I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #slow pace(6)

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?

Momo sees his classmate Hideyoshi dressed as a pretty girl, and it messes them both up as they fumble towards self-realization. Funny and smart with realistic, sympathetic characters.

Nishina, newly divorced, accidentally bumps into the high school lover he cruelly threw away, Miyama, at the café Miyama now runs, and all his longing is rekindled. The question is whether Miyama can ever forgive him. Full of flashbacks, this story is a realistic look at the difference a decade can make. Hatsukoi is a side-story to Arashi no Ato.

Laid-back Narasaki gets thrown into the job of library supervisor and babysitter for the much wilder Natsuke, who takes to surprise!kissing him. Narasaki is so laid back, it takes him weeks to figure out what that means, throwing Natsuke into a self-inflicted rejection/self-loathing feedback loop. Funny and real.

Tsuda starts to notice Endou, the kid with the wild mop of hair who sits in front of him in class, but Endou makes a point of ignoring him. This makes him interesting to Tsuda, who isn't interested in much of anything, let alone anyone.

Senior high school teacher Kasei Shinichi has his hands full with Katou Reiji, a star basketball athlete sidelined by a knee injury who has developed a serious infatuation for this teacher. But where most yaoi stories take this as an opportunity to push toward sex, Yuki Ringo recognizes and respects the moral and legal boundaries that these situations present. There is no question, in her story, that a teacher would dismiss a confession as impossible on the basis of professional misconduct, and discourage a minor from harbouring any sentiments. Kasei is left with only fond memories and a smoking habit until Katou returns as an adult and fully credentialed teacher in Kasei's school. From there, the story really embarks on a near-Odyssean world of pain as Katou gently struggles to overcome each obstacle between him and his beloved, moving it forward from fond affection and collegial companionship. And the obstacles are doozies. For one thing, Kasei isn't gay. For another, Katou tried to numb his pain and confusion with some pretty reckless behaviour before he thought he might have an atom's chance of success. This is a rich and rewarding soap opera, well worth the effort of reading.