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MANGA: Keppeki Buchou no Mousou
Keppeki Buchou no Mousou – Setsuna Kai
At the corner of the company cafeteria full of employees who are enjoying their meals together, Endou Kurenai always eats his own lunch alone due to his sour face kept being misunderstood. Then, a newcomer cook in the cafeteria, Ayabashi Hisame, notices the situation and offers his cooking. But, the mysophobic Endou who couldn’t even stand the cafeteria’s plate, only leaves with a word, “Sorry…”, without lifting his chopsticks at all. Ayabashi, who doesn’t know about it, keeps struggling and refuses to give up. And this straightforward novice cook somehow evoking Endou’s delusion…!
“Mysophobic Chief’s Delusional Tasting” is a tale of scowly chief, Endou, whose scary expression belies a lively imagination. He eats alone, having scared off his co-workers, so he entertains himself by daydreaming.
Enter cute new cafetaria cook, Ayabashi, who took it upon himself to befriend the chief by tempting him with various dishes. At first, the germaphobe chief refused until he noticed Ayabashi’s hard work. Soon he found himself tasting the dishes and then his imagination devolved into more salacious territory as he imagined what Ayabashi’s fingers taste like.
Wild imaginings aside, this is an adorable story that reminded me of my all-time favorite ace romance story, His Quiet Agent by Ada Marie Soto. They are both stories about winning the hearts of picky eaters by lovingly force feeding them delectable dishes.
This one-shot also featured a similarly ostracized and misunderstood protagonist with a brilliant mind and a popular love interest determined to break through their walls. It’s a winning combination that works well with fluffy, humorous stories.
I wished this was a full-length manga. There was no actual romance here. This was more of a prequel than anything else. The manga was a fun look at what promised to be quite an interesting couple. If only Endou would have the guts to make a move and make his dreams come true.
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MANGA: Haru no E
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.
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MANGA: Bokura no Tsuzuki
Bokura no Tsuzuki – Amamiya
Highschoolers Yousuke and Shuu have become somewhat estranged due to an accident early in their childhood. However, their relationship is restored when Shuu moves to the shopping district Yousuke resides in, to stay at his grandmother’s place. Yousuke, although akward at first, starts feeling stirred by the expressions and mannerisms that the usually aloof Shuu only shows to him!
“Our Continuation” is a story of reunited childhood friends.
Cheerful Yousuke meets tsundere Shuu again at his grandma’s side dish shop when Yousuke was delivering veggies from their green grocer. Shuu snubs him, and then again at school. Yousuke continues trying to talk him until one day, they were having a somewhat normal conversation.
Majority of the story is from Yousuke’s POV and we see how the grumpy Shuu was slowly opening up to him. The pace was nice and slow. The manga gives off warm, soft vibes, that only makes the FEELS that much stronger.
The artwork is gorgeous! It perfectly captures the personality of both characters. I especially liked how Amamiya drew the eyes. Best part for me, apart from the eyes and the blushes, are the scenes where they subtly touch each other’s hands.
The whole thing was just so wholesome and adorable, I turned to mush.
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MANGA: Yuujou Wo Oeru To Iu Koto
Yuujou Wo Oeru To Iu Koto – Rocky
Ryou befriends the nerdy Kousuke. Later on, Ryou confessed to him. Kousuke agrees under one condition…
The title roughly translates to “To end the friendship”
I was expecting fluff and cute. What I got was a somewhat psychological drama about boyfriends who promised not to let lies ruin their relationship. They were tested when another boy confessed to Ryou while mimicking Kousuke’s appearance. Ryou turned the boy down. After this, Kousuke roughly shoved Ryou to the wall reminding him of their agreement.
I was surprised by this turn of events especially coming from Kousuke. All the while he seemed mild-mannered. I wouldn’t mind if the manga headed down a darker route. It didn’t quite get there. This is okay too if it was going for just hints of dark. Thing is, it felt like it was going for something but missing the mark entirely.
The only aspect I liked here was the art, especially that beautifully drawn picture of Kousuke on the cover.
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MANGA: Ki ga Au Iu Koto wa
Ki ga Au to Iu Koto wa – Asou Kai
1. Ki ga Au to Iu Koto wa – Shiraishi has been seduced by his so called “Best Friend” for 6 years since they were both in high school. The train they take to work, their favorite music, their sandwich choice for lunch… always happen to be identical. That strange relationship would never ever change, supposedly. But now that Shiraishi is divorced, it could be just a matter of time before he gets himself scored.
2. 1 + 1 + 1 – Between a man who bears a past and a revived lover, the existence of a certain “man” becomes the trigger. Both prickly pain and sweetness are all in one long story…
The Meaning Of Being Like-Minded is a two-story volume featuring the guys from the oneshot, Ki ga Au to Iu Koto de and a paranormal love triangle between a convenient store clerk, a salaryman and his dead boyfriend.
Ki ga Au to Iu Koto wa: This is how Shiraishi and Iizuka started, flashing back to their high school days when Iizuka revealed he was gay and Shiraishi said some words of support. From then on, Iizuka was forever declaring his love for Shiraishi while the latter was not really reciprocating but not actually rejecting him either.
Iizuka has a genki puppy dog personality. Shiraishi has a poker face and comes off as cold.
The story shows Iizuka pursuing him persistently. The thing with this trope is that the character tends to come across as too pushy and annoying. What I like about Iizuka is that he doesn’t overdo it.
While the one-shot sequel was more fluffy, this was on the angstier side. Most of the POV was from Shiraishi who had to slowly come to terms with his feelings. He sleeps with Iizuka but I suspect he could be aromantic or on the greyish scale with the way he sometimes wonders what it’s like to fall in love. It’s like he’s not really feeling things but with Iizuka, he’s feels a deep connection to the guy so it’s the closest thing to him falling in love.
1 + 1 + 1: This is about a convenient store clerk crushing on the salaryman who come in regularly and only to buy yakiniku. Later, he learns that there was a ghost hanging around him that only the clerk can see. When he asks about it, he learns it was the salaryman’s boyfriend who died in a car accident.
I liked this less because there’s a love triangle and it’s with a bratty ghost. The ghost is forever stuck at the age of 18 so it’s understandable that he could be selfish but it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read. Luckily, the story makes up for it with a happier ending.
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MANGA: Ki ga Au to Iu Koto de
Ki ga Au to Iu Koto de – Asou Kai
Shiraishi is slowly easing into his new relationship with Iizuka, but he is still puzzled by the phenomenon called “love.” Even though their physical affection has increased, Shiraishi doesn’t know how to overcome the emotional boundaries of their long-term friendship. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, will he find a way to express his feelings properly?
The title roughly translates to “I feel like it”. This is an adorable story of an newly-established couple getting used to their relationship.
Shiraishi and Iizuka used to be bestfriends. Shiraishi is the serious, overthinking uke reflecting on his man and the consequences of coming out to his parents. Iizuka is the cheerful seme who’s happy with everything Shiraishi.
The one-shot has the fluffy pureness of high school love between two adult characters. It’s sweet how they got identical gifts for each other.
The two started out in the manga Ki ga Au to Iu Koto wa. I love these two precious dorks so I must investigate that.
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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: 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: 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: Sugar-ism
Sugar-ism – Kuromame
Perpetually overworked salaryman Tetsudo gets a much-needed day off and goes to a pharmacy to buy sleeping pills. He meets his old college friend, Kamitezuna. The same friend who rejected him after he confessed 8 years ago…
This one-shot is about a depressed, overworked salaryman who wants to die. He buys sleeping pills from the pharmacy and meets his old college buddy who works there.
The two had a history together. Kamitezuna is described as a selfish guy who does what he wants. He’s the type who helps people even if they don’t want to be helped. He basically bulldozes Tetsudo to eat with him, takes him to his apartment and have sex with him despite all appearances pointing to him being straight.
Apparently there is a method to this madness as the mangaka gives a convoluted explanation about eros, thanatos and homosexuals that frankly sounded like homosexuals can’t be truly be happy because they can’t reproduce. There’s more blather. What I got in the end was something to the effect of Kamitezuna giving life to the Tetsudo.
Anyways, I just liked the art.
