Gender Game
Relationship undefined by appearance (fem and butch). The butch is a bottom. The fem is a top. Despite struggles with labels, they make it work. Character designs and personalities are refreshing. --- Bit confusing as they equate butch & fem labels to dom & sub roles respectively? Unsure if misinformation or attempting to send a point. Or, if that was how fem & butch roles were delegated to at the time ("hiiragi_s_english_japanese_dictionary_abnormal") also utilizes this usecase.
Off Time
Two lesbians and on growing old together.
Blue Spring Runnings
Cute!
When She Touches Me
Student and Teacher.
Utsukushii Koto (INUI Nao)
I *really* liked this one. It's a crossdressing scenario between two dudes, Matsuoka (MC) and Hirosue (ML), that ends up invoking the worst out of two people. The MC is a fool for leading the ML on for so long, too "kind" to shut him down. He is also a fool for expecting the man to overlook appearances, to overlook the lie that was told. But then the ML is similarly foolish. Beyond the point of cut-off, he prolongs the wounds they've inflicted onto each other, wielding the MC's feelings like a bullet, to shoot at any moment's notice. Towards the MC, he is callous, trampling onto his feelings. And yet, he acts contradictory---distant to his girlfriend, an underlying unhappiness. He remains harboring feelings for his "lady." You take a look at these two and see how deeply their love has been imprinted onto each other. They fell for each other because of the other's display of kindness, but because it was construed over a lie, they end up questioning the other's feelings, they want to run away from their own, both of theirs stubbornly remaining despite the pain it's caused for them. It's a love story where they fall in love quickly, but that's only one half of the equation. Beyond that, it's the navigation of ruminated feelings, wanting to move on but finding that they can't. It's a good case study that highlights how irrational love can be. I think it's realistically rendered, with of course still being dramatic and frustrating. But I love that in a series. I loved that they both groveled for the other person. Also the first time I've really seen an MC significantly change appearance between novels. Perhaps one of the few times in BL where I see a female character with a compelling relationship with both male characters, and yet is still treated as a likeable character (the two male characters come out as worse, in fact). Wished the ending was more conclusive, though? Side note: I appreciate how kindly they treated the ladies in this equation, because none of that hot mess was their fault. The treatment of the female character reminds me of Faded First Love. The way these two (unfortunately?) hold onto each other reminds me a little of the bit I've read of Usagi no Mori.
Mobsters in Love
3 volumes total. Completed. Right-hand man has a crush on the boss. It's cute and silly. Mainly shenanigans as he's slowly getting closer to him, some love triangle stuff, some violence---cute work.
Slow Morning
Getting together with the crush that liked you, the crush you never confessed your own feelings to. A chance re-encounter, getting together, living different lives.
Tomoi
Wild read. I liked it, though. MC is unabashedly misogynistic, but it only gets wilder from there. First segment features a dysfunctional quartet---dumbass student, teacher who doesn't know how to say no, student's friend who's a jealous lesbian, and homosexual that ain't afraid to threaten rape if it'll get the job done. MC's the homosexual, returns from NYC to pursue an old friend but ends up getting his friend to slap on his big boy pants and actually take responsibility to the fact he wants to be with his student, damn it. Second chapter is MC returning to NYC and falling in love wholeheartedly with another man, all but marries the dude before his wife goes on a rampage. Third chapter is MC is Afghanistan, meets a guy and his "brother," and then shit hits the fan as they get pelted with bullets. The first segment, I thought it was incredibly campy yet in-tune with other LGBT fiction from that era, even down to the playing into stereotypes. Second and third segment are a bit painful, as they manage to tug at my heartstrings before killing my soul a little. Second segment in particular was heartbreaking; third segment was heartbreaking in a different way. Dude keeps getting screwed over. Everything he forms an attachment to, it seems like he eventually loses it somehow.
Hiiragi's English-japanese Dictionary: Abnormal