Eve’s Faves
These works are some of my favorites, and I will readily recommend them to most people.
Manga Review | Mr. Mini Mart by Junko
Title: Mr. Mini Mart
Nakaba has become a NEET. He dropped out of school due to intense bullying and has spent every day at home ever since. He would be in high school right now, but the thought of returning to that situation is too much to bear. But being stuck in his room for the rest of his life is neither feasible nor ideal. So when the opportunity to work at a relative’s convenience store comes up, he takes this chance to get back out into the world and start a new life for himself.
Unfortunately, it isn’t all that simple. His coworker, Yamai, is a big tough guy, and even though they are close in age, Nakaba can’t help feeling intimidated by him. Nakaba also can’t help hating him, even just a little bit. That is until he catches Yamai saving a kitten in a busy street. Yamai smiles so gently and tucks the kitten into his jacket. Nakaba isn’t sure he’s looking at the same person. Now that he knows that prickly exterior is hiding a much softer inside, Nakaba wants to get to know this sweet Yamai. But will getting close to another person lead him to a devastating end like his school life had?
There’s only one way to find out.
Manga Review | Saving My Favorite For Last by Tsutako Tsurusawa
Title: Saving My Favorite For Last
Humanity has evolved from cats. To expand their population, they have also developed the ability for all sexes to give birth, if they so choose, and can lure in potential mates with pheromones. Kazui is an expert in using his pheromones, as he spends every evening going out and trying to find someone to inseminate him. Why? Because he desperately wants children of his own that he can raise and love. He was abandoned as a child, and he has always longed for a genetic connection with someone.
No matter how many partners he tries with, his body won’t get pregnant. Undeterred, he continues working extremely hard to scrape and save every dime he can to care for his future children. When the contracts for his jobs start to run out, he is offered a position as a manager for a model, which pays way better than many of his jobs combined. He jumps at the chance. On his first day, he meets some of the hottest purebred cats out there, and the particular model he is assigned to is the top Maine Coon model, Noah.
Kazui would love it if a purebred like Noah would help him get pregnant, as purebreds are guaranteed to inseminate their partners, but there’s no way someone as sought after as Noah would go for a plain mixed breed like him… right?
Manga Review | Snow Fairy by Tomo Serizawa
Title: Snow Fairy
Haruki has been living alone in snowy Hokkaido since the death of his parents years back. His life is very routine and ordinary. He helps his elderly neighbors clear their driveways, makes deliveries around the small town, cares for his grandmother next door, and maintains the house his parents left behind. His existence is a lonely one, but one that he enjoys. He never plans to change his lifestyle until he finds an abandoned, snow-covered car on the side of the road. Worried for the driver, he stops and gets out, only to find a strange photographer in the middle of the snow.
Narumi is an animal photographer, and he’s traveled to Hokkaido to capture images of an animal called a snow fairy. Unfortunately, he has nowhere to stay but no plans to leave. If nothing else, he’ll stay in a tent until he can photograph his elusive snow fairies. Haruki can’t bring himself to leave Narumi out in the snow, so he offers him a place to stay in his empty house.
Narumi has no qualms about taking Haruki up on this offer. The routine life Haruki has built for himself is flipped upside down by the boisterous Narumi. Yet, Haruki’s not sure that he minds all that much.
Manhwa Review | Gold Gray by Lee Green
Title: Gold Gray
Lee Rain has dreams of becoming an actor. He can sing, dance, and act, but having grown up poor and under mysterious circumstances, he’s had to claw his way up to achieve the bare minimum, much less his dreams of stardom. Along with the daily struggle of surviving, Rain has an odd ability to smell what he calls “perverts.” They smell so good; unfortunately, they are drawn to Rain like flies. Frustrated, Rain has finally saved up enough for a hail Mary. He plans to drop everything and travel to the United States, hoping to make it onto Broadway or die trying.
On the other side, there is Won Lukas. He’s a perfect alpha, bred and raised from the finest stock to take over Roenjoy industries one day. Unfortunately, following his father’s death, Lukas learns of a disgusting stipulation left in his father’s will for the company. The next president will be the child that can produce an alpha heir. The only way to create a perfect alpha is by an alpha having a baby with an omega, but due to a pandemic that swept through the world, omegas went extinct.
But Roenjoy has a seedy underbelly. Hidden from the public eye, they have managed to create artificial omegas, which they raise from fetuses to adulthood, and upon giving birth, they die within a week to prevent the secret from getting out. Lukas is prepared to artificially inseminate an omega to take his role as company president. Unfortunately, the building where all of the omega research took place is destroyed by none other than Joshua, a subpar alpha and Lukas’ half-brother. With his brother vying for his position, Lukas is desperate to find an omega and make an alpha heir, but with all of the known omegas gone, there is little to no hope until Lukas meets Rain.
Manhwa Review | Intense by Kyungha Yi
Title: Intense
Jiwoon Kang is nothing more than collateral. After his father, in debt to a large criminal organization, kills himself, the boss, Yoonshik, takes Jiwoon on as collateral. The boss trains him up so Jiwoon can someday work off the debt. In the meantime, Jiwoon learns to kill and becomes Yoonshik’s right-hand man. In an open secret, Jiwoon also plays the cooperative, though the unenthusiastic role of Yoonshik’s lover. When Yoonshik is sent to prison, Jiwoon is hidden in the redlight district, where he protects the working girls. There, he meets Soohan Lee.
Soohan Lee is mute. He just happened upon the redlight district years ago and, ever since, has taken up residence there, doing odd jobs for a little bit of cash and a roof over his head. His life is rather mundane, even in the bustling streets, that is, until he meets Jiwoon. After getting beaten up while defending a working girl from a customer, Jiwoon comes upon Soohan bloodied up on the ground. Despite their odd circumstances, Jiwoon is compelled to kiss Soohan, which he does. This sends them down a dangerous path fraught with jealousy, violence, crime, and more.
But in the end, will it be worth the struggle?
Novel Review | Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki
Title: Until I Meet My Husband
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.
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?
Manhwa Review | Welcome to the Café of Love by Churrr
Title: Welcome to the Café of Love
Ingyu is an incubus. He survives off of the vitality of all manner of beings by having sex with them. Unfortunately, due to the barrier created by the divine beings around humanity’s world, Ingyu is limited to the beasts and monsters that live in Devildom to get vitality. It’s often gross, painful, and dangerous, and Ingyu longs to get vitality from humans. So, one day, he finally takes the plunge. He ends up getting a chance from the ruler of Devildom to break through the barrier and live among the humans. Thanks to the fallen divine being, Taegyu is able to move through the barrier and protect Ingyu.
Once in the human world, Ingyu wastes no time getting his vitality buffet going by opening up a late-night café. He charms the coffee lids, so when unsuspecting customers take a sip, he can take the form of the one they want the most and take his time sampling them before sending them off as if they had just woken from a dream. All of this is routine until Ingyu encounters Kangin. Kangin is a tired and overworked office drone, and one of his few comforts is coffee. He is precisely Ingyu’s type.
Unfortunately, Kangin isn’t that easily charmed, as every attempt Ingyu makes to charm him fails. Sure, Ingyu could just move on and charm the next passerby, but he doesn’t want just anyone anymore. He wants Kangin, and he’s determined to get him. Even if he gets a taste, though, will that be enough? And if it’s not, what happens to a human that gets targeted again and again by an incubus?
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 hospital 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?
Manhwa Review | The Unquenchable Mr. Kim by MORAK
Title: The Unquenchable Mr. Kim
Doyun is trying to stay alive and keep his job. Unfortunately, that’s harder for him since he isn’t your average human. Doyun is actually a half-vampire. Because of his odd disposition, Doyun cannot consume human blood. Thankfully, vampires don’t have to only drink blood, but it’s not any easier to get. Vampires can also subsist on essence, which they can get from humans by having sex with them.
Doyun hasn’t had a partner in a while, so he’s pretty worn out. Food or coffee isn’t enough to keep him moving along. So, to make his life a bit easier, he’s planning to find a sex friend. In his tired stupor, he intends to let his guardian know but accidentally messages his boss instead. Fully prepared to get fired, Doyun goes to see his boss and tries to explain the unfortunate mishap.
To his surprise, though, chief Gangwoo isn’t mad at all. Actually, he’s very interested in Doyun’s hunt for a partner. So, he offers himself up to take the role. Needing to get essence and happy not to lose his job, Doyun is willing to give the chief a try. Unfortunately, things don’t work out as well as Doyun hopes. As it turns out, his constitution is worsening, and essence is no longer enough. Will Doyun be able to find a new way to feed? Or is he doomed to die an agonizing death?
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?