Misanthrope and Sunshine are Neighbors
Title: To The Stars and Back
Friends-to-Lovers
These works feature a relationship that develops from a friendly, platonic relationship to a romantic one.
Manga Review | Delivery for You! by Teku Rin
Nerdy Neet Orders Nerd Things So He Can Check out the Deliveryman
Title: Delivery for You!
Manga Review | Hitorijime Boyfriend by Memeco Arii
Title: Hitorijime Boyfriend
Kensuke Oshiba has a problem. His high school life has been relatively peaceful despite being haunted by a painful event in his past when his best friend left him behind to attend a different middle school. He’s thankfully made friends since then, but that sad memory comes back to the forefront of his mind when that friend, Asaya Hasekura, suddenly transfers to his high school. He’s no longer that little boy Kensuke played with in elementary school. He’s now a handsome young man, taller than Kensuke, and he’s the talk of the school. Kensuke intends to just ignore Hasekura, but then they end up in the same class. Could things get any worse?
Thankfully, Hasekura seems ready to bury the hatchet, which Kensuke is all too happy to do. With their friendship rekindled, Kensuke’s life is back on track. But little does Kensuke know that Hasekura has no intentions of staying just friends.
Manga Review | I Seriously Can’t Believe You… by Jimi Fumikawa
Title: I Seriously Can't Believe You...
Iida is popular. Girls constantly surround him, but he’s never had a girlfriend. This intrigues Kon and his friends, who are trying to figure out why such a handsome and popular guy is single. They ultimately end up at one conclusion: maybe he’s gay? Unwilling to let go of his curiosity, Kon decides to confess to Iida, hoping to reveal whether or not he’s gay. The confession ends in rejection, though Iida is very kind and considerate about it, which Kon is surprised by. Once again, Kon is only further entranced by Iida.
However, what Kon doesn’t know is that Iida is gay, and his sudden confession has started Iida on a spiral. Iida didn’t know who Kon was before, but now that he’s received his confession, Iida can’t help noticing him no matter where they are. He’s gone through great effort to hide his sexual orientation, including avoiding other men as much as possible. But for whatever reason, Iida just can’t seem to escape Kon. I mean, Kon already confessed to him. Would it be so bad if Iida took the plunge and tried to get close to him in return?
Manhwa Review | OmegaComplex by Oneulbom
Title: OmegaComplex
Yoonwoo Lee is your average, run-of-the-mill, beta college student… or so he’s made everyone believe. Yoonwoo is actually an omega, and though there’s nothing wrong with being an omega, Yoonwoo’s first love and childhood friend, Taegyeom, was once assaulted by an omega during their time in grade school. As such, he ended up with an intense hatred for omegas. Thankfully, in their youth, Yoonwoo hadn’t manifested yet, and he could be there for Taegyeom. But it wasn’t long after that he ultimately manifested as an omega, and Yoonwoo made the painful decision to leave Taegyeom behind, pretending to be a beta so he never had to see Taegyeom hate him for something he couldn’t control.
It’s been years since they ran into one another, though not without great effort on Yoonwoo’s side. Though they go to the same university, they’ve never met, as Yoonwoo even decided on a different major to ensure they never encountered one another. Unfortunately, despite Yoonwoo’s careful planning, Taegyeom’s department also shows up during a department meetup. Thankfully, Yoonwoo has done some additional planning. To hide his pheromones, he smokes pheromone cigarettes, which are made for betas who want to put out pheromones like alphas and omegas. This does seem to fool Taegyeom, but for how long? It seems Taegyeom has no intention of letting Yoonwoo escape him again.
However, while Yoonwoo’s cigarettes might fool Taegyeom, they haven’t fooled Yoonwoo’s hoobae Dohyun, another alpha. Thankfully, Dohyun is willing to keep Yoonwoo’s secret, but he wants Yoonwoo just as much as Taegyeom. Pitted between two alphas, can Yoonwoo keep his identity a secret? Or will he succumb to all the alpha pheromones surrounding him?
Manhwa Review | Lover Boy by ZEC
Title: Lover Boy
Eunho has loved Jaeha since he was a child. They’ve known each other for the majority of Eunho’s life, but Jaeha, being so much older, moves forward in life, leaving Eunho behind. Yet, no matter how far Jaeha goes, he always seems to find his way back to Eunho. Unfortunately, that changes when Jaeha announces he’s getting married. As much as Eunho loves Jaeha, he accepts that they will never be together in the way he wants. So, he swallows his love and sadness and congratulates Jaeha.
Years later, Eunho is now in college, and though he’s dated someone else, he still longs for the love that could never be with his childhood friend, Jaeha. By seemingly fate, they happen to run into each other. Jaeha is now running his own art studio, providing classes open to the public. But more importantly, he’s now divorced. Eunho had to let Jaeha go before, but with this new opportunity before him, he has no intention of letting Jaeha pass him by. Jaeha, however, has had a turbulent past, and though he cares for Eunho, that care and love he has makes him afraid.
He’s afraid of hurting the one most precious to him. Will Jaeha be able to find happiness? And can Eunho break through the cold walls Jaeha has built around himself?
Manga Review | Smoky Nectar by Akira Minazuki
Title: Smoky Nectar
Mitsuru has been friends with Annaka (nicknamed Anna) since they were in preschool, and though their lives have gone in entirely different directions, they remain close. Anna has become a successful real estate agent, while Mitsuru is often in the trenches as a field journalist, reporting on various local news. Mitsuru is currently on a story that leans toward the supernatural. Still, he’s determined to find the truth, whether based on reality or something harkening back to human imagination. A local woman was recently found dead, her blood completely clotted, and with two suspicious bite marks on her neck. The killer is called “The Biter,” a rumored vampire.
Mitsuru is actively seeking the killer, and as usual, he reaches out to Anna, who has a multitude of connections, looking for some information. Anna doesn’t have much and spends most of the time insisting that Mitsuru stop inserting himself into such a dangerous scenario. What Mitsuru keeps to himself is that Anna is suspected of being “The Biter,” and while he is looking for additional information from Anna, he’s also hoping that he’ll be able to prove Anna’s innocence. Anna is his closest friend, and Mitsuru wants nothing more than to protect him the only way he can. But if Anna is “The Biter,” what would that mean for their relationship?
More importantly, is Mitsuru safe?
Manga Review | Kiss Me Like You Did That Day by Nana Nanato
Title: Kiss Me like You Did that Day
Miho still remembers Hiroya. Miho is a working adult, a writer who works from home, and he’s already gone through a divorce. Yet, Miho can still remember, as clearly as if it were yesterday, the day his only friend from high school, Hiroya, kissed him. Unfortunately, after their kiss, Hiroya’s immediate response was to apologize. As a result, Miho assumed that Hiroya didn’t mean it and regretted it. Heartbroken, Miho ran away, deleted Hiroya’s number, and never looked back. Yet, Miho constantly thinks of Hiroya and what life might have been like if they had never kissed.
Because of his curiosity and despite his introverted personality, when Miho receives a notice about a high school reunion, he goes, hoping Hiroya will show up. When he arrives, his former classmates are surprised, as Miho was known in high school for being a loner and having no friends other than Hiroya, who hasn’t shown up. Miho is just about to give up when Hiroya shows up. The two instantly recognize each other, even after all of this time, but before they can catch up, Hiroya is swarmed. This is just one more reminder to Miho why they could never work out. Hiroya is a social butterfly, while Miho could never even make a friend that wasn’t Hiroya. Then, he hears that Hiroya is going through a divorce. Feeling like there was no point in coming, Miho leaves, intending to return to his life without Hiroya.
But Hiroya chases after him. He begs to have dinner, which Miho concedes to. Over food, the two share stories about their lives and apologize for the pain they caused each other. Throughout their conversation, Hiroya mentions needing to move out of his ex-wife’s home. When Miho mentions having an empty room because of his divorce, Hiroya asks Miho if he can move in. Though Miho knows this might be a bad idea, the prospect of rebuilding his relationship with Hiroya is too tempting, so he agrees to let Hiroya move in. What will living in close quarters mean for these two? Will they be able to get along, or will their relationship fall into shambles like before?
Manhwa Review | Scandalous M by Kimdan
Title: Scandalous M
Chanbit is a superstar. He’s a beloved actor at the top of his game. He exudes perfection, and everyone loves him because of that. What the world doesn’t know that Chanbit’s longtime college friend and now-manager Baekyung knows is that Chanbit is gay, an insatiable sexual dynamo, and a masochist on top of that. Baekyung does his best to fulfill these desires so that Chanbit doesn’t risk his public image, but Chanbit frequently seeks satisfaction elsewhere. But what Chanbit doesn’t know is that Baekyung isn’t just bothered by his sexual escapades because he’s his manager. He hates it because Baekyung is hopelessly in love with Chanbit.
Chanbit can’t fathom anyone loving him beyond the love his fans have for him because of a traumatic relationship he had in college. That relationship also awakened in him a need to be dominated, and he generally enjoys BDSM. As a result, he spends a lot of his off time hunting for partners to satisfy his needs. So, most of Chanbit and Baekyung’s relationship is spent with Baekyung trying his best to protect and satisfy Chanbit while hiding his feelings, and Chanbit doing everything he can to keep a safe distance from love and romance, focusing entirely on sex. This tenuous relationship works until a new CEO is announced for Chanbit’s agency.
It is none other than Youngha Do, the man who abandoned and traumatized Chanbit in college. They’ve grown so much since then, so surely Youngha isn’t interested in Chanbit anymore, right? Wrong. Youngha is back and fully intends to tie Chanbit to him through any means necessary — through violence, sex, and blackmail. Chanbit wants to protect his career, so he willingly goes along with everything Youngha wants, except for one thing: firing Baekyung. All the while, Baekyung tries his best to figure out what is going on with Chanbit, unaware that his charge is selling himself to the CEO to protect his career and Baekyung.