Lex's manga / #Psychological(144)

Just another Harada masterpiece.

Junwoo, a hikikomori, passes his days alone, nestled within the darkness of his room that protects him from the outside world. The one strand of light capable of piercing his world is Hanbit, his neighbor and love interest. But when Hanbit leaves to study abroad, Junwoo is forced to take on a roommate to make ends meet. ---------- Such a masterpiece! I started reading this without any expectations and came out having cried an ocean's worth of tears. Junwoo, Wooyeon, and Hanbit's characters are so realistic. The romance so very natural. This manwa really makes you think about life and teaches you how to learn and move on from things. I was shook by the realism and how detailed the two main characters were. What particularly blew my mind was how detailed their struggles were psychologically, the way something as small as taking out the trash would be hell. And how a little run in empty streets at night was a step to recovery. The accuracy at which such psychological traumas and coping mechanisms were displayed had me seriously astonished. The artstyle I wasn't a fan of at first, I started to appreciate more and more as I read along. It's a pretty heavy plot so be careful if you want to read it. But it's really worth your time!

Aoki, a high school teacher, has motivation for little else than expending as little effort as possible. After being scolded by a senior teacher, he goes to the infirmary to check on a student that has been skipping class. There he shares his first real conversation with the eerily perceptive school nurse, Tengoku Manabu. ---------- I'm quite conflicted about this one, I wish the author hadn't used sexual harassment as the relationship's starting fuel, but it's also probably the only time I appreciated a story with such a plot. Somehow, the way it was being used and Tengoku & Aoki's dynamic made it less uncomfortable and reading this didn't feel like reading something rapey. It tried being twisted but I just didn't get such a vibe from it, also the Art is amazing to look at, I love how they legitimately look like two men in their 30s, and how detailed their expressions are. I really enjoyed how the Aoki and Tengoku's relationship evolved as the story progressed. There were quite a few cliches used in the plot, but it was still enjoyable, and it felt a little different. Once more, I quite liked the characters' designs! Seriously refreshing, you don't see characters drawn like them really often, especially Aoki's design surprised me (in a positive way). This was far from perfect, but I still really did enjoy it a lot.

Wut?

A bit lacking, but still one of the most accurate LGBT+ stories out there.

A sole omega was born into an alpha family. They hid him away and raised him in secret, ashamed of his existence. Chikage (omega) is named heir of the Souma clan after his older sister ran away. The first omega to be the leader of an alpha only clan. Hiroto (alpha) met Chikage once when they were both kids. They met again when Hiroto is chosen to take care of Chikage at school. But he's nothing like the sweet child who clung to him before, Chikage now has a cold attitude but a slutty body...and wants nothing to do Hiroto?! ---------- I feel like this manga's conflict was very well handled by the author. They did a very good job at portraying how disgustingly Omegas are treated, not only by Alphas, but Betas, and society as a whole. But with that said, given that the author also included some family conflict too, which gave the plot so much potential. That just made it so frustrating how it ended so abruptly. I wasn't able to feel satisfied with the ending, as it felt like nothing had really changed at all. The two MCs elope and live together but that's about it. Nothing was truly resolved. I liked how psychologically involved this manga was as well, but that too, had much more potential than what was displayed. I still liked it, but Urgh, how frustrated I am man...

Mishima, a student at a school in the countryside, is bullied by his classmates. The reason is because he's seemingly gay. In reality, Mishima does like guys so he doesn't resist their bullying, and instead, finds solace in secretly cross-dressing. One day on the rooftop, Mishima finds the lipstick he'd lost before in the hands of Kirino, one of the bullies... and Kirino was about to put on the lipstick that Mishima used on his own lips. This is the story of young boys looking for a place they can really be themselves. ---------- Such a rollercoaster of emotions. The MCs are really relatable. I feel so sad about Kirino's character's ending. Seeing how Kirino ended up choosing to put up appearances out of fear of causing (his) mother grief really broke my heart. It was hinted pretty heavily, that Kirino could be a transgender character (as the author included pretty strong hints that Kirino could have gender dysphoria: how the fact that Kirino's voice deepens over time, growing taller to the point of being the tallest in their grade, hands being more and more define, and most importantly how Kirino's in pain from seeing such changes, also how Kirino prefers to talk and be referred to in a feminine manner and wanting to "go to Shangri-La and be a woman"). I just feel so sad for this character, he was never able to reach acceptance, and ends up living a lie. As for Mishima's character, he was able to reach some sort of a peaceful ending, which makes me glad for him. I also liked Yumeno's character growth and how it was portrayed. Learning from the past and moving forward.

Jimmy, a small-time thief, is caught pickpocketing by a middle-aged guy named Reese. Instead of handing him over to the police, Reese makes him slog hard for a day at the book store where he works. Wanting to get back at the other man for humiliating him, Jimmy breaks into Reese's apartment, only to find evidence that he's a retired cop. A bit spooked now, he leaves in a hurry, determined to put it all behind him and carry on as usual. ----------- Gosh it's too short! I would've loved to read more on these two, I loved their dynamic. And the Art is topnotch too! Such a shame it was this short. Still very enjoyable as it is, but I'd have liked more on this story.