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

Kyouichi and Imagase are together, but Imagase cannot let go of his suspicions toward Kyouichi, and a situation with a beautiful colleague at Kyouichi's workplace throws everything into chaos. Can Kyouichi find strength inside himself, or is he destined to flow with whichever currents move the strongest? If anything, this story surpasses it's first installment Kyuuso Ha Cheese no Yume Omiru. It full of romantic intrigue and suspense, and all the characters are flawed, sometimes deeply, but lovable. Moreover, the women in this story are sympathetic.

Igarashi Jin, the willful heir and president of Wisteria Hotel, and Amano Kaguya, a blind incense maker, share an instant infatuation for each other, never realizing that they share a tragic past. Amano tries to resist the pushy Igarashi, but the guy is a bit of steamroller. Things come to a head when Amano confronts his past. The story incorporates traditional Japanese elements like incense making, Buddhist philosophy and the love of beautiful flowers like wisteria, but the sensibilities are all modern, especially with the subplot involving Igarashi's secretary and Amano's bodyguard.

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!

Tamaki loves Tomoyuki, a professional photographer who suddenly disappeared from his life three years prior. Now that Tomo has returned to Japan, Tamaki wants to renew their friendship, but Tomo avoids him. Tamaki thinks this is because he was too much of a child, but there is a tragic event in his past which precipitated Tomo's desertion, and it hasn't been resolved. This story is included in a three-part series of yakuza-themed manga: 1) Zetai Unmei Houteishiki 2) Tsumasaki ni Kiss: a story about Tamaki's oldest brother, Homura 3) Gravity Eyes: a story about Homura's rejected suitor, Kyouya.

Yakuza politics feature largely in this story about two lovers who are also members of rival yakuza factions. Homura and Touji have been secretly involved since university. Their secrecy and the difficulty of their situation means that Homura has attracted a very persistant suitor in his employee and number one host, Kyouya. When Touji manipulates his newfound power as head of his faction, it appears that he and Homura must part, but has Homura read the purpose of his actions correctly?

This two-volume manga is related to Fuwa Shinri's series, which began with Zettai Unmei Houteishiki and evolved into Tsumasaki ni Kiss. In this spin-off, Kyouya has abandoned his infatuation for Homura, the yakuza boss of the host club where he once worked, and has now fixed his sights on Kiriya, the emotionally distant assistant professor of cultural studies at the university Kyouya now attends. At first, the pair antagonize each other, and some of the blows they come to (both emotionally and physically) are a bit over-reactive, but Kyouya's openness and "glue-like" perseverance have ways of warming the hardest hearts.

I enjoy this manga, but Shirotani is so vulnerable, I hold my breath during every new installment of the serial, as though he would shatter into a million pieces and blow away. I also have to chill and let the transference triggers roll off because—hey! fantasy. I do hope it isn't the sort of 'psychological' story that leaves him even worse off than when the story started. Is that too much to ask?

Alone, betrayed by friends and family, Itaru collapses, drunk, in a heap of trash. Mistaken for a stalker, he accidentally breaks cable TV videographer, Kouki's, camera. Kouki takes him home to sleep it off and get his money, and the story begins of how kindness to strangers may, possibly, lead to love and mutual success. This is my favourite story by Takanaga Hinako. The main characters are all squishy and loveable, even grumpy Kouki, and some moments are very moving and thought-provoking.

En route to Paris to fulfill his dreams of becoming a haute cuisine chef under the tutelage of famous restauranteur, Pierre, Reiya is first billeted, then kidnapped, imprisoned and sexually assaulted by his mentor's aristocratic English brother, Alex. This is a yaoi romance, though, so when Pierre arrives to claim Reiya, the Japanese apprentice undergoes a crisis of uncertainty. The manga is marked as ongoing, but the bare bones story is complete. Either it ends at chapter four with the manga diverging into another tale, or ... plot complications.

Burnt in the past, Kazaoka has made it a rule never to spend more than a single night with his lovers. Masato shares a key moment in his life with Kazaoka, one which has left him languishing with a secret crush. Years afterward, he sees Kazaoka's picture on the back leaf of a book published under the pen name of a popular, prize-winning and very successful author, so he tracks Kazaoka down. When Kazaoka doesn't recognize him, Masato deceives him in order to release his pent-up emotions. What happens when Kazaoka discovers he has been tricked and the other secrets Masato is hiding from him? Classic Minase Masara, with the most hilarious letter from a mangaka published on the back pages that I've ever read.