#Minato's Laundromat Season 2

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Do you believe me?

For @nieves-de-sugui 🧡

[heretherebedork]

Minato's Coin Laundry Season 2!

My tiny side couple is back!!! Also Minato and Shin and just... everything. Look at it! And a neck kiss just for @absolutebl with the best age gap couple.

[halliescomut]

I'm...I have such mixed feeling about this all. I love the show, both seasons, and while I was frustrated that the beginning of season two felt like they had taken several steps back, I have loved the progress we've been steadily seeing.

I agree 100% with OP, that it doesn't really make sense to only 'relive' season 1 moments. My feeling is that the idea or the goal was an attempt to have them reliving Shin falling in love, which is the first season, except it's kind of not. Shin is already down bad for Akira when season one begins, so it's more about Akira coming around to the idea of taking a chance on love again. (As much as I adore the man, his behavior like 30 equals one foot already in the grave was/is so frustrating). As I've rewatched both seasons, what I've really found was that season one was kind of about them both really seeing the potential in the other, but season two has been about BOTH of them truly considering their future together in a way they hadn't before.

We've seen so much growth on BOTH sides. Shin showing his maturity, recognizing that a potential barrier to their future together could be his 'lack of maturity' so he works hard to show that he's a good, responsible, and active partner in their domestic life. Akira comes to realize that while he has cared for Shin, he wasn't as committed to their partnership, from my feeling because he still holds this fear of kind of taking the leap with Shin. He also becomes a more invested and observant partner (addressing the issue I had around midseason that he didn't seem to take as much interest in Shin's life, likes, hobbies, etc.) They both address their feelings of inadequacy and jealousy surrounding the 'other players' like Sakuma-sensei and Dr. Kirihara ( I could be misremembering this man's name, sorry). And Akira starts to move forward in his journey to being out, which as I've watched has felt like the biggest divide between them due to their age gap.

This sort of new step back with the amnesia (which feels so overplayed in the current BL schedule) is something I can see the intention behind. The purpose was essentially to kick Akira's ass into gear to fully lock shit down with Shin and also give a bit of an 'It's a Wonderful Life' moment. And while I don't really love the execution, really my issue is more along the lines of them doing this in the 11th hour. The purpose of doing so though, I think is to allow them to mirror the end of season one since we see in the previews for next week that Shin finds the love letter than Akira tried to write. I understand the desire, and the concept as far as storytelling, but it's again just a slight failure in execution. I think they looked at the response to season one, and just kind of decided to give us more of the same kind of. Unfortunately this leaves us in a situation where the characters have lived an entire year and then ended up in the exact same place as the end of season one.

I feel like we needed to sort of pull in the first 3 episodes into about one, having the amnesia happening midseason (episode 7-8) have it resolved sort of on the timeline they're using so by the end of episode 10. Then we could see two episode of actual progress for them as a united couple. I'm not expecting a coming out party for the town to attend, but I think the idea of seeing them live their lives together in the community they love would be a more appropriate ending. Especially for Akira, who has been consistently hung up on this idea of the community not accepting him and Shin as a couple. I just feel like that would give more of a glimpse into their happily ever after.

Of course we don't truly know if the final episode will fully mirror the end of season one, it's entirely possible that all of what we saw will happen in the first 10 minutes, but that's still not really enough time to have them fully come together into a unified partnership, even if Shin remembers everything.

{All that being said I would change nothing about the progress and timeline we've seen for Asuka and Shu-kun. They are perfection and I adore them.}

I'm still disappointed in Minato's Laundromat 2. It feels like they abandoned whatever plan they had for this nostalgia.

For 9 episodes Shu and Asuka mirrored Minato and Shin with comparable struggles. Now, Asuka and Shu are moving forward in their relationship with heartfelt declarations and escalation in their intimacy while Minato is failing to recreate past moments with Shin in references only of season 1 and not the life they've been building together in the house.

This sucks, yo.

[gunsatthaphan]

"when will you tell him?"

↳ requested by the bestie @leonpob ♡ 

[hopezzy]

in absolute SHAMBLES i tell you

[waitmyturtles]

The fastest meta ever on this LOVELY show, Minato Shouji's Coin Laundry/Minato's Laundromat, season 2, episode 5:

I watched this on the early side, my time, to wallow in the GLORY of the referential appearance of Takeda Kouhei (who played Nozue in Old Fashion Cupcake, woop woop!) as Shin's teacher, Kirihara-sensei. Quick hit thoughts!

Everybody be trippin'. I think my heart goes to Asuka in this episode. He just wants a moment with his boyfriend -- and boyfriend Shu just DOESN'T know, at all, how to reciprocate. Pain points.

I like to see the trust conflict between Minato and Shin as a natural outgrowth of their relationship, but Minato, my man, the tape! I hope that he will connect his hesitation in the relationship in part to Shin's trust issues -- that if Minato could open up more and be more emotionally connected to Shin, that Shin may not have these trust issues, even while Minato sees Sakuma at the high school.

That's a minor quibble for the development of communication that's clearly happening between them both. Do I think their communication issues are in part related to their age gap? Clearly not, lol, because of the more equitable maturity levels they have between the two of them -- and I like how THAT is illuminated more in this episode than ever before. And their need to grow their maturity TOGETHER, as a couple, is what's now getting the magnifying glass.

This episode also gave us another little gift by way of reference to another popular Japanese BL -- one that's also centered around food. The dorama version of What Did You Eat Yesterday? did not spend a ton of time on Shiro making hamburgers as an apology to Kenji for a tiff they had -- but the WDYEY? manga did spend a whole chapter on hamburgers as an apology, and I'm OBSESSED (of course! food!) with that reference. We see food being a central part of bringing Minato and Shin together every night anyway, and just -- my heart twinkles that ML2 is connecting these themes across multiple BLs. Hopefully we get HINTS from those other BLs as to where Minato and Shin land in future episodes.

I love this sweet show. I love seeing the growing pains, of Minato and Shin's individual and coupled growth. It's treating this growth with empathy and a touch of comedy, and it's just a perfect balance. And we get more Takeda next week, YAY!

[iguessitsjustme]

The amnesia doesn’t even make sense. Shin knew Minato as a child. He’s been in love with Minato for practically his whole life. So either he has forgotten at least a decade of memories and is essentially a child now OR he has only forgotten Minato. Literally just removed one person from his memory which is not how amnesia works. And for a show that’s as realistic as this is, it doesn’t work as a plot.

[shinyturtlelady]

I cannot deal with a Shintaro who has a dislike for Akira. That tiny monologue broke my heart so much 🥹 his one person not only forgetting him but feeling so entirely uncomfortable around him... I hope hugs and kisses are on their way in that cute ass date next episode.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

The moment he finally realized what to do.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

So about the last episode of  Minato Coin Laundry 2. I have some thoughts. First, about the amnesia, as I stated before I loathe amnesia as a plot, because in 99% of the cases is lazy writing. It's a result of no better ideas in the room. (This is just my opinion). Now for the actual amnesia... Let me preface this by saying, I am not a neurologist, or any kind of doctor for that matter. I'm just a curious person that likes to read medical books. Regardless, because of the type of amnesia that the show is showing, I've already seen it being described as unrealistic, given the fact that the only thing he forgets is Minato. Although rare this kind of amnesia does exist. It's called systematized amnesia. It's a type of dissociative amnesia.

This is from the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.)

So, that kind of amnesia is possible. The only thing is, this kind of dissociative amnesia, isn't usually caused by a brain injury, usually more by trauma or stress. At least, that's what how I understand it as I read it. None of this changes any of my opinions regarding this type of plot. But at least it's somewhat based in reality. Anyway, just thought I would share, in case anyone cares.

[alien-ally]

Minato’s laundromat 2 is here!!!

for me personally, i was really excited to hear that we were getting a 2nd season. especially cause i’d only watched the 1st season recently and to get an update on a new one so close by really made me look forward to it. until i saw others on tumblr being skeptical about it. which i was confused about at first. but then understood that it was because they way it ended was completely fulfilling by itself and dint demand another season. tho at the same time, it’s super great! it was a super nice, well handled, aware-of-it’s-risks show. like seriously, they made the age gap thing okay for me. it works for them so it works for me.

Now, however, after watching the 1st ep, i am even more excited! they’re goofy as ever, with the difference that shin is now in uni and they’re dating. everything else feels pretty much the same. it’s really nice to see their original dynamic unbroken - which is what makes the 10 year gap work at all imo - so kudos to the makers. as always jbl coming thru strong. also it’s realistic that they haven’t made much (any lolol) advancement in their relationship as it’s only been 3 months since they started dating. the conflict is building up, as minato continues putting the same distance they had before dating (and still is hilariously flustered by shin) and it all makes sense and remains true to the characters. so far, so good.

What i am really worried about is asuka and shuu’s relationship. I’ll say it now, SHUU IS AROMANTIC. probably aroace, and hence has no notion of romantic attraction or dating. as he so clearly says, so far, dating is only a decision he has reached with asuka. not to say he doesn’t like him or his presence but they clearly are on veery different pages with where they’re heading with this relationship. and this has not been acknowledged properly, except for saying that he’s just like that. ‘after everything, shuu-kun is still shuu-kun’ asuka has said this several times which is to say I’M TERRIFIED what they’ll do to shuu’s character in respect to this relationship. i hope the makers are aware of this. because i am so honed in on what they’re going to do to them.

[respectthepetty]

"I am so glad we’re getting this season 2, both for the sake of the characters and for those of us in the audience who really needed it."

Same, buddy!

Which is why my petty ass wouldn't write anything about the colors. The first season was rough for me beyond Asuka for the exact reasons you outlined; however, I liked the first episode of the second season, and the second episode was fantastic, which is why I decided to write a quick colors post.

Look at us enjoying Akira! Look at the growth (I'm talking about Akira)! LOOK AT US!

Shan’s Confession Corner: Minato’s Laundromat

I’ve just finished the second episode of Minato’s Laundromat 2, and I absolutely loved it. I love the clear intent behind this new season, and I love where the story is headed. And it made me think this might be a good time for me to unpack my complicated feelings about the first season. All gifs used in this post are by the wonderful @wanderlust-in-my-soul.

So here’s the confession: I didn’t love Minato’s Laundromat as much as a lot of you did. I respect it, of course. I recognize it as a very well-executed show that fulfilled its vision with smart writing and filming techniques and an excellent cast. I recognize that the characterization of Shin and Minato was very much based in yaoi tropes and that Shin being the pursuer while Minato resisted was a necessary construct to make the age gap palatable. 

But despite understanding all of that I didn’t love it, and Minato is the reason why. I always have a hard time connecting with emotionally immature adult characters. I struggle mightily with romances that feel too one-sided. I cringe away from the blushing maiden trope. I dislike it when I can’t quite understand what one character sees in another. And all of this came up for me in the romance between Shin and Minato.

Now before @bengiyo comes through with his bat let me just say that I get it. I get that Minato is this way because he is a lonely gay man who has been repressing his sexuality since adolescence. I get that he never had the chance to mature because he was hiding who he was. I get that he is defensive around Shin at first because he is being responsible, and then because he is so unused to physical affection and attention that he doesn’t know how to handle it. Minato strikes me as someone who is both, as Ben sometimes says, touch-starved and touch-repulsed. And all of that is rooted in his experiences with internalized homophobia and a life lived in the closet.

While I can understand and empathize with all of that, I didn’t understand how that was meant to work in the context of a relationship with someone like Shin. Shin who is so honest, and so brave, and so smart, and so responsible, and so damn all around desirable. In my meanest moments, I would think to myself that Shin should really just go to school and meet new guys, guys who are his own age with less hang ups who could return his affections. And while I enjoyed the finale of the first season, I was not really satisfied with where we left them because it still didn’t feel like Minato had worked through his issues enough to be a good partner to Shin.

Which brings me to Minato’s Laundromat 2, and my love for what it’s doing. Because y’all, this is exactly what season 2 is about! And it’s interesting to me that this season is not based on the manga, and instead features brand new material. It says to me that the creators of this show had some of the same questions I did about how these characters would actually function together in a relationship, and decided to explore it and figure out how it could work. And that is my absolute favorite kind of season 2, because I am always interested in how a couple stays together, not just in the getting together itself.

So in these first two episodes of the second season, we have seen that after their initial getting together, Minato retreated into his usual patterns. He is still holding Shin at a distance. He is still doling out affection sparingly. He is still struggling to verbalize his feelings and he is still cringing away from physical intimacy. And Shin is, as ever, being patient and giving him space to work through it while sometimes expressing frustration and continuing to ask for and sometimes scheme his way into the things he wants. 

I love that we are already starting to see the subtle changes in Minato. He is, internally, able to recognize now that he loves Shin even if he won’t say it out loud. He is starting to notice and unpack his own reactions—I love him so much I can’t look him in the eye—and trying to push through them to return affection to Shin in the ways he is comfortable with. He is engaging in acts of service like cooking as a means to communicate his feelings. He is giving Shin some of what he wants, like living in the same place and handing over his spare key. Is he still doing it all with a grimace and many verbal protestations? Of course, he didn’t change his whole personality overnight. But he’s doing it, and Shin knows him well enough to understand how meaningful that is. 

I am excited to see how far the show intends to take this growth arc for Minato. Shin is patient but he’s not a saint; he will sometimes feel unsatisfied and push for more than what Minato wants to give, and seeing them work through that is exactly what we need to feel secure in their future as a couple. I am so glad we’re getting this season 2, both for the sake of the characters and for those of us in the audience who really needed it.

[the-conversation-pod]

Fall Teaser

And we're back!

Despite all sorts of obstacles in our lives, Ben and NiNi managed to put together another season!

We have five episodes for you, beginning with two retrospectives on I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You the Moon! For the panels we invited some of our friends to reflect on the show with us, and decided to split up to talk about each show. Ben hosted the ITSAY panel and Nini hosted the IPYTM panel.

For new shows, this season we will cover Tokyo in April is...; Be My Favorite; Wedding Plan; Be Mine, SuperStar; Hidden Agenda; Minato's Laundromat 2; Sing My Crush; Heartstopper 2; and Why R U? (Korea).

Look forward to the Catchup Corner where we watched nothing we promised we would, but have some cool things to share.

Episodes release every Monday and Thursday starting on the 16th.

In the meantime, here's a teaser for what's in store.

Listen to us on Zencastr!

Listen to us on Spotify!

Listen to us on Apple Podcasts!

Listen to us on Google Podcasts!

[waitmyturtles]

I don’t have much to say yet on Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry, season 2, episode 1, except to say I AM SO BLEEPING HAPPY THAT WE GET A SEASON 2, and Shin is just as forward and confident as ever, and gosh -- I love that we know right away what he’s demanding of Akira. 

I’m just getting a squeaky thrill that we get to see their relationship develop. I didn’t actually realize that Akira is NOT 30 yet -- that he’s almost 30. And, of course, that gets me thinking about their age gap again, and what it means for “a 30-year-old” to be dating an 18-year-old, versus “someone in their twenties,” because on paper, that doesn’t seem to be as bad or controversial? Yet Akira is rooting himself in his age, still, and still swinging between his discomfort and his attraction to Shin. And I love that this is going to play out in their actual relationship growth.

Relationship development, navigating an age gap within said relationship, Shin knowing what he wants, Akira figuring himself out to accommodate that. Giggity. I know that BLs about relationship growth are never as popular as those about first love/first kisses, but. I feel very lucky that we get a growth story with Shin and Akira, and this is just going to be such a fun summer watch!

[iguessitsjustme]

The sigh I sighed. This plot? Sure, fine. But I'm annoyed about it.

[ineffable-opinions]

How should I reply to this after that awesome opening 「SALAAR サラール」 had in Japan? There would be lot more Prabhas doujin in Comiket after this movie. So much for reclusive Japan taste narrative...

I think AbsoluteBL's confused use of the terms BL and yaoi is very revealing.

Yaoi = [how AbsoluteBL (ABL from here on) uses it] synonym for older ボーイズ ラブ (boys love) manga.

            = [popular use in anglophone BL animanga fandom] BL manga with explicit content; as opposed to shonen ai.

            = [original meaning] mostly derivative works (there were original works too), which were mostly plot-what-plot type, that are self-published (doujinshi). I have italicized yaoi when conveying this meaning.

Boys Love (BL) = [how ABL uses it] newer BL.

            = [popular use in anglophone BL animanga fandom] (yaoi + shonen ai) umbrella term, referring to all BL content.

           = [original meaning] commercially published BL works.

Original Yaoi (BL doujin) is what Nekoyashiki produces and sells at the comic convention in Kabe Sa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shouninyokkyuu wo Kojiraseteiru (2022) which is based on a BL manga by, Minamoto Kazuki, a gay mangaka (artist).

source - This post has the direct link to all doujin and manga shown in the live action. They are all real and you can purchase them from DL site and other manga websites.

Here are two panels from What Did You Eat Yesterday dj - the live action was based on the seinen manga and does not include these yaoi scenes.

BL seems to be the most popular term among viewers of BL live-action. There isn't any yaoi – shonen ai type bifurcation between live-action content given the limits on what can be shown on screen.

Japan only has the term ‘boys love’ ‘BL’ for all commercially published BL. Meanwhile, anglophone BL animanga fandom uses the terms yaoi and shonen ai to classify works based on sexual content. Please mind that these terms are practically loan words (hence not italicized) with different meanings (so I have italicized yaoi and shonen-ai to convey this) their different usages in past and present Japan.

-

I want to quickly mention the Top 10 BLs Out of Japan post. The terminology issue is very prominent in it. ABL classifies Seven Days as a live action yaoi. Seven Days is not a yaoi. Anglophone audience would call it shonen ai since the original manga lacks sexual content. [The manga is way too overrated for fu-people (BL fandom) to mistake it as anything else at this point.] For the Japanese, it is a BL.

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun is also just a BL for the Japanese. It is not a yaoi. It is a shonen ai. But for ABL, it is BL because it belongs to “modernized version of the genre…”

ABL doesn’t stick to own definition, jumping onto yaoi again when referring to Minato’s Laundromat, purportedly a “modern take”. By anglophone categorization, this work is shonen ai - based on (lack of) sexual content. Arguably, the first actual yaoi on the top 10 list is Old Fashion Cupcake. But the adaptation self-censored all explicit sexual content from the manga. They hinted at seme's fixation with oral cavity irrumation (aka throat-fucking) with a thumb in uke's mouth.

My Beautiful Man season one showed fingers in mouth, to hint at the fellatio from the novel it was adapted from. Subsequent season/movie gave clear indication of sexual content but never very explicit.

Cherry Magic, Our Dining Table and Restart After Come Back Home are all adaptations of shonen ai. Life: Love on the Line didn’t adapt to screen any of the sexual content in the yaoi.

My Love Mix-Up! manga is not exactly a BL in publication. It is a shoujo romance with a BL in it. The live action adaptation, however, is marked as a BL and hence can be considered so. By anglophone categorization of BL, it can be considered shonen ai.

Wondering why sexual content is self-censored?

Why so many shonen ai live-action? (commodity fetishism)

BL “Censorship” & Commercialization

-

Now back to the post in discussion.

ABL: In yaoi there’s light (sweet, clean, bright, airy) vs dark (erotic, serious, gritty, rough).

There is no such bifurcation in yaoi, or in BL for that matter. Even the yaoi-shonen ai bifurcation doesn’t exist in Japan. [Moreover, what’s with those descriptors attached to “light”? It sounds like we are discussing architecture rather than media. What exactly is “airy” yaoi?]

As for narrative progressions, there are five identifiable ones:

あまあま – sweet

Characterised by smooth progression of ship’s romantic development. There would be no serious threat to the our ship's relationship. Happy ending is assured. Audience’s worldview (世界観) is never threatened. Main characters would be paragons of virtue or at least easily redeemable. It would ensure the most comfortable viewing experience. There are plenty of erotic works with sweet narrative progression, but not any live action.

e.g.: Cherry Magic, Old Fashion Cupcake, Seven Days

2. ユニーク – unique

All the themes discussed in the BL would be treated in a unique manner. It will defy all rules and expectations, but would not necessarily be completely unpredictable. Nothing is guaranteed. Most likely to threaten audiences’ worldview. It is the opposite of sweet BL in a way – opposite of comforting.

e.g.: One Room Angel, Sing in Love

Sing in Love (2022) – it is best to venture into this movie without knowing anything about it. I’ll only recommend it to people who are comfortable with all sorts of themes and treatments and don’t require any kind of content warnings. In case you are interested in watching but unsure about triggering content, feel free to message/ask me.

3. シリアス – serious

The mood as well as themes and their treatment would be serious. Audience’s worldview (世界観) would be threatened but won’t deviate too much. Main characters would be virtuous to an extend or redeemable. It would not necessarily be comforting.

e.g.: Takara-kun and Amagi-kun, No Touching At All

4. 邪道 – evil road (Jadō)

Audience’s worldview (世界観) will be threatened. Characters would do despicable things. Bad ending and meriba (merry bad) ending are the expected outcomes. It would not be comforting.

e.g.: Fujimi Orchestra, Sei no Gekiyaku

5. 王道 - royal road (odo)

Characterised by rough progression of ship’s romantic development with significant ups and downs. Audience would get a rollercoaster ride. There would be serious threats to the couple’s relationship. Happy ending is not assured. Characters may do despicable things. Audience’s worldview (世界観) can be threatened. It would be oddly comforting.

e.g.: Given, The Novelist

source

In the chart:

ほのぼの – heartwarming – Example: Restart After Come Back Home

コメディ – comedy – Cherry Magic

ダーク – dark – Sing in Love

シリアス – serious – Cornered Mouse Dream of Cheese

キュン – exciting (kyun) – Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss

ABL: Generally speaking, the shows that are very light very sweet and very bright, cartoony, with lots of slapstick elements will have little to no sexual contact at all: so Cherry, Mix Up, Ossan, Same Difference, Mr Unlucky, Our Dining Table to fall into this category.

ABL’s assessment of why there is no intimacy between the main couple in certain BL is a misattribution. Most of the works used here as example are either shonen ai or self-censored adaptation. Such self-censorship is driven by commercial motivations. Ossan's Love 2016 had a kiss and a seduction scene, not to mention a harem set-up.

There are plenty of BL that are erotic comedies – which can be considered ‘very light very sweet and very bright, cartoony, with lots of slapstick elements’ – such as Dick Fight Island, Yarichin Bitch Club, Hangout Crisis, and Kimi Ni Koisuru High Heels. Live action adaptation of Cosmetic Playlover could go there but after self-censored adaptations of 25 Ji, Akasaka de, and Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka, I don’t really have any hope.

There are plenty of live action BL that are the opposite of bright and sunny and lack intimacy between the main couple - Kei×Yaku: Abunai Aibou andThe Night Beyond the Tricornered Window. This again is due thanks to self-censorship as an adaptational decision, driven by commercial motivations.

Also “light BL” owes more to yaoi (doujin BL) than to its predecessor shonen-ai (early BL that was published as a shoujo sub-genre; not to be confused with the English loan word "shonen ai"). First ever live action BL was adaptation (Summer Vacation 1999 released in 1988) of the shonen-ai The Heart of Thomas by Hagio Moto and it was very “dark” by ABL’s standard. Moreover, ABL seems to be unaware of both this movie and how sexually explicit some of those shonen-ai manga were.

Also, use of terminology such as “uke” which originated years later, during yaoi boom, when discussing shonen-ai is anachronic. Of course, uke-like androphilic male representation is really old (see this post on customary male androphilia in Japan) but shonen-ai was working with very different takes on gender(s).

A foursome scene from the shonen-ai Zankoku Na Kami Ga Shihai Suru by Hagio Moto

Risqué is Risky

Wide marketing usually involves cutting down on sexual content. It ensures run even in conservative medium, exemplified by the success of What Did You Eat Yesterday manga that was serialized in the magazine for middle-aged men called Morning.

A lot of live action BL, that are not comedies, have been directors’ passion projects – reading manga and deciding to adapt them. There are no lanes in Japan for BL. Directors have been trailblazers. This is bound to continue into the future.

Some notable directors:

Yôka Kusano (草野陽花) - Bokura no Ai no Kanade, Forbidden Love, BL: Boku no Kareshi wo Shokai Shimasu

Satoshi Kaneda (金田敬さん) - Ai no Kotodama (2008), Junjou (2010), Fujimi Orchestra (2012)

Miki Koichiro (三木康一郎) - The Novelist, Given, Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko

Yukisada Isao - The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (2020)

Some notable screenplay writers:

Takahashi Natsuko - No Touching At All, Seven Days, Silhouette of Your Voice, Does the Flower Bloom?

Kanasugi Hiroko - Takumi-kun Series 1-5 +  Our Kogen Hotel (2013) [no Thailand didn’t invent branded pair], Sukitomo (2007), Udagawachou de Matteteyo, Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai!, Cosmetic Playlover

That being said Dangerous Drugs of Sex (2020) was the first “hard” BL film in Japan. I would be disingenuous to argue that it was Japan sticking to its lanes. It was a whole new sub-genre of live action BL – there has been plenty of anime adaptations of ero-BL but that was the first live action adaptation. It was also a new thing in Japan’s queer media landscape. The mindset of the cast and crew is remarkable, including the MC, Ishiguro from Future comics.

Risqué can be rewarding too.

Dangerous Drugs of Sex was a blockbuster, enjoying long run in theatres and ranking number 1 in Netflix Japan. It stayed true to the explicitness of content and pushed the boundaries enough to bring about convergence between gay pinku cinema and BL.

OP Pictures’ entry into BL genre, The Shortest Distance Is Round movie series, has also been successful. Their new movie Heavens x Candy (2024) is now showing in theatres in Japan. Interestingly, this one is 15+ and not 18+ like their previous franchise – clearly aiming for wider demographics and opportunities to promote. OP’s entry into BL making is internally fu-culture (BL fan culture) driven, mediated by BL fan and AV actor Kasai Ami.

There are many super popular themes and settings, other than ero-comedy, that BL live action is yet to touch - yakuza (with the exception of Double Mints), historical, beast-man, fetish, etc. Live action BL will probably grow more accommodative in the future.

And to counter the wild claim that Japan doesn’t care about markets outside itself:

Here are some popular Thai BL actors promoting Japanese BL Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (2023).

While I understand where ABL’s obsession with Japanese exceptionalism comes from, it is particularly duplicitous and disingenuous when imposed to BL since it is driven by ever-present moe (affect) and transnational fu-culture. Also, it is China and Korea, and not Japan that has produced some of the lewdest and goriest BL.

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As always I welcome all corrections, critiques and comments.

Hi fave bl encyclopedia ❤️

So my question is about Japanese bl, like I don’t understand it! Please help 😭

So I know japan is like the motherland of yaoi and they pretty much started it all, and they make some pretty graphic and explicit bls ( which is not my cup of tea tbh), but then they also have shows like cherry magic and keita and the most recent KEI X YAKU (I am watching this one rn, and I actually like it so very much) but for the life of me I can’t figure out why these shows are made with zero intimacy between the main couple, not even a simple innocent kiss?!

are these shows considered more mainstream? Are the yaoi only allowed in fandom space? And not in mainstream media?

Just why are these shows made the way they are?

Don’t get me wrong CM and KH are two of my absolute favorite bls of all times, but I still don’t get just… WHY?

Hi! 

The Weeds of Japanese BL 

So I am going to go off of this blog post on the history of Japanese BL and yaoi and only bother to repeat myself if strictly necessary. 

Top 10 BLs Out of Japan - top 10 plus history of BL (part 1 in the series on the history of BL)

Otherwise there would be a lot of rehash. 

So my question is about Japanese bl, like I don’t understand it. Please help! 

So have you read the above post? Because if you haven’t reading that will at least give you some kind of foundation for your understandable confusion.

But part of most people’s misunderstanding over Japanese BL actually has to do with the nature of Japanese cinema. 

Here’s the thing, the Japanese have a very specific taste to their cinema. They have a style and lens that they stick to and (with a few noted exceptions) they pretty much haven’t deviated since the 1950s.

In film style there’s atmospheric (cinematic and sweeping, think Kurosawa) vs live action manga (think cartoonish + sound effects, stylized framing and staging techniques meets slapstick). 

In yaoi there’s light (sweet, clean, bright, airy) vs dark (erotic, serious, gritty, rough). 

In the sexual sphere there's prudish & chaste vs kinky & explicit. 

Everything seems to be bifurcated in Japan. Now, on a very few occasions they can tread the line between the lanes, and borrow bits and pieces from different approaches, but most of the time they stick to those lanes pretty cleanly. 

I can’t figure out why these shows are made with zero intimacy between the main couple, not even a simple innocent kiss

Generally speaking, the shows that are very light very sweet and very bright, cartoony, with lots of slapstick elements will have little to no sexual contact at all: so Cherry, Mix Up, Ossan, Same Difference, Mr Unlucky, Our Dining Table to fall into this category.

They'll owe a lot more to Shōnen-ai (which is turn has a lot to do with Bildungsroman) which means it's more gentle and tends to be a journey of self discovery for the uke - undertaken by younger characters (or younger acting/seeming innocents), and thus (like YA) much less sexualized.

(I am not going to comment on KEI X YAKU since I didn’t watch it because it appears to be a bromance.) 

are these shows considered more mainstream? 

Sort of, it’s more that they’re just considered a different category. Like how USA draws a distinction between the amount of sexual content that is allowed in a sitcom versus a soap opera. Similar kinds of topics, frameworks, filming style, and target demographics dealt with, but expectations around nudity and sexuality are way different. Different air times and lengths too. 

This doesn’t seem weird to me because I grew up with soaps vs sitcoms. But if I step outside of my upbringing, it’s odd right? The nature of the sexual content is so different, but they’re mostly both family dramas with a ton of romance. And then the “late night” (read sitcom timeslot) soaps came along kinda blending the two. Ah... the 90s. 

Where was I? 

Okay so, why are they different? Because Japan thinks of them differently. 

Another thing to know about the Japanese film industry? 

They take little to no interest in or guidance/feedback from the international market. They do not care. Their attitude, when something like Cherry Magic does well outside of Japan is... oh do the internationals like that one? How quaint. That’s special. Should we consider... distribution? A second season? *yawn* how tiresome.

Which is why a JBL will drop locally, get mad pirating and illegal subs and such, and then about half way through suddenly show up on a distribution platform like Viki or GaGa pretending it has always been there.

Can you sense my frustration? This is why backlist is so hard to get hold of too. But it KEEPS happening. 

Like Japan just forgets about us.

Which is probubly because THEY DO. 

Japan cares about their own internal market interest and style way way WAY more than any other BL producing country. (I would argue including Mainland China.) 

Japan respects Japan’s taste.  

PERIOD. 

End of discussion. 

Look at the HAIR.

I rest my case. 

When I talk about the fact that Japan has an unchangingly firm point of view? This is what I mean. 

Set your expectations based on what Japan has done in the past, because that is what they will do in the future.

You will never be disappointed. They will hold steadfast to their traditions, the good, the slapstick, and the kinky. 

Are the yaoi only allowed in fandom space? 

Cherry Magic I would call both mainstream, popular, and live action yaoi. 

Plenty of yaoi of this type (and back in the day) has very little on page kissing (or anything else for that matter), either. There is a whole sub-genre of sweet, or even clean, yaoi. Which is not to say it didn’t piss me off that they couldn’t actually kiss in Cherry Magic. Especial with that elevator fake out and the dead fish kiss from the side dishes. Very disappointing. 

Might be expense involved. Talent ain’t cheep in Japan, might be too costly to have them kiss. 

Or they just being coy teases about it. 

Basically they brats, and we in a non-con kink relationship where they promise but never deliver kisses in some kind of weird passive aggressive D/s dynamic. Also, VERY Japanese.  

Oh shit, my dating trauma is showing. 

Ignore that last bit. 

Just why are these shows made the way they are? Don’t get me wrong CM and KH are two of my absolute favorite bls of all times, but I still don’t get just… WHY? 

I know it is super frustrating. I would like it if they just put at least one kiss in there too. 

Here’s the thing: I happen to like Japan’s lanes, even as I am frustrated by them. Because when they do it well, they are square root of it all. 

Get it???

SQUARE root? 

Because, ya know, no kisses = so square. 

Okay I’m pushing it. 

But also the other lane gives us kisses = great = MURDER DEATH MUTILATION!!!! 

Oh, Japan. 

Here’s some interesting stats on Japanese ‘s BL (or more properly LAY - live action yaoi) for you: 

As of early 2022, there’s still only about 55 of them. 

High heat erotic LAY & pinks: 21 

Light cheerful LAY in which there is little to no kissing, or it’s very dead fishy: 21 

LAY that managed to be very yaoi but actually strike a balance between the two: 12 (and I include all the Takumi-kuns in here and they seriously might not qualify because... Takumi) 

I just did the count for this post and it’s wild how even the split was. 

(I’m missing some and not all are really BL, but with a sample of only 50+ it’s not really statistically viable anyway). 

If you want to really understand how Japan adapts yaoi you should delve into Love Stage!!: 

Read the yaoi manga 

Watch the anime 

Watch the Japanese live action adaptation 

Watch Thai BL adaptation

It’s a pretty informative experience. Tells you a lot about Japan’s relationship to the industry and genre that they started and how yaoi is treated differently in the different mediums. 

But honestly, the answer to your question is gonna really frustrate you. 

This is all just Japan being Japan, and it’s the way they approach BL. Because it’s the way Japan approaches cinema. 

Because, in the end, even if we call it BL, Japan is always going to do LAY, and that is kind of its own creature. The starter to the sour dough, not the bread that results. 

Because Japan is always going to pick their lanes and stick to 'em. 

Having said that, here’s some LAY that actually manages to have all of the things we expect from BL including kisses! 

Seven Days  

Given 

Life: Love on the Line

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Utsukushii Kare AKA My Beautiful Man

That last one is absolutely amazing. See me lose my tiny mind over it and how it manages to be SO yaoi and SO Japanese and SO WONDERFUL despite everything. Or perhaps BECAUSE of everything. 

Utsukushii Kare is a BL that actually no other country could make. It’s PURE uncut Japanese live action yaoi and it’s AMAZING partly because of that. 

Mr. Unlucky (AKA Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai!) is an interesting test. 

I, and many other aficionados of LAY, expect it to have no kissing. But it’s already odd in that it got its distribution sorted before it started airing. Like a goddamn adult. This is confusingly un-Japanese of it.  

If Japan produces this as a slapstick comedy, in the vein of Kieta Hatsukoi (AKA My Love Mix Up), but it actually has decent kiss like Utsukushii Kare? It means Japan, whether it likes it or not, is finally being influenced by the popularity of Korean & Thai BL. 

But if it doesn’t give good kiss, it means they are still sticking to their established traditions. 

And this being Japan, my money is on the later. 

Let’s see how much crow I eat in a month.

More on Japanese cinema here.

(source)