im not a fan of m/f side couples in BL. other than they generally being the most annoying characters or characters u barely care abt at all, they always exist as if the author is telling "hey, straight ppl exist too!" like showing the mc's parents is not enough. and no, that's not how u do bi/pan representation. yeah, in this manga there's so many gay ppl that straight ppl are in the minority, so the author wanna do the representation lmao
A Few Years Had Passed, the BL Genre has Changed Alot... Yet I Still Love Romantica
But seriously, if you love something, is it necessary to have a reason? xD Can't I love something merely because I want to? Like, you don't need to have a reason to like fried chicken amirite?
Ahem. Anyway. Long post ahead.
First of all, it's merely because of a certain shot.
After seeing this for the first time, I was like "This is going to be one of my faves for sure. I'll enjoy every seconds of it. I believe this is a story that I will never forget. I'll constantly look forward to knowing the two and their story more and more."
Proud to say, this still rings true even now!
I have already listed the reasons why I love them so much, so I won't do it again in this post. But for this time, I'll explain why I still love them even after several years, even after I've transitioned from a teen to an adult which would affect my tastes over time, even after I've seen more BL works... even after knowing that there are things that other BLs managed to pull off better.
Flashbacks to the 2000s which I assume was the golden age of this series, where it was the only "watchable" BL anime back then and Sakurai Takahiro did a phenomenal job in portraying Misaki. Almost all of the fujos in internet would at least have heard of this series, and naturally it was massively beloved that 90% of the fujos would hold it as the no. 1 in their top BL list. However, since it is popular, of course there will be a fraction of people who strongly hate it because of a certain scene. Hence, citing it as the epitome of toxic BL lmao.
But of course, things will constantly change as time passed, just like how it's growing evident that BL is only consumed by cishet women is a huge myth, as queer men themselves have started to voice their love towards the genre as well. And it is also possible for ppl who aren't interested in men to enjoy BL, such as the straight guys, lesbians, and asexuals.
Likewise, BL itself is also evolving - newer ones are more aware about the idea of consent although some may still clueless of how healthy relationships work (relationship is more than just sex!). While this may sound subjective, technically there are more and more quality BL works to consume nowadays. In case you are bored with the slice-of-life BL, there is a plethora of fantasy and horror BL out there to choose, moreso when you're aware of webnovel sites like Syosetu. Isekai BL? They're out there.
And it isn't just from Japan, China and Korea are also capable of producing good BL as well. Even BL is getting praised for the more genuine M/M representation compared to how it's generally done in the West (coughcough performative diversity coughcough).
And it doesn't stop there. The series doesn't even need to have a BL label, the MC can still be gay, and the gay romance can still happen despite the plot not centering around that.
There should be no reason to think that it isn't possible for two men to fall for each other nowadays, the teases shouldn't amount to nothing, which alot of non-BLs were guilty of back then. Well, I'm talking abt series that would tease two male characters together but the creators will allow them to be anything but gay for each other. The only time you'd see them as canon gay is in doujins or fanfics.
Hence, you'd only get canon gay couples from series that have been labelled as BL. Luckily, it's no longer a reasonable thing to do in 2021 onwards.
So, thanks to this new golden era of BL or LGBTQA+ representation, since there are so many quality works to indulge yourself, the Junjou Romantica series is getting outdated. I believe alot of the new generation haven't even heard of it ahahaha. When compared to other BL, I'll admit that Junjou won't even fit to be the best or the worst. I'm not saying that Junjou is bad, but it's simply because there are so many BL works now compared to in 2000s. To the point I bet they would discover Junjou because of sheer luck.
Now, I'll get to the point. Why I still love Romantica through these years? Well, just because there are more and newer BLs, doesn't necessarily mean that it is better. While it's true that there are stuff that other BLs do better such as the plot, the characters, and the art, there's something that Romantica does better than others too, in my opinion. That is, Misaki and Akihiko's dynamic.
I love how Misaki and Akihiko are characters of their own whilst loving each other very much. In many BLs I've seen, the dynamic doesn't feel equal, where the MC is generally too busy to think about the ML most of the time (to those who are unfamiliar, it's referring to the main love interest), whereas the ML serves no other purpose to the story other than being the MC's love interest. In comparison, as the MC, Misaki's POV is always 90% USAGI-SAN USAGI-SAN USAGI-SAN in every chapter although he faces different problems every single time. As for Akihiko, yea he loves Misaki so much but his character arc isn't limited to that. As outdated as the series would be, this aspect of their relationship, will always be timeless to me.
I've grown to love them so much, that I'll get happy from merely seeing them. Yea I do understand that others will get disappointed of the slow and repetitive plot, the bad art, not to mention after waiting for months for the update, spending money to get it... but all I think when looking at new acts is "OMG it's my babies I miss them so much T-T".
So yea, that's it. I don't ask much, I just want to see Misaki and Akihiko, and nothing more.
i dunno if anyone would be interested to hear this from me, but i just wanna tell y'all that im still alive. im not going anywhere. i obediently lurk in this tag from time to time
it's just that i have nothing much to offer nowadays. in terms of both official materials and creativity :(
Even tho im not taking takahiro's side, i can understand his feelings. Imo he punched usagi bcs he felt deceived - he entrusted misaki to his best friend, and it turned out his bff was sleeping around with his bby brother without him knowing which can seem like usagi is taking advantage of it.
Of course usagi didnt, but well takahiro didnt get to see the whole picture after all. Just like in fuyuhiko's case where it's possible that misaki could be just a gold digger.
I actually wish misaki was there during the punching scene. He will get conflicted, but of course he will defend usagi and say something like "he's rly kind to me, that's why i love him!" Oof imagine misaki saying that in front of usagi xD and the only one who can decide misaki's happiness is neither takahiro nor usagi, but misaki himself after all
ive seen the spoilers for latest jr chapter and... why nobody is talking abt MISAKI INITIATING THE KISS HOW MANY YEARS WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT SINCE JR SEASON 3 OP
So I was super bored hence I decided to make this list.
1. Usami Akihiko x Takahashi Misaki (Junjou Romantica)
The first BL couple I stan, even to this day ;w; Yeah, they have a problematic beginning but doesn’t mean both of them aren’t going to change for the better, right? As per now, they are a healthy couple, they are not the same like they were in the first few chapters!!!
I love them as they are both broken inside, yet they heal each other by staying together!!! D
2. Victor Nikiforov x Katsuki Yuuri (Yuri!!! on Ice)
As much as I am super obsessed over them, I think this couple is pretty overpraised xD Maybe you can guess my reasons for loving them are the same as others xDD
3. Aresh Indrak x Kondou Seiichirou (Isekai no Shata wa Shachiku Shidai)
MY CURRENT OBSESSION.
Our 30 year old mc, Seiichirou is transported to the other world. (YES. ISEKAI AND BL) There, he meets the 22 year old knight commander, Aresh (probably the one of the hottest ML I’ve ever seen). Since the other world is a dangerous place for Seiichirou, Aresh will serve as his protector while the latter secretly harboring feelings for the former.
READ THE MANGA NOW –> https://mangadex.org/title/50992/the-affairs-of-the-other-world-depend-on-the-corporate-slave
seeing the marukawa shoten twitter tweeting abt the prohibition of sharing the manga and anime of sihjr. then the comments filled with nothing but the fans criticizing the lack of overseas friendly options like digital version, english localization and stuff. yea, totally nobody agreed with them
i would have bought the magazine if i have more money or the postage isn’t expensive especially due to the virus. see, this situation proves how pirating is not wrong, bcs not everyone can easily get access to your products especially if they dont understand the language.
pirating is what makes you gain a wider audience in the first place. basically they have no idea how it is more difficult for overseas fans to purchase their products compared to the folks living there, can easily get it from the nearest stores. they dont have to struggle with high postage costs, the language barrier, the risk of losing their parcel, their cards getting rejected bcs japan doesnt recognize the bank et cetera, and the latest one being limited shipping due to the virus, as some countries are being banned... the golden rule in business is to understand your consumers’ lacks and needs, it’s not like they have infinite money in their pockets
for example, i remember when yuri on ice had an event where it was sold as dvd for ppl in japan but available as live streaming for free in youtube for the overseas fans. does it hurt yuri on ice’s sales? (mannn i miss yuri on ice so much)
it’s so easy to blame pirating for the poor sales instead of the lack of quality content or better marketing tbh
okay, so after having some thoughts, i have to say... junjou's latest act is probably the most depressing one to date.
yesterday im laughing at the joke that this act could be the final act, but now i wont dare again tbh. what came into mind was the cover page for the chapter, where usagi and misaki are standing, holding each others' hands while eerily staring towards us readers. usually one of them or both will be smiling in the covers, but this time... none of them are smiling.
i can see how all three of them equally are having it difficult in this act. usagi of course supports misaki in the best he could, while trusting in his lover's courage to tell takahiro. this time, it is done without usagi's intervention unlike the one with manami. after misaki gets the job done, usagi feels guilty as he thinks he is the one to blame bcs of the kiss in the car.
as for takahiro, since i have a little brother too so i can perfectly understand how he feels. just like the swing scene implies, he still views misaki as a child. it is confirmed in act 50 that he wants to be misaki's no. 1, and he wants to be misaki's main caretaker forever. i guess he can't imagine someone else to take that role from him. not to mention homophobia exists in this universe, so i imagine he will be worried that misaki will take a difficult path. hence, it pretty much implies that it is difficult for takahiro to approve of their relationship and misaki could see it himself. it's not like he doesn't want to, in actuality, he can't.
now misaki, who arguably has it the hardest. he knows his brother is unable to accept their relationship, and it greatly pains him. he and his brother's relationship isn't normal as siblings, in fact they acted as each other's living crutch while they were younger, after losing their parents. what will await misaki after this is that he could potentially lose either takahiro, the brother who had sacrificed everything to raise him or usagi, the man he's in love with. he can't simply just cut ties with one and own the other.
poor misaki, i think this is the chapter where misaki cries the most. this chapter also deviates from the usual - it's usagi who's always the one to hug misaki while expressing his feelings or voicing his insecurities, but in this chapter the reverse happens. now usagi is the one to console, which is usually done by misaki in previous acts and the latter is the one to cling tightly while exposing his fragile side. this isn't the first time they did this anyway, as it also happened after fuyuhiko telling misaki of him being a nuisance. but unlike that scene, this time misaki is fully open - he's not bottling his feelings at all. and did i mention how misaki couldn't stop hugging usagi in this act?
now the ending. misaki is reenacting the exact same wishes he did while in kamakura, and of course the third wish of staying by usagi's side forever as the most important one to him. just as he narrated, he strongly wished for the third one - as the uncertain future awaits. i have to say, if this is how romantica ends... IT'S SO FKIN CRUEL
so sad to think nothing comedic happened in this chapter at all. it's all angst, even the sex scene doesn't help. well, in the middle of sex usagi prays that things will end up cheery like usual which causes misaki to tear up, then chibi usagi commenting "you're crying again" and chibi misaki telling him to shut up. i can't even laugh at that scene. but i have to clarify that misaki is crying tears of happiness in that scene, and usagi is the one to blame for suddenly saying kind stuffs. STILL NOT MAKING THE SITUATION BETTER IMO
not sure if i or all of us are strong enough to stomach this kind of chapter again in the future sigh. sad to think how things doesn't seem to be ending for now, heck it feels like the beginning of another challenge for the romantica couple. wild how the previous arc we had the childish ijuuin and za kan drama, and now this whole emotional rollercoaster. let's hope for the best :"(
so since many ppl are wondering, here’s how takahiro reacts to misaki after him coming out
takahiro immediately said he’s making his leave, before that he told misaki to be careful on his way back. misaki kept apologizing, to which takahiro responded “you don’t need to apologize! if you believe in something, then stick firmly to it!”
anddd that’s it.
back in the train, misaki thought “Niichan is kind-hearted after all. I think he carefully picked his words so he won’t hurt me. Neither an approval or a rejection came out from him”
some personal thoughts, it’s surprising how things went to this direction. it’s a response that i think rly in-character for takahiro. of course he loves misaki so much, but that is obviously alot for him to take in at once. misaki on the other hand, i can imagine how this kind of response pained him so much.
