otakulys's manga / #Slice of Life(186)

Ore, higaisha

Ongoing | Kimura Hidesato | 2000 released

"I'm too scared to ask, but I think maybe Shinobu is gay." ... .... .......... What makes you say that, guy who currently has the dude's dick up his ass??? This is the definition of what I hate in yaoi. For whatever reason, the uke is always magically worried about the seme or starts to find him attractive in the middle of rape, and it's like this weird romance. It's so gross. I'm intrigued by the strangulation fetish, so I checked this out, hoping it would be more interesting than your typical rape to love bullshit. It isn't. It just adds choking. Take the choking out and it's the same as a million other stories. I understand that Japanese culture encourages meekness, but I feel like the lengths ukes go to help others in these things is kinda pushing it. This story would have been cute if they'd started as consensual fuck buddies with no feelings between them, but because the guy just jumps the other guy, it's gross. Anyway, they were all supposed to be kinky, kinda twisted stories, but they came across as average stories with weird shit shoved in there. I know a lot of people are confused by the second story, but I kinda liked it. I wish it were a lot longer. You don't see a lot of stuff focusing on MPD, and when it is, it portrays the person as dangerous or something. This wasn't super accurate, but it was better than a lot of stuff out there. I also liked the fourth story. It was very sad, but I like that moment of realization, how he coped with the trauma and the implications of all the times he's seen monsters. The third story, uh... I'm not sure how to feel going into a manga that starts off talking about bloody diarrhea. Not my thing, but there are people out there who hate how yaoi guys don't poop, or at least bitch about it. So here ya go! Also, why is there a tragedy tag? Am I missing something? So far, no one has died.

Kurayami Ni Strobe

Complete | hayakawa nojiko | 2011 released

I'm definitely a fan of this mangaka. Her art is so pretty, and her stories always have a nice little hint of hope between the main pair. And other characters, apparently, haha. This is a cute one, though I wish she'd explored the homophobia element more. Usually I prefer a world where being gay or bi is the norm, but when it's slice of life, coming of age stuff like this, I enjoy seeing the boys come into their own. The snippet with the poor bullied boy was interesting and sad, and I was looking forward to the guys facing and overcoming bigotry thrown their way. Oh well. It was a sweet manga regardless.

Chishiyoubun no Ai wa Komete

Complete | JARYUU Dokuro | 2000 released

Aw, that was a cute little short. I like that it lets you fill in the rest at the end. Light and fluffy. I like that old man who keeps popping up, lol.

Umi no Mukou, Tsuki no Uragawa

Complete | Shimokawa Saki | 2000 released

Ugh, so sad! At least there was the little text that said they'd meet again someday, but man, what a downer. I would have rated it higher if it were longer and more fleshed out, but for what it was, I did like it. I wish we could get a sequel to this where they do get to rekindle their friendship again. And they both end up with good people who treat them well.

Ashita wa Docchi Da!

Ongoing | Yamamoto Kotetsuko | 2015 released

The more this drags out, the more I hate Ken. I really wish that Kirara would give him the cold shoulder for once. The tsundere thing gets old after a while. Anyway, it's still a cute manga. I hope the other two end up together. They'd be a cute couple. Hope it updates soon, and that the story starts to pick up a bit with the main two.

Kirei ni Shiteyo

Complete | Sachimo | 2016 released

Cute little story. Nothing too amazing, but sweet enough. I think with the right writer, an expansion on the story could have made it more interesting. But that's okay. It was quick and sweet.

See-through

Complete | ootsuki miu | 2013 released

This should be called "Straight Boys and Unrequited Love." That was the theme throughout, but the endings were either happy or open with a sad-ish feel. Nothing was solidly stated. They all end at a crossroads, where a relationship may or may not develop. I love this artist, so I read it, even though I hate straight-gay pairings. The stories were all right, mostly a bit sad, but not nearly as soul-crushing as I was expecting. The comments had me afraid to even read it. But as of chapter 7, things are still relatively light. The longest story had more sad elements, of course, but there could still be more for the guys someday. I know the wish is for the guy who's in love to end up with his straight friend, but I wish more of these stories would end with the friendship continuing in a healthy way, and the guy falling head over heels for someone else who actually loves them back from the start. Why does it always have to be that the straight guy falls for him anyway, or no one gets what they want and everything is sad, the end? There are other options, is all I'm saying. x_x

Daiji na Koto na no de, Nido.

Complete | KUROIWA Chihaya | 2014 released

Aww. That was quite sweet. It's more of a 4.2 than a 5, but I bumped it up to five because the seme never raped the uke out of love. When he asked if he could put it in, and Tomoya said no, I thought, "Welp, this is it. And later it'll be treated as romantic because he secretly wanted it." But then he didn't, and things still got creepy, but for yaoi, it was pretty relieving that it didn't go the usual way. The oneshot didn't really do anything for me. It was cute and stuff, but I get the feeling that it may have been one of her first attempts at yaoi. Or manga in general. The art was off, the story was weak. But I did love the ending, haha. Not so much of a secret after all.

Tomodachi Ijou no Koto, Shitai.

Complete | KURAHASHI Tomo | 2015 released

Uuuuuuggggghhhhh. Okay, the first half of this manga, I thought I had found my dream couple or something. It was so perfect. Then... a bunch of the usual cliches came dancing in and ruined the perfect high. I'll break this into pros and cons, I guess. PROS: * BEAUTIFUL art. Ugh. * Super hot boys. * Genuine love for one another. * True friendship that matters dearly, even if they'd stayed platonic. * Mutual affection from the start. * Some side characters that I really liked. * Funny, cute moments throughout. * Super hot moments, particularly the one that gets this whole thing started. CONS: * MISUNDERSTANDINGS. I hate this trope SO much, and it's in everything. A little bit is one thing, but when it just goes on and on to the point of everyone involved seeming mentally challenged, it becomes more annoying than anything. Using misunderstandings that could easily be cleared up with a little communication is lazy writing. It's a weak plot device, and I can't stand it. Sadly, it's often in yaoi--and things with romance in general--so it's tough to avoid. * "It's okay if it's you." This trope is another one that I can't stand. It was set up in a way to indicate interest in girls had been either passing or just forced, but since bisexuality can never exist in yaoiland, they just HAD to shove in that pointless exchange with him telling the dude he's only into chicks. Why does it always have to be an exception? The cons were fewer in that sense, but they're right below "rape to love" in my list of yaoi tropes that I hate, so it hit me pretty hard. I wouldn't have cared as much if I hadn't liked it so much from the beginning. You may have noticed that it still has five stars, however. If I just ignore those other things, this really is a very sweet story with an adorable couple at the center. I want to read more about these two. I want to read more about senpai and his boyfriend, especially! XD And the art is just so damn lovely. Hopefully some of the mangaka's other work will inspire me in the same ways without irritating me in the others.

Kowagaranai de, Soba ni Ite

Complete | Long Utsumi | 2000 released

Aww. Well that was very sweet. A twist on a trope that's slowly growing in popularity: an accident causes one person to entirely forget their significant other. In the other versions, at least in the yaoi ones, the other partner stands back and secretly hopes they get their memories back. This is the first one I've read where they want the memories to stay gone for the good of their loved one. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm glad the two loved each other so much. I do wonder in all of these stories, though, how the other person never stumbles upon a picture of them together, or a voicemail, or a note they wrote, or anything that would tip them off. But whatever, it's all about the cute boys in the end. ^^