I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #reencounter(15)

Udou's bitterness and breezy cruelty towards others is rooted in an unrequited love for Kiyotake, a basketball teammate from high school. His misery and jealousy has prompted him to commit despicable acts against the very person he loved, twice. Now, in college, karma has caught up to him and his feelings are revealed in all their rawness, but what does Kiyotake have to say about them? Here is how one man's kindness can redeem someone who has fallen so completely. Ogawa Chise's stories often go over the top into outright madness, but this story hits all the right emotional notes without going too far.

Kashii is an up-and-coming fashion designer surprised to be pursued by popular actor, Mika, who wants to be the exclusive model for Kashii's designs. The unequal stature of their professional relationship troubles Kashii, but Mika insists that he has always been following Kashii and Kashii can't remember under what circumstances he met Mika at all. Like all of Tenzen Mamoko's works, it is bright, engaging and fun. Enjoyable! As it's been years since the last update, however, I assume it has been dropped and will mark it incomplete.

Ogeretsu Tanaka is becoming one of my favourite mangakas for her beautiful artwork and character-centered stories. Here, the main character is toxic — bitter about his time in high school, and particularly, toward Natsuo, a 'hoodlum' who seemed to thrive on tormenting him — and his unfortunate target is ... Natsuo, a simplistic and inept young man with few social graces. It's brilliant set-up: make Natsuo fall in love with him, and then dump him in the most humiliating manner possible. Except he doesn't count on Natsuo being quite loveable in his own inept and dorky fashion. (2) The second story is a spin-off of Sabita Yoru Demo Koi wa Sasayaku, Ogeretsu Tanaka's amazing manga about partner abuse, and what happened to Ken, the abuser, after his relationship was over. At times awkward and fumbling, other times adept and hot as hell, this story is a believable testament to vulnerability and the healing power of love.

Satoru is being stalked and, when he reunites, during a casual sexual encounter, with the former chubby boy, Hosokawa, whom he used to bully in school, and discovers that Hosokawa feels entitled to sex and respect, he assumes that Hosokawa is the stalker. But is he? It seems that Satoru attracts stalkers.

At an all-male boarding house, tenants come and go as their life circumstances change. One of the stories involves a re-encounter as Ryouta, a photographer, rooms with the person he loved in high school. In the second story, Sugano's affair with a married man closes him off from the companion who truly loves him, until his lover's wife becomes pregnant. More shounen ai than yaoi, these stories are easy and realistic slices of life.

Hoshino was dazzled by his senpai, Akihino, when they formed the astronomy club together in high school, especially with his dreams of becoming a pilot. What he didn't know is that those dreams had only become an opportunity for Akihino because he was dazzled. After an eleven year separation, Hoshino is astonished to be reunited with Akihino, who has not been able to fulfill his dreams. Indeed, it seems that he is the single parent of Hoshino's biggest problem student and there is a sad mystery behind this, but Akihino does not want Hoshino to come any closer. A bittersweet story about adulthood and sacrifices, which becomes much sweeter when barriers are slowly worked through, although it's sometimes frustrating to watch.

Gormless teacher and his bratty demanding seme.

Hyper-competitive Touya Shinougi has always lost the top position to Kazuhiro Nagase, so he's horrified when his former rival suddenly appears as a fellow salaryman at his workplace. Nagase is clearly trying his best to seduce the prickly Shinougi, but so far to no avail. Presumeably this will change at some point.

Satake Aoi, a university student, wakes up rolled in red string, the result of a promise granted by a god whose name I'm not even going to begin to spell out. Thus begins Satake's days as Mr. Popularity, a situation that isn't as much to his liking as he thought it would be when stonkered out of his gourd. Now he's got to pay up by becoming the god's bride.