I Thot You Was a Toad's manga / #drama(235)

Tearjerker. A brother's tragic past leaves him wounded beyond his sibling's awareness. He finds solace in the arms of a benefactor in a new country, eschewing his upbringing, the abusive person who caused him so much pain, and the limitations of his past.

Good stories about mutual attraction and patience in love. These couples wait for each other to be ready. Very realistic, if simple and straightforward, and this gentleness gives them a romantic quality. Kujou Aoi's art is very beautiful, if somewhat traditional.

Classic campy horror about magic spells centered around ancient Chinese superstitions and possessed dolls. Very entertaining.

The theme of paintings, stolen or given away, as the means of owning a piece of one's beloved's soul underscores these stories about men who are too timid to admit their attraction for each other.

A finicky eater attracts the attention of the kinky homosexual chef of a fine bistro who combines tabletop sex with feedings in order to stimulate the young man's gourmand tastes, never realizing that a history of betrayal and deception factors into the young man's food aversions. An interesting take on the relationship between appetite and desire, the emotional impact of treachery and betrayal on the gut, the way misery wipes out self-worth and personal boundaries and creates the willingness to be used, and the healing effects of love, even kinky love. Zaria's art is, as always, gorgeous, and this is a surprisingly sweet story, even without the stickier ingredients.

Miyoshi, a man with BDSM and treachery in his past which prevents him from being able to sleep alone, runs a jack-of-all-trades company. His latest employee, the goodnatured Rizu, offers to be his sleepover companion, and their casual arrangement takes a turn for sexual intimacy. What happens when Miyoshi's past starts to resurface? It looks like we will never know since the story has been hanging ever since chapter one was posted. The scanlation is a bit awkward in places, which makes it hard to follow since the two lead characters look very similar. It took me a couple of read-throughs to catch on, but it would be nice to know what happened besides the tantalizing glimpse we've been given.

Yuki acts like the perfect wife for Keiichirou, his late sister's husband, preparing his meals, tidying his clothes—which is why Keiichirou wants him to stick around—doing everything except sleeping with him. He wants to, but Keiichirou doesn't know that, and he will never know as far as Yuki is concerned. Yuki's already got a job lined up in Osaka after he graduates (even though his professor and fellow students also want to marry him) and that hours-long commute is the best way of keeping what he sees as an inappropriate love to himself. So far, a lively and engaging story with a tragic past and beautiful art.

A gorgeous collection of stories by Minezuki Akira: (1) The first story isn't as engaging as the other two. In it, a fast-food manager falls in love at first sight with a proficiency expert sent by the parent company to monitor his shop. (2) A ghost or demon who feeds off of human warmth falls in love with a medicine seller who travels on his mountain during a snowstorm. (3) A sculpture student falls in love with his mentor, an artistic genius who sculpts by touch. The art is so beautiful.

Two very different one-shots. (1) A highschooler blackmails his tutor into sex by threatening to reveal that he has a crush on his older brother. This one has a spectacular plot twist and is very engrossing. (2) Zany comedy about a highschooler who spends so much time chasing after an unrequited love, he completely neglects to notice someone who is in love with him. The first story is much more absorbing than the second, but it doesn't look as though this collection of short stories is going to be finished since it hasn't been updated in forever.