Hitomebore Shita Hito ga Do-M Datta Mono de
Shouta went to an S&M bar without much interest, but when he ran into rope artist Misaki, it was love at first sight. Although Misaki is used to sex being a more casual thing, he responds well to Shouta's impromptu confession, and the two begin dating. But even though they love each other and Shouta is eager to learn more about S&M to please his masochistic lover, Misaki has a difficult past that he's avoiding that begins to rear its ugly head. I liked their healthy relationship, although they do get into some harder S&M. Trigger warnings: Bondage, S&M, strangulation, gang rape, grooming, blackmail, violence.
I'll Play With You, and Your Suit Too
Aitani is a tax inspector, but the constant abuse has warped his fetishes. Sakimura is a young man called in by the tax bureau for back taxes for the business he recently took over, and when he runs into Aitani on the street, he notices how getting hit turned Aitani on and pushes him a little further, starting a relationship between the two. But just as things start to get good between them, Aitani's office launches a huge tax investigation into Sakimura that shows he has connections with organized crime. Does Aitani really know Sakimura, and how much can he trust him? The reveal about Sakimura was actually done really well, but the bizarre thing is that it felt like they were ramping up to a big climax involving their jobs and the yakuza, but then once Aitani finds out about Sakimura, instead it just defaults to happy dating time. Felt a bit anticlimactic. Trigger warnings: noncon, S&M, exhibitionism.
Koisuru Sadistic Service
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.
Yoru wa Tomodachi
Masumi steps in to help Tobita with an agressive ex and ends up finding out about his S&M fetish and becoming Tobita's sex friend while taking the sadist role. Although Masumi isn't too into it, he likes seeing how much Tobita likes it, but as they get closer, he starts to lose control of his feelings and himself. I was on board until Masumi started to get a little too violent with Tobita, then it really turned me off of this. Trigger warnings: S&M, bondage, violence, verbal abuse.
Good Boy Addiction
Rui is a sub who has never had a relationship or even played, so he signs up for a dating app and agrees to meet up with a man who has model-level good looks. Only due to a misplaced "like" on the app, the scary-faced Ritsu shows up instead. The two go through with the play anyway, and Rui is over the moon with how good it feels, while Ritsu feels that Rui is exactly his type, so they begin to date. The only problem is, Ritsu is a much harder dom than Rui can handle, and trying to suppress his instincts starts to become painful for both of them. A surprisingly nuanced and emotional story dealing with two people who love each other but other needs don't match up. I think they fumbled a bit at the ending and it felt forced, but overall, a decent read. Trigger warnings: violence, cheating, drunk sex.
5 Seconds
Ch.1-2, 6.5 - 5 Seconds - Hayato has special eyes that have been passed down in his family. For him, this means that when he meets eyes with someone for five seconds he can copy their "sensuality," so he uses his friends to help him jerk off. The one person he won't use is his childhood friend, Tsukasa, who he's tried to avoid since he realized his ability, but Tsukasa is too sharp not to notice, and when Hayato accidentally copies some eyes he shouldn't have and goes into heat, only Tsukasa can help him. A kind of random and unexpected setup, but I liked the characters well enough. Trigger warning: dubcon(heat). Ch.3 - The Way to Nurture Love - Keiichirou is a normal working man who got dragged to a gay bar and told to pick his type, so he randomly pointed to a worker, but when they turned around he saw it was actually his long lost twin brother, Yuuichirou. Yuu seems to be living life as a woman now, and Kei isn't sure he approves, but he can't help but worry, so he invites Yuu to live with him. But the longer they live together, the more the feelings from their past that forced Yuu to leave seem to reemerge. I liked it, but it is an incest story, so don't read if that's not your thing. Note: I don't think Yuu identifies as a woman, so if you're looking for trans characters, he won't really fit the bill. Trigger warnings: incest, transphobia(?). Ch.4 - Too - An unnamed protagonist (Nameless-kun) lives an ordinary college life, except for the fact that he has a stalker following him every day, buying and wearing all the same clothes as him, and putting not-so-secret cameras in his apartment, which is especially weird since he's a nobody and his stalker, Kudou, is quite popular. Nameless-kun doesn't see it as causing any harm though, so he lets it go until one day Kudou seems to stop dressing like him, causing Nameless-kun to wonder if his affections have changed, and that's when he realizes just how much he's been watching Kudou in turn. I'm not really into stalker romances, but this one was fine for what it was. Trigger warning: stalking. Ch.5 - Itai no, Itai no - Rei spends every day at high school breaking up fights between his childhood friends, Takuma, and Shinobu, who are at each other's throats over everything but insist on spending time together because of Rei. But Rei knows that secretly, the two are in a physical relationship fueled by their shared masochism. Rei has trauma to do with pain that has caused him to develop a masochistic streak too, so he wants in on this. Not my thing. Trigger warnings: masochism, abuse, suicide, voyuerism, violence, violent sex. Ch.6 - Mushuusei no Ohisama - Aki and Asahi were friends in high school when Asahi said he'd become the best actor ever and Aki promised to be the one to shoot it on film. Now, years later, Asahi seems to have given up on his dream and only works in the porn industry, but Aki is still determined to capture the best of him. But when they fight, Aki decides to rape Asahi on camera to show him all the faces he hasn't seen yet. Or something. I wasn't really paying attention because I don't like rape stories. Trigger warnings: sex work, rape.
I'm Mediocre ♂, But I'm Loved in A Different World Anthology Comics