yabai-reads

[yabai-reads]

Miyamoto Kano - Vanilla Star

A sad and lonely guy’s quest to find the perfect guy he saw in a gay porn film turns into something bigger when he becomes intrigued with said actor’s past. What made the once lively and happy student into this gloomy, self-deprecating person who will sleep with anyone for money? 

Dealing with themes of resignation and shattered dreams, the story has a sad and melancholic atmosphere. But as much as it is a story of longing and lost opportunities, it’s also a story of hope, showing that it’s never too late to change your life’s course or let in people who are willing to help. I really like the distinct mood of the story, and while it’s probably similar to some other Miyamoto Kano’s stories, this is the one I always seem to come back to. I’d say Vanilla Star is a good read if you’re looking for something more realistic with heavier themes while not being overtly tragic.

[yabai-reads]

NEW VOLUME! The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window V3 by Tomoko Yamashita.

21 page preview & purchase links for V3 can be found here.

Read chapter 1 for free here!

Shy bookstore clerk Kosuke Mikado has the ability to see ghosts and spirits, an ability he wishes he didn’t have, since what he sees usually terrifies him. Rihito Hiyakawa, an exorcist whose supernatural powers are as strong as his social graces are weak, doesn’t seem to fear anything, mortal or otherwise. When this odd couple gets together to solve the bizarre cases that come their way, their work methods may not be entirely safe for work!

[yabai-reads]

Ido Gihou - Blood Sugar Sex Magic 

Nao is secretly in love with his happy-go-lucky classmate Keima. They start a physical relationship under dodgy circumstances, but Nao keeps getting more and more unhappy since he thinks his feelings will never reach Keima, and starts to avoid him. But Keima can't just leave Nao alone. 

Ido Gihou's stories often seem kind of strange, and that can be said for BSSM too. Don't be fooled by the drug and dub-con infused beginning though, this is actually a really touching story about longing and self-preservation by hiding your feelings. Ido's characters often embody loneliness in a really heartwrenching way, and I truly felt Nao's overpouring sadness and Keima's feelings of guilt once he realises Nao's hidden feelings. The last few chapters were a really emotional experience for me. I'm also a huge fan of the art since it looks gorgeous and makes it possible for the mood to shift from silly to serious or bittersweet in no time.

[yabai-reads]

Hakutou Noriko - Suki, kamo This is the type of story you immediately know where it's going, but it's also the type of story I really enjoy, so I didn't mind. There's two neighbours, the other has unrequited feelings for his male sex friend who comes and goes as he pleases, while the other follows their relationship from the sidelines. Gradually the neighbours start to get to know each other, and slowly develop feelings for one another too. Even if the plot or execution is not very original, I have a soft spot for stories where characters get out of bad relationships or finally move on because they know their feelings won't be reciprocated or they'll never be treated right. The story did a good job showing how the sex friend felt too, even if he was the 'bad guy' of the story. All in all I liked the calm atmosphere of the manga, since it accommodated both cuter scenes and the handling of more mature emotions.

[yabai-reads]

Kikka Ohashi - My Mischievous Hands Can't Resist [on Renta!]

The way Renta marketed this story, I expected there to be explicit sex scenes with an emphasis on toys (the main character works in an adult goods store after all). I have to say was disappointed on that department, since the scenes are pretty vague. 

After recovering from the disappointment I reread the story, and it turned out quite okay. Nothing spectacular, but not too bad either. If you dislike stories where the seme keeps pursuing the uke even after being turned down, then you should probably avoid this title, even if the story is pretty tame and it’s refreshing to see it being told from the seme’s perspective. I really liked the art, the ero scenes look good even if they aren’t very raunchy, and it was nice that Sugiura (the uke character) wasn’t against the sex as much as he was against having a relationship. I also really liked the scenes where Sugiura finally shows how much he’s into Kubo, being all “Get your ass over here” and “Have your way with me”. Adding a bit more depth or backstory to the characters would have made the story more memorable though, since now the development felt a bit abrupt. So all in all: an okay read with nice art.

[yabai-reads]

Asada Nemui - Skin

It looks like I’ve been on an Asada Nemui roll lately. This story definitely represents her more twisted side. At first it seems like one of the characters is a predator who picks up young boys online, and the other is trying to bring him to justice. But the situation is a lot more complicated than that, and there’s a lot of moral ambiguity and dubious stuff going on. The story is definitely not for everyone: there’s blackmailing, stalking and even a gang-rape. Somehow the relationship still feels balanced because the characters are equally awful people, and the story really drew me in. There’s also a lot of kink fodder if you’re into non-con and dub-con etc.

[yabai-reads]

Asada Nemui - Loved Circus

Kei is in huge debt and tries to commit suicide, but before he actually dies he’s “saved” and brought to work in a male brothel called Circus. After a grim start, the story takes a turn to portray the everyday lives of the men who work there, in a way that’s more humorous than realistic. In some ways Loved Circus actually reminds me of Kumota Haruko’s Shinjuku Lucky Hole since they both handle their serious subject matter with humor and lightness even if darker themes are also present. So far I’ve enjoyed reading the story, and I really want to see where it’s heading.

[yabai-reads]

Ido Gihou - Yoru wa tomodachi

A peculiar story about loneliness and S/M dynamics. I was pretty excited about this series: I really love Ido Gihou’s art, and it’s nice to see consensual fetish stuff in BL, complete with safewords and everything. For some reason the story left me a bit detached, probably because the POV is mostly Masumi’s (the seme) and I just couldn’t relate to him that much. But even though the story didn’t hit me right in the feels, I appreciated the muted, melancholic atmosphere. I think Tobita’s character really embodies how difficult it can be to connect with others even when we try our best. 

[yabai-reads]

Asada Nemui - Hare no hi

A oneshot story about a gay, middle-aged father living with his teenaged son, who’s also starting to come to terms with his own sexuality. There is a lot of warmth and poignant moments, and it’s really amazing to see such an encouraging and beautiful story from Asada Nemui who usually does dark and twisted stories. I really recommend reading this if you prefer realistic stories.

[yabai-reads]

Nishio Yuuta - After Hours

I promised to post about GL, so here is a new manga I’ve been reading lately. After Hours is the story of 24-year-old Emi who is still looking for her own thing, and 30-year-old Kei who is really into music and draws Emi into her world of DJing and clubbing. I’m five chapters in and their relationship hasn’t really been defined or went past innocent kissing. I’d call it a slow burn, but there hasn’t been much talk about how they actually feel either, so I don’t know what to think of their relationship at this point. Still, the setting is pretty interesting, and it’s really nice to see a character like Kei who has her own UG interests and style. The art is also nice and dynamic, but I’m not sure how to feel about the character designs. I guess you could say the story definitely has its good points, but I’m not 100% sold yet.

[yabai-reads]

Miyamoto Kano - Ichigo no yume (”Dream of a Life Time: The Ghost Story Collections of Shimatsuya Risuke”)

I haven’t read a story by Miyamoto Kano in ages, but this one piqued my interest since it’s pretty different from her usual realistic stuff. The story is about a debt collector and a bodyguard who both work in the Yoshiwara pleasure district of Edo. Different ghosts and spirits start appearing around Yoshiwara, and as our main characters investigate the strange phenomena, they eventually grow closer. If you’re interested in Japanese folktales or Edo period/Yoshiwara stuff this is an interesting read, but romance isn’t really the main dish of the story. I liked the setting though, and my absolute favourite chapter was the love story of a tree spirit and a male courtesan. I really wish I could find more BL combined with traditional Japanese ghost stories.

[yabai-reads]

If you’re looking for BL with mood/ themes/ setting similar to Acid Town, here are some suggestions:

Canis series by ZAKK

A hatmaker picks up a younger guy with a mysterious past and ties to international organized crime. The art is gorgeous, the relationship is developed slowly and the story is still ongoing (3 volumes have come out so far) so there’s still more to find out.

Endless World by Jaryuu Dokuro

The first chapter might seem light-hearted, but the story gets dark really fast. Two characters come together to mourn the death of a guy that was important to both of them, and through flashbacks we see the drugs, abuse and nightmares that surrounded their lives. It’s a really powerful story by an amazing mangaka.

MODS by Natsume Kazuki

An ordinary guy starts working as a driver for a male brothel and develops a frail bond with one of the guys working there. Instead of romanticizing sex work, the story shows what years of abuse and feeling trapped can do to someone. 

Double Hound by Haji

This story is also set in the near future, and there’s drug dealers, assassins and prostitution. The focus is more on the action, and mood-wise this is actually pretty far from Acid Town but it might still be an interesting read. 

If you’re interested in darker themes in BL in general, I’d also recommend checking out works by Asada Nemui, Kimura Hidesato and Harada.

And if you’re interested in picking up a story that’s not strictly BL, here’s one more rec:

Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida

This 19 volumes long epic set in New York in the 1980s is about gang violence and organized crime, conspiracies, sexual abuse and a mystery drug. The relationship between the main characters Ash and Eiji may not be physical, but the way their friendship is portrayed, it might as well have been a romance. Can’t recommend this title enough, especially to people who like Acid Town.

Please, do you have any recs for other great manga series like Acid Town?? I've only found Yoneda Kou's works as comparable. (PS thanks for all the work you do for us fans!!)

Umm… I’m assuming by manga series you mean yaoi series? To be honest I don’t read a lot of yaoi anymore. Years ago I did read a bunch of series, and apart from Kyuugou, a few of my favorite artists were Miyamoto Kano (most of her stuff looks the same but you’d probably like “Lovers and Souls” if you like Acid Town), Hinako Takanaga (”Tyrant Falls in Love” and “Awkward Silence” are my favorites), and Homerun Ken  (”Boku wa Kimi no Tori ni Naritai/I Want to Become Your Bird” was my favorite I think). 

If you’re interested in non-yaoi series, a few of my favorites are Vinland Saga, Noragami, and Blue Exorcist. Also just about anything by Naoki Urasawa is good, but especially Pluto and Monster. :)

[yabai-reads]

Aniya Yuiji - Mou ichido, nando demo

This story was a wild ride, as expected from Aniya Yuiji. Two high school boys become friends with benefits and finally lovers, and some years later they have graduated and are happily living together. Then one of them ends up in an accident and loses all his memories from the time they’ve been together. Even without his memories, is he destined to fall in love all over again? At least his body seems to remember, even if his brain doesn’t...

The bittersweet aspects of the story reminded me of Aniya’s earlier work, Men of Tattoos, even if this wasn’t quite as angsty. She also seems to use memory loss as a plot device in her works a lot, haha. Not that I mind, she always comes up with quirky scenarios that are interesting to read. In Mou ichido she combines themes of fated love with raunchy sex scenes so there’s definitely a twist. I especially liked the flashback scene about warming up cold hands in the last chapter.

[yabai-reads]

Abey Avil - Private Investigators of Love

This book instantly caught my eye with its unique art style last summer when I was visiting Japan, so I was really happy when I noticed Renta had started translating it recently. The story has a pretty nice buildup of the main relationship and the contrast between the idealist Ginpei and the jaded Shun is interesting. Sadly the latter part of the book wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped and the art can get a bit wonky at times, but I was still impressed enough that I’ll definitely check out other works by the author. Honey-salt and Bitter Sugar has already been translated, so I’ll be buying and reviewing that soon!

Abey Avil’s works on Renta

[yabai-reads]

Yoshida Yuuko - Akudama I think the title (”bad eggs”) is a really fitting one for the main story, which is about questionable people with questionable motives. I like this type of story that doesn't try to romanticize skeevy situations but instead shows them in a light where you kind of end up morally conflicted because even though a big part of you is saying no, a smaller one is also saying yes. Like, the part where the cellphone is ringing the whole night and characters just cling to each other..... The short story at the and about the two actors was also really interesting, but I definitely would only recommend this title if you like morally ambiguous or feel-bad stories. Also, I will defend Yoshida Yuuko's art to my grave.

[yabai-reads]

Enzou - Mother's Spirit

This was one of the series on the “Kono BL ga yabai” list for 2016, so I had to check it out. The story is about university student Ryouichirou and Qaltaqa, a guy from a native tribe who comes to Japan to study the ways of modern society. On the other hand I really like the interracial couple aspect and love-overcoming-cultural-and-language-barriers thing, but on the other hand the whole imaginary native tribe and exotification stuff left me pretty confused. The story itself is kind of cute but nothing in spectacular. I love the art though, and I should probably reread Enzou’s other series, Sayonara itoshi no my friend.

[yabai-reads]

I saw were you had asked about GL recommendations, and here's a list of some of my fave mangaka: Milk Morinaga, Miyabi Fujieda, Akiko Morishima, Erica Sakurazawa, Hiyori Otsu, Haruno Nanae, CHI-RAN, and Mizuo Shinonome. A couple of those mangaka have works translated into English, but, truthfully, I found a lot of them on lililicious(.)net. If you can read Japanese, JList(.)com also sells a few GL titles~!

Ahh thank you so much, I really appreciate you sharing all those recs! Many of the mangaka you mentioned are new to me, so I’ll have to check them out. 

Speaking of GL, the last title I read and liked was Cirque Arachne by Saida Nika. Lately I’ve also been reading After Hours by Nishio Yuuta, but since I’ve read only a few chapters so far, it’s still a bit hard to say how I feel about the characters and everything. I’ll probably post about it here once I get further in the story.