LGBT romance

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Lenni Reviews: “23:45” by Ohana

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

Iku has been in Tokyo for 2 months and is content with his otaku lifestyle. The most excitement he is forced to deal with is his ability to see ghosts. One in particular, Mimori, follows him home. As they grow closer, Iku knows Mimori will have to eventually move on.

This was cute. It’s a little slow, and I didn’t feel like I got to know these people as deeply as I’d like to, but this felt like a nice setup for a climax later. Iku is smitten pretty quickly, and when you think it’s going to be bittersweet, things get very… Convenient is a good word for it. Not bad, but nothing really new here. It’s not smutty as sex is implied, not graphic. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 8, by Luka Kobachi

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

As our couple enjoys the school’s sports festival, Chidori is hesitant to be more physical in her relationship with Nanoha. They are also approaching graduation, after which Chidori has plans, but Nanoha does not.

Trying to balance spending time with each other, yet be there for their friends who still don’t know about them, is the main conflict in the manga. It’s all super cute and still light-hearted. Very fluffy slice of life that just makes you smile. It does still make me wonder if they will hide this secret throughout the entire series. I still can’t see this series getting all that dark, but there has to be some sort of payoff for all this sneaking around. 4 out of 5. 

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Lenni Reviews: “Sleeping on Paper Boats” Vol. 2, by Teki Yatsuda

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

Kei and Yoichi reunite after some time apart, helping to heal each other’s deep wounds and hopefully move forward towards a brighter future.

While the word “maudlin” is a perfect way to describe this book and what our couple goes through, I am happy to report it’s a wade through the muck to reach the light. In the end, it’s beautiful and not that explicit at all. If you’re looking for a m/m romance that focuses deeply on the characters overcoming what has weighed them down, this is a nice story that rewards the heartache you may feel. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 3, by Konkichi

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

In this volume, the tropes of paranormal, sports festival, cats, and punk characters are explored.

Our main character is kinda interested in Ayato’s budding romance, but other than that, I think my issue isn’t that he’s a straight guy dodging BL tropes; it’s that, in general, he’s detached from everything going on around him. I get this overall “blah” feeling. If he doesn’t care, why should I? 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Be Your Girl” Vol. 2, by Umi Takase

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

As Akira struggles to be seen at school as a girl, Hime has a heart-to-heart with Yukka, who shares her backstory about her time in the track club.

This volume is very insightful. It not only addresses how Hime can be a better ally, but also how Akira perceives being a girl. Akira also talks to her father about presenting a girl, and Hime tells her parents why she’d started wearing a boy’s uniform to school. Spoilers, but I think it’s important for potential readers to know that the parents we’ve seen so far are pretty supportive. Akira’s dad is iffy, though. Overall, I like the growth we’re getting. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “My Noons and Midnights Are for You” Vol. 1, by Luria

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

Mayu is a v-tuber who goes by “Mihiru” and while his online persona is outgoing, in real life, he is shy. His manager, Mr. Ogino, is under strict rules not to get involved with his client, and the company sets up same sex managers in order to maintain that, but that doesn’t work when Ogino develops feelings.

Okay, even the Goodreads entry references dubcon, kink, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use. I even felt blindsided by the first sex scene, which I thought was Mayu’s fantasy. He’s clearly depressed and anxious, isolated due to the nature of his job and past traumas. His relationship with Ogino is a bit toxic, but at least the manager is legit helping with some of Mayu’s depression behaviors, like taking care of himself and his living space. This is absolutely graphic smut with a plot that’s not your fluffy romance. It’s messy in multiple ways. Not for the faint of heart, but not super dark. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 7, by Luka Kobachi

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

With their first fight resolved, Nanoha and Chidori enjoy the last of their class trip and return home. Mai not only still has a crush on Nanoha but also knows she is dating Chidori.

This series continues to be very light-hearted and sweet, focusing on people being true to themselves with no huge dramatic blowups. Even the tiff from the last volume wasn’t that bad, and it all worked out in the end. There are no real threats here, which makes me wonder if this will stay very slice of life or take an angsty turn. Since Nanoha and Chidori are enjoyable, either one could work for me. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Trickster’s Tale: Hu Yan Zhuan” Vol. 1, by Hontoku

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

Feijin is half demon, half human, and lives in a heavenly realm with his master, Sage Gaochun, who had taken Feijin in after his family died. Fejin is obsessed with his master, but if they were to do anything, it is Sage Gaochun who would suffer grave consequences.

Spoiler: I don’t care if this all turns out okay; Feijin drugs Sage Gaochun in order to finally sleep with him. That’s irrideemable in my book.

The man tiddies in this book are fucking insane:

If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was just a tall buff woman with a boob window.

There is plenty of plot with this smut, and while rushed, it can be intriguing. It’s hard for me to get past how the plot was touched off (see spoiler above). That makes me want to put Feijin in jail, not root for him to get with his crush. I’ve read other series where the main relationship starts with these shady circumstances (like Don’t Be Cruel), and that’s always in the back of my mind. No amount of man boob or tender glances is gonna fix that. All I remember is that complete violation of boundaries, and this book also has some shades of incest and power imbalances. 2 out of 5 because the art is pretty.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 2 by Konkici

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

Our main character still side steps typical boys love tropes.

This reads like a sampler volume of a bunch of different romance comics that you’d get as promotional material. Then you decide which series you wanna read to learn more. A concept like this could really be something silly and fun, hopefully while not being exploitative, but for now, this is just dull. 2 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ask and You Will Receive” Vol. 3, by Niyama

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

Shinobu and Hikaru have moved from one night stand to a more exclusive relationship. When Hikaru’s mentor – Osuke Ikurumi –  shows up, Shinobu is scared that Hikaru’s new interest in men will lead him to fall for the mentor Hikaru still idolises.

Okay, I’m spoiling it! This volume keeps up with the light tone, and Osuke is genuinely looking out for Hikaru and cares about him as a mentor. He wants Hikaru to be happy like a father figure coming in to make sure Shinobu is a guy good enough for his son. This gives Shinobu the push to make things more official. I hope there’s more of this series so we get more of them as an official couple. There is a tiny bit of angst, some cute and funny bits, and of course, plenty of smut. 4 out of 5.

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