Wakatte Kudasai
Hydra
Bittersweet as usual. It irks me how much Miyamoto Kano loves to establish OTPs and then have years and years pass between them seeing each other. She does that ALL the time, and it drives me nuts. But whatever. I think it's obvious how they all end up, even if it's years down the line. Kinda stupid how some of it goes down, but I do love the complex relationships she builds. And I love when exes can stay friends. Off to start Rules now.
An Uncomfortable Truth
Interesting so far. Not sure what my rating will be later, but I like the build up at this point. Definitely creepily obsessed with his older brother, but it's sad that his brother changed a few of the things he used to do out of embarrassment. That little moment when he quickly drops his younger brother's hand... I hope it stays interesting.
Hai Kaburi no Otoko
Wow, that was the twist I was hoping for, but I wasn't sure if I'd get it. I feel like the first shot of his face kind of makes you wonder, though, haha. Not sure if this is a oneshot or not, and it's screwed up either way, but it was a good read.
Kimi no Naka Ni
Hm. Kind of abrupt, though I do like that the he was deeply in love with his wife. I hate how yaoi just tosses aside female characters like they're placeholders. I really hate "it's okay if it's you" type stuff with a straight character, so I'm kinda glad it... went the direction that it did. Sad, but it didn't make me cry, which is unusual for me with emotional stuff. I guess I just couldn't really connect with the characters. But it was unusual, so three stars.
Deichuu no Hasu
This is the only kind of incest I can read--the type that acknowledges how sick it is and approaching it with that twisted, psychological perspective. When it's treated as an everyday thing in a story, it weirds me out. (To each their own, of course! It's fiction. Just not my thing.) The story was interesting and well done, and I just love her art. But I'm not sure I buy the twist. The fact that people said there was a twist at all clued me into what it probably was, so I read the story with the assumption that... well, no spoilers if you can't guess. Anyway, I was right, and I feel like it was kind of reaching compared to the other complex stuff. I was a little disappointed that it tried to be extra twisted when it was one of the few stories where a rape victim flat out accuses their attacker of rape. It's like no one wants to use that word in stories, and half the time the victim ends up comforting the attacker. But that's yaoiland for you, I guess. Regardless, it was definitely a creepy, twisted, sad, and interesting read. I enjoyed it, even if the twist was kinda meh for me. It's a messed up story, and it *knows* it's messed up. The intention is never to paint any of this as normal or all right. (The violence, manipulation, and games, I mean.) So yeah, 4.5 stars.
Red Moon
Kaori Yuki is all about twisted romance. This was pretty confusing and jumbled, though. Would have been better if it were longer and actually had some character development, etc. Oh well. Vampire dude and manipulative boyfriend have a confrontation that suggests maybe they need some couples counseling.
300 Beats Per Second
Hmm.... Interesting, I suppose. I feel like there's something a bit clunky about each story. The fur one was really gross, but it was supposed to be. I hate animal suffering. I wish it had ended with some people paying for being so cruel. Despite that, the fur one, chapter four, was the only one that was really creepy. The end of the grandpa one was definitely eerie, too. They were clever concepts. The other two were okay, also. Not the worst I've read. I'll keep reading, at least. ETA: Lol, I don't now if the fifth story was supposed to be deep or what, but... It was pretty mean-spirited, but it was an interesting idea, like most of the others. I've thought about that before, the assumption that we're the main characters of our story. Kind of a miserable, nihilistic approach, but hey. At least the bikini ended up making sense.
Rakka
This mangaka really has a thing for stuck up ukes being jerks then paying the price for it. But this is interesting regardless. I have mixed feelings, but I'm intrigued. I don't know if this story is gonna continue, or if this is a collection of different stories, but I'd like to see where he can go from here. ETA: So I just finished chapter five, and this gets weirder and weirder. I don't get why everyone seems to love the second couple. The whole thing is just weird and creepy. The enema, and how he's like, "You look pregnant. Let's deliver the baby!" Like wtf, I laughed but I was disturbed. And then he turned him gay by screwing him? You can't turn people gay. This isn't like being a vampire, except instead of biting to turn someone, you stick your dick in their ass. I did, however, like the third couple, despite some of its own creepy parallels. I love that age difference. And it's nice to see two lonely people comfort one another. I could have done without the weird moment where he tells the guy he sees him like his father, to which the man responds by jumping his bones. But other than that, it's cute and sweet. So far I still like her omegaverse story more, though I'm so worried about how that ones gonna end up. Plus it takes forever to update. So here I am.
Jikan Akima Jinbutsu