yaoi manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Jackass” vol 1 by Scarlet Beriko

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

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Keisuke lives with his sister boisterous sister, Akiko, and walks to school with his best friend Katsumi. Katsumi is openly gay and scandalously dating the school nurse and Keisuke finds this out when he accidentally stumbles upon them kissing in the nurses’ office. Akiko’s pantyhose had gotten tangled up in Keisuke’s school uniform so Shinoda, Keisuke’s best friend, offers to cover for him by taking him to the nurses’ office but when Shinoda sees Keisuke’s runner’s legs in the pantyhose, he can’t help but touch them. But what starts off as simple touching turns to more for Keisuke.

This is a very sexy friends to lovers story with asides to some other relationships; including a boy who bullies Katsumi for being gay who of course is doing so because he has a crush. All the conflicts are handled logically and nothing ever blows up into horrid dramatics; like the whole school turning on Katsumi because he’s in a relationship with a staff member. And for an uke, Katsumi is a strong, assertive character. He may be young and sweet but when backed into a corner, Katsumi doesn’t wait for a savior. Things play out in ways where you can see real people making these decisions.

The art is well done and all the sex scenes are so detailed you will blush while reading. And all the encounters are CONSENSUAL! So, you actually can connect with these pairings and want to see them happy. Great manga, despite being a little confusing when it starts out. 3.7 out of 5 and keep em coming!

This title is scheduled for release on October 10th, 2017 from SuBLime.

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Lenni Reviews: “Don’t Be Cruel” vol 5 by Yonezou Nekota

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

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Maya and Nemugasa have grown since the first volume and now are at the point in their relationship where they even wear couples rings. But Maya is getting some interesting networking contacts and Nemugasa finds himself getting jealous. At the same time, Shimakawa, who knew Maya as a child, sees an opportunity to make a move on Nemugasa behind Maya’s back.

Our main pair is a cute couple trying to figure out how their relationship is going now that they’re in college and if you forget how they started out, they are a couple you root for and want to see happy. The art is soft and flowy and I have to admit they toned down the sex scenes as compared to the first volume. It’s still explicit but more time is spent about their thoughts and search for jobs than boning. It’s still an ok series, though! 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Finder Deluxe Edition: Target in Sight” Vol. 1 by Ayano Yamane

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*I received this book in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

*This review is cross-posted at Otakus and Geeks

This manga is a series of yaoi short stories:

Finder: Asami catches photographer, Akihito Takaba, taking photos of him and corners Akihito for smexy times as punishment.

Fixer: Akihito gets caught up in the Chinese mafia and Asami has to save him.

Love Lesson: Class President, Takato Ichijo rescues Yusuke Sakurai from a groper on the train and when Ichijo finds Yusuke smoking on the roof of the school, smexy times ensue.

Plants in Love: Mizuno has a crush on his classmate, Hiyama. When Hiyama sees his father and Mizuno’s father together, he thinks they’re lovers and the boys decide to stay at the same hotel as they do and see what they’re up to.

Risky Society: Rei Yukimura is training new recruit Akira Todo for inclusion in the Risky Society but Akira gets injured on his first mission.

This collection was a very quick read and is a nice sampler of yaoi if you’re not looking to dive into a really long series. The art is whispy but sensual and the characters are very easy to tell apart; their looks are very stylized. The amount of non-con or dubious-con is a tedious trope but it’s there (what is WITH that?!). Thankfully, it’s not in all the stories. I’d rate it a pretty solid 3.5 out of 5 since some of the stories left me wanting more since the plot was so interesting.

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BishounenCon 2017!

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*This is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

This year was the first time this event took place and it was very obvious. Vendors and artists alley in the same room, tiny little panel rooms and such… Very small but let me tell you, I have never felt so much love at a convention before. All the authors, vendors, artists, and other attendees were kind, funny, and so amazingly understanding. And I say understanding because I walked into the Yuri!! On Ice panel and was very likely the only one in the room who never saw the show. I came there to see what it was about and everyone was excited to share.

The same could be said for the author panels (which, I attended for obvious reasons) where I learned a great deal about tropes in LGBTQ fiction and how to represent a wider range of characters.

I also got some swag, of course:

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I will be reviewing these books, of course. And those first two books are signed! 😀

If this con keeps going (PLEASE DO) next time, I would make a weekend out of it. I ended up having to miss panels I really wanted to see because I didn’t want to be driving back home at 1 am. People get stupid on highways normally so add dark and bridges to that and NOPE. Lenni would rather not, thanks.

Overall, I learned a lot, I met some fun people, I gave out a bunch of cards, and I have some fun books to review. I would love to attend next year and I hope it was successful enough to warrant a yearly event.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ten Count” volume 2 by Rihito Takarai

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*This volume was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is intended for 18+.

*This review is cross-posted at Otakus and Geeks.

Even after agreeing to keep his distance, Kurose still has feelings for Shirotani. Shirotani however, has virtually shut down after Kurose insisted on not seeing him anymore. With the help of his co-worker, Mikami, Shirotani finally agrees to meet up with Kurose; who confesses he wanted to stay away because it was not appropriate for a counselor to be in love with his patient. Not only that but Kurose wants to touch Shirotani; whose condition makes him sick at the thought of being contaminated. Shirotani finds that while his germaphobia still affects him, Kurose’s touch also makes him excited.

And WHOA does it ever make him excited! Remember in the last review when I said there was no smut but a good build with the characters? This volume earns its M rating. Kurose and Shirotani go from tentative interaction to touching naughty bits. But as sensual as they get, there is still something traumatic in Shirotani’s past that’s only being hinted at in quick flashbacks. Shirotani “endures” very intimate touches but something simple like Kurose ruffling his hair sets him off. We’ll have to wait to find out what happened but I give this volume a 4 out of 5.

This volume will be released November 8th, 2016.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ten Count” volume 1 by Rihito Takarai

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*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Tadaomi Shirotani works as a secretary for a CEO while suffering from germophobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. One day, his boss is nearly hit by a truck and a young man named Riku Kurose; who is a therapist, saves the man from being killed. Kurose notices Shirotani’s condition and offers to help him work through it. Kurose has Shirotani make a list of 10 things to get over in order of discomfort from least to most. Shirotani is only able to come up with 9. They make a deal to meet regularly to work through the list then Shirotani will come up with that 10th item, but he finds he develops more than just a friendly attraction to Kurose.

Unlike a lot of yaoi manga with an M rating, this first volume is very innocent. Our two main characters meet, get to know each other, and slowly build what will likely be a deeper relationship. There’s an author’s note in the back expressing concern that readers will be disappointed with the leisurely pace but I like it. The art is beautiful, the writing on point, and I think I would like to see Shirotani and Kurose take their time so I can enjoy their story. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Don’t Be Cruel” vol 1 by Yonezou Nekota

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**This review has been cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.**

**I received this book in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+.**

Facing the possibility of losing his scholarship, Takashi Negugasa cracks under the pressure and cheats during a test. Unfortunately for him, school delinquent and known playboy, Kideyuki Maya, catches him in the act. In exchange for keeping it secret, Maya blackmails Negugasa into sleeping with him.

As this is a 2 in 1 volume, we see Maya’s interfering cousin, Akira, and the obvious feelings Maya has for Negugasa despite Negugasa’s obliviousness. It’s that “I really like you but I can’t say it” scenario. Once I got passed the coercion (yeah, it’s a little close to straight up non-con) the pair to make a cute couple. As soon as they get out of their own way, that is.

This may be a typical sort of boys love story but its well drawn and the main characters are likable enough to endure the will they/won’t they back and forth (which thankfully doesn’t last all that long). I found it a little odd for Maya to turn around and say Negugasa was manipulating him when Maya was doing the blackmailing in the first place (what an odd character flip…) but hey, at first neither man would admit any feelings at all and I’m a  mush. I’ll admit I like the happy ending. 4.5 out of 5 and I would love to read the next one!

And yes, graphic man-sex in this manga. The explicit content warning is right there on the cover and they mean it.

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