Mother's Spirit
#Native/Aboriginal character #Seme is from a tribe in this small island #Uke is japanese and works in a university #Clashing of cultures #Exploration of a different culture #Respecting different cultures #Learning a new language #Coworkers bully poor uke into making him take care of a stranger lol #Volume 1: seme explores uke's world #Volume 2: uke explores seme's world #Fucking soul exchanging via tradition #I'm dead #Uke and seme marry yeeeeee So, I am kinda torn on one thing. Obv, the only way for Lutah to succeed in medicine and technology immediately is to have help of an outsider. I'm glad Enzou-san balanced that by having Seme, successor of tribe's leader, be the one to bring change to his tribe. The foreigner gives resources, the native learns and uses them to make new resources. However, there's that whole aspect where the Lutah is only filled w/beautiful and intelligent people, which...has that whole vibe of 'superheroes have to be good-looking to be compelling'. And that's all types of bullshit. BUUUT no story is perfect, so putting that aside-- --I. Freaking. Love. This manga. So much. Oh my god. I can't even say which part here was my fave. Poor Uke having to deal with a stranger in his house who can't even speak his language (which made me LOL so hard)? Seme learning what a kiss is and stubbornly wanting to do that with Uke? Seme and Uke 'exchanging souls' which, for the love of fuck, almost made me cry from how BEAUTIFUL that was? Seme and Uke getting married on the first time Uke steps onto Seme's homeland, which was like...fjae;ogijoigjreo;igjers;iogjoe GFDI. THIS MANGA GAVE ME SO MANY FEELS. But the one I probably appreciate the most is in v02c04. Since the Lutah are gorgeous and smart, it's easy to put their ppl on a pedestal, which doesn't do anyone favors. Uke does this and it leads to him being indecisive about how to move forward with Seme, because Seme is pushing Uke away due to fears and own insecurities. But Uke realizes that he doesn't love Seme because he is perfect--Uke loves Seme because everything about him, right down to the flaws, is beautiful. THEN WE GET THAT ICONIC [bleeped due to not wanting to give it away] SCENE YESSSSSSSSSSSSS.
Kowagaranai de, Soba ni Ite
#Amnesia #Memory loss #Homophobia #What it means to be gay in society #Why coming out to family is a huge deal #Seme is pâtissier #Uke is a writer #Uke is gay #Seme is presumably bi #But my demi vibes are strong with the seme lol #Adoption is never once thought of or mentioned #Then I looked it up and legit only gay ppl from osaka can adopt #Fucking hell #GAY PEOPLE CAN'T ADOPT IN JAPAN #AND DO YOU KNOW HOW STIGMATIZING IT IS FOR JAPANESE KIDS TO NOT HAVE PARENTS?? #I'M NOT SAYING IT'S ANY BETTER THAN USA #BUT STILL THEM TRYING TO GET A JOB IS MADE TEN TIMES MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE SYSTEM IS IN JAPAN #I'M SO BITTER ...Anyways. So. The whole memory loss cliche lol. It's either a hit or miss with me, nothing in between, and it's 99% a miss. But THIS ONE. THIS ONE WAS A GODDAMN HIT. Obviously, this case of memory loss isn't realistic. But the part where emotion living on even when the memories don't? That's true and it's beautifully portrayed here in a heartbreaking way. The fact that Seme picked out the three pastries Uke liked best without even having to remember...it obviously shook Uke to the core and it shook me in the feels. Even then, I couldn't help but cackle. It killed me how Seme was super jealous over Uke having the mugs and wearing the ring from his 'past lover' and he couldn't remember that it was him. xD But the fact that Seme instantly just KNEW they were given to Uke from a lover--looking at those objects, he probably felt the same emotions he had when he originally bought those for Uke. So those feelings just transferred over to the present, but without the context of his memories. So. Boom. A misunderstanding that's technically not a misunderstanding. *wheeze* It was fuuuun~ The only complaint I have is...we don't get to see their relationship from before. I really wish this manga was a longer one and we could see what obstacles they had to overcome when bi/demi-Seme fell in love with gay Uke, who obviously had to deal with trauma for being gay. Just the "I thought it would go well for me and you from here on out" thoughts from Seme suggests that they had to go through a LOT of drama just to get to the whole 'couple rings' and 'couple mugs' and 'lovey dovey' phase. And I want it. Give me the pain, then the healing balm. I'd love to see Utsumi-san's take on it cuz they did well with the bittersweet pain here lol.
Afureru Namida o Nomikondanara
#Dacryphilia #Seme comes onto uke because of his tears #So dubcon is there #But uke consents to sleeping with seme #So no rape yayayayayyyy #Uke was cheated on by his ex #Ex was also very pushy in wanting to get back with uke #Pretty sure uke and ex had abusive and/or toxic relationship #Also please do not do what uke does and follow a stranger home xD #Uke be glad that it was seme jfcljf;ejf Oh. Oh wow. Just. Wow. I'm not expert nor do I have any experience with it, but I feel like this is a great representation of people who experience sexual addictions. The way Seme's guilt and shame permeated in every aspect of his person's life, which lead to isolation, was freaking heartbreaking. It showed just how much he was in need of someone who made him feel human, but there was no one there to help him deal with it. There was no one there with whom he could be truthful and that just worsened his feelings of ostracization. What really killed me was how wholly Uke accepted Seme. I was just. He understood that there was some physiological reaction to Seme's dacryphilia and, in the context of their relationship, even came to love Seme's love for tears. For Uke, it was like a representation of what brought them together and he felt at home whenever Seme licked away his tears. This full-hearted acceptance is what helped Seme differentiate between the sexual arousal for Uke's tears and the genuine love he felt for Uke, tears included. This was really great to read. :')
Raion Gotoki no Kuni Kara
#Underage sex #Minor/Minor #African/Japanese #Highschool romance #African seme is exchange student #Japanese uke is son of host family #Seme is from Kenya and balances modernism w/traditional #Long-distance relationship #Healthy relationship albeit unrealistically fast & started way too young This is a super cute story. However, the pacing of the story is exasperatingly quick and there were aspects of this story that were addressed and then just.. dropped lol.. I'd usually give four stars instead of five for that, but the representation of a Kenyan exchange student was just too good for me to not give five stars lol. An example of a story aspect being dropped: Seme said he was poly-[gamous/amorous], but then that was never addressed afterwards. Seme just naturally became monogamous because he fell in love with Uke and that's not a good representation of polyamory lol. It's like implying poly is inherently unhealthy and mono is default. So I just wish author-san had just either left that out or included a convo of poly vs mono w/o elevating one over the other. But still 5 stars xD
Karasugaoka Don't be shy!!
#Shy uke #Unintionally tsundere uke #Uke tries to treat seme nicely #But he can't act like himself when he's in love #Respectful seme #Seme looks like a badboy delinquent #But he's actually a super sweet guy that spends his time protecting people #Voluntary crime prevention organizations #Seme started organization to prevent crime in his neighborhood #Uke was inspired by seme and did the same for the other side of the city #East v west sides Okay but this was so much cuter than I originally thought it would be. I also enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The gorgeous art definitely had a hand in it tho lol. Seriously, Uke is so adorable and Seme is...wow. xD The way author-san draws their expressions here is just stellar. And this went an entirely different direction than when I first thought. I don't actually enjoy the tsundere personality, so Uke actually not being one was a welcomed surprise. And Seme looking like he should be a possessive tsundere, but is actually respectful and encouraging was also a welcomed surprise. There's no smut in here, which I would trade in a heartbeat for that freaking ADORABLE AS HECK CONFESSION SCENE. SERIOUSLY. THE DEFINITION OF DOKI DOKI RIGHT THERE. XD Especially since I was laughing the entire time because...oh my goodness, that Uke. Please, I beg of you, do some desensitization training so that your doki doki can be less...violent. *wheeze* Either way, yesh, this was a very fun read.
Karasugaoka Don't be shy!! 2
#Shy uke who acts like tsundere but is just nervous around the one he loves #Respectful seme who understands uke and does everything to make uke more comfy #I love the way seme never ever forces anything onto uke #Seme and uke are each other's first relationship #First dates #They're so good together omglsjg;oejg #Seme and uke are part of crime prevention organization they made #So violence and kidnapping included here #Attempted rape in chp 6 Wtf, this might be the most adorable fkkn couple I've ever read...like. If they were a meal and I were diabetic, I wouldn't be able to eat them because they're so sweet. And they make me laugh so much. I'm kinda torn because this is slice of life, so on one hand I get a little bored and the plot devices (like the crossdressing date and the sister) were kinda unimpressive, but these two's dynamic is just so fun that they make the mundanity enjoyable. The story doesn't inspire me with ideas, but it does make me happy to read. I am kinda bothered by how they focused so much time on the sister plot, that the ending felt rushed. And, once again, the Uke was about to experience sexual assault lol, so it felt derivative. But other than that, this manga felt fresh, but mainly because of the way Yukura-san characterized the main couple. Overall, this is definitely a manga I'll be returning to. ^^
Boku No Mama Chan (43) Kaihatsu Nikki