The Art of Taming A Tiger
this was an absolutely amazing read. the plot is phenomenal—everything connects so beautifully and with so much intention. it’s a really emotional story; i definitely cried more than once. the art is absolutely stunning too, which made it not just a great story but also a gorgeous visual experience. the romance is super cute and develops at a really nice pace. honestly, i have no complaints. even the short side story was memorable and sweet. overall, i loved the ending and every single aspect of the narrative. if you’re looking for something that tugs at your heartstrings while also offering some introspective moments, this is a perfect choice. i’d honestly love to reread it someday once i’ve forgotten the details just to experience it all over again. i’d totally recommend it to anyone curious about getting into the BL genre.
Mad Dog
this guy is such a black flag. I wish there was more content. I did really enjoy this one. I like the Art. I thought the pacing was good. I just wish we got more side stories.
Panoramic View
this was a cute story about a young boy from an orphanage who was saved by a guy from the mafia and how he views this guy as his savior and once he is 23 he falls in love with the mafia boss and it’s quite cute. it’s nothing that special but the art was nice.
Clover Under Foot
wow. this was quite the read. i initially went into this story for the romance—i was really only after that aspect—but what kept me reading were the unique qualities of the story itself. i found myself enjoying every chapter because it explored real-world issues in a digestible way, while also handling them with a lot of care and appropriateness. some scenes even made me emotional, which is rare for me. i tend to be pretty detached when it comes to certain issues, but without giving any spoilers, there were parts of the story that hit way too close to real life—closer than most stories ever get. one major theme, obviously, dealt with things like racism, prejudice, sexism, and homophobia, and how religion can tie into and influence all of those. for a story that was advertised more as a romance-with-a-college-life-twist featuring animal characteristics, i was genuinely surprised by how deeply it dove into these serious topics. that’s exactly why i ended up putting it in my favorites folder. this definitely isn’t a read for anyone just looking for romance—while romance does exist, it’s far from the focus. it shows up pretty sparingly, and there’s not even a kiss. but what really made me love this story was the emotional impact and how it mirrored so many real-life struggles through a fictional lens. so if you’re looking for something thought-provoking that reflects our society while exploring the dynamics of another, this is absolutely worth reading.
Spinach Bouquet
i don’t have the correct words to accurately depict how satisfying and fulfilling this story was—truly just an amazing plotline. it starts us off already in a really high-stress situation, with two of the main characters surrounded by fire, and then everything else is a flashback that leads up to that moment. it’s about 85 chapters before we’re back in that room with the fire, and within those 85 chapters, so much happens to the characters. there’s so much growth. so much change. so much fluff. there are slight bits of angst, but nothing quite compares to the climax of being trapped in that room with the fire. i really appreciated how well done this was. there was also an insinuation that one of the female main characters was somehow manipulating the universe through her storytelling. it wasn’t exactly confirmed whether this was actually happening or if it was just a lot of coincidences, but either way i loved how they tied everything together. before anyone even suspects she’s impacting the story, there are a bunch of moments where the characters are like, “what she’s writing is really accurate to what actually happened,” and as readers you kind of just assume she was observing or got lucky. but then she herself starts noticing how similar the coincidences are, and decides to write down a change—and the change genuinely happens. so whether or not this was coincidence or some kind of magic, we never fully know, but i really like it that way. it lets the reader interpret what was actually going on the entire time. i think all of the characters were really enjoyable and well thought out—even the ones we see as antagonists throughout the story have redeeming qualities, and you begin to understand why they act the way they do. it doesn’t make their actions okay, but it gives them nuance. i truly think this story broke a lot of boundaries in the boys love genre. one example being that the bottom is actually taller than the top, which never happens in BL. i honestly thought the taller one was going to be the top at first, especially after he had his growth spurt, but i was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t change it. their interactions just felt so human. a lot of times BL characters are boxed into certain archetypes, but what i loved here is that they felt like real people. how they loved each other, how they grew, how they interacted—it all felt very real and authentic. i couldn’t recommend this story enough. it’s one of a kind, beautiful, and just an amazing read. please read it if you have the chance. phenomenally done. - last read: chap 121/B-5
Netkama Punch!!!
wow this one really surprised me. I did not anticipate enjoying this one that much. I do recall seeing this mentioned on platforms like TikTok, but I never went to read it because I didn’t really know what it was about, but then it got recommended to me through the site that I read stuff on, and the premise is something that I absolutely adore. I love when it is a romance and there is a video game involved. I’ve always had a soft spot for that ever since the anime Sword Art Online. I personally love video games myself, so I love when there’s a combination of romance and video games. ultimately, I think the premise of this was really well done. I really enjoyed the pacing, and the romance made a lot of sense and didn’t feel like it came out of left field. the art was exceptionally beautiful—like, there were times when I was sat admiring how the artist drew the fabric on a shirt, which sounds crazy, but I just really appreciated the time and dedication that it took for even those minor details that a lot of times artists look over. this is definitely one of my favorites, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants to read a good lighthearted story that also is romantic. I think there are no downsides to the story. it was really fulfilling to read, and I’m so so glad it got recommended to me.
A Trace of the Wonder