muse ✨'s manga / #top 100(51)

As children facing separation because of a move, Makoto promised to marry Mizuki when he eventually returned. But when he comes back as a teenager, he says nothing of the promise, and Mizuki - who has waited for him - worries he's forgotten.

Sawamoto, a withdrawn delinquent, finds himself falling in love with the chemistry teacher he sometimes smokes with. Their good relationship only fuels his crush, which he can't seem to move past. His desperation leads him to drunkenly confess, making things between them awkward. Sensei distances himself, and Sawamoto falls into depression. Some time later, Sensei, having been made aware of Sawamoto's condition by a well-meaning friend, stops dismissing his feelings while still rejecting his advances, and eventually stops that too. We check in on them in a few years to find them still together and at the point in their relationship where they can argue and resolve things like adults. It bodes well. A surprising take on the teacher/student trope. This had none of the coercion or blackmail you often see. It had a mature, realistic built and tone. I really loved it.

Two boys fall in love as the end result of a punishment game. I didn't think I'd like this, but it was super satisfying.

The nephew of the music teacher befriends a student held back a year after he was assaulted by classmates.

A year out from a failed relationship, a lonely tailor is mistaken as someone intending to commit suicide and stopped on the platform by a high school student. That encounter changes his perspective, and he grows closer with his boss, whom he ends up falling in love with. Heartwarming and looks to be traditionally drawn in ink.

A multi-generational story of a family cursed to use a power that causes them physical harm, and the paper dolls - kami - who take on their pain. In good yaoi fashion, that means having a lot of sex. Also the puppets are made from human remains (for future generations, the remains of their own family.) Isn't yaoi fun. Among the stories, there were three I liked best: Genma and Himi (beware dub and noncon in their early days), Waki and Magane (because of the emotional challenge of being in love with someone who is bound to someone else), and Shoui and Asari. Theirs was, hands down, the best of the stories. The twins are awful. I skipped them on re-read. ETA: Considering I can't get this out of my head, adding it to the top 100 list. 4/25/20 - Still think about this a lot. Added a star. Skipped the twins again. They serve zero purpose and ruin so many poignant moments.

At 39, Ei is a successful researcher and still being pursued by 32yo Gin, a boy he met when they were 15 and 8. They are occasional sex partners, but Ei, who is terrified that his reputation of being openly gay could harm Gin in any way, refuses to acknowledge Gin as his lover and repeatedly tries to push him out of his life. Ei has horribly internalized self-loathing and hurts Gin thinking he's doing him a favor. He'll frustrate some readers, but I really related to him and understood his decisions. He knew first-hand what could happen to someone once they bear a particular label, and it was his unceasing love for Gin that kept him from being selfish and agreeing to date Gin long ago. I'm sure he thought Gin would eventually tire of it, find a wife, and settle down. Ei hates himself so much that he can't fathom someone actually loving him, despite how many times Gin has repeated it. And to admit he loves Gin in return would be to spoil the one pure thing he has, so he chooses to keep it locked away so that it's never taken from him. Frustrating, yes, but very human.

An untalented man who chose to study art on a whim to redefine his past becomes obsessed with the impressive work of a fellow student, the deeply introverted Yukari. He and Yukari grow close after an incident on the train, and he comes to understand that Yukari's neuroses may have to do with his famous father's parenting. When Yukari is attacked during an art theft, Kurose's past surfaces when he has to fight (and nearly kill) the assailants. But the point of the story is that the past is defined by the future. Using his fighting skills to save the person he loved redefines Kurose's earlier life. And Yukari's past made him into the artist he is. In the very last panel, we see his notebook scattered across the bed, indicating that he's working again. But also sleeping and eating, since he appears to live with Kurose now, who -- unlike Yukari's own father -- actually wants to take care of him. What appears to be an earlier work by Eigyou Nika's author, Kanai Kei.

I love Misaki. I've dealt with many of the issues he goes through in this story. There is so much dub-con in this series it makes me squirm, but I love him and I want to know how things work out for him. Also, Akihiko really is growing as a person as the series goes on. I'm glad Misaki calls him out on his behavior, and that he legitimately listens. He's controlling and has jealousy issues, but he does work on them, which I am glad to see. I love their story, even though it had a horrible beginning. June 2022 update: Ijuin-sensei and Yuu getting together made me CRY. So happy for them

When his dad falls ill, Yukinori takes a leave from his job to take over as acting president in his stead. A clumsy man, he fumbles his first days on the job and is mocked by the employees and looked down on by Maki, his father's right-hand man. To ease things with the employees, Maki tells them the acting president is taking everyone out after work, but to Yukinori's dismay, they end up at a brothel. When he confides in the worker that he doesn't want to sleep with her, she cheerfully returns with a bottle of alcohol and Maki - who is also gay. This story follows their initial fall into love and the trials of navigating a relationship. Absolutely delightful read. Kept me in bed until 11:11am on New Year's Eve. Also includes a story about a horrible guy who invited his ex lovers to his wedding.