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MANGA: Akumariage
Akumariage – Shimiri
Kairi Tsuji was born with mysterious marks on his hands. One day, a demon appeared before him in order to take his soul as part of a contract from his past life. Kairi is in shock at the sudden turn of events, but the demon, Raju, cursed Kairi with the marks on his hands in order to prove it. Just as Kairi thinks his life is over, Raju pushes him down and takes his virginity…?!
Akuma+Mariage is for everyone who loves Grell-type characters: redhead, fangy, flirty, and hella clingy.
This is a story of Faustian deals and reincarnation where our boy, senior high schooler Kairi, is jealous of his former self and competes with that self in pleasuring his demon spouse, Raju. The demon refuses to leave his beloved Kairi’s side and follows him everywhere. Later, he transforms into a super-kawaii chibi version hidden in Kairi’s pocket.
Things become more exciting when Kairi’s memories of his past life return, and a powerful demon appears to stir trouble and attempt to ruin their relationship.
While Kairi and Raju’s romance was spicy and sweet, I was more interested in the other demon and the blond angel who appeared in a brief scene together. Their one-sided (the demon) antagonistic dynamics were more compelling to me. And you can tell the taller, arrogant demon is going to be the uke.
I also prefer past Kairi to the boring present Kairi. Past Kairi had more sass. Raju is a lovable horny himbo who adores all versions of Kairi and just wants to be showered with affection.
The closing chapter is fast-forwarded 10 years later and 27-year-old Kairi is ready to introduce his demon spouse to his mom. He’s showing more personality here so salaryman Kairi isn’t so bad, either.
Overall, a mixed bag. Read it for Raju!
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MANGA: Unmeiteki Lovemeter
Unmeiteki Lovemeter – Miyama Kaoruko
Kai Shizuki is an ex-idol who is considered a prince at school, but he has a secret. He can see balloons above people’s heads that give away their true emotions toward him. One day, while being chased by fans, Shizuki is unexpectedly saved by Shinozuka, the supposed bad boy. Even more surprising, Shinozuka’s balloons are bigger and glossier than any Shizuki has ever seen before.
Fateful Lovemeter is a delinquent romance between the school bad boy and a former child actor. And boy, do we love our delinquents with golden hearts!
Shizuki can see balloons above people’s heads that show their true feelings. He and Shinozuka became friends after Shizuki, chased by rabid fans, ran into the room where Shinozuka frequently hangs out. To his shock, Shizuka found that Shinozuka’s ballon was the biggest and shinest, and he wondered why.
Shinozuka, the notorious bad boy, is rumored to do dastardly deeds, from selling drugs to hiring sex workers to carrying a knife. In truth, he’s just a solitary creature working part-time at a clothing store, occasionally helping out his only friend, Tsuki, and a secret, hardcore Shizuki otaku. The gap moe is giving!!!
The more time Shizuki spends with Shinozuka, the more he learns of the other boy’s kinder, gentler nature. Meanwhile, Shinozuka is just happy to be around Shizuki, even from a distance, so imagine how big his balloon got now that they are friends, and Shizuki laughs or smiles or says nice things about him!
And OMG, the childhood connection!!!
Shinozuka’s balloon had grown so huge that Shizuki doesn’t know what to do with it! It took a while for him to come to terms with his feelings which led to some drama.
The only thing that would have burst this uber-cute bubble is the completely unnecessary rope scene. Fortunately, this was over quickly, and we’re back to balloons, beautiful boys, and a happy ending that is ridiculously adorbs!
Foals said it best:
We fly balloons on this fuel called love.
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MANGA: Afterglow
Afterglow – Wagase Wagimoko
“On one awful night, I met the strangest man.”
Kiyotaka Higuchi was on his way to becoming an elite cardiovascular surgeon after graduating from medical school. Yet, just before getting his specialty qualification, he was sent off to a remote rural town in Kyushu. Now practicing as an internal medicine physician, he struggles every day to listen to the strong accents of the elderly people he treats. Feeling dejected by what he sees as his sudden demotion, Higuchi spends his evenings drowning his sorrows, until one night, while he was drunk and crying, a yakuza named Tenju, rescues him. Not knowing what’s going on, he decides to go with the flow—
Sensei must be a K-pop fan because that muscular guy on the cover looked eerily similar to a K-pop idol.
Also, yakuza MCs come with the most GORGEOUS TATTOOS! Based on a real-life illustration of a six-armed god and fabulously illustrated on Tenju’s glorious body!
Afterglow started when drunk and miserable about his life, Higuchi bumped into the imposing and enigmatic Tenju in a dark alley. Tenju proceeded to dub-con his way into Higuchi’s life with a bold proclamation that he would make Higuchi fall for him.
Guess who fell first?
The good doctor not only has to deal with work pressure and culture shock at the small seaside town he moved to in Kyushu, but he also has to wrestle with conflicting feelings about the relentless Tenju, given that he is a man.
Higuchi is such a dork and a fish out of water the first few months he was there. I rooted hard for the doctor who tried to do his best but was held back by his PTSD. This is a huge blow to his self-esteem, and surprise, surprise, he had an unlikely but effective cheerleader!
I was prepared to hate Tenju the first time he borderline non-conned Higuchi, who was conscious but too drunk to fend off the attack. As the story progresses, we see the surprisingly tender, kinder side of the yakuza underboss, especially in his support of Higuchi’s dream.
Later, we learn that Tenju lives the underground life because it is the only way he knows how to live, being the son of the boss. As cocky as he is, he has a healthy respect of Higuchi’s accomplishments and acknowledges his own humble education
My favorite part of the story is how a respected doctor and a feared yakuza developed a deep connection. I was skeptical at first, but I was swept away by their earnest if unconventional relationship. That they are good for each other was so obvious that even Tenju’s underlings cheered them on.
This one’s a super steamy manga. The drawings are detailed and include cross-sectional highlights. The smut is off the charts, and so are the FEELS!
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MANGA: Koishii Revival
Koishii Revival – Kuroi Tsumuji
First-year university student Higurashi is suddenly reunited with Yoyama, a senior from his high school track and field club. However, Yoyama has lost all of his memories from high school due to a traffic accident. One day, as bits and pieces of Yoyama’s memory start to return, he asks Higurashi “You confessed to me…?”
Koiishi Revival is an amnesia trope, second-chance romance story that could have gone angsty and dramatic.
Higurashi has been crushing on his senpai since high school, fellow track and field athlete Yoyama. Now, in the university, Higurashi is still pining hard.
Amnesiac Yoyama couldn’t help but notice how Higurashi always went out of his way to help him or keep him company. It eventually jolted some vague long-lost memories of high school connections, until Yoyama asked if Higurashi ever confessed to him.
There’s still a bit of drama here, but the story is delightfully light-hearted and wholesome, always with a thread of optimism and joy even in the more emotional scenes. Our boy Higurashi won me over immediately with his sunshine personality, even when hurting, still managed to keep his smile.
There is a slow wooing of Yoyama, the romance going at almost the same pace as his recovering his memories. Yoyama is a bit more serious and his friendship-turned-relationship with Higurashi was deceptively casual in its transition. No grand gestures, no big to-dos, but boy, was it cute!!! The smile on Higurashi’s face was blinding!
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MANGA: Tantei to Neko-chan
Tantei to Neko-chan – Josee
An ex-police officer private detective × a mysterious young man.
The one that had been creeping in Kawasaki’s heart unnoticed, who runs a detective agency, is sometimes a pushy assistant, sometimes an investigation target (!?), Okachimachi…
Detective and Neko-Chan is a forced proximity, workplace romance that felt, well, forced.
I am not a fan of characters who have affairs with married people. Unfortunately, Okachimachi is a guy who sleeps with other men in exchange for something. The men are frequently married.
Okachimachi is a desperate, needy mess who latched on to the latest person who showed him kindness, which happened to be Kawasaki. Kawasaki is a serial do-gooder whose tender heart bleeds for everything from stray cats to hapless disaster magnets like Okachimachi.
The part that left me unconvinced is that it doesn’t have to be Kawasaki. Okachimachi would have latched on to anyone to fill the void inside him.
The romance might be meh, the PI part makes up for it. The supporting cast and the cases make this manga enjoyable.
Kawasaki is a PI and frequently handles cheating spouse cases. It’s how he met Okachimachi, who later became his assistant. In these investigations, Okachimachi made himself pretty useful, making effective use of his androgynous looks to entrap cheaters.
The clients were interesting as well. One was a woman who wanted evidence against her best friend’s fiancé because she was convinced he was committing marriage fraud. It has a nice little twist. The client has feelings for her best friend.
One memorable case was a man requesting them to search for the true owner of his ring, his missing old lover. The client promised to return with a picture of his lover but never did. They found the old lover, nonetheless, but there was a shocking revelation! This is my favorite case.
There are other queer supporting characters and an adorable fat cat. My favorite was Hibiki, a pet detective and a misanthrope who prefers the company of animals to people. He always has a mischievous glint in his eyes and is eerily perceptive. I wished he was the one pair with Kawasaki.
Overall, a mix-bag but mostly a win. Hibiki deserves his own manga!
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MANGA: Ouji-sama no Hanryo wa Batsuichi Arafou
Ouji-sama no Hanryo wa Batsuichi Arafou – Shiramatsu
Tatsumi Yagasaki, a corporate writer who is tired of life, is forced to help Prince Nico of Rasheed Kingdom, who came to Japan to produce a guide book about it. Being dragged by the Prince everyday made Tatsumi very exhausted but he was touched by seeing Nico’s honest and innocent smile.
When he woke up the next day he realized that he and the Prince did it (they had sex). Tatsumi was afraid of the ‘death punishment’ as a consequence, but he saw Nico who was happy and embarrassed at the same time.
Because of the old custom of “spending your life with the person you gave your virginity to”, he was forced to become his “partner”!. A love story that transcends the social status and nationality of a divorced around 40 year old and a Prince!
On the one hand, The Prince’s Companion Is Batsuichi Around 40 is a cute, age-gap, forced proximity romance between a 36-year-old corporate writer, Tatsumi, and the adorable Prince Nico, the royal ambassador of the Kingdom of Rasheed.
Prince Nico immediately latched on to Tatsumi after he was rescued by the latter while wandering around the city. They then worked together on a project, a Japanese guidebook for Rasheed. Their forced proximity led to intimacy, and suddenly, the prince declared Tatsumi his partner for life.
It’s easy to be swept away by the story. It’s fun, humorous, and earnest. Tatsumi also has aspirations as a novelist, and Nico’s enthusiasm and all-out support for his writing are contagious!
However, most of these are something we have already seen many times. The Japanese concept of an exotic foreign prince usually defaults to the vaguely Arabian character design we see on the cover, and Prince Nico is yet another stereotype. However, I couldn’t help but love his joyful character.
Also, the prince did most of the heavy lifting with his energetic, sunshine personality, while Tatsumi was rather boring, IMHO. Tatsumi has issues and insecurities, bemoaning his old age (36!), divorced status, and failed writing.
Though a mixed bag, this manga is still a win. Read it for Prince Nico!
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MANGA: Joushitsu na Otoko to H
Joushitsu na Otoko to H – Sonoo Michiru
Kifumi Tsuzuki is a tax auditor and as such, people despise him. No matter, Tsuzuki loves the sight of defeated businesspeople as they reluctantly hand over their due assets. Nothing gets him more excited. Perhaps, not even sex. However, Tsuzuki might have to face the reality that maybe somebody is interested in him. That somebody being Shinichi Nakahara, the CEO of the company that Tsuzuki has just audited. What kind of man tries to court the very person who ripped away money from his arms? Oh, how the tables turn. And this time, it looks like Mr. Nakahara is after Tsuzuki and HIS assets, too
Taxes, or worse, tax penalties, are not on the list of things we expect to spark a romance. So when the words “tax auditor” jumped at me from the blurb, along with that same auditor pursued by the CEO whose company he just cleaned out, I had to investigate immediately.
This is from Sonoo Michiru, who created Dental Darling and S.O.S.? Salt or Sugar?. I loved that her works feature characters in not-commonly written about jobs.
Her story telling here, where the chapters show the events from current to how they meet, was an interesting way of showing how the relationship evolved and the various nuances of their dynamics. The characters, like in her other works, tend to speak bluntly which leads to many humorous dialogues, and are open about their sexuality.
Sex with a High-Grade Man is as it says on the tin. And so much more! The “more” is a ridiculously swoony and spicy romance that, by all accounts, should have been an intense psychological/legal battle between enemies turned lovers.
Instead, dog personality CEO, Shinichi Nakahara, happily regales their friends with how he met his boyfriend, the rabid hyena of a tax auditor, Kifumi Tsuzuki. who hit him with atrocious tax penalties. He likened the experience to paying tribute to a king, to which Kifumi smiled with regal smugness.
People tend to call Nakahara a stupid third-generation CEO. He lets them think what they like. He’s deceptively good at what he does. His laid-back, smiley personality belies a keen mind. Most of his brain power is used to plan dates he thinks Kifumi would like. Nakahara adores his Kiki and dotes on his boyfriend every chance he gets.
Kifumi is that person whose life revolves around his job. He loves taxes so much he spent his summer break checking financial papers, helping weed out crooked employees in Nakahara’s company, or New Year’s Day counting the taxes he can squeeze out of anything taxable. Nakahara saw him there and quickly roped him in.
His cat personality has an aversion to touch and has as many moles on his face as I do. He’s lonely but would rather eat 100-yen pennies than admit it. Nakahara latched on to Kifumi and pursued him with the jolly kindness of a Labrador.
Together, this unlikely power couple has the healthiest, most supportive, and most affectionate relationship I’ve seen, especially among workaholic characters with high-pressure jobs. The implicit trust and the open communication are giving me life, especially knowing they were, in a way, on “opposing sides”. The gentle face touches hit me in the kokoro every time!
Overall, this manga is definitely a top pick for this year. Nakahara is the best BL boyfriend!!! Our Kiki is one lucky cat!
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MANGA: Dental Darling
Dental Darling – Sonoo Michiru
Sensei Hani is the director of a dental clinic that looks like it’s going to collapse at any moment, despite his good skills.
Morisawa, a surly and handsome doctor, is forced onto him by his teacher from university!?
Dental Darling is a deceptively charming story of socially awkward people, blunt in speech and dorks all around. It’s also an interesting peek into the secret lives of dental professionals.
Hani is a dentist at a barely surviving dental clinic. He was forced to take in an apprentice despite being unable to afford the salary. Morisawa is a tall, good-looking man whose direct speech can be off-putting. Later, it was revealed that he’s actually nervous about interacting with people.
At first, the conversations between the dentist and assistant cycled from how broke Hani is, persuading Morisawa to quit, to bemoaning that the clinic might close soon. Later, Morisawa started enticing Hani to eat via stockholder tickets for free meals and encouraging him to think of ways to keep the clinic going.
I loved how the story crept up on me, and before I realized it, I was completely invested in these two dorks and their efforts to keep the clinic in business. Similarly, I initially found their conversations repetitive. Then, I was laughing out loud at ridiculous antics.
Things became even more hilarious when a third person joined them. Saijo is a big, muscular man they hired as the dental hygienist. Hani wanted to hire a big-breasted woman because he thought the male patients might like it. Morisawa, who handled the hiring, went with Saijo because he had the biggest chest.
This musclehead became their biggest cheerleader, shipping Morisawa with Hani, because he noticed Morisawa’s interest. The scenes where Saijo jumped to conclusions or his spectacularly obvious *wink*wink *nudge*nudge signals were a riot!
I didn’t expect to like this manga as much as I did but I loved how funny and lovable these awkward doofuses are. Each character is a play of contrasts, the gap between appearances and personalities creating a refreshing dynamics between the three MCs. Together, they turned the clinic from struggling to thriving!
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MANGA: Koi Tokidoki, Yakisaba Teishoku
Koi Tokidoki, Yakisaba Teishoku – Oshima Kamome
Contains three short stories: Love Is Sometimes a Grilled Fish Set Meal, Memorable Memory Reunion and The Reason Kuro Became Human.
Love Is Sometimes a Grilled Fish Set Meal is a tale of the cocky investment manager setting out to woo the aloof restaurant owner, who wouldn’t give him the time of day no matter how shamelessly he flirted.
Nagase is openly gay and openly pursuing Ishizuka right in front of Ishizuka’s father and customers. The nosy old geezers took a vested interest in their relationship and cheered them on, blatantly asking for the sordid details. Nagase, the narcissist, was eager to regale them.
This is a play on the indoor/outdoor faces people have. Nagase wants to project coolness with every move but gets flustered by Ishizuka’s reactions. Only when he realizes Ishizuka is only interested in his real self that the dork devolves into the dork that he is.
I love the subtle reactions that explode into heartfelt declarations. I’m a huge fan of food-centric BL manga, and out of the three stories, this takes the cake!
Memorable Memory Reunion is a gap-moe romance between two recently reunited childhood friends. This is also a take on that trope where the bullied kid grew taller than his protector.
Rihito and Masami used to play near the graveyard as kids. Rihito protects the then-smaller Masami from bullies. One day, they found a porn mag and started wondering about kissing. Then, they did kiss and found they enjoyed it. The next day, it was as if nothing happened.
Fast forward to the present, Rihito returns to his hometown for a funeral and finds that his old friend Masami is now a monk. A smoking, drinking monk who slyly stole another kiss from him.
This one is okay. It’s enjoyable but not my favorite. There’s the illicit thrill of debauchery with a monk, but overall, it’s a standard childhood friends-to-lovers story.
The Reason Kuro Became Human is why we don’t deserve dogs.
One day, Tohru opened his bedroom door to find a naked man putting on his clothes. A man with dog ears and tail claiming he is Kuro, Tohru’s dog.
Kuro said he wanted to help Tohru with his fish shop because sales have been low a.k.a. Tohru is grumpy and scares off customers. Seeing Kuro’s boundless good cheer that’s winning his customers’ hearts, he lets him assist in the shop.
Until one day, Kuro revealed the real reason why he turned human
A bit iffy in a way. I mean, it’s his dog. Tohru had to process, but eventually, our boy realized he got good things going. Kuro won my heart from the get-go, because how could you hate this ray of sunshine?! He’s just too adorable.!!
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MANGA: Itooshiki Hibi
Itooshiki Hibi – Sono.N
A 50sX60s BL. We met when we were 18 and 28, from that time… until now, I’ve always loved you.
“I’ll wait no matter how long, even 10 years or 20 years. Even when we’ve become old men.”
Following the life path of two people from different generations – This is a tender life story. Akihiko, an employee in his 50s and Makoto, who’s 10 years older than him, are lovers, sons and family. From when we meet as tutor and pupil, things that have changed, and things that are unchanged…
Old men yaoi with plenty of old men sex? The ultimate relationship goals!
Our Lovely Days is one of the most heartwarming portraits of a happy couple’s lifetime of love and togetherness. The story opens with the two men in cozy domesticity. Makoto is in his 60s, already retired, and bored puttering inside the house alone. Akihiko is in his 50s, already keen to retire and putt around the house with Makoto, but still has 10 years to go.
The two are still as lovey-dovey as they were young, still active in bed, though with their age, admittedly need magic pills to get going. And boy, do they keep going, even well into their 70s and 80s.
The chapters flash back to the decades they were together. They first met when Akihiko was a senior high schooler struggling with his entrance exams, and Makoto, then 28 became his tutor. Soon feelings developed, Makoto as the adult, tried to step back but Akihiko was determined, using his crush as the motivation to ace his exams.
The succeeding chapters were about their lives as working adults, later becoming a family, up until the inevitable ending that one makes peace with. This is a couple who are not only husbands but also each other’s best friends. They communicate their feelings openly, talk about each other’s hobbies, and affectionately notice how the other has changed throughout the years.
One interesting thing in Japan where same-sex marriage is not allowed, is that gay couples use adoption as a way to become legally recognized as a family. In this case, Makoto adopted Akihiko as his “son” and with that, they were essentially husbands. Akihiko takes Makoto’s last name.
In the mangaka’s note, they said they set out to write a straightforward happy ending. It is the simplest plot there is yet rarely written. We do love our plot twists, angst, and conflicts. But here the mangaka created the most basic story and they went HARD! Read this and I dare you not to bawl!
It’s one of the most emotional, uplifting manga I’ve read!
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