Manga Review | Golden Sparkle by Suzumaru Minta

Title: Golden Sparkle



Himari Uehara has a fear of women. It all started when he was a child, just before starting school. He has a mother and a sister. His father left to work overseas, so he assumed all women were exactly like his mother and sister, with no one to tell him otherwise. When he starts school, he finds that women can be pretty terrifying and bullies, and as such, he fears all women outside his family. To keep himself safe, he makes himself less enticing, bleaching his hair to look like a delinquent and being unapproachable in general. So when he gets the chance to attend an all-boys school, he jumps at the opportunity, able to finally relax.

Unfortunately, due to his avoidance of women and his father being out of the country, Himari has never really had the “talk,” nor has he had any interest in sex. This all comes to a head when he begins to have wet dreams but has no clue what they are or what they mean. While in class, his classmates discuss porn, sex, and the like, all of which fly over his head. While alone with his closest friend, Gaku Asada, Himari takes the opportunity to figure out what all of that stuff means. Shocked and intrigued by his naivety, Gaku invites Himari to his dorm room. There, Gaku takes the time to teach him exactly what sex means, and while they enjoy the lesson and continue enjoying each other’s company, this only complicates their relationship.

Can two friends do things like that with each other and still be friends?

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Manga Review | Adorable And Impossible by Owal

Title: Adorable And Impossible



Tatsuya has decided to take a part-time gig teaching graphic design at an art . He doesn’t have a passion for teaching or anything like that, but he needs money to help support the business he wants to start, so he accepts the dreaded task of educating the youth. One such youth he finds himself teaching is a particularly bubbly young adult named Tsumugi. Tsumugi wants to be a fashion designer, but he is often late to class, is quick to play around, and often comes in hungover or buzzed, which doesn’t convince Tatsuya that Tsumugi is all that serious about his goals.

That is, until one day, after a class training students on a program that allows people to design things, Tsumugi ends up begging Tatsuya for personal training after hours. While Tatsuya isn’t fond of working for free, he can’t help being moved by this serious Tsumugi he’s never seen before, so they stay after and train on the program together. Once again, Tatsuya is surprised by how serious and diligent Tsumugi is about this. He’s really drawn to his student for the first time… until Tsumugi decides to reward him with a sexual favor.

Tatsuya, though he is swept up in the heat of the moment, knows just as well as anybody that this can’t happen again, but after the first time, Tsumugi seems to be obsessed with getting him back in bed by any means necessary.

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Manga Review | Beast’s Storm by Morry Kuroi

Title: Beast's Storm



Dr. Akira Miyaji is a doctor, but not just any doctor. He specializes in Bestia care, a new form of humanity where people are born with cat ears and tails and go through cyclic mating periods known as heats. One especially unique variation in these humans, though, is that all genders can carry children, which has caused an explosion in their population numbers. Dr. Miyaji is actually a Bestia himself, but he was born to two earless parents. It isn’t unheard of, but because of his background, he often hates himself for being Bestia and being at the whim of his instincts and biology.

On the other end of the spectrum, one of the directors of the where Dr. Miyaji works is Sougo Kijima. Unlike Dr. Miyaji, Sougo was born and raised among Bestia and had no problems letting his instincts guide him. Unfortunately for Dr. Miyaji, Sougo’s instincts are leading him straight to him. Despite all of Dr. Miyaji’s best efforts, he can’t help but be drawn to Sougo in kind. Their relationship quickly evolves from a doctor-patient relationship into a physical one. Does Dr. Miyaji like Sougo simply because his instincts tell him to, or are these feelings the real deal?

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Manga Review | Raveled Tightrope Knot by Ship Hita

Title: Raveled Tightrope Knot



Natsuki has carried a torch for Haruomi since they were in together. Unfortunately, due to his own insecurities, Natsuki rejected Haruomi when Haruomi confessed to him, and from that point on, they never really spoke again. Years pass, and at a wedding, Natsuki runs into Haruomi. However, Haruomi is no longer the shy, nerdy kid he knew in high school. Instead, Haruomi has become alluring and hypersexual. He’s nothing like the innocent Haruomi he tried to protect by rejecting him all those years ago.

To make up for lost time and for his regret over rejecting Haruomi, Natsuki is determined to get close to Haruomi once again. Though Haruomi still cares for Natsuki, he’s no longer the shy and innocent boy. He’s got jealous lovers Natsuki has to contend with, plus Haruomi is quick to put up a wall between them. Can Natsuki win back a distrustful Haruomi’s heart? Or will a decision he made in high school ruin any chance he has with his long-lost love?

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Manga Review | Your Love Belongs to Me by Honoji Tokita

Title: Your Love Belongs to Me



Mochizuki and Ishio have a lot in common. They are both captains of their respective martial arts teams, have secondary sexes, and hate each other. Mochizuki is an omega, and Ishio is an alpha, but they aren’t drawn to each other. The only reason they interact at all is that they are forced to share a dojo, which results in numerous skirmishes between the teams. To assert their dominance, the two captains spend much of their time trying to embarrass or fight each other, with little to no success.

One day, while Mochizuki changes in the dojo, Ishio walks in on him. It is then that Mochizuki notices how shy and nervous Ishio gets around him when it comes to anything remotely sexual or affectionate. With this new insight, Mochizuki changes his method of harassing Ishio, which entails hugging, cuddling, and all but sexually assaulting him. Naturally, Mochizuki is beyond pleased with this development until Ishio makes it clear:

If Mochizuki isn’t careful, Ishio might just mark him as his.

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Manga Review | Love Blooms for a Twisted Blossom by Saori Nobana

Title: Love Blooms for a Twisted Blossom (Tapas) | He's Mean Because He Likes You (Renta!)



Sakura has been the prettiest guy around since he was a child. He had the affection and attention of all ages and genders simply because he was so good-looking. This has gone all to his head, of course, so he is good-looking and knows it, and he fully expects to rule whatever domain he happens to be in… until , that is. While walking through the halls of his high school, he hears whispers of a super good-looking and cool guy named Tsukasa Yukihira. Surely, this guy can’t be all that attractive. Right?

Wrong. When Sakura sees Tsukasa for the first time, he falls in love immediately, and Sakura’s whole life changes to center around this mysterious beauty before him. So, Sakura changes his plans and follows Tsukasa to college, where he spends his days hatching all manner of schemes to casually bump into Tsukasa and hopefully make him fall in love with him. But, no matter how confident Sakura is in his own looks and abilities to attract others, the moment he gets a chance to talk to Tsukasa, he finds himself running in the opposite direction.

How will Sakura lure Tsukasa to him when he’s busy running away?

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Manga Review | Pain, Sweet Pain by Fuyu Touji

Title: Pain, Sweet Pain



Yuma is a sub. He wasn’t always a sub, though. Back in , he actually tested as someone without a dynamic. No big deal. That’s better. Yuma has seen what chaos dynamics can do to people, and he was just fine not having one. His friend Mao, however, manifested as a dom as a child, which is exceedingly rare and indicates just how powerful his dom tendencies are. Despite their differences, the two grow close, so close that Mao feels an innate pull toward Yuma. No matter how desperately he wants to deny it, Mao wants to dominate Yuma, but he does his best to avoid it for the sake of their friendship.

Graduation comes along, and the two are talking about their futures. Mao, though, is distracted. His longing to dominate Yuma is coming to a head, especially since this is his last chance to be so close to Yuma. Unaware, Yuma continues talking and laughing, enjoying the final hours with Mao, when Mao suddenly grabs and bites him. That single moment caused Yuma to suddenly manifest as a sub. Of course, it would have happened regardless, but Mao’s bite triggered it to occur earlier than it would have.

Wracked with guilt, Mao distances himself from Yuma. On the other hand, Yuma spends the rest of his time chasing that bite. It’s impossible for him to stay with any dom partner for very long because they’re unable to give him that same satisfying bite Mao did when he awakened as a sub. In order to find that sweet pain, he goes through a matchmaking service with his doctor. To his surprise, he’s matched with the person who introduced him to the pleasure of pain to begin with: Mao.

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Manga Review | Sating the Wolf by Troy Arukuno

Title: Sating the Wolf



Noah is a wolf, a carnivore, and in this world, most carnivores end up as betas or alphas, while herbivores manifest as betas and omegas. Noah, though, ends up manifesting as an omega, and due to his pack’s history with male omegas being the cause of violence and death, he is banished. On his own, he travels from village to village, trying to hide the fact that he is both a carnivore and an omega to survive. After some time wandering about, Noah finds himself in a herbivore village. He tries to stock up to move on to the next village.

While shopping in town, he encounters a shopkeeper, holding two young rabbit children by their ears and accusing them of stealing his wares. The children claim they did no such thing, but they have no way of proving otherwise. Standing amid the growing crowd, Noah sees the true culprit, a weasel, trying to slip away. Wanting to help the kids, Noah captures the weasel and reveals that he is the one who stole. Thankful for his help, the rabbit children insist that Noah come with them to meet their brother Henri so he can cook a meal for Noah as thanks.

Henri and Noah meet, and although Noah is a wolf, the same species that killed his parents, and the village ostracizes Henri’s family, Henri wants to take responsibility for Noah. Even more so when Henri manifests as an alpha because of Noah’s heat. Can a rabbit alpha and a wolf omega make it work? And can their love withstand the prejudice and judgment of the society around them?

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Manga Review | Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki

Title: Until I Meet My Husband



Based on a novel of the same name by .

This is the story of Ryousuke Nanasaki. From the time he was small, he always knew he was different. Whether it was the way he spoke, the way he walked, or the things he enjoyed, he never could mesh with what the world expected him to be as a little boy. This only became all the more apparent when he began going to school and was incessantly bullied for being a “girly-boy.” Whether it was by adults or his peers, he was always treated as an “other” until he met Tsukasa. Of course, Tsukasa was Ryousuke’s best friend, but more than that, he was his unrequited first love.

This starts a journey of self-acceptance, self-love, and the journey for true love for Ryousuke Nanasaki. Ryousuke has never been what the world perceived as normal, but that would never stop him. He wants true happiness with the one he loves and wants that for everyone, no matter who you choose to love.

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Manga Review | Metro by Chika Hongo

Title: Metro



Mizuki spends his days under the watchful and paranoid eyes of his mother. It was of no fault of his own that he is monitored so carefully, but it is instead due to his father’s infidelity. Because his father ended up having a scandalous affair and left both Mizuki and his mother behind, Mizuki’s mother now views everything sexual as evil. To prevent her son from following the same path as his father, she makes him write out every hour of his day, monitors the media he consumes, and controls every aspect of his life that she can so he never encounters anything she deems as immoral.

This causes Mizuki’s life to become rather hollow, especially since, due to an illness, he could not graduate and is forced to attend his final year again as somewhat of a social pariah among the strangers in his class. The only spark in his life is the few times he rides the metro. There, on the train, a faceless man assaults him. For someone else, this would be traumatic and horrific, and though it does scare Mizuki, he finds it thrilling and the only intimate connection he’s ever had with another person.

This happens nearly every day like clockwork, with the man touching Mizuki for a while only to disappear without a word, until one day, while touching Mizuki, the man tells Mizuki that if he gets off the train with him, he’ll give Mizuki more. Having been isolated and sheltered for so long, Mizuki finds himself unable to refuse this offer. But is what he finds on the other side worth risking his simple and routine life for?

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