Yaoi manga reviews and fujoshi ramblings
This was one of the first BL I ever had in my collection and at the time it was kind of rare. It’s still not all that common but when collecting old BL the general rule of thumb is that the ‘rare stuff is usually good stuff.’
Let me just say that this rule does NOT apply here…
Continue reading “LIVE FOR LOVE (Jun Mayama)”
From the title alone you might think this is an exciting drama about a rock band but actually the band breaks up in the opening chapter over some unmentioned petty drama and we never even learn what they were called. It’s a slice of life manga about the four former members and their struggles, conflicts, and romances following the band’s breakup. The title is a little misleading, but for a slice of life it’s actually pretty good.
Continue reading “HARD ROCK (Akane Abe)”
This is a one-shot compilation with what feels like a super random mix of stories, and despite them all being technically short about half of them managed to drag somehow. Don’t worry, I posted all the good sex scenes though…
Continue reading “MELTED LOVE (You Takumi)”
Yu is a boy who shares a body with two extra personalities, a high-powered defense lawyer named Kaname and a slutty playboy named Ryo, that his mind invented to love him when his mother abandoned him. They swap turns taking control of Yu’s body, but can still communicate inside his head. Even though Yu created them to love him, they still want love lives of their own. Hijinks ensue!
Multiple personality disorder is usually nothing in fiction like it is IRL, and even moreso in this manga, but it’s a cute dramedy with decent art and a unique idea so that’s something at least
Continue reading “ROMANTIC ILLUSIONS (Reiichi Hiiro)”
Continuing to read through Deux Press collection and today we have a title from Yuuya, who did a pretty wild title called Endless Rain from DMP. FreshMen wasn’t bad but it was much more restrained in terms of content, and someone hoping for a title like Rain might be disappointed. However, there’s still pretty men, decent art, and a ton of sex, so plenty to feast your eyes on in here.
Continue reading “FRESHMEN (Yuuya)”
If you love nothing more than the idea of hot salarymen smoking cigarettes plus smoking each other’s poles, Deux Press has a manga for you. Maybe the only manga for you, at least in English. Cigarette Kisses may *seem* like bad BL trash, but let me subvert your expectations: it’s good BL trash. Totally different thing! It’s not really that trashy though, it’s actually a serious drama, with gay sex. Let’s go with that.
Continue reading “CIGARETTE KISSES (Nase Yamato)”
I picked this one off my shelf because it was raining. I guess there’s no better time to read it?
I was fooled by the cover and title of this one. I thought there would be sweetness and romance, but instead there was…rape and murder. Close enough?
Continue reading “ENDLESS RAIN (Yuuya)”
This story stars a 25-year old former boxer named Sohei who was originally inspired to become one after he read Ashita no Joe as a teenager. As far as boxing manga goes I haven’t read Joe (which recently got licensed in English) but I am currently reading Hajime no Ippo which is I am enjoying, although I don’t really know anything about boxing despite this. This manga was so boring it made me want to read that instead though…or anything else…insurance paperwork or algebra would have been more entertaining.
Continue reading “LAUGH UNDER THE SUN (Yugi Yamada)”
After the death of their parents, Kohei became an overprotective brother to his younger sister Chieko. But when she got married against his will and brought her husband Shingo to live with them, Kohei had trouble letting his sister go and mostly avoided the newlyweds. Then tragedy struck – Chieko was suddenly killed in a traffic accident and now Kohei is stuck sharing both his personal tragedy and his living space with Shingo, the brother-in-law he hates.
This is a really, really good BL story idea, no? With such a great concept, what could possibly go wrong?
Continue reading “SWEET REGARD (Juji Fusa)”
Yugi Yamada’s work echoes Fumi Yoshinaga’s – quiet and serious slice of life dramas and art that has a comfy vintage feel to it no matter when it was drawn – but her work never reached the same level as the great Yoshinaga, whose stories were usually more thought-provoking, unique, emotional, and mature. Still, Yamada was a prolific mangaka who was semi-popular in the late 90s and early 00s, has a lot of work in English, and carved out a niche of her own drawing realistic BL dramas. Don’t Blame Me definitely comes off as rough in places, but it’s mostly ok for being done in 2000 and I’ve read a lot worse.
Continue reading “DON’T BLAME ME (Yugi Yamada)”