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

Ohara and Kawai, childhood friends and schoolmates joined by a mutual love for astronomy, discover too late that their friendship turned into love. Or is it too late? Ohara, chained to his father's debts, seems determined to protect Kawai from his passion, but Kawai won't cooperate.

A overstretched and teetering vignette which feels as though the mangaka was working through personal discomfort with certain themes, primarily age disparities between sex partners, one underaged, and straight boys experimenting with gay sex. The set-up of an averted gang-rape, however, is all out-of-proportion as a plot-device means of establishing an adolescent's attraction toward his saviour, compared to the hints of male prostitution which merit barely the bat of an eye. The former wipes out all semblance of realism, but the latter depends on it. The resolution is all mature tenderness, self-awareness and concern, quite the about-switch compared to the initial casualness of the encounter which involves infidelity from both. Is the adult self-aware, or not? Partially, I guess. Is it realistic, or not? Elements of it are, enough to provoke some thinky-thoughts—not particularly profound ones, although better than most yaoi, and certainly enough to reveal that the mangaka shows promise. The art is beautiful. I liked it and would like to see the author do more work, but with the guidance of a very good editor who understands realism and can urge her to discard the more excessive stretches.

An older stepbrother returns home so altered in personality and appearance that his younger stepbrother, a boy he kissed a year before, doesn't even recognize him. He remains a mystery until the younger boy confronts him.

Twisted and, sometimes, dark stories inspired by Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid and Sir Gawaine and his Fairy Bride or, possibly, Beauty and the Beast (can't tell which from the story.) Only the Cinderella story's plot structure comes all that close to the original, but the plots are interesting and some of them contain unusual twists. The art is unique and stylish. I find that the characters are lacking in charisma; they are all so cold and emotionally detached. It was difficult to warm up to them.

Second sequel to Mainichi Seiten, the series about the all-gay Obinata household. After the dramatic revelations and realizations of Kodomo wa Tomaranai, schoolaged co-habitating "stepbrothers" Yuuta and Mayumi get to relax into acting their age—except they have grown up desires and aspirations which conflict with their maturity and ability to handle conflicts. There are trust issues, matters of self-responsibility, even little things like spending money. There is a very good reason the story is called Children's Time, even if it is about those children growing up. This story also brings in the character of Ryuu-nii, a figure from the Obinata past, and a very funny extra story at the end. Not sure I care for the rationalization which Yuuta gives for hating women. Don't believe that a bad experience with one person gives a person carte blanche to judge an entire gender, race, age group, body type or religion, and or to justify horrible behaviour toward them. I don't like yaoi or shounen ai which thinks that the cavalier treatment of girls or women is cool just because girls and women like hot guys getting off on each other. Loss of stars for that.

Surprise buttsex!

Arata, a partial clone/android hybrid sex-bot created in the form of a dead man and programmed with his memories, is given by an officer who deals with the rehabilitation of abused bots to its new owner, the dead man's former lover, Maki. Is a programmed doll capable of human feeling? Maki dismisses the android's appeals to his emotions as "imprinting", but during sex, Arata shows a sweetness that Maki's late lover, Ren, could never fake. A tragic backstory emerges involving Maki's twin brother. Will Arata's feelings leave Maki lonelier and more empty than when Ren was alive, or will he be able to dance with this new creation's feelings and develop something new? As always, an edgy, riveting story, beautifully drawn men and arousing sex scenes.

Kazuomi, a dark figure from part-time teacher, Shuuji's, past, shows up to exact revenge for a violent incident that Shuuji blocked from his memories. He forces his way with Shuuji using blackmail and overpowering him physically, but the story turns on Shuuji's genuine contrition and desire for atonement. An emotional soap opera that starts off with fury and betrayal, and ends gently.