Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Straight Seme(20)

This is my favourite manga by Nishida Hisashi. Nabeshima and Takeda were such authentic characters, both strong and masculine yet surprisingly vulnerable. Takeda was struggling to accept his infertility and his self identity as a man, as well as grieving for the children he could never father. Add to that his failing marriage and jealousy over Nabeshima’s interest in his wife; he was a lost, angry man. His evolving relationship with Nabeshima was really full of emotion for the reader. Nabeshima was almost tortured by his love for Takeda, but he was so honest and determined to find some spot by the side of the man he loved, I found him to be irresistible. This story was full of feelings, including some that were painful (like the rape scene). I thought the mangaka managed the aftermath of that with respect for both her characters. Nabeshima was devastated by self loathing and remorse. Takeda was no pushover about to let things slide but took a passive aggressive approach initially that left no doubt as to his rage. I really loved that in the end, these two beautiful men made their way to being happy together. It wasn’t an easy journey but they are so good together and it was great to be part of it by reading this wonderful manga.

A diverse range of stories, especially with a historical type amidst all these modern manga. I loved the first story with the musician and the salaryman. That first sexy glimpse of those abs on outside the office window was a great start to the story, and then add the humour elements to set the scene for a funny and sexy story. The other stories were good too, though most of them finished before the relationship was mutual or with some degree of unfinished business.

These MCs were very sweet, especially the younger seme. He was remarkably mature and patient dealing with the insecurities of the uke and then the hassle of the uke’s ex interfering on their relationship.

Such a cute story. Starts out with a money lender collecting debts from the son of a father who borrowed when his business collapsed. Only the son is poor, even when working 2 jobs his home is a dump so the moneylender offers sex for repayment. What starts out as dub con becomes love as these guys spend more time together.

This was an interesting spin on Omegaverse. The omega (Azusa) had idolised the alpha (Kade) ever since he was saved from bullying by the young alpha at school. Now years later they reencounter and Azusa offers to pay the playboy back, doing anything for him. More for the amusement at using Azusa, Kaede agrees and from then is subject to the very determined pursuit by Azusa to become mates. I liked the hint of possessive yandere in Azusa. He could be scary at times, enough so that he would go to unforgivable lengths to get what he wanted. But he was also prepared to sacrifice all he had to give Kaede his freedom. Azusa could be very intimidating when others got close to Kaede, but Kaede was alpha enough to stand toe to toe with his lover when needed. It’s an interesting dynamic, definitely intense and a little disturbing, but well done overall.

A very cute story with divorced salaryman Harukawa Itsuki (31 yo) stumbling upon a gay bar on the 2 year anniversary of his divorce. There he meets the bartender Natsuki Minato (27 yo) who ends up making sure his drunk self safely makes it home. Itsuki wakes to find the friendly bartender sharing his bed and is fascinated by his beautiful face and the slender strength of his body. When Minato wakes they both willingly become intimate, an experience so memorable that they both see each other again and fall for each other. I enjoyed their dynamic together, but you could see that Minato was feeling vulnerable falling for a guy who had only had straight relationships before. It would take some verbal honesty to move this pair that final step.

OB-GYN Hino had bad luck maintaining relationships. His ex’s found him clingy, a little high maintenance, and perhaps a touch too clean focused. But Hino wanted to fall in love and when he broke up this time, he decided to do things a little differently and to go out on a rainy day (he believed bad things always happened to him on rainy days). When his eyes fell upon a lone drinker at the bar he was instantly drawn to the beautiful man. Widower and lawyer, Masaaki was commemorating the anniversary of his wife’s death when a friendly bundle of positive energy sat beside him and changed his life forever. The story of these guys was simply wonderful, despite Hino-san starting out as a bit of an opportunist. Masaaki was such a decent and good man, he was totally irresistible. And Hino was a real sweetheart when he opened up. Their story was really very loving and romantic with moments of pure sweetness like holding hands with positive energy, cuddles on the couch and warm hugs. Definitely a favourite for me.

Good stories. I preferred the extra to the main story, it dealt with the guilt of hurting a friend when going for the one you love and I thought it was nicely managed. The main couple, I didn’t like either of them enough to enjoy. The uke’s devotion in the face of countless girlfriends was hard to relate to and the seme was a bit of a self centred dick. Still, it ended nicely.

Trigger Warning: Rape (not done by MC) Young and filling in for a friend at his work, Serizawa recognises an old, familiar face in his new boss, Ikuta. However, the kind, gentle man from before is almost unrecognisable from the serious boss and even more so from the cynical man whore that is Ikuta after hours. So who really is Ikuta? And why does Serizawa suddenly feel protective of the older man?

Two interconnected stories with an office setting. Straight x gay relationships and the attraction between opposites, these were sweetly angsty. “No Touching at All” is a steamy manga that explores the relationship between two unlikely colleagues. Imagine that you’re: Toshiaki Shima, on your first day at your new job, trapped in an elevator with a guy, Yosuke Togawa who’s experiencing extreme hang-over (having a very unlucky day huh?), and the good news is that guy is your boss! Shima Is annoyed at their first encounter with his boss, but as time goes by… from mixed signals, and to steamy moments (in both and out of the office- if ya know what I mean). Will these two lads give their true feelings a chance to grow more? No Touching at All is a manga that will leave you on the edge of your seat. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves a good romance story with a bit of drama and a lot of BL of course!