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ellelainey's reviews
2521 reviews
Hell Is Dark with No Flowers, Vol. 1 by Yoru Michio
5.0
TRIGGERS: mentions of murder, suicide, stress/anxiety, mental health, homeless, domestic abuse, false accusations
I was drawn in by the art on the cover and the title, then again when I read the blurb. It's not my typical read, but I am SO glad I read it.
Hell is Dark With No Flowers is such a unique story. Seiji Tohno is 22 and almost homeless. Ever since he was young, he's been seeing people as monsters, and it didn't take him long to realise that the people who appeared as monsters ended up being proven to be criminals. It's stopped him from having a normal life, so that he's dropped out of school, college and is now broke with nowhere to go, after spending months going from one net cafe to the next. One day, he draws a fortune card and gets the fortune of : HELL.
Anxious, he begins walking, hoping to find somewhere to spend the night and is frightened by a creepy stranger with an even more creepy message. Seiji runs, ending up at a fancy mansion. He meets Shiroshi Saijou, who works for a special agency. He offers Seiji a job there, with lodging and food, as well as spending money. It's such a good deal he can't afford to say no.
As he begins working there, things get progressively weird. Shiroshi is like a detective...for hell. People arrive at the mansion, often without understanding how/why, and explain their supernatural problems to him. In return, Shiroshi investigates and deals with the youkai - demons - who are causing the problems.
Seiji is adorably obtuse and naive, with no idea what he's gotten himself in for. He doesn't understand much of what Shiroshi does, but Shiroshi finds him endearing. He uses Seiji's gift to help him work through his client list and solve cases, and they form a kind of friendship.
Volume 1 ends in a cliffhanger, but IT IS SO GOOD! I can't wait for Volume 2, but I will also be reading the light novels, because it's just that good. And I'll be collecting the paperbacks.
I was drawn in by the art on the cover and the title, then again when I read the blurb. It's not my typical read, but I am SO glad I read it.
Hell is Dark With No Flowers is such a unique story. Seiji Tohno is 22 and almost homeless. Ever since he was young, he's been seeing people as monsters, and it didn't take him long to realise that the people who appeared as monsters ended up being proven to be criminals. It's stopped him from having a normal life, so that he's dropped out of school, college and is now broke with nowhere to go, after spending months going from one net cafe to the next. One day, he draws a fortune card and gets the fortune of : HELL.
Anxious, he begins walking, hoping to find somewhere to spend the night and is frightened by a creepy stranger with an even more creepy message. Seiji runs, ending up at a fancy mansion. He meets Shiroshi Saijou, who works for a special agency. He offers Seiji a job there, with lodging and food, as well as spending money. It's such a good deal he can't afford to say no.
As he begins working there, things get progressively weird. Shiroshi is like a detective...for hell. People arrive at the mansion, often without understanding how/why, and explain their supernatural problems to him. In return, Shiroshi investigates and deals with the youkai - demons - who are causing the problems.
Seiji is adorably obtuse and naive, with no idea what he's gotten himself in for. He doesn't understand much of what Shiroshi does, but Shiroshi finds him endearing. He uses Seiji's gift to help him work through his client list and solve cases, and they form a kind of friendship.
Volume 1 ends in a cliffhanger, but IT IS SO GOOD! I can't wait for Volume 2, but I will also be reading the light novels, because it's just that good. And I'll be collecting the paperbacks.
All or Nothing by Shikke
4.0
Oka and Sawada are shocked when their two friends reveal they've been dating for a month...and so Sawada begins to wonder just what the appeal is. He convinces Oka to take part in a little experimentation, which slowly progresses and builds into a relationship.
I had a bit of a squidgy feeling about the MC's both being in high school with such an explicit plot. I'm getting too old to be reading about smutty teens, but I pretended they were in college - although they were very immature, even for high school - to get through to the end.
It was a pretty decent plot of two friends dealing with curiosity, dating, experimenting, and learning who they are, how they feel and the difference between "like" and "liiike". Or, as Sawada puts it "layers".
There's a weirdly placed bonus story - The Starting Period - about two guys who met as little kids and lost touch. They only knew each other by nicknames and years have passed. Now that one MC is starting college, in the same town his childhood friend moved to, he wonders what happens to him. He doesn't expect to bump into him on his first day!
They become instant friends, rekindling their friendship from years ago.
However, this is one of those rare college stories where one of the two are already gay. Normally, these are bi-awakening, typically double, but this one has a nice scene where they two MC's kiss and one admits he's always been gay. It was a cute story which would have been nice if expanded into a volume of its own.
I had a bit of a squidgy feeling about the MC's both being in high school with such an explicit plot. I'm getting too old to be reading about smutty teens, but I pretended they were in college - although they were very immature, even for high school - to get through to the end.
It was a pretty decent plot of two friends dealing with curiosity, dating, experimenting, and learning who they are, how they feel and the difference between "like" and "liiike". Or, as Sawada puts it "layers".
There's a weirdly placed bonus story - The Starting Period - about two guys who met as little kids and lost touch. They only knew each other by nicknames and years have passed. Now that one MC is starting college, in the same town his childhood friend moved to, he wonders what happens to him. He doesn't expect to bump into him on his first day!
They become instant friends, rekindling their friendship from years ago.
However, this is one of those rare college stories where one of the two are already gay. Normally, these are bi-awakening, typically double, but this one has a nice scene where they two MC's kiss and one admits he's always been gay. It was a cute story which would have been nice if expanded into a volume of its own.
Praise Me When I'm A Good Boy by Yodaka Kuroi
5.0
I really enjoyed this single-volume manga/yaoi.
There's a lot going on here -> praise kink, D/s, a D/s matchmaking app, teacher and ex-student, blackmail, grumpy/sunshine, jealousy, friends-with-benefits, and they were roommates!
Praise Me When I'm A Good Boy is about Watanabe, a teacher recently promoted to headmaster at a school, who was born as a sub - which is actually a gender! Dom and sub are both genders people are born with, though they're rare. It's actually shown that by suppressing their true natures, both doms and subs can suffer real, physical illness. All his life, he's been told that he's either disgusting or needy or unwanted because he's such a strong natural submissive, so he pushes the instincts down as far as he can and denies they exist. He's managed to fake being 'normal', even has a female fiancee - but at the start of the story, his fiancee has just left him, because she found out he's a sub!
It's a very dramatic start to the story. Desperate, drunk and upset, Watanabe opens a Dom-sub matchmaking app and books a match. When he shows up, he's shocked to find a former student - Izumi - waiting for him.
Thus begins an insanely interesting relationship. Izumi is cool, casual, in command and yet with a bit of a dark past. I liked that we saw snippets of their past together, where Watanabe was a good teacher and kind to Izumi, without expectation or any sense of attraction. It was Izumi who wanted more back then, but he never admitted it, so it really tackled the concept of there being nothing inappropriate between them while they were student-teacher.
I loved that Watanabe was super needy and although he harboured deep guilt and self-shame for being a submissive, he was able to be free with Izumi in a way he couldn't with anyone else. Izumi, in contrast, knows exactly when and how to push Watanabe, when to hold back, and how/when to offer support when it matters most.
I like how the story handles consent - as there's a moment when a dom tries to use their ability to control a needy sub to take advantage of Watanabe when he's vulnerable. Watanabe is aware that he's being manipulated and he fights it. Yet, although he's stronger as a dominant, Izumi never pushes his limits with Watanabe even when he can without coming across as a creep.
The art was lovely; the world-building great, and I loved the entire story and how it wrapped up at the end. It felt like the right ending for them.
There's a lot going on here -> praise kink, D/s, a D/s matchmaking app, teacher and ex-student, blackmail, grumpy/sunshine, jealousy, friends-with-benefits, and they were roommates!
Praise Me When I'm A Good Boy is about Watanabe, a teacher recently promoted to headmaster at a school, who was born as a sub - which is actually a gender! Dom and sub are both genders people are born with, though they're rare. It's actually shown that by suppressing their true natures, both doms and subs can suffer real, physical illness. All his life, he's been told that he's either disgusting or needy or unwanted because he's such a strong natural submissive, so he pushes the instincts down as far as he can and denies they exist. He's managed to fake being 'normal', even has a female fiancee - but at the start of the story, his fiancee has just left him, because she found out he's a sub!
It's a very dramatic start to the story. Desperate, drunk and upset, Watanabe opens a Dom-sub matchmaking app and books a match. When he shows up, he's shocked to find a former student - Izumi - waiting for him.
Thus begins an insanely interesting relationship. Izumi is cool, casual, in command and yet with a bit of a dark past. I liked that we saw snippets of their past together, where Watanabe was a good teacher and kind to Izumi, without expectation or any sense of attraction. It was Izumi who wanted more back then, but he never admitted it, so it really tackled the concept of there being nothing inappropriate between them while they were student-teacher.
I loved that Watanabe was super needy and although he harboured deep guilt and self-shame for being a submissive, he was able to be free with Izumi in a way he couldn't with anyone else. Izumi, in contrast, knows exactly when and how to push Watanabe, when to hold back, and how/when to offer support when it matters most.
I like how the story handles consent - as there's a moment when a dom tries to use their ability to control a needy sub to take advantage of Watanabe when he's vulnerable. Watanabe is aware that he's being manipulated and he fights it. Yet, although he's stronger as a dominant, Izumi never pushes his limits with Watanabe even when he can without coming across as a creep.
The art was lovely; the world-building great, and I loved the entire story and how it wrapped up at the end. It felt like the right ending for them.
The Second Alpha by Yofune Shibue
5.0
There was SO much to enjoy about this. As a standalone, it had heaps of plot, as well as lots of chemistry and a dual POV so that we got to see both characters in full detail.
Morita is new to his uncle's design/architectural design company. It's got a touch of nepotism to it, because he constantly admits that he knows nothing, but he is fully aware of it and accepts how lucky he is. Hard-working Matsumoto is sent to pick him up at the airport, where they bump into each other and Morita feels a fated mate bond between them...only to find a wedding ring on Matsumoto's hand.
While Morita is shocked and disappointed, he tries to be good and keep his distance. Matsumoto, however, doesn't even acknowledge what's happening, until well into the evening when a Welcome to the Company drinks night ends with Matsumoto going into heat! He's a rare omega at a mostly alpha/beta company. Interesting, this world has more betas than alphas, which means that fated mate bonds are quite rare and mostly unexpected.
Stuff happens...stuff I can't talk about, because it would be super spoilery. However, there is amazing chemistry between Morita and Matsumoto. There's incredibly written angst, about how Morita worries that Matsumoto is being neglected, mistreated, even ignored by his mate/husband, and even some great pacing that lets the little secrets trickle through the plot when necessary.
I LOVED the indecision and uncertainty of Matsumoto trying to figure out what to do about his fated mate bond with Morita. He tries to hard to ignore it, but fate keeps drawing them together, forcing accidental meetings, work forced-proximity and even accidents that pull them together.
The ending was lovely and the five years later page was adorable!
Morita is new to his uncle's design/architectural design company. It's got a touch of nepotism to it, because he constantly admits that he knows nothing, but he is fully aware of it and accepts how lucky he is. Hard-working Matsumoto is sent to pick him up at the airport, where they bump into each other and Morita feels a fated mate bond between them...only to find a wedding ring on Matsumoto's hand.
While Morita is shocked and disappointed, he tries to be good and keep his distance. Matsumoto, however, doesn't even acknowledge what's happening, until well into the evening when a Welcome to the Company drinks night ends with Matsumoto going into heat! He's a rare omega at a mostly alpha/beta company. Interesting, this world has more betas than alphas, which means that fated mate bonds are quite rare and mostly unexpected.
Stuff happens...stuff I can't talk about, because it would be super spoilery. However, there is amazing chemistry between Morita and Matsumoto. There's incredibly written angst, about how Morita worries that Matsumoto is being neglected, mistreated, even ignored by his mate/husband, and even some great pacing that lets the little secrets trickle through the plot when necessary.
I LOVED the indecision and uncertainty of Matsumoto trying to figure out what to do about his fated mate bond with Morita. He tries to hard to ignore it, but fate keeps drawing them together, forcing accidental meetings, work forced-proximity and even accidents that pull them together.
The ending was lovely and the five years later page was adorable!
After School Etude Vol. 2 by Hirune Cyan
5.0
I utterly adore this series. The art is STUNNING and the story is sweet and surprisingly wholesome despite sometimes having a darker undertones.
In this volume, Ichi and Minobe aren't partners anymore but there's still plenty of dancing to be done and a huge opportunity comes knocking.
I hate Futami as much as ever!
There's the introduction of a potential new character which could either be exciting or cause trouble...I'm betting on the latter.
In this volume, Ichi and Minobe aren't partners anymore but there's still plenty of dancing to be done and a huge opportunity comes knocking.
I hate Futami as much as ever!
There's the introduction of a potential new character which could either be exciting or cause trouble...I'm betting on the latter.
Ikara and Susa 2 by Haruoto
3.0
Again - very cute, but feels like just a chapter in a bigger story. I definitely don't think - or feel - like this is the end of the story, however I don't really see where else it will go from here.
I think the story would have benefitted from combining 1 and 2 into a single volume, which would have felt more cohesive and a better length for the story being told.
I think the story would have benefitted from combining 1 and 2 into a single volume, which would have felt more cohesive and a better length for the story being told.
Ikara And Susa 1 by Haruoto
3.0
This was sweet and the art was lovely, I just feel like it had more potential than it showed.
For me, this was a super sweet story about forbidden longing, first love, fated mate, that stopped just as things were getting interesting.
Susa is nice, kind and caring, but the way that he came to meet Ikara was rushed and not given the time to develop naturally. It all felt too convenient and rushed to give me any emotional pull.
It felt more like an introduction than a full story. The art style was lovely, but sometimes it was too busy and distracted from otherwise sweet scenes.
For me, this was a super sweet story about forbidden longing, first love, fated mate, that stopped just as things were getting interesting.
Susa is nice, kind and caring, but the way that he came to meet Ikara was rushed and not given the time to develop naturally. It all felt too convenient and rushed to give me any emotional pull.
It felt more like an introduction than a full story. The art style was lovely, but sometimes it was too busy and distracted from otherwise sweet scenes.
The (Pet) Detective Agency by noji
4.0
THEMES: age gap, missing pets
TRIGGERS: mentions of stalker, attempted sexual assault, missing people
Fumika Sako runs a detective agency, after finding that being a policeman wasn't quite what he expected. He's a bit flighty and easy going, in that he'll try any job that appeals to him, but the detective thing has stuck. One day, he saved Rou Nakamura from being beaten and brought him into his home, and his company. From then on, he went from solely handling human cases to also missing pets, because there's something about Rou that draws animals in.
For me, this was a story of two halves - the first explores Rou's ability to find missing pets, which often results in a new addition to the growing menagerie of pets in the office. The second half is more about a human case, and their personal relationship development.
Rou has been in love with Fumika since the start, probably a little hero worship, but definitely since they started working together. However, he was only 19 when Fumika brought him into his life and business, and Fumika considers that to mean Rou is underage. While this probably wouldn't be the case in many countries - like to me, in the UK - the date in Japan was 20 (until 2022) so this caused some age gap dramas.
The art is cute and really well done. There's some awesome chemistry between Rou and Fumika, even while Fumika fights against it, because he sees Rou as underage. Rou is persistent but not to the point that it feels creepy. They live together, which adds an extra layer and dynamic to their relationship. The first half of the story lets them focus on investigations, with only small hints of Rou's feelings; but they really start exploring their relationship in the second half as Rou's 20th birthday comes closer.
While it's really cute, I do feel there was something missing, I just can't put my finger on what. I think maybe the halfway split made it feel like two separate volumes, I'm not sure.
TRIGGERS: mentions of stalker, attempted sexual assault, missing people
Fumika Sako runs a detective agency, after finding that being a policeman wasn't quite what he expected. He's a bit flighty and easy going, in that he'll try any job that appeals to him, but the detective thing has stuck. One day, he saved Rou Nakamura from being beaten and brought him into his home, and his company. From then on, he went from solely handling human cases to also missing pets, because there's something about Rou that draws animals in.
For me, this was a story of two halves - the first explores Rou's ability to find missing pets, which often results in a new addition to the growing menagerie of pets in the office. The second half is more about a human case, and their personal relationship development.
Rou has been in love with Fumika since the start, probably a little hero worship, but definitely since they started working together. However, he was only 19 when Fumika brought him into his life and business, and Fumika considers that to mean Rou is underage. While this probably wouldn't be the case in many countries - like to me, in the UK - the date in Japan was 20 (until 2022) so this caused some age gap dramas.
The art is cute and really well done. There's some awesome chemistry between Rou and Fumika, even while Fumika fights against it, because he sees Rou as underage. Rou is persistent but not to the point that it feels creepy. They live together, which adds an extra layer and dynamic to their relationship. The first half of the story lets them focus on investigations, with only small hints of Rou's feelings; but they really start exploring their relationship in the second half as Rou's 20th birthday comes closer.
While it's really cute, I do feel there was something missing, I just can't put my finger on what. I think maybe the halfway split made it feel like two separate volumes, I'm not sure.
Fortunate Beasts by Otava Heikkilä
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
OH. MY. GOD!
As with Volume 1, the first few pages are actually a future-flashforward, SEVEN YEARS!
I really thought the whole immortal blood-sucker thing was vampires, but it's NOT! These guys are some kind of shifter, though it's not fully explored (though I have seen a glimpse of Vol 3 online that hints at exploring that aspect in the next volume)
I almost don't know what to say...I'm speechless and desperate for the next two volumes.
The ending was SO sudden and dramatic! It ends on a cliffhanger, but that just makes me desperate to read the next two NOW!
"Bats roost under our roof" - Ugh, this was SO painful and beautiful and bittersweet and devastating!
Why did no one warn me about this series? Why didn't anyone tell me NOT to touch it until it was finished?
As with Volume 1, the first few pages are actually a future-flashforward, SEVEN YEARS!
I really thought the whole immortal blood-sucker thing was vampires, but it's NOT! These guys are some kind of shifter, though it's not fully explored (though I have seen a glimpse of Vol 3 online that hints at exploring that aspect in the next volume)
I almost don't know what to say...I'm speechless and desperate for the next two volumes.
The ending was SO sudden and dramatic! It ends on a cliffhanger, but that just makes me desperate to read the next two NOW!
"Bats roost under our roof" - Ugh, this was SO painful and beautiful and bittersweet and devastating!
Why did no one warn me about this series? Why didn't anyone tell me NOT to touch it until it was finished?
Letters for Lucardo by Otava Heikkilä
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THEMES: age gap, non-binary side characters, immortals, blood drinkers, cult(ish) religion, secret sect, sacrifice, duty
This started SO lovely and cute.
Night court scrivener Edmund Fiedler is writing a letter to Lucardo about daily activities and what's going on in his life. At this point there's no timeline reference, but it's clear from the next page that we've gone back in time. I first thought it was a flashback, but I actually think the first few pages - of both volumes - are actually a flash*forward* to future events.
In the longest plot arc - the present, for arguments sake - we see Lord von Gishaupt visiting Edmund's officers, where Edmund is asked to scribe a letter to the person 'the young master' Lucardo is in love with. Only, as the letter continues, we discover that Edmund is the object of his affection.
I won't say any more, because what follows is the lovely but bittersweet beginning of a tragedy that unfolds over the process of a 4-volume series. And I REALLY wish I'd waited for all 4 to be released before I started, because I now have an excruciating wait for the last 2 volumes.
The artwork is - STUNNING! The artist is clearly talented, where the expressions of both main characters are so beautiful. There are places where a single panel perfectly shows Edmund and Lucardo's feelings, while there's a page where each single panel builds on the previous one to show a vignette of emotion, from a growing blush to fingers tightening on a sleeve.
The story also has some amazing humour. I normally don't like stories that are billed as 'funny' or 'hilarious'. This wasn't supposed to be funny, but there were some adorable, cute moments with brilliant one-liners and one panel jokes. The search for oil, for instance, was so sweet. It not only showed how real and charming both these characters are, but it gave a little time to relax from the ongoing background tension of the plot.
There are blood-sucking immortals in this book. I automatically thought vampires - and I think that was intentional - however, the story is far more interesting and complex.
As soon as I finished Volumes 1 and 2, I added these books in paperback to my cart, because I. MUST. OWN. THESE!
This started SO lovely and cute.
Night court scrivener Edmund Fiedler is writing a letter to Lucardo about daily activities and what's going on in his life. At this point there's no timeline reference, but it's clear from the next page that we've gone back in time. I first thought it was a flashback, but I actually think the first few pages - of both volumes - are actually a flash*forward* to future events.
In the longest plot arc - the present, for arguments sake - we see Lord von Gishaupt visiting Edmund's officers, where Edmund is asked to scribe a letter to the person 'the young master' Lucardo is in love with. Only, as the letter continues, we discover that Edmund is the object of his affection.
I won't say any more, because what follows is the lovely but bittersweet beginning of a tragedy that unfolds over the process of a 4-volume series. And I REALLY wish I'd waited for all 4 to be released before I started, because I now have an excruciating wait for the last 2 volumes.
The artwork is - STUNNING! The artist is clearly talented, where the expressions of both main characters are so beautiful. There are places where a single panel perfectly shows Edmund and Lucardo's feelings, while there's a page where each single panel builds on the previous one to show a vignette of emotion, from a growing blush to fingers tightening on a sleeve.
The story also has some amazing humour. I normally don't like stories that are billed as 'funny' or 'hilarious'. This wasn't supposed to be funny, but there were some adorable, cute moments with brilliant one-liners and one panel jokes. The search for oil, for instance, was so sweet. It not only showed how real and charming both these characters are, but it gave a little time to relax from the ongoing background tension of the plot.
There are blood-sucking immortals in this book. I automatically thought vampires - and I think that was intentional - however, the story is far more interesting and complex.
As soon as I finished Volumes 1 and 2, I added these books in paperback to my cart, because I. MUST. OWN. THESE!