timefliesaway's Reviews (588)

When two bottoms, who have been dating for a while, didn't know the other is a bottom, and only find out once they want to do it...

Exactly my cup of tea.

It was so so close to being my first BL Manga with switches rep, but unfortunately didn't go that far. But it was teased at least, and they did talk about it (also kind of tried but not really)!

Otherwise a healthy relationship, where both want to make the other feel good and be safe. No alpha ranking or ownership-trope. Only chapter 2 had a bit of an icky moment, but they talked about it right away and it didn't happen again.
So refreshing for the BL genre!

The 2 bonus stories were a bit random, as they were 2 different one-shots with each different characters, who didn't have anything to do with the main couple (or maybe they do? The characters all look a bit too similar :')). But at least they had the same theme (sweet and consent), so I can't complain.

Recommendable!

-10.07.2024

It's a collection of 4 stories, which is why I'll be reviewing them separately.

Chapter 1-2: Sensei (Kari) no Oshigoto (センセー(仮)のお仕事, The Job of a (Temporary) Teacher)
Awful. Toxic. Physical and emotional abuse.
Especially chapter 2 deserves 0 stars. I was hoping for Takuma to fight or ague against him, but nope. Just ends on a note where I hope Takuma makes it out alive, but from what is teased, he’ll likely, sadly, get abused many more years.
Overall rating: 0.5 stars

Chapter 3: Zettai-teki Gohoushi Kankei (ゼッタイ的ご奉仕カンケイ, A Relationship of Absolute Service)
Very cute actually. The more dominant one was the sub/bottom, and the shy/unsure/romantic one was the dom/top here.
Very contrasting to the first story. I really wish these two stories could’ve been published separately, because I want to give this a high rating, which unfortunately isn’t possible with the 0 stars I gave the other story. (I’m totally gonna list it separately in my 2024 list, though! Ha, take that, author.)
Rating: 4 stars

Chapter 4: Junai Kareshi to Fujun na Ore (純愛彼氏と不純なおれ, Pure Loving Boyfriend and Impure Me)
Well, that was sweet, but also very fast-paced. Though maybe it’s actually realistic? I’ve no idea, I just found it a bit too quick. But there was consent and it was actually kinda romantic, I especially loved the first half (before the act), so that’s nice. Masato was another non-toxic top/dom, which, again, is so contrasting to the first story.
Rating: 3.5 stars

Chapter 5: Shinyuu ga Ore e no Ai wo Kojiraseteiru n da ga (親友が俺への愛をこじらせているんだが。, My Best Friend is Complicating My Love Life)
A dense, big, buff karate boy and his best friend, who doesn’t know how to tell him.
I really like how Ryusei was constantly dense, but he had his “intelligent“ moments. When Kyosuke, his best friend, was being dominant, Ryusei first reaction was always shock, but then he becomes very sweet and romantic. Loved that.
But wow, they actually did it in a classroom. And didn’t even bother to go hide in a closet or behind the door or something.
Again, so contrasting to the first story. Even though this too had a jealousy trope, it was actually sweet.
Rating: 4 stars

Chapter 6:
A bonus chapter for each story (with a few pages for each).
-c1-2: still in a toxic relationship, nothing changed.
-c3. The shirt looks good though.
-c4: what an angel, indeed. I do wonder whether his band mates were telling the truth tho?
-c5: oh my god, lmao. I do sincerely hope he was joking lol.

~

HOW did the author decide they want to publish these 3 sweet stories with that incredibly toxic first story???? Or did they just not want a bad rating? -.-

-09.07.2024

Interesting premise with the toy at school (fifty shades of grey vibes), but turned out to be just another toxic Yaoi, where the top doesn't know what consent is, does whatever he wants, and the bottom is secretly aroused by that. Yuck.

At first I was like, "ok, your fault if you're that stupid to try it out at school", but after a while wasn't that nice anymore.
Could've dropped it, but such a short manga, continued as well. Total waste though.

Oh, how I hate characters like Tachibana.

-10.07.24

 More lore, yay. 

And a male vampire made an appearance. 

 

But still many unanswered questions… 

 

I think this volume focused too much on the tournament. While it gave the characters a "happy end" (or, well, happy beginning), looking back, the volume felt a bit empty. 

Chapter 9 tackled one of the most important questions of this story and was really interesting (from what I understood with google translator)! But then was kind of just forgotten. Or the author planned to make a 3rd volume? The ending wasn’t really an ending after all, it feels like there could still be a lot done… 

 

On the other hand, the artist showed what they were best at drawing: fighting scenes. Incredibly realistic, but still within the manga style. Really amazing! 

 

Also loved Rina’s and Misao’s lovey-dovey scenes. They’re so cute. 

Kumiko & Aoi (the couple on the cover) too had their sweet scenes. Was also nice getting to see a bit of their past. 

 

-30.06.24 

A slice of life story set on post-apocalyptic earth, where only vampires and animals have survived. (English Title: "Vampires after the doomsday")

~

Sadly, on 5 chapters have been translated, so I had to use Google translator for the rest, and not only is it quite tiring, but also not everything is properly translated. Which is unfortunate, because the lore really started in chapter 6. And is actually quite interesting, at least from what I understood. How they can survive without human blood, I didn't quite get (because they survive on each other's blood and therefore all vampires are connected?), or why male vampires are rare.

Vibe- and art-wise it's a bit similar to Vampeerz, but the setting and story make this one definitely better. At least I haven't seen a post-apocalyptic story with vampires-only, and vampire GL also is quite rare. So, double plus.

Artistically/Technically, the art is very nice and the details sometimes are amazing. Due to it being black & white and having a high contrast/saturation, though, the details often get lost and it seems too much for a page. On other panels, there's also a bit too few details, which make it looks like it's lazily drawn or rather amateur-ish.
I personally don't mind, cause maybe it was intentional to fit the setting, but it's also not my favorite artstyle.

But I'll totally check out volume 2 as well, and I do hope they're gonna get properly translated someday. Still, recommend it.

~

Ps. The characters on the cover are actually over 200 years old. The reason they look so young is because they dress and act young, but also have their mature moments. 

And it’s also quite amazing how lovey-dovey they still are after being 200 years together. 

-30.06.2024

Is it sex, when two women embrace while being naked?
Asking for a high school friend

That was cute and quite relaxing (Iyashikei)! But also made me wanna go camping. Haven't been camping since I was 12 or sth!! :0

I imagined the story a bit differently – like, episodic adventures with them both camping together. And while it is "episodic adventures" theme, they don't actually camp each chapter. You'd think Rin is the protagonist (right girl on the cover), and while she is, there's much more from Nadeshiko's POV (left girl on the cover). Understandable, since Rin is a pro at camping, while Nadeshiko basically learns with the reader. 
Although it's not exactly like I imagined it, it's still worth continuing.

Rin is more of a quiet, solo type, while Nadeshiko is very energetic. They're like hot and cold and the story is like a ping pong game between the two. But mostly slow-paced. (Which is good.)

I love all the info the reader gets. Not only about equipment, but also about all the locations they're visiting. 
If you want to go camping yourself, this manga would be the best to take with. Because:
- camping info, in case you forgot or have no connection/battery
- book to read when you're bored
2 in 1. 

The artstyle is like a mix of chibi and normal "manga realism" style. Really cute!

I also love how supportive Nadeshiko's sister is of her new hobby. My relatives could never :'3

It's also really cute how Nadeshiko and Rin stay in contact and update each other's adventures. Oh, and: finally some real portrayal of messaging between friends. XD

Anyways, I'll go read Volume 2 now~

-15.06.24

That was... weird.

Things that might ease your worries:

The weird part comes from it being technically wholesome, but then you have those red flags coming from nowhere and going just as quickly. Their relationship basically started with sexual assault, and while Sea didn't say "no" and wanted it, it still was depicted as very one-sided and forced. 

And just when it gets better and healthier, there's another sexual assault. Which, again, was brushed off as something completely lighthearted like a simple kiss. 

But then it has a happy ending and one of them even stopped smoking to be a better partner.

Overall not really something I'd recommend, but it's a quick read, so also not too time-consuming. It lacks with an emotional connection to the characters, though.

-13.06.24