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Shinoda, broken from divorce and loneliness, stumbles into the antique shop of Askura, who treasures broken things, and Shinoda slowly comes to life under the gentle sweetness of Askura's interest and attention, even though he has never identified as being a gay man. This manga has a beautiful use of realism in the hesitant and circling conversations and slow way in which these two people come to love each other. Kusama's realism subtly details these character's lives. Satisfying!
Incredibly beautiful artwork and a realistic, thoroughly absorbing and (so far) somewhat scary storyline. A Mama at a fishermen's bar, renowned for rough customers, uses her cross-dressing son to attract custom. The story starts off edgy and dangerous, but undergoes a radical shift in Chapter 3, when it becomes breezier and more natural.
(Story 3: pages 130 - 211) Machiya Hatoko has so much insight into the heart, and this story about two very lonely and alienated men — one the victim of abuse, the other, a man who isolated himself from love because of tragedy — who open up to each other in kindness and, so, find true love, is one of the best romances I've ever read. A story like this is so beautiful, it might even heal some readers.
Realistic, moving story of Shima, deliberately outed by his former gay-lover-gone-straight as a means of professional sabotage at his former workplace, and Togawa, the straight and divorced boss who doesn't about Shima's past or much of anything else, but cares very much for Shima. Shima has become hyper-cautious and sensitive as a result of this treachery in his past, and he doesn't know what to make of this man who is so heedless and rough-spoken. Can Togawa overcome this?
A story of two male slaves forced to work in a brothel which caters to men who prefer teenaged boys, and the subjects of competition and personality clashes, and personal longing in the midst of deflowering rituals. In spite of the trigger-y subject matter, drama and some comedy, the story is a traditional romance and worth reading through to the end. The historic details are interesting and the art is beautiful. Just take some deep breaths at the difficult parts!
A realistic and natural story of a boy who isn't sure he's gay and the curiosity which awakens in him when he sees a homosexual couple kissing. This is one of the best yaoi stories I've ever read. The relationships proceed very gently, even through heartbreak and separation.
At a geological survey for rare metals in an isolated mountain cabin, Misaki meets a Kousaka, the lover who went missing in an accident five years prior. Kousaka, who now calls himself Yanagida, does not remember him, and Misaki is being pressured by another man to forget him completely. Meanwhile, a spy is intent on stealing their surveys and rock samples, leading to a fine espionage thriller and action adventure story with yaoi benefits.
A beautifully drawn fairytale about creatures that must be controlled by a loved one or they become the ultimate destructive force. One of the last remaining manbeasts, Mao, meets Syon, a bounty hunter, while hunting for his brother, but will treachery keep them apart? This is a yaoi classic.
An absolutely stunning story about a trigger-loaded subject, father x son incest. It's handled with such originality and sensitivity, though, against a context of time travel, loneliness and alienation, that ... how does Ike Reibun transform something so icky into something so heartwarming and healing? By crafting a wonderful supernatural mystery like this. Stick around for the happy ending. This one's worth reading again and again.
1. Atsushi, a pet veterinarian, discovers a cat whose soul has transmutated into a human being for love of him. It turns out that this cat, Thirteen, has a personal connection to him from a tragic past. 2. A dog spirit, with a strong attachment to Atsushi's grandfather before she died by being struck by a car, transmutates into a human girl. Awakened by the scent of the grandfather on an article of clothing lent to Atsushi's friend, she seeks out the pet clinic. Beautiful art and anima
Messages
I followed you on my old account that I have since deleted years ago and just realized after many years that I didn’t follow you on this one.I always loved your comments and recommendations. I noticed it has been 6 years (approximately) since you’ve commented or updated. I hope wherever you are you’re happy and doing well! Time moves so fast. (づ￣ ³￣)づ
Almost all of your recommendations are my favorites. Some are really old ones I read before that I'm so excited to read it all over again. They all actually have good plots unlike most mangas these days with the rape/rapist theme. TY !!!!
(づ￣ ³￣)づ
I don't know why I didn't peruse this list of yours sooner; I'd seen it pop up on several pieces I've really liked. I have read quite a few on here, but I am adding several to my list for future reading. Some of the ones on here that I've already read I'm glad to see are here, because some of them are quite underrated.
Always love your commentaries, I look for them usually in mangas to remind myself if I've read the manga already but from a different site :) If you don't mind, I recommend Dog Style and Haru wo Daite Ita(very long)! I don't know if you'll like the art style but the plot is good!
Thank you for your charming and encouraging message. This will date me, but the last time I read Haru wo Daite Ita, it was only half-finished and, as I kept losing track of the characters and plot-points between releases, I decided to wait until the manga was completed before coming back. Your little poke is a good reminder that it's time to revisit the story and finish reading it. I try not to post unfinished manga on my favourites list (sometimes, I forget), but this one has been finished for awhile.
This list is great! Thank you very much! btw, your comments are great too. You always point something out about the mangas you commented on, until I found myself following your recommendations.. hehe..
I just noticed your comment today. Sorry for taking so long to respond. Thanks for the lovely comment. I hope you're having a happy new year.
Dear I Thot You Was a Toad, I absolutely love this list and thank you for making it! Whenever I'm interested in reading a potential manga, I always look in the comments section. As soon as I see your username, I know that the manga will be fantastic. I think you're a good critic and I admire you and respect your passion. I always like to think of all the different kinds of people who frequent this website. In the end, I think we're all just people who care about the world. I think you're a wonderful lady (unless you are actually male, in which case I apologize.) Sorry if this was all a bit blunt and strange; thanks again! (▰˘◡˘▰)
That's a very sweet letter, and lovely to receive. If my name is in the comments, though, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good manga, because I'm just as inclined to say something's awful if I think it stinks. I am quite (*cough*) passionate about some issues, yes ... although less tactful people just say I'm an opinionated hothead, and I reckon that's pretty accurate, too. Thing is, people know what they think and feel if they really look inside, and they need to express that sort of stuff because that's the only way to be true to oneself. It isn't always going to go over well. People can't even agree whether cats or dogs are cute (both, as far as I'm concerned.) Might as well say it. Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you like my list. It's entirely due to the talents of the various mangaka featured on it that I even have one. They are the real people to thank! Cheers.
I always ALWAYS get jealous of your comments & reviews!! How do you squeeze in the summary & your comments with only a few but highly informative lines?? I can't help but love your comments from the bottom of my heart. They inspire me to keep improving my reviews which is nothing compared to yours. Thank you. Hope to see more from you :)
Thanks for your kind comment. I had to laugh because quite a few of my reviews are really long-winded, and I know some readers find that irritating. I try to say everything I need to say in order to remind myself of what I've already read, though, and why I did or didn't like it. The summaries that get posted don't always do that for me, and for quite a long time, the people who uploaded manga onto this reader site didn't even bother posting a summary. Now they've started including very good notes, which leaves me free to explore other themes. Basically, though, that's the main reason I write them.
Also, a good friend of mine, a teacher, told me that the best way to remember something is to re-frame it in your own words. So, I want to encourage you to continue writing your own summaries! You have your own way of saying things and your own outlook which I won't necessarily key into.
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. Of course everyone has their own writing style. Mine are mostly simple details, points i liked about the manga & a bit jumbled. I do get happy when other people like it. So never once , have i thought about changing it, but there's always room for improvement :)
I was here so I thought I'd share...when I hit reccomend it said it was "optical" I assume it meant optional lol
Great list Toad :D
Thank you. I think so, too, thanks to all the mangakas who actually wrote these stories.
Weird, but the tally of people who have hit "recommend" hasn't changed at all.
hmmmm that is weird.
maybe I recommended it already and I have a mind like a sieve...cause I stalked this list when I was new to manga...
In either case, thanks!
Lol your welcome heh
Your descriptions are so well written 0_0
English was my worst subject EVAH so my descriptions are all unintellectual things like
"AAGGGGHHHH OMG ITS SO CUTE
LIKE
OMG
READ IT
JUST READ IT"
or something along those lines
Cheers, BloodLust!
(I kind of wish I was able to squee and flail more, without sounding like a complete wally, that is. Apart from keeping my lists, my comments tend to be a bit dry, "Oh, that was very good. Bravo!" --- Like the comments of someone who requires orthodontic equipment to smile.)
i need that irl but online i think im able to express my emotions pretty clearly through the use of not-very-intellectual words and emojis
Emojis are wonderful shorthand. (〜￣△￣)〜
I finally dropped by x) Some of old manga I used to read found in this list.. THANK YOU! you also make good review.. and, seems like we have similar taste (after I check on your fave list) this is the 2nd list I love after Kathy x) Thank you!
I like Kathy's list, too, and although I think the artwork has gotten better recently, some of the old yaoi stories can't be beaten. Plus, there are dozens and dozens of people collecting all the newest stories, so it's nice to have collections that aren't all the same.
I like your list. I thought if someone was going to write such a well thought out blurb, then they must have great taste about their yaoi. I wasn't wrong.
Thanks, Froggyis. This comment made my day. Welcome to my work-in-progress.