Her ShimCheong
oh my god. this is possibly the best gl I have ever read. so extremely well-written with practically no wasted scenes, relatable themes and symbolism, perfect pacing and storytelling, fleshed out and complex characters, palpable chemistry and slowburn romance. the author absolutely delivered on this dynamic and gave us more. also, love the inspiration from cinderalla, the allegory of the town mouse and the city mouse, and the elements of the golden turtle and dragon king (tho the myth's story itself has no relevance). also, this is the first time i hated the entire male cast and liked all of the female cast (at least, most of them). tho the drama was a bit over the top, it was very entertaining.
A Guide to Proper Dating
90's Cram School for Unripe Apples
has a really accurate depiction of adhd in the mc. she's just a pure ball of sunshine. she's so adorable and funny. it might seem like the ml is the typical edgy loner type with a dangerous past, but no, it in fact subverts and pokes fun at that trope; he's just a normal teenager with lots embarrassment and pentup anger from people always assuming the worst in him bc of his scar that was a result of extremely mundane trip. at first ngl I didnt like him all that much since he was an asshole to mc who was trying to be friendly to him, but his characterizarion is very well-written, much more than just a misunderstand boy as we learn later in the story
Ao no Flag
ch5. damnn... unrequited love rocks when its actually angsty this is everything I ever want in bl. i want it not strictly bl, but with bl elements that are delved into, and grounded themes many can relate to. such as reconciling and dealing with unrequited feelings for someone of the same gender. i love how everything mc learns with each character culminates into an intense montage of mc being so utterly torned over the revelation that his childhood friend was in love with him. it turned everything upside down, but mc wouldn't have responded so maturely without having those discussions with mani about girls and boys being friends, and masuo and his friends' consultation about homophobia. i have to admit, i was with the girl duo's opinion but shingo's logical counterargument and masuo's disclosure about his being molested really put masuo's homophobic feelings into perspective. that was probably my favorite part of the story.
Romancing Apoptosis Doll Sartain in Love
the premise that they're such young looking dolls for humans in the first place, is kinda concerning. the concept is certainly unique, and the story does explore different types of love, the chara designs are really cute, but... it kinda falls short of its potential. it might be bc of the limited premise; there's only so much u can do with dolls + love in the first place, but i think it could've been more succint, and certain areas could be explored more
Will you marry me again if you are reborn?
ch11. uhhhhh... did the sister (7) get married with the older dude(32)???
Hatsukoi, Catharsis