sadslime's manga / #Bartender(6)

Kishi gets plastered after losing his best friend to marriage only to wake up to the cute young bartender, Nao taking care of him. Nao makes Kishi realize he was actually in love with his friend and offers "hug therapy," to make him feel better. But when this becomes a regular thing between them, Kishi starts to wonder if his "always alone" lifestyle is really enough. Cute characters, good progression, and nice character growth for an all around fun read. No trigger warnings.

Ch.1-3, 7 - Kouhei is a serious and work-obsessed businessman, and his coworkers are sick of it, so they play a prank by taking him to an S&M club having him get tied up. But when the bartender, Hijiri, ties him up, Kouhei feels something ignite inside him, and soon sex with Hijiri is his new obsession, no matter how much he wants it to stop. But as Kouhei grapples with guilt and shame over paying for kinky sex, Hijiri wants something else out of this relationship, entirely. Interesting dynamic, from their personalities to the way their kinks play into it. Trigger warnings: bullying, S&M, bondage, sex work. Ch.4-6 - Yuji is known for his cool and expressionless persona as an actor, but really he's just very shy, and when he gets his photos taken by an older guy who's exactly his type, he can barely keep it together. For the first time, he wants to pursue love instead of letting it go. The uke is really cute although I don't care for the seme. No trigger warnings.

Subaru is a rock star who attracts masochists, so he plays the sadist in bed, but really, he wants to know what it's like to feel the pain. One day his band mates bring him to a bar, and Subaru catches the bartender, Ryunosuke's, attention. Ryunosuke can see right through to what Subaru really wants, and they have amazing compatability, but their relationship is a bit ambiguous, and Subaru isn't sure he's ready to fully accept his masochist self. Their relationship is fine, but I did really like the confession scene at the end. Trigger warning: choking, S&M.

Jun-kun gets called out by the older, working man Fumitaka after putting on a BDSM show at his workplace. Supposed "Super-M" Fumitaka asks Jun to be his queen, and Jun reluctantly agrees, but it's not so straightforward as Jun has an unhealthy relationship between himself and sex, and Fumitaka has his own sadistic side that he keeps hidden from Jun. Further complications arise when Jun's brother and the source of his trauma appears, causing him to confront his past. Trigger warnings: S&M, bondage, incest (not blood related), non-con.

Ch.1-3 - Nicholas is a young noble who has always been taken care of by his butler, Eim. But when Eim crosses the line then tries to run away, Nicholas has to figure out what he feels in time to chase after Eim. Then, when Eim is happily pursuing his new dream as a playwright, Nicholas is left trying to figure out what place he still has in Eim's life. This couple was fine but didn't particularly grab me. Trigger warning: noncon Ch.4 - Liin is an up and coming knight in training, but when he hears rumors that his mentor, Professor Klein, gives students "punishments" of a sexual nature, he takes it upon himself to warn Klein to knock it off, causing him to become Klein's next victim. Trigger warning: rape. Ch.5 - Mitsuki is a student at a school where Kagashima is planting a garden (I think. Honestly, I had a bit of a hard time parsing this one,) and he goes to watch Kagashima every day while thinking about how he wishes that he were one of the flowers that Kagashima loves so ardently and possessively. So when he finally sees Kagashima kiss another man, Mitsuki decides to throw everything away to get one moment with Kagashima, but that's what Kagashima wanted all along. Or something. No trigger warnings.

Ryo is a bartender who wards off unwanted advances by saying he's "dried up," and can't get it up. His friend from university, Umezaki, is a total player who comes to the bar to show off his new conquest every night, until one day he frantically comes to Ryo saying he can't get it up! Ryo is wary of getting involved with Umezaki again after they had a bad breakup in university, but he just can't say no... A stupid misunderstanding, but otherwise pretty good plot and interesting characters. No trigger warnings.