punchline: existential dread's manga / #age gap(5)

yagi finds himself jolted wholly out of his comfort zone by asakasa, with the way he cuts through courtesies with candor and blusters through all yagi's hard-won defenses. i don't think the way yagi is described, both by the other readers and by his own admission, does him justice - he's not sycophantic, exactly, he just prefers to keep everyone at arm's length. currently, yagi clearly harbors some animosity toward and no small prejudice (unvoiced, of course) against asakasa, and i appreciate that that's the direction the mangaka is taking the story so far. i'm looking forward to the quiet dismantling of yagi's worldview - at least in respect to interpersonal relationships - and the dance & shuffle of polar opposites trying to accommodate for the incipient affection budding between them verdict: this is shaping up to be a highly emotionally engaging manga about love overcoming boundaries, defenses, and differences.

not my cup of tea. see tags

Cousins reunite in Tokyo - Yuu, ever the crybaby, never quite sheds his innocent, girlish disposition. He is in Tokyo to start university, following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Hatahiko, who has now settled into a salaried job and a lonely, mostly solitary tenancy in Tokyo, estranged (in part by choice) from his family. Yuu was often the only bright spot in Hatahiko's childhood, which he spent mostly feeling sidelined. Hatahiko both dotes on Yuu and attempts to keep him at arm's length for fear that Yuu has mistaken admiration for love, until finally separation forces him to confront his feelings for Yuu. Feel-good, sentimental yaoi written by a writer who's probably better suited to shoujo. This was miles better than her other one-shot, 10-nen Gou ni Agatta, Ano Hi no Ame. Some pleasant surprises: Yuu was sometimes bold; Hatahiko tentatively reconciles with family in a realistic manner; Yuu's attempts to make friends in uni were amusing. Their reunion in the Tokyo streets was a little too serendipitous to be realistic, though, and the contrived justifications for cohabitation were also a weak point in this manga. I am a fan of the delicate feathered watercolor-and-ink-brushed texture of her spreads - they're gorgeous - but her mangas in general lack substance. 2.5 stars.

Yiyoung may not have any particular technical talent, but, with his natural people skills, he's the only one who can effectively manage the mercurial moods of his zany, socially inept devmates. A botched project pitch leads to desperate measures, but has Yiyoung's last-ditch sexual proposition fallen on the ears of the wrong CEO? Reader, don't worry: animosity and crossed wires eventually give way to sickly sweet romance. Pretty standard boss-and-subordinate BL. For the standards of a webtoon, this is good. I wish I'd seen more of Kang's relationships with older women - I don't know if they convinced me with his departure from type. I want to know why he would have fallen for someone younger and of the same sex, given his past history. They could have spotlighted Yiyoung's business acumen and competence more often, or shown Kang unfulfilled in areas Yiyoung nurtures - I think that would have done it. Close to four stars for the first 30 or so chapters, then 3 when Yiyoung and Kang settle into an uncomplicated romance and the fluff stagnates everything