Manga Review: Eclair Blanche: A Girls' Love Anthology that Resonates in Your Heart

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 5 + 1.

Spoilers: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: Eclair. Eclair Bleue.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The girls' love anthology is back and bursting with stories to enchant and delight. Featuring works from favorites such as Canno (Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl), Hiroichi (Highschool DxD: Asia & Koneko's Secret Contract!?), and Fly (Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park), this new addition to the Éclair lineup will sweep you off your feet!

Review:

This is an anthology by lots of different mangaka starring yuri one-shots. Some are very short, some are a little longer; some more sweet, high school friends stories, and even some starring older women. There's quite a mix in this one. Apparently it's also the second volume, though I haven't read many of these yuri stories that have come out lately, though it's nice that more are being released.

Since I haven't been following much of the yuri manga, I didn't recognize any of the mangaka, but there are a couple who have series being released in English. Most of the stories, especially in the beginning, have very vague and open endings, some even a little sad. Later in the volume, though, we see some actual couples that are developing, and we get some light kissing scenes.

There were a few art styles that stood out to me, and some neat stories. One featuring a sewing machine that turns into a magical girl for a brief period was very pretty. Another that had an almost gothic kind of art style that I quite enjoyed. There was also one about an idol girl who gets a crush on her new competition, and one about a princess/servant roleplay friendship that turned out quite cute.

The later stories definitely stood out more than the earlier ones, and while some had better story and art than others, they were all quite fun to read. There are about fifteen stories, so there's quite a variety, and if you like yuri romance, I'd suggest picking it up.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, Yen Press, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Storm Flower by Runa Konjiki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: June/DMP.

Release Date: 2012.

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sagano and Hazime Itirou face off at school and in their private lives, where traditions such as flower arranging and tea ceremony carry heavy responsibilities. With the weight of these things and the accompanying dark emotions, love can only com

Review:

This volume follows a boy, scarred from an experience with a woman, and how he slowly overcomes that with someone new in his life.

This was actually pretty good. I appreciated that we got a full story for one couple here, that the main character actually had some serious issues to overcome and got some focus on it. I thought it was portrayed pretty well, actually, and the artwork was pretty good.

Overall a fine one-shot yaoi volume.

Manga Review: Author's Pet by Deathco Cotorino

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: June/DMP

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

High school student Yuta bumps into a man outside the train station, injuring him. The man's name is Tsubaki Nishijima, occupation novelist. In exchange for crippling his arm, Tsubaki demands Yuta work like a slave every day!

Review:

This volume has several stories in it. The title story is a couple chapters, and it stars a guy who starts ghost writing for an author when he's at fault for the guy getting hurt and unable to write himself. This is a bit dramatic but just okay, as the author ends up taking advantage of the guy, with a rude, cocky attitude.

None of these stories really stood out for me, and the one that did wasn't very good. I didn't really like any of the characters, the story wasn't very well written, and the artwork wasn't very good; it was all a bit one-dimensional.

Manga Review: The Devil's Secret by Hinako Takanaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: 801 Media/DMP

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Father Mauro lived a peaceful life in a small town ministering to his community. That is, until he found a wounded demon (?) in the bushes of the church garden. While Raoul looks like a demon, complete with horns and a tail, he doesn’t act like the typical demon. Playful? Yes! Mischievous? Yes! Outright evil? Well… that depends on the definition. Does seducing men of the cloth count as evil – especially if they like it?

Review:

This is more middle-road Takanaga. Not as good as her current stuff, but better than her early-early stuff. The artwork is getting better, the characters are better written; more steamy scenes, which is always a plus.

The first two chapters feature a priest and a devil. Pretty light-hearted and cute. Next we have a student romance, then a winter romance, all one-shots. A couple of pretty cute boy characters, and a few with some pretty good smut featured.

All in all, not a bad yaoi one-shot volume. I'll keep it.

Manga Review: Return of the Prince by Junko

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: June

Release Date: 2018.

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. June Manga.

Goodreads Synopsis:

At his sister's wedding, Satake Kou is reunited with his cousin Fumihiro, who used to be dumb and fat as a child. Now that Fumihiro has transformed into a charismatic prince, Kou is undeniably self-conscious, but has no idea of Fumihiro's high regard toward him since they were little. Fumihiro's admiration has turned into something entirely different now. How will Kou respond to Fumihiro's feelings? Adachi has been friends with Ritsu since they were children. Suddenly, Ritsu starts acting completely different, and the reason for that change seems to be Ritsu's new sempai, a troublesome guy. Adachi slowly realizes that he feels more than just friendship towards Ritsu... but is it too late?

Review:

Seeing this was by Junko, I wanted to pick it up. Not having read any of their yaoi stuff, I was curious. The art was good, as expected. The story was okay.

The first story featured a cousin romance, which I wasn't too keen on. Honestly, none of it was too memorable. I think it was a fun read, but nothing stood out. Decent stories, but nothing more than a kiss in any of the one-shots. That doesn't surprise me too much, either, though, now that I think about it.

Mostly just meh.

Manga Review: Croquis by Hinako Takanaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Blu

Release Date: 2012

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. RightStuf.

Add on Goodreads 

RightStuf Synopsis:

Croquis features story and art by Hinako Takanaga the creator of A Capable Man and You Will Fall in Love.
Nagi has been noticing the stare of a particular student at his part-time modeling job at an art school. Kaji seems friendly enough, but Nagi is afraid to let him know his biggest secret - Nagi is a fledgling drag queen and is saving up for some big changes! Will Kaji accept Nagi for who he is or will Nagi be snubbed once again?
From the creator of You Will Fall in Love and Liberty Liberty!, comes this cute and romantic story where acceptance can mean being yourself.

Review:

The first half of this volume features one main couple, and it includes a little bit of crossdressing. It's cute, though a little dramatic, and the art style is definitely not her best.

The rest of the volume is one-shots. They're okay, but nothing stand-out. This is clearly a volume featuring her earlier work, so the art isn't as good, the stories are just okay; not as steamy as her other stuff, either. No real smut at all, actually.

Ehh.

Manga Review: Go For It, Nakamura! by Syundei

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nakamura has fallen in love-at-first-sight with one of his classmates, Hirose–but there's a problem: they haven't actually met yet... and Nakamura is a total klutz who might bungle things before they even begin!

Review:

This is a very lighthearted, one-shot manga. It actually has a shonen feel to it. It's mainly an all-boy cast, featuring Nakamura, who's got a crush on Hirose, the pretty, happy-go-lucky boy in his class. This stars Nakamura's attempts at getting closer to Hirose, some failed and some successes.

This was an okay story. It doesn't particularly stand out to me, but I enjoyed it. I will admit I usually read the more smutty yaoi stories, whereas this is more friendship-focused and sweet, with some funny high school antics involved.

It was fun to read, though, and I'm intrigued by the managakas other story, since I know it's a very different genre while still yaoi. I'm intrigued by that aspect, the diversity of it.

Manga Review: Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato by Scarlet Beriko

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 1 (But has related series).

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A young yakuza boss has a sexy encounter with his wild side when his family’s dirty business becomes personal.

The last thing playboy Tatsuyuki Oyamato, fourth-generation heir to a yakuza family syndicate, wants is any responsibility for running the family business, especially when a recent erotic encounter with a male masseur has him totally preoccupied with questioning his sexuality! But Tatsuyuki’s forced to step up both in the sheets and on the streets when a hot hookup deepens his newfound attraction to men, while also drawing the attention of a mysterious man who seems dangerously obsessed with Tatsuyuki’s lineage…

Review:

Tatsuyuki is the playboy, next in line for his yakuza family business, so he's had a pretty easy life. When he's given new responsibilities in a new place, he finds himself in some difficult circumstances. Someone he doesn't remember from his past shows up, Koga, a guy who fell in love with him at a young age. Only this is being used against them.

I really loved Beriko's other release, whereas this one didn't hit quite as good for me. I think it's just cause I'm not a yakuza/mafia fan, and some of the matters handled here go dark and dirty, and not in a good way.

Other than that, though, it was good. There's some very good smutty scenes, from early on, too. I really liked Koga's character, too; he's a teacher, with a happy outlook, and he's sweet on Tatsuyuki. He fawns over him a little bit. Tatsuyuki didn't stand out quite as much, but he's a good guy deep down.

A good, very steamy yaoi volume in the end. Very good artwork. I'm still very much looking forward to the next series being released.

Manga Review: A Capable Man by Hinako Takanaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Blu

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Add on Goodreads.

RightStuf Synopsis:

A Capable Man features story and art by Hinako Takanaga.
Shingo has always liked guys who are exceptional. His best friend, Koji, is the smartest, fastest, and hottest guy in school. But what Shingo doesn't know is that Koji has worked hard to be so exceptional - and he's doing it to impress Shingo! Why? He's in love with Shingo of course! But all is about to be revealed, because when Shingo's just-as-impressive cousin comes into town, Koji realizes he'll have to confess everything or risk losing his one true love forever...

Review:

Because of how much I love Awkward Silence, I keep trying Takanaga's other series; the one I can get ahold of, at least. The Tyrant Falls in Love is basically impossible to find at this point, so I've given up on that one, even though it's the one everyone apparently loves.

The first couple chapters feature two childhood friends, and when one grows a little jealous during a conversation, quickly grow into more. It gets pretty steamy pretty quickly, too. No complaints here.

The rest are one-shot stories, one with chefs, another with a couple that might be making a step forward in their relationship. They're all pretty fun, but don't stand out too much. The steamy scenes are pretty good, and definitely aren't lacking in this one.

This was an easy, fun yaoi one-shot volume. Definitely an earlier work of Takanaga's, but better than some of her others.

Manga Review: The Gods Lie. by Kaori Ozaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: 2016

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Natsuru Nanao, a 6th grader who lives alone with his mother, strikes up an unlikely friendship with the reserved and driven Rio Suzumura. Natsuru plays hookey from soccer camp that summer, and instead of telling the truth to his mother, he spends all his time with Rio and her kid brother at their rickety house, where a dark secret threatens to upend their fragile happiness.

Review:

This is a story about Natsuru, a boy, who forms a friendship with Rio, a quiet girl. He lives alone with his mom. She lives with her little brother, and takes in a cat that Natsuru finds. They form an odd friendship at first, and slowly grow closer. When Natsuru finds out some of the things that Rio has been through, has had to deal with in order to grow up and take care of her brother, he wants to help her, and take her away from it all.

Life can be very unfair at times, and for some people in particular. Rio has been through some very bad things, and she did what she thought she had to, to move past it. When everything is revealed, it's a sad story. But Rio and Natsuru still had their close friendship, even when they were apart.

Despite some of the awful things, this was a really sweet story. Bittersweet, maybe. And the ending is really nice. It leaves it a little open, I suppose, but I think it leaves it open for better things. I think they both were able to grow and be better despite, or because of, it all.

I really liked this story, and I hope that Ozaki's other manga gets picked up at some point. (I'm still holding out hope for Immortal Rain.)

Manga Review: Take Me to Heaven by Nase Yamato

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Deux/Aurora Publishing

Release Date: 2009.

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

He sees ghosts... and one sexy guy!

High school student Fumiya possesses the ability to see things normal people can't: ghosts and spirits. Every time Fumiya sees one, he turns to the tall, handsome and popular Shogo, the son of a temple priest, for help. After being rescued time after time by Shogo, Fumiya can't resist developing certain feelings towards his savior. Watch as ghosts and spirits work to drive these two together!

Review:

Meh. I wasn’t really impressed.

Fumiya sees ghosts, and he cries whenever they’re near. Shogo is the son of a priest and knows how to exorcise them, only he doesn’t actually believe in them or want anything to do with it.

Mostly, I was annoyed with how insensitive Shogo was to Fumiya. He teases him a little too much, and Fumiya is rather weak and annoying of a character. On the other hand, I did like how open Shogo was with his relationship with Fumiya, and that while he had female groupies, they all believed he was actually in love with Fumiya.

In the end, it was an okay story. I liked the episodic ghost story chapters. The art was okay, nice to look at.

Manga Review: Baseball Heaven by Ellie Mamahara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Blu Manga

Release Date: 2010

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ogata is a shortstop for the baseball team, the Tokyo Elephants. A new rookie pitcher named Uno is popular among the team. But for some reason, Uno is cold only to Ogata. Ogata is worried that it's his sexual orientation that is keeping Uno away. So one day Ogata decides to confront Uno. But what he finds out from Uno is completely different from what he expected.

Review:

The artwork was more average in this story, pretty in some panels and more okay in others. The expressions and faces were just average to me. The story line and the characters didn’t really stand out for me, and I found it a little slow-going at points; it did drag on with open endings for several chapters, and that annoyed me a little. Not much in the way of smut, and the romance was slow and just a little meh.

Otherwise, it was okay, and a little cute.

Manga Review: You & Me, Etc. by Kyugo

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Blu Manga

Release Date: 2011

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Iku and Keita have been buddies since childhood, and have played sports together their whole lives... until their final year in middle school, when Keita's baseball career abruptly ended as a result of the severe injuries he sustained when saving Iku from being hit by a truck. Ever since that accident, Iku has distanced himself from both the game and his friend, presumably out of guilt. Can these two friends patch up their differences, and become something more...?

Review:

This volume had three main stories. One about two guys who were in baseball together, and one of them got injured. Another short one about classmates, one guy who catches two guys fooling around, and he’s already thinking he needs something new in his life. The last one about the main guy and his friends son.

The one about the two baseball buddies I found really sweet. I liked their connection, and how they reacted after the one got hurt. The ending, and the second chapter, were very cute. The third one, about the friends son, was rather sad, but very sweet in the end.

I was impressed with the depth to the characters and the story in this one. The artwork was okay, and there wasn’t much smut, but the romances were still sweet. I quite enjoyed this one.

Manga Review: All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: 2010

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Yukiko, a salarywoman in her thirties, still lives with her mother Mari. But their relationship suffers a sudden change when Mari announces that she's getting married—to an ex-host and aspiring actor who's younger than Yukiko. Yukiko, convinced he'sout to fleece her mom, can't stand to stay in the house and decides to move in with her boyfriend.

Fumi Yoshinaga weaves together the lives of Yukiko, a thirty something salary woman, and her friends in five short stories, exploring the various relationships women have with all the skill and elegance she is known for.

Review:

I’ve been meaning to pick this up for a while, because I’ve heard a lot of good things. And now I’m glad I finally got it.

Each chapter features the same characters, but focuses on different ones, with different stories. It’s one-shot based. There’s the mother and daughter, the mother in a new relationship with a younger man, and the daughter finally deciding to move out and get serious with her boyfriend. Then there are their friends, some of whom have their own drama. Like a teacher friend of theirs, whom a student has started forcing herself on. That chapter had interesting maturity and themes, to me, and I liked how they were handled.

I did like the relationship between the mother and daughter, and the development between all of the characters. The humor was fun, as well, with all the teasing.

I quite enjoyed this volume, and am now more intrigued to pick up her other books.

Manga Review: Honey Senior, Darling Junior, Volume 1, by Chifumi Ochi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Net Comics

Release Date: 2008.

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

W/A) Chifumi OchiA senior and a junior, members of their school's tennis team, take a spur-of-the-moment trip. When they arrive, however, they find no hotel vacanies, except in love hotels. With no other options, they act as if they are lovers and check into a room. While playing around, one boy accidentally touches the other's private parts - but they find that they can't stop there. What begins as shy, unexpressed mutual attraction quickly evolves into a full-blown affair.

Review:

Meh.

There are four short stories in this volume, and none of them really stood out for me. They were okay in story and character, but especially the first one was very rushed and underdeveloped. I didn’t care for it.

The artwork is okay, nice to look at. The smut would be okay, if the stories were a little more developed and it didn’t happen so fast, though in some it was more mentioned than shown.

It wasn’t particularly memorable, and it was just average to me.

Manga Review: Songs to Make You Smile by Natsuki Takaya

 

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Tokyopop

Release Date: 2010

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In these unforgettable tales from the creator of "Fruits Basket", a pop band vocalist meets the only woman who touched his heart; a girl wonders if her deceased father ever loved her; the son of a musical genius tries to find his own voice; an 18-year-old boy tries to learn to be a man; and, in a side story to "Tsubasa: Those with Wings", ultimate love thrives.

Review:

The first story in this volume kind of makes the rest of it worth it. It has the same art and setting style as Fruits Basket, about a boy who is quiet and misunderstood as rude when he’s really a nice guy. And he falls for his friends' sister, a girl similarly misunderstood, who was bullied. Their story is super adorable and sweet. I really enjoyed it.

After that, there are several one-shots, some clearly earlier works, some cuter than others. The last one is a fairy-tale like one-shot with the characters from Tsubasa, but I haven’t read that series yet. It was cute, though.

I’m glad that I picked this volume up, and enjoyed reading it. I look forward to picking up her other stuff, and I'm enjoying her newer releases.