Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #sweet love(52)

Be warned, this story will dredge up the tears. When Aoyagi Niina is 10 she recalls all the memories of her past life; a life that ended when she was just 15. A life where she (as Amamiya Chitose) loved her friend Atsurou and had a loving family. Chitose’s death left wounds on those she loved and a fair part of this story was devoted to trying to fulfil the unkept promises and healing some of the sadness. The rest focused on her new life, the love she still felt for Atsurou, and keeping her new promise to stay by his side. The balance of heartache and grief was balanced by the sweetness of the MCs and the depth of feelings shared between them. It’s a truly beautiful story, well worth taking the time to enjoy.

Kirishima Haru has it all. Looks, smarts, charm, and a talent to master things in three hours. The downside being that when the 3 hours are done, he becomes bored of it; be it piano, game design or dating. Then he enters the virtual dating game he created and stumbles upon a plain faced NPC who is a rare character and one that is glitched. But the more time that Haru spends with Ichi the more he realizes that the one he wants to spend more time with isn’t even real. I liked the premise of the story and the characters were cute and likeable.

Trigger Warning: Dubious consent Childhood friends Seyun and Yoojin have grown up close together yet have also walked their own paths with Seyun moving with his dad and attending different schools. Their fathers were great friends and the families (most especially Yoojin’s) are strongly featured in the story. I loved how protective of Seyun, Mr Jung was if he thought Yoojin wasn’t treating him right. Everyone underestimated just how tough and dangerous Seyun really was. He could more than hold his own against his tall, judo loving partner when he needed to, but emotionally he was more vulnerable and uncertain. The strength and depth of love between the MCs was one of my favourite parts of the story. They had some miscommunications but they worked through them and their love for each other was remarkably sweet.

A really lovely story about a friendship with the petite commoner Kouran, and the Emperor of Shou, Shiki. I liked the MCs, the gentle Shiki who is really only gentle with Kouran, and the sweet orphan girl who has a tendency to put others before herself. Their steady friendship to romance was lovely, it was the kind that was so strong that you knew nobody else could come between them. I wasn’t bothered by Kouran‘s petite build that often saw her being mistaken for a child because she was very clear and upfront about her age and it was a fun plot device (especially given that Shiki was actually younger than her by a year).

A rare thing, a oneshot that gets 5 stars. The adorable little bunnies were matched by the MCs; rabbit lover Shouhei and the fluffy and soft looking Mito Itsuki, who works in a rabbit specialty shop. The story had a lovely wholesome vibe that wasn’t diminished by uncensored sexy scenes and the artwork was lovely. Recommended reading.

Read after Kono Ore Ga Omae Nanka Suki Na Wakenai: spin-off Such a good story from Ogawa Chise. High school student Kyuta's second cousin is Etsuro, a calligraphy teacher and womanizer who for some reason sexually harasses him as well. When Etsuro has an injury, Kyuta stays at his home to help care for him as he recuperates. Their relationship slowly advances with the prickly Kyuta and teasing Etsuro negotiating old emotional hurts and future expectations. It’s a real age gap story, Etsuro is old enough to be Kyuta’s father, but it’s never something awkward because their relationship is already solid, and Etsuro has a vulnerability that is sweet whilst Kyuta is no pushover. I love this mangaka’s art and I loved this 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.

This was a great story that centred around the cheerful and naive Kotaro. This college student had spent his childhood raising 3 rambunctious and adorable triplet brothers following the death of his father. His mom was nice, but a workaholic and as the oldest brother with a natural caretaker streaker a mile wide Kotaro busily cooked, cleaned and cared for his family. When Kotaro was asked to help his mothers relative as a housekeeper, he was thrilled to be able to see again the kind older boy he met as a child. Someone whose impactful first meeting had always comforted him that he had a big brother out there. But the 32yo Ayumi was nothing like he remembered. The reclusive writer was unshaven and unkempt, his house a mess and his diet deplorable. And his expressionless face had a gaze that followed him increasingly. Obviously this man needed Kotaro! And so these two seemingly mismatched men started down the path to love. Understanding Kotaro’s history and nature do a lot for this story because the mangaka used them effectively for character motivation, from his flaws (eg taking on too much, not wanting to bother others with problems he felt were his responsibility, naïveté) to his warm nature and positive outlook that drew others to him. I loved all the supporting characters (especially the triplets) because they weren’t one dimensional. They were all complex in their own ways and really helped to make this a special story.

This is an old style manga that is really good. Car mechanic and ex-yankee Honda falls in love with Someya, a beautiful okama. You couldn’t get more of an “opposites attract” couple, but these guys work. Honda, for all he is into cars and fights, is a really decent guy. The sort that Someya could open up to (much to his own shocked disbelief) and rely on. The sort that would love him fiercely and someone he could trust. I really enjoyed this pairing.