Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #re-read!!! ^.^(278)

Totally loved the first couple with the pervert trap and the teacher. They were adorable. But the last pair were my favourite! Cant help but crack up laughing at Akio’s chill inducing stalking, his smirks and smiling face and the way his friend liked him just as he was.

I love the story and movie of Daddy Long Legs, and can’t resist other authors making their own versions. This is the second yaoi with this theme I have stumbled upon. I liked the story between Aoi and the chancellor. Aoi was a beautiful boy with a case of hero worship for the benefactor who helped him after his parents died. They have a shared past that comes to light in the story, and when Aoi turns 16 he meets his ‘Daddy Long Legs’, the 29 year old chancellor. I enjoy their relationship, it’s a little turbulent with a busy business man and a teenager. Aoi has some insecurities and feelings of inadequacy to work through, but his lover is patient and understanding (as well as very possessive) and the two work through each problem to become a stronger couple. The ending is super sweet, looking at them when Aoi is a working adult still dealing with his wonderfully perverted and demanding seme.

Such a hot yakuza story where the uke, Tatsume, is a strong guy not about to be easily pushed around by anybody. I loved Yoshimune and his relentless pursuit of Tatsume. The yakuza boss was ruthless but cute, determined and dangerous and you knew it would be inevitable for Tatsume to resist him for long. Definitely one of the better yakuza stories I have read (though it didn’t delve too deeply into a crime lord lifestyle) and that probably comes down to how strong and likeable Tatsume was and his respect for women (inspired by his mum) was a nice change too.

One shots with some traditional tropes but something special in the delivery. I enjoy one shots when you need a quick escape into fantasy without getting bogged down in anything too heavy and these worked for me. 1. The new neighbour is oddly seductive and friendly...and also the boss on a new project. The younger uke in this story gets metaphorical whiplash learning to deal with the coldly professional man vs the warmly fun private man that was his new neighbour. All while finding himself oddly attracted. The seme in this was harder to warm up to because his professional self was really quite cold. But he gave warm praise where it was earned and was happy to help the uke be his best professionally. He wasn’t the sort to like mixing private and work life so the way the uke overcame that was a laugh. 2. Yuuichi nii-chan and Azusa’s story was one I liked more. Friends for years, the older Yuuichi has been waiting for his friend to grow up enough to become his lover as well as his friend. Azusa tends to spark up at his friend these days, annoyed at his constant girlfriends and player lifestyle. But Yuuichi has his sights firmly set on his friend and Azusa starts to realize why he gets so flustered by the guy he has always looked up to. I liked both characters and the wicked look that Yuuichi often had was rather sexy. 3. Ryou-kun is an awkwardly shy guy scouted by makeup artist Marikawa-san as a model. In this fast paced story the self deprecating Ryou-kun wants the beautiful Marikawa-san to like him for who he is, even as he gains confidence under the guidance of the older man. I liked this story for the way Ryou always seemed to gaze longingly at Marikawa and how Marikawa held himself back, but would look at his hand that had cupped the uke’s chin after he left. Subtle things like that really work for me. It made the eventual move by Marikawa to no longer hold back carry an extra spark of intensity that is hard to achieve in a oneshot. 4. Childhood friends Ayase and Suga reunite after 3 years apart and a confession that took the younger Ayase by surprise and left him speechless. A confession after graduation that he never got to respond to because his friend left for Tokyo the next day. Now Suga is back in town and seeking Ayusa. And Ayusa has years of heartache and unvoiced hurt that he wants to say, along with his own feelings of love. But even now, he seems unable to grasp a moments opportunity to have that important discussion with the friend he still loves. This is a story that has so much wasted time and opportunity that it frustrates you to read. But I figure it would have frustrated both boys even more and I liked how it finally turned out. 5. This story had an old trope of amnesia where Fujihara had an accident only to lose memory of everyone but his friend, Kouji. He returns from the dead to kiss the stunned Kouji and lay a relentless pursuit on his friend. There was an odd mix of ruthlessness and vulnerability in Fuji. The uke, Kouji, was strong willed and resistant, but he had obvious moments of softness for his friend as he dealt with his confused feelings. Like the other stories, this was fast paced because it was a oneshot, but I enjoyed their crazy ride to facing the truth and being a couple.

Loved both these stories, but the 3 friends was my favourite by far. Eiji has been the object of his 2 childhood friends romantic attention since they were little. Haruki-kun and Ikumi-kun are Eiji’s best friends but when a girl shows an interest in Eiji, his friends let him know that they aren’t joking when they say they love him, and he needs to choose one of them. What I loved about this story was that it was impossible to choose one friend over the other, and that neither Haruki nor Ikumi were sexually interested in each other but were friendly rivals with enough shared history to work together to win Eiji. I loved their competitiveness and how that was put aside for Eiji. I thought the story was sweet, funny and hot at the same time. I loved all the MCs. The second story was fantastic with an adorable, puppy like kouhai and his bossy senpai falling for each other at work. I loved how the irresistible cuteness each saw in the other had some interesting consequences!

Beyond brilliant! The art, the story, the characters. Amazing!

Reading about the quietly reserved Taichi and the sociable extrovert Nao was a wonderful way to spend an evening. Starting when these ex lovers meet each other again at uni, the author surprised me by giving them the maturity to decide to be friends again. That gave the opportunity to have some flashbacks and you start to realise that Taichi never stopped loving the bubbly Nao. I loved that quiet yearning he showed, and then as Nao started falling for his friend again and the two had sex, there was enough sexual tension between the two to make that a satisfyingly hot read. I enjoyed all the story because both guys obviously adored each other, but that doesn’t mean things are easy. They had adjustments to make for each other, arguments to resolve, communication problems to sort out and then planning for their future; all while working, studying and spending time with some of the best friends I have come across in a yaoi. I especially loved the girls, how the mangaka made them so likeable and such good friends. But most of all, even when things were tough, I really appreciated the love between the 2 MCs that was challenged, but never in doubt.

Such a surprisingly adorable story! Both characters were irresistible in their own way with the short yet tough and feisty uke and the 190cm tall seme who adores him (and manages that temper incredibly well!).

This was probably the first Josei that I have really enjoyed. I liked both stories but Mr Cinderella was the best. The FMC was adorably assertive and for all that she wanted to give her boss a makeover, she won me over totally when she said she loved him just as he is.

This is my favourite manga by Nishida Hisashi. Nabeshima and Takeda were such authentic characters, both strong and masculine yet surprisingly vulnerable. Takeda was struggling to accept his infertility and his self identity as a man, as well as grieving for the children he could never father. Add to that his failing marriage and jealousy over Nabeshima’s interest in his wife; he was a lost, angry man. His evolving relationship with Nabeshima was really full of emotion for the reader. Nabeshima was almost tortured by his love for Takeda, but he was so honest and determined to find some spot by the side of the man he loved, I found him to be irresistible. This story was full of feelings, including some that were painful (like the rape scene). I thought the mangaka managed the aftermath of that with respect for both her characters. Nabeshima was devastated by self loathing and remorse. Takeda was no pushover about to let things slide but took a passive aggressive approach initially that left no doubt as to his rage. I really loved that in the end, these two beautiful men made their way to being happy together. It wasn’t an easy journey but they are so good together and it was great to be part of it by reading this wonderful manga.