I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #drama(235)

Masami nurses a secret crush on his childhood friend, Shirou, and goes to extraordinary lengths in order to protect him from perceived rival, Ryuuji. Does Shirou really need to be protected, and how far will Ryuuji go to win?

Yorokobi wa Hiza no Ue follows the love story of Orito Kouki, a waiter who works in his mother's bar, and Mitsuru, the older brother of Kouki's friend, Yuzuru. The boundaries of brotherly love and duty are explored as Mitsuru tries to be dutiful to Yuzuru in a way that Kouki's own brother, Aoi, cannot be, as Aoi's love for Kouki is transgressive. Aoi's story is continued in the sequel, Yorokobi wa Ude no Naka [http://www.mangago.com/read-manga/yorokobi_wa_ude_no_naka/]. Katou Setsuko's storytelling is realistic and subtle, and this story is a very satisfying read.

Magical world where the forest folk are all sweet and live in harmony with nature, whereas the townspeople are exploitive creeps who destroy everything they touch. Ronet is one of the townspeople, now, although he is hiding a secret past. One day he inadvertently rescues a magical creature and it asked him to take him to the forest where he must confront his tragic past. Like all of Kuju Siam's work, this is highly imaginative and interesting.

Series of short stories. The first deals with a young man, Kou, who develops a crush on his gay neighbour, Hiroya, a salary man, and actively engages in helping him sort things out, just as he suspects Hiroya has fallen for his even more capable brother. The second two stories are interconnected school-life yaois, both involving idiot couples. But they are very endearing because Tenzen Momoko knows how to craft a good tale!

Series of short stories surrounding a mysterious bartender/magician/sex therapist/male prostitute who mends the broken hearts and relationships of gay couples using illusions and hypnosis.

Jun's secret crush on Hayato is fulfilled and his heart is overflowing with bliss, until Hayato's former lover returns and it seems as though Jun is being pushed out. Must he passively accept this turn of events? What intrigue is behind the reappearance of Hayato's former flame? A bittersweet romance compounded by communication problems and insecurities.

Mitsuya was always chasing after his brother and his brother's friend, Noboru. In time, his feelings for Noboru turned to love and he forced a kiss on him, which was violently rejected. Shocked, Mitsuya shut his heart off from the world until 10 years later, a fateful reunion provokes shattering self-realizations. This story has a maturity and realism that elevates it beyond standard yaoi. The main character is a jerk, but surprisingly sympathetic. One of my all-time favourites!

Serial adulterer, Kyouichi, is blackmailed into being kissed by Imagase, a college friend, who now works as a private detective investigating unfaithful spouses. Kyouichi doesn't have the courage to turn down any woman who makes a pass at him, but he denies that he is gay. This is a mature and, sometimes, heartbreaking story about the deeply flawed straight man beloved by a gay man. It isn't easy going, even at the end.