chance he got. He was turned down every time. Strangely enough, Karasuma is always there to help him whenever he’s in a pinch. Why then is senpai so adamant about not wanting to date him?
This is how you do persistent, possessive characters. Typically I would be annoyed with Inoue’s type of character, the kind who throws themselves at the other person and wouldn’t take no for an answer. To me, that is harassment. However, Inoue did it so charmingly and so cutely. There were no dub-con moments. Everything was just so fluffy and gentle.
Karasuma is a tengu who possessed a rare ability. It is this rare ability that caused a disaster. This is why he doesn’t want to fall in love. But Inoue was pure sunshine and positivity, Karasuma found himself falling.
I particularly enjoyed the switch to Karasuma’s POV. Karasuma is expressionless most of the time it’s hard to tell what he thinks. But he’s just as endearing as Inoue in his own broody way. I loved their light/dark combination!
I Tried Dating Ookami is about Asaka who was confessed to by a big-scary-looking werewolf. Too scared to refuse, he agreed to go out with Ookami. He continued to be scared during their mostly awkward, mostly wordless interactions. The wolf was too intimidating. He couldn’t take it anymore, something had to give…Then he discovered, Ookami is not what he seems.
This is a story about not judging a person why his appearance. It was fun watching Asaka find out about the many wonderful things about the big guy. As you could have guessed, Ookami is a big softie. This wolf is really a shiba inu. Like I said, adorbs!
I really loved this volume! The art is very kawaii with furries and random creatures everywhere. The bonus panels at the end of each chapter were super fun!
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MANGA: Midara Na Sasayaki
Midara Na Sasayaki – Minase Masara
Sequel to Kokoro to Karada no Hazama. Coworkers Ryuuichi and Haruyoshi are dating but now Ryuuchi’s working all hours.
Indecent Whispers is the raunchier sequel to The Interval Between the Heart and the Body. This one-shot is a glimpse at the life of your typical overworked couple.
Haruyoshi is getting increasingly frustrated with his blue balls situation. His lover, Ryuuichi, has been working overtime during the weekends. When they finally had some alone time together, Ryuuichi was too tired to get in the mood. Desperate times call for desperate measures, Haruyoshi decided to get creative.
I think this skirted the edge of dub-con. Although, the two were already a couple so…I don’t know. I’m also not sure these two would last given Ryuuichi’s seeming lack of effort to give his boyfriend some attention. I get he’s tired but he could have offered to cuddle while getting some shut-eye instead of being bitchy.
Overall, I liked the prequel better. However, I think this would make a good series. A few more chapters might do wonders to Ryuuichi’s prickly attitude.
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