jama's manga / #age gap(30)

The artwork for this manga is gorgeous and delicate, as are the stories, although their threads are so subtle and character-centric, they can be a bit tricky to follow, all interconnected by a common character or precipitating event in common. (1) Sunose, a straight university student falls for his cat-like and uncommunicative gay professor, Yukimura, who is too bashful and insecure to admit the love is mutual, even after a frank conversation behind closed doors with former lover, Kitakami, reveals Yukimura's true feeling and is overheard by his beloved, Sunose; (2) Backstory: it seems that Kitakami, a renowned painter, makes a habit of revealing, too intimately, the inner souls of his models, who usually also become his lovers, just as he paints their nude bodies too explicitly. Although the hitherto heterosexual, Yukimura, is forewarned of this propensity, he throws caution to the wind and agrees to be both Kitakama's model and lover, although he refuses to promise his heart or his fidelity. (3) Seiji, Akira's stepbrother, invites himself into Akira's workplace, a mahjong gambling parlour, to coax him into returning home, unleashing a storm of feelings that Akira has never been able to resolve about being abandoned, first, by his mother and, then, by his lover. A small cameo by Kitakami, in high school, links this story to Yukimura's. (5) Sarashima Satoshi, Akira's co-worker, also happens to be his roommate. He is blessed with above-average intuition and discovers, through the slightest sign, one of which Akira cannot possibly be aware, that Akira is depressed because he was abandoned by someone with whom he once regularly slept. The main plot engines are driven by abandonment, loneliness, recklessness or subconscious signals which reveal too much, followed by feelings of being overexposed and too vulnerable, withdrawals, inadequate communication and misunderstandings. One of my favourites!

Story-wise it was ok but leave it to Watanabe Asia to bring all the SMUT. She is the smut queen. Read it just for the smut.

Aoi has been living with Sagara-san, his mother’s ex-employee for thirteen years. He has been harboring unrequited love for his brother for the longest time and left home because of it. They have a rule against interfering with each other but when Sagara went to see girls the truth is spilled and the two become lovers

Two twisted love stories. The first revolves around two college professors who have been in love since high school but were NEVER direct about it. A detective becomes involved and the three work out well. The second story is about a brother-in-law in love with his sister's husband but could never say it. Instead the best friend of the two gets involved with the brother-in-law until the b-i-L dies. Good stories.

Heartwrenching tragedy of a boy who starts off with everything and then loses it all. Ryuuji Kazama was born into yakuza. He loses his parents to a battle between groups Kazama and Kuroda. He then loses his aunt who raised him and his nephew (who watches him kill the people who killed him mom). He gets raped repeatedly in prison until Ryuuji finally is released from prison. He is taken in by Hitoshi Araki, who use to look after Ryuuji when he was younger. The two finally are together but are separated early by death due to Hitoshi being stabbed. The war is finally over when Ryuuji kills Iba (whose held a grudge against Hitoshi for soooo long) and has his identity purged through witness protection that Hitoshi had set up previously. We meet Kai and Araki Masanori from Kizuna manga :)

Touching story about overcoming odds and settling the past. Sakurai is an advertisement manager who is well-known for his achievements. He also lacks enough motivation to stay in love with someone. He then bumps into his future soulmate, Youichi Minagawa. Youichi is the only child and manager of an old home called Izumigawa. As time passes, Youichi and Sakurai slowly fall in love and overcome the challenges. Youichi learns more about his past with his father, Yousuke, a famous painter, and his ill-mother, Ayako. We meet Takeo and Shouta who are relatives of Youichi and are boarders; Fujimoto, Youichi's classmate and love interest; Yoshitomi, housekeeper; Masafumi, friend of Yousuke and advertisement guru, and the rest of the cast.