#edit: yes hes reading sports bl

[frostleni]

Lil Rei I doodled

[krysyuy]

hi! i'm currently shoved in the world of cdrama (😭)and would like to ask what's your most recommended cdrama? current or finished drama will do! thanks!! <3

First off, anon, I’m shocked that you would come to my inbox to ask me this, lmao. I don’t think I’ve posted very much cdrama content, which is actually quite strange, since I’m watching them almost exclusively at the moment (and I went through a cdrama phase earlier this year and last year too). I haven’t touched a kdrama since Flower of Evil, though Tale of the Nine-Tailed is supposed to be next on my list. The timing just hasn’t been right on my end…

Anyways! Enough about kdramas, you asked about cdramas. Now I’m not sure what genre you’re looking for, so I’ll just throw out my personal recommendations across the map. I’m incapable of recommending just one, lol.

Please note that while I’m watching cdramas currently, my pool of cdramas actually isn’t particularly deep compared to others. I may not have watched any of the classics or what would be considered top-tier dramas that other blogs may recommend (e.g. Nirvana in Fire, etc).

I’ll “spoil” whether the endings are happy or not, but I won’t go into detail.

- General’s Lady (2020) !!!!! - I’m watching it on YouTube, but I just found out Viki has it too, lol. The subs are up to Episode 15 (out of 30). This is currently airing. I adore it and am absolutely obsessed. I plan to gif this series eventually. The story isn’t complicated, but this drama hits all my fluff kinks. The OTP has great chemistry, and the sweet moments (the kisses! the skinship!) are off the charts. Cheesy? Yes. 110% down my alley? Absolutely, lmao. Caesar Wu has managed to capture my heart with this role (an icy general who ends up head over heels for his lady), and he’s been added to my list of favorite c-actors to look out for. The female lead is smart and spunky, and she’s very proactive which is refreshing. She can also be very cute without it getting annoying. I couldn’t resist watching raws ahead and - to no one’s surprise, I imagine - it’s a happy ending. There’s also a mystifying scene at the end, which I hope subs will provide context for. A strange but not unwelcome surprise. I’m also kind of hoping this means the team is open to a Season 2, lmao.

- The Rise of Phoenixes (2018) - Completed. Watched it on Netflix. This was actually my first cdrama. It set the bar quite high in terms of the fantastic overall quality with the actors, production value, etc etc. Unfortunately, while this drama is very well-done, it did not escape the clutches of the censors and it got a bit chopped up towards the end, iirc. And a happy ending, this does not have. But I still think it’s worth the watch! Heartbreaking OTP and all.

- Gank Your Heart (2019) - Completed. Watched it… elsewhere. E-sports drama. Romance! I had no idea “gank” was an actual word before this drama, lmao. Anyways, the characters are great, the OTP is sweet, and it’s just fun all around. Happy ending~ Give us a season 2!

- The King’s Avatar (2019) - Completed. Watched it on Netflix. E-sports drama. No romance. The novel this is based on is massive but fantastic. I actually just spent the last couple weeks of October finally binge-reading it, lol. The drama doesn’t remain true to the novel, which can’t be helped since the novel mostly focuses on stuff that happens in the game. The drama instead chooses to focus a lot on what happens outside of it, fleshing out the characters and building on what the novel gave us. (Or, for better or worse, going in a different direction for dramatization.) We see how our protagonist team comes together and develops, and their relationships with each other. I actually watched this while it was airing, and I remember eagerly waiting for each episode weekly. I didn’t realize until later that novel readers weren’t happy with it since it deviates so much. I think you just have to treat it as its own thing. Happy ending! Hopefully there’s a Season 2.

- Love O2O (2016) - Completed. Watched it on Netflix. I didn’t recall until afterwards that this was a pretty big hit while it was airing, lol. I watched this after The King’s Avatar because of the male lead, Yang Yang. Solidified my love for him, which was already pretty strong after TKA. A romcom set against the gaming world, it hits all the right spots. Happy ending ofc ♥

- Eternal Love (2017) - Completed. Watched it on Netflix (see a pattern? lmao). This one I actually remembered people loving, lol. Again, I was late to the game on this one, but I definitely got the hype. Epic OTP with an epic storyline, it’s responsible for my love of the xianxia genre with story elements like cultivation, immortal/heavenly characters, love trials, etc etc. Happy ending, which the OTP deserved after all their struggles.

- The Untamed (2019) - Completed. Watched on a variety of platforms while it was airing, but it’s on Netflix now, lol. Based on a BL novel. While it couldn’t be stated explicitly, it’s there as much as it can be without the censors coming after them. I actually almost forgot to recommend this? lmao You must’ve heard of it or have already watched it, but its popularity is well-deserved. Another epic OTP with an epic storyline. I’m not too up to date with the cdrama world, but I’m hoping the other works from this author get adapted to live action as well. I consider it a happy ending; it was as good as we were gonna get without the censors touching it.

- Love the Way You Are (2019) - Completed. Watched it on YouTube. Romcom. This kind of has a wacky premise, at least in regards to the female lead’s “disease”. It takes suspension of disbelief, but I was somehow charmed by both her and the male lead. Try to give it a chance, and the OTP’s chemistry may capture you too. Happy ending!

- The Prince of Tennis (2019) - Completed. Watched it on Netflix.  Not sure if you’re into sports dramas, but if you like the original Japanese manga this is based on or just the shounen genre in general, this is for you! The adaptation is fantastic and pretty true to the source material, physics-defying tennis and all. The characters and their relationships are a lot of fun, and my friends and I had a great time watching them. Netflix has 40 episodes, while MyDramaList lists 42 episodes. I personally think Netflix just re-edited the episodes for length (making each episode 45min instead of 35min) instead of it being a typo or there being a mysterious missing two eps. They’ve actually done this with a Taiwanese drama I was watching back in the day (can’t recall which one), so it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the case here. Ofc a happy ending with hopefully a Season 2.

Anon, I’m not sure if you’ve watched or are currently watching some of these, but I hope this list helps! Enjoy!!! ♡✧( ु•⌄• )

[manifestoonmoralmanlove]

Jealousy Rant

Hello you Rotten Folks,

Due to real life stuff I have been posting less frequently but in particular that long-form stuff. So have this big olde rant on jealousy in BL I may or may not edit more, and may or may not make into audio.

Triggers: for discussion on abusive behavior including physical violence, stalking, controlling behavior, and sexual assault.

Why jealousy is a bad trope:

1.)    It’s toxic

2.)    It’s non-conflict

3.)    It doesn’t actually deal with the roots of jealousy

Are you a fan of Fap’s furious fujoshi fumes, but want a meta-analysis of the genre as a whole instead of specific titles?

Oh no it seems literally no one is asking for that…no one except Faps and FUCK YOU I DO WHAT I WANT HAHA!

So that brings me to “Trouble with Tropes” or heh heh TROUPLES!

Anybody who’s ANY fan of romance has had to stare into the unrelenting green eyes of this trouple.  I speak of no other than Jealousy.  While I think some of what I’m going to say will resonate with how jealousy is used in fiction on a whole, I’m going to focus on how it’s used in BL…which I feel is a very potent and distilled version of it. Also heaven forbid I read about anything beyond nasty gay tonguings.

What better place to start than What IS jealousy?

Jealousy can cover a variety of topics but in the case of romance here I will be talking specifically about romantic and sexual jealousy.

Dictionary.com states that - feeling or showing suspicion of someone's unfaithfulness in a relationship.

Seems to be the one best suited for a romance but I’d argue that the definition that suits BL’s brand of jealousy is more like

fiercely protective or vigilant of one's rights or possessions.

Why do I say this?

Well because sometimes they literally say their partner is a possession.  And even if not outright stated, it is heavily implied in the script.

(examples: Cute Devil + lamb project + Radical blood monster + Others)

There’s also the fact that very rarely is infidelity even considered a legitimate thing that would occur. As I said, the jealousy in BL is very, very POTENT and therefore has escalated beyond a suspicion of COULD BE UNFAITHFUL to a PERSON IS MY PROPERTY AND MY PROPERTY IS NOT ALLOWED TO INTERACT WITH OTHER HUMANS!  

 Getting real

Before I start ripping through this topic like a repressed teenage boy rips through a heavily populated street in Grand theft Auto… allow me to say that jealousy is a valid emotion to experience.  When I rip on this trope it is not my intention to invalidate people who do struggle with jealousy in their relationships.  However if you experience an emotion it doesn’t give you carte blanche to behave in any way you please.   It’s the same as regular old anger.  It’s normal to be angry if a partner forgets to let the dog out so the dog pees on the rug.  However beating the shit out of that partner is NOT the right way to handle the forgetfulness or your own anger.  Same with jealousy, it’s not unusual to get jealous of someone close to their partner. However that person responding to that with physically removing them, and screaming threats at them is SUPER NOT OKAY!  Yet that is not uncommon in BL.

One must also maintain an acceptable amount of jealousy in order to maintain a healthy relationship.   It’s not wrong to feel really angry or sad when you’re jealous…but if you get these feelings ALL THE TIME and due to things that are not a threat to your relationship, then that’s something to manage rather than something to blame on your partner.  Capice?

TOXIC

The main problem is that the jealousy that is common in BL is HELLA TOXIC! Jealousy is regularly tied to deeper issues of personal insecurity yet the fact there is any kind of insecurity is very rarely mentioned in the text or even subtext of the story.  Instead of this becoming a problem that one has to deal with on a personal level, it becomes a problem of the other having to obtain unrealistic standards.  Sometimes the source of the jealousy is not a feasible such as a TODDLER NEPHEW or the fact that strangers GLANCE AT THEM when in public and sometimes the source of the jealousy isn’t even human. I have seen characters throw jealousy tantrums over pets, work (school or career orientated), and even the vague concept of a SPORT!    So if you’re trying to avoid jealousy in a BL make sure you don’t go to school, don’t have a job, don’t own pets, don’t have family, don’t go out in public, and DEAR GOD don’t have hobbies either!  Woah faps those things aren’t humans so it’s not like romantic or sexual jealousy.  That’s a fair point…but the thing is the romantic/sexual jealousy functions the exact same way in those non-sexual/romantic scenarios.  HOW COULD THAT BE???? Well the jealousy that we see here is in part about being left out when a partner does other things but is in large part about dominance.  You got no other man to posture against? Well then just posture at a child, a puppy, or at a basketball why not?

Not only does jealousy crop up to unreasonable situations, an unreasonable amount of time (I’d estimate it occurs in 80% of BL mangas) but the way it’s handled is usually problematic as well.  

The most common response I’ve seen to jealousy is the seme grabbing the uke by the wrist, dragging him away from the source of jealousy, pinning him to a wall, explaining that the source of jealousy is bad for the uke or that the uke is behaving poorly/stupidly by simply interacting with the source of jealousy, and they a fit of forceful jealousy induced make-outs or sex occurs that range from consensual to downright very non-consensual.  Sometimes the uke will protest this treatment or the characterization of the jealousy fodder but this is pointless because it doesn’t become a conversation.  It is simply about the seme controlling the uke and asserting his dominance.  

Stalking is also extremely common if there is suspected jealousy.   Troubling jealousy behavior can range from as tame as going through someone’s phone without permission to drugging, kidnapping, and nearly killing a partner for one of these trespasses.

HEY HEY HEY NOW! You man-hater! Ukes can be super creepy jealous too! …but ukes are men too… THAT’S NOT THE POINT! You’re acting as if only dominant partners experience jealousy!

No, no, no, you’re right. Ukes get jealous too and sometimes to the same batty degree.  Yet, as a whole, uke jealousy tends to be less common and less destructive than jealousy of the seme variety.   The most common situation where an uke gets jealous of what a seme is doing is, the uke is pushed into a corner to admit he’s jealous.  The seme will reassure the uke he’s misunderstood and they make up.   On one hand you can argue that this is a much healthier way to settle a jealousy problem. On another hand you may view this as something of a double standard.  

If the uke’s jealous…it’s the uke’s fault and it’s nothing to worry about.  If the seme’s jealous...it’s the uke’s fault and it’s deadly serious.

This double standard even extends into how we view violent reactions for either side.  If a seme hits an uke for a trespass it will usually be framed as serious and scary.  If the uke hits the seme for a trespass it will usually be framed as a silly, and harmless outburst of tsundereness.

…Yes that’s right, the patriarchal set up of the seme/uke dynamic doesn’t just take a shit on ukes….though 9 times out of 10 it’s the ukes that do get the short end of the stick here.

Okay but let’s get the root of the problem…why is jealousy used?

If you’re a person who is not a bitter feminist killjoy who says aggravating SJW shit like, “TOXIC MONOGOMY CULTURE OPRRESSES MY GENDER NEUTRAL GENITLES” you may argue that jealousy is romantic.  I personally don’t think it is, but you’re fully allowed to view jealousy, as a concept, as a touching display of vulnerability and investment in a relationship.

However if you’re a cynical over-thinking fujoshi brimming with resentment to the genre you’ve mistakeningly dedicated your free time to, you may say the frequent use of jealousy is simply because it’s EASY WRITING!

It’s handy throw-away drama you can use in an established relationship that won’t have deeper ramifications for the relationship even if it’s on-going.  You can solve this pretty easily at any given point or decide to reintroduce it despite it previously being wrapped up.  You can use this almost TOTALLY regardless of either of the characters’ personalities or back stories.   It’s good for a quick antagonist, or to tantalize fans with a different flavor of sexual tension.  This is usually dependent on the gender of the jealousy fodder.

Ugh I’ve heard you use the term ~jealousy fodder~ like a billion times.  Why do you call it that?  

Because these characters rarely have anything going for them besides the fact they’re the conflict du-jour.  You’d be hard pressed to learn an interest of the fodder’s outside of “TRYING TO BANG PROTAG!” and they rarely do anything else in the story besides create this shallow drama.  Sometimes the jealousy drama is totally auxiliary to the main conflict of the story to boot. If you’re lucky and ONLY if you’re lucky the fodder will be shuffled into another couple.  Sometimes you won’t even see this jealousy used in a love triangle way.  It’s usually pretty obvious from the beginning that the protag is going to choose even if the other option is an objectively better person and choice for them.

In my years of reading BL I have only encountered 2 instances of a character being jealous and the other character ACTUALLY cheats on him. (Zetsuai Bronze and Totally Captivated.) Now people have different standards of what “cheating” is.  Some goes so far as to say that “Thinking about cheating” is CHEATING.  Even by that (pretty ridged standard) I would still say only the above.

Despite this low, low number, I see jealousy used in manga 80% of the time.  Are you picking up what I’m putting down here?  A breach of actual trust is not actually going to happen…99.99% of the time.  Oh but what if the jealousy is something a character has to work through to feel less anxious?  Excellent idea! I’ve seen that approach FUCKING ONCE! (Café Latte Rhapsody) So if there is no actual threat of trust breaching and it’s not something either of them has to work through on a mental or emotional level….WHAT KIND OF CONFLICT IS THAT?

NON-FUCKING-CONFLICT IS WHAT!

I’d be much more entertained by staring into my own fucking bellybutton….but faps obviously you would since you navel-gaze as if you have a gemstone there.  IF I BELIEVE HARD ENOUGH I’LL BECOME I CRYSTAL GEM OKAY!?!?!?!?

Eh-hem!

But you will see jealousy commonly used in one instance of actually plot important drama.  And that is the ever, important, cementing of a couple’s relationship.   I call the use of jealousy in this instance:

TOY TRUCK CONSUMATION

Da fuck is that?  Toy truck consummation is a character will only realize he truly cares romantically for someone because he experiences jealousy. He didn’t want that toy truck until somebody else was going to play with it.  Thankfully I don’t see this often outside of high school settings.  A grown-ass man who is that fucking blind to his own feelings and childish enough to throw a tantrum out of it, can fuck RIGHT OFF! ….Though honestly teenagers behaving that way is still deeply shitty.

This is not an auspicious beginning to a loving relationship, if it’s formulated over single-mindedly hating a 3rd party, a 3rd party that is typically on good-terms with the target of affection.  So, a relationship we’re supposed to root for is predicated on a dude swooping in and ripping a valued person away from them for entirely selfish reasons.  I wouldn’t consider it dreamy if a seme threw an uke’s beloved play station 4 out the window because it holds the ukes attention sometimes.  I consider it even less dreamy when it’s something even more valued like yanno a friend.  (Though of course this can happen from the uke to the seme as well.) While sometimes, this individual is romantically interested in one of our leads…I’d say a good half the time if not more…they’re not at all.  

“Why are you losing your mind over someone, you’re not dating, hanging out with their friend? Even if the friend very obviously has 0 romantic or sexual interest in them?  Is it because you’re an anal fungus that causes people to shit their pants for no reason?  It’s probably because you’re a parasitic ass mushroom that makes people poop uncontrollably”

This, also, is pretty damn lazy.  Writing someone coming to grips with a difficult emotion is hard in itself. Writers will usually use 3rd parties to help bounce information back to a struggling individual to help give them insight.  And that can be used in this case as well!  Interacting with another couple, talking to someone who’s an out LGBTQ person, or even just a friend or relative that can relate!  However all of that is harder to pull off as melodramatically as a petty fuck-lord gut-punching a jealousy fodder out of the blue.  Hoo boy sonny! We should have a parade in his honor cause golly isn’t that the way to handle your problems!

But what if the jealousy fodder was really after them?

Then I would say the story may feature the trope….

Irrational jealousy magiced into rational jealousy!

What I mean is that there is a dominant that appears to be irrationally jealous.  There is no indication in the text the jealousy fodder is not on the up and up and the dominant is not privy to classified documents that make him secretly suspicious.  However turns out the harmless friend, acquaintance, co-worker, boss, mail man etc is actually a heartless rapist just trying to lower the submissive’s guard.  

This trope makes me foam at the mouth because not only is it cheap, cliché, and annoying but it justifies abusive behavior.  It states that No matter what crazy shit that lunatic boyfriend of yours spouts he’s fucking infallible.  If he tells you that the atmosphere has become poisonous to you and the only breathable air is in his testicles, you better clamp down on that cocktail wiener like a pit-bull because any damn self-serving nonsense he spews must be followed to the fucking letter.  Why? Because he is a mind-reader, a genius, and a clairvoyant with flawless judgment by nature of being born a DOMINANT MAN! TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!

May I just add this is not a trope specific to BL but a trope that makes me want to drink into a stupor each time I see it.

Well if you’re so fucking relationship savy, how would you handle jealousy in stories huh!?

…By actually tackling the causes of jealousy which are very rarely acknowledged in BL.  As far as I can tell there are 3 major roots of jealousy.

1.)    Insecurity – I am not a good enough partner so my significant other is going to drop me as soon as they find somebody better.

2.)    Distrust – My partner does not respect our monogamous agreement and will sleep with other people if they can get away with it.

3.)    Missing out -  I feel left out if my partner is doing something without me.

I have seen all three roots play a role in fictional jealousy outbursts and they’re usually tied intimately together.  However the 1st two are the keys here.

Mistrust is an interesting situation because 99% of the time the mistrust is not that the partner will sleep around given the chance.  However the mistrust is shown as more of a, “I cannot trust my partner to avoid situations where they’ll be sexually assaulted.”

While this is framed as a jealousy issue at times, I don’t think it should.  Why?  If a character is sexually assaulted it is NOT the victims fault.   But haha welcome to the 50 foot deep pit of backwards sexual politics that is BL. YOU’RE WELCOME!

Insecurity plays a large role in BL jealousy…but I have only seen it addressed directly as a failing of personal confidence once. (Café Latte Rhapsody)

Most of the time characters that are subtextualy highly insecure are portrayed as powerful and that their jealousy tantrums is just ~how strong men act~ rather than ~they obviously hate themselves and fear their partner would find someone better.~  

I’ll be quite frank, a lot of the time…they’re correct the uke could do a lot better than the jerkass seme they’re saddled with.  However, instead of changing their negative behavior for the better they just control the uke’s every movements which is yanno not doing the uke OR the seme any favors. Sometimes this functions realistically in a story like in Space Between where Riki is an unwilling sex slave and Iason keeps him under his thumb.  However the majority of them treat this like a normal and healthy relationship…but

Wouldn’t it be better if one is not constantly wracked with fear over their partner leaving them?

Wouldn’t it be better if the other can have friends and leave the house?

I’m not saying the two can’t struggle with issues of jealousy…but I mean…can’t we treat jealousy like something they work on together instead of just,

“I can’t believe you talked to them! I DIDN’T MEAN TO!”

That sound clip? Just play it on loop

“WELP LET’S HAVE THIS SAME EXACT PISSING CONTEST FOR THE 90TH FUCKING TIME!  IT’S NOT GOING TO BE DIFFERENT NEXT TIME BECAUSE WE’RE NOT GOING TO TREAT IT LIKE ADULTS WOULD!”

 So the problem with jealousy as a trope in romance and BL fiction is thus:

1.)    It’s toxic, doesn’t treat it as toxic, and sometimes justifies the toxicity.

2.)    It’s pathetic, cliché, non-conflict

3.)    It doesn’t really even understand what jealousy is.

[ryukoishida]

Summer 2017 Watchlist First Taste (Thursday to Saturday Edition)

Sunday to Wednesday Edition.

Ballroom e Youkoso | Welcome to the Ballroom

If I have to recommend one new series to watch this season, this is it. This is basically the only show I’ve watched so far that the first episode left me excited and wanting more. Ballroom dancing might not be something that everyone’s into though, but you can probably watch it as a sports anime, but with fancy costumes and inter-high being dance competitions. The protag is your usual awkward, shy-around-girls 3rd year middle-schooler who doesn’t know what to do with his life, but he wants to change himself through learning how to dance and I’m okay with that. The other characters seem pretty interesting, too, so I can’t wait for their introductions into the show. And then I’ll probably read the manga... yeah I can see that happening. 

Shoukoku no Altair | Altair: A Record of Battles

Another series that I was looking forward to this season because it sounded similar to “Arslan Senki” and I love that series to death. Admittedly, it has a slow start but I’m already intrigued despite that. The main character Mahmut, who becomes the youngest pasha (military general) at 17 years old, seems to be a good kid: he’s smart and idealistic but not annoyingly over-the-top. I know it has a huge cast of characters so I’m really looking forward to seeing them all (not to mention KENN being in this I’m sorry I’m super biased in this regard). Also, damn, look at the clothing designs — definitely won’t be as detailed and elaborated in the anime, but still. 

Hitorijime My Hero | My Very Own Hero

Honestly, I didn’t have that much expectation for this show since it’s BL and I find that even though there are tons of BL manga out there to adapt from, the ones that do end up getting adapted are usually... problematic in one way or another. But this one definitely surprises me. The first episode introduces us to Masahiro, who comes from a broken family and joined a gang because he wants a place to belong. He becomes friends with Kensuke through an abandoned kitten, and Masahiro meets his older brother Kousuke, who’s known as the Bear Killer (i.e. he goes around beating up gangsters). Upon entering high school, Masahiro reunite with Kousuke, who’s now one of the school’s teachers. Yes, I know, another teacher/student relationship, fucking great. But I don’t mind it that much since the two characters already know each other from before. I’m also interested in Kensuke’s development with his estranged friend Asaya. Probably not a bad choice if you want a BL this season. 

Vatican Kiseki Chousakan | Miracle Examiner

The bf describes this as a weird mixture of “Wtich Hunter Robin” and “X-Files”. I see it as Catholic imagery-heavy show that takes itself so seriously and over-the-top to the point where the dramatic music in scenes that are supposedly serious just make me burst out laughing, but I really dig the bromance between the two mains, and the Aesthetics is honestly so ridiculous yet entertaining that I’d keep watching just so I can laugh some more (pretty sure that’s not the intention of the show... since the genre is supposed to be mystery... but I laughed more than I was intrigued while watching the first episode, so).

Tsurezure Children

Based on a 4-koma manga, this 15-minute per episode show is... not bad? It’s about the romantic antics of the three high school couples, so you have your choices of the character tropes... Actually the only couple that stood out for me was megane class president and wannabe gangster girl, and I’d watch the show just for those two ‘cause they’re actually kind of cute.

Konbini Kareshi | Convenience Store Boyfriends

I... don’t know why I decided to watch this even after reading the summary, which didn’t interest me all that much. (I lied; it’s because Kamiya Hiroshi and Sakurai Takahiro are in it.) Two best friends each have their own crushes to deal with; the story somehow all happens within the convenience store near their school. It’s romance and friendship and somehow it’s just incredibly boring to watch with a bit of half-hearted, overused comedic tropes thrown in. I don’t think I’ll continue with this one.

For Spring 2017 review, I’ve written one for new series and one for sequels. 

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 12/18/19

SEAN: There are 9 or 10 debuts this week and half of them are from Seven Seas. Hrm… how about a reverse order week?

Yen Press gives us an artbook, as we see The Art of Sword Oratoria, presumably lacking the title of its parent series to save space on the cover. Enjoy gorgeous art of Aiz, Loki, Lefiya and the rest from the LN illustrator, along with rough sketches and the like.

ASH: I’m not particularly familiar with the series, but Yen has done a really nice job with previous artbooks.

MELINDA: That is my take as well.

SEAN: Also from Yen we have Trinity Seven 18, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected (manga version) 12, and The Monster and the Beast 2.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to more of The Monster and the Beast.

ASH: Yup! Me, too!

SEAN: Yen On debuts Weathering With You, the latest Makoto Shinkai book based on an anime film. Lately he’s been less depressing. Can he keep it up?

ASH: We shall see!

MELINDA: Count me in!

Yen On also has KonoSuba 10, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 15, A Certain Magical Index 21, and Accel World 20. All these series are so long lately!

Viz has No Longer Human. This classic of Japanese literature has seen releases here before… even other manga adaptations. This one, though, is by Junji Ito, and is a 600-page hardcover brick. Get it for Christmas and wallow in it.

ASH: This is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. No Longer Human is a touchstone work for me and I am a big fan of Ito’s manga, so I’m really looking forward to seeing his take.

MELINDA: I somehow missed that this was coming, and now I’m very excited!

For Manga Bookshelf folks, we also get the yearly Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 16. And there’s Tokyo Ghoul;re 14, Terra Formars 22, Golden Kamuy 13, and the 20th Century Boys Perfect Edition 6.

MICHELLE: I will never not love Ooku.

ASH: It’s true. Glad for more Golden Kamuy, too!

MELINDA: What Michelle said!

SEAN: Vertical has the 2nd Monogatari Series Box Set, containing the 6 books of the 2nd “season”, as well as the 3rd Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest.

OK, Seven Seas. Let’s go down the debuts one by one. First, the manga version of Reincarnated As a Sword debuts.

Our Dining Table (Bokura no Shokutaku) is a one-volume BL manga from Gentosha’s Rutile, about a salaryman who one day meets two brothers – one his age, one a little kid – and teaches them to make food. Love might follow! This looks sweet.

MICHELLE: Super sweet. I’m very much looking forward to this one!

ASH: Yes! This manga is catered to my tastes.

ANNA: This sounds cute.

MELINDA: Oh, how lovely.

SEAN: My Father Is a Unicorn (Unicorn Otousan) is not, as far as I know, related to My Bride Is a Mermaid. Its title is its premise (stepfather, of course), and it ran in Frontier Works’ Hug Pixiv.

ASH: This sounds delightfully ridiculous; I plan on picking it up.

SEAN: Gal Gohan I just reviewed here. It’s a cute but ecchi series about a gal who falls for her teacher and the cooking class they do together. It runs in Hakusensha’s Young Animal.

ASH: Hmmm. I do like food-related manga…

Dirty Pair Omnibus (Dirty Pair no Daibouken) is a manga adaptation of the classic novel, but with updated character designs that remind me a bit of Adam Warren. Very appropriate, that. It ran in Tokuma Shoten’s Comic Ryu.

ASH: I’m hoping the original might be licensed at some point, but this adaptation might not be a bad place to start.

SEAN: Bloom Into You is a very popular yuri series, to the point where we’re actually getting the light novels based off of it. They focus on Sayaka, and the first is out digitally next week and in print later in 2020.

Also, Seven Seas has the fourth and final volume of Our Dreams at Dusk, which should be on everyone’s manga of the year shortlist.

MICHELLE: Maybe I will really succeed in reading this series soon!

ASH: It is such a good series.

ANNA: We are getting it at my library!

MELINDA: I can’t believe I haven’t gotten around to reading this, but that’s where we are. I must fix that!

SEAN: And we get Monster Musume 15 and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 6.

One Peace has a 15th Rising of the Shield Hero light novel.

Kodansha has two print debuts next week. Saint Young Men is well-known, of course, and finally hitting our shores. Drifting Dragons is slightly less well-known, but, I mean, it’s filled with dragons. Both have already come out digitally.

MICHELLE: I’m happy to see Saint Young Men is getting a print release with, so far, no uproar.

ASH: I am so excited for a print edition of Saint Young Men! I’m very curious about Drifting Dragons, too.

ANNA: I preordered the print version of Saint Young Men right when it was announced.

MELINDA: I’m so ready for Saint Young Men!

SEAN: Also in print: Vinland Saga 11, To Your Eternity 11, O Maidens in Your Savage Season 5, and Again!! 12, which is the final volume.

MICHELLE: Again!! can be frustrating, in that it doesn’t always follow heartwarming sports manga beats, but when it pays off, it sure pays off. I’m looking forward to seeing how this manifests in the final volume.

ASH: Hooo! That’s a lot of really good stuff coming out from Kodansha! I’m reading all of these.

ANNA: I really need to catch up on Again!!. Also excited for more Vinland Saga.

SEAN: Debuting digitally next week is Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse (Watari-kun no xx ga Houkai Sunzen), a Young Magazine series which shows that digital-only can license seinen trash just as much as josei trash, I guess.

MICHELLE: *snerk*

SEAN: There’s also Shojo FIGHT! 8, Saint Young Men 4 digitally, Peach Girl NEXT 7, My Boss’s Kitten 3, and Are You Lost? 5.

MICHELLE: Shojo FIGHT! for the win!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has Banner of the Stars debut, the sequel to Crest of the Stars. We also get an 8th Lazy Dungeon Master.

Ghost Ship gives us World’s End Harem 7 and To-Love-Ru Darkness 13.

Dark Horse has a 6th volume of Drifters.

ASH: Oh! It’s been a while since I’ve read Drifters. Granted, there was a long break between the releases of some of the volumes. I’ll need to do a little catching up.

SEAN: Lastly, Cross Infinite World has the 2nd in the I Became the Secretary of a Hero! light novel series.

Lots of potential presents here. Anything catch your eye?

By: Sean Gaffney