I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #Beautiful Art(114)

In a dystopian future and desperate for money to buy medicines that will save his brother's life, Yukichan agrees to sell himself as a sex slave and undergoes "pet training" from his friends, Masashi and Ryuu, in order to prepare for the auction. Zaria's smoking hot stories often cross a line into soul-crushing abuse, but this one is saved by Masashi and Ryuu, who are so cheerful and lusty and protective, it is impossible not to heave a sigh of relief at the not-so-surprising ending.

The first in a series of yaoi romances based on the function of the sword in Shinto cleansing rituals. Swords are forged to fight evil spirits, and in these two stories, they take human form, but are not subject to human laws. In the first story, Heian era First Sword, Kazuto defies the Emperor's decree and flies with his lover and creator, Kikyo. In the second story, the weak Goshintou, Shiou is burdened with the task of corrupting the powerful Mikoto, which he attempts through awakening his sensuality, never anticipating this would backfire on him. The artwork is free and full of movement and energy, and the stories are very exciting and quite different from anything I've read before. Loved it!

A beautifully drawn fairytale about creatures that must be controlled by a loved one or they become the ultimate destructive force. One of the last remaining manbeasts, Mao, meets Syon, a bounty hunter, while hunting for his brother, but will treachery keep them apart? This is a yaoi classic.

Gorgeous and meticulously detailed drawings reminiscent of scientific illustrations! Aoi Aki marries the supernatural to science fiction and the uncanny to realism with such ease and originality, one leaves the manga half-expecting magical events to materialize in ordinary life. The story is simplicity itself: Kasama and Takagi share a special clairvoyance, the ability to see the etheric bodies of ancient fossils, and this connection is taken to a new limit by Takagi, but is it a step too far? An ordinary event like falling in love is enveloped in mystery because of this shared gift.

Cherry tomato popping is the theme, along with shy buttocks and a battle for the top.

Stories about dealing with cheating lovers. (1) Shiraishi is forthright about being gay and this causes problems, but his faithless lover causes him even bigger ones. So when co-worker, Kanzaki, offers him sanctuary, he jumps at the chance, even though he feels obliged to hide his attraction for his new roommate. Kanzaki doesn't seem to share these inhibitions. (2) Prequel to Sorenari ni Shinken Nandesu. (3) The first 2 stories are much better.

The first in a series of yaoi romances based on the function of the sword in Shinto cleansing rituals. Swords are forged to fight evil spirits, and in these stories, they take human form and become embroiled, not only in supernatural battles with demons, but in human conflicts, intrigues and romances. The artwork is free and full of movement and energy, and the stories are very exciting and quite different from anything I've read before. Loved it!

Feng Meng is transmuted back in time into the body of An He, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xi Lie. The title is meaningless, however, as all the real power is held by the indomitable regent, Rong Tian, who notices the sudden change in An He. A story about imperial court intrigue within a country on the verge of war with many neighbours, and what Feng Meng must do to survive. Since it hasn't been updated in years, I assume it will never be finished.

An interesting story how a schoolboy starts gazing at another boy's reflection in the window and develops a fascination with him, and how the other boy discovers it. Apparently, the story has been placed on hiatus, but even if it goes no further, I somehow felt that it was interesting and a complete universe in itself. I like it very much, and of course, Ogura Muku's art is gorgeous.

The artwork for this manga is gorgeous and delicate, as are the stories, although their threads are so subtle and character-centric, they can be a bit tricky to follow, all interconnected by a common character or precipitating event in common. (1) Sunose, a straight university student falls for his cat-like and uncommunicative gay professor, Yukimura, who is too bashful and insecure to admit the love is mutual, even after a frank conversation behind closed doors with former lover, Kitakami, reveals Yukimura's true feeling and is overheard by his beloved, Sunose; (2) Backstory: it seems that Kitakami, a renowned painter, makes a habit of revealing, too intimately, the inner souls of his models, who usually also become his lovers, just as he paints their nude bodies too explicitly. Although the hitherto heterosexual, Yukimura, is forewarned of this propensity, he throws caution to the wind and agrees to be both Kitakama's model and lover, although he refuses to promise his heart or his fidelity. (3) Seiji, Akira's stepbrother, invites himself into Akira's workplace, a mahjong gambling parlour, to coax him into returning home, unleashing a storm of feelings that Akira has never been able to resolve about being abandoned, first, by his mother and, then, by his lover. A small cameo by Kitakami, in high school, links this story to Yukimura's. (5) Sarashima Satoshi, Akira's co-worker, also happens to be his roommate. He is blessed with above-average intuition and discovers, through the slightest sign, one of which Akira cannot possibly be aware, that Akira is depressed because he was abandoned by someone with whom he once regularly slept. The main plot engines are driven by abandonment, loneliness, recklessness or subconscious signals which reveal too much, followed by feelings of being overexposed and too vulnerable, withdrawals, inadequate communication and misunderstandings. One of my favourites!