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MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2021
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MANGA: Beast & Dispar
Beast – 4U
A beast frontman who has nothing but a body to believe in. A bizarre beautiful white dragon who wants to tame him and get his hands on him. Three pieces of muddy history that began in the late 80’s.
Dispar – 4U
Miha has always felt like an outsider, even within his own family. Sohwa takes full advantage of that, forcing him to do his biddings. However, an incident takes place that helps Miha and Sohwa to reflect and figure out what they are feeling for each other.
A double feature for Christmas with two riveting dark psychological manga about fucked up relationships.
Beast is the prequel, set in the 80s. Korean Jeon Doo-in, known as the Beast, works for a Chinese mob boss, Baek Ryong, known as the White Dragon. I picked this up because it reminded me so much of Captive Prince.
Doo-in does whatever Ryong tells him to do. Their relationship has always been antagonistic. At first glance, it seems like the larger man is some sort of very rude, highly aggressive indentured slave. There was a big scene of him being chained to the wall and whipped. I immediately thought of that scene where Laurent had Damen whipped.
There is a strong BDSM element here. Their sex frequently involves pain and blood play. The power dynamics is explicit with the dominant White Dragon fully clothed and the uke Beast naked. Later in the main story, the Beast gains power and is showed with some clothes on beside the White Dragon.
I really enjoyed the enemies with benefits thing they had going on and how they always gravitate towards each other. As the story progressed, we see stronger, more complex feelings and deeper ties between the two. I liked this one more than the main story.
Dispar is about Doo-in’s two sons. Miha is the older brother, the illegitimate son who is hopelessly in love with his younger brother. He tends to be submissive and passive. Sohwa is younger by 8 years but he’s bigger and more dominant. He’s also the biggest asshole there is. He’s the favorite causing Miha to feel left out. According to his bio, Sohwa loves Miha but doesn’t know it yet. Whatever.
The two are sleeping together, or more like, Miha lets himself get used by his younger brother just so he can get whatever crumb of affection he can get. Their already complicated relationship got even more convoluted when Sohwa was stabbed and had amnesia.
The story has the same vibe as Stalking Killing where the abused one is obsessed with his abusive love interest. I wasn’t really rooting for the two because I wasn’t drawn to any of them as characters. But there was something about the story that kept me reading.
It’s a very compelling manga by itself. Aside from the psychological aspect, we also get mystery, revenge, love triangles, and very intriguing side characters. With the additional motivation of seeing Doo-in and Ryung together again, I finished all the existing chapters up to the part where the mangaka went into hiatus. It’s a testament to how good it is because I normally wouldn’t read anything with more than 10 chapters and certainly not one with 30 chapters and still ongoing.
I won’t go outright and recommend this because I’m pretty sure this is not most people’s cup of tea. Please do heed the TWs: trauma, rape, incest, abuse.
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MANGA: Spoon ga Magattara
Spoon ga Magattara – Yuukura Aki
Tomoki Hoshiko is a troubled student who others steer clear of. Hidaka Asai, on the other hand, is the top student in the school, but his quiet bookishness hasn’t made him any friends, either… After the two of them get teleported away from school by accident, Hidaka confesses that he has powers to Tomoki. Why did he tell him his secret? Maybe Hidaka is the only one who knows Tomoki’s true nature… Check out this super power love story!
Bending The Spoon is a ridiculously floofy story of a straight A student with psychic powers who became friends with the notorious delinquent.
The two came together when a bored Tomoki threw a ball that accidentally hit the window just as Hidaka was passing by. In a flash, they teleported to the next town over. Hidaka then confessed he had psychic abilities. He willingly told Tomoki because he knew nobody would believe the other boy if he spilled his secret.
Hidaka mostly keeps to himself and deliberately tries to live an uneventful life so he wouldn’t trigger his powers. He has an over-protective dad who set up all these rules so that Hidaka doesn’t hurt himself or others. As a result, he end up missing out on basic stuff such how to ride a bus or going to the beach.
Tomoki is the despair of his teachers. He intimidates most of his classmates. As the story progressed, we see his naturally caring side coming out. I loved how he looked after Hidaka almost by instinct.
This is a slow-burn, friends to lover romance. I loved the pure, gentle atmosphere and those magical doki-doki moments of young hearts falling in love for the first time.
Stories about bad boys with heart of gold is catnip to me, especially when it is told from their perspective. So I really enjoyed that the manga is mostly from Tomoki’s POV. We also get parts of Hidaka’s POV.
This dual perspective worked really well in that sleepover scene where Tomoki started counting sheep really hard because he thought Hidaka might be able to read his thoughts. Meanwhile, Hidaka goes I wish I knew what he was thinking. Kyaa~! ♡ (๑￫‿ฺ￩๑) ♡
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MANGA: Old-Fashioned Cupcake
Old-Fashioned Cupcake – Sagan Sagan
Sleep, wake, and work — sums up the day-to-day life of 39-year old, Nozue. A routine that eases him, and conversely weighs heavily on him — which worries the hard-eyed but reliable Togawa, a 29-year old subordinate of his. In an unexpected turn of events, the two of them end up visiting a pancake shop bustling with girls.
Old-Fashion Cupcake is a beautifully drawn age-gap, workplace romance. Cupcake is an apt title because Nozue is a total sweetheart. He’s a mild-mannered man, a little too hang-up on his age, good-looking, well-liked, and highly respected at work. While always kind, he’s also spectacularly clueless about his subordinate, Togawa’s advances towards him.
I loved that this is from Nozue’s oblivious POV but we can see Togawa’s subtle but unmistakable attraction towards his superior. The two started going on food trips when Nozue casually mentioned a desire to enjoy things the way two girls they spotted on the train station were having fun hanging out. Togawa then gamely took Nozue to various cafes popular with women. They eat pancakes and parfaits while taking pictures of the food the way girls would do.
The love story is wonderful! Togawa is one of the best manga boyfriends there is. He’s super thoughtful, very perceptive, and completely devoted to Nozue. He talks the older man out of his I’m-an-old-geezer funks. I love how the two poke fun at the 10-year age gap between them.
The manga tackles middle-aged woes. Nozue spends too much time angsting about his old age. But this is not a story about recapturing the glories of youth. It’s more about learning to live rather than being stuck in a rut because of fear of failure.
I enjoyed how the story flowed smoothly. Even at some parts where there was a huge chunk of text, they didn’t bog down the pace. The romantic development was slow but so emotionally moving. I rooting hard for Nozue. The guy could use definitely use some TLC.
And, OMG! That ending! Togawa really knows how to drop a bombshell.
But this is just volume 1. The story continues in “Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino“
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MANGA: Loveless
Loveless – Penguin Frontier
Lee is doesn’t feel love. Or so he thought…
Thirty-something salaryman Lee is living a lonely life, incapable of feeling love since the time his parents died when he was young. He’s roommates with another man, a guy who trusts no one after breaking up with his girlfriend. The two lived together and occasionally sleeps together, all out of convenience. One day, their simple arrangement changes…
Loveless is a one-shot that will crush your heart into tiny pieces in one short chapter. It’s a very succinct portrait of a life barely lived, of people going through the motions of living. It’s about a relationship that can hardly be called a relationship and how one doesn’t realize what they truly have until it’s gone.
The manga is very melancholy. The gorgeous colored art really did a good job reflecting that broody, introspective mood. I imagined this would make a great short film. I could already picture the beautiful soft-focused shots of the lonely people in the city at night ala Wong Kai Wai.
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MANGA: Only Mine
Only Mine – Katou Setsuko
A collection of stories.
This volume is a collection of slice-of-life stories, mostly about salarymen and a couple university students.
Only Mine is a romance between a taxi driver and his passenger. The salaryman was pretty forward but I liked the way their relationship developed. The taxi driver was adorably blushy. This needs to be a series or a full volume at least.
Omoi Megurasu (Think About) is two antagonistic coworkers bonding over a dog. Well actually, it was more like one begged the other to play with his dog. He was turned down but the stubborn man showed up unannounced anyway. This one had some twisty surprises. Really liked how the story played out.
Dare yori Negau Shiawase wa (I Wish Your Happiness More Than Anyone) has an interesting premise but boring execution. This is about two men working in the bridal industry. Couldn’t say more about it because it was so meh.
Boku no Jiman no Koibito desu (You Are My Special Lover) is about a salaryman who had to endure his coworkers boasting about their girlfriends. They all thought he was single and wanted to set him up. Dare he show them his boyfriend’s pictures? This is a nicely-done coming out story. The couple had such a great relationship. They really took time to talk things out. The boyfriend is a total sweetheart! So worth showing off!
Mokuyoubi no Yoru, Sentou de (At Thursday Night, In Public Bath) is about a university student who goes to the public bath owned by his classmate. Said classmate would then stare at his body, smiling like a loon, while he takes a bath. I’m all for a guy who’s upfront about things but ogling your customer while they bathe is creepy. The story was boring too.
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MANGA: Midara Na Sasayaki
Midara Na Sasayaki – Minase Masara
Sequel to Kokoro to Karada no Hazama. Coworkers Ryuuichi and Haruyoshi are dating but now Ryuuchi’s working all hours.
Indecent Whispers is the raunchier sequel to The Interval Between the Heart and the Body. This one-shot is a glimpse at the life of your typical overworked couple.
Haruyoshi is getting increasingly frustrated with his blue balls situation. His lover, Ryuuichi, has been working overtime during the weekends. When they finally had some alone time together, Ryuuichi was too tired to get in the mood. Desperate times call for desperate measures, Haruyoshi decided to get creative.
I think this skirted the edge of dub-con. Although, the two were already a couple so…I don’t know. I’m also not sure these two would last given Ryuuichi’s seeming lack of effort to give his boyfriend some attention. I get he’s tired but he could have offered to cuddle while getting some shut-eye instead of being bitchy.
Overall, I liked the prequel better. However, I think this would make a good series. A few more chapters might do wonders to Ryuuichi’s prickly attitude.
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MANGA: Kokoro To Karada No Hazama
Kokoro To Karada No Hazama – Minase Masara
Kokoro to Karada no Hazama is a prequel to Midara na Sasayaki scanlated by Hochuuami Haruyoshi was always a player until he met Ryuuichi. Now he’s settled down, but suddenly Ryuuichi says he’s going to an omai! Has Haruyoshi been wrong about their relationship the entire time?
The Interval Between the Heart and the Body are two idiots, Haruyoshi and Ryuuichi, fuck buddies who didn’t talk properly about their true feelings for each other.
Things came to a head when Ryuuichi met a girl for a marriage interview. Haruyoshi threw a fit, wanting to sabotage his lover’s date. His loyal-but-so-goddamn-tired-of-this-shit friend, Takahara, decided to take action forcing the two lovers to confront each other.
That is basically what happened. The rest was them having make up sex. Still, as simple as the plot is, this one-shot was still interesting enough for me to look forward to the sequel. What happens when they take their relationship to the next level?
Best character here is obviously Takahara, being the only sensible one. I’m on the fence about whether I want him to be secretly in love with his dork of a best friend or not but I definitely want him to have his own manga.
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MANGA: Ishibashi Defence Corps Individual
Ishibashi Defence Corps Individual – Unohana
Kokubunji, a Uni student with a rugged face, endures harsh training everyday in order to protect his friend, Ishibashi, who has an angelic smile and a supple body.── During class, club activities, and on holidays, he must carefully observe Ishibashi, so that he does not face danger! For his beloved Ishibashi, Kokubunji must struggle on a daily basis! He is tested to act logically, constantly! He is in defensive war for his best friend, with the Uni’s top student (with a dirty mind).
Ishibashi Defense Corps Individual is a funny, hopelessly in love with your best friend story about the super athletic Kokubunji whose sole purpose in life was to protect his beloved best friend, Ishibashi.
Ishibashi is a cheerful guy who is passionate about protecting his country. He and Kokubunji have been friends since middle school. Unbeknownst to him, his grumpy friend only joined the defense academy just to be with him.
The two friends navigate freshman and senior year. Being a natural athlete, Kokubunji excelled at everything effortlessly. The only thing he struggled with was hiding his true feelings towards Ishibashi.
I really liked the manga’s military navy setting. The story itself is light-hearted and cute. Kokubunji’s total adoration for his friend was super sweet and pure. I loved how the two friends progressed into boyfriends. It just felt natural. The scene where Kokubunji fried his brain when Ishibashi kissed him was hilarious!
The artwork is not that unique but I loved the way the mangaka drew the expressions. Especially Kokubunji’s. The man has an epic resting bitch face. His going-gaga-over-Ishibashi-while-trying-to-keep-it-cool face was super funny. He gave off this intimidating aura but he’s really just a big dork.
Bonus here was Sakura-senpai, Ishibashi’s roommate. He is a great character. Kokubunji thought their senpai was after his best friend so his hackles were up. Later, it was revealed that their senpai was actually, quite sneakily, working to turn the friends into a couple. They also learned that Sakura has a boyfriend. I’d love to read their story too!
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MANGA: Kemonomichi wo Tadotte
Kemonomichi wo Tadotte – Satsuki Yuki
One full moon night, a man suddenly meets the werewolf “Kuro”, hiding in the back alley. Immediately fascinated by the werewolf’s overwhelming presence, all reason is lost in the face of pleasure.
Kemonomichi wo Tadotte is a rare werewolf manga with actual knotting. Beyond the smut, this is really a tender kismet romance between two werewolf breeds. In this world, werewolves who stayed in the forest are called ‘kuro’ while those who decided to blend with humans are called ‘shiro’.
One day, a shiro found a kuro on the streets on a full moon night. He convinces the wolf to stay with him for the night. The kuro found it difficult to accept such kindness until the moon compelled him to take the shiro.
What I liked best was the twist later on. It’s the typical childhood connection plotline but it gave the story weight. And elevated what would have been nothing but more than an excuse for some knotty sex into a compelling love story that made me want more of this couple.
This oneshot has great potential! Turn this into a series please.
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