Revival Blue
Guy who came back to his home town to visit his friend/first love grave. Stayed at a family inn whose 14 year old son also came out to his family.
Utakata no Uroko
Truly bittersweet. Ending similar to little mermaid. Open-ended. I hope Tetsuya gets to see Nagi again.
Shou Sensei no Ecchi na Himitsu
10/10 straight to gay Seme trope. Uke has a traumatic HS past where he was used as a sexual outlet by a friend who did not want to actually date him. He’s now a nursery school assistant and he disguised himself from Shoichi to “Ichi” on the weekends and sleeps with random guys to satisfy his sexual needs. Comes along a hot but straight writer who wants to experience gay sex out of curiosity, though he does not come across toxic. He’s simply too carefree and starts to pursue the Uke for real, giving it everything he has to treat the Uke with kindness, respect, to show him love. Extra story of the Seme’s nephew who’s fucking his now step brother who used to be his friend from the same nursery that his uncle’s lover taught at.
Tamayura (yuki Ringo)
Historical Japan. Before modern day, before and after the Kanto Earthquake. Happy ending, very realistic with the scene where they meet each other again in heaven
Kimi ni Ienai Koto ga Aru
Strangely realistic story between two best friends falling in love, but could not accept each other’s feelings mutually because social standards have been so deeply ingrained into the Seme that being gay is the wrong path. The Uke on the other hand idolizes the Seme, thinking of him as a hero who swoops in to save the weak and pathetic (aka himself, Uke has low self esteem). Eventually they both come to realize that there’s no place they’d rather be than with each other. And maybe not choosing the right path can take them to a better outcome than what they (or society) expected
Kanshaku Dama no Love Song
Waka (uke) has been in love with his childhood friend/hero Takeo (Seme) since they were small. Waka has played out the entire scenario in his head, where he wishes Takeo happiness and leaves his side when Takeo is happily married. However, when Takeo said that maybe love with a man is possible as well, Waka could not hold it in anymore and confessed out of sheer shock and panic. Waka anxiously goes through the trial dating period, hyper aware of Takeo’s every move. Meanwhile, Takeo is the confident, touchy lover who’s still trying to figure out if his feelings for Waka can go beyond friendship. This creates a heart wrenching situation, where the difference in feelings is too great in the beginning, that it’s painful to see Waka struggles w his unrequited/requited love. From someone’s comment: Takeo starts to realise actually how deep Wakou's feelings are for him and this whole 'let's act more intimate to see if I can pursue a relationship with you' ends, because it's hard to read how oblivious he is to Wakou's anxiety to that whole thing. Wakou is so defensive because he doesn't want to get his hopes up and fall any harder than he already has meanwhile Takeo's forward acts of skinship/intimacy put Wakou in a vulnerable spot. idk I don't think Takeo is toxic, I just think he just likes to face things heads on which can be both charismatic and insensitive.
Itonaga-kun no Koi no Ito