Well it's about time!
So... it occurred to me that I ran off to St. Augustine last week and didn't even post while I was on my little vacation. (I didn't even do anything worth noting aside from sleep a lot, play with kitties, and go out to dinner with my parents). Anyway, now I'm back home and back in school.
But, you may be asking, what am I going to post about today that's not completely boring? BL manga recommendations! It's been a few months since my last BL reading spree, and I've read some good things, so I'm going to share them with you~!
Sore Nari ni Shinken Nan desu
By: Asou Kai
Synopsis: Oosawa is a single father and a waiter at a small Japanese restaurant, and is constantly stretched thin running back and forth between the shop and his daughter's school and daycare. One night, his daughter gets sick and Yoshioka, a frequent customer (who's openly gay and somewhat of a manwhore), helps him out. The manga tells the story of what happens as Oosawa gets to know Yoshioka as the person he really is, rather than the shallow playboy he appears to be.
Bottom Line: This manga is 17 chapters long (13 chapters and 4 bonus ones) and it's easily worth it to read all of them. I really liked this, and you should know I don't often say that about BL manga! The characters are given plenty of time to develop and they don't just jump into bed at the drop of a hat. If you have some time, go read it!
Art: A (I really like her art and the way she draws kissing scenes~)
Plot: A
Smut Quantity/Quality: Not a whole lot/A+
Oku-san no Mosouteki Nichijou
By: Takatsuki Noboru
Synopsis: Oku is a young salaryman who is smitten with Sudou, his local deliveryman. In order to see him, Oku frequently orders all sorts of junk he doesn't need from online stores. But since Sudou has no idea how Oku feels, Oku spends an inordinate amount of time fantasizing about what would happen if Sudou were to respond to his advances.
Bottom Line: This manga is hilarious! Every single last one of you should go read this at your earliest convenience. It's that funny. However, it's currently unfinished, so there's no definitive conclusion yet. It's still worth a read, as the chapters are short and it doesn't require a huge time commitment.
Art: A+ (The artist/author of this also did the character designs/illustrations for several well-known BL games, such as Hanamachi Monogatari, and the one I own, Maid Hajimemashita, which is why I decided to read his stuff in the first place. He draws super pretty boys~)
Plot: B+
Smut Quantity/Quality: Quite a bit (Oku has a very active imagination XD)/A
Sumanai!! Masumi-kun
By: Itsuki Kaname
Synopsis: Shiraishi is a novelist and single father. However, now that his daughter is turning 21, he realizes it's about time she get married and leave the nest. Only he didn't expect Osanai, his very own editor, to be the one to marry her. But neither of them expected her to run off the day of the wedding! Feeling bad about Osanai getting stood up, Shiraishi offers to let him stay with him, and finds out a few things he never expected to learn about his editor.
Bottom Line: This manga is pretty cliche, but it wasn't too bad. If you can get past the (not at all obvious) 20-ish year age difference between the two, it's not that awful. And the art is pretty.
Art: B+
Plot: C
Smut Quantity/Quality: A decent amount/B-
Dog Style
By: Motoni Modoru
Synopsis: Terayama Miki and Chiaki Teru are high school delinquents and best friends with the Kashiwa brothers, though they're not friends with each other. By sheer coincidence, they come to share the same abandoned building hideout/refuge and eventually get to know each other a little better. Neither one is happy with the current status of their friendship with the Kashiwas, and through a misunderstanding, they end up running away together to avoid getting their asses kicked by some rival school punks. Thus begins their unexpected and unconventional frenemies-with-benefits relationship.
Bottom Line: Initially, this manga had me really confused, trying to figure out who was who. And the art style takes some getting used to as it's far more shounen than what I'm accustomed to with BL. But it was actually pretty interesting. Though I won't lie, it's definitely a bit on the crude side in terms of language and content--not your average sappy, shoujo-y BL fare!
Art: B (Sometimes it looks really weird, and sometimes it's good)
Plot: B (Can be a bit cliche, but was interesting overall)
Smut Quantity/Quality: Quite a bit/B+
Okay, well I thought I'd try to find another manga to rec so I would have more than just 4, but I haven't found anything good tonight! I'll keep looking, and in the mean time, go read one of these ones! :D
But, you may be asking, what am I going to post about today that's not completely boring? BL manga recommendations! It's been a few months since my last BL reading spree, and I've read some good things, so I'm going to share them with you~!
Sore Nari ni Shinken Nan desu
By: Asou Kai
Synopsis: Oosawa is a single father and a waiter at a small Japanese restaurant, and is constantly stretched thin running back and forth between the shop and his daughter's school and daycare. One night, his daughter gets sick and Yoshioka, a frequent customer (who's openly gay and somewhat of a manwhore), helps him out. The manga tells the story of what happens as Oosawa gets to know Yoshioka as the person he really is, rather than the shallow playboy he appears to be.
Bottom Line: This manga is 17 chapters long (13 chapters and 4 bonus ones) and it's easily worth it to read all of them. I really liked this, and you should know I don't often say that about BL manga! The characters are given plenty of time to develop and they don't just jump into bed at the drop of a hat. If you have some time, go read it!
Art: A (I really like her art and the way she draws kissing scenes~)
Plot: A
Smut Quantity/Quality: Not a whole lot/A+
Oku-san no Mosouteki Nichijou
By: Takatsuki Noboru
Synopsis: Oku is a young salaryman who is smitten with Sudou, his local deliveryman. In order to see him, Oku frequently orders all sorts of junk he doesn't need from online stores. But since Sudou has no idea how Oku feels, Oku spends an inordinate amount of time fantasizing about what would happen if Sudou were to respond to his advances.
Bottom Line: This manga is hilarious! Every single last one of you should go read this at your earliest convenience. It's that funny. However, it's currently unfinished, so there's no definitive conclusion yet. It's still worth a read, as the chapters are short and it doesn't require a huge time commitment.
Art: A+ (The artist/author of this also did the character designs/illustrations for several well-known BL games, such as Hanamachi Monogatari, and the one I own, Maid Hajimemashita, which is why I decided to read his stuff in the first place. He draws super pretty boys~)
Plot: B+
Smut Quantity/Quality: Quite a bit (Oku has a very active imagination XD)/A
Sumanai!! Masumi-kun
By: Itsuki Kaname
Synopsis: Shiraishi is a novelist and single father. However, now that his daughter is turning 21, he realizes it's about time she get married and leave the nest. Only he didn't expect Osanai, his very own editor, to be the one to marry her. But neither of them expected her to run off the day of the wedding! Feeling bad about Osanai getting stood up, Shiraishi offers to let him stay with him, and finds out a few things he never expected to learn about his editor.
Bottom Line: This manga is pretty cliche, but it wasn't too bad. If you can get past the (not at all obvious) 20-ish year age difference between the two, it's not that awful. And the art is pretty.
Art: B+
Plot: C
Smut Quantity/Quality: A decent amount/B-
Dog Style
By: Motoni Modoru
Synopsis: Terayama Miki and Chiaki Teru are high school delinquents and best friends with the Kashiwa brothers, though they're not friends with each other. By sheer coincidence, they come to share the same abandoned building hideout/refuge and eventually get to know each other a little better. Neither one is happy with the current status of their friendship with the Kashiwas, and through a misunderstanding, they end up running away together to avoid getting their asses kicked by some rival school punks. Thus begins their unexpected and unconventional frenemies-with-benefits relationship.
Bottom Line: Initially, this manga had me really confused, trying to figure out who was who. And the art style takes some getting used to as it's far more shounen than what I'm accustomed to with BL. But it was actually pretty interesting. Though I won't lie, it's definitely a bit on the crude side in terms of language and content--not your average sappy, shoujo-y BL fare!
Art: B (Sometimes it looks really weird, and sometimes it's good)
Plot: B (Can be a bit cliche, but was interesting overall)
Smut Quantity/Quality: Quite a bit/B+
Okay, well I thought I'd try to find another manga to rec so I would have more than just 4, but I haven't found anything good tonight! I'll keep looking, and in the mean time, go read one of these ones! :D