Worth Reading (For Better or Worse)

Koi ga Yurusu is more Tori Maia than Miyamoto Kano. A better comparison might be Nitta Youka's "When a Man Loves a Man" series. It's a fascinating enough emotional and sexual melodrama, if you're into that kind of thing. If you're asking me, my final verdict is that all the characters would be too exhausting to be friends with in real life. Worth reading for its sheer can't-stop-won't-stop antics.

Keisuke introduces his new crush, Chiba, to his best friend Miki, but doesn't count on Miki seducing Chiba and Chiba falling hard. In both style and writing, incredibly similar to Shoowa's "Non Tea Room," which is also about a love triangle where all participants are hiding more than they are revealing. The characterization is deft and believable, and the story gives equal weight to everyone's feelings and weaknesses. Furutsuji has a style that's modern and young, but not immature.

One of the best and most affecting of Harada's work, about a brutal Stockholming success. The "sakuga" moments show off her deft paneling: blindfolded Hijikata looking at the moon, the 80+ day sequence, the completely dialogue-less "rescue," the double-page chain spread of a chain. It's weird to enjoy the artistry of something clearly meant to be offputting, but Harada means for us to find it intriguing as well. If you like or can even stomach this kind of thing, this is it, done right.