BL Library - Print Version Available

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 Ryousuke Nanasaki.

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.

Read About This

Manhwa Review | The New Recruit by Moscareto

Title: The New Recruit

Author(s): Moscareto

Artist(s): ZEC

Seunghyun is almost thirty and has never had a job. That isn’t to say he hasn’t been working hard. On the contrary, it’s quite the opposite. Seunghyun has been spending much of his adult life in school, going so far as to earn his master’s degree in business. However, his reasons for doing so weren’t necessarily because he wanted to achieve such a big goal. Instead, his true intention was to follow his crush and first love. Seunghyun has been in love for five years with his old college friend.

Unfortunately, no matter how long Seunghyun carried the torch for his friend, the timing was never right. Resigning to the fact that he’ll never be with his first and only love, Seunghyun ends up graduating without any idea what he wants to do with his life. So, he does what every newly graduated adult does: start applying for jobs. He doesn’t have too much luck there either until he’s able to get his dream internship. The only downside is that his boss, Mr. Kim, doesn’t seem too happy that he is there.

But as Seunghyun works and proves himself, Mr. Kim begins to warm up to him, but that heat isn’t as innocent as Seunghyun believes.

Read About This

Manga Review | Kabukicho Bad Trip by Eiji Nagisa

Title: Kabukicho Bad Trip

Author(s): Eiji Nagisa

Artist(s): Eiji Nagisa

Toru is a top-rated host. That’s not surprising, seeing how attractive and personable he is. However, he can’t give all of the credit to those things. In fact, most of his success comes from his unique ability to read minds. Using this ability, he sways the masses and becomes one of the most popular hosts in Kabukicho. Of course, he could have any woman or even man if he wanted them, but Toru doesn’t want just any person. He wants Mizuki Hikawa.

Mizuki is a popular and equally attractive male model, and Toru is obsessed with him. He is so obsessed with him that Toru uses “Mizuki” as his name while hosting. But Toru does his best to keep it under wraps, even going so far as to travel out of his way to pick up magazines with him on the cover. On one such occasion, at a convenience store, Toru runs into Mizuki – literally. They end up falling over each other and, in turn, start talking. It turns out Mizuki needs some help getting to a shoot, and Toru is more than happy to be his knight in shining armor.

After all of Toru’s help, Mizuki makes an effort to keep in touch, and the more they meet up, the more Toru can see into Mizuki’s private thoughts. Of course, Toru is beyond pleased that Mizuki is attracted to him. What he isn’t as pleased with is that almost everything Mizuki imagines or wants has to do with BDSM and absolutely dominating Toru. Though scared of this new territory, if it means being with Mizuki, Toru is willing to give everything a try, and he does mean anything.

Read About This

Manhwa Review | On or Off by A1

Title: On or Off

Author(s): A1

Artist(s): A1

College, for some people, is a time to live it up and have fun before going out into the world and settling down. In the case of Yiyoung and his friends, it is their chance to start their own company. More specifically, they form a game development company, initially led by Yiyoung’s oldest and dearest friend, Mina. Unfortunately, due to a family issue, Mina has to leave the company to help support her family. Still, she leaves it in the hands of Yiyoung to manage the rag-tag group and make it a success with minimal funds and very little time. The goal for the company is to create a game for SJ Corporation, one of the biggest companies in the country, but they have to present the game to the company leaders, and for most of the team, social interactions aren’t their strongest suit.

In comes Yiyoung, the bubbly and affable leader. Confident in his presenting abilities and social skills, he goes out to SJ Corporation, ready to sell them their game. While preparing for the presentation, in walks Director Kang Daehyung, and he is everything Yiyoung could want in a man and more. But, unfortunately, he is also the man who has the final say on whether Yiyoung’s game is worth picking or not. Now full of nerves, Yiyoung fears the worst for the presentation but ends up starting strong. As luck would have it, though, his computer starts going through an update in the middle of the presentation. With time out and the leaders frustrated, Yiyoung is excused from the meeting with no hope of being chosen.

Disheartened, Yiyoung is prepared to call it quits and beg for forgiveness, but a sudden stroke of desperation sends him scrambling to fix his mistake for his team members. He writes up a proposal with a link to the game, sneaks it into Director Kang’s office, discovers from his calendar where Director Kang will be that evening, then “coincidentally” runs into him at the bar, where he begs for another chance. Director Kang, suspicious of Yiyoung’s intentions, throws out some bait to scare him off: sleep with me, then I’ll consider your game proposal. Much to the director’s surprise, Yiyoung takes the bait. But just how far is Yiyoung willing to go for his friends? And will he be able to face the director again after their night of passion?

Read About This

Manhwa Review | Cherry Blossoms After Winter by Bamwoo

Title: Cherry Blossoms After Winter

Author(s): Bamwoo

Artist(s): Bamwoo

Haebom and Taesung were best friends when they were children. Their mothers were best friends, and they spent much of their childhood together. Unfortunately, after a terrible car accident, Haebom lost both of his parents. Taesung’s mother takes in Haebom immediately and treats him as if he were her own son. Haebom, of course, sees this as a silver lining in a terrible situation and expects to grow closer to Taesung, but overhears Taesung declaring to his mother, “I don’t want Haebom to be my brother.” Stunned by the realization that Taesung may not want him around, Haebom gradually distances himself and does his best not to be a burden on his adopted family.

Ten years later, Haebom and Taesung might as well be strangers. Unfortunately, much of Haebom’s bright disposition has also faded along with their relationship, and he has become a loner. He draws the attention of some school bullies and is forced to be their lackey. Taesung is, much to Haebom’s relief, unaware of most of this since they have never been in class together… until now. In their final year of high school, Taesung and Haebom are now in the same class together. Still doing his best not to be a burden, Haebom does his best to hide the bullying from Taesung, but it isn’t long before Taesung catches on. Much to Haebom’s surprise, Taesung ends up stepping in and protecting him.

Why, though? Doesn’t Taesung hate him?

Read About This

Novel Review | Little Mushroom: Judgement Day and Little Mushroom: Revelations by Shisi

Title: Little Mushroom: Judgment Day | Little Mushroom: Revelations

Author(s): Shisi

The world has become an unrecognizable habitat for monsters. Since the disappearance of the magnetic poles over a hundred years ago in the year 2020, the Earth has been in a state of chaotic flux. Finally, after generations and generations of trial and error, the remaining humans of the world have restored the magnetic field. Still, the areas surrounding the few remaining human bases are inhabited by creatures known as xenogenics, made up of various body parts, including human parts, animal parts, insect parts, etc. These creatures also have the ability to spread their deformation to humans through open wounds, but the change isn’t immediate. So, to prevent these infected humans from entering the bases and spreading the infection, there are people designated as Judges who are given the right to judge if a person is a xenogenic or not. If found guilty, the person can be killed on the spot.

In one of the most dangerous areas out in the wild, a tiny mushroom tries to raise his spore. Unfortunately, one day, a human being exploring the wild for materials comes upon the mushroom and steals his spore. Desperate to get his spore back, the mushroom encounters a dying human named An Ze. They become friends, and An Ze allows the mushroom to use his body to take on a human form of his own. Once the mushroom can take human form, he accumulates all of An Ze’s memories and essentially his identity. Before An Ze passes, he gives the mushroom a name: An Zhe. With the ability to now integrate with humanity, An Zhe travels to a human base with the sole goal of getting his spore back.

Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to survive the Judge’s test, and An Zhe’s first encounter is with none other than the most accurate Judge of all: Lu Feng.

Read About This

Manga Review | Bad Boys, Happy Home by SHOOWA

Title: Bad Boys, Happy Home

Author(s): SHOOWA

Artist(s): Hiromasa Okujima

Akamatsu is a bit of a wild child. Chocking it all up to puberty, he finds himself pent-up with rage and frustrations over life. One day, he passes by the park and sees another young delinquent hanging out there. The guy looks tough, and Akamatsu, brimming with energy, feels compelled to fight the stranger. So, he calls the guy out and starts a brawl, which leads to Akamatsu being knocked out. Satisfied with this new outlet, Akamatsu returns day after day to fight this mysterious man, and he is only happy to oblige.

Akamatsu is pretty happy with this setup until the day his sparring partner is forced to leave the park because his sleeping place, some large pipes, has been taken away. Faced with the reality that he won’t be able to let out all of his pent-up energy on the man anymore, Akamatsu does the only thing he knows to do: offer the man to stay with him. The man ends up agreeing, and finally, after all this time, he introduces himself as Seven. So begins Seven and Akamatsu’s awkward life together. As Seven and Akamatsu grow closer, their pasts start to haunt them, but even so, it only seems to bring them closer and closer together. Can these young men overcome their complicated pasts and forge a new future together?

Read About This

Manhwa Review | The Big Apple by Harusari

Title: The Big Apple

Author(s): Harusari

Artist(s): Hodot

Joachim is in the relationship of his life with his hot hunk, Juergen. Unfortunately, they can’t be in a full-fledged relationship because Joachim has a huge secret. As far as his lover Juergen knows, Joachim works at a small finance company. In truth, though, Joachim, codename Sniper, works for the SIA. This secret government agency handles various undercover issues involving assassinations, mafia, magic, and all manner of things the average Joe isn’t even aware of in their day-to-day life. Every day, Joachim risks his life as the only sniper in the SIA, and he can’t say a word to Juergen without risking his life.

After a particular deadly mission where Joachim nearly lost his life, things are finally put into perspective. Joachim has to leave Juergen for his sake, especially before his next mission, which is pretty much a suicide mission. Joachim comes up with a plan to tell Juergen that he must return to Sweden and, as such, can’t be together with him anywhere, though. Juergen takes it well, which Joachim is simultaneously thankful for and hurt by… until Juergen decides to confine Joachim to prevent him from leaving him. If Juergen can’t be with Joachim normally, he’ll lock him up so he’ll never leave. With Joachim’s deadly mission coming up, he has to find a way to escape, even if he doesn’t want to.

Read About This

Manga Review | Perfect World by Rie Aruga

Title: Perfect World

Author(s): Rie Aruga

Artist(s): Rie Aruga

Tsugumi has been in love with Itsuki since high school. They were never in the same class, but they would often share moments in the library or the hallways, and in these innocent times between friends, Tsugumi’s love for Itsuki blossomed. Itsuki was an active and popular kid, ready to take on the world. He dreamed of becoming an architect, and Tsugumi was prepared to support him. However, just as Tsugumi was working up the courage to confess to Itsuki, he gets a confession from someone else and begins dating her. Heartbroken, Tsugumi fades into the background of Itsuki’s life, and the two naturally grow apart.

Now, Tsugumi is a grown woman working at a job she loves as an interior designer. Deep down, though, she can’t shake the torch that still burns for Itsuki even after all these years. One evening, she is invited to a small reunion with her classmates, and Itsuki happens to be there. They hit it off immediately, which only fans the flames of Tsugumi’s dormant crush. Feeling like this might be destiny, she begins working up the courage to pursue him again, but as everyone begins to leave, Itsuki asks for his chair. He has a spinal cord injury from a car accident and is now wheelchair-bound.

This shocks Tsugumi, and she’s unsure if she can handle dating someone in a wheelchair, but as time goes on and she finds herself actively seeking out Itsuki, the fact that Itsuki is in a wheelchair begins to matter less and less. However, Tsugumi’s acceptance of the new Itsuki isn’t the only problem. Since his accident, Itsuki has sworn off love. Can Tsugumi break down the walls Itsuki has put up around himself? Or are they destined to forever orbit around each other?

Read About This

Manga Review | Ten Count by Rihito Takarai

Title: Ten Count

Author(s): Rihito Takarai

Artist(s): Rihito Takarai

Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. He spends every day in fear of being contaminated. The only way he can make it through his day-to-day life is by covering himself completely and avoiding as much human contact as possible. As a result, Shirotani is always in long sleeves and long pants along with a set of gloves to protect his hands. Even with all of the protection, though, the moment he enters his home, he must strip completely and put the contaminated clothes away, then he has to wash his hands as many times as possible until they are chapped and bleeding. This is Shirotani’s routine.

At least it was, until the day his boss narrowly avoided being hit by a car. While parked on the side of the road, the company president received a phone call, which he took just outside the car. While on the phone, he failed to notice a car heading his way. Shirotani, seeing the oncoming vehicle, calls out to the president and reaches out to him, but at the very last second, his aversion to human touch stops him. Thankfully, though, a passerby on a bicycle saves the president. As it turns out, this savior is Kurose, a counselor at a psychiatric clinic, and the moment he sees Shirotani’s gloves, he identifies that Shirotani has germophobia.

Ashamed by his inability to save the president and from Kurose’s urging, Shirotani begins seeking help from Kurose. First, Kurose has Shirotani write down ten things he can’t do due to his obsessive-compulsive disorder – 1 being the easiest to achieve, 10 being near impossible. Then, together, Kurose and Shirotani go through each one and try to overcome them with exposure therapy. However, the line between counselor and patient begins to blur, and soon Shirotani is doing things with Kurose that disgust him, yet he craves it. Does Kurose truly see Shirotani as a patient needing treatment, or is there something more? And if there is more, can Shirotani overcome enough of his aversions to let Kurose in?

Read About This

Media Type: Print Version Available

Manga Review | Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki

Manhwa Review | The New Recruit by Moscareto

Manhwa Review | Cherry Blossoms After Winter by Bamwoo

Novel Review | Little Mushroom: Judgement Day and Little Mushroom: Revelations by Shisi

Manga Review | Bad Boys, Happy Home by SHOOWA

Manhwa Review | The Big Apple by Harusari

Manga Review | Perfect World by Rie Aruga

Manga Review | Ten Count by Rihito Takarai

Authors (Optional)

Artists (Optional)

Publishers/Platforms (Optional)

Work Types (Optional)

Tags (Optional)