Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Artist(4)

Touji (rich, prince) x Kanta (poor, artist). When Kanta’s apartment gets demolished he is offered a room with the popular Touji. When he moves in, he is surprised to find that Touji is nothing like he expected. I have to agree, because the kind of trope I was expecting for this story was not what was in these pages. Instead these two guys were so adorable and kind. I loved their friendship with all the natural touches and simply enjoying being in each other’s presence. This is a recommended read if you want something loving and positive.

These stories were mostly nice (chapter 5 didn’t appeal to me). The mangaka likes to draw similar characters, all young and innocent looking. I would probably enjoy their work more in a school setting, it felt a bit like kids dressed up, but other than those critiques, these were an enjoyable read.

28yo clean freak Katase specializes in the traditional, intricate art of yuzen dyeing. When 32yo half American Fujinami Jouji visited the workshop to learn the skill, the attractive designer was partnered with Katase. The clash of opposites with the untidy, extroverted and confident Fujinami, sharing the space of minimalist loner and germophobe Katase, is the foundation of this romance. The art was beautiful and the story was nice, but it fell a little short for me with their connection. The falling in love and sex was too fast, it really didn’t have any authenticity. What was it about the serious Katase that attracted Fujinami so immediately? There is so much potential between this odd couple but all the power was with Fujinami. He was super successful, super good looking, outskilled Katase on his intricate and unique skill set almost immediately. Surrounded by people and even seemed to ignore Katase at times when surrounded by others. That all kind of bothered me. But that’s just me, and it’s not that it was bad. It just fell a bit short of being satisfying.

Beautiful art, beautiful story. Tattoo artist Yuji falls instantly for the beautiful Michiru. But Michiru belongs to another, an artist who has kept the ethereal man his whole life as his muse and creative inspiration. It’s going to take something powerful to bring these two together. I loved this story. There is a psychological element that comes forth that was so essential for Michiru’s character development. Nobody who was raised as he was could be expected to be ‘normal’. But he is precious and adored by Yuji. The connection between this pair is intense yet sweet. Really, this is just a unique and wonderful story.