m/m manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Confessions of a 35 Year Old” by TEI

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

Jason (Junren Liu) is a single office worker who is also a virgin. When a new co-worker, Frank (Qianfan Ye), needs a place to stay, Jason offers his spare room. Over time, they grow closer, and Jason wonders if this will be a chance at love.

While I am loving bisexual men representation, even for a one-shot, this felt too short. Just when things are getting good, we’re getting to know our MC’s, their relationship is growing, the conflict is established… Then it just stops. And on a cliffhanger at that! I mean, it’s easy to assume what the outcome will be, but still. What the heck? I think this would have been better if it were a little longer. It’s a cute story, I love the art style, but it needed more. 3 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: “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: “Eternal Covenant” Vol. 1, by Haejin

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

Ian Glauchester was abandoned by his parents and cursed with magic powers. Raised by Cardinal Brixton, Ian is now a decorated knight of the Knights Templar, keeping his powers a secret. That is, until he meets Jack, who has similar abilities.

This is an interesting start, setting up a lot of lore, a taste of a magic system, and some deep conspiracy. The art and pacing are very Webtoon, and let’s be real, these are paced and generally presented in a different way from something meant to be read all at once in a book or published in a magazine. Not as a detriment, it’s just designed to keep you scrolling, which doesn’t always translate fully to turning pages. Everything Is Fine is a good example, using the act of scrolling in the art (a great series). It still caught my interest, I’ll be there for volume 2. 3 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: “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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Lenni Reviews: “Monster and Ghost” Vol. 1, by Himemiko

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

Koton Tsubaki is ostracized at school due to his violent past but there’s one being that doesn’t care: Yuuki Kabuto, a ghost that decides to follow him around.

I guess that’s as good a reason as any to refuse to move on. 

The pace of this feels off somehow, but for a boys’ love comic, it’s SO sad. It gets dark and violent. Tsubaki is just chronically misunderstood and since Kabuto is dead, he can see beyond the tough exterior and eases Tsubaki’s loneliness. The art is fantastic and there’s no smut. The story does suck you in so I do want to read volume 2. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sleeping on Paper Boats” Vol. 1, by Teki Yatsuda

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

Set in Post-War Japan (1949) Keikitahara is a popular screenwriter who decides to quit when he realizes the people who inspired his characters ended up dead. He isolates himself, believing he is cursed. One night, he’s picked up after a fight by a photographer, Yoichi. Yoichi wants to get to know him, but Keikitahara tries to keep him away, thinking he will kill anyone he allows to get close to him.

Yoichi has his own thing going on, but holy shit, this is SAD. Kei clearly didn’t have any help dealing with the horrific trauma, and he is plagued with guilt. Yoichi kinda enables his worst ways to cope – spoiler/trigger warning for consensual choking during sex. But when they are happy together, it is so beautiful. The art is amazing at conveying all the wild emotions and the smut is light and suggestive. I recommend something light to read to cheer yourself up after reading this, though. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Megumi & Tsugumi” Vol. 6, by Mitsuru Si

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

Tsugumi has transferred to Megumi’s school but as an omega, he’s in danger from all the alpha’s around him and Megumi’s father hatches a plan to use a teacher to drive the couple apart.

The teacher, Mr. Nagaro, is a creep. The story tries to play it off as a joke, but nah, I wouldn’t want him around my kid. While this is about omegas in an alpha school and the school trip, the sex scene in this seems a bit forced in. I wouldn’t have minded if it had been left out to have more time with our main couple navigating this new situation, while Megumi’s father tries to interfere. The sweet moments in this are where the volume really shines because Megumi is so earnest, while Tsugumi is a food-driven, deadpan goofball. I also wish the sex scene was skipped because Mr. Nagaro spied on them. Gross. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Desert Butterfly Yearns to Be Caught” by Kaede Yunami

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

Seth is the wealthy leader of a desert country, far beyond what his bodyguard, Kyle, believes he deserves, but he cannot help but desire his boss and want to claim him for his own.

When this starts, it doesn’t seem like Seth is down for whatever Kyle is doing, and it feels like it’s slipping into non/dub con territory. Spoilers (maybe?), when they get together for real, it does not feel earned. There’s mention of Seth feeling caged and wanting to do things without Kyle hovering over him but that’s never really explored in a way that’s satisfying. It’s okay but clearly the thinnest of stories to get to the smut; of which there is plenty in its uncensored glory. This was meh and didn’t have any depth. 2 out of 5.

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