Boy Next Door
The first story was weird, but I quite enjoyed it. The uke was a pretty bad guy, but the story from his pov was somewhat captivating. The art was weird, though- the seme kept blushing all the time and the way the author drew it was a bit off putting. The extras weren't bad either, but I would have preferred if the first extra was longer and the second was shorter as I didn't find it all that interesting.
Katsubou no Manazashi
Mixed feelings on this. I really just can't see this one as one cohesive story, it feels like two completely separate stories. One half is a nightmare and the other is a fluffy love story. I just really don't buy how a simple miscommunication can make such a difference in the story, or how the uke can suddenly flip from feeling violated & abused with the seme who he sees as a parental figure (incestous), to suddenly feeling cared for and loved and seeing this person as a lover instead. Surely there would be some residual feelings or trauma, but no he's just magically cured of all his fear for the seme and filled with love.... Not buying it...
Diamond Head
The plot seemed a little...out there? Ridiculous? But still enjoyable. The mangaka did a great job pulling out the characters' emotions though, and seemed to have a real knack for painting dark emotions onto a seemingly lighthearted plot. As such, I find it rather difficult to classify this as shoujo, or even josei. The ending was definitely very rushed, which was a disappointment after all the emotional buildup beforehand. The scene with Setsu's email was absolutely beautiful and heartwrenching, though, and had me sobbing for longer than I'd like to admit. TT_TT
House of Beauties
High school girl runs away to Tokyo to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. One step before being homeless, she finds an inexpensive boarding house with one condition: all tenants must be beautiful. Review: Uh...okay I guess? It wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. A solid shoujo- great for passing time.
Kimi wa Seiya ni Uso wo Tsuku*
Female boss attracted to her subordinate and finds out he feels the same way when they get stuck in the office on Christmas Eve. Not a bad story. In fact, this makes me more interested in the female superior, male subordinate situation.
Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai
Anata To Senya Ichiya