I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #sweet(11)

Salaryman, Sanoshita, is in a quandary about how to thank Manaka, the mover who saved him when he accidentally bumped into a pile of boxes at his new apartment, but was, in turn, injured himself. Attraction develops into a caring friendship and a wonderful love affair, with a few bumps and rocky patches along the way. Not only has this manga got one of the best lines ever, but there is an entire wordless picture story section. Other sweet and sexy short stories round out the collection.

A simple story of how Kanda wins over Rihito who had repeatedly spurned his advances because he is bi, and to his way of thinking, may leave him in the future for a woman. What isn't so simple is how Kanda actually breaks through Rihito's resistance. Like most of Tenzen Momoko's stories, this one has a very pleasant, easy pace with many sparkly moments. Every time Rihito goes wide-eyed with surprise, a fairy is born.

Yuuen of the Forest Clan is told to dress himself as a woman and seduce Emba, the mighty hunter of the Lakeside Clan, in order to gather food. Emba is such a man, however, that Yuuen is completely smitten.

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 persuade him?

A sequel to Ringo ni Hachimitsu (http://www.mangago.com/read-manga/ringo_ni_hachimitsu/) Hideyoshiko's story continues of the courtship and early relationship between Natsuke and Komano two gay college men. Natsuke has always known he was gay, and Komano is a heterosexual who is only gay for Natsuke. It shows their insecurities, particularly Natsuke's, who was badly used by selfish and closeted lovers, and interactions. Hideyoshiko's stories are quiet and calm, with nothing extreme ever happening, but they work like a slow boil to passion.

Lots of woo and sparkles, but otherwise pretty chaste.

During the high school greeting ceremony, the quiet and timid Sasano falls head-over-heels after gorgeous and popular Koga flashes a dazzling smile at someone, but doesn't believe he is compatible as a suitor and so decides to nurse his crush in secret. This story is about what happens when Koga notices Sasano and becomes curious. It's slow-paced shounen ai, and even though I'm not crazy about high-school stories, it wins for realism, a completely credible and very gentle slice-of-life bildungsroman treatment, sweetness and a terrific (not evil!) female character to whom most young women could probably relate.

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 as he is aware of all Satoru's shortcomings on the personal responsibility scale. How's that? Well, Yuushin is a free spirited kind of guy himself, and moved away from his own doting mother in order to perform as an actor in a theatre troupe, and it isn't as though he wasn't in that same boat himself, once. 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.

Domestic couple story. Hajiwara, a single gay man who had been rejected as a child by his father and stepmother after the remarriage, vows he will never put another child through this experience and swears off all family men, no matter how attractive he finds them. Fortunately, he is no match for Yuuto Maki and his very cute son, Ritsu. There are moments in the story that give pause, but the overwhelming feel of the manga is cutesy wootsy.

Tomiura and Shirosaki are, both, neighbours, classmates at the same university and gay — a fact which Tomiura uncovers by pure chance when Shirosaki is abused by a former lover. Together, they discover they have more in common than a similar sexuality, and it is all these other attractions and intimacies which make Shirosaki reluctant to go further. Unfortunately, a promising beginning segued into a standard conclusion, with their reticence quickly dismissed, and the conflict added as an afterthought in Chapter 3. (2) Samiya and Toujou are dumped, have drunken rebound sex which turns out to be a little more serious for each other than they originally thought. (3) A gay boyfriend tries to come between his clueless boyfriend and the younger brother who won't allow it.