Sambong Barber Shop
I like the main character a lot. Usually girls in stories like this are very timid to make up for their utterly offensive appearance, like how dare you be ugly! I do think it's pretty telling that only the women get this virus. At any rate, I started reading this with cautious optimism. Most of the time, stories like this are disappointing or even insulting. I can't say that this one entirely shied away from that, but once Park Jangmi finally told that dude off for being a jerk, I felt like the story was beginning to turn around. Uuuuunfortunately, I'm just now noticing that this hasn't been updated in three years. That really sucks. I'd like to read more. But at least it didn't end on a cliff hanger. Maybe someday it'll start up again. Oh, and that cat thing, wtf! Terrifying! Get it away!
Misa-chan
Haha, started reading it because it had cutesy art but was listed as horror, so I was intrigued. Definitely takes a sudden turn. I wish it weren't so short and abrupt, but I definitely like how it flows so quickly from cute to horrific.
Sabishisugite Lesbian Fuzoku Ni Ikimashita Report
Damn, this breaks my heart and makes me want to cry. She's so raw and vulnerable with her experience in mental illness, and though my own mental illness hasn't manifested in the exact same way, I can still really relate to that feeling of being lost and hopeless. I can't wait to see what happens from here on. I'm really rooting for the author. I hope she ultimately finds herself and finds someone to love her. I'm almost scared to see what sad things might follow, but I'm curious and eager all the same. So glad I started reading this!
Ore, higaisha
"I'm too scared to ask, but I think maybe Shinobu is gay." ... .... .......... What makes you say that, guy who currently has the dude's dick up his ass??? This is the definition of what I hate in yaoi. For whatever reason, the uke is always magically worried about the seme or starts to find him attractive in the middle of rape, and it's like this weird romance. It's so gross. I'm intrigued by the strangulation fetish, so I checked this out, hoping it would be more interesting than your typical rape to love bullshit. It isn't. It just adds choking. Take the choking out and it's the same as a million other stories. I understand that Japanese culture encourages meekness, but I feel like the lengths ukes go to help others in these things is kinda pushing it. This story would have been cute if they'd started as consensual fuck buddies with no feelings between them, but because the guy just jumps the other guy, it's gross. Anyway, they were all supposed to be kinky, kinda twisted stories, but they came across as average stories with weird shit shoved in there. I know a lot of people are confused by the second story, but I kinda liked it. I wish it were a lot longer. You don't see a lot of stuff focusing on MPD, and when it is, it portrays the person as dangerous or something. This wasn't super accurate, but it was better than a lot of stuff out there. I also liked the fourth story. It was very sad, but I like that moment of realization, how he coped with the trauma and the implications of all the times he's seen monsters. The third story, uh... I'm not sure how to feel going into a manga that starts off talking about bloody diarrhea. Not my thing, but there are people out there who hate how yaoi guys don't poop, or at least bitch about it. So here ya go! Also, why is there a tragedy tag? Am I missing something? So far, no one has died.
Shii-chan
I mean, I knew what it was about and I still read it, so that's on me. Definitely made me cry. Poor girl. I get that the ending could go either way, with her actually being a ghost and her just being a hallucination. Maybe it's a mix of the two, that she's lingering even though her friend can't actually see her. Mostly based on the line about how happy she must be in heaven to have someone on Earth who loves her so much. Yeah... I guess that makes sense, so I suppose it does have that supernatural element, unless it's more of a metaphor. Either way.
Chou to Kumo no Su
I love this mangaka, though this wasn't my favorite by her. Still, it was dark, sad, interesting, and complicated, like a lot of her stuff. I haven't read the manga it's the prequel to yet, though, so I wonder if I should have read that first. Poor baby, either way. I even feel sorry for the uncle, because he lost his mind. He wasn't like that from the start. I do have to ask, though, why did people tag this as incest? Am I missing something, or were there just that many people confused by the fact that he calls him uncle? He was dating his mother. They aren't related in any way, biological or otherwise.
Boys Next Door