Fiction which is not m/m romance
Jan. 19th, 2024 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrThese ended up dividing neatly into some specific subgenres. I really have been mostly into m/m romance lately, huh...
Non-romance Anime:
Bocci the Rock
Play it cool guys
m/f romance manga and webtoon:
Sweat and Soap
Busu ni Hanataba wo
Everyone wants to get married
Another Typical Fantasy Romance
m/m but not romance manga:
The Summer Hikaru Died
f/f romantic fantasy novel:
Earthcast
Non-romance Anime:
Bocci the Rock: Did I really not review this already?? Funny, cute story about a highschool girl with anxiety joining a rock band and making friends. A little male gazey/Cute Girls Do Cute Things but not TOO fanservicey and made with a lot of love, and the depiction of anxiety was great. Lots of femslash subtext but it goes nowhere.
Play it cool guys: Slice of life about cute dudes who seem cool but are actually endearingly awkward, and the random women who squee about how hot they are. Made me WILDLY dysphoric within MINUTES. Probably fine if you're not me?
m/m but not romance manga:
The Summer Hikaru Died: Character driven horror-drama about a sad lonely teen boy in a small town dealing with the fact noone else has noticed that his best and only friend has died and come back as some sort of affectionate but terrifying eldritch being. Eventually the tension of wondering exactly HOW badly this was going to end made me stop reading but it was a really great and unique experience before then, disturbing and endearing and resonant. I came across this video ad which, even untranslated, really gets across the Vibe.
m/f romance manga and webtoon:
Sweat and Soap: Sexy romance between a guy with a strong sense of smell and a woman who sweats a lot but he thinks it smells great. I think I found this moderately cute.
Busu ni Hanataba wo: Shoujo highschool romance between a shy awkward chubby girl and a nice boy? I think? I read this AGES ago and it didn't leave a HUGE impression but I think I liked it well enough.
Everyone wants to get married: I think this was ok-ish??
Another Typical Fantasy Romance: I can't even remember if this is time loop or transmigrator. But the standard Fiance Of The Crown Prince In A Fantasy Novel Who Knows The Upcoming Plot gets together with the Ned-Stark-inspired Manly Lord To The North. I really didn't click with it.
f/f novel:
Earthcast: Romantic fantasy set in medieval Eastern Europe about an ex-Muslim Roma vampire and a Jewish golem. I liked some parts of this a lot, the characters are engaging and the fantasy writing is very evocative. There was a bunch of body horror and angst which for the most part was exactly the sort I like. But something about the way it handled the various marginalised ethnicities felt off in a well meaning way, and at a certain point I had a feeling the plot wasn't going to go in a way I liked so I looked up the ending and NOPE. Other people seem very happy with it, so YMMV.
Non-romance Anime:
Bocci the Rock
Play it cool guys
m/f romance manga and webtoon:
Sweat and Soap
Busu ni Hanataba wo
Everyone wants to get married
Another Typical Fantasy Romance
m/m but not romance manga:
The Summer Hikaru Died
f/f romantic fantasy novel:
Earthcast
Non-romance Anime:
Bocci the Rock: Did I really not review this already?? Funny, cute story about a highschool girl with anxiety joining a rock band and making friends. A little male gazey/Cute Girls Do Cute Things but not TOO fanservicey and made with a lot of love, and the depiction of anxiety was great. Lots of femslash subtext but it goes nowhere.
Play it cool guys: Slice of life about cute dudes who seem cool but are actually endearingly awkward, and the random women who squee about how hot they are. Made me WILDLY dysphoric within MINUTES. Probably fine if you're not me?
m/m but not romance manga:
The Summer Hikaru Died: Character driven horror-drama about a sad lonely teen boy in a small town dealing with the fact noone else has noticed that his best and only friend has died and come back as some sort of affectionate but terrifying eldritch being. Eventually the tension of wondering exactly HOW badly this was going to end made me stop reading but it was a really great and unique experience before then, disturbing and endearing and resonant. I came across this video ad which, even untranslated, really gets across the Vibe.
m/f romance manga and webtoon:
Sweat and Soap: Sexy romance between a guy with a strong sense of smell and a woman who sweats a lot but he thinks it smells great. I think I found this moderately cute.
Busu ni Hanataba wo: Shoujo highschool romance between a shy awkward chubby girl and a nice boy? I think? I read this AGES ago and it didn't leave a HUGE impression but I think I liked it well enough.
Everyone wants to get married: I think this was ok-ish??
Another Typical Fantasy Romance: I can't even remember if this is time loop or transmigrator. But the standard Fiance Of The Crown Prince In A Fantasy Novel Who Knows The Upcoming Plot gets together with the Ned-Stark-inspired Manly Lord To The North. I really didn't click with it.
f/f novel:
Earthcast: Romantic fantasy set in medieval Eastern Europe about an ex-Muslim Roma vampire and a Jewish golem. I liked some parts of this a lot, the characters are engaging and the fantasy writing is very evocative. There was a bunch of body horror and angst which for the most part was exactly the sort I like. But something about the way it handled the various marginalised ethnicities felt off in a well meaning way, and at a certain point I had a feeling the plot wasn't going to go in a way I liked so I looked up the ending and NOPE. Other people seem very happy with it, so YMMV.
