Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #slice of life(370)

An opposites attract, age gap story with an athletic and masculine uke and a doctor who knows all the right places. -Kang Hyuk: Tall, tanned, buff college student with stress induced ED. Hyuk is a really honest and rather naive young man who seeks help from an urologist to manage his problem. -Dr Han Yoojun: A sexy urologist who spends his nights enjoying the gay scene. Plenty of sex, no commitment, a few friends, and a glass of wine; the doctors life is satisfyingly balanced between work and play. He doesn’t believe in love and emotions connections beyond friendship until the blushingly clueless Hyuk entered his office with a problem requiring his help. The dynamic between these two was surprisingly sweet as Dr Han found himself falling for the younger Hyuk. Of the two MCs, it was the doc who had to grow up the most to hold onto the one who came to mean everything to him.

This was a cute piece of fluff with these sweet guys. The gentle giant, Ben, and the little kitten, Keaton. The story was decidedly wholesome with the drama really set around getting Kenton’s older brother, Karl, to let Keaton be free to make his own adult choices.

This is the manga that started my love of BL stories. Sato and Yoshio are seemingly such an odd pairing but as a couple they are so sweet and their love is deeply based and really endearing. The series follows them from their first year of high school as they start dating and dealing with the problems of going out with the most wanted guy in high school. Sato has such a sadistic side but Yoshio brings out his inner softness and humour, and it’s pure comedy between the two of them as Sato’s cruel streak is indulged by Yoshio’s tears or overcome by his moments of heartfelt honesty. Highly recommended story.

Such a relatable and likeable pair, these 2 take that bold step of approaching someone you find yourself looking for each day and taking that risk to chase romance. Koiwai Ayumu (32yo) office worker, uke. Gay but never been in a relationship. Yamashita Ryoma (28yo) vending machine handler, seme. Totally gone for the cute older Ayumu-san.

Two lovely age gap stories between mature men. From the company head and the window washer, to the 39yo virgin BL writer and the young guy from sales, these were beautifully drawn, slow burn stories of unexpected love.

It’s been such an age since I first read this and now there are so many new volumes of this wonderful pair. The author has created such a bond between Narasaki and Terashima that sometimes I feel like I am being intrusive by reading. Full of feeling, this manga is rich with teen intensity and conflicted emotions as the boys learn to communicate effectively and understand each other. Blue Sky Complex ticks all the boxes for falling in love and then making it work. One of my favourites!

Completed story This was a sweet story about young single dad Take, his adorably bratty son Kota, and the new kindergarten sensei, Aota. For ex yankee Take, raising his son alone after his wife left has been full of challenges. But the anxieties of being a good parent were matched by the loneliness he found after old friends drifted away and his partner left with a new man. So when Aota praised him for being strong and doing his best, he broke down in his arms. That vulnerable moment bonded this seemingly mismatched pair and their story was really lovely to read. Falling for each other was natural and the little family really were heartwarming. I loved the art for Take, he had such a cute delinquent look that was still remarkably vulnerable. Loved the story.

Even though this is unfinished as a manga, I have read the complete web novel and really enjoyed the story. While they start young their story follows them through several years and it’s lovely how they deepen their connection and manage to fall in love, defying the boundaries of space and time in a cleverly contrived way by the author. Suxi, who had been well cared for since childhood and had achieved excellent results, was a good girl everyone liked. Lu Huan was exiled from his childhood and suffered humiliation before he became an emperor. One day, Suxi downloaded a love cultivation Game App, and found that the game protagonist’s eyes were dark and beautiful. He was drawn completely according to her taste, and she immediately opened the mode of baby raising mode. “Why is there no fire in the cub’s house? Do you want gold to buy it for him?” “The pup looks better in snow white. Ouch, buy, buy, bought it!” “Why was there a trace of footprints on the cub when he came out of the door? Is it a side mission to deal with the bully ?!” Suxi enjoyed playing the cultivation game. Lu Huan had lived in mud and blood since he was a child. He thought that living was just a matter of getting through one day then another. Until he made a complicated discovery- A warm charcoal fire was smuggled into his room. His torn old clothes were quietly replaced with new ones. Those who bullied him and ridiculed him, who knows who taught them a lesson, but their faces were swollen and they dared not go out. On his long lonely journey, he had a female bodhisattva walking his path with him.

I found this to be a rather melancholy story, not a cute one (though Iyo was cute). Things just didn’t make much sense when it came to character motivations. Most especially with Fumichi. He is waiter at a bar where he got beaten up by a customer he offended. But he keeps working there, even when the customer returns, drugs and rapes him violently. And he still returns. Sure, there is an impression that the drug makes him forget a lot, but it makes no sense especially when you find out he doesn’t even get paid at the bar? The flashes of his childhood show him as a runaway with no attachment to his caregivers. But no reasoning why. Are they abusive, was he stolen, are they even his parents? When saviour type Sazawa and his daughter, Iyo step in, Fumichi seems to fall for them both. But he resists that safety. Feelings of low self worth? I found him hard to relate to. I still enjoyed the story but overall it feels like too many missed opportunities to flesh out both of the MCs properly. CW: Rape.

Han Junran was the popular idol known as Juno, lead singer of the group Luka before he left amidst a scandal of being gay. Now he is off to uni and about to share a dorm room with the 20yo Xian Xian who happens to be the idols Number 1 Anti-fan commentator! It’s chaos and confusion for Xiao Xiao as he adapts to the kind and charismatic Han Junran; the tidy man with the extensive skin care regime, sculpted abs, tendency to get lost, and teasing nature. It’s hard to hate someone when you start being drawn to them but Xian puts in his best effort. The story was cute and comedic. Sadly the ending was rushed though, which let things down. Even one more chapter to sort loose ends and be a couple would have been appreciated.