Hey guys how’s it going? Recently I ordered a random Yuri/Boy’s love manga lot on ebay with quite a few well known series, but also quite a few underrated series as well. I bought this lot because I wanted to try all of these series in some form or fashion. Plus I wanted to expand my knowledge of Yuri and Boys love manga/anime because it is not something I normally read. If you do not know what Yuri is, it is a genre of manga/anime that involves a girl/girl actual romance not exactly sexualized but it can happen and Boys love/Yaoi is the male equivalent. There are also a couple of general romance manga volumes as well that have some unique items as well. To also make this fair I also only reviewed the first volume of every series that was in the lot even though there was multiple volumes of a series. Let’s see what I thought of these manga!
Yuri
A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow Vols 1-3
I wasn’t sure what to expect when it comes to this series.
This is a cute Yuri manga that takes place with two girls in the aquarium club. I think reading this manga has shown to me how much I enjoy soft stories about people learning about something new and moving to a new place. Also I appreciate the pacing that goes into the relationships and how happy-go-lucky it is. The only issue I had was that there was some miscommunication involved and there was a big space cadet…. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars or 4 sushi 🍣 🍣 🍣🍣.
Yuri Life
This manga was not what I was expected at all.
First, this is an all color manga which had so many colorful panels and the formatting was a lot like Wotakoi Love is Hard for an Otaku (thankfully there’s no time confusion but I wouldn’t recommend this format for new manga readers nonetheless).
Second, this is an anthology of short stories with all different kinds of Yuri/Girl’s Love stories and couples that were all so cute and fun.
This is an adult manga so I wouldn’t recommend this for younger readers, However, I think it was a good one for someone like me who is very new to Yuri and Girl’s Love because of all the different couples and unique stories to find out what you like. For instance, there’s a hilarious Grim Reaper and Woman Yuri story that I found so cute and then there was an age gap student teacher romance that was okay but not my favorite.
Anyway, overall I loved this and would definitely reread this over and over again if I want some Yuri short stories. However, I am not a fan of the format and if I had to change one thing it was that (although I loved all the color). Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars or 4 sushi 🍣 🍣🍣🍣.
Boys Love
BL Metamorphosis vol 1
I loved this so much! The character dynamic, the artstyle, and the plot was spot-on! It definitely presents the perspective of people who are fans of Boys Love and do not have many people to discuss it with. It also gave some beautiful panels of the manga that they were reading as well. I just wish where it ended wasn’t so abrupt I need more. 4-4.5 out of 5 stars or 5 sushi 🍣 🍣 🍣🍣🍣.
Cherry Magic Vol 1
This was a manga that I have heard mixed things about, However, I enjoyed myself while reading this manga. This is a mature manga so I recommend it for people who are 18+ because of some graphic scenes, however it is a slowburn as far as the relationship. It does have some magical realism but it doesn’t ruin the enjoyment of the story.
My only issue I had with this and it may be more of a nitpick than anything else, was that there was a lot of perspectives in the story more than I expected. This also occurs in this strange order in the story as well sort of like afterthoughts in my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed myself while reading this volume and if its on sale, I’ll definitely continue this series. 4 out of 5 stars or 4 sushi 🍣 🍣 🍣🍣.
General Romance
Blue Flag vol 1
So reading this starting out the week, I can completely see the hype for it. However, this particular volume felt a little slow in plot. I know its going to get better, but still. This has someone helping someone else get with a classmate but there’s a twist that we find out at the end the very end. I already knew the twist going in because people spoil it in their reviews (I won’t do that but let’s just say its a very inclusive story).
The artstyle was very gorgeous and cute especially with one of characters looking like a chibi which was adorable. I think though if you want to read this series, you need to have more than one after the first one because of the cliffhanger. Also think of it as a slice of life romance. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars or 4 sushi 🍣 🍣🍣🍣.
5 centimeters per Second
So this was a manga that I was unsure about going into because I heard the anime movie was beautiful but not the best and essentially I felt like this was a story that had no point???? Ah! I am not trying to say I hated it but the ending left me unfulfilled. I feel like the reader was supposed to be invested in the characters’ love life and we were. However, there were a lot more profound words than plot and the ending! the ending! I am just like nooooooooooooo. I understand why it happened however, it still made me mad that the plot turned out the way it did. I think though I was mainly mad because of the guy stringing everyone along and just turned into a milktoast. I did however, appreciate how the girls/women handled themselves towards the guy. I think if you’re interested in an unfufilled story with some profound quotes, check this out but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend this. Because of these points, I have to give this manga a 2.5 out of 5 stars or 3 sushi 🍣🍣🍣.
My Androgynous Boyfriend vol 1
So hmmm I read this this week and um suffice it to say I am not sure how I feel. First, I am not uncomfortable with the premise let me just put that out there right now. I am however, uncomfortable with all of the deception that occurs with this relationship. It kind of feels like its more convenient than anything else. But there were some wonderful moments in this volume that I loved dearly and the characters were hilarious. The only other issue I had with this volume was that there were a couple of moments that I was confused on who’s who. This could have been on purpose but I don’t know for sure. Overall though, I can definitely see what the hype is about and if I am interested in continuing I am curious to see what other antics the characters get into next. Because of these points, I have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars or 3 sushi 🍣🍣🍣.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think what I have learned from this project is that romance can be interpreted in different ways especially when it comes to manga. This seller did group this lot very well with the variety of manga that was presented. For me personally, I enjoyed most of these works and the ones I was on the fence about or did not like, it happens and that’s ok someone else will appreciate them. What about you guys? What did you think of this kind of post? Are you a fan of these series too? What kind of romance do you like reading? Let’s talk about it!
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Sushirainbow 