#senpai this can't be love!

[inkedberries]

after patrolling, unwinding in a diner somewhere ...

throw the man a bone batman geez

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Wound care - a good reason to get close to one another and express that you care (Part 3/?)

Semantic Error

About Youth

Fish Upon The Sky

21 Day Theory

Bed Friend

Some More

KinnPorsche

Bad Buddy

My Ride

Senpai, This Can't Be Love

Part of my favorite bl-tropes collection, as always in no particular order.

[respectthepetty]

Give your boss just a smidge of love, and this is how he acts ON THE CLOCK!

All professionalism goes right out the damn window.

Forgot about those work trips.

Men are so messy.

Thank God for Nozue who at least waited until he was in the alley after the workday was done.

[bengiyo]

We are headed into our final Drama Shower show of the season. How do you rank the shows we got this season and how are you feeling about the direction of the project?

What is Drama Shower and Why Does It Matter?

Before we get into rating these shows, I want to do a breakdown of what this is. To give you a sense of how big a deal Drama Shower is, fans are regularly updating a Wikipedia page for it with relevant links to follow the project. Also, there is a dedicated MDL page for it.

Drama Shower is a dedicated half-hour programming block on MBS, a Japanese broadcaster that is over 70 years old, in conjunction with Kadokawa, a Japanese publisher and holding group, that plays BL content at 1:30 am on Fridays. The project's main producer is Kaoru Azuma, who is a self-described long-time BL fan. He wants to show that BL can do a variety of stories in genre, and has recently stated that he wants to produce original content through the project as well.

We originally had six shows air through year one: Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss!, Senpai, This Can't Be Love!, Takara-kun to Amagi-kun, Eternal Yesterday, Candy Color Paradox, and Jack o' Frost.

I originally reviewed these shows as overall a mixed bag, but showing great promise. I liked that they got more comfortable with depictions of m/m intimacy over time. I thought Mr. Unlucky was legitimately funny (9), Senpai never found its footing (6), Takara and Amagi mildly squandered their premise (8), Eternal Yesterday was extremely poignant (10), Candy Color Paradox had ambitions that exceeded its talent pool (7), and Jack o' Frost was a really strong finish (9.5).

MBS seemed to enjoy the performance of this project enough to continue it for another year.

For me, I think it's very significant to give BL itself a time slot to see how audiences are responding to BL as a concept compared to the pitch of individual shows. I'm really encouraged by MBS doing this. Even if you don't care about the name MBS, you have interacted with their content, because they are also behind Full Metal Alchemist and Haikyuu! anime adaptations.

Rating Year 2

I actually liked the way year 2 started, even if I'm a bit mixed on the end. I really loved opening with Tokyo in April is... I liked that they had BL trying to be topical. I think the show unfortunately conflates some things it shouldn't, but I loved TIAI and I loved Ren and Ryunosuke's experience being gay men. I liked the changes they made to the source material. This show was dark in a way that it owned, and I really like that. I gave it a 9.

We then moved to My Personal Weatherman, and that went over well for the people who like to see really hot people go at it with each other. I actually enjoyed how much Yoh and Segasaki actively misunderstood each other even as they were speaking to each other. I don't know that they exactly completed their story, and I suspect that there may be a future outing for this show. Despite enjoying it, I think it didn't get all of its pieces together fully and gave it an 8.5.

We then crossed over into uncertain territory with One Room Angel. Despite enjoying a lot of what was going on in this show, I don't actually think it's a romance. It's my understanding that the angel character is a lot younger in the source material, and so they may have been a little shy about how much they did with these characters on screen. I also don't think the storytelling was balanced between the leads. However, because I am susceptible to complex stories about grief, I gave this show an 8.

Now, we have Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun. I hated this show so much. I think it makes the unfortunate mistake of asking me to care about how homophobia and public perceptions impacts people through its flashback drama, but then does nothing with that in the front. It sucked so hard, and I'm really disappointed because I thought this show had some of the most potential, and I thought Toki was one of the most watchable characters Drama Shower had produced. I ended up giving it a 4.

Our next and final show (I think) for this outing is called My Strawberry Film. This one will also be in a high school, but I know little about it, other than we may have a GL plot in it.

So, overall I'd give Drama Shower an 8. I think fans of BL, and especially Japanese BL, should continue to show up and support it. The fact that we have a dedicated programming block is important. The fact that none of these shows has felt like a retread so far is super important. Drama Shower is varied. There is something in here for almost everyone. Drama Shower is the biggest commitment to BL we've had from a distributor other than GMMTV's ongoing BL slate. Taiwan has Vidol doing is four projects, but Drama Shower is the first time I know of that a Japanese distributor has focused on BL in a meaningful, ongoing way. We should stick with it.

[gillianthecat]

I feel like Japanese BLs use place and space and landscape differently. Perhaps it’s as simple as the fact that Japanese architecture and plant life looks different from Thai, Korean or Taiwanese architecture and plant life. Perhaps it’s just that the Japanese industry generally has higher budgets and more experienced/skilled people behind the camera, which creates a certain look. But there’s something about the use of space, either expansive and wide open, or closed-in and intimate that’s… I don’t know what it is, but it feels like it’s something.

This was brought on in part by watching Eternal Yesterday and then watching @iguessitsjustme’s HiraKoyoi video (which almost made me cry this time, now that I’m primed to). And they got thinking about the way there’s a certain… almost desolate emptiness? that’s not the right feeling. perhaps just… openness, realness, slight wildness… to the landscape in this trio of small town high school BL I’ve watched recently, the two above plus Takara-kun to Amagi-kun. Even Kabe Koji somehow felt that way when they returned to their hometown. Is that just what all small towns look like in Japan? (Are they even set in small towns?) Or are these locations deliberate choices.

And even in city settings there’s a certain way that buildings and spaces are shot, inside and out. But I don’t know enough about filmmaking techniques to say what it is.

If anyone else has any thoughts on this I’d love to hear them. I’ve never been to any of these countries and haven’t watched all that much other media from there, outside of BLs, so I have little context, just vague feelings.

[nuttyavenueyouth]

after patrolling, unwinding in a diner somewhere …(Read More)

[blmpff]

SETO TOSHIKI for DAZED KOREA 03.06.24

[laurelslegacy]

Naming of the kits

Not dead! have NOT stopped working on Zeb trying to get ready for con next weekend. New Zeb mask, old Zeb armor but modified to fit my cooling vest. ordered proper boots to do the right feet but they've never shown up... TWICE. all that, moving, dealing with personal issues. Been hiding away and relaxing with a story I'll likely never post and never thought I WOULD write but the thoughts on it the challenge was nice. But I am going to share with you the last part just written cause I'm in TEARS. summery: Yep Lasat males can get Pregnant, but only a very rare few and the odds of carrying to term is only 40%. it's a war, it's stressful. With the Death Star destroyed they have to evacuate to Hoth. The entire time Zeb is plagued by fear and anxiety over losing not just one but two Lasat kits. Kallus is the always comforting always reassuring, Have faith- he would say. Hera would add Have hope.

“What are their names?” Sabine spoke up quickly, looking from one father to the other.

Zeb looked dumbfounded for a moment before his eyes rested on Kallus, a sort of ‘help’ look.

Kallus started to chuckle “We haven’t chosen yet, we were following some Lasat traditions.”

“Are you going to go for Lasat names or Human?” Rex asked idly curious.

“Not sure, good question.” Kallus replied.

“I’d like them ta have meaning, my name does, Alexandr does. Both fit us.”

Hera looked to Zeb and tilted her head, perhaps she could get more Lasanese from him “What does your name mean Zeb?”

Put on the spot the lasat’s fur started to rise in a blush “Araseb, a hard consonant in front o’ male names so Garazeb, we the people or of the people. Aureli, meaning gold, oosh fer a last name. Looked it up, Alexandr means protector of the people.”

“Hope.” it pulled the attention off of Zeb and Kallus smiled “One of them should be named hope.” A blush spread across his cheeks as Zeb looked at his husband with adoration nodding in agreement. “Nadia.” Zeb perked his ears and Kallus went on, “it was my mother’s name.”

Zeb looked moved to tears and reached out to let the small Lasat female grab ahold of his claw “Nadia, yeah, l love it.”

“What of him Garazeb?”

“Ah…” Zeb was thinking about it.

“Saul. Start with Saul Garazeb.” The old voice came from Chava as she hobbled in with her staff, Grom right behind her. “Ohhh they’re so precious! SO BIIG” She laughed delighted, Sabine handing over Nadia to the old Lasat woman’s arms, Grom taking her staff so she could hold the new Kit. “Nadia Ashla ashlas ulanakra nashna uraka mo.” (Nadia, the light of Ashla bless your life.)

A sniffle pulled everyone’s eyes to Zeb, he wrung a hand over his face “Saulkal.”

Grom grinned and looked at the faces of the others in the room “Name means roughly Faith in my or the Sire.” And he gestured to Kallus.

Now it was Kallus’s turn to begin turning red and eyes welling with tears, wiped at them aggressively only making his eyes more red. “Suitable.” nodding, clearly a bigger more passionate word on his tongue but allowed this one to slip out.

“There now…” the lady drawled out and handed Nadia to Kallus reaching out for Saulkal. Repeating the same phrase “Saulkal, Ashla ashlas ulanakra nashna uraka mo.” She handed the little boy back to Zeb. “Well Visiting hours and over and they better still have hot Caff in the mess, these old bones are too cold!” She turned, was handed her staff and she and Grom made their way out.

Hera squeezed Zeb’s arm and smiled, tears in her own eyes “We’ll let you Kallus, Nadia and Saulkal rest. They’re lovely as their fathers.”

“Thanks” is all Zeb could get out waiting till they left before leaning as much as he could on Kallus, crying to release all the anxiety, stress, worry and fear and let in the tears of love, joy and being complete fill him instead.

[dzv2]

Japanese BL Lockscreens

hope you like it!

<3 or rb if u save, pls :)

- d

[koukouture]

Idk what it is but like fanfics have really opened my eyes to Aymeric. Like in the MSQ I was like "Oh yeah I like him but idk I like Haurchefant more" but in the Dragonsong War questline + fanfics made me like him a lot. Like he's actually a prince I love him so very dearly. Plus he's yk actually alive so he has more fanfic potential (sorry Haurchefant you were my first love tho)

[ddreamzee]

My Top 10 BL Dramas of 2022!!!

I figured I would also make my list of my favorite bls that came out this year (and ended this year) so here are my picks!

1. Love In The Air (Thailand)

I think most people loved this series this year and it’s not very hard to see why. the couples are immaculate, the spicy scenes are SPICYYYY and the storyline is actually interesting. the couples also got equal amounts of screentime and each of their stories made coherent sense. i personally loved phayu and rain a tad bit more than prapai and sky but i love both either way. chef’s kiss

2. KinnPorsche (Thailand)

once again I think most people love this series. I waited so long for this series and almost didn’t watch it bc I was annoyed it took so long lmao. but i’m glad I gave in and watched it anyways. this is art. this is how you do a mafia drama, this is how you act, this is how you depict love, lust, hatred, betrayal, all of the above. i thought i liked kinn and porsche the most out of the couples but after going through my saved videos I have found myself to be a clown, apparently I was subconsciously obsessed with vegas and pete.

3. Cherry Blossoms After Winter (S. Korea)

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING!! THIS SERIES!!! IS SO FUCKING GOOODDDD!!!! i love cherry blossoms after winter so damn much. it’s so fucking cute and i love the characters so much, especially taesung. oh my boy taesung! he is such an angel pls. i always expected something bad to happen while watching this but I was so happy when nothing did happen. even when taesung’s mom found out they were together, haebom and taesung both stood their ground for their relationship although haebom was hesitant to even start dating taesung bc he was worried about his mom. but this is definitely one of my favorite korean bls

 4. Cutie Pie (Thailand)

this is a very obvious choice. zee has been one of favorite actors since why r u so i was so damn excited about this. i really liked it and it was different for thailand, an arranged marriage bl series. i also really enjoyed the side couples in this, especially nuea and syn. in my opinion this series wasn’t completely perfect though, there were times i felt like things were a little too slow or a character would get on my nerves *cough* kuea *cough* but i’m really hyped for the special episodes and zeenew’s series coming in 2023

5. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (Japan)

I love love LOVED takara kun to amagi kun. it was so cute, both takara and amagi are literal angels. it was pretty natural too like it didn't feel really forced and I loved when amagi would get all excited and like mess with takara or drag him around and takara just went with it bc he was so utterly in love with this boy. nothing but love for my two angel boys

6. Cherry Magic The Movie (Japan)

the original series was so fucking good so i KNEW this was gonna be good but i didn’t think it was gonna THIS fucking good. this movie was everything i think all of us wanted it to be and more. i could not ask for anything else, this movie knew what it needed to give and it GAVEEEE. it was so cute and the serotonin boost i got while watching this, i felt like a lovesick fool smiling throughout the entire thing. it was certainly a perfect ending for this amazing series.

7. Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! (Japan)

japan was GIVING in 2022. i cannot even begin to explain how in love i was with this series. even i was surprised at how much i loved it bc i usually don’t really like workplace/ office bls, i really don’t, but something about this year made me overcome that dislike and i was obsessed with so many workplace bls this year, i think this series is the one that started that trend for me.

8. Love Stage!! (Thailand)

so this series was so unexpectedly good. the original anime has always been one of my favorites so i was so hyped about this. i saw the japanese adaptation that came out in like 2020 which was umm.....something. i will say that this was MUCHHH better than that. especially since it was kaownah and turbo, made it so much better, they were perfect. i remember while watching this there were so many issues with episodes like audio, quality and subtitles wise, like there was always something wrong. despite that though i got through it and still enjoyed it. the side couple was also really good. since this series revolves around celebrities, managers and the entertainment industry it gave very much war of y vibes but like not as dramatic(?)

9. My Secret Love (Thailand)

everybody and they mamas was hating on this series and i never knew why, i felt like i was the only one enjoying it? i loved all the couples (especially park and lee) and like it was pretty much just a lighthearted university bl which i’m quite a sucker for tbh. i do admit some scenes were a little.....?? much? unnecessary? but overall i loved it, and the ost is such a bop, one of the few thai bl osts i really enjoy, bc it’s jeff satur so of course.

10. Oh! Boarding House (S. Korea)

do not ask me why i loved this series so much, i really do not know. i feel like it just really stuck with me throughout the year and even till now i catch myself thinking about it for no reason. like there were so many good korean bls this year but this one was slightly different. i loved the main couple and i just really enjoyed the other side characters as well. it was like a found family kind of situation and it felt really cozy, fun and relaxing to watch. like while watching it, is almost felt like hanging out with friends? idk if you haven’t seen it pls go watch it and maybe you’ll understand what i mean.

Honorable Mentions!

- Triage (Thailand)

- Plus and Minus (Taiwan)

- Semantic Error (S. Korea)

I would say overall this was a good year for bl, it seemed like there was a new series almost every week and there was always something to watch. also the influx of korean and japanese bls this year was surprising but they were all decent, they are pretty much on the same level as thailand at this point, but i think thailand is still number 1 in all things bl.

[bl-bam-beyond]

BL- BOYS' LOVE:

Series: BOKURA NO MICRO NA SHUUMATSU (2023, JAPAN)

aka: THE END OF THE WORLD WITH YOU

You find out the world is ending in 10 days. USA Reports a Meteorite is crashing toward earth and there is no chance of survival. You accept your fate and take refuge in a place that calms you.

Nishina Masumi (SETO TOSHIKI) finds this place to be the library. But it was the biggest mistake of his life as he comes face to face with Kusakabe Ritsu (NAKATA KEISUKE) the one man in the world he never wanted to see again.

The man that ruthlessly broke his heart..

[emotionallychargedtowel]

For the tokusatsu ask game!

1 and 19 :)

Oh, those are good ones. Thanks, @nieves-de-sugui!

How did you get into toku?

When my kids were three or four (they're twins so they always share the same age), my son saw a toy Godzilla and got obsessed with it. So we started showing my kids Godzilla movies, then branched out into other Toho kaiju like Mothra, King Ghidorah, etc. Just to give you an idea of how deep this got, at one point my kids were both obsessed with Biollante, a monster that was created when scientists fused some of Godzilla's DNA with a rose and the soul of a young girl that looks kind of like the thing from Little Shop of Horrors on steroids. This continued for a while. Then we watched Godzilla vs. Megalon, which features Jet Jaguar, a kaiju-fighting robot who they immediately adored. We were already tracking down toys of the various monsters they liked and they wanted a Jet Jaguar one really bad, but when my partner went looking, there weren't any options out there. (I think since then a JJ figure has been issued, but it wasn't around at the time.)

Then a fateful moment occurred: my spouse saw an Ultraman toy someplace, though it kind of resembled Jet Jaguar, and got it for the kids to see if they'd like it. They were immediately obsessed and wanted to know all about Ultraman, but we barely knew anything about it. I'd seen a little bit of the weirdly dubbed version of Tiga that aired on the WB on Saturday mornings at one point, but that was it. So we started looking things up and checking out shows, which led to more shows and more toys and so on. Our first series was Tiga and we just kept going from there. This was also around the start of the pandemic, so we were in desperate need of an exciting new collective obsession. Actually, I don't know how we would have gotten through that period without Ultraman.

So we mainlined Ultraman for months (maybe even a year or more?) before we checked out any other toku stuff. Then we were talking to a friend who's knowledgeable about this stuff and he suggested we try branching out into other tokusatsu franchises. Our first Super Sentai series was Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, which we all loved right away. I think our first Kamen Rider series was actually Ex-Aid, so it’s kind of a miracle that we kept going with it, because I really dislike that series--I never even finished watching it. Our second Kamen Rider was Saber, which was a way better fit for us (if not exactly representative of the franchise) and remains one of my favorite Kamen Rider series.

Kamen Rider Ryuki was a kind of milestone because it was the first tokusatsu show that my spouse and I watched without having to have kids present and paying attention all the time. It's a bit on the mature side so they only wanted to watch it intermittently. That's when we figured out that some toku shows filled that niche really well--things that we could watch without worrying about kids feeling left out but that we didn't have to refrain from watching in their presence or censor somehow (at least, most of the time). Which led to even more tokusatsu-watching since things you can watch in that way can be hard to come by.

Incidentally, a big part of the reason I first got into BLs was because of my tokusatsu fandom. Before I saw my first BL, my twin sister had already seen KinnPorsche and told me about it, so maybe she would have continued with BLs and eventually gotten me into them anyway. It's hard to say. But as it happened, I was looking for something short and not too gut-wrenching to watch on Viki one day when I saw the listing for Senpai, This Can't Be Love and got curious about it because the leads were played by Naito Shuichiro from Saber and Seto Toshiki from Ex-Aid. I talk about the tokusatsu to BL pipeline for actors, but I myself traveled down the viewer equivalent of that pipeline.

19. If you could go back and change one show, what would you change?

My first thought was something relatively small. If I could, I’d change the fact that Takano Hassei’s character in Kamen Rider Ryuki was (spoiler!) killed off so quickly. I get that the battle royale premise of the series necessitated some painful character deaths but he was so likable and made the story so much more compelling as soon as he showed up and then suddenly he was gone. They should have let him stick around at least a while longer.

But the main series I’d change is Kamen Rider Kiva. I have such mixed feelings about that series in a number of areas, but the main thing I’d change is its treatment of women characters. It's kind of confusing, though. I keep thinking over how things turn out for the women in Kiva and trying to figure out exactly what my problem is with it and what I think should have been done differently. Basically, the women in Kiva face a lot of sexism in different forms, and the show makes this pretty explicit. Women in Kiva can be incredibly competent and smart, much more than their male counterparts, and they still don't get the same opportunities. Whenever men in the show are interested in a woman romantically and/or sexually, tons of sexism also comes into play, usually in the forms of benevolent sexism and/or objectification. In one arc, for example, two men fight over a woman as if she's a prize to be won and she doesn't have a say in the matter. Otoya often insists on rescuing Yuri from situations that she's arguably better equipped to deal with than he is, with occasionally disastrous effects. These things aren't portrayed as neutral. At times, sexism is called out explicitly. At others, it's shown in a way that seems clearly designed to make it visible.

I'm used to media texts that highlight sexism giving me some kind of catharsis about it. It would be ridiculous for a story to solve the problem of sexism completely, but there's usually some kind of progress that's made, or at least a character removes herself from a sexist situation if it doesn't improve. But Kiva doesn't do that. Not really, anyway. Both of the women who want to be Riders do get to do that, briefly, which was pretty remarkable when the series aired in 2008/2009. Unlike in some Kamen Rider series in which characters always have their own distinct Rider identity, a bunch of the people (basically, all of the human beings) who become Riders in Kiva use the same tool, the Ixa System, and become variations on the same Rider. Both Yuri and Megumi, a mother and daughter shown in different time periods, become Kamen Rider Ixa at some point. But their time as Riders is short-lived, and only happens after they've proven themselves again and again while watching the dopiest men imaginable get to become Ixa first. So that doesn't constitute much progress. (Did I mention that Yuri's deceased mother/Megumi's grandmotherdesigned the Ixa System? And they each still have to fight tooth and nail for a brief chance to use it!)

Watching Kiva actually made me notice the extent to which I expect some kind of catharsis once a piece of media foregrounds sexism somehow. And as soon as I noticed it, I questioned it. Does that kind of catharsis really need to happen? Might it not be better for us to have to sit with that discomfort? Catharsis discharges tension, but maybe it's better not to do that. But I don't think the uniformly shitty outcomes faced by the women on Kiva serve any sort of useful purpose in that way. (I'm including Megumi marrying Nago as a shitty outcome. The show may treat it as cause for celebration but that guy sucks and she's totally settling.)

So what would I change? First, I'd make the sexism the women face more explicit, with more characters labeling it as such more often. Since the show features two timelines, one taking place in 1986 and one in 2008, it would make sense and provide at least a little bit of hope if the 2008 storyline involved a bit less sexism or a bit more progress toward counteracting it. Maybe some individual characters could even learn something from their experiences and become a bit less sexist. At the very least, the leaders of the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization should have learned from their mistakes since they were present for the events of both 1986 and 2008 (the other 2008 characters are too young to have been present then except as small chidren).

When the two Kurenais, Otoya and Wataru, go through a body-swap situation across time and Otoya finds himself in 2008, his attitudes seem even more egregious in the context of 2008. I'd look for other ways to use the differences and similarities between attitudes in the two time periods to make a similar type of point.

I'd definitely give Yuri and Megumi more of a chance to be Ixa. Especially Megumi, since she's in 2008 when people should be at least a little bit less sexist. And for fuck's sake, I wouldn't have Megumi marry a douchey clod like Nago in a million years.

Well, that ended up being longer than I expected! Thanks again for the questions, nieves!

[shoceted]

[gillianthecat]

Office Romance QL

Of the shows listed in my post on Workplaces in QL shows, these are the dozen I would consider to be "office romance," in that the romance centers around or starts because of the office setting. (Again, there are many shows I haven't seen yet, so this isn't a complete list.)

Marketing/Advertising Office

🇹🇭 GAP

🇹🇭 Step By Step

🇰🇷 The New Employee

🇰🇷 Roommates of Poongduck 304

Graphic Design Office

🇹🇭 Bed Friend (or is it marketing?)

🇹🇭 Middleman's Love

🇯🇵 Senpai, This Can't Be Love!

Game Design Office

🇹🇭 A Boss and a Babe

🇰🇷 Our Dating Sim

Other/Business Empire/Generic Office setting (or I never figured out what they did)

🇯🇵 Old Fashion Cupcake (i never figured it out)

🇯🇵 Cherry Magic (stationary company, iirc)

Journalism

🇯🇵 Candy Color Paradox

Publishing Industry/Writers Manga Artists/Illustrators

🇰🇷 Oh! My Assistant (an office of two, but I think it still applies)

(even though The Novelist/The Pornographer (🇯🇵) is theoretically the same set-up, I don't feel like it fits the category)

update 1/4/24

Real Estate Company

🇯🇵 Ossan's Love

[my-boys-love-boys]

Japanese BL boys