muse ✨'s manga / #feels like starlight(159)

When single officer worker Hagi receives three tickets for a Lion Rangers show, he gives them to a coworker, Maki, who invites him to attend with him and his young son. Hagi had felt unwanted when his own father remarried, so he's terrified to get into a relationship with Maki out of respect for his son. This story was refreshing because it bypasses the tired "I'm straight, but for you I'd make an exception" trope. Maki is openly interested in Hagi and even says, "Who said I was straight?" He actively makes Hagi a part of his life, and three of them carve a unique family. Really very sweet and heartwarming. The only part I did not like was when Maki tested Hagi by threatening to leave his son alone as punishment for not eating his tomatoes. I don't think Maki, who is not even this child's biological father but a man who took him in out of sympathy, would ever harm a child in that way. It was a poor literary device choice by the author, and there were other ways to get to the "serious relationship" talk.

A gently told, beautiful collection of three love stories: 1) An established relationship between a secretary and his adoring boss. (Temp MCD; dream sequence) 2) Childhood friends reunite, and through photography, realize their feelings are mutual. 3) In the aftermath of a major error, a boss and subordinate find common ground in their shared loneliness and begin a relationship that is supportive and tender; their love was so immediate and sincere, it gave me butterflies.

Three love stories revolving around a bakery.

This was the slow-burn love story of my dreams. After being cruelly dumped on Christmas Eve, Ei finds a man and a kitten asleep outside of his apartment in the snow. He takes them in out of pity, and Junpei becomes a fixture in his life, helping him to emerge from his stoic shell and to learn to love someone good for once. This was one of the most realistic stories I've ever read. A few years ago, I probably would've been frustrated with Ei's behavior, especially taking back his ex. But I did the same thing because I was so desperate to save my relationship, which I clung to because it was familiar, not because it was happy or healthy. People do make mistakes. They do seek out other humans just for comfort, even if they love someone else. They do withhold their love for fear of being hurt. This was touching, exquisitely drawn, and the pacing was just right. I cannot recommend it enough.

A high school student is mistaken for a delinquent at school and avoided by his classmates. One day, a pudding falls on his head from an upper window and he insists on bringing the cook home to marry his older sister. This features the most adorable child character I've seen to date.

A chemistry teacher, Jinno, moves into the apartment next to a former student who had often talked to him after school and once said he liked him. Jinno asks him to have dinner so they can catch up, and since they both live alone and Morimoto enjoys cooking, he suggests they eat together sometimes. Their relationship grows sweetly domestic: they have dinner and sometimes lunch together, help each other with household tasks, and go clothes shopping. Jinno likens their relationship to dating and has no fear of that, slowly becoming aware of his own feelings and attraction, which he suspects are mutual. There is no relationship drama in this. Jinno works up the courage to ask Morimoto out and realizes that Morimoto had actually confessed to him in high school. They start dating and get a happy ending. A nice read on a sad day.

After an injury dashed his hopes of being a pro athlete, Kumagaya gets a job as a mover and reconnects with a former classmate, an arrogant businessman who is seemingly affectionate only toward his pet hamster. In spite of how that sounds, this is not crack but a really nice love story.

Introverted adult mangaka Mutsu spots his former basketball club member Akiharu on his way to a job agency and offers him a job as a live-in assistant. Akiharu manages the household and takes care of Mutsu, who rarely goes outside, running manuscripts to his editor and even going so far as to help him masturbate to spare his wrists. Their relationship becomes intense and close, but when Akiharu talks about the possibility of a girlfriend in the future, Mutsu begins to pull away. BIG KUDOS to the author for sex gone wrong the first time. Everyone has great first-time sex in mangaland, and I liked that these two had a less-than-satisfying first go with penetration. And then they worked things out together! Yay. A happy story.

Ivan, a spy in the Russian army, is sent to infiltrate the mafia - specifically, to spy on his former best friend whom he's still in love with. This lacks the plotty espionage I was expecting; Ivan's motivations are discovered far too soon for someone who is supposedly an accomplished spy, but I loved their relationship and passion.

Ayase is a disgraced doctor who returns to his childhood home after it's revealed his lover was married, and is reunited with his childhood friend Taishi. (The first few and final few chapters.) The second story takes place in a restaurant.