LGBT manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Pink Candy Kiss” Vol. 5 by Ami Uozumi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Ema is trying to reconcile her feelings for Takora because her husband, Hario, loves her so much. Takora considers the consequences of confessing her feelings.

This volume isn’t bittersweet; it’s just sad. There’s no way for them to be together without ruining Ema’s marriage, and I really wonder what the last two volumes are going to bring. I will spoil that Ema finally did stand up to her shitty mom, which was so damn satisfying. I don’t want yet another tragic lesbian story, but it’s clear this is not their time. Maybe this will end up like Bingo Love and end up together without hurting Hario. I guess we’ll see. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “May I Have a Taste?” Vol. 2, by Amidamuku

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Minoru is gravely injured trying to save Yamadera after he risks his life trying to become a vampire. An older vampire, Mire, comes to assist Minoru.

I like that the world is expanding. I don’t like Yamadera, so spending time with any other character is a net positive. We do get some backstory for Mine, another new vampire, Itachi, and introduce Mei, who reminds me of Kiku from Call of the Night. I’m glad what seemed to be a predatory version of Ko annoying Minoru, who just wants to live his life, is shaping into something more. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bride of the Shark Clan” Vol. 1 Satomichi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Rival clans Tangata and Miyaru have a tentative peace held together by a yearly offering of a bride from the Tangata to the Miyaru. This sacrifice is usually the weakest. Avel, the son of the Tangata Chief, is assumed to be next in line to head the clan, but an encounter with Tukuri from the Tangata clan results in him being the offered bride instead.

As part of the lore of this world, the Tangata are all born male and only become female the first time they bottom for someone, which sure is a way to have mpreg happen instead of just using the fated mates trope as is. That’s still a thing, though. And by the gods, they sure did try to have some plot in this smut, didn’t they? I’m kinda kidding. This isn’t bad. Our main couple is the aforementioned fated mates with “we met as children” thrown in there. The smut is filthy and it’s just a fairly uncomplicated, low angst story. Arel and Tukiru are cute together, but since the art style is fairly standard, their personalities make them unique. If you’re in the market for some romantic filth, this ain’t bad. 3.7 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Forest of the Rabbits” Vol. 1, by ENJO

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Shunta and Tamaki were childhood friends who reconnect in high school. While Shunta realized his attraction to his friend early on, Tamaki’s tumultuous upbringing has him clinging to traditional expectations. But Shunta doesn’t want to waste any more time before fulfilling his dream of dating Tamaki.

This is rough since it starts with them as young kids, and Tamaki is clearly not only neglected by his mother, but he’s also exposed to things a child shouldn’t because his mother is a sex worker. We are pro-sex work in this house, but not with your child in the next room or watching your clients as they go in and out of the home. That’s a dark cloud lurking behind this budding romance, making it hard to enjoy Shunta being a goofy simp for his crush. I almost don’t want them to get together until Tamaki has had a few months of intense therapy to deal with his clear trauma. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Champion of the Rose” Vol. 1, by Cat Aquino & Dominique Duran

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Rosa’s brother tragically dies, making her hair to the throne of the Empire of Sagrada. As the largest kingdom in the Known World, Rosa looks forward to serving her people and the Dying God they all worship but instead, her father holds a tournament where the prize is her hand in marriage. Desperate to become queen and make real change, she enlists Rey as her champion. Rey is a swordsman from one of the kingdom’s colonies and only wants to earn enough money to return to his native lands.

It’s interesting that Rosa is a mixed-race princess of a kingdom fueled by colonizing others. She has to come to terms with what her kingdom has done to people who look just like her. She may have been relatively sheltered as a princess, but that doesn’t stop the whispers and judgment. Rey is a transman and a fucking badass, who literally and figuratively is infected by the evils done by those who’ve conquered his people. The combat is fantastically done. It’s ruthless and dark. It reminds me of Centuria, making this a damn good dark fantasy. 4.5 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 10, by Luka Kobachi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

While Nanoha has decided to attend confectionary school in Tokyo, Chidori is still unsure. She is only certain she wants to follow Nanoha to Tokyo.

If Chidori isn’t able to get into a school close to Nanoha, it brings the possibility of having to be in a long distance relationship. I have to say, they’re being very mature for a YA manga. I suppose since this has been a fairly cozy slice of life so far, it’s not going to make a pivot to big dramatics. Which is great! It’s a healthy relationship and they’re adorable together. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 5, by Konkichi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Our main character is still dodging various BL tropes but Hataro keeps popping up and threatening to break his avoidance streak.

I like the idea of this new unknown element but it took quite awhile to get there. Not that I want this to fall into the “gay for you” or “bi awakening” trope, since our MC is straight with no desire to change that. I think it’s more interesting if he stays straight while navigating this strange isekai because those two are BL tropes as well. But still, where is this going? Is he going to try to escape this world? So strange… 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Eat” by Nagabe

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Professor Lufria, a wolf, has a reputation as a strict, no-nonsense teacher. The only thing that breaks his composure is his secret kink: a desire to not only watch others eat, but to be eaten himself. Lufria is usually able to control his urges, but when one of his students, Gulla, bites him, his secret is revealed.

Yeah, this is pretty weird, but I got what I paid for: weird. It’s interesting to see odd desires explored, particularly with the extra layers of taboos: a carnivore wanting to be eaten and the herbivore craving meat, and a teacher/student relationship. There’s also a bit about how past traumas can impact physical intimacy later on in life, but that’s very brief. I think this needed a second volume to really dig into the subjects it’s trying to touch on. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance” Vol. 3, by Shinnosuke Kanazawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Amata knows he should reveal the truth, that he’s the Lolita Aki has been hanging out with, but he doesn’t want to lose this budding friendship.

Since this is a light-hearted slice of life, I doubt the outcome of this confession will be a shock to you if you’re familiar with the genre at all. I do, however, wish to spoil the fact that Mitsu, the local stray cat, is adorable, and I am totally okay with her not only having her dedicated moments but playing a role in Amata and Aki’s friendship, especially now that everything is out in the open. It’s just cute, wholesome, and fun to read. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 4, by Konkichi

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, our protagonist dodges age gap trope, the lost pet trope, and the supernatural/Halloween trope.

It appears the main character is still figuring out the rules.

Whenever the MC breaks the fourth wall, I have to wonder… What is the point? And not in a mean way, I mean will this mean we’re going to keep racing through these tropes, or is there a bigger story around the fact he knows this isn’t real? Especially since he gets his own confession, unable to avoid it. We’ll see, since I can’t seem to give up on this series. 3 out of 5.

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