I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #bullying(9)

Serizawa, the technology section manager at a popular bookstore, is asked to deal with a customer whose appearance frightens fellow employees. He is surprised to discover what a gentle and goodhearted young man Keita is and, slowly, they develop from a good friendship into a more loving and trusting intimacy. This story is full of rewarding goodhearted gestures of kindness. The sweetness slays me! One of my favourites.

Ostracized and bullied by classmates, Mishima accepts his homosexual nature and relieves his feelings by cross-dressing, until it becomes clear that the bullying covers other issues in his classmates. This manga swerves between depressing realism and, unlikely as it seems, comedy. The introduction of an adult with psychiatric issues keeps it from getting too campy.

One-shots about dark fetishes: humiliation, terror, rape, gang rape, public sex, train chikan and voyeurism. No dancing around the issue of consent here; it's all heavy, emotionally detached blunt!smut which left me dry, bored and feeling sorry for the afflicted character.

Frilly undies fetish.

Rokujou Itsuki, the elite president of an absurdly class-segregated private school, is smitten with one the general schmoes, Michiru, and their forbidden friendship, crypto-affair threatens to bring down the whole school, especially when the snobby elites take offense. This peculiar set-up is so heavy and dramatic, it's out of all proportion to what is, essentially, a lighter-than-breath fluffball of a romance. It's like using a battle-ax to stir up some dandelion clocks.

Not too exciting story about childhood friends, one of whom has jealous fits when the other gets a girlfriend, but can't be arsed to behave himself when there is no threat on the scene.

Childhood bullying.