sadslime's manga / #Japanese gods(22)

High-schooler Nanao has been raised all his life to be a sacrifice to the local god, Daja, as per his family's agreement. But when the time comes, Daja is not interested, despite Nanao's every effort, claiming that, among other things, Nanao won't taste good since his soul has no greed/desires. Nanao won't leave though, so they end up living together while Nanao tries to convince Daja to eat him, and Daja tries to get Nanao to leave him alone. I like Daja a lot as he's visually quite different from most semes, and Nanao is very funny. Trigger warning: spiked drink (aphrodisiac).

In Tarou's village, once every 50 years a god is born as a human and grows up among them for 18 years. This time, that god is his childhood friend Tomoya, and while everyone else treats him with reverence and fear, Tarou sees Tomoya as simply his friend. But the day when Tomoya will have to leave is fast approaching, and Tarou isn't sure how he'll be able to on once his childhood friend is gone or how to express his feelings before Tomoya leaves. Very bittersweet and well done. No trigger warnings.

Lion dog forced by his sister to marry dragon god

Grew up in love with the god of war.

Tsubakimaru is a young half-ogre orphan who was kidnapped when his captors suddenly died and he met, Shii-sama, the evil god of the mountain, turned into an evil god when humans cut down his tree. The lonely god is overjoyed to find that the young child survived due to his oni blood, and Tsubakimaru decides to stay with Shii-sama to help him not be lonely. But as he grows, the excessive lust that onis feel begins to become a problem for the pure-hearted boy, while Shii-sama feels he needs to set Tsubakimaru free. But even as Tsubakimaru and Shii-sama are beginning to figure out their relationship and the mountain seems to finally be healing, villagers who see the young ogre become convinced they must destroy the evil god again. This story was 90% of the way there to being a tragic masterpiece, but then it just suddenly deus ex machinas it's way into a happy ending that doesn't really make sense. Also for some reason it decided to go with a weird tentacle hentai thing for a lot of the sex scenes, but hey, I don't judge. The relationships and characters are really well done though, and it's still worth a read. Trigger warnings: incest themes (guardian).

Shin is a winged messenger meant to serve the gods of the surrounding mountains, but he's constantly getting into fights due to his small wings. The main god then assigns him to a minor god on the most distant mountain, Mountain #32, and Shin meets the kind fluffball he will serve, who he names Baku. He and Baku get closer as he learns that Baku can transform into a human and that he eats the polluting miasma that would taint or kill others, but Shin can't help but feel he's forgetting something, while Baku worries that he's not worthy to be Shin's god after all. Very cute, although I felt like the explanation for Shin's missing memories was a bit forced. Trigger warning: bullying.

Ch.1, 4.5-4.7 - Mauri and Dragon - In a village devoid of women after they were all taken by a cruel lord, the young boy Mauri is offered to the wandering dragon god when he demands an offering. The dragon is at first displeased, but comes to like spending time with Mauri so much that when he sees the men of the village try to make Mauri "comfort" them like he did in the past, the dragon won't stand for it. Starts a little dark, but ends with a very cute and sweet family. Trigger warnings: mention of kidnapping, attempted rape. Ch.2 - The Rain God - Matsuri has always been able to see strange things, including the seemingly powerful being Shiromine who he's known and admired since he was a child. Matsuri has what he thinks is a one-sided crush on Shiromine, but when he lashes out at Shiromine for treating him like a child and Shiromine causes it to rain for days on end, he realizes that Shiromine cares for him more than he lets on. I like their relationship and how it's developed over time. Trigger warning: touching/kissing a minor. Ch.3a-3b - Hunter of Everlasting Spring - The god of spring (bird) has taken notice of the hunter Jiin who comes to the mountain every year and listens to his song, but this year the god of spring suddenly took human form because of his feelings for Jiin. When he was kidnapped and made to sing on command for greedy humans, Jiin was the one to save him, but now that they're together, the god still doesn't know how to express his feelings to Jiin. Trigger warning: kidnapping, slavery. Ch.4 - The Wandering One - After a young boy's family is killed, he's left alone and gets taken in by a man, Kitsune, and the very large horse he has with him, Orphée. The boy learns the two are lovers and the horse is a god, and when the group they're with is attacked again, including Kitsune, he and Orphée team up to take the men down. But the young boy isn't quite what he seems. Trigger warning: murder, attempted kidnapping. Vol.2 Ch.1-2 - Itsuka and Black Dragon - As war rages across the country, Itsuka leads a group of bandits who steal to get by while chasing after the black dragon who supposedly brings calamity, but who is also Itsuka's lover. But when he takes in a young boy named Jiri who's life was destroyed by the war, Jiri can't accept Itsuka's connection with the dragon. Trigger warning: war, beheading, death by starvation. Vol.2 Ch.3 - Lonely Tanta - Tanta is a feathered dog creature left alone after his mother's death. When he tries to pluck his feathers and catch a fish so he can enter a pack of dogs, a stranger helps him catch a fish, but his offering is rejected by the pack. However it turns out the stranger was a wondering god who took a liking to Tanta, so perhaps neither has to be alone anymore. This one has made me cry. I also like that it's the one story with love between a god and a nonhuman. Trigger warning: attempted murder (between animals).

Ch.1 - Marine Blue Marriage - The pirate captain Wolff had his ship taken and was pushed into the sea where he was rescued by the octopus-like god, Poseidon, who proclaimed Wolff his bride. At first, Wolff wants to take advantage of Poseidon's affection to exact revenge, but how will he react when he finds out his enemies are long gone? Trigger warnings: depression, tentacles. Ch.4 - The Dragon's Rain - When Ryu was a child, his village begged the dragon god for rain, and he agreed in exchange for Ryu as an offering when he grew. The village hated to send their cheif's son, but Ryu secretly had always adored the dragon and spent the next three years training his body to be to the dragon god's liking. Now that they've reunited, will the dragon god accept him? Trigger warning: shotacon (looks only), mention of cannibalism, drowning. Ch.7 - Rakuen Paradise - A young boy who was all alone found solace in his companionship with a strange monster who may kill people, and he sells his body to support them both. Trigger warnings: sex work, tentacles. Ch.8 - The Cowardly Demon's Love Sickness - The ogre Benimaru had his first love with a human man many years ago, but their races and genders kept them apart, and his beloved soon died. Now, living in the present era where supernatural creatures are accepted, Benimaru is working at a cafe where he's agressively courted by the young man Tatsumi, but Benimaru can't bring himself to open his heart to another human, knowing they'll be separated again soon. However, Tatsumi refuses to give up, and when Benimaru thinks he may have lost him, he realizes how he felt for Tatsumi all along. By far my favorite couple in this list, I especially love Tatsumi's face right after Benimaru finally confesses, as well as his backstory. Trigger warning: bestiality.

A Japanese mountain god (later called Water Lily) finds an injured man on his mountain treating a deer's injury and begrudgingly takes him back to his shrine and heals him. The man, Kyouya, agrees to tell Water Lily about the city in return, and ends up getting physically intimate with Water Lily, only to steal one of his horns right after the act, rendering him powerless. Water Lily has no choice but to go to the city with Kyouya, but he finds that Kyouya takes good care of him and is so kind, that he doesn't mind that Kyouya took his horn, until he learns Kyouya only did it to give him to the emperor. I think Water Lily is an interesting character, and given that he's not human, the way he perceives Kyouya is fascinating too. Trigger warnings: kidnapping, noncon.

Ch.1 - Poetry of the Blue Wind - A tengu falls for a potter who comes to the mountain seeking to create celadon colored wares, but he neglects his duty to watch over the mountain and the potter he loves is put in danger as a result. Short and bittersweet. No trigger warnings. Ch.2 - To the Bottom of the Sea - The shark god of the sea, Shiranui, dislikes the fishermen who come to pillage his seas. So the fisher village sends their best swimmer, Nagi, to wrestle with Shiranui and distract him while they pull up their nets. Both Nagi and Shiranui come to look forward to this time together, until Nagi is eventually wounded, and it's up to Shiranui to save him. Cute, no trigger warnings. Ch.3 - The Kitsune's Udon - A tofu seller is on his way home one night when he comes across a kitsune (fox spirit) with an udon stand. Though he's afraid, he tries the kitsune's udon and finds it delicious, so he invites the kitsune to sell udon in his hometown. Cute, and I like the background yokai. No trigger warnings. Ch.4 - Tsubamemaru - Muneyuki inherited the legendary sword Tsubamemaru when he took over his clan, and he and the living sword have been together ever since. But now that he's been betrayed and he's on the run from his enemies who want to take Tsubamemaru, Muneyuki is determined not to let his beloved sword fall into another's hands. Bittersweet. Trigger warning: wartime violence, suicide. Ch.5 - The Dragon's Secret Medicine - An envoy sent to the dragon god seeking the elixir of immortality on behalf of the emperor spends a night with the dragon before heading back with the dragon's blood, but the elixir is really something else entirely. Probably my favorite. I like the comedic tone and the average looking ML. Trigger warning: attempted murder.