"How close can we get to the rosy, happy ending I dreamt about that night?" As our story begins, Kento Kumagaya, a twenty-five year old chemistry teacher, has just bungled a proposal to his girlfriend. After she storms off, another patron of the bar tells Kento his mistake: he had made it seem like he was only after “a housekeeper and a baby-making machine.” The two guys spend … [Read more...] about Future Lovers 1-2 by Saika Kunieda: A
Deux
Lovers and Souls by Kano Miyamoto: B-
Lovers and Souls is comprised of the 100-page title story, two additional shorter stories relating to it, and two stories about a different couple. “Lovers and Souls” was my favorite of the bunch. It’s the story of Shinomiya, a beautiful art student with a fondness for cash and an ambivalent attitude about what happens to his body, and Matsuoka, an openly gay photographer who … [Read more...] about Lovers and Souls by Kano Miyamoto: B-
FreshMen by Yuuya: C+
In the title story, Takeyuki Saito and Hitoshi Sato are both studying art at the same university. At the entrance ceremony, Saito, who’d been up drinking the night before, momentarily slumps into Sato’s arms, giving the impression that he’s weak and needs looking after. In the weeks that follow, Saito takes advantage of Sato’s kindness to some degree, and eventually realizes … [Read more...] about FreshMen by Yuuya: C+
Red Blinds the Foolish by est em: A-
From the back cover: Rafita is the young, rising star of the bullfighting world known as "The Red Matador." He has never feared facing a bull since his first kill at the age of twelve. But when he falls in love with Mauro, a butcher who rends the bulls that Rafita kills, his confidence begins to waver. In the matador's dreams, Mauro (who, like a bull, is colorblind) is, … [Read more...] about Red Blinds the Foolish by est em: A-
Ruff Love by Tamaki Kirishima: B-
Taketora is a struggling writer of historical fiction who makes his living working at his uncle’s bar. One day, as he’s coming home from work, feeling down in the dumps about his career, he discovers a young man (with requisite ears and tail) in his backyard who claims to be Shiba, his grandfather’s beloved dog, returned to life as a human in order to repay his former owner’s … [Read more...] about Ruff Love by Tamaki Kirishima: B-