Otaku Champloo

Tag: Nakamura Asumiko

  • The 2017 Dangerous Boys Love (BL) Manga

    The 2017 Dangerous Boys Love (BL) Manga

    Kono BL ga Yabai Cover

    2016 was quite surreal as seemingly impossible things just got real. From the deaths of our cultural heroes to the figure skating anime we never realised we actually needed, 2016 was exceptionally cray. 2016’s BL titles were no exception. 
     
    The 2017 list of BL’s “dangerous” titles, as selected by Japanese BL readers and critics for Kono BL ga Yabai, represents an audience’s thirst for something different, exciting, if not, a bit “dangerous.” This is more apparent in 2017 than in previous years as readers and critics chose stories that were definitely “yabai”. 

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  • The BL Manga Starter Kit

    The BL Manga Starter Kit

    blstarterkit

    I’d like to think of this BL Starter Kit as Pandora’s Box. When Airin raised the idea to me, I was obscenely curious over what she had to say. In fact, I’ve been very curious what titles people suggested because getting someone started on BL is like opening Pandora’s Box. The entire world thinks that it has nothing but evil — homosexuality, misrepresentation of homosexuality/masculinity, sexual aggression, yaoi hands, etc. Before you even grab your first BL book, people would have told you 9000 reasons why it suck and why you should not read it. It’s reached a point where any person who likes BL will openly tell you “Yeah, it’s TRASH,” as if acknowledging that nothing good comes out of it. And yet, a recent book about BL has earned an Eisner nomination. Amazing artists such as Yoshinaga Fumi and Shimura Takako started their careers as BL writers. And then the people who considered BL also trash also openly admitted that they genuinely love the genre. Doesn’t that make you want to open this Pandora’s Box?

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  • Fujojocast #10: Building a BL starter kit!

    Fujojocast #10: Building a BL starter kit!

    Honto Yajuu vol. 8

    So I posted last weekend about pooling people’s recs for a BL starter kit! If you’ve got a few titles in mind, that’s great! Let me know about it!

    However, if you’re still thinking how to go about it, let Airin, Maija, and I help you build a criteria for your BL starter kit! In this podcast, we share our thoughts on BL titles we think is accessible for curious readers! It may have been recorded last year but I think our selection still holds! Listen in and I hope it inspires you to rec for the BL Starter Kit!

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  • 43. Doukyuusei by Nakamura Asumiko.

    43. Doukyuusei by Nakamura Asumiko.

    doukyuusei DVD

    I got my DVD of Doukyuusei last week. To be honest, I didn’t want to get the DVD. I mean, yes, I wanted to watch the film. I was miserable that I missed the film when I had the chance to see it. But the DVD, I thought, it can wait another day. Like, maybe, when the PhD is over. I’m at that point in my Nakamura Asumiko fan life that I can wait a few months before buying her next release. I mean there was a time where I can wait years before I get a book so, I know that this can wait. But somehow, the Doukyuusei DVD kept on popping up on my Amazon suggestions.

    And then it dawned on me that I might have a use for the DVD, so I eventually preordered it. When it arrived, I felt a slight tickle under my skin. I didn’t think I’d be so excited about it until I placed the DVD on my shelf beside my Doukyuusei manga. Suddenly, years of my BL life just flooded over me. I realised that had it not been for Nakamura Asumiko, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.

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  • The dangerous Boys Love (BL) manga of 2016

    The dangerous Boys Love (BL) manga of 2016

    BLgayabai2016

    Another year. Another set of dangerous BL. WHERE DID THE YEAR GO!?!

    I started the year writing about Kono BL ga Yabai and here I am writing about it again!?! And I hardly reviewed any awesome BL this year since I’ve been busy writing other things. OTL. But I did manage to find time to read a handful of new BL titles this year. Sort of. I’m quite sure I’ve read a couple but it’s quite sad that I really remember so few. That said, the number 1 title in Kono BL ga Yabai 2016 is definitely no surprise although it’s one that truly deserves the term dangerous. Here’s this year’s list of Kono BL ga Yabai and Chichil’s Best BL.

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  • 10 awesomesauce manga from 2015

    10 awesomesauce manga from 2015

    Shelf
    The book pile that keeps on growing. OTL.

    2015 came and went so fast and I feel like I haven’t read enough manga. OTL. More like, I feel like I haven’t written much about the manga I read in the last year. I remember making a call for more josei this year but I ended up reading so much shonen (and dojinshi) for my thesis. OTL. However, I did have a few favourite reads and as I jotted them down, I realised they were mostly by female authors! Yay! I guess I did josei up this year, after all! Well, technically, they’re not titles in josei magazines but I guess I’m quite happy reading a diverse set of reads from female authors (and 2 dudes with awesome titles). I guess having online readers such as Line Manga and Comic Fleur helped. I started reading a lot of these titles because they were initially available for free online. But I really should be reading the physical manga I’ve bought but hahaha. OTL.

    Again, just like every year, these titles are not necessarily published on 2015 but ones that I’ve read in 2015. So, here’s my favorite reads from last year!

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  • Nakamura Asumiko’s Doukyuusei (Classmates) is getting an anime!

    Nakamura Asumiko’s Doukyuusei (Classmates) is getting an anime!

    Screen Shot 2015-03-15 at 8.28.47 am

    So good things happened yesterday and one of which was this announcement that A-1 pictures, the studio behind Persona and Utapuri are animating Nakamura Asumiko’s Doukyuusei series! You can check the　official anime page too!

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  • The Dangerous BL of 2015

    The Dangerous BL of 2015

    bl-yabai

    It’s awesome to start the new year with some BL and I’m more than happy to share to you the list of most dangerous BL in 2015 from Kono BL ga Yabai! 

    Kono BL ga Yabai’s been going on since 2008 as a BL counterpart to another famous manga roundup called Kono Manga ga Sugoi. It was first published as a section in Eureka’s BL Studies issue but the year after, it eventually got its own book. Like Kono Manga ga Sugoi, BL ga Yabai selects titles released from a particular period (often between October of the previous year and September of the current year) and holds a poll on their favorite BL titles released that year from 40 manga critics and 6000 readers online and in stores. The result is a diverse selection of titles that has never disappointed me as a fan. Of course, granted that the critics votes have larger clout than the readers, I consider this list as a critic’s choice than it is a popular vote. 

    Bl yabai
    Here’s the BL ga Yabai survey in Animate when I visited in August 2014. I was one of the voters from Animate this year! XD

     

    You can see the difference between Kono BL ga Yabai compared to Chil-chil’s BL Award (which has 22,000 respondents) or even Amazon’s BL Bestsellers BL list. 

    For quick comparison, here’s a table of the top 20 BL titles from these lists. 

      Kono BL ga Yabai 2015 Chil-Chil BL Awards Amazon’s BL Bestsellers
    1 O.B. by Nakamura Asumiko Saezuru Tori wa Habatakunai by Yoneda Kou In These Words 2 by Guilt Pleasure
    2 Soredemo Yasashii Koi wo Suru by Yoneda Kou Hana wa Saku Ka (4) by Hidaka Shouko Dakaretai Otoko Ichii ni Odosareteimasu by Sakurabi Hashigo
    3 Ten Count by Takarai Rihito NightS by Yoneda Kou Soredemo Yasashii Koi wo Suru by Yoneda Kou
    4 Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriheki by Sakurabi Hashigo Smells like Green Spirit by Nagai Saburou Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 9 by Nakamura Shungiku
    5 Dakaretai Otoko Ichii ni Odosareteimasu by Sakurabi Hashigo Choco Strawberry Vanilla by Psychedelico Yuutsu no Asa 5 by Hidaka Shouko
    6 Sneaky Red by Tanato 10Dance by Inoue Satou OB 1 by Nakamura Asumiko
    7 10Dance by Inoue Satou Shinjou-kun to Sasahara-kun by Koshino OB 2 by Nakamura Asumiko
    8 Saezuru Tori wa Habatakunai (Twittering Birds Never Fly) by Yoneda Kou Kuroneko Kareshi no Amaekata by Sakyou Aya Shinjou-kun to Sasahara-kun by Koshino
    9 Kuroneko Kareshi no Aishikata by Sakyou Aya Hana no Miyako de by Takarai Rihito Junjou Romantica 18 by Nakamura Shungiku
    10 Yuuutsu no Asa (Blue Morning) by Hidaka Shouko Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriheki by Sakurabi Hashigo Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriheki 1 by Sakurabi Hashigo
    11 Nennen Saisai by Hideyoshico Between the Sheets by Hashimoto Aoi Kuroneko Kareshi no Aishikata 1 by Sakyou Aya
    12 Yatamomo by Harada Mauri to Ryuu by Moto Haruko Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriheki 2 by Sakurabi Hashigo
    13 Nini no Mori by SHOOWA Michi to no Souguu by Koshino Sex Pistols 8 by Kotobuki Tarako
    14 Seinen Hakkaten by Amagakure Gido Gosan no Heart by Ogawa Chise Ten Count 1 by Takarai Rihito
    15 Shinjou-kun to Sasahara-kun by Koshino Utsukushii Yasai by Matsumoto Miecohouse Kuroneko Kareshi no Aishikata 2 by Sakyou Aya
    16 In These Words by Guilt Pleasure Yozora no Sumikko de by Hayakawa Nojiko Koisuru Boukun 9 by Takanaga Hinako
    17 Utsukushii Yasai by Matsumoto Miecohouse Itoshi no Nekokke (Otaruhen) by Kumota Haruko Hana to Usagi by Kashima Chiaki
    18 Afureteshimau by Arai Yoshimi Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 8 by Nakamura Shungiku In These Words by Guilt Pleasure
    19 Koisuru Intelligence by Tange Michi Tokyo Shinchuu by Totem Pole Ten Count 2 by Takarai Rihito
    20 Umibe no Etranger by Kii Kana Sunao ja nai kedo by Sakuraga Mei Super Lovers 7 by Abe Miyuki

     You can see the differences and similarities in choices between the selections. Not that I am saying that one list is better than the other but I’d like to think that these differences highlight the various metrics used to observe BL readers as well as show the different trends among BL readers, depending on the places they visit or where they buy their BL. For example, those who respond to Kono BL ga Yabai are probably meticulous readers who buy their manga in stores while taking note of when and why they bought it. Amazon’s list is based on sales and this might reflect on how easier it is to buy some titles online (e.g. In These Words are hardly seen on shelves in bookstores during my last trip given the fast turnover of titles in bookshelves). Chil-chil’s results is based on BL readers whose choices may be influenced by Chil-chil’s online forum. There are possibly other factors on these differences but for me, these lists are a great resource for good BL reads for the coming year. 

    The Kono BL ga Yabai 2015 also listed some of the best characters in BL manga last year. I won’t list all but here are the best of them. 

    Best Seme: Kuze Akihito (Blue Morning) 

    Best Uke: Yano (Twittering Birds Never Fly) 

    Best Megane: Asano Katsuya (In These Words) 

    Best Oyaji: Ichinose Masamine (between the sheets) 

    Best Hetare: Miyasaka Ken (Tokyo Shinchuu) 

    Best Tsundere: Kuroi Sabato (Kachou Fuugetsu by Shimizu Yuki)

    Best Sadist: Kuramoto Yuuji (Kimi ni Sasagu Sadistic by Sakurabi Hashigo) 

    Best Masochist: Nagai Tarou (Utsukushii Yasai) 

    Untitled
    This year’s Kono BL ga Yabai finally gives character to 801chan’s companion, 802-kun. He was designed by Nakamura Asumiko and has been on the cover with 801chan since 2013. 802-kun is a salaryman. In this segment, 801chan reveals that 802-kun’s senpai has the hots for him by showing his senpai’s intention to simulate a “train molester play” in these short comics.

     

    Lastly, Kono BL ga Yabai 2015 also highlighted 5 BL newcomers who are expected to give us awesome and exciting titles in the next few years. The only one I’ve read is Harada, known for her work in Ren’ai and Yatamomo. The other authors are Ido Gihou (Yasashiku Oshiete), Yuki Ringo (Tamayura), Ogeretsu Tanaka (Koi to Baka de Aru Koto da), and Etsuko (In the Apartment) 

    Now, I only highlighted the comics section of the book. There’s also a look at the best BL novels, as well as various interviews of the winning artists. For this year, it’s Nakamura Asumiko and Sakurabi Hashigo. There were also various features on the best manga for various tropes/play/settings as well as the top 5 manga as selected by various manga critics. 

    I think this selection is fairly nice. Compared to previous years, I’m surprisingly updated with many of the selected titles since many of them have either been published in ebookjapan or I had the chance to buy them. Hence, I feel a bit confident about pushing many of the titles in this list. That said, even when I read most of these titles, I realise that I have so much yet to read! 

    I am not surprised that Nakamura Asumiko got the top prize for Kono BL ga Yabai. She’s been a favorite among BL fans (and mine as well) and OB does deserve some merit. Hidaka Shouko, Takarai Rihito, and Yoneda Kou titles at the top also reflect their popularity and strength as authors. There are also new names in the list which give me faith in fresh new talent. Kii Kana’s Umibe no Etranger was a delight to read while Harada’s Yatamomo‘s hard erotic scenes was one I didn’t imagine critics would particularly place in the top 20. Then again, Harada’s presence in the top twenty also signifies a trend I noticed in this year’s selection. If anything, I think this year should be handed to Sakurabi Hashigo who spearheaded the trend in bringing sexy back to BL with her work Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriheki. 

    Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriheki vol. 2 by Sakurabi Hashigo

    Last year, there’s more schmex happening in BL and Toshishita Kareshi, Yatamomo, and Kuroneko Kareshi are the best reminders that ‘hardcore’ schmex is back with a vengeance. In the past few years we’ve been getting a lot of ‘softcore’ BL which is fun and cute and has made us forget all the raunchiness that used to happen in a lot of yaoi titles. But this time, BL has embraced some indecent images, vulgar perspectives, profuse sweating, obscenely noisy ukes, and creaking beds! And at times, it’s even lethal. By that I mean that they’ve managed to work a balance between a great heartwrenching mune-kyun story to go along with some of the most erotic scenes I’ve seen in current BL manga. Nakamura Asumiko’s OB is a good ‘softer’ example but there are things in Yatamomo that just makes my nose bleed. This new surge of hardcore BL works appear like tributes to some of the better executed full on hardcore yaoi seen in the late 90s (think Yoshinaga Fumi in her dojinshi!). If anything, some of these titles attempt to rival some of the softer erotica seen in gei (gay) comics ((just to note that this refers to Japanese gay comics — what most foreign fans know better as bara)). However, I don’t see BL embracing many of the heavier images in gei comics anytime soon. 

    What I also find particularly interesting about this list is how Guilt Pleasure is doing really well in Japan! Granted that Guilt Pleasure did a lot of work to promote In These Words, it’s amazing to see a foreign artist do really well in Japan! In Animate, they pushed Guilt Pleasure as an American comic which I find particularly funny because I think JoChen’s illustrations for In These Words are aesthetically closer to manga than amecomi. Hopefully, Guilt Pleasure’s success would push Japanese publishers to look at other foreign talent as well. 

    I expected some titles to hit the top. For example, I casted votes for Itoshi no Nekokke, Love Stage, Tokyo Shinchuu, and Kachou Fuugetsu yet those fell somewhere in the top 50 mark. Either way, the selection’s really interesting and are worth definitely reading for many BL fans. If you haven’t started reading some of these titles, then it’s about time you start the year right with some of these dangerous BL. 

  • Favorite Manga Reads for 2014

    Favorite Manga Reads for 2014

    bookshelf

    2014 was a very busy year for me. The bulk of my research was done during this year and in terms of manga reading, I actually spent more time catching up or reading manga related to my research more than reading all the new manga I bought. But I did try. 
     
    Most of the manga listed here were read in transits or when I needed something to put me to sleep. Not that these manga were so boring that it put me to sleep! That’s not the case at all! If anything, these manga were my favorite reads because I actually remembered their titles. And trust me, with a year added to my belt, my memory’s fading fast that it’s a miracle I remembered these titles! 
     
    Many of these manga are in digital out of ease (although that didn’t stop me from buying physical manga). Digital manga became very accessible to me especially after a little incident pushed me to switch to a new device. After opening a Japanese Itunes account, a whole new world of manga became very accessible to me. It has been both my blessing and my misery. Just when a good number of folks have grown weary of manga, my love for manga just grew stronger this year. 
     
    With that in mind, here are my favorite reads in 2014! 
     
     

    Ajin

    Ajin by Tsuina Miura and Gamon Sakurai 
    Seinen | Available via Crunchyroll Manga and Vertical 
    I find the idea of immortality appealing, especially when it allows you to draw some shadowy figures whom you can teach to do some errands. Well, certainly that’s not what Ajin do but they’ve proven to be intelligent immortal ‘beings’ who are just a spirit away from being ‘human’. In fact, I’d like to believe they are human but people in the series refuse to believe so. Ajin’s a lot more complicated than a bunch of immortals running for their lives. Somewhere along the way, it surprisingly became a poignant human drama about people who sought to control what was unknown to them. The story often touches upon moral issues, many of which involves our mortality and our vehemence towards difference. This story has left me at the edge of my seat, wincing over some guts spewed while reflecting about my own mortality and how lives shouldn’t go to waste. 
     

    Busamen Danshi

    Busamen Danshi (ugly boy – how to get a handsome boyfriend) by Chiyoko Nonomiya 
    BL | Available via E-Renta, EbookJapan, and Line Manga
    Busamen Danshi features a parallel love triangle where two guys fall in love with their best friend who equally loved them both. I am rarely a fan of threesomes because that often lead to hot messes but Busamen Danshi was handled quite pleasantly that it left a good aftertaste even when it appeared like a clusterfuck. The art was cute and the characters ended with a generosity that made me believe that threesomes are awesome. After reading Busamen Danshi, threesomes became my jam and OT3 dynamics became legit. This was not good, of course, for my ever growing fujoshi armada. 
     
    In Clothes

    In Clothes Called Fat by Moyoco Anno 
    Josei | Available via Vertical 
    I don’t think I’ll ever be over this title. It’s too close to home but at the same time it’s just a compelling read. Moyoco Anno’s story about a woman’s struggle with her self-image and relationships is an interesting commentary about women’s lives and their daily struggle to fit in society’s “ideal woman”. It is not the easiest read but it is a must read for women. 
     

    Investor Z

    Investor Z by Norifusa Mita 
    Seinen | Available via Crunchyroll Manga 
    Never did I realise that this year would be the year I would be so hooked on a manga about investments. I shun EVERYTHING related to numbers and yet here I am amused with Japan’s war and post-war economies! WHAT THE FRACK! Set in some super-elite private school (that probably only exists in manga) where the kids get top of the class education without having to pay a cent, Investor Z reveals the ease and risks that comes with investments. It even has a compelling semi-historical story to back it up! I honestly don’t know how kids manage to do investments but it seems to be feasible as seen in Investor Z. 
     

    Koe no Katachi

    Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) by Yoshitoki Oima 
    Shonen | Available in Crunchyroll Manga and Kodansha
    I read this series mostly out of curiosity however, it hit me with a wave of emotions that made me hate and love humanity altogether. It’s one of the few manga that runs in Crunchyroll Manga and it turned out to be a masterpiece.  This was the first manga I’ve read where a character deals with someone with a hearing disability. Perhaps the only seishun manga I’ve read that deals with how children cope and grow up with a disability. Many of Shouko’s experiences with bullying were quite confronting and yet I am perpetually amazed with how she moves on with a smile. This one’s not an easy read but it does have a satisfying ending. This one’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching story and truly merits its recognition as the best series in Comic Natalie’s best manga of 2014. 
     

    Last Game

    Last Game by Shinobu Amano
    Shojo | Available in iBooks Japan, EbookJapan, and Line Manga 
    I am a sucker for idiots. I am also a sucker for romances with two dimwits in it. At a time when I thought Margaret owned me, I end up reading this romantic comedy from Lala about a guy who loves a girl who seems to misunderstand his every effort in showing her affection. It’s almost like Ouran without the fancy helicopters and Takarazuka rival school. Instead, it focuses on the growth of the protagonists as they learn each other’s peculiar ways of showing affection. It’s a hilarious love story that has kept me in tears either out of joy or, more of than not, in frustration. Just read it! But don’t tell me I didn’t warn you that this’ll keep you in agony! 
     

    Otoko no Isshou

    Otoko no Isshou by Keiko Nishi
    Josei | Available via iBooks Japan, EbookJapan, and Line Manga
    This was a difficult choice because this was the year that I read A LOT of Nishi Keiko and it’s all because of this title. I honestly wanted to place Ane no Kekkon too but since that title is still making me go insane, I went with this, which has been wonderfully finished. This title ticks all my obachan woes (too busy and too tired to find new love) and ojichan love (intelligent, witty, if not, a bit snarky old man with glasses. ugh. the glasses bit was a killer.). Not that I find fantasy in an old guy suddenly invading my home but this story has enough charm to make me feel giddy over sharing house with an old man. It also has a movie coming out next year and god, is that oyaji looking lethal. All oyaji are lethal. 
     
    OB

    OB by Asumiko Nakamura 
    BL | Available via EbookJapan and Amazon Japan
    Nakamura Asumiko is back along with her boys â€” Sajou, Kusakabe, and their friends â€” for a short reunion of sorts to see how everyone’s been since we’ve last read them. OB, short for Occupation to Beloved, captures the same softness and warmth the earlier Dokyuusei series had. The narratives are woven in between glimpses of Kusakabe’s holiday in Sajou’s new residence in Kyoto. It’s a delightful read for fans of the series who would love to read updates on their favorite characters. And for those who haven’t read the Dokyuusei series (Dokyuusei/Classmates, Sotsugyousei/Graduates, and Sora to Hara), OB offers lovely perspectives on human relationships.  It’s so awesome that it’s even voted as this year’s Kono BL ga Yabai, proving Nakamura Asumiko’s prowess in BL. 
     

    P to JK

    P to JK by Maki Miyoshi 
    Shoujo | Available via EbookJapan, Amazon Japan, IBooks Japan, and Line Manga
    I started reading this title after Line Manga gave a one volume preview. After the first volume, I ended up buying the rest. This manga showed me the dangers of Line Manga (and how I really have low EQ) as well as handsome policemen. How could I honestly resist this cute May-December love affair between a high school girl who accidentally dates a policeman?! Can you imagine a policeman dating a high school girl!?! It’s a disaster waiting to happen but it was done tastefully well that I was basking in warm fuzzy feelings after reading this title. A sensible and funny May-December policeman-high school girl shojo story!? Is that even possible?  P to JK showed me it does. 
     
    Tokyo Shinchuu

    Tokyo Shinchuu by Totem Pole 
    BL | Available via EbookJapan, Amazon Japan, and Line Manga
    I love reading about office romances but I’m grateful that for once, this office romance didn’t involve as much suits or salarymen. Tokyo Shinchuu was something I picked up after seeing its cute covers. I wavered in resisting to read this title until it topped last year’s Kono BL ga Yabai 2014. Unlike most BL office romances, it’s set in a TV production office hence most of the characters are running around, making sure a TV show looks perfect. It’s a refreshing break from the usual desk job setting. It doesn’t help that Yano’s irresistible as a tsundere boss! His relationship with his assistant, Miyasaka is also organic and casual, absent of any heavy drama but with enough feels to pull your heartstrings. I got hooked on this series quite quickly and I honestly wish it could go on forever. 
     

    Yowamushi Pedal

    Yowamushi Pedal by Wataru Watanabe 
    Shonen | Available via EbookJapan, Amazon Japan, IBooks Japan, and Line Manga. The anime is available via Crunchyroll. 
    If there’s one series that sent me to hell, it’s this one. One of my cyclist friends was totally enthusiastic over this series and I thought I might enjoy it since he was a sensible friend who had good tastes. And he’s not even a fujoshi, yeah? But god, this series just sent this fujoshi in crazy mode. Months after reading this, I’ve got a private twitter for all my pedal needs and I’m in the process of writing my first dojinshi for a ship in Yowapeda. OTL. THIS SERIES IS BAD FOR ME. Who knew that an otaku boy’s weekly ride from Chiba to Akihabara would send him to the top of the cycling world (and my fujojo heart). I didn’t. Although technically, it’s his senior that really got me. Honestly, who doesn’t love Makishima-senpai? 
     
     
     
     
    God, what a year. How I wish I had the energy to write all of the amazing things that I’ve read in the last year. I’ll eventually get to it. Hopefully.
     
    If anything, I’d also like to take this opportunity for the number of people who still come by and read my posts. I’ve been running this blog for some while and sometimes I wonder if people even read it. XD Apparently, I have nothing to worry about because you guys do and I am grateful. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and here’s hoping we have another great year of manga ahead! 

  • Harlequin Japan’s new BL line starts with “Roomate” and Ranryouou

    roommate

    I’m actually writing this out of massive fangirling for Nakamura Asumiko and silent weeping that I can’t enjoy these lovely covers in their English editions.

    Today, Harlequin Japan announced that they’re starting a new BL line called Harlequin Lovesick which focuses on the translation and novelization of popular M/M romances from Japan and abroad. One of the titles they’re bringing in is Lana McGregor’s His Roommate’s Pleasure which has been retitled to Roommate and is translated to by Hayakawa Mayuri, localized by BL novelist, Yukishiro Marie, and illustrated by Nakamura Asumiko. The collaboration appears to be an all-out effort to bring in a lot of English gay novels in the Japanese market. Now this isn’t exactly new as Dear+ Bunko has managed to successfully bring in Josh Lanyon’s novels to Japan. His Adrien English novels were actually illustrated by Kusama Sakae!

    However, unlike the translations of Josh Lanyon’s novels, Harlequin is even teaming up with popular BL novelists to localize and spin these stories for their loyal Japanese fan base. Just take a look at this sample from Harlequin Lovesick’s video promoting the Roommate.

     

     

     

     

    It looks awesome and the dialogue, I must say, has pulled my heart strings a lot more than if it were in English. I have yet to wait for these books to be released and I am mildly tempted to honestly buy the English editions just to see the difference. But for now, let me pine a little more that I cannot get these beautiful Japanese covers in the English edition. Not gonna lie, but that Nakamura cover trumps those well-sculpted abs in the English edition.

    Another title Harlequin Lovesick is planning to publish is Ranryouou, an older BL title by Yamaai Shikiko. These books will be available by October 24 and you can order them from Amazon Japan. In the meantime, you can read Roommate’s Japanese preview from the Harlequin website!

    For more details, check Chil-chil’s news blurb.