muse ✨'s manga / #falling in love(35)

This is The Happiest Story. Two single dads meet in the mornings dropping their sons off at school. The sons are dear friends, and the dads grow close, helping one another to cook and manage their lives. When one loses his apartment in a fire, they combine households temporarily out of necessity, and it becomes harder to hide feelings for one another. The dads are great, but the kids MAKE this story. They're adorable. Be aware that Kentarou works in porn at one point, and having sex with someone else is part of that work. He sees it as work and so does Asakura.

This was one of the most refreshing stories I've come across. It deals with a real love story, people who are openly gay, no self hate, figuring out a relationship while one partner is underage, and dealing with a parent who tries to understand but is misguided. Loved it.

Bloggers in love. This was fantastic, with realistic reactions to the evolution of their relationship, and no unnecessary drama. I'd love to see where they are in five years.

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.

Well-crafted, well-paced writing and interesting characters, and the art is beautiful. Both works I've read of Ogeretsu Tanaka's have been excellent. This contains two stories which are set in the same universe: 1) A man who had been unattractive growing up has reinvented himself as a stylist and is asked out by the guy who had tormented him in high school. Still hung up on past anger, he grasps his chance for revenge. 2) The second story I almost bypassed. It focuses on a man several years out from an abusive relationship where he had been the abuser. Rather than forgive his past or excuse it, the story shows that he lives with his guilt and shame. However, he has taken steps to change, and he's honest with his new lover about his past. ETA: Having now read the story where he abused his former partner Yumi, it's no wonder he continues to feel guilty. No amount of abuse is okay, but this was constant and violent - even sadistic. He needs long-term therapy.

Momo spots a girl with bony shoulders and realizes the person is his male classmate. This was really lovely.

Wataru and Saeki have one thing in common: their love of movies. So when Saeki confesses that he's in love with Wataru, it comes as a shock, but he demands nothing more than a pilgrimage to visit locations from a film that is special to him. The trip brings them closer together, and just as Wataru is beginning to unravel his own feelings toward Saeki, he transfers schools and Wataru has no idea how to find him.

Everything goes to hell when a guy falls for his best friend's lover. This features cheating, lying, falling desperately in love with someone you don't intend to and shouldn't be sleeping with, trying to break up but being unable to forget them, cheating with each other again, setting your boyfriend up with a guy you met on Grindr so you can be free to be with the guy you REALLY love, and lots and lots and lots of switching. Cheating usually bothers me but I felt so desperate for these characters (even though they're stupid AF - just break up with the guy already - this hurts him more you idiots) that I was rooting for them even though this is not a good roadmap for How To Form a Relationship. Also I'm pretty sure they're all supposed to be in high school - do we ever GO to school? We just have sex all the time? Anyway.

A gay man falls in love with his company president's son, but when the president learns of their relationship, he undermines it, coaxing his son into an arranged marriage. A realistic, mature love story that ends well and happily, with incredibly touching moments - both happy and sad. I cried quite a bit, but the conclusion has me smiling. This is JUST as lovely and touching on re-read and they buy a car! ETA: I bought the manga since I've re-read it so many times.

The luckiest man in the world is assigned to the God of Disaster, whose job is to haunt him and restore balance. Except the God begins to love him.