I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #repressed feelings(7)

New to a blended family, affectionate younger stepbrother, Yuuto, falls for his sophisticated gay older stepbrother, Ryuusei, and does his best to repress his feelings for the sake of their family. The plot revolves mainly around misunderstandings and communication failure, but it's a good story and plausible given the ages of the two main characters.

Hiroki and Ryou are seniors at the same high school, neighbours in the same apartment building, and both raised by single parents who love each other. Another thing these young men share is an attraction that only Ryou expresses because Hiroki feels he has important reasons to repress it, flipping the blame for this choice onto others. With a grim start and no happy ending, Hidaka Shouko's keen insight and perception provides us with a clear look at a young man whose pride, obstinacy and orthodox purview obstructs his own happiness and of everyone around him.

Motoharu's affection for Akira is thwarted by family expectations and cultural standing — NOT, as one would expect, on his side, but levied upon the hapless Akira, whose responsibility toward his mother's benefactors outweighs his personal choices. This story is, both, tragic and sweet, and both the young men still manage to express what is in their hearts, even though duty supercedes individualism in the time and setting of this story. Takarai Rihito's art is magnificent, and there is continuation of this story in the magnificent story, Hana No Mizu Shiro, or "Only the Flower Knows" [http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/hana_no_mizo_shiru/] ... If you love yaoi, definitely read both of these!

Nonokawa, a salary man in the midst of burn out, hears that drought has dried up a reservoir that had been constructed to flood his old village, and returns to look at the elementary school which is now exposed. That was where he had a brief but traumatic encounter with his childhood friend, Kouya, who clearly shares his feelings, after which he ran to the city, sealing all those feelings away. A cute story about regret and repression.

"I'm going to tell you you aren't my type, Mr. Straight Guy, so that you won't get suspicious of my little unspoken crush over you."

Drunkard party animal, Yonomori, is always troubling his neighbour and fellow art college student, Hinohara, who reacts by treating him between extremes of coldness and tenderness. Only Yonomori is perplexed by this, because he harbours the Feels for him. Now Hinohara wants him to model for a sculpture ... in the buff, which brings up the next point. So far, a lively and well-drawn, if somewhat conventional, yaoi tale.