tofu's manga / #Found Family(81)

NOO I DONT WANT THIS TO ENDDDDD This manga, man. I'm so glad i withheld reading until it's completed because it would have KILLED me to wait for the ongoing chapters. It's been a while since i've found something this immersive--I laughed, cried, and smiled the whole time i was reading this. The level of world building and character design are just Superb, the writing is excellent, and the main characters are truly the star of the whole manga. I didn't expect myself to love Hanae THIS much, but boy, do i love him. At first he seemed to be the typical clumsy-dumb-overly positive main character, but he turned out to be way more than that. He's so endearing and kind and totally hilarious that i can't help but like him. The way he interacts with the demons never feel forced and he fits seamlessly into the delivery of the life lessons in each chapter. The overall story is Great, like i'd totally read another 30 chapters with no problem. In fact, that's my main gripe with this manga, it's that it should've been longer. A lot of things are left unanswered, and there are stuffs that just need to be included, such as Abeno's back story and the whole Sakae shebang (how did he meet Aoi? How did he change his mind about killing demons? Did Hanae's mom ever find out what happened to him? Etc). And that ending, man. The whole final arc feels too rushed and would've benefited from at least another 10 chapters, but well. What do i know. I do know that the story was fun, it's what Yokai Apartment strives but fails to be, i had a blast reading it and it's totally worth the wait.

Gosh i love these two so much. I always prefer stories with established couple because most of the time they focus less on the sexual or fetish-y side of being gay and more on the important aspects of gay relationship. Don't get me wrong, there are still sexy scenes in this manga, but they're there to show how natural their relationship is and how at ease they are with each other. And the rest is about the realistic look on being gay: dealing with homophobia, coming out to the family and the consequences, struggling to be each other's next of kin legally, etc etc. This manga sure does have a fairy tale-ish happy ending, but overall it's a good, comforting read for a closeted gay man like me.

That confession scene was phenomenal. And man, hirokuni's fear of leaving his toxic workplace because it was his only source of self-assurance is too close to home. Not really a big fan of the dynamic of the couple but oh well, can't have it all.

TW: non-con body use for supernatural purpose, innuendos (lots of it), child abuse (also lots of it), murder, ghost, curses, cult // AAAAAARGH Alright. I finally finished reading the 10th volume raws. I have so much to say i don't even know where to begin--i don't think i have enough vocab to describe how much feelings i have for this manga lmao. I just. Love it to pieces. [SPOILER ALERT] At first i was torn because the dynamic between Mikado and Hiyakawa is very much like the cliche "possessive controlling pushy man and his bf who's too blind to leave" trope but with ghosts and exorcisms to replace all the sexual and romantic scenes (seriously, the INNUENDOS in this manga had me rolling). But then, the further i was into the story, the more i understood the characters and their choices. It's not a simple case of "he had a bad childhood so he became toxic" or "he's a pushover who can't say no". It's way more complex than that, and because it IS complex, it makes sense why Mikado and Hiyakawa are the way they are. The same goes with Erika. Those three characters are so well written--it's Yamashita Tomoko afterall, and as always her dialogues are *chef kiss*. There are some conversations that made me wonder "where tf are they going with this" only to be recalled or concluded satisfyingly later on in the story. I love it. Everything is morally grey here, and i constantly asked myself, is this character a bad person? What would I do if i was in their position? The way author wrote Hiyakawa's speech and trains of thoughts is great and it slapped me hard when i found out why he was so peculiar (i wish the translation could showcase his lack of vocabulary better but oh well). The world building is also amazing, plot is out of this world (literally), the relationship between the three main characters is Everything and seriously, i could go on and on and on and how the frick am i not keeling over from all the love i have for this manga?? There is a couple of things i'm a bit disappointed with though--i feel like the gang barely had the time to be a team-slash-friends before the story ended. I would've LOVED if there was more space for their banter and development as a team. I also wish there was at least one romantic scene between Mikado and Hiyakawa, but then again, those two's dynamic is too unique and complicated for a romantic turn and i understand the author's choice to not take that route. TLDR, i feel very privileged to be able to read this manga. It's something i never dreamt i would find in the BL genre and i love it down to my core--I bought my own copies last month and it was my best purchase in years.

TW: half beast, heat, racism

This is basically hallmark movie plot but executed a million times better. Super wholesome story with unbelievably beautiful art.