I reviewed this quasi-BL collection for this week's BL Bookrack column at Manga Bookshelf. The book is divided into two sets of stories that are boring while underway, feature extremely similar characters, and go nowhere in the end. This makes for quite a dull read. You can find that review here. Review copy provided by the publisher. … [Read more...] about Garden Sky by Yuko Kuwabara: C+
Digital Manga Publishing
Tidbits: Three from DMP
Welcome to the first installment of Tidbits, a periodic column featuring short reviews of multiple titles. In this post, I check out the latest volumes of three continuing series in the Digital Manga Publishing catalog. First up is volume two of Alice the 101st, followed by the third volume of the shoujo classic Itazura Na Kiss, and the second volume of Maiden Rose. Alice the … [Read more...] about Tidbits: Three from DMP
When the Heavens Smile by Aki Senoo: B+
Book description: Takagi, a rather cute and innocent guy, is best friends and classmates with Kumoi, a tall, intellectual guy. One day, Takagi is stunned to find a pencil sketch of a man between Kumoi's notebook pages that resembles his older brother... who passed away six years ago! Could Kumoi have possibly known his brother? Review: I'll admit that what initially appealed … [Read more...] about When the Heavens Smile by Aki Senoo: B+
Midnight Bloom by Rico Fukiyama: C-
What a disappointment! I usually like books in DMP's DokiDoki imprint, but aside from a blandly cute title story, this one's full of shallow stories and off-putting relationships, including a particularly ick-inducing student-teacher romance. You can find that review here. Review copy provided by the publisher. … [Read more...] about Midnight Bloom by Rico Fukiyama: C-
Solfege by Fumi Yoshinaga: B+
I reviewed this one-shot BL story for the new BL Bookrack feature at Manga Bookshelf. It's less of a romance than it is a character study of a really crappy person, and I liked it all the better for that! You can find that review here. … [Read more...] about Solfege by Fumi Yoshinaga: B+