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MANGA: Hige to Suzu to Shabondama
Hige to Suzu to Shabondama – YMZ
Daily life of Santa and Rintarou…
Beards, Bells and Bubbles is the super fluffy and adorably wholesome slice of life manga about an established gay couple going about their daily lives. It has a nice laid-back vibe that’s makes you think of easy summer afternoons.
Santa is the serious, hardworking one who takes care of all the household chores. He likes to spoil Rintarou. He was disowned by his family.
Rintarou is the carefree, lazy one who is completely hopeless at household chores. He likes being pampered. He has a big family who loves Santa. The running gag of the manga is that everybody thinks he is a good for nothing and that Santa is too good for him. Nobody expected they would last for 3 days.
They’re still together after 5 years.
The manga started in spring when these two dorks went to the park to view the flowers only to have it raining when they got there. Some parts of the story flash back to how it all started. Most of the chapters showed short and simple scenes illustrating the couple’s affection for each other.
Like in the opening chapter, Santa comments he’ll never see the flowers as long as they’re together. To which Rintarou replies, then you’ll never see them. Santa shrugs his shoulders and says it’s okay. They go home and eat soup.
The dialogues are funny, mostly due to Rintarou’s over reaction to things. He has a jealous streak that extends to members of his family. Santa going shopping for laptops with his father and twin brother had him in tantrums, the idiot.
My favorite part was Kiyoshi, Santa’s ex, who for some reason or another hangs around Rintarou hilariously comparing notes about Santa. He’s an overconfident businessman who unexpectedly had a boyfriend who was okay with his weird habit. There’s a twist here that I really liked and I hope the mangaka gives Kiyoshi and his man their own spinoff.
Anyway, the following year, it rained. They didn’t see the flowers. Again.
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MANGA: Ano Hi, Seifuku De
Ano Hi, Seifuku De – Nakamura Asumiko
1) Ano Hi, Seifuku de (That Day, in the Uniform)
I haven’t got myself used to this adult-like appearance with some nostalgic flavour of youth.2) A Senpai
Body and mind think different things. But which one is true? A junior and senior love triangle.3) Chuugaku 3-nensei (Middle School, Third Year)
There is a pervert in the male restroom in the book-store. Beware!4) Hadaka no Boku (Naked Me)
Being shaved, becoming naked, the hidden feelings5) Tenkousei (Transfer Student)
The secrets under the uniform, that none of the classmates knows.6) Nikoichi
God knows when my childhood friend become much tinier than me. We have been through the heights and lows together, and now is my start with that childhood friend.6.5) Extra to Ano Hi, Seifuku de – Konya, Ano Hi ni
2 years have already passed since that night.
Nakamura Asumiko-sensei once again breaking hearts in this collection of short stories featuring school boys past and present. Her stories ran deep, dark and quite often devastating.
This manga is the more explicit of her works. Majority of the stories had gratuitous scenes. Dialogue was kept minimal and the artwork is stunning as always.
Ano Hi, Seifuku de (That Day, in the Uniform): Two salarymen found themselves in an office drinking party. One of them just got married. The other recalls that fateful day where the other left him an unforgettable confession that was unanswered in their last day of high school. He brings up the topic and they sleep together. The next day, they both pretend it was nothing.
This is the best story of the collection. It’s full of nostalgia and regrets. We get the POV of the one confessed to and he wonders, what if he had ran after him and gave his answer? Too late…
A Senpai: A love triangle between two sempai and a kohai. Characters had no names, just letters from the alphabet designating the points of the triangle. C-kun likes B-sempai but couldn’t resist A-sempai. There’s not much substance or novelty in the story. The ending felt incomplete.
Chuugaku 3-nensei (Middle School, Third Year): Rumors of a man giving out 10,000 yen for a blowjob in a bathroom stall ran wild among schoolboys. One day, a schoolboy happened to come across a man offering money to his schoolmate near a bathroom. He confronts them and the man runs away. Then his schoolmate offers him the money in exchange for blowing the schoolboy. And so their salacious encounters begin.
The money exchange presents their relationship as mere business and taints the story with a whiff of prostitution. It also begs the question of where a middle schooler gets that kind of money. This is one of the more compelling chapters here. I really liked how a story about lost innocence ends with purer motives coming to light.
Hadaka no Boku (Naked Me): A story about a kohai who had an affair with his sempai who prefers the kohai shaved down there. This is more of a sketch of a relationship that came and went. No feelings were involved excerpt the kohai’s. Sad but not outstanding.
Tenkousei (Transfer Student): This is about a transfer student rumored to have slept with a teacher and his classmate who discovered his secret. Then the two proceeded to sleep together.
There were no real relationships here. This is mostly the two students sleeping together and the transfer student taking pictures of himself in his special clothes. The affair with the teacher was revealed when said teacher hysterically confronted the student.
I wish this ended better because this felt incomplete.
Nikoichi: A gay awakening between two childhood friends who discovered they were attracted to other males. Most especially each other. The fact that the smaller of the two had sex with the teacher in the gym was kind of glossed over as part of said awakening.
Shady teachers aside, this was pretty sweet. This was also practically conflict free. So not much happened here.
Extra to Ano Hi, Seifuku de – Konya, Ano Hi ni: This is Sensei throwing us a bone.
Salaryman receives news that the other salaryman got divorced. He immediately asks for his contact number and rushes to catch up to him. Would he get there in time?!!! RUN DAMMIT!!!
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MANGA: Noraneko to Yubikiri
Noraneko to Yubikiri – Takatsu Aki
Ayato is a part time worker who lives alone, struggling to survive. One day, his mother suddenly appears only to leave his young sister under his care. Ayato then goes to City Hall to ask for help, as he wants to leave his sister in a nursery school while he works. At that place, the one who had to help Ayato was Haruna, a serious and hard-working employee, but instead of listening to him and without knowing about Ayato’s circumstances, began to preach saying “Even stray cats are more responsible with their children than you are.” Ayato snapped saying “What do you know about me?”
A hard working employee and a hard worker who is underemployed, gradually heal each other’s past wounds and become fascinated with each other. What kind of promise will these two people make when they have experienced hard times in the past? Can they trust in each other?
Pinky Swear With A Stray Cat is a sweet age gap story about a civil servant and a part timer brought together by cats and a cute little girl. It is about family and making so many cherished memories the sad parts won’t matter.
When he was a child, Ayato was usually left to fend off for himself by his irresponsible mom. He was long burned by her broken promises. One day, his mom left him his little sister, Ren, and he swore he would do everything to give her things he didn’t have growing up.
Haruna was the civil servant who handled his case. They got off the wrong foot but later developed a friendship. Especially after Ayato discovered Haruna playing with cats on the street.
I really liked the artwork particularly the way the characters were drawn. Ren looked adorable and Haruna was quite the looker in his casual hair and contact lenses. The background was not messy. Overall, it’s very easy on the eyes.
The story had a nice pace going. The conflict was based on stupid assumptions and the resolution felt rushed. However, the manga did a great job showcasing their time together. It was also refreshing that the two men kissed openly on the streets instead of having to do it in some discrete corner.
Ayato reminded Haruna of a stray cat. A cat who wanted affection but is often left behind. I liked the way the younger man was earnest with his feelings. Ayato was touched by the way Haruna always keeps his promises even with the little things. Together, they made Ren, the happiest girl in the world.
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MANGA: He From Department A and I From Department B
He From Department A and I From Department B – Nekono Mariko
Ihara Tomoyuki is from Dept B and Aoyama Naoto is from rival Dept B. They hate each others guts so why can’t Ihara say stay away?!
This is a one-shot set between rival planning departments. They compete in a project and the loser will do whatever the winner commands. Dept B loses and Ihara becomes a slave to dept A’s star employee Naoto. After a drunken party, they end sleeping together then again when Naoto told him to because Ihara claims he forgot how good it was.
The story is hella funny. It written in Ihara’s POV. He’s a tsundere uke in a complete denial of the truth. His panic faces were hilarious. In contrast, Naoto is the calm seme who lords over him at work. Or so it appears.
Ihara gets flashbacks of his time in college and that boy who moved to the US and broke his heart. It’s a bit of a stretch that he did not recognized him when he’s right in his face. But their reunion gave the manga all sorts of fluffy feels.
My favorite part was when their stubborn client finally said yes. Naoto suddenly gave Ihara a huge hug and said…
“It’s thanks to you giving me all your strength”
Ihara realized he was in deep, deep trouble.
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MANGA: Kimi wa Boku no Uso
Kimi wa Boku no Uso – Shinomiya Suzu
For Nase Kouki, photography and family are a big part of his life. They are intertwined with his lowest and highest moments, — And so is his brother.
The title translates to “You are my lie.” A story of two step-brothers who, well, for me, not much really happened here. They were in love with each other, that’s all.
The angst comes from conflicting feelings and an absentee father. His return after 10 years of no show was quickly shrugged off after some reassurance. The women of the family were supportive so the conflict wasn’t as compelling.
I am a fan of brotherly love stories but this offered nothing new to the table.
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MANGA: Moshimo, Ashita Sekai ga Owaru nara
Moshimo, Ashita Sekai ga Owaru nara – Hara Yuriko
If the world was ending tomorrow, what would you do?
Suddenly, the question wasn’t so hypothetical anymore when the moon was about to crash to the earth. Two childhood friends meet again at the last day of earth and catch up.
The story parallels the past and present times when the two talked about what they want to do if the world was ending and what they want to do now that it is.
This could easily have ended in tears but finally finding the courage to live life with no regrets ensured we are smiling at the very end. This is a wonderful, fully-realized one-shot with feels hitting you like a bomb.
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MANGA: RIHT
RIHT – Isiki
Childhood friends Yuu and Asa used to take for granted that they would always be together. However, one day, that certainty was suddenly proven wrong. Yuu felt it wasn’t something he could continue enduring forever. Gradually, he couldn’t help but realize his feelings went beyond a simple childhood friendship, and that came as a shock. Yuu, who thought that falling for Asa would be a nuisance for the people around him in those changing circumstances, chose to forget his love for him and play the part of an ordinary childhood friend.
The title reads as “light”. This is a manga that dazzles with pretty art but the story execution was all over the place. It tends to jump from present to flashbacks and back again to the point that it leaves the reader confused.
Yuu is a university student who needs to get out of his head more. He is pining for his childhood friend who was in fact actually trying to get close to him. He has a lot of insecurities and is afraid of revealing his true feelings. The internal conflict lack a solid basis and was more tiresome than compelling.
I wish we get Asa’s POV more simply because he was the more interesting of the two. But seeing him from Yuu’s POV also worked because it allows the story to have it’s big eyeopening moment for Yuu.
The best character here is Asahi, their sempai who was instrumental in bringing these two dorks together. I wished he gets a spinoff.
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MANGA: Senobi no Housoku
Senobi no Housoku – Okuyama Puku
A transfer student enters the class of Kousuke, a second-year in high school. Raku is tall and good-looking, the exact opposite of the shrimpy Kousuke, and very popular with the girls. Kousuke was jealous of Raku at first, until Raku comes clean about a certain secret, and asks Kousuke not to tell anyone. Ever since then, Raku seems to have taken a liking to Kousuke, and all of a sudden, they become really close! This is a high-school romantic-comedy about a mismatched pair!
This is a hyper-energetic, slow burn, slice-of-life story of two dorks who fell in love before they even realized it’s happening. The title translates to “The Rule Of Standing On Tiptoe”, referencing the height difference between the two MCs.
Chibi Kousuke met the tall Raku on the first day of school and they hit it off right away. The two, together with their group of quirky friends, navigate daily school life and beyond.
The story covers the year Kousuke and Raku’s relationship develop. The two each have his own hangups. Kousuke has issues with his height. Raku, who is half-American, wants to keep his ethnicity a secret because people tend to treat him differently. He went as far as dyeing his blonde hair brown and wearing black contact lenses.
These are not something they’re really angsty about but these run throughout the story. It’s also part of the reason why Raku was drawn to Kousuke. He did not make a big deal about Raku’s ethnicity and he kept it a secret.
There’s an unexpected love triangle at latter part. It wasn’t the annoying, thankfully. I want Hane, the third wheel, to have his own spinoff.
All the mangaka’s stories I read had so far been kawaii overload. This is no exception. Even the secondary characters were adorbs. I want to be friends with them. Everything looks so fun! It made me nostalgic about high school.
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MANGA: My Childhood Friend Was A God
My Childhood Friend Was A God – Ruru / Menten Watagashi
This is a story of a special boy who becomes a God once he turns 18 and his ordinary childhood friend.
In the story, there’s an event that may be seen as character death. Please be warned.
This is a sweet childhood friends to lovers story with a nice paranormal twist. In this world, gods are born among humans every 30-50 years or so until they turn 18 and return to nature.
Tomoya, a god, was born at the same time as Tarou. They were neighbors, classmates and best friends. Tarou is the only one who treats Tomoya as normal while the rest of humanity treats him with reverence and fear. Their wish was to go together to their school’s cultural festival. They have one last summer vacation together before they turned 18.
So the blurb warns that the ending has ninjas cutting onions but there’s a nice little extra at the end that kinda makes up for it. This one-shot was able cram the world-building, Tomoya’s lifetime as human and the progression of his relationship with Tarou in a single chapter without feeling rushed or missing an important element. Excellent execution all in all. Tomoya and Tarou will still have that dance.
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MANGA: Restart Wa Tadaima No Ato De
Restart Wa Tadaima No Ato De – Cocomi
Mitsuomi Kozuka quits his job due to his boss. He then decides to return to his hometown located in the countryside for the first time in 10 years. There Mitsuomi Kozuka meets Yamato Kumai, the stepson of old man Kumai, who runs a farm near the home of Mitsuomi Kozuka’s parents. Mitsuomi Kozuka and Yamato Kumai soon become good friends, but one night Mitsuomi Kozuka kisses Yamato Kumai while he is sleeping…
A slow burn, opposites attract, friends-to-lovers story of hot-tempered Mitsuomi who’s too honest for his own good and the cheerful Yamato who low-key keeps his distance from everyone.
The manga is set in a small town with the typical small town culture of gossiping and everybody knowing everybody else. Yamato is considered an outsider despite living there for 10 years. He constantly smiles to hide his true feelings. The only person he showed his weakness to was Mitsuomi.
I wasn’t immediately drawn to the story but as it progressed the feels start to become more evident. The story has a warm, soft atmosphere with slightly bittersweet vibe to it coming from the Yamato being adopted by an elderly couple and the pang that there’s not much time left together.
The ending was adorable. I didn’t like that people still gossip about them but they were out and they had friends. It was realistic but happy.
I heard that this is going to have a live-action adaptation!
