muse ✨'s manga / #top 20(19)

A demanding young man in his early 20s struggling with his confidence falls in love with his tailor. This story broke a lot of genre stereotypes and it was incredibly touching and even erotic at times, but it always remained tasteful. I wish it were ten times longer. At Fujocon 2021, Scarlet said in her livestream that of all of her characters, Tetsuya is the one she would date. She also said he was the quietest during sex. Now we know!

The original story from Dear Green

I think I would’ve hated this story in my twenties, so maybe it’s my age, but I appreciate its quietness. I was so, so moved by this. Two people who broke up because of a stupid lie come back together gradually seven years later. There’s no groveling or dramatics. After a period of time, they speak once about what happened and choose to move on together. The characters are reflections of their surroundings - Ishizaki the ever-moving ocean, Mishima the lighthouse. They both make a foolish decision that harms the other: Ishizaki with his lie, Mishima when he doesn’t illuminate the lighthouse. And together, they patch up the house they will live in as adults. This really touched my heart. Seven years ago, as they were leaving high school to begin their futures, Ishizaki - who was going away to Tokyo for school - lied to his boyfriend and said he'd never loved him, hoping it would be what Mishima - the grandson of the island's lighthouse keeper - needed to give up on him. But Ishizaki never forgets him, and when he returns to the island years later because of his father's help, he learns that Mishima has become a shut-in.

A delinquent sophomore, Nagato, falls in love with Ai, a beautiful boy who, rumor has it, has been used as a sex object by the seniors. Ai has a low opinion of himself and is confused when Nagato continues to approach him, and is bowled over when Nagato confesses his love. This story focuses on consent, healing, mutual pleasure, honesty, and open communication. What a delight. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

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.

A carefree son is summoned home after dad gets wind of his grades. He falls for his servant, who has crushed on him for ages. His dad's story: Twenty years after brothers-in-law-to-be fell in love and risked a forbidden affair, they have a chance to be together. Too short, but I would read a hundred chapters about the dad. Both story lines are entertaining, but the dad's -- finally being with the person you've loved for two decades -- really touched me. Honestly, I reread the dad's three chapters probably once a month. That's why this gets five stars. It really resonated, despite not being long or developed. I'd write a novel based on the concept of waiting twenty years to be with the person you loved.

A lonely young office worker is befriended by a child who steals his rice ball, and his older brother - Minoru - who asks him to teach him how to make them. The single father is their widowed dad; I didn't want to use a different tag for this. It's so heartwarming and sweet.

Azuma, the teenaged son of a deceased kimono maker, falls for the mysterious Matsuoka--a man who insists on caring for Azuma and his sickly mother, saying he is only paying back a kindness. As he falls in love, Azuma grows jealous of his father's memory, believing that he was Matsuoka's savior, but his eyes are opened in more than one way when he visits Matsuoka in Tokyo. Original notes: A beautiful story. Matsuoka seeks to repay the kindness of the only person who ever treated him as human, the young son of a former employer. This author is spectacular.

Chapters 1-3: High schooler Haato feels a bond with his abusive mother's former lover Shibusawa, a member of the yakuza and the only person to have shown him kindness. Years later, Haato is working as a host and is openly in love with Shibusawa, who toes the line of a relationship but never crosses it until Haato loses someone close to him. The last story is about two coworkers: a man confesses to a coworker he sees feeding stray cats outside their building. ETA June 2020: After rereading the first story for the billionth time, I bought the manga. Hisashi does marry, but his husband dies post-story. We pick him back up here when he is 39 (chapter 5): https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/akanai_tobira/ July 2021: this might be the story I’ve read the most. Even more than the one about the hot dad who gets back together with his boyfriend after 20 years. Something about this makes me feel so sad and so moved. I wish there were more than just three chapters. I would love to know more about their daily life after they lived together.