I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #machiya hatoko(3)

A man is dumped by his gay lover on Christmas Eve and, suffering from loneliness and heartbreak, spontaneously rescues a vagrant and kitten who have fallen asleep in the front garden of his apartment complex. The vagrant is suffering from his own tragic loss, and the two of them slowly come to understand and love each other, but not before denying their true feelings.

The best was definitely kept until the end in this compilation: (Story 1: pages 1 - 75) Hot secretary and jealous president. (Story 2: pages 76 - 129) More interesting than the first. An art director and photographer finally acknowledge feelings they've held for years. (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.

(1) A company secretary mistrusts the comfort and easiness of his relationship with the company president's friend, and in a moment of jealousy, goes drinking and does something he thinks he regrets. (2) An earnest young boy gives another boy, one who comes from a troubled situation, his vote of confidence and is rewarded with his heart. (3) A sparkly young employee isn't just enthusiastic and optimistic naturally. He explains why to his boss. (4) A gay librarian at an all-boys' school is determined not to have an affair with the passionate young man who is clearly infatuated with him. All the stories are powerful, emotionally true and vivid as Machiya Hatoko's stories usually are. The afterword is also hilarious.