June Manga Wrap-Up: BL Galore
I’ve always been an avid reader, but for the past few months I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump. Every novel I start seems to annoy me almost immediately.
I have, however, had a manga resurgence. I cannot stop reading them.
As a result, I’ve read quite a few this month and wanted to toss them all here so I can give some quick thoughts and ratings. Also, if I’m being honest, I usually go solely off vibes when I read anything so I’m not sure I’d be able to give a full-blown review even if I wanted to.
I’ll probably make this a monthly thing idk
Wicked Spot Vol. 1
An ancient witch named Sadako who has been living in hiding forever, discovers social media, blows up online, and gets into this flirty thing with a tough girl who hates witches.
Oh, this was a good one. the artwork is gorgeous and the plot is interesting and well paced. My only gripe is that the non witch MC is in high school? Middle school? I feel like as it’s written she could and should have been older.
❤️❤️❤️❤️💔
Honey Bee & Lemon Balm Vol. 1
An ex-yakuza trying to start over meets a sweet florist who offers him a job and place in his world.
There isn’t much I enjoyed about this manga. I didn’t care for the plot and the pacing was off. The art wasn’t even good enough to make up for the lackluster story.
❤️💔
Therapy Game: Restart Vol. 1-5
Sequel to Therapy Game (and spin-off of Secret XXX). Restart follows Shizuma and Minato now that they’re together(!), dealing with moving in, jobs, and all the everyday challenges that come with trying to make a relationship work as adults.
This was a reread for me. Words cannot express how much I love this manga. I’ll probably reread it 2 or 3 more times before volume 6 releases in December. Gorgeous art style, every character is likable, and it actually feels like I’m reading about two adults in love who are growing together.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Monster and Ghost Vol. 2
Tsubaki, a high school delinquent with a violent reputation whose life starts changing when a ghost names Kabuto starts following him around and actually sees the real person under all the armor.
I don’t really know what to make of this series at all. Volume 1 was a disappointment for me but for some reason I decided to read volume 2… which was more enjoyable than volume 1 I guess, but I still am just lost as to what the mangaka is even doing with this series. Truly could have been a single volume and yet we’re getting a 3rd volume…
❤️❤️💔
Happy of the End Vol 1&2
After getting disowned by his family and hitting rock bottom, Chihiro meets the mysterious Keito and ends up in a complicated living situation that slowly turns into something deeper.
I held off reading this for a while. I don’t know why, as I much prefer Tanaka’s darker work (Neon Sign Amber, Love Whispers Even in the Rusted Night, and The Proper Way to Write Love) as opposed to their more popular works like Yarichin Bitch Club and Escape Journey. This is not an easy read by any means but the small moments of happiness make it worth reading through the hard parts. I haven’t gotten around to reading the final volume yet but plan to do so this month.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Stranger in the Hoarding House
Kamakura, buried in his messy hoarding situation, finds unexpected help and emotional connection when his kind neighbor, Katsuyoshi, offers to help him.
Had no desire to read this if I’m being honest. I saw a BL reviewer on TikTok give a lukewarm review of it, which put me off even more and yet it also made me curious enough to read it and it was surprisingly enjoyable? I do feel that this type of story would have been better as a multi-volume series so the plot could really breathe and we could deeper, more realistic character growth.
❤️❤️❤️
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