muse ✨'s manga / #team switch!!!(26)

Two AV actors audition for the same role and are later cast together in the TV adaptation of the film. Katou falls for his older co-star, Iwaki, immediately, and is delightfully persistent in his courtship. Which basically consisted of showing up at his house and eventually moving in. They're open about their relationship with the public and their families; they marry; they deal with the sort of ups and downs that come up in a long-term relationship. I didn't expect to like this story. The art style in the early chapters threw me, but it evolves as the story goes along. Katou is easily the prettiest man in any manga I've read. If he weren't married to Iwaki, I'd say he's one of my husbands, but I respect their relationship too much. A couple icky things happen to them, which are caused by outside people, but their relationship is solid and honest and loving. They love each other SO MUCH. That's what I like most about this. This story DOES have a sequel, which I've tagged with this story's name as well. It is ongoing. ETA 2020: It's probably best to avoid the sequel! Just read this and pretend this is all that exists!

Rin and Maki are inseparable childhood friends whose relationship evolves from close to intimate when they start living together. Maki is completely devoted to him, but Rin - who initiated things - is worried what other people will think. This is the one with the sweet boyfriend with long hair who is so terribly, terribly in love. They slap each other a lot. Some readers took issue with it; I agree it's not something you should do in your own relationship, but it didn't ruin the story for me.

When I finished Antique Bakery, I came away wishing that Ono and Chikage had explored their relationship further. I knew Ono's dream of being with Tachibana was impossible, but Chikage seemed to truly adore him. I had no idea this DJ existed until this morning. While I'm pissed at Ono for what he did to Tachibana following his assault - absolutely fucking not okay - I get why it happened for the story. I was happy that, even though he harbored feelings for Tachibana, he chose a healthy relationship with Chikage and (eventually seemed to) stop sleeping around. Despite what he says about Chikage being a substitute and that he really loves Tachibana, I think he's lying to himself to keep himself safe. He does love Tachibana - a part of him always will - but he cares for Chikage, otherwise he would've slept with him without thought and never worried whether Chikage was hurt or not. The flannel pajamas he buys him solidified this for me: something left at Ono's house that belongs to Chikage, making him part of the space. Ono didn't say he'd bought pajamas that would fit Chikage or buy a cheap pair of sleep pants. He'd bought a proper set of pajamas for him, and he tells him that. It indicated a desire for something stable and long-term, not just sex, whether Ono realized that at the time he bought them or not. I also like the way that Ono treats him. Of everyone in Chikage's life, Ono is the one who treats him like an adult. While Tachibana was content to make him breakfast and fix his buttons, Ono taught him to cook and how to do up his own shirt. He doesn't look down on him. He treats him as an equal. He cares for him (and was extremely kind to Chikage's daughter in the last chapter, graciously supporting her dream to be with Tachibana when she is older). That's love to me. We can't all be with our first or greatest love. Finding love later, or while you have feelings for someone else, or finding love that is comfortable but not explosive doesn't make it illegitimate. I think they will be happy together.

A little story about switching and being attentive to your partner. Co-starring Tsuki. How gorgeous is this cover???

Two men who have been friends for twenty years have become lovers and play rock-paper-scissors to see who tops.

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.

Two men are reunited after a bad breakup ten years earlier. They still harbor feelings and resentment over what happened, but they do take the second chance at love.

Two coworkers start sleeping together and play competitive games to see who tops.

Two years into their relationship, Takahiro is in an accident and loses all but the earliest memories of the man he's built his life with. Everyone agrees not to tell Takahiro about what their relationship truly was, and so he struggles to build a friendship with someone he barely knows, frustrated by his missing two years but refusing to be given spoilers. SPOILERS: I appreciate that he never gets his memories back but comes to love his partner a second time.