manga manga

I reread the two latest chapters of Kyoushi mo iro iro aru wake de by Yamato Nase, about two elementary school teachers. I thought the first volume was a bit too cute in that Yamato Nase way, but still enjoyable. I like main characters who try really hard but don't quite get it right who ends up as the person the the other guy who seems disgustingly perfect likes thing. Also, Yamato-sensei is awesome at drawing adorable little kids. I really liked the two chapters that I assume will form volume 2, but what I really love is how these teachers continue to call each other "xxx-sensei" even during intimate moments. It's a kind of formality inconceivable here. XD;

I also skimmed Isshou tsuzukerarenai shigoto by Yamada Yugi, a story about lawyers not yet compiled into a tankobon. So far this is one with all the typical elements in a Yamada Yugi story that doesn't quite gel for me. I like the main character, who works hard and idealistic and is unabashed in his admiration for his boss. I like the guy who he will end up with, the older guy who is a bit gruff and wild and tries not to be too overt with his concern and affection. But they don't excite me. Neither does the other pairing in what looks to be a love square of some type. Ugh.

I'll probably read on when the new chapters come out, but I don't have high hopes. The only thing I really hope for is that when there is actual sex there will be "xxx-sensei" called out.

God Loves No One

Kami wa dare mo aisanai by Asuka and illustrated by Jissohji Yukariko is a pretty good story about a policeman who is in fact a spy for the yakuza. He is leaking information to the yakuza and wants to get revenge for his father's death. In order to do this he even gets involved with his boss. There's lots of cliches of the genre in there, but they were done pretty well. Didn't get too sappy, even when the main character has his moment of doubt. No one does anything incredibly stupid--when people do foolish things it's because they know they are being foolish and are still going through with it. The characters are quite complex and compelling, including the boss's younger brother (a policeman who'd become addicted to drugs while undercover and has been in rehab for two years, not wanting to leave because he doesn't think he can withstand the lure of drugs) and the younger brother's lover. The villains are a bit weaker, especially the one obsessed with the boss, but they fulfill their roles as well. For some reason I couldn't get into the story, personally--which is why I'm not summarizing it. But I can appreciate that the author does a good job with this kind of police/yakuza, betrayal/deception type of story. The tragic events felt more bleak than overwrought and melodramatic, for the most part. Even the romantic parts are quite good. Some of the sex scenes are a little too long for my taste, but at least they involve both participants being very willing and very wanting. XD;

Sayoshigure no yado by Mizuhara Tohru and illustrated by Natsuka

Sayoshigure no yado by Mizuhara Tohru and illustrated by Natsuka is so, so, so cliched. Yet I couldn't let go of the pics, so I'm posting them. So pretty!

The story is about a guy who is dumped by his first love, whom I think was his sempai in college. A year later the younger brother visits to let the guy know his sempai has died from some condition. Of course the sempai's diagnosis and the time he broke up with the main character match. The younger brother, however, thinks, the main character had broken up with the sempai after learning of the disease. What follows, naturally, is non-con. And ends with happily ever after.

I hope I made the story sound as unappealing as it was for me reading it. Seriously, it is so lame...


( pretty pics! )