muse ✨'s manga / #children(8)

Oosawa, a single father struggling to care for his young daughter, accepts the kindness of a customer when she falls ill. Yoshioka is a promiscuous man who is open about his interest in Oosawa, which he doesn't return. But the more time Oosawa and his daughter spend with him, the more things begin to feel like family. A slow-burn love story with a delightful child character and happy ending. I loved it.

A lawyer is dumped by his unfaithful wife in a gay cruising district and has a one-night stand with a guy who turns out to be his son's kindergarten teacher. Taiga, the man's son, is one of the most charming child characters I've encountered in manga. He openly declares his love for sensei, going so far as to loan him to his father until he's ten years older.

When single officer worker Hagi receives three tickets for a Lion Rangers show, he gives them to a coworker, Maki, who invites him to attend with him and his young son. Hagi had felt unwanted when his own father remarried, so he's terrified to get into a relationship with Maki out of respect for his son. This story was refreshing because it bypasses the tired "I'm straight, but for you I'd make an exception" trope. Maki is openly interested in Hagi and even says, "Who said I was straight?" He actively makes Hagi a part of his life, and three of them carve a unique family. Really very sweet and heartwarming. The only part I did not like was when Maki tested Hagi by threatening to leave his son alone as punishment for not eating his tomatoes. I don't think Maki, who is not even this child's biological father but a man who took him in out of sympathy, would ever harm a child in that way. It was a poor literary device choice by the author, and there were other ways to get to the "serious relationship" talk.

Sister story to "Ookami Papa wa Hitsuji Tsura shite Yatte kuru." A man still getting over the emotional fallout of his last relationship has been single for five years and pining for his best friend. One afternoon, when he's picking up his nephew from daycare, the robotic teacher at his daycare calls him out on his lovesick expression - and then begins to insert himself into his life.

Five stars for the main story about two childhood friends who reunite and live together for two months when one has to look after his sister's five-year-old son. The second story is skippable.

When his lover is forced to leave his job and return to his hometown to help his family, a man agrees to a 1.5 hour commute to Tokyo in order to be closer to him. I loved them and their relationship. A young boy mistakes a part-time worker for the baker at the bakery where he and his father, a widower, buy bread.

A high school student is mistaken for a delinquent at school and avoided by his classmates. One day, a pudding falls on his head from an upper window and he insists on bringing the cook home to marry his older sister. This features the most adorable child character I've seen to date.