The World of BL: Anime (Part One)

“Yamete! Oshiri ga Itai!”

It’s formerly known as Yaoi amongst fans out of Japan and “that gay japanese porn thing” amongst the ones who know nothing about anime or manga.

I’ve been a BL fan for a couple of years now, but I never gave myself the opportunity to write about this particular passion of mines. I’ve got some time to waste right now, so why don’t I introduce you to the wonderful (yet occasionally traumatizing) world of Boy’s love?

Warning: Uh. Does this count as NSFW? Well, whatever. Some of the shows listed in this post are for people 18 and older … however, considering the fact that I’m only 16, I’ve no real say in this matter so, do as you please.

Intro

In the past few years, BL has been growing in popularity. While not exactly mainstream, BL is pretty popular with the general population of fangirls. It’s gotten popular enough that anime like Kuroshitsuji, 07-Ghost and even things like Koutetsu Sangokushi are getting aired. Plus, there was Junjo Romantica recently and, even more recently, Hetalia; which has dragged a lot of fangirls into the world of boy’s love.

Thing is, a lot of a newer fans are going around everywhere asking for recs and such that it’s actually getting annoying. Actually, there aren’t many places to turn to when wanting recs for BL/Yaoi anime or manga or anything BL related, for that matter. There are fair number of forums (mainly Aarinfantasy) out there to ask for recs and discuss BL, but there aren’t many good informative websites for BL out there.

That’s why I decided to start this item in my blog. I figured it’d be nice if newer fans had all the recs in one place.

This week, I’m covering BL/Yaoi anime OVAs and series. There aren’t many of them, but I still hasn’t able to fit them all in a single post. I listed here the bare necessities that I figured any BL fan should watch. However, there are few really good ones I have not listed here (Zetsuai, Ai no Kusabi and Earthian, for example), but that’s simply because I had not been able to see those first hand.

Now, moving on with the recs.

(P.S: Here‘s a fairly good info site for BL)

The list of the non-explicit Yaoi series

Gravitation:

If you’re just starting out (as a BL fan, that is) and want some anime titles to watch, I’d recommend Gravitation first. It’s only 13 episodes and not very difficult to find. Shuichi’s and Yuki’s relationship is different from the average yaoi works in which the seme chases after the uke. In Gravitation’s case, it’s Shuichi (the uke) doing all the chasing. I’d also recommend watching the OVA, if you’re interested in seeing Yuki as his truer (original manga) self.

While on the subject of Gravitation, I’d also like to talk about the Gravitation Remixes and Megamixes which are a series of doujin works that the original creator of Gravitation, Maki Murakami, drew. All of these remixes are explicit in nature, but give a lot insight into the characters and even further developpement for them. The Megamixes are particularly explicit and bizzare though, so beware. (I’d tell you not to read them if you’re a minor, but I’m not exactly in a position to talk about age am I?)

Seiyuu note: Tomokazu Seki, Inoue Kazuhiko, Orikasa Ai, Yamaguchi Kappei, Tanaka Rie, Shinichirou Miki, Koyasu Takehito and Matsumoto Yasunori

Loveless:

The anime is 12 episodes long and was adapted from the on-going manga of the same name by Kouga Yun. Though Loveless technically falls under the shounen-ai category (and maybe partly under shota), I still recommend it. This series is a wonderful example of confusing angst and master-pet relationships, both of which can be found in a number of BL works. Ritsuka’s and Soubi’s relationship is still one of my favorites.

(I can’t help it. I love nekomimi.)

Seiyuu note: Minagawa Junko, Konishi Katsuyuki, Fukuyama Jun and Ueda Kana

Sukisho! (Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shoganai!):

I’m not sure whether or not I should recommend this one considering the anime‘s giant flaws in pacing. Still, it made me laugh and actually touched me a bit in the end. The plot is all over the place, but if you ignore that, you’ll love this anime. The characters are all great and wonderful. However, the anime doesn’t develop the characters all that much. If you find yourself wanting more after the 12 episodes, there’s still the OVA as well as the games.

(I played the first two games. If you have the ressources to be able to play it, I highly recommend it.)

Seiyuu note: Midorikawa Hikaru, Hoshi Souichirou, Chiba Susumu, Ishida Akira and Miki Shinnichirou

Junjo Romantica:

Do I really need to talk about this? If you want to know, search my archives for my Junjo Romantica posts.This anime is the first REAL Boy’s Love series to actually air AND have two full seasons. That’s all I really have to say. Honestly though, Junjo Romantica (including Egoist and Terrorist) is the perfect example of your stereotypical BL manga. If you loved the anime, read the manga. If you loved them both and want more, listen to the Drama CDs.

Seiyuu note: Sakurai Takahiro, Hanada Hikaru, Itou Kentarou, Nobutoshi Canna, Kishio Daisuke and Inoue Kazuhiko

Gakuen Heaven:

In a nutshell, Gakuen Heaven is about a guy name Ito Keita who is transferred to an all-male boarding shool full of beautiful elite bishies.

I hesitated about having this one in the list as well, but I decided to include it purely because it’s harem composed of only men. The anime itself plays out like your average harem series and isn’t anything spectacular. However, the characters and cast is absolutely wonderful AND there’s a lot of eyecandy.

Seiyuu note: Fukuyama Jun, Sakurai Takahiro, Nojima Hirofumi, Kamiya Hiroshi, Konishi Katsuyuki, Narita Ken, Takeuchi Ken, Suzumura Kenichi, Okiayu Ryoutarou, Miki Shinichirou and Morikawa Toshiyuki.

Kyo Kara Maoh!:

This was the closest thing to a REAL BL anime series there was until Junjo Romantica. It’s a hilarious parody anime about a boy, named Yuuri, who is thrown into a toilet bowl by bullies and ends up in another world where they tell him he’s the next Maou, a.k.a King of the Mazoku (demons, basically).

The original anime series is 78 episodes long and overall, it was a great anime. It’s hilarious. It’s got eye candy. It’s got lovable characters. Extreme BL undertones. It’s basically a harem around Yuuri, but it’s different from Gakuen Heaven considering how KKM! laughs at itself often.

I really recommend this one for sheer love of parodies and comedy.

Seiyuu note: Sakurai Takahiro, Miyata Kouki, Inoue Kazuhiko, Saiga Mitsuki, Morikawa Toshiyuki.

Princess Princess:

This is NOT BL. Hell, it’s not even shounen-ai. I’ll admit it’s bordeline, but it’s not BL. Short summary? It’s about three guys who dress up as girls to be the idols of their all-male school.

The only reason it’s on this list is because it involves crossdressing.

Seiyuu note: Fukuyama Jun, Paku Romi, Hoshi Souichirou and Kakihara Tetsuya

FAKE:

FAKE is a pretty old title in BL. The manga dates from 1994 to 2000 and the OVA was released in 1996.

The OVA is a short story about the two main character Ryo and Dee who are two New York city police officers who get involved in a murder while on vacation in England. Ryo is the uke who is half-japanese and Dee is the seme with the hots for his partner Ryo. The OVA is only 90-minutes long and doesn’t manage to develop the characters very much. You’ll be wanting to get your hands on the manga after watching this one, but that’s not a bad thing. FAKE is a great series and, despite its age, has quite wonderful animation.

Yami no Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness):

Of all the above, Yami no Matsuei is probably my favorite (after Gravitation). Like FAKE, it’s quite old dating from the year 2000, but the animation is actually really great and the character designs gorgeous. Every thing about Yami no Matsuei is absolutely beautiful in its purest definition.

In a nutshell, Descendants of Darkness is about a Shinigami named Tsuzuki and his partner Hisoka. Throughout the series, they solved cases involving many dark and fantasy-like things like vampires or strange murders. All of these cases always trace back to the same mysterious man: Muraki.

Yami no Matsuei is a 13 episode anime comprising many short arcs; each involving a different case.  The series is actually quite bone-chilling, but quite addictive. Despite the length of the anime, the characters do actually develop quite a bit and it’s easy to attached to all of them.

While not exactly BL in nature, the BL undertones are obvious yet subtle. Yami no Matsuei is a beautiful series. I’d even recommend it to those who aren’t BL fans. The plot and premise of this series is one of the best.

(To be honest though, I’ve no idea about the manga)

Seiyuu note: Miki Shinichirou, Asano Mayumi, Hayami Sho, Seki Toshihiko and Morikawa Toshiyuki

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The List of the More Explicit Yaoi OVAs

Alright look, I’m not about to go in-depth about explicit Yaoi OVAs. I’ll leave it at listing titles and a brief warning about its content.

Haru wo Daiteita: Two OVAs that are 30-minutes long. Normal sexual situations. Explicit but not overly done. Highly recommended for newbies. Uke by Morikawa Toshiyuki. Seme by Miki Shinichirou.

Winter Cicada (or Fuyu no Semi): Three OVAs that are 30-minutes long. Beautiful but tragic story. Considered a classic amongst fans. Explicit. EXTREMELY recommended for all BL fans. This is a must. Uke by Morikawa Toshiyuki. Seme by Miki Shinichirou.

Ikoku Irokoi Romantan: Two OVAs. Explicit. Gorgeous character design. Wonderful eye candy. Recommended. Manga series even more recommended. Seme by Suwabe Junichi. Uke by Itou Kentarou.

Kirepapa: Two OVAs. Explicit. Light-hearted and cute. Older seme/Younger uke. Shota. Manga recommended to read as well. Wonderful eye candy.  Seme by Sakurai Takahiro. Uke by Midorikawa Hikaru.

Enzai: Adapted from a game of the same name. Two OVAs. Shota. Gang-rape. Non-con. Rape. Toys. All around unethical.

Seikimatsu Darling: Wait a sec, this isn’t even explicit! Hilarious. Involves two men fighting over who should be seme. Light-hearted. One half-hour OVA. Recommended for newbies for sheer light-hearted BL comedy.

Sensitive Pornograph: Probably the most explicit OVA out there. It’s only 30 minutes but has two stories. The first involves two mangaka, the other a pet sitter and a human pet. Very explicit but no other warnings otherwise. Fairly good animation.

Okane Ga Nai: Based off a manga of the name. I recommend the manga more than the OVAs series composed of four episodes. Non-con. Abnormally giant seme. Unbelievably tiny uke with giant googly eyes. Uke by Fukuyama Jun. Seme by Kosugi Juurota.

Boku no Pico / Pico to Chico / Pico x CoCo x Chico : I don’t even consider this BL. Warnings? SHOTA SHOTA SHOTA SHOTA SHOTA SHOTA! Run away now.

Papa to Kiss in the Dark: Two OVAs. Incest. Light-hearted. Random plot. Eye candy. Super irrealistically girly uke by Midorikawa Hikaru. Seme by Miki Shinichirou. Recommended because it’s cute.

Honestly, the number of yaoi anime out there pales in comparison to other work mediums. I only named the bases of the base in this post.

Plus, Anime represents a really tiny percentage of the BL world. It isn’t easy to produce a BL anime. Drama CDs proved to be a much more profitable method to adapt BL manga and novel works.

In mainstream, the good manga and novels become anime. In the obsure (yet no so obcure anymore) world of Boy’s Love, the good manga and novels become drama CDs. Well, there are also quite a good number of BL games out there, but I know relatively little about that branch.

Anyways, next week I’ll cover BL manga titles everyone should check out. Expect me to be a little more passionate about that than I was for this.

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Part One: Anime

Part Two: Manga

Part Three: Drama CDs

Part Four: Novels and Games