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MANGA: Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru
Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru – Mori Moyori
An assassin who cannot kill x a blind young man
“If you knew the real me… you’d be disappointed.”
Born into a family of assassins and living in a world of darkness, Chinatsu has been unable to kill anyone due to his past trauma.
When Chinatsu’s brother died before his very eyes, a boy reached out a hand to him.
That scene is still burned into his mind…
While having the same nightmare yet again, Chinatsu happens to see the boy from that day, Kasumi, again.
Unable to leave the blind boy alone, Chinatsu unexpectedly becomes his “friend”, but… Chinatsu, who suffers his family’s curse, and Kasumi, who despite his blindness is spirited and pure.
This is a story of salvation that melts the loneliness of two people living in darkness.Touch Within the Abyss is quite possibly one of the most beautiful manga I’ve ever read. The story and the artwork have fragile beauty that takes the breath away.
This is a story of a very reluctant assassin, Chinatsu, and his friendship with a blind young man, Kasumi. Unknown to Kasumi, Chinatsu was the young boy he helped five years ago when Chinatsu was forced to watch his brother die when Chinatsu failed to kill his target.
There’s an air of melancholy hanging over most chapters, echoing the loneliness of Kasumi, who was confined in the far corner of their estate because of his blindness. He longs to explore the world and could only do so through books.
Chinatsu is one of the best seme I’ve ever encountered, and Kasumi is the most precious uke ever! They are polar opposites. One deals with death, the other is pure and innocent. Yet, they complete each other.
With the melancholy vibe, I kept expecting tragedy. Had it been tragic, my heart wouldn’t survive it. It is a deeply poignant love story, and so very achingly tender. This manga has gripped me hard and swept me away with FEELS!
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MANGA: Kosodate Host wa Koi wo Tonaeru
Kosodate Host wa Koi wo Tonaeru – Riita Yui
No. 1 host Chiharu is raising his dead sister’s child. He’s got no idea what he’s doing, and everyday is a struggle. When one day, bad luck strikes him hard. he breaks his arm and because of a roof leak, his home is a mess. He’s at a complete loss, when the Head Priest of the nearby temple comes to his aid, offering to let him live at the temple for the time being. However, he’s astonished when he’s introduced to the Head Priest’s son. Standing in front of him was the only man who’d ever stolen the No.1 position from Chiharu – a former junior host: Fujinami! Even though he’s younger, Fujinami is very composed and should be the kind of guy that Chiharu hates. But the big hands that touch Chiharu so gently, as if to spoil him, are so pleasant. And Chiharu’s tense mind and body unravel….?
Host clubs are fascinating because of beautiful men whose sole purpose is to entertain customers, a.k.a. ply them with as much alcohol as they can, a.k.a generate sales which can go up to millions of yen. Very cutthroat! This I learned after watching ROLAND’s channel. He was Japan’s No. 1 host and now owns several businesses, two of which are host clubs.
So this manga immediately grabbed my attention, especially with that lovely cover. The Single-Parent Host Prays For Love wasn’t a glimpse of the inner workings of a host club. Instead it was the story of a single parent host playing house with a former rival.
Chiharu broke his arm protecting a customer, and to add insult to injury, his roof leaked. Unable to work and with late sister’s son to take care of, he was forced to rely on the kindness of the temple priest’s family. And it turned out their son, Ryou, was the former uber popular host who stole his No. 1 spot in the club!
The romance was cute and has a very cozy, domestic vibe. Chiharu does his best to take care of a toddler on his own. Fiercely independent, he’s learning that it’s okay to depend on others. Ryou is a sweet, caring guy who generously takes over babysitting duties whenever Chiharu is swamped with other responsibilities.
Then, like a flick of a switch, Ryou becomes this inconsiderate horndog who apparently has no qualms dub-conning a man with a broken arm. Dude could have waited until the cast was off, but no. There was even one scene where the sling came off, possibly exacerbating the injury, because the idiot was too pushy.
Sadly, the host club angle wasn’t strongly played. It would have been interesting to see the two top hosts competing. I don’t know if this was a debut, but the story has a lot of potential, though it feels unpolished and ended abruptly.
Someday, we’ll have a proper host club BL manga, and hopefully, a better seme too.
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MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2023
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MANGA: Enishi Majiwaru Haguremono
Enishi Majiwaru Haguremono – Tobi Washio
Kazusa, an exorcist gifted with strong spiritual powers, is spirited away by a Crow Tengu on his way back from a case. Nagi’s brilliant white feathers brand him an outcast from his people, but he has a plan: become stronger by siphoning the essence of a powerful exorcist… through the bond of sex.
Outcasts Bound by Fate is a paranormal romance between two traditional enemies, an exorcist and a crow yokai called tengu.
It all started when village pariah Nagi hatched a hair-brained scheme to strengthen his powers by sexually bonding with a young but powerful exorcist, Kazusa. And being powerful, Kazusa thwarted the white tengu’s advances repeatedly, though Nagi kept coming back night after night. Later, Kazusa recognized a kindred spirit and offered his friendship, which soon blossomed into something more.
Both MCs are outcasts since childhood, Nagi for being an albino and Kazusa for his supernatural abilities. The exorcist was dropped off the temple when he was still a child, and his parents quickly washed their hands of him. The tengu, though known to have strong wind powers, was nearly kicked out of his village if not for the village elder’s decision to let him stay.
The story is sweet and super funny, with an undercurrent of sadness that made me root hard for our outcast lovers. Nagi is stunning, hella gorgeous, and the perfect tengu seme. There’s not a lot of tengu boyfriends around, but this crow yokai adores his human, and it’s swoony AF!
And I loved Nagi for being the first to open his heart to a lonely tengu no one wants. And he might be a virgin, but he’s no shrinking violet. There’s lots of steam once Kazusa gets over his initial virginal hesitations. Plus, our boy’s a fighter who stormed an entire village to find his tengu after Nagi went missing!
All in all, a fateful tale full of laughs and feels!
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MANGA: Hatsukoi Kids Sitter
Hatsukoi Kids Sitter – Kuroda Kurota
Being a “good neighbor” is just not enough anymore!
After school, the third-year high school student Mitsuki’s daily routine is to play with the neighborhood kids.
As he was playing as usual, a scary-looking man with a scar on his face approached him!
He said he wanted to know how to interact with small children for his new brother who will be a new family member due to his mother’s remarriage.
The scary-looking man turns out to be Kyohei, who lives nearby and is one year younger than Mitsuki.
As they spend time together, he discovers Kyohei’s clumsy kindness, which is contrary to his look…?Their first love and lively children that can make you die from cuteness!
A happy heartwarming BL story of a fierce-looking younger boy and a caring older boy!First Love Kids Sitter is a super cute romance featuring the misleading appearance trope and a blushy seme.
Mitsuki is a senior high schooler who loves playing with the young kids in his neighborhood. One day, he was approached by a delinquent looking boy with an intimidating aura, Kyohei. It turns out, Kyohei wants to hang out with Mitsuki and the kids so he could learn how to interact with his little stepbrother.
Dog personality seme is my kryptonite! Kyohei reminds of a husky. These dogs look perpetually scowly but are really total sweethearts.
Kyohei’s scary exterior hides his adorkable marshmallow heart! He’s so precious I wanna wrap him in a blanket! Our grumpy-looking boy woos his first love with earnestness, pampering, and a promise to do his best for him and the kids. Mitsuki was confused about his feelings at first, but this ray of sunshine fell hard, too! Because who wouldn’t?!!!
And can we talk about how this manga is big on consent? Kyohei is a gentleman through and through!
Good vibes and swoons all around!
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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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