#30 days bl drama challenge

[consterions]

Day 1: First Show You Ever Watched

The very first BL I watched was 2Moons, the first ever 2Moons.

And I believe it was around 2017 which means not long after it was released. I remembered being immersed and liked this show a lot and demanded a new season exclusively for ForthBeam.

[negrowhat]

15 Days BL Challenge the Quadriquel

48. If you could switch a BL actor pairing to a different production company, who would you move and to which production company? 

Change 2561

I would move FortPeat to Change 2561. I think they could really soar outside of MAME's Universe. I think they could really have fun with some of the crazy plots Change comes up with and honestly I think they have the range and also we wouldn't have to compromise on the high heat they're so excellent at. I feel like the sky would be the limit for them at Change.

(Also think FirstKhao would have fun there too)

Idolfactory

I would move OffGun to Idolfactory and maybe they can finally shake off those university based plots that GMMTV LOVES to give them. I think Idolfactory has unique plots that would challenge OffGun and they could really explore genres outside of comedy. We saw how amazing they were in Not Me, but imagine them together in fantasy (we know Gun can do it but can Off?) Also I think we would like to see OffGun crank up the heat, they're 30 let's see it! And maybe having such seasoned actors would motivate Idolfactory writers to stick the landings for their series.

(Maybe MaxNat could slide over too)

Deehup

Move PoddPapang to DeeHup. They would be our best bet to get our mature Yaoi we so crave. I think they would easily be casted as mains for either a period drama or even a single dad type of thing. DeeHup would deliver us that mature, emotional, and relatable content we want from Podd and Papang.

(And they should take EarthMix with them)

MeMindY

Crazy enough, I'd move GemFourth to MeMindY specifically so they could get some messiness under their belts. They are so cookie cutter (which I know is about to change) and I know it's because they are so young but damn I'll bet Gem and Fourth would devour a sloppy, messy uni series. Though I do worry about how MAME likes to incorporate assault. If we could do messy without the inclusion of assault then we would have a 10/10 series. We got Wedding Plan so I know it can be done.

Open Label

Let's move BounPrem and BossNoeul to Open Label alongside DaouOffroad and Film Thanapat. BounPrem need to move to a company where they would get consistent attention and decent plots. They are so amazing together but so far have been given nothing but subpar plots and then pushed to the back burner. Their fanbase is way too big to be left hanging so damn frequently. And like FortPeat, BossNoeul need to be released from MAME's universe to really spread their wings. Boss has gotten a little taste with some work with Mandee and from what I've seen he's good. I think BossNoeul would be able to get some fresh new storylines but also keep with heat.

[nthngtoseehere-blog]

15 Day BL Challenge part 2

Original post

#30: Top 3 shows to introduce people to BL?

THIS IS HARD.

I guess I'll go with "might make them want to see more but won't set unrealistic expectations," one each Thai, Korean, & jbl.

Until We Meet Again

Gif by @nick-nellson

Love for Love's Sake

Gif by @guzhufuren

I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama

Gif by @itagakimizuki

I think if someone watched these they'd get an idea of what they'd like to see more of? School setting, or adults, or classic, or stylish, or serious, or comedic, or...idk. Plus they're all good?

Yeaaaahhh, I'm really bad at making recommendations.

[outofthemouthsof]

15 day BL Challenge part 2 - day 30!

Finally finishing @slonekaru ‘s part 2 of the 15-day BL challenge (a sequel to an earlier one started by @negrowhat ) !! (There are parts 3 and 4 to this challenge BTW, but I know I’ll never be able to finish those. But they’re easy to find if you’re interested!)

Day 30: Top 3 shows to introduce people to BL?

Oh that’s easy—KinnPorsche, Playboyy and Dangerous Drugs of Sex!

j/k j/k j/k…

I'm a white American as are many of my friends, so I'd start with shows that I think would make sense without knowing anything about BL tropes or various Asian cinematic techniques, cultural traditions, etc. I'd recommend these three in the spirit of, "I think you'll like these regardless. If you're hungry for more after this and willing to let go a lot of Western preconceptions, I have a whole universe of other shows for you..."

Semantic Error (I would recommend the movie version to anyone even if I didn’t think they’d like BL overall)

Old Fashion Cupcake

Restart After Come Back Home

Runners-up:

Our Dating Sim

The Eighth Sense

We Best Love: No. 1 for You

If I knew something about the media they like to consume in general, there are other shows I might recommend

Tailored to specific tastes:

If they love silly comedy, My Love Mix-Up (original)

If they like thrillers/crime drama, Manner of Death

If they love YA romance, Light on Me

If they love angsty coming-of-age drama, I Told Sunset About You

If they like historical fiction (and wouldn’t mind a supernatural touch), I Feel You Linger in the Air

If I thought they'd like kinky stuff: My Personal Weatherman

If they don't mind their heart being shattered forever, Eternal Yesterday

(Semantic Error gif from @leejoonho )

[pink-heart-jam]

30 Days of BL Challenge

Day 25: the best BL published in my country

I actually don’t keep track of this and have no idea of what’s been published there, sorry 🫣 skip!

Day 26: a BL manga that is a masterpiece

This is a good time to mention the classic Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai by Yoneda Kou. I’ve been following it for over a decade and it’s still one of my favorite things I’ve ever read. The drama, baby! A delicious emotional rollercoaster, a memorable power couple and a poignant, complex character development. Definitely a foundational work for me as a BL reader, this one will always hold a special place in my heart. Hopefully I’ll live long enough to see the end of it 🤣

[theflagscene]

15 Day BL Challenge (part 2)

Day 30: Top 3 shows to introduce people to BL?

1) Bad Buddy - I think it is one of the best BLs to ease someone into the genre that has never really watched any QLs or queer media in general. Bad Buddy is a very familiar story that anyone can follow, it’s Romeo and Juliet, plain and simple. Thankfully it has a happier ending, but because of the intrinsic societal familiarity of a Shakespeare story, Bad Buddy is the perfect BL for first time watchers. It’s a basic Romeo and Romeo story with real heart and fantastic acting from OhmNanon, also no hardcore NC scenes to make anyone possibly squeamish. It’s a fun sweet series that feels like you’ve kinda watched it before, even if you haven’t.

2) Semantic Error - KBLs can be pretty dramatic, whilst also beautifully shot, with a great soundtrack and fantastic acting. Semantic Error is one of the few KBLs that lacks the big drama—death, destruction, forced separation, etc—but still keeps everything else that makes KBLs uniquely beautiful. It’s a very simple love story with cute moments, funny characters and some fantastic tropes. Plus who wouldn’t adore that height difference?

3) Old Fashion Cupcake - JBLs can be weird, and also on occasion dark as hell. Unless you’re used to the type of over the top humour that can be found in Japanese media, it could seem like a lot to a newcomer. Add a queer storyline and it might be overwhelming, which is why I think Old Fashion Cupcake is one of the best JBLs to show someone new to the genre. It also has the nice addition of the characters being fully grown adults and not in university or high school, which is rare but what can ya do? This is a great and short series with one of the most passionate confession scenes ever, that thumb!? Iykyk… and I know you know!

[fallloverfic]

Where to read ENNEAD by Mojito, the boy's love manhwa

"The once peaceful land of Egypt has been stained with blood under the tyrannical rule of Seth, the god of war. Horus, son of the god Isis but not yet one himself, rises to challenge the throne and put an end to the chaos and destruction. Although the confrontation between Seth and Horus began with hatred, in time it becomes blurred by obsession and desire... The ancient mythology of Egypt comes to life as you've never seen it before in this compelling fantasy BL." - Tappytoon summary There are a lot of places to read ENNEAD, the Korean boy's love comic about gods in ancient Egypt, particularly Seth and Horus! But it can be a little confusing, so I'll put some of the big ones in a list, including how to read in English, Korean, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Thai (and here's a carrd version). If you're seeing this reblogged somewhere, check the original to see if there's been any updates, because I'll try to keep this up to date.

There are two versions of ENNEAD available most places it is available: an uncensored/mature/19+ version and a censored/16+/15+ version. The numbers refer to ages.

There is benefit to reading both! Mojito often modifies the censored scenes to show more of different scenes, and some of it explores character thoughts in ways you don't get in the mature version.

Episodes with version differences:

Season 1: Episodes 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 42, 43, 44, 74-75 (75 doesn't exist in the censored release)

Season 2: Episodes 19, 45, 46, 47, 71, 107, 108

ENNEAD is currently two seasons long with an ongoing season 2, and a planned season 3. Mojito sporadically posts on twitter in Korean, sometimes sharing updates, writing/drawing commentary, and extras.

ENNEAD updates in Korean every 10 days, on the 9th, 19th, and 29th (barring holidays and hiatuses), and on the last day of February when it's updating in February, around 22:00 KST. It updates in English, French, and German every 10 days, on the 10th, 20th, and 30th (barring holidays and hiatuses), and on the last day of February when it's updating in February. When the English is updating near-simultaneously, it puts out its latest episode around 00:00 ET. The English translation is currently 4 episodes behind the Korean. The French and German are 10 behind the Korean. The Chinese translation updates on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month. The Thai translation updates every other Tuesday.

Korean Audio Drama

On 5 November 2023, ACO announced a Korean audio drama of season 1 (Episodes 1-73). It was available for purchase in physical and is now available to purchase digitally by episode. You need to make an account on the digital site to purchase it there, and the individual episode site seems to require ID verification before purchase. More information here.

Print Releases

ENNEAD season 1 is available in print in Korean and Taiwanese, which you can purchase through Harumio and Koonbooks (along with other merch). Apparently the physical editions are a little cheaper if you look for third party sellers. Mojito announced on March 18th, 2023, that season 2 would be getting a physical release after season 2 was fully released online, though Mojito didn't specify in what language(s).

Seven Seas began release of an English physical edition starting in November 2023. "Seven Seas [is releasing] two versions of the series, which were originally drawn for different audiences: a paperback version rated Older Teen, and a deluxe hardcover version rated Mature. (Each version is standalone but has alternate depictions of some adult material.)" Season 1 is at least 6 volumes, and, like all physical releases, is using the Korean book covers.

There are also ongoing physical releases in German and Italian, and a completed season 1 release in Japanese.

Current physical release schedule:

21 November 2023: English volume 1 physical release

24 January 2024: Italian volume 1 physical release

15 February 2024: Italian volume 2 physical release

19 March 2024: English volume 2 physical release, German volume 1 physical release

28 March 2024: Italian volume 3 physical release

24 April 2024: Japanese volumes 1-2 physical release

16 May 2024: Italian volume 4 physical release

20 May 2024: Japanese volume 3 physical release

21 May 2024: German volume 2 physical release

19 June 2024: Japanese volume 4 physical release

18 July 2024: Italian volume 5 physical release

20 July 2024: Japanese volume 5 physical release

23 July 2024: English volume 3 physical release

20 August 2024: Japanese volume 6 physical release, German volume 3 physical release

17 September 2024: German volume 4 physical release

26 September 2024: Italian volume 6 physical release

12 November 2024: English volume 4 physical release

19 November 2024: German volume 5 physical release

25 February 2025: German volume 6 physical release

18 March 2025: English volume 5 physical release

22 July 2025: English volume 6 physical release

Series Length and Physical Volume Count

Season 1 is complete at 73 episodes with 2 AUs (one for the uncensored release and one for the censored release, covering 3 episodes total). As a physical release, it is 6 volumes long, in every translation (with extra booklets for the uncensored AU and extra art), averaging to about 13 episodes a volume. Assuming season 2 is printed similarly, if it were printed at this point in time where season 2 is (108 episodes), season 2 would be ~8 volumes long, bringing the total series volume count to ~14 volumes. As there is a planned season 3, and Mojito tweeted in July that there is a lot left for season 2, but there's been no clarification on how long "a lot" is, the series total volume count will likely be more than 14 volumes. It is currently assumed that season 3 is the end of the series, as the series was only intended to be 2 seasons for years. But there's been no clarification that season 3 is the end, and as Mojito is adding seasons still (at least as of 2022), it is possibly going to be longer than 3 seasons. The only planned comic releases we know of outside the existence of a season 3 is that Mojito has said that season 2 will begin printing when it is complete online, Mojito said there would be an FGSeth Extra story, which is presumed to be included with season 3, and there is a planned rerelease of The Cat with God as Butler, a collection of non-canon comics from ~2017 about Anubis getting a kitten, which takes to Seth.

English, French, German

Tappytoon is the only place to legally read ENNEAD in English online. There is currently no downloadable ebook copy in English. Tappytoon is available on browser and the app (for your phone and/or tablet). Tappytoon recently added the mature version to its app, but if you have any issues reading it, both are available and purchasable on the browser version, which you can read on your phone/tablet through your browser if you'd like. Any funds you add and any episodes you buy through the app will be there if you switch to browser. It also has a French translation and a German translation, both of which seem to be censored.

Each version, age-wise, is marked specifically: mature says "Mature" (twice), and has a red M, while the censored/16+ version is marked as 16+, and is missing the "Mature" markers.

Uncensored/mature version^^^ (Again, this should be available on the app now, but if you have any issues accessing it, it has been and still is fully accessible via a browser).

Censored/16+ version^^^

These are both available on and off mobile. You do not need your phone to access Tappytoon. But you can use your browser and the app on mobile.

Obtaining episodes: The first three episodes on Tappytoon are free to read and keep forever (in Korean, the first five episodes are free). The rest are paywalled, but there are two ways to read it free, legally, through Tappytoon:

Both versions of ENNEAD are part of Tappytoon's Time Till Free program, where you log in each day and read one episode for free. It means only one episode a day, but you don't have to do anything else. The newest 73 episodes must be purchased with points (the site currency), though. As of March 21st, 2024, this would mean you can get the entirety of season 1 for free, and 6 episodes of season 2.

If you download the app for Tappytoon (usable on phone or tablet), you can watch advertisements to earn points to buy episodes. It's around 30 ads for enough points to buy one episode. If you earn points this way, you can still use them for the mature version if you open it on browser (the points stay in your account), and the episodes will remain in your account even if you can't see the mature versions on the app.

3. You can just buy points. Most credit cards and PayPal should work.

4. Points do not expire, and Tappytoon does deals to get points for cheap every now and then.

Korean

ENNEAD is available in a number of places to legally read in the original Korean. The original Korean is ahead of the English translation currently by 6 episodes, so if you read the Korean, you will be ahead. If you're not using Chrome, I would recommend installing an extension on your browser that translates pages (Firefox has a number of them, just Google "Firefox translation extension"), which will make this part easier if you can't read Korean.

Witchcomics

Seoul Comics, aka Witch Comics, is a South Korean company and the official publisher of ENNEAD. It's the company other companies license the comic from. Witchcomics carries both the censored and uncensored Korean version (uncensored has the red 19 symbol on the top right). It also has a phone app. You will need to verify your age with adult identification to access the uncensored version, and you can use international ID and payment methods for Witchcomics. Simply create an account and go to the customer care page, where they'll explain the process.

Witchcomics also typically provides a preview on their twitter a number of hours (usually no more than 24, sometimes under 10) before the new episode is released. Witchcomics and Ridibooks also include "previews" for each episode on the buy/rent page itself (similar to Tappytoon). There is no other determinable pattern to Witchcomics previews. They have posted up to at least 215.5 hours before episode publication (S2E80, as part of a return from hiatus event) and up to at least 10 hours after episode publication (S2E73), and at least once posted no preview at all (S2E62). The most common posting time tends to be within 4-5 hours prior to episode publication.

Witchcomics is also the site that gives Mojito the biggest percentage of each episode's earnings, so if you're making a decision on where to best support Mojito, it's one of the better options, and Mojito has commented repeatedly she prefers people buy through Witchcomics.

Ridibooks

Ridibooks carries both the censored and uncensored Korean version. To find the uncensored version, type 엔네아드 in the search bar. The uncensored version has a 19 in a circle on the cover. There is also a version with a red cover, which is the complete season 1.

Ridibooks requires you to verify your age by submitting identification in order to read the uncensored/mature version. This guide is very helpful in signing up, getting 19+ access, and paying for episodes. Ridibooks accepts both international ID and international payments to access and read episodes for both the uncensored and censored versions of the story.

Naver

Naver carries both versions of the series in Korean. The uncensored version has the red 19 to the left of its name.

Kakao

Kakao carries both versions of the series in Korean. The censored version has a tiny gray 15 on the upper right corner, and the uncensored version has a 19 in the middle.

Bomtoon

Bomtoon carries both versions of the series in Korean. You need age verification to view the uncensored version, which requires submitting an adult ID to Bomtoon. The censored version is viewable without age verification.

Chinese

The simplified Chinese translation is available on bilibili, though it is censored. The Chinese translation releases on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month.

Taiwanese

The uncensored version of ENNEAD is available online on various Taiwanese websites, including Bookwalker, Readmoo, Renta, and Hyread. Season 1 is available in physical form in Traditional Chinese.

German

Besides the seemingly censored Tappytoon online release, Panini Manga is releasing an uncensored physical version of the series. Volumes 1-5 are out! Volume 6 will release on 25 February 2025.

Italian

Planet Manga, a division of Panini Comics, announced on June 6, 2023 that they would be releasing an official Italian translation of ENNEAD! Volumes 1-6 have been released.

Japanese

The uncensored ENNEAD has also been translated into Japanese and is available on b-boy, renta, CMOA, Mecha Comic, and Piccoma. A translation of the censored release began on 20 May 2024.

The physical release of the Japanese translation began on 24 April 2024. Volumes 1-6 have been released. There are various bonuses depending on where you order from.

Thai

wecomics carries the Thai translation, which updates every other Tuesday.

Merch

At this point there have been a few non-book merch waves and collaborations (with Mofun, ACO, BNOW, Gratte, Goodsbee, Good Smile, and Primaniacs), mostly available through proxies. This includes posters, cards, a cup, pins, keychains, popcaps, standees, jewelry, plush dolls, and perfume. Remember to check when comparing prices how much goods are priced + how much it will cost to ship to you. Seoul Comics doesn't sell any of its merch for some reason (e.g., the blanket, tarot cards, magnets, crystal ball, and incense burner), it's just given away rarely in lotteries.

Stores + Proxies:

Mofun

Goodsmile: Global, Canada/USA

Primaniacs

Harumio

Koonbooks

Nemo IT

Amiami

Yiggybean

Extra Comics and Art

Finding Community

Please support ENNEAD legally if at all possible. Manhwa artists have a habit of stopping translations or releases entirely when they learn about pirating, and Mojito has spoken out against pirating a number of times.

[justanotherniky]

30 Day HypMic Challenge!

Double post today! Because I wasn't gonna be left behind~

DAY 7: CHARACTER YOU RELATE TO THE MOST/FAVOURITE CHARACTER EVER

🎭 NURUDE SASARA

There's two clauses to this day and Sasara kind of fits both, but mostly he goes here because he's my absolute favourite character in HypMic alongside Ramuda. But I do relate to this bad boi a bit, because if you couldn't tell, clowns who clown together stick together. :)

It took me forever to actually pick a favourite character in HypMic, because there's so many, and because I'm just kind of like that. Takes me a while to commit. :kekw:

And even when I did pick, I couldn't fully settle on one, because as I said, Sasara does share the spot with Ramuda. But I guess they're my favourites for some of the same reasons, but some different ones.

I remember liking Sasara as soon as I met him while listening to the drama tracks. I knew all of the characters already, but when I got to the DotsuHon track, I had never seen Sasara in action yet, I'd just read something off of the wiki and seen pictures of him. I had no strong opinions.

But oh boy was I about to have them.

I just loved him. I didn't expect him to be so smart and clever right off the bat. I was absolutely not expecting to perceive his depth so quickly, even through his usual funny and lighthearted persona. He immediately spoke to me, and I knew I was dealing with one that was going to become one of my favourite characters ever, not just in HypMic. My ult bias, if you will. *wink* (Sasara sits at the same table as Han Jisung in my brain. They should both feel honoured.)

Not to mention that he's, just, hot. Like, LOOK AT THE MAN. I know the orange matched with the green hair is a bit controversial but STILL the idea of a very polished looking outfit but in funky colours and with a silly pattern just feels perfectly in tune with his personality. It fits him! And that also means I get to salivate over him when they choose to remove his jacket in ARB cards. (Looking at you latest event - I was a mess for days.)

Obviously, knowing me, number 1 gay person and BL fan, my favourite character couldn't not be a gay little shit as well. That is something we have in common a stupid amount: both Sasara and I are gay disasters. We would have so much fun simping over men together while drinking tea. Also it is so hilarious that Sasara has such a fixed type in men I swear to god, the Rosho/MCD Samatoki parallels have me cackling every time. This man really replaced his ex he couldn't get over with basically the same guy but in white cum patate. Iconic move. For the history books.

Also, is anyone surprised that my favourite character is once again an ENTP fuckboy? No, I know. No one is. But birds of a feather come together, I guess, because I also am an ENTP fuckboy. :) I wasn't always - I guess this little bastard influenced me, together with some other assholes like Vanitas or Dazai or who knows who else. There's always one.

Should I cut the Sasara ramble short? Maybe. Maybe I should. Thanks to those who stuck around. Stan DotsuHon, stan Sasara. Ship SasaRosho. Peace out xoxo

[fallynleaf]

I read a lot in Japanese this year! Despite everything...

I participated in the Natively 2024 bingo reading challenge, originally with the goal of completing my bingo with as few books as possible, but then when there were literally two weeks left of 2024, I totally changed my mind and decided I wanted to attempt to fill out the whole bingo with unique books (purely because I REALLY wanted to put Nashi's □ book in a bingo □ HAHA), which is the exact opposite goal of what I originally set out to do, but I did in fact manage to complete my bingo!! (Now I just need to update the thread with my new bingo card and the final results fdjkgh)

I sort of had an additional goal for the year, which was to read one novel-length fiction book, and one novel-length nonfiction one. I ended up surpassing that goal! I read the tanka book (nonfiction), the Fake Documentary Q book (fiction), and then picked up Nashi's □ book (fiction) and read it on a whim. So I read three total proper "book" books in Japanese last year. Most of the rest were manga.

(more info about each of them under the cut)

1 volume in a single day | 俺様ヤクザとヘタレ社畜の仁義なき溺愛 (no English translation available that I'm aware of)

This is a cheesy BL manga about a salaryman who falls in love with a yakuza. I’m not sure what exactly drew me to it, haha. My last bingo square that was still unaccounted for was “1 vol. In a single day”, so I wanted something fairly easy and brainless, and I guess I saw a tweet for this series at the right time, so I impulse-purchased it and read it in one day lol.

As someone who is often a BL hater, it ended up kind of surprising me? The romance wasn’t really that special (though it defied BL tropes by having the yakuza character actually be extremely respectful of the salaryman’s bodily autonomy, which I think was part of the joke (that the yakuza guy was a better person than your average BL seme lol), but there was surprisingly a LOT of commentary on exploitative labor conditions, and that was really the driving force of the whole story. Like, the moral of the story, so to speak, is that working a low-wage office job under capitalism is more exploitative and abusive than working for the yakuza.

Would I recommend it? …Eh, I don’t know 😅. If you like cheesy BL manga, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you don’t like cheesy BL manga, you probably won’t. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected because the main “obstacle” so to speak was the ブラック企業 working conditions that the main character had to endure.

I found out shortly after finishing this manga that there’s apparently a live action drama adaptation that came out literally just a couple months ago. HOWEVER, big caveat: it’s one of those short episode gimmick shows, so there are 10 episodes, but they’re only 3 minutes each… As someone who has suffered through similar formats when watching Chinese GL shows, I know the pain very well 🥲. I did end up watching it, though.

My thoughts on the drama are… well, mostly not super positive. It’s alright, I guess? I thought the manga was much more fleshed out and the relationship made more sense. Some of the same themes about workplace exploitation remain in the drama, but they aren’t the main driving force of the story like they are in the manga, so overall I found it much less compelling. There were some changes to the story in the drama that I thought were fine, but others were just strictly a worse story. I think 30 minutes was way too short for the story they wanted to tell, and it would be better as a proper drama or at least a full-length movie.

added to Natively by you | 世界が広がる 推し活英語 (no English translation available, but it's... half in English already)

This is a book designed to teach English fandom language to Japanese fans, but I bought it because I read a review where someone used it in the opposite direction to learn some Japanese fandom language.

I used this book a few times when producing Japanese, including the one time this year when I had to email TJPW, lol. I was also charmed by the fact that some of the same people who were involved in making it were also involved with the fandom tanka book I read right after it (more on that one later).

new to you author | ハクメイとミコチ 1巻 (Hakumei and Mikochi volume 1)

This was a recommendation from my TJPW translation tag partner, who enjoyed this manga in Harta. I bought it because it seemed like my jam and also because I have a bunch of Harta volumes now that I eventually want to read, and I want to be caught up on a few series, first.

I like Hakumei and Mikochi because the art is very nice, the worldbuilding has some fun details, and it's easy to view Hakumei and Mikochi as being in a lesbian relationship lol.

for free | ダンジョン飯 1巻 (Dungeon Meshi volume 1)

Another Harta series that my translation tag partner really likes, and which lots of other folks I know really like. I sort of knew I'd probably love this one if I gave it a shot, and so far that is definitely the case!

Dungeon Meshi comes the closest to capturing the feeling of an old school D&D campaign in all the media that I have personally experienced, with all of the weirdness and the brutality of the dungeons that comes along with that. The Japanese is also remarkably straightforward, albeit chock full of unfamiliar vocab.

My plan with this one (same with Hakumei and Mikochi) is to catch up on the volumes I own and then read the rest chapter by chapter from Harta volume 75 onward.

debut work | これが恋だと教えてくれよ (no English translation available that I'm aware of)

This is a BL manga that I found out about after Toru, the Crossplay Love mangaka, retweeted a thread about it (apparently the two mangaka are friends). I saw the thread when I was lying in bed and got most of it without any lookup tools at all, so I ended up buying the book because I was wanting to read something easier after ここにひとつの□がある.

It’s not really that sophisticated of a manga, so I don’t know if there’s much to say about it 😹. It’s relatively unproblematic, as far as high school BLs go.

The basic plot is that a guy ends up getting into this arrangement with a rich guy at his school where he agrees to teach him normal person stuff (like popular video games and such that the rich guy had never gotten to experience) in exchange for the rich guy helping him with his classes. Naturally the lessons take a bit of a turn lol and the main character ends up teaching him how to like kiss and stuff. You can probably guess where the story goes from there.

non-human protagonist | ごんぎつね (Gon, the Little Fox)

As a seasoned DDT Pro Wrestling watcher, I have known about Gon The Fox for a long time!! I've seen many Antonio Honda matches! Obviously it's a story about a fox, and the whole thing naturally builds up to a dick joke—Wait, you're telling me that I have been mislead by a pro wrestler?

Gongitsune is a pretty classic Japanese short story (it's old enough, you can read it for free on aozora). I own it in picture book form with really nice illustrations. I read my print copy of it, but referenced the aozora text for easy Yomitan lookups.

Funnily enough, I read the original Gongitsune story sandwiched between a DDT show that included a DDT vs TJPW match involving Honda and then a TJPW show wherein Honda was a participant in their princess rumble match. So I heard an Antonio Honda Gongitsune story, read the original Gongitsune story, then heard another Antonio Honda Gongitsune story the next day.

My thoughts on the actual Gongitsune story? I thought it was alright! It’s an interesting story because there isn’t really a clear moral to it. In a sense, I think having the association with Honda’s Gongitsune stories helped make the ending a little easier to bear because it feels like Gon is alive and well, still doing mischief out there somewhere. But at the same time, the jokes do kind of take away from the seriousness of anything that happens in the story, huh…

finish a series | 女装してめんどくさい事になってるネクラとヤンキーの両片想い 12巻 (Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk volume 12)

I talked about this one already! Also wrote a fic for it. Obviously, this series is not actually done (and there is in fact a 13th volume out now, though I read that one entirely via chapters on pixiv and haven't looked at the official release yet), but it was my first time ever getting caught up with a manga's Japanese release and then experiencing what it was like to follow a manga chapter by chapter as it comes out.

It's currently on hiatus, but will hopefully be back soon!

non-fiction | 推し短歌入門 (no English translation available that I'm aware of)

I posted about this book in-depth already! This is an introduction to tanka through writing tanka about your fandom interests. I bought it with the intent of learning how to write tanka so that I could write one for Hyper Misao's produce show last April, and ended up really liking it more than I expected to!

The writing style is easy to read and it explains tanka really well. I legitimately felt I had taken a month long course on tanka after completing it. It's also LGBTQ-inclusive, which was a very nice bonus!

workplace setting | 明けても暮れても (no English translation available that I'm aware of)

I was buying something on BookWalker, and I needed something cheap to meet the minimum needed to activate a coinback deal, so I decided to browse the yuri tag and see if I could find something that looked interesting.

I stumbled across this manga in there, and it sounded cute and, most importantly, was cheap and also short (so I could probably finish it in time to include it in the bingo). It also had the josei tag, which usually means I’m more likely to actually like a yuri lol.

I liked it alright! I don’t know if there’s much to really say, because the story is pretty uncomplicated, but it was cute and fun to read. I have a hard time with oneshots of this length because I feel like it’s so little time to tell a story that feels complete and also fully realized. So I’d rate this one basically as: I liked reading it, but I probably won’t feel a need to revisit it.

no reviews/gradings/ratings | ひとりみです【第2話】: 60歳レズビアンのシングル生活 (THE SINGLE LIFE vol.2: The single lives of 60-year-old lesbians)

These "volumes" are really just single chapter length, so the story is sadly pretty short, but I really liked the first chapter of this story (it’s about an elderly lesbian who is single and lives alone), so I was excited to check out the second, and I liked it even better than the first!

This work is so short, I won’t say much about it so that I don’t spoil it, but the story is really sweet and does a lot with the space afforded to it, and there’s a fun twist in this chapter.

I’m really looking forward to reading the third chapter, though I decided to wait on it because it looks like it’s only available on Amazon currently, and I’m trying to avoid using Amazon as much as possible right now.

longest on TBR pile | ヨコハマ買い出し紀行 1 (Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou volume 1)

Another recommendation from my translation tag partner! A tweet about this manga was what made them realize that they could try learning Japanese. It's a really gentle post-apocalypse slice of life story about a robot at a cafe in the countryside.

I picked it up on BookWalker literally forever ago (it was the first book in my library, so I believe I initially created my BookWalker account to grab it while it was temporarily free) and read it on literally the very first day of 2024, and enjoyed it well enough, but didn't feel a burning need to know what happened next in the story, so I haven't read any of the other volumes yet, though I do intend to get around to them eventually.

from your TBR using a qualifier | ふらいんぐうぃっち（１）(Flying Witch volume 1)

I decided to use Flying Witch as one of the TBR squares because I’ve owned it on BookWalker since also literally forever (I got it for free from the freebies thread very early on. It was the second manga I got there, after ヨコハマ買い出し紀行). This one's a very popular beginner manga (along with Yotsuba), so I had been aware of it for quite some time.

I liked it… okay. I got about 60 pages in and was sort of stalling out on it (I’d just finished 明けても暮れても right before it, so I’d been reading for a bit already), so I decided to put it aside and finish it the next day, and picked up the yakuza BL manga instead, and then I ended up reading 200+ pages of THAT one straight through in one evening, so it obviously wasn’t my reading fatigue that was my problem with Flying Witch 😅.

Not that Flying Witch is bad! I thought the art and the writing and such were fine, but the series didn’t really compel me like I hoped it would. I guess maybe the problem was it had a lot in common with series like Yotsuba and maybe even a bit of Hakumei and Mikochi, so I kept comparing it to those and didn’t click with it as much as I had with those others…

It was pretty easy to read, which was nice, and I can see why it gets recommended to beginners.

participate in a book club | フェイクドキュメンタリーQ (no English translation available that I'm aware of)

This is the Fake Documentary Q book! The book isn't accessible in English, but the youtube series has English subtitles, and I highly recommend checking it out if you enjoy horror at all (there are no jumpscares and no gore!).

I enjoyed the book overall! I think it’s a fun read if you’ve already seen the show and are interested in the deeper lore behind the episodes. I’m not sure how well it would hold up on its own if you’re coming into it cold, though.

It certainly gives you a lot to think about, and it gave me a reason to revisit the episodes and try watching with Japanese subtitles, which was fun! The book was actually a great way to sort of pre-learn a lot of vocab before watching the episodes, which made it a lot smoother to watch them fully in Japanese.

It was the right balance of incentive/reward to struggle, at least where my investment in Q is at and where my general Japanese ability level is at. It was fun to feel like I was uncovering secrets I otherwise wouldn’t have access to.

bad cover | 不可解なぼくのすべてを (1) (Love Me for Who I Am volume 1)

This was the first book I added to my Natively wishlist, and was one of the first books my translation tag partner recommended to me (before we were translation tag partners, when I was still a brand new beginner).

They described it as: "An agender/gender-questioning teen finds a welcoming safe haven at a maid cafe. Features a lot of well-handled LGBTQ characters with a surprisingly sweet and nice tone (everyone I’ve seen read it is a bit off-put by the covers but enjoys the interior)."

I thought it was cute! It reminded me a lot of Crossplay Love, as well as しまなみ誰そ彼 (Our Dreams at Dusk). I'll probably continue it at some point this year.

higher Natively level | ここにひとつの□がある (no English translation available that I'm aware of)

OKAY so a few months ago, I got really into a weird collaborative horror project in Japan called A Missing Exhibition, which I've talked about and giffed and emailed one of the directors of and wrote a whole 17k word fic adaptation of. The main creative brain behind the whole Missing Exhibition project is a young horror writer named Nashi, whose horror background is similar to mine lol (he was heavily influenced by internet creepypasta, SCP in particular).

This book is a brand new one of Nashi's that came out in November! Like most of his work, it's a collection of short stories. I read it because I wanted to see what he was up to after A Missing Exhibition.

It ended up being extremely difficult 😩. Easily the most difficult work I've read in Japanese so far (many native speakers had trouble with it, even...). I wrote a longer review on Natively.

Overall, I think it was a bit of a mixed bag. I really, really liked the two puzzle chapters (one was designed like a math test, and the other was a crossword puzzle), and had an absolute blast working through those with a friend of mine, but the more straightforward prose chapters weren't as interesting to me.

However, I did very much need to put the box book in a bingo box, hahaha. I felt like it was meant 2 be. So I did rearrange my entire plan for this bingo just so that I could include this book.

award winner | よつばと! 6 (Yotsuba&! volume 6)

Most people are probably already familiar with Yotsuba! I've actually read a bunch of the volumes in English, though it was quite some years ago. I own the whole series in Japanese in print (and will be getting the new volume when I can), which is pretty unusual for me (I prefer getting Japanese books digitally whenever possible), but I knew that I loved this series already, so I just went ahead and bought it.

I started reading them at the end of 2023, then continued into 2024, before stalling out it because I got distracted with other manga. But I'm fully planning on returning to the series and ideally finishing it by the end of 2025.

Yotsuba is great manga for beginners (albeit harder than you might expect sometimes) and is also just really fun and entertaining to read. I think it might be the most widely read series that currently exists on Natively.

[incandescentflower]

In case you’re still answering the ao3 wrapped questions - #19 & #30

Also, what is your favorite non-Cherry Magic fic that you’ve written? I haven’t seen at least half of the fandoms you’ve written for, but I’m always willing to start obsessing over something new! Haha

hey there @mdwstchrmer! yes, I'm happy to keep answering these!

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Hmm, I feel like this could actually change in a month haha but right now I am very focused on Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou from Fangs of Fortune. They have an enemies-to-across-space-and-time-zhiji thing that makes me a little nutty and so much of their story is about fate versus choice, which is one of my faves to explore. I have written a few cdrama danmei fandoms and this is not a danmei adaptation, but sure feels like one so it has pulled me in. The style is more challenging and takes more thought for me to write than other settings so we'll see if I can get myself to be able to put something down.

In the Thai BL area, I can't guarantee it, but the way I am so amped for My Golden Blood I will presume I'll be pushing and pulling at Mark and Tong for a while come the new year.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

I think my biggest surprise this year is that after watching the Cherry Magic Thailand version I still had more to say about these characters. I found exploring the differences between Kurosawa/Karan and Adachi/Achi to be really interesting and fun. It was often simply culture-based, but cultural context is one of my favorite things to reflect upon so having such a great side-by-side comparison where I enjoyed both versions so much was a really good time for me.

As for your last question, I get asked this a lot and it's always hard because I do write not only broadly across fandoms but also my fic genre is kinda broad, although I do tend to do more romcom style for longer fics. I also tend to find it fun to pick up a new trope and see what I can do with it.

For someone who likes Cherry Magic - you are maybe very likely to have watched Kieta Hatsukoi and I wrote a Seven Days AU for Ida/Aoki which I had a great time doing. It's definitely sweet fake dating fluff - one week is long enough to dream.

Many of my Cherry Magic fandom friends also love Semantic Error. I wrote an arranged marriage AU that entertained me - Somebody to You.

But the ones that come to mind first as I think about favorites (that are not Cherry Magic - I have some faves there for sure) are not my romcoms. I think it would be either Echoes in the Dark - which is a Word of Honor fic that is written from an AU scenario from the drama. I really liked considering how making a change in something early in the story would ripple effect to different dynamics for Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing or it would be Corroded Heart which is a Devil Judge Beauty and the Beast AU which was fun to write because the Devil Judge already has some Beauty and the Beast elements and it was then putting the characters full on into a magical scenario.

So I cheated a lot here, but hopefully out of those you'll find a fandom you haven't watched that you might be interested in!

For the AO3 wrapped 2024.

[kramtomat]

Day 30: BL drama you’re currently watching (FINAL DAY!)

I have seven shows I’m currently watching. I really don’t like to wait a week for the next episode. Still I do with a few dramas.

The first drama is Fish Upon the Sky.

This trailer looked so good that it was impossible for me to wait for it to finish before I would start watching so now I can’t wait for the Friday to come. Phuwin is my quilty pleasure. He is so charming so I can’t help to smile every time I see him. But he is a baby! I shouldn’t feel this way about him! It will be exciting though to see how this drama will continue and end.

Next on the list is Lovely Writer.

First I decided to wait until this was finished but since I got so spoiled on YouTube and Tumblr I was to tempted that I had to start watching. And now I'm waiting for the next episode of this lovely drama too. Up and Kao do an amazing job and the message of the series is phenomenal. I just hope the fans gets it too.

The third drama is Call It What You Want.

This is an interesting series. It’s great with the true events that it’s based on but it makes me kind of upset to watch. Bas obvious discomfort in the show is spreading across my body when I see him. I just want to hug him. James and Ait’s love story makes me conflicted. On one hand I wish they would just shout out their love so everyone can hear it. On the other hand I just wish they would be better at keeping it secret. They are so obvious that I just wait for something bad to happen. If I have one bad thing to say about the series is that it feels kind of forced beacause it has so few episodes and therefore they must hurry to be done in time.

The next drama is Amore.

It’s a Fillipino drama that I hadn’t heard of before I started watching. It’s definitely not one of the best I’ve seen but since I never drop a series I have to see it to the end. Don’t get me wrong, it is worth watching, at least part of it. I tend to skip parts that are boring anyway.

Number five on my list is You Make Me Dance.

I started watching this today and I will probably finish it tomorrow. This show touches my heart too. Song Shi On’s sadness over the abandonment of his mother truly breaks my heart. He really needs someone to be there for him. It also makes me think that it is really cold in South Korea. And that says something being from northern Sweden myself.

And then there is another Korean drama – Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding.

Ooh, I love this. I keep wondering how they could come up with such ridiculus clothing in the past. It doesn’t seem practical in any way. I guess it has to do with the status. Farmers probably didn’t dress like this when working out on the fields. The chemistry and tension between the characters though is over the top. I just wish it wouldn’t be over so soon.

Last on my list is not really a BL, but is oozing of it. If the actors and the director wasn’t in the BL business already I would shout queer baiting, but they know what they are doing. It fits in the same category as Lovely Writer and Call It What You Want since I find it kind of ironic and that it is making fun of the BL genre. The drama is You Never Eat Alone.

The number of Asian BL’s coming this year is large so I guess I will have to wait for a lot of episodes further on too.

[consterions]

Hisa's 30 Days BL Drama Challenge Post Masterlist

Just want to say, that since I'm indecisive as heck, I would definitely put more than one show/actors on some of this.

Post Masterlist:

Day 1: First show you ever watched

Day 2: Last show you finished

Day 3: Favourite show

Day 4: Favourite actor

Day 5: Favourite actress

Day 6: Favourite main character

Day 7: Favourite side character

Day 8: Favourite couple

Day 9: Favourite side couple

Day 10: Favourite kiss

Day 11: Favourite friendship/squad

Day 12: Favourite cast

Day 13: Favourite OST

Day 14: Favourite intro montage

Day 15: Show with the worst ending

Day 16: Show that you dropped

Day 17: Show that let you down

Day 18: Trope you dislike

Day 19: Trope you love

Day 20: Best character development

Day 21: Show that make you cry

Day 22: Show that surprised you

Day 23: Underrated show

Day 24: Underrated actor/actress

Day 25: Show you can always rewatch

Day 26: Favourite director

Day 27: Show you are looking forward to

Day 28: Favourite gifmaker on Tumblr

Day 29: Form your dream couple & your dream show

Day 30: Show you are currently watching

[negrowhat]

15 Day BL Challenge - The Sequel

Day 30: Top 3 shows to introduce people to BL?

LAST DAY!!!!!!!!! This has been so much fun! Thanks @slonekaru

Cherry Magic. I just feel like Cherry Maho is the perfect series. It's funny, romantic, and it has depth. The characters are all likeable and the series showcases a healthy relationship filled with growth and love. Also it's easy to watch; no sudden character deaths, low-heat but still romantic, and good dialogue. A rookie could get overwhelmed when there is too much of one thing and I think the OG Cherry Maho is calm and level enough to get a person's foot in the door. Kurosawa is the ultimate green flag character in my opinion and Adachi is the type of character you love to love because he's so clumsy and adorable. Also who doesn't love a lil virgin magic with their romance?

Moonlight Chicken. Another perfect series to me. It's the perfect amount of mess and drama and sex for a rookie to dip their toe into, nothing too crazy or outrageous. I think this series showcases love in so many different forms and how sometimes love just isn't enough to fix things between two people. MC also shows how new love can be beautiful and push people to want to make a change or maybe start anew. It shows how love for a person can weigh you down and take the people around you down too. It shows how love can make you angry or irrational.

This series focuses on so many relationships and how they all connect. And we get to see so many characters at different stages in life. I think a rookie BL watcher would find MC relatable if anything else. They may not relate to (or even like) all the characters but I guarantee you they'll find themselves in at least one of them. This is a series that's more about emotion than anything else and a rookie will find themselves laughing, crying, yelling, and squealing throughout. MC is such a great ride, like watching a soap opera. ALSO WHAT A FUCKING TALENTED CAST OF ACTORS!

We Best Love: No. 1 For You. WBL is such a fun series. I think it's so fun but so frustrating to watch. It's one of those series that will have you seated because you already know how all the characters feel in the beginning so you just HAVE to see how things play out. Also because the series is set in Uni we get to see a little immaturity amongst the characters that make for bad decisions and good comedy. It's fun watching that unrequited love turn into to real love, it's great seeing Shu Yi and Shi De have their 'OH' moments. People will fall in love with Shi De because his crush is so obvious and he would do anything to be near Shu Yi. And People will fall in love with Shu Yi because he is so honest and direct with his feelings and he wears his heart on his sleeve. People will see that he needs someone like Shi De, who is good at hiding his feelings, to protect his heart.

SN: Just to cover the main 4 countries releasing BLs. If I had to choose a Korean BL to rec to someone it would either be To My Star or The New Employee.

[diqnxiq]

Day 05: Favorite Female Character

Yihwa

Faii

Manaow

Pearl

Jiang Yanli

Zol

[stayforeverwithskz]

Day 05:

Yihwa (Together With Me).

That girl was the ultimate BOSS BITCH.

She was always there for her friends and always supported them.

She had a strong personality and was never scared to say what's on her mind.

Manaow (Until We Meet Again)

She had the brightest, most joyful personality. And she always supported her friends.

When I was watching UWMA, I'd smile every time I saw her.

[squishyteri]

Day 7 - Favourite Friendship

1. Type & Techno (TharnType)

We all need Techno in our lives. He is always there for Type, he likes him even though he's acting like idiot. Low-key fanboys over Tharn. He does anything for Type, listens to him. A true friend.

2. Savage Team (Theory of Love)

I just love how they stuck together even when Khai and Third were fighting. Two trying to set peace and Bone lifting up mood. I just love Savage team.

3. Cool Gang (Kiss Me Again/Dark Blue Kiss)

June-Thada-Kao-Pete-Sandee. Coolest gang in uni. Always together and even if they fought they never left each other. Just love them.