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Asahi returns home to his parent's restaurant in Kanagawa, ostensibly to help out his recently widowed mother, but mainly to heal his own heart which has been shattered by the betrayal of his gay lover in Tokyo. Asahi's mother puts him in charge of looking after professor Yuzuru Togame, who lives in such a state of preoccupation with his research and writing, that he can't be trusted not to walk off a train platform. A night of rebound lovemaking turns out to be a similar platform.
Hans Christian Anderson's allegory about female vanity "The Red Shoes" and the Archers' 1948 cinematic adaptation form the backdrop to Ogawa Chise's romp through the cut-throat business of haute couture in which pairs of bespoke stiletto heels become totems for sexual power. This bitter cup of cynicism is definitely mixed with a good dose of wry.
A powerful and deeply felt story of two wounded men in their middle age coming to terms with the ferocious toll of existence and struggle on the spirit and their attempt to recapture Paradise Lost. Okadaya Tetuzoh's story is mature, enriching and beautifully drawn. READ THIS!!!
I already read this manga.
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My tags: Nishida Higashi yaoi yakuza karaoke violence prison intrigue crime thriller
1950s jazz standard "Mona Lisa" is the leitmotif for this crime thriller about two yakuza middlemen who fall madly in love with each other's *respectable* personnae, and can't let the delusion or deception drop even when they catch each other in the middle of an unwitting double-cross.
Yuki acts like the perfect wife for Keiichirou, his late sister's husband, which is why Keiichirou wants him to stick around—doing everything except sleeping with him. He wants to, but Keiichirou doesn't know that, and he will never know as far as Yuki is concerned. Yuki's already got a job lined up in Osaka after he graduates (even though his professor and fellow students also want to marry him) and that commute is the best way of keeping inappropriate love to himself.
Shinohara Satoru has moved from the country (and newly wed sister) to a 6-tatami mat apartment in Tokyo in order to achieve his dreams of independence. Izumi Yuushin, his new neighbour, tests that resolve to the limits. The gay attraction business is just a side effect from being caring individuals, but the free-spirited acting stuff throws enough doubt into this idiot couple's miso soup that there is actually some conflict, resolution and plot to go along with this little family soap opera.
Two businessmen with a past are trapped in an elevator, which gives them the chance to explore suppressed longings, regrets and bittersweet ruefulness.
One of Kawaii Touko's light, sweet stories: sales license procurement officer, Haruna, tries to secure a contract with the dreaded and renowned Nakagawa Sake company, whose owner is so rude and ornery, he throws things at people he doesn't like. But his son is just Haruna's type. Haruna throws himself at the computer technician unreservedly, but Nakagawa has his own reasons for playing things cool, and he will not put up with betrayal. Will Haruna convince him that he's not a cheater?
Old school yaoi classic love story between genetically enhanced Blondie, Jason, and his pet, Ricki, on a planet where everything is regulated by the supercomputer, Jupiter. I believe the second printing of the series was dropped before completion.
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.