#shio usui

[animehouse-moe]

Pride Month Week 4 Recommendations: Broader Horizons

I really wish there was more weeks in June so I could recommend more things, but we're nearing the end already, so I can't give every genre/aspect the attention they deserve. Though similarly, a lot of non BL/GL manga is missing from the NA industry, so sadly there's not a wealth of series to talk about. But! I hope that with the limited licenses we have, and the ones that I recommend, people will buy more of these titles and encourage publishers to bring more of them over! So, with only a little further ado, the recommendations for this week.

As I just said though, the further ado first. This week's charity is Outright Action International, a charity focused on LGBTQ human rights violations at a global scale

Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon

An office romance with an incredibly fresh perspective? A series about a romance between two women that isn't overly sexualized? The check list keeps growing and growing with this story that explores the challenges in regards to romance for both the working women that lead this story. Hinako is all over makeup and the latest trends and trying to find a boyfriend, but can never convince herself that she's in love. On the other side, Sato is a woman who throws herself into work and taking care of her younger sister, never leaving another thought for the concept of love or attraction. But what happens when this pair that can't fit the normal definition of "love" cross paths?

It's a really beautiful story that keeps expectations low, and wonderfully explores the challenges of not just adult romance in society, but romance that exists outside the norms. Not just in regards to two women loving one another, but how they love each other. How they express it, how they struggle with it, what they feel is right or wrong with how they're with each other. It's an incredible story about exploring asexuality and attraction, and does so in a very heartwarming and positive manner.

Our Dreams At Dusk

Tasuku is a teenager that desperately wants to keep his sexuality under wraps, but struggles because of a crush he has on his classmate. Through his anxiety, and wandering through this new city he's moved to, he's discovered by "Somebody", who owns "The Lounge", a gathering area for LGBTQ+ people. Within this small community, Tasuku explores his own sexuality while learning about the experiences and challenges that others have faced.

I was recommended this story by a friend ages ago, and decided to pick it up without knowing anything. I read it all in one go, and then read it all again a week later. In just four volumes, this story explores so many different forms of gender identities and sexuality, and does so through incredibly beautiful metaphors, and endlessly important (though very realistic and potentially painful) interactions and conversations. If there's a single queer manga out there that people feel like they should pick up, it really should be this one.

Last Gender

Bar California is a space for people of all different genders, orientations, interests, and sexualities to gather and shed the forms that they carry through daily life in society. Whether it's to explore themselves, or enjoy a night free of inhibition, Bar California is frequented by many customers, and this manga details the stories of those patrons.

Similar to Our Dreams At Dusk, Last Gender explores a plethora of characters through uplifting, challenging, emotional, and unresolved stories. Repression and lashing out, working up the courage to tell your loved ones, finding the right person or experience for you, it's stories about the realities that LGBTQ+ people face in their lives, and the stress and emotions and challenges that stem from it. It's a very mature story, as it features nudity and sexual acts, but in doing so refuses to avoid the harsher reality of a lot of these stories. Because of that, if people want something that takes a deeper and more grounded look into LGBTQ+ people and communities, this is a great starting point.

Boys Run The Riot

Need I say more? This list wouldn't be complete without Boys Run The Riot. A harsh but incredibly powerful story about the journey of a high school student named Ryo, and their outlet through fashion to express themselves and their story.

It's poignant, it's very candid, it doesn't shy away from truth or issues within the LGBTQ+ community, and it brings the story into society. It doesn't separate Ryo's journey from what's around them, but rather allows their journey to build upon and grow alongside the other characters that form their friend group. It presents it as another story of this world, rather than something that's separated and isolated from what's considered "normal".

X-Gender

X-Gender is an autobiographical manga about the author's journey in exploring their sexuality and gender identity through their adult years, with a dash of comedy, and a healthy helping of adult content.

Relatively straightforward, it details their experiences in coming to understand themselves and who they feel the most comfortable as, and is really informative for both people that are in the process of questioning themselves, and those that lack understanding of these types of experiences. I think it's a really great look at a candid retelling of learning the ins and outs of sexuality and gender identities, and finding the labels and banners that someone is most comfortable associating themselves with, so I definitely think people should give it a shot.

And that's all I've got for this week. In the realm of manga that exists outside of BL/GL, there's a world of information to cover, and I'm super glad so many titles cover vast swathes of information. But at the same time, I feel like there's a very large vacuum in regards to these stories in "typical" settings. A lot are informative or autobiographical, and it's only outliers like Doughnuts Under The Crescent Moon, or the super outlier Boys Run The Riot, that the approach is fictional and more traditional. So I really, really hope that people will pick up these titles (and other similar ones not listed in this list) and show publishers that we want more of these types of stories!

#doughnuts under a crescent moon #kaketa tsuki to doughnut #usui shio #shio usui #our dreams at dusk #shiminami tasogare #last gender #boys run the riot #keito gaku #x-gender #asuka miyazaki #aroace #asexual #trans #transgender #x gender #agender #non binary #nonbinary #manga recommendation #manga reccs #anime and manga #manga #lgbtq manga #lgbtq #pride 2023 #pride month

[out-of-context-aro-ace]

"You know your set when an aspec is on deck" (lololol) but the video is about asexual rep in manga, I just like that line and have never heard of it before

Video by @kamenootblr

#asexual #aroace #manga #is love the answer? #mine kun #uta isaki #doughnuts under a crescent moon #ace lesbian #shio usui #i want to be a wall #honomi shirono #koisenu futari #erika yoshida #catherine kobaly #video essay

[the-lady-writes-what]

Let me tell you guys about this manga...

Doughnuts under a Crescent Moon is a manga I recently purchased and read in one sitting while waiting to get a table for lunch. I really relate to the main character, Hinako, who tries her best to be "normal." She wears make up and cute clothes, all in the effort of finding a man. Hinako feels like if she can just fall in love, she won't feel so abnormal and unworthy of love (mood). One night after a date, Hinako ends up crying and her supervisor Asahi sits with her and gives her a doughnut.

Yall this is the softest fucking sapphic love story and I'm here for it. It's so good.

10/10

#the lady reads what #book rec #manga rec #yuri #yuri manga #Doughnuts under a Crescent Moon #shio usui

[jjs-brainrot]

How it be when you’re normally a nightowl but you have to actually be up in the morning

#Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita #I Married My Female Friend #Marry a Girl Friend #yuri #shoujo ai #both it and Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon are great #has a really cute ace/demi coded relationship #shio usui

[parsleysagerosemarytimemachine]

'Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon' wraps up nicely; I loved seeing them finally figure out their feelings and get together. Really appreciate a good ace romance, and also how supportive their friends and family all are. (Pushy too, but it's a good type of pushy. :) Also also, 'My heart is a little bit like a doughnut.' is such a good line after all the set-up.

#manga #reading #reviews #Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon #Shio Usui #ace

[hatsumishinogu]

Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita Vol.3

#onna tomodachi to kekkon shitemita #shio usui #girls love #manga

[rosycheekies]

The World Exists for You by Usui Shio

#the world exists for you #世界は君のために存在する #usui shio #雨水 汐 #gl #gl manga #pink #pinkcore #yuri #yuri manga #manga #manga cap #wlw #sapphic

[hikikomoriheadphonegirl]

#Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts #Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnut #Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon #Uno Hinako #Satou Asahi #Usui Shio #Kaketa Tsuki 01

[yuripoll]

YURI POLL ROUND 1

#matches #poll #tournament #yuri #manga #doughnuts under a crescent moon #waning moon & doughnuts #usui shio #hanamonogatari #schwinn

[oratokyosaigunda]

Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts, volume 2

#Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts #Crescent Moon and Doughnuts #Donuts Under a Crescent Moon #Usui Shio #manga covers #YuriHime manga

[missmouseeyes]

October 22-28 is Ace Week 2023, so I’d like to give a spotlight to some manga I have enjoyed that have also touched on asexuality.

I Want To Be A Wall by Honami Shirono

A 3 volume Josei manga about the lavender marriage between Gakurouta, a closeted gay man who pines for his childhood friend, and Yuriko, an aromantic, asexual BL fangirl.

She Loves To Cook, and She Loves To Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki

An ongoing yuri Josei manga with a TV adaptation about two women who bond over food. The series recently introduced Yako, an asexual lesbian, and it’s possible that protagonist Nomoto may be on the ace spectrum as well.

Is Love The Answer? by Uta Isaki

A single volume josei manga about Chika, a young college student who has always considered herself an “alien” because she has no desire for romance or physical intimacy, but finds community with people like herself.

Our Dreams At Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare by Yuhki Kamatani

A 4 volume Seinen manga about a closeted gay boy who gets to know the patrons of a drop-in center who all turn out to be part of the LGBTQ community. Someone-san might be considered a deuteragonist of the story.

I’d also like to mention two yuri manga I haven’t finished yet- I have only read the first volume of both- but because of what others have said I know they feature asexual characters!

Catch These Hands! (murata)

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon (Shio Usui)

#asexual #ace week #aromantic #aroace #gay #mlm #wlw #seinen #josei #josei manga #gl #yuri #i want to be a wall #honami shirono #she loves to cook and she loves to eat #sakaomi yuzaki #is love the answer? #uta isaki #our dreams at dusk: shimanami tasogare #yuhki kamatani #catch these hands! #murata #doughnuts under a crescent moon #shio usui

[magicalblerdpenn]

If you're asexual and enjoy yuri (girl's love) manga, please check out the manga series Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon by Shio Usui. As a bi grey aroace person, I enjoyed it for the following reasons:

office love story starring two adult women, Hinako and Asashi

Hinako is a young woman plagued by self-doubt as she tries to use makeup and fashion to fit into the heteronormative expectations of her peers, as well as her mother hopes for her.

Asashi is a level-headed young woman who puts caring for her younger sister Subaru over her own wants and needs.

Hinako is the anxious lesbian character I never knew I needed

honest discussion of love and attraction through the metaphor of doughnuts, despite lacking the language of asexuality

The main leads start out as friends but grow closer through food, nail polish, getting to know each other, and improving their own lives

Great secondary cast including Asahi's witty and caring younger sister Subaru, Asashi's lesbian childhood friend Fuuka, and Hinako's mom (she starts off homophobic but comes around)

#penn's random thoughts #yuri manga #asexual comics #doughnuts under a crescent moon #lgbtq manga

[parsleysagerosemarytimemachine]

'Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon' continues to be really cute; we get a bit of jealousy, a bit of 'only one bed,' a bit of love triangle, and lots of them just working out their feelings for each other. Happily going to read more.

#manga #reading #mtg custom #Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon #Shio Usui #couple

[celepom]

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon

By Shio Usui

Uno Hinako throws herself into makeup, fashion, and falling in love, hoping that will make her seem "normal" to the other people at her job. But no matter how hard she tries, she's a self-doubting mess inside, and her attempts at "normal" romance with men just keep failing. When she starts to think she might be alone forever, a new normal presents itself—in the form of her relationship with Asahi Sato, a level-headed woman who works at her company, which starts as respect until it becomes far more intimate. 

---

Wanna read a Sapphic Ace Romance where they EXPLICITLY outline that they’re both Ace (and one is probably Aro)? *Gestures to the above* HAVE AT YEE!!!

#Comic #manga #graphic novel #book rec #book recs #romance #slice of life #asexual #asexuality #sapphic romance #the struggle to be [normal] hits hard

[aspec-manga-snom]

My Aspec Manga List

This list will be continuously updated from time to time.

Everything on this list will be my personal recommendations for manga that either give off the aspec vibes, have a canon character or have an indirectly labeled character. I will admit a lot of these may be headcanons more than anything, but they aren't without their backing.

I'm using the term aspec as an umbrella term for arospec and acespec.

Trigger Warning Key:

*Contains Sexual References (Jokes, Mentions, etc.)

+Depictions of Sexual Imagery/Complete Nudity (Usually won't go that far, but just to be safe.

-Homophobia,Transphobia, Aphobia, etc.

!Themes of Suicide

/Gratuitous Violence, Gore

Aspec Stories with Canon Characters:

In which the words are said.

Mine-Kun is Asexual by Isaki Uta (ace)

My Astible by Amupaka * (aroace and demiaroace)

Our Dreams at Dusk by Kamatani Yuhki *-! (aroace)

Is Love the Answer? by Isaki Uta - (aroace)

Sex Education 120% by Takaki Kikiki, Illustrated by Hotomura *+ (aroace)

I Want to Be a Wall by Shirono Honami (aroace)

Scum's Wish Décor by Yokoyari Mengo *+- (aroace) (sequel anthology, haven't read the original)

Ame ga Shinai Koto by Okaya Izumi * (aroace) (they don't say the words but "never falls in love" is just right there)

Bloom into You by Nio Nakatani * (aroace) (demiromantic lesbians)

Kiryuu-sensei wa Renai ga Wakaranai by Haruka Ono * (aroace)

Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku by Umi Takase *-! (alloace)

Ano Yoru no Pool by Pukupuku (aroallo)

Romantic Killer by Wataru Momose * (aroallo)

Hatsukoi, Catharsis by Nuko Hatokawa * (gayace)

Lilies and Voices Born Upon the Wind by Mei Renjouji *- (aroace) (pan, demiace)

She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki (ace lesbian)

Sensitive Boy by 46 *+! (aroace supporting)

Basically Unconfirmed but Implied Aspec Headcanons (Some Personal, Some Universal):

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. by Asou Shuuichi (aroace)

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End by Yamada Kanehito, Illustrated by Abe Tsukasa * (aroace)

Oshi no Ko by Akasaka Aka *! (aroallo)

It's Not Meguro-san's First Time by 9℃ *+ (alloace and aroallo)

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon by Usui Shio *- (demiaro ace lesbians)

Last Gender: When We Are Nameless by Taki Rei *+-! (arospec aspec)

Umi ga Hashiru End Roll by Tarachine John (aroace)

Fly Me to The Moon by Hata Kenjiro * (aroace)

I Think Our Son Is Gay by Okura *- (aroace)

Renai Daikou by Akasaka Aka, Illustrated by Nishizawa 5mm * (arospec)

Spy x Family by Endou Tatsuya */ (aroacespec) (I'll die on this hill)

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda *+-!/ (aroace)

The Apothecary Diaries by Hyuuga Natsu & Nanao Ikki, Illustrated by Nekokurage *!/ (aroacespec)

Something Like the Dust That Is My World by Amano Shuninta*+- (aroallo)

Seibetsu "Mona Lisa" no Kimi e by Tsumuji Yoshimura *+-! (aroacespec) (kinda bad ideology of gender binary)

Dr.Stone by Riichiro Ingaki, Illustrated by Boichi * (aroace)

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun by Izumi Tsubaki * (aroace)

My Love Story!! by Kazune Kawahara, Illustrated by Aruko * (aroace)

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge by Nozomi Uda * (aroallo)

Skip & Loafer by Misaki Takamatsu * (demiaro? demiace?) (strong platonic relationships)

Dungeon Meshi by Kui Ryoko*!/ (aroace)

Girl Meets Rock! by Kuwahali, illustrated by Tetsuo Ideuchi (aro)

Watashi no Yuri wa Oshigoto desu! by Miman *+ (aro & demiaro coded)

#ongoing list #aspec manga #lots of good reads #trigger warnings provided #support the authors if you can #or go to fun websites with adblockers #asexual #aromantic #aspec #there will be more

[gloop898]

Media Thread 2024 - Part 13

I Married My Female Friend

By Usui Shio

Simple, domestic, beautiful yuri. It's nothing mind blowing and its cliche, but when it comes to yuri, some nice fluff and romance is often enough for an enjoyable read. I enjoy when romances are often more about the characters figuring out that they love each other, despite the fact that its fairly obviously to the audience that they've loved each other from early on.

| Full List | Prev | Next

#media thread 2024 #I Married My Female Friend #marry a girl friend #Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita #yuri