#tonari no kazoku wa aoku mieru | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nieves-de-sugui · 1 year ago

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I am adding to this post and bringing some Japanese shows I don't think people are familiar with - at least for those who might have discovered Japanese media through Japanese bls - but that I personally really enjoyed (and that have some amount of queerness to them).

First, I gotta put this one here because it's so cute and it deserves a shoutout, and it's one of my favorites that I constantly rewatch:

Takara-kun to Amagi-kun - Takara and Amagi (Viki)

Look at Amagi running away because he's flustered xD

Most people will know this one. It's a gem. It's idiot x idiot. And I love it so much that it has to be put somewhere on this post, so here goes. If you haven't watched this one yet, GO WATCH IT. It's cute, it's fun, it catches you with trauma by surprise (as Japan does) and it's happy.

It's a must watch for any J BL enjoyer.

Onto the actual list now

These recommendations are based on my tastes alone so I do not guarantee that everyone will like them. They're also, not perfect. However, I think these shows are worth checking out if you're interested in Japanses media. Particularly for those who are curious about how Japan challenges it's own society through media.

Ore no Sukaato, Doko Itta? - Where did my skirt go?

Also know as OreSuka it's a typical unusual-teacher-comes-to-break-the-status-quo-of-the-school type of story. Harada Nobuo, a gay man who likes to cross dress as a woman, is hired as the homeroom teacher of a class of highschoolers and helps them "free" themselves. Since it's an ensemble cast, each episode is generally centerd on one student as they sort out their problems with the help of Harada. And I'm not revealing much more~

You might recognize one of the students, Michieda Shunsuke (as our bisexual disaster of a protagonist in Kieta Hatsukoi).

Otouto no otto - My Brother's Husband

This one might be more well know in the bl fandom

Based on a manga by Gengoroh Tagame, this 3 episode series could be considered a story made by gays for straights. (I'm kinda curious about where this would fall in @wen-kexing-apologist By For and About categorization)

The story follows Yaichi, a divorced father, who one day recieves the visit of Mike, his estranged twin brother's canadian husband. His twin has recetly passed away and Mike is on a trip to get to know about his husband's origins, so he stays a few days in the house.

I would say this one enters into the "healing" genre (Iyashikei) that is very characteristic to japanese media.

Tonari no Kazoku wa Aoku Mieru - Residential Complex (Viki)

A couple of newlyweds move into a residential complex they share with 3 other families, and cohabitating shenanigans ensue. The traditional family upstairs who live off the husband's salary has a secret: the husband just got fired. The man who's about to marry his second, younger wife, who doesn't want children, has a child from his previous marriage who will come stir up some trouble. The apparently single and private architect is secretly gay and his boyfriend has suddenly come live with him. And the newlyweds really want to have kids but are facing some difficultes.

I really like how this show comes to try to dismantle some of Japan's perjudices regarding what constitues as family. I don't want to spoil too much, but it gives a very good overview of how Japan generaly understands such things and how that way of thinking is wrong. It's also been made in contribution with an LGBT association iirc, which is pretty unique and cool.

Kamisama no Ekohiiki - God's Favor

This show is based on a BL manga. It has changed quite a few things from the original, so the story they tell vary a little from each other. But it's a cute little show that talks about love, gender and youth. It has body swap shenanigans, childhood friends, lesbianism and overall teen angst.

Yashiro gets hit by a truck and dies right after getting rejected by his childhood friend Kenta. But thank's to God's favoritism he gets to be reborn as a girl, Kagura. As he tries to get close to Kenta once more but Kenta's ex-girlfriend, Rin, gets in the way. Also, Yashiro's body is not actually dead...

I personally really liked it. It's pretty cute and low budget.

Sixteen Shokogun - Sixteen Syndrome

More teen angst 'cause Japan loves it. Another one that is a little weird and talks youth, gender, love and expectations. It tackles friendship, love, gender expression and sexual orientation and more teen angst. I don't really know how to explain this one so I leave you the blurb:

The tomboy Ibuki and her childhood friend Mei are known as the "Prince" and "Princess", respectively, of their school thanks to Ibuki always protecting Mei from men (as a result of a traumatic past). One day Asada Mutsumi, a popular guy, starts to seduce the "Princess" because of a bet, however he starts falling for Ibuki instead.

Teen angst shenanigans, with Yuutaro (Zenra Meshi, Cherry Magic) as part of the cast.

Ossan's Love (S1) (Viki)

This might be an unpopular opinion, but it's my list 😛

Pure Japanese comedy and a classic. If you're not used to Japan's weirdness this one might very easily put you off. Haruta is a unsuccessful 33 year old who is looking for love. His mom ditches him and leaves the house so he ends up living with Maki, a younger co-worker who takes care of the house chores. One day he discovers that his boss, a serious man he respects and looks up to, has a Very Big Crush on him. Simultanously, Maki also confesses to be in love with Haruta. Not knowing what to do or how to handle the situation lots of funny shenanignas ensue in Haruta's not-anymore-peaceful life.

This one is very Japanese. Between the exagerated funny faces, the situational comedy, and tons of Japanese habits and mannierisms (such as avoiding making people feel bad/uncomfortable by rejecting them outright, or being too direct) it can be very weird for western viewers. If you've gotten used to Japan and have no trouble with the cultural differences, I really recommend this one (particularly before Returns the S3 that's actually S2 because the real S2 doesn't exist for me starts!)

and as a bonus:

Miss Sherlock

This is a show I haven't finished yet but I am very curious about. Genre wise it has nothing to do with the other shows on this list because it's basically Sherlock Holmes in modern times, but women, and in Japan. Sherlock is acompanied by Wato-san in her detective endeavors. I heard it has a lot of the usual Sherlock/Watson subtext~~

Japan has a lot of very different shows, and I'm sure I've missed some more like these. But I thinks it's good to see what other not-so-BL-but-still-queer, or kinda queer, shows Japan makes. To me, the way they go about gender and how that affects sexuality is very interesting to see, particularly because of how it varies from our western pov.

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.