Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #childhood friends(221)

Trigger Warning: Dubious Consent/ Rape Sunny dispositioned and outgoing, Tsurugi has been best friends with the gloomy and shy Kiyou since they were little. As they grew up Kiyou’s close friendship with Tsurugi became a confusing attraction that grew stronger, but so did his fear of the pressure to be “normal.” Overwhelmed, Kiyou lashed out at Tsurugi, only to find the next day that his friend had transferred away. Now he can be “normal” but is normal what he wants when he meets Tsurugi again just before the start of University? I loved this story. It seemed to be the usual childhood friends to lovers trope that I enjoy, but it took a darker turn with a move to some seriously obsessive and possessive behaviour. There is no doubt that there are some yandere tendencies that come to light and that both MCs aren’t your average guy but what makes it all come together and work is that their love for each other is so strong. Obsessive and a little unhealthy? Yes. Strong and constant? Definitely.

Adorably cute and child sized Otona wants to be taken seriously and treated as an adult. When the new trainee teacher arrives he instantly falls hard for the popular new sensei. His best friend Osanai is supportive but disapproving. What Otona needs is some one on one time with sensei. A fun and sweet story.

A lovely little bunch of interconnected stories. Lot’s of sweet moments, my favourite perhaps being the scary faced/ ex delinquent store manager and the serious supervisor from head office. When he chased him down and held him because he had cried alone it was a heart melting moment. Like I said, lots of sweet moments.

I like this mangaka and this was another sweet group of short stories.

Three short stories, the first two were interconnected, set in the same school among other students. The last story with the 26yo chef and his college age friend was the sweetest story, but I also liked the first one. The second story with the cute guy and the gentle giant was a little too fast, but they had potential.

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.

High school student Toda Yuji used to be best friends with Kojima Isagi when they were young. But as they got older they drifted apart, moving with different friendship groups. Now Kojima is a delinquent who cuts class frequently and a loner who is avoided. That was until he had a brief connection with Toda while leaping out from the 3rd floor at school. Then the two boys reestablished their friendship and roamed at night doing whatever they pleased. Toda had that angry teenage, lash out vibe going; turning his back on his mother and school work, beset by nightmares of the time when Kojima saved him as a child. Kojima was a neglected child of a mother who didn’t want him. But his bond with Toda was perhaps the most real part of his life. Events escalated until crisis point with both boys in a dire dilemma. But bonds of loyalty ran true, and while there was no romance between them, it became clear that they could be good for each other. This was a darker story than expected with a psychological element and rather realistic with the teenage angst.

Sweetly wholesome story about Saoiniji Kaede, a young master with a penchant for shoujo manga and a dream of finding his own prince one day. Serving him as his butler and bodyguard is Kiryuu Yoshitsugu, who has loved Kaede selflessly since they were both children. Today, they start high school, and despite his best intentions Yoshitsugu struggles to be ok with Kaede finding a senpai prince on the first day. I liked this sweet pair. The protective nature of the knight like Yoshitsugu was often humorous and it was balanced well by the positive natured Kaede and a host of fun secondary characters

This story had some overlying sadness that made it a little darker than I anticipated. From loss of a parent with yankee student Akito’s mothers death when he was young, and bully-magnet Ryou’s neglectful parents to Sora’s emotionally abusive parent, the boys in this story all had difficulties to manage. Add to that the secret that Ryou has forgotten and the heavy burden of guilt felt by Akito and you would think this was a heavy psychological story. But it was most of all a BL, and the romance between the MCs was sweet and caring. I really liked the surprising well of strength in Ryou too. A very good story overall

I didn’t enjoy this as much as others. Although Uito and Sei were adorably in love and that was a lovely part of the story, for me it failed to lure me in on their journey. The story started with sex, had sex on nearly every page or references to wanting sex, and even (disturbingly) had the young sister getting aroused watching her brother have sex. We didn’t get any backstory until chapter 5 and by then I was already bored and speed reading through endless sex scenes. I give 3 stars for having such a happy pair who have been each other’s best someone since kindergarten, and for having supportive siblings. But really, I don’t enjoy stories that are smut (censored so not even good smut) without being able to cheer them on their trials and good times towards falling into love. No reread for me.