LGBT manga

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Lenni Reviews: “The Summer Hikaru Died” Vol. 1, by Mokumokuren

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Hikaru went missing in the mountains for a week and while his friend, Yoshiki, is glad he was found, Yoshiki knows whatever came back is not Hikaru despite wearing his body.

While the mystery of the thing currently living inside Hikaru is intriguing and the main reason why I hadda grab this series, most of this is really sad since we’re watching Yoshiki deal simultaneously deal with his grief and the threat this new entity may pose. Sadness just permeates every inch of this volume; even the thing inside Hikaru laments the fact that Hikaru is really dead and has taken his place. And when I say “sad” I don’t mean like Boy’s Abyss where it’s sad and dark. Unless some darkness is on the way in future volumes but this is an interesting start. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Love Nest 2nd” Vol. 2, by Yuu Minaduki

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

While still keeping their relationship a secret, Masato and Asahi take a trip during the holidays to see Masato’s mother; who introduces Asahi as his friend. While he believes that one day his mother will take the news well, Asahi’s past comes back to haunt him.

It’s understandable for Masato not to come out right away but yeah, his mom doesn’t seem the type to want anything more than for her son to be happy. There are a few bumps in the relationship; like Asahi’s concerns about having too many feels but it’s not heavy on the angst. It’s all things that are worked out with earnest conversations and a healthy sprinkling of smut to make a sweet story about two people slowly opening up more to each other. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Daisy Jealousy” by Ogeretsu Tanaka

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

Misaki’s dream is to become a game designer and is working his hardest to learn and perfect his craft. However, Kaname seems to outclass him in every way effortlessly. When Kaname’s project gets erased and Misaki offers his help in restoring it, it gives them a chance to get closer but Misaki’s jealousy causes him to overwork himself and push Kaname away. Four years later, they meet again working together on what promises to be a very successful game.

This has some spice in it but it was sweet to see Misaki overcome his jealousy and essentially get out of his own to be happy not only romantically but professionally. The time skips were a bit much. They felt choppy and could have been smoother but it gets us to the happy ending we’re all hoping for. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Megumi & Tsugumi” Vol. 4, by Mitsuru Si

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

After Tsugumi is nearly bitten on the nape by Inami, who lied about being a beta, Megumi is determined to keep his mate safe by getting formally married and claiming Tsugumi’s nape for himself. The biggest hurdle is Megumi’s father who does not want his son messing with omegas. There is also a side story with Tsugumi’s dads as newlyweds.

I love how Megumi just melts when Tsugumi is honest with his feelings. It’s really adorable. There are some spicy scenes but the best parts of this are the main couple and Inami hashing thigs out but Megumi’s father issue is still a thing. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Love Mix-Up!” Vol. 9, by Wataru Hinekure & Aruko

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

Aoki and Ida are studying hard so they can get into the same college but Aoki is really struggling and graduation is just around the corner.

Yeeeaaahh, the super-deformed is back to it’s creepiness. I mean, look at this:

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I could easily see this exact panel in a Junji Ito manga. It is NOT something I would want to look at for very long.

Aside for that, I have to complain about a little spoilery type deal. There is an amnesia plot here that seems to only exist to cram in some final drama before tossing it aside as a dream before getting to the real ending. I would have MUCH rather had more time exploring how the characters feel, seeing them interact, getting more hints at their future… It was so sweet and clean aside for that aside. That was disappointing but at least the actual end is good. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Pink Heart Jam” by Shikke

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

Haiga moves from the country to the big city for college and joins the rock club to meet new people. After a night out with them, he learns about the red light district and figures it’s a great chance to explore his sexuality. What he didn’t expect was to see a senior in his club, Kanae, working there.

Of course Haiga makes visiting Kanae a regular thing and things are developing between them. While this is a classic stoic/cinnamon roll pairing, Kanae isn’t cold, he’s just professional at the brothel and a bit more open with Haiga when they’re at the rock club in school or just jamming out to music. Haiga is exploring his sexuality while Kanae is exploring his feelings. This also handles sex work without being exploitative and sensationalized. The smutty scenes are only with our main couple, not any of the clients Kanae takes. I like it so far, its just a journey with these characters coming together. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “MADK” Vol. 3, by Ryo Suzuri

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

It’s been a long time since Makoto summoned a demon to indulge in his fetish for eating demon guts. Now, Makoto is a demon himself residing in hell trying to discover the true name of the demon he granted his wish and destroy him.

J, the demon, always seems a step ahead of Makoto’s plans but allows whatever schemes he concocts to play out so we learn more about J’s past. I did not expect this to end the way it did but it’s really interesting. There isn’t much smut, it’s more about Makoto trying to overcome J. It was intriguing to see Makoto go from this mousy weak little freak to a powerful demon on par with J, the most powerful of his kind. This is not one of those fluffy stories were the love of a human touches the demon’s heart and they ride off into Hell’s happily ever after. This is dark and conniving. It’s not super graphic but it is not for romantics. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Old-Fashioned Cupcake” by Sagan Sagan

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

Nozue is feeling like he’s in a rut. He may be the oldest and most popular person in his office job but all he does is go to work and come home. When speaking with his coworker, Togawa, the younger man decides to help with what he calls “andropause” by helping Nozue experience more of life. Togawa’s intentions are kind but it is clear he has a crush on the older man.

This is a fun May/December romance. There are some intimate scenes but they’re not super graphic. Togawa is the stern type, doing a poor job at hiding his feelings, and Nozue is the oblivious one who needs a roadmap to see he’s the target of a crush. As they come together, we get some nice slice of life moments. It’s nice to see older characters – even though 40 is hardly “old” – and it’s a quick read that makes you smile. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Want to Be a Wall” Vol. 2, by Honami Shirono

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

Yuriko and Gakurouta are still figuring out their fake marriage and in this volume we finally see how they met.

Their relationship is wholesome as they become better friends and learn more about each other. The how we met story is hilarious and a little bittersweet as Gakurouta’s love is still unrequited. The story also has space to teach us more about how Yuriko’s asexuality. I’m sure every person who identifies as such is different but it was still cool to know about. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino” by Sagan Sagan

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

After Nozue allowed Togawa to open his experiences to fun as well as romance, their relationship is running into issues with intimacy and the fear of someone at work finding out about their relationship.

This volume handles a lot of emotional work on their relationship so if you’re looking for just smut after the first volume, you’ll have to wade through a bit of angst to get to the sweet and spicy parts. The smutty bits aren’t super detailed but they get the point across enough to make this for mature readers. They’re an odd couple but they work together and if you’re looking for yaoi with an older character (not that 39 is old) this isn’t half bad. 3 out of 5.

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