Raising a Bat
I really like this so far, even though it's like, just get on with it already! I get that it's one of those stories where the entire plot is about the chase, but it's so annoying when they won't just communicate with each other. Either way, good art, interesting story, hot guys. I'm sold.
Suimenka
UGH. Heartbreaking and beautiful. It shows the shortsighted, selfish way a person can look at love, even to the detriment of those around them. It's so painful because he realizes what he's done way after the fact, but now it's probably too late to fix. I mean, I'm gonna go ahead and continue this in my mind, where they end up having a threeway relationship, and everyone is happy. Yeah, there we go. Haha. Also, that first sex scene was brutally hot. Holy crap.
High School ☆ Lullaby
3.5 for being kind of weird and rushed, but interesting, haha. It's too short for what it is. It's definitely on the disturbing side, but it's kind of funny despite it being about something horrible. Just that twisted "person beneath the surface" thing. I'd like to see that explored more, but without it being a cheesy comedy. I feel like most things like this are played for easy laughs rather than the dark essence seen here. It's a shame that isn't more common.
Blue Sky Complex
Very sweet, pretty art (though not perfect, which is fine!), but the endless misunderstandings always kinda rub me the wrong way. I like where it went, though, and I love that the one character was actually gay from the start, like it wasn't a huge surprise for him, and it wasn't one of those "it's okay if it's you" BS moments. I wish more yaoi would experiment with that, what it's like to be young and realize you don't like girls the way that the other boys do. Anyway, I love this story so far, so I hope whatever follows is sweet, too.
Kyoushitsu no Yugami
I don't like this one as much as the sequel. It isn't as careful and psychological. This one is more self-indulgent, I think, and I find it odd that the teacher would be so careless as to risk this sort of thing getting out when he'd carefully groomed the first boy over a period of time. It's an interesting concept, the process of breaking in a plaything, and the prequel was disturbing and sad, but very well done. This was... okay. It had a slight edge to it, but it ultimately felt more like typical yaoi BDSM than Harada's work usually does. Though that thing with the toy and the classroom is definitely screwed up. I've never seen that used in such a dark way.
Gokujou Dessert
I like the mangaka, but this story was too abrupt and disjointed. Three stars just because the art is pretty. Her plots are very similar in every story so far, but whatever. I like her characters and designs.
Uchuu o Kakeru Yodaka
I won't know for sure how to feel until it's finished, but if it keeps going in the right direction, this could be a pretty fantastic manga. So many of these things require the girl to lose weight and be skinny and all that, but it's nice to see the guy loving her for who she is, regardless of what she looks like. He doesn't treat her as ugly and pitiable, and you don't see that often in manga. I just wish she'd stay like that. I feel really bad for the girl who stole her body, even though she's sort of mean and manipulative. She had a really awful life up to that point, after all.
Nemuru Machi no Futari
Really short, but sweet for the length.
Hydra