I just really like BL manga

Blog where I somehow yap even more about BL manga, especially ones not currently licensed in English!! Disclaimer: My Japanese comprehension is very beginner. I do my best to read and understand the manga I talk about, but I apologize if I misinterpret anything bc of my low language level...

[sweet-cream-puff]

A Very Belated and Short J.Garden 59 Report

3 months ago, I went to J.GARDEN again. I then proceeded to not write about the event after getting home because I instead decided to read the BL visual novel Hashihime of the Old Book Town, which I highly recommend btw. Anyways here's a very rambly overview of my experience at this year's spring J.GARDEN.

During this last trip, I met up with several BL fans! I want to write a separate post about that, but J.GARDEN really was the event that united us all, even though we were mostly off going in different directions during the actual event.

The shuffle entry was honestly pretty easy. Pick a line to stand in and pray until you get called in to go. The line Carp, Court, and I were in got called around midway though, which wasn't too bad. Upon going in, I really felt the energy of J.GARDEN this time around even higher than last year's! I had foolishly thought after going once, surely I would be prepared. The hall location was different this time, and I felt lost at times trying to make my way though since it was like a corner shape lolol... Still, I was able to stop by and pick up a good chunk of the books I had set out to get with the lovely help of Carp!!

I was able to meet some more mangaka for the first time, including Chiyozaki, Shiina Suzaka (I missed her booth last year), Minamoto Kazuki (also missed booth last year), Ebino Bisque, Daichi Miki, and Sumiya Zeniko. Chiyozaki-sensei especially was huge and wonderful surprise to me since I didn't see them really mention it much at all on Twitter... I only found out when the circle list came out instead. I also got a chance to see some mangaka I met last year again too, which was exciting~

It was also pretty wild to see more English-speaking overseas fans who went to J.GARDEN this time too, esp outside the group of people I met up with! At one point I overheard two people who were looking for iirc GUILTPLEASURE's space in English and was like, "oh yeah they're over there" before speeding off. Also a few people had reached out to me online saying my guide was helpful, which made me happy. If there's any improvements/suggestions you'd like to see please let me know!

Honestly going around and saying hi after purchasing is truly my favorite part about J.GARDEN. I'm definitely the type of fan who likes to say I've enjoy their work in person if I have the chance. I've probably said this 12498 times but truly it's special as an overseas fan to see some of the mangaka you really like...!!!! Like oh my god you're so cool. I definitely was very giggly when I picked up my copy of Deus Meus.

I was more prepared in my gifts this time too. packed the bags with the Albanese gummies and a sticker of my OCs Leo and Cyrus (left). I wrote more letters as well, though most of them short! Which honestly is better than nothing!!! I did most of them using these Furukawashiko bouquet letter sets I got from my local stationery shop (right).

I also gifted some of the pastel mini Trader Joe's totes (8-ish???), which were luckily re-released a few days before I left for Japan!! I felt very cool for gifting them lmao... I will be doing it again for the coming J.GARDEN. (I got 3 of the striped pastel ones they just released lol, though idk if I'll be able to grab more before they sell out...)

Though looking at what I've bought, I've been thinking about how I've focused more on circles of mangaka who bring side stories for their commercial work. It is what originally drew me to wanting to attend the event after all. But I feel like I'm almost making J.GARDEN a commercial event when it isn't and I'm missing out on more artists and original stories...!! There's just so much out there!

Anyways, my goal for J.GARDEN60 is to go to more circles bringing works that are purely self-published, even though 60 currently has an insane lineup of well-known BL mangaka and will have 2000 spaces. And it's still 4 hours only. I'll do my best hahaha

Also I'm so sorry I never made a thread on my thoughts of the individual books I got this year... Once again I blame it on getting sucked into Hashihime. I still plan to write on some though!!!

I will say some of my fav pick ups were: - Deus Meus [Baka de Yowakute Buzama Demo side story] by Chiyozaki - Fairy in the Snow by Breeze - At a Glance by Bread and Rito - Quality of Life by Totsuka Tsutomu

If I keep going I'll probably just end up listing everything...

To wrap up, I'm grateful I was able to attend again meeting friends and basking in the air of BL... I love staying until it officially closes. Even though I'm tired and hungry I will be there until I actually have to leave hahaha. That being said, I will be going back in October for the 30th anniversary since they're taking a break next spring!! I was like fuck it YOLO, 2000 spaces and anniversary? Hell yeah.

I also want to draw more of my own OCs again!! (Maybe one day I'll make my own doujinshi... We'll see haha)

[allthefujoshiunite]

I apologize if this is a complicated question or if it kind of scatters everywhere and doesn’t have a coherent point.

I’m new to BL, but one thing I’ve noticed from people both within and outside the community is that a lot of people say BL as a demographic is generally catered toward romantic stories.

Obviously there are exceptions, but non-BL queer stories seem to cater more toward identity-based narratives, if that makes sense. I’ve also seen people criticize the fact that some BL uses internalized homophobia more as a plot device rather than really treating it as a narrative that gets deeply explored.

And also I’ve seen people critique BL for when it delves into a guy having a girlfriend and then suddenly liking a guy, and it doesn’t really explore the complicated feelings of discovering that for the first time.

That then leads to the whole “I’m not gay, I only like you” trope. But even that trope itself, I feel like, isn’t really delved into from a nuanced perspective. I feel like it could make sense and be written in depth, but a lot of the time it isn’t.

And this leads to people kind of using this as a way to discard the whole demographic as not really being queer, even though it involves two men, because it doesn’t seem to want to get involved with the actual queerness of the characters — like the in-depth, complicated feelings someone might experience.

I’m not trying to dismiss BL or attack it. I just want a nuanced perspective on this from someone who doesn’t completely dislike or discard BL as a demographic.

I apologize again if this is complicated or scattered.

Hello! Thank you for reaching out to me, and your message wasn't incoherent at all. As is always the case with online social media discussions, a lot gets lost between people trying to best one another and snappy one-liner gotchas. I also think there are certain aspects that people don't take into consideration when talking about BL/LGBTQ+ comics, their tropes, and structure. You asked for a nuanced perspective, so you're getting a lengthy post haha. I'll try to break them down and hopefully, there'll be a useful takeaway here somewhere.

You're right in noting the distinction, and that's also my very broad rule of thumb. I often say that BL focuses more on romance, while LGBTQ+ comics tend to focus more on identity. However, it's important to notice that this is a spectrum. On one hand of the spectrum, we have wish-fulfillment, on the other, interpersonal drama and identity politics. Works in both genres fall somewhere on this line. As the IRL LGBTQ+ movement pushes forward and the identity politics/allyship discussions gradually become a topic of everyday conversation, you will see its effects on the genre without a doubt. Just like how climate change and discussions around scarcity are topics that are increasingly delved into, like in Fool Night, or discussions around neurodivergency give way to works like Spacewalking With You, BL changes and evolves too.

We also have to take into consideration that sexuality, gender, and how they are performed IRL are contextual and cultural. What we see in works from East Asia may not fit into what we want to see from a Western perspective. It's also possible that certain cultural codes that signal queerness elude us simply because we're not accustomed to them.

For example, the "only gay for you" trope you mentioned is still being tossed around, but it's been quite a long time since I've read a BL work that explicitly incorporates it. Now, one of the leads identifies as heterosexual until he meets the other lead, and after certain tribulations, they reach their hard-earned happy ending, but it isn't portrayed in a "I will never be with another man if we break up" kind of way, as certain older works have explicitly put those words onto the page to portray a very narrow, singular devotion. The characters cease to exist the moment a story ends, and unless the creator openly explores what happens after the breakup, we can't really speculate whether that ex-hetero character is now open to dating men or not.

To be honest, I'm reluctant to approach fiction simply through the lens of "How much of it exists in real life," but even if you wanted IRL correlation, there are people out there who, despite identifying as heterosexual, seek out gay sex for reasons of their own. Some BL explicitly mention discovering bisexuality and there are more and more openly queer characters in the genre. As I've talked about in a previous post of mine, people read very little BL and the ones that they read are the handful of extremely popular series, then they go around and base their whole opinion on a genre on these titles. They are loud, and the algorithm amplifies divisive takes. Then it looks as if everyone thinks that way.

Imagine believing every shonen series is like Naruto... It is no doubt an influential work, and you can trace the shonen staples in many works that come before or after it, but can you really say Gintama and Naruto are the same? Chainsaw Man? Promised Neverland? Or Marriagetoxin?

It is, again, important to keep in mind that BL in Japan is a genre that stemmed from shojo manga. You can, again, trace artistic sensibilities that are adopted — paneling, screentones, structure, tropes, you name it. BL's approach to love is also reminiscent of the shojo series that focus on romance. There is, and always will be, a wish-fulfillment side to BL, just like how there will be one to romantic shojo manga.

This fulfillment can be about a happy ending after hardship or about a world where two men can experience simple misunderstandings or run-of-the-mill interpersonal problems when getting together, instead of the crushing weight of heteronormativity and phobia. Or, it could be about extremely good-looking, kind, sweet, smart (or extremely evil, toxic, vile but hot) men that are either too good to be true, or you'd change countries if you were to come across one. Throw robots, beasts, and supernatural beings in the pot, and you have yourself a feast. The levels of this fulfillment vary as well. Some works are more grounded, while others are unrealistically sweet or unbearably kinky. Either way, it's so engaging, fun, and compelling to read all kinds of characters to find each other and fall in love and rearrange each other's guts in all kinds of ways!

I personally consider BL to be queer, not only because it focuses on two men, but also because we don't need fiction to spell things out for us. Simply engaging with fictional works creates the possibility of change, and it's no coincidence that countless people rethink/discover their own sexuality and/or gender through BL. I also suggest you check out Cathy's answer to an anon on subtext/canon BL. I'm not touching upon its transformative power for cishet women and their relationship with patriarchy since your message was about queerness.

Now that these are out of the way, I'll mention other key points that I don't often see taken into consideration.

Industry

Commercial BL, and comics in general, are an art form that is strongly tied to the publishing industry. What that means is that what gets published (both in and outside of Japan) is heavily shaped by the companies and, as an extension, fans. Each company, platform, and manga magazine has its own identity and style, and has a say in which series gets a bigger cut from the marketing budget. Fans are getting more and more reactionary, and with the purity culture that's infested the English-speaking fandom (can only speak for this fandom, as idk what the situation is like in others), the works that publishers dare to license are gradually getting sanitized. The overall far-right tendency around the world we've been experiencing over the past couple of years has been detrimental. Barely anyone takes any risks anymore, and that includes not taking risks in terms of art style or diverse works as well.

I highly suggest you check out Cream's blog post on Tsuki to Pieta. It's not like diverse works don't exist, or there aren't any artists who are interested in delving deeper. Sometimes, publishers don't take the risk or can't figure out how to frame a work in a neatly packaged, appealing way, and eventually, they reject said work. Other times, they don't promote certain works as much and they fly under the radar. I know I'm pretty biased about Dal Hyeonji's Love for Sale, to give you an example, but even disregarding the love I have for it, it's an excellent character study! Or you tell me why people aren't going crazy over Takahashi Hidebu's  Stigmata! I'm not approving publishers' behavior, but that's how commercial publishing works and a lot depends on where they will allocate their resources and time. What is being read, what is popular, and what gets published is like a cycle that feeds each other. I also want to finish this by mentioning Breeze's blog as a BL artist. There are lots of interesting bits and experiences that we readers may not know much about on the creation side, but they break it down in a fun-to-read manner!

Form and style

This is obviously tied to the industry side as well, but when we are talking about commercial BL, almost all series (unless you're a big name or you're serializing your work in a digital magazine and accept that your work may not get printed physically) are single-volume stories. Saying that it doesn't allow much space for exploration or delving deeper would be a misleading remark, but it does play a role.

Just like in literature, different forms require different stylistic approaches. You can't approach writing a short story in the same way as you would a novel. So obviously, you'd have to find a way to tell the story you want, according to the space you're given. A one-shot has to be structurally and tonally different from a single-volume or a several-volume work. It's true that not many are great at short-form storytelling and instead opt for incorporating the standard beats within a volume, at times disregarding how cramped it reads or how superficial the themes can become.

It is also true that not everything has to be about identity and one's struggle with normativity. This doesn't make a work objectively "less valuable" or "less queer". It is, I guess, a balancing act. You can't drown in your pain and struggle day in and day out, but you can't completely turn away from it either. And I wholeheartedly think BL, GL, and LGBTQ+ comics together cover everything I might want and more from a genre! These three don't work against each other, but complement one another. And together, they paint a fuller picture.

Artist preference

Since we can't form an argument over speculation, we don't really take this into consideration but... sometimes you just want to create something simple and sweet, no matter how overdone it is, and regardless of readers' expectations! One fic I've written that's super dear to me came out of me wanting to write something extremely cringy and melodramatic, like the daytime soap operas you see on TV. Of course, since I'm the creator, the fic ends up being "my version" of a cringy soap opera, but from a reader's point of view, it might be just another random, sappy, "mid" fic.

The same goes for any creator. Not every work has to leave a mark or aim to be exceptional or deep. Not every artist's body of work is diverse, either. Sally Rooney has an interesting take on this (she was so patient with this awful interviewer, stronger than I could ever be tbh). From the BL perspective, look at Furuya Nagisa's works; they keep returning to the very same themes and characteristics, to the point that it's sometimes hard to tell one work from the other. Are they doing it because they know it will sell? Or because, as an artist, they find themselves wanting to keep circling the same spot? Who knows! But it is an important parameter in the equation.

Reader/fan assumptions

I will talk about two assumptions here that I notice are being made both by the fans and the antis.

First is the assumption that the type of work one wants to read has to dominate the market and just magically fall into one's lap. No. You have to dig and swim neck deep into the sea, acquire your own taste, find your own favorites, and make friends who can introduce you to what you might be missing out on. You have to jump headfirst into series you have no idea about and get a taste for yourself. That is the only way to survive and get past the surface-level popular stuff that may or may not be okay at best. The worst that can happen is you'll stumble into something that's not for you, and you'll swim away. Easy as that.

I came across a dead dove fic the other way and started reading it out of curiosity. I don't seek out dead dove. I'm a pretty mild reader compared to some, but I consider myself to be immune to pretty much everything. The fic turned out to be much... more than I could ever imagine it to be, for lack of a better word. And I was just like, 3 paragraphs into it, mind you. I closed the tab and went on with my life. The mental image persisted for a while, but you know what? I survived. And discovered a boundary that I didn't know was there. Only through encounters like this one can one discover what's good or right for them, and this is why fiction is irreplaceable for me. It allows me to approach the world from a safe distance and helps me discover ideas, circumstances, or sides of me that I didn't know about before. You just have to keep in mind that your boundary or taste is not, cannot be the norm, and reading is not activism.

The second assumption is that BL is a silly genre. It is silly and whimsical at times, sure. That's the spirit of BL. But anything that focuses on romance is immediately put into the "not worth pondering on" box. Emotions are silly! Interpersonal relationships are silly! It's simply about, for example, two university students in the same club, and they fall in love. What kind of "deep thought" can you extract from that?

That's where people are wrong again. I have so many mutuals who write extensively on BL, both specifically on works themselves, BL as a genre, and discourse similar to the questions you asked me. Let me tell you, there aren't enough people who do this!! Some of them I linked above, but you can visit the directory Cream kindly put together, and discover long and short-form writing that people are consistently putting out. I argue it's much better than reading simplified, snappy takes on Twitter!

I apologize that the answer got lengthy, but I can't give you a simple yes or no answer because it depends on so many parameters! And sometimes the same parameter can be regarded as good or bad depending on the context. But the tl;dr of it is industry, trends and real-life politics heavily affect the works created and licensed, and BL is a very diverse and fulfilling genre. However, it's up to the reader to put in the effort and discover not-so-hidden gems, while meeting other fans who read as diversly and engage with the genre critically AND whimsically!

[blrecs]

we are all enriched by having nora in our lives!! the amount of care and effort she puts into her asks and posts should make her eligible for canonization.

i just wanted to add that my first reaction to this ask was a combination of these two points:

... people read very little BL and the ones that they read are the handful of extremely popular series, then they go around and base their whole opinion on a genre on these titles. They are loud, and the algorithm amplifies divisive takes. Then it looks as if everyone thinks that way.

and

The second assumption is that BL is a silly genre. It is silly and whimsical at times, sure. That's the spirit of BL. But anything that focuses on romance is immediately put into the "not worth pondering on" box. Emotions are silly! Interpersonal relationships are silly! It's simply about, for example, two university students in the same club, and they fall in love. What kind of "deep thought" can you extract from that?

the reality is that bl is like any other collection of work created by many diverse individuals with diverse experiences, subject to diverse editorial and publishing choices, sometimes separated by great swaths of time and even language. no one particular work can perfectly capture every issue, and queerness looks very different to everyone. "i'm not gay. i just like you!" may not be a nuanced depiction of queerness to one reader but could resonate with another. i feel this way with many works of fiction, including novels with main characters who have my background (asian-american, female, maybe even a lawyer). the characters often have what i consider shallow realizations about their identities or selfhood, but then i'll be talking to a friend and find out it resonated with them. i've accepted that i have idiosyncratic taste, and like nora says in the post, that requires me to dig deep and approach algorithmic recommendations with suspicion. we must!!! do the same with bl!!

i also think many readers tend to downplay that bl manga like all other manga is a visual medium first and foremost. maybe nora is too nice to say this, but bl mangaka are not exempt from the weakness that plagues their non-bl counterparts, or even their western comic artist colleagues: being a good artist does not make you a good or even coherent writer. it is not easy to write in-depth, complicated feelings. many times, romantic developments are plot devices, because this is a manga and we have to progress the story so there can be more excuses to draw things happening.

yet fans are willing to give, say, akutami gege the grace and (volume) space to write a story that is interpreted as having meaningful nuance even when his pacing and plot issues are at their nadir!! where is that grace for bl? it is like we are sitting around waiting for the perfect series that will tackle every feeling and every experience to land in our laps, instead of making like shounen manga fans and celebrating the works for what they are and even valorizing their failings. if i read too deeply into bl every week, it is because i think we have a right, and a need, and maybe even an obligation to do for bl what shounen manga twitter does for their series. we too can [gen z voice] glaze bl into legitimacy.

[courtbanashi]

The Ultimate BL License Request Guide

Have a BL license on your English print wishlist but don’t know which publisher to send the request to? I’ve been compiling data since I started collecting and have broken it down by publisher to help guide your license requests…

Disclaimers: This is meant to be used as a general guide!

All data may not be 100% accurate and some releases may be missing (especially pre-2020)

I’ve mainly included releases that run in BL magazines although there are some exceptions

Data is pulled from my personal tracker with information manually input from MangaUpdates.com, Amazon and publisher websites

This only includes print license data.  Some of these titles are available digitally on other platforms.  An additional guide could be compiled for digital licenses but I’ve kept better track of print titles

Link to the data! Please feel free to filter by magazine, publisher or look for any trends you may find interesting: 

BL License Request Data

SuBLime

SuBLime is a partnership between Viz and Animate USA, the parent company of Libre Shuppan, so it’s no surprise they have a large amount of Libre titles.  SuBLime used to have a monopoly on Shinshokan titles but starting in 2024 Seven Seas and Kuma have been able to pick up a few licenses.  Outside of these two they have a wide spread of additional publishers they’ve worked with.

The magazines they pull from the most are Dear+ and Cheri+.  SuBLime has one of the strongest trends of licensing works by the same mangaka.  Zariya Ranmaru, Hinohara Meguru, Ogeretsu Tanaka, Natsume Isaku, Minaduki Yuu, Scarlet Beriko and Niyama to name a few regulars in their lineup.

You can request licenses via their form here

Seven Seas

With over 25 new series (Vol.1) releases in 2025, Seven Seas has quickly outpaced most publishers as the go-to for BL licenses. They have the widest, and most even, spread of publishers in their catalogue, with Libre leading at about a 20% rate.

Their highly publicized monthly License Request form as well as the wide spread of publishers and magazines they work with suggests they’re the publisher most open to basing their license acquisitions off of fan feedback vs publisher relationships.

You can suggest titles via the form Tweeted monthly or through the link to the survey on their website (browser: right side, mobile: bottom)

Tokyopop

Tokyopop is releasing BL at a similar rate as Seven Seas although with less publisher variety.  In recent years, they license based on their relationships with certain Japanese publishers. 75% of their 2025 releases were Shu-cream titles, so if you’re interested in a fromRED manga it’s highly likely it will eventually get a Tokyopop release. 

While they’ve been favoring certain publishers recently their relationships with other publishers may still be in place; they have a decent variety if you go back a few years. Shueisha and Shinshokan seem reluctant to license to Tokyopop but any other publisher may be worth a shot!  They’re also the only publisher to successfully license from Tokyo Mangasha…Tokyopop if you’re able to license Blue Sky Complex I’ll love you forever…

They’re continually working on building their relationships with Japanese publishers so I’ll try to update as new licensing trends emerge…

There is currently no license request form but you can make suggestions through their Discord or tagging on social media.

Yen Press

Yen Press’s strongest relationship is with Kadokawa who owns about 70% of their titles. Enterbrain and Media Factory are both brands under Kadokawa so this percentage includes any titles under those publishers as well.  They’re the only publisher with a Kakao JP title, Scarlet Beriko’s “Redeem”.

B’s LOVEY and B’s-Lovey Recottia lead with the most titles with Gene Pixiv following closely.  The series they license tend to focus on High School BL and have lighter themes.  SasaMiya, I Cannot Reach You, NaraKoi to name a few.  They were also the first publisher to bring us Suehiro Machi!

They don’t have a license request form but you can contact them through their website

Kuma

Kuma is another publisher with a wide range of works and licenses.  While Takeshobo accounts for about 50% of their titles they have a strong range of additional publishers they’ve successfully worked with.  I’ve heard Takeshobo can be tricky to license from (SuBLime, Kuma and Seven Seas have been successful) so it’s good to see a publisher have a strong relationship with them.

Kuma tends to license some of the most interesting and niche titles, if you’re interested in a darker work I suggest sending your request their way.  They’ve been the only publisher to pick up Harada titles and also seem to have a love for Wacoco Waco.  Additionally they’re one of only two publishers to license on BLUE titles, the other being Seven Seas.

Titles can be requested via their Google form here

Kodansha

Kodansha is pretty straightforward, licensing mainly Kodansha and Ichijinsha (a Kodansha subsidiary) titles.  Magazine-wise Gateau and Honey Milk lead the pack so if you have a series you enjoy from either of these mags it’s worth requesting as a license is likely!  

They have stated at cons there are opportunities to license titles from outside Kodansha as well, which we see with a Taiyo Tosho title in 2025 and a Libre title in 2026. These seem to be more like one-offs so requesting a title under a different publisher is still probably an unlikely pick-up.

You can request titles through their Support Center with the topic “Publishing Suggestions” here

Square Enix

Square Enix is the most straightforward.  They license from Square Enix!  Even though they license fewer titles a year compared to other publishers we’ve been getting steady BL licenses from them. So don’t sleep on their announcements!

They don’t have a license request form but if you’d like to see something licensed just tag them on twitter, they’ll see it!

Thank you for sticking with me this long, hopefully someone will find this information useful. If so, I can try to post an updated report every year or so. Now go send your BL requests!

[sweet-cream-puff]

Citrus Con 2026 - Into the BL Manga Swamp

Hello! For those who missed Citrus Con, the recording of Wendy's and my panel is up. Link is below!

Also here are the resources we shared in the con forum:

Slides

Title List (+ some manga recs from me!)

Chill Chill Tag List translated by Wendy

Chill Chill

This was my first time paneling and I had a ton of fun!! I already have some ideas for a future panel, such as talking about different BL manga magazines/labels!

[sweet-cream-puff]

My 2025 of BL!!!!

It's February 14 and I just realized I never posted (and finished?) this oops. Better to do it now than never lol In late 2023, I started to really pick up reading BL manga again after reading a bit here and there in 2022. By mid-2024, I was fully submerged in the BL manga swamp. This year... I really was deep in it while working multiple jobs and going to grad school. BL truly helped get me through it all lololol

Left is my shelf in late Jan, right is my shelf mid Dec. And I even have more manga on a cart (not pictured)!!!!

Also have a pic from 801 day of my shelf. It's a parody of the dril candles tweet haha.

Anyways. I had really learned a lot more about BL mangaka, series, and Japanese magazines/labels... I went down the deep end at one point looking at all the different ones and their publishers and wow yeah it's a lot of information!! I have #plans w that information... Eventually.

I also went to J.GARDEN for the first time back in March. Honestly, that lead me to have more appreciation for self-published BL! Admittedly I haven't gotten too far into exploring, but I definitely want to read more~

There were a good amount of license announcements and releases this year, and I'm hoping for it to continue in 2026~! I also made a new wishlist. I feel like this list is pretty delusional but yeah these are the titles I want to see in English the most! Obv print license is ideal but I can accept digital too...

[sweet-cream-puff]

on BLUE is 🔛🔝!!

[This is a modified post version of this thread!]

This year was truly the year of me really getting into specific BL magazines/labels... Because I noticed I've really enjoyed a few specific ones. Some of these include Taiyoh Tosho's ihr HertZ and iHertZ/iHZ, Takeshobo's qpa, Ichijinsha's gateau, etc...

But Shodensha's on BLUE (which is also produced by Shu Cream) really took the cake for me this year.

on BLUE releases every other month, and has been releasing for 15 years! The first volume was released on December 10, 2010. Some of the first comics in this initial issue included chapters from His Romance of 500 Years by Yamanaka Hiko, Wait for Me at Udagawacho by Hideyoshiko, Shinjuku Lucky Hole by Kumota Haruko, and Kuslar by est em.¹

I tried to calculate the numbers once and there are around 90 on BLUE titles licensed in English Based on number of works individually listed by digital manga sites + licensed print works, only 6 are print licenses!

From Seven Seas: Seaside Stranger Series by Kii Kanna At 25:00 in Akasaka by Natsuno Hiroko Marriage to the Wolf: An Interspecies Union by Inui Hana (Vol 1 releasing July 2026)

From KUMA: Even If There's No Rainbow to Tomorrow by Kihara Noriko The Ruthless Commander and his Reincarnated Warhorse by Narita Nomoto and Sakashima One Room Angel by Harada (Release TBA)

As for digital releases...From MangaPlaza: What's Wrong with Being Innocent? by Fuyushima Shigure The Vessel of Transparent Love by hitomi

From Renta!: His Romance of 500 Years by Yamanaka Hiko Under The Cherry Blossoms by Nishi Tsurumi Nini's Forest by SHOOWA Running Hot and Cold by Nobara Aiko

The majority of the translated on BLUE titles are on Manga Planet/Futekiya, which unfortunately is closing down in March. Most of the titles are available with the Manga Planet Pass, which I think you can only do for a month at this point??? But here's all the on BLUE titles they have.

Here are some recommendations:

While we have a wealth of on BLUE titles available in English, many of these titles are older! iirc the "newest" titles (barring ongoing series) available in English were released in 2022. And ongoing Futekiya titles haven't been updated as well, and the site will be closing. Momo and Manji in particular is a title I and many other readers would love to see finished! However there are some 2022 and earlier titles with no licenses. Ikigami and Donor: Futari no Ikigami by Yamanaka Hiko (spinoff) Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu by Marukido Maki Tourou no Ori by Psyche Delico STAYGOLD by Hideyoshico (has an ongoing sequel!) And for muuuch older on BLUE titles, ones by est em, such as Equus and Kuslar.

As for more recent releases... I'd love to see: Akunin no Shitsukekata by Dayoo (spinoff to Lonely Playground) Koi Jigoku de Matsu by Dayoo Saynonara Dattara Yokatta by Inami En Boku no Blue Cat by Inami En Only Talk by Shimura Takako and Ichiho Michi Tsumasaki to Ajisai by aioiuo Internet Love! by Urino Kiko Bitter Playmate by Nishimoto Rou And of course I'd have to mention Harumoto Kon's 3 on BLUE titles! Henai Dramatic Monster Himeno-kun wa Tokimekitai Koi wo Suru nara Hirefushite

I feel like BL labels always have a nice variety of stories and works, and on BLUE is no exception!! But there really is something about the variety that's drawn me to the magazine?? Sorry I'm not really giving much else to go off of. But if you read a lot of the titles, maybe you'll see what I mean...?????

TL;DR To BL fans: Check out what we have in English while you can!!

To Shodensha and English manga publishers: I am once again asking for more onBLUE in English. And to save the titles we are losing with Manga Planet's closure... There really are some gems in their catalog!!!

[sweet-cream-puff]

BL Blog Directory!!

Thanks to @allthefujoshiunite and @blrecs, I too wanted to join in making a BL blog and now hope to continue spreading the blog agenda. I wrote a bit this year, but with school not as much as I would have liked.

But anyways, I thought having a webring would be a neat idea! However I lack the skills to do so and decided a landing page with a bunch of blogs will be sufficient for now LOL. And that's how 801 Blogs was born! Tbh I may change the site title later but for now it is what it is. (801 = yaoi btw)

801 Blogs

A directory of BL blogs!

I include it on the site, but if you have a blog you'd like to add to the directory, please fill out this form :D Your blog doesn't have to be 100% BL!

BL Blog Directory Form!!

Are you a blogger who writes about BL? Come join 801 Writings (name pending lol), a BL blog directory~ For questions @ me @creamy_choux or s

Lastly, recommend today's post from @allthefujoshiunite!!! Honestly the reason I started working on the directory today ahhaha (And not just to procrastinate on my finals.......)

Post by @allthefujoshiunite · 1 link

💬 4  🔁 0  ❤️ 2 · IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO MAINTAIN A BLOG

[sweet-cream-puff]

bad mate by Harumoto Kon and 攻めザマァ

bad mate is a one-shot in the BE BOY GOLD 30th Anniversary issue (Aug 2025), which featured special one-shots from well-known creators and some newcomers to the magazine! (The issue is still available digitally if you are interested in reading~)

On Twitter, Harumoto-sensei recently talked about it after receiving reader feedback that was sent over to the publisher Libre! Sensei mentioned Toua and Ritsu were chracter types she normally doesn't draw and had fun with this challenge. So I went ahead and reread it!

Spoilers for the story below!

In this short story, idols Toua (seme, longer light hair) and Ritsu (uke, short darker hair) have been in a unit together for a few years. The two have been close since their trainee days. Ritsu is a sweet and sincere young man, whose voice captivates fans. However, he's not as confident, and often relies on Toua for support. Ritsu sees Toua as kind, but wants to be able to stand on his own so he isn't too dependent on Toua. Meanwhile, Toua's goal is for Ritsu to be dependent on him. Unlike Ritsu, his image is carefully crafted and researched, and actually finds himself bothered by Ritsu's charm. So he uses his kindness to have the upper hand against Ritsu.

So when Ritsu is is offered to have ameal with the MCs of variety show he'll be going on solo, Toua isn't happy at all. Feeling irritated, he tells Ritsu it's not a good idea as someone could take weird images. Ritsu wants to go regardless. Before the two can argue more at the TV studio, they're stopped. Later at Toua's(?) place, they continue on. Toua comes on to Ritsu, reminding him of how he helped Ritsu mastrubate in the past... As Toua continues, he eventually admits that he saw Ritsu as his, since Ritsu would always listen to him. He quietly asks for Ritsu to not make things difficult for him. In that moment, Ritsu realizes that Toua is the one who has become attached and doesn't want to be without Ritsu. As he says it aloud, Toua internally tries to deny it. The oneshot ends with Ritsu saying he'll offer to be Toua's.

Harumoto-sensei had also tweeted that the trope "攻めザマァ" (seme zamaa) was something she normally doesn't do but enjoyed writing. So what is "攻めザマァ"? the ザマァ part comes from ざまみろ (zamamiro), which basically means "that's what you get" or "serves you right". Another phrase it could be likened to is "you reap what you sow". In a way it's the theme where the top character is more arrogant and knows the bottom likes him and uses it to his advantage. But when the bottom goes against him or even runs away, the top then realizes how much he's in love. Usually after that, the top will have to chase the bottom and plead for forgiveness. Tl;dr, you know, the good shit. I only learned about the term earlier this year, so it's fun to see there's a name for it in Japanese.

I would say bad mate has a variation on this theme. Ritsu defying Toua for the first time irritates and upsets him, because he really wants Ritsu to himself. With a panel showing Toua gazing at Ritsu smiling when first joined as a trainee, you know he's actually been a goner from the start.

And I absolutely love Toua didn't even get to deny it aloud before Ritsu gave the killer line, saying he'll be Toua's. His specific line in Japanese is "じゃあ俺　透空のものになってあげるね" (Jya ore Toua no mono ni natte ageru ne). (The "ageru" is bolded bc in the comic it has dot's next to each character, which iirc is to give for emphasis.) His expression is oh-so gentle and eyes sparkling, and that just adds to the Critical Hit.

It ends right there, but Toua's flustered expression in that last page is is priceless. He had been smug for most of the story, confident he could keep Ritsu obedient to him... So to see it all shattered by Ritsu's adorable smile was very satisfying. I hope their future is happy, and that Ritsu get's to fluster Toua more hehe~

I also hope Harumoto-sensei comes back to them one day, even if it's just a quick doodle!!

[sweet-cream-puff]

On Original Self-Published and Commerical BL

This post will essentially be an updated version of my Twitter thread on this topic! Since social media posts can be fleeting, this will be a more static version.

So to begin, here are the definitions of original BL (創作BL) and commercial BL (商業BL) from the Renta! BLog post Japanese for NERDS: Oshikatsu, Otakatsu, BLkatsu, and language.

When I dove into the BL manga swamp last hear, these terms quickly came up in so many posts and I wasn't sure of what they were. So thanks again to the Renta! BLog for being an immensely cool resource~

Posts tagged with the terms have helped immensely in discovering new artists and works~ So if you want to find new BL in Japanese these tags are like a treasure trove, whether on Twitter, Bluesky, Pixiv, and more!

One artist I got into through tagged posts on Twitter was Luma! Their characters Kaede and Yorihito are so adorable!!

Sometimes you may see short original BL comics or illustrations that go viral. But commercial BL generally is what most overseas fans will be familiar with. These are the titles you see mainly licensed in English by major print publishers and on digital platforms.

However, today I'm going to focus mostly on original self-published works available in English, as there have been more lately!!

First off I want to mention a few print publishers. Manga Mavericks licensed I'll See You at Ebisu Studios by Nishu, and it's releasing next month!

One print publisher that has also been licensing a lot of self-published works, including BL, is Star Fruit Books! Orders and upcoming releases have been currently put on pause, as the founder Matt Haasch passed away earlier this month. When they do come back around, I seriously recommend checking them out! It was thanks to Star Fruit that I was introduced to Yoiyu's When Pink Rain Falls series!

Some of their other licensed titles are: - His Ankle by Kuro Nohara - Let's Meet in the Next Life by Yamazaki - The Summer of the Fox by nacolat - Greetings, Smiles and Sparkles by nacolat - Meet-Cute by Matsuo Mono

Some of their work is also digitally available on the platform Azuki.

That being said, most original BL available in English is digital.

One platform that has them is Manga Planet (Futekiya), with many of their works available via the Manga Planet Pass. One mangaka whose works I've read from there is Ayu Yamane, whose works include It's Fine Even if it's Just a Dream, The Stray, and Save Serious Talk for Later.

(Would love to see these in print one day too hehe. You can fill out the request form if you are interested~)

Irodori Comics is a digital publisher that has released more steamy BL doujinshi! Two titles I like Spring Sunset Merry-Go-Round by Imai Yuumi and The Condemned Prince Wants to be Loved by Seina Anji. (You may know them from their commercial BL works!)

Irodori and and others also have translated original BL doujinshi on Renta! as well!

Lastly, there's DLsite, which is a platform for doujin works across different media. I will mention they do have more of the hardcore doujinshi, if that's not your thing. Otherwise, go crazy!!!

Hasegawa and Tachibana has only has 2 of 4 stories translated into English, but this series has been cute so far! It actually got a commercial release earlier this year.

Now if you're someone who can read Japanese, there is even more original BL for you to check out! - Booth: A great marketplace, as you directly support artists!! - Pixiv: Some creators will upload their comics there in full for free - The label Number Nine hosts original works on ebooks stores such as Cmoa! They host the Sousaku BL Daihousaku Matsuri, which is a great way to discover more original works. There's often a sale during this time too.

創作BL大豊作まつり【公式】 lit.link

【第13回】開催：2025年9月19 日（金）～2025年10月19日（日）、￤ナンバーナイン主催￤ BLファンの”好き”が見つかる創作BLオンリーイベント #創作BL大豊作まつり で新たな物語と出会えるかも？ ˗ˏˋ 年4回ˎˊ˗新刊配信&SALE、One link t

One work I learned about through this original BL fest was Hisayoshi's Kare wan Nandemo Shitteiru, which features a demon x middle aged man couple!

While much is available digitally, you can also get print works through sites like Toranoana, ComiComi, and Fromagee (Melonbooks). And if you ever get the chance, going to J.GARDEN is the place to get to see it in person!

As you may know, I went back in March for J.GARDEN57! I've linked my report above if you want to check it out. I did buy mostly self-published side stories for commerical BL works, but I did walk out with a few completely original works! (And ordered some later on haha.)

Before I wrap up the post, I did want to mention here how self-published BL has been very integral to the formation of BL as we know it today, and creating original BL (and doujinshi in general) is a way for mangaka to become published!! So doujinshi events like J.GARDEN is always a cool, because an artist may have their works in bookstores one day!

There truly is so much original self-published BL work out there. I focused on manga, but there are tons of other indie work like novels and games!! But yeah today I just wanted to highlight self-published BL manga today as I'd say more are familiar with commercial BL in English spaces. I hope you'll be able to find something for you!!

If you ever have any questions or comments, I do have my ask box open. See you next time!!

[sweet-cream-puff]

Rental Tama-chan by Rakuta Shouko

Rental Tama-chan is a wild, wild BL. The emotional whiplash is insane, even from chapter one. Yazawa works for the town hall, where he's exhausted from work. The town is poor, and residents' complaints have taken a toll on Yazawa, who's wants to do his best for the town. After signing up for a "cat rental service", he's surprised to see a young man called "Tama" with cat ears and a tail at his door. Tama is accompanied by a yakuza as well, making everything even more suspicious. Yazawa decides to roll with it anyways, treating him like a real cat.

(Spoilers ahead!)

Yazawa enjoys his time with Tama, but on a rainy day he sees Tama's body is full of scars and cigarette burns. Yazawa realizes he wants to know more about who Tama really is, and wants to care for him. Later on, Yazawa offhandedly mentions how he would love Tama to stay with him, but lacks the money. Tama then steals money from the yazuka, but the man chasing him ends up shooting his bag of money, which flutters down into the streets. (I want it to rain money too!!!!)

We learn only a little bit about Tamai Ao in the story. He grew up in a poor household with an abusive father. Ao may have had a sibling named Aka, who died young. Eventually his father died as well, possibly killed by his mother... Ao realized something was wrong with his mother and ran away. Eventually he ends up with the yakuza, who abuses him.

After Ao's attempt to steal, the yakuza are now after him. He finds that they've killed the woman he was living with. He soon realizes Yazawa is in danger, and kills two yakuza who are hanging around his apartment. He finally speaks to Yazawa afterwards, calling the time he's spent with him disgusting, triggered by seeing a picture book his mother once read. (The book features a cat named Tama who ends happily with his master at the end of a journey.) Ao is caught by the yakuza not too long afterwards, but Yazawa comes to his aid.

They flee to the ouse of an old man who passed away in chapter 1. When Yazawa gets food for Ao, he finds Ao left, leaving only a bloody towel behind. Ao had been stabbed in the altercation left to lie in an alleyway. Yazawa finds him bleeding out. Ao thanks Yazawa for the time they spent and dies, and Yazawa professes his love. And in the distance, a cat meows.

Yazawa spends time holed up at the old man's house, but is visited by those he knows. He regrets never learning Tama's real name and not finding him sooner. But he eventually finds his way out of despair. When he moves out of town, he stops at his old place once last time. There he finds a cat with beautiful blue eyes. He decides to keep and name the cat Ao.

----

I only mentioned it later on, but the old man in chapter 1 talks with Yazawa before passing. He has the following lines "終わりなんてただの変化だ... 変わるというのは当たり前のことじゃないか" and "変わるということは愛しいということ" While I'm no translator, I've interpreted the first part of the first line being similar to the phrase "when one door closes another one opens". All together, what may seem like the end is not a definite one, and that change is inevitable. The second one is harder for me to wrap my mind around. But I understand it in a way that love has the power to change others.

And the honestly fit in this narrative to me. Despite the absurdity of the situation they got to know each other in, they genuinely enjoyed each other's company. For Ao, who never knew much happiness, he was moved by Yazawa's genuine kindness and care for him. Even though he couldn't fully escape from his situation, being with Yazawa in a way drove him to try and change.

For Yazawa, he was able come to terms with losing Ao by holding the memories and love for him close to his heart. His realization comes after conversing with a friend, who basically tells him no matter he decides to do with himself, life will go on. I interpret that similar to what the old man says, but obviously more harshly.

Here are the lines in Japanese btw: 何か大層なもんを背負ってるつもりで いたかもしれないけど お前ひとりが 精を出そうがくたばろうが 別に何も変わらないし 変わらず変わっていくし 死んでいく

Another thing that stuck out to me with words was the way Yazawa told Ao he loved him when he died. He used "愛しい"/"愛しいよ". Once again, not a translator but I found the use interesting. I don't know how to even convey the nuance in English...

Ok I've kinda been rambling but yeah. This story was terribly sad but hopeful, even though the two get to be together actually as a man and cat rather than a couple. The themes of connection with others and how people have that ability to touch another's, whether it's a little or a lot.

The art was gorgeous too. This is the first work I've read from sensei, and I definitely need to read Stay by My Side After the Rain after this lmao. But I loved the way sensei drew Ao's eyes and overall character design. His pupils were really like a cat's and his cat like expressions were really cute!!

Some of the story beats were sooo good too. The scene of the money flying away was really cool, and of course, Ao's death. He dies around dawn, and it's drizzling. So the way sensei draws it is like twinkles falling down on him. (The kakioroshi epilogue chapter also ends with Yazawa and Ao (cat) looking out at twinkling rain too... Also, the final page's background is like a picture book, echoing that Ao in a way got his happy ending just like Tama the cat in the book he once read. Talk about ouchie..... But it's such a clever way to end the main story visually.

I listened to the drama CD version while rereading and ough. Toriumi Kousuke and Kobayashi Chiyaki really nailed it with the emotions. I definitely teared up at the end. Especially as Chiaki's voice overlapped with Ao the cat's voice at the end. (In the manga the final pages cut from Yazawa holding the cat to him holding Ao's face and then the final page with him and the cat again.) Also, Chiaki cat sounds. They were really good lolololol

For those who want a little more. Rakuta Shouko-sensei did write an 8-page "what if" doujinshi. In this case, Ao is a cafe worker who's loved by cats. Yazawa, unable get their attention, hangs around Ao during his break to see the cats. Ao talks about planning to leave his job and find a new place, and Yazawa offers his extra room to Ao.

It's short but. And only a little healing.... But... Hahahaha.... Ahhhh.... (sobs)

Ok to close out, the post: I've mentioned on Twitter before, but I truly love the range the BL genre offers. It's late and there's more could say on the topic but for now... That's enough.

Rental Tama-chan really was a wonderful story, despite the emotional damage. I recommend reading at least once for sure.

[sweet-cream-puff]

Tsuki to Pieta by Daichi Miki and BL as a Genre

Recently on Twitter, I heard about the mangaka who struggled to publish their BL Tsuki to Pieta. Yousuke, an art student, falls in love with Yurikawa, his teacher and neighbor... He's been denying his sexuality, often saying yes to girls just to keep appearances. Despite the premise, it was rejected by both BL and general manga publishers. Because rather than centering on romance, it focused more on the protagonist coming to terms with his sexuality rather than the romance between Yousuke and Yurikawa.

Daichi Miki wrote a longer post about it on Note, and I recommend reading it to hear about their experience.

「商業BLで載せる編集部はどこにもない」と言われた漫画が、本になった話｜だいち

「この作品は、商業BLでは載せる場所がないと思う」 そう言われて、10社以上に断られた漫画が、 Xでバズり、書籍になりました。 よくある事ではありますが、経緯とその時の気持ちを正直に書いてみました。 「載せる場所がない」と言われた漫画が、書籍になるまで BL作品『月とピエ

Seeing the story would be on Manga Park and Young Animal Web until the end of the month (it's moving to KadoKomi/Comic Walker on Sept 1), I went ahead and read all 8 chapters! I basically utilized the free tickets/coins from both sites to read the entire thing. I did have to get some paid coins for the last chapter, but I only spent a dollar!

Spoilers below!

Yousuke's change over the story really was the most interesting part of the story for me. In the beginning he privately draws a really beautiful depiction of the crucifixion. Like I've never seen Jesus this bijin before. (Sorry, Saint Young Men Jesus.) But for his graduation project, he's been working on a more industrial landscape... And he's called out by his instructor for the painting being superficial. But for Yousuke to draw men the way he wants would essentially be outing himself. The the way Daichi Miki entwines art, religion, and sexuality to depict his journey is really well done.

In Chapter 1, Yousuke ends up cutting the canvas of his Jesus painting in frustration. While an outward rejection of his sexuality and what he wishes to draw, the subject of the painting is still Jesus. And Christianity in general is highly antagonistic toward LGBTQ people. To me, it was a well done choice to show his conflicting feelings.

And later on, Yousuke mentions he was frightened by Bouguereau's painting of the Pietà during an exhibition he visits with his class. In the painting, not only is there sadness, but anger in losing her son. And in the moment of seeing the painting, Yousuke too felt the same emotions. We eventually learn the source of Yousuke's trauma and struggle with his own sexuality stems from seeing his gay older brother get kicked out from his Christian family.

Pietà by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

In addition to his own inner turmoil, others' perceptions and talk regarding LGBTQ people though put Yousuke even more on edge. The more he falls for Yurikawa and recognizes his feelings, the more he denies his feelings. When a classmate says he saw Yousuke nearly kiss Yurikawa, he angrily shouts and denies it. While he's gotten angry at someone asking if he's gay and hearing people jokingly talk about gay people earlier in the story, the emotions in this scene are at a peak. In a way, its reminiscent of Peter denying Jesus the third time before the cock crowed. And Yurikawa, like Jesus in the Gospel of Luke account of the scene, witnesses it.

I won't spoil the ending, but seeing Yousuke finally admit his feelings as wonderful. The resolution after that was rather quick. I wanted to see more of them happy!!! (Hoping for a kakioroshi in the tankobon version...) But besides that minor thing, I am highly satisfied with the story! Yousuke still feels uncomfortable with how some talk about his sexuality, but there are others who accept him. And of course, he has Yurikawa at his side.

After reading it, I do think this manga fits in as a BL! Even though it was supposedly too light on romance for BL editors, in my eyes seeing Yousuke's feelings grow for Yurikawa (and vise versa!) was clearly romantic. They have moments of spending time together walking and learning about each other. And the scene where Yousuke tries to draw Yurikawa nude for the first time is also erotic... Not directly to the reader, but it's clear how Yousuke's feeling in that scene.

There really been interesting discussions of what is or isn't BL in the Anglophone BL fan world and this just reminds me of it. There are times the distinctions are blurry, especially when it comes to general manga with gay characters such as My Love Mix Up, (which I personally think is BL) and has lots of romance, and Banana Fish, another assimilated into BL by some but has no romance. The Summer Hikaru Died is said by some to have had a BL tag in the beginning, but also Momokuren said the tags have never changed in a Bluesky post. But regardless, it fits with horror BL even with the lack of romance in the story. The homoerotic elements are there, and are they not are core part to BL?

Regarding BL editors' comments from sensei's post: BL as a genre in manga has been around for 30 years, and there are authors who have pushed the boundaries of the genre whether it be on darker tones, having a relationship between the leads that's not quite love, and showing some inclusivity of LGBT issues seen in reality, etc. It's sad though to see how BL is boxed into being romance in this day and age... There's also the comment on BL needing sex. Which. Honestly I'm not going to go further but that's just. Wild considering there is BL that have fade to black scenes or barely touch on the topic! So I personally think the rejection may stem more from discrimination against having the topic of struggling with sexuality so openly and as a focus rather than it lacking romance and sex.

I'm obviously no expert in the Japanese sphere in what's popular or not, but I theorize the seeing BL as "fantasy" still may have a hold on some perceptions the genre. From the Renta BLog post on a 2023 symposium called LGBTQ Issues and the Globalization of ‘BL’:

Now this discussion can go beyond the scope of what I want to write about today, but I did feel like it was worth mentioning. Yet while it shows "BL is fantasy" is still of the majority opinion, there are fans who are open to having BL that isn't just romance. I saw the support for Daichi Miki in the tweet replies and quotes. Some BL mangaka have come out on their gender and sexuality. There are BL readers, creators, and scholars in Japan and overseas who see the greater potential for BL. It already has a history of going against the grain, and I hope to see more BL manga editors come to see it too.

For me, BL can be fantasy and it can also show reality. There's no need to cancel one out in favor for the other. Calling BL a spectrum really is an appropriate way to describe it, and even though there's a sheer amount of titles already, there's always room for more.

[sweet-cream-puff]

Koi wo Suru nara Hirefushite Couple Introduction Sheet Rough Fan Translation

So I wanted to translate into English the KoiHire "Couple Introduction Sheet" Harumoto-sensei shared on Twitter (which is also on Shodensha's site FeelWeb)!! I really love "get to know my ship in 2 minutes" types of graphics, so I love that they appear in commercial BL manga!

Just as a disclaimer my Japanese is middling and I'm not a translator by any means... I just wanted to attempt for fun :D If you have any suggestions, corrections, etc. please let me know!

Koi wo Suru nara Hirefushite by Harumoto Kon Couple Introduction Sheet

Hayase Ryota Bottom - Average employee from the countryside; his tsundere highness Birthday: 6/13 Age: Just turned 27! Height: Self-reported 175 cm (174 cm)   Occupation: Manufacturing company salesman Hobby/Skills: Can quickly and skillfully fold gyoza  Likes: Chocolate cake!, gyoza Dislikes: Century egg What he calls the other person: Tokitou

Tokitou Issei Top - High-spec company heir?? Birthday: 10/23 Age: 26 Height: 183.5 cm Occupation: Manufacturing company salesman Hobby/Skill: Meticulous, so he folds laundry neatly Likes: Agodashi ramen (← From the last chapter when they go to the convenience store), rainy days  Dislikes: Broken promises What he calls the other person: Hayase

Relationship Tokitou → Hayase: Can you keep up working like that?? (Context: Hayase was working a ton when he first transferred to the main branch) Hayase → Tokitou: Doesn't want to lose to Tokitou

First Impression Tokitou → Hayase: A cheerful and optimistic person Hayase → Tokitou: Was too worried about the main branch (Tokyo) at the time to have one "So huge...! So many people... 'Which one' who!?"

Jealousy Level Tokitou: Wants to sit next to Hayase at drinking parties as much as possible Hayase: "I-I'm not that jealous..."

Expressing Affection Tokitou: Though he doesn't mean to, it's more overwhelming than often... Hayase: Still a bit shy

Free Space I think Hayase is a fast runner and has pretty feet. Isn't that great, Tokitou...

Last edited: 2025/12/22

[sweet-cream-puff]

liar by Chiyozaki

Chiyozaki's liar was a title I picked up at random last summer because of the covers...!! It centers around adoptive brothers reuniting after 10 years of not speaking to each other. Since I went in blind, I wasn't sure what to expect at all. When I finished, I was very satisfied with the story. I have reread it a few times since then...!

I know some people may be uncomfortable with the story following adopted brothers. So readers' discretion is advised.

This post took me some time and once again I'm not 100% confident in my reading. I found parts of the story difficult at times and. Also I feel like I could Not put my thoughts into words.

But anyways, full story spoilers ahead!

28 year old Igarashi Kei is finally engaged to Ruriko, his girlfriend of 6 years. Of course that's when his younger brother Haru, now a famous actor known as Natsume Chiharu, suddenly comes back into his life for work reasons. When Kei gets drunk at a work event, he ends up in bed with Haru, who begins to touch him. Believing it's a dream, he doesn't resist and lets Haru have sex with him. The two end up running into each other a few more times afterwards, but Kei tries to hide the fact they're family. It also turns out Ruriko is seeing another man, which Kei is aware of.

The past is revealed in parts. Kei was abandoned by his birth mother and eventually adopted by Haru's family. He used to have nightmares and sleepwalk, so Haru slept beside him for several years. When Kei says they should stop, the two grow distant with Haru becoming cold. Kei's nightmares return in his third year of high school due to stress. He then dreams of Haru staying beside him and having sex with him. But Kei soon realizes it's reality… Kei finally declares he'll move out after graduating when he hears his brother arguing, leading them to losing contact.

Haru can't stand that Kei still plans to enter into a loveless marriage and tells Kei to choose him instead. He eventually confesses he'd always loved Kei but was afraid to say it in the past. But Kei rejects him, saying it's too late. But later on he learns key information about Haru. Realizing he can't deny his true feelings anymore, he confesses as well and they finally end up together.

(I will say, there's a part of the story I still am not fully getting because of the language barrier. Kei says he saw Haru sleeping with another person in his room in high school, but Haru also says he didn't date and have sex with as many people as Kei did...? So I'm not entirely sure when Kei saw it, whether it was before or after Haru and Kei started to have sex??)

But regardless, I love liar so so sooo much I tried to keep the summary short, but there's just so much little details that really makes the story. Kei and Haru clearly are in love with each other, but their fears that prevent them from following through instead causes to hurt each other repeatedly.

For Kei, he repeatedly tries to play the role of a good big brother. He's afraid of being abandoned again, and does his best to fit in with the family. He's too cowardly to stand up for himself and confront Haru. Instead, he just lets them grow distant and uses the "dream" of having sex with Haru to indulge in his desires. And in the present, he ignores his relationship with Ruriko is failing to grasp at stability. He doesn't realize he continues to call for Haru's name in his sleep. And he also continues to willfully refuse acknowledging his own failure to communicate. In the story, he angrily asks Haru why he never contacted him in the last 10 years, but Haru points out Kei changed his number without saying anything. So in the end, he realizes that lying to himself and running away from what he truly desired just ended up hurting everyone involved. He's a frustrating character, yet with his past... It's understandable in a way.

Terrible with expressing his feelings and considering others' feelings, young Haru's actions and words completely go against his desires. While Kei was too cowardly to reach out, Haru is also at fault for being so brash and dishonest. At school he had a girl always with him, so turning around to sneakily have sex with Kei at night did not help either, despite his original intentions of helping with Kei's nightmares. After Kei left, it's revealed he pursued acting to understand someone (Kei) better.

But upon reuniting, he falls back into his old habits in his desperation to not lose Kei for good. And this time the pain is worse, as he picks on Kei's fears while asking to be chosen over Ruriko. So when Kei outright rejects him, he realizes his wrongdoings. The short scene of him appearing to Ruriko (after saying he won't meet her as family) asking to care for Kei was one of my favorites in the story. I'm an absolute sucker for the theme of "love means letting go"!! And it's in learning this, Kei finally accepts Haru's and his own feelings.

While we don't get Haru's POV, I was still able to get a sense of what kind of people they are. Chiyozaki lays bare their flaws, and I love it. The second volume's sex scene that culminates in Haru admitting his feelings and Kei rejecting him is pretty intense!! It's here that they tear into each other where it hurts the most. Haru especially, as he now understands why Kei acted the way he did. So seeing the two finally accept each other's love in the end was truly so satisfying. All they really wanted was to continue being at each other's side as they did in the past. I really do love stories where a couple manages to make it through after years of refusing to acknowledge their feelings!! They're terrible and clumsy at expressing their love, but I think it makes the happy end well worth it.

Near the end, Haru has a line saying he'd rather have sex with one person a hundred times over having sex with a hundred people. It's one of my favorite lines, and shows just how much Haru really did love Kei the whole time... Glad they can finally be happy!!!

I also wish happiness for Ruriko!! She doesn't see herself as a strong person, but I do think she is for holding out for so long.

While this story was chock full of emotional and angst, it was also very horny. (The censor bars were rather small for commercial BL, so I wonder how tf it isn't R18.) This is my guess for why it ended up in the Fetish category of Chill Chill's BL Awards earlier this year. So if you like a nice combo of drama and steaminess in your BL but still have a happy ending... I recommend this!!

By the way, liar takes place in the same world as Chiyozaki's debut story, faker. Kei is coworkers with the main couple, Segawa Hiroki and Mikami Rui. The English version of faker is available to read online on Renta! and MangaPlaza.

I hope to talk about another Chiyozaki title in the future. Baka de Yowakute Buzama Demo is another two volume BL I really loved!

[sweet-cream-puff]

Dochira-sama ga Ai wo Tsugu by Nishima Nakamichi

Happy Pride Month!

Every day I think about how it's a crime that none of Nakamichi-sensei's works are licensed in English yet. DochiAi was released last year, and honestly such a great, great story... It didn't make it in the Chill Chill Awards Top 20 in the Deep Category, which I also think was a crime. This story is so emotional and touching I actually can't believe it did not rank. Anyways, I've been wanting to yap about this manga and found now an appropriate time so here we go.

Spoilers ahead!!

Our main characters are Chinami (black hair) and Nagisa (blond hair), who are in their mid 20s.

The story begins at cafe faro, which currently only sells hot cocoa. Chinami, who took over the cafe from his grandma who has dementia and now lives in a nursing home, is running the store when Nagisa walks in. He's suspicious, and ends up not ordering anything before leaving. He returns after hours and finally strikes up a conversation with Chinami, revealing he knew a man who used to visit cafe faro in the past. They meet again after Chinami overhears Nagisa halt a conversation regarding rumors about cafe faro. They chat again, and Chinami reveals he's gay and that his grandma is supportive.

The two get to know each other better and better, and Nagisa eventually tells Chinami he too is gay. He had only known one other gay person, who unfortunately has already passed away. But Nagisa still seems to be concealing something. One day, the two talk and Chinami reveals his hate for his mother, Tamaki, who found out he was gay at a young age and eventually abandoned Chinami. His grandma has been recently mistaking him for his mother and apologizing, frustrating him.

Chinami has fallen for Nagisa, who finally admits the man he knew who went to cafe faro and gay former acquaintance was Tamaki, who was transgender. Tamaki's mother made him be feminine, so he resented her for it. When he found out Chinami was showing interest in men, he got upset at Chinami, saying he shouldn't like boys. Realizing he acted like his mother, Tamaki ended up leaving.

After gathering his thoughts and time with his friends (Nagisa had contacted them), Chinami can move forward. In the end, he visits his grandmother again, responding that he's Tamaki and thanks her for the cocoa (which was Tamaki's favorite drink). And cafe faro's menu increases.

Sorry for the long summary, but I feel like I couldn't make it any shorter. As the story has no English translation, I wanted to explain as much as I could to show just why I found the story so touching!

Nishima-sensei's stories have all been so well done in hitting all those emotional beats it's actually insane. I've only read Aiou Futari and Nakanu Hotaru wa Ao ni Kogareru (HotaAo) as well. I have yet to read their other works, but I hope to get to them soon! I really really have enjoyed how both DochiAi and Aiou Futari discussed the topics of coming out. A bit of a tangent, but I really think they're great examples of the genre evolving as a genre. While many BL still have "I'm not gay except for you" tropes, there are works that have been explicit about a character's sexuality or also handle LGBTQ topics well. And I do think Nakamichi-sensei really did a great job with these.

The build up that began right away to Nagisa's full reveal was so well done, I think. At the beginning I didn't really think much about the cafe slowly narrowing down the menu to cocoa. As the grandma aged, it made sense to cut back on the menu, even though still I felt only one item was a bit excessive. But by the end I was really in shambles, especially when it clicked to why she kept mistaking Chinami for Tamaki.

The development of Chinami and Nagisa's relationship was very sweet in the way they choose to confide in each other. Especially for Chinami, who definitely had no reason to trust Nagisa in the beginning. Nagisa's honesty also helped in him eventually wanting to tell the truth to Chinami.

And of course, there's Nakamichi-sensei's artwork. They really added too the emotion of the story. One of my favorite scenes was in chapter two, where Chinami looked up steps in the direction of the nursing home. Nagisa silently stands beside him, and rests a hand on his shoulder. And the last scene of him visiting his grandma... Emotional Damage!!!

This manga was one of my favorite stories I read at the beginning of the year. While I really still don't get the Deep category, I can positively say this truly was a deep and moving story. And to reiterate for the 100th time, I hope that this and the rest of Nakamichi-sensei's work gets licensed one day...!

[sweet-cream-puff]

Koi wo Suru nara Hirefushite - Love Means Surrendering Completely by Harumoto Kon

This word vomit post will have major spoilers for the story! KoiHire is only out in Japanese, so apologies to anyone who wants to read it but doesn't read Japanese...

Also once again adding the disclaimer that my Japanese comprehension isn't the greatest. I did go and reread it a few times but apologies anyways for any misinterpretations.

As previously mentioned, Harumoto Kon is a mangaka I started following a few months back after finally reading Himeno-kun wa Tokimekitai. I knew Harumoto-sensei had another tankobon coming out after volume 1 of Aisubeki Watashi no Kemono (which I'm also enjoying right now), and I had seen a few posts about the story. Including the following:

Seeing how desperate Tokitou looked in this page pushed me to finally put in my order. I really had to read this story now! I had no real idea of what the story was even about yet. I just absolutely love seeing tops look desperate... And Tokitou looks like he's on the verge of tears!!! I had fallen in love with the way Harumoto-sensei draws eyes. In Himeno-kun, the characters' eyes sparkled in closeup panels like in shojo manga, which made the story feel extra cute. Even the cover highlights it!! His eyes are so sparkly! So Tokitou's expression reaaally caught my attention.

Anyways, what I didn't expect was KoiHire getting an early digital release exclusively on Cmoa. That day, chapter 1 was posted on Twitter. (Btw chapter 2 is up too.) After reading it, I immediately opened up my mobile browser to buy the whole thing.

Our protagonists are two 26 year olds, the aces of sales. First we have Hayase Ryota (brown hair). He's competitive, hating to be second to Tokitou Issei (black hair). While Hayase is from another province who moved to Tokyo and had to work his way up, Tokitou is literally the son of the CEO. (That doesn't mean that Tokitou isn't a hard worker, though. Which probably frustrates Hayase even more!)

To quickly summarize the story, the two become friends with benefits after learning they're both gay. Despite being work rivals, Tokitou treats Hayase well, who begins to fall for him. But the reality of their difference in status leads Hayase to break off the relationship. Tokitou had actually been in love with Hayase for a while, but his duty as the company heir has made him deny his own desires. The two suffer and bottle up their feelings until they can't. Hayase confesses first, and Tokitou follows. Finally being honest with each other, they get back together but as lovers this time. Though it's a straightforward story progression, it's still a wonderful manga for me. I've looked at reviews on Cmoa and Chill Chill that feel that way, seeing the term 王道 be used a few times.

Both have suffered from loneliness and fear to desire more than what they can have. Hayase grew up on the poorer side, with his father overworking to the point of becoming sickly after his mother passes away. As an adult, he helps his sister pay for her college tuition. Moving to Tokyo alone, he worked long hours to the top. Meanwhile, Tokitou's sole role in his family to be the company heir. And after Tokitou's mother dies, Tokitou's moved off to the dorms while his father, stepmother, and half-sister seemingly live a happy family life. Despite lacking familial love, he does his best to live up to his role, accepting he cannot attain what he personally wants. When Hayase calls off their relationship, Tokitou is resigned to think it would never work out anyways.

While their unwillingness to admit what they want may be frustrating (hence the story being labled a 大人のじれじれシーソーラブ), I do think their backgrounds were written well for such a short story that it's understandable for their character!! And it felt oh so satisfying when they couldn't hold it in anymore at the end of chapter four. Imo it's peak, as the kids say. They're two characters who understand each other's loneliness, even if it's not the same. And when they finally are honest, they're now able to move forward together...

I absolutely love the English subtitle for the manga. "Love Means Surrendering Completely" really does suit the story. The two had to let go of their worries and fears in order to really love each other (sobs).

It's only 5 chapters but why did I come out of it feeling so!! Emotional over these two!! I'm also lowkey like please I need to see them being cute even more!!! I wanna see them celebrate Tokitou's birthday... Maybe them meeting Hayase's sister and father... Using first names with each other... It doesn't have to be a full on sequel I'm totally happy with a little bonus story!!!! Though I know sensei is super busy so def understand if it doesn't happen but wahhhhh TokiHaya........!!!!!

Harumoto Kon's artwork is absolutely gorgeous and I seriously enjoyed the range of expressions and emotions... Especially Tokitou like man, woweee..... I wish I could post panels but you'll have to just trust me for now.

I hope KoiHire gets picked up for an English release in the future. I really loved it, even if some may think it's conventional. The emotions of the characters really caught me on top of the beautiful art. Thank you Harumoto-sensei for another wonderful work!!

---

BTW: I ended up buying from HorinLoveBooks after seeing the cute cheki style clear card paid bonus. They're so cute!!! Definitely taking pics with it and some chocolate cake when Hayase's birthday rolls around in two weeks hehe. (And then with some strawberry shortcake in October for Tokitou's birthday lol)

[sweet-cream-puff]

" Buying the Artist" -- Falling into the Rabbit Hole of Following BL Mangakas

When Court tweeted the above screencap from Susumu x Minoru last month, I really felt that. When I first started reading a few BL manga in late 2022, I read a good amount of Mamita, reading all her titles that interested me. She was definitely my favorite then. I ended up buying Haberdashery Ginmokusei and Natsume Wants to be Trained. And when I saw 10 Things I Want to Do before Turning 40 the following year at Kinokuniya, I immediately picked it up. (These all have English licenses now, by the way. Only 10 Things has been released though.)

Now that I've fully fallen into the BL manga swamp, really getting into following artists has been truly such a fun experience. I love reading a work and then immediately seeking out more of their work! Like who knew reading Niyama's My Dearest Patrolman would lead me to absolutely fall in love with Ask and You Will Receive. (Sondaki my beloved!!!) It's so much fun to see what tropes an artist really likes, their range of ideas, or if there's any Easter eggs between their series that aren't necessarily connected together. For example, I didn't realize that Nishima Nakamichi's Dochira-sama ga Ai wo Tsugu was set in the same world as Aiou Futari until I found her post on talking about cafe faro being a date spot for Kazuki's parents. In general I love that Nakamichi-sensei writes a bunch of tidbits for her stories. I need to parse through them at some point.

But back on topic. Mangaka (and honestly comic creators in general) writing and drawing their own work always amaze me. While they may have some help and ofc have editors, to start and finish like 200 pages of a comic on your own is so cool. I don't know if they do it part time or full time but regardless, it's not easy. And with so many stories that already exist, they can't always invent the wheel too. Whether their story is something spectacular or something just okay, knowing a lot of time and effort has been put into it makes me appreciate what I read.

So... I've been working up the courage to leave more comments on their posts. Why not? My Japanese is far from good, but I think leaving a short message saying I enjoy their work doesn't hurt at all! Life's too short to not tell people you like their work. I feel super repetitive saying stuff like 凄く良かったです and 楽しみにしています, but until I get better... It's something!

Currently, there are two mangaka whose works have me in a chokehold right now--Marukido Maki and Harumoto Kon. For Maki-sensei, I've heard of Pornographer and Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu, but only read them earlier this year. For Harumoto-sensei, I heard about Himeno-kun wa Tokimekitai from the Citrus Squad server several months ago. I then read it myself in February.

When I had the chance to meet both Maki-sensei and Harumoto-sensei at J.GARDEN, it furthered my desire to support their works (and all the other mangaka I had a chance to meet)! For Marukido Maki, her current work Good Night Routine should be wrapping up. It's definitely sweeter and lighter than her works, but I definitely recommend it!! I'm also super excited for Omega Megaera to release later this year in English from Kodansha. Also, Even If You Close Your Eyes You Can See the Light also got a surprise print license from Futekiya!?

For Harumoto Kon, volume one of her fantasy BL Aisubeki Watashi no Kemono released in March. Her rival salaryman work Koi wo Suru Nara Hirefushite just got an early release on Cmoa. I bought it and have been losing it. I definitely want to write a post about it... Probably after this lol.

Anyways, I really had no point I was getting at. Just wanted to gush about how much fun it's been to support BL artists and have an excuse to talk about two mangaka I want more people to check out... if you can read some Japanese of course haha.... . . .

Last Edited: 2025/05/30

[sweet-cream-puff]

J.GARDEN57 Report!

Tokyo Big Sight

Last edited: 2025.08.03 If you saw my thread, I planned a considerable amount! This was my first time attending a doujinshi event so I wanted to make sure I was prepared since I knew it would be intense…

But to recap: ⁃ The Garden Guide pamphlet is necessary to get in!! Inside there's a ticket to exchange for a entry wristband. They sell it about a month in advance. If you can't order beforehand, they do sell it onsite the day of ⁃ I prepared a tote bag with cases and folders to hold my goodies and other items for the event ⁃ I checked the hashtag regularly to see what artists were offering and if they accept gifts/sashiire or not ⁃ I made a spreadsheet and then the web catalog (access code is in the pamphlet) to list and prioritize who I wanted to check out. Also made a list of artists I was interested in to follow their posts more easily ⁃ Have an ID at the ready to show your age when buying R18

The items I brought with me to J.GARDEN: Two tote bags, an A4 box, an A4 case w pamphlet, clear file, and my one fan letter, coin purse, name badge with ID in back, and sashiire

So the night before I got some cool news. I was very fortunate to get into the event earlier than the general participants because Duckie, Carp's friend, was tabling and had extra circle tickets! That means I didn't get to experience the whole wristband lottery. I still got wristband from the circle ticket, which was a bright pink rather than a white one with colored stripes.

Circle wristbands!!

Carp and I arrived around Big Sight before 10, waiting for Duckie at the entrance to the event. The area was already teeming full of people waiting for the event to start. When Duckie arrived, I also got to meet Breeze! Not long after, I also got to see the staff from Renta! again. I ran into them at the OmaKiss animega x Sofmap pop up and Stellamap drinkstand in Akiba two days earlier.

Renta! staff was sweet and gave me a little bag of goodies!!

We all walked up to the hall area only to have to go aaaall the way back out to the front because we hadn't gotten our wristbands yet. Whoops. We accidentally went around it when we passed by.

When we finally got into the hall, we stopped by Duckie's and Breeze's table, which were next to each other. They were actually all in a little group of international artists and friends, which was really cool! Their spaces were all next to each other too. I highly recommend checking their works out!!

Here are their Twitter accounts: Duckie: canardette Breeze: breeze_bl Lina: duriandrink Rito: 00_RITO Bread: breadnomimi Salt: saltcheee

After chatting with people for a bit, I lined up for my first book. Ogeretsu Tanaka's new Happy of the End doujin! Even though there was 15 minutes until the event started, there was already a line from others who had circle wristbands. But I was able to get the new set fairly quickly after 11! It was crazy to see everyone else get in line after the doors opened. While I waited, Carp got books from Marukido Maki and Hirune Cyan for me. (Found out later on that Carp was first in line at Marukido Maki's table haha)

We met up by Azuma Kaya's table afterwards since they were all super close! Carp then got in the line for Arima Arashi for me while I continued on. During that whole time I was able to visit Jyanome, Uno Yukiaki, Luma, Baseu, and Akota... Basically this all happened in the first hour lolol… It really was a crazy dash! I relied on the web catalog the entire time over my handmade spreadsheet bc the functions made it a lot easier. I also had the map pulled up in another tab because wow it was truly a huge space.

J.GARDEN57 web catalog checklist and map

Despite the craziness of the first hour rush, it was seriously organized well. When there were super long lines, there was a little sign that the person at the end would hold. Once someone else joined, they would pass that sign to them. There was also a lot of tape and staff to help direct crowds.

Since the Arima Arashi line was super long, I was able to visit even more tables while Carp waited… Including Michiru Sonoo's!!! I got three manga books and a novel from Kubo Naomi. I was able to get the Koh-Boku comic signed too hehe. (Tbh this is the only book I got signed…! I forgot to see who was allowing them or not whoops!) I hit up a few more tables afterwards.

My signed Koh-Boku On Board comic~

When Carp finally got the Arima Arashi book (KimiSumi standee sold out), we took a break to get some food and cash because I clearly did not calculate how much I needed lol. Afterwards we headed back to see Breeze and Duckie and get their books!! I was luckily able to get Breeze's book before they sold out.

Carp and I checked out more tables and she also helped me do aisatsu since my brain was so fried and had difficulty trying to form word. I'm grateful she could help me out!! We also took a bit of a break because I was getting a bit frazzled haha. But after enjoying the cool air outside, we started up walking around again. I passed out mini Albanese gummy bear packs to the artists and uriko, and it seemed to be a hit. A lot of them commented that the gummies were cute, probably because of the size.

I actually didn't get a chance to write any letters, except for Luma's! I'm glad I got to write at least one but def regret not writing more. In the end, I was able to do aisatsu for nearly all the artists I wanted to greet, except for Hirune Cyan, who seemed to have left the table when we passed by. Everyone was surprised to hear I had come from the US for J.GARDEN! If the artist has a book with an English version, I made sure to mention it hehe. I think the only one who didn't realize their work even had an English version was Akota! So I mentioned it was on English Renta. (Btw the last chap just came out a few days ago!!!)

We hung around by Duckie's table until the end of the event after finishing up aisatsu and taking a last round at the tables. And of course at the end I thought about missed tables! (Somehow I completely missed Kawaii Jiro's table...) But it's okay! I was already going home w so much!!

Once J.GARDEN closed up, Carp and I got dinner before heading to Cafe 801 in Ikebukuro, where Yancha was hosting a post-J.GARDEN snack bar event! It was a nice way to wind down for the day and trip. The space itself was a really comfy area to read books and hang out. Sensei poured drinks for all the participants and gave us all a cute coaster and keychain she designed. She talked about wanting to relax at an onsen and drink alcohol, but she doesn't have time… She's already planning a fanwork doujinshi for this summer! I hope she gets time to have a break eventually! (Yancha doesn't have any works in Eng atm, but I read 初心者Domはハメられたい, which is Dom/Sub verse but has a Sub top/Dom bottom. It's fun!!)

Snack Sanzoku at Cafe 801!

After the snack bar event, it was time for me to head back and pack up for the following day's flights back home. Overall this was a ridiculously successful first J.GARDEN. I hit all the tables I really wanted to buy from and got to say hi to artists I'm a fan of... Honestly I only think it was possible because I was able to get into the halls early and had a friend who was willing to wait in some lines for me, which was truly a privilege. Huge thanks again to Carp and Duckie!!

So that was my first experience at J.GARDEN. I do apologize again I'm not able to provide more info on the process of getting into the event and wristband process!! But Renta's blog posts cover it well already, so there's that. I will say go with a friend if you can, especially if you know there are books you want. Some artists allow buying more than one copy at a time, if both of you want something from an artist sometimes one of you can grab a both copies at once… It really helps to get more ground covered!! Also make sure to take restroom and food/drink breaks!!! They do announcements for it too. After the initial first hour rush, going to the Lawson in the building was a godsend. At the end though, both Carp and I were super hungry...!

Things I will do differently next time: ⁃ Write fan letters earlier (I wish I could have given something else besides the gummies…) ⁃ Write down prices of the items to gauge of how much cash is needed! (in general make a better spreadsheet haha) ⁃ Bring a sturdier and bigger canvas tote lolol ⁃ Actually get a B5 case in addition to A4… (I wasn't able to get one in time oops) ⁃ Bring more food like a nutrition bar that's easy to keep in a bag in case it gets squished ⁃ Ask more artists who are willing if they could sign my books! I was too shy to ask since I didn't check who was accepting it or not prior to event

Some advice and notes: ⁃ Follow the J.GARDEN staff twitter account for info on dates ⁃ I found making a list of artists' twitter accounts helpful to check up on any info related to the event such as if they accept sashiire or not, if they'll sign books or not, how many copies a person can buy, etc...

If you ever have the chance and love BL manga, definitely recommend going to J.GARDEN! Def check out Renta's blog posts (J57 pre-event post, J55 report) for more information. They were super helpful to me when planning, and prob the only source of Eng info I could find before I went!

To officially end my report, here are all the books I got!! I'll make another post (and a twit thread) going over each~

If you read all of this, thanks for reading! Hope to attend J.GARDEN again~ (Hopefully next year hehe)