A gorgeous collection of stories by Minezuki Akira:
(1) The first story isn't as engaging as the other two. In it, a fast-food manager falls in love at first sight with a proficiency expert sent by the parent company to monitor his shop.
(2) A ghost or demon who feeds off of human warmth falls in love with a medicine seller who travels on his mountain during a snowstorm.
(3) A sculpture student falls in love with his mentor, an artistic genius who sculpts by touch.
The art is so beautiful.
"Mitsuya was always chasing after his brother and his brother's friend, Noboru. In time, his feelings for Noboru turned to love and he forced a kiss on him, which was violently rejected. Shocked, Mitsuya shut his heart off from the world until 10 years later, a fateful reunion provokes shattering self-realizations. This story has a maturity and realism that elevates it beyond standard yaoi."
"A father is stressed beyond his capacity to cope while trying to raise his preschool-aged daughter while working in a Japanese restaurant. He is saved by a hopeless flirt and serially unfaithful gay customer who is attracted to him, but he is straight and very suspicious of such a flighty man. The relationship takes time to develop and is full of realistic emotional responses."
Shio, a blogger, meets up with some friends he met online through his blog and also is going to meet Miya, a blogger he hasn't met yet. He is surprised to find out that Miya is a very tall man (everybody thought he was a woman) who has a very calming effect on others.
"Even though the characters in this story are so flawed and unsympathetic, and Takao, in particular, is such a manipulative jerk, it's a great story."
"Throw into this mix a gay romance whose premise is based upon an impulsive lie he told to protect a younger brother whom he believed to be in peril from someone he believed to be a predator, and you have an excellent, thoroughly believable story with sympathetic characters who are doing the best with the fate they were dealt."
"The trials and tribs of Tsuji, airhead, and Aizawa, the stoic, as they chart the course of gay relationship after lifelong friendship. Asou Kai is very perceptive at emotional content and behaviour. It makes for lively and interesting stories. Bonus, her artwork is attractive, too."
"New to a blended family, affectionate younger stepbrother, Yuuto, falls for his sophisticated gay older stepbrother, Ryuusei, and does his best to repress his feelings for the sake of their family." And he really did....
Konya wa Take-out nite