otakulys's manga / #Sweet(110)

Daiji na Koto na no de, Nido.

Complete | KUROIWA Chihaya | 2014 released

Aww. That was quite sweet. It's more of a 4.2 than a 5, but I bumped it up to five because the seme never raped the uke out of love. When he asked if he could put it in, and Tomoya said no, I thought, "Welp, this is it. And later it'll be treated as romantic because he secretly wanted it." But then he didn't, and things still got creepy, but for yaoi, it was pretty relieving that it didn't go the usual way. The oneshot didn't really do anything for me. It was cute and stuff, but I get the feeling that it may have been one of her first attempts at yaoi. Or manga in general. The art was off, the story was weak. But I did love the ending, haha. Not so much of a secret after all.

Tomodachi Ijou no Koto, Shitai.

Complete | KURAHASHI Tomo | 2015 released

Uuuuuuggggghhhhh. Okay, the first half of this manga, I thought I had found my dream couple or something. It was so perfect. Then... a bunch of the usual cliches came dancing in and ruined the perfect high. I'll break this into pros and cons, I guess. PROS: * BEAUTIFUL art. Ugh. * Super hot boys. * Genuine love for one another. * True friendship that matters dearly, even if they'd stayed platonic. * Mutual affection from the start. * Some side characters that I really liked. * Funny, cute moments throughout. * Super hot moments, particularly the one that gets this whole thing started. CONS: * MISUNDERSTANDINGS. I hate this trope SO much, and it's in everything. A little bit is one thing, but when it just goes on and on to the point of everyone involved seeming mentally challenged, it becomes more annoying than anything. Using misunderstandings that could easily be cleared up with a little communication is lazy writing. It's a weak plot device, and I can't stand it. Sadly, it's often in yaoi--and things with romance in general--so it's tough to avoid. * "It's okay if it's you." This trope is another one that I can't stand. It was set up in a way to indicate interest in girls had been either passing or just forced, but since bisexuality can never exist in yaoiland, they just HAD to shove in that pointless exchange with him telling the dude he's only into chicks. Why does it always have to be an exception? The cons were fewer in that sense, but they're right below "rape to love" in my list of yaoi tropes that I hate, so it hit me pretty hard. I wouldn't have cared as much if I hadn't liked it so much from the beginning. You may have noticed that it still has five stars, however. If I just ignore those other things, this really is a very sweet story with an adorable couple at the center. I want to read more about these two. I want to read more about senpai and his boyfriend, especially! XD And the art is just so damn lovely. Hopefully some of the mangaka's other work will inspire me in the same ways without irritating me in the others.

Kowagaranai de, Soba ni Ite

Complete | Long Utsumi | 2000 released

Aww. Well that was very sweet. A twist on a trope that's slowly growing in popularity: an accident causes one person to entirely forget their significant other. In the other versions, at least in the yaoi ones, the other partner stands back and secretly hopes they get their memories back. This is the first one I've read where they want the memories to stay gone for the good of their loved one. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm glad the two loved each other so much. I do wonder in all of these stories, though, how the other person never stumbles upon a picture of them together, or a voicemail, or a note they wrote, or anything that would tip them off. But whatever, it's all about the cute boys in the end. ^^

Shonen To Yoru No Mahou

Complete | fukaumi hisato | 2000 released

Ugh, I love this mangaka already! Why does she only have a single chapter up for all of her stuff? At least the newest one isn't just a oneshot. The art is great, the characters are cute, and I just want more. Mooooooooorrrrreeeeee!!!!

Kemonotachi Wa Wana No Naka

Ongoing | Fukaumi Hisato | 2015 released

I don't like how much he says gay sex is gross (plus I hate the "it's okay if it's you" trope, barf), but this is adorable otherwise. I wish it weren't a one shot. I wanna see them get it on. Maybe there'll be another part? Here's hoping.

Henai

Complete | Harada | 2014 released

I really love this couple. They're total perverts who are totally low key in love. This is the sweetest you can get from Harada. XD It's like her only couple with a truly healthy relationship and trauma-free lives. It's tacky making light of something so awful, but it plays on the trope that's so common in yaoi, and I like that. Very cute and sweet.

Houkago Edge

Complete | muno | 2014 released

Aww, very sweet. Two things I really liked about this: you never see blackmail with sweet or innocent intentions in yaoi, so it was so nice to see it not result in an excuse for rape; and the seme sorts never seem to really apologize like this, a genuine realization that they pushed too much. There are some typical yaoi things about it, the pushy stuff in general, but it's a sweet little story. Things are gonna be tough sometimes, but at least he doesn't have to hide himself so aggressively. I would like to see more of these guys. Very cute little story.

Hatsukoi Wa Gunjou Ni Tokeru

Complete | yuki ringo | 2013 released

A little too short for what it deserved, I think, so the pacing was a bit quick, but I enjoyed it. This is a sweet story about trauma and healing, and I appreciated that it was treated that way. So often yaoi glosses over things like assault as if it's nothing more than a bad day. The seme in this story was very gentle and patient. This is everything I want in this type of story. Why aren't there more rape scenarios in yaoi that end in hurt/comfort? Rape is such a horrible thing, yet it's so rarely portrayed as that in yaoi. Anyway, very sweet little story. I'm glad I stumbled upon it. Also, I loved his friends. I wish I could have seen way more of them. They're adorable. The fact that they jumped to protect the poor, mistreated uke without even really knowing him warmed my heart. It was such a nice juxtaposition between the coldness of the other group of peers.

Isso Koe ga Nakattara

Complete | SARUWAKA Chimi | 2018 released

I'm really glad his coworker showed up to set him right. He was such a pushy jerk. Poor baby uke. But I like this angle, never read a yaoi quite like this. I look forward to the next chapters.

The Four Best People in the World

Complete | Kobayashi Kina | 2000 released

Haha, very cute! I wish it were longer. This author is OBSESSED with gender benders. Not a single one of her works on here is without it. But it's definitely adorable.