I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #treachery(78)

Tearjerker. A brother's tragic past leaves him wounded beyond his sibling's awareness. He finds solace in the arms of a benefactor in a new country, eschewing his upbringing, the abusive person who caused him so much pain, and the limitations of his past.

Crowded out of his home, after his mother remarries, Hirano moves into the dormitory at his all-boys' high school where he is put under the care of Morioka, a student who had been accused of bullying his juniors in the basketball club. At first, Morioka's taciturn deflections and sullen appearance make it seem as though the rumours about him are true, but Hirano discovers there's more going on. A story that starts off slowly and builds momentum and interest as it goes on.

Hideami, former reigning host, returns to the home he had left in disgrace long after his father's death, defeated and in debt, to beg money from his rich day-trader of a brother, Yukiya, whom he once raped. It was his father's discovery of this violation that led to his expulsion from home, and he learns that this same father's dying wish was for Yukiya to look after the old home and take care of Hideami. Yukiya's terms for looking after Hideami are increasingly intimate. An authentic and interesting story with a very colourful cast of side-characters.

Historical fantasy as a thinly veiled excuse for BDSM, slavery, torture, humiliation, etc.. A king slaughters all the people of a neighbouring kingdom whose king murdered his family, except the son who he takes as a slave in order to humiliate and torture him, presumeably as an example to anybody else who gets ideas, but maybe for the shits-and-giggles. So far the aggressive king is straight out of the Snidely Whiplash school of villains, all grimaces and "grr-grrrr-grr", while the enslaved prince is a po-faced trampled blossom who is pitiful, not just because of all the spectacular bad treatment he's been dished, but because every character tells him he is. Because of this, the story tilts into bathos and is very amusing example of popcorn yaoi.

Kazuomi, a dark figure from part-time teacher, Shuuji's, past, shows up to exact revenge for a violent incident that Shuuji blocked from his memories. He forces his way with Shuuji using blackmail and overpowering him physically, but the story turns on Shuuji's genuine contrition and desire for atonement. An emotional soap opera that starts off with fury and betrayal, and ends gently.

Tora is an ordinary server at a Japanese bar and restaurant until his sister is fleeced by a pyramid scheme and he helps her out by accepting a job for a brothel keeper, as chauffeur and bodyguard to Shiro, a male prostitute with a taste for rough trade. Tora turns out to be surprisingly good at his job, but he's just in it for a quick buck, and certainly has no intention to feel anything for this train wreck of a client. Unfortunately, he's a soft touch for the hard cases and Shiro knows how to wind him up and tightly around his very sticky fingers. Gritty and hardcore with a noir feeling to it.

A teacher is drawn to a quiet, over-dressed young man in his class who seems to be enduring abuse by fellow classmates. The reality is much, much worse. In fact, it's so bad, pity overwhelms any other feelings at this stage and the cross-dressing aspect feels wrong for all the wrong reasons.

Wolf in sheep's clothing story about a reunion between neighbours from childhood. Not sure what the theme is meant to be: needless cruelty? Disappointments? "How DARE you pity me?!?" Seems a bit excessive.

Prequel to Rouge. The electrifying story of how Yamato, a waka, nurtures fealty from his fellow yakuza, then saves the junior student, Kaga Ai, from sexual exploitation at the hands of a gang of senior toughs. This explosive story treats sexual assault fairly realistically—no subliminal codification for ravishment fantasies here. But the cruelty is redeemed by heroism. Another great story by Katsuro Komachi. READ THIS!.