#the pornographer

[lurkingshan]

Hello! So, for the character thingy. Kijima💛

Yes, Rose! Let's talk about my favorite maladjusted man!

How I feel about this character

Most of the time I want to strangle him. I usually think he needs a good jaw rocking. And then occasionally I am so so proud of him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Now, let's be clear. When we say ship, we mean people we actually want to see him in a romantic relationship with. For that, I have only one answer, and it is of course Kuzumi.

If we're talking about people I would like to see him fuck nasty with, however, there may be room for more people at this table.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I really think he should stay friends with Haruko from Playback, that woman had his number and he needs to stay humble.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I'm not actually sure tbh because I feel like most people have not watched the entire series due to access issues and therefore have very wrong ideas about him.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon

He actually has one of the best character arcs I've seen in the genre, and I was quite pleased with where he ended up. I'd be curious to see his life with Haru back in Tokyo, though. I hope he's finally content.

Give me a character ask game

[scarefox]

Thank you japan for always providing me with weirdo couples 🙏

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

I'm watching too much stuff. And things are not slowing down with all the things coming in September. So I'm gonna try and keep this short. As much as that's possible given the amount of shows.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇭 4 Minutes [6/8] - Finally some answers. I haven't read all the theories floating around about this last episode and what it means, but I'm firmly on the side of, there is another alternative timeline, probably from when Tyme is dying at the start of the show, and also very much in agreement with everything @lurkingshan wrote here that these are just imagined do-overs and nothing will actually change in the real world. Which would be my preferred way.

🇹🇭 Addicted Heroin [2/10] - Haven't watched this weeks episode yet. My review for the first two is here.

🇹🇼 First Note of Love [4/12] - I like them a lot. And I like the pacing of this. I love the intro song. But with a second couple being introduced I think I'm gonna get frustrated having to wait a week for a 20 minute episode. I felt that way a lot during Kiseki.

🇯🇵 I Hear the Sunspot [10/12] - I am annoyed.

🇹🇭 I Saw You In My Dream [7/12] - May the boyfriend era commence. I am enjoying this one. I'm guessing we still have a bit of angst coming and I'm hoping for a good explanation for the dreams.

🇯🇵 Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke [6/7] - Just such an incredible show. This week brought the pain and I'm still unwell. As if Frito getting sick wasn't heart breaking enough, that ending left me in tears. I cannot believe we only have one episode left. I am not ready to say goodbye to the three of them.

🇹🇭 Monster Next Door [6/12] - My favourite thing about this is definitely Big. His presence on screen is great. But I'm not fully connecting yet for some reason.

🇹🇭 Peaceful Property [1/10] - It's a lot of fun. Yeah, I know it's not a bl. But it's bl adjacent so it goes here. Also in my head it's gonna be a bl no matter what. Possibly even with a gl side couple. The mind is a powerful thing.

🇯🇵Sugar Dog Life [4/10] - I love Isumi. I really liked that they didn't drag the girl storyline and it served it's purpose. Isumi is now very much aware of it's feelings. I'm looking forward to the date episode.

🇯🇵 Takara No Vidro [9/11] - Takara, my love. This boy has my whole heart. I can't believe I'll have to say goodbye to then tomorrow. I'm bracing for part pain, part happy. Please Japan don't let me down.

🇹🇭 The Loyal Pin [1/16] - I'm waiting to binge.

🇹🇼 The On1y One [4/10] - This show will hurt and I will love every second of it. I really like the look of this show and how we get those little insights into Jiang at the end of the episode. The actors are doing great and I specially love Benjamin Tsang facial expressions. I'm curious to see these two together and how their dynamic will work considering their circumstances. Also, always happy to see the revolving door of cameos Taiwan always grace us with.

🇯🇵Twilight Out of Focus - It's so beautiful. I'm enjoying that we get different couples even if sometimes it feels like we could have more time with them. I like Rei/Shion a lot, but I do miss Mao and Hisashi. 🇹🇭 The Trainee [10/12] - Just to get it out if the way, the Bamhee/Judy storyline was definitely the right call and @lurkingshan was right all along. Also the way the office came together was delightful and it's great to see Pah getting everyone together and once again being the best friend ever. Now. THE OFFICE FLIRTING!!! I was losing my mind giggling like an idiot. I love them. It's pretty obvious at this point that it's mutual and of course Ryan will need to actually be told that, but I still think Jane will wait until the internship is over before confessing or starting anything official. I can't wait to watch all the interns reaction next week. I love it here.

QL - Finished

🇯🇵 Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! - I'm disappointed in this one. It started off so strong but by the end it lost me. I love Hiroko but I feel like they betrayed the character. And that ending with the kiss in the office was ridiculous. Actually most of the end was weird in the way that it seemed to contradict what came before. I like that they finally got together but it didn't feel as good as it could've.

🇹🇭 Century of Love - Started of great and imo fell apart by the end. I don't think it was consistent all the way through and the mythology was all over the place. Daou did an amazing job though. Also Ju is one of the greatest female characters of the year.

🇯🇵 Cosmetic Playlover - Pretty show. Final thoughts here.

🇹🇭 Knock Knock, Boys! - Probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. It's great. I like the development of both couples. Even if near the end I got a tiny bit annoyed with Peak, I really liked the conclusion of it all. Latte is a great character and the very rare slut unjudged by the narrative.

🇹🇭🇨🇳 Meet You At the Blossom - Look it's great that we got a chinese bl, but this was not it for me. Let's hope this one helps get others made though.

🇹🇭Love Sea - It was fine. I enjoyed Mut but in general I just never connected to this show. And Muk annoyed me to no end. I was so happy to see Aya again and now I just wanna forget that she was ever in this and simply remember her as Yiwa.

🇹🇭 SunsetxVibes - I don't even have words. I don't know if it was my lack of attention or if it never actually made sense but I never really got what the mythology was all about apart from inspiring a truly horrendous looking necklace. I was slogging though this one and I guess the finale was fine.

🇹🇭 This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans - The sides were great, their chemistry was on point. I really wanna see them again. The mains were my favourite thing about Pit Babe but I just didn't like them here.

🇹🇭 The Rebound - I just have to accept that MeenPing will always have bad scripts. They are pretty together but this was a mess.

Dropped

🇹🇭My Love Mix-Up!

Rose Watches OJBL

Pornographer: Spring Life | Playback | Continued Spring Life Finally finished the novelist. Final thoughts.

A LOT of stuff coming this month so if you haven't checked it out, here is the post with all announced upcoming qls for September with a couple of updates that I made today.

As usual my ask box is open. Have a wonderful week💜

[bl-bracket]

Most Unhinged Bracket

Round 1

Vegas (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Ruan Lan Zhu (The Spirealm)

Ray (Only Friends) vs Fu Yong Jie (HIStory 4: Close to You)

Boston (Only Friends) vs Ichikawa Mitsuo (Double Mints)

Phaya (The Sign) vs Jan (To Sir, With Love)

Mew (Only Friends) vs Ye Zun (Guardian)

Tan (Manner of Death) vs Tin (Triage)

Nawin (Laws of Attraction) vs Ayan (The Eclipse)

Yok (Not Me) vs Tol (Triage)

Nick (Only Friends) vs Noey (I Will Knock You)

Han Ying (Word of Honor) vs Yai (Big Dragon)

Black (Not Me) vs Kim (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Porsche (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Taohu (The Miracle of Teddy Bear)

Ming (My Stand In) vs Kurosawa (Ossan's Love)

Zhou Zishu (Word of Honor) vs Kijima (The Pornographer Series)

Lhong (Tharntype: The Series) vs Meng Shao Fei (HIStory 3: Trapped)

Jang Jaeyoung (Semantic Error) vs Mo Yi (Stay with Me)

Charn (Laws of Attraction) vs New (Dead Friend Forever)

Xiang Hao Ting (HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count) vs Toh (Secret Crush on You)

Rain (Love in the Air) vs Aoyama (The Shortest Distance is Round: Noir)

Wei Wuxian (The Untamed) vs Nuan (Something in My Room)

Wen Kexing (Word of Honor) vs Way (Pit Babe)

Non (Dark Blue Kiss) vs Chun Sangwon (Love for Love's Sake)

Xue Yang (The Untamed) vs Akk (The Eclipse)

Todd (Not Me) vs Charlie (Pit Babe)

Hira (Utsukushii Kare) vs Prom (Playboyy)

Kiyoi (Utsukushii Kare) vs Nuea (Secret Crush on You)

White (Not Me) vs The Parents (My Eleventh Brother)

Lan Wangji (The Untamed) vs Ritsu (End of the World with You)

Bun (Manner of Death) vs Chalothon (The Sign)

Xie Wang (The Untamed) vs Ai Di (Kiseki: Dear to Me)

Tankhun (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Prapai (Love in the Air)

Tsuge Masato (Cherry Magic) vs Karan (Cherry Magic TH)

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 2: The Pornographer Series (2018-2021) vs Old Fashion Cupcake (2022)

[shihlun]

Bertrand Bonello

- The Pornographer

2001

[jjsanguine]

Salin dreaming that Sun was going to get arse naked before so much as saying hello nice to meet you? Welcome back Kuzumi Haruhiko

[twig-tea]

For the BL trope ask game: 8, 9 and 10

Whew, coming out swinging! Ok here we go.

8. May/December

There really are not a lot of these where the age gap is truly significant. My actual favourite BL couple with an age gap where their ages are part of the conflict they face is The Pornographer/The Novelist though I acknowledge their age gap is probably not enough to fully be considered May/December. Rio becoming a mentor for Haruhiko does add to the May/December aspects so I'm just going to commit lol.

The concerns around their age gap came up in the sequel short more than the original series, but they definitely started their relationship in the original series at different life stages and it was one of the things that caused Rio to run from Haruhiko in the first place. To my memory there are some funny reversals in this one because Haruhiko gets his life together faster than Rio does but that means even as Haruhiko gets older they remain at different life stages and it continues to be a source of conflict.

Also just going to say, for anyone looking for old man yaoi, there is also a bonus fantasy/nightmare imagination scenario that Haruhiko pictures between Rio and his mentor that takes place in Continued Spring Life (though I would not call Rio's relationship with his mentor a romance!).

[NGL my favourite truly May/December romancecin BL is Choko and Maru from Ossan's Love and Ossan's Love Returns in which Choko is older than Maru's mother and it is a major source of conflict between her and her new mother in law until they find common ground.]

9. Fake Dating

I know I'm pretty alone in this, but YYY is one of my faves and it is actually a perfect example of the fake dating trope. For those who never saw this show, the central plot is that Nott and Pun are pretending to date in order to be allowed to stay in their apartment (the landlord loves BL). There are constant misunderstandings, pining, and it's compounded by the fact that one is also in a BGP with a different guy. There are real stakes tied to their fake dating, and the faking of the relationship becomes painful to the point that they become willing to risk those stakes (getting kicked out) rather than continuing to fake it. This show is absolutely wild and a LOT of nonsense happens, but the core is a pretty standard execution of this trope! And I love it a lot.

10. Bodyguard

I'm going to include censored projects in this because my ultimate favourite in this trope is Sleuth of Ming Dynasty. Zhou is at points of the story assigned to be a literal guard for Tang Fan, but he also just does it anyway off the clock because that's who he is. This show, to my mind, hits all of the important beats related to a bodyguard tripe including the person being protected balking at the protection and sacrificing himself so that his protector is not hurt (as well as at other times and being entirely blasé about his own safety because he trusted Zhou to protect him and had full faith he would).

Link to the original ask game post!

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Kakeru and Yamato

Mitsuru and Koichi

Haruhiko and Rio

Ooo, I like these options!

Kakeru and Yamato

Kakeru and Yamato are fantastic, they love each other so deeply and it was really fun for me to watch them work through their feelings for each other as they progressed from friends to lovers. There are so many different structural set ups I love in romance stories. I love the freaks, I loved the fucked up people, I loved the contradictory characters, the happySads, etc. But something that I look for when I’m watching these shows is friendship. Sure these characters love each other, sure they want to fuck each other, but do they like each other? Do they have fun together? I think for me to really lean in to a relationship in a show, they have to sell me their connection either through their affection, their devotion, or both. Teh and Oh will almost certainly break up and get back together about four more times before things get sorted, but I believe there isn’t really anyone else for them. Their connection is magnetic. Pat and Pran have fun, they compete in everything, they wrestle, the goof off. Kakeru and Yamato were friends first. So while I am much more of a happy for now kind of person, I at the very least believe they will make it quite some time together because they like each other and they love each other. 

I appreciate greatly when a couple is able to communicate, and so while I wish they hadn’t gotten interrupted quite so many times throughout the show, I did enjoy the fact that they were constantly attempting to talk to one another openly and honestly about what was going on. I love Yamato backtracking when he thinks he’s made Kakeru uncomfortable, and Kakeru immediately telling him that isn’t the case. I love every iteration of the quiet, reserved boy whose emotions don’t usually cross his face gets some time alone with the loud, bubbly boy whose emotions can never quite be contained and their tension just starts melting away. I love seeing Yamato smile when he’s with Kakeru. 

Also shout out to these boys for one of the best kisses of the year. Thank you, Yamato for finally kissing your boyfriend, interruptions be damned. 

Mitsuru and Koichi

Perhaps the most important thing to me about Eternal Yesterday is how intensely it solidifies the love between Mitsuru and Koichi. Koichi always walked closest to the street, because he knew their walk was dangerous and he didn’t want Mitsuru to be the one to get hurt. Koichi died far too soon because he was protecting his boyfriend. And Koichi lived again because the love they had for each other brought them back. Koichi withheld his own peace, his own rest, to be there for Mitsuru until he could come to terms with Koichi’s death. Mitsuru loved Koichi so much, Koichi was able to take form once again, Mitsuru loved Koichi so much he almost willed him back to life. He loved Koichi back in to his body, he loved Koichi back in to warmth. Koichi was sunshine, and Koichi was tired, and Koichi was slowly fading from the memories of everyone else around him. But Mitsuru held on. Mitsuru held on for dear life. He held on so tightly for so long. And Koichi let him. Because Koichi knew how loved he was. Because Koichi loves Mitchan just as much. 

I know some people think the ending of Eternal Yesterday is tragic. But I don’t think it is. I think it is melancholy, but I also think it is beautiful. Five years later and Mitsuru has not gotten over Koichi’s death. And that’s okay. Because I do believe he’s made some sort of peace. Who knows if he will ever love someone as much as he loved Koichi ever again, but how beautiful for him to know for certain how much Koichi loved him in return. 

Haruhiko and Rio

At risk of you taking away all of my electronics until I can exert some modicum of self-control, I think I need to rewatch The Pornographer series. You’d think for a relationship that started out with as many lies and manipulations as it did, that they’d have a less healthy/mature relationship, but alas. I think they are genuinely good together, and I did really enjoy watching their relationship progress. I don’t know why the scene where Haruhiko finally catches on that he is re-writing Rio’s previously published novels stands out to me so much as The Scene between them. Maybe I think it is a really good indicator of their base personalities, and the way they will function together. Rio may be trying shit, but Haruhiko is studious, he does pay attention, and he will eventually catch on to the bullshit Rio is pulling and call him on it. 

Despite the fact that I do think Haruhiko and Rio work well and I’m happy where we leave things with this series.  I don’t think Haruhiko and Rio’s relationship stuck with me as much as Rio and Kido’s did, mostly cause we have so few shows that actually dedicate as much time and energy in to showing an old relationship that didn’t work as we do here. Usually we get a shitty ex, occasionally we get a lovers to friends scenario. Rarely, extremely rarely do we get an entire prequel series that explores an old relationship and provide so much rich context for who they are as people, how they got to where they are in life, and why a different relationship will work where theirs failed. 

And on top of that I think I am just so much more intrigued by Rio’s life and psyche as an individual than I am to his actual relationship with Haruhiko, though to be fair so much of that psyche does inform how they interact. Rio’s just a fucking freak who faked an arm injury so he could guilt trip a hot boy in to hanging out with him, and I had a lot of fun watching him try Haruhiko 2: Electric Boogaloo on another boy, since it seemed to work out so well the last time.

Send Me a Ship and I’ll Share My Thoughts

[lurkingshan]

Japanese BL Starter Pack

It’s been awhile since I dropped a rec list, so I am here today to share one that is very near and dear to my heart—a Japanese bl primer for those who are new to the jbl game. I created this for @neuroticbookworm to help her on her journey when she decided she wanted to start getting into Japanese works. The fandom (on Tumblr and generally) tends to focus primarily on Thai shows because they are the easiest to access for international fans, since Thailand is working its way toward world domination via ql media and wants us all to be able to watch. But there is a lot of great stuff to watch beyond the easy access Thai channels, and Japan is the country where this genre originated, so its shows are important for anyone who considers themselves a bl fan. Japan doesn’t cater nearly as much to the international audience so tracking down the shows sometimes takes some ingenuity and can-do spirit, but that’s part of the fun!

And so, the list! Bookworm is about halfway through it and having a ball, so I figured it was time to stop hoarding it and share it with anyone else who would like to dip their toes into jbl and isn’t quite sure where to start. A few notes: 

I am not here to teach you about the deep roots of the jbl genre or give you a primer on yaoi manga. I am by no means an expert and there are other places to find that information. Start here with this great post by @nieves-de-sugui and then maybe wander over to @absolutebl to read up more on the evolution of the genre.

This list is by no means an exhaustive accounting of every important Japanese bl ever made; it is simply a nice sampler platter of the cream of the crop among various styles you will find in jbl. Watching through this whole list will not only expose you to some fantastic shows, but also give you a sense of what makes jbl unique and how the country’s style differs from others, and point you toward the types of jbl you’ll like most (they tend to put shows in pretty specific style and tone lanes and once you find the ones you like there are lots more where that came from). 

If you’re coming to this post as a jbl lover and you don’t see your favorite here, I promise it’s not because I don’t love it very much; I simply had to make some choices to get this down to a reasonable shortlist. Feel free to leave extra recs for others to find! 

I’m putting these in a loose suggested watch order that will take you through the various jbl lanes in a kind of popcorn style, because I always think it’s good to change it up so you don’t get too stuck in one mode, and it works its way up to most of the extremely Japanese stuff (you will know what that means by the time you finish). But do what’s in your heart and change up the order if you want, friends, I am not the boss of you! 

Cherry Magic (Crunchyroll or grey)

gif by @liyazaki

I believe everyone on Tumblr is pretty familiar with this one, which is not a coincidence—this is one of the most accessible jbls. Not in terms of actual access to watch it, mind you (we’ve all jumped through shady internet hoops to watch it) but in terms of its content and style. Cherry Magic is a classic workplace romcom with a magical twist, and it is charming af. It’s a great exemplar of Japan’s light and zippy comedy lane for bl—a lane in which, importantly, the romances stay chaste even when the actual plot is about sex, or lack thereof. My friend @waitmyturtles would kill me if I didn’t make sure you know that Cherry Magic also has a lovely follow up film. And bonus: there is now a Thai remake airing so if you watch the original you can get in on the discussion about the different adaptations between countries. This is pretty easy to find these days in all the usual places, but I strongly recommend watching it here.

Old Fashion Cupcake (Viki)

gif by @liyazaki

Moving on to a slightly more mature workplace romcom. Old Fashion Cupcake, another Tumblr favorite, is an age gap boss-subordinate romance, and it’s both very adult and somehow wholesome af at the same time. Sure, there is a lot of carnal desire going on here, but there is also a lot of wooing via fluffy pancakes. It’s a tight five episodes and a fantastic example of what Japan, with its extreme technical precision in writing, directing, editing, pacing, and acting firing on all cylinders, can do in two hours. There’s not an ounce of flab on this thing and you’ll want to watch it over and over again.

Utsukushii Kare (Viki)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Time to get a little weird! Weird is a key feature of Japanese media, and lots of jbls explore unusual relationship dynamics rooted in complex psychology. This is the first show on the list that will likely feel very Japanese if you’re new around here—my advice is to lean into it and finish the show, even if you get uncomfortable along the way. In Japanese media, discomfort always serves a purpose. This is a high school story with a twisted relationship at its center, and I’m not saying any more than that. Don’t spoil yourself and go watch it! This one also comes with two sequels—one short second season and one movie—that continue from the original story. They are less essential but still excellent.

I Cannot Reach You (Netflix)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Next up, another high school tale, but with a totally different vibe. This show is kind of a revelation in its willingness to tell a story about overwhelming desire—including sexual desire—with young protagonists. It’s rooted in a classic but often misunderstood trope, friends to lovers, and takes the angst of it seriously, giving us a low stakes story that feels extremely high stakes to our leads. It’s also gorgeous and uses a classic Japanese visual style (bokeh) that you’ll be dying to learn more about. 

His (Viki)

gif by @gabrielokun

Time for a break from high school, and we’ll sprinkle in a movie for some added flavor. His is a jbl film featuring a second chance romance between a stoic, introverted man who moves to a remote town to start over, and his ex-boyfriend who follows him there unexpectedly, adorable child in tow. Importantly, this movie does not take place in what we often refer to as the “bl bubble” where homophobia doesn’t exist; the leads’ experiences of being gay men in a homophobic society are hugely important to the plot and themes of the story. It’s a beautiful film and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. @bengiyo would surely also like me to tell you that this film follows a brief prequel show called His: I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love about the characters originally meeting in high school; I do not think it’s really necessary to watch it but completists can start there.

The Pornographer series (Gaga)

By now you should be ready to get into some classic Japanese fucked up psychosexual material, right? Right! The Pornographer series is told in five installments in this order:

The Novelist, a six episode miniseries

Mood Indigo, a six episode prequel series

Spring Life, a 15 minute short

Pornographer: Playback, a two hour film

Spring Life Continued, a 15 minute short

Confused by that distribution model? So say we all; sometimes Japan likes to make us work for it to make sure we really appreciate its many gifts to us. The story across these installments is about a very difficult to love protagonist, what makes him the way he is, and the also-unhinged-but-in-a-different-way man who finally gets through to him. It’s an extremely satisfying love story and one of the best character arcs I have ever seen, full stop. For this one, you’ll want to just pull the word problematic out of your pocket and store it in a drawer; nearly everything that happens in this story is problematic and that’s the point. Lean in! All of these installments except for the film are on Gaga, if you get that far hmu and I will supply you with the final puzzle piece.

Our Dining Table (Gaga)

You could probably use a break after those last two, so it’s time to shift over to a heart-tugging twofer: family trauma mixed with the cutest shit you’ve ever seen. ODT is an example of another classic type of Japanese show: the food drama (you will see the GOAT in this category at the end of this list). In Japanese culture, food is love, and the act of preparing food for your loved ones is a common path to romance. You’ll love this story about an isolated office worker who meets a pair of brothers, learns to cook as a way of connecting with them, and begins to heal from his own trauma as a result. The image above is a scan from the manga, which @troubled-mind curates to make extremely cool comparison sets like this one. Many jbls are faithful adaptations of yaoi manga source material, so it’s good to have a bit of familiarity with them.

Minato’s Laundromat (Gaga)

gif by @liyazaki

Japanese media loves to explore taboo, and often manages to do it in a way that is surprisingly light and chaste. This is an age gap romance between a teenager and his adult neighbor that explores internalized homophobia, emotional repression, and falling in love across seemingly impossible social chasms. It’s also a great example of old school yaoi seme-uke dynamics that still show up across the bl genre. Also, take my advice: end your journey with this one with the first season and just pretend season 2 doesn’t exist.

Eternal Yesterday (Viki)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Remember what I said about weird? Time to do that again, but with a heaping dose of grief and pain on top. It’s not a spoiler to tell you this show involves a major character death; a major character death is, in fact, the root of the entire story. This is a magic realist tale of first love turned tragic, and it will hurt and heal you. It is one of my favorite dramas of all time.

Restart After Come Back Home (Gaga)

And now for a break for your poor exhausted brain. This film is basically the jbl version of a Hallmark original movie, about a city boy who goes back home to the country and falls in love with a total sweetheart while working together on a farm. Enjoy it, bestie, you’ve earned it! 

Tokyo in April Is… (Gaga)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

You’ve probably noticed by now that emotional repression and failed communication are big themes in Japanese works. This second chance romance has plenty of both, and it’s a great example of a kind of muted emotional style that Japan does so well, where the surface of the story seems almost placid and calm even as deep emotion roils underneath. This one (and Eternal Yesterday above) are part of a special line up of jbls on Japanese channel MBS called Tonku (Drama) Shower. The shows air one after another in the same time slot on Fridays (in Japan, perhaps Thursdays for you depending on where you live) and you truly never know what you’re gonna get, but they’re all interesting. Warnings on this one for sexual assault and trauma. 

The End of the World With You (Viki)

Time for sexy and weird again, but even more so! This has to be one of the most unique bls ever made; it goes to some truly divine and strange places, and it feels incredibly queer while doing it. Made by the same screenwriter/director of the Pornographer series with a lot of the same sensibilities, but in a more heightened apocalyptic setting. This one has existential angst, a road trip, a redemption tale, and a variety of interesting side characters in the mix.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Gaga)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Congratulations, you’ve reached the end of the list and your reward is watching one of the best bls of all time, and a perfect slice of life food drama to boot. WDYEY now has two seasons (along with a couple specials and a movie that fall in between) because the universe clearly loves us. You can now get it on Gaga for easy access but I’m partial to the versions over at @kinounaniresource for better subs. Wherever you watch, settle in to get cozy with Shiro and Kenji and make sure to always eat before you hit play.

[scarefox]

Sometimes I feel like, the way people talk about japanese BL, half the BL fandom forgot / doesn't know that "The Pornographer" series exists. But to be fair it kind of was ahead of its time?

It's mature, with flawed, struggling characters, very spicy. One of the best jBLs imo. In terms of plot, cinematography, acting and chemistry. But you need to have a heart for weird, struggling artist characters.

It has 2 seasons and 3 movies / specials.

"Kuzumi Haruhiko is an university student. One day, he causes a bicycle accident. The accident causes novelist Kijima Rio to break his arm. Kuzumi doesn't have insurance or money to pay Kijima for his injury. Kijima then asks Kuzumi to transcribe a story he is writing. Kuzumi is surprised to learn the story is obscene." (Kijima is a porn novelist)

Watch order:

Pornographer: The Novelist (season 1)

Pornographer: Mood Indigo (season 2 prequel, contains spoiler for s1 that's why I rec to watch it after s1, which is also how it aired)

Pornographer: Spring Life (sequel short movie)

Pornographer: Playback (sequel movie)

Pornographer: Continued Spring Life (sequel short epilogue)

It's on GagaOOLala... except for Playback... well that's dumb.

(but yall know where to find stuff)

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Rose Watches OJBL The Novelist (2018)

[bl-bracket]

Most Unhinged Round 2: Ming (My Stand In) vs Kijima (The Pornographer Series)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Ming: "Ming is just a little guy. And by little guy I mean he's an entitled self centered rich nepo baby who has an unhealthy obsession with backsides of people (namely his crush Tong and anyone who resembles him the tiniest bit) and will do ANYTHING i.e kidnapping, emotional manipulation, gaslighting to get to that pair of shoulders."

Kijima: "I'm really hoping someone else submitted something coherent because I can't describe the complicated depths of this man. (I love him) (He's so broken)"

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 3 (Loser's Bracket): Love in the Air (2022) vs The Pornographer Series (2018-2021)

[shihlun]

Bertrand Bonello

- The Pornographer

2001

[jjsanguine]

Kuzumi Haruhiko 🤝 Shiba Ryoma

🤝

Wild imagination

🤝

Stockholm syndrome

🤝

World most jealous

🤝

Probably thought he was straight before this