#when reading a title like Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
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itwoodbeprefect · 2 months ago
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one thing that's good about every version of cherry magic is that by virtue of its core premise, and, indeed, the full title of the japanese series (Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!) you know that you will be getting at least one character who is at least thirty years old. and i can't tell you how much i love when characters are at least thirty years old. it's excellent, we should do more of that
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starlostjimin · 2 years ago
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Title: spring for the first time Chapter 2/? WC: ~1800 Chapter Rating: T Fandom: Stray Kids Pairing: Han Jisung/Lee Minho Fic Summary: The day before Jisung's thirtieth birthday, Hyunjin tells him an old wives' tale about people who are virgins when they turn thirty. A shy accountant just trying to make it through life, Jisung brushes him off.
Until he wakes up the next day and hears things he definitely shouldn't be able to.
Or: Cherry Magic: Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard!....but make it minsung Tags/warnings: feelings of internal shame about virginity, societal pressure, gay awakening, assumed heterosexuality (joke's on them), magic, mind reading, innuendo, mythology (or is it?), best friend!hyunjin, workplace au, light urban fantasy au, i guess, fluff, mild alcohol consumption, possible smut later in the fic i haven't decided yet, currently SFW
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Jisung was losing it. 
There was no other explanation. There was just no way he was hearing people’s thoughts, no matter what Hyunjin had joked about yesterday. But while there was a chance, however slim, that he might have mistaken Minho’s voice for someone else’s, the food truck guy was another story. Not only was there nobody else around at the time, but like the man pointed out, they saw each other every single morning and had for months. There was no way Jisung heard anyone else’s voice, and there was no way the kind old man would have said something like that aloud. But mind reading wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. 
“Jisung?” the voice behind him sounded mildly concerned as Jisung snapped out of the swirl of thoughts attempting to overtake him. He spun his chair around and forced a smile. 
“Hey, Seungmin. What’s up?” 
“Dude…you good? You’ve been using your desk as a drum kit all day. And uh, no offense or anything, but don’t quit your day job.” 
Jisung scratched at the back of his neck as he felt his cheeks heat up. “Sorry. No plans to quit, don’t worry. Just kinda fidgety today. I didn’t sleep all that well last night.” He let out a sigh of relief when Seungmin nodded, seeming to accept the lie. 
“My mom uses something to help her sleep. Some herb or something. Want me to ask her about it?” Seungmin said. 
“God, no. I’m not that old,” Jisung said with a laugh. “Aren’t we the same age?” 
“I don’t want to talk about it. It’s your birthday today, right?” 
Jisung shuddered. “Unfortunately.” 
“Then you’re older than me, because my birthday is later this month.” Seungmin beamed at him and Jisung fought the urge to kick his coworker in the kneecaps. 
“Aaaaand conversation over,” he opted to say instead, turning his chair back towards his computer. He stared at the account file he was supposed to be analyzing for discrepancies until he felt Seungmin’s hand on his shoulder. 
“Seungmin, I thought you wanted to focus on work,” he said irritably. 
I need to know if you have a freaking date yet. It’s about time. 
“Just wondering if you have any fun birthday plans,” Seungmin mused. 
Shit. He’d definitely heard both those sentences, with extremely different tones. Jisung scooted his chair closer to his desk and twisted his body towards his friend, hoping to shake his hand off. “Just the usual. Nothing special,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual. “I really do have to get through this file, though.” He heard Seungmin sigh, but felt him move away as his chair rolled back to his own desk. He peeked over his shoulder and, seeing Seungmin facing his computer again, he grabbed his phone and tapped out a quick text to Hyunjin. 
> I’m taking lunch in 20. We’ve gotta talk.
“I’m sorry, what?” Hyunjin exclaimed. 
Jisung looked around in a panic. “Shut up! I literally didn’t even want to tell you this, I definitely don’t want to tell the whole company. Why are you so surprised? You were the one who told me about this, remember?” 
Hyunjin laughed. “Yeah, but like, your parents told you about Santa. It’s just a story.” He dropped his voice lower. “I didn’t actually expect you to get superpowers. And it’s not like I would have managed to get them.” He smirked, and Jisung rolled his eyes. 
“Yeah, yeah. I know. You get whoever you want. That isn’t the point here.” Jisung groaned. 
I can’t see this being real, but Sungie seems really freaked out. 
“Of course I’m freaked out! Why are you talking to me like I’m -” Jisung stopped when he saw Hyunjin’s jaw drop. “You…didn’t say that out loud, did you?” Hyunjin shook his head slowly, eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. Jisung looked under the table and realized Hyunjin had moved his foot, which was now sitting just close enough to Jisung’s to make contact. He jerked his foot away and dropped his face into his hands. 
“I’m never going to survive this, Hyunjin,” he said. “I’ve gotta be a bigger hermit than before. I can never leave my apartment again. I am a thousand percent sure I don’t want to know what people are thinking about me.” 
“Or…” Hyunjin said slowly, Jisung gestured at him to continue with one hand, leaving his face planted firmly into the other. “Or you could like, date.” 
“Ah yes, because the thirty year old sarcastic virgin in the world’s tiniest apartment is the catch of the year,” Jisung said dryly. 
“You literally just need confidence, Sungie,” Hyunjin said. “It’s just you, so you don’t need a bigger apartment. You’ve got a decent job, you’re funny - I guess - and you’re definitely cute. But you’re never going to meet anyone if you only go from home to work again.” He shrugged. “The virgin thing, that’s gonna affect your confidence more than anything. Sex is different with every single partner because everyone likes different things. So there’s a learning curve every time you sleep with someone new. It’s really not the huge deal you’re making it out to be.” 
“Says the non-virgin,” Jisung said. 
“You’re hopeless.” 
“That’s what I’ve been saying.” 
Hyunjin rolled his eyes. “Look, I’ve got to get back. I'm super swamped with work right now. But seriously, you’re going to be fine, Sungie. Let’s go out this weekend. A club or something. Maybe you can meet someone.” 
Jisung grimaced, but tentatively agreed. He could always cancel later. Hyunjin was probably expecting it, anyway. 
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“You promised. Try this one on,” Hyunjin said, narrowly missing Jisung’s face with a black top made of such flimsy material he could nearly see his friend through it. 
“I’m not wearing that,” Jisung said wearily from his place at the edge of the bed. 
Hyunjin scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Just try on the damn shirt, Jisung. You need to get out of this apartment and out of your head.” 
Apparently nobody is getting out of my head. If Jisung had been speaking aloud, he’d have been pouting. To be fair, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t pouting, even in his silence. He pulled his hoodie over his head and tugged on the gauzy short-sleeved shirt Hyunjin had tossed him. 
Hyunjin grinned and clapped his hands together. “Yes. With those black jeans you bought and then barely wore. Where are they…” the last few words were mostly to himself as he turned and went back to rifling through Jisung’s closet, a cry of victory erupting when he found the intended jeans tucked away at the back. “You know the drill,” he said, tossing them to his friend. 
Jisung sighed. So much for canceling. He was going to need a lot of liquor to survive this night. 
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“You had to pick the busiest one in town, huh?” Jisung asked Hyunjin as he stared at the line waiting to get into the club. 
Hyunjin shrugged. “They’ve got the least sketchy bathrooms. Besides, the line is moving pretty fast.” 
“Sooner we get in, the sooner I can go home,” Jisung said cheerfully. Hyunjin shook his head. 
“You’re really and truly hopeless.” 
They joined the line and made their way into the club. A deep bass pulsed out of the building and vibrated straight into Jisung. He pulled out his ID as they approached the door and handed it to the bouncer. The short, broad man looked at the card and back at Jisung, pausing for a moment before nodding and handing it back to him. He stepped inside, Hyunjin close behind him, and let the music envelop him.
If there was one thing that always comforted Jisung, no matter what, it was music. He always had it playing at home and he had taken a few music composition courses as electives at university - not that he’d actually followed up on them. It was too late by then to change his major, he’d rationalized, refusing to acknowledge that what had truly held him back was fear. He and Hyunjin made their way to the bar and ordered their drinks, tipping the bartender well before heading out onto the dance floor. 
Bodies writhed around them as they found their groove in the music, Hyunjin laughing every time Jisung jumped away from someone brushing up against him. Jisung was torn between the relaxation of dancing and the tension of being surrounded by so many people he couldn’t get away from. He tipped his head back and drained his drink, hoping the alcohol would help to muffle the cacophony of voices in his mind. 
 Ultimately, it wasn’t the alcohol, but the cacophony itself that ended up relaxing Jisung. Being bounced around between bodies as one tended to be in a club this crowded, he found that the noise inside of his head was similar to that outside of it - a dull roar that all blended together. He had finally let himself fade into the music when he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder, too quick for any thoughts to carry through. He whirled around, unsure of when Hyunjin had ended up behind him. 
“Didn’t think I’d see you here.” 
Jisung stepped back quickly as he came face to face with Lee Minho, crashing into Hyunjin in his attempted retreat. 
“M…Minho-ssi. I didn’t expect to see you, either,” Jisung said, forcing a smile. Hyunjin stared between the two. 
“Hwang Hyunjin,” he said, stepping forward and reaching out to shake Minho’s hand after making sure Jisung wasn’t going to fall over immediately upon his moving away. 
“Lee Minho,” the older man introduced himself. “I’m a coworker of Jisung’s.” 
“Me too! He’s also my best friend,” Hyunjin said, his voice taking on an edge of protectiveness. “I’m in the advertising department, a graphic designer.” 
“Sales,” Minho said. “I’m glad you were able to coax Jisung out. Things have been a little stressful on our floor lately.” He turned his attention back to Jisung. “You’re a good dancer. Join me?” 
Jisung’s eyes widened and he looked down at his chest, convinced his heart was about to pound out of it. What in the hell is going on? he thought. His eyes moved from his chest to Minho’s hand, hovering somewhat awkwardly in between them, and the first thing that left his mouth was,
“Sorry, I gotta go.” 
He pushed past Minho and through the crowd, heading for the bathrooms on the far side of the dance floor. Hyunjin shot Minho an apologetic look and followed quickly. There were answers to be had and Hyunjin was going to have them. 
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down-the-yaoi-hole · 1 year ago
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Vacation boys love reads! Split personalities, magical virgins, and the crème de la crème: DICK FIGHT ISLAND.
I spent a week in the woods with my cousin / best friend / platonic life partner for my summer vacation this year. We would go hiking in the morning, and then came back to our AirBNB to read all afternoon--it was heaven on earth. Naturally, I brought along a couple of books I wanted to finished and didn't read ANY of that shit. No, instead I read some very good, and some very bad boys love. Here's the best of the best and the best of the worst!
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My favorite read of the week was by far "Double Trap" by Goodmen, available on Lehzin Comics. It was like watching a soap opera... I just kept reading the most absurd plot points aloud to my cousin so she could laugh along, but truthfully, I LOVED every second of over-the-top melodrama. This comic is like if "Killing Stalking" and "Banana Scandal" had a baby... an edgy affair with some great humor.
Jinsung (our twink MC) has always had a crush on big brother figure / boy next door, Yura, who's 6 years older than him, 6 inches taller than him, and took Jinsung in after his parents died in a car accident. Jinsung has accepted that Yura won't return his feelings, until ONE NIGHT when Yura suddenly comes onto him! They f*ck, and Jinsung is left dripping c*m the next day while his 'big bro' gets ready for work, seemingly unable to remember anything that transpired between them! Was it another man entirely who came onto Jinsung? Or was it.... A SPLIT PERSONALITY??
10/10 so far, since this is an ongoing comic, but it has everything I look for in a boys love manhwa: good art, drama, humor, a terrifying man with bags under his eyes, and lots and lots of kinky, borderline CNC sex!
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My next favorite read of the week was "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!" by Yuu Toyota. If the title alone doesn't sell you, you're making a big mistake. Huge.
Adachi (another twink MC) turns 30 while retaining his virginity and discovers a special power: he can now read minds! Much to his surprise, his coworker, Kurosawa, apparently has a THING for him. Every time they get close, Adachi can hear Kurosawa thinking about how cute he is, how sexy he must be under his baggy clothes, how much he just wants to F*CK him, and slowly but surely he warms up to the attention and starts dating Kurosawa.
8/10, and I will definitely continue reading as it publishes! The art is solid, the writing is HILARIOUS, and I'm always a sucker for a cute lil office romance.
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Apparently, "Dick Fight Island" by Reibun Ike has been making its way around TikTok, so when my cousin and I stumbled across it in a Japanese bookstore, she MADE me buy it--and I will thank her with my dying breath that she did. This is hands down (dicks down?) the FUNNIEST SHIT I have read in AGES.
The story is set on a remote island populated by a dozen or so different clans. Every year, the clans get together and have one representative battle it out for the title of king. How do they fight, you ask? Well the rules are pretty simple: whoever c*ms first, loses.
When our MC, Harto, returns from studying abroad, he brings a new, surprise technique into the competition: prostate stimulation.
Full of excellent in-jokes for longtime boys love readers, "Dick Fight Island" is a humorous romp with some great, uncensored peen front & center. 10/10 for absurdist comedy.
Probably should have sorted these according to genre, rather than my personal timeline, but there you go! Some great reads from summer vacation 2023.
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gillianthecat · 2 years ago
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to me it was ridiculous the way they painted Kurosawa's wishes as something bad, like something he should be ashamed of or something (?) i don't know i still don't get the "i like you but I'd rather die than having to kiss you" thing that's going on with some bls, and i'm not talking about ace representation (i would love to see that!)
Hi Anon! Sorry for the long delay in responding.
Yeah, the blushing maiden uke stuff is something that I've also found frustrating in BLs in general. It makes sense for some characters; young ones just discovering desire, like Amagi in Takara-kun to Amagi-kun, or someone like Akk in The Eclipse, who is reticent because of plot reasons/being uncomfortable with his own queerness (and probably also because he's young - it's just not as obvious because First looks/is so much older than Amagi's actor). But while it can be an interesting issue to explore, I hate that when it's the default option to make the uke like that when it doesn't fit the character at all, and the story doesn't even have anything to say about the uke's reluctance. (I'm still annoyed about Theory of Love doing this to Third). Like you said, asexual characters would be great! But that's usually not what seems to be going on. And it can make the seme seem like an aggressive creep who is ignoring the uke's boundaries.
Are there any explicitly asexual characters in any BL dramas? The only one I can think of is Ae in Love By Chance, who seems to be demisexual (I haven't finished it yet, but it seems to be the implication so far, and I've read other people saying this.) And interestingly, he's the seme character, not the uke.
In Cherry Magic, I don't remember noticing that Kurosawa's desires were painted as bad exactly; I was more aware that Adachi was uncomfortable with them, but it's been a while since I watched it. But I guess the consequence of Adachi's reluctance is that Kurosawa can come across as pushy for wanting more. There were a few moments of Kurosawa being slightly more direct about his sexual desire for Adachi, and I do recall them feeling a bit jarring because he generally was very tentative. I remember seeing in some sort of bts thing that Kurosawa's actor was the one who put them in there (either as improv or just his ideas that the director adopted), which made sense to me because they seemed a little out of step with the rest of the script. I liked those moments! They just didn't seem to fit the show's general reticence about sexuality and sexual desire.
I think one of the things that frustrated me about Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! was that I kept expecting it to focus more on Adachi's feelings about desire and his own virginity. I mean, virginity is literally in the title! Did he wish he wasn't a virgin? Was he uncomfortable feeling sexual desire? But to my (fading) recollection it felt like the show pretty much ignored that issue. Or at least was so subtle about it that I missed it. He had plenty of insecurities, but they weren't often about sex. If I end up re-watching, that's another thing I'll look out for.
Interestingly, Takara-kun to Amagi-kun started off dealing very directly with Amagi and Takara's feelings about desire, before it veered off in a different direction. But that didn't bother me so much, I guess because I thought they handled it really well in the beginning, and they also never really dropped that thread, just buried it among other threads.
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kermitthequeer · 4 years ago
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review: Cherry Magic | Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
Disclaimer: This is my very own humble opinion. If you  agree with my review, I’m glad that I’ve found someone like-minded, if  you do not agree, that’s fine too. Every opinion is valid. Don’t hate me  for mine.
I do not speak any asian language and therefore I rely solely on subtitles. And we all know that they are not always flawless. So if I misread a situation or misunderstand something, feel free to inform me. Spoilers ahead!
Genre: BL
From: Japan
Known Actors:  /
Trigger Warnings: cuteness overload
Rating: 8.5/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ☆    
Synopsis: When Kyoshi Adachi reaches his 30th birthday he develops an ability to hear the thoughts of other people by touching them. One day, he discovers that his popular co-worker, Yuichi Kurosawa, is in love with him.
Main Character(s): Kyoshi Adachi, Yuichi Kurosawa
Side Character(s): Masato Tsuge (Adachis BFF), Minato Wataya (Tsuges lover boy), Yuta Rokkaku (co-worker + Kurosawas “friend”), Nozomi Fujisaki, Kengo Urabe (Adachi's co-worker)
Short Appereance: /
Main Couple(s): AdachixKurosawa
Side Couple(s): TsugexMinato
My review:
I think I don’t really have to explain much, the title does a good job.This is going to be a little different than most reviews I do. I’m not going to comment every scene or comment on every step of the storyline, even though I will try to. For the most part I’m just going to ramble around for a bit. And try to write my thoughts down.
I remember when Cherry Magic fan edits popped up on youtube and it looked so cute I just had to watch it. During that time winter came into my town and another lockdown was around the corner. So, this show was really there to brighten my day once a week (or for a few days while I binge watched it).
The concept was really interesting, too. And here are my thoughts about it:
Adachi and Kurosawa
We start our story one day before our protagonsts 30th birthday. His name is Adachi. He has very low self esteem and and little confidence in himself (sounds familiar) but a big heart. It’s not always easy for him to say “no” (espacially to his co-worker). His life is mostly uneventful and repetitive. UNTIL one day on his 30th birthday he discover that the old wives’ tale that you develop powers if you are a virgin for 30years is actually true. He is able to hear peoples thoughts!
At the beginning he isn’t really sure if it’s just all in his head or if he really has this power. On his way to work he meets his co-worker Kurosawa. Due to a very crowded elevator, Kurosawa accidentally touches Adachi. Because of that, Adachi finds out that his super popular and super handsome co-worker is actually madly in love with him (relatable right?)
At first Adachi tries to ingore his powers. He can not be sure that the things he hears are really other people’s thoughts or just him making stuff up. He avoides crowds and Kurosawa. But fate just throws these two together again and again.
Since Adachi can read thoughts, every encounter he has with Kurosawa from now on excalates pretty quickly. Because our boy Kurosawa is just as horny as we all are. One day Kurosawa is being a “nice boy” and helps Adachi with the workload that his co-worker asked him to do. Totally selfless of course, not in any way him trying to be near his crush or anything noo. After hearing Kurosawa gushing over Adachi’s mole on his neck, that Adachi wasn’t even aware of, he is now pretty sure that his powers are real.
Adachi knows that - if the tale is true - he will only lose his powers if he also loses his virginity. And let me tell you something... Honestly, sex is probably really great and all but...you have powers. You are basically one step away of becoming a superhero. You can help people with that. Come one now, this show just proves that asexuals are above us all and are so powerful and deserve to be wizards. If you were able to life a life without sex to your 30s, it’s not that hard, you are almost halfway there. Just hold on.
This show follows mostly our two main leads, Adachi and Kurosawa, trying to manage their love for each other. But what makes Cherry Magic so sweet and heardwarming is the fact, that there are other topics being addressed besides same-sex-love. Like I said earlier, Adachi has extreme low self-esteeem and this is one of the biggest reasons why it takes so long for Adachi to realize and accept that he is not only in love with Kurosawa but also that he deserve this kind of love.
So many times, Adachi chickens out of telling Kurosawa how he feels and espacially when Kurosawa wants to take things to the next level, Adachi needs time. And Kurosawa respects that (bare minimum, but sadly the bar is so low) and gives Adachi time.
Kurosawa also suffers from some incecurities that he not often talks about, but since Adachi has his powers, we are often granted a quick look into Kurosawas head. And these little thought trains that we get tell us so much more about Kurosawa and fully flesh him out as a character.
We get to know about his fantasies, his wishes, his fears and insecurities. Sometimes, when Adachi reads Kurosawas mind, we get little fantasies. We see Adachi through Kurosawas eyes and it’s always a cute scene of Adachi smiling. We see how beautiful Kurosawa thinks of Adachi.
We get one episode from Kurosawas perspective, where we discover how Kurosawa fell in love with Adachi. He was always “aware” that he was there, but he never really “noticed” him. One day, when they both are having dinner with their boss and some random creepy lady, both realize pretty quickly, why they are really there (because of their looks). Kurosawa notices that Adachi does not drink alcohol and therefore he takes his glass and get’s drunk quickly.
Even though, it seems like a dumb thing to do, it tells you so much about Kurosawas character. How he wants to help people, even if that means he is the one to “suffer”. No matter the consequences, he helped his co-worker out there. The lady starts harassing Kurosawa and he turns her down in a very obvious way which was apparently something he wasn’t allowed to do. But fuck this lady and fuck his boss. Kurosawa, you did nothing wrong. She did.
He overhears his boss saying that Kurosawa is only a pretty face and apparently he can’t even do that right. This just gives him the rest and he leaves. Adachi, who was surprised by Kurosawa’s actions (drinking the alcohol for him), follows him outside to comfort him.
It’s a very touching backstory and it’s great that we get it in the middle of the show and not at the beginning, only allowing the characters to become more fleshed out.
When Adachi reads Kurosawa’s thoughts, he mostly thinks about how much he adores Adachi and how much he wants to help him becoming more confident. He often is pretty hard on himself and blames himself for things too often. He seems calm on the surface, but his inner-monologues show how much of a chaotic hopeless romantic he really is.
A reaccuring theme is Adachi being a little put off by how often Kurosawa get’s presents or just admiring looks or words. Because he get’s none and if so, he can’t really take compliments well.
What is really interesting is that through Adachi, we can hear that Kurosawa is not really enjoying all of this presents and kind words of his (mostly) female co-workers. He just wants to be praised for his work not his looks. Which is something only pretty people say. No, fr, I can only imagine that it’s super annoying that people only view you as “pretty” and therefore do not acknowledge your talents and skills. This show actually deals with that nicely. In Kurosawa’s episode he has this beautiful monologue: I had an advantage because of my looks. I hated that people only saw my looks. I knew it would annoy others if I talked about it. So, I pretended it didn’t bother me.
This show was not only about love, but also about loving and respecting yourself. Trusting yourself and gaining a little more confidence in yourself. What I loved so much about Kurosawa and Adachi is that they bring out the best in each other and help each other in so many ways.
At one point, Adachi tells Kurosawa the truth about his powers. Kurosawa tells him that he actually is happy that he has his powers, since they were the reason they got together in the first place.
But Adachi is not so happy about it. He grew used of the powers and now fears that his relationship won’t work out with Kurosawa, once he loses them. Since he wouldn’t be able to read his mind anymore, like he used to. The only option Adachi sees is: breaking up. And since Kurosawa respects his wishes, he leaves (hoping that Adachi would fight for him and maybe hold him back).
They make up in the end, when Adachi realizes that maybe communicating would be another option they have left. Because, guess what, that’s what most people do. So, they get back together and Kurosawa basically proposes to Adachi, which seemed...quite abruptly tbh. But hey, everyone has their own pace.
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Minato and Tsuge
Tsuge is Adachi’s best friend and also a virgin. Later, he becomes a wizard like Adachi, being able to read minds. He is a writer and spends his time at home 20/7, the 4 hours are probably just the hours he is willing to leave for grocery shopping and eating out with Adachi.
He has a really sweet cat and this cat will help him get him his future boyfriend. Minato, is his name. He works as a deliveryman. Tsuge doesn’t like Minato very much, since he is a so called “youngster” (oh gosh I think a brain cell just died while writing this).
Minato feels the same way about Tsuge “the old man”, but does love his cat. Tsuge develops feelings for Minato pretty quickly and even begins to stalks him, to find out more about him. He orders so much stuff from different shops just so this guy would show up at his doorstep again.
He finds out that Minato is actually trying to fullfil his dreams of becoming a dancer.
While it would’ve been a sweet idea, this couple couldn’t really win me over. First and foremost, how old is Minato supposed to be? The actor was at that point approximately 20/21 and he looks way younger than that tbh.  And in the show it’s never stated how old he is, his love interest states multiple times that he is “young” and refers to him as “the youngster(s)”. And it’s clear that Tsuge is 30. So...I just can’t ship them. Like, they are both of age and adults but it still feels weird for some reason. If the actor would at least look older...I guess that would maybe change my view on them. In reallife they are 6 (?) years apart which is still a lot but way less than what seems to be 8 or 10 years on the show.
It really didn’t help that Tsuge was the one initiating the relatioship and stalking Minato. Others called him even a pervert and honestly...he acted like one. Secretly talking pictures of someone, following them around, etc.
On top of that, their scenes often included cringy / over the top acting and triggered my second-hand embarassment, which...was that really necessary? Maybe, it was part of Tsuge’s character in the Manga, but you just can’t translate everything into a life-action show, because it looks hideous and awkward. In the more serious scene that Tsuge was in, he actually wasn’t all that bad.
I can take cringy acting, that’s how I survived most BL’s actually. But was it really necessary to have Tsuge kneel before Minato and scream at him how sorry he is in public? While people are watching? And Minato doesn’t really seem to be delighted by that. I’m sorry, but that’s where I draw the line, my cringe-o-meter exploded. I’m a very private and introverted person, so that just wasn’t it for me.
It actually hurts my heart that so many people think this is how socially awkward people behave, which - as a socially awkward person - I can’t confirm. We don’t flinch everytime people touch us, we don’t scream and shout and talk very fast, when we get nervous (at least not to that extent). And we don’t...ugh..back to the series.
I mean they had potential, they could’ve been cute and I don’t mind if anyone is shipping them, it’s just really icky to me and I can’t do that.
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Things I disliked
The actors ages. I mean, I know that most asians look very young, but come on. No one can tell me that these guys are supposed to be 30. I guess the actor of Kurosawa was about 29 (?) so he comes closest (he doesn’t look like he is 30 but I appreciate the attempt) but the others...They just don’t look like they are 30. And please, don’t cast some really young-looking dude as the love interest of a supposedly 30-year old.
Over the top “humorous scenes”. It doesn’t make me laugh, just cringe. But this happened only with scenes between Minato and Tsuge. Sometimes, I just skipped them. But yeah...not everyone’s tea I guess.
No kiss. I don’t need NC scenes or anything too intimate. But the whole no-kissing seems more like a “no homo” situation here. These guys are insanely in love and are basically married and you tell me that they didn’t even kiss on camera ONCE? Don’t tell me they are asexual or anything (even though I would love to see more representation like that, I mean if the actors don’t wanna kiss or the management is against it, why not create a little more representation while you’re at it?) because I would support that, they just didn’t want to show that or maybe the actors didn’t want to kiss. But then again I ask myself...why not cast actors who actually want to act out the role? Or was it a management issue? Whatever it was, defiinitely made it seem less believeable and it felt more rushed. Like, even if you give me the classic “fish kiss” with eyes wide open and it’s basically just them pressing their lips together...this treatment most Korean BLs get (thank you TMS honestly) it would’ve been better imo.
Also, Minato and Tsuge had a kissing scene (it wasn’t good but still). And that even further aligns with my theory of the actors or the management not wanting them to kiss. But this show is still cute and enjoyable, so I’ll let it slide this one time.
Rushed ending. Like I already said, this kind-of-proposal came out of nowhere for me and felt rushed. Sure, they know each other for years, but they only began to grow closer over the last couple weeks. Shouldn’t they start with dating first, then go to living together for a few couple of months and then - after really being sure that they want it and after talking it through - propose? But hey, I’m the single one here, so maybe I am in the wrong here.
Things I liked
How they handlded Adachi’s powers. Adachi was suddenly able to read peoples thoughts. One of the most private and intimate things. And Kurosawa was just like ‘“k, I’m actually glad you secretly kept reading my thoughts” which seemed a little too anti-climactic. Please, sweety at least pretend that you are a little hurt that your boyfriend kept reading your most private thoughts. It’s like someone reading your diary without your permission.
But apart from that, they handlded it actually quite well. Adachi wasn’t super okay with reading other people’s thoughts. He didn’t use it for revenge, there were no bad intentions. He always wanted to help and only used it as a way to help others or clear things up. When he did use it for his own advantage, he felt bad afterwards.
Miscommunication subplot. Overused, lame, just for the sake of plot, annoying - these are the first things that come into my mind, when thinking about miscommunication subplots. But Cherry Magic actually did a decent job at it. There was a miscommunicating subplot at the end and I expected to hate it, but I actually did like it.
It makes so much sense here, since Adachi was so used to his powers at some point, that losing them seemed like he was no longer able to understand people or their feelings. The “oh no I lost my powers and since I used them to understand Kurosawa better I don’t know if we can be together now that I don’t have them anymore” struggle seems realistic.
Tsuge only made it worse by saying: “I forgot how difficult it is to sense other’s feelings [without being ablte to read their thoughts]” after having a minor fight with Minato. And since Adachi is a person that worries and overthinks quite often and easily, he didn’t take it too well. It could’ve been so much better, if they did actually drag it out a little more. But maybe it’s for the better like that. They got the most important points across, even though they resolved it pretty quickly.
No happily ever after. This title is actually a little misleading, since the couple did get a happy ending. What I mean with that is that they didn’t give the couple a “they are now offically a couple so there story ends with that”. Most shows think that viewers only want to see the couple coming together and call it a day. In Cherry Magic the story doesn’t end with them getting together. We see them struggle with their relationship, going on cute dates, breaking up, resolving their issues and semi-propose.
It’s nothing new or groundbreaking, but it’s rare and refreshing to see. I do like that shows always try to give us the “and all was well” happy ending after they get together, but seeing storyline like Cherry Magic, where they actually deal with them being a couple and show us their ups and dows, I really appreciate that.
Special episodes. IIRC there are a total of 3 special episodes that are just the cherry on top of this cake. I really did enjoy them. They weren’t necessary for the story to work, but were a nice add to it. Pure fluff and comedy. Speaking of fluff-
Fluff and feel-good. This show in no way ITSAY or MOD and nowhere near them. It doesn’t make you ugly cry at 3 o’clock in the morning. And it’s not a mystery where you sit at the edge of your seat, trying to figure out who is the big bad guy. But - and this is important - this show is not meant for you to feel these kind of emotions. Cherry Magic is more of a rom-com. A feel-good show. Some sort of “grab your blanket and some hot chocolate and watch it and feel safe” kind of show. Espacially needed during whatever the hell is going on right now.
So, if you ever want a show, where the leads are adorable and relatable, where there is a little sprinkle of magic and a ton of fluff and you just wanna lay back and find a safe space to escape reality, this is the show for you.
I think this covers my thoughts on this series. Thanks for reading. Check out my other reviews.
My BL Review List: https://urmyquerencia.tumblr.com/post/627642344497364992/bl-reviews
- urmyquerencia
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ax100 · 4 years ago
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Title: Eh?! You Can Present as an Omega After 30 Years of Being a Beta?! (Chapter 3) Fandom: Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! / 30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii?! Characters: Kiyoshi Adachi, Yuichi Kurosawa, Kengo Urabe Pairings: Kurosawa x Adachi Rating: T Other tags: Omegaverse AU, A/B/O Dynamics, No Mind Reading AU, Alpha Kurosawa Yuichi, Omega Adachi Kiyoshi
Summary: This is Kiyoshi Adachi, 30 years old, office worker, virgin, beta. Or so he thought.
His life is turned upside down when, at 30 years old, Adachi suddenly presents as an omega, despite having been a beta his whole life (with the paperwork to prove it, in fact!). Now, he has to learn (relearn?) the ins and outs of his body while dealing with all the hassles that come with being an omega in this society, like tracking heats and having to remember to take his daily suppressant. Life would have been so much easier if he had presented as an alpha instead, like Kurosawa…
CHAPTER 2: Between not having greeted Adachi on his birthday, learning that his long-time crush is actually an omega, and his own stupid alpha brain, Kurosawa Yuuichi is having A Day™.
In which Kurosawa has the first of many existential crises brought about by one (1) Adachi Kiyoshi, and how he steels his resolve.
Excerpt:
Yuuichi stifled the grin he could feel coming up, as he forced his leg to stop bouncing.
It was five minutes later and he was starting to settle down into his work for the morning, when a bout of commotion near the entrance to the office caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder and was about to ask Iriguchi-san to his right what was happening, when it hit him as well:
A sweet, sweet, sweet scent slamming into him like a brick wall.
He hiccupped a little at the strong scent, pervasive as it was, and he coughed a little as his senses tried to readjust to the sudden onslaught of stimulation that was quickly making him dizzy. He fished his handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it against his nose and mouth. The physical blockage helped a little. But still—who in the world was pheromone belching at the office?
He glanced back again, just as a figure emerged through the door into the main space, the scent becoming exponentially stronger as they entered. Yuuichi froze. And then he blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things because—
Because—
That person who was belching what was unmistakably omega pheromones was none other than the well-established beta, Adachi Kiyoshi.
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emchovy · 2 years ago
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What I Read In May 2022:
Novels:
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Revenant by Alex White
This book was really good! It's a very recent Star Trek novel (Dec 2021!!) but it's set in S4 of DS9. And it RULES. A Dax-centric story, it takes place on the planet Trill, and has incredibly interesting writing, vis-à-vis Jadzia and her own perspective on her lives. Plus, the author manages to make Joran not awful. HUGELY recommend.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Proud Helios by Melissa Scott
This one is not a standout DS9 novel, but I liked it. Pirates are fun.
Manga/Light Novels/Comics:
Delicious in Dungeon V1. by Ryoko Kui
Delicious in Dungeon is extremely popular, and there's a good reason why. The world is lush, and the characters are fun. It's also, in my opinion, weeeeeiiiirrdd. In a good way. Excited to read more.
Cherry Magic: Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You A Wizard Vol. 4
This manga, despite the somewhat painful title, is a cute BL. I like it a lot, and the fourth volume was cute.
Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With A Legendary Sorcereress Vol. 1-2
This is a nice little light novel duology that pictures sexism as something that was started by a single man, and can be punched away. I'm simplifying, but it was good and cute and it must have been very cathartic to write.
Cross-dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie by Hiroro Akizakura
Look, not every book I read can be ""good"". This is a fun little light-novel, just another take on the villainess trend.
Scum Villain's Self-Saving System Vol. 2
Nonfiction:
Listen, the best way I can explain this is the way I explained it to my brother. I love reading Scum Villain but also reading it pisses me off and makes me angry.
The Strange Adventures of a Broke Mercenary by Mine
An actually good fantasy light novel. I know. I'm shocked too.
From Hollywood, With Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy by Scott Meslow
This is a book that tells the history and production of popular romcoms, from the late 90s all the way up to 2021 (this book was released in 2022). As a former film student, I like production history, and so I picked this one up when I saw it in the staff picks at the library. It's a good book, if largely foreign to me, as I'm not a huge fan of romcoms. I found the most interesting aspects the way that romcoms had changed over time, always a little bit reflections of romance of the moment, and the way that Hollywood's deep, engrained issues with misogyny and racism played roles in their creation.
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recentanimenews · 3 years ago
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Manga the Week of 4/27/22
SEAN: The end of April means the end of innocence, getting ready for the boys of summer, and other things that are not Don Henley songs.
We start with Yen On, who have Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 2, In the Land of Leadale 5, and Orc Eroica 2.
Yen Press has a whooole lot. We see A Certain Magical Index 25, Days on Fes 5 (the final volume), Dead Mount Death Play 7, Goblin Slayer 11, Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance 5, Hinowa ga CRUSH! 6, I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister 3 (also a final volume), In Another World with My Smartphone 5, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 8, Laid-Back Camp 11, Love of Kill 7, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 3, Plunderer 9, The Royal Tutor 16, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts 15 (also also a final volume), Sasaki and Miyano 5, Shibuya Goldfish 10, and Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 13. I am getting… well, two of those.
MICHELLE: I’m at least getting Sasaki and Miyano!
ANNA: Not much there for me, since I’m not super into bureaucrats for the Demon King killing slimes after their levels are maxed-out.
ASH: I really ought to catch up with Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts; I’ve enjoyed the volumes that I’ve read. Also Toilet-bound Hanako-kun!
SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Yagi the Bookshop Goat (Honya no Yagi-kun), a BL title from Chara about a goat boy who loves to read books… and eat books! No one trusts him in a bookstore, can he convince the wolf manager to give him a shot? Honestly, this looks damn cute.
ANNA: I don’t care how cute it is!
ASH: Tokyopop keeps trying to tempt me.
MELINDA: Must… not… look… no. no.
SEAN: Tentai Books has a print light novel debut. You Like Me, Don’t You? So, Wanna Go Out With Me? (Kimitte Watashi no Koto Suki Nandeshou?), another high school romance between a mopey guy and the perfect girl. This genre has gotten popular lately, though usually with more irony than this has. The author also writes Are You OK with a Slightly Older Girlfriend? and When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace.
Square Enix has a 4th volume of Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!.
MICHELLE: I need to resume this series; the first volume was very good!
ASH: It’s true!
SEAN: Seven Seas debuts The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan (Saikyou no Shien-shoku “Wajutsushi” Dearu ore wa Sekai Saikyou Kuran o Shitagaeru), based on the light novel also released by Seven Seas. It’s one of those “everyone says I’m weak but I’m secretly strong” series, and runs in Comic Gardo.
Seven Seas also has Cat Massage Therapy 2, The Dangers in My Heart 4, The Dungeon of Black Company 7, Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 3, Kingdom of Z 5, Our Teachers are Dating! 4 (the final volume), Skeleton Knight in Another World 8, and Time Stop Hero 4.
KUMA has two new titles. sick is a BL oneshot about a young college student. He’s handsome, popular, has all the girls he wants. So why can’t he stop teasing the shy boy in his class? This ran in Takeshobo’s Opa.
Also one volume is Boys of the Dead, which KUMA describes as ZOM-BL!, and I can’t top that. It ran in Canna.
MICHELLE: I am potentially here for ZOM-BL.
ANNA: Me too!
ASH: Honestly, I’ve enjoyed most of KUMA’s releases, so far.
MELINDA: Okay, also count me in as possibly here for ZOM-BL.
SEAN: Kodansha has some print debuts. First we see Blackguard, a horror series from the creator of Devils’ Line. A mysterious virus called shojo is attacking people and… no, it’s not turning them into shojo manga, it turns each person into an identical carrier. Presumably our hero fights back. Also, given the title, presumably he’s not very nice.
ASH: Count me as curious.
SEAN: We also get A Galaxy Next Door (Otonari ni Ginga), a new series from the creator of Sweetness and Lightning. A young manga artist struggling to feed his family finds himself a new assistant, who’s almost otherworldly… and also says they’re engaged. This runs in good! Afternoon.
MICHELLE: I can’t say I’m wild about the premise but there’s enough residual goodwill left over from Sweetness & Lightning that I’ll check it out.
ASH: Sweetness & Lightning was such a delight.
MELINDA: Hm, yes maybe.
SEAN: And then there is Sensei’s Pious Lie (Sensei no Shiroi Uso), an 18+ series that ran in Morning Two. A young teacher is raped by her friend’s fiance, and struggles to keep it from her friend and also connect with her students. This has won awards, but as you might guess, is pretty intense and not for everyone.
MICHELLE: Sounds heavy but good.
ANNA: Way too heavy for me.
ASH: I’ve heard very good things about this series.
MELINDA: Cautiously interested.
SEAN: Also out in print: EDENS ZERO 16, Hitorijime My Hero 12, and Something’s Wrong With Us 8.
The digital debut is WIND BREAKER, a new manga from Magazine Pocket. I can’t believe, 20-odd years after WORST bombed in English, we are finally getting another delinquent manga about beating the shit out of other students. Awesome.
ASH: Ha! I’ll admit, I do like delinquent manga.
MELINDA: I mean.
SEAN: Also digital: Back When You Called Us Devils 12 (the final volume), Bootsleg 2, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 4, Getting Closer to You 2, and Harem Marriage 16.
Kaiten Books has a digital release, the 3rd and final volume of My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?!.
J-Novel Club has the 9th and final volume of Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?!, Fantasy Inbound 2, Maddrax 3, and Saint? No! I’m Just a Passing Beast Tamer! 2. On the manga side, we see Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 6, Villainess: Reloaded! Blowing Away Bad Ends with Modern Weapons 4, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 5.
Ghost Ship has a 3rd and final volume of Shiori’s Diary, as well as Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 19.
Cross Infinite World gives us a 2nd volume of I Reincarnated As Evil Alice, So the Only Thing I’m Courting Is Death!.
Finally, Airship has the print debut of The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior, as well as Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 9, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 4, and Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 3.
And we see early digital volumes for Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 10 and The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 2.
Want to buy manga? Or all you want to do is dance?
By: Sean Gaffney
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mythosaur34667 · 3 years ago
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Rules: Tag nine people you want to know better/catch up with! Tagged by: @zooheaded Last Song: "Coming of Age" by Foster the People has been stuck in my head since I woke up. Currently Reading: the yaoi manga "Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!" by Yuu Toyota. I mean. Look at that title. How could I not read it? The main character develops touch telepathy and discovers that his coworker is secretly in love with him, and realizes he might love him back. It also now occurs to me that this would be kind of an amazing Dinfeld AU. RIP Din reading Migs' mind though! XD Currently Watching: Between shows at the moment, though I have many things I want to watch. I do get very excited to watch The Bad Batch every week, even though I feel like it's just okay. Currently Craving: More sleep and caffeine, but I realize I can't have both at the same time. The caffeine will win in a little while when I accept that yeah, I've already been awake for two hours. Probably in the form of tea. I don't have nine people to tag, and also please only do this if you want to; no pressure! Tagging: @urisarang @blvvewolf @fake-starwars-fan
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starlostjimin · 2 years ago
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Title: spring for the first time Chapter 1/? WC: Chapter Rating: T Fandom: Stray Kids Pairing: Han Jisung/Lee Minho Tags/warnings: feelings of internal shame about virginity, societal pressure, gay awakening, assumed heterosexuality (joke's on them), magic, mind reading, innuendo, mythology (or is it?), best friend!hyunjin, workplace au, light urban fantasy au, i guess, fluff, possible smut later in the fic i haven't decided yet, currently SFW Summary: The day before Jisung's thirtieth birthday, Hyunjin tells him an old wives' tale about people who are virgins when they turn thirty. A shy accountant just trying to make it through life, Jisung brushes him off.
Until he wakes up the next day and hears things he definitely shouldn't be able to.
Or: Cherry Magic: Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard!....but make it minsung
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The office buzzed around him as Jisung tried to concentrate on the spreadsheet in front of him. On the other side of the room, the sales department was celebrating another big contract brought in by Lee Minho, the star of the office. Minho was everything Jisung wanted to be - incredible at his job, personable, good-looking, well-liked among the male coworkers and…popular among the female coworkers. Jisung thought he remembered hearing about Minho winning some athletics award in his school years, because of course he did. Jisung had only spoken with him once or twice, and while he remembered every detail, he was sure that the more popular man didn’t. They had been brief, work related encounters that had left Jisung with the speeding heartbeat that his anxiety always caused. 
“Oh, thank god,” Jisung mumbled as he watched the computer’s clock tick over to 5. Between the office being A Lot during celebrations, he’d also had his brain stuck on a joke Hyunjin had made at lunch. A stupid joke. Something not even remotely based in reality. 
And yet Jisung couldn’t shake it. 
“You’d better hurry up and get a girlfriend tonight,” Hyunjin said. 
Jisung raised an eyebrow. “What? I mean, we both know that’s not going to happen, so why all of a sudden?” 
“Don’t you know the old stories? If you’re still a virgin when you turn thirty, you get superpowers.” Hyunjin grinned. “We both know you couldn’t handle that.” 
“You’re the worst friend ever,” Jisung pouted. 
“You love me,” Hyunjin said, patting his best friend on the hand. 
It was stupid. So stupid. Only children believed in superpowers - which may have been the point, Jisung considered. Promise them superpowers so they don’t start sleeping around young. It made sense. And yet here he was, on the precipice of thirty, and he’d never even dated anyone, let alone had sex. He’d never met a girl he was attracted to, and even if he had, he was sure his anxiety would have kept him from doing anything about it. He sometimes thought it would be nice to have someone to come home to who would understand him, but opening up to someone? That was dangerous, plain and simple. Besides, he had little to offer in the dating department. His apartment was tiny, he walked everywhere, and he was pretty sure he was severely underpaid but too afraid to ask for a raise. Not exactly a prize. 
Jisung sighed and kicked a rock that was in his path. If he could be more like Minho, that would probably help. Everybody loved Lee Minho, and Jisung was sure he hadn’t gotten superpowers on his thirtieth birthday. Jisung tried to imagine himself smiling at his coworkers, expressing greetings that were more than the bare minimum needed to be polite. 
He couldn’t do it. Imagination-Jisung still stumbled over his words, still had hair out of place, still had a crooked tie. “Even in my imagination I’m a loser,” he muttered as he turned onto his street. Stopping briefly into the convenience store at the end of his block to pick up something to eat, he finished his short walk home, ready to change into pyjamas and sit in his bed with a movie playing until he fell asleep. 
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His alarm blared, startling Jisung out of sleep. He wished briefly that he’d booked his birthday off like most people did - he was lucky with his workplace in that sense. But he hadn’t, knowing that 1. He wouldn’t have plans anyway and 2. He would probably, as always, have a huge stack of paperwork to get through. 
He was right on both counts. Jisung rolled over and shut off the alarm, rolling out of bed and rubbing his eyes as he headed to the bathroom to wash up. Staring at himself in the mirror, he wondered for a moment why people made such a big deal about birthdays. He looked exactly the same as he had yesterday. He woke up at the same time, he was going to put on the same suit he always wore to work, and he’d stop at his usual food truck on the way to pick up some breakfast for the walk over. Absolutely nothing had changed about him. 
Unless…Jisung cracked a slight smile at the thought. He jumped up and down a few times. It appeared flying and levitating were out. He stared hard at the sink. Turn on! He thought. Water!! He tried again. The sink stubbornly refused to turn itself on. “I guess I can rule out superpowers,” he chuckled as he put toothpaste on his toothbrush. 
“Morning, Jisung,” the owner of the food truck said as he approached. 
“Morning,” he said. 
“I’ve already got it ready for you,” the older man said, holding out a small bag. Jisung grinned. “Thank you. I guess I’m a little predictable, huh?” 
“8:00am, on the dot. I can practically set my clock by you,” the owner said with a laugh. As he tapped his phone against the pin pad, Jisung reached out to take the bag from the other man. When he did, his fingers brushed against his hand. 
This poor kid. He seems to live such a boring life. He’s young! He should be dating a nice girl. 
Jisung’s head shot up and he stared at the man, who was smiling back at him. 
“Something wrong?” he asked. 
“No, uh, I…just thought you said something. I’m going to have to make an extra coffee when I get to work. Didn’t sleep well last night. Thanks, bye!” Jisung left the truck, walking quicker than normal towards his office. He was sure he’d heard the old man saying something about his life being boring, but the man had clearly not been speaking. Jisung shook his head and kept walking quickly, eager to get into the safe space that was his cubicle. 
While he waited for the elevator, Jisung pulled out his phone to check his texts. As expected, there were two. One from Hyunjin, one from his mother, both wishing him a happy birthday. He smiled a tight, close-lipped smile at the screen as he tapped out a quick thank you to his mother, and made up his mind to call her later. He shoved his phone back in his pocket just as the elevator door slid open in front of him. It was packed, as always. Jisung held himself as steady as possible. The last thing he needed was to accidentally touch someone inappropriately if he got jostled by another person. 
He didn’t account for gravity. 
The old elevator shuddered to a stop at the next floor, throwing off Jisung’s balance and sending him stumbling into the person to his left. 
Oh my god, it’s him. 
The voice was familiar, but Jisung couldn’t place it. He looked up and found himself locking eyes with none other than Lee Minho. The man’s eyes were wide and Jisung worried he’d stepped on the other man’s foot. That was the last thing he needed. 
“Ah! Uh, I’m sorry, I lost my balance,” Jisung stammered out. 
He’s so cute. 
The voice again. Minho’s voice. But Jisung was literally looking at his face, and Minho wasn’t talking. It was then that he realized Minho’s hand was on his arm, steadying him. The elevator started again, jolting Jisung out of his thoughts. He stepped back, thankful for the feeling of Minho’s hand dropping off his arm. At the next floor, he rushed off the elevator, despite still being several floors away from his own. I’m going to have a great ass after taking the stairs to the tenth floor for the rest of my life, he thought to himself.
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recentanimenews · 3 years ago
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Manga the Week of 5/26/21
SEAN: The end of May brings us a few more books to check out. And by a few I mean a lot.
ASH: So many books! I love it.
SEAN: Airship has an early digital debut (the print is out in July): Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter (Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami). We’ve already seen several volumes of the manga over here… in fact, it was one of the first “oh no, I’m reincarnated as a villainess in an otome game” titles seen here. Let’s hope folks won’t think it’s old hat by now.
ASH: While I liked the manga, I think I might enjoy the novels more.
SEAN: Also out early digitally: Classroom of the Elite 8 and Skeleton Knight in Another World 9.
In print, we see the 6th Reincarnated As a Sword.
Ghost Ship has two titles: World’s End Harem Fantasia 4 and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 14.
J-Novel Club has no debuts, but we do see By the Grace of the Gods 7, Dungeon Busters 2, Holmes of Kyoto 5, Lazy Dungeon Master 14, Monster Tamer 4, and Slayers 8. Note Slayers 8 is the final novel that Tokyopop released back in the day, so from Vol. 9 on it’s new to English.
ASH: Nice! I love seeing these license rescues making progress.
ANNA: Where’s Demon Sacred!!!!???
MICHELLE: And Silver Diamond! Now that we’ve successfully had Rose of Versailles, someone rescuing Silver Diamond is my dearest licensing wish.
SEAN: Well, Slayers is a light novel, which is more J-Novel Club’s ballpark.
Kodansha’s debut in print (and digital) is highly anticipated. Boys Run the Riot is a story about fashion and gender identity, and is a must-read for LGBTQ readers. It originally ran in Weekly Young Magazine, then moved online.
MICHELLE: I’m very excited for this one!
ASH: Absolutely! Me, too! I’ve heard very good things.
ANNA: Sounds good!
MELINDA: Yes, this!!
SEAN: Also in print: CITY 11, Fairy Tail’s 4th manga box, which has Vol. 34-43, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 15.
MICHELLE: Also looking forward to this.
ASH: Any week that brings more Fumi Yoshinaga manga is a good week.
MELINDA: What Ash said.
SEAN: Debuting digitally is Back When You Called Us Devils (Kimi ga Bokura wo Akuma to Yonda Koro), a Magazine Pocket series about a young man who can’t remember six months of his life running into people who certainly do remember it… and say that he was a monster. More psychological thrillers, yay?
ASH: Hmmm, I am intrigued.
SEAN: Also out digitally: Am I Actually the Strongest? 4, And Yet You Are So Sweet 2, Harem Marriage 5, Saint Young Men 11, Those Snow White Notes 5 (yeah, I give up, sorry), What I Love About You 6, and When We’re in Love 8.
MICHELLE: I feel like this is my last chance to catch up on Those Snow White Notes before it completely gets away from me.
SEAN: One Peace has a 5th volume of The New Gate.
Seven Seas has one debut. Bite Maker: The King’s Omega (Bite Maker -Ousama no Omega-). Yes, A/B/O Dynamics is not just an AO3 tag anymore. Our hero is an Alpha, admired and adored by Betas, but seems unsatisfied… till he meets the Omega of his dreams. This is a Shogakukan shoujo title, running in Flowers’ online magazine &Flowers, and its author is known for pushing at boundaries.
MICHELLE: Yeah, no thanks.
ANNA: I will pass on this one.
MELINDA: “Pushing at boundaries.” Yeah, no.
SEAN: There’s also Berserk of Gluttony 2, GIGANT 5, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma’s Office Lady Diary 4, Saint Seiya: Saintia Sho 13, and Species Domain 10.
Square Enix has Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 3 and Ragna Crimson 2.
ASH: I’ve been enjoying Cherry Magic!.
SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Like Two Peas in a Pod (Nitamonodoushi no), a BL one-shot from Mag Garden. Two boys in school are very alike – they’re even both named Tanaka! But when both take an interest in the same girl, are they jealous of each other, or of the girl?
And A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 3.
Yen On has a debut that’s actually a sequel. Durarara!! SH takes place 18 months after the end of the main series, and features three new protagonists. (The SH stands for Snake Hands. Don’t ask.)
And there is Bungo Stray Dogs 6, Date a Live 2, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 3, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? 9, a paperback reprint of Haruhi Suzumiya 9, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 11, and Wandering Witch 5.
Yen Press has one debut and one finale. The debut is Hard-Boiled Stories from the Cat Bar (Sake to Namida to Otoko to Nyanko), a one-shot from Kadokawa’s Young Ace Up. If you love dark grimy noir stories, but also love cats, this is the title for you.
MICHELLE: Hm. Maybe!
ASH: I’m looking forward to giving it a try.
ANNA: I’m curious about this.
MELINDA: Same here!
SEAN: Ending at 18 volumes (and honestly I forgot it was still coming out, it’s digital-only) is Crimson Prince. The author fell ill several years ago, and so 17 (which came out last month) and 18 had a long delay. It was a good shonen supernatural romance.
Any May flowers you’re picking?
By: Sean Gaffney
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ax100 · 4 years ago
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Title: Eh?! You Can Present as an Omega After 30 Years of Being a Beta?! (Chapter 3) Fandom: Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! / 30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii?! Characters: Kiyoshi Adachi, Yuichi Kurosawa, Kengo Urabe Pairings: Kurosawa x Adachi Rating: T Other tags: Omegaverse AU, A/B/O Dynamics, No Mind Reading AU, Alpha Kurosawa Yuichi, Omega Adachi Kiyoshi
Summary: This is Kiyoshi Adachi, 30 years old, office worker, virgin, beta. Or so he thought.
His life is turned upside down when, at 30 years old, Adachi suddenly presents as an omega, despite having been a beta his whole life (with the paperwork to prove it, in fact!). Now, he has to learn (relearn?) the ins and outs of his body while dealing with all the hassles that come with being an omega in this society, like tracking heats and having to remember to take his daily suppressant. Life would have been so much easier if he had presented as an alpha instead, like Kurosawa…
CHAPTER 4: Adachi has 99 problems, and it's starting to look like heat isn't one of them.
-
In which Adachi has a grueling meeting with HR, and gradually comes to the realization that his biggest enemy in all this may not be biology, but bureaucratic red tape.
Excerpt:
He takes the envelope and lifts the flap to see a few sheaves of paper, stapled together into groups. He takes them out as a whole, just as Matsumoto-san takes out a similar stack of papers from the clear L-file she has with her. They’re handouts, Kiyoshi quickly realizes—the index of benefits given to all new employees upon their contract signing with the company. He doesn’t even remember where the copy he had been given all those years ago is anymore.
“Looks familiar?” Matsumoto-san asks, no doubt noticing the way his eyes are scanning the first page, a mess of tables and text with headers like Qualification Matrix and Availment Schedule.
“Ah, yes.” He nods. Somewhat, he thinks, but doesn’t dare say aloud. He’s already on thin ice here, he feels.
“This is the Benefits Index for Employees,” she introduces anyway. “It has changed here and there over the years, so it might be somewhat different from the copy you were given when you were first on-boarded.”
He nods. He’s still not entirely sure why he’s being shown this.
She reads him easily, it seems, as she gives him a wry smile. “In conjunction with the change in your status, Adachi-kun, there will now be some changes to the benefits you can avail of. In particular, you are now eligible to receive benefits for omega employees.”
His head jerks up to look at her, staring, staring.
Benefits for omega employees.
Omegas, like him.
Oh, shit, he thinks, as it dawns onto him all over again, for what feels like the hundredth time in less than a week. Omega. That’s me. Oh, shit.
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recentanimenews · 4 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 11/16/20
A Bride’s Story, Vol. 12 | By Kaoru Mori | Yen Press – Being at a yearly schedule for this series is bad, but it could be worse: Yotsuba&! seems to come out every 3-4 years. The best part of this volume sees Mr. Smith and Talas meeting up with Anis and Sherine, a married couple that, as before, remains defined by the lack of husband in their lives. He’s there, to be sure, but this may as well be a yuri couple for all the emotional beats. Also, learning how to write everyone’s name is very awesome and cathartic. Elsewhere, Karluk is reminded that everyone has different skill sets, and Pariya has to deal with unexpectedly being on her own. The “plot” of the series barely exists, and I’m not sure it will last till Karluk comes of age. But it’s peaceful and the art is gorgeous. – Sean Gaffney
Cherry Magic!: Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Vol. 1 | By Yuu Toyota | Square Enix – With a title and conceit like Cherry Magic!, I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much from the series, so I was delighted to encounter a surprisingly charming and lighthearted first volume. After turning thirty without experiencing so much as a first kiss, Adachi finds that he can now read people’s minds when he physically touches them. The ability can occasionally be helpful, but in general he tries to avoid using it. Things take an awkward turn when he bumps into his coworker Kurosawa, inadvertently learning he’s been hiding a crush on him. Kurosawa is a popular and nice enough guy, but Adachi, being romantically inexperienced, isn’t quite sure what he should do with his newfound knowledge—especially considering that Kurosawa hasn’t actually mentioned anything about liking him yet. Cherry Magic! is a silly but sweet romantic comedy; I had fun reading it and would happily read more. -Ash Brown
Farming Life in Another World, Vol. 1 | By Kinosuke Naito and Yasuyuki Tsurugi | One Peace Books – If you liked everything about In Another World with My Smartphone but wish that the magical smartphone had been replaced with a magical farming tool, have I got a series for you. Most of the plot beats are even the same, although Hiraki manages to get it on with most of his wives a good 20 or so volumes before Touya. Despite that last sentence, those who are buying this for the “snu snu” will not be happy—it’s far more interested in the farming, as well as his accumulation of wolves, spiders, and brides. I’m honestly not unhappy that we only got the manga version of this—I suspect it would be tedious in prose. As it is, it’s perfectly good slow-life isekai with a farming bent. – Sean Gaffney
Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 11 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – This is the penultimate volume of the original series, though I understand there are several spinoffs. That said, there’s nothing here indicating that we’re headed for a big finish or climax. Which makes sense—this is not really that kind of series. It does show us how Umaru and Ebina met, which is as cutesy as it sounds. Indeed, cutesy is the watchword for every single chapter. Even the sibling relationship friction, which was what drove many of the early volumes, seems to have been dialed way back as they’re mostly getting along now. It’s a good sign that the series should be wrapping up, really, and so it is. That said, if you love Umaru-chan, this should make you happy. – Sean Gaffney
Revolutionary Girl Utena: After the Revolution | By Chihi Saito | Viz Media – I am, to put it mildly, not a fan of the original Utena manga. So I was initially incredibly uninterested in this 20-years-later single-volume afterword. That said, it does not seem to even take place in the same universe—it feels like Saito was told to make this an anime sequel more than a manga sequel. Good news, this means Juri is gay again. Not surprisingly, I found the Juri/Shiori/Ruka story the most interesting, though I still hate Ruka more than the creators want me to. Elsewhere, Touga and Saionji turn into Scooby Doo investigators, and Miki and Kaoru are still really into incestual subtext. I still prefer Artistic Veggie Platters as an Utena continuation, but this is OK. – Sean Gaffney
Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 10 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – The “future” chapter showing Nishikata and Takagi married and having a daughter was wildly popular with readers. We don’t get another in the series here—by this point there was a spinoff all its own to take care of that—but we do see an older Chi in middle school, trying to be what her mother was with the guy she likes and failing miserably. It’s pretty adorable. As for the actual cast, they pet dogs, go fishing, eat candy, and make everyone think they are the most sickeningly sweet couple you’ll ever meet without actually being a couple. There’s no “plot advancing” chapters here, but there’s lots of cuteness, and Takagi is the most likeable of the “teasing” girls we see a lot of these days. – Sean Gaffney
That Blue Summer, Vol. 8 | By Atsuko Namba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Rio’s days in the tranquil village of Ueko are coming to an end. She has ended things with Ginzo because it was too hard, knowing they could never be together long-term, and tries to put on a brave face about going back home to Tokyo. But once she gets there and tries to move on, it’s clear she’s just going through the motions. I really liked that I wasn’t sure that the main couple would actually end up together, and also that the romance between a couple of side characters wasn’t just filler but a way to put things into perspective for Rio. What I liked most, though, is why Ginzo loves Rio—she’s the one who encouraged him to embrace his passion for graphic design, who created opportunities for him that boosted his confidence. This has been one of my favorites of the Kodansha digital-only shoujo offerings! – Michelle Smith
Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean, Vol. 1 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – Despite my good intentions, I have yet to read Barakamon. And so I must ask… is this what Barakamon is like?! ‘Cos it’s good as hell! Naruhiko Tohno is a struggling manga artist who still lives in the remote village in which he was born and raised. He’s been writing fantasy manga for ten years and isn’t exactly gung-ho when his editor suggests he try writing rural slice-of-life instead, but it ends up selling far more than his previous series. I definitely enjoyed the segments about Tohno and his life growing up, particularly the obvious links between his middle-school friends and classmates and the characters in his manga, but I’m a little sad that we don’t spend more time with the characters in his manga, because they were totally charming, too. Guess I gotta go read everything in English by Yoshino-sensei now! – Michelle Smith
Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 15 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – I mentioned as I was reading this that it’s astonishing that Watanabe has not turned his hand to horror manga, given everything about Midousuji in this volume, which is simply mind-numbingly creepy. That said, wow, he’s a good cyclist, and he likely will help to goad Naruko into becoming more well-rounded. Elsewhere, we learn how difficult it is to find new members who are as good as the old ones—the previous year was unusual, after all—and also not to abandon a potential member just because you judge them at first to be not worth your time. I hope to see more of our new huge son. It did feel weird that this volume did not have a major race in it, but I’m sure that’s coming soon. – Sean Gaffney
By: Ash Brown
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ax100 · 4 years ago
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Title: Eh?! You Can Present as an Omega After 30 Years of Being a Beta?! (Chapter 2) Fandom: Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! / 30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii?! Characters: Kiyoshi Adachi, Yuichi Kurosawa, Kengo Urabe Pairings: Kurosawa x Adachi Rating: T Other tags: Omegaverse AU, A/B/O Dynamics, No Mind Reading AU
Summary: This is Kiyoshi Adachi, 30 years old, office worker, virgin, beta. Or so he thought.
His life is turned upside down when, at 30 years old, Adachi suddenly presents as an omega, despite having been a beta his whole life (with the paperwork to prove it, in fact!). Now, he has to learn (relearn?) the ins and outs of his body while dealing with all the hassles that come with being an omega in this society, like tracking heats and having to remember to take his daily suppressant. Life would have been so much easier if he had presented as an alpha instead, like Kurosawa…
CHAPTER 2: In which Adachi experiences a riveting medical consultation and realizes something about a certain co-worker of his.
Excerpt:
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ax100 · 4 years ago
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Title: Eh?! You Can Present as an Omega After 30 Years of Being a Beta?! (Chapter 1) Fandom: Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! / 30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii?! Characters: Kiyoshi Adachi, Yuichi Kurosawa, Kengo Urabe Pairings: Kurosawa x Adachi Rating: T Other tags: Omegaverse AU, A/B/O Dynamics, No Mind Reading AU
Summary: This is Kiyoshi Adachi, 30 years old, office worker, virgin, beta. Or so he thought.
His life is turned upside down when, at 30 years old, Adachi suddenly presents as an omega, despite having been a beta his whole life (with the paperwork to prove it, in fact!). Now, he has to learn (relearn?) the ins and outs of his body while dealing with all the hassles that come with being an omega in this society, like tracking heats and having to remember to take his daily suppressant. Life would have been so much easier if he had presented as an alpha instead, like Kurosawa...
Excerpt:
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the ringing of an alarm is abruptly cut off when a hand slaps down the button of a small clock on a bedside table.
Slowly, a figure buried under a thick comforter pulls himself up until he’s seated on the bed. He groans.
This is Kiyoshi Adachi, beta, virgin. And as of today, he is 30 years old.
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recentanimenews · 5 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 5/7/20
The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 12 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – As much as I continue to love this series overall, this particular volume had some highs and lows for me. When Chise’s new classmates are in a scene with her, I find them interesting (particularly her prickly roommate, Lucy) and enjoy seeing Chise successfully interact with peers when just a couple of volumes ago she had doubts about her ability to do so. That said, the conversations these characters have amongst themselves about their pureblood alchemical family drama are unimaginably boring. At the same time, there’s an important conversation between the leads in which Elias tries to clarify what he meant by “bride” and an eventful camping trip to Scotland at the end of the volume that sees Lucy in peril, both of which I greatly enjoyed. In the end, I’m as eager for the next installment as ever. – Michelle Smith
As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 9 | By Matoba | Yen Press – It would appear that the manga author is well aware that Eurydice is not the most popular character in this book, as the first part of it deals with her getting amnesia and forgetting she’s a shotacon… and having people reluctant to cure her. Big same. Elsewhere, it’s all about the three “main” couples in the series, none of whom are official but all of whom are teased to death. Astaroth and Sacchan are stuck on a seemingly deserted island, and both are feeling very awkward around each other. Beelzebub and Mullin are a couple but don’t actually seem to realize it, much to the frustration of others. Most importantly, Azazel and Belphegor hold a real conversation! It’s good setup for the final volume next time. Fluffy fun. – Sean Gaffney
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Vol. 1 | By Yuu Toyota | Square Enix – The title of this one gave me the impression that it was going to be smutty, but the reality is anything but (at least so far). Kiyoshi Adachi is a gloomy, average, thirty-year-old virgin who has just discovered he can read the minds of the people he touches. When Adachi decides to see whether his seemingly perfect coworker, Kurosawa, has a secret nasty personality, he instead discovers that Kurosawa is romantically interested in him. As Adachi accesses more of Kurosawa’s thoughts throughout the volume, he realizes that he’s a genuinely good person and wants to get to know him better, but his lack of romantic experience means he gets overwhelmed easily. I think these guys make a cute couple and look forward to continuing the series. I also really enjoyed the bonus stories, especially the one about Adachi’s equally virginal friend and a delivery guy who bond over a kitty. – Michelle Smith
Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 8 | By Ukami |Yen Press – The main thrust of this volume is the arrival of Gabriel’s big sister Zeruel, who (as Gabriel knows) will flip her shit when she sees her behaving like a sloppy otaku, and (as Gabriel doesn’t know) has a massive sister complex about her. This amusingly leads to Gabriel acting like a perfect little angel and creeping everyone out. Fortunately, in a “who knows Gabriel best” trivia competition, Vignette’s knowledge of present Gabriel trumps Zaruel’s past knowledge. Speaking of Vignette, her demonic tendencies take another beating when another demon in the group refuses to see her as anything but an angel because she can’t be mean. Basically, be they angel or demon, everyone in this cast is a flake, so it’s all good. – Sean Gaffney
Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition, Vol. 2 | By Kouji Kumeta | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This series continues to be the sweeter, more optimistic version of Zetsubou-sensei, and I’m OK with that. This is not to say that the author does not get a bit bitter about things that are in his wheelhouse, such as constant editor turnover (his current editor, who is a bit of a loser, is there because no one else will have Kakushi) and having to judge new entries in a manga competition (Kakushi judges fine, but is undercut by the stupid editor adding (lol) after every entry). Biting the hand that feeds him has always been Kouji Kumeta’s top skill. That said, it almost seems tempered by age and maturity here, particularly in the scenes with the father and daughter simply being a good family. Ominous future, though… – Sean Gaffney
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 11 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – Sometimes it happens that I just don’t have much to say about a volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. I like it best when some modicum of progress is made in one of the core relationships in the series, and for the most part (and despite the claim on the back cover that Wakamatsu finally learns Lorelai’s true identity) we don’t get that this time. Mostly it’s gags about otome games and hypnosis and what if Nozaki did a book signing. That said, there is a very nice tidbit at the end where Hori sincerely tells Kashima that he likes everything about her, and I hope that isn’t forgotten though I realize it’s extremely likely that nothing will come of it. In summation, I think I’m kind of reading this wrong, but ultimately I still enjoy it. – Michelle Smith
Prince Freya, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | Viz Media – While several of Ishihara’s manga have now been released in English, Prince Freya is the first I’ve read. But I’m always happy to see more shoujo fantasy released, so I was looking forward to giving the series a try. The premise of the manga is pretty solid if not particularly innovative—Freya is a young woman who, due to unusual and deadly circumstances, is required to pose as Prince Edvard, the leader of her country. Ishihara has also laid the groundwork for some excellent court politics and intrigue. The pacing, however, especially in the introductory chapter, is extraordinarily fast. In addition, time and distance seem to have frustratingly little meaning in the series. And unless there’s some sort of spirit possession going on (which admittedly would be an interesting twist), Freya’s “becoming” Edvard in the first volume strains belief. But even considering its flaws, Prince Freya continues to intrigue me. – Ash Brown
Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro Side Story: Nostalgic Travelogue | By Satoko Kiyuduki | Yen Press – This is nothing more than a series of short stories set during and after the main series, but if it allows us to spend more time with Kuro and friends, I’m 100% down with it. There’s moments of bittersweet tragedy in a story of a princess who sacrifices her life for the sake of her country. There’s amusing moments, such as Kuro and Sen having to play chess to escape a king’s wrath… a very strange game of chess. And there’s heartwarming, such as a young boy who grows older as he hears the stories of the travelers (including Kuro) who pass through his inn, eventually finding himself involved with some of the people he heard about. I love this series; it’s gorgeous and poignant. – Sean Gaffney
Sweat and Soap, Vol. 2 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Now that our main couple has gotten together, it’s time to bring in some things to cause potential drama. The cute underling at work that’s in Kotaro’s department (and clearly has a crush on him) tries to uncover if he and Asako are dating… but fails. Also, he sees her like a little sister. Asako tells her mother she’s dating a guy… and she’s thrilled. The biggest issue in this volume may be Asako’s little brother Keita, who had to defend her from bullies as a kid and thus doesn’t trust anyone who might date his big sister. That said, a nice dinner at Keita’s restaurant (he’s a budding chef) does the trick, with Kotaro winning him over by simply being sincere. Both the sweat and the sex have lessened in this book, leaving pure sweetness. – Sean Gaffney
A Witch’s Printing Office, Vol. 2 | By Mochinchi and Yasuhiro Miyama | Yen Press – This started badly, with an entirely gratuitous boob shot distracting me from what turned out to be a pretty good plotline of a cooped-up rich kid wanting to get out into the world and read more… even if it turns out she might be reading her mom’s doujinshi. The basic premise of this series is that anyone and everyone can be happy buying and reading doujinshi, even if it’s monster guides or magic spellbooks. Yes, even the demon lord, who turns out to be quite nice. In fact, the real danger in this book is a natural one, as there’s a huge typhoon that threatens to take out the island that not-Comiket is held on. And there’s even a cliffhanger… is there another Japanese person trapped here? Aside from one bad bit of fanservice, still very good. – Sean Gaffney
By: Ash Brown
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