Manga Reviews (from monthly contest)

[aarinfantasy]

This thread will show all reviews submitted for the forum contest.
Click on "Show" bar to see each review!

Reviewers are not named because the entries are anonymous during poll vote, we will retain that. The most important thing is: Hope it helps you on deciding what manga to read!~

An index is now included for ease of browsing which title has been reviewed (thanks to @nyankoto; for the suggestion and effort to help on the list):

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INDEX
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10 Dance by Inoue Satou (review #8)
Abarenbou Kareshi (A Rough Boyfriend) by Junko (review #5)
Akai Ito no Shikkou Yuuyo by Akira Yoshio (review #2)
Akihabara Fall in Love by Kashima Chiaki (review #2)
After Morning Love by Fujii Mitori (review #3)
Ai ni Ikitai Dake Nanosa (Live for Love) by Jun Mayama (review #2)
Ai no Gebokutachi (Love Prisoners) by Sakurai Shushushu (review #8)
Aiso Tsukashi by Aida Saki and Yamada Yugi (review #1)
Amasugi Monster (Sweet Monster) by Mikage Tsubaki (review #7)
Ame to Kiss by Akihira Shiro (review #1)
Aoi Haru, Akai Ito by Kisayuki (review #2)
Ask the Stars for Help! (Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike!) by Abe Miyuki (review #1)
Asterisk by Morimoto Shuu (review #1)
Barairo Emperor by Asou Mizuho (review #2)
Batsu Game by Conro (review #2)
Beautiful life ( Nichijousahan Bi ) by MOTO Haruko (review #2)
Blood Hope by Naono Bohra (review #6)
Calling by Ootsuki Miu (review #1)
Choco Strawberry Vanilla by Psyche Delico (review #1)
Choco Strawberry Vanilla by Psyche Delico (review #2) (second review for this title)
Choco Strawberry Vanilla by Psyche Delico (review #1) (third and final review for this title)
Complex by Manda Ringo (Review #2)
Complex Love by Chidori Peko (review #6)
Daddy, Please Fall In Love (Koishite Daddy) by Kitazawa Kyou (review #1)
Dannasama to Mitsugetsuchuu (Husband, Honeymoon) by Minami Haruka (review #2)
Deadlock by Aida Saki (author) and Takashina Yuu (artist) (review #2)
Dekichatta Danshi (Capable Young Man)byMikage Tsubaki (review #3)
DistopiA ~An Incomplete World~ by Ichinomiya Shihan (review #2)
Double Mints by Asumiko Nakamura (review #1)
Dou-imo Nara Nai (It Can't Be Helped) by Kiriyu Kiyoi (review #1)
Flower and Bunny by Chiaki Kashima (review #1)
Hakui no Shihaisha (A Ruler Wearing a White Coat) by Kabutomaru Chouko (review #1)
Hakuyou Ayakashi Gatari by Ichijou Lemon (review #4)
Hana Ni Kuchizukeby Akane Abe (review #1)
Hanakoi Tsuraneby Natsume Isaku (review #1)
Heart no Kakurega (Haato no Kakurega) by Natsume Isaku (review #4)
Heaven & Hell Roman Companyby Mum (review #2)
Henshin Dekinai (I Can't Change/Transform) by Kousaka Tohru (review #6)
Here U are by D. Jun (review #2)
Himegoto Asobi (Hide and Seek) by Sakuragi Yaya (review #1)
Honto Yajuu (Like the Beast) by Yamamoto Kotetsuko (review #3)
Hoshi no Yakata by Tori Maia (review #2)
Hua Hua You Long by Xing Bao Er (author) , Ai Li Ka (artist) (review #1)
Hyakujitsu no Bara (Maiden Rose) by Inariya Fusanosuke (review #3)
I Can Lie Well If I Put On My Uniform (Seifuku o Matoeba, Umaku Uso ga Tsuketa no ni) by Kusabi Keri (review #1)
I hear the sunspot/ Hidamari ga kikoeru by Yuki Fumino (review #1)
I Want To Do What Lovers Do | Tomodachi Ijou no Koto, Shitai by Kurahashi Tomo (review #2)
Illumination by Yamashita Tomoko (review #5)
In These Words by Toga Q & Kichiku Neko (review #2)
Insomnia by Paperjeans & Oriya (review #2)
Jackass! - Who said it was okay to touch?by Scarlet Beriko (review #1)
Jigoku Meguri (Hell's Tour) by KUJU Siam (review #1)
K's Secret by Morak (review #2)
Kabeana Heaven Hole by Nakagawa Riina (review #1)
Kayashimashi no Yuuga na Seikatsu by Mamahara Ellie (author: Tono Haruhi) (review #3)
Kikoeru? by Aoi Hashimoto (review #1)
Kimi ga Koi ni Ochiru (You Will Fall In Love) by Takanaga Hinako (review #7)
Kimi no Nioi ga Suki (I Like Your Smell) by Aion Kiu (review #1)
Kimi wa Amai Amai by Hanamura Ichika (review #4)
Koiha Ina Mono Mouna Mono (Mysterious Love) by Zaou Taishi (review #4)
Kuma to Interi ~ Orso e Intellettuale (Bear and Intellectual) by Basso (Ono Natsume) (review #1)
Kuroneko Kareshi no Asobikata by Sakyo Aya (review #5)
Kyuuso Ha Cheese no Yume Omiru by Mizushiro Setona (review #1)
Lock Out by Ayano Yamane (review #1)
Lost Boys by Kaname Itsuki (review #2)
Love Stage!! by Eiki Eiki and illustrated by Taishi Zaō (review #2)
Loved Circus by Asada Nemui (review #2)
Merry Checker by Suzuki Tsuta (review #1)
Midnight Carrier by Nishimura Syuko (review #1)
Mijuku na Kareshi (Ambiguous Relationship) by Minase Masara (review #3)
Mou Ichido, Nando Demo by Aniya Yuiji (review #3)
Mr Mini Mart (Konbini-kun) by Junko (review #1)
Natsumichi Drive (なつみちドライブ) by Homuro Mita (review #1)
Nee Senpai, Oshiete yo by Naho Watarumi (story), Lalako Kojima (art) (review #3)
Nekoka Danshi no Shitsukekata by Ukyou Ayane (review #2)
Nigeta Hitsuji no Tsukamaekata by Aoyama Tohmi (review #3)
Not EqualbyIke Reibun (review #2)
Nozomu Bekumonai by Sangatsu Masao (review #2)
Oko-sama Star (Child Star) by Aomiya Kara (Review #1)
Omae wa Hitsujiby Takasaki Bosco (review #2)
Papa's Assassin - Ryuunosuke Wa Tonde Yuku by Shoowa (review #1)
Poison Cherry Drive by Motoni Modoru (review #1)
Pretty Babies by Iwamoto Kaoru (author) and Mamahara Ellie (artist) (review #4)
Puchitto Hajiketa (Cherry Poppers) by Kanda Neko (review #1)
Rakka Sokudo (Freefall Romance) by Fujiyama Hyouta (review #2)
Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai by Yoneda Kou (review #2)
Saiyaku wa Boku wo Suki Sugiruby Satoru Kannagi (story) and Etsumi Ninomiya (art) (review #1)
Sakura Gari (Cherry Blossom Harvest)by Watase Yuu (review #1)
Sayonara Alphaby ICHINASHI Kimi (review #1)
Seven Days by Rihito Takaharai (Written by Venio Tachibana) (review #2)
Shinkuu Yuusetsu by Bikke (review #1)
Shinkuu Yuusetsu by Bikke (review #1) (second review for this title)
Shiny Star by Nanami (review #1)
Sorenari ni Shinken nandesu (I'm Serious in my Own Way) by Asou Kai (review #1)
Sojou no Koi wa Nido Haneru by Mizushiro Setona (review #1)
Sparkling Daysby Shiramatsu (review #4)
Spicy & Sugary by Norikazu Akira (review #1)
Suna wo Kizamu Hari by Nojiko Hayakawa (review #1)
Super Loversby Abe Yuki (review #3)
Takaga Koi daro by AIDA Saki & YAMADA Yugi (art) (review #3)
Tenshi no Uta by Nishida Higashi (review #1)
The Falcon Hides His Love | Koisuru Taka wa Tsume wo Kakusu by Hitomi Mito (review #2)
The Killer by Kei Kanai (review #2)
The Overdoing Party Night (Yarisugi Party Night) by Akatsuki Amama (review #1)
The Trail of His Fingertips (Tadoru Yubi) by Takasaki Bosuko (review #1)
The Youth Yearns For Love (Seinen wa ai o kou) by Hino Garasu (review #1)
Tonde Hi ni Iru Natsu no Neko by Fujimako (review #1)
Treat me gently, please by Yonezou Nekota (review #1)
Tsurukusa no Niwa by Katou Setsuko (review #3)
Udagawachou de Mattete yo I will wait for you in Udagawa by Hideyoshico (review #1)
Usagi Otoko Tora Otoko by Honma Akira (review #1)
Virgin Nana-kun Fall in Love by Mike Nako (review #3)
What God Says (Kamisama no Iu Touri) by Moegi Yuu (review #1)
What’s wrong with having a sh*t personality? (Seikaku Kuzu De Nani Ga Warui)by Shishito Karari (review #1)
Will Die Tomorrow (Ashita, Shinu) by Sora Akane (first story); Ichiha Akitsuki (second story); Kai (third story); Otonoanu (fourth story); Yuri (fifth story); Rika Mayama (sixth story); Aoi Aki (seventh story); Aruku (eighth story) (review #2)
Winter Demon by Yamila Abraham & Le Peruggine (art) (review #1)
Yellow by Makoto Tateno (review #2)
Yachin Hanbun no Ibasho Desu (A Place for Half Rent) by Asou Kai (review #2)
Yoake e no Senkou by Miu Ootsuki (review #1)
Yoiko no Sumu Machi (The Town in Which Good Children Live) by Tohjoh Asami (review #4)
Yondaime Ooyamato Tatsuyuki by Scarlet Beriko (review #2)
You're My Loveprize in Viewfinder by Ayano Yamane (review #1)
Your Butt Fetish is a Pain in My Ass (Shiri Fechi Nanka ni Sukarete Tamaru ka) by Takayuki Shidatsu (review #2)
ZE by Shimizu Yuki (review #3)

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Manga Review of The Month (MROTM) - September 2013

Review #1:

Manga title: Tenshi no Uta by Nishida Higashi

Manga cover picture:

Review:
Doctor Michel nearly runs over a little boy who suddenly appeared on the street... thank god he wasn't injured but as fast as he came the boy Alex disappeared into another car... a while later Michel sees the Alex again at an Event and comes to meet the parents: His father is the famous conductor Rene Adler! Since they don't live far from each other Alex visits often, but then Michel and Rene get into a fight and the friendship is broken...

10 years later Michel Meets the now 16 years old Alex by accident... He learns that Alex mother died in the meantime and his father Rene does live out his homosexuality ever since... while totally neglecting Alex... Since the fight before included the fathers behaviour to Alex, too, Michel wants to help Alex and comes to meet up with Rene again...

Michel, Alex Rene, wicked pasts, wicked personalities, chaotic present lives and how everything comes together can be read in this surely (and sadly) short (2 Volumes) but amazing and deep story which is mostly serious/dramatic but adds its humor nonetheless!

Review #2:

Manga title: Yellow by Makoto Tateno
Manga cover picture:

Review:
Taki is a heterosexual blond who also happens to be a strong fighter. Goh is a homosexual dark-haired man who's good at picking locks. They both work as "snatchers", men hired by the police to steal from the mafia. Guns, drugs, and occasionally even people are on the menu! Their primary source of information? Seduction. If their target has a female mistress, she's all Taki's. Goh takes care of the males, preferably young, cute, and with big eyes. Pity that Goh's eyes seem to keep straying towards his partner.
My initial interest in this story actually stemmed from seeking works similar to FAKE by Matoh Sanami. This story is similar inasmuch as the straight one is blond and in denial, and the gay one is dark-haired and determined. Goh, of course, sets out to seduce Taki, despite having told him at their first meeting that he had a tendency to fall too much in love, and that he was glad that Taki wasn't his type.
Their escapades lead them down some dangerous paths, and at some point, Taki's past comes back to haunt him. Sadly, you don't get to learn nearly as much about Goh's past (though I hear that there's a sequel, Yellow 2, that deals with that) but overall, this story is all I could have dreamed of when I found it. It's sweet, funny, and fast-paced. At only four volumes, it's a quick read, and one that I've read repeatedly.

Overall, I'd rate it at an 8/10. If you enjoyed FAKE, or stories similar to it, I'd highly suggest you read this series as well.This manga is rated mature.

Review #3:

Manga title: After Morning Love by Fujii Mitori
Manga cover picture:

Review:
Story: 10/10 The main story contains elements of prostitution, rape and violence. That isn?€™t usually my cup of tea ?€“ but the story is also heartwarming and cute. It?€™s a touching story where the main characters each grow their own emotions individually while struggling internally with their respective problems. You?€™ll find yourself eagerly anticipating the love that develops gradually over four chapters. This story of a straight man falling for a male prostitute has its unique aspects, as well as its typical fluffy yaoi moments.

Art: 10/10 The art is great! Nothing was drawn strangely out of proportion. Details in the scenery were never overlooked, and the expressions on the character?€™s faces conveyed emotions clearly. And there?€™s a little fetish for everyone! A long haired character, a scarfaced character, a megane seme, and a cute ass as the uke. XD

Character: 10/10 The seme (Matsuno) is a straight man. The uke (Rin) is a male prostitute who happened to land in Matsuno?€™s care. I admire Matsuno a lot because even with all of Rin?€™s history, he never once judges him. Even before he developed a romantic interest in Rin, he only wanted what was best for Rin. Rin has a strong personality as well ?€“ his smile is charming and pure and his attitude strong and positive. Just because he had a dramatic fallout with his father and traumatic experiences during prostitution didn?€™t make him withdrawn, afraid, or bitter. He is one tough cookie, and an admirable one at that. ^^

Overall: 10/10 A beautiful story with yummy artwork ?€“ very touching love story with realistic obstacles and drama intertwined. Please take a read as long as you aren?€™t too bothered by rape in stories. There?€™s also a few chapters of extra comics about coworkers having dog and cat ears! Super cute. =)

Review #4:

Manga title: Heart no Kakurega
(or Haato no Kakurega by Natsume Isaku)

Manga Cover Picture:

Review:

Another of Natsume Isaku sensei's great works. Salesman Izumi -being robbed of nearly everything- has to move into an affordable place. With what's left of his belongings Izumi moves in to a run down tenement complex which is full of odd personalities, especially the young landlord Haruto who seems to be the most unsocial person on earth. Izumi hoping to move out again soon unexpectedly starts to grow attached to his new neighbours. Especially the odd landlord seems to catch Izumi's interst.

Heart no Kakurega is another of Isaku sensei's works which has the great art and story which we are used to from her. It's characters are well created with beautiful art and interesting backgrounds which makes them likeable and the story refreshing. Though the setting of a tenement complex has already been used in sensei's "Sugar Code" the story itself definitely has a different approach thus giving it a completely new feeling without losing Isaku sensei's familiar comedy and drawing.

I'd give it 9/10 because it's very recommandable and a must read for Natsume Isaku fans.

Review #5:

Manga Title: Kuroneko Kareshi no Asobikata
Manga Cover Picture:

Review:

Kuroneko Kareshi no Asobikata (literally means ?€œThe Way The Black Cat?€™s Boyfriend Play?€?) is a manga written and illustrated by Sakyo Aya, published by Shinshokan and serialized in Dear+ with one volume completed. The story circles around Shingo, a werecat (an ordinary domestic housecat that can transform into human form) who usually sleeps around as long as it has the body and looks that he likes and how this playful life of his suddenly changed when he meets up with Japan?€™s number one actor who turned out to be a werecat as well, Kakami Keiichi.

The plot is usual, with the usual uke and seme stereotypes but what sets this aside from others is the balance of great smut and heart-touching story from an ordinary housecat?€™s perspective. There is a real story slowly developing behind every fiery bed scenes in every chapter and it keeps on elevating the interest of one reader to continue trailing it. The story is quite fast-paced but not totally boring. Also, the concept of beast-turning-human is not that bad. You will actually love your pet cat more after reading this.

The art is full detailed and beautiful. Although there is a bit shallow development in the characters?€™ personality, you?€™ll never notice this at all because of the explicit yet delicious drawings that are visually pleasing. And the smut is seriously gorgeous; the characters transforming in the middle of their their foreplay ?€“ indicating that they?€™re enjoying the pleasure of being together - is hot enough.

This is highly recommended for those who?€™re looking for a smutty read with a small heart-warming story. Two thumbs up!

Review #6:

Manga title: Blood Hope

Manga cover picture:

Review:

This one shot is scanlated by Aarinfantasy and NaonoHolics.

A highly recommended one shot. The art is well drawn, with the art being clean and tone equally,giving readers a nice feel and easier to read.

The storyline is simple to understand and the relationship is made simple. This one shot is a very light read however it does contain some sex scenes just enough to satisfy a fellow yaoi fan. It also contains elements of supernatural. Very recommended for those who are interested in demons.

This story gives us an understanding of human desire and how our decision determine the outcome and affects our lives.
Recommend to people who want a fast read on something good, while not needing to wait for the next release or next chapter.

My rating for this story would be as following:
Storyline: 8/10 ( I wish it could be longer)
Art: 7/10 (very nicely drawn, clean and clear)

Review #7:

Manga title: Kimi ga Koi ni Ochiru(You Will Fall In Love)
Manga cover picture:

Review: The art drew me in for this one, rather than the description. It seemed so long and dramatic that I didn't want to bother reading it, but I said I'd give it a shot for the art's sake.

While I was reading the beginning, this sentence really got to me ; ''What I liked was the feeling of tension, the strained silent atmosphere, and the precise movements...''

Story 8/10

The heaviness of the drama felt like it was pushed into second place, while slowly but steadily the deepness of the characters surfaced. And as I enjoyed getting to know the characters, I also liked reading and learning more about the sport they used to tell the story over. Instead of just mentioning it by name, there were moments when it was actually done and explained what the rules were, how it was done. It made it feel more real and well researched.

Having light and heavy moments also made it sweet.

I recommend this manga to people who like school settings, unrequited love, a bit of drama and some bitter sweet moments.

Review #8:

Manga title: 10 Dance
Manga cover picture:

Review: The standard ballroom dancer Sugiki he is second place every year in the world championship he had never been the first place, one day he meet with Suzuki a Latin American dancer who is first place in national and never been to the world championship, Sugiki offered Suzuki to teach him standard dance in exchange to teach him Latin dance he accepted because he wanted to win against Sugiki, the two rivals are very similar in names and builds but their personalities are so different which make the story interesting also the story pace is not rush or slowly which make it more enjoyable,the art is unique in good way and very charming also it matched with the manga dance theme.

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1:

Manga title: It can't be helped(Dou-imo Nara Nai)
Manga artist: Kiriyu Kiyoi
Manga cover picture:

http://i.imgur.com/VjPcrcy.jpg
Review:

The Story is simple. The first 3 chapters focus on Takumi (student) and Tsutsui(teacher), while the other chapters focus on Fujiwara(secretary) and Yoshimine(father).

The storyline is clear and simple. It gets straight to the point. Even though there is some forcefulness in both stories, it is not considered as rape but this is a warning to those who do not like this idea at all.

However, the story is a very cute and contains some light jealousy, which makes it a perfect spice in relationships. The artist also included some jokes and it is a light read. (10/10)

The Art is superb. The sharpness in the drawing produces superb balance and quality. The background is kept simple to focus on the characters but when needed, the artist is up to par on this matter. (10/10)

The Relationships are clearly defined.

The 1st is Yoshimine Takumi and Tsutsui. Takumi is a rebellious student and do as he pleases in school since his father is the director of the school. This is until Tsutsui speak up to Takumi and does not treat him differently because of his special status.

The second relationship is Fujiwara and Yoshimine. Yoshimine is the director of the school. He is not gay at first but his secretary is in love with him. Many of you might thought of not reading this, but wait, if you do that, you are missing the real goodie. Yoshimine is actually only 30 years old despite being a father. The artist thought about this and caters to the readers accordingly. (10/10)

Overall, this manga is highly recommended. I simply enjoy everything in this story. The artist's ability is one to be amazed of.

Review #2:

Manga title: Husband, Honeymoon (Dannasama to Mitsugetsuchuu)
Manga artist: Minami Haruka
Manga cover picture: http://s19.postimg.org/e89yux30j/thu..._mocks_HHM.jpg

Review: Husband, Honeymoon is licensed by SuBLime as a digital release. It’s a two-volume bundle of smut with semes that look like ukes, ukes that look like children, and– oh wait, that’s most of Minami Haruka’s stuff.

For those of us who love mindless smut and pwp, Minami Haruka’s works are splendid. Her works tend to be one shots or single volumes with minimal plot and lots of sex. Husband, Honeymoon surprised me by having two volumes – ahh, this must have been Minami-sensei’s attempt at having a plot!

Eagerly anticipating a clever plot mixed in with the usual sex scenes, I begin reading. Cue entrance of the husband. “Welcome home – would you like to take a bath, or do you want to eat? Or… do you want to eat me?” Well, that slightly dampened my expectations of a deeper, more thought-out plot. The plowing of the uke began on page 10. I counted the number of times they have sex in volume one: 9 times. That’s once every 20 pages, and usually each sex scene is multiple pages. Not much room for plot, except that our happy newlywed couple somehow manage to carry full conversations while doing it.

Both volumes were filled with similar content: adorable and useless uke wife getting laid over and over by the salaryman seme husband. Typical drama ensues with a rival seme, jealousy, dealing with family, impotence (lol)… and then, wait – what?! There’s a random plot twist in volume 2 that seemed forced and unnecessary. But hey, for the amount of hot sex and endless newlywed happiness, I’m willing to overlook it. Read it for the bikini and maid cosplay sex, food play, incestual banter, and lots of sex sex sex!

And if sex doesn’t interest you, then… then just walk away. Seriously. Far far away.

Review #3:

Manga title: Takaga Koi daro
Manga artist:
Author: AIDA Saki
Artist: YAMADA Yugi
Manga cover picture:

http://i.imgur.com/bnBiauZ.jpg?1
Review:
Kurata Izumi is still fuming over the way he was refused by his crush in middle school twelve years back, even as his life has gone into a completely different direction being a single father. Things get unpleasant real fast when the same crush, Takatsudo Shin, unexpectedly returns to Izumi's life while feigning complete ignorance about what happened in past. Then comes Izumi's yakuza brother-in-law Sawaragi, who harbors a soft corner for Izumi.

I'm a bit partial towards favoring this one, as good BL manga with single parenting in focus are hard to come by; and this story does complete justice to the theme. Characters and over all set up has a very realistic approach and they're easily relatable. I personally can't point a single character that I hated or at least disliked, which is quite rare. While Makoto and Ai-chan add cute moments to the story, the chemistry between Shin and Izumi keeps reader on their tiptoes. There are several serious topics like death, crime etc.; but mangaka makes it a point to quickly shift mood to comedy or romance and cover up any dull moments.

The artwork is not your usual run-of-the-mill bishounen style, but at the same time it's still pleasing to the eye and artist has a characteristic style which grows on the reader pretty quickly. Characters are not overly handsome, but attractive in their own way and expressions are well portrayed.

Final Verdict:
While I've definitely read stories that are far more captivating and exciting than Takaga Koi daro, this manga is just the thing you'd need on a casual day with a cup of coffee for some heart warming moments. It's certainly not something I'd keep fantasizing about for days, but at the same time this manga still manages to create enough impact to score a place in my favorites list.

Review #4:

Manga Title: Kimi wa Amai Amai
Manga Artist: Hanamura Ichika
Manga Cover Picture:

Link: http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...psc4ffcf07.jpg
Review:

Human beings tend to become weird when they fall in love.

This phrase is the unmentioned theme of Hanamura Ichika’s completed manga entitled Kimi wa Amai Amai (You are Sweet Sweet). The volume includes the main story about two friends, in the spring of their youth, realizing they’re inevitably falling in love and two extra one-shots about brothers-in-law and another set of friends in love.

The main story is indeed sweet and cute, like most stories of teenagers experiencing first love. I like the idea of being “slightly” possessive – it’s natural for humans to behave like that, especially when it is their first time falling for someone. Although the one-shots have warnings of incest and angst, their endings are still heart-warming. These seventeen-year-olds will leave impressions on readers on how falling in love bring tears, pain and smiles simultaneously without giving up the feeling and that loving someone is one good opportunity to grasp and treasure every single moment of it.

The art, on the other hand, is somewhat messy, especially the hair, making the characters look wild and untidy. The eyes are quite big to convey so much emotion – the uke and the seme almost share the same facial expression making some panels a little awkward. But setting their faces aside, the smut is incredibly pleasing to the eyes. Despite the characters’ lack of beauty, the bed scenes are literally on fire: it is the spotlight you should not miss. They are explicitly gorgeous, fully detailed and have so much emotion.

The stories are full of emotion and sweetness that any fan can enjoy. If you don’t mind reading some angst-smutty-fluffy love story of beautiful seventeen-year-old's then this deserves a spot in your must reads!

Review #5:

Manga title: Illumination
Manga artist: Yamashita Tomoko
Manga cover picture: http://imageshack.us/a/img802/6186/r612.png



Review:
This book from 2008 presents a set of short stories that you can't let it pass for both its artstyle and the way the author includes the sex scenes, not as a pretext to be labeled as a yaoi title but as an inherent part of the plotlines.

Illumination, the first oneshot, tell us the story of a man called Mikita Ryuuji, he's a public servant, hopeless loner and alcoholic who has been secretly in love with his childhood friend Koya. It’s not as if Mikita had a problem with this situation because after all these years, being in love with Koya has probably become his only source of happiness.
The sudden appearance of Sudo, a charming 24 years old bartender, strikes hard the relationship between the two friends. Not only jealousy and misunderstandings arise from the intrusion but also the inevitable confrontation of their true feelings. They have to look around them and accept that in fact, their meaningless lives are full of desires, the basic need of human warm and a God, a God that might listen to their prayers for love.

The second story brings us back to high school with two friends exploring the winter scenery out of a veranda. Those fragile years and the uncertainty of that feeling called… what was its name again? Love or Something.

In Roses, Thorns and Shattering Clang our female protagonist declares “My rival in love is a guy”. Nakahisa and Tokame, the girl in love and her rival, both of them eventually learn that not every battle can be won when it comes to love.

Another couple of oneshots give to Yamashita-sensei the opportunity to explore themes like death and the yakuza world.

If you enjoy good stories regardless of its genre, this could be an ideal manga for you!

Review #6:

Manga title: I can't change/I can't transform (Henshin Dekinai)
Manga artist: Kousaka Tohru
Manga cover picture:
http://i.imgur.com/1qUnVil.jpg
Review:First thing you need to know about this manga is that it's a spin off of Okane Ga Nai(No Money). Some of the characters that appear aren't explained. To avoid confusion you can read the main story before you read this spin off. But, it doesn't really matter if you decide just to read this.

This is a story about Someya who is an okama(he sort of cross dresses in short) and runs a shop as a mama. He has a serious personality and sometimes he gets so serious you can't help but to think how adorable he is. For him, being an okama means a lot and also makes him feel more confident. He doesn't back down and isn't shaken by what other people say or think about him when they learn he is an okama. Though he might still have another side to him that no one knows about.

Someya meets Honda who is a car mechanic and an ex-yankee and agrees to go on a date with him in exchange for a free car maintenance. Someya is aware that Honda doesn't know his real gender, so he teases him a bit. But, when he does reveal his gender Honda isn't affective in anyway. In fact Honda keeps on pursuing and Someya might be getting some butterfly's in his stomach.

This is a pretty funny manga, which has a lot of moments you just wouldn't want to miss. I truly enjoyed Someya's serious and cute times, Honda's depth of feelings and attitude towards Someya. Also, Honda is just the kind of guy whom is missed in most boy love mangas if you ask me.

My personal rating is 5/5 for the story, art, characters, in short everything. Don't miss out and read this manga.

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1:

Manga title: I will wait for you in Udagawa / Udagawachou de Mattete yo.
Manga artist: Hideyoshico
Manga cover picture:
picture link~

Review:
High school, boy’s love & cross-dressing.

To be honest, I usually associate those tags with the superfluously predictable type of love story. Well, Hideyoshico just kicked my preconceived notions somewhere awfully remote. Udagawachou de Mattete yo—although consistent with all those labels—is everything but stereotypical.

The plot is head-on. It evolves from an incident right off the bat; Momose accidentally happens to spot his classmate Yashiro standing outside a shopping centre, cross-dressing as a girl. After this, Momose can’t keep his eyes off Yashiro, for reasons he can’t explain, even to himself.

The thoughts and emotions of the characters are explored and conveyed in a straight-forward manner, aided by a generous dose of upfront humour and believable reactions, lacking any pretences. This manga is not written to fulfil anyone’s expectations, but to simply tell a story—about how difficult it can be to fall in love and come to terms with who you are. The subject of cross-dressing is approached tenderly, in a refreshingly realistic way.

Yet, while this story is heavy on the realism, and delves into emotions more complicated than the general “I don’t know if I love him”, it’s far from a depressing read. The sketchy art, quirky characters and their wonderful interactions left me with a long-lasting impression of the story, but also with trembling heartstrings and a fluttery feeling in my chest. It is enough to sate anyone’s secret craving for sweetness, but it won’t cause too bad a toothache.

Review #2:

Manga title: Love Stage!!
Manga artist: Written by Eiki Eiki and illustrated by Taishi Zaō
Manga cover picture:

Picture Link
Review:
Love stage, as the name suggested, means love coming on stage.

This story is quite cute and funny, with some comedic effect added in between pages.
It started with a 10-year ago flashback, where Sena Izumi together with another boy were participating in a wedding commercial. Due to some traumatized events that happened during the shoot, the 18-year-old Sena Izumi vowed to never step into show business, thus becoming a otaku who is obsessed with Magical Girl LalaLulu and inspired to become a mangaka. But when all his family members are associated with show-biz business, can he still fulfill his dreams though?

The art is very pretty and this manga does have a story plot, with the smut only appear in the later chapters. The seme is a jerk at first upon knowing who the uke was. But he is considerate and caring after he realize his feelings. He loves the uke that he is willing to do anything to make him happy. The uke can be slow at times upon realizing his feelings but his seme never gave up. The uke is both adorable and sexy, and can unconsciously seduce his seme, poor poor seme.

You can say that they are both first love of each other! The earlier chapter depicts on how both seme and uke come to an understanding and acceptance to these feelings and the later chapters are more on the relationship between them. But whenever an entertainment industry is concerned, their newly relationship can become rocky at times.

Some warning, a little bit of cross-dressing in the first few chapters. If you would like a refreshing read, away from all those stereotype yaoi manga, with a bit of laugh, then give this light-hearted manga a try!

Review #3:

Manga title: Super Lovers
Manga artist: Abe Yuki
Manga cover picture: http://webboard.yenta4.com/uploads/2...attachment.jpg

Review: Super Lovers is a multi-volume on-going manga. There are 19 chapters currently available for your perusal.

The manga starts off with the main character, Haru, visiting Canada to spend the summer holidays with his mother. While there, his mother orders him to 'civilize' his younger adoptive brother, Ren. Ren, of course, wants no part of this, content to run about in the woods with the dogs, but Haru is quite determined.

The development of this story is quite slow, and there is a nine year age gap between the main couple. But don't let that deter you. Ren is quite mature, or perhaps it's more that Haru is rather immature. Take your pick.

Haru is ever the protective older brother, always striving to be perfect and to do anything for his younger brothers (he has three total, counting Ren). Ren's arrival in Japan sparks something that neither one saw coming, and while Ren is straightforward, Haru is completely clueless. Or maybe he just wants you to think that.

Regardless, this story has its shares of laughs and heartbreaking moments, times when you can't help but laugh, and scenes that will make you want to cry. It's a story about a family of brothers trying ot be just that, but it's hard when one of them wants more, and the other is afraid to give away that much.

The artwork is beautiful, and the characters easy to tell apart. Even better, because there are only a handful of characters, they have depth to them. If you're looking for a shallow yaoi manga, then this is definitely not for you. This goes so much deeper, and is all the more enjoyable for it. Despite containing such themes as forbidden love, incest, and an age gap, it's done in such a way as to make it beautiful, believable, and all around a fantastic story. I highly recommend it.

Review #4:

Manga title: Mysterious Love (Koiha Ina Mono Mouna Mono)
Manga artist: Zaou Taishi
Manga cover picture: http://i.imgur.com/tzu7DpI.jpg

Review: Serialized in Dear+ and licensed in English by DokiDoki, Koiha Ina Mono Mouna Mono is an adorable and fluffy love story centered around Tamura Masafumi, who predicts the future in his dreams. It begins when Tamura meets Seiwa Narumi on the first day of school and passes out. It turns out he been dreaming that he would turn gay for Seiwa, so he did everything in his power to keep that from happening (cue: your typical resistant, tsundere - and megane! - uke).

Seiwa doesn’t understand why Tamura is nice to everyone except him, and that only lights his fire more – he makes it his mission to become Tamura’s friend (cue: your happy-go-lucky, dorky seme). Seiwa’s persistence and Tamura’s family’s acceptance of Tamura’s gay wet dreams make this manga quite the comedy.

Zaou Taishi’s art is cute and pleasing to the eye as always – puppy dog ears on the seme, hilarious facial expressions, chibis for the comedic effect, flowers and blushing, and so on. Just think about Love Stage!!, which is also from the same artist.

Something I love about this manga is that we get a “ten years later” peek into their life as adults. I love seeing them call each other on first-name basis and other subtle changes that occurred over the years.

My one issue with the manga is that we do not get to see their virgin-licious sex scene! But fear not, you can view it in great detail in the extra story “Zipped Open” in Aruji no Oose no Mama ni, which also contains a few other cute extra stories about the couple!

This manga will make you smile with its humor and fluff factor, even if the story is a little unbelievable. I recommend all yaoi fans to give it a read!

Review #5:

Manga Title: A Rough Boyfriend (Abarenbou Kareshi)
Manga Artist: Junko
Manga Cover Picture:
Link: imgur: the simple image sharer
Review:

Do you like a violent blushing tsundere as an uke? Or a sweetly dangerous yandere? Perhaps a discreet submissive masochist? If you desire all three, then Abarenbou Kareshi (known as A Rough Boyfriend) is an absolute addition to your must-reads.

Written and illustrated by Junko, the whole volume centralized around a certain good-looking tsundere and his epic fail hetare friend, the “M” and his quite sadistic brother-in-law, and the infamous yandere meeting up with his former kuudere piano classmate; their awkward dates, secret fantasies and brutal sempai attacks; and how they all ended in bed, despite all the commotions.

Their stories are, no doubt, comical – considering how rowdy and aggressive these ukes are – and you might find yourself chuckling at the flying kick, super blushing or the suddenly violent scenes scattered in the whole volume. The art is beautiful - just right for a BL fan to crave for it - and fully detailed. Though it is a school-setting, it’s still fun to read. The characters are quite memorable due to their blatant differences to one another, making one personality to another stand-out. And just look at the cracked-up pairings this title have! But don’t forget; the smuts are definitely awesome and delicious, thanks to the uncensored scanlations available. They’re as short as what you expect but the spice is just right for a smut-craving fan. Your eyes will surely feast at the fiery scenes on the way!

I recommend this to all that has fetishes on ukes. Tsundere, yandere, M; whatever it is, prepare yourself as you plunge into the world of these sweet rough boys!

Review #6:

Manga title: Complex Love
Manga artist: Chidori Peko
Manga cover picture:
http://i.imgur.com/DqUZpKY.jpg
Review: This is a manga that pulls at your cute strings and makes it way into your smile meter for happiness.

It starts off with Tomoki joining his school's Beauty Pageant, which is especially for boys only! While in high spirits, thinking he'll win hands down, his buddy points out that he should watch out for his competition. Because, one of his rival's is none other than the school's ''Perfect Prince''. This news doesn't upset Tomoki. On the contrary, he gets even more fired up, claiming that it's only fair for him to have an opponent that is worthy. Said opponent notices Tomoki and walks over to him, stands in front of him looking quite calm and directly asks him something that makes Tomoki get all flustered.


If you want to know what that something was and what will be the result of the Beauty Pageant than wait no more and start reading.


My rating is 4/5 for this manga. Its art and story flow doesn't bother you in anyway and as the pages go on it makes you wish for more. It's a nice read to pass time and the expressions are very enjoyable. I hope this is liked and read by others and that Chidori Peko's work gets known more. For those who have already read this manga, maybe this will remind you to re-read it, cause I sure have down that more than once!

Review #7:

Manga title: Sweet Monster (Amasugi Monster)
Manga artist: Mikage Tsubaki
Manga cover picture: (link)

Review:

Overall: 6/10
When forced to separate from his "monster" friend, a young human vows to reunite them someday. Ten years later, he transfers into the monster school keeping his friend captive behind it’s walls.

Objectively speaking, Sweet Monster is a very "cute" story. In other words, it is a highly typical, cliched, totally boring story. Don’t get me wrong. It is a cute story and there isn’t anything horribly bad about it, but it lacks real substance. There is no strong plot, no strong characters, or really anything that might make it more unique or special. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has no patience for fluff.

There were so many different, more interesting, directions the story could have gone. Situated in the middle of a sociopolitical conflict that affected (and, in fact, motivated) the main character, the story could have been a lot more than it actually was. However, Mikage doesn’t take advantage of the better plot elements she included and instead concentrated on the cliched childhood-best-friend/roommate turned lovers story that, let’s face it, is completely overused.

Mikage’s art is probably the most attractive feature of this manga though still completely average at best. The lines are clean, the body parts proportional, and style shojo-esque. The uke is cute, the seme is a bishie, and all the other characters are just normal.

Again, Mikage decides to go with rather typical characters. The seme is over-protective, clingy, and childish. The uke is dense, headstrong, and "totally normal." While they do receive a few, more distinct characterizations, they don’t always work as a whole and feel random.

Smut: Very little. One random bonus scene at the end is all you get.

Review #8:

Manga title: Love Prisoners(Ai no Gebokutachi)
Manga artist: Sakurai Shushushu
Manga cover picture:

http://i.imgur.com/DhfRWqE.jpg

Review:

Instead of the typical hot and handsome pairing as usual, Love Prisoners focus on two single fathers as single parent raising their own while trying to be a good parent to meet the society's expectations.


One of the other side story includes a cute and surprisingly love between the two sons. It is not the love between the two of them that is surprisingly but the fact that one of them is not the usual BL "handsome" or "beautiful" stereotype, let alone to be considered a fitting partner. However, it is the pure love that makes the relationship beautiful and enjoyable.


The art itself is considered as quite well done. The artist made sure that the characters are drawn and shaded neatly. My personal favorite would be when the artist would present us with characters in a wild state of humorous scene.


I personally enjoyed this manga because of the themes and underlying message the artist is trying to convey. It is not easy to convey the problems and pain of single parenting in the society while being in love for another of the same sex. It is a nice light read. I recommend trying it out.

Also, the best is indeed kept for the last. I really love being surprised in such ways too.

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1

Manga title: Merry Checker
Manga artist: Suzuki Tsuta
Manga cover picture:

(http://i.imgur.com/XoNmh7j.jpg)
Review:

Suzuki Tsuta is the BL goddess of original set ups.

Although I was well aware of this fact when I picked this title up; it completely knocked my socks off (!), and I decided I needed to sing its praises.

PROS:
1) Story: intriguing, different, realistic. It revolvs around the blogger Shio, who runs a popular internet site and spends most of his spare time online. When he receives the news that a new (supposedly female) star, currently on the rise within the cyber world under the nickname ‘Miya’, will attend a IRL-meet up, he’s excited to see what she’s like. Behind the beautiful, soft words of Miya however—hides someone whose physical appearance doesn’t match that of a high school girl at all.
2) Characters: original, quirky, believable. Shio is a gemstone among BL characters. I haven’t encountered his type before, yet never found it easier to identify with a character. Whilst naturally observant and sarcastic (blunt to a point it’s cruel, really), with a somewhat detached outlook on life; he’s forced to deal with stronger emotions and a less controlled part of himself upon meeting ‘Miya’. In essence, he’s a multifaceted and unique character in every aspect—which is probably why I see myself and the people around me reflected in his behaviour.
3) Comedy: point-blank, fresh, prominent. Particularly hilarious to those who’re active around forums/have online friends, I suspect.
4) Art: neat, captivating, g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s.
5) Smut: subtle, sexy, unpredictable.

CON(s):
1) Length: well, it’s too short. There are so many more things I would like to see. This story is bubbling with potential; no one would be bored would Suzuki-sensei decide to write another volume. Or four.

Review #2

Manga title: Freefall Romance (Rakka Sokudo)
Manga artist: Fujiyama Hyouta
Manga cover picture: http://i.imgur.com/kQhpOtS.jpg[

Review: Serialized in Daria and licensed in English by June, Freefall Romance is a single volume of snail-paced development and inconsistent art – but all this can be overlooked for the sake of a beautiful, sweet love story. Before you decide to start reading this, I recommend first reading its prequel, Ordinary Crush, which is also licensed by June. By doing so, you are introduced to the stubbornly heterosexual side of Nanase Youichi (uke). It makes Freefall Romance all the more humorous as you see him fall hard into gaydom – or maybe I’m just evil.

Story: 10/10 The story is as sweet as they get – a slow, natural development from business partners to friends to lovers. If you’re looking for smut, this title won’t satisfy you at all. There is some action, but let’s just say they spend more panels taking off clothes and kissing than actually doing it. There isn’t any unbearable shoujo-style drama, but there are definitely hurdles to be overcome for the couple since both men were heterosexual until they met each other.

Art: 6/10 Fujiyama-sensei’s art style is a bit unrefined and sketch-like. That alone is not really a problem for me. However, the words “distorted”, “bobble head”, “unfinished” and “who is that supposed to be?” came to mind more than once while I was reading. Sometimes half the face or scenery is missing, sometimes the head is as wide as the shoulders and the man looks like a bobble head. Generally speaking, the uke isn’t too effeminate, there aren’t any chibi’s, and the realistic art matches the realistic story.

Overall: 8/10 Although I am not a fan of the artwork, the story unravels itself so gently and naturally into a sweet romance that I must recommend this title to all yaoi fans who love a good story.

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1:

Manga title: I’m Serious in My Own Way (Sorenari ni Shinken nandesu)
Manga artist: Asou Kai
Manga cover picture:
Link
Review:
I first came across this series after the cards has been made and is on ishop. Curious as I was, I give it a go and read it, and found that I really love it. This is a story of a single father and a gay customer who keep changing his boyfriends and brought them to the shop Oosawa is working at, and all of these conquest of Yoshioka is being seen under the watchful eye of Oosawa. So it is not surprising for Oosawa to reject Yoshioka when he was asked by Yoshioka for a date. But when something happened to Oosawa’s daughter, he has no choice but to accept the help of Yoshioka, and started to see a side of Yoshioka that may cause him to change his mind about him.

Oosawa is a single father, who is straight before he is with Yoshioka. He is always busy with his work, thus having limited time to spend with his daughter.

Yoshioka is a man with rich experiences in dating and love, and isn’t tied down by anything at all. Nobody knows when he is serious about anything, with that smiles of his he gave to anyone.

It is a cute story, with great plot and a few smutty scenes almost at the end of the story. Even though you may have an idea of how it is going to end without reading it, still the process of how they came together and what they have learned from each other is really beautiful and precious. It really teaches us that you can’t take everything by face value. There may be several reasons for why Yoshioka have lived his life this way, and that is for Oosawa to find out. It’s worth a read, a light-hearted slice of life yaoi.

Review #2:

Manga title: Nekoka Danshi no Shitsukekata
Manga artist: Ukyou Ayane
Manga cover picture:


Review:
"After having been apart from his older brother for 10 years, Ninomiya Michiru, has finally returned to Japan to live with his brother, Shiou."
This story is, in all honesty, pretty cliche. Mostly. I'm sure most of you know how the beginning works. The younger brother, Michiru, arrives in Japan to go live with his older brother, who he remembers with great affection from his childhood. His brother, of course, turns out to be that annoying weirdo that makes people run away and pretend they never saw him. Naturally, Shiou's got a major brother complex, too. Clingy...doesn't really come close to describing it. And he goes from being overjoyed and playful to serious and sad. Repeatedly.

And the big secret? Yeah, you find that out in the first chapter. Not that you couldn't see exactly where it was going. I mean, the first words out of Shiou's mouth are, "I smelled him at the airport." See?
The manga's filled with lots of suggestive scenes, though nothing outwardly blatant. At least, not yet.

Status: Incomplete

Story: 6/10 This story alternates between silly and pointless, and serious. There are secrets to be found, and actual suspense regarding some of them, but a lot of the story is light-hearted fun. As the story is incomplete, I cannot guarantee that it will end up as BL, or if it will remain firmly in the shounen-ai category.

Art: 8/10 Personally, I really enjoyed looking at all the prettiness, and their transformed states. And for once, one can actually tell the characters apart! I don't know about everybody else, but I get really tired of manga with so many look-alike characters that it's impossible to remember who is who, and with who, and not with who.For additional enjoyment, you may want to try Ikezu Kareshi no Otoshikata, a side story, and a spinoff from the manga, Nekoka Kareshi no Ayashikata, both written by Sakyo Aya (and both very much yaoi).

Review #3:

Manga title: Like the Beast (Honto Yajuu)
Manga artist: Yamamoto Kotetsuko
Manga cover picture:

Review: At first glance, Honto Yajuu is your typical yaoi with a taboo relationship: in this case, cop x yakuza. That usually leads to lots of fighting, sexy men who are hot for each other, and violent sex. But not in this case! A 300-word review could not convey how entertaining, heartwarming, and freakin' adorable this manga is.

Story: We have Ueda Tomoharu (your friendly neighborhood cop) and Gotouda Aki (your friendly neighborhood… yakuza), who seem to be horny for each other all the time. (Hey, I’m not complaining.) But sex aside, they have a deep friendship and love, and have been through a lot together, including kidnappings (yeah, plural), near-rape via cousin, an omiai, car accidents, etc.

Over the 7 volumes, this seemingly outrageous relationship becomes a fact of life – unwavering and wholly accepted by everyone, regardless of their differences in personality, fashion sense *cough*, and occupation. It is touching to see how they accept each other unconditionally from the very start, and how they gradually deepen their relationship.

Art: I love the contrast between yakuza!Aki and adorable!Aki ~ his pouting face is the best! Ueda is always sexy in his police uniform, but also in his gangsta suit. Mmhmm! Lots of eye candy in the extras, including cosplay and details on their sex life. The sex scenes are not overly soaked in sweat, not too obscene, but still sexy enough to stir up a little wetness.

Honto Yajuu combines an adorable and sweet love story with just enough smut to keep us perverts interested. I think that everyone has read it, but just incase you haven’t: Go read it. Now. And listen to the drama CD too because Nakamura Yuuichi and Kakihara Tetsuya get it ON. And now I’m out of words. I knew 300 words wouldn’t be enough.

--------------


Review:

Manga title: The Town in Which Good Children Live (Yoiko no Sumu Machi)
Manga artist: Tohjoh Asami
Manga cover picture: http://i.imgur.com/sNF67Lp.jpg

Review: Yoiko no Sumu Machi is a single volume containing stories published anytime between 1995 and 2001. Reading the first two chapters lulls you into a false sense of security, as you read about two short smutty stories about classmates and childhood friends. As it leads up to the main story, it only gets kinkier and weirder, until we’re at teacher-student molestation and a pet store worker abusing boys after hours in the store. Yup… yup.

Story: Don’t expect much depth from these basic one shots. You will find yourself on a journey through the typical yaoi cliches of noncon, dubcon, rape, and immediate sex after confession. During the time that it takes a guy and a girl in a shoujo manga to hold hands, our dear boys have already managed to do it in 18 different positions at home and at school, in the bedroom and in the bathroom.

Art: I love the way each character’s hair is stylishly wispy – makes me want to ruffle their adorable fluffy hair! Oh, and I love the naked round asses and the dripping cocks too. Cough.

In summary, this isn’t a life changing manga, but it’s worth a quick read when you’re bored and in need of some eye porn. There are many kinky devices within the book, including vibrators, gags, bondage, catheter play, a shock collar, etc – but the downfall is that not a lot of it is realistic. Come on now - how can a chocolate banana stay firm enough to be inserted after being sucked on? Well, all things aside, it’s worth a 6/10 just for the abundant kinkiness!

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1:

Manga title: Double Mints
Manga artist: Asumiko Nakamura
Manga cover picture:



http://i57.tinypic.com/iyfrc7.jpg

1 volume - complete - scanlated by Dangerous Pleasure

Review:

"he is a bit of closet perv, you know."

Asumiko Nakamura is a rare mangaka. She portrays very unique stories with exquisite and stylish artwork in several different categories such as shoujo, josei, shounen-ai, seinen; and has been successful in all these demographics.

Double Mints is more than just another yaoi story. The plot is complex and filled with unexpected twists. Two guys, both called Mitsuo, have a complicated relationship since high school. They can hardly be called "friends"; Mitsuo is openly cruel to Mitsuo who never seems to be resentful . They spend several years without seeing each other, until one night Mitsuo calls Mistsuo to tell him that he killed a woman and needs help to hide the body. This is just the beginning of a renewed turbulent and erotic relationship between the two men with a lot of sadistic and masochistic elements. Both characters are deeply enthralled with each other and seem to enjoy themselves all the time, even when the situation gets dangerous and confusing or when they get hurt as consequence of their own extreme actions.

It's quite refreshing to read such an original yaoi story where there is no judgment or traditional yaoi clichés - except when the mangaka plays with these clichés in a very humorous manner. Neither of the two men are worried about their sexual identities, they know exactly what they want and do all that they can to get it. Double Mints is a hot and engaging love story filled with explicit sex scenes and lots of dark humor.

Review #2:

Manga Title: A Place for Half a Rent [Yachin Hanbun no Ibasho Desu]
Manga Artist: Asou Kai
Manga Cover Picture:

Link: imgur: the simple image sharer

Review:
Yachin Hanbun ni Ibasho Desu [translated as A Place for Half a Rent] is a manga written and illustrated by Asou Kai, and was released last 2009. It's a story about an open gay named Shiraishi, his problems with his lover and the offer his stoic co-worker Kanzaki proposed for him to move into the latter's apartment.

The characters were beautifully drawn and detailed. Although they aren't as flashy as other BL couples, both Shiraishi and Kanzaki have their own charm that make their appearance somewhere in between "beautiful" and "cute". Shiraishi is your stereotype of uke - soft, sweet and fragile - and his martyr attitude towards his lover is somewhat a repetitive routine to ukes in other manga while Kanzaki is your stereotype of seme - stoic, cold and handsome - and in the end, you'll just be seeing yet another usual couple: a cold seme x subtle uke under one roof.

But what I really liked about Asou's work is that she develops her characters well. She can execute each and every character's personality and behavior and make them clash, creating a solid chemistry between characters. And this chemistry gravitates her readers to love her characters more, despite all of the factors.

If you're not bothered by the stereotypes and wants to know how can an open jolly gay endure a night with his Terminator-like co-tenant then give it a shot. Maybe you'll find yourself tearing up for Shiraishi too or laughing at Kanzaki's epic face.

-----------------------------

Review:

Manga Title: Capable Young Man (Dekichatta Danshi)
Manga Artist: Mikage Tsubaki
Manga Cover Picture:
Click here to view the original image of 667x959px.

Link: imgur: the simple image sharer
Review:

17-year-old tsundere Kobiki Hisui and his stoic-yet-sweet childhood friend sometimes enemy/classmate/neighbor Hatori Yuujirou had just finished their “intimate business” (they weren’t lovers, though) when they heard a loud cry from below Hisui’s two-story house. It was from a cute baby left by Hisui’s sister, Aoi. Since they were pretty blackmailed (they were caught red-handed mwahaha) by her, both of them became Haruhi, the baby’s unlikely “parents” and raised him within a complicated yet a warm family. Dekichatta danshi (capable young men), ne?

They were other BL couple + baby stories out there but I found this one most interesting above all. I found Hisui’s tsundere-ness just fine, just like the known tsundere in the Egoist. Hisui had a harsh past, being abandoned by his family when he was in middle school (for an unknown reason, I must say…) so we really wouldn’t blame him if he niggled… in a painful violent way. I also like the seme, Yuu, in a very special reason. I mean, it was evident that he really liked Hisui but fifteen years had to pass - and an accident had to occur to Hisui - before he could tell the tsundere that he loved him. Hardcore, but it was cute. Aside from this couple’s cuteness, I was also fond of Haruhi, the baby who had grown into another cute character at the end of the series and his mother complex towards Hisui (while Yuu’s dead jealous about it).

The art was so-so for me. It wasn’t as flashy or messy like the others. I prefer to it as a “unique” design. But oh dear, the smut! Yummy and all lip-licking scenes were everywhere in every volume – they wouldn’t even mind doing it in front of the baby.

Character designs, 8 out of 10.
Story, 9.
Smut, 10.
Cuteness, 100.01!
So there’s no reason not to try this very interesting work from Mikage Tsubaki-sensei.

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1:

Manga title: Hide and seek (Himegoto Asobi )
Manga artist: Sakuragi Yaya
Manga cover picture:
Link: http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net...l/16146054.jpg
Review:

Do you enjoy love between grown men who have long passed the age of teenlike illogicalness and immaturity? Then, this is for you.

Licensed in English by SuBLime, Himegoto Asobi is a three volumes completed manga which fills the need of readers in search of good plot and a developing romance with a neat pace. Adapted from SAKURAGI Yaya’s other work; Yume Musubi Koi Musubi; it tells the story of Tanihara; a playful single father who owns a small candy shop and Takafumi; a stoic pediatrician who despite his scary looks is gentle enough to care for his little patients to the point of buying them sweets time to time.

Straight forward about his sexuality, Takafumi is neither afraid nor ashamed that he is gay; asking Tanihara to stay away if he feels uncomfortable around him; something rare in BL. As a straight man involved only with women in past but with an open mind, Tanihara is always ready for new experiences. The relationship he starts with Takafumi out of sexual curiosity soon develops in to something more. It is refreshing to see that it is a straight uke making the first move on a seme who is openly gay. Tanihara is not sexually biased though and with a steady logical pace starts to feel good by having sex with a man and later also emotionally fulfilled. Strange yet the beautiful thing is that both characters were not the luckiest in love in past, so it is like they have met their soul mate in every aspect.

Adult sex. Mature sex between two adults;considerate to the feelings and reaction of the other and not just porn; something neat indeed. Art is also very fine and likable.

So hesitate not if you seek porn and plot in one go.

Review #2:

Manga title: Barairo Emperor
Manga artist: Asou Mizuho
Manga cover picture:

imgur: the simple image sharer
Review:

Are you a plant lover? Ever thought about finding your dream guy and fantasy from plants? Well, if so, loving plants is a good start for you.

Keito, an obsessive plant lover, always care for plants a lot. And they say that good things happen to good people. It is that one day he met Roze, the King of the plant kingdom.

Because of Keito's overwhelming love for the plants, Roze needed Keito's love, in the form of sex, to restore his energy to preserve the plant kingdom. Even though that was the main catch, the story revolves around how Keito resolve on this matter.

The art is nicely drawn and shaded, no slacking in any aspect at all. And for those who are in love with Victorian clothing, this manga portrait it clearly.

The story is light and simple to understand. I think that Roze made it really clear to Keito what he needed and how they establish their relationship. Even though Roze's goal is very clear, he is a very considerate person and will not force Keito to his will.

And finally, the light story on a teacher, Imazato, who accidentally gotten himself a HIMO robot and fell in love with the robot is simply irresistible and touching.

A wonderful manga scanlated by blissful sin. I highly recommend for those looking for something light yet slightly emotional.

Story: 8/10
Overall: 9/10

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1:

Manga title: Kyuuso Ha Cheese no Yume Omiru and the sequel, Sojou no Koi wa Nido Haneru ((side note: they're both rather short and need to go hand in hand for the story & development, hope that is all right))
Manga artist: Mizushiro Setona
Manga cover: [IMG]http://24.media.tumblr.com/4e3c960b93d52e7591cce868d2e1dd0d/tumblr_n4ei7gRdOv1s6t4dzo3_1280.jpg[/IMG]


Review:

Story: Kyouichi is an indecisive man who frequently commits adultery. His wife hires a detective named Imagase, to investigate. However, Imagase tells him that he won’t tell Kyouichi’s wife the truth in exchange for his body. From there, they descend into a downward spiral filled with bittersweet pain.

The manga centers around the relationship between a straight man (Kyouichi) and the homosexual man (Imagase) who is utterly in love with him. There is no real seme or uke here; they interchange the roles often throughout the chapters, and that was a great display of how their relationship really was. Seeing Kyouichi struggle to define who he is and what exactly Imagase means to him was just so real. The manga shows the realism of having a homosexual relationship with a straight man. The story was agonizing, yet touching and thought-provoking.

Characters: The characters are heavily flawed, giving them more depth in a sense. The character development for Kyouichi was superb. We read this series from his perspective and can clearly see how he grew. Imagase also experiences a huge change between the prequel and sequel. He slowly becomes more obsessed and spirals towards self-destruction due to his love for Kyouichi.

Art: The art is mature with simple lines and shadows, yet leaves a strong impact. While not always consistent, it suits the story perfectly.

Overall: Love seems like a happy fantasy of bliss. But in reality, it isn’t. Love can change people, for better or for worse. What exactly is love? How do you know if you really are in love with a person and can stay in love with them for your entire life? Love is ambiguous, and this manga displayed the reality of it. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for something different from the more typical yaoi stories we see.

Review #2:

Manga title: Deadlock
Manga artist: Aida Saki (author) and Takashina Yuu (artist)
Manga cover picture:

Review:

Finally released in English by June, Deadlock is the story of Yuto Lennix, a former DEA officer, who is framed for the murder of his partner and sentenced to fifteen years in gaol. Sent to Schelger Prison, he is given a deal by the FBI; find the cult leader and terrorist known as Corvus, and be released immediately. The problem is, the FBI knows nothing about Corvus except that he is male, and has a burn scar on his back, and they’re not even sure that information is correct.
Between investigating the FBI’s suspects, protecting his arse from the brutish B.B., and trying to get along with his cellmate, the enigmatic Dick Burnford, Yuto has his work cut out for him!

The artwork in this manga is lovely. The backgrounds are nicely detailed, and Takashina Yuu is great at catching the expressions on characters faces. No two people look the same. The only little niggle I have is that the main characters are all bishies, whilst the background characters are all stereotypical prisoner types; big and brutish. The minor characters lie somewhere in-between.

The story itself is well-written, and the prison setting is done well. It seems the author has done her homework, as it is mostly quite realistic, and similar to what I have seen in documentaries about the American prison system.

You find yourself being drawn to the characters and wanting to see what happens to them. None of them are over-the-top (except for the sisters), and it’s nice for a change to not have the main characters hop into bed together at the first opportunity. Yuto actually refuses Dick’s advances for the whole of the first volume, although I can’t wait to see if they actually get it on in the next volume, since they are both hotties!

A very enjoyable read which will leave you hanging out for the second volume’s release.

Review #3:

Manga title: Ambiguous Relationship
Manga artist: Masara Minase
Manga cover picture:

[Picture Link here]

Review:

Short version: If you like series of short stories with older ukes and younger semes (or just significant age differences) with nice art then this is your manga.

Ambiguous Relationship focuses on a series of mini one-shot stories of different couples, the first couple being the only one that got 2 chapters. The most central focuses of this manga seem to be significant age difference and a little over half of the ukes are older than the semes.

Warnings: 2 (and a half, sort of) accounts of rape (well at least the characters address it as such)

Pros:
· I like the art style. The cover is what basically got my attention. The Mangaka seems pretty good with covers in general b/c the inside covers between chapters are also pleasing to the eye.
· I generally do like a series of short stories. It is also is a good way to show how much variation the artist can do with their characters. I will say that she’s not as bad others I’ve seen, but some of the characters do come off a bit too similar in appearance so I had to do a check on if they were the same characters. For the most part they’re distinct enough from each other.
· Oh, and happy endings. Happy endings are nice. This manga is full of fluff because any sort of angst or conflict is brief/solved quickly (since they're short stories).

Cons:

· It’s sort of a pro and con together. I think the mangaka has potential to create a longer series. There were a couple of pairs in here in that made me go “wow, I wish this was it’s own series” because there was enough content and it left a lot of room for future development.
· I understand they’re all short stories so rushed conclusions is just a thing I sort of expect, but there were six couples in this and I felt if there was just a little less then whatever couples were left could’ve had better development and overall make it more enjoyable.
· The sex was okay; maybe I just have high standards though.

Review #4:

Manga title: Sparkling Days
Manga artist: Shiramatsu
Manga cover picture:
imgur: the simple image sharer

Review:

Ever wonder what you should do when you open the door to find someone preparing to jump off the window? Unfortunately, this is just part of poor Kushima's life. He is no other than a faithful editor to Tokitou-sensei, whom is odd, cowardly in his nature and uninspired.

Thus, in order to make sure Tokitou-sensei finish his work and meet the deadline, Kushima is staying with him 24/7, keeping an eye on him every second of his life. And so the fun starts there.

Even though this is a one shot, the story has really good flow. Surprisingly, the seme and uke are just far off from the usual too; Tokitiou-sensei as the weary insecure seme while Kushima as the tsundere uke.

Not the best around but a good quick read. I would rate this manga a 7/10.

[aarinfantasy]

Review #1

Manga title: Cherry Blossom Harvest (Sakura Gari )
Manga artist: Watase Yuu
Manga cover picture:
link: http://i57.tinypic.com/34pg8j4.jpg
Review:

“They say it’s because of that Western Doll and his pretty face.Isn’t he like an angel of death…”
Crimson, Crimson and more Crimson. Crimson lips, Crimson eyes and Crimson blood.
With that said; Sakura Gari is one of the best yaoi manga I have ever read. It is defiantly a masterpiece but not for the faint-hearted. It contains rape, obsessive and painful love and sad childhoods. The story is deep and touching with a very special surprise to those who usually don’t like females in a yaoi manga.
The story revolves around the young master of Saiki household and Tagami Masataka who is attempting for prep school; in Taishou era. Certainly a beauty but cursed by it, Souma had a frightening childhood, feelings of abuse locked in his heart. He is fragile both in feelings and looks and when Tagami enters his life, he becomes a total different person.
The plot sure is different and the sorrow will completely consume one’s heart if it is read and grabbed on properly. Don’t get me wrong, it has its own joyful moments but beware of tears that you may shed at the ending. Art is beautiful yet simple so it makes the reader to concentrate on the emotional part more.
Yuu Watase is not your average yaoi mangaka, so such a powerful work from her is deeply touching. The plot is totally like an acid on one’s soul when the possible reality of such situations and endings hits the reader full force.
So many twist and turns in the relationship of Souma and Masataka, obsessive sibling love and a complete neat story makes it a highly recommended manga for readers who are after realistic and angsty drama stories.
Give it a go and this three volume completed manga will surprise you.

Review #2:

Manga title: LIVE FOR LOVE
Manga artist: Jun Mayama
Manga cover picture:


This is a cute one-shot. The dilemma isn’t anything new (family duty/need to marry), though the job isn’t something I see as common (struggling detective agency).

We get to see our two leads at a struggling detective agency: Yasuie own the agency and is the more expressive one. He’s cheerful and often hits on his partner (who sees it as a joke and calls it sexual harassment). Yoshiyuki is the introverted and serious one who was hired by Yasuie. Despite struggling to get by and the annoyance from said-harassment, Yoshiyuki stayed for 7 years. The plot required Yoshiyuki to leave for family reasons and the news wasn’t received well by Yasuie. My biggest critique is the non-con scene that happened right after. This is due to the fact that it felt very ooc for Yoshiyuki based on everything before AND AFTER this scene.

The non-con sex felt too much like “I need a sex scene…*forces one into the plot*” There could be so many other ways to go about this. I won’t spoil but it genuinely felt like, from the storytelling perspective, there were other options I KNEW could’ve been used instead because I’ve seen it.

That aside, I felt it’s a decent one shot. The set up is simple and the characters were really easy and quick to understand based on their interactions and reactions to other characters and problems to deal with. It also helped that the characters were really contrasting. This made it easy for a conflict to rise and take immediate effect without feeling TOO rushed.

I felt this effectively showed these characters, and their relationship, go from point A to B. Simplicity isn’t necessarily bad, especially when these characters are a bit more 3dimensional than characters in other BL/Yaoi one-shots that tend to go extravagant with little character growth, if at all. I appreciated the straightforwardness, the distinct differences between the leads, and the fluff.

[aarinfantasy]

Manga Review of The Month (MROTM) - September 2014

Review #1:

Manga title: Winter Demon
Manga artist: Le Peruggine
Story by: Yamila Abraham
Manga cover picture:

https://heavyink.com/images/covers/DEC07/MDEC074011.JPG

Review: Hakuin is a monk who was once sacrificed to the snow demon Fuyu. Rather than devour his soul, Fuyu violated him and released him - the only sacrifice he'd ever released. Now, three fire demons have come to terrorize Hakuin's village, and the only chance they have to be saved is to curry the favor of the snow demon. Unfortunately, Fuyu wants only one thing - for Hakuin to be his willing slave. Hakuin has no choice but to agree, but that doesn't mean he's given in.

When I started this story, I didn't have particularly high hopes, but the manga surprised me. There's a story of evolution in the relationship between Hakuin and Fuyu, with one learning to trust again, and the other learning to be more human, following their traumatic first meeting. The manga is only four volumes long. There are at least three separate couples featured in the series, and each one is equally entertaining, and different from the other relationships. All relationships are between demons and humans. Outside of the main pairing of Fuyu the snow demon and Hakuin the monk, there is also the tale of love between Figaru the incubus and his woodsman lover, and a shorter story line devoted to the Spring Demon Ryuuto and the gentle Dr. Takuma.

I found the story to be highly enjoyable. It has its up and downs, its sweet parts and it's sad parts. One of my favorite things about this story is that Fuyu is not always the seme. There are at least two occasions where he is taken by another, which makes it different than a lot of available yaoi and BL out there.

The artwork involved is very beautiful. The artist is not one that I am familiar with, but I nonetheless found it to be quite stunning and unique.

I definitely recommend this if you haven't read it already. And if you have...well, it's definitely worth another read.

Review #2:

Manga Title: Not Equal
Manga Artist: Ike Reibun
Manga cover picture:
http://joyofyaoi.files.wordpress.com...ot-equal-2.jpg

Review:

Mood: Today I want a twisted, impossible romance. Impossible from many angles. In fact, I want to see a mangaka take on one of the most unsuccessful cliche plot conventions in yaoi (not rape, mind you) and pull a complete rabbit out of the hat — convince me she’s taken it seriously and has found a way to make it work. It’s okay if she bends (or flat out breaks) our universe’s rules to pull it off. I’m in an unexplained-phenomena kind of mood. As to sex, moderately graphic and consensual, please. Oh, and hand it over with a side of drama CD’s, to go.
Story: A 17 year-old who grew up without his father is suddenly overwhelmed with the need to see him, the need to feel loved by the man who has always seemed to ignore his existence. However, his pilgrimage to the family home leads to some completely unexpected and inexplicable events.
Mangaka: Ike Reibun marches to her own drummer, her stories ranging from very realistic modern day to the historical to the fantastical to the outrageous science fiction futuristic. Her art is not beautiful, not by a long shot, but it is effective and carries an impressive amount of detail. She leans toward the dark side of things yet maintains a strong orientation toward the romantic.
My experience: I like stories that warp reality, so I was a sucker for this story’s premise. To my surprise, these characters — all of them, major and minor — also won my affections, even the ones who act like jerks. I admit that I usually find stories that feature this plot convention to be annoyingly artificial and sensationalist, so I was surprised to be lured in by how Ike-sensei approached the problem.