I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #delinquent(11)

Waturu, a high school teacher who is deeply insecure and secretive about being gay, attracts attention from a volatile Yakuza gang leader after compelling his delinquent son to attend a parent-teacher interview. Kazushi is sexy, but also dangerous.

Realistic character-centric story with beautiful drawings about a high school boy with strong morals who hates liars, and the former delinquent who tries to reform his personality to suit him. The first chapter reads like a oneshot, but it's ongoing.

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.

The fence sex story.

Ryuunosuke doesn't just have a Sanpakku stare, it's a downright murder glare and it's a source of utter fascination for Shima, who thinks it makes him look like more of a cat than a yakuza or punk. That sanpakku look causes a lot of problems for Ryuunosuke, who won't back down against belligerent strangers. The question is whether the stare is all there is to that trouble. Yukue Moegi's artwork bears a strong resemblance to Suzuki Tsuta's.

Once, while filled with sparkly magic, Tokitou wrote a fantastic book which inspired a lot of people. One of these people is Kushima, his present assistant/editor. Sadly, since the book was published, Tokitou has no more sparkles or inspiration and cannot write. Two years is a long time, and the chief editor wants to call back Kushima. Something's got to give ...

Volume 3: Kirai ja Naikedo Kiraijya Naikedo "I Don't Dislike You" in Sakuragi Mei's extensive Warui series. Primary couple: Yukimura Shuji, Student Council Vice President, overcompensatingly straight-laced and tsundere character x Ryuuichi Shinonome, delinquent.

Series of short school-centred stories. The last one, involving a tragic past, is the most interesting.

Second sequel to Mainichi Seiten, the series about the all-gay Obinata household. After the dramatic revelations and realizations of Kodomo wa Tomaranai, schoolaged co-habitating "stepbrothers" Yuuta and Mayumi get to relax into acting their age—except they have grown up desires and aspirations which conflict with their maturity and ability to handle conflicts. There are trust issues, matters of self-responsibility, even little things like spending money. There is a very good reason the story is called Children's Time, even if it is about those children growing up. This story also brings in the character of Ryuu-nii, a figure from the Obinata past, and a very funny extra story at the end. Not sure I care for the rationalization which Yuuta gives for hating women. Don't believe that a bad experience with one person gives a person carte blanche to judge an entire gender, race, age group, body type or religion, and or to justify horrible behaviour toward them. I don't like yaoi or shounen ai which thinks that the cavalier treatment of girls or women is cool just because girls and women like hot guys getting off on each other. Loss of stars for that.

Fourth installment in the Mainichi Seiten series about the all-gay Obinata household. In this one, Shouu's unflinching honesty about his relationship with Yuuta causes his adopted son to come face-to-face with the traumas of his past and how he was formed by them. Unable to cope, he runs back to the neighbourhood of his youth, leaving everyone behind ... even Mayumi?