I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #tragic backstory(98)

1. Atsushi, a pet veterinarian, discovers a cat whose soul has transmutated into the body of a human being for love of him. It turns out that this cat, Thirteen, has a personal connection to him from a tragic past. 2. A dog spirit, who developed a strong attachment to Atsushi's grandfather before she died by being struck by a car, succeeds in transmutating into the body of a human girl. Awakened by the scent of the grandfather on an article of clothing lent to Atsushi's friend, she comes to the pet clinic in search of her benefactor. Two cute stories about the love of animals for their humans.

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.

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.

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.

A beautifully drawn fairytale about creatures that must be controlled by a loved one or they become the ultimate destructive force. One of the last remaining manbeasts, Mao, meets Syon, a bounty hunter, while hunting for his brother, but will treachery keep them apart? This is a yaoi classic.

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.

Orphaned, Takitani lives a double life. At school, he is a nerdy otaku; at night, to look after his younger brother, he transforms into Ryou, a hot male escort. What happens when these two worlds collide? The plot sounds implausible, but don't take it too seriously. The characters are believable, even within their age groups, and surprisingly sympathetic (even the one who seems to be shaping up as the villain), the hero is hot, hot, hot, and Kamuro Koreaki has crafted a surprisingly realistic story.

A sombre reunion between Yuzuru and Daisuke, two former lovers who parted when Daisuke decided he wanted to become a professional athlete. It was Yuzuru who left, mysteriously, and now that Daisuke has had to abandon his dreams of playing professional baseball, and is divorcing his wife whose loyalty depended on his status in sports, he is forced to confront the past. The first chapter ends poorly, but the rest of the story improves.

Feng Meng is transmuted back in time into the body of An He, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xi Lie. The title is meaningless, however, as all the real power is held by the indomitable regent, Rong Tian, who notices the sudden change in An He. A story about imperial court intrigue within a country on the verge of war with many neighbours, and what Feng Meng must do to survive. Since it hasn't been updated in years, I assume it will never be finished.