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Never Hollowed By The Stare
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  • Home
  • REVIEWS+RECS
    • MANGA
    • BOOK REVIEW
    • SOUNDTRACK
    • QUOTE
    • TRAILER
    • DESERT ISLAND CASTAWAYS
    • BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
    • Reviews A-Z
    • MINI MOVIE REVIEWS
  • MEMES+TAGS
    • MUSIC MONDAY
    • LAST YEAR I WAS READING
    • FLICKer FADE SUNDAY
    • TAGS
    • MISC POSTS
    • PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
    • FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56
  • TOURS & BLITZES
    • COVER REVEAL
    • GIVEAWAYS
  • About + Ratings
    • ABOUT + RATINGS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
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  • Uncategorized

    MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2020

    December 31, 2020 / 1 Comment
    Read More
    neverhollowed

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  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Haru no E

    October 30, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Haru no E – Nakamura Asumiko

    Andou gets an envelope passed to him in class that contains an erotic picture belonging to Kagaya Jin, the mysterious half French transfer student. A short, bittersweet tale from the Meiji era.

    “Spring Painting” is a one shot about an innocent student being initiated to sexual pleasure by his mysterious classmate by helping him get off on an erotic picture.

    Jin’s half-French origin gave him an air of the mysterious and exotic, further heightening the sense of the illicit and forbidden between the two boys. Not really keen on the dub-con aspect, tho. Sadly, this is quite prevalent in BL manga, especially between naive virgin uke + wicked experienced seme combination.

    This is an sensual, poetic story that pulls your emotions in different directions, something Nakamura Asumiko always excels at. The artwork has highly stylized character designs that’s stunning to look at. I liked that this is set in the Meiji era. I loved that East-West mix, especially when it comes to the fashion and art.

    Read More
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    BLOG TOUR: Heathen by Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods, Rachel Deering & Morgan Martinez (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)

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  • manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Ano Hi, Seifuku De

    October 6, 2020 / 1 Comment

    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 feelings

    5) 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,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Double Mints

    May 5, 2020 / 2 Comments
    ダブルミンツ- 漫画・無料試し読みなら、電子書籍ストア BookLive!

    Double Mints – Nakamura Asumiko

    “We can’t live without each other. You’re my other half.”
    “I’ve killed a woman.” The domineering voice on the phone was that of a high school classmate, Mitsuo Ichikawa. Buried memories from the past resurface in the heart of a man with the same name, Mitsuo Ichikawa. It drags him right back into the passions of the past. They reunite as accomplices, yet their relationship as master and servant slowly changes into something new…

    Fucked up, intense, very twisty and oddly touching.

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  • manga,  Uncategorized
    January 1, 2018 / No Comments

    Eiyuu to Shounen – Nakamura Asumiko

    A young boy remembers meeting his hero during wartime.

    Nakamura Asumiko can make you feel more in a one-shot  with 19 pages than most manga with a several chapters.

    (source: https://mangarock.com)

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  • manga,  Uncategorized
    December 9, 2017 / No Comments

    Boys Love – Nakamura Asumiko

    Boy meets boy. They fall in love.

    Boys, it’s alright. It’s perfectly alright.

    (source: http://mangapark.me)

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    November 1, 2017 / No Comments

    Boku no Suki na Nii-chan – Nakamura Asumiko

    The big brother that i like the most.

    This short piece packs a lot of punch and invokes strong conflicting emotions.

    (source: http://mangaonlinehere.com)

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  • manga,  Uncategorized
    September 29, 2014 / No Comments

    Occupation to Beloved – Nakamura Asumiko

    A continuation of the story of Kusakabe and Sajou as they enter the university and work on their dreams.

    More cuteness and more fluff abound with the most adorable pairing ever in this sequel but the volume could definitely do without the other pairings and side stories.

    (source: http://mangapark.com)

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  • manga,  Uncategorized
    September 28, 2014 / No Comments

    Sotsugyousei – Nakamura Asumiko

    Shards of memory with a brilliant radiance. As the seasons turn, two boys’ hearts are changing. Winter brings them close to each other, little by little. 

    This volume features one of the most adorable couples ever paired in manga. This sequel to Doukyuusei adds more drama, humor and fluff to an already awesome story.

    (source: www.mangago.com)

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  • manga,  Uncategorized
    September 23, 2014 / No Comments

    Adolte and Adarte – Nakamura Asumiko

    A full-color oneshot about two twins: one lives alone locked away in a tower and the other is a crown prince. What if they could trade places…?

    While not exactly shounen-ai, the beautiful artwork and brotherly bonds will draw you in.

    (source: kissmanga.com)

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