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I adore Doushiyoumonai keredo volumes 1 and 2 by Natsume Isaku. It's about a salaryman and his boss and their romance. It's cute and silly and fun. I love that though the two aren't perfect, neither are they irritating. Shimano, the salaryman, isn't just any salaryman. He's the son of the company president who will someday succeed his father. He's good-looking, smart, good at everything. His boss Kurokawa doesn't treat him particularly well, but Shimano comes to appreciate Kurokawa's gruff kindness. Yeah, it's been there, done that. But it does conventional so well. And they make such a cute couple. It also helps that I really like this artist's style.

much squeeing with many pictures )
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Doushitemo furetakunai by Yoneda Kou is a completely different kind of manga from Otona Keikenchi but just as shiny. This one's angsty and tense. Shima falls for his new boss Togawa, but can't express his feelings because of a past trauma. Togawa is outwardly very tactless and forward, but is in fact very considerate. Though he also has a traumatic past, he's able to express his feelings for Shima straightforwardly. Can Shima overcome his trauma and let himself love?

Like I said, angsty (and conventional). Sometimes I want to smack the characters for being stupid and messing up their chances for happiness in this kind of story, but in this case I can totally forgive Shima because the situation is so deja vu for him. He's mostly repressed rather than emo, which is a state I prefer for my angsty characters. It also helps that Togawa is almost always outwardly light-hearted. XD

total and utter spoilage via pics )

Looks like it hasn't been picked up by a scanlation group? Hope it does get picked up...
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Otona Keikenchi is finally a Nekota Yonezou manga I wholeheartedly love. She has such pretty art, but her other manga just didn't work for me. This one? Is silly and fluffy and makes me smile. It's about a popular and attractive high school student who has a big problem: he's impotent. He tries a lot of things, but the only thing that works is a slightly scary underclassman. I love that the seme (in personality as well as in sexual position) is much shorter.

Even though the story is quite conventional, the sweetness of the uke and his friends just makes me laugh (though glasses friend isn't always a nice guy, he's a good friend to uke). The contrast with the severe personality of the seme is fun. There's a side story about the two friends that's also adorable and funny.









random prettiness )
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Yuri-sensei wa kyou mo joukigen is another manga by Kinoshita Keiko that is just pure love. It features a willful writer who teases his editor like a little boy who teases a girl he likes. It doesn't help that the editor is dense beyond all belief. What makes it a delight is its sweetness. The writer isn't a jerk, the editor doesn't angst too much, nothing romantic happens for a lot of the manga (though Kinoshita-sensei faithfully goes through the cliches beloved of this genre, with the writer getting some "cuddling" via scary stories as well as pretending that he needs to reenact a suggestive pose for his work) but when it does happen it's so natural.

I love that the writer is always wearing a kimono constantly (though he did look good in a suit as well). I love that the men wear three-piece suits. I love how the kimono slips off the writer's shoulder at times and hangs loose at others. XD


one of my favorite scenes )
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I really hate how much my time has been sucked up by RL...I haven't been able to write up posts or respond to comments or anything this past week. I was hoping to take the weekend to get down and post, but it looks like I will be busy with other things. So I figured I'd make some time tonight for a quick post on a manga I've been meaning to talk about for a while...

The manga Bokura ni matsuwaru etc by Kuyugo basically consists of two stories. The first features the two students on the cover. I found it to be rather bland, mostly because the characters did not interest me at all. The story is very conventional, but I barely noticed it while yawning at the blah-ness of the characters. The other is about a scruffy divorced guy and the young adorable guy who is found half-dead (from getting totally lost trying to find scruffy divorced guy's house...even though it's like a stone's throw away from the train station) and ends up staying there. It's a simple (and predictable) story but it has the exact type of romantic relationship I love. XD There's just something about a grumpy older guy and an earnest and awkward younger guy that really works for me.


Scruffy guy and young adorable guy:




And to be completely gratuitous, the pretty pretty back cover:



The sad thing is, I'm not sure who he is...Not that I really care if he's some random hot guy. I appreciate eye candy very deeply.
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I had bought Kiss Blue II by Kinoshita Keiko a while back, but for some reason didn't get around to reading it until now. I had raved about the first volume before, maybe I was just afraid the conclusion wouldn't be nearly as good. In any case, all my fears were put to rest because the story ended fabulously. I read volume 2 a couple of times before breaking out volume 1 and rereading that one, too. Oh, the story is exactly the kind I like. It develops slowly, with Tomosaka gradually realizing that he's in love with his best friend Noda. The story intertwines his angst as he tries really hard to suppress his feelings with glimpses of their past as friends as well as their daily interactions as friends so well. I also appreciate that we get to see Noda's side of things as he tries to make sense of how Tomosaka's feelings for him affects their relationship. This continues on in volume 2, with things sort of coming to a head at one point (see under the cut) and then resolving in a very satisfactory ending. Seeing the progression of both Noda's and Tomosaka's feelings makes a cliched ending feel oh so right. XD They are both terribly sympathetic, trying hard to deal in their own unique ways...


back cover )

a scene )
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Just wanted to share a couple of manga I've fallen in love with. No damn clue if they are licensed or being scanlated, sorry. :P Hopefully they are, because they are both very enjoyable.

No Color by Natsume Isaku is about neighbors serious student Sakamoto and easy-going but driven part-timer Iida. Sakamoto is often irritated with the noisy Iida as he tries to study, but he is even more inconvenienced when Iida moves in with him after Iida's room explodes and has to be renovated...Aaand things just kind of go from there. XD;

The manga is not very original, but terribly delightful. It helps that the artist illustrated Junjou Island, a novel I adore, and it kind of has a similar dopey feel (if not quite as retarded). There's a bit of breaking out of the mold of parental expectations, learning to be honest with what you really want, some misunderstanding, and a lot of sweetness. The art is very clean and attractive. There are a couple of very pretty panels, and the way their first time happens is pretty damn hilarious.


some panels )




Kiss Blue by Kinoshita Keiko is even more predictible and cliched, but instead of being yet another ho-hum been-there-done-that manga it was a shining example of when superb execution trumps hackneyed storylines and characterizations. Tomosaka and Noda are college students. They were friends from...at least junior high? In any case, Tomosaka is a serious, low-key, nice guy. Noda is also mostly a nice guy, just one of those that have two or three girlfriends at one time. A certain incident makes Tomosaka realize that...He's in love with Noda!! The requisite suppression and denial and suffering follow, leading to the most annoying cliched development that can happen in these situations...That instead of annoying me actually made me feel really bad and sad for the characters. The beauty of this manga, for me, was the mood. It feels slightly reserved, a tad bit detached, but with flashes of the underlying fierce emotion allowed out in tightly controlled phrases expressing Tomosaka's feelings.

As this is only the first book, I have no idea how the story is resolved. The second book, Kiss Blue II, comes out next week. Hopefully I'll have it in my greedy little hands soon after, but in some ways I don't feel an absolutely burning need to read it. I'm worried that the end will be predictable yet lame or suprising but retarded...And I like the uncertainty at the end of the first volume. Even if the end sucks, the first book is so strong I'd reccomend it (with a warning not to read the second volume!) to people who don't need closure to enjoy a well-told story of that type.


a nothing scene )
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Shiritsu Shouei Gakuen Danshi Koutoubu Kurashina Sensei no Junan (Kurashina Sensei's Passion) by Shino Natsuho is a fairly superficial student life BL manga centered around Kurashina Reiji, the new teacher at his alma mater and advisor to the student executive committee. It may be superficial, but I enjoyed reading both volumes (downloaded the raws here) and will definitely be buying them in the future. According to amazon.com, the first volume will be released in English next year. I like the art, and love the fact that Kurashina brings his cat to school (and that his cat is named "Matsumoto-san!" I mean, WTF?). I love that the cat is kind of freaky looking and is draped over people in unnatural ways. It's just a fun, silly series.

I posted (and translated the dialogue of) the very beginning, which amused me to no end. )
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My mini-squee moment of the day: Unprofessional by [livejournal.com profile] madsciencechick, a Conrad-focused Conrad/Yuuri KKM fic that is short and sweet. I adore how Conrad just can't help himself, and his relationship with his men.


I just read a manga featuring a hetare seme x violent uke (one of my favorite BL tropes) that just made me laugh so much. Violence na Kimi ga Suki by Araya Miki is about the pathetically shy and introverted Myouenji and his stunningly ridiculous first meeting with the scary, violent Kuroda, who becomes the love of his life. My enjoyment of the manga came from Myoueji's total pathetic nature and his desperate, single-minded admiration and love for Kuroda. His attempt to become stronger to be able to stand next to Kuroda as an equal was just so...earnest, yet so misguided it was adorable.



I particularly love the spread above--it encapsulates Myouenji's earnestness and lameness (notice the streams of tears).

The big weakness of the story is the uke--his personality does not shine the way Myouenji's does, and it's a pity because a properly executed hetare seme x violent uke dynamic just sparkles and is so much fun. But I think Myouenji makes the manga worth reading. I uploaded the first scanlated chapter, grab it here and check it out. A zip of all the scanlated chapters (which I believe is the entire story) is here.

Just wanted to add a disclaimer--I'm not saying the manga is good. It isn't. I just enjoyed reading it because it was fun, flaws and all.

ETA: There was an extra part to this manga that was released today (or was it yesterday?). In any case, here it is.
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Sometimes I'm in the mood for something light, sweet, pointless and fun...and I happened to download Sake to Shatsu to Kisu (Alcohol Shirt and Kiss) by Kuwabara Yuko. It was the perfect answer to my need, and I can't help but squee. I couldn't find any scanlations from a casual search, but it's coming out in March 2007 from Digital Manga.

The manga is about two detectives. Naruse had just been dumped by his girlfriend and cries over some drinks with a co-worker, Kida. He wakes up the next morning in Kida's bed. He had totally crashed and Kida ended up dragging him to his place for the night. He wakes up at Kida's again, he swears it won't happen again...and of course he does again. But...this time he's naked? From then on he and Kida end up getting closer and closer. It's not very original, but the art is pretty. I like the mix of humor and drama. Their co-workers are fun. And it's...sweet.


pics and more squeeing )
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It's been a while since I've come across a sweet, angsty BL manga like I Want to Become Your Bird by Homerun Ken. The summary from the back of the volume is as such:

High school student Koyama Kei is doing his best. He's never known love and doesn't think he wants to. When he feels lonely, he'll let anyone who to hold him. Whether is a teacher, or another classmate. Then Kei meets Med-Student Fujii, and looking at his gentle smile, Kei feels something he's never felt before start to grow in his chest. Is this...love? But Fujii is his older sister's boyfriend. A forbidden love story begins to unfold.

It has the gentle heart-twinging angsty youthful romance I love so much, with Kei trying so hard to cope with his feelings and being so cute and sweet. Just check out the excerpt below for an example of the art and the atmosphere of the story. I like Kei's relationships with his uncle and his sister. I like what a nice guy Fujii is, and that he can take action when necessary. XD And I love love love the very last page (I'm such a sucker for that kind of thing).

Excerpt )

Download the entire thing in one zip: I Want to Become Your Bird
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Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] oiyaoi, I got to read Sakuragi Yaya's newest manga Soba ni oitene before my amazon japan order arrives (whenever that will be...when will it ship? ;_;). I initially skimmed it and wasn't too impressed, but upon reading it more carefully I've come to like it quite a bit. It's not fabulously good or anything, but it's sweet and makes me happy. A classic sweet shoujo manga concept except with two guys instead of a boy and girl. I'm glad I ordered it.


More pics and description under the cut )
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This past week I rediscovered a Kano Shiuko manga I had picked up earlier this year and rather enjoyed. I've been having a great time rereading the thing and thought I'd pimp it. I did a cursory search for scanlations and they don't seem to exist. I could be wrong. *shrugs*

In any case, the manga is called Konna otoko ni dare ga shita (Who made such a man), and it has four unrelated stories included. They are, in order of how much I like them, are:

Konna otoko ni dare ga shita: This is about a guy who collects for loan sharks (yakuza perhaps?) who is bumming over at the house of a woman with debt who's run off, leaving her son. He meets the kid's teacher, who turns out to be a classmate from high school, and a former fuck buddy. Of course they end up in bed, and ultimately together. Why do I like this? Because the uke is HOT, and wanton, and is always jumping the seme. I love ukes who are ukes because they love it (and not because of height or age or girly disposition) and are beyond enthusiastic about sex. The relationship between the very serious and upright seme and the loose and carefree (and slutty yet manly) uke is just hilarious (and cute). XD

Sanzai Ecstasy (Extravagant Ecstasy): This is about a guy who was a regular salaryman who really looks like a sexy seme type (with glasses!) who loses his job (he gets risutora'd). He loses a lot of other stuff, too, and ends up kind of drifting until he gets picked up by a guy who decides he could be used as bait for the entrap the gay man in a compromising pose and blackmail him for money scheme. Other stuff happens, but what I like is that the main character really looks like a seme but is actually an uke. He even has an image change which makes him look even MORE like a seme and yet he's uke. The story's not bad, and there's hot sex (of course). XD

37°C: I love how it starts with a door to door salesman knocking on the door of a guy who happens to have a cold. He tries to sell some of his medicine, but instead gets invited in for some sex. For some reason this results in the salesman taking care of the guy while he's sick. Of course it means the salesman gets sick, and this results in a reversal of roles, including insertion of suppository and more sex while sick. There's a story lurking behind it all, but I wasn't very impressed by it. I was, however, happy about the sex while wearing a white lab coat scene.

Kuroitobira (Black Door): Frankly, I don't like this story. It's about a high school student who is kidnapped and confined by a teacher. It includes (forced) sex with a (female) dummy, rape, and a really unsatisfying and confusing ending. *shrugs*

In any case, three out of four is pretty good, right? I love this manga. ^___^

click to see some pics )

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