Nocturnalgloria

Okane ga Nai is rather infamous for being a bundle of every single BL cliché known to man. And it is precisely that: we have a very feminine uke who is fey, sweet and weirdly innocent paired with an absurdly large seme who bullies him into literally becoming a sex slave to pay off a debt. Much raping follows. Given such a premise one can hardly expect brilliant plotting or deep character development yet Okane ga Nai ends up making up for its shortcomings precisely because it tackles the defining traits of the genre head on. It is unfortunate that the parody in the manga often goes missed. Okane... See full review

Being a spinoff of the already very spastic Okane ga nai one would be justified in expecting Henshin Dekinai to be less than stellar. Yet surprisingly it is quite good and in some respects even extraordinary. This time around the main couple in Okane is demoted to the sidelines and the Someya, the supporting role okama, takes the lead. And this makes all the difference in terms of tone: while there is are still plenty of silly antics Henshin is overall much more serious than its parent manga. Someya is a crossdresser who runs a bar catering to costumers who enjoy the company of men dressed up as women... See full review

It is not easy to describe Sakura-gari, in broad terms this is a Taishou perio story about Masataka, a young man from the countryside who while preparing for an entrance exam becomes enrolled in the household of a cruel yet beautiful nobleman of British/Japanese descent, Souma. What follows is a torrid affair with plenty of nightmare fuel and deliciously twisted moments. Sakura-gari is as beautiful as it is depraved and that is saying a lot considering how it excels in being visually lavish. From the eponymous sakura tree to the highly detailed Western mansion on which most of the story takes place to... See full review

 There is something to be said about a manga that manages to combine extreme guro with psychological motivations: Litchi Hikari Club does it brilliantly. It is a story of betrayal, insanity and obsession and as such it is hardly pretty and yet the artwork is gorgeous and entrancing. Here lies one of the strengths of this very original manga: its polarity of beauty and ugliness juxtaposed with artistry.  The plot strikes one as bizarre and perhaps even quirky, a group of middle school boys gather in a club to build the ultimate thinking machine. It could be comedy, indeed there are some moments of... See full review

No Touching at All is a rare treat. It starts off in a subdued manner that sets the mood for emotional disclosure between two men. Few manga manage to reflect the prejudices regarding homosexuality in Japan in such a believable way but Yoneda Kou is able to tap at the human element without ever losing sight of the sociological context. Which is not to say that this is a manga with an agenda, it is simply a genuine portrait of emotions.  At the front are two main characters- a standoffish young man and a happy go lucky co-worker- who strike an unlikely relationship that is yet not random but built by... See full review

Every day characters, every day events, rendered masterfully. Rules is more than just a Boys' Love title, it is a true to life story about coming to terms with sexual identity and orientation. Nothing in this manga is gratuitous and the romantic theme is fully developed through character interaction. It is in this domain that Rules excels, it captures all the awkwardness and warmth of love as it actual is in real life instead of relying on conventions. Dialogue flows or stalls according to the mood and some wordless scenes carry even more emotional rapport.  Rules... See full review