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MANGA: Konna Hazu de wa
Konna Hazu de wa – Amida Shizuku
A new standard of heartwarming BL.
A senior employee who is good at pampering × a junior who is a dog Squirming, smiling, grinning… Everything is here.
Adachi, a new employee, a quiet,tall handsome man. However, inside he is a clumsy dog and the tempo is out of sync. The person who Adachi fell in love with was his senior, Mr. Mori, “I’m scared when I get angry, but I’m a caring 31-year-old”. Mr. Mori, who is a stupid junior and cute somehow – begins to face Adachi who falls in love with you.
When they say, “A new standard of heartwarming BL,” they weren’t kidding. This is seriously adorbs!
I love dog personality seme! Adachi has this personality, but amped up the fluffiness 10x by being super adorkable! The man is gangly and hella awkward. He’s a rookie salaryman, clumsy but earnest and very likable. He was assigned to train under Mori.
Mori is a baby-faced 31-year-old, super chill, short, and popular. Pretty much unflappable he smoothly goes with the flow. And he does that so well it took me a moment to realize he does have genuine feelings for Adachi.
Witness how these two opposite personalities came together in a scene that made me hold my breath by its sheer awkwardness (this word again) and squee-tasticness! More of that delicious tension follows. As one of the worst socially awkward persons out there, I could only wish my derpy moments would end just as happily.
This is a heartwarming manga, a wholesome comfort read that oozes feel-good vibes. I’d love to see more of this pairing!
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MANGA: Ame to Kiss
Ame to Kiss – Akihira Shiro
Ever since he was a child, Maeda Taiki looked plain and shabby, and has never been popular. For these reasons, he wanted to at least have a good sense of fashion as an adult. So before he knew it, he became a shop attendant at a fashion mall. He has now found someone that he likes…. an employee at the fashion mall’s main department, Yagii Haruhisa. Not only is Yagii kind and handsome, he’s friendly with everyone he meets. He’s someone that Maeda simply can’t help but admire. However, Maeda is aware that he doesn’t stand a chance of loving someone like Yagii… That is, until an awkward question from Maeda causes Yagii to steal his first kiss?!
Candy and Kiss is an ugly duckling romance, where the poor duckling thinks he’s too plain but is really a precious pure angel who blushes so prettily. I love Maeda!!! The artwork’s delicate lines and dream-like vibe highlight his appeal wonderfully.
Our boy works in a clothing store and, with his keen eye for fashion, makes his customers look like a millions bucks. He has been secretly crushing hard on the popular sales staff from the main department, Yagi. I love Yagi, too!
Cool, good-looking and with a kind word for everyone, he’s the perfect seme for our precious boy! The best part is he’s been crushing hard on Maeda too!
I can’t begin to describe how adorable the story is! It’s a bit angsty because Maeda is too hard on himself, but overall super sweet and fluffy. Maeda’s insecurities served to create conflict. He’s constantly thinking he’s not worthy, thus pulling back from Yagi at crucial times.
Instead of being annoying, my heart went out to Maeda, whose only friends seem to be the store manager and his female co-worker, whom he only talks to during work hours. How the ugly duckling came to accept his true worth with the help from a good man and his unconditional love is a cute, heartwarming tale that made me squee!
One of the most adorable manga I’ve read this year! Check out the 2015 live action trailer below:
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MANGA: Shinobeyo! Stalker
Shinobeyo! Stalker – Fujiwara Asahi
As a runaway ninja, Benimaru has little to no prospects in life. As he was lying in the woods, contemplating his death, a stranger approaches him and gives him back his will to live. Benimaru finds out that the man was none other than the province’s feudal lord’s son, Lord Shinosuke Kiyohisa Yamato. Putting his skills to use, Benimaru sneaks around and secretly looks after Lord Shinosuke, who may be much more clueless than he lets on…
Benimaru’s pretty face on the cover grabbed my attention. I was expecting gritty ninja action, but it turned out this manga has scenes so completely ridiculous one character consigned them all to perdition and high-tailed it out of the scene. If he could break the fourth wall and run out the panel, he would.
Benimaru, at one point, was at the lowest he has been, with no desire to live. The kind-hearted Lord Shinosuke found him and encouraged him to find a reason to live. Benimaru did just that, falling in love with Shinosuke and secretly taking care of him from the shadows.
The opening panels showed Benimaru stalking the young lord. Things were pretty benign here. Then, it got a turn for the best? Worst? Or just plain silly where medicines were oh so conveniently given in error. Medicines that “make certain parts more energetic” making that a cue for our naive ninja to help his beloved lord release tension.
Add a voice of reason in the chaos in the form of Shouta, a young ninja who admires Benimaru and wants him to come to his senses, a.k.a. return to their village. I expected a love triangle, but no. Shouta was the only sensible character who nudges our heroes in the right direction, popping up just in time when needed.
This is one of the most hilarious stories I’ve read this year, with Gintama humor and clueless characters finding themselves in one silly situation after another. It’s also one of the cutest romances too!
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MANGA: Docchi to Kiss suru?
Docchi to Kiss suru? – Furomae Ari
Ángel, owner of Nuestra Casa and a stylish man who turns everyone around him on, loves and considers Aron and Stefan family despite them being adopted. Now they help him with the restaurant, Stephan as the chef and Aron as floor manager. But both want to be something more than just family with Ángel, so they take the initiative and start dating! Spin off on the first book in the Furomae Ari’s Kiss series: Kiss Shicha Dame nano?/ Don’t Kiss Me?
Caught a rare treat today. We got ourselves a BL throuple!
Who Will You Kiss? is about Angel, a mild-manner restauranteur, gorgeous Latino, bit of a himbo, and aptly named for being a pure-hearted marshmallow. He has a rather unconventional relationship with his chef, the blond Stefan, and floor manager, Aron. He took the two former hot-headed minors under his wings, and ten years later, the two boys are extra affectionate. But who will he choose?
The plot follows the lives of the three men as Angel come to terms with his feelings for both Steffi and Aron. IMHO, it’s an internal conflict that’s not really a conflict. The three have been sleeping together for a couple of years already.
The plot is also on the thin side, but who cares? I always enjoy a well-executed poly and loved the dynamics between the three. While Angel is the center of their world, which is only natural since he’s adorbs, there’s also a push/pull between Stefan and Aron that add extra spice to the proceedings.
Steffi’s eyes are the prettiest, and his dead stare is something else. Aron’s got cool tattoos and toppy af.
I’m seeing harem or reverse harem books being tagged “why choose.” Indeed, why choose when you can have both cakes and eat them too!
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MANGA: My Dear Agent
My Dear Agent – Ebino Bisque
Riichi, who is known as the frigid cold man, is an expert bodyguard who leads the security team in charge of a conglomerate’s son. One day, he got appointed to mentor Tachibana, a skilled guy whose background information is unknown, and that very same day Tachibana said he used up all his paycheck and doesn’t have a place to stay. Ended up mentoring Tachibana both at work and private time, started the days of Riichi being at a loss over how to deal with him. Moreover, Tachibana seems to like him from their first meeting and tries to flirt with him day and night…?!
Unpredictable Newbie x Cool Beautiful Senpai, an epic love story between an odd pair!
My Dear Agent is a refreshing take on the bodyguard romance trope, where instead of the bodyguard falling in love with his ward, he falls in love with his superior.
Tachibana, a tall, muscular guy with a mysterious background, was paired with the chief bodyguard, Riichi. Because of the former’s lack of financial sense, Riichi was forced to house his subordinate while Tachibana tried to get back on his feet. Tachibana proceeds to get close and constantly asks Riichi for a date, which is always turned down until one day when it isn’t.
The cool, beautiful senpai is a hardcore workaholic and a blushy virginal uke in private. Riichi has been guarding Nobu, the CEO’s son, since childhood. The bodyguard has a formal, almost stiff manner and appears quite naive about everyday things non-billionaire people usually do, like dating. He secretly had to google these things while he was inevitably pulled into Tachibana’s orbit.
Meanwhile, Tachibana is one of those people who can makes friends with just about anyone. It’s a mystery why he can be irreverent to Nobu, the company president, and other higher ups and not get fired. To me, he smacks of unreliability. Tachibana appeared out of nowhere, so I knew he would disappear at some point in the story.
I had mix feelings about the manga. On one hand, I love Riichi. He’s a pure-hearted guy who dedicates his life to a purpose. I also love the childhood connection angle, where Riichi was called an angel. I thought that was very apt and sweet.
But I don’t like Tachibana. He’s irresponsible and assumed too much. The part he ghosted Riichi didn’t make sense, just a poor “for your own good” excuse. However, Tachibana has some of the biggest twists in the story, so he’s not that bad.
Also, the storytelling didn’t flow smoothly, and the dialogue felt clunky. I didn’t feel a genuine spark until I got to the childhood connection, where I could concede that Tachibana did have a purpose. He just has a chaotic way of going about it.
The most interesting part for me is Riichi’s relationship with Nobu. Riichi’s family devotes themselves to serving Nobu’s family since the Edo period. It’s a throwback to feudal Japan, and it fascinates me that it still exists in modern times.
Overall, YMMV because this manga has a lot of good points, and other readers might see Tachibana differently.
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MANGA: Majo to Neko
Majo to Neko – Kuroi Yodaka
Outwardly, Sudo is a delivery man, but at night he is a “courier” for the underworld. By chance, he gets together with his neighbor Uno, whom he has been interested in, over a potluck. The next day, he sleeps with Uno, who is drunk, and the next day, Uno becomes very distant from him. While he is worried that he might be onto his ulterior motives, he sees Uno being tangled up with some unscrupulous men on the street, and he reflexively takes Uno by the hand and runs away. The dying Sudo, under attack from the enemy, is saved by a contract with Uno, a descendant of witches. Sudo learns that Uno has been living in hiding from the world because he is a witch. To escape his pursuers, Sudo returns to his home to retrieve money for his escape, only to find his pursuers waiting for him…?
Witch and Cat is a gritty paranormal romance that is as violent as it is steamy as it is heart-wrenching as it is so freakin’ good!
This is a world where witches are the most sought-after commodity, able to heal and give extra lives to people they contracted with, known as familiars. These witches are so valuable that even their body parts are sold for exorbitant prices.
A witch can contract multiple familiars, but it would drain their life energy in the long run. The contract had to be done with mutual consent with both parties present and with exchange of mana through physical contact. A kiss can give a short burst of mana, but we all know there are more fun ways to exchange body fluids.
The witch is Uno, a scowl-y guy who rarely smiles and keeps to himself. He frequently bumps into his neighbor Sudo, a smiley, friendly guy who always seem to sport an injury. Right off the bat, it’s obvious that he is that kind of character who smiles even as everything falls apart.
Sudo is strongly attracted to Uno and was determined to see the guy smile. Their lives is such that they cross paths with a yakuza who turned out to be a witch hunter, hellbent on capturing Uno.
As you might guess, Sudo becomes Uno’s familiar and protector. While on the run, they realized their feelings towards each other were more than just witch and familiar. As Uno’ familiar, Sudo has cat qualities since Uno is affliated with cats. Ironic that he has a doting dog personality as a seme.
Sudo frequently suffers horrendous injuries while protecting Uno, even lost several lives (he has 9), that Uno helped heal later. One thing that was puzzling to me was why Sudo was already healing so fast even before he became Uno’s familiar.
The main antagonists are Natsume, a dog familiar and his witch, Keigo, son of the yakuza boss. These two are as compelling as Sudo and Uno, and I want their story so bad!
There are plenty of uber violent fight scenes and a lot of blood shed. I’d love to see this as an anime. Not just because of the fight scenes but because the story is poignant and angsty. Also, their world is ripe for more stories about the complicated relationships between witches and their familiars, and the rest of the humanity.
One of my top manga of the year!
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MANGA: I Can’t Believe I’ve Been Reincarnated and Fallen in Love with My Favorite Character of a Shoujo Manga
I Can’t Believe I’ve Been Reincarnated and Fallen in Love with My Favorite Character of a Shoujo Manga – Natsuwo
“Why am I getting heartthrob!?”
The main character is reincarnated as Satou, an extra character in the world of his favorite shoujo manga.
He was able to witness with his own eyes the moment his favorite characters became a couple. However, he witnesses the scene where his favorite character, Shirakawa Fuuma, is rejected by the heroine.
Sato is determined to return the story to the way it was and make his favorite character happy! But as they spend time together, he finds himself falling for him…This is a heart-warming love story between a young man who is reincarnated in his favorite girls’ manga and the main character of that manga!
This one’s for all the Friend A, a.k.a. wingmen out there!
As far as isekai premises go, I Can’t Believe I’ve Been Reincarnated and Fallen in Love with My Favorite Character of a Shoujo Manga has a pretty tame plot with the clunky title describing it as literally as possible. However, I totally loved the idea of the hero falling for overlooked side character instead of the usual hero loves heroine romance.
This one-shot is cute and charming, and would be even more so had it been a full volume manga.
It’s part of Isekai Tensei BL Anthology.
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MANGA: Yamikin Shinshi no Kiken na Akuheki
Yamikin Shinshi no Kiken na Akuheki – Satou Hachiko
“Damn, you’re a whiny pup, aren’t you…? I haven’t cum yet.”
June, the number one rentboy at his brothel, is requested by a client and goes to the hotel as usual. There, he meets a sexy yet suspicious man named Onda. Onda introduces himself as a “money lender”– a loan shark – and suddenly he pressures June to repay the debt his ex-boyfriend left behind!? And after all that, he asks June, “Now, then… Why don’t you comfort me for a little bit?” June is made to suck his hot, erect cock, and then he’s fucked hard and deep…!!
Rent boy romance is a hard sell to me because I like my couples exclusive, unless the story specifically set out to be poly. I read this because I was curious if this is a romance I would buy.
Dangerous Vices of a Gentleman Loan Shark reminded me a lot like Okane ga Nai, but with better drawn characters and better proportioned size difference between the MCs. Also, the uke has more spine than the weepy MC of Okane ga Nai.
Rent boy June, a.k.a. Junya Kiryu, was forced to do dirty jobs for yakuza-looking-but-not-actual-yakuza loan shark Onda, after learning his ex forged his signature as the co-signer for a huge loan. Onda wasn’t above using Junya for pleasure while the younger man continue gathering intel about his clients.
Seeing that Junya has more practical skills than just using his body, Onda hired him for a month to do whatever tasks he needed done. They promptly got into the routine of sex plus work plus sex plus feels. Until one day, Junya was abducted.
This is super steamy, but with a solid plot and a passably developed romance. Onda’s and Junya’s personalities were typical of their character’s kind. Cool, cocky asshole in Onda the seme while boyish, passionate and blushy in Junya the uke, but neither were particularly memorable.
The execution lacked intensity in delivering the external and internal conflicts, the romantic feelings, the sense of danger, and the stakes. Overall, okay but forgettable, which is sad because I had high expectations. You could read it for the smut, though.
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MANGA: Umi no Soko
Umi no Soko – Jnnkleeche
Living in a seaside village, Wakashio is secretly in love with Yakaze, a member of the forest tribe. As the youngest son of the chieftain, Wakashio is living a difficult life, and spending time with Yakaze is the only solace he can find. However, when his brother discovers their relationship, Yakaze is killed. Just when Wakashio sinks into despair, Yakaze returns in a different form. With pale skin and red eyes, he may look like a monster, but his heart remains unchanged. The two still love each other as they once did, and begin to search for a way to live together. Ghosts, xenomorphs, tentacles, switching… A tale of lovers whom death does not part that takes us from the chaotic depths of the sea where histories and cultures intertwine, to a brighter place.
Bottom of the Sea is a monster-fucking fantasy romance set in a seaside village full of scantily dressed men.
The opening panels set the tone with the MCs Wakashio and his sea creature lover, Yakaze, in the middle of strenuous activities. The storytelling was initially confusing because not only it was moving backward, it also interrupted by the two horny MCs going hard at it.
The plot became clearer when it caught up with the present time. It is a forbidden romance between Wakashio, son of the chief of the seaside warriors, and Yakaze, a trader from one of the the mountain villages the seaside warriors, known as shark men, pillaged. Yakaze was killed, and he later returned as a sea monster.
The story is surprisingly deep, dark, and twisted. It involves murders, old magic, curses, and the consequences of the shark men’s atrocities. There’s implied rape by someone who might be Wakashio’s brother, although I’m not sure because he never mentioned any relations. But the bastard also calls the chief “father” so he could be. He also throws homophobic slurs at Wakashio while grabbing the man’s ass.
This is one of the most explicit manga I’ve read. No glow dicks here. They show all the parts, including Yakaze’s various appendages. Yet in the middle of heat, there a sweet story of childhood friends from different cultures who grew to love the man they each become. And it is a love that endured beyond death.
Recommended if you love tattoos, muscles and extra appendages.
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MANGA: Tonari no Sugar Boy
Tonari no Sugar Boy – Shinomiya Suzu
Akiba is a programmer who works from home and Shima is a student who’s preparing for his university entrance exams that just moved in next door. After learning that Shima is applying for his alma mater, Akiba offered to help tutor him and in exchange he asked Shima to help look after his family dog part-time.
With the frequent visits, Akiba finds himself getting attracted by Shima’s shining and clear eyes. He’s also absolutely mesmerised by the mature behaviour that Shima occasionally shows. Before they realised it, love has started to bloom in the time they spent together however…?
Neighbor Sugar Boy is an age-gap romance between a computer programmer and his high schooler neighbor.
The plot is the reverse of the sugar daddy trope, where the younger character takes care of the older one. Akiba is a work-from-home programmer stuck with his parent’s corgi that he’s unprepared to care for. One day, he meets his young neighbor, Shima, who promises to take care of the dog as a part-time job. Akiba volunteers to tutor Shima, who wants to enter Akiba’s alma mater.
A born carer, Shima not only took care of the dog, but ended up cooking and cleaning for Akiba. Soon, feelings developed between the two, but both kept it secret from each other. Things came to a head when Shima’s kindergartner brother became close to Akiba, and the high schooler started feeling jealous.
Some might be bothered with the age gap romance involving a minor. The manga handled that by having the couple wait until Shima graduated before becoming intimate. The age gap was the least of my concerns because the execution was so bland the entire thing was forgettable. The only reason I finished it was because it was easy to read. Don’t bother with this.
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