I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #unrequited love(68)

A friend does his best to make the boy he loves feel better when he never receives any chocolates on Valentine's Day and realizes he probably never will.

After a forced separation from his beloved friend, Motoharu, Kyouya returns to Karatsu to dispose of his grandfather's estate and put his unrequited love behind him. He does not expect his feelings to be returned. Against a backdrop of small-town life and traditional Shinto festivals, two friends reconnect after years of separation. As usual, Honjoh Rie's characters and plot feel authentic, but lack facial micro-expressions. The manga includes a few oneshots which are more comedic.

Final installment in Takanaga Hinako's Kimi ga Koi series, which began with Kimi ga Koi ni Ochiru and continued with Kimi ga Koi ni Obereru. Rejected firmly by Kimono proprietor, Jinnai, procurement manager Kijima is swept away by the beauty of unknown newcomer Ichikawa's designs, even while he is dead set against the innocent man's growing infatuation. Ichikawa's resistance to having his designs showcased is rooted in a past marred by treachery and professional sabotage. Will Kijima overcome his own resistance in order to uncover Ichikawa's secrets and protect him? Or, having outed him in spite of Ichikawa's reservations, will he leave the designer to face his enemies alone?

2nd in Takanaga Hinako's Kimi Ga Koi Series, that started with Kimi Ga Koi Ni Ochiru and ends with Kimi ga Koi ni Midareru, this story furthers the adventures of Reichirou, from the first series, as told through the eyes of Jinnai, a kimono salesman from the shop which Reichirou, the eldest son of the company's owner, now manages. Jinnai's reaction to losing out the managerial position to such a young man starts off as irritation and envy, but evolves into attraction as Reichirou's modesty and purity win him over, then love as he confronts his own sense of entitlement and impetuosity, fighting off jealousy and insecurity when Kijima comes on the scene. This comes to a head when Reichirou's duty to his family includes meeting with a prospective marriage partner. Can Jinnai learn to trust?

Two old guys realize their feelings for each other when one of them is called back to mother to consider an arranged marriage. Yep, he's 50 and mom still calls the shots. The comments are hilarious, since everyone seems to think that a guy's dick drops off at 50. Not according to mangaka Katsuragi (though I don't think anyone would push down their best mate in the hallway at that age without fear of spraining, breaking or tearing something.)

A crossed wires start about two college students who each suffer from unrequited love.

"I'm going to tell you you aren't my type, Mr. Straight Guy, so that you won't get suspicious of my little unspoken crush over you."

Daisuke, fresh from a recent business success, is aware that something has been troubling his childhood friend and colleague, Igarashi, who won't confide in him, even though he defends Daisuke against some jealous associates. The answer that Daisuke thinks has been the problem — a transfer to a distant province — turns out to be something completely unrelated. This short and sweet oneshot by Kojima Katsura is part of a larger manga volume: Seito Kaichousama no Pet.

Udou's bitterness and breezy cruelty towards others is rooted in an unrequited love for Kiyotake, a basketball teammate from high school. His misery and jealousy has prompted him to commit despicable acts against the very person he loved, twice. Now, in college, karma has caught up to him and his feelings are revealed in all their rawness, but what does Kiyotake have to say about them? Here is how one man's kindness can redeem someone who has fallen so completely. Ogawa Chise's stories often go over the top into outright madness, but this story hits all the right emotional notes without going too far.