I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #unrequited love(68)

Masami nurses a secret crush on his childhood friend, Shirou, and goes to extraordinary lengths in order to protect him from perceived rival, Ryuuji. Does Shirou really need to be protected, and how far will Ryuuji go to win?

Jun's secret crush on Hayato is fulfilled and his heart is overflowing with bliss, until Hayato's former lover returns and it seems as though Jun is being pushed out. Must he passively accept this turn of events? What intrigue is behind the reappearance of Hayato's former flame? A bittersweet romance compounded by communication problems and insecurities.

Mitsuya was always chasing after his brother and his brother's friend, Noboru. In time, his feelings for Noboru turned to love and he forced a kiss on him, which was violently rejected. Shocked, Mitsuya shut his heart off from the world until 10 years later, a fateful reunion provokes shattering self-realizations. This story has a maturity and realism that elevates it beyond standard yaoi. The main character is a jerk, but surprisingly sympathetic. One of my all-time favourites!

First in Takanaga Hinako's Kimi ga Koi series, which continues with the second installment Kimi ga Koi ni Oboreru and ends with Kimi ga Koi ni Midareru. After a long absence from competitive archery, brought on by the agitation of his unrequited love for Reiichirou, Haru finds himself back in familiar territory as the student adviser of the archery club at the high school where he teaches when he comes across the younger brother of his foresworn love, Tsukasa. Tsukasa has been nursing a secret infatuation with Haru for years, and with Reiichirou out of the picture, uses Haru's proximity to press his advantage. What happens when Reiichirou returns? An emotionally moving romance filled with many poignant and dramatic moments and some rather nice art work.

Two stories. First, the story of an entertainment company president who harbours unrequited love for his secretary, and constantly pushes into his space up until the "last 3 centimetres", which he leaves for the secretary to complete. The second about the reunion of an aging and lonely tutor with the student who harboured a crush on him for years. Both of the stories are about love triumphing over loneliness and resignation, and like most of Chidori Peko's yaoi manga, are sentimental and light.

Tokiwa, a designer, rejects the romantic interests of his young cousin, before Ai fully realizes them. When Ai becomes a gifted fabric colourist, he takes the opportunity of Tokiwa's desire to use his talent in order to coerce him into a sexual relationship through contractual obligation, but after a terrible secret is revealed by a member of Ai's family, he wakes up to what he has done. How does Tokiwa feel about it? A classical romance. The three subsequent one-shots are less interesting.

Nishina, newly divorced, accidentally bumps into the high school lover he cruelly threw away, Miyama, at the café Miyama now runs, and all his longing is rekindled. The question is whether Miyama can ever forgive him. Full of flashbacks, this story is a realistic look at the difference a decade can make. Hatsukoi is a side-story to Arashi no Ato.

Two art students share a dorm room together. The barely articulate Natsu has a crush on Haru, who works at a gallery, but Haru tells him to forget it unless he wants to fail his courses. This is a sequel to Rougatsu no Hengen-san. Promising, but incomplete, and unlikely to ever be finished.

Laid-back Narasaki gets thrown into the job of library supervisor and babysitter for the much wilder Natsuke, who takes to surprise!kissing him. Narasaki is so laid back, it takes him weeks to figure out what that means, throwing Natsuke into a self-inflicted rejection/self-loathing feedback loop. Funny and real.