Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #neighbours(21)

So sad this is the last to read in this series, I have gotten very attached to these guys. I didn’t like how Kousaka intruded oh Shinonome and Yukimura’s relationship in this story, but it did highlight the vulnerability of Yuki and it was wonderful to watch Shinonome know just what his partner needed to feel secure. They are a bit of a crazy couple but they work so well together, and this manga was really great for showing the strong ties between these MCs.

Some cute stories with the last one being my favourite. The first one was different. I am not sure if I liked the uke much but his approach to wanting to be the “pitcher” in a relationship was a new one for me.

Lol, I am the complete opposite of the recent comments here. I absolutely love the seme. He was so very, very in love with the uke, from their earliest times together. He was so intensely sexy, like the time his tongue was bitten and he kept going with his fingers and blood leaking from his mouth. The look on his face. Phew, pass me a fan please! Or when he made the uke swallow. Lol, Insta nosebleed! But all that crazy adolescent intensity was balanced by the sweetest love. He chased his friend with an open honesty that left him very vulnerable. It was really irresistible for me. Totally a favourite

One shots with some traditional tropes but something special in the delivery. I enjoy one shots when you need a quick escape into fantasy without getting bogged down in anything too heavy and these worked for me. 1. The new neighbour is oddly seductive and friendly...and also the boss on a new project. The younger uke in this story gets metaphorical whiplash learning to deal with the coldly professional man vs the warmly fun private man that was his new neighbour. All while finding himself oddly attracted. The seme in this was harder to warm up to because his professional self was really quite cold. But he gave warm praise where it was earned and was happy to help the uke be his best professionally. He wasn’t the sort to like mixing private and work life so the way the uke overcame that was a laugh. 2. Yuuichi nii-chan and Azusa’s story was one I liked more. Friends for years, the older Yuuichi has been waiting for his friend to grow up enough to become his lover as well as his friend. Azusa tends to spark up at his friend these days, annoyed at his constant girlfriends and player lifestyle. But Yuuichi has his sights firmly set on his friend and Azusa starts to realize why he gets so flustered by the guy he has always looked up to. I liked both characters and the wicked look that Yuuichi often had was rather sexy. 3. Ryou-kun is an awkwardly shy guy scouted by makeup artist Marikawa-san as a model. In this fast paced story the self deprecating Ryou-kun wants the beautiful Marikawa-san to like him for who he is, even as he gains confidence under the guidance of the older man. I liked this story for the way Ryou always seemed to gaze longingly at Marikawa and how Marikawa held himself back, but would look at his hand that had cupped the uke’s chin after he left. Subtle things like that really work for me. It made the eventual move by Marikawa to no longer hold back carry an extra spark of intensity that is hard to achieve in a oneshot. 4. Childhood friends Ayase and Suga reunite after 3 years apart and a confession that took the younger Ayase by surprise and left him speechless. A confession after graduation that he never got to respond to because his friend left for Tokyo the next day. Now Suga is back in town and seeking Ayusa. And Ayusa has years of heartache and unvoiced hurt that he wants to say, along with his own feelings of love. But even now, he seems unable to grasp a moments opportunity to have that important discussion with the friend he still loves. This is a story that has so much wasted time and opportunity that it frustrates you to read. But I figure it would have frustrated both boys even more and I liked how it finally turned out. 5. This story had an old trope of amnesia where Fujihara had an accident only to lose memory of everyone but his friend, Kouji. He returns from the dead to kiss the stunned Kouji and lay a relentless pursuit on his friend. There was an odd mix of ruthlessness and vulnerability in Fuji. The uke, Kouji, was strong willed and resistant, but he had obvious moments of softness for his friend as he dealt with his confused feelings. Like the other stories, this was fast paced because it was a oneshot, but I enjoyed their crazy ride to facing the truth and being a couple.

I liked this story of otaku Shuuji and his childhood friend, Tomoya. Though he is 3 years older, Shuuji is so childlike and innocently exuberant in his infatuation with the girl bands. When Tomoya sets out to turn all that devoted attention towards himself things get hot and steamy between the friends and Shuuji is adorable in his confusion. A good dynamic between MCs.

Trigger Warning: Rape. An ok bunch of oneshots. All a little too short to feel true connections being formed. I really disliked the doctor story with the rape. Whatever he was blaming/ punishing him for was seriously not even remotely justification.

High school student and delinquent son of an abusive parent, Sakura Yuki was befriended by his young neighbor, Momo. After saving each other in an accident, they were separated during Yuki's third year only to be reunited when Momo was 16 and started attending a local high school. Their friendship resumed, with the positive and determined Momo looking after the 28yo whether he wanted her to or not. Their relationship was so sweet. It was healthy and positive, each gave to the other and the end was lovely.

Neighbours and best friends since kindergarten, Natsuki and Naoto have changed a lot over the years but their bond of friendship remains strong. The once small crybaby Naoto has grown to be tall, popular and athletic, while the protective, older (by 6 months) Natsuki ended up short (though don’t tease him about that) and cute (he will deny this). When romantic feelings arise they are suppressed in order to not cause disgust and ruin a valued friendship. That is until a good looking and likeable senpai takes an interest in Natsuki. I loved the art and I loved the story. Childhood friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and in this one I really appreciated that the outside romantic interest was such a lovely senpai.

Trigger Warning: Dub con College student Kaito, is a womanising playboy who takes a different girl home each night. His noisy bouts of sex annoy his neighbour Asami, as the thin walls provide no escape from the sounds. Their relationship is contentious. That is, until the night Kaito overheard Asami talking dirty on the phone… to a man! He couldn’t resist the dark voice and touched himself, following every naughty suggestion. But ofc.. thin walls. And before he knew it the owner of that voice was at his door, then in his room, pushing him down and taunting him for touching himself. The sadistic Asami sexually dominated the responsive Kaito and changed his understanding of pleasure forever. Their story flows from there, and for all the dub con it’s pretty obvious that Kaito is completely powerless to resist Asami’s sexy voice. There is also more depth to both characters which gets explored, especially the vulnerable Kaito. I don’t see this as quite a fetish story though, because it’s not any deep, raspy voice that works for Kaito. It’s only one, and it’s only ever been one that he seeks.

Hard working salaryman Atsush sometimes struggles with the demands of single parenting. So when he finds his son in the park at night with a strange man, he could be forgiven for lashing out in anger. Once he was told the truth of the circumstances and realised Hiiro was his neighbour, he went out of his way to apologise with the beautiful young man. What he never expected was to find out that Hiiro was a vampire. Nor did he expect to fall in love with his elusive and lonely neighbor.