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MANGA: Kokoro To Karada No Hazama
Kokoro To Karada No Hazama – Minase Masara
Kokoro to Karada no Hazama is a prequel to Midara na Sasayaki scanlated by Hochuuami Haruyoshi was always a player until he met Ryuuichi. Now heโs settled down, but suddenly Ryuuichi says heโs going to an omai! Has Haruyoshi been wrong about their relationship the entire time?
The Interval Between the Heart and the Body are two idiots, Haruyoshi and Ryuuichi, fuck buddies who didn’t talk properly about their true feelings for each other.
Things came to a head when Ryuuichi met a girl for a marriage interview. Haruyoshi threw a fit, wanting to sabotage his lover’s date. His loyal-but-so-goddamn-tired-of-this-shit friend, Takahara, decided to take action forcing the two lovers to confront each other.
That is basically what happened. The rest was them having make up sex. Still, as simple as the plot is, this one-shot was still interesting enough for me to look forward to the sequel. What happens when they take their relationship to the next level?
Best character here is obviously Takahara, being the only sensible one. I’m on the fence about whether I want him to be secretly in love with his dork of a best friend or not but I definitely want him to have his own manga.
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MANGA: Apart de Itooshii Kimi ga Naku
Apart de Itooshii Kimi ga Naku – Ohtake Tomo
Ishikawa works as a prop hand at a television studio. One day, a young actor name Ikami comes over and says to him โIโm going to die tomorrowโ…… Following that encounter, Ikami tries to make small talk with Ishikawa.
You, My Dearest Crying In My Apartment is prop hand Ishikawa slowly being drawn to young actor Ikami. Actually, it was more like Ikami, who everyone described as difficult and cold, inexplicably latched on to Ishikawa.
The prop hand found himself taking notice of Ikami’s quirks and comparing them to everyone else’s comments about the actor. The latter was spending more and more time in Ishikawa’s apartment. One day, they talked about Ikami’s problems with the studio head. Then one thing led to another and they ended up kissing…
We’ve seen a lot of characters forcing themselves on another character. I don’t know what that trope is called but I frequently found it annoying. What I liked about Ikami here was that he did it in a way that didn’t irritate me. And there were no sexual harassments involved. Or anything sexual at all, at first. I’m not even sure these two realized they were gay.
It was just Ikami deciding to spend time with the other man. As a socially awkward person, I could understand the young actor being not personable. He talked only to people he liked, which is Ishikawa. And there’s Ishikawa realizing he’s having a good time. Also, that they liked each other that way.
The story isn’t as dramatic as the title made it out to be. The feels were slow-burn and low-key. This one-shot was written like there were supposed to be more chapters. It could certainly use another one or two to fully flesh out the characters and some plot points. The ending had the couple reuniting but still left me hanging.
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MANGA: Koi Saku Potager
Koi Saku Potager – Mita Homuro
Yui, a young chef, is secretly in love with Tetsu, the guy that works as a farmer in the neighbourhood. But secrets can’t be secrets forever, right?
This is why chefs should date adorable vegetable farmers!
Fall In Love In The Potager is a super fluffy, slow burn manga about enterprising chef Yui who is head over heels in love with young farmer Tetsu. Almost everyday, Tetsu eats lunch at Yui’s cafe. The chef wows him with delectable dishes made from his own farm’s vegetables.
The story is told from Yui’s POV. He pines for the young farmer who is quite oblivious to Yui’s more than friendly feelings. This has such a gentle vibe and the wholesomeness of fresh greenery. It’s when the POV flips to Tetsu’s that the feels intensifies.
Tetsu’s perspective touches upon the Japanese tendency to avoid buying misshapen vegetables. As a former office worker who just took up agriculture, Tetsu struggles to grow the ideal kinds of produce that are marketable. I loved how this made a sweet and endearing connection between the two main characters. That scene where troubled Tetsu discovered what Yui had done really tugged at my heart.
The secondary character, Miho, is a riot! He’s the bossy waiter who constantly nags the laidback Yui into working harder. He schemes to increase profit, is good with computers and brought the two dorks together. This man needs his own manga.
The artwork is lovely! I like how it complemented the story. The cover’s vivid watercolor illustration is eyecatching. It’s a style that not commonly seen. Foodies will also appreciate the unique recipes Yui whipped up for Tetsu. The mangaka generously shared them at the end of each chapter.
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MANGA: Ishibashi Defence Corps Individual
Ishibashi Defence Corps Individual – Unohana
Kokubunji, a Uni student with a rugged face, endures harsh training everyday in order to protect his friend, Ishibashi, who has an angelic smile and a supple body.โโ During class, club activities, and on holidays, he must carefully observe Ishibashi, so that he does not face danger! For his beloved Ishibashi, Kokubunji must struggle on a daily basis! He is tested to act logically, constantly! He is in defensive war for his best friend, with the Uni’s top student (with a dirty mind).
Ishibashi Defense Corps Individual is a funny, hopelessly in love with your best friend story about the super athletic Kokubunji whose sole purpose in life was to protect his beloved best friend, Ishibashi.
Ishibashi is a cheerful guy who is passionate about protecting his country. He and Kokubunji have been friends since middle school. Unbeknownst to him, his grumpy friend only joined the defense academy just to be with him.
The two friends navigate freshman and senior year. Being a natural athlete, Kokubunji excelled at everything effortlessly. The only thing he struggled with was hiding his true feelings towards Ishibashi.
I really liked the manga’s military navy setting. The story itself is light-hearted and cute. Kokubunji’s total adoration for his friend was super sweet and pure. I loved how the two friends progressed into boyfriends. It just felt natural. The scene where Kokubunji fried his brain when Ishibashi kissed him was hilarious!
The artwork is not that unique but I loved the way the mangaka drew the expressions. Especially Kokubunji’s. The man has an epic resting bitch face. His going-gaga-over-Ishibashi-while-trying-to-keep-it-cool face was super funny. He gave off this intimidating aura but he’s really just a big dork.
Bonus here was Sakura-senpai, Ishibashi’s roommate. He is a great character. Kokubunji thought their senpai was after his best friend so his hackles were up. Later, it was revealed that their senpai was actually, quite sneakily, working to turn the friends into a couple. They also learned that Sakura has a boyfriend. I’d love to read their story too!
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MANGA: Kemonomichi wo Tadotte
Kemonomichi wo Tadotte – Satsuki Yuki
One full moon night, a man suddenly meets the werewolf “Kuro”, hiding in the back alley. Immediately fascinated by the werewolf’s overwhelming presence, all reason is lost in the face of pleasure.
Kemonomichi wo Tadotte is a rare werewolf manga with actual knotting. Beyond the smut, this is really a tender kismet romance between two werewolf breeds. In this world, werewolves who stayed in the forest are called ‘kuro’ while those who decided to blend with humans are called ‘shiro’.
One day, a shiro found a kuro on the streets on a full moon night. He convinces the wolf to stay with him for the night. The kuro found it difficult to accept such kindness until the moon compelled him to take the shiro.
What I liked best was the twist later on. It’s the typical childhood connection plotline but it gave the story weight. And elevated what would have been nothing but more than an excuse for some knotty sex into a compelling love story that made me want more of this couple.
This oneshot has great potential! Turn this into a series please.
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Border CTRL + ESC by Ivy L. James (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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MANGA: Super Platonic
Super Platonic – Ueda Niku
Takagi, the store manager of a flower shop, does a favor for his younger sister by going to an Idol concert to check out a man she met online. However, it turns out that this online friend is actually Toraji, a part-timer who works for Takagi.
Super Platonic is a sweet and gentle story about not judging people by their appearance.
Store owner Takagi hasn’t really been getting along with his big and scary-looking part-timer, a university student named Toraji. But he noticed the young man actually handles his flowers with a lot of care. And he makes really cute bouquets. After getting roped in by his sister to meet a man she was supposed to meet at an idol concert, he was surprised to discovered, it was Toraji.
I adore Toraji’s kind of seme!! A strong, silent type who’s super loyal and devoted to his uke. I loved the tiger reference in his name (tora = tiger). This fierce-looking cat is actually a kitten. His blushy face is everything!
Despite his appearance, he’s a guy who likes cute, girly things. He’s a huge fan of an idol group that Takagi’s sister also liked. He was upfront and honest about his feelings, point blank asking Takagi to go out with him.
The manga is from Takagi’s POV. I wasn’t too keen about Takagi at first. There was a misunderstanding about the identity of the person who was supposed to meet Toraji. He let this misunderstanding dragged longer than necessary. He also took his time sorting his feeling for the younger man. This part was understandable though. He eventually won me over when he became honest with himself.
There’s an age gap aspect in play with some scenes highlighting the age difference, making it seem Takagi is that old even if he’s only in his early 30s. Not too keen about this part either.
However, I really loved the vibe of the manga. Despite some of the negative elements, it felt soft and light. I especially loved the way the mangaka drew Toraji. I’m all about this boy here.
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MANGA: Coming
Coming – Niyama
Closeted middle-age man logs in on an site to find a friend. The man who turns up was…?!
Coming is an age-gap romance of a 45 year old salaryman, Shouichi Koga, who was inspired by a celebrity who recently came out about his relationship. He used a certain website for gay men to find a friend.
Poor Koga. When he said friend, he really means an actual friend and not a code for something. Lucky for him, the man who turned up was Rei.
This is a super cute one-shot. Koga is adorably pure and shy. Rei is a younger, very toppy guy who was eager to show him the way. I love their kind of younger seme x older uke combination. My favorite part is Rei going, OMG Koga is so cute! I can’t even!!!!
I really want to read the sequel and see where this inadvertent hookup is heading.
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MANGA: Until I Meet My Husband
Until I Meet My Husband – Nanasake Ryousuke & Tsukizuki Yoshi
Based on a famous essay by a Japanese gay activist, this manga tells the story of his life leading from his childhood up to his marriage to his husband.
Until I Meet My Husband is not your usual BL manga. It is an autobiographical story of a Japanese gay activist, Nanasake Ryousuke, based on his book of the same name. It chronicles his daily struggles, first, as a closeted child, later, as an openly gay man in a conservative society that views LGBT people negatively.
This is quite an angsty manga with lots of internal conflict brought about by the way people tend to be cruel to someone who does not conform to typical gender roles. Right from the start Nanasake knew he was different. He was called names because as child, he already exhibited feminine behavior.
There are a lot of painful memories, a lot of unrequited love for oblivious childhood friends and a lot of self-loathing. The pain jumped off the panels. The scene where he came out to his female friends for the first time had such a huge impact. You can really feel this big whoosh of cathartic feelings sweeping through. His friends were awesome in their empathy and support.
The story somehow felt lighter after that coming out, although still not without his fair share of dating woes and bad boyfriends. Nanasake looked back at all of these with a positive mindset and even thanked them for the love and happy memories.
He finally met his husband in one of his usual online hookups. It was probably fate because his name is also Ryousuke but spelled in different kanji characters. You can tell this guy was different because he was serious about pursuing a relationship with marriage in mind. He proposed during the Pride Parade. It took a lot of tries before they got the approval of the government but Nanasake and Ryousuke became the first gay couple to marry in Japan.
The manga has a more mature vibe than the typical BL. It tackled heavy topics but it does gloss over some details that were in the book. Most BL manga are heavily romanticized and unrealistic. So I recommend this to everyone who’s interested in a true to life story of a gay man in Japan.
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MANGA: Kajitsu
Kajitsu – Hachita Abe
Kyouichi and Shouma meet again on the beaches of Okinawa after parting nearly a year ago when their relationship as step-brothers ceased to be. Before their parent’s divorce, Kyouichi kept his feelings secret all this time for the sake of their family, but can he keep them hidden when he’s pushed to the edge under the sweltering summer sun.
Kajitsu has three meanings in the story. It means fruit, summer day and another day.
This manga is a very slow-burning and angsty step-brothers to lovers story of Kyouichi and Shouma. It is set in summer. Their parents married then divorced but the two maintained their close relationship.
Shouma is oblivious to the fact Kyouichi had long ago developed more than brotherly feelings towards him. Even after Kyouichi confessed, Shouma declared he wanted them to stay as brothers.
I love brotherly love stories and this one did a good job showing the conflicting feelings and Kyouichi’s longing for his stepbrother. However, it had a lot of unnecessary drama, making it longer than it should have been.
The story didn’t really bring anything new to the table. I felt things could have been resolved sooner had the two not been too stubborn. Also, the manga pretty much glossed over the parents so there wasn’t a strong sense that their relationship was forbidden. I didn’t see what was really stopping these two.
There was another boy in the picture, Hanashiro, who was rumored to have dated Kyouichi in middle school. I preferred him to Shouma because he treated Kyouichi better. Shouma was being an ass for some time while he was coming to terms with his feelings.
As for the art, the colored illustrations are pretty. The rest of the drawings were okay. The characters looked liked ordinary boys which gave the manga a more realistic feel.
