Renai Fuyuki Todoki
this is a really controversial one and i understand why tbh. however i read all of it and i didnt hate it. nor did i think the writer made a bad choice. it IS highly problematic and does a thing that alot of BLs even ones with dubcon dont do. which is...they call the dubcon what it would be in real life: rape. and have the person react in a way a real life person would to a sex act they didnt fully consent to: rage and despair and terror. its especially a gutsy choice for the writer to take because this guy is not only the lead love interest but a guy the bottom Kurama was deeply infatuated with for YEARS. and yet despite getting his wish to be with his crush it goes horribly wrong and turns into a nightmare instead of a dream come true. now thats hard to accept if u want a typical romance and erotic scenes and i respect that. for me tho this choice was very interesting imo and it kept me wondering how their relationship would work if ever esp when Kurama p much rejects him COMPLETELY after the act is committed and they dont even get to see each other again for 3 years. after which there's been some serious self reflection on both their parts. i do think the context is interesting, he did want to sleep with Kento (mostly referred to as Kirishima in the manga tho but i aint writing out all that!) just not at that time because he was clearly not emotionally ready for a myriad of reasons we the readers know from hearing his thoughts for almost 2 whole chpts. meanwhile Kento it turns out was also hardcore pining and lusting after Kurama the entire time. the dark irony that both of them deeply desired each other yet feared being rejected or being disgusting to the other causing them both to suppress their feelings until they explode in the WORST way. kento takes kurama's confession of his crush and his desires to have sex but not accept himself as a gay man and live his life honest with his desires...as p much a greenlight for kento to give kurama "what he wants" in spite of kurama saying otherwise cause in kento's mind..thats secretly what kurama wants even if he cant admit it to himself...and in another manga thats how it would go. that night would awaken smth in kurama and after some reluctance they'd become a couple, instead that's NOT what happens. kurama calls Kento a rapist and tells him to fuck off and Kento is so shocked by this reaction (he genuinely was not reading Kurama's clear protests as sincere) and spends the night alone and crying and feeling so guilty. it was rly angsty intense stuff. and again a gutsy choice cause i think a ton of readers NOPE'd right out of the story after that. but i admired this take. they do ofc eventually become a couple and work it out but not without that 3 year gap in time where Kento matures some and apologizes sincerely while Kurama realizes he cant keep denying himself what he wants and who he is. i DO think the writer tries to have it both ways sometimes. where kurama was like "you wronged me!" and while also saying he "acted like" he didnt want it and tried to guilt kento and like...did you want it or DIDNT you, please be consistent. kento does however repeatedly say he forced him cause he wanted him so badly and figured kurama would accept him eventually if he made him come and told kurama he wants to date him. which again in another manga is how it would go. like oh that was mean but...since i came and u are sincere about me i guess its ok! nope bitch not this time! that said even when they reunite it take sa while for kurama to be honest with himself or kento and the sex scenes while hot are still not very gentle and loving right away. there's still alot of tension between them even as they cant ignore their attraction to each other. anyway! this is a long review because i felt like i cant explain why i think this is a good story and worth reading without going into detail. i dont think it deserves such a (comparatively) low rating among BL mangas because i think it takes alot of risks and the art is great and the sex is erotic and intense. its rly hard to look away even when ur like OH NO. anyway it worked for ME but i do get why alot of people werent into it and i do think knowing what ur going into will help alot when reading this. so the scene itself doesnt shock and take the reader by surprise we can actually think about and reflect on what the author was going for. on another note this is an erotic bl that has SO much dialogue and thought bubbles and narration. like way more than i usually see in these kinds of stories. its a very wordy and emotionally rich story and i love that about it. i wouldnt call it a favorite but i do think its way better than it's given credit for being. and thats that on that. (i do still like the spin off Lost Virgin more and think it works better as a Romance but its not quite as thrilling or intense as a story. imo. its sexy as hell tho!). PS: i cant recommend the BLCD of this highly enough. its so well acted seriously. it helped me appreciate the story alot more too. the voice on the guy who plays Kento? hoooo *fans self*
Lost Virgin (Nagi Wataru)
this was so sexy omgggg. but also the couple was really cute? its just a 236 page story and i read it in one evening. it was exactly what i needed it to be. this story is very sweet indeed. also how can i be mad about a man who is a martial artist drag queen super hottie? like and its implied he's bi. that ever so rare bi rep...anyway this is great and every1 who loves love or smut or bl should read it. (i took it down a star cause of the whole "saving my beloved from sexual assault with my FISTS!!" trope is smth im just kind of over. that said it didnt piss me off but it is a hacky writing choice. im sry but i had to take off points. i take my role as a conossieur of filth on the internet very seriously you see.
My Special Squishy Someone
this was truly...an Experience. it was just so bizarre. it was rly kinky and perverted but also rly sweet? anyway the dream man in this story is a tentacle monster and u can bet this smut manga gets hella mileage out of that. while the female lead starts out as a wallflower she gets more agency and backbone as the story progresses. i do apprecaite that its mostly from her pov. this didnt blow me away or anything and the art is kinda standard webtoon style art. that lacks the fluidity and expressiveness of manga style art but has the benefit of nice coloring to sometimes fall back on. the coloring isnt that special here tho. nor is the style memorable or distinctive. the story is very distinctive beccause i dare say i cant htink of any other porntoon with a male love interest whose true form is a tentacle monster of unknown origin. also the female lead well she's just the lead rly, is never assaulted by him like it would be a lie to say there isnt like tentacle rape hentai shenanigans but none of them involve the main character who is treated with care and affection by tentacle man from the start. he's also very nice to look at in his human form. im easy 2 please ok. anyway this is super short and a breezy read. (it coulda honestly stood to be even shorter, or rather i woulda read another 10 chpts of them being weird and domestic together and would have been glad if the secondary guy and antagonist of sorts had fucked off way earlier than he did.) also the crazy lady who appears later on doesnt die horribly at the end which i appreciate. i mean she's a terrible person but if that shitty coworker of main character got to live then so does the crazy bitch who likes wild sex! albeit the coworker is the kind of banal dbag u can meet in real life and the female antagonist was more like a full on anime villainess. just wild. (srsly this webtoon is SO outside the box and yet strangely predictable at the same time?). ne way its decent het porntoon if u ask me but u wont be missing out on a masterpiece or anything if u skip it.
Yoru To Asa No Uta
this is an older BL thats also pretty controversial tho unlike with Renai Fuyuki Todoki i actually agree with the main criticism here. which is why its 3 stars and not 4 despite me finding it pretty interesting over all. and ofc the art is stunning. just the detail work, the shading and expressive faces? also i gotta shout out the audio CD. like it cuts out some scenes (heresy!!) but the guy who plays Yoru has the most sultry sweet voice. its like somehow masculine and feminine at the same time? and also the way he whine moans "asaiiichii" during the sex scenes is going to haunt my dreams for weeks to come... ANYway the graphic assault that involves Asa and some random guys who have it out for him cause he slapped the wrong guy's sister. is a bit...unnecessary? like its so intense and doesnt really do much for the plot..it DOES change Asa's character to be less of an asshole but idk about this writer using a brutal rape to help Asa reflect on his actions like...unfortunate implications much? im not looking to my porn for ethics but this was just idk it felt very left field and this story coulda been so much more interesting if his internal growth came from something more organic and thoughtul than just a weird scene clearly meant to be kinky and sexy but just...didnt work at all imo. anyway this manga woulda been better without it but i didnt drop it since its interesting enough, the art is great and the ending is pretty decent. luckily it has a sequel series that seems free of scenes like this (im told...). so hopefully i'll like that one more.
Kore Mo Shigoto Desu
The Guy I Fell for Is a Wild Beast! -An Arrogant Punk Meets His Match-
Gachiiki Chouhatsu Night
Its Good and You should READ IT. Anyway the relationship is actually properly developed. the sex is Hot and the guys are each interesting characters in their own right and not 2D cliches. their problems are like Real relationship problems and their happy ending feels so earned. all the sex is consensual and often enthusiastically so. we love 2 see it! (if you end up liking this one i also recommend 24 Hour Kiss, and Kore Mo Shigoto Desu aka Another Hard Day at Work because these 3 have a shared theme of workplace couples with a younger light haired top x an older dark haired Salaryman bottom. with the light haired top either being an engineer, a makeup designer or programmer. like...its like they exist in this very specific genre but they are all pretty distinct from each other and all of them are sexy and good. but anyway thats an essay for another day~ this one def has the coolest more "otokomae" style bottom of the 3 tho. with the other Ossan (uncle type) bottoms being more uncle-y lol. but in a sexy way! sexy uncles! anyway i havent written up my reviews for those two yet cause im lazy. i will eventually tho!)
Anata wa Iyarashii Hito