Manga: Love Murder Basketball, Volume 1

After my last mangas, I wanted to read something dark, something disturbing, something that wasn't so nice and cute and lovely. I read the description of this volume and knew it would the best option. Boy it was. I'm already impatiently waiting for the next volume for LOVE MURDER BASKETBALL, Volume 1, by Kurutta Hito and Tsunderuuu. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Mangakas: Kurutta Hito (script) with Tsunderuuu (art).
• Expected Publication Date: November 28, 2023.
• Publisher: TokyoPop.
• Print Length: 194 pages.
• Genres: Crime, Drama, Gay, Horror, Yaoi.
• 5 / 5 stars.

A thrilling game of cat and mouse, murder and mystery...

As the son of one of the most infamous Yakuza bosses in Japan, Shoto Tanaka's life has been anything but average. Then he meets the most popular athlete in Japan, Goro Nakamura. Goro is used to putting on a show for the public, and since he comes from a family of wealth and notoriety, he's frequently in the limelight. Shoto, like many others, is captivated by his icy charisma.

What Shoto isn't aware of is that Goro is also the infamous 'Animosity Serial Killer' of Japan. In what ways will Goro and Shoto's profound devotion to one another and their various ideologies impact their complex relationship and those around them?

NOTE: This book contains explicit content and mature themes, including uncensored sex, bondage, violence, gore, and torture. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age.

I need to make something clear before anything. I've seen this book being shelved as romance. However, I am not that convinced that it falls in this category. If anything, it is a horror manga that presents a toxic relationship. There are scenes that do give that impression, that these two are totally in love, but it is not enough for me. I will leave the door open for the future volumes, however.

That being said, I did like reading it. It's one of those stories that grabs you and doesn't let you go until you are done with it, and it is done with you as well. While it's true that it doesn't happen too much in this first volume, it left me wanting more even though it wasn't as addictive as I expected it to be. It gets the job done, however!

The art is also a marvel. It's a particular style I hadn't seen before that works well with this story. It's delicate but still graphic, giving the whole book an atmospheric, calm air. The same style gets erotic whenever needed. Somehow, the same aesthetic works for these scenes, giving them a much better look than what you expect!

It's definitely a reading that will keep you entertained, wondering what will happen later. While simple, it's captivating, with fascinating characters that surprise you several times. If you're like me and enjoy stories with dark, difficult themes, you'll be done in no time and reading the webcomic right away.

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

Manga: Send Them a Farewell Gift for the Lost Time

I haven't reviewed manga in a while! So today there's a one-shot volume that became one of my all'time favorites and that I will definitely re-read in a short time. It's a story about breakups, wounds, love, forgiveness, and healing. It's Send Them a Farewell Gift for the Lost Time, by Cocomi. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Mangaka: Cocomi.
• Expected Publication Date: January 16, 2024.
• Publisher: TokyoPop.
• Print Length: 194 pages.
• Genres: Drama, Gay, Romance, Yaoi.
• 5 / 5 stars

For four years, Naruse was swept up in his love for his novelist boyfriend, Toui. But tiring of his flightiness and lack of commitment, Naruse finally walks away from his relationship.

Or at least, he tries to. Every time he runs into Toui, they seem to get tangled in one another's emotions and end up sleeping together. They argue and fight, then afterwards comes the pang of regret. Maybe their relationship is doomed to fail. Or maybe, it just needs a new angle...

One of the things that I dislike about yaoi mangas is that the stories can be so perfect they don't seem real, which is generally fine, until it is not. Until it's just too much. Well, this is the biggest exception to the rule I've seen because of how realistic, yet cute, beautiful, adorable, and hot, the story is. There are moments of tension, but it never looses its essence as a love story.

I loved how the characters changed and grew chapter after chapter, showing how similar yet still different they both were at all times. The art took this to another level thanks to the body language and facial expressions during key scenes, important moments that defined what would happen next, along with beautiful backgrounds and details that gave it a more sound personality.

There were moments, however, when I felt I missed something. I cannot put a name on it, but there was something I didn't find, even though the backstories, the development, script, and art were beautiful, some pages where the execution didn't work that much for me. I stayed immersed the whole time, don't get me wrong, but not fully. However, this was minimum.

For those who like redemption stories with a dose of humor, spice, and real life, this is the perfect reading. A good script with amazing art that transports you to another world as the characters try to heal, each of them in their own ways, and discover what all of that actually means. Innocent, yet mature, combines the best of both worlds with amazing results.

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!

Review: Witchcraft Unchained

It's been a hot minute, hasn't it? While I was away from the digital world, I read, and read, and read, and read some more, so I hope you're in for a few reviews the next days. Today, I come with a book that illuminated a lot things and debunked many false myths about Paganism: Witchcraft Unchained: Exploring the History & Traditions of British Craft, by Craig Spencer. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

• Print Length: 252 pages
• Publisher: Crossed Crow Books
• Publication Date: June 22, 2023
• Genres: History, Witchcraft, Non-Fiction, Paganism Studies.
• Rating: 4/5 stars.

On June 22, 1951 the last of the Witchcraft Acts was repealed in the UK. This single action would lead to the rise of what would become the global witchcraft revival movement. Despite another year marking the passing of this historical event, so much of our history still remains lost, misunderstood, or frankly made inaccessible to the magical community at large. There is a craving for better information about the more recent history of Witchcraft in the hopes that these gaps in knowledge may be filled, and it's the author's intention to make Witchcraft Exploring the History & Traditions of British Craft the book that will do just that. By addressing the metaphorical chains that have found their way into our community and restoring what has been lost, misunderstood, or made inaccessible, the reader can become empowered with new thoughts which will allow them to connect with their magic on a deeper and more personal level.

I loved the writing style of this book, how easy and simple it is at all times. There are several chapters that deal with many topics that may seem difficult at first sight, and some explanations could have been challenging. However, Craig made sure to take it easy without that affecting the quality of the book. I was able to see and understand everything and follow his ideas with no problem.

While it is true that the subtitle says the it's about British Craft, I've seen it influencing a lot of practices, so I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be more critical about their practice while also exploring its evolution through time, because we also get to see how some things changed while others stayed the same.

The only one thing that I didn't like was very specific: the chapter about the Goddess, the God, and the Great Rite, not being heteronormative. It was one of the chapters I was looking forward the most, but it didn't convince me at all what the author presented. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it, and while I saw his point in some of his ideas, I still don't share them.

All in all, it's a book that reminds you to question everything, ask everything and anything, always keeping room for surprises. It honors Witchcraft, a road full of unexpectedness, by sharing things you don't expect, answers to questions you didn't know you had, enriching your practice in a new way. I would recommend it to anyone, really.

Kinky regards, K!

Connect with me on Instagram and Twitter!

Remember this blog lusts after your comments and shares to grow healthy!