Manga Poll
Manga is the Japanese equivalent of comics
with a unique style and following. Join the revolution! Read some manga today!
Join #baka-updates @irc.irchighway.net
RSS Feed
MightyMaeve's Lists
You are viewing MightyMaeve's Complete List
View MightyMaeve's Member Profile
View my other public lists: Reading List | Wish List | Unfinished List
| Series | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Memory of the Future | 9.5 | --- |
| Summertime Memory | --- | --- |
| Jazz | 9 | Ms.Takamure is a brilliant mangaka. I like how she challenges her readers to re-evaluate relationships and think about our personal beliefs instead of what society pushes us to believe through black and white labels and catagories, like 'wrong' and 'right.' She is a drink of clear, crystal, refreshing water. I couldn't stop thinking about the two men in this story. It was gut-wrenchingly powerful. One of my favourites. |
| Nocturne | 9 | --- |
| Suna no Rasen | 9.5 | I am delighted to see Aoi-sensei's titles being licensed into English-- especially since they are not the typical fare for yaoi art styles! This one, as well as Awaken Forest are especially a treat! She has a very unique style of art that is wispy and expressive, almost impressionistic. Her stories are always melodramatic and fantasy-filled, but grounded. She may not reflect reality in a completely non-fictional way, but she certainly corresponds with reality and affects this reader, for one, ...... |
| Devil's Clasp | 5 | The first and second stories are lacking. The art perspective is off in some frames, and not in a way that I think the artist was purposely trying to 'create' a feeling. 'Off' in a needs-more-practice way. The stories are one-dimentional. The third story of the potter had excellent symbolism. The art was marginally better. It hit a brief note with me because of the improved story line and relationship. The fourth and fifth story had characters that could have been people I cared about it. They...... |
| Ikoku Irokoi Romantan | 7.5 | Yamane-sensei is a master artist of both words and illustrations. A Foreign Love Affair doesn't disappoint. It has a powerful poignancy to the story and humour to keep it from being overwhelmingly heavy. I like my BL genre to have a little (okay, a lot) of rough behaviour and words intermingled with the touching i-love-you-and-touch-you-ever-so-softly-as-i-gaze-into-your-eyes moments. The oh-my-god-i-can't-believe-this-is-happening-and-OW!-I'm-shocked-and-what- did-I-do-to-deserve-this moments...... |
| Gorgeous Charat | 8 | --- |
| Agnus Dei - Lamb of God | 8 | *Faints* If I rated this in the p0rn catagory, I'd give it a 10+. If I was to rate it as a moving story, it'd be much lower. That was hot: blistering, boiling, broiling, burning, fiery, heated, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, sizzling, sultry, sweltering, torrid. Yah. H-O-T. But. The story was lacking a bit. It could have been developed better so that I could form an emotional connection beyond it's p0rn-ish nature. I would have liked to have been drawn in more by the relationsh...... |
| Aitsu to Ore | 9.5 | --- |
| Poison Cherry Drive | --- | This manga is worth the purchase only for it's unique nature. If you want to know what non-sequitur humour is all about AND you like BL, this is the textbook for you! I found the 'team' to be pretty funny in a strange sort of way. I think this book would be HILARIOUS if I read it after 2 glasses of wine. Sober, it's still amusing. After going WTF? I did find myself laughing at the absurdity when I realized that is was supposed to be illogical. "Ooooh, the main characters are nucking futs and ...... |
| Prisoner (Kaen) | 8 | --- |
| Love Prism | 10 | Edit: The very fact that the rating chart is so varied on this volume cause me to have more respect for the creator. She had the courage to create something that is controversial (thus the vast scale of rating and strong feelings.) Regardless of our personal opinions, I think we can all applaud her for her ability to create something that evokes powerful feelings one way or another!  De gustibus non est disputandum (There's no accounting for taste.) I don't dispute anyone's opinion. Opinons ...... |
| Yami no Matsuei dj - Enigma - Seikon | --- | --- |
| Yoiko no Sumu Machi | 9 | --- |
| Prisoner (Oumi) | 9 | --- |
| Pink Butterfly | 7 | Hilarious smut, nothing more. If you like pretty boys and want a quick fix with surface characters, this is is it! I liked it--it never promises more than actually is, so it's fun and light sexy times. |
| Restraint of the half wing | --- | --- |
| Color | 8 | --- |
| World's End | --- | Her art has an interesting contrast of sharp facial angles and choppy hair with long and smooth bodies. But it's the psychology of both this concluding piece and the original, Dear Myself, that gets my fascination. When Diago finally finds happiness with Hiro, he can't stand to let him out of his sight, due to his deep trauma of the last person he loved never coming back. . .There were a few scenes of him suffering from his own thoughts that I found poetic and heart wrenching. And Hiro's fear ...... |
| Dear Myself | 9 | --- |
| Renai Koufuku Ron | 9 | --- |
| Boys Next Door | 5 | --- |
| Wild Fangs | 7 | --- |
| Wild Rose | 7 | --- |
| Bird in a Cage | 10 | I read this one over a year ago, but I keep going back to reread it. It simply stunned me. Right now, I'm getting teary-eyed simply thinking about the story and art. Gah! I need a minute. . . **unclenching stomach muscles and trying to regain composure** I. did. not. realize. that. it. was. based. on. true. history. Makes it even more powerful. Mostly it was women ('comfort women') that were forced to service the Japanese army. Why not boys too? I'm sure it happened. The potency fell around the s...... |
| Oresama Tengoku! Rojiura no Ningyo | 8 | "The Mermaid of the Back Alley" (Chapters 1 and 2) Sigh. I was totally not expecting this to turn into a comedic, plotless romp. I like both comedy and melodrama, but don't promise one and deliver the other all of a sudden. It's like tasting sugar when you were expecting salt. The beginning starts out awesome and full of non-con angst in the style of Okane ga Na = Lovely! I thought: "Oh boy! Keep this up and you'll get a 10 rating!" But instead of the ensuing angst and emotional duress that o...... |
| Roumantei no Juunin | 8.9 | The two beautiful oirans (prostitutes who are also talented, smooth entertainers) of this tankobon, the young newbie and the older experienced one, both have interesting stories with hints of compelling back stories and future directions, but neither are never really fleshed out. The art is stunningly detailed and emotive. The delivery is simple to follow but not simple-minded. I just wish that the tale ran a little deeper. |
| Tokyo Yabanjin | 7.5 | I don't know how to rate this one. I'm flabbergasted. The story, although simple, was compelling. It was all about the story of Mr. Dark and Mysterious and Angry Seme (Daimon) and Mr. Child-like and Innocent and Joyful Uke (Fubuki) and their interactions. Fubuki is so pure and sweet and thankful to Daimon but Daimon hates that Fubuki thinks of him in such a gentle light because he believes himself to be a rough and terrible person. I adored this story! That is why I am weeping profusely now. W...... |
| Zange | 10 | This piece is unapologetic! I was pleasantly surprised because I was disappointed with Bitter Fruit's ability to draw me into the stories. Kano-sensei deals with a few sensitive issues and controversial topics that always garner strong opinions. These stories are not for those that like the sweet and traditional, or more commonly thought of BL ukes and seme illustrations and story lines. They are twisty and probably offensive to some. I found them to be thought-challenging, compelling stories...... |
| Devil May Cry dj - Neither Fish Nor Flesh | --- | Or am I just simple? ha. I'm holding off rating this one. I don't understand the story. Maybe someone can enlighten me? Who's the different-eyed little girl(?). I don't play the game so maybe that 's why I'm lost. The art is very dramatic! I like it! And it seems to be a powerful looking short oneshot. I just don't get it. . .Email me! |
| The Master and Me | 7 | The art is beautiful and soft. This story is unlike the happy, tender anthology collections Toyama-sensei usually puts out. To me, this very short piece had a tragic poem feel to it. Although I was saddened and mostly not satisfied, it still hit at a heart string: one that said to me that people aren't easily labelled and categorized. Spoilers The behaviour of the Dom man who 'saved' this little sub kittycat, who was at a really low point in his life, was very curious to me: Why save him if he...... |
| La Partita | 8 | --- |
| Kondo Koso Honki! | 8.5 | --- |
| Hanataba ni Te o Agero | 8.5 | --- |
| Amai Nukumori | 8.5 | --- |
| Gravitation dj - Gravitation Megamix Panda | 10 | This one was fascinating psychology into Eiri Yuki's submissive side. It made complete sense: his desires and needs and desperate requirement to have someone hurt him every once in a while. And oh-my-freakin-gods. It's graphic and I LOVED IT. And the ending! OH. Boy. What a cliffie. |
| Gravitation | --- | --- |
| Gravitation: The Novel | --- | --- |
| Gravitation dj - Megamix Kumagorou | 9 | This was pure awesome. It's a bit of a shocker because the Gravitation series is shounen ai, and although it has drama and angst, it never verges into any sort of real depth of illustration or words with sexual intimacy of any kind: rough our gentle. The canon is mostly tease, similar to the anime, although it does retain enough of an adult psyche element to keep it in my favourite stories! Well, Murakami-sensei makes up for any lack of sexuality with her Crocodile Ave Circle! And HOW! I ador...... |
| Love Master | --- | --- |
| Hoshi no Yakata | 10 | This is one of the absolute best Yaoi series I have read. If you like BDSM, D/s, hard and sexy and aren't squicked easily, this is for you! It offers an exploration of the many darker and basic faces of humanity with characters that have depth and multi-faceted personalities. "Behind every exquisite thing that ever existed, there was something tragic." "The mutilation of the savage has it's tragic survival in the self-denial that mars our lives." I was drawn in immediately, feeling for all the ...... |
| The Ropeman | 8.5 | It was an interesting, albeit largely unexplored, concept for a relationship. Shiro and Kii-chan had such a unique dynamic going on. Although Shiro was deeply and seriously in love with Kii-chan, he thought that Kii-chan only needed him to exorcise his demons from the past. Kii-chan's down-to-earth, blunt honesty and focused determination made him sometimes funny, sometimes pathetic. I liked both characters very much. I think the story's plot could have been fleshed out to make it dynamic and ...... |
| Say "I Love You" with Your Entire Body | 7 | --- |
| A Sex Therapist | 9 | At the end of chapter 7, volume 1, I was breathless! I want more crumbs! Please, Ms.Kodaka, write a second volume that throws out more teases and information about the mysterious Kain! Genius Mangaka. Illustrative and story-weaving talent galore! I found these stories had excellent plots for oneshots. Each story is introduced by a quoted theme. For example, in A Man Who Dreams the theme is 'When both open their hearts to and desire each other, that is to love and be loved.' The main character ...... |
| Kusatta | 9 | --- |
| Virtuoso di Amore | 9 | I found the art to be magnificient! The eyes! Wow. So beautiful. Carlucci was the most interesting character. He had such a dark, complex mysterious personality. I think that there could be more manga made on his back story. I really wanted to know more about this masochistic, beautiful, broken but still manipulative and strong man. The story wove along seemingly effortlessly and kept me grasping the sides of my manga in anticipation. It was very swoon worthy. (I'm a sucker for capes and mas...... |
| Gohou Drug | 9 | --- |
| Kin no Cain | 7.5 | --- |
| Hitomi no honne | 8 | --- |
| Miserarete | 7 | --- |
| Hitomi no Giwaku | 8 | --- |
| Intense Rain | 6.5 | I wasn't convinced of any character development on Baba's part by story's end. The whole point of a well written story is to have some sort of climax/confrontation that results in a realization or change. Seems like nothing much of anything happened other than Ryuuji is in for more heartbreak... Story aside, Ryuuji is illustrated beautifully with wavy curls that any bishounen lover would want to stare at, imagining reaching out to grab a firm hold of... The side story was mildly amusing, and th...... |
| Fujimi Orchestra | 7 | I've read that there are 16 novels and 3 character books of Fujimi Block No. 2 Symphony Orchestra (富士見二丁目交響楽 団), written by Akizuki Koh. Only the first and fourth books were used for this manga. That makes sense with the extremely abbreviated happenings that the mangaka was trying to squeeze into this volume through text. When I read the 'incident with Yasaka,' in 'Do You Like the Concert vol.1 (chapter 4) of vol 1 of the manga) I was tipped off that I was missing somethin...... |
| Tokyo Babylon | 10 | "There is no such thing as 'everybody.' We all have our own understanding of pain, for example, and no one truly knows what we are going through." "Maybe people who do terrible things are really, truly and terribly lonely." The two above thoughts are a mere tip of the proverbial ice berg of insights and unique perspectives that CLAMP offers it's readers in Tokyo Babylon. This journey through 7 tankobons was a wonderful one full of balance: tragedy, humour, profound insights, moments of love and...... |
| Kikoenai Koe | 9 | --- |
| Kamen Teacher | 9 | --- |
| Liberty Liberty | 8 | --- |
| Kimi ga Koi ni Ochiru | 9 | The underlying theme is emphasized, or illustrated, through the use of archery. (Stunning illustrations of the men in their hakamas!) Haru's thought was: "Archery mirrors one's heart." Both stories speak to the philosophy of love in practical application. How do you know if you are in love? What is love? What does it mean to be in love and how will this reflect in your treatment of the one you love? Should you be selfless and perhaps in pain? Or should you be selfish and manipulative and ha...... |
| Kimi ga Koi ni Oboreru | 10 | The underlying theme is emphasized, or illustrated, through the use of archery. (Stunning illustrations of the men in their hakamas!) Haru's thought was: "Archery mirrors one's heart." Both stories speak to the philosophy of love in practical application. How do you know if you are in love? What is love? What does it mean to be in love and how will this reflect in your treatment of the one you love? Should you be selfless and perhaps in pain? Or should you be selfish and manipulative and ha...... |
| Dekiru Otoko ga Suki Nanda | 8.5 | The main story was quirky, fast-paced and a page-turner. It had a quick taste of all the elements I like: non-con, a losing control seme, and a ridiculously naieve, good-natured uke. This mangaka always keeps it surprisingly light and witty without losing the tension of the story or becoming too silly or baseless that I was no longer interested. With Something Secret, the balance didn't work for me: The 'funny' ending in the last 1/4 of the story was a unlikeable surprise after experiencing th...... |
| Croquis | 8 | --- |
| Akuma no Himitsu | 8 | --- |
| Martini Kouryakuhou | 9 | --- |
| Sono Yubi Dake ga Shitteiru : Only the Ring Finger Knows | 7 | Just to clarify for anyone (because I know it took me awhile to figure it out), there are three volumes for this novel: The Lonely Ring Finger, The Left Hand Dreams of Him and The Ring Finger Falls Silent. Next, there is a 1 volume manga. This review and rating is for the first volume of the novel, which I believe is what this mangaupdates.com listing is. I found the story engaging. I couldn't stop reading it. The characters are interesting, believeable and likeable. There are only two is...... |
| Rin | 8.5 | --- |
| G-Senjou no Neko | 10 | Like anything that is controversial, this book is going to get those who can't stop marvelling at it, and those who despise it. I marvelled. What drama!! What touching human interaction!! What an intriguing story line!! Each of the three volumes has at least one scene where I literally held my breath, as I slowly re-read the frames over and over. This is one of the best manga series I have ever read. I surprised myself with the art -and isn't that what art should do, make us really LOOK- because...... |
| La Vie en Rose (yaoi I) | --- | --- |
| Gankutsuou dj - Shinkirou no Yubisaki | 9 | --- |
| Under Grand Hotel dj - Under Grand Hotel | --- | --- |
| Innai Kansen | 9 | --- |
| Neji no Kaiten | 7 | This tankobon was one of the few that has two very strong seme-uke switch characters. I went in expecting that I'd adore this story because I like the story line (you know, rape, anger, angst, betrayal, 'perversion', ultimate triumph of love (twisted though it may be.) It's a strange thing - I initially enjoyed another one of Sadahiro-sensei's stories, Under Grand Hotel, but as with this one, I eventually get tired of her stories - or how she delivers them. I can't quite figure it out. I love...... |
| Pathos | 5 | Omg! I just wanted to slap Ace! He needed way more character growth! He went from an immature, selfish, narrow-perspective boy to an immature, selfish, narrow-perspective adult. King was an interesting character, full of promises of depth and complexity, as was Jay. But their story or even their characters themselves were never explored. Lots of plot holes--what about Ace's parents?! Like that wouldn't be a huge issue--the very reason why these two vamps were raising Ace... Anyway, the art is...... |
| Surf Junkie | 9 | Two horny teenagers and a ocean setting. You'd think it'd be all sex, but it isn't. The story has weight to it, even touching on serious issues like using condoms and getting tested--proof of one's love for the other--and gay prejudice to straight people. I don't usually like stories with promiscuity, but this one was just so bang on psychologically, I couldn't help but like these boys. All the characters are believable, fallible and modern-day realistic. The last chapter of the surfing story...... |
| Anata wo Mamoritakute | 7 | Very cute, especially Arata's 'angry' face when he's a kid. The art is good, the story flows, but it is very simplistic. The entire oneshot delivers all it promises: a short, little yaoi commercial. |
| Empty Heart | 9 | --- |
| Hidoi Otoko | 6 | D'uh! I read Itsumo Yashasii first and was confused about the first few scenes and the last few. Now that I've read Hidoi Otoko and reviewed Itsumo Yashasii again - it makes for a much more comprehensive and better story! I enjoyed these quick little insights into the four characters lives. It wasn't earth shattering or even i-m-going-to-dream-about-this-story sort of experience, but it was well worth the read. |
| Itsumo Yasashii | 6 | I can't seem to get a 'connection' with the characters in most oneshots. Maybe I'm missing the point as far as oneshots go. Maybe they are all about an immediate and short term distraction. If that is the case, then bravo Minase-sensei! Some are more to my taste than others. This one will be soon be forgotten but the artwork and the words were pretty and enjoyable. |
| Midara na Sasayaki | --- | --- |
| Kokoro to Karada no Hazama | --- | --- |
| Libido | 6.5 | Another sexy art piece, but extremely simplistic story one shot. It is worth the read for a quick energy boost, but mostly empty calories. I found this one less satisfying than, say, "I Want To Protect You". They are both short and PWP; if you want a sexy, but slightly more 'full circle' one shot, try that one first. |
| Love & Action | 7.5 | This one has a glimmer of point, with the stuntboy..er...man wanting to do his job, and explaining to the actor that he is happy when his stunt comes alive through the actor's performance. It was mostly just a crushin' quickie for these two boys though; boys that both admired one another. |
| Lover's Position | 9 | I adore their insecurities and lack of self-esteem. Minase-Sensei creates powerful scenes of angst when they are so overpowered - by the seme and their own emotions. A page turner! |
| Manatsu no Zanshou | 8.5 | This one shot fell into the category of 'better' for Minase-sensei's one shots. Strangely, it was as explicit of some of her other oneshots, but it had more emotional tension. There was a wee bit of plot--very wee--and the illustrations were sharp, bright, and expressive. Her pacing was good for a short, and the angles of the panels increased the tension perfectly. I like her use of white and black space in this one. "Machibo" is another one shot that I'd recommend if you liked this one. I lef...... |
| Secretary | 5 | Idealized romance at its shortest and sweetest. Nothing really goes wrong for this pair...they live in a romantic, perfect world; problems are all easily overcome as they nobly love one another--that is, except for the problem of this reader's cynical, bored eye! If you like completely sweet and romantic in 18 pages, read this. If you like happily-ever-after, but a little more tension at least, try another one of her better one shots, like "Machibito" or "Midsummer Afterglow"....... |
| Unbalanced Heat | 9 | This one is stunning. Yes, it's full of Yaoiland-ness, so beware if that disturbs you. Masara Minase is brilliant at conveying tension, angst and an immediate connect for her characters. I couldn't put this story down, I was that captivated! An example of the depth of characterization: In one frame, she can make Yoshito's brother so full of manipulative darkness (I shivered with the 'violence and sexual assault' ominously dark frame in an early chapter) and then she can make the same boy hear...... |
| Uso to Kiss | --- | --- |
| Bitter (MINAMI Haruka) | 7.5 | Hasunobe is a very admirable character. He came to a couple deep realizations throughout this sweet story that kept it from being too frilly and light and gave the story a good 'weight.' His love for Shou, he realized, is missing the fact that Shou was suffering from his own overpowering feelings directed elsewhere. And the way that Hasunobe worked tirelessly, with great effort, and selfless love to make Shou -a man that he knew was closed-off and hurting- happy, was completely endearing. He ...... |
| Gokujou no Koibito | 6 | Based on darkmanifest's comment, 'Noncon-lovers dream,' I was enthralled and exited to read this one, but..... I was so bored! The story telling left me feeling nothing for any of the characters. |
| Amayakana Toge | 9 | --- |
| Flowers | 9 | What a touching, heart-felt and beautiful story! Ryou learns about his complicated feelings of love, friendship and sexual desire through two very different people: Makoto and Nanno. Ryou's thoughtfulness and innocence, Nanno's deep hurt and 'hidden' love but good heart and Makoto's self-centered, aesthetic-loving but upfront and open personality melded together into a poignantly illustrated story. The story was written with delicacy, cleverness and a deep understanding of humanity. The conce...... |
| Please | 9 | The short story "A Bird at Sea, A Door in the Sky" is the treasure in this manga. It's not sexy; it's barely yaoi, but my oh my is it endearing and humanistic. I was touched by the perceptive and subtle ways the author showed us how this suffering and guilt-ridden young man matured through his brief encounters with a foreigner; he begins to see his life--and his father--in a compelling new light. The main story is decent; I enjoyed my non-stop read. The art is expressive and clean, but the plo...... |
| Te wo Tsunaide, Sora wo | --- | What fascinating characters! I like how even the "bad" guy is compelling and heart breaking--you just want to root for everyone! The only problem with the title story is the mental disorders of Maki, resulting from an intensely difficult childhood, are brushed away too easily. The rest of the oneshots are interesting and cleverly written with beautiful, flowing art! I swear it seems like her art actual moves! |
| Ano Kado Wo Magatta Tokoro | 5 | Spoiler (highlight to view) Kiriya is shockingly different in his behaviour towards Yuuya after he realizes he has been lied to about Yuuya's age and academic level. I believe the power that this story plot could have had was completely underused. The feelings Kiriya could have felt, evoked from memories of how Yuuya treated him during the time they were 'free' with each other, seemed minimized or unexplored. I know the danger of having an illegal relationship in society would have crushed hi... ... |
| BondZ | 9 | --- |
| Café Latte Rhapsody | 8 | --- |
| Cut | 9 | This is pure genius. The mangaka displays such skill in presenting topics and relationships that are powerful and make one pause in thought. The life of these two young men touched me greatly. I like how she didn't judge her characters - she allowed them their feelings and 'leftover' desires from the experience that shaped them. The way the two men helped one another was so very beautifully shown. The reader was not hit over the head. Nothing seemed phoney or out-of-place. |
| Keijijyou na Bokura | 10 | --- |
| Loveholic | 9.5 | --- |
| Overdose | 7.5 | This story and art has moments that make it worth the read. There are certain scenes, where her characters are drawn with expressions on their face that are so multi-faceted: sorrow can be combined with confusion, frustration with anger. (pg13, 16,70, 92). She is a master at expressive faces. And the words! Some turns of phrases were very powerful. "Imprisoned by the chains of my own heart." "Tell me I'm enough." Certain scenes are incredible: Yuuji licking the tears off Chikao's face as he t...... |
| Bitter Sweet Cafe | 7.5 | --- |
| Cool Down | 8 | This one is not as good as the 'Bittersweet Cafe' nor the 'Freezing Flame' series of stories, but it isn't as flat as 'Trouble Love Candy.' There is something about Kanbe-sensei's quirky art that I love! The feelings of young Makoto are what saves this story. I could easily relate to his desire to get 'a rise' out of of the largely stoic, prefect seeming Hirai. He wants confirmation that he is the 'most important one' in HIrai's life. The plot was a little more exciting with the believable, fa...... |
| Hot Limit | 8.5 | I think there could be an explanation to the two personalities of the uke. The story writer -Shima-sensei- doesn't really tell her audience when Maya is lying to himself. He tries so hard to tell himself he doesn't believe that a person can possibly care about another (solipsism?) that even the audience believe him. It does make for a frustrating story, though. I think if the premise of the story was kept, and the dialogue played better to convey the emotions, it would have been a more cohesi...... |
| Keep Out | 8 | --- |
| Love or Pride | 8 | --- |
| Love Wars | --- | --- |
| Moichido koi shite | 7 | --- |
| Retsujou no Meikyou | 8.5 | --- |
| Scramble Game | 7.5 | --- |
| Trouble Love Candy | 7 | The story is flat and there is nothing that takes the art of the illustrations from well executed to memorable nor the story from casually interesting to commited reading. It's lacking drama on both counts, but still, it's pretty and sweet at a very basic level. For a first time experiencer of Kanbe-sensei, start elsewhere. My suggestion is her 'Bittersweet Cafe'/'Love or Pride'/etc series. She does a great job of creating 'universe' and drama in that series....... |
| Yasashiku Sokubaku Shiteageru | 7.5 | This 2002 work is not as dramatic and punchy as Kanbe-sensei's usual angsty fodder. The stories are simple, but touch on something everyone can connect too: wanting to feel special to someone that is affectionate with everyone; wanting to be reassured when one feels insecure. It's not one of her best, but it was a pleasant sweet and simple read. The characters do fall a bit flat and the art isn't as dramatic as her later works. Worth a read, though, if you are already a fan, like myself! Happy B...... |
| Kimi wa Boku wo Suki ni Naru | 9.5 | I'm not sure of the date on this title, but I adored it! The imagery and the story both put me in mind of the 90s; I really like that long, angular, sharp-edged feel of the art and the dramatic delivery of lines. The story captivated me all the way from volume one to volume four! There were angsty scenes, self-revelation scenes, growth scenes, quiet scenes and just simply fun scenes--it was really a great balance. |
| Ginchou Kidan | 9.5 | --- |
| Ikura Nandemo Suki Sugiru | 6 | If you need a time filler or just a break for work, this is (BY FAR) a better way to spend your time than watching some inane sitcom in my opinion! I enjoyed these stories, but they are ultimately forgettable. The only two that I would go back to read again or think upon again would be Cruel Love and Love Facism. Cruel Love because it challenges the reader to expand their rigid rules of what constitutes an 'acceptable' relationship. Love Facism because it deals with the question of how we sto...... |
| Kimi no Ai wa Mienikui | --- | --- |
| Kimi to Iru Asu | --- | --- |
| Konna Otoko wa Aisareru | 8 | --- |
| Love Skit | 10 | The structural suspense delivery was excellent, the developing changes in the main character's vision were suberb, and the emotional connection to his inner life was bang-on for me! And the art? Emotive! |
| Mikansei na Karada | 8 | --- |
| Welcome to the Chemistry Lab | 10 | I read this collection over a year ago, but "A Grave Sin" the only one that I think of time and time again. It is one of the best one shots I have ever read. It is right up there alongside some of Kunieda Saika's more serious one shots that I respect and admire, such as the ones in "Bannin" and "Like as a Time Will Come When It Will Rain." The art, although competent and expressive, isn't particularly outstanding; it is the story and the scenes used to tell the story and are positively breath-...... |
| Yubisaki wa Koi no Aji | 9.5 | --- |
| Awakening Puberty | 9 | I liked this one too. It almost read like a Young Adult novel that a teenager could pick up at a library. It deals with serious, important and prevalent-to-age-group issues in a serious manner, and the two boys' affection for one another is believable with all their heavy mistakes, regrets and strong, maturing love. The sense of their inexperience, lack of clear guidance and frustrated feelings with no corresponding thoughts to understand those feelings was strong, vivid and believable. As fo...... |
| Hitomi no ounowa (dear green) | --- | --- |
| Dear Green | --- | --- |
| Honki ja Neekara | 10 | --- |
| Nayamuhodo Nara Koi to Yobe! | 9 | --- |
| Rakka Sokudo | 9 | --- |
| Rooftop Scenery | 9.5 | Every single story is a heart warmer, even the 'sad' ones. Tender, true-to-life and a little bitter sweet, all the stories in this anthology made me read them slowly over a couple times; there is a lot of poetic depth to each movement and phrase. She has a very unique delivery style. Quite often her panel transitions are moment-to-moment and the intensity of characters seems to just throb. The quiet and unrelenting questions of growing up--sometimes questions that are never really 'answered'-...... |
| Spell | 8.9 | --- |
| Stories of Love in 1k Apartment | 8.5 | --- |
| Teppen no Himawari | 8 | --- |
| Warito Yokuaru Danshikouteki Renaijijou | --- | --- |
| Cat and Master Dog | 7 | But pretty drawings and good mindless distraction when you need a distraction. I believe one shots can be powerful. This one isn't bang-on, but it still has great art and smex. Not memorable, but it's still worth the short read. |
| Specter | 8 | --- |
| Tobu Kokoro | 8.5 | --- |
| Aruhi Totsuzen Koi wa Kuru?! | 8 | I liked this collection of stories very much. The characters were all cute with a light element of 'pull' that kept me reading and connected. All the stories, although not inspiring me to write oodles and oodles of commentary, left me with a smile. And what more could I ask for? A perfect Yaoi fun read. |
| Himegimi wa Ore no Mono | 7 | The stories are always surface and very simplistic, but they manage to pull me in regardless. There is something about her extremely elongated bodies, small heads, and very round arses that make me cock my head to the side, but they manage to pull me in regardless. She keeps up a fast, clippy pace and the simple scenes she chooses to tell her simple themes are always punchy with emotion and smexy. |
| Kimi ga Ichiban Soba ni Iru | 7 | --- |
| Omoikkiri Suki ni Natte! | 9 | All the stories were typical Chitose-sensei style (little plot; lots of sex; but still compelling), but the stories behind Let's Go With Love and Happy Incident really sparkled for me. Let's Go With Love actually had a less explicit sex scene than she usually does, but I found it very touching and sexy indeed! The brothers' relationship was built up well and the jealousy was believable and sweet. The older brother certainly made me giggle with his ferocious protection instinct. I completely f...... |
| Ore wa Koi no Haousama | 8 | --- |
| Shiawase Cook | 9 | --- |
| The Strongest Love Magic | 6 | --- |
| Tsukiyo no Fushigi | 5 | The story of Natsu and the Twins had potential for an awesome plot with lots of deep exploration of the human psyche and the sides we all have but have terrifying fear for the taboo instilled in us. It was a shame how the story was mostly skimming. The 'smart' brother was completely under explored; in fact, he was dumped abruptly from the story. Natsu and his strange but ultimately human way of loving was not delved into at all. The other stories were not much good for anything other than a lig...... |
| Matenrou Maybe | 7 | --- |
| Na mo Naki Tori no Tobu Yoake | 10 | Incredible. I was deeply moved by all the characters - even two of the secondary characters. The main couple had some of the most touching, moving scenes I have ever read and viewed in my history of manga/story/art experiencing. The story line was complex and had great twists and turns. (The bird and the 'guide'!!! Who would have guessed! But it made perfect sense. . .) And I love the curly hair on Kosaru! I read each volume a couple of times before going on to the next. . . and then i went ba...... |
| Let Dai | --- | --- |
| Apron de Choushoku wo | 8.5 | The sexual tension is off the charts with this one! A uke who is dense, beautiful and honest-hearted? (Did I mention dense? He gives oblivious a new name!) A seme who at the same time thoughtful, yet awkward and obsessively jealous? Both of them inexperienced, unsure of their emotions and thoughts but hearts a-pounding? Hiiro-sensei's talent? Combined all this together and get ready for a read a funny, hot, and suspenseful reading experience! The art is sweeping and pretty, but still retains a...... |
| Hikari to Yami no Logic | 8 | --- |
| Love Hustler | 7 | --- |
| Nounai Renai no Susume | 7 | --- |
| Passion no Tsuki | 8.5 | --- |
| Wild Fish | 8 | The art of the mermen's full bodies is stunningly beautiful! Her interpretation of undersea creatures is brilliant, lush and elegant. The artwork has a lean, 80s punk feel to it at times. I really like it's bright, clear feel. I'd describe it as a less sketchy, more detailed version of Minami Ozaki's 1990s work. The story line is humourous at times, but at other times it is serious. The balance of the two is pleasing until the last chapter. The plot introduction of Ayase father and the Prince...... |
| Samurai Champloo - Mugen Champloo | 7 | --- |
| Samurai Champloo dj - AKA | 7 | --- |
| Samurai Champloo dj - Enjoy The Moon | 7 | --- |
| Samurai Champloo dj - Hakuchu DouDou - Just Between You And Me | 9 | --- |
| Samurai Champloo dj - Love is Egoism. | --- | --- |
| Samurai Champloo dj - Winter Sun | --- | --- |
| Aoiro Keiyaku | 8 | In Chapter 2, the art is breath-taking; there is so much flowing, liquid motion alongside the intense emotion of the sensual bath tub scene. In fact, that was my favourite chapter. It proved to me that Ike-sensei can do clever one shots that highlight both beautiful art and clever, captivating story telling with real, relate-able human psyche. It isn't a one shot, but it could be. She ties in the concept of fear (she does that topic well!) of obvious things like vampires and dark rooms with mo...... |
| Hide and Seek | 9 | --- |
| Icy Corridor, Kaleidoscope | 7.5 | Spoiler (highlight to view) I rated it more than my neutral '5' because a few of the frames had awesome bang in the artwork. (The frame in the final story where one of the brother says, 'enter me.' Gah! SO hot and well drawn. And the title page, where Sensei's hand hovers possessively over Kousa's stomach. Oh la la. A few hot scenes in that story! The corridor sex scene and the whole kicking his chair around and putting his foot up on Kousa, demanding, 'Why are you hard?') ... The first story I li... |
| Kanga na Spoon | 9 | --- |
| Koiyami Archive | 8 | Most of these stories are fun, playful and not too involving. The art is amazing in #1, but only still really good in the rest. 1 - This one was the most emotionally angsty of all 7; some scenes were really gut punching, espeically the projected anger one when the seme's frustration and self-hate turns toward the one he loves. The tension was excellent. Art-wise, it was very beautiful, but there was too much toner in some scenes causing the panel to look messy. Once or twice the limb perspec...... |
| Ai ga Areba Toshinosa Nante | 10 | --- |
| Zankoku Yuugi | 8.5 | Excellent stories. They are both equally delicious! The first one is about the 'can money buy love' issue, but it also delves into the issues of why one loves another and if those reasons are 'valid.' I thought Koide-sensei had a skilled hand at relaying the dynamics of multiple relationships. Her characters were believable, their reactions relatable. I could totally empathize with Daisuke's ability to give good advice but not live it himself. I was engaged with all her characters (in both sto...... |
| Junjou to Furachi | 7.5 | ...if you're just wanting to quickly check out Tenzen-Sensei! The first chapter and the third chapter are the most captivating. There is a nice little 'full circle' in the Green story and both are touchingly done, very sweet. Konoda is fabulous! I love his quirky personality matched with the 'pure' object of his affection... The rest of them are also sweet stories, but the art is less beautiful and the stories less comprehensive. Nothing too memorable. |
| La Satanica | 9 | If you liked the pairing and pacing and illustration of the personalities in The Green That Was Reflected In Your Eyes (a oneshot from Unsophisticated and Rude), you'll love these two. This one explores the concept of wanting to hurt and protect the one Mashita loves. His anger and confusion add to the depth of character and explain his initial cruelty very well. It could have been explored a bit more comprehensive, but I still liked it. Matsushima's pain was so vivid. |
| Oka no Ue no Rakuen | --- | The story weaving and ability to connect and feel for the characters is much better than Seven or Unsophisticated and Rude. I recommend this one if you're looking for a sweet, soft, tender story about what love means. There is a great little bit of tension she gets going with their inability to confess, yet their otherwise close relationship. Both of them end up thinking the other one is pining for an unrequited love. It is a very happy, light story. The last chapter does sort of 'abridge' th...... |
| Seven | 7.5 | ...but lacking in follow through. The story is good - good enough that I CARED that it wasn't developed well. If a story doesn't catch my interest, I don't even finish it. (You don't have to drink the whole keg, to know the beer sucks balls -lol), This one I gobbled up the entire soft and delicate art and story, but was frustrated with the sum of the whole. And the drama of the physical relationship was aggrevatingly undertold and under illustrated. |
| Clan of the Nakagamis | 10 | The artwork is wonderful! This story is comedic and fresh! The characters are all strong and distinct--each one could have his/her own story. The family of the Nakagamis are imperfect, outrageous, crafty, wild and wacky, sweet and sincere. But the biggest thing is that they love and protect each other (sometimes in the most bizarre ways!). It was a wild ride and a fast-paced one at that. I had a grin on my face from beginning to end. There was a lot of drama to it too, and I truly felt for th...... |
| KIKI | 8 | The art in Homerun's cover pages and inserts are stunning. There are two particularily wonderful inserts in this collection with unique 'looking-up' perspective and fantasy clothing that is magically and stunningly profiled with a sharp shadow! 1. Kiki A fantasy tale that is short, but with immediate connection to the characters. 2 & 3. Picnic I was surprised that I was bored by the presentation of this story. My surprise was because I usually like the angst journey (suicide in this story), but...... |
| Maigo | 7.5 | Very cute set of stories! I recommend this one for those who like quick, light stories with non-explicit intimate scenes, but lots of warm fuzzies. I especially liked the art of the park tunnel in the 2-chapter story and the melancholy sweetness of the older man in the last story. |
| Jyuushi Saida | 7.5 | --- |
| Casino Lily | --- | --- |
| Haru wo Daiteita dj - Love Squall | 8 | Great game! I love the interaction in this couple's relationship. It reminds me of Kei and Ran in Kizuna. And it's fun to see them switch around in this hot quick slice-of-life (er, rather, slice-of-night-life) between our two fav actors! |
| Otona Keikenchi | 7 | An amusing and hot read! Plus, it has a short and verbally blunt/crass seme, which is neat-o. He's partnered with a big, dense lug, which added to the fun. And the other seme-uke pair was fun as well. Personally, I didn't prefer the lackadaisical attitude two of the men had toward sex. (What kind of friend 'helps' his childhood friend out with his little ED problem in THAT way? And the slutty uke, although very cute and in the end, meaningful with his sexual allowances, was not my cup of tea....... |
| Tsuyogari | 8 | --- |
| Hand Which | 6 | --- |
| Mujintou Lovers | 8 | The title story is silly, quirky, lively and all around fun! While one character is a cute, spoiled and a spontaneous rich boy-man, the other is a sullen, quiet he-man that catches fish with his teeth, while simultaneously spearing an even bigger fish! He grunts, "Eat!" to his companion; he's a real caveman with hidden, cute insecurities. In chapter 3, "Elevator", Sakurai-sensei takes her talent for comedy and proves she has a talent for serious and mysterious foundations beneath comedy as we...... |
| Kage Aru Tokoro ni | 9 | She has pacing - both in sharp, clever, meaningful dialogue that says a lot with a little, and in expressive and purposefully chosen illustrated scenes that are clear, clean and simple yet full of bang. She has tension - both sexual and story spell weaving that takes the reader on a solid, relay-able plot. She is probably one of the best short story tellers I have ever read - impact, depth of meaning and breathtaking art... A lot of her stories have men that are not a 6 on Kinsey's scale of sex...... |
| Body Talk (yaoi) | 8 | --- |
| Mitsumete Itai | 8 | I'll Be Watching You was an excellent piece that had a 'sleeper' strong uke. I didn't realize his strength until I thought about the story and reread. The seme was interesting. The life of the characters seemed to lean more towards realistic in my mind than the fantasy world of BL. Because I'll Be There was my favourite story of the three. Karino had such an interesting personality. Yagi needed a little work as far as making me understand his motivations and feelings, but he was a likeable c...... |
| Selfish Love | 8 | This was my first introduction to Koujima-sensei. The story and art was deceptively simplistic. I completed Vol 1 in my first sitting, but I couldn't help but be pulled under and read it again in the same sitting. Hours later, I found myself still reading it. Over and over! I've picked it up over the months and reread it as well - which is highly unusual for me. There were a few scenes (1. the couple times when where Orito was overcome with emotions and lost his usually cool and in-control de...... |
| Sekuhara Shiokinin | --- | --- |
| Petto Oshigotochuu | 8.5 | --- |
| Pet of Love | --- | I would rate two of the stories in this collection higher than the rest: Remote Control as a 8.5 and Drunken Dog Night as 7.5. They were the highlights of the group of 5. In fact, I wouldn't even call Remote Control shounen ai, much less yaoi, it was more about the theme of friendship, care and loneliness, and it was surprisingly touching in it's beauty. The art work style was darker lines, but a sketchy sort of light feel. It wasn't remarkable either impressive or otherwise. Druken Dog Night ...... |
| Togainu no Chi DJ - Sexual Asphysial | --- | I think this one is perhaps canon intensive. I didn't understand a lot of what was going on, but I wonder if it is because I'm not familiar with the canon. Art was interesting, nonetheless, and worth checking out. I like it when the storyline can hold it's own without the reader knowing the base story. It's an impressive talent that can create a powerful story for fans and non-fans alike. |
| Three Wolves Mountain | --- | --- |
| A Bird in a Dream | 10 | Iku Michi, Yobu Tsuki stood out: It was unique. It is amazing how much 'omph' or power Naono-sensei can put into a one shot. The speed at which i felt for the 'devil' at the bottom of the lake was amazing. A Bird in a Dream and Hana mo Arashi mo were worth the read, but unremarkable and ultimately forgettable. But definitely worth the read. I would rate them 'a fun distraction' on my scale of enjoyment of BL. But my favourite by far was Midnight Sun (Mayonaka Taiyou) only because it gave me mo...... |
| Harem de Hitori | 9 | The art is intricate: It reminds me of the beautiful, flowing, detailed lines of the art nouveau style. The stories are all touching. They are the kind of short stories that I read once, wonder about, read again and have a sudden realization that there are tears forming at the edge of my eyes. All of them where about the devotion and pure love of unique characters. They are all very magical and surreal. The remind me of a dreamlike state, where the romantic, fantasy stories are ethereal and f...... |
| Aishichattano | 8.5 | Hoshino-sensei's speciality is lyrical, fantasy pieces. There are none of those in this collection of oneshots, but it is still quite beautiful for beauty's sake. The Aestheticism philosophy of the 1800s lives on in her soul, channelled through her pen! All the stories are simple. Sometimes they are touching and other times they are just pretty. One wouldn't be picking up her stories, if you were strongly and quickly opposed to shota, but if one does have a lower sensibility to the squickening...... |
| Hanamukosan | 9 | A simple story line, but magical! The art is highly emotive, sometimes entire conversations are held through looks alone. Her artwork is fantasy-like even in this story, where all the creatures are still human, albeit with strange family customs! The sexual tension is gentle yet powerful. The story is tender and sweet. The one shot with the glasses-wearing boy had quite the funny moments! |
| Kamigami no Namida | 9 | Worth the time simple for the lush artistry of the mermaid boy and the angles of a few moments...whew! Stunning! The story itself is poetic, but lacks that 'omph' of drama. I'd give the story a 7/10. |
| Kawaii Gatte | 7 | --- |
| Mix Mix Chocolate | --- | --- |
| Nurse ga oshigoto | 7 | --- |
| Cinderella Boy (yaoi) | 6 | --- |
| Tsuki ni mukatte hoeru no sa | --- | --- |
| Otona to Kodomo no Kyoukaisen | 9 | Koujima-sensei is like a reliable, favourite franchise restaurant: You go in specifically because you know there will be those items on the menu you fancy and you are sure you will be in the atmosphere of comfortable, familiar sensations. And you know these factors will be delivered with reliable consistency. But if you want something different than what you know Koujima-sensei offers, something that fills you up (a little more explicit or 'meaty'  and gives you something to really sink you...... |
| Man's Best Friend - Inu mo Akurekeba | 8.5 | Takashina-sensei is a very unusual artist. I was trying to pinpoint what 'it' was that stood out to me about her work. I think it's the personification of animalism of soul reflected within the human body and behaviour, even when she doesn't choose to literally use animals. The title story is fun and light-hearted. I wasn't squicked about Kuro, the dog, becoming human when excited, but the story itself simply didn't hit hard with me. Story-wise, there was one scene that elegantly translated hu...... |
| You are my Queen | 8 | Such fun, this lady! Araya-sensei has such quirky sense of humour and exaggerated reactions on the part of -usually- the pursuer. Her stories are very 'big' in the telling. I like it. It's like watching a bang-on cabaret! This particular manga is less memorable than others by her, and I wouldn't recommend starting with this one. It is the only one that is available from an English publisher. If you like pure, crazy, ridiculous theatrics, check out We Are Gorgeous. If you like a bit more story ...... |
| Akanai Tobira | 8 | --- |
| Tenohira no Seiza | 9 | --- |
| Pink (TAKAGUCHI Satosumi) | 9.5 | --- |
| Poet was Not Built in a Day | 7 | --- |
| Shout Out Loud! | 10 | --- |
| The Catharsis of Pure Love Or Not-Pure Love | --- | --- |
| A Bitter Fruit | 4 | A Bitter Fruit is almost there. I like the story concept but the scenes all seemed under developed and left me thinking, I almost care about there characters, and then *blam* scene change or story end. Dark Passion: I was surprised I didn't enjoy this one more. I like tragedies. I like 'force' scenes. I like angst. I went in fully expecting to rate this one high. But I discovered, as I read, that I was annoyed and not enjoying myself. Maybe because it involves drug addictions and maybe i find ...... |
| Who Made Him Such a Man | 6 | --- |
| Tonari no Heya no Paranoia | 7 | --- |
| Skyscrapers of Oz | --- | --- |
| Bokura No Unsei | 6 | --- |
| Sensei no Jijou | 8 | --- |
| Shinobu Kokoro wa | --- | --- |
| Uwasa no Futari | 9 | I had originally rated this story an 8, but I recently reread it after setting it aside for over a year. I increased my rating; it truly is an excellent story: it is plotted with suspense and interest; it has the art of the beautiful Kyou Kara Maou boys not just being ho yay, but actual full-on BL; and it is has such a wonderful heart-warming feel without being superficial or saccharine. It really is a pretty BL with a solid story. It may not be a dark psychology fantasy violence and angst lo...... |
| Brother | 9 | Ougi-sensei has a very recognizable style: It is bright, clean and dramatic. Her artwork seems to sparkle sharply from the page. The story of this manga was articulated with great punch. Not one 'useless' or 'why-the-heck-is-that-included' scene was presented: It was just bang-bang-bang on. The angsty tension between Asuka and Yui is what makes this story so effective. The history they have together is made all that more powerful because of the way their memories are interspersed throughout th...... |
| Mimi Paradise | --- | --- |
| Yojouhan Sweet Home | 9 | --- |
| Suki Na Mono Wa Suki Dakara Shouganai!! | 3 | I was happy to find a Sukisyo manga that had been scanlated, because I am enjoying the anime. I admit that I went into this manga with expectations that it would clarify and *enhance* the anime, similar to what Junjou Romantica manga does for Junjou Romantica anime. Not a recommended mindset to have if you pick up this book! This really is a stand-alone episode in the lives of the characters. (If one is looking for what I was looking for and one can read Japanese, then perhaps the BL novels w...... |
| I Can't Even Breathe Without You | 10 | --- |
| Pleasure Dome | 9.5 | --- |
| Ore no Tenshi wa Mayonaka Akuma | 9 | My rating is for the last title--the rest is boring, if passionately illustrated (the eyes!). The mind twists of the last title are quite interesting but too brief for the depth hinted at. Worth the read--made me really spin with interesting psychology and relationship questions. |
| Star na Koi | --- | --- |
| Star ni Ai | 9 | The Summer series and the In the Dark series delved into some serious and thought-provoking territory: guilt, anxiety-attacks, self-punishment, manipulation, psychological phenomena. Star Na Koi and Star Na Ai were good, but that story line didn't stand out. The movie star scene just sorta annoyed me. Honey in the Dark and Mermaid in the Dark made up the most memorable story to me. Why does he liked being tied up? Why does he have 'psychological' loss of eyesight? The way Ougi-sensei describe...... |
| Saihate no Kimi e | 10 | --- |
| Vanilla | 7 | Hmm. Like Stimulating Relationship, I couldn't stop reading, but was largely disappointed in most scenes. IT just seemed so surface and unexplored. The tension between the teacher and student was awesome. The secondary character in the shape of the other student with the completely different perspective on relationships was fascinating. The story had great potential - again, it was intriguing. If only all these features were brought together with more depth and impact... |
| Yume wo Miru Hima mo Nai | 6 | --- |
| Close the Last Door | --- | --- |
| Into Your Heart Through the Door | --- | --- |
| Last Portrait | 10 | --- |
| Ningyou to Kagami | 9 | Intriguing! I don't usually like M/M/F, but this one was interesting indeed, in a dark, disturbing way. The girl sees a different perspective that these boys hold on incestuous relationship. Much psychological disorder has already taken place in the disorder that is her brain, but, with these two, I think she's found some strange type of happiness - finally. |
| Trigger | 8.5 | Flowers! Puuuuurty! Tres hot! Beautiful, sparkly men! If you like Yuzuha Ougi's style of art and story, you'll like Norikazu Akira! This mangaka delivers beautiful, muscular, confident semes and sweet, innocent and angsty bishounen ukes. Copious flowers and glittery spots included! (And none of those ridiculous circles or 'x's' covering manly parts. *rolls eyes*) She makes eye wear uber-sexy, btw! It's like pure candy floss when a reader needs a break from dark, ominous, tragic and foreboding s...... |
| Koiha Ina Mono Mouna Mono | 7 | --- |
| Retsujou Kyoumushitsu | 6 | The art was interesting. It had 'flat' sort of angels and very vivid sexual descriptions. The drama of the stories was off to me. I didn't like the promiscuity of all her characters. To them, sex was something that could be done easily and quickly with many partners, resulting in my dislike of their personalities and my belief that their relationships were only fleeting. (I guess I do have a little romantic in me after all!) The stories were never really non-con or violent, but I've seen mang...... |
| Powerful Gossip | 8 | Overall sweet little collection of romantic stories. The art is soft with light, curving lines and smooth composition. Story 1: This story was shounen-ai sweet romance. I kept cocking my head when secondary characters referred to the leaning-towards bishie uke gym teacher as 'brawny.' LOL. Overall, very sweet and evoked a few tiny stomach clenches of anticipation and 'awws.' Nothing overly dramatic though, for the promise of the words of the title. Story 2: I liked the exploration of a secondar...... |
| Yuuwaku no Kaori | 9 | --- |
| A Coward's Happiness | 7 | The ne plus ultra answer to when you have a bit of time with your tea and have to scratch an itch! Naono-sensei is the master of oneshots. The ones in this collection where enjoyable. Not unforgettably so, but still good! I've rated Slave of Love and Revenge of Love separately because they are worth a special mention. |
| A Shameless Night | 9 | Naono-sensei has a recognizable style of heavy-lined facial features, slanted eyes with cat-like pupils and expressive body movement illustration. I like that I can distinctly pick out her artwork from others. I also like her bravery in the returning theme of a partner that is quite a bit older than the other. That is still a fairly unaccepted stereotype, even in the stereotype land of yaoi. She has a talent for one shots that are at the same time light hearted and sweet, and purposeful with ...... |
| Alluring Sentiment | 8 | Prequel to C1 (Hoshi no Tsuki/Star and the Moon): It was a few pages of titillating non-con to introduce the first twin and the vice president...leading into c.1... All of her art is very appealing with the character's dark, slanted, cat-like eyes and rough looks--especially when they get roughed up! She's not afraid to draw a little blood! 1: I like the cross-generational dynamic that Naono-sensei plays with a lot. In this story, the youth is the precocious, forceful one, who uses blackmail to...... |
| Arrested Man | 7.5 | --- |
| Covetous You, Insensible Me | 9 | --- |
| Fingertip's love | --- | --- |
| Harem Days | --- | --- |
| Hohoemi No Nichijou | 10 | This story evokes such passionate feelings from me. I loved the 3 main characters. I felt tears welling up. In the story of Kakeru and Shouichi, the eloquent yet intense way this mangaka communicates heartbreaking scene and quietly powerful scenes is included in the most moving word-art and picture-art I have come across. |
| I Don't Wanna Hold On You | 10 | --- |
| Kimi Ni Sasayaku Mirai | 10 | --- |
| Motte Meisubeshi | --- | --- |
| Yami ni Tooboe, Mune ni Toge | --- | --- |
| Yokubou Shounen | 9 | --- |
| Desire | --- | --- |
| Ai no DNA | 9 | What a sweet, romantic and uncommon theme for this story! The connection of pleasure/pain is fascinating. Can you imagine holding such a connection with someone? What interesting pondering this story encourages. The focus wasn't on the fact that they were brothers. The direction leaned more toward defining feelings of love. The secondary characters served their purpose perfectly. The tension of the delivery was paced wonderfully and the scenes Shimada-sensei choose to use for Natsu discoveri...... |
| Twin's Labyrinth | 7.5 | The full-page end piece illustration made me wish the story was about the twins in love!  Sweet and light. The 'kitten' ukes were cute, cute, cute. None of the four main characters really left a permanent ink mark on my brain though. I mas mildly annoyed with Ren's story because it started to offer more than lightness and simple conflict like Rin's coupling. It touched on a serious issue (the debilitating fear Ren's potential uke had of men) was introduced and then dismissed easily with a mira...... |
| Heart Strings | --- | This collection was considerably better than Twin's Labyrinth, but you still need to read Twin's Labyrinth first to get the built upon relationships in this one. The personality of the 'uke that acted like a seme' was developed with skill: He had a multi-dimensional personality. AND my favourite hairstyle - an long punk mullet! Interweaving Rin and his little kitten gave this manga a cohesive and comprehensive sort of 'universe' feel. I like that quality in a manga. The symmetry of the scenes w...... |
| Kimi wa Petto | 9 | Review and rating for entire series (14 volumes) A rare josei gem! I enjoyed every chapter of this amazingly well-spun tale. It is real, heart-warming, and unique! Older woman meets younger man. Both have much to learn from each other. Even the secondary characters are developed with care and detail, with complete personalities, motivations, desires, etc. The psychology is wonderfully insightful and each character's development alone and together is like a beautifully flowering blossom. (And d...... |
| Crazy for Daddy | 7 | --- |
| Koi ni Narumade | 7 | TO me, Chi-ran is like a domestic disturbance in the apartment next to you - you don't really want to listen but you can't stop yourself from pressing your ear up tighter to the wall. . .or maybe it's just me. I pick up and read most of her works but I always think afterwards, 'why?' The art is not what I'd think I'd like but I find myself staring at it. I'm still not sure if I like it or not. I'm also not sure if I like the story telling method or not either. Sometimes it seems lacking, but ...... |
| Whip On! | 7.5 | I believe the mangaka took a brave risk here. She starts off with very hesitant, feminine, petite bishies and confident gorgeous, clean shaven, lean semes. As the series of 9 one-shots progress, she increases the muscles mass, the body hair and shakes with increasing gyrations the typical uke/seme characteristics bag. Chouno-Sensei did mention in one of her author comment pages that she wanted to share the less common type of art (let's say an extremely gentle version of Bara). She readily ac...... |
| Koi ga bokura wo yurusu hani | 9.5 | --- |
| Dost Thou Know? | --- | Nothing amazing enjoyable, nothing amazingly annoying. It was just sort of neutral. With all the other incredible manga out there, there isn't enough possible time in the world to read all the awesome ones, so I would give this one a miss. Not recommended. |
| Watashi no Kakurega e Douzo | 9 | 1. Interwoven beautifully. A touching, gently revealing of 'connection' and 'friendship' through beautifully, softly illustrated stories. 2: World Market: I found this one a bit confusing with all the lively gossiping family(?) and friends(?) that surround the protagonist. It deals with 'cockfighting' and has humourous moments. There was no real yaoi pairing in this one. It was more like a slice-of-life in the writer's life and how/why his writing improved. 3. Dancing in the Snow, Ghost and Mi...... |
| So Wa Reirei no Yukini Mai | 9 | This mystery part of this story was haunting, bittersweet, and beautiful in art and words.This story is very sensual at times, and humourous at other times, as three men attempt to help a suffering writer, who has locked himself away for 5 years, ever since his best friend disappeared. The ending was lovely and left me breathless. It was more about the these three men: Minami, the submissive cook/reporter/straight man (straight as in comedy element), Ideizumi the brazen, outspoken artist and Y...... |
| Private Magician | 9 | This fast-paced, funny and intriguing story is dramatically illustrated! The unfinished factor can be forgiven for the enjoyment factor of the 3 chapters that we do have. She has made me like comedy, and I don't like comedy. Powerful! The fortune teller is TO DIE FOR! God. His hair. And his face. And his quirky (?) personality! He alone is enough! The artwork is outstanding! Takashima-sensei is an incredible artist - her work is full of movement. It's like you can feel or almost see their mov...... |
| Anbalance Lover | 5.5 | --- |
| Akuma de Sourou | 8 | The art is great! I especially liked the 90s fashion spread splash pages where the characters were dressed to the nines. The story is captivatingly told, but entirely too pure. Innocent from beginning to end. And that includes after they become 'adults.' So points off for unnaturally sweet unreality and blissed out endings. But I still kinda liked it--in a guilty sort of way. It does have a moment of brilliance when the main protagonist realizes getting hurt is part of getting happy. But most...... |
| Beyond My Touch | 6 | This one wasn't powerfully affecting to me. It was worth the time to read but it will never make even the bottom of my list of ones I can't stop thinking about. On the plus side, the story was sweet and the boys were so young and innocent I just watend to hug them. Not a very sexual story, as you can see. The message the manga-ka sent out to me was that wonderful feeling we have when we are around people that make us feel loved and wanted is a feeling to cherish and never lose. We can be living...... |
| Full Moon Ni Sasayaite | 9 | From the down town New York police beat in Fake, to the fantasy world of werewolves, vampires and the rare gender-changing hybrid in this 2-tankobon long tale, she's got it all: humour, intrigue, an underlying romance, and emotions ranging from murderous envy to tender forgiveness. The two main characters are devoted almost from the very start, even though Marlo is a bit rough around the edges in displaying his love. All the secondary characters stand on their own two feet with vivid personal...... |
| Fake | 9 | --- |
| Cold Sleep | 8 | --- |
| Suki | 6 | We had fun reading this book aloud together. It has enough action to keep us both interested, enough sweetness to keep us happy and enough angst to keep Mommy intrigued and thanking all the gods that be that I don't have to read Clifford or Backyardigans to her. I would have like to seen more pervisty to it (hehehehe - just because that is me.) But for reading with my child, it was delightful. I can't help but fall in love with Hinata and her beautiful ability to forgive and think the best o...... |
| Warui Koto Shitai | 8.5 | --- |
| Ima wa Tooi Natsu | 9 | --- |
| The Conquest King of a Wasteland | 8 | --- |
| Hisho no Territory | 8 | --- |
| Kirai Kiraimo | 8.5 | The bonus story at the end is a serious, but incredible story. I would love to see a continuation of that. Or maybe the ending is what makes it so powerful - the way it hangs at a precipice of 'what to do next?!' The story line was so unusual. The antagonist was not typical for a yaoi story. Fascinating. It was more like a graphic novel of a short story that could have been written by David Klass (author of You Don't Know Me) or Chris Lynch (author of Lie No Lie). The main character was so ve...... |
| Ai no Kotodama | 7 | --- |
| Toumei Shounen | 8.5 | (Rating only for first volume) Personally, I look for a bit more boys love in boys love, but it was okay if you just want a light shojo-esque story about friendship love. The mangaka focuses more on what really being a friend means over the physical intimacy of a eros-type relationship.The art was not outstanding, but competently carried out the standard for the genre. The first story dealt with issues related to abandonment and isolation. It was extremely touching to me only because I persona...... |
| Cute Beast | --- | I liked her sharp-angled faces and gangly-limbed illustrations with expressive faces and simple comedic captures, but the surface quality of the stories really started to get to me in an annoying way. The stories were addictive - like junk food. Brush your teeth after you read this and you will still be hungry at the end of the meal! But it was still yummy... 1. The title story was the best of the bunch. The art was lively , vivid and perfect for the light, easy-going, simplicity. The two main...... |
| Ai no Chikara de Koi wo Surunoda | 5 | --- |
| Hoshigarimasen! Katsumade wa | 8 | She has quite a variety in themes, this mangaka! This is a very cute and sweet story. It's one of her consensual, blushing and awkward virgin style ones, so it will surely be more popular since it appeals to the typical romance reader. Her stories are undeniable likeable, so even this black heart of mine fell in love with the two main characters of this tale. The art is beautiful; it holds with her later style which has an aesthetic appeal of white space and effeminate round, clean lines. Her ...... |
| Lord of the Rings dj - Ima wa Naki Rakuen no Uta | 7 | --- |
| Raspberry Crisis | --- | --- |
| Mitasareru Kuchibiru | 9.5 | --- |
| Shinyuu Henjou | 9 | --- |
| Hybrid Child | --- | --- |
| I Want to be Obedient | --- | --- |
| Lens goshi no Binetsu | 7 | I liked the story's presentation at times from Fumi's younger brother's perspective. His quirky, down-to-earth and accepting nature was very likeable. It was unsual and creatively interesting to see the story narrated at times from this in-the-middle man, who ends up acting as a somewhat love-helper for Takeo. Like everyone in the story, including a potentially awesome blunt and hard-hitting female character, Takeo and Fumi were both lacking in character development. They weren't overly likea...... |
| Party | 8 | --- |
| Thomas' Heart | 4 | --- |
| Four Shoujo Stories | 6 | --- |
| Between the Sheets | 9 | --- |
| Blue | 5 | --- |
| Haa Haa | --- | --- |
| Ningyo Ouji | 10 | An excellent story! The hermaphrodite/intersexed merperson was an incredible way to begin to approach the subject of how a woman (the OL) feels a part of both the female and male gender schema. I really enjoyed both story and art flow. The ghost story made me cry--and I'm a tough-as-nails-rolls-my-eyes-at-sweet-romance person! I was on the bus, and big fat tears started to well up as I read the pure, selfish and yet unselfish love this passionate, young couple had. And the end, with the flower...... |
| Beautiful People | 9 | --- |
| Children Can't Choose Their Parents | 5 | I love the dead serious nature of Mika. I love the outfits of his best friend, Daren. I love their interaction together. It's funny ("You've gone far enough with that bestiality hobby of yours!"). But the ending was as abrupt for the reader as it is for the egg... Unique, just not my personal taste of story line. (Review based on Kotonoha's scanlation.) |
| Oto no Nai Ame wa Furitsuzuku | 9 | --- |
| Calorie | --- | --- |
| Sono Yubi no Tadoru Kizu | 9 | 10/10 for the art. 8/10 for the stories. The art is stun-gun! The stories are a bit choppy and clunky, but all of them hold moments of profound thoughts expressed through beautiful, heart-felt, introspective dialogue that the illustrations breath life into. They all just needed a bit more cohesion. The running theme through all the stories is one's purpose in life and loneliness. They all have a 'quietness' about them. |
| Servant's Master | 5.5 | Great for a quickie read while waiting for the water to boil for my dinner noodles but largely forgettable. It was a very believable situation for how vanilla sex people could potentially end up doing something Veeeeerrry different. |
| Aka no ori | 6 | Strangely enough, I liked this one. It was very tragic and sad yet deliciously sadistic and masochistic too. This one is definitely not for everyone - it deals with very angry and desperate people and situations. The only reason I didn't rate it higher than 6 was because it was under-developed. I would have loved to see this one fleshed out into at least a few more chapters. The characters have potential to be very three-dimentional and would grab hold of me (the audience!) in a very powerful...... |
| Centaur no Tsuki | 10 | --- |
| Onozomi no Mama ni | 8 | --- |
| Kizuna | 10 | --- |
| Renai no Skill | 7 | I had a bit of trouble following the story; but nothing like Darling in a Textbook. The story was okay--not riveting my interest and causing me to read slowly or repetitively--but enough of my interest was held to finish the story. The art was clear and full of action, but Nishimura-sensei's has works that are outstanding. To me, this one fell at mediocre. |
| Kagerou no Mori | 10 | --- |
| Plus 20cm no Kyori | 7 | --- |
| The Judged | 10 | --- |
| Level-C | 10 | --- |
| A King’s Lesson | 6 | The story was tired, yes, but that wasn't what made it fail in my opinion, because there are tons of amazingly 'tired,' classic story lines in the BL genre that are rebirthed with explosively enjoyable sensations and stimulating psychological. This one was great for comparing features of story plotting and writing and art placement and expressions for what works and what doesn't work as far as impact to readers. A King's Lesson evoked such unaffected feelings while I read it. Maybe it's the o...... |
| Akai Koi | --- | Very flat and uninteresting art and story. And. It's. 16. chapters. *sooo tired* -_- I just couldn't get into it. There was no compelling conflict of individual, other or society. |
| Kizuna dj - Kizuna Extra | 8.5 | This story made me laugh and get all hot and excited! Ran and Kei are just such an extremely well developed couple. And this 'domestic' or 'mundane' story of their New Year's Eve celebration is brilliantly done. It's like the reader has a window into their private apartment, watching them have fun together. The mangaka, Kodaka-sensei, has created a story about two men in a long-term relationship that never ceases to be interesting to me. There is enough ups and downs, angst and joys, to keep...... |
| Like a Hero | --- | --- |
| Sensitive Pornograph | 8.5 | Sensitive Pornograph: I liked the gentle realization of what being truly loved means to each of the two main characters. Amidst all that (hot!) smut, there actually is a plot of self and joint discovery. Kiss Me: This one is hilarious. With lines like 'Meguro's brain is broken,' spoken by his friends, how can you not love this puppy dog devoted boy of the hard-ass, ice-cold object of his frothing devotion? Although he is a strong boy himself, he never hits his love back because it's like tryin...... |
| 24 Jikan Kiss Dekinai | 7 | --- |
| Damasaretemo Sukina Hito | 8 | The background for Matsuda’s behaviour is told briefly but with enough detail to make him a compelling, relate-able character. One can understands immediately why Matsuda acts with suspicion and cruelty toward Minami’s sincere devotion. There is a bit of angry, frustrated dub-con in this piece, but even those who are uncomfortable with that element in a yaoi story may like this one, perhaps finding it suitable and meaningful with the plot and characters’ development. Minami’s dogged de...... |
| The Happy Prince | 9 | What an adorable and unique collection of inter-related stories! There's a beautiful harmony and balance in this collection of stories. They play on the strings of my heart as the characters go through their emotional journeys, and they stimulate my brain with their subtle discussions on the elemental human desire for happiness. The art and delivery are quirky--both gentle and sharp at the same time! |
| Tennen + Gokuraku Mahoutsukai | 7 | --- |
| Koi Cha no Osahou | 9 | --- |
| Mizu no Kioku | --- | --- |
| Yume Musubi, Koi Musubi | 10 | --- |
| Kimi ni Sachi Are! | 7.5 | I really liked this tale! The scans were awful though, with small pixel sizes that ended up for a very fuzzy final effect. If you like completely consensual romance, give this one a try! The story was cute, well developed and light-hearted, but always retained an element of kind, sincere, believable developing love. Both partners were likeable and kept my interest, which surprised me since the angst was very low-level. The art is very unique. She has a unique style to her boys that grows on me. |
| Shortcut Love | 8 | --- |
| Taiyou no Kikoushi | 9 | Wow! This one has it all for a typical shoujo-style yaoi! Sweet romance for the traditional romantic, a little non-con for the fetish-er, plot for the academic, and psychology for the human behaviour studier. And art for the eyes to glut upon! Its very happily-ever-after, but not before the reader is taken on a journey of angst and ponderings. It's not uber-dramatic or original, so it won't stick long in my memory, but it is certainly an enjoyable quick read in the afternoon! |
| Totally Captivated | 10 | --- |
| Bannin | 10 | . . .goes my emotions and thoughts! I don't give out many 10s, but this one definitely rates. The Guardian, Show Me Heaven and Sora no Uragawa are all three magnificent works of illustrative and story-telling art. The characters and their combine journies are unforgettable. Although The Guardian is a one-shot, it pulled me right in. The story telling perspective was unusual and intriguing. The three main characters had depth to them and, even though i would be very happy and wouldn't complain ...... |
| Mezame no Mori | 10 | "She loved him now with a new love because he had made her suffer." - William Somerset Maugham Tamotsu Takamure! Hip hip hooray! Yes and yes and yes! The title story is superb, but it is 'The Loose Shackle' that knocked me over. I always love her stories, her plot twists and her characters, but every once in blue moon I stumble across a story of hers that challenges my perceptions of what is 'right' and what is 'wrong' and why I even need those labels in the first place. It is a story that ma...... |
| Houkago Hokenshitsu | 9.5 | --- |
| Don't Cry Mama | --- | There are so few translated yaoi novels that I, for one, am glad they are listed here at mangaupdates.com. Yippee! The illustrations by Yuki Shimizu are a refreshing break in the novel, if a bit biased. Why are there no illustrations of Imakura when he's heavy? Doesn't Yuichi fall in love with him as he is? That bugged me. One would think it'd bug the author as well. I wonder if that was a publisher demand. It was a good change of pace to see characters that were so believably unlikeable (peo...... |
| An Ark of the Prince | 5 | 'An Ark of the Prince' was a brave attempt at the sci-fi genre within BL. I've only seen this pairing a few times. I am a hard sell for sci-fi but when I love it - I fanatically love it. This one just annoyed me. It was confusing. And the mangaka does not create characters that I feel for. I really didn't care to have my confusion rectified. Touching, poignant and tragic: All words to describe the oneshot 'Music at the Break of Dawn.' I would have liked to seen 3 chapters delving into this st...... |
| Makeinu no Nandemoya | 8 | Wow! This was great: the pacing, the art, the dialogue, the plot, the characters--everything! Except it did't go anywhere... It was all just like a lead up to what was to come... and then it never came. But there is a 2-volume sequel (not licensed / scanlated), so it's hard to give a proper analysis. Still, it's worth reading for some very poetic and wonderful life truisms. It's really just a moment-in-time where our four heroes learn a very important lesson together about living life....... |
| Sore wa Isshun no Hikari, dewanaku | 8 | This isn't one of Studio May-be and Asou-sensei's best pieces, but it is certainly classed as an excellent short manga story in my books. The final coflict and resolution that finally draws the two together is a beautiful arch, a harmonious 'full-circle.' It wasn't boring at all; rather, it was quite dramatic. His emotions seem flat throughout most of the story, but I think that is on purpose--it dramatizes the ending that much more. The secondary characters of the professor and his wife were...... |
| Sukuea na Kankei | 9 | I really enjoyed the story of these four friends. I like it when there is a 'universe' feel to a collection, where there are several stories, but all with recurring characters. Often, this creates confusion and clutter, but the duo behind Studio May-be have written a tightly woven story that is crystal clear and insightful. Asou-sensei has illustrated their story to do it wonderful justice. This tankobon has all four characters throughout, and all four play significant parts. It all adds up t...... |
| Tsumetai Otoko | 7.5 | --- |
| Dekiru Otoko | 8 | Both main characters had a good foundation. Hokuto wasn't boring, whiny, and helpless (love the illustration of his indignant face as he throws coffee at Sagishima!), and Sagishima was mysterious with a understandable background. Alas, both of their development was lacking; why did Hokuto drop his existing life? Was he even interested in becoming a businessman? Where was his foster family? His blood family? The reason for Sagishima's endearment to Hokuto as a child was weak. The entire story ...... |
| Gankutsuou dj - Famme Fatale | 10 | On occasion, I stumble across a short oneshot or doujinshi that could fall under the classification of porn (like the ever delightful Gravitation Remixes!) This one also falls under that classification - but I'd still call it 'upgraded' porn because Kodaka-sensei makes her characters come alive and have depth even in a short span of pages filled largely with smut. Their IS a strong underlying depth of story: Franz is not able to be honest with Albert for fear of losing his friendship, which in...... |
| Matsugo no Yume | 8.5 | --- |
| Mister Mermaid | 9 | This story was beautiful - a true love story. The merman's love for the man he saved was so powerful and subtle. The characters were imperfect, human, believable. It broke my heart. My only reason for no 10, is because although the sex scene was delicate and brought a lump to my throat, it wasn't nearly long enough. As for the second story, I'm not sure I understand it. Anyone want to email me and clarify what is was exactly that the 16th Mr.Silver did for Mr.White? I'm dense sometimes. . ....... |
| Pure Love in Roppongi | 7 | This one is ridiculous if you are looking for a touching and believable love story with angst and ultimate redemption, but if you're looking for Ougi-sensei wonderful hotness *sparkle sparkle* and pure smut, give 'er; it's got all that. The 'esp' theme, just barely held the plot together and the scanlation technique needs work, but it's undeniably Ougi-sensei tasty. She's done better though. |
| Abiru Junjou | 9 | Spoiler (highlight to view) The way that Yuka never gave up and always faced the world head-on with a sunny disposition, even in the face of bullying, rejection by his mother, his grandmother's illness and confusing emotions from his Sensei, was so endearing. ... The scenes where Yuka and Gotou visit the sea-side town were heart-wrenching. The struggles that Gotou goes through within himself are sharply moving: the struggle in accepting that his philosophy of 'Human Love' is good, but flawed when h... |
| Koi no Katachi | 8.5 | This is long, so only read if you are into social justice and new thoughts for your brain! *Spoilers* Society only presents to us a very pigeon-holed view of what makes up 'acceptable' relationships. This manga is wonderful at teaching about a type of love and way of living that is not mainstream. One only needs to read with an open mind and remind oneself to analyze what the difference is between what one truly believes to be love and what society has programmed into one's subconscious to beli...... |
| A Toy With Sadness | 9 | I enjoyed A Toy With Sadness immensely. The ending seemed like there was room to continue. The feelings were so real and full of tension. The deeper bond and needs that were forming through all the harsh words and thoughts was hinted at, but before they really knew what was going on within each other and themselves, the story ended. The forcefulness of Kengo's actions and the angry frustration of his emotions was squee worthy to me. Hot. Chapter 4 was largely unnoteworthy. Kinda boring. Not me...... |
| Kokoro no Kagi wo Mitsukete | 8.5 | The 3 main character's motivations and personalities were all very alive and vivid. Distinctly different people, all 3 held recognizable human behaviours. The story was told with well-chosen, dramatically captured moments that moved the story forward at a rapid pace. But I really studied each page, because I wanted to soak it all up, bask in all the trauma and emotion! I always am a sucker for those out-of-control moments contrasted with the thought-provoking still and tender moments however f...... |
| Toki no Rashinban | --- | Fast paced and hot! I liked this one - couldn't stop reading it. The plot is fairly thin, but the story is thick with traditional western comic book ideology: damsel-in-distress, angsty heros fighting for same damsel, icky one-dimensional villian, country hide-out, tense climax in villian's mansion! And voila! Excellence! Finally a super hero comic I can enjoy. *shakes fist at stan lee* In fact, although this manga mimics a lot of characteristics of the setting sun country, I like this BY FAR ...... |
| Kudan no Kuroneko | 10 | This was an amazing collection of two rather series stories and one light-hearted one that take place in the same universe of the neko and kitsune shrine temples and their dwellers. First we have the story of the young, bold and confident neko shrine deity. He loses his confidence along with his rat-banishing bells. The young son of the kitsune shrine rescues and falls in love with him. He takes him back to his shrine where his father and the mischievousness fox yokai also reside. The art wa...... |
| Our Previous Existence, This World, You and Me | --- | --- |
| Zenmon no Tora Koumon no Okami | 7.5 | I like the scene where Rou is reaching for the dagger above his head, and stops at the last minute based on J's reaction. . .*gah.* I was confused intially, because I hadn't read the 411 mentioned in the details on this website. It made me realize something though: I've gotten so used to reading right to left that it confuses me to read right to left now! It wasn't that long ago that the situation was reverse! I didn't like the 'lighthearted' ending of this manga. It was so dark and serious an...... |
| Mask | 10 | --- |
| Because He is My Dear Sweetheart | 4 | I don't know what went wrong! *weeps* I love bondage stories but this one just made me tired. The first chapter had a great plot of confused love between Yuuri, Elaine, and Roy - well, actually it was only Roy that was confused. Even with a good premise of a plot, it still rang off. The setting was a refreshing change: I believe it is in England in the 1920s. I like the uniqueness of that. The following chapters I couldn't even finish. I noticed I was flipping through them quickly, obviously n...... |
| Happy Play | 8.5 | Sugai-sensei is a kinky one! I will never look at baby bottles, microphones, and cell phones without giggling again...She also likes her "it hurts", but "you like it, right?" mentality. So, if that bothers you, even in a lighter version such as Sugai-sensei's, stay away. If you like that, give 'er! I do, so I read all 9 shorts with glee. None of her stories ever wander too far from smut, but they all do have an element of psychology in them that made me like them more, even if the stories wer...... |
| Gerard to Jacques | 10 | --- |
| Waru | --- | --- |
| Tsumi to Kuchizuke | 9 | --- |
| Love Me Thru the Night | 10 | --- |
| Turning Point (TAKANAGA Hinako) | 8 | --- |
| Kyuuso Ha Cheese no Yume Omiru | 10 | --- |
| Datte Ai ja Nai!? | 8 | An enjoyable read that is mostly smut but with enough plot weaving so it kept the pages turning. It is a 'sex for money to pay a debt' style story, but it doesn't have the dramatic feeling that Okane Ga Nai overflows with. Each chapter is our hapless uke falling into constant willingness to trust people and then getting taken advantage of until his knight (the first one who took advantage of him) comes to save him. Kei's constant forgiving and lack of self-awareness was a bit unbelievable, b...... |
| Enslave Lover | 9 | The story of the two newscasters was mildly interesting. Rating: 6/10. It was quick, mindless and enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable. The art, although adequate and FAR better than anything I could ever do, just didn't stand out to me. Same goes for the story line. There was a brief moment in the story that I felt connected: when the lights went out while they were filming in the haunted studio room. It was sweetly touching. The sports newscaster and the baseball player (chap 4/5) were a h...... |
| Trinity - Messiah Visualbook | 10 | It makes me want to know the story and play the game! (And put more effort into learning Japanese!) Evocative and haunting is the art by Carnelian. |
| Tsuki to Scandal | 10 | These two tankobons are worth the purchase. They are thought-provoking and subtly touching. The way Yoshinaga's simple drawings focus on the emotions and movements of the main characters is the very definition of understated beauty and power. I love her signature style of repeating frames and only changing the character's face or pose slightly. The simple change between frames creates unbelievable and touching significance. The relationship between Kobayashi and Toyo (Giant) and then Mr. Ida a...... |
| Get Backers dj - Nu | --- | --- |
| Amanita Pantheria - Doujinshi | 7 | I liked the whole 'mushroom' tie-in. (I laughed when the mangaka mentioned that she doubts that the poisonous mushrooms would harm Ban.) The concept of having half the DJ from Ban's perspective and then the same events in the second half from Ginji's perspective was genius! I'd like to read more stories like that. The art was so-so. It didn't move me and it wasn't really art that makes my jaw drop or reaches into my heart. The body shapes seemed awkward at spots, but it was mostly drawn well. ...... |
| Get Backers dj - BaneGin Newlywed Diaries | 8 | --- |
| Get Backers dj - 37°C | 8 | --- |
| Tactics dj - Love Sick | --- | --- |
| Call of the Wind | 8.5 | --- |
| Negai Kanae Tamae | 7 | **Spoiler** I rarely find a book that I can't put down. This manga was one of those stories that I couldn't stop reading. And in the end that is what made the last volume that much more disappointing - because I WAS caught up in it. Although the art wasn't my lust-after preference, I did like that the men were all drawn masculine and cleanly. It was a nice change of pace from the feminine shoujo-style bishies. The most amazing art work was the tattoo work on F's back. The expressions on the ch...... |
| Wagamamana Ningyosama | 8 | On the publisher, June DMP: The did a great job. The sfx are all left in the original Japanese language art, but with English translations on the side. The quality of the paper and print is beautiful. The original title was left in the raw text as well. Very lovely. Oh, Nabako-sensei, you are a quirky one! I like her art style; it's very exaggerated. The uke is uber-cute, round and big-eyed with a stereotyped personality: awkward, sweet and kind, but hesitant, insecure and slightly simple. The ...... |
| Nekrateholic | --- | --- |
| Escape | 8.5 | I liked the story line and the art. The words were chosen carefully and made for a believable, interesting story. But as my fellow reviewers have mentioned, the ending is ambiguous. Was that a final voyage for Jun? Did Kouji turn his life around? Did they meet again? What was the story behind Jun? He was too emotionally troubled. I know that 'being treated like air when you are right there,' would certainly be devastating, and possibly prompt dramatic life choices, but a little more 411 would...... |
| Aisanai Otoko | 7 | --- |
| The End of Youth | 9 | --- |
| Get Backers dj - Bloody Honeymoon | 8 | --- |
| Get Backers dj - The Place Where I Can Hear Your Heartbeat | 9.5 | --- |
| Get Backers dj - Full of Harmony | --- | --- |
| Kuchibiru no Yukue | 8 | Another unusual one for Yamato-sensei. She steps away from extreme-babyish uke combined with the beautiful, dark seme to not only give us a slightly more 'adult' looking (he's still very youthful looking) uke, but also a clear, explicit, and believable relationship with more than one man. The art was a little more crowded in this piece, but still very beautiful and flowing. I found the emotions of the uke to be compelling--it was refreshing to see a character that had complex feelings that we...... |
| The Gospel | 7 | . . .. especially after such a phenomenal start! *complete deflation of initial excitement. Did you hear that resounding crash?* My '7' is only because the first few chapters I'd rate much higher and the last chapter I'd rate much lower. SO average is where it sits. Spoiler (highlight to view) The 1st chapter opens with an awesome line: "There is nothing more incomprehensible than violence." Bang. Powerful. The stage was set for a fascinating exploration of human nature regarding sadism and ma... ... |
| Koi no Tsubo | 10 | This is a 'read-over-and-over' manga. The art work captivates. The story lines weave beautifully together. All the characters are intriguing and you care about them all. I have so many notes on my thoughts on these four stories . . .more to come. I read this one after finding Aigan Shounen. I feel a serious FAVOURITE Mangaka coming on. . . |
| Aigan Shounen | 10 | I figure there are enough warnings by other reviewers, but i guess i *should* preface this with the thought that this is not for people that like to read sweet -if unrealistic- lovey dovey stories. This story was disturbingly profound. Not one you will easily forget. I was crying by the end! Awesome read! And I do mean AWE-SOME. This story is fascinating. It makes me happy to see that someone is brave enough to explore the darker elements of what is and always has been within human nature. Bra...... |
| Hagakure no Koi | --- | There are 5 one-shots in this collection, plus 1 extra that contines with the characters from the first story. I've commented on the ones that are particularly outstanding. All of them are from the Meiji era. 1. Romance Hidden in the Leaves - A frustrated ronin firmly believes in the way of the samurai tries to instil the teachings into his two students: a playful one and a serious one. The playful one has a lot more adult depth and samurai heart than he shows. The brother of the this always-s...... |
| Kinpeibai Kinden Honoo no Kuchizuke | --- | --- |
| Koutetsu no Daitenshi | 10 | Shin Mizukami has done it again: She has reaffirmed to me why she is one of my favourite mangakas. Mizukami-sensei is the best oneshot writer and illustrator that I have tumbled blissfully upon. She seemingly effortlessly manages to create characters that I immediately connect with and root for! She always has an element of darkness to her stories that I have a passion for and she delves in with such a deft hand of illustration and perfectly paced words. Her stories aren't for everyone: They...... |
| Mugen no Roukaku | 7.5 | --- |
| Gensou Shounen Koimonogatari | 3 | I agree with FaeryGoddyss. The premise is excellent. I would love to see a well-thought out BL take on the classic fairytales (preferably not the Disney-i-fied versions). This collection seemed like it was drawn and written in a hurry. It was unsatisfying and annoying. A colossal waste of time and potential. And why bother with all the shota? If you are going to use shota, which is risky-business in the first place, why use it for a meaningless, silly story? Why stick your neck out for somethin...... |
| Under Grand Hotel | --- | --- |
| Show ga Hanetara Aimashou | 8 | --- |
| One Piece dj - Cocoon | 5 | --- |
| Ren'ai Bus Stop | 9 | I reread this manga several times as soon as I rec'd it. Surprisingly enough, all of the short stories gave me a 'completed' feeling. Satisfaction at it's best! Worth the money for this book. The art is clean, the frames and words are placed with powerful punch! I can remember the stories even at this moment without relooking at my book, which I read a week ago. That says a lot to me, because many mangas I cannot remember blow-by-blow after I set them down for a week if I was singularly unimp...... |
| Touch Blue | 7 | --- |
| Love Share | 4 | --- |
| Saa Koi ni Ochitamae | 9.5 | I liked all the characters, right from the primary to the secondary! They were all fallible and ultimately brought a big fat smile to my face! I went from wanting to smack Noboru and tell him to make up his mind--for cryin' out loud--to oh my! how wonderfully resolved/delivered! Everything fell into place believably and as expected, but not boring with predictability. I especially liked the 'evil kidnapper!' The art is very shiny and the story keeps you turning the pages! And back again and ag...... |
| Ijimetaihodo Aishiteru | 8.5 | Small note: All four chapters listed here are scanlated by LP, but it is listed as 'ongoing' on their (easy-to-navigate!) website. Chapter 1: Too funny. Not only can Mizukami-sensei write deep psychological dark stories, but she can write funny present-day ones as well. I love the scene where Takashi feels that the only time he has truly bullied Haruki is when he makes him wear panties. HA! Who really is the uke in this story? Poor stupid Takashi. God love 'em. And the spunk in Huaruki! Funny ...... |
| Tsumibito no Kiss | 10 | The Welcoming Fire: Haunting and beautiful and brought a tear to my eye at the regret and unresolved issues that overruled death and time. I loved the combination of history and spirituality with the festival of the dead. What a sensitive young man was the original owner of the body! As per normal, Mizukami-sensei's artwork is lush, creative and alive as she illustrates possession and ghosts. . . The Sea Roar: *ded* Unresloved Sexual Tension G-A-L-O-R-E. My heart is still thumping! Such a swee...... |
| Kon no Ki Konoha | 9.5 | This story is magnetically delivered! It's like a hundred voices whispering in your ear, in an archaic language that is deceptively simple as it weaves tighter and tighter around you! I read this one almost a year ago and have reread it and retold it to others many a' time. It echoed like a rock skipped across water. The story has such a sad, yet beautiful acceptance of a tragic past and a unusual solution that was offered to a group of children many years before the heroine actually meets the ...... |
| Secret! | 6 | Spoiler (highlight to view) I had high expectations because it is rare to see a yaoi manga where one of the characters has a fetish for cross-dressing, and I wanted to see it dealt with in more of an expansive way. This story illustration was beautiful and sparkly at times with the over-the-top drama of Yuu. Plot-wise, it was loosely gathered together and fell flat to me and it didn't redeem itself with humour, like My Violent Boyfriend. |
| Rising Storm | 9.5 | This one was super funny. Imagine the time Kaizaki must have spent setting up all those plates! The totally gullible Reona was a lovable dupe. Add to the mix Reona's protective (and apparently only semi-balanced person) and I found a recipe for great enjoyment in BL-dom. I love the beautiful and explicit drawings of Ougi-sensei. So lush and sparkly and brave. Her story-telling always draws me in and affects my emotions within a few pages. Her characters seem to jump off the page! |
| Love Together | 4 | Mostly a collection of brief, forgettable stories with unremarkable art. Story number six, "Jealousy Baby," had a few moments of truth I found compelling, if simplistically done, but it veered back into the shallow skimming and flat humour where the rest of the stories resided. The scanlation was decent, but awkward and rough at times. |
| Koisuru Kimochi wa Zettai Fukujuu!? | 5 | This collection was fairly unremarkable. It was mostly flat 1-dimensional stories with stories that could have been good with their basic premises but were told clunkily. Easy and quick to read, but nothing sticks. The art wasn't anything to redeem the weak stories. |
| Ushirokara Dakishimete | 8.5 | I loved it! I don't usually select light-hearted, fun stories (they are just not my preference), but every now and then one needs a break from dark, demented, dangerous and desperate. ;) It's hard to create a BL stories that makes one laugh and at the same time love the characters and find their sex scenes riveting. This one did both and how! Hayakawa may have made the first move ('Where did he touch you?'), but it was the indomitable, never-gives-up Kagura who made the moves just escalate and ...... |
| Pretty Scoop! | 9 | Excellent read! If you like the personality combinations of Eiri Yuki and Shuichi Shindo from Gravitation, then you'll like Akira and Sada. (Although, Akira is not QUITE as tortured as angry Eiri, but he does have his raging outburst moments.) The Written: There is good character development. The story, individual character depth and developing relationships are all delivered with punch. I quickly fell in love with the Yuki Eiri-like seme, Akira. He had a mystery about him. His serious, quiet ...... |
| Pretty Scoop: Haretara Ii na dj - Boy, Fish on Wave | 6.5 | Cutesy with likeable characters, but it seemed a little to 'babyish' for me. And then the sexuality was just sort of odd... The sweet story held little impact for dislike or like. |
| Pretty Scoop - Haretara ii na dj - Snow Flower | 6.5 | Very sweet. Cute story line and cute characters. Almost too cute, but a great slice-of-life, if you liked the two characters from Tell Me Clearly, the last chapter in Pretty Scoop. |
| Omoisugoshi mo Koi no Uchi | 9 | Rating for 6) More Pain only. (The rest were mediocre at best.) This one shot is amazing--it's a theme you don't see explored with maturity very often. The only downside to this oneshot? Its snapshot format. |
| Love Romance Sweet Kiss | 7 | --- |
| Hanon | --- | What a wonderful story! The scalation team did a great job in aesthetics and flow, but the prized part was their inserts explaining a wee bit about the world of piano; it really enhanced the nuances of the story. Even this early art of Yamato-sensei shows such a smooth and deft hand at story-telling with her unique combination of 'cute' and 'dark' uke and seme, behaviour and emotions. The art was some of Yamato-sensei's best! The first half of the book is the older brother's story; the second ...... |
| Heian Abunai Chichi Kyoudai | 4 | Couldn't get into this one. Didn't like the format or the drawing style. Check out Pretty Scoop. It is, by far, a better representation of his/her work! Notice: The mangaka's bio uses the pronoun 'his' and the gender is listed as 'female.' EDIT: I noticed the profile has been changed to be female on both counts! |
| Hana*Koi | 9 | So far, this is my most favourite Kano-sensei piece. It is a joy, I agree, Rantipole! Hana is such a bizarrely interesting character: he seems so vapid at times, like a puppy that stares at you blankly, but then surprises you with his fierce, sure-footed reactions. He is so matter-of-fact and unconcerned with society. He does his own thing, like sitting on a city road median --the only place with a little grass and shubbery-- for a traditional tea. God, I swooned when Takumi held him in one a...... |
| Bokutachi wa Asu ni Mukatte Ikiru no da | 8.5 | --- |
| Little Darling (KOUZUKI Matsuri) | --- | I gave it a two, only because it did evoke emotional responses, and strong ones at that. I laughed, but not from clever witticisms. I cried, but not from traumatic interplay. My stomach clenched, but not from connection with the characters plights. Sheer ridiculousness! The characters were silly, shockingly unrealistic and shallow. The sequence of events were nonsensical, and that is saying a lot for someone like myself who ADORES the fantasy land that is yaoi. I don't know which was more screa...... |
| Revenge! | 7.5 | I actually found the last two one-chapter tales much finer in story weavery. 'Revenge' has a likeable, determined, if 'jiffy lube' horny teen as the lead character and an entirely unlikeable sensei whose character just seemed one-dimensional. The story itself was silly, light, and fairly flat. 'Eccentric Lover' had great art and hot smut. The writer was a bit of a self-centered jerk type, but the editor's puppy-like devotion was fun to read about, especially when his glasses came off. What hot ...... |
| Oyaji Hiroimashita | 7.5 | I'd fall over with glee if editors would stop interferring with the art of the mangaka: both in story and in art. The butler totally needed to look older. That would have made it more powerful. The story was good. It was quick-paced and funny at times. I liked the sharp, darkly-lined drawings. Overall, the story was not powerful enough to be memorable for me. Worth the read, but not fall-over-dead good. The butler's story was slightly more magnetic: his inability to deal with (or recognize eve...... |
| Samurai Champloo dj - Bojou Romantica | 7 | The story was okay. It didn't rivet my emotions and thoughts though. The art was excellent in clearly looking like Jin and Mugen. Maybe I'll like this DJ more once I read or watch (anime) more of the series it is adapted from. |
| Tokyo Babylon dj - Tonari no Subarun | 9 | I had the desire to throw my laptop with such force that it would sail out the open door, past the balcony railing and SMASH to the stones below. . but then I cradled it close and said, 'Tokyo Babylon DJ I love you.' It was good, but it could have been better! Neato Loveless universe cross over! |
| X dj - How Deep is Your Love? | 9 | I'm a sucker for any tragic love DJ scenes with Subaru and Seishirou. I love the masochistic desire in Subaru. The guilt, pain and pleasure are written and illustrated eloquently and poetically in this DJ. |
| Gentle Cage (Novel) | 10 | This is one of my favourite yaoi novels; it has all the typical fantasy elements that I want in a smutty sort of novel that raises the hackles of social workers! LOL! The relationship of the seme and uke includes rage, possessiveness, ownership, angst, and non-conish-conflict all merrily alongside tender, sweet, protective and loving. It accumulates in an ultimate, if socially-unacceptable/unbelievable, happy resolution! The art is very sexy! |
| Shujii | 6 | --- |
| Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle dj - Warudakumi | --- | --- |
| Get Backers dj - A tale of Birds and Cats | --- | I rated this a neutral 5 only because, although i did not like it, i recognize that it was competently done. The art is chibi and cutesy. It is fine, but I don't prefer that style. The humour was not my humour but I know that somebody would get a great kick out of it. So, if you like chibi and you like silly, silly scenarios of Akabane (he's the cat) and Ginji and Ban (the are drawn as birdies) you may get a chuckle. |
| Hizamazu Ai ni Kogareru | 8.5 | --- |
| Gokuraku Cafe | 7 | This one is far too sexless, has far too little terrible angst and far too many PG-styled anti-climaxes for my tastes, but it is still a sweet story. Even a corrupt, terribly sadistic/masochistic (ha) person such as myself, can't help but fall in love with Yuuto and his desire to bring happiness to people. Born out of his own loneliness and pain is something beautiful that he brings to all around him. The story line is simple enough. The first half introduces us to the main character, who seem...... |
| Sono Kuchibiru ni Yoru no Tsuyu | 9.5 | It is comprehensive and I agree. This story was deeply touching. In all my personal experience and in everything I've read - the characters rang true. The story was compelling. The mangaka wove her story in such a captivating, compelling way that I was never once bored. Every page I struggled between going back and rereading (because it was so damn good) and turning to the next (because of those damn exciting cliff hangers)! I kept rereading everything because the characters were so delicious...... |
| Rikugun Renai Shikan Gakkou | 9 | --- |
| Zettai Fukujuu | 6 | This story was chugging along great! I liked the characters, it was just starting to get into the plot: Nachi was reaching his limit of not being able to bear being treated like a slave while his 'master' treated everyone else better than him; his best friend has just said his climatic comment; and Shinya's character has started to unfold, and BLAM-O. End. Leaving me with many questions: What about Nachi's best friend? What about Nachi being bothered by the difference in Shinya's treatment of...... |
| Heaven's Love | 8 | --- |
| No Toy | 7 | --- |
| Giglio | 9 | Both men have demons in their head: one from the war and what he's seen and done, the other from being twisted by Christianity's unnatural control of lust and fornication. God it was so hot. The whole fear and totally tragedy on both players was powerfully drawn in their body language and in their eyes and with the words they spoke. "A man's insanity always turns against its fellow man in the end and when that happens, that man will trample us with an immorality unequaled by any demon. "Stop sta...... |
| Zion no Koeda | 8.5 | Spoiler (highlight to view) I liked the plot. It had great potential. It was war and it was tragedy on both sides. ... I didn't quite pick up what the motivation was for the Major to single out this young Jewish boy. Some sort of obligation? Did he know something about his parents? Did he feel responsible? But he didn't seem to raise him with any sort of joy or love. Art: The expressions on the young boy's face in the flashbacks were incredible. His twisted personality is actually quite understand... |
| Nee, Sensei? | 9 | That, my friends, is what I call pure, unadulterated story-telling talent! Draw me in and make me love your boat drink when I usually turn up my nose and beg for a sour margarita! I am really liking this mangaka. I like her humour, her pathos, her quirky illustrations and her likeable, fallible characters. At only 1 volume, the story is tightly woven and captivating without being disappointing by the time the end rolls up. The conflict is basic: It's simply the student and the teacher who real...... |
| Mirage of Blaze dj - Pulse Demand: The Other Side | 9 | Mirage of Blaze, by the very tortured natured of the protagonists' relationships, always hits my fangirly buttons thus the great 8 rating. This DJ was missing a potent connecion with the reader, but it was still worthwhile. Art was excellent: especially that watercolour looking title page. Story could have been stronger. |
| Mirage of Blaze dj - Pulse Demand | 10 | My 10-rating is for the title story. The title story is about 20 pages long but it has captured a great deal of the plot and the persona of the character of Takaya. Further genius: Within the entire story, there is only one player, Takaya himself. Y.Vonne is pure genius at stealing my breath with words and art with the terrible inner turmoil of her one character. And I was satisfied at the end. It was a look into Takaya's mind and it was painful. But I felt the purpose of giving me, the reader,...... |
| Mirage of Blaze dj - Mayuki | 8.5 | This DJ is poetic and beautiful with symbolism and imagery. The art and the words have captured a soft, ethereal feel and imbued the whole story with wonder. The mangaka combines tragedy and heart-wrenching sadness and loneliness, yet with glimmering hope and happiness. And an appreciation of what these two re-born souls do have together at the moment. |
| Mirage of Blaze dj - Evil | 9 | Woah. That was amazing. This DJ could be a stand alone story. One does not need to know the back story of Mirage of Blaze (so far) to appreciate the wonderful-ness that is this story. The protection that Naoe feels towards Takaya is seen in the glass-throwing scene, but it is powerful and clear without the history of MoB. I love the 'sinful blood' concept. This DJ circle has done an amazing job at BANG scenes. Like when Takaya realizes he's lonely. And happy, but sad as well. The last page sa...... |
| Roses of the Rhine | 9 | --- |
| Nettai no Chou wa Moete Iruka | 10 | --- |
| Kuse ni Narisou | 7 | --- |
| Wild Rock | 9.5 | --- |
| Oh! My Maid | 7.5 | I like her multi-perspective universe stories! Chapter 1 to 5 are all members of the same universe. Both rich brothers fall in love with a servant, only one brother is a seme, the other is a uke. The stories are both sweet and smutty (with lots of cosplay fetish!) with enough emotional bond to really make them compelling. The other story in this universe is the secondary character of the doctor having his own love story with the young boy who works for him gathering medicinal plants. Although...... |
| Aijin wa Korosareru | 10 | --- |
| Kanashii (Itoshii) Kotoba | 9.5 | A stunningly lovely piece is full of drama, angst, and insight into the mind's quiet way to dramatically and incredibly save itself through trauma. The art was all air and wispiness and the plotting was thump-thump-thump right for each emotion of each scene. The way that the main boy grew to understand himself and his world with greater empathy, kindness and depth was as profound as the young mute's ability to have inner strength. |
| Fullmetal Alchemist dj - Munchen no Noraneko | --- | I have never read the canon story, but I was so touched by the beauty and profound concepts in this short DJ (alongside the hot hot hot smexing) that it makes me want to read FMA! The drawings are clear and soft like the sky. And the relationships broke my heart in such a few compelling pages. |
| Kirie | 9 | I found this definition: "Kyrie" is one half of the phrase "Kyrie eleison" and is the vocative (meaning calling out to someone) form of kūrios, lord. In short, it means "Lord" or "O Lord". Eleison means "have mercy". This definition sums up the thrust of this story. It is a very tragic story told with a deft hand of illustrations and powerful chosen words. In one page, this mangaka can create a scene that speaks volumes. I only wish the artist continued to tell the reader more. There was hope ...... |
| Seven Days - Monday→Thursday | 9 | --- |
| Tsumasaki ni Kiss | 8.5 | This second book in the series is from the perspective of the 'calmer' of the two overprotective brothers in Absolute Fated Equation. It is consecutive chronologically. Touji was arrogant and smirky. Initially, I was not convinced that he truly loved Homura, since he was more focus on pissing Kyouyu off. By C3, my mind started to change. The story was woven to rivet me to my seat and get my heart involved with these real and imperfect men and their struggles. All three perspectives were inter...... |
| Gravity Eyes | 9 | Fuwa-sensei's characters, story and art only get better with the passage of time and more practice on her part. This story is the best of the three in the series. The art is beautiful and expressive and my heart bled for the characters in their all-too-human desires and imperfections. The theme of hurt and rejection and the loneliness that results when one tries to 'protect' themselves by closing down, and then the warmth of another human being when we allow them in with all the risks that mea...... |
| Itaike na Bokura | 9 | Chapter 1 through 3: This story focuses on the theme of the equivalence of love regardless of the variations of situation. "A relationship that is despised by others" and "A relationship that is blessed by others": although they seem different, the love involved is the same. The second chapter is from the sister's perspective. (What an awesome nee-chan!) This story manages to moralize beautifully, without being dogmatic. It offers a balanced perspective (Like understanding a mother's frustrat...... |
| Zettai Unmei Houteishiki | 8 | As with most of Fuwa-sensei's stories, the intimacy is discreet (no actual penetration shown), but still adult. I find all her sex scenes not very punchy though. In Toma's desperate bid to become adult, and find his place, he ultimately wishes to force Tomo to respect him as an adult and to know that his love is welcome and wanted. The story was really well done. Tama finds his identity himself, not through someone else. (God their names are confusing because they are so similar!) The illustrat...... |
| Bi no Isu | 10 | --- |
| Kannou Kissaten | 6 | --- |
| Blue Eyes (HOSHINO Lily) | 9 | --- |
| Happy Yarou Wedding | --- | --- |
| Hachimitsu Darling | 8 | --- |
| Escape (KYUUGOU) | 10 | Yup! This one is amazing in the way the mangaka has developed the character of Kuraki. His anger and inability to allow himself to accept his love causes a perversion of emotion and behavior. I like how the mangaka apologizes for the coming out with 'domestic violence' right away! LOL. |
| Okujou no Bai-Bai | 8 | This oneshot had the sweetest 'my body is moving before my mind' kiss given by one deeply in love boy to one previously deeply unaware boy. Oh! SO delightfully angsty! I loved it! The expressions on the faces of these two boys in that pivotal sequence of events are amazing. The repercussions are delivered with a believable bang and likeable characters. Although I agree that this story has enough material to make it a successful and much valued 1 volume, I think the ending was suitable for a o...... |
| Bokura ni Matsuwaru Etcetera | 9.5 | The highlight is the stunning art. These boys are sharp, sharp, sharp. The bold, vivid lines and clear characterization captured me from go. The stories themselves are good as well; they don't bring the art down whatsoever. The best story was "A Beautiful Tomorrow." It barely had any sexual intimacy in it at all and yet it was sizzling with emotion!!! Kyugo-sensei knows how keep my attention with her heart-rending plotting. |
| Yakyuu Tengoku | 8 | --- |
| Wild Wind | 7 | --- |
| Magical Travel Boy | 7 | This set of collected stories has the typical Yamato-sensei artwork of extremely child-like uke 'adults' with huuuuge shoujo eyes and the contrast of dark and (more) angular semes. She's very predictable; her character's don't change much in personality over different stories. 1. There are certain types of stories and settings in which this typecast of hers works very well. This series of stories is one of them. It made me smile at it's pure ridiculousness, and didn't promise much with the psyc...... |
| Better Than a Dream | 8 | The whole story had a soft, quiet sort of 'gently-falling-snow' feeling as Yuuki slowly worked through his grief and learned to love again. There were occasional bouts of the wind picking up (Shin as the s*&t-disturber when pushed by Kamishiro's appearance in the story) where I thought a storm might descend, but nothing raging ever came. Still, I didn't regret experiencing the beauty that was. |
| Antique Bakery dj - Eien wa Arimasu ka? | 8 | --- |
| Hontoni, Yasashii | 9 | Another academic BL! This lady presses the thinking and the emotions! I've never seen such amazing BL stories in the French Revolution era. My favourite, -and I wish there was more- is the title story, Truly Kindly. It was interesting how she showed someone that had dangerous and violent antisocial symptoms from such a child-like perspective. And the cold, callous man who used others was the one that was -ironically- the one that really wasn't kind...Very twisty and thought-provoking. And -of c...... |
| Fudoutoku na Yami (Novel) | 8 | In the omake, Matsuda-sensei writes on the topic of the theme of this novel: 'Someone who is trying to save someone ends up being saved themselves.' I didn't really understand how her theme played out in this novel. I checked online to see if there were any discussions about this, but i mostly found reviews that just flat-lined and labelled the story off as 'pointless rape victim falls in love with rapist.' (I personally liked the 'forced' sexy scenes - a lot)So, i sat and thought it through ...... |
| Kiss Blue | 10 | --- |
| Ren'ai Sousa | --- | --- |
| Binetsu Kakumei | 4 | This one was terribly boring and verbose in dialogue. The scenes were presented in a tiresome manner and it was a struggle to keep my interest. The art was very 'grey' in that it all merged together, nothing was outstanding from any thing else and the emotions were muddle and flat because of it. Two of the main characters are so similar in art that I had trouble following the story line, forever mixing up the characters. I was very disappointed, because the story line sounds awesome from the ...... |
| Sleeping with Money | --- | This one is Pure Crack Fantasy! What a roller coaster! I loved this book. It was too much like fun, fun, fun! And O__O hot smex with plot! Even in the oft-fantasy world of yaoi, it is important for the character’s humanity ring true. Both of these men were imperfect and beautiful: able to love and be hurt, make foolish decisions and wise ones. Very human: multi-dimensional; frail and yet strong. And funny. That it was. The illustrations are all strong angular lines and expressive faces and po...... |
| Sweet Admiration | --- | --- |
| Beast in the Tower | 6.5 | When I read angelkurisutin's comment about their bond seeming brotherly, I thought: Yes! That's exactly it! It does seem more like a strong desire for connection, belonging and love that is more familial. (At least the more the story goes along the more it seems that way.) The story is magnificient at times and terribly pointless (and not in a AHSUM PWP sort of pointless way, more in a this-is-a-waste-of-time way) at other times. Chapter 1 was fabulous in it's dramatic intensity. It could be...... |
| Seishun no Yamai wa | 9.5 | Original Comment (Posted May 8th, 2008) on Chap 5/6: This story combines humour and tragedy with eloquence. Humour: "I could receive just one kiss from you, Kudo san, then i'd find the strengh and determination to keep on living." -Luke "In that case, then drop dead." -Kudo The way Luke kept bouncing back to light-hearted joker whenever he gets too close to his own heart was done with a powerful, deft hand by Nishida-sensei. Updated comment on Title Story (Posted Jul 24, 2009): This story had a r...... |
| Caged Slave | --- | --- |
| Bokura no Oukoku | 9 | --- |
| J-BOY by Biblos | 7.5 | The back of the English licensed book says, 'J-BOY is a great introduction for new yaoi readers and a delicious treat for long-time fans.' Scratch the former and keep the later, and the marketing team can continue to get their paycheck. There are far too many animal personification stories in this collection for it to be a 'great introduction' to yaoi. And most of the stories are light-hearted and silly. My favourites were the ones that held an element of seriousness to them. I enjoy a ridicu...... |
| Body Language | --- | --- |
| Koyoi wa Kimi to Chi no Kiss wo | 6 | --- |
| Morotomo | --- | With Thou, and Without Honour are great light-hearted yakuza/police comedies, and The Holy Man is a short mystery that got me thinking and touched me regarding the pastor's self punishment and ultimate absolution. The ending was a cliffie, but left the imagination flying. |
| Hatsukoi Monogatari (FUKAI Youki) | 9 | --- |
| Hard Core Heart | 8 | --- |
| Nakimushi na Little | 7 | There are some strong emotions captured in the art of the facial expressions in this collection of light tales. None of the tales ever get too deep into the characters and their stories, but all the stories are surface interesting, even if they don't really get into the core of one's heart. It was a light, pleasant, if forgettable, read. |
| Taka ga Koi daro | 9.5 | --- |
| Hatsukoi Yokochou | 7 | --- |
| Hatsukoi no Yamai | 7 | --- |
| A Promise of Romance (Novel) | 9.5 | Very Yaoi-novel-ish! The writing style is easy to follow and its a fun, fast ride all the way through. The non-con (only to be expected in a yaoi novel!) was bang-on if you like that sort of thing - it tore my heart right out and I think of it often. *hangs head* Yes, it was incredibly angst-ridden. The ending was a bit lacking (too suddenly sweet), but the furious jealousy resulting from seeing the uke act of his own accord to hold friendly tete-a-tete with another man, was a sight to behold ...... |
| 50 x 50 | 9.5 | Kunieda-sensei's deceptively 'sloppy lines' capture wild extremes of emotion and pours liquid movement into her comical art! I've never read two men in so much denial and yet so out-of-control at the same time! And the art bespeaks the emotions visually. Although the boys keep going in circles, each circle is full of tension and humour so I wasn't bored at all! It's never explicit; it's all implied sex scenes. That said, there are tense moments that keep the comedy grounded to make the charac...... |
| Aijin | --- | This one is one of my two favourites done by Nishimura-sensei. Along with Kishidou Club, this story is engaging, the characters are compelling and the art is spectacularly unique, recognizable and unusual for yaoi with it's heavy lines. She has a common theme of a strong, determined but vulnerable uke and a manuipulative (with a reason, of course! lol) seme that tends to lose his temper. The dynamic she creates of the two main characters and the secondary ones surrounding them is interesting....... |
| A Cat that Loved a Fish | 9 | Like Bloogal and Bjorie mentioned, I agree that the symbolism was potent and beautifully illustrated. The words were carefully and deftly chosen to create an ethereal atmosphere that the reader could find their own meaning - almost like a launching pad to explore within ourselves. Very touching. |
| Orokamono wa Aka wo Kirau | 10 | --- |
| Doushitemo Furetakunai | 7 | There is a 'quietness' about this story that was touching. It was like a true love story. I found it a slow and uncaptivating because it was so everyday. But it did have an element of purity in it, as the mangaka carefully tried to craft a story about the different ways one can put their past to use. |
| Eternal Love | 10 | --- |
| Kawaii Hito - Pure | 9 | A sexy, compelling read! I recommend reading "Cute" first--"Pure" makes far more sense if you read it in that order. The characters all seemed a bit compressed and rushed, but I still connected with them and their developing feelings. The art was expressive at times and flat at other times. Overall, though, I gobbled each couple's story up and enjoyed the reading time immensely! |
| Soul Kiss | 9 | This is the best Homerun Ken story I have ever read. The tension is fabulous in this fantasy tale! Deception, mystery, murder, tragedy, angst, anger, blood, jealousy, pure selfless love, sweet kisses and romance -this one is incredible! It took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions for it's short 5 chapters! The art is breathtakingly stunning. The story is captivating, haunting and heart breaking; the resolution is fulfilling even with it's sad happiness. Not too sweet, not too bitter: th...... |
| Itazura Neko ni Goyoujin | 9 | Such an incredible, fast-paced and intriguing story! I really like the style that seems to be associated with manhwa: It's so vivid and lush. The dark, bold lines of the artwork are stunning in emotional impact. Although misleading and confusing and angst-filling for Toshiya, the behaviour of Tetsu is very believable and even forgivably likeable. This artists has created a story of humour, friendship and love with two very imperfect characters that worms it's way into my heart. Even the manipu...... |
| VS Goshujin-sama | 6 | The story suffers from an incomplete feel even without the unprofessional scanlation job. The copious textual errors only compound the problem of cohesion. The second significant implied couple have an unresolved story. The issue of changing long standing tradition -the seme's main motivation- is unclear; the main uke's development is clunky. The art itself is good; she has a great way of drawing anger, but the connection problems with the story are too glaring for the art to overshadow. I thin...... |
| Love Recipe | --- | Nothing too special about this comedy-yaoi. I didn't feel too much for any of the characters and it was a bit tiresome to read. It was decent; I will keep my copy and re-read and even lend out without embarrassment. It was just a tad clichéd with nothing to override the cliché factors in either the art or story. |
| April Fool | 7 | Very sad, if a little vague, story. I'm not too sure what the 'promise' was that the elder brother, Hiroki, made to the younger, Hiruki, that he could finally keep at the end. It was touching when Hiruki said, "No, don't go! I'll make another bridge - even if it's across the river Styx." This story is more like a flash of a dream sequence perhaps in Hiruki's mind. |
| Lingering On The Way | --- | I'm not sure I fully 'get' what Kunieda-sensei was trying to say with this one. I think it was about memories of people in our past that have affected our present. And how we will never forget them and never stop being in 'love' with them with our link of memories. I think it would have been an interesting story, captivating and memorable even, if it was longer. Worth the read, though. It was thought-provoking. |
| Vanilla Star | 8 | --- |
| Violence na Kimi ga Suki | 7.5 | The story was great - until the ending. The ending seemed rush and anticlimatic as far as the whole Masaki mystery. It was magnificent how the mangaka drew the uke in such a way that he seemed graceful and beauitful in his gangly, long-limbed and ridiculously large and awkward uke stumbles all over the manga pages. The art was a delight. It made up for the somewhat dubious plot. He was so silly, the way he kept up his loyal devotion to a master that beat him (in a bizarrely affectionate way)....... |
| Dokunoaji | 7 | A very intriguing fantasy piece. I love the illustrations of Rakamu: They were magnificient. The blood, rope and bound arms along with the symbolism of the 'poison' was vivid. I also like that, although it was such a short piece, the mangaka touched deftly on the issue of how one god is no better (read: good or evil) than another. It all depends on which side you are seeing it from, like any war! The blind man wanting to be needed created a few panels that were very sweet. |
| Samurai Champloo dj - Samurai Logic | --- | This one is so humorous! I love the 'samurai logic.' And the expression on Jin's face as Muugen gets more and more intense in his angry search for the little critter that has scampered into Jin's clothing. . . |
| Kizoku no Aoi Seppun | 7 | --- |
| Glamorous Lip | 9 | I enjoyed all these oneshots immensely! The way all the characters were from the same 'world' gave a solidifying dimension. All of the stories are interesting reads, but I'm just going to comment on the ones that stood out to me. My favourite was the first one, Ma Cherie, a period piece. Yanao Rock is amazing at dark gothic era pieces (think: Kuroshitsuji!omg!) The first story in this anthology was touching and dark and delved into basic human needs verses the acceptance of 'evil.' (My heart wa...... |
| Fullmetal Alchemist dj - Trigger | 9 | Absolutely phenomenal art. I didn't really understand the full nuances of the story, though. I think it is one I will have to go back and reread several times -slowly- after I complete the canon story. |
| Hakui no Shihaisha | 8.5 | If you want hardcore BDSM psychology with complex interactions of self and other delivered with goregous art and brilliant narration techniques, read Tori Maia’s Hoshi no Yakata (Palace of Stars). I cannot rave enough about that work of art. If you want to be titillated by BDSM situations in a yaoi stereotype story, this one is bang-on! It’s light, fast-paced and noncommittal enough that it won’t shock someone unfamiliar with the more deliciously ‘severe’ side of BDSM complexity. Th...... |
| Suteki na Kigawa ga Nakuttemo | 8 | This mangaka has a talent: She has taken a type of yaoi (cutesy, comedic and light) that doesn't appeal to me and dazzled me! It was more than just sex, sex and more sex. The Story: There was a plot, a simple one albeit, but it was there and that is important to me. She covered a very basic theme but it wasn't boring; rather, it was done in a way that affected me. Everyone wants to be loved for WHO they are, not who the other person fantasizes them to be. (Although fantasy play acting sure was...... |
| Sakka, Dorei wo Kau. | 7 | --- |
| Asobi ja Nai no | 6 | The scans were a bit blurry, so my opinion is tempered by my eye-hurt level. Overall, it was mostly a PWP quickie-read with no lasting impression. But I did keep reading, so it got my attention and retained it. |
| Scarlet | 9 | --- |
| Suki da Nante Ienai | 7 | --- |
| Ryoshuu Reijin | 10 | Seriously. Shin Mizukami is INCREDIBLE. She always does something shockingly good with plot and art. But she is definitely not for everyone, since her work usually involves elements of graphic violence and sex. Her military works are especially dramatic; and this title is included among the best of her works. Her art rivals the era of the Baroque artists with it's theatrical lighting. Her stories could have been melodramatic plays of the emotionally intense and psychological Hellenistic era of...... |
| Blind Love | 10 | --- |
| Arashi no Ato | 9 | --- |
| Togainu no Chi dj - Cruel Restraint | 10 | But definitely heed the warning at the beginning for whips, noncon and other torturous matters. If you like that genre, then, yes, read! YES! An interestingly drawn doujinshi! Some scenes are crisp, others are sketchy. Some are reversed b/w others are shaded in unusual ways. The looks on their faces are incredible. You can almost 'hear' their thoughts. |
| Eien ni Owaranai | 8 | --- |
| Ai no Kotoba mo Shiranaide | 9 | --- |
| Kibishiku Aishite | 5 | This one wasn't to my taste. It's mostly smut with a mildly manipulative young boy and a eager-to-please, devoted older man. It isn't really s&m at all, other than a few surface aesthetics. The story was fine for a light, silly story, but it just felt uncompelling as it wore on. I didn't really care about the characters, nor did I feel the uke really cared about his seme. I ending up flipping through some pages of mostly unemotional, repetitive sex. It was just too long of a story for the lim...... |
| Oshioki Gakuen | 3 | Hahahaha. Not. I gave it a three for the art perspectives and competency. It was well, if unremarkably, done. I rarely pick up a manga and don't finish it. Actually, I don't think I've ever picked one up and made a decisive 'i'm-putting-this-down-and-will-never-return' comment in my brain. This one did it to me. That it did. I skim read the last 15 pages or so. I couldn't take it anymore. I had absolutely no connection with any character. The only feeling I had was 'ewwwww - can we say STD?' I ...... |
| Kichiku Megane | 9 | --- |
| Kishidou Kurabu | 10 | Fabulous plot weaving and great sexy, angry scenes woven with tender scenes from the past. It was very engaging from beginning to end. The emotions were so raw and compelling. This story is definitely for those yaoi fans who like their characters rough, tough and yet still vulnerable. |
| Boku wa Kimi no Tori ni Naritai | 8 | The uncle! WOW! The story would have been much more punchy and intriguing with more of his involvement. He was confident, quirky and unique. Moe and Kei, the brother and sister, had the most interesting relationship. Homerun-sensei did a fascinating study on a family that dearly loves one another even as their hearts can be broken by this same family. I liked the way the step-mother was portrayed. It was nice for a change to see a loving, kind step-parent, who truly seemed to care about her s...... |
| Self Portrait | 8 | The story was at times light-hearted, and other times serious. It was a great grounding effect. The girlfriend was the star, really. She was so insightful! She makes appearances in the sequels too. The last half seemed odd, as the focus shifted to the brother and cross-dressing friend before the photographer-friends triangle resolved; it was almost as if the photographer and the main character of the first half of this story bored Itsuki-sensei, so she dumped them to secondary characters. The fr...... |
| Kunshu no Ai wa Yoru ni Hana Saku | --- | --- |
| Shoujo Mangaka no Koi | 9 | --- |
| Kinjirareta Taion | 9 | --- |
| Get Backers dj - Only S | 10 | This was so very touching to me and it wasn't even explicit in passionate scenes or terribly angsty in words or behaviour! (That's my usual criteria!) Ban and Ginji's contrasting personalities are captured so beautifully by this artist. And the words were placed and chosen so as to create an atmosphere of retrospection and gentle love that is rarely shown between these two. I found that this DJ also captured the delicate balance and undercurrents of WHY Ginji and Ban NEED each other. It made m...... |
| Get Backers dj - Hijack Your Mind | 9 | I don't think I fully understood the story, but my take was: (Maybe a spoiler?) I think that Kazuki (why is it spelt Kadzuki?) did what he did with Juubei at that moment specifically because he knew that Toshiki was listening in. Because he also valued Toshiki as a person and as a member of his gang, he wanted Toshiki to know what exactly the nature of his and Juubei's relationship was. And, perhaps, this would help Toshiki understand why Juubei was so very aggressive towards Toshiki and posse...... |
| April 4th | 7 | Of the two sequels the secondary characters of Self Portrait prompted, this one was the least interesting to me. The art was a bit more cluttered and distracting and the story, while still really enjoyable, didn't have the punch of a well-rounded delivery. Interval had a great connection with the one boy realizing that the despicable behaviour of the person who abused him was actually born from the same anguish of feelings and thoughts that he himself had; they only choose different ways to act...... |
| Interval | 10 | This one offers that fantasy non-con titillation that yaoi is so good at including; all those components like tears and out-of-control, lustful anger are included. So, if you like that, plus a decent psychological explanation and redeeming qualities to the characters, you'll love this story! If you prefer the sweet, consensual, blushing yet respectful, restrained angst, try I'm sorry, Masumi-kun! by the same mangaka. It is also excellent, but completely different in psychology. I found her s...... |
| Okane ga Nai - Kagi no Kakaru Tengoku | 10 | There is a mini story found inside this magnificent, ethereal art book that touches on dark human emotions with a contrast of light airy colours. In a few panels only, the mini story, created within me a feeling like I had just read a melodic and tragically touching poem. Ayase is hanging up sheets outside while Kanou watches. In a strange moment of lighting and breeze, the movement of the sheets and Ayase's loose white clothing, the artist magically captures a moment where Ayase appears like...... |
| Detective Conan dj - Once Upon a Time | 5 | The first and second stories both held sweet sentiments: One doesn't need to be apart from one's loved ones to appreciate them; the simplicity of everyday life and just being. But it was still boring. Maybe if I knew the canon I'd be more appreciative. I disliked the extremely youthful look of the illustrations of both of the boys. I was surprised in the lack of story intrigue and the lack of punchy illustrations. It was all just sort of 'blah,' even with the soft truths. Notable is that this ...... |
| Itsuka Koi ga Kanau Made | 9 | --- |
| Mae yori mo Dare yori mo | 9 | I liked the tie in of a complete universe within the one family. And the turtle short was strangely cute and funny. The characters were all so likeable! And the humour was light and sweet. There was enough angst and conflict to keep me happily committed to the stories, but not enough to make it supercharged memorable or gut-wrenchingly moving. Highly recommended for an enjoyable, feel-good read. |
| Oujisama no Kiss | 8.5 | --- |
| The pretty wolf and the 7 goaty | 8 | I'm not sure what the canon is (perhaps Secret Connection?) but regardless, it was a funny and sexy romp. A quickie that has eye candy art and a light wit. |
| Mezase Hero! | 10 | --- |
| La Satanica dj - Fluffy Thing | 8.5 | --- |
| 17 Sai no Hisoka na Yokujou | 7.5 | This one is easy to read and goes down sweet. It's not intensive in angst, drama, sentimentality or deep discussion on any subject. Even with the lack of character development, it's still worth the short break to read. I couldn't help but enjoy it. Rin was so cute - just like that puppy dog. The art is seemingly effortless too, as if Kakaku-sensei's brush was flowing loose and fast, without a lot of detailed effort, echoing the plot. It balanced well with the light story. And the explicit det...... |
| Sakoku Ren'ai | 7 | I adore the pigtails! The really breath life into this lively, eager, and happy young man! I don't usually like time travel story lines, but this one was decently clear to understand and not the focus of the story. The art of the characters is pretty bishounen style; the backgrounds are detailed enough to be comprehensive and decent, but not too detailed to become cluttery. The story development was pretty average, but there just seemed to be no punch to the relationship and the mystery as it w...... |
| Signal Red Baby | 6 | --- |
| Otona no Manaa | 9 | --- |
| Suzu no Ne ga Kikoeru | --- | If you're in the transformative furry fandom and you like sweet and romantic, this is the yaoi for you! The sex scenes are never hardcore, but always very endearing. The art is expressive and competent, with only a few awkward hand illustrations some times that are easily made up for with the graceful body lines at other times. The faces are especially beautiful when they demonstrate an aching longing. The main story line was simple and easy-going, but a few angles--such as why the dog and ca...... |
| Tsukigasa | 8 | --- |
| Ouchou Haru no Yoi no Romance | 10 | --- |
| Tsuki no Hikari ni Terasarete | 8 | Moonlight Hunter A very unusual fantasy story. I like the concept of the two must become one. It was too quickly and minimally done to have a deep connection, but I found it curious all the same. The clichéd 90s style art, reminiscent of To-y or early the early Ai no Kusabi novel art was delightful! Our Destiny This one was suppose to be funny, but ended up being sour to me because the uke was so robot-like. The deadpan serious nature backfired, making him very unlikeable and not worth champio...... |
| Saiyuki dj - Swear | --- | --- |
| Saiyuki dj - Lust | 7 | --- |
| Machina Angelus | 8 | The last chapter, God's Left Hand, was a beautiful sum up of all of these stories. The theme that love, even with its intangible essence and its ultimate finite existence, is still worth it is summarized poignantly. Using the tool of a 'machine' body, Fuwa-sensei illustrates this theme with the 'miracles' that love brings even when something isn't 'suppose' to happen. Spicy Hot Life was still a fantasy story with the theme of the depth of love breaking through into miracles, but not using mach...... |
| Spicy Hot Life | 8 | This one is a part of the Machine compilation. It is a serious story--although the title makes me think it's going to be smut--and it is certainly worth the time to read. I've reviewed it on the tankobon profile. The art for the death god bishies is lovely...lovely. And the one god strung up in a church-like setting? That frame alone is the worth the read! |
| Risky Crime | 8 | --- |
| Ieraishan, Moyu | 8 | --- |
| Hazama ni Aru Sorane | 7 | Kouju was an interesting enigma: sometimes he was a mature, wise old man; at other times he was obviously a vulnerable and hurt child. He falls in love fast with his new manager, but it is believable for a vulnerable personality such as his which is aching for acknowledgement. There were even two likeable, snappy females in the mix of characters: a young girl who also had that child-adult mix like the model, and the bossy sister! This story seems to constantly oscillate between serious--the he...... |
| Aibiki | --- | I'd call this a short, short story. (The English title is Rendezvous.) It's almost told like a narrative poem. I applaud the scanlation team for such a unique offering and a beautiful job done. I found it rather haunting, even though the only character we really get to know is the poor doctor. |
| Tonari ni Kimi no Nukumori wo | 9.5 | --- |
| Signal | 8.5 | --- |
| Saiyuki dj - Selenite | 6 | --- |
| Fullmetal Alchemist dj - Taoyaka na Kurueru Te ni | --- | This fan piece offers everything I want in a short one shot based on another canon: poetic harmoney of powerful, bittersweet words that speak to the human condition; and the same feeling echoed through the art. This one speaks of the effervescence of life, commenting on the connection to another person, yet compete alone-ness at the same time. The symbolism of the bird that starts on the first page and goes through to the last page with a flashback of Roy and Hughes is touching and gives a 'fu...... |
| Renai Kyoutei Nukegake Nashi! | 8 | The story was nothing extraordinary, but it was an enjoyable way to spend my time, with exciting, fast-paced movement of illustration and plot, likeable and human characters (especially deceptively simple and innocent little Shirou!), but it was really Sakuragi-sensei's amazingly powerful illustrations that made this volume shine. Her artwork is so clean, with it's vivid expressions of emotion and elongated mouths and sharp eyes. Definitely worth reading and looking at the illustrations caref...... |
| Maniakku ni Aishite | 8.5 | --- |
| Shigekiteki na Kankei | 7 | It was an excellent 'twist' but ultimately not satisfying because the characters were too under-developed and shallow. It merely -barely- skimmed the surface of the true fascination of the D/s world. An interesting oneshot, though not particularity memorable. The sequel was more fun. |
| Akai Hana | --- | It was like a carefully written short poem: it aroused curiosity, but left out most of the 'whys'. The art was pretty and soft. Not one of my favourites, because the story was too limited in itself and the characters' personalities were too briefly flashed, but it was a good jump-off story for imaginative readers. |
| Mukuchi na Koi no Tsutaekata | 8.5 | --- |
| Natsu e no Tobira | 8 | --- |
| Lovely Phantom | 6 | The story is silly with no emotional connection or commitment to the characters. Both men seemed to be moved back to shallow answers and quick, unsatisfactory, flimsy, slap dash wrap ups to their problems. And it wasn't even funny. The final chapter of the main story -finally- started to get more engaging simply because it held a little more interesting conflict that wasn't absurd. But again, the ending dissolved into trivialities and brushed off story telling. The art of this 2001 piece does...... |
| Onani Master Kurosawa | 10 | --- |
| Toiki ni Furete | --- | --- |
| Death Note dj - Taikutsu | 5 | --- |
| Organic | --- | --- |
| Making Love Like Newlyweds | 8 | --- |
| Kaineko | 7 | Sensationalism in 10 seconds! Wow. That looked like an interesting story idea! But it's too 'big' of a scenario to be in such a short (16 pages) comic. I just felt unsatisfied with the whole thing because I liked the story premise and I liked the art. |
| Downtown Shuffle | 6 | --- |
| Kamakiri | 10 | This one moved me. The mangaka has utilized white space and art in exactly the right places to give such an emotional, evocative bang! The story is deep, thought-provoking and psychologically demanding. I loved it. It is definitely not the typical fare for Yaoiland, but it was a journey left of centre that was beautiful, scary, melancholy and touching but ultimately uplifting. Note: In Japanese, the praying mantis is called "kamakiri" means "Scythe sword." It does form a symbolism in the story....... |
| Tsumi Bukaku Aishiteyo | 6 | The beautiful art and promising flow to all the stories only make the quick, unbelievable descent into PWP that much more disappointing. The characters in the first story felt especially unreal with their quick acceptance. |
| Loveless dj - Love, Kiss | --- | --- |
| My Life With You | 10 | The army-mystery-trauma story line that runs constantly throughout the tankobon is left hanging at story close, but to me, it was never played up to be more than it was meant to be: a tool to explore the two men's psyches. The true story lies in a much smaller sphere, within the unseen dynamics of Eric and Steve. Love morphs and changes over the years, and the depth that it can attain--depth that is barely expressible, so we turn to poetry and art--is captured within 'My Life With You'. The di...... |
| U Don't Know Me | --- | --- |
| Mata Ashita | 10 | --- |
| Aibu | --- | --- |
| Honoo no Suna | --- | The 2-chapter story about the Emperor's official -and trapped- singer or Utaibou and the brother-by-mistress of the Emperor was the best. The art was detailed and beautiful, capturing the elegance of the clothing and time period. The story line was tense and frightening (potential eunuch-hood threatened our uke!)The singer himself was a -slightly too- bishounen, but amazingly devoted and trusting in his seme, almost-16-year-old boy. The seme was a masculine, strong and caring seme who was his...... |
| Love Round!! | 8.5 | --- |
| Oresama wo Kurae! | --- | --- |
| Kiseki no Koibito | 7 | --- |
| Aisareru Hito e Tsugu | 8 | --- |
| Datenshi ni Sasageru Uta | 9.5 | My goodness these characters are hilarious! Especially the sharp-tongued and arrogant Rosenberg. This collection introduces two of Rosenberg's brothers: Kurt, the pompous young petite one; and my personal favourite, Lucifer, the hard-assed, ominous elder twin. The dialogue in all the oneshots are fabulously clippy and bold, just like the explicit art. C2 is my favourite, which focuses on Lucifer. Hans has a terribly hot, almost non-con with this devil. The art is beautiful. Body tied-up as art....... |
| Sono Seiren naru Tsubuyaki wo | 8.5 | This story and art is soft and poetic, like the still, quiet winter night setting. Beautiful and moving in a very gentle, sad and yet hopeful way. Amidst this stillness, there is still such amazing suspense created in the pacing and tidbits of mystery revealed along the way. How does this mangaka do it? I mean, there is barely a relationship established between these two men, and I immediately became engaged and cared for them! Other one-shots have me just going, 'm'eh, whatever' with the two ...... |
| Dark Walker (Novel) | --- | . . .were the shining stars of this novel! Too bad they were only really introduced in the last 1/3 of the novel. Their complicated and violent relationship of emotions and actions towards each other; the exploration of their motivations and desires; and their bizarre, dangerous balance together, were what redeemed this novel and made it live vibrantly! The author and the artist both mention that they would like to explore these characters further. I hope they do! The main story's setting of ...... |
| Embracing The Canvas | 9 | --- |
| Under Grand Hotel dj - Honeymoon | 9 | A rare thoughtful and sweet moment between Sword and Sen. After Sen refuses Sword's advances and directly causes Sword to be placed in solitary confinement, for what he assumes would be one night, he is surprised by his own loneliness after Sword still hasn't returned for four days. I love Sadahiro-sensei's doujinshi's of Under Grand Hotel. They seem to be like little 'reprieves' from the onslaught of drama and angsty violence of the canon. This doujinshi explored Sen's own fear of dependency ...... |
| Sumanai!! Masumi-kun | 10 | Incredible! This is one of the best consensual yaoi stories I have ever read; all the characters--male and female--were multi-dimensional and burst from the page. They had families, insecurities, and true devotion. The plot was full of twist and turns and well planned out beginning to end. The message of embracing and recognizing the many types of love based on the person, not anything unimportant like age or gender, was delicately and carefully delivered. It wasn't so sweet that it was sacchar...... |
| Get Backers dj - Tsukiyo ni Jackal | 6.5 | This is a bunch of silly, light-hearted gag scenes with many characters. Light G-rated fluff with innuendoes, (There is one that I thought particularly cute with Akabane imitating Gingi's behavoiour with Ban, only he tries it on No Breaks...) The spoofy drawing great - you can definitely see the essence of the characters captured. Lots of fun chibi and a few close up, more serious artwork shots. The only criticism I have is that there is a lot of untranslated pages (DJ group commentary, I'd ima...... |
| Tsuki Yadoru | 9 | This book certainly isn't for the larger masses of people who write off anything non-con! SO, if you don't like non-con, try Itsuki-sensei's I'm sorry, Masumi-kun! It's an excellent read for the blushing, sweet, romantic yaoi. Like Interval, Itsumi-sensei explores how two people respond to a similar situation. Whereas Naoya become cold and dangerous (the motivation of the abuser for Naoya was more terrible) and Mogami became angst-ridden and almost heart-crushed, but they both suffered terrib...... |
| Koi to Wana | 7.5 | --- |
| The Man Who Doesn't Take Off His Clothes | --- | Narise Konohara has a talent in making rough, unlike-able characters endearing and understandable. In a touching way, she reveals slowly and intelligently why they have arrived at the persons they are in the present. The surface of her characters: the pain, the joy, the fear, the preferences and they way they react or make choices, are all explainable by their past histories. The future of her characters is challenged and changed when someone throws a wrench into their smoothly running machin...... |
| Rumble Rush | 9.5 | There are 6 stories in this unique collection of stories and art. The men are all muscular and attractive and. . . MANLY. *gasp* Not heavily bara, mind you, but definitely not girls with manly bits. The art that is disproportionate and therefore awkward appearing, is completely forgiven and overlooked because I was blinded to it by the overpowering redemption of the other parts! The first story mentioned in the description above. Threesome! Done hot. Against a train door. Another story tells a...... |
| Himitsu no Kuchizuke | 9.5 | This team of artist and writer are, without fail, consistently awesome and recognizable in what they put out: riveting stories, melting smex, and muscular men that can still be 'pretty.' In the two one shots that are scanlated, we have smexin AND characters that you can immediately connect with. They aren't just 'bodies.' In Himitsu no Kuchizuke, the story revolves around the question of secrets: Do you have a secret that you can't even share with your lover? It's really a cute one shot that...... |
| Uruwashiki Wana | --- | --- |
| Ren'ai Nichijousahanji | 7 | Overall, the collection is not worth time and money. Certain stories -either not mentioned at all in the above blurb, or not mentioned correctly- have elements in their plots that I liked, and the art certainly helped develop the story, but they are the exception to the majority. I didn't quite like the loose style of art and the cluttered feel to the background. The small 'asides' were too long and too plentiful; they became tiresome to read. The rest of the plots are all very average and no...... |
| Hostage | 7.5 | . . . this one isn't a meal, but it is a satisfying coffee break. I like this type of capture, force and bad-guy-is-the-hero scenario, so I'm rating and reviewing from a bit of a biased perspective. Riichi is a believable character in that he lives an everyday life, but due to his high IQ, craves release from the boredom of his life. He has an extreme solution with choosing thrills like bank robbery, rape and another's life in his hands. He is selfish in his 'use' of his captive, but the capti...... |
| Maid in Heaven | 7 | This one was also in Shimada-sensei's typical light-hearted style. The plot wasn't as fun as the predictable but well woven Innoncent Maze or the intriguing uniqueness of Ai no DNA and the characters' weren't as interesting as the boys in those two books, but it was definitely a sister story. The relationship built too fast from too much animosity so it became unbelievable and unconvincing. The focus was the humour and their eternal coitus interruptus. I did find myself laughing from time to ...... |
| Onsen Tarzan | 7.5 | This tankobon surprised me after reading Guren-sensei's other 2006 release first, Oshioki Gakuen. While that one was simply annoying, this one has better control over the comedy and improved delivery style. Bright clear prints, uncluttered, crisp dark-lined art and ridiculous stories all add up to make a light-hearted romp of a sexy and silly yaoi! This one was fun--it never promised anything more than smut--but it held onto my attention because it was so fast paced and likeable. |
| Partners | 10 | A stunning, rare treat in the genre! The story line and the art are refreshingly real. The emotional connection, the "family" that existed between the men really stood out. I read this one ages ago and it is still with me--which means it stands out from the other hundreds of manga I've read before and after and promptly forgotten. Yura-sensei's style has its learning curves, but the art, story, and manga format delivery are still outstanding. |
| Junjou Mistake | 9 | There is something about Nakamura-sensei's elongated and super-deformed characters that bespeaks powerfully of whatever human emotion she is trying to express! It's amazing. This story has her trade-mark wildly overreacting, angsty, and self-recriminating uke and calm, composed but deeply feeling seme. She always manages to make me fall in love with each and every one of her little stories. I like her style of close-ups and few panels on each page. Her style is drama, drama, drama, but not the...... |
| Ijiwaru na Aitsu | --- | If you've read Our Kingdom by Naduki Koujima, and enjoyed it, then I'm absolutely positive you'll like this one. The teasing and sexual tension is similar. This one is a shade lighter, in that Naduki Koujima does actually get more graphic than Natsuho Shino. Yup. I said more. That says a lot, considering how not graphic (sexually speaking) Naduki Koujima's work is in Our Kingdom. As for emotionally graphic, the illustrations hold their own beside the well-chosen words that tell this light-hea...... |
| Final Fantasy 7 dj - LSD | 6 | The art made me feel like I was privy to a fan's private sketch book. It was full of unique angles and perspectives. The story itself left me completely void of interest. Perhaps if one knew the canon? It definitely doesn't stand on it's own feet, like some DJs have the power to do so. I know nothing about the slashed characters, so my rating might change if there was a deeper prior connection. So, if you know FF7, give it a try for the story, but even if you don't know the canon and you are...... |
| Sore wo Ittara Oshimai yo | 10 | Can this woman weave a story of powerful, emotional impact or what?! Gods, but she is brilliant in her understated dialogue and simple facial features that express so much. She utilizes the panel space like no other sequential artist I've experienced before. Check out NISHI Keiko's Love Songs, if you like YOSHINAGA Fumi's anthologies. The stories often didn't go the way I wanted them to go, and they often left me wanting more 'punch,' but by being more realistic to everyday life, they made me ...... |
| Corsair | 8 | --- |
| Chic (FUWA Shinri) | --- | The first page says, 'Akira and Atsuki Series', so they must be connected to another story or stories. Fuwa-sensei has a lot of 'universe' stories, so it may fit into one of those universes. It does seem like it's a piece to a larger puzzle. |
| Kibun wa Joujou! | 7.5 | --- |
| Honya-san de Go! | --- | C12 is actually a oneshot with a soccer setting entitled, "Go Straight." The salesman is the character that really sells this entire story; he's very lovable with his earnest, eager and happy nature. The book store owner was gruff but a perfect ying-yang for the salesman to bounce off of. The whole story had a playful feel to it and I enjoyed it. It won't be a memorable one, but it was a nice light read. The mangaka's art style is sketchy and sharp angled, and gets better with more experienc...... |
| Saiyuki dj - Innocence | 6 | --- |
| Saiyuki dj - Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely | 7 | --- |
| Saiyuki dj - Kin no Tamago | 8 | I haven't found it yet, but this was the best put together Saiyuki dj that I've read so far. The drawings were fluid, the characters were in canon, there was heat and passion. The humour was strong and the story was clear enough to easily understand, had a point, and yet didn't ever become too silly or easily forgettable. It was still missing that 'breathtaking' art or mind-snatching poetry of words. There was nothing wrong with it, per se, but there was nothing outstanding about it either....... |
| Saiyuki dj - Love Songs | 8.5 | The cover page (beautiful watercolour with textured paper) says, Saiyuki Book no.6, so that might explain the confusing chronological timing to some of the stories. This book is an anthology of a bunch of mini stories. The Kou-Chan ones are all one page. The artwork is amazing for the stories with Hakkai and Goyjo, and for Goku and Kou-chan, it is kinda rush and sketchy, but that may be the mangaka's intent. Love Songs 1: Returning Home (3 pages)* Love Songs 2: Come In My House Kou-Chan Story 1...... |
| Saiyuki dj - Honey Anthology | 9.5 | --- |
| Egoism (AGAWA Kouko) | 7 | By all means, read this one, but there are other pieces that are far superior. The scanlation translation is a bit awkward at times, but basically understandable. The art work is sketchy and mediocre, occasionally awkward. This story was simple and straightforward, with no real plot surprises, twists or intrigues. I don't have a problem with simple stories, in fact, sometimes they can be useful as tools so as to not distract from incredible phraseology or moments of beautiful art, or even to ...... |
| Otoko Hiroimashita | 9 | --- |
| Yebisu Celebrities | 7 | --- |
| Ohana to Chocolate | 7.5 | The Art ...is a bit amateurish at times, but the lines are strong and sure, and full of vibrant life. I can see much promise. Steadily, with each release, her art gains strength at conveying the story's tale and character's emotion. I did chuckle at how the western outfits for the Taisho era seemed a bit too modern. The different-coloured eyes of our little uke were fascinating to see how the mangaka could craftily create the illusion of two-colours with only black and white. Ozaki's anger st...... |
| Aoi Sora ga Areba Soredeii | 7 | If you borrow it from your friend's library, by all means, enjoy the read, but! All the FANTASTIC unlicensed yaoi out there, and DMP June picks up another run-of-the-mill title. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to read and you won't lose interest, but it's forgettable - completely. It's one of those titles that I wish I had chosen another title to dish out the more pricey clams for a yaoi title. It's cute, sweet, predictable, and typical genre drawing, but not remarkable in any way. You like thi...... |
| Hatsuai | 9 | --- |
| Reverse!? | 9 | --- |
| Isso Mou, Kudokitai! | 9 | --- |
| Papa I Love You | 9 | --- |
| Puchi Puri | 8 | --- |
| Naisho de Alleluya | 9 | This was a very cute story with a fun plot, likeable characters and a little bit of depth and angst and romance all rolled into one. Kamo-sensei has a very unique art style with long-eyelashed men and long limbs, broad chests bodies. Botan was adorable in his honesty. The entire story made me giggle quite a few times. |
| Aikotoba wa Hallelujah | 8 | The jealousy and immaturity of Shu and Shizuka's calm, collected and deceptively mature personality really mesh well. Add a mischievous neighbour to the mix, and it is quite a fun, easy read. The art is pretty and clean, and the scanlation job is smooth to read. The prequel is fabulous! This sequel is also fun and engaging read right to the little end clip series of stories (ch 5-7), but it doesn't have the 'bang' of the first! There is still tension and climax in the main 4-chapter story, alt...... |
| Benriya-san | 6 | The art was competent, but lack luster. The story was fine, but my gods! I was so bored! *open mouth of shock* I liked the main character - he was very lovable and down-to-earth with wonderful personality. The salary man was just too cute and young looking to be believable for his position. I couldn't get past my cockeyed, turned-on-it's-side head while looking at the illustrations of him in his workplace. It was like he was 'playing' salary man. Everything just combined to be laid out in a wa...... |
| Yakkai na Bokura | 9 | The relationship between the two boys is very sweet and not about raging, rushing, uncontrollable sex hormones. ("Why don't we just hold hands while we sleep?") The fathers have a more 'adult' relationship shown, but the entire story is more about family and love than the actual sex act...although there is a particularly good scene of the dad and his partner... We return to Keigo and Sou's story: Keigo doesn't believe Sou really likes him the way Keigo likes Sou. We never reach the point where...... |
| Gakuen Heaven dj - Koi no Mahou | --- | This one is one of the better GH doujinshi that I have read. (I've only read the few I can find - about 5 of them.) It has a bit of plotting and meaning and a little point about knowing what your loved one likes vs liking something because it was given by a loved one. Very cute and the art was pretty to look at. |
| Gakuen Heaven dj - Itai Kurai ni Dakishimete | --- | --- |
| Gakuen Heaven (yaoi) dj - MVP | --- | --- |
| Soba ni Oitene | 8 | This is just a sweetly romantic and sure relationship. Ultimately, it's a bit boring for me because there was no big crisis or angst, but the natural feel of a couple that just belong together from birth won me over. The intimate scenes were a bit disappointing in both the main story and the few one shots at the end, but overall, it was a light, easy-to-digest collection. Her art, with all its sharp angles and expressive eyes sells me every time! I literally say 'awwww' at her illustrations of...... |
| Missing Code | 7 | The story's pacing had a good start, but quickly falls on its face. It became anti-climatic in both story and emotion because my expectations were raised by the quality of the first few chapters, which were punchy and fascinating. After making its descent into predictability and mediocrity, and then the introduction of the stilted, posed third character, I was left with only the art... And it was lovely. The sparkles keep the crow's attention...good thing, because the story doesn't....... |
| Uminari | 9 | --- |
| Hell and Heaven | 7 | This was an enjoyable and quick read. I cried even though I fully knew it was a contrive and underdeveloped story line, full of insta-everything. Not one of Fuwa Shinri's best, but still great for a snack-like yaoi read. |
| Kawaita Yoru no Machi wo Oyogu | 10 | The first story (chapters 1 and 2) is absolutely captivating! I couldn't stop rereading and thinking about the beautiful story and art. It is all fairly simply, with themes of long-term misunderstanding and social position reversal, but the whole added up to a touching and rough story. If you like lusciously drawn images, a bit of non-con and a lot of angst, this one is for you! While not as intricately developed and woven as Shin Mizukami's dark Pleasure Points, it still follows similar them...... |
| Ai ni Ikitaidakenanosa | 9 | --- |
| Kigeki wa Koi de Shinkasuru | 9 | --- |
| Mister Convenience | 10 | --- |
| Gakuran Ninpouchou | 9 | Sexy drawings, fast-paced plotting, humourous moments, a likeable, goofy and innocent uke are all included in this neat little one shot. Takakura-sensei does well with one shots: She develops her story just enough to make me interested in and root for her characters to finally stumble together into happiness regardless of strange and funny ninja positions! I recommend this story for a smutty, light distraction! I was never committed enough to be angry the story was short, but grounded enough ...... |
| Mirage of Blaze dj - Omake no Omimi | 7 | --- |
| Yome ni Konai ka | 9 | The description only summarizes the first volume. The second volume is a similar story line and theme, but with different characters. It's just as likeable and fun. It the kooky old patriarch of the family (Grandpa) has an unlived-out passion for the grandmother of another family (and visa versa for her) so they are going to live their passions through their grandchildren come hell or high water or gender issues! This mangaka can get me 'feelin' it' -totally enthralled- by the stupid, sillies...... |
| We are Gorgeous | 10 | Usually, I like to approach manga as a holistic study of humanity, but in this one, Aryaya-sensei leaves behind the serious academia and provides much needed pure, over-the-top comedy with brilliant, dramatic reactions captured perfectly with her stunningly affected and posed character movement in her panels. I really enjoy the technique of taking one 'universe' and then showing a bunch of stories, sometimes overlapping chronologically from different people's perspectives within that same univ...... |
| Amai Kimi ga Suki | 7 | --- |
| Me wo Mite Hanase | 3 | I didn't like this one. The art was competent and sometimes interesting with all its detailed cross-hatching shading and line work in the people and it expressed emotions well, but I felt that the story line diminished the art. The point of the story was not conveyed clearly. It was lackluster in dialogue and setting I didn't feel for any character's plight, including the main character. He was just dull and flat. |
| A Serow's Deadly Fall | 2 | Um. Wut? I didn't like this one much. How did the little boy come to the conclusion that this bossy little manipulative girl was 'really a good person?' I'm sure the answer is in there somewhere, but it was just so annoying, rather than insightful, that I'm not motivated to look any deeper than a cursory glance. The artwork and wording was plain and uninspiring. |
| Forget | 9 | This psychological piece managed, in 25 pages, to captivate me, put a lump in my throat and make me marvel at the human brain's ability to save itself from going 'crazy' until one is ready to deal with the 'awful stuff.' It was very brave story, touching on issues not often addressed, because of gender roles. The art work was beautifully matched with the simple yet profound story. The shots and angles work to perfection for drama. And the illustrations of the boy's fear and confusion verses t...... |
| Idiot! | 1 | This would be HILARIOUS if, perhaps, you were smokin some mind-altering substance. Otherwise, avoid this waste o'time. The art is not my preference, nor the story style either. It's Spongebob-esque, but not witty like Spongebob. |
| Dead Flowers | 9 | How poignantly this story was told and illustrated! The words were short and well chosen to relay the message and the illustrations were clean, vivid, expressive and flowing. The power of one stranger's life connecting with another's and the repercussions about life and learning that pivot their lives down vital paths they never would have experienced without one another is astonishingly and deftly told in this brilliant little piece. The way the young lady's compassion and thoughtfulness for ...... |
| Peeping Tom | 6 | A hot little exciting you-might-get-caught-tension story line that is very light on plot and meaning, but a fun threesome nonetheless! Nothing remarkable, nothing I'd recommend or that will even stay with me, but a fun, smutty read. |
| Brother (MIURA Noriko) | --- | --- |
| The Guilty Verdict | 10 | --- |
| Saiyuki dj - Vicious Trap | --- | --- |
| Dark Road | --- | --- |
| Happy Days | 5 | The art had a 'sketchbook' feel to it. I didn't like the eyes; they were somewhat lacking in life and most of the time I. eyes were closed in an eternal goofy grin. The emotion behind the whole story seemed a bit flat and pointless at times. A few scenes had a bit more drama, but always fizzled out quickly. |
| My Eternal Master | 10 | WOW! This one is dark and yet heart warming. The story is similar to Bird in A Cage, in that a child is sold into sexual slavery, becomes friends with the unsuspecting son of the purchaser, and is moved deeply by his kindness. The difference is in the ultimate ending choices of the son and the slave. I recommend this one for those who like their BL a little dark and angsty, with a very harsh situation. The art was beautiful and the scanlation was professionally done. |
| Itsushika Kimi no Toriko | 9 | A very intense, angsty and entirely enjoyable one shot about misunderstandings and desperate love. The pacing was fat. The dialogue was bang-on and the art was thick-lined loveliness. |
| Hakase to Neko | 5 | --- |
| Seifuku Henai | 6 | --- |
| Love Song (NISHI Keiko) | 9 | An amazing artist and powerful story teller that uses simplicity of words and illustration to tell important, thought-provoking stories that touch on everyday life. If you like this artist, you'll probably like Yoshinaga Fumi's work. |
| Kaibutsu Ouji | 10 | This collection is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who like happy, cheerful tales. It most certainly will appeal to those who like to investigate the darker psyche of desires and motivations. It is gory at times, and always absolutely masterfully spun. Motoni-sensei's tales are not strictly yaoi; she uses women in her fantastical tales as well. The illustrations are crafted with detail and precision; each one is full of beautiful emotion and at times leans toward euro-gore. Th...... |
| Koi wo Shimashou | --- | --- |
| Subarashii Shitsuren | 10 | --- |
| Tenshi no Uta (NISHIDA Higashi) | 10 | --- |
| Dog (YAMAMOTO Kenji) | --- | I felt like it was a waste of 'thrill' or''pushing the boundaries', because it didn't go anywhere with it's 6 pages. I don't mind 'squicky' subject matter, if it is forming a part of a larger philosophy or psychology, but this one was just too short and too stand-alone to provide anything other then, 'oro?' And it was so risky, with so many controversial themes, that it was more like a sensational tabloid. Kudos to the scanlator, though, for offering the freedom of variety....... |
| Anata no Tonari ni Suwarasete | --- | --- |
| Erotikku ni Oborero! | 9.5 | --- |
| Uchi no Darling Eikoku Shinshi | 8 | --- |
| Kuu ka Kuwareru ka (Novel) | 8.5 | --- |
| The Lonely Egoist | 7 | --- |
| Tameiki no Kuchizuke | 9 | --- |
| Ai no Kotoba wo Uragaeshi | 7 | --- |
| Rush! | 8.5 | I read this one in one sitting; it was that captivating. The title is perfect - i did read it all in a RUSH! It never really goes deep, but it is deep enough to really get the butterflies going when the tension mounts. There was a lot of great subtle humour in this manga - mostly surrounding the Kanai's brother. Both the main characters were likeable and distinct. The surface level touching of Shinonome's behaviour was mildly disappointing. He was so terribly angry and aggressive (like a hurt,...... |
| Aozora no Sunda Iro wa | 9 | --- |
| Wonderful Days? | 9 | --- |
| Innocent Blue | 9 | This one is fascinating. The sexual imagery is very light, but does have strong angsty scenes. Less is More philosophy in this story's scenes: both art and words. The art is very sketchy, wispy-like, and ethereal (think: Il Gatto Sul G). It played well with this story. The scanlation is beautifully and competently done. The Love: The complexity of the characters and the distinctly different perspectives they have that guide their behaviour was awesome! The intricate, yet simple words and art a...... |
| Harenchi no Susume | 7 | --- |
| Shihaisuru Yubisaki | 7.5 | I liked the unusual angles to the faces, even if some of them were hard to distinguish from one another. They were very long, with large noses and narrow jaws. It was intriguing to view. The stories themselves were captivating, but unsatisfying in connection. The dialogue and motivations of the characters aimed a a big concept/theme of the complexity of 'choice' at the same time as being 'owned.' Because it aimed high, it was more noticeably lacking. It was like a tease! I kept expecting the t...... |
| Kogareru Yubisaki | 7 | --- |
| Tatoeba Sore wo Koi to Yobunara | 6 | This is actually a collection of 4 stories: The title story is cute and mildly funny, but like the rest of the stories, it lacks in complete cohesion and reader commitment to the characters. The second story is entitled Triangle Blue. It had the most interesting potential with its theme of what unconditional friendship involves, but was underdone and flat as well. (Squick factor for non-con in this one. Very lightly shown.) The third story is about a tennis player has given up tennis -althoug...... |
| Nekasenaide | 9 | --- |
| Shachou to Hisho, Ai no Shoumei | 9 | --- |
| Freezing Flame dj - Chain of Flame Epicurean | 8 | --- |
| Freezing Flame dj - Gift | 7 | --- |
| Freezing Flame dj - Melting Snow | 8 | --- |
| Freezing Flame dj - Pulsation | 8 | --- |
| Freezing Flame dj - Freezing Flame Special Editing "Sick" | 8 | --- |
| Hitomi no Mukougawa | 8 | Another one of her mediocre ones. Still very enjoyable, but doesn't have the drama of 'Freezing Flame' and 'Bittersweet Cafe' series of stories. I like how this one, like her other stories that are pretty good' but not Woah ('Cool Down' for example) touches on a lot of simple truths about sweet, romantic traditional love concerns regarding very vanilla couples (other than being gay, that is!) Sum up: My preference runs to more of the angst and drama and atypical definitions of love, so I'm a bi...... |
| I.D. | 8.5 | I liked this one for its unique 'teaching' approach through the obsessive/compulsive police lab researcher. He was so bizarre and yet so likeable. In fact, although the very first scene with him seems slightly dub-con, he actually is a very thoughtful -and fun- lover. THere is a lovely 'humanness' about this story: from the hesitant but eager n00b police officer uke to the fully experienced, manipulative and fun-spirited seme. They both love their jobs and that is part of the charm that is th...... |
| Wasuretai Itoshijin | 8 | --- |
| Midarana Kyandei | 4 | I didn't see any point to this story. It was all over the place and no connection was made with my sensibilities or my sense. I really didn't understand the characters nor did i care to. |
| Gorgeous Heart | 9 | The first story is my favourite;it's very unusual and yet I had no 'squik' factor for me as to a child being abused; rather, I think if anyone was abused it was the dad's adult partner! LOL. The kid knew what he wanted--totally. The art is very pretty and shoujo-esque. The rest of the stories are all slightly left of the current perception of centre as well, but enjoyable in their own special trippy, comedic way. |
| The Man of Tango | 10 | --- |
| Bashing Renai | 8 | --- |
| Senya Ichiya - Shitone no Himegoto | 10 | --- |
| Toritsu Mahou Gakuen | 7.5 | A light-hearted and sweet story, this 2-volume collection of stories has a cute feel to the whole thing and is a sugary frosted cake that tastes slightly different from all other BL stories on the market. BUT she has much better ethereal stories that are at once haunting and breathtaking with their magic. She excels much more at her serious short poem-like stories, than her light ones. The team of four at the school of magic are so easy and comfortable with one another, their teasing and lov...... |
| Slave x Slave | 6 | I don't like the view of sex this mangaka is -so far- consistently showing in her works. Her characters use sex as a tool, which makes the relationships seem not as serious to me and ultimately lose my interest in the story. She does present fairly unusual uke. They are strong, opinionated and tend to be 'top-bottoms': very pushy! ^_^ The art is well executed, but not my preference. There is nothing that really sparkles or is presenting from an angle that inspires more than a passing glance....... |
| Jounetsu no Young Man | 8 | --- |
| Kuchuu Teien | --- | --- |
| Ichizude Karen na Ore-sama | 6 | The story doesn't hold together well, not because it was short -some mangas of lesser pages have knocked me flat on my back- but because it is so involved at the beginning and then sudden explodes to the ending and misses the middle...>_< The art was beautiful and the odd alignment of a top in drag was an interesting angle to explore artistically, but the story just made me covet the time I spent on the art. |
| Koisuru Cupid | 7 | --- |
| Kyou, Hana no Gotoshi | 7.5 | This is actually an anthology. 1-3: Covers the main story described. It's rather typical for the genre, but the art was so pretty and the pacing so zippy and steady, I couldn't stop reading even though the story will be forgotten tomorrow. 4: Title Unscanlated: A boss abuses his authority and selects a subordinate to pose as his lover in order to get rid of a pushy woman. Unexpected results happen... Or Maybe not so unexpected! LOL. Pretty predictable story, the seme was a bit selfish and unli...... |
| Innocent Maze | 7.5 | If your tired of heavy angst, or your heart just can't take it anymore, but you still like a well-written story with some depth, this is the one for you. It has a few great twists and turns. There seems to be an over-arching theme of the unexpected. Both Haru and the president are surprised: Haru by his brother and the President by his own feelings. It was a cute story with very typical clichés as far as the illustrations (tall, manipulative seme, cute and ferocious uke), but it was a pleasur...... |
| Mijuku na Kareshi | 8 | --- |
| Flowers (NIHONBASHI Yoko) | 9 | The art captures the essence of the young man brilliantly. He is so simple, passive and accepting of his fate; he even smiles through his bandages and wishes to have a purpose...beautiful. He is like a small child with complete trust in the world and the meaningfulness of what is meant to be. The nurse was a fighter. She spoke up boldly against those who wished to enforce their prejudice; she spoke up to dissuade the young man from his misconception of himself. But she also allowed him to choose ...... |
| Tooi Hi no Chou | 9.5 | --- |
| Black Coffee | 1 | It may be a beautiful allegory or poetic symbolism, but it is just too damn choppy and 'tries too hard.' It comes off to me like a university student trying to impress their professor with how 'smart' they are. The art is clear and bold, but I don't like the 'Western' feel to it. |
| Boiling Head | 2 | --- |
| Green Beans | 1 | And what sense it did make, I didn't care about. The artwork was not my preference, so I may be a bit biased, but it wasn't executed with much polish even in the style that it was in. It looked very amateurish. The story itself was pointless and uninteresting. |
| The Crimson Boy | 5 | I don't 'get' this one: I know that Midori has two men in her life...one she is suppose to marry who wishes her to dress more feminine, and one she barely knows who likes her 'boyish' regular style, but also request she not wear girly things. So, aren't they both not accepting her for whoever she chooses to be? But I think I'm missing something in my understanding... I did like the fact that the pairing was cross-generational and had an atypical character body type for a sexual relationship....... |
| Emono no Kimochi | 8.5 | The universe of Tora and Botan continues in this collection; this time it's from inside the day care that has been seen frequently as a 'meeting' point in both Tone and then Aikotoba wa Hallelujah. This story is adorable and heart clenching; this story is adorable and heart clenching; it constantly amazes me how Kamo-sensei can blend cutesy & angst, splash in a gallon of quirk expressed through super-exaggerated, simplified figures, bake it all up in a predictable fashion and end up with a de...... |
| Teiou no Amai Wana | 8 | --- |
| Chokujou Lovers | 6 | --- |
| Futeki ni Romance | 6 | This one was so-so cute, but nothing special. The uke was sometimes funny in a quirky sort of way. He was so tiny and unassuming looking, but forceful, self-centered, immature, and hot-headedly manipulative in a strange likeable way. The seme had less personality, but still decently average. The story was tired and the art had a messy, unremarkable feel, but even for an average yaoi, it was still mildly distracting. There are much better yaoi, but there are much worse too. |
| Kaikan Fortune | 8 | --- |
| Virgin Star | 8 | --- |
| Tableau numéro 20 | 10 | --- |
| Age Called Blue | 7 | --- |
| Bakumatsu Seishun Hanafubuki | 8 | Whew. This one was hard work to read due to the dreadfully amatueur scanlation. There were many important sfx that were left untranslated and quite a number of speech bubbles that were either untranslated or giving the gods of english rhetoric, grammar and punctuation anxiety attracks. Regardless, I appreciate and honour the brave efforts of all scanlators, no matter the skill, because otherwise these gems would never be available to the English speaking fans in any half-comprehensive form. A...... |
| Hana Koi dj - Lovely Rabbit | 7.5 | This was light-hearted, cute and fun to read. The introduction of the the extended family of the main couple in Hana*Koi was an intriguing angle. The whole hard-arse comments and then cutsey-pie love was a great little see-saw of playful banter. Sensei's typical style of art shines in this DJ as well: clean lines, cute cosplay poses on the exaggerated bodies of tiny uke and long and lean seme. |
| Kimi no Te wa Boku no Mono | 7.5 | I actually forgot this set of three stories was authored by Kamo-sensei. They were not her usually style of story at all...especially Your Hand is Mine and Love Announcement. I liked these two stories a lot. They were captivating. Your Hand is Mine was more violent and angsty than her usually offerings and less humour in the story. The art wasn't super-deformed with her recognizable long necks and thin limbs. Your Hand is Mine was missing a few links in the chain, though. Even in the fantasy l...... |
| Kiss wa Ichinichi Sando Made!? | 8 | Grammar gods continue their anxiety attacks with this one, though not nearly as intense as with the 1999 Shinsengumi tale. Big chunks of raw narration bubbles made me furrow my brow as well, but I'm still thankful for the scanlation. The development of the main character's 'gay' feelings was done beautifully and believeably. It was gradual and compelling; As he shocked himself with is understanding of his emotions, I nodded my head in recognition. On the other hand, the tremendously strong re...... |
| Ai wa Doko Itta? | 8.5 | --- |
| Itoko Doushi | 5 | --- |
| Warawanai Ningyo | 8.5 | All four stories have a serious tone and a soft, hopeful sorrow feel. The illustrations at times remind me of the loose flowing lines of Saika Kuneida. The splash page and cover are beautiful watercolours that really convey the essence of the stories through the gentle melancholy of their lines. These stories are never explicit or gratuitous sexually; rather, they are more in lines with the Year24 mangaka's serious offerings, aimed at a more mature audience with its examination of psychologica...... |
| Ikasama Umigame no Soup | --- | --- |
| Shachou to Hisho | 7.5 | A sweet and light-hearted story with typical uke and seme style for Kamo-sensei: a domineering, larger seme who really does love his little spitfire uke, but wants to know if his uke really loves him. It's short, fast and light reading, but not much staying power for memory-sake. |
| Strawberry | 6 | I don't quite get this oneshot. It is presented from her dj group, CACTY, so perhaps it is supposed to be a doujinshi of characters unknown to me. Anyway, it has an interesting idea, but that is all that it seems to be - a sketch of an idea of a story. The art is lovely, though, and made me giggle, so it was worth the 10 minutes of time, even if I did end up tripping over lots of loose ends waiting to be tied up. |
| Yukemuri Biyori Koi Meguri | 8 | Wataru's kouhai is very funny with his fury at Minato's ownership of Wataru, but his inaction to 'claim' Wataru himself. The illustrations are exaggerated in a lively, comical way. The scanlation is very well done. The characters' personalities are captured well in the translation phraseology. For example, Minato's blunt, direct personality is captured humourously when he says deadpan: "I'm already in a state that I'd ejaculate if we barely touched." Bwah! Makes me giggle, this tankobon, that...... |
| Junai Virus | 7.5 | Loveless (c3) and Piano Lesson (c2) are worth the effort invested! C1: The art reminds me of a more pop culture North American style. The bodies are huge and the heads are small. It's very loose, free-flowing and unique. I'm not sure if I like the art; it might grow on me. This story is the most fast, sketchy and exaggerated style of art in the collection. The story itself didn't have enough character development to make me like the characters or understand their motivations. Especially the pl...... |
| Kemomimi Shouji | 7 | This is actually more shounen ai than yoai. There is intimacy, but never explicit. The stories are all cute and lovable characters abound. Concept-wise, it is very quirky and fun-spirited, so if you have a squick for bestiality, not too worry, it is very un-beast-like. Mostly, I found the stories and art only so-so: mildly entertaining, but a little lack lustre. |
| Gravity Eyes dj - Milk & Bitter | 8 | --- |
| Bokura wo Shihaisuru Kotoba | 8.5 | The art surrounding the scenes when Sora becomes desolate and desperate was mesmerizing; I found it sublime. The story itself could have been stronger in dialogue and scenes choosen to weave the tale, but I liked the basic premise. The secondary characters along with the primary were all a bit flat and developed immaturely. Ultimately, I didn't feel strong empathy for them. The art and slow-motion drama to the final chapter is what makes me rate it so high. |
| Renai Shoumei | 7.5 | The whole collection is just comm-ce comm-ca. I never really fell in love with any of the characters, but I didn't skip past them either. Proof of Love: I like that Fuwa-sensei makes her characters 'human.' The perspective of an affair is two-sided, not just one person's fault, was briefly touched on. Kiss and Cry & One Million Kisses: Kinda lack luster. Didn't make much a difference to my intellect or emotions. The extra was cute just because I liked the older boss softening up when he sees s...... |
| Furachi na Bokura | 8 | The first story continues the sweet, tender and gentle love story of the boy raised by two dads, Sou. There is intertextuality in this story, with characters returning from other series, such as Intense Rain. This story is one of Fuwa-sensei's less dramatic ones; she fills it with hope and happiness, but still a struggle and angst to get there--just not as much angst as some of her other tales. The final chapter is short and sweet; you don't really get to know the back story of the characters....... |
| Higouhou Junai | 9 | --- |
| Yasashii Kankei | 8 | I love the illustration of the one character's long hair! Usually I marvel at her ability to draw curls, but she proves she can draw long and straight beautifully as well! I liked--and felt for--all three of the main characters. They were all quite distinct and believable in their feelings. I'm eagerly looking forward to the release of the sequel from the English publisher! I'm sure many readers want to know the rest of the spurned man's story. And--thankfully--it was created by Fuwa-sensei! Th...... |
| Repeat After Me? | 7.5 | Not one of her better pieces, but it was still enjoyable. The emotions and characters ring natural and true. The story is a bit predictable, but the art is still flowing and pretty. The plot is extremely simple (do your best), but it never promises more than a simple straightforward romance either. There are a lot of characters introduced in this story. Fuwa-sensei does explain that she wants to continue with the stories of the other characters, so watch for that! Some of them seem much more a...... |
| Shiawase no housoku | 5 | There were a lot of choppy parts to this story...(What was the point of the girl who holds similar emotions as Ryouchii?) and a lot of the motivations for the character's love were unbelievable and one-dimensional. Ryouchii, desperate to be needed and wanted --indispensable--to someone, falls for the son of his mother's new husband. But it wasn't convincing. To be fair, it could be the awkward English translation that makes the characters' lose their compelling nature and ability to connect wi...... |
| G Senjou Heaven's Door | 10 | --- |
| The IT Revolution | 1 | --- |
| Usotsuki wa Dareda | 9 | --- |
| Hada no Ue no Renai Jijou | 9 | This collection offers a little bit of everything that Naono-sensei excels at: fantasy, insecurities, older men, long term relationships, rough 'beat' up looks and scenes, and her signature mark of manly men that have a bishie feel! All her characters, no matter how fantastical, take on a real humanistic feeling. If I was an English language publisher, this collection would be top priority for licensing! |
| Zenbu Ore no Mono! | 8.5 | --- |
| Doutei Saizensen | 9.5 | Oh, Mizukami-sensei, thank you for your fantasy army smut! I love her works in this genre! She draws such dark and mysterious men and such ethereal and beautiful partners for the them. There is always a little bit of kink (sometimes a lot) and a fun, twisty story plot that included danger, anger, laughter and always a happy, sticky ending. All of these short one shots revolve around the men that follow their leader, the seme in Datenshi ni Sasageru Uta, so it gives you a nice rounded--if erot...... |
| Koi no Hanashi ga Shitai | --- | --- |
| Illumination | 7.5 | --- |
| Kuimonodokoro Akira | 7.5 | --- |
| Bara no Hitomi wa Bakudan | 7 | --- |
| Tsuki wa Yamiyo ni Kakuru ga Gotoku | 8.5 | I really liked both Testsu, for his passionate love for life, indomitable spirit with youthful bounceback, and his belief in himself; and Shino, for his mature but fatalistic-realism approach to survial and life. Shino, although severely broken by a largely unexplored tragedy, still mangaes to survive in a violent world as only he knows how. The youthful innoncence of Tetsu allows him to gain back the humanity he was slowly losing. This story really doesn't delve deep into the tragedies of both...... |
| Mori no Koe | --- | --- |
| Blue Nathanael | 9.5 | --- |
| Close Your Eyes (INARIYA Fusanosuke) | 9 | --- |
| Fura Ura | --- | --- |
| The Magic of Skirts | 7 | This is heavy shota, but the story's focus is more on two close friends' relationship, and how the one is helping the other realize that there is nothing wrong or shameful about his natural pleasure from cross-dressing. Although it is still shota, it is much more light-hearted and consensual. The portrayal of the boys is more normal, if explicit, sexual exploratory than the typical squick-fare of the controversial Shota genre. |
| Death Note dj - Entaku no Shisha | --- | I'm not much of a fan of the canon story, but this one is done by the wonderful artist Esuto-sensei. She manages in a few short pages to imbue smut with psychology and philosophy on a simple theme. MiaB, the scanlation group, did a great job of representing her. |
| Virgin Break | 5 | The characters' inner lives are not compelling. I didn't feel for their plights nor believe in their love. The art is mediocre. Panel layout and use of transitions were all competently done (this is why i was compelled to keep reading--it was the geeky structuralist in me), but the characters and their stories fell flat. |
| Deep Flower | 10 | --- |
| Koibito no Namae | --- | --- |
| Takaramono | --- | --- |
| Koibito no Jikan | 8 | --- |
| Shanai Renai Style | 7.5 | The title story was dull to me. It may have been full of smut, but the artistic page layout and the story telling was slow and tiresome to read. Beard and Adolescence made me laugh. It didn't promise much as far as deep story, so I wasn't disappointed. The busy-body family members, only in a few scenes, are what made this story shine. Then, of course, there is a particularly hot scene for people that kink on a library location... Everything's Fine as Long as There is Love, had the best promise...... |
| Curse Project | 10 | I don't think I've ever rated a comedy '10', but this one is worth it! I literally burst into laughter at the dialogue and play-by-play. The story is all very silly and light, but--man!--is it a pick-me-up! Art-wise, there is a bit of bishounen and barra, but never really heavy on one side or the other. And the uke/seme dynamics are not stereotypical, which was fun to see illustrated and exaggerated! |
| Skip-Kiss | 9 | --- |
| Dekiru Otoko no Sodatekata | 9 | This 2-volume tale by Yamato-sensei was delicious! It had just the right ingredients for a basic but endearing story: a handful of tension, two handfuls of sweetness, a whole splash of humour, and even a dash of non-con frustrated possessiveness for the angst-lovers among us! All three men (the main couple, plus the business partner chef) were clear, vivid personalities that were likeable, complex and interacted with spirit and recognition. The main couple were both quite unique in their pers...... |
| Fan | --- | --- |
| Mamotte Agemasu! | 8.5 | I enjoyed this one's theme of what it means to 'protect' a loved one. It held a lot of essential basic truths delivered in an emotional and fast-paced, easily digestible manner. Yamato-sensei continues her excellent scenes choices and illustrations of intense movement in this one, but it just didn't hold the same punch as other works of hers such as Fall in Love With Me. It was a lot shorter too, so if that is what you are looking for--a quick read with pretty yaoi and still a bit of substance...... |
| Princess Princess dj - Lovers' Secret | 6.5 | I liked this one better than the other DJ, Industrial Waste. ALthough they are both leaning heavily toward pure smut, this one had a bit of the humilation/rough play that didn't really wander too far into the dark psyche. Both are scanlated beautifully; They are great short, smutty actualization for all the teasing of the Princess Princess canon. I only rated it lower because I'm not one for pure smut. |
| Princess Princess dj - Comic Industrial Wastes 11 | 6 | Well, Princess Princess may finally get full on Yaoi treatment here, but they sure has heck look like girls! Well, except for the typical enlarged features that one would see in hentai...lol A very hentai version of the Princesses. |
| Seifuku x Seifuku x Otokonoko | 7.5 | WAH! That was quite the tipsy-topsy turn on a Nobokov Lolita! This was a very hentai yaoi. The scanlation was awesome for conveying surprise and sexual tension with the font and English wording choices. |
| Tsureteke Tengoku | 9 | --- |
| Deki no Ii Kiss, Warui Kiss | 8.5 | --- |
| Kyou Kara Maou! dj - RE | 10 | Whew! The art of this one is absolutely incredible! It is a beautiful, complementary re-envisioning of the canon with a style that is more finely-penned and full of realism. The story plays out very softly and deceptively simple in the style of mangaka like Est Em or Yoshinaga Fumi (with more detailed illustrations.) The panels are unusual for shounen ai: they are all very symmetrical and rectangular and paced steady; I could almost hear the calm heart beat: thump, thump, thump as I read at th...... |
| Kyou Kara Ma no Tsuku Jiyuugyou! dj - C.O.N. | 7 | This one has lovely art in which you can clearly see the canon characters, but the story doesn't hold much story at all. It's cute and light-hearted; it did bring a smile to my face, but it's very brief and not memorable at all. |
| Kyo Kara Maou dj - Your warm fingers | 9 | --- |
| Kyou Kara Maou! dj - Miracle of Contact | 8 | Great intimacy scene! It really did seem like an amorous husband/king coming home with urgency to see his wife. The only down side to the story was the art; it didn't have the beauty of the canon. Sometimes a re-envisioning of the canon art is wonderful, but this doujinshi mangaka needed a little more practice to capture the essence of the characters. Still worth the read indeed! I liked the story a lot and it rode over the lesser art, allowing the doujinshi to be highly likeable. |
| Love Life | 8 | Beautifully developed, and with Yamato-sensei's beautifully bright, expressive and flowing page art shining once again. But the ending, the final chapter which included the 'final joining,' seemed anti-climatic. It was like a rush job in comparison to the carefully plotted story from chapter 1 through 3, which had a strong, slow and believable build-up of motivations and personalities. Izumi (the seme) seemed unbelievably quick with his explanation of his feelings for Satoru (the uke)....... |
| Go Con - Gokujou Rakuen Tours | 9 | There wasn't a lot of character development, but it was fun and light and I was extremely engaged as the two elite members fought for whether the body or the emotion connection was better at trust and strength of relationship. It was very smutty and full of so many many bishounen created with unusually heavy strokes. The result is an appealing, manly yet pretty man or boy. |
| Tour Shangri-La | 8.5 | She really does improve with experience! This is one of her more engaging works. Each story is either fun-spirited or more serious with a range of emotions evoked. The stories are all easy-to-understand, without being boring at all. The art is her typical dark. heavy-lined styled; she can make such thick lines and chunk shapes and still such bishounen beauties and free flowing movement on the page! |
| Doubt | 7.5 | --- |
| Kyoukasho no Koibito | 5 | I had a hard time following this story; it seemed cluttered and clunky. Plus, I wasn't compelled enough to spend the effort trying to figure it out. The pacing was off and the characterization was flat. |
| Shiawase no Category | 7.5 | The basic story line was appealing, but the weaving of the tale fell apart at times. The art was darkly lined, bold and active which partly saved the straggling story. I really liked the two characters and would love to see her try this one again with her improved characterization and compelling relationships between individuals--both factors which were also straggling a bit behind in this story. My two favourite stories by this mangaka are 2005 & 2007 releases. She truly seems to improve wit...... |
| Akutai wa Toiki to Mazariau | 8 | The story line is quirky, straightforward and easy to read. There isn't much memory-holding power to it, but it was an enjoyable, fresh volume. Fujiyama-sensei's art layouts are always very intense with emotion! She's also superb at grasping intimate moments and delivering them with sexy slowness. Edit: I just finished the sequel; it really adds a dynamic and critical depth to this first volume. Read as a whole, the experience goes up monumentally in depth for their relationship deepening and...... |
| Akutai wa Ude no Naka de Futatabi | 9.5 | This is a great story! Don't stop at volume one; keep going to this volume because it actually enhances the nuances and adds considerable depth of character to all personalities in the story. The interplay of serious-frivolous and light-heavy subjects and scenes was balanced harmoniously! By the time I finished the second volume, Touji's bright, quirky personality became shockingly more significant and Natsume's subtle changes that indicated his contentment became more prominent. I was very im...... |
| Mitsu no Tsumatta Joushi | 8 | --- |
| Grand Guignol | --- | The story plotting is dramatic! The sensuality created from a simple finger entwining is drawn out with marvellous, living poetry by Motoni-sensei! The dialogue is engaging and the illustrations are that wonderful balance of bishounen but still men. Such eyelashes! The only disappointing factor to this engaging tale masterfully woven is that the weaving stops abruptly. The sequel, Romantic, is good, but it doesn't continue where the cliff hanger of Grand Guignol leaves off. |
| Virgin Night (YOSHIKI Aya) | 10 | Uwa! So kuwaii! I loved this little one shot! Not only was it funny, but it was also tender. The seme seems so simple, yet his words are beautiful in response to his partner's insecurities. ("I love you whoever you are.") The short was written in a way that showed a pre-established depth to the long-term relationship; I felt like I was simply spying in on a significant moment in their lives. The drawings are clear, bright and uncluttered. Both men are in a perpetual blush! |
| Puchi D Kemono | 8.5 | Furry fandom? Find yourself intrigued by anthropomorphic cos-play sex? This collection has the most variety in animals I have ever seen! They are also all shotacon of the oh-so-innocent partner kind, so yeeeah, if that gives buoyancy to your fantasy flailboat...give 'er. I'm sure this collection will squick a few people, but most of the stories are cute, fantastical and sometimes even very endearing. All the art is very cutesy. Story 5 and 6 have hard-on-the-eyes scans and terrible screen tone ...... |
| Master | --- | --- |
| Goshujinsama to Wanko | 10 | If you liked her other two titles, Wild Boyfriend and Sailor Men, you will not be disappointed! Sakira-sensei is consistent with her delivery of creative scenes of gorgeous art, and endlessly amusing crack smut! |
| Boku no Goshujinsama | 2 | Oooowwww...my poor eyes. The screen tone is horrendous in this art work. It's fuzzy, overdone, and the rest of the art looks like it's been over-exposed to light. Some scenes are barely decipherable. The stories themselves are weak (well, it is porn), but I didn't find them evocative of any emotion other than...ooooh...my eye strain! I think the emotions all fall flat because of the bottomless, dead black orbs for many of the character's eyes. |
| En wa Ki na Mono Aji na Mono | --- | The plotting and pacing is great! The tension of the audience knowing a hint of something 'sinister' going on, while Miyagi--the ever innocent--knows nothing, is a super tension technique. This one always stays sweet and romantic; the tension and angst never last long or get explosive, but it kept me captivating from beginning to end. There was a bit of moralizing in the story, but it never bothered me or felt heavy-handed. The artwork is easy on the eyes and expressive, but not shockingly ama...... |
| Open Air | 8.5 | Tsunoda-sensei has sweet and romantic down! Like The Allure of Fate is Tasty, this one is tender, sweet and romantic without--surprisingly--being mundane or saccharine. Her art style is recognizable: long faces, thin lips and stylized,simplified bodies and facial features. Her characters remain emotive even with the straight lines of her work. She always has just enough tension in her pretty regular story lines to keep me reading. |
| Chobits dj - Cheek 2 | 6 | Silly and porny! Totally OOC, but--hey--it's one answer to CLAMP's constant teasing...I didn't find it particularly memorable or even very interesting, but the art was competent and it didn't promise anything other than the physical. |
| Wakadanna ni Goyoujin | 7 | --- |
| Kirigakure no Koi | 8 | --- |
| Sweet Meats | 6 | --- |
| xxxHoLic dj - Natsu no Shizuku | --- | --- |
| xxxHoLic dj - Sono Kouishou | 8 | The illustrations, dialogue and story telling is bang-on 75% of the time; it sort of falls apart at other times in all three areas. The lunch scene on the roof is dynamic and intense enough to leap over the few cracks. (And it's only PG!) It was extremely well done. There isn't a lot of commitment gained from this dj, but the dj artist has potential. The scanlation job is great! |
| xxxHoLic dj - Zettai Ryouiki | 7 | It's pretty funny at times and does have a quick, sexy scene. There isn't a lot of depth to the story or the character's psyche, but the illustrations and banter is delightful. Although it's better than not scanlated, the whole dj suffers from sloppy scanlation. |
| Hishoken! | 8.5 | The story telling of this one was well played: it had alternating perspectives where the reader had an inside glimpse to the thoughts of both lead characters. The transitions were smooth and easy to follow, adding up to enhance the emotional connection. The scanlation was--only at times--lacking professionalism, but the story and art still shines through beautifully. |
| Shijou Senyuuritsu | 8.5 | Tsunoda-sensei's stories always surprise me with how likeable they are and how easy they go down. There is nothing really special about them, but they are so yummy and sweet. The seme is so earnest, honest and direct. The uke is developed with great empathy and understandable as a closed-off, but still smiling sort of guy. The theme running through the story of long term trust and love in a relationship verses simply a physical relationship with a temporal quality was very romantic and fully d...... |
| Arabian de Naito!? | 9 | I love the sparking eyes of Hinata and his blonde lookalike! And the Prince! The art of the dark-eyed, tanned Al is beautiful, magnetic and powerful, whether he is in traditional garb or modern-day garb. The story is fun and fantastical. The sex scenes between the Prince and his lover(?) were particularly well done if--like me--you like the dub-con and whips...hee. The angst could have been played up a bit more. The actual motivation, emotions, choices and actions of all four main characters w...... |
| Nessa no Kusari | 7 | --- |
| Cowboy Bebop dj - Kireigoto ga Kirai | 7 | The art is a bit sloppy, but the characters and their personalities are captured well. The story itself is pwp and light comedy. |
| Kawaii Akuma | 6 | If you view the story line as light humour, it's not bad at all. If you view the story line as what it keeps trying to offer --serious issues-- then it's terrible! The whole issue of Akiyoshi having low self esteem because he isn't manly was abandoned. This was the principle motivation for the story! The very reason he became noticeable to Fuuya! Akiyoshi burgeoning love for Fuuya was never believable; there was no development. Fuuya's love always seemed possessive but superficial. And that was...... |
| Ikenai Otoko | 9 | --- |
| Itoshii Akuma | --- | --- |
| Harry Potter dj - Jupiter | --- | Truly a FAN book, this short dj reads more like a journal of Itsuki-sensei's thoughts on the Harry Potter characters. The actual dj story is a brief moment of how the touch of another human is appreciated and the care of a guardian is one form of love. The art is very elongated and pretty for Sirius and cute and young for Harry. |
| Gundam Wing dj - God of Machine | --- | I don't know the canon, but sometimes the art of story of a dj can stand alone. This one doesn't. There were a lot of references to the main story and the art is Itsumi-sensei's older style, so it is a bit dusty and over toned. Perhaps someone who is familiar with the canon may find more enjoyment from this dj. |
| Inu Yasha dj - Gekkoh | 10 | --- |
| Ouran Koukou Host Club dj - Night Dancer | 7 | --- |
| Fetish | 9 | --- |
| DoLL (OKADO Tatsuya) | 7 | --- |
| Overflow | 8 | If you like stories that may hold a dark, disturbing psyche but always with a base of empathy and striving to understand the human condition then I'd recommend stories 2 and 5. They still had an exceedingly and somewhat overgeneralized poor vision of men like the rest, but they held together with a storyline that was substantial. 1. While briefly touching on the psychology of not being able to pull away from something that hurts you, this first story was too much meaningless hentai and too l...... |
| Gingaku Hakase to Marmot | 10 | --- |
| Cold Fever | 10 | --- |
| Cold Light (Novel) | 10 | --- |
| Dousokai | --- | --- |
| Usotsuki na Kimi no Toriko | 8.5 | --- |
| Aishuu | 7 | --- |
| Daikirai na Aitsu! | 10 | --- |
| Machibito | 10 | OH! So far, out of all her one shots that I've read, this one is by far superior to the rest. The artwork is clean and beautiful, not overly toned, but what really shines is the snappy story. Wow! I just love the surprise twist at the end! It is built up perfectly--when I read over it a second time, there are lots of cohesive hints about Kyou's growing desperation not to be alone--but it was still a surprise when I arrived at the end revelation! |
| Take Over Zone | --- | --- |
| Tonari ni Iru no ni, Tooi | 7 | --- |
| Dona Dona | --- | --- |
| Gochisousama | 7.5 | This was a fun little feel-good one shot. It had great tension and pacing for a predictable story. The father was a bit obnoxious because he was a womanizer, so it didn't make his love for Hiroto seem believable, but it was still fun to read, especially if you like stories where a small child adds an element of cuteness and innocence to the entire world of the text and illustration. |
| Blood | 10 | --- |
| Furachi na Kare no Shitsukekata | 7 | As far as Minami-sensei's light, frivolous and sweet stories go, this collection is a good profiling of her style of story and art. I didn't prefer it--definitely forgettable characters and situations--but it was okay for light yaoi reading. Minami-sensei excels at her longer, serious work like "To You Who Are in the Farthest Limits." She can do such pained, troubled looks and then such happy faces backed by believable stories. It seems a waste when she makes a collection that like this that ...... |
| L'Étoile Solitaire | 7 | I would definitely class this manga as a 'sweet, light romance,' but lacking the grounding exploration of humanity element that a more mature story teller could have subtly infused and woven in. The story line and the characters themselves, were immature in development. Although easy to follow and cognitive, it was rushed, extremely minimized and basic. Even the title tie-in, the bar/cafe where our boys meet, is under developed and glossed over. Technically, the art felt awkward and un-aged in...... |
| Ai dano Koi dano | 9 | --- |
| Kill Me | 7 | --- |
| Calling (OTSUKI Miu) | 9.5 | --- |
| Eien no Shichigatsu | 9.5 | --- |
| Paradise Baby | 8 | --- |
| Love Focus | --- | --- |
| Running on Empty | 8 | I like how the artist/writer used the technique of photographic backgrounds. It gave a fresh depth to the story along with the use of bright water-colour appearing art. It played in well with the theme of what the seemingly mundane photos meant to the man on the run, and how he defined himself--and kept his sanity--from his terribly painful past. From the perspective of a murder-mystery, the ending was terrible! It dissolves into a complete escape attempt at writing a true ending. Thankfully,...... |
| Boku no Kichiku Megane | 7.5 | 1-3, 6: Some clichés were turned on their heads (The sensei is older, taller and yet so obviously the uke.) Other clichés were disappointingly included (The ending was flat with its quick resolution.) The essence of the story was deep: Both men pretend to be something they are not, while truly only wanting to be loved for who they are. The sensei is a romantic, starry eyed shoujo reading virgin type, yet all the school thinks he's an experienced player. The student is the selfless nice guy ...... |
| Kyokutou no Hanamuko | 7 | Maeda-sensei's art is competent, but she improves somewhat in smoothness within her later pieces (with the notable exception of Temptation, which is surprisingly well done, considering it is dated 2005!). This 2007 collection had times where the anatomy was so awkward (such thick necks!) that I became distracted from the story. The emotional believability of her characters is also a bit off at times. The stories have a pattern of great thought and care put into a deep, carefully paced and deve...... |
| Kodoku no Kane ga Naru | 8 | Like the pattern of 2007's Kyokutou no Hanamuko, Maeda-sensei obviously puts a lot of effort into, and displays a great talent for ideas and settings. Alas, her talent is large concepts and sprinting, not details and endurance. The endings are again disappointing for most of this collection. All the stories have an idealized, typical "romance" ending. Usually, one partner is developed with some depth of psychology, while the other languishes, ignored and unremarkable or completely flat and un...... |
| Waga Itoshi no Shitsujidono | 8 | Maeda-sensei likes her frilly, cute, sweet and traditional romance, that she does! Not a lot of depth in any of these stories, but the art is pretty and improved from 2007 and the stories aren't as annoyingly strong in inconsistency with expectations. The title story improve somewhat: I did feel for both characters. It still had Maeda-sensei's typical flip ending and typeset sex scenes where most of the intense intimacy is found falling off unintentionally into the white space between panels. I...... |
| Koukyuu no Arika | 10 | --- |
| S-ka Chuuihou! | 7 | If you like cute (sorta) twins and a bit of humour with your big-eyed yaoi, youthful uke and seme smut, then you'll like this short clip by Minami-sensei. |
| Hishinuma-Roh Hotel | 7 | --- |
| Hisho Ikuseichuu dj - Hisho to Oishii Gohan | --- | --- |
| Hisho Ikuseichuu dj - Sweet Private Secretary | --- | --- |
| Hisho Ikuseichuu dj - Tsuya-bon | --- | --- |
| Yakusoku no Yokan | --- | --- |
| Arienai Futari | 7 | --- |
| Shinu hodo Suki | --- | --- |
| Passion - Forbidden Lovers | 7 | --- |
| Ashinaga Ojisama | 6 | --- |
| Tenshi no Tamagoryouri | 5 | --- |
| Mind Flow | 5 | --- |
| Koi Kaze | 10 | There are so many well thought out, valid and educated commentaries already about this stunning masterpiece. A few great ones to check out: Monkeyvoodoo, Littleyellowdress and Geese1's. This quiet, poignant tale about the human condition touched me deeply as the narration flashed back and forth from significant memories to future choices. The tension was almost a living thing as the reader anticipates the two main characters' moves. The secondary characters' lives all enhance and compliment t...... |
| Emma | 9 | --- |
| Bitter Virgin | 6 | Wow! This is a popular manga! I think it's worth a look-see, for sure, but there are better expressed and more long-lasting impressions made by other serious-topic manga. Kusunoki-sensei did a lovely, clean job with the sharp, thick lined illustrations and spacing. Her style reminds me of Minekura-sensei (Saiyuki), especially around the eyes, but without the intense detail and emotion. It was an aesthetically pleasing, smooth art experience and delivery of frames nonetheless,but again, it wasn...... |
| Aishite Kudasai, Sensei | 10 | --- |
| Lovesick | 8.5 | Yue and Kouki are at times the child and at other times the parent for one another. Isn't life like that sometimes?! ^_^ No one can play one role all the time; this manga handles this issue very well. The characters are multi-dimensional; the dialogue and inner thoughts are deep and grounded in solid psychology. The only thing that was slightly unbelievable was that Yue was TWO times lucky that her bf's were so understanding...or maybe unlucky since they didn't fight for her... The relationship ...... |
| Flowers of Evil | 9 | The author was inspired by Charles Baudelaire and his poetry... How could I NOT read this?! I was captivated from page one--art, story, plotting, technical delivery--they all worked together like the perfectly chosen words of a poem. And it was poetic, a very sad poem, but one that made me think! Within all that psychotic behavior, it was surprisingly tender and loving. It made me cry! Characters I thought were despicable, by story end, were completely understandable and I felt empathy for them...... |
| Bokutachi Otokonoko | 9.5 | --- |
| Candy Life | 8 | --- |
| Sensei no Okiniiri! | 8.5 | As far as fantasy manga, this one has smutty and nonsensical reactions to the extreme. The characters have oversimplification of emotions. But I also found it amusing and fast-paced with scenes delivered in tight fashion that kept my interest and made me intrigued what would happen next with these fascinating characters. The situations were all very erotic and intense if you like this type of fantasy. Not for the typical romantic lovers. As all the comments made readers aware of one fantasy c...... |
| Aishi no Sweet Voice | 8.9 | --- |
| Junai ni Torawarete | 10 | --- |
| From 701 Goushitsu | 8 | Interesting art; the angles are all askew and exaggerated, almost like a sharper, harsher version of Junjou Romantica's strangely angular art. I liked it; it was uncluttered, easy to follow--it almost demanded one's eye to follow. It was unusual and kept my interest. The art, even though more representational than realistic, and certainly not stereotypically shoujo, added a great expressive element to the story. The story itself was alot of smut, but with just the right amount of story plotte...... |
| Ren'ai Strip | 3 | --- |
| Fruits Basket | 10 | --- |
| Hoshi wa Utau | --- | --- |
| Ashita mo Koko de Aou | 9 | Similar to the scanlated oneshot from Carrot and Stick, this one features an oyaji bara uke and a bishounen seme. I felt like Alice in Wonderland; it was strange, but it was fun! Mostly comedic, but still a sweet love story with substance and reflecting moments. This one made me smile with a love confession in the form of: "Don't you get it, stupid?!" Then, when the confessed to still doesn't believe it, what else is a hairy gruff and buff older man left to do but push 'em to the floor and angr...... |
| Damatte Naite Irunodesu | 10 | --- |
| Overwork (Oneshot) | 4 | I'm a fan of bara/rose/men's love, but this one was disjointed and incongruous looking at times. The wording had a few clunky English language mistakes too, which didn't help. lt is a one-shot smut quickie; nothing but the thinnest of plots. Usually, no plot is okay if smut is all I'm looking for, but then the art must be spectacularly luscious. This art is at best okay, at worst amateur awkward, not stylistically exaggerated-on-purpose awkward. If you like bara, and want plot and sensual sex w...... |
| Taka wo Kukurouka | 6 | --- |
| Makeru na Otoko Yo | 7 | --- |
| Heart ni Goyoujin | 8.5 | --- |
| Hey! Doctor | 4 | Not the best title to profile this mangaka--try Ashita mo Koko de Aou instead. As for Hey! Doctor, terribly boring and unsexy to me. The sex scenes did nothing for me because the men were either completely unlikeable or unbelievably stupid. The pacing was properly suited to porn, I suppose--just not my thing. The art is bara-esque without falling truly into bara. I'm not saying it's a waste of time or poorly done; I'm just saying if you wanna feel some sort of connection to the characters, do...... |
| Bespoke | 10 | --- |
| Aikotoba wa Hallelujah dj - Hallelujah Days | 8 | --- |
| Onward! Maiden Road | 10 | I literally burst out laughing multiple times! It's funny, excellently drawn with brisk pacing and even educational! |
| Allure | 9.5 | --- |
| Nemureru Hana | 10 | I really became amazed at the depth and thought behind the psyche of the main characters and the excellent choice of select scene delivery. Each frame held powerful punch. It is a dark and adult story that does have a lot of non-con and dub-con based on two disturbed psyches. But the explanation of their psyches is excellent! After I discovered Masumi's past, I reread the entire tankobon; so many of the briefly flashed scenes that made no sense, or had previously unseen multiple meanings becam...... |
| Kakusei Shigansha | 10 | --- |
| Hanagumi Ninkyouden | 8 | --- |
| Giocatore, Hokaku Keikaku | --- | --- |
| Ano Hi no Kimi wo Dakishimeta nara | 9.5 | --- |
| Ashita no Kimi wa Koko ni Inai | 9 | --- |
| Kemono wa Hana no Yume wo Miru ka | 7 | Sum up: If the odd art strangely attracted you, the personalies and themes punched you in the emotional gut, and you don't discriminate against the gender of the lovers, read Jazz by MAEDA Sakae and TAKAMURE Tamotsu for a similar but far superior exploration. The art is interesting--definitely grew on me. It's expressive and full of manga art tropes, but it flowed well within the story. The story itself was captivating, but terribly undeveloped. Each character had an interesting backstory and t...... |
| Kizu (KIYOHARA Hiro) | 9.5 | --- |
| Eden no Hana | 10 | --- |
| Terror | 4 | --- |
| Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai | 9 | --- |
| Kingyo Sou | 8 | --- |
| Knight's Susume | 8 | The main story runs parallel to the metadiegetic story of Romeo and Juliet. The primary setting in which all the action happens is Shakespeare's play, as the members of the drama club prepare to perform a version of his play in 2 months time. The echoes of themes, like unsuitable partnerships, bullying, loyalty and unswerving affection, were done elegantly. There was no adult explicit levels of intimacy, not saying that it wasn't sexy; it was just discreet of delivery. The emotions of jealous...... |
| Junjou Romantica dj - Mizu wa Houen no Utsuwa ni Shitagau | 8 | A quick, sexy doujinshi, this one shows a possessive side of Nowaki that I can't help but get all frizzle-frazzle about inside! Fukutoku-sensei has Hiro's personality in canon--completely! The art has the illustrator's uniqueness coming across, but it is still believable as a Junjou Romantica doujinshi. Pacing is perfect! |
| Oresama na Aitsu | --- | --- |
| Soshite Koi ga Hajimaru | 10 | --- |
| Saikou no Kimi | --- | --- |
| Renai Jikaku Shoujou | --- | --- |
| Mahoutsukai no Koi | 7.5 | --- |
| Rapuntsel ni Fuku Kaze | 9 | --- |
| Me o Tojite 3-byou | 10 | --- |
| Suki de Shikatanai | 9.5 | --- |
| Henai Prince | 7 | --- |
| Unmeinanosa | --- | --- |
| Ochiru Seija no Seppun | 10 | --- |
| Maniac ni Oborero! Erotic ni Oborero! Bangaihen | 8 | --- |
| Maniakku ni Aishite dj - Paranoia | --- | --- |
| Nude na Shisen | 8.5 | --- |
| Yokubou no Shizuku | 10 | This lady could quickly become one of my favourite mangaka! If you like Shin Mizukami, you'll most likely have no squick for this violent non-con fantasy lass as well. Along side the non-con, this time she's added a lot of gore too. Her art is absolutely gorgeous: darkly breathtaking, vividly suspenseful, and emotionally rich. The story set up is fascinating and steadily delivered with rage, fear, angst, frustration (all those dark kinksters would love it!), but then it quickly deteriorates; ...... |
| Amato Amaro | --- | --- |
| Not Simple | 5 | --- |
| Banana Bread no Pudding | 7 | I not even going to pretend I understood the metaphors and symbolisms and psychoanalysis of this tale, but I can sincerely say that I found several moments within the tale compelling, and several sentiments and behaviorism good sounding boards for further discussion. But none of the characters were ever developed enough for me to really "get into" their shoes. I think it was a little too vague to be meaningful and powerful to me. The characters all seemed a little unapproachable and I didn't ...... |
| Koi ni Oboreru Houkago | 6 | Fairly mundane, uninspired art and story lines. If you read it, I suggest the first three chapters only. The stories involving the title couple are the most interesting, with a bit of humour and likability to the characters. Although not original, the first chapter held my interest with the suspenseful overheard masturbation set up of the relationship between the two men. And the playful 'misadventures' of sex toys and shaving with the boys is decently engaging. Each chapter after the main st...... |
| Ai no Shintairiku | 8.5 | If you are looking for a serious, mature and sophisticated manga dealing with cross gender identity issues, check out Claudine (highly recommended) by Year 24 mangaka Ikeda Riyoko. That said, this one is excellent if you just want an adorable, happy, unapologetic Anne-of-green-gables type character who, although seemingly simple, is maybe just bang-on about life. "If you hate yourself you'll make your whole image seem muddy, but if you like yourself, you'll be able to shine...It's wonderful t...... |
| Sukimasuki | 8 | --- |
| Claudine | 9.8 | --- |
| Torikagoshou no Kyou mo Nemutai Juunintachi | 8.5 | --- |
| Love Price!? | 7 | This one is cute and consensual. The plot is simple; the emotions are surface. There is no real deep character exploration and the idealized happiness of the ending is quite forgettable, but regardless of the shallow surface skimming of emotions and plot, it's a feel-good fantasy pick-me-up you can read in 15 minutes. The art is typical: small, cute, strong-willed but self-questioning uke, drawn with rounded lines and big eyes; dark, tall, rich, aggressive and yet respectful seme, drawn with an...... |
| Hotarubi no Mori E | 9 | --- |
| Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu | 3 | Originally, this was written as a novel, but the translation to manga was unbelievably boring! The action just didn't captivate me, and the story was uncompelling. I think the art was part of the problem: it seemed so scattery and hard to follow. A lot of the line work was similar--not a lot of variety--so it fell sort of flat on the page. I might try another one of this writer's stories, but with another artist, and I'm in no rush. Ichikawa Takuji has another story entitled, "Heavenly Fores...... |
| Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru | 7 | --- |
| Sugar Princess | 8 | This tale was very pretty and inspirational; it was just right for a young girl, perhaps one who really loves the world of ice skating. It isn't about the "romance" of Maya and Shun; rather, it is about the "romance" of helping one another to shine. It does have a heart flutter or two, though, and they were entirely innocent and wonderfully sweet. The shoujo style aspects of flowers and emotions are all tastefully and moderately done; there are no overly flowery scenes or high melodrama, but i...... |
| First Love | 6 | The boy seemed to have all the ingredients of innocent, cute, and aroused. The doctor seemed to be the caring and heartfelt older type, but there was something essential missing in this oneshot; it wasn't truly compelling. I'm glad I read it, but my memory of it will most like be like the relationship between the two characters: unlasting. |
| Kanmitsu Danshi | 5 | --- |
| Kimi no Tsuku Uso to Hontou | 9 | --- |
| Niresaki Kyouju no Hirusagari no Kenkyuushitsu | 8.9 | Tokumaru-sensei creates men that are at once bishounen and still very manly. The mysteries that the professor and his aide solved were engaging and always tied in to developed the overarching theme of their own relationship. The delivery was theatrical and suspenseful regarding the Professor's past. In a sense, this wonderful delivery contributed to the ending becoming a little disappointing or anticlimactic. Overall, it was a captivating read; the art only added to the entertaining, heartfelt s...... |
| Kimi ga Kono Te wo Hanarerunara | 7 | "If You Leave Me" was mostly flat; it's saving grace for me was the intriguing element of the bittersweet maturity within the young man who was left behind by a lover who took advantage of him and broke his heart. I began to get excited thinking the story would have an unsually realistic and mature ending, but was disappointed with how quickly and unbelievably the emotions turned. "Weekend Lovers" was sweet. It was like a little poem to how important time and reassurance is to give to one's ...... |
| Koware Hajimeta Tenshitachi | 4 | I tried really hard to like this tale, if only because the premise was interesting and the art was --at times-- detailed and beautiful with many tiny, thin lines. However, I started to lose interest in figuring out the family's saga and gave up half-way through volume 3. If you don't mind weak story delivery, and are looking for that absoulutely breathtaking art in similar bishounen- bishoujo style as this, I'd recommend Shurei Kouyu's Alichino in an instant. Broken Angels, on the other hand,...... |
| Barbarian in Tokyo dj - Hoshi no Sumu Machi | 10 | I do believe this story was eventually merged into the 2-chapter story "Swimming in the Dry Street at Night" from the anthology collection entitled Kawaita Yoru no Machi wo Oyogu. The premise is identical even though the brothel owner is changed and becomes named as a separate character from Barbarian in Tokyo. This is a sexually titillating, non-con suspense preview to one of the best stories in the 2007 collection. The splash page alone is worth owning the book. Stunning colours, pose and ...... |
| Hanjuku Orange | 8 | --- |
| Hitodenashi to Koi | 8.5 | Not much plot or character development but this one shot is worth reader for the great expressions on the characters' faces--desire and guilt, anxiety, pleasure, excitement all at the same time. And the suspense in the office room as the risk of exposure rises is fantastic! The ending was extremely fast--like resolved in one page fast, but it was just a sexy short after all. |
| Koi wa Maiorita | 7 | --- |
| Kono Koi wa Himitsu | 8 | --- |
| Oki ni Mesu Mama | 5 | --- |
| Cafe Relish ni Oide | 7.5 | --- |
| Renai Shinan! | 8 | Love is Difficult made me chuckle, especially when they went on their "how to date" date. (The seme is so freaking cute! He takes a picture of the breakfast that Hatano makes him!) There are several scenes with great sexual tension, but the very second one was a bit of a slip on the ice with its too fast culmination of events that seemed incongruous with the prior flow. But it was minor; the creator picks himself up and is pacing beautifully again with plot, dialogue and 'just right' humour....... |
| Cappuccino | 7 | --- |
| Meikon | 8.5 | --- |
| Brothers (YAMAMOTO Kotetsuko) | 8 | --- |
| Nichijousahan Bi - Beautiful Life | 9 | --- |
| Oresama no Toriko | 9.5 | What fun! Although not as awesome as Oni ni Hatsujou, this one is still very enjoyable! It's really funny, has a great story, loveable and unique characters, is very sexy, and is plotted with talent! Plus, Amagi-sensei's art is just so sparkly, sharp and vividly emotive! And the adorableness of the baby added to their little man-man family--some of the art in that chapter was absolutely the sweetest! It's a little more fun-spirited, and never gets as serious as my favourite title by Amagi-sens...... |
| Oni ni Hatsujou | 10 | The art is all sharp angles and polished style! The movement is paced bang-bang-bang! It's brilliantly plotted to draw you in immediately. The art and story runs the gamut from hilarious (I reread scenes just because they made me laugh so much!), intensely sexual (again with the rereads--so hawt and angsty and heart warming too), and completely believable with compelling behaviour on both characters' parts. And suspenseful like woah! The plotting is never boring: chapter four gives insight on ...... |
| Shitsuji Kyoushi no Renai Jugyou | 8 | Both stories are fun reads, and they both have the same 'feel' to them. But they are distinct enough from one another that they remain interesting. The stories holds together and are plotted at a fast pace. There are funny bits (e.g.: In the first story, when the butler describes everyones secrets so matter-of-factly in order to black mail them; in the second story, when Misumi realizes why men don't dance together ballroom style... something about the close proximity of protruding body parts)...... |
| Ultras | 10 | --- |
| Only One (MOEGI Yuu) | 8.5 | The story of how these two men hooked up was terribly fast, so much so it ruined the first 3/4 of the prequel. This story, the sequel, is much better. The mangaka took a breath again, and carefully plotted her story, even giving the reader a fun little surprise at the end. The art still shines, and is allowed to shine entirely with the return of a steady plot beat. |
| Trick Ster | 4 | Vampire Banana has given a brilliant, educated comment! This story does reflect an alternate, expanded understanding of the psychology of the personality 'disorder' labelled as 'psychopath.' I did find this character amusing...but only for a time. The constant repetition of plot runs dry, and her anarchy loving, heartless, playful ways becomes annoying and simple rather than funny and smart by the fourth chapter. There is no meaningful connection to her character. Which is okay, if it was a ...... |
| Quarrelsome Honey | 8 | I am gently surprised and impressed with the mangaka’s mix-up of body types, personalities and roles in this little ditty. Yoshino and Kuga are an interesting pair that gel with their sharp dynamic of opposites. Their personalities are alive and real; I felt immediately connected with them both. The artwork is slightly edgy, with round lines and shapes mixed with sharp lines and shapes that make for an interesting overall page appearance. (Lovely, clean scans, by the by!) Expressions and sce...... |
| Wasurerarenai Yoru to Hikikaeni | 10 | And I don't mean only arousing in the adult way, but in many other emotional ways: this collection runs the gamut from LOVE to HATE with reviewers; to me, that says I must read it because it elicits such strong emotions! I fall into the camp that loved this collection wildly and passionately! Most of the stories were extreme, exciting, creative, and delivered with clippy pacing; I still think about the themes and meanings today, and I read this collection quite a while ago. If I find myself t...... |
| Nemureru Mori (TOJITSUKI Hajime) | 6 | --- |
| So Serious | 10 | This 16-page one-shot uses a crossword as the structure of its message. Joe and Liam, one a hostage, the other a captor with a cause, seem almost to be two versions of the same person: one is naieve, youthful and full of optimism; the other, hardened and experienced so as he cannot even say the word "love". The story centers around a romantic idealism: humanity getting along with the over-simplified concept of "love". Bonus: It has about 4 pages of a slow-burning eroticism. The art is extremel...... |
| Usotsuki wa Shinshi no Hajimari | 10 | --- |
| Get Backers dj - Rainy Day | 9.5 | Graceful poetry of words and images. This is a sorrowful and yet hopeful dj. There is an intimacy scenes, but nothing too graphic. The focus of the short dj is on the "rain in the heart" or the "inner darkness" that both men fear. |
| Boku no Shiru Anata no Hanashi | 8.5 | --- |
| Little Butterfly: Gush Limited | 9 | This couple is endlessly touching! Even these few pages were cute, tender and heart warming; immediately compelling when attached to the main story. The whole delivery feels like a sweet pouring out of something brief, ethereal and important. The art is flowing and pretty. |
| Eros in the Stoic | --- | --- |
| NightS | 7 | --- |
| Double Mints | 7 | --- |
| 1-en no Otoko | 9 | --- |
| Issho ni Kuraro | 8 | --- |
| Renai à la Carte! | 7 | Chock-a-block full of cute, fawn-eyed uke and cute, psuedo-'scary' seme (still cute) with lots of tropes of stereotyped yaoi thrown in. It's a fun, quick, sexy-time read with no real lasting effect. The last chapter (the explicit photo shoot extraordinarre!) was actually quite creative in its delivery and dialogue for a simple, pwp yaoi. I liked it for it's smuttiness, but also for the whole situation. Not really my cup-o-java, since I like character driven manga, but if you already have your ...... |
| Home Drama | 8 | --- |
| Barairo Mitsubachi | 5 | --- |
| Jinsei wa Barairo Da | 8 | --- |
| Okaeri wa Kochira | 7.5 | ...but still, it is very passionate! It's cute, and it has a story to boot! It's all about one man learning about what to value--his roots in the other person. The metaphor is simple, but holds the little story together. Very gentle Yaoi...could be mistaken for a deep bromance (if you eliminate the two lip kisses; ho ho ho!) Very sweet with dramatic poses and faces and strong emotions. Yamato-sensei's art is always a bright, vivid, easy joy to read. |
| Steady Study | 8 | --- |
| Yajuu de Hatsukoi | 9 | --- |
| Yuigon | --- | --- |
| Koi Shika Dekinaiyo | 9 | --- |
| Kanpeki na Koibito | --- | --- |
| Ouji to Kotori | 10 | If you love Yamanaka Hiko, I recommend Hideyoshico. This tale was suspenseful with a unique, emotional art style. The tension created by the dominant prince kept me turning the pages (slowly--to absorb every detail!). At the same time, the art and story both had a gentle, tender air about them. In the future, I hope Yamanaka writes a longer series, so she is given a chance to expand and develop her characters and their interactions together further. |
| Hatsukoi no 70% wa, | 8 | --- |
| Aishiatteru Futari | --- | I don't know how to rate this collection. The stories are so odd and disjointed. I don't think it's a problem with the mangaka's ability to manipulate the comic narrative form; I think even if these stories were told in prose, they'd still flummox me somewhat. All four have fascinating elements: the first two stories center around the theme of frustration over a loved one's behaviour (leading to extreme acts in the first story). The third one is more of a gentle confession story despite its se...... |
| Chuuken Kunshu | 7 | --- |
| Iro wo mo Kaori wo mo | 5 | It was especially disappointing because it held such promise as potential angst-lover's pleasure. This one seemed thrown together and extremely superficial. The art was flowing and light-stroke pretty, but the story... * shakes head * The characters were one-dimensional and the development of their relationship was unbelievable and flat. Their love was unconvincing and their behaviour was incomprehensible with its brevity and motivations. As for the blindness...what blindness? I did enjoy the ...... |
| Oujisama Game | 6 | --- |
| Renai Zemi | 8.5 | The title story (first 3 chapters) was really well done for a sweet, comedic, 'first love' type story. Koishitara Mermaid (4th chapter) was cute. It only skimmed along the surface of very serious issues like self-worth and suicide, but I only ever felt like it was aiming for light, so it wasn't disappointing. |
| Densen Complex | 8 | --- |
| Mimi to Shippo to Mahoutsukai | 2 | --- |
| Okusama wa Joshi Kousei | 3 | Review for volume 1: I give the full-colour art a 9 because it is so curvaceous, well-proportioned and liquid. The flow of the manga panels is clear and clean; the unique concept of mini-chapters exploring the one emotion each that belong to the man and woman could have been done in a more intelligent and poetic way to compliment the art. The problem really lay in the retention of my interest. It was the same thing over and over: no story to speak of and not quite porn either. Mostly tease. Un...... |
| Katsubou no Manazashi | 9 | --- |
| Sagatte Omachi Kudasai | 9 | --- |
| Boku Dake ni Kiss wo Shite | --- | This is a fun anthology--nothing extraordinary in art or story, but fun nonetheless. The art and stories are flowing and light, with just enough tension and plotting to keep you reading, but not too much promise of development that all the quick endings become too quick. Ichijou-sensei delivers light easy yaoi that is school boy fantasy fun. |
| Get Backers dj - Mayoigo | 8.5 | --- |
| Sono Te no Netsu wo Kasanete | 9 | --- |
| Tsutaete Ii no | 7 | --- |
| Ai ga Aru kara | 5 | --- |
| Agetai Kimochi | 5.5 | For both this collection, and the prequel, Anbalance Lover: The art is average, nothing special to cause a pause in reading in order to admire it. The stories themselves are disjointed and hard to connect emotionally with. All the characters seem one-dimensional and their love seems unbelievable. That said, if you want some average bl smut, it is still worth a bit of time to read. |
| Sawatte, Tokashite | 7 | Nothing really stood out to me with this one; the art is the best part, but not strong enough to save the stories which are all fairly flat since they are predictable and unoriginal. Still, fun to read for a quick break. |
| Sorenari ni Shinken nandesu | 10 | --- |
| Wisteria-Colored Sky Apartment | 9 | He looks down at the earth below his feet; she looks up at the skyline surrounding her 7th floor apartment. They both connect in this poetic little mono-no-aware type of slice-of-life (albeit a very quick slice) one shot. It is quiet and pretty. The art is flowing, rounded out and delivered smoothly for both the background flow and the characters' movements as well. |
| Yachin Hanbun no Ibasho desu | 7 | --- |
| Royal Fiancé | 9.5 | I really enjoyed this 'adult' fairy tale. Yes, it has fantasy rape/love, but it's very exciting and plays beautifully into the story. The art is amazingly vivid, especially the eyes. The flow of the drawings and movement of the characters across the scenes is just paced with a perfect rhythm. The only small issue I had was the 'rushed' feel to the end, but it was minor; it didn't stop me from throughly enjoying this yummy little treat of uncontrollable emotions on the Prince's part and the sw...... |
| Koibito wa Hatsujouki | --- | Well, if there is a theme to this anthology, it's 'something for every BL lover!' And the art doesn't disappoint in any of them, but the last story is outstanding in its breath-taking intricacy of patterns and mysterious facial expressions. With "A Devil In School" we have the yaoi trope of dominate, large, doom-and-gloom yakuza seme with weepy uke. "Home Tutors Cannot Fall In Love" is a fun, light story with the serious uke falling for a fairly flat and unlikeable seme who doesn't think too ...... |
| Oujisama ni Narenai | 9 | Well, this one shot didn't knock me on my ass and make me read it over and over, but this mangaka is still surely counted on my list of mangaka who know what to do with 30 pages. The fairy tale theme held together strongly from the first page to the last. What is a Prince but someone else's fantasy put onto another? This story was not only extremely sexy and beautifully illustrated with bishounen boys, but the story had a sweet, tender, gentle feel to it regarding being accepted for who you ...... |
| Gimmick | 7.5 | --- |
| Tonari no Oniisan | 7 | This oneshot skims along the surface of great potential. The story itself is an excellent idea; the plotting lacks somewhat. When the confesssions are made, only one out of three seems believable and compelling. The art is pretty, so that helped me keep reading. The main character, the little uke who thinks he isn't cute, is quite interesting. Too bad everyone else around him didn't get as much carefull attention. Do read this story; it is worth it for sure, but Asou-sensei, with the right story...... |
| 24 Jikan Eigyouchuu | 7.5 | --- |
| Soko ni Suwaru na | 10 | Wow! This one is a rare, heart-wrenching and poetic treasure that made me smile happily, have heart lurches, feel angsty butterflies, and get all excited--over and over. The art is bishounen, but has that sharp angle look that makes it outstandingly masculine at the same time. The faces are subtly yet explosively expressive, as is the way the characters' move their bodies. Plus, Asou-sensei knows what to do with the page as she choose her panels and what is inside them carefully. And the stori...... |
| Nakasete! Doctor | 8 | --- |
| Jigoku Yuki Bus | 10 | --- |
| Girou no Koimizu | --- | --- |
| Missing Road | 7 | The phenomenal news is that DramaQueen has been reborn and her quality is once again lushly, sensuously beautiful. She's one of the most stunning English-language publishers in terms of quality: the sfx are all translated and flow with the graphics; the pages are crisp, white and blacks are toned sharply; and --most wonderful of all-- when she censors, she tells you in the credits on the last page where and why. I can just feel the honour and respect that DQ has for the art of manga, and the ...... |
| Ikemen-kun to Saenai-kun | 9 | --- |
| Daigishi no Ichizoku | 6 | --- |
| Tooi Nemuri | 9 | --- |
| Saburina | 7.5 | Beautiful Ougi-sensei porny bishounen art sparkles all over once again. Simple, erotic Ougi-sensei story telling in this one though; she never gets very complicated or deeply involved with her characters. Okay for a quickie if you are in need of an Ougi-fix... but below par when compared to her usual, longer works. |
| Yokubou Sensibility | 7.5 | --- |
| Katsuai Monster | 7.5 | --- |
| Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei dj - Akai Sasoi | 10 | There isn't a lot of character development in the canon, but the basis of all the characters in SZS is beyond excitingly intriguing. That said, the characters are vastly expandable for slash and dj believability! Interestingly, almost all the djs in this canon are excellent, and with a variety of themes and aesthetics. And this particular one--? Well, if you like incest, light bondage and angst, well this one has that! Raves from me! <3 Art wise it's nothing special, but the characters are all...... |
| Koi wa Go Go! | 7 | --- |
| Sailor Danshi | 9 | Very sexy and fun! This is as close as I get to loving something that I might class as "porn." The art is so vibrant; I wanted to squeeze and prod everybody's round and palpable bodies just to see their reactions, and the intense, but fun-spirited stories had emotions that bubbled all over the place while still holding a connection with my brain for the porn to work! |
| Blurry Moon | 7 | --- |
| Baby Bitch! | 7 | --- |
| Bousou Kareshi | 10 | Another great one from Sakira! Even a person who doesn't generally like PWP, such as myself, can enjoy her works! he art is a mix of bishounen-bara with sharp, lined piercing eyes, and the stories are fun, fun, fun! There is something so oddly interesting about her little aggressive uke... The pacing is fast and the stories are interesting alongside all that delicious sauce! |
| Hisho wa Shachou ni Kudokareru | 8 | --- |
| Lucky Number 13 | 8.5 | --- |
| Tsurukusa no Niwa | 9 | --- |
| Senshuuraku Made Matte | 9 | The title story runs for the first four chapters--chapters five through seven are all oneshots. The kabuki story is boring and cliched with mediocre art. Chapter five, Kaei ni Omou, is also cliched with mediocre art, but it's pure loveliness: it's brief, but it has some very poignant lines: "When you grow up, you'll find real love" says the restrictive father to the son. "Real love? Dont you mean socially acceptable love...?" I enjoyed this one very much. The rest of the oneshots are executed ...... |
| Tsuyameku Hishatai | 6 | --- |
| Tsuki no Ookamiotoko | 9 | --- |
| Trompe-l'œil no Yubisaki | 9 | --- |
| Otodokeshimasu | 7 | --- |
| Wasuremono | 9 | The title story is a wonderful 2-chapter short! The "bashful older uke" as Trix M. mentions, is most certainly adorable. There is a sexy-amazing and sweetly innocent, guilt-filled masturbation scene starring him. Then, there is a very tense, erotically charged scene with the "badumps" of both uke and seme -- and no clothes are even removed! What amazes me is that this scene, filled with moment-by-moment panel transitions, is four pages long and never in a million years would I call it boring;...... |
| Yorokobi wa Hiza no Ue | 7 | --- |
| Deep Bloody Night | 7 | --- |
| Anohito to Nitenai Kuchibiru | 8.5 | --- |
| Akuma wa Hohoemu | --- | --- |
| Kyou Kara Maou! dj - I Own You Everything | 7 | --- |
| Crystal Harem | 10 | --- |
| Hisuiiro no Kaze | 10 | --- |
| Kodou no Yokan - Vital Zero | 9 | --- |
| Hana no Mizo Shiru | 9 | --- |
| Swift as Lightning | 8 | --- |
| Honoka na Koi no Danpen wo | 7 | --- |
| Isagi-Kojima | 9 | --- |
| Yume Mita Shuumatsu | 10 | --- |
| Chikatetsu no Inu | 10 | --- |
| Kakko Warukute Kakkoii Kimi | 8 | --- |
| Sono Mama de | 8.5 | --- |
| Critical Lovers | 8 | --- |
| Mankai Darling | 8 | --- |
| Uchi no Ko ni Narinasai | 7.5 | --- |
| Beauty Stock | 7.5 | --- |
| Carnivorous Animal's Table Manners | 9 | --- |
| A Boring Man | 8.5 | --- |
| Dash! | 8 | --- |
| Kago no Uchi | 9 | --- |
| Baby I Love You | 7 | --- |
| Lovers Doll | 8 | --- |
| Access | 5 | --- |
| Bathroom Guuwa | 4 | --- |
| Hanshin | 6 | --- |
| Kindai Renai | 9 | --- |
| Egomix | 6 | --- |
| Aisaretaino | 8 | --- |
| Hada made Aishite | 7 | --- |
| Ake Nure Goyou ni Furu Yuki wa | --- | All the stories in this collection are haunting and poetic. There's a lot of metaphoric depth in the imagery and words, and there's a lot of deep psycholgoical exploration. I applaud the translator and editor for capturing the poetry and psychology. And the art! My god. The art. Breath taking. (The graphic editor made some great aesthetic choices.) My only complaint? This is Hori Tomoki's only English title! |
| Kimi no Ondo | 5 | --- |
| Aisaretaino dj - Ai no Tameni | 6 | --- |
| Ashita wa Joutenki | 8 | --- |
| Gekai no Okiniiri | 9.9 | --- |
| Hashire! Oujisama | --- | --- |
| Himitsu no Okusuri | 8 | --- |
| Juusha to Oresama | 9.5 | Chapter five was the highlight of this collection! It was very unusual and greatly intriguing! My only complaint is that it would be better if it had a whole tankobon devoted to its development. It has enough going for it that, with more depth, it could have explored pain and grief amazingly. |
| Kawaii Hito (KONNO Keiko) | 9 | --- |
| Kawaii Hito | 7 | --- |
| Kiss Me | 10 | --- |
| Kooporasu e Youkoso | 8 | --- |
| Soshite Koi ni Naru | 8 | --- |
| Nureru Karada (YAMAKAMI Riyu) | 10 | --- |
| Pika Pika Days | 7 | --- |
| Rival ni Ki wo Tsukero | 8 | --- |
| Sasayaku no wa Sono Yubi | 10 | --- |
| Sore wa Yappari ai Kamone | 6 | --- |
| Suki to Itte (YAMAKAMI Riyu) | 8 | --- |
| Wonderful Life dj - Wonderful Life+ | 7 | --- |
| Ou to Hiyaku | 8 | --- |
| Blanc Marie | 10 | --- |
| Hana yori Dango | 10 | --- |
| Venus ni Arazu | 7.5 | --- |
| Jinbe | 5 | The art was interesting, the story was interesting, but the plotting was terrible; it never seemed to go any where, be it action or character development, and that overshadowed the interesting art. I found it quite frustrating to read because the father was a likeable sort, and I had a lot of curiosity regarding him. |
| Mars | 10 | --- |
| Antique Romance | 9 | --- |
| Hanayomesama wa 16-sai | 5 | --- |
| Hanatsukihime | 9 | --- |
| Bokura no Koi wa Shi ni Itaru Yamai no You de | 7 | --- |
| Kyou Kara Maou! dj - Kono Te o Hanasanaide | 9.5 | --- |
| Akanai Tobira (TAKAZAWA Taeko) | 8 | --- |
| Bachi Bachi (KIJIMA Hyougo) | 10 | --- |
| Hanamai Koeda de Aimashou | 10 | --- |
| King & Prince | 7 | --- |
| Zankoku na Kimi to Tomo ni | 8 | --- |
| Koi no Ori Mitsu no Kusari | 7 | --- |
| Rokugatsu no Hengen-san | 9 | --- |
| Kareshi Glamorous | 7 | --- |
| Don't Cry Baby | 9 | --- |
| Kimi ni Yori Nishi | 10 | --- |
| Kimi to Harujion | 9 | Kinoshita-sensei excels at slowly developed romances that gut punch me all of a sudden; usually, it's at a deceptively quiet scene that is, in truth, explosively agonizing! Her longer tales are far better than her one shots. Her art is unusual, but damn is it expressive! In this tankobon, not once did the older man verbally or with thoughts express or acknowledge his growing love for the young man he originally wished to simply protect and care for after being deeply affected by the young man...... |
| Mitsuiro Pancake | 8 | --- |
| Tonari no Kare | 9.5 | --- |
| Soshite Boku wa Koi wo Suru | 7 | --- |
| Hatsujoukei Drags | 7 | --- |
| Otona ni Natte mo | 7 | --- |
| Hetalia dj - 365 | 9 | --- |
| Namida mo Tooku - Aonibi no Nemuri | 9.5 | Like all the other stories in this future universe, "Blue Grey Dream" is compelling but somewhat incomplete. Still, the story telling process is enjoyable. "Tokimeku Oujisama" is light and fun--and put a smile on my face as well as a bit of a jump in my pants! <3 The second story tries to deal with serious subjects like forgiveness, but, like stories in the Pavillion series, this one too has dissatisfying development. All said, Honjou Rie is one of my most admired mangaka. She has a lot of g...... |
| Anata no Kiss mo Kokoro mo Zenbu | 9 | The story that caught me on fire was number three: "A Cat and a Nice Guy." Although not much in the eroticism, the psychology shines beautifully. From the very first page, where the young man is immediately, and much too personally, pissed when he overhears a kind man's response to mean words from a woman, right to the end, where the kind man has learned that sometimes kindness is not the desired choice, it is brillantly developed. |
| Bed no Ue no Tengoku | 10 | ...is incrediblly romantic and addresses a lot of real issues belonging to trapped or young love. The whole atmosphere was softly sorrowful, rendering several faces of love beautifully. Even the traditional Japanese folk tale element of rancor, or resentment and anger, that accompanies love and life was blended in. And with that eucatastrophy type ending, I can't help but love this poetically delivered, adeptly drawn story. The whole collection had a lovely balance of light-hearted and fun ve...... |
| Birikketsu no Mahou | 8.5 | --- |
| Kimi Note | 7.5 | --- |
| Himitsu no Yoasobi | 8 | --- |
| Hoozuki no Shima | 10 | --- |
| Suki ni Naru to Kowareru | 10 | --- |
| Okubyou na Yubisaki | 10 | --- |
| Brilliant Blue | 10 | --- |
| Kedamono Nanbiki? | 8 | --- |
| Meguriau yo Baby | 10 | --- |
| Final Impression | 8 | --- |
| Zantei, Koibito | 7.5 | --- |
| Solanin | 3 | --- |
| Tonari no Jijou | 4 | --- |
| Mukashi no Hanashi | 9 | --- |
| Megane Goshi no Sora wa... | 8 | --- |
| Dounimo Naranai | 7 | --- |
| Koi ni Tsuite | 10 | --- |
| Heart (SAKURANO Nayuna) | 8.5 | --- |
| Sono Koi ni wa Wake ga Aru | --- | --- |
| Lovely Complex | 9 | I'm only on volume five, and I am having a fantastic time! This mangaka has talent! She spins a story that is compelling: funny, angsty, recognizable, and paced with awesome beats of speed and then savoring! My heart strings have been pulled by the expressive art and psychologically sound story; I've spewed out several guffaws. Edit: i took a point off for a bit slower, less interesting arcs in the latter volumes, but a worthwhile read to the end. And... I'm taller--by 2"!--than Risa! Nooeees!...... |
| Hetalia dj - Omae Naka Daikirai! | 10 | --- |
| Hetalia dj - Letter | 5 | --- |
| Himegoto Asobi | 9 | --- |
| Circle (NAONO Bohra) | 9 | --- |
| Climax | 7 | --- |
| Seinen wa Ai o Kou | 8 | --- |
| Hands Off!! | --- | --- |
| Hinata | --- | --- |
| Mawaru Sekai no Kimi to Boku | --- | --- |
| Aido | 5 | The art is lush, expressive and elegant; I thought I could never tire of it as I fell headlong into the heady drug rush of this tankobon. That was the first quarter. The story, however, started to feel like i was banging into tree branches on the way down, until, finally, i hit rocks. The increasing irritation became exponential. Comics is the magic of story told with words and images--for this title, the art began to lose it's magic as the story telling and characterization ran afoul. The m...... |
| Futekinai Ongaku | 10 | --- |
| Sekine-kun no Koi | 7 | --- |
| Juukei Hanazono | --- | This is an anthology. The title story is fascinating--as a preliminary plan. It feels like the mangaka only gave her readers the notes she had of the general idea of the serious story she wanted to tell. And it could have been so very wonderful fleshed out--great potential for character growth and drama. Perhaps it'll inspire someone to take the themes further--it is still worth reading as a launch board of ideas. Two of the other tales in this collection, however, were quite fulfilling: the...... |
| Karamari Jijou | 8 | The body art was awkward at times, but the faces and panel composition choices were emotive, suspenseful and paced well. I especially enjoyed the "snake" eyes of the seme. As for the story, it was fairly cliched and uninspiring, but it certainly held my attention from the first page to the last. |
| Soutaisei Koufukuron | 8 | --- |
| Kawaisa Amatte Nanika ga Hyakubai | 8.5 | The stories never get in depth with the characters and their relationships with themselves and one another, but the art is emotional and pretty and there is enough base connection with the characters so that the sex scenes aren't just boring porn. Both stories are rather adorable: a salaryman, who has always simply been an "Object" to his partners no matter how sincere he loves, realizes the feelings of a florist are different; and an ordinary son of a "Mama" realizes his love (and fetishes!) ...... |
| Shiranai Kao | --- | --- |
| Sweet Bitter Candy | 9 | --- |
| Negative-kun to Positive-kun | 9 | --- |
| Ubawareru Koto Marugoto Zenbu | 8 | --- |
| Wife and Wife Book | 7 | --- |
| Chuchun ga Chun | 10 | --- |
| M-ka Chuuihou! | 7 | --- |
| Gokudou Café | 9 | Pretty pretty art, expressive moments, and very fluffy (even with the ...rape...? @_@). I liked this title by Shinano Oumi, and I do recommend it for tongue-in-cheek yaoi. But if you want to see Shinano Oumi at her best, try the longer, more serious piece, Crystal Harem: http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=14763 |
| Usagi to Ookami no Shinshikyoutei | 7 | --- |
| Ai no Koe | 7 | --- |
| Musa | --- | --- |
| Himegoto wa Ouji no Tashinami | 5 | The art is a fresh look -- it's still that glamorous beauty, but retains a lot of simplified realism as well. All my positive ratings are for the art. The story's delivery is in shambles. Confusing, abrupt, and lacking completely in compelling character development. |
| Wana Wana Kiss | 10 | --- |
| Wonderful Life dj - Wonderful Life++ | 7 | --- |
| Silence (AKIYAMA Koito) | 9 | Amazing! Unique characters, compelling development, heart-throbbing relationships, smooth art, but way too condensed. Still, it was worth reading. The title story was extremely captivating! Rating for that story. |
| Konya wa Take-out nite | 7 | --- |
| Ronald no Yabou | 7 | This manga keeps it's promise of comedy, but also skims along the surface of real characters interacting in a real relationship, which is annoying because it never comes true. Serious moments were dead ended with comedy. The funny is dampened. Ashford's character is flat. Not only am I wholly unconvinced of Ashford's "love" for Ronald, but I also don't like him at all. I feel sorry for Ronald, the big puppy dog, and I can't figure out why he chases after Ashford. Ashford's mother, on the oth...... |
| Ore no Zutto Suki na Hito | 7 | A collection of very sweet and tender boys' love stories. Everyone is sincere and (mostly) innocent and everyone falls adorably in love. If you're in the mood for a bit of well-paced fluffiness with expressive and solid art work, pick this title up. It's especially nice if you only have a few minutes and want to catch a cute story while you're waiting. |
| Ousama Game | 7 | --- |
| Kaizoku Game | 6 | --- |
| Sabaku no Oujisama | 7 | --- |
| Kiraboshi Dial | 10 | --- |
| System of Romance | 10 | Oh. My. God. A mere twenty pages, average art, but shit, I was devasted with emotion! Curiousity spun questions wildly. I wanted to know so much more! Why was the boy like this? What evolution did he have to make him this way? Ditto for the girl! Why crave this? Fascinating. If only it was developed more. Then again, maybe that would ruin its impact. |
| No Color | 7 | --- |
| Sugar Code | 8 | --- |
| Tight Rope | 7 | --- |
| Doko ga Ikenai!? | 5 | --- |
| Sentimental Garden Lover | 10 | --- |
| Koi no Mimi Yori Chuuihou | 10 | --- |
| Kokken | 5 | --- |
| Koi to wa Yobenai | 10 | --- |
| Yoru no Tenohira | 4 | --- |
| Kimi wa Amai Amai... | 9 | The couple in chapters five and six, "Tranquilize" and "Compose," are fascinating. It's like a brief, condensed study of the human desire to possess and dominate another. Violence and tenderness: two sides of the same coin, The main story is big-eyed, weepy uke and sweet, self-assured seme--a lovely, if cliched story line. |
| Fake dj - Backstage Pass | 9 | --- |
| Bakabaka Gossip | 10 | --- |
| Koko kara Dousuru? | 7 | --- |
| Mon Seul | 10 | --- |
| Teirui Makura | 9 | --- |
| Ebisu-san to Hotei-san | 8 | --- |
| Ichigo no Gakkou | 10 | --- |
| Zurui Otoko (NAONO Bohra) | --- | --- |
| Stalemate | 8 | --- |
| Junk! dj - Junk! | 8.5 | --- |
| Anata no Tame nara doko Made mo | 10 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Umi de Oboreru Sakana | 10 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Mikiri Hassha | 4 | No story, no character development, not even a small reflection on the canon story. Art is fine, but nothing special. Even for PWP, it's fairly standard and unoriginal. Definitely didn't hit any chords with me. But the team did a great job scanlating--so, give 'er a go if you like PWP. |
| Issho na Dakejya | 5 | --- |
| Yukemuri Tamatebako | 7 | --- |
| Towa ni Nemure | 8 | --- |
| Miman Renai | 9.5 | --- |
| Akarui Kazoku Keikaku (MOROZUMI Sumitomo) | 7.5 | --- |
| Miman Renai dj - Summer Story | 8 | --- |
| Kitsune no Tama Yobai | 9 | --- |
| Sora to Hara | 8 | --- |
| Renai Houteishiki | 8.5 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Barnaby Says Nay and Means Aye. | 8 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Jobijobaa | 9 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Sexual Harassment | 8 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Buddy | 7 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Keru Kuchibiru | 7 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Bad Night, Bad Morning | 8 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Spindle | 7 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Again | 7 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Glasses | 9 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Otsukare Summer | 9 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Amaku Yasashii Binetsu | 9 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Kimi ga Iru Sekai ni Arigatou Soshite Arigatou | 8 | --- |
| Ihoujin - Etrange | 7 | --- |
| Mezase Hero! dj - A Man of Many Requests | 10 | --- |
| Rutta to Kodama | 9 | --- |
| Spicy Pink | 8 | --- |
| Over Drive (NAKAMURA Koume) | 10 | --- |
| Yes It's Me | 9 | --- |
| Concrete Garden | 8 | --- |
| Strobe Edge | 9 | --- |
| Hissing | 8.5 | --- |
| Cello Mellow | 8 | --- |
| Konbini-kun. | 10 | --- |
| Ashita mo Tanin | 9 | --- |
| Abarenbou Kareshi | 7 | --- |
| Hagoromo Mishin | 8 | A gentle, bittersweet tale of three young people on their way to adulthood. The swan teaches them all a little something about following their hearts and allowing their emotions to be uncensored. The art is crisp and simple, sometimes beautiful and idealized, other times, a little more cartoony. This short tale has a lovely variety of art and setting. The flow is natural and easy to comprehend. Personally, I didn't give it 10/10 because it was too short to develop the main character enough for...... |
| Kimi no Sei | 9 | --- |
| Ano Koro ni Aitai | 8 | --- |
| Koi Shitagari no Blue | 9 | --- |
| Endou-kun no Kansatsu Nikki | 8.5 | --- |
| Crazy for You | 7 | --- |
| Koi no Mannaka | 8 | --- |
| Shiranu wa Omae Bakari | 5 | --- |
| After the Child Sleeps | 8 | --- |
| Pink no Omocha | --- | --- |
| Tonari no Shibafu | 8 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Trap | 9 | --- |
| Boku no Ano Ko | 7 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Usagi no Milk | --- | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Love Conquers All | --- | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Patience x Pleasure | --- | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Good Luck and Good Night | --- | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Mogitate Sky High! | 7 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Blow Job | 10 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Untitled | 8 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Kamiato | 7 | --- |
| What's Your Weakness? | 9 | --- |
| Shounen Tsubaki | 6 | --- |
| Hisho to Yajuu | 8 | I despise porn with no plot or no characterization. I'm also disappointed when I'm promised story and characterization and then am shocked to realize that I've been tricked: it's just porn. What I like about this porny read is that it never promises to be more than light and sexy, but it also remains somewhat more substantial than random f$&king. All the stories centre around a powerful, confident President. They're fun, sexy, interesting, and sharply drawn! I recommend this fast and easy read; ...... |
| Suutsu wo Kita Akuma | 9 | --- |
| Ouji to Joujin | 8 | --- |
| Obocchama ni wa Wakarumai | 8 | --- |
| Kimitachi Otokonoko | 8 | Very likeable characters and stories (although the one boy's story is incomplete, which is disappointing, because it's compelling and ended on a cliff hanger comment). The flow is easy and smooth, the dialogue and action keeps the pages turning. All in all, a pleasant read with no heavy thinking. |
| Mada Shiranai Oretachi | 8 | --- |
| Okubyou na Koi | --- | "I placed myself where there was a chance for a miracle." A poetic oneshot about a man who subconsciously follows his heart, instead of directly following it. I enjoyed the flow and style of the mangaka's work, as she reveals how these men finally connect. The only downside was that sometimes it was hard to distinguish the two characters from each other. |
| Kasa no Shita, Futari | 9 | --- |
| Koi Mane | --- | --- |
| Jigoku Meguri | 10 | --- |
| Junai Ero Ki | 10 | --- |
| Kizudarake no Airabuyuu | 10 | --- |
| Uchi no Tantei Shirimasen ka? | 8 | --- |
| Sono Te o Toreba | 10 | --- |
| Nekomori | 9 | --- |
| Bousou Paradise | --- | --- |
| Hana no Namae | 9.5 | --- |
| Ringo ni Hachimitsu | 8 | --- |
| Kimi ni Shizumu | 10 | --- |
| Star-like Words | 8 | --- |
| Senpai | 8 | --- |
| Tomodachi no Hanashi | 6 | Beautiful, delicate water colours, a unique idea, and interesting characterization didn't save this story: it grew progressively duller and ultimately ended with only some--definitely not enough--resolution. |
| Dolce | 8 | --- |
| Gesshi | 8 | --- |
| Houkago no Love Call | 7 | --- |
| Roman Gousha | 9 | --- |
| Kindan - Himitsu no Hanazono | 3 | --- |
| Nakayoshi Wanko | 8 | --- |
| Jin to Neko wa Yobu to Konai | 8 | I wish the castrated boy had at least a tankobon of chapters for him alone! Now there's an issue I have never seen seriously examined in romance manga! Anyway! The men in these stories speak of intelligence and complexity, but the reader never really gets to know them. The storytelling leaps, assuming too much, and the incomplete feeling is frustrating because what IS offered is so compelling! The art is exceptional! It has a sketchy, gritty feel, and it offers realism of emotion with its si...... |
| Akuma na Eros | 7 | Oh gosh, this was so much an innocent-girl, dreamy romance despite the "wicked" Satan. I had fun! Read it if you feel like peanuts and beer fluff shoujo instead of the typical candy and pop fluff shoujo--they're both cheap thrills, but one is salty and one is sweet. Don't look for meaningful character development, and enjoy the ride. |
| Toraware Hime | 8 | --- |
| Kimi no Naka de Nemurasete | 9 | --- |
| Replicant no Yoru | 9 | If you like pretty boys, non-con, angst, unrequited love, a cruel seme, and quick resolutions then this is the title for you! I loved it! Minus the quick, unbelievable resolution. The only things that would have made it an AWESOME story, instead of just a kinky non-con fantasy, would've been if the uke actually developed (slowly!) feelings for the seme, the seme matured and experienced remorse and forgiveness, and the brother's story was more evolved other than a quick note in the afterword. ...... |
| Soshite Boku wa Tohou ni Kureru | 8 | --- |
| Koujitsusei no Tobira | 6 | --- |
| Shuukatsu!! - Kimi ni Naitei | 8 | --- |
| Tsuki to Mizuumi | 8.5 | --- |
| Soryanaize Darling | 8 | A quick, fun and emotionally compelling read. It has tears, cuteness, angst and fluff. The art is pretty and round; it flows easily. The story never gets too serious, but it was always enjoyable. Until the last couple of chapters to this story--they seemed like fubar filler. It really ended adequately before they started. |
| Ao no Fuuin | 9 | --- |
| Sheikh no Izanau Yoru ni | --- | --- |
| Kimi wo Mukaeni | 6 | --- |
| Follow | 8 | --- |
| Midnight Secretary | 9 | --- |
| Cousin | 1 | --- |
| Honoka ni Purple | 5 | --- |
| Hapi Mari | 10 | --- |
| Private Prince | 8 | --- |
| Yoru Café. | 8 | --- |
| Aishiteru (FUJITANI Youko) | 7.5 | --- |
| Bura Girl | 6 | --- |
| Junketsu Drop | 8 | --- |
| Cotton | 7 | --- |
| Crossroad | 7 | --- |
| Black Sun Doreiou | 10 | Even though this story has come to a stand still, with no tankobon 2 in sight, it is still worth the incomplete, albeit ultimately frustrating read. But, boy, is every page worth reading over...and over! There are so many nuances in story, character and art. Absolutely stunning in both plot and art. The characters' psyche are fascinating and intricately woven! The art is fine-lined, detailed and beautiful. It may have the typical beautiful bishounen, but it's not for the soft, romantic sweet...... |
| Kurumi no Naka | 9.5 | --- |
| Ai yori Aoshi | 4 | I enjoyed the tension, surprises, dialogue, art and flow of volumes one and two, but three slowed down into tired stereotypes and cliches, and by the time I arrived at volume four I was skimming. As I eyed volume five, I thought, "Why am I forcing myself to read this manga when there are so many other manga I have yet to try?!" |
| Indigo Blue | 7 | --- |
| Annarasumanara | 10 | --- |
| Yamashii Karada | 10 | --- |
| Hana to Akuma | 9 | --- |
| Beast & Feast | 7 | --- |
| Ekishin | 6 | --- |
| Polaris Bell | 10 | --- |
| Limited Lovers | 9.5 | --- |
| Kimi ga Uso o Tsuita | 8.5 | --- |
| Tane o Maku Hito | 10 | --- |
| Me o Tojite 3-byou dj - Me o Hiraitemo, 3 Senchi. | --- | --- |
| Suteneko no Ie | 10 | --- |
| Kyokan Hunter | 7.5 | Georgeous art. Story hints at depth, which is why it's all the more disappointing when the tank is over and the story never got off the ground. Still, an enjoyable read, if only for the stunningly lovely bara. |
| My Heart Is Beating | 10 | --- |
| Suki ni Natte mo Ii no? | 8.5 | --- |
| Ashita no Ousama | 6 | Read: six volume bunkoban Art and lay out: easy to read, pretty and quirky art style If you are extremely interested in theatre and enjoy stories that focus on the growing maturity of a character's passion for his or her career, then this is the story for you! If you're interested in the growth of a character's passion and love for a partner and their perceptions of love, then... turn back! I'm no fan of insta-love, but these characters sometimes seemed asexual. There was zero sexual tension. I...... |
| Koharu no Hibi | 8 | --- |
| Sannin Gurashi | 9 | --- |
| Kimi no Mukougawa | 8 | --- |
| Akai Me o Shita Shounen wa | 8 | --- |
| Henshin Dekinai | 10 | --- |
| Konya mo Nemurenai | 7 | --- |
| Vitamin (SUENOBU Keiko) | 10 | Uwah! I cried and cried! And it wasn't because it was tragic--it was how she suffered deeply, but remembered her strength as she grew and overcame her trials. I was touched deeply. The relationship between the mother and daughter in particular.... |
| Kimi no Na wa Star | 7 | --- |
| Hideout (ZIN) | 6 | --- |
| Dekiai Rule | 8.5 | --- |
| Suki Toiunoni Nazekashira | 8 | --- |
| Aoi Kiseki | 4 | --- |
| Atsui Karada Koisuru Karada | 6 | --- |
| Ijiwaru na Kuchibiru | 7 | --- |
| Koakuma no Sanctuary | 9 | --- |
| Don't Cry, Girl | 9.5 | --- |
| Tig-Hug Planet | 5 | --- |
| Hetalia dj - Bathroom Rhapsody | 8 | --- |
| Erotic M | 6 | --- |
| Boulange no Koibito | 8.5 | --- |
| Hito wa Ai wo Tabete Sodatsu | 10 | --- |
| Tsumasaki ni Kourozu | 10 | --- |
| Udon no Onna | 8 | --- |
| Yozora no Sumikko de, | 6 | --- |
| Border Line | 7 | --- |
| Yuushitessen no Koi | 3 | --- |
| Ouji to Shitsuji | 10 | --- |
| Sumidagawa Shinjuu | 10 | --- |
| Kore wa Koi no Hanashi | 10 | --- |
| Sono Kuchibiru ni Ai wo | 7 | --- |
| Sukitte Iwasete? | 8.5 | --- |
| Gozen Reiji ni Kuchizuke o | 6.5 | --- |
| Seishun Survival | 7.5 | --- |
| Kodomo no Omocha | 7.5 | --- |
| Kanojotachi no X-Day | 9.5 | --- |
| Shiroi Ori | 7 | --- |
| Aoki Umi no Torawarehime | 9 | --- |
| The Kidnapping of Minja Jo's Boyfriend | 7 | --- |
| Yumemiru Otokonoko | 9 | --- |
| Udagawachou de Mattete yo. | 10 | --- |
| Kanemochi-kun to Binbou-kun | 7 | --- |
| Mizu no Haru | 7.5 | --- |
| Kare no Barairo no Jinsei | 9 | --- |
| Suki mo Kirai mo Jikangai | 7 | --- |
| Bokutachi Futari ga Koisuru Riyuu | 8 | --- |
| Ouji Hiroimashita | 7.5 | --- |
| Soreha Tabete wa Ikemasen | 6 | --- |
| Poker Face (HARUNO Hikaru) | 6 | --- |
| M | 6 | --- |
| Miteranneeyo | 7 | --- |
| Puchitto Hajiketa, | 7.5 | --- |
| Shibou to Iu Na no Fuku o Kite | 4 | --- |
| Smile! | 8 | --- |
| Switch (MOCHIZUKI Karin) | 6.5 | This love story is gentle, innocent, and child-like. Even the male protagonist--an adult--seems innocent, almost asexual; there is but a single brief scene that ever so slightly hints of sexual desire, but that's it.) The art is decent, the flow is smooth, the secondary characters are natural and believable. Overall, it is a pleasant, short, forgettable read with light emotions. |
| Mendou Michauyo | 7 | --- |
| Yorokobi wa Ude no Naka | 7 | --- |
| Ore ga Akuma de, Aitsu ga Yome de. | 9 | --- |
| Boku wa Boku narini | 8 | stories four and six. They're wonderful--just a little bit of freshness and sweetness, adding up to a refreshing one shot! The rest are forgettable and way too quick to full-on penetrative sex. |
| Yell! | 7.5 | --- |
| Ai wo Chodai! | 8 | --- |
| Yuru Koi | 7 | --- |
| Melty Honey | 7 | --- |
| Soushoku Joushi no Otoshikata | 9 | --- |
| Chiisai Hitsuji wa Yume wo Miru | 9.5 | --- |
| Bye-Bye, Little. | 8 | --- |
| Hatsukoi no Atosaki | 7 | --- |
| Kanojo wa Sore o Gaman Dekinai | 7 | --- |
| Yoningurashi | 8 | --- |
| Masakadou e Irasshai | 7 | --- |
| Omamorishimasu, Dokomademo | 8 | --- |
| Shampoo | 7.5 | --- |
| Toriniku Kurabu | 5 | --- |
| Hachigatsu no Mori | 10 | --- |
| Bonnouji | 9 | --- |
| Sensei to Himitsu | 9 | --- |
| Tadaima Shugyouchuu | 9 | --- |
| Kuchizuke wa Niji no Ue de | 8 | --- |
| Anata ni Hana o Sasagemashou | 6 | The art is beautiful, competently arranged for sequential art storytelling, but there was just something lacking with the characters and their stories. I didn't feel connected with either the wife or the husband. I also didn't feel their connection between each other. Everything felt flat and forced. The mystery was boring for me--I didn't care about finding the answer to the curse at all. Funny thing is, I think the mystery trumped the character interpersonal development. So, it was destined...... |
| Migite ni Juu, Hidarite ni Ai. | 5 | --- |
| Koi wa Koi o Shiru | 9 | --- |
| Anitsuu! | 8 | --- |
| Sakura Namiki | --- | --- |
| Tokidoki, Sekai wa Utsukushii | 9 | --- |
| Binetsu Shuukan | 6.5 | --- |
| Kaeru no Prince-sama | 9 | --- |
| Tsuki ni Hoero | 8.5 | --- |
| Retsujou | 8.5 | --- |
| Kohitsuji Project | 9 | --- |
| Amai Jouken | 8.5 | --- |
| Roureville | 8 | --- |
| M no Retsujou | 7 | --- |
| Cherry na Teacher | 7 | --- |
| Tear Drop | 10 | I usually just rate and don't publicly review manga (time constraints), but this one deserved a blast of thoughts put to words! -Brilliant, realistic, emotional art. Reminded me of Akira Honma. -Quietly dramatic story. Realistic, subtle emotions and development of characters and their relationships. -Sequential art storytelling genius. More is said in three wordless panels than entire volumes by other storytellers. |
| Koyoi Oto Furu Sora no Shita | 5 | --- |
| Fujunna Renai | 8 | --- |
| Hakoiri Musuko | 7 | --- |
| Natsu, Kimi ga Saku. | 8.5 | --- |
| Mitsubana | 7 | --- |
| Sweep! | 8 | --- |
| Cinderella ni Kutsu o | 5 | --- |
| Eien no With | 10 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Facet | 9 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Il Nome Della Rosa | 9 | --- |
| Tiger & Bunny dj - Limbus | 9 | --- |
| Tonari no Usotsuki | 8 | --- |
| Retsujou no Kodou | 7 | --- |
| Ore no Mune de Sake | 5 | --- |
| Slow Starter (ICHIKAWA Kei) | 9 | --- |
| Ameiro Paradox | 9.5 | --- |
| Furueru Yoru no Himitsugoto | 9 | --- |
| Sakitcho Dakedemo | 9.5 | --- |
| Wane Koi Tsumi | 6 | --- |
| Omerta - Kochou no Yume no Kate | 6 | --- |
| Shiro Neko | 7.5 | --- |
| Blue Friend | 6.5 | --- |
| Futari no Maharaja | 9 | Beautiful, luscious art, amazingly interesting story, fabulous handle on sequential art techniques, but...! This is one of the reasons why fanfiction writers are born. Re-writes. (This Japanese manga could inspire an an epic fanfiction novel....) The characters are all compelling and complex, with potential for exploration, growth, maturation. But, after three chapters of stunning conflict build up, severe psychological and physical abuse, and hints of intriguing back stories, they are all toss...... |
| Mahoroba no Hibi | 8.5 | --- |
| Koishite Daddy | 8 | --- |
| Arakawa Under the Bridge dj - Arakawa Seiharu Hakusho | --- | 9/10 for the second story, Ric and 2-3 (sexy, fun to read, and the ending is lol believable), but 1/10 for the first story, Maria and Sister (um... disembodied penis fail... just use a dildo...). |
| Unico | 6 | --- |
| Otenki Oniisan | 8 | --- |
| Taiyou no Ie | 9 | --- |
| After Morning Love | 8.5 | --- |
| Nantoka Danshi | 8 | It certainly made me laugh when the boys were surrounding him and then chasing him... with full hard-ons tenting their uniforms! It wasn't very arousing, though, because it was just quick and silly sex. |
| Ookami Shounen to Hamu no Hito | 7 | --- |
| Hadashi de Bara o Fume | --- | Review and rating for complete series (9 volumes) A wonderful, page-turning romance in a very Radway-shoujo mixed style. It is melodramatic fabulousness! Not realistic by any means, but I was transported enough to not care. The art is smooth bishounen, roses and sparkles shoujo, and cute children, but the historical aspects of the illustrations added a fresh, interesting element. I recommended it to my younger teen daughter, and she loved it. |
| Hoshikawa Ginza Yonchoume | 7 | --- |
| Mahoraba | 9 | --- |
| Fukuyadou Honpo | 9.5 | --- |
| Chokotto Sister | 8 | --- |
| Nemuru Usagi | 2 | --- |
| Yunagi no Machi Sakura no Kuni | 7 | The art was a refreshing change: it was simplified realism, expressive and powerfully subtle. (It reminded me a bit of Scott McCloud's work.) The first chapter was breath-taking, the story itself spell-binding, haunting. The mangaka used several unique graphical techniques, such as bars of music running through the entire speech bubble instead of the typical lone music note to indicate singing and sudden white space to indicate sudden blindness. The second half of the manga time skipped a coupl...... |
| Koutetsu no Baby Leaf | 7 | --- |
| Kyou mo Uchi de Machi Awase | 7 | --- |
| Rakuen (SAKURAKOUJI Kanoko) | 5 | --- |
| Game Over (MIZUTANI Fuka) | --- | --- |
| Kuroneko Kareshi no Asobikata | 8 | --- |
| Shissou Holiday | 8 | --- |
| Ijippari Love Panic | 8 | --- |
| Zutto Miteita Mono desu kara | 6 | --- |
| Harapeko Usagi to Koisuru Ookami | 8 | --- |
| Mayonaka no Oyatsu | 8 | --- |
| Deep Black | 7 | --- |
| Ouji no Hakoniwa | 8 | --- |
| Scar Face | 4 | --- |
| House Backer | 7 | --- |
| Sono Me, Kuchi hodo ni. | 6 | --- |
| Sensei, Mou Ichido... | 4 | --- |
| Shinigamihime no Saikon | 7.5 | --- |
| Ningyo ga Fuchi | 5 | --- |
| Shingakkou - Noli Me Tangere | 9 | --- |
| Tiara wa Niawanai | --- | --- |
| Trap (OOTSUKI Miu) | 7 | --- |
| Baby Pop | 7.5 | --- |
| Shoujo Ningyou | 4 | --- |
| Ano Koi no Tsuzuki | 8 | --- |
| Boyfriend (YAMADA Daisy) | 7 | --- |
| Sumire Syrup | 7 | --- |
| Raspberry Field no Majo | 7 | Pretty, sketchy-style art and fascinating story, but somewhat too complex of a mystery to be solved as quickly as it was. Alice was an uncomplicated, likeable dummy, and the demon was compelling if underdeveloped, but I was far more interested in the secondary character, Patty. Patty's life held more drama and intrigue: was she mentally unstable? seeing a different reality? Did she truly have the chains of a demon binding her? What was her maid's purpose in lying, distracting Alice from the m...... |
| Prunus Girl | 5 | This series started off wonderfully! I thought, "Finally! A transgender romance I can really get behind." Maki had the hints of an open-minded heterosexual who loved Aikawa because of who Aikawa was, regardless of gender. Aikawa had the hints of a confident, comfortable MTF character. And the side characters were all interesting, if a bit utopian-style understanding about the gender issue. And the art! Excellent! Alas, I found myself growing bored as the story diverted into other characters' r...... |
| Bijo, Tokidoki Yajuu | 8 | --- |
| Yotsuba dj - Yanda&! | 5 | --- |
| Hanaya no Nikai de | 9.5 | --- |
| Haikyo Shoujo | --- | --- |
| Nakanmon! | 7.5 | --- |
| Amami Dokoro | 1 | --- |
| The Beautiful Curse | 6 | --- |
| Shorty and Chubby Are in Love, so What? | 8.5 | --- |
| Rinjin wa Chou | 5 | The art is good and I THINK the quick story is good, but--oh dear--what an awkward translation. I don't know what the story original read like, but this translation surely needed an English editor to make it flow smoothly. As it is, it's dreadfully laughable and unfortunately unreal. |
| Sono Otoko, Amatou ni Tsuki | 6 | Wonderful art and quick moment-in-time scenes, but all the chapters sort of floated off into inconsequential land. The later ones, that delved more into the MC's person, were more solid, more grounded and interesting. |
| Sparkling Days (Shiramatsu) | 8 | --- |
| Ai ja Tarinai? | 6 | --- |
| Butakai Ouji to 100 Kai no Kiss | 9 | --- |
| Junketsu Ningyo | 5 | Although the rest of the art is decent, with all the silly, silly PWP stories, the art would have had to been outstanding to make it worth a read. I think I wished it was better because I have such a crush on mermen stories and yet there are so few. So that made my disappointment stronger. |
| Yaranaika | 1 | --- |
| Rinjin | 2 | --- |
| Hatsujou Kareshi | 5 | --- |
| Mazu wa, Hitokuchi. | 8 | --- |
| Hitomi dj - Sakayume no Niwa | --- | --- |
| Akari o Otoshita Ato de | 6 | --- |
| Akkan Complete! | --- | --- |
| Samenai Yume | 8 | --- |
| The Specific Heat Capacity of Love | 10 | --- |
| Conflict Lover | 8 | The first story (3 chapters) was interesting in passing, but I was on the edge of bored the whole time: it's nothing special. But the last short chapter! Now that was something! Poetic, beautiful, thought-provoking. Many ways love comes out, many ways of how it is lived. It seemed more like a summary, though, and could have been a complex story if it were fleshed out. |
| Hikoukigumo | 5 | The story idea was amazingly interesting, with a superb, expansive potential for emotional intensity; the execution was mediocre to poor. The pacing was off: I didn't want an extended flashback of the dead sister's love story after I had invested fully in Mayu's story! All emotional intensity was lost, replaced with impatience to get back to the "real" story. Many little things added to my annoyance: secondary characters were non-entities, shallow, with no lives of their own; I didn't believe...... |
| Complex Age | 9 | --- |
| Junk! | --- | --- |
| Pinned! | 9 | --- |
| The Lily and the Rose | 8 | --- |
| I.D.O.L | 7 | --- |
| Rush (Anthology) | 8 | --- |
| unTOUCHable (Massstar) | 1 | --- |
| All That We Hope to Be | 1 | --- |
| Penguin Loves Mev | 5 | --- |
| Studio Salty | 4 | --- |
| Ienai Itami o Daite Iru | 8 | Enjoyed this short, passionately felt suffering: beautiful flow with the storytelling and the art (except the power of some scenes was diminished while I distractedly thought, This young man is near death from starvation--how can he have the energy to move, let alone fight?!). I would've liked more development, so I will see if the larger collection this oneshot belongs to offers that. |
| Caramel (OKUYAMA Puku) | 9 | --- |
| Lip Smoke | 7 | --- |
| Aoi Uroko to Suna no Machi | 10 | --- |
| Pendulum: Kemonohito Omegaverse | 7 | --- |
| Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!! | 7 | Young Nakamura is where it's at. He's shy, adorable, and desperately, awkwardly in love with Hirose. His attempts to become friends with his cheerful and kind classmate are sweet and just a little heart-breaking. The '90s influenced art style flows with charm; it reminds me of Rumiko Takahashi's work (Inuyasha). |
| Velvet Kiss | 1 | I don't believe a reader should have to "get through" almost one third of the entire story before it starts to be an interesting story. That's what editors are for. Chop it for chrissakes. I don't care how amazing the story becomes, eight chapters of disjointed scenes and gratuitous sex with characters I don't care about wastes my reading time. |
| Tomodachi no Papa - Hakui no Oji-sama | 5 | --- |
| Boku wa Hajikko ga Suki | 6 | Sweet but a little too innocent high school episodic series. This group of kids were fun to read, but I'm glad it ended when it did because it never goes any deeper than a surface skip. Some of the relationships would have been solidly interesting as a full story, such as the unusual pairing of an older girl/younger boy with a huge reverse height difference. |
| Kodomo no Kodomo | 8 | --- |
| Itsuka Kimitachi mo Otona ni Naru | --- | --- |
| Stalker Danshi | 1 | --- |
| Yatamomo | 3 | --- |
| Senpai ga Urusai Kouhai no Hanashi | --- | It’s adorable, but it gets old quick with no progression, only diminishing returns. |
| Ojisama to Neko | 2 | --- |
| Boku wa Ohime-sama ni Narenai | --- | The same unbelievable gags over and over. Shallow. Points for great art and clean, sharp panel delivery. |
| Miageru to Kimi wa | 4 | --- |
| Futsutsuka Mono no Ani Desu ga | 3 | --- |
| Kiyona Yubisaki, Bukiyona Tsumasaki | 8 | --- |
| Gun and Heaven | --- | --- |
| 17-sai, Kiss to Dilemma | 4 | --- |
| I Decided to Fake a Marriage with My Junior (♀️) to Shut My Parents Up | 7 | --- |
| Kiraide Isasete | 7 | --- |
| Mango's Bone | 10 | --- |
| Looking for a Father | 7 | --- |
| An Uncomfortable Truth | 2 | --- |
| Paradise (Miso) | 6 | --- |
| Like Doodling | 4 | --- |
| BJ Alex | 9 | --- |
| Mori no Takuma-san | 6 | Review for volumes 1 through 4; story complete. It’s a cute, innocent, silly story with easy-to-read flow, pretty pictures, and no cluttery text. The focus of the plot is the heroine’s maturation from someone who solely values a potential love interest by “hot” looks to someone who exists with a little more depth. The story has problematic elements and a distracting, unbelievable yo-yo-ing of weight, but it’s a good opening for discussion. There isn’t enough momentum with the plot af...... |
| Koi ga Ochitara | --- | Heartfelt and beautifully delivered, believable love story. With excellent ust! |
| Yondaime Ooyamato Tatsuyuki | 7 | --- |
| Isso Koe ga Nakattara | 5 | --- |
| Save Me | 9 | --- |
| Goshiki no Fune | 6 | --- |
| Madonna ga Glass Case no Naka | 7 | --- |
| Pupa | 2 | --- |
| Toumei Ningen no Hone | 2 | --- |
| I Am Currently Living with a Bear | 5 | --- |
| Itou-kun wa Koi wo Shiranai. | 5 | --- |
| Minegishi-san wa Outsu-kun ni Tabesasetai | 5 | Doesn’t go anywhere. Mostly just a quick, cute gag manga so far.... Repetitive. Wish it was more substantial, especially since it would be nice to see more main characters with different body sizes in BL. |
| Futari no Lion | --- | --- |
| Goma Shio to Purin | 6 | --- |
| Metamorphose no Engawa | 8 | --- |
| Marry Me, Alpha | 5 | --- |
| A Thousand Cranes | 8 | --- |
| The Dangerous Convenience Store | 9 | --- |
| For the Sake of Sita | 3 | --- |
| Black Mirror | 8 | --- |
| On or Off | 8 | --- |
| Walk on Water | 9 | --- |
| Haru no Noroi | --- | --- |
| Itsuya-san | 9 | --- |
| Bakemono no Hanayome | 9 | --- |
| Machida-kun no Sekai | 8 | --- |
| Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru | 6 | --- |
| Inkya Ω no Watashi ga Yankee α no Kare to Ban ni Narimashita | --- | --- |
| Wananaku Kiba no Daria | 7 | --- |
| Houtoumusuko to Koi no Ana | 7 | --- |
