Ani No Hanashi
A really important manga; simple and straightforward, but contains a really powerful message. More of a family manga than romance. Love that the use of third person POV. Send me to happy tears! ... anyway not to get too personal but reading a manga where someone stood up for their LGBTQ+ sibling....always sends me to tears. maybe because i know that won't happen to me and i gain some kind of wish-fulfilment pleasure from reading one lmao what wouldnt i do to have that kind of brother.
Yozora no Sumikko de
there are some works of fiction that are not inherently painful; it struck you so deeply, however, to the core of your soul--drawing tears with its tenderness and softness. this manga is one of it. it is not painful, no, not tragic. but, no matter how, it surely will bring tears for the readers. maybe because the manga completely capture how stuffy first love can really be. maybe it's the beauty of its simplicity, the imagery on every pages. the simple yet stunning art style. simple, yet powerful story.
Therapy Game
warning: slight biphobic remark, slight homophobic remark, mentioned past failed childhood abuse. tldr; bisexual top/gay bottom. one-night stand to lovers. misunderstanding. despite its cliché premise, it still is an entertaining read thanks to the great art and characters. great smut! still, the focus is more on the main couple’s relationship. ... alright. you know what, i also will say it. minato and i: we are similar. we are both stupid bottom with a lot of emotional baggage. he is hot, though, and i am not! so there’s that! but still, to read a manga with character i can project to... and have a love interest like Shizuma who loves Minato despite his baggage? Damn, ain’t that therapy for me! Honestly, this manga hits close to home a lot of time! which is probably why i like it so so so much. the plot of this manga may be particularly cliché: an one-night stand to lovers story with one of the character having trust issue due to past personal trauma, and a sprinkle of misunderstanding thrown in between. that fact, however, doesn’t stop this manga from being an incredibly heart-wrenching and heartwarming read. it will shower you with fluffy moments that makes your heart soar, then dump you into misunderstanding moments that makes you feel frustrated. that aside, it is still a manga worth reading. the beautiful art and the great characters really adds on its excellence. while i think the relationship development is pretty rushed (how do one falls for someone so quickly after a few encounters?), i feel that the mangaka resolve this by showing exactly how “messy” they could be. and i think that’s what makes me really adore the manga. i mean, there’s also shizuma-kun... but. the efforts, the devotion, the up and down of their relationship... some of it can be really cliché, correct, but the couple’s dynamics make it unique. the resolution of each conflict is satisfying enough for me. add on the grand gesture and the fluttering words they say? it /is/ a therapy game alright. therapy for me!
Hana No Miyako De