TerracottaPie's manga / #★★★★★(10)

I'm a sucker for domestic stories. Cooking together, sharing meals, exchanging recipes... that stuff gets me weak. I literally cried throughout reading this. Minoru and Yutaka are such sweet dorks. Tane is so adorable. Nothing beats sharing a delicious meal with the people you love. All the main characters are lovable. I wish Yutaka could have gotten along with his family, but we can't always get what we want. His adoptive parents seem decent enough so I wish he could've at least made his peace with them. The equivalent of a bowl of warm homemade soup on a chilly day: 5/5. (2017).

❆ A wildlife photographer aims to capture the elusive "snow fairy" in the snowy mountains of Hokkaido, but along with photographing the bird, he also finds himself drawn to a young man who, much like a wary wild animal, is cautious about approaching and getting close to people. ❆ Deals with how photography can be an expression of love, a window to an unknown world, and a way to preserve memories. It's so sweet albeit a little angsty. The art is beautiful. No notes : 5/5. (2022).

A western style BL about an infamous bounty hunter hunting down a swindler twink to cash in on the grand prize for his 1000th target, and the surprising (not really) bond they form along their journey. I love it. It's so funny, self aware, and at times, unpredictable. The official translation breathes even more life into it. Couldn't ask for better: 5/5. (2023-24).

A feel-good story about childhood friends in their senior year of high school who love and support each other. Their feelings deepen as Issa drops out to pursue his passion as a fisherman and Nagisa graduates. A simple premise with impeccable execution. They're so sweet to each other, their communication is lovely, they're both passionate, the art is gorgeous, the translation is done well. It's also one of the few mangas that get the meaning of "punk" right. So good: 5 ★ (2023-24).

A sweet and endearing love story between a broke college student (Kanta Azuma) and his wealthy classmate (Nishijima Touji). Nishijima graciously offers a vacant room for Kanta to stay when the latter loses his place to demolition. Nishijima gradually learns to become more self-reliant as he slowly falls in love with his new roommate. Domestic bliss: 5/5.

I'm used to this author's parodies and crack stories so this was a pleasant surprise. It's a testament to her talent and range that she can write such an emotional story and do it justice. You're right Chloe love is a wonderful curse. A beautifully illustrated masterpiece: 5/5. (2018).

Uncle and nephew bond as the nephew discovers his uncle's past through his diary. _____________________ There's a discussion on whether the long no-contact period was realistic. I think part of it is but not fully, and neither should it be. Realistically, contact would've been attempted for at least the first four years then slowly petered out, because staying in touch with a loved one you can't see can be soul crushing and would be difficult for many to maintain. I think the route the author took made the most sense narratively and thematically: it keeps up the parallelism between Gene leaving home for the first and second time and never looking back, and the theme of being brought back together thanks to a loved one (Gene encouraging Trevor to reunite with his family, nephew Gene being the catalyst for the re-encounter). As much as I argue for fiction's inextricable tie to reality, sometimes the tie must be severed for the story to be structurally sound, thus more evocative. Truly top-notch storytelling by Azuma Kaya, one of the most talented BL authors currently writing imo. Sometimes when you read a story you can feel the love the author has poured into it. You can feel that they stayed true to their vision, that they had strong narrative control and prioritised that over what would make it more palatable to readers (a love that is untouchable despite the generational gap and the extended absence). Nothing more to say: 5/5. (2021).

Please no matter what you do don't read the translation here. Other manga sites have much better quality in terms of translation and visuals. The translation is bordering on unreadable. It's butchering the nuance and poeticism of the writing. I read until chapter 5 here and had the urge to tear my hair out. If you want the story in all its emotional glory read it elsewhere. It's worth way more than the broken English or whatever machine translation this group used. (Some pages are also missing). Anyway it hurts so good, it's perfect: 5/5. (2020).

Father and son have much in common, yet the son goes on to surpass his parent. A heartwarming story about familial support and self-acceptance. I like the absence of romantic love. Short yet poignant: 5/5. (2014).