When I started as a BL fan in my teens, my curiosity for the genre was fed by highly informative websites such as Aestheticism(dot)net and communities on Livejournal that outlined the foundations of BL and the different expressions its community created. In many ways, that community has fuelled my personal and professional decisions in making BL a central aspect of my identity and life. Had I been a BL fan in this day and age, I doubt this website would exist or that I would be motivated to do what I do as an academe.

Despite the accessibility of various texts concerning BL in the last decade, BL media and its community of BL consumers are faced with much discrimination and vitriol online. Some of these prejudices bleed onto articles and online discourses that perpetuate misconceptions, misunderstandings, and misreadings of the genre. Rather than getting encouraged to appreciate the vastness of BL, people dabbling with the genre are often faced with remarks on how the genre is perverse, immoral, problematic, and so on. It is in this context that I found myself gathering some of my cohorts to confront these misunderstandings and discuss the broader ways we could appreciate BL.

In this podcast, I talk with Sam Aburime (@SamAburime), an independent scholar, and Thomas Baudinette (@tbaudinette), Senior Lecturer from Macquarie University, about this growing vitriol on BL media and culture, its prevalence in Anglophone discourse, the various feminist and queer studies from all over the globe that are lost in this discourse, and how different communities are using BL as a tool to deepen and broaden their understanding of queer identities and media.

Critical to this episode are the fantastic articles written by Sam on anti-fan culture and her rich database on BL research that lists the English-language works by academics and scholars such as Tom and myself. I strongly suggest that after this podcast, you read through Sam’s article and browse through her database.

Tom and I also referenced some Japanese scholarship that pushed people’s understanding of the BL genre, such as Naoko Mori’s Onna was porno o yomu and Akiko Mizoguchi’s BL Shinkaron.

Seriously, one hour barely touches the surface but we’re hoping that in listening to this episode, you may be inspired to look deeper into BL and reflect on the many ways BL can be meaningful to you and to the broader media ecology of queer content.

When things look glum, it’s nice to find the light at the end of the tunnel. If there is one thing great about the world right now is that BL is growing and has become increasingly accessible.

When English-translated BL used to be handled by a select number of companies, some of which have consistently given us heavy hitters while others have broken our hearts, in the last few years, there are more publishers eager to publish BL works and distribute globally online. Sublime and Renta have been staples in our community. Seven Seas has also joined the BL race with a number of heavy hitters. And now, there is Futekiya.

On this Yaoi no Hi, I’m happy to speak with Emma Hanashiro, Editor in Chief of Futekiya, and how their website helps us navigate the ever-growing world of BL manga. We talk about their acquisition process, we squeed about how some of our favourite works and titles are there, and then we delved into some of the interesting questions BL titles are raising.

I hope you would find this podcast fascinating to try the titles on Futekiya.

On this podcast, Emma Hanashiro and I talked about the origin story of their website, their selection process, their spice ratings, how they navigate censorship with their titles and dealing with puritanism and conservatism in queer expression. Some notable titles mentioned in this podcast can be found in English namely:

Sneaky Red by Thanat

Pornographer and Mood Indigo by Marukido Maki

The Dreams of the Cuckoos by Tamekou

Welcome to the BL Research Club by Haruta

Aki-chan is the Super Erotic Madonna for Guys by Kabano Sadakichi

Young Bad Education & Young Good Boyfriend by Dayoo

Here There and Us by Thanat

Link and Ring by Tsuyuku Yuruco

Shinjuku Lucky Hole by Kumota Haruko

Heaven in Hell and God is Probably Left Handed by Mushiba

Ayu Yamane’s Works

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In case you missed the memo, fandom is not a safe place, especially for BIPOC fans.

It’s something that we Asian fans have been keenly aware of since our engagement online. It’s something that has been documented by scholars. In the last week, as different organisations respond to justice and equality, the Organisation for Transformative Works also made an effort to address racism in fandom. Of course, there are people who felt these promises are empty as there is no promise of structural change that supports BIPOC fans.

This recent drama has left my friends and me in a tiff, as we have been enraged as fans over the years. The ways in which Western ideas, practices, and morals are shoved down our throats has left a bitter taste in our fan experiences that, more often than not, we disengage with fandoms popular in the West or we seek for circles that understand our contexts.  For a space that claims to be “our” own, this should not be the case and yet this displacement continues and it impacts the way we express our fandom.

Here are links to some of the articles and discussions I mentioned here and others that may also reflect the cultural tensions we face in fandom.

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BL is taking an interesting turn and it’s not happening on the shelves of Ikebukuro but on television broadcasts and streams in Thailand. Thai BL has become a hot topic in recent years and as someone invested in boys love culture, the world of boys love in Thailand has definitely piqued my curiosity. My enabler for this is none other than Dr. Thomas Baudinette who has watched every Thai BL ever released and was more than happy to give me the lowdown on Thai BL.

As mentioned in the podcast, Thomas was one of the first anthropologists who has written on Thai BL in English. He has an article that explores the early years of the phenomenon as seen through Lovesick and he has also mentioned in the podcast that he’s currently developing a book on Thai BL. Recently, he also gave a online talk on Thai BL which is definitely something worth listening to as well. His work on Thai BL has led to articles on Asahi Japan that talks about the explosion of Thai BL in the region, his recommended shows, and the new queer practices emerging from this new Thai BL Idol culture.

The show also mentioned a chapter written by Dredge Kang who touches a bit on this culture in his chapter for BL Opening Doors (Japanese only). For those of you who are able to read Japanese, I strongly recommend this book so that you may see the transformation of the genre in the region. 

Over the years, I’ve seen Tom’s research grow and I’m fascinated by its connection with the Philippines. In this podcast, we also discussed why Filipino fans are at the centre of Thai BL, the politics of its consumption, and its engagement with our local BL community. After the recording of this podcast, the local publisher for original BL, Black Ink, tangentially touches on Thai BL as they discuss this genre with one of our renowned gay writers, Danton Remoto. 

What is clear from this podcast is that BL is changing its shape and it’s no longer centred in Japan alone. Thailand is writing its own chapter and so is China with danmei. The Philippines is thinking of creating their own BL too.

Certainly, BL as we know it is changing. Isn’t it a fun time to be a BL fan?

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OP Music: Kan Gu, 2gether’s Theme Song

ED Music: The Ultimate Saraleo Remix by gay spoon (fanvid)

I am finally back from check republic ((as my students call final markings)) with the second part of my conversation with Thomas Baudinette on gay manga.

In the last episode, we talked about Tom’s research, how he stumbled upon gay manga, and how this genre is consumed by readers in Japan. As for this episode, Tom and I will continue and conclude our discussions on gay manga as it moves in transnational spaces.

Thomas and I continue our discussions on gay manga. This time, we look into new concepts of “hard” BL or “hard” yaoi as terms fans use to describe what Tom considers as hybrids of BL manga and yaroukei. As we discuss the works of some artists such as Matsu Takeshi and Zariya Ranmaru, we acknowledge that these works are changing the landscape of BL manga and has shifted the eroticism of the manga to what some of his respondents consider as pornographic.

We continue to discuss the authenticity of these hybrid manga and see its in impact in transnational spaces. Thomas and I look into the works of Asian artists such as Mazjojo and Guilt|Pleasure and see how their works highlight the transformations of gay comic, as seen through this transnationational concept of “bara”.

As we conclude the show, we summarise the main points of the show and reflect upon the future of gay manga as it continues to navigate in a transnational space.

Note: The opinions of both Thomas and Khursten do not represent their institutions

OP: Doukyusei BGM 1 by Oshio Kotaro (from the Doukyusei Movie OST)

Even when my life since last year has been moving forward like a jet plane, I always make an effort to do something special for Yaoi no Hi! That’s August 1, and that is today!

For this Yaoi no Hi, I decided to upload a podcast featuring my awesome friend and colleague, Thomas Baudinette (or Tom, as I call him in the show) about gay manga in Japan and its place in gay and women’s culture. We brushed on various related topics to gay manga such as gei komi and, of course, boys love.

Thomas Baudinette is an anthropologist and Japanese Studies scholar who is currently teaching at Macquarie University in Sydney.  We’ve worked together for a couple of conferences and often found ourselves talking about our research which looks at people’s consumption of boys love texts. Finally, I had a chance to invite him on a podcast!

In this show, we talked about so many things about gay manga and BL that I had to divide the show into two parts. The first part deals with Tom’s research on gay manga and how Japanese gay men are defining and consuming this comic genre. We also talked about the subgenres within gay manga, some of which are beyond what I perceive as aesthetically gei komi. Of course, we also brushed upon “bara” and how  English discourse packages gay manga through English-translated texts such as Massive and other gay-translated titles.

It was a fun first hour, and hopefully, you learned so much from Tom about Japan’s vibrant gay manga culture.

Note: The opinions of both Thomas and Khursten do not represent their respective institutions.

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Articles 

Thomas Baudinette’s “An evaluation of physicality in the bara manga of Badi magazine” and “Japanese gay men’s attitudes towards ‘gay manga’ and the problem of genre” (See Thomas’ academia for more articles).

James Welker’s “Beautiful, Borrowed, and Bent: Boys Love as Girls Love in Shōjo Manga” and “Flower Tribes and Female Desire Complicating Early Female Consumption of Male Homosexuality in Shōjo Manga.” (See James’ academia for more articles)

Wim Lunsing’s “Yaoi Ronsō: Discussing Depictions of Male Homosexuality in Japanese Girls’ Comics, Gay Comics and Gay Pornography”

Geshuku no Oniisan by Nohara Kuro

Nijiiro Sunrise by Maeda Poketo (See a sample over on twitter!)

Gengoro Tagame’s My Brother’s Husband

Massive: Gay Japanese Manga and the Men Who Make It

Mentaiko Itto

Takeshi Matsu

Yarōfesu: Yarōkei only dōjinshi event

So I posted last weekend about pooling people’s recs for a BL starter kit! If you’ve got a few titles in mind, that’s great! Let me know about it!

However, if you’re still thinking how to go about it, let Airin, Maija, and I help you build a criteria for your BL starter kit! In this podcast, we share our thoughts on BL titles we think is accessible for curious readers! It may have been recorded last year but I think our selection still holds! Listen in and I hope it inspires you to rec for the BL Starter Kit!

OP/Insert: Spicy Marmalade by Bad Luck

Est Em’s Ultras

Homerun Ken’s I want to become your bird

Yuki Shimizu Love Mode

Kumota Haruko’s Itoshi no Nekokke

As always, all my love and thanks to Airin and Maija. If you are Finnish and you love BL, please visit their awesome website Fujoshiluola!!

If you have your BL Starter Kit recs ready, do leave a comment here and you might have a chance to win a BL care package from me!!

Has it really been a year? Is the eternal summer really over?

Well, clearly, Nozmo, Airin, and I cannot have enough of Free! Now the second season came and went with fantastic new characters who even made some of us cry in misery. The second season also showed us our boys’ attempt in sorting out their future. There were meat pies, cute dogs, adorable little bros, and AUSTRALIA! So if you feel like reminiscing over the season that came and went, feel free to listen to this episode!

OP/EP Music: Future Fish, Style Five

If you want to see more of the fan stuff that Nozmo and Airin do, just head on to their tumblrs. You can also read Nozmo’s Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet here. As for Airin’s fic, check out her Ao3 (and for the HaruRins, don’t forget to read Wind Waves!)

Hey fujojo! Happy Yaoi no Hi!

As always, I wish you all the best when it comes to BL! Itâ€s been a good year for BL with many exciting titles released in English, Japanese, and online! But as BL fans, weâ€re probably familiar with a lot of criticism with regards to our beloved genre. Weâ€ve seen it here and there how BL is unsophisticated because itâ€s all about sex. Sometimes, we as readers are also seen as virginal women who have no critical thought because we enjoy shameless boy bonking. And the list goes on and on and it even spreads within the community. We are critical of what is good and in the eyes of many, BL is not good.

Somehow, that got me thinking. Actually, Alan McKee’s book called Beautiful Things in Popular Culture made me think of the situation of BL and how popular culture’s position in the grand scheme of things is similar to BL’s position in the grand scheme of manga. So I got some of my closest fujoshi friends, Ami of Hazukashii kedo and Airin, and we discussed these criticisms in BL and discover if Boys Love has more to say than boy bonking. We’re discussing the Beautiful Things in BL and hopefully you can join us in this discussion through the comments on what you think makes beautiful BL.

So for those who will be listening, you might want to think about the following questions. These are the same questions I raised to Airin and Ami and let’s see if we all thought of the same thing.

1.) Think of a BL title that you believe is beautiful. If you can’t think of a title, think of the best BL author out there. if that’s still hard, just think what makes you want to keep a title in your shelf or give it away?

As much as youâ€d love to listen to our responses, Iâ€d also love to hear your answers to these questions too! Yaoi no Hi is a good day to reflect on the genre that we love and why we continue to love this genre.

OP/EP Music: Odore, Amars from the Kuragehime Soundtrack

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This is a podcast about the fans who love an author’s work and a publisher who has been a bit of a hit and miss when it comes to maintaining the quality of their titles.

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai (Twittering Birds Never Fly) is a work written by Yoneda Kou that features the relationship of high masochist yakuza boss and his loyal bodyguard. It is possibly the most popular title of Yoneda Kou to date, one that is loved dearly by many BL fans in Japan and abroad. It also has one of the most visually stunning cover designs in BL to date and these designs have been lauded by many fans.

In this show, I have Himi, owner of Com801 and organiser for the Licensing of Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai, an online fan campaign that seeks the support for a better quality release for this title. The title has been released by Digital Manga Publishing as part of their June titles. The online edition is available in Amazon US and e-manga and the print edition will be made available in September.

Throughout the show, Himi and I talk about the issues they raised in the campaign, particularly in the quality of translations and editing that DMG have done to some of their works. Itâ€s an interesting talk that really gets into the expectations of fans as consumers of a niche genre and perhaps some insights about translation, post-production work, and the manga industry.

OP/ED – Season of Love by Pinky & Killers (Evangelion 2.0, You can (NOT) Advance OST)

In the end, as fans who know that DMG publishes the largest amount of BL for us, we want to put our money on something worth it. No shoddy translations, lazy editing and cut up printing. We want DMG to set the same standards they have in their Tezuka titles for their BL titles as well.