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

A realistic and natural story of a boy who isn't sure he's gay and the curiosity which awakens in him when he sees a homosexual couple kissing. This is one of the best yaoi stories I've ever read. The relationships proceed very gently, even through heartbreak and separation.

To avoid being cornered by some fangirls, Kisaragi Rei, a popular AV actor, forces a kiss on Sasaki Manabu, a stranger who turns out to have a connection to Rei's past. As an apology to Manabu for using him like that, Rei first hands him an AV, and then, when he realizes who he was, tries for a better apology. Manabu has a different idea, though. As usual, Mio Junta's drawings are so beautiful and the story is cute as can be. I hope the Moratorium of the title hasn't been declared on finishing the scanlation, though.

During a drunken spree, failed novelist, Yuu, meets up with the Chris and gets "married" to him, symbolized by tattooed rings. Chris has been broken down with tragedy and suffers from bipolar personality disorder, which he masks with prostitution and drug use, but Yuu is swept up in his mania and has a tragic secret of his own. Will these two be able to heal each other? Hina Garasu's artwork is beautiful, adding more power and poignancy to the ending.

Collection of cute oneshots linked by the common theme of phrased as a question, "Do you want my attention?" Hiyo, the chick (poultry, not human), makes the first story to the point where you almost forget that she's a laboratory animal.

A story of two male slaves forced to work in a brothel which caters to men who prefer teenaged boy prostitutes, and the subjects of competition and personality clashes, and personal longing in the midst of deflowering rituals. In spite of the trigger-y subject matter, drama and some comedy, the story is a traditional romance and worth reading through to the end. The historic details are interesting and the art is beautiful. Just take some deep breaths at the difficult parts!

Ogeretsu Tanaka is becoming one of my favourite mangakas for her beautiful artwork and character-centered stories. Here, the main character is toxic — bitter about his time in high school, and particularly, toward Natsuo, a 'hoodlum' who seemed to thrive on tormenting him — and his unfortunate target is ... Natsuo, a simplistic and inept young man with few social graces. It's brilliant set-up: make Natsuo fall in love with him, and then dump him in the most humiliating manner possible. Except he doesn't count on Natsuo being quite loveable in his own inept and dorky fashion. (2) The second story is a spin-off of Sabita Yoru Demo Koi wa Sasayaku, Ogeretsu Tanaka's amazing manga about partner abuse, and what happened to Ken, the abuser, after his relationship was over. At times awkward and fumbling, other times adept and hot as hell, this story is a believable testament to vulnerability and the healing power of love.

Traditional Japanese ghost stories and folklore are used as the backdrop and livelihood for a pair of late Edo-period ghostbusters as they gradually fall for each other. Lively, engaging and interesting with more of a sentimental and melancholic feeling, rather than creepy horror or gore, the imagery is enhanced with traditional woodblock print references and Miyamoto Kano's beautiful artwork.

A sweet little oneshot about a schoolboy whose friends play a cruel trick on him, and the other schoolboy who turns it right around and makes it all okay.

Three short stories whose primary linking theme is desire, on the part of the seme, to the point of possessiveness, whether the uke is sought by other men or monopolized by his work. The response is occasionally violent, and usually demanding — not really my cup of tea, but consistent throughout. The artwork is incredibly beautiful, whether contemporary or historical, just enough to transcend the rough handling of the stories themselves.

Corollary to Kuroneko Kareshi no Itoshikata, the fourth installment to the popular werecat series by Sakyou Aya. When parental pressures complicate the love-lives of leopards, maybe it's time to let the castles and servants go. As expected with Sakyou Aya, there is lots of sex, but the focus is on the heart.