Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #reencounter(49)

Idk what the recent comments are on about coz I loved this story. Super possessive seme with a serious and rather unapproachable demeanour and a sweet faced, older uke who is also needy for the seme but a bit better adjusted. Just my cup of tea. Sakasake Ryou has loved Ikegaki Yuuta pretty much from their first meeting. When the older Yuuta met his neighbour Ryou-kun he took the serious faced little guy as his own special little brother and they grew up together secure in the affection of each other. That was until Yuuta got his first girlfriend and Ryou’s world shifted on its axis. I loved this story because of the depth of connection between the MCs. Once they worked on their communication you knew they were perfect for each other.

Hirose Akira was an employee of a famous family run company and had been gaining more responsibilities as he steadily rose through the ranks. That was until he made a move on the wife of the company President’s youngest son, Shigeharu Tomoya. Then his world crumbled and he was left to make amends to the beautiful cheated spouse. The more time Akira spent with Tomoya though, the more he was captivated by his gentle boss and the more he realised his attention and affection were well and truly caught. I liked the dynamic between this couple and the little twists in the plot that caught me by surprise. These guys were adorable.

Content Warning: Incest themes (brother x brother) The only story that I really liked in this was Admonition From An Elder Brother (chapters 1 & 6). In this story, Tsuzuki (22yo) was a womanising delinquent thug who provided protection for his friends prostitutes. He hadn’t seen his older brother Hajime (now 34yo) in over 10 years when they suddenly crossed paths. Hajime wants to put Tsuzuki back on the straight and narrow path, but the younger sibling is resistant at first. Events arise that force some cooperation from Tsuzuki and the brothers relationship gets surprisingly close. I enjoyed the loyalty and devotion that was reestablished between siblings, and that it was between guys who were tough in every aspect of their lives, except for the hint of vulnerability with family.

It was love at first sight for Tatsuya (26yo) when he saw Haru playing piano at the bar where he worked. Not willing to let the younger man slip through his fingers he instantly pursued Haru and the two started an intense relationship that would be full of surprises. I loved the twists and turns in the story that came with each new revelation. Pretty art too, especially for an older story.

When they were young, the parents of Toosaka Izumi and Yano Kaoru divorced and also separated the young siblings. Over the years they lost touch so when Kaoru came to be a freshman at Izumi’s high school his older brother didn’t recognise him. This beautifully drawn story follows their reconnection and falling in love. It was really sweet and the mangaka did a great job of traversing the many conflicting emotions and choices that faced this pair.

Terminally ill Takahashi Miya has heard rumours of an underground club at his university where there are wild parties and orgies. When he sees the leader of the club Kanou Rei he can believe it as the older student has a dangerous air about him. When he is called over to meet him however, he becomes drawn to the mystery of the charismatic man who seems familiar. Just who is this guy and how does he know so much about Miya? I enjoyed this story. Don’t read spoilers and experience the unfolding mystery of the beautiful Rei just as Miya does. The love in this story is next level, and the art is beautifully drawn too.

A reunion/ reencounter story about Myungook and Hyun who had a bad breakup of their friendship in high school and a turbulent reunion at Hyun’s new job in marketing. I was slow to warm up to the characters but once you got their backstory their personalities garnered a lot more empathy. As they fell for each other the story became very sweet and I really liked how they thought of the other and tried to put them first.

Tatsumi Terao is a reclusive author whose sleepless days are spent tired and alone. That was until the afternoon he found a neighbours child, Subaru, exploring his garden. An unlikely friendship was struck up between the two and Tatsumi softened his heart for the little boy who smelled like sunshine. Fast forward 10 years and Subaru has returned from America, ready for college and ready for Tatsumi. I thought that this story was simply beautiful with two lost souls finding each other in such a sweetly innocent way. As an adult couple they had some adjustments to make but they were good at being open and honest. It was really very much a love story.

Trigger Warning: Rape This story was different. Quiet and serious, Ryou reunites at University with Fujishiro, a guy he had hated since childhood. However, Fujishiro had always been fascinated with Ryou and the cheerful, popular guy forces himself on Ryou and blackmails him into dating. It’s undeniably a total dick move, but it works because Ryou has always seen through Fujishiro’s facade to the real guy beneath and when Fujishiro becomes even more authentic in their time dating, Ryou falls for him. Fujishiro is an odd dichotomy of aggressive manipulation and sweet vulnerability. Ryou has a soft side under his cold, antisocial veneer and both guys are a surprisingly good match.

A perfectly gentle slice of life. Shy and socially awkward Mutsu is a successful adult mangaka but so driven with work he neglects to look after himself. On one of his rare forays out, Mutsu bumps into his old basketball team senpai, Akiharu. Realising the gentle Akiharu was in search of a job, Mutsu eagerly offered a position as live in caretaker/housekeeper with one of the only people he feels comfortable with. The rest of the story is their evolving relationship and it’s so sweet. Akiharu is a born nurturer who is perfect for Mutsu, and Mutsu has loved him for longer than Akiharu could imagine. Sweet, fluffy but still very much a Yaoi, this has all the elements I love in a top manga.