#70s shounen ai

[year24groupedits]

I address those who have read "Agnus Dei" or "Kami no Kohitsuji", "Kaze to Ki no Uta" 's spin-off. Could you tell me who these people are, please?

I think the two boys look like Serge and Pascal, but I'm not sure... and about the girl?

[sator-the-wanderer]

He protecc ⚔️

[merch of this in my shop, if they don't take it down]

[cowboy-robooty]

everyday im fighting for my life because i always hate the sex parts of my gay porn comics

[7teresia7]

Poem of Wind and Trees/Kaze to Ki no Uta (1976)

[youdarechallengeme]

more patalliro banmara art❤️

[yousei-no-mori]

Hagio Moto's "Greenhouse" - 1975

[3steart3]

sketch of the boys 🌹

[nieves-de-sugui]

A Quick History of BL

As someone who wrote a thesis on this very subject a few years ago, here is the short version of how BL has evolved throughout the years. For the new comers ❤ 

a minute of silence for the original form of this post that tumblr decied to not save right after I saved it

I am going to go with a chronological approach. Unfortunately, I cannot put everything in one post so if there’s any questions about this or that aspect of the history of BL that you want to know and it’s not talked about here, you are welcome to ask me directly :)

Context and influences - Japan in the 60′s

Before the US forced Japan to open its borders to the outside world in the 1800s, homosexual practices were common place between budist monks, samurais and kabuki actors. During the Edo period (1600s to 1800s) there was a very rich amount of poetry, art, books (such as Nanshoku Okagami (The Great Mirror of Male Love) by Ihara Saikaku) and codes of conduct about how to have a good master/aprentice relationship, kinda like the greeks if you know what I mean. However, with the arrival of western influences, in order to become a more “civilized” country, it was all put in the closet. 

Yet, in the 60′s Japan started to pick it up again through literature about young androginous beautiful boys (aka bishounen). On one hand, in 1961, the novel Koibitotachi no Mori (A Lover’s Forest) by Mari Mori was published. It tells the story of a young and beautiful 19 year old worker and a half french half japanese aristocrat, and their tragic romance. On the other hand, Taruho Inagaki wrote Shounen ai no Bigaku (The esthetics of boy-love), an essay on aesthetic eroticism (of which he wrote a lot of). All this was know as Tanbi (lit. aesthetic) literature. It generally refered to literature with implied homosexuality and homoeroticism such as works by Oscar Wilde, Jean Cocteau, etc. And of course, Mori and Inagaki. 

In chinese tanbi is read as danmei (term used to refer to BL novels in china today, ie: The Untamed it’s all connected friends).

From the birth of Shonen Ai  to Yaoi - 70′s to the late 80′s

Around the beginning of the 70′s, shoujo was being revolutionized by the Year 24 Group, a generation of women manga authors (mangaka) who started to explore new themes. Among them, their interest in tanbi gave birth to a new subgenre: Shounen ai. 

Their most known manga were:

Kaze to Ki no Uta (The Ballad of the Wind and Trees) by Keiko Takemiya, and Toma no Shinzo (The Heart of Thomas) by Moto Hagio

Their stories are characterized by having suffering eurpoean bishounen in boarding schools, living an idealized perfect love (meaning passionate) that, despite the tragic end of one of them, lives forever in the other. 

As this genre starts getting popular, more and more fans of these stories start making their own self published manga, aka doujinshi, of the genre. It is around this time that the term Yaoi is coined. Meaning “YAma nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi” (no climax, no fall, no meaning). Basically PWP fanfiction, for the most part. Doujinshis could be considered an equivalent of fanfiction in manga form.  It is also here that the term Fujoshi (aka Rotten Girl, for liking rotten things) starts being used to refer to women readers of yaoi. 

With this rise in popularity come the start of the commercialization of the genre. Which meant the publication of magazines dedicated solely to yaoi/shonen ai/BL. The most popular yaoi manga magazine at the time was June. The common trait of their stories being the therapeutic power of the love between the mains. The traumatized character would heal throught this newfound love.

Most of the stories at this time happened in the West (Europe or the States) as the exploration of these dark themes intertwined with homosexual romance and homoeroticism still feel safer to explore as a foreign concept. One example would be Banana Fish (1985).

Commercialization and Yaoi Ronso -  90′s 

As more publishing houses pick the genre up, the term Boys Love is used to include every type of manga about homosexuality made for women. 

The increasing amount of BL series sees a changes in its themes: 

the start of the “gay for you” trope where one mantains their heterosexuality despite being in a homsexual relationship, 

the uke/seme dynamic (mirroring hetero realtionships) also relating to physical appearence (one being more feminine, the other being more masculine), 

the use of rape as an act love (sexual violence has always been present but here it becomes a staple),

anal sex as the only type of sex, 

older and more masculine men start to appear 

they now happen in Japan

Good examples of the presence of these themes in manga are Gravitation (1996) or Yatteranneeze (1995).

However in 1992, Masaki Sato (a gay activist/drag queen) wrote a letter in a small scale feminist magazine attacking yaoi and pointing out how it “represented a kind of misappropriation or distortion of gay life that impacted negatively upon Japanese gay men”. The female readers of yaoi responded, defending the genre as a means to escape gender roles and explore sexual themes that was never meant to represent the realities of gay men. This is know as the Yaoi Ronso (Yaoi Debates).

The debate ended with both sides understanding more of each other, with mangakas starting to include queer views in their works. It also started the academic reasearch of BL. 

Yet, it is a debate that has been restarted more than once, as it is still relevant despite the evolution of the genre.

more on this on another post

Globalization and coining of BL - 2000′s 

By the beginning of the 2000s BL is being sold all over the world (like all manga), and has become a stable industry. We could say it has finally become it’s own genre. 

Some of the most well known manga series, to us (in the west), of the time are:

Junjou Romantica 2002 Koi Suru Boukun 2004 Love Pistols 2004 Haru wo Daiteita 1999

all of these have anime adaptations for the curious ones

We also start seeing short anime adaptations or special episodes of the most popular series, with questionable themes, such as: adoptive father x adoptive son  (Papa to Kiss in the Dark 2005), father x son’s friend (Kirepapa 2008), etc... 

However the themes remain more or less the same. Junjou Romantica’s love story starts with a non-con sex scene by the older one (masc, seme) to the younger one (more feminine, uke) addressed years later in the manga btw. Koi Suru Boukun’s love story is triggered by aphrodisiacs and rape. They’re still very present in the stories but slowly going away. A mangaka that represents this era could be Natsume Isaku (Candy Color Paradox 2010).

Change is slow in Japan. Even though the voices of LGBT+ people started to be taken into account in the genre it is not until later that we see it reflect in the mangas themselves. However, we can already see the start of this in Doukyusei (Classmates) (2006) by Asumiko Nakamura. Also Kinou Nani Tabeta? (2007) which is actually part of a more mature genre: Seinen.

It is my personal (subjective) theory that the BL of this era was the one that got popular outside of Japan, which is why we see lots of references to the themes, tropes and dynamics of this time in today’s BL series. 

The LGBTzation of BL and the rise of webtoons - 2010′s to 2020′s

Slowly but surely LGBT characters and themes enter the scene of BL. Existing simultaneously with the previous tropes and themes, we start seeing a shift in these stories. We now see:

characters that identify as gay or some type of queer

discussions about homophobia

more mature themes about life and romance

At the same time as we get the usual love stories with the usual themes, a new trend starts to take over. And we get simultaneously, cute, sometimes questionable but light love stories:

Love Stage 2010 Ashita wa Docchi da! 2011 Kieta Hatsukoi 2019

More profound stories and darker or more complex themes:

Blue Sky Complex 2013  Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai 2011 (mafias) Given 2013 (suicide) Hidamari ga Kikoeru 2013 (deafness)

And others that adress the queer experience in a more mature way (which might actually fall into the Seinen genre)

Itoshi no Nekokke 2010 (slice of life, queer characters) Smells like Green Spirit 2011 (two ways to deal with a homphobic society) Strange 2014 (relationships between men) Shimanami Tasogare 2015 (an LGBT group helps a closeted gay) Old Fashioned Cupcake 2019 (you know this one 😉) Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu 2020 (the end of the world)

As queer stories are explored, BL mangakas and mangakas from other genres start to consider more stories about queer people such as the Josei Genderless Danshi ni Aisaretemasu (My Androgynous Boyfriend) (2018) by Tamekou, or the Shoujo Goukon ni Itarra Onna ga Inakatta Hanashi (The story of when I went to a mixer and there were no women) (2021) by Nana Aokawa. 

Still, we can see two realities live side by side. Doukyuusei gets adapted into an impactful animated movie in 2016, meanwhile Banana Fish gets an anime adaptation that keeps the homoeroticism but not the homosexuality.  

For those who might be interested. Here are some of the authors that represent the first half of this era, where they start to include newer points of view:

Scarlet Beriko, HAYAKAWA Nojiko, KURAHASHI Tomo, OGERETSU Tanaka, Harada, KII Kanna (Stranger by the Sea), etc...

And authors that while keeping classical themes break the stereotypes in a subtle manner:

CTK, ZAKK, Jyanome, Cocomi, Hidebu Takahashi, SUZUMARU Minta, etc...

Mangakas also no longer stick to one genre only. They explore whichever of them they want, from BL to Seinen to others. 

ie: Tamekou, 

or Asumiko Nakamura

The curious case of Webtoons

With the digitalization of mangas, throught Renta and Lehzin, it has become easier (and more expensive) to access these stories. Korea makes and appearence with their webtoons. Through the lack of piracy protections and the majority of them being digital, manhwa (korean webtoons) sees a rise in popularity. Through the digital medium the influencee can be the influencer.

However, like many other East Asian countries they have consumed BL, without hearing about the conversations about BL. So they end up mantaining the older themes and stereotypes that newer BL is trying to leave behind. Therefore, we end up with a mix of old and new, ie:

Killing Stalking 2016 Cherry Blossoms After Winter 2017 Painter of The Night 2019

Additionally, it is also thanks to the easy access to internet that Omegaverse, with its higher dramatic stakes (that parallel hetero dynamics), enters the mangasphere in 2016. It has grown in popularity ever since.

With the Thai BL Boom of 2020, Japan rediscovers its own BL market and starts investing in it more. Which is why we get live action adaptations of BL manga that was popular years ago (Candy Color Paradox was a manga from 2010), the more recent ones (The End of the World With You) or new anime adaptations (Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai in 2020). 

more on this in my japanese live action BL post

What has it become now? is it BL? ML? or Seinen? Or is it all just gay manga?

It is clear that Shoujo manga (with BL, Josei and Seinen) is exploring queer themes such as gender and sexuality more and more. Japan is interested in this conversation, not only in manga (Genderless fashion). Which brings up the current question in BL studies: Does it make sense to keep these categories?

As a response to BL, ML (Male Love), which is made by gay men for gay men, started happening (around the 70s too). And Bara (gay manga porn) in response to Yaoi. However both gay men and women read BL and ML. We also see other themes being explored through BL, such as friendship (in BL Metamorphose), food (in Kinou Nani Tabeta), male relationships of all kinds (in Strange), and different queer views on life and its challenges (in Shimanami Tasogare). More and more what is LGBT and what is BL is merging, the line is blurred. 

Conclusion

BL has been in my life for longer than it hasn't. It is through shoujo and BL that I have come to understand people and romance.

It is flawed, like everything else this life, but it's flourishing in many ways.

The genre feels old and new at the same time. 

We can still find shounen ai/tanbi elements in more modern manga (All About J). Or the gay for you in a new light (Itoshi no Nekkoke). Or more educational manga on queer issues (My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame). BL has around 50 years of existence but it is also being born anew in Thailand and Korea. 

BL manga will continue to evolve in acordance to Japanese tastes, as it is still a local market. Hopefully the korean webtoons that get popular will be the more daring ones in their themes. Who knows where it will go from here? The only thing we know for sure is that it will continue to change. Isn't it exciting?

A post on the evolution of live action BL in Japan is coming, to complement this post.  As well as a more detailed explanation of the Yaoi Debates and gay manga.

[relentlesslyexisting]

The thing about youtube videos about the history of shoujo manga is that they're just not made for people who are legitimately invested in that history. They are also not made by people who read Japanese, or have a lot of experience with 70's shounen ai, or even otometique (especially otometique, thats something I need to read more of!). There's also a scope problem. Honestly, I'd rather see people like Colleen skip over those "historical" segments and just get into talking about the manga they want to talk about, because there is an unbelievable amount of historical context you can get into when it comes to discussing the development of shoujo manga that is better said in a book. I would know, I wrote a 30 page thesis paper discussing shoujo manga (specifically Akimi Yoshida's weird niche) and I felt like an idiot trying to summarize all that information. If I could go back, I'd probably cut out a lot of that fat and just give a page dedicated to discussing what tanbi and June magazine was.

Honestly, I don't think Colleen does a terrible job summarizing a lot of that history, she certainly has better information than I did when I was like 14. The most blaring issue with these essays is that nothing original is being said. Listening to Colleen talk I cringe a little, because I know and have quoted from her exact sources. But really whats off about these videos is that she knows these series exist, but she hasn't read a lot of them. Not enough to be informed above a surface level. Which is kind of fair. There's a lot there to read. But I guess, if she had more passion for 70's shoujo manga in particular, she'd talk about something that isn't ROV. And I think that's what ends up pissing us snobs off. We've heard all these talking points before, there's nothing new to be learned so it becomes easy to pick everything apart.

I dunno, just some thoughts.

[olderthannetfic]

Hey! There's still modern fucked up shounen ai. I read this one about a serial killer and a prison guard just last week.

--

LOL.

Yes, yes, obviously, there's fucked up BL.

The point is that the word 'shounen ai' is an old one for pederasty—i.e. the love of pubescent boys by adult men. This word got used by some Japanese dude to write about the history of m/m in Japan, Ancient Greece, etc. (which makes a lot of sense given that age gaps were the norm in those contexts).

The 1970s mangaka read said book and were into tragic European shit like Les amitiés particulières.

So they wrote a bunch of stuff like that.

In the 70s.

When this term was last valid to describe a class of manga.

[tealoverdrawssomething]

As a reader of both yaoi and danmei, what always bothers me is that danmei fans get REALLY mad when somebody calls them fujoshi, like fujoshi is some kind of nasty monster whose name we shall not pronounce.

But the fact is that... Danmei fans aren't that much different from fujoshi/fudanshi/fujin🤷‍♀️

Danmei was HUGELY inspired by early shounen-ai/yaoi manga back in the 70s, so pretending that danmei has NO relations to yaoi is like a child who has a sibling that they don't like and in public they pretend they aren't in any way related to their sibling, and they both are just strangers.

Danmei, despite later developing independently from yaoi, often has very popular and questionable tropes similar to yaoi, like:

1. gong-shou/seme-uke stereotypes (what I mean is even if gong and shou look equal and even have equal power positions, shou, more often that not, is portrayed as more illogical, immature, overemotional, embarrassed and even dependent on gong. While gong is usually portrayed as more mature, logical, stoic, independent and emotionally cold or at least knows how to hold his emotions in right time. There are only few authors like MXTX who try to subvert or to parody such stereotypes)

2. sexual consent issues

3. rape phantasy

4. shotacon

5. incest (be it biological or through adoption)

6. big age gaps

7. lack or absence of safe-sex practices

8. omegaverse

And what's funny is that many danmei fans, especially Western ones, act like danmei is "pure", "wholesome", "actual good gay representation", unlike "dirty", "too sexual" and "fetishistic" yaoi.

Okay, danmei is focused more on story and lore than on sex, but how does damn sex make something "dirty"? Sex is a natural thing that people of all sexualities do or don't do. Real life homosexual relationship isn't about unicorns and rainbows, not every gay encounter has to be deep (however it sounds). And many sexual scenes in danmei can be even more messy and atrocious than in yaoi, considering points I listed above.

Yaoi by its origin is "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi" (山[場]なし、落ちなし、意味なし) , which means "no climax, no point, no meaning". Yaoi wasn't supposed to be treated as serious or as "wholesome".And danmei wasn't supposed to be "god-honoring gay representation" either, because, as yaoi, the genre was made BY "mostly" straight women FOR "mostly" straight women. Even more, queer fans like me weren't a thing in Asian BL until late 90s, when East Asian media got more popularity abroad due to rapid developing and access of PCs and internet + more access to language translations.

So, attacking yaoi and fujoshi/fudanshi/fujin because they "romanticize shit" and "fetishize gays", while at the same time consuming genre that had similar origins, has similar problems and is still mostly written and consumed by straight cis women gooning at conventionally attractive guys banging each other - It's hypocrisy at best and stupidity at worst.

Either consume both genres, find good stories in each of them and be happy, or just don't be a fucking hypocrite.

And no, it's not "homophobic" or "misogynistic" or "anti" to give valid points about problems in BL/slash/yaoi/danmei communities, especially when you yourself consume and produce their content.

[year24groupedits]

Gilserge❤️

Serge Battour and Gilbert Cocteau from the manga "Kaze to Ki no Uta" or "The Song of the Wind and the Trees" (1987)

[rebellionbeach]

SIHJR Crack Ships

Inspired by @nutton-of-tata​

- Kisa x Ritsu - 7/10 they’re work buddies and having an workplace relationship is not cool!  No, but they both like dorayaki and that scene where Kisa was grabbing him at the onsen is cute and Takano honestly getting jealous means he’s insecure and afraid that Kisa will steal his man.  Cute relationship, I know this one has a lot of fans.

- Akihiko x Hiroki - 5/10 this one is hard and even isn’t really a crackship at all but if Junjou Romantica was a shounen ai series released in the 70s and Akihiko and Hiroki were at an all-boys boarding school in the countryside of France and the story revolved around Hiroki helping a young Akihiko resolve his past trauma then it’s a 10/10.  Right now though, I don’t think they’re necessarily good together, the beginnings of Egoist and Minimum really hit home how much Hiroki loved Akihiko and that’s really sweet but I am an ardent Romantica fan + Akihiko doesn’t see him that way so in the end I just can’t really see it.  I know some people really love this one too though and I can definitely see the appeal.

- Ijuuin x Akihiko - 8/10 so this one would have been a 2 or a 3 had it not been for a certain fanfic and even though Akihiko ends up dumping Ijuuin in that story I still kinda get the appeal.  There’s also REALLY nice fanart of these two together and I’m always inclined to ship two rivals together since that tension makes for a very interesting dynamic.  Not only that but having two artists share the dilemma and toll of making art together would be cute and they both live together in their hoarder apartment, their editors screaming at them to finish their manuscripts, cute!

- Ijuuin x Misaki - 4/10 I really think that the only reason this pairing has any points from me is because the toxic-ness is kinda appealing.  I cannot see ANY situation where these two would have a loving and caring relationship but the idea of Ijuuin and Misaki being a toxic presence in each other’s lives and slowly eating away at their ability to love other humans is kinda interesting.  Yes, I know it’s toxic and I’m not romanticizing it, I’m sexualizing it :/

- Haruhiko x Misaki - 8/10 this is cute and I could definitely see a very interesting dynamic between these two.  This pairing definitely divulges into two routes in my mind, either the loving and caring one where they heal each other’s broken family issues and become a stable pair or Haruhiko becomes Misaki’s sugar daddy and either way sign me up.  On a more serious note, since both have a parent dead (or parents rip misaki) it would definitely be a cool way to develop each character’s trauma in being able to confide in that sorrow in one another.  The idea of Misaki making Haruhiko pancakes because he knows it reminds him of his late mother is also a tear-jerker...

- Tsumori x Hiroki - 3/10 it’s kind of boring.  The blame is on me on not being the biggest Egoist fan and Tsumori is supposed to be almost of Sumi-senpai like character (scoff) but he just isn’t as big as him.  He shows up a lot for sure and he definitely does things to mess with Hiroki and I think the idea there was that he did like Hiroki a bit but he also wanted to make sure Nowaki was taken care of properly but it’s like, I really don’t care about Tsumori.  Idk enemies to lovers or something more confusing but the character had gotta have depth.

- Nowaki x Misaki - 1/10 this is the definition of bland.  I’m sorry but if these two got together I’d pack my bags and leave to nostalgia land cause holy shit I can’t.  Really, no hate to people who do like these two but sometimes I feel the only reason why people pair these two is because they think the regular pairings are too problematic and they need a “unproblematic” pair.  Vanilla just doesn’t appeal to me, at all, and these two are as vanilla as you can get.

- Akihiko x Takahiro - 3/10 I can’t see it, at all.  Not to mention I honestly think when it comes to romance that Takahiro would be a very boring character.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Takahiro and I think he’s one of the most important characters in JR, but he’s important because he’s Misaki’s family and he shines in that role, if JR were about Manami and Takahiro’s relationship then I don’t know if it would be that interesting.  Also their dynamic was very much a one-sided thing where Akihiko treated Takahiro like a gem and just went along with whatever he wanted, I don’t necessarily think that’s a great thing for a relationship.  I don’t know, I know this pairing has it’s fans and all the fanart and fanfics you guys make are awesome but I just don’t personally see it.

- Takano x Yokozawa - 1/10 again this is like Akihiko x Hiroki but much worse.  It didn’t seem like Nakamura really fleshed out the relationship these two as much and what we did get really was just Yokozawa taking care of Takano during university.  Hiroki did somewhat of a similar thing, but there was definitely to me a more established bond between the two.  I really enjoy the scene between the two of them in Yokozawa’s movie and it really fleshes out Takano’s character quite a bit but as a romantic pair these two would probably end up in a domestic violence episode.

- Yuu x Chiaki - 5/10 I don’t really mind who Chiaki ends up with.  I mean, obviously he only like Hatori that way, but the relationship between Yuu and Chiaki is cute and they share many similar hobbies.  That scene where Yuu comes to help Chiaki despite their argument and Chiaki’s idea that he wouldn’t come is sweet.  You can tell Yuu cares deeply for him and I’m not too sure about Chiaki, but I’m pretty sure he cares for him a bit as well.  

- Hatori x Yuu - 6/10 one point higher only cause I really like the idea of rivals ditching the main person and just getting together.  I don’t really like Hatori, but having these two together would definitely be a somewhat fun dynamic and I think they really respect each other professionally so maybe that could blossom into something more 0//0

- Tanaka x Fuyuhiko - 7/10 I’m honestly worried that this isn’t going to be a crackship soon.  I’m sorry but the latest chapter just gave me the feeling.  I feel bad for Tanaka in this situation BUT having Fuyuhiko confide in Tanaka and trusting him more than anyone is kinda cute ngl.  This trope is somewhat common in stories where there’s a very rich family and having two old men be in love with each other would be great since we don’t see a lot of it in BL.  Just the way that Tanaka laid it on Fuyuhiko straight gives me the feeling that they’re somewhat closer than expected.  Would Tanaka also love Fuyuhiko back?  Probably, in a loyal sense I suppose.  It’s kinda twisted because he’s obviously the butler, but it also makes it more interesting.  Maybe Tanaka knows how much of a fuck-up Fuyuhiko is but still feels a sense of loyalty to him, seeing him go through everything and being by his side the entire time.  We’ll see, I put the decision in your hands Nakamura.

- Miyagi x Hiroki - 6/10 I don’t hate it and a relationship like this seems something straight out of a slice-of-life comedy manga.  Two classical Japanese professors dating each other I mean, that’s hilarious.  Plus Miyagi loves to tease at Hiroki cause with his type of personality he finds it easy to play around with them.  But honestly, I want a character that challenges Miyagi’s view cause if he doesn’t have that then I don’t think that he can truly love since he’s all strung up over his past love still.  That’s the whole point of Shinobu’s characterization I think, but if they could find a hurdle around it then these two would be cute.

- Shinobu x Hiroki - 8/10 It’s really cute ngl.  I’ve thought about these two a little bit and I could definitely see an almost similar situation with how Shinobu became so fascinated with Miyagi.  It would be like Shinobu trying to get with Hiroki and Hiroki getting more and more annoyed only to see that this kid can match his level and he’s like oh shit.  They’re both kind of hot-headed so it might be a bit volatile but if Hiroki had someone who loved him unconditionally (which I mean he does) then it would definitely be a cute way for him to get over Akihiko.  Plus I think he would admire the intelligence Shinobu has and would tell him to foster it properly so he can be successful too.  A cute dynamic, I love when the rivals become lovers (even though they weren’t really rivals)

- Ritsu x Yokozawa - 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000/10 I feel very passionately about this relationship and I’ve thought about it A LOT.  I’m sure you can tell by now I love rivals to lovers, but especially in this case because Takano had such an effect of both of their lives and maybe not the most positive as well (I’m sorry I think Takano is a neat character).  It seems almost as if they were supposed to be together (but that’s just me deluding myself) since it would make such a nice way to fully develop Ritsu and Yokozawa’s characters in how they realize that Takano wasn’t actually what they needed.  They both let his presence hold them back emotionally and only until they can see a mirror of themselves can they realize that and maybe heal through each other and fall in the love somewhere in that process.  Yokozawa is probably my favorite SIH character just because of how caring he is and I think if Ritsu had someone like that in his life it would be beneficial.  I mean, obviously his life is kinda of a mess but he also needs a stable emotional support because man is not really getting it.  His family puts pressure on him and An is only around sometimes to encourage and honestly so far with Takano it’s sort of up and down.  Yokozawa too would realize to move the past behind that dragged him on and that’s basically what Trifecta is and it sucks that Hiyori wouldn’t be a part of his life but idk they could adopt a kid.  100/100 one of my favorite crackships and would make such an incredible story.

- Yukina x Yokozawa - 8/10 I know they only have like 4 interactions but I mean that’s the whole idea of a crack ship right?  Yes, okay, I like the exicted x grumpy dynamic and I’m not ashamed of it.  What’s good about these two is that they’re more than just that (at least Yokozawa is).  I’m pretty sure it was shown that they’re went out to drink together at least once so I’m pretty they’ve hooked up at least.  Yukina x Yokozawa would just be like erotica except with a grumpy salaryman.  Maybe Yukina would fall in love with how dedicated Yokozawa is or how caring he is to people he likes.  Or maybe he would have noticed how much he’s still pining over Takano and becomes the person to pull him out of it.  Kinda of manic pixie dream girl-esq but we make due with what we can.  Yokozawa would take care of Yukina and maybe encourage him towards his art career and become his muse and honestly it would all be cute.  I love the idea of Yukina rejecting girls and being like “sorry I already have a sweetheart <3″ and Yokozawa is just next to him.

- Kirishima x Takano - 10/10 it almost seems too good to be true.  I mean, you got a man who has no family and a man who had a family missing one member, can I make it any more obvious?  On the same vein with Ritsuzawa, after seeing those two get together Takano would probably be in a TERRIBLE place and Kirishima would want to help him cause he’s just that type of person.  In the actual movie I remember Kirishima saying how Takano had a lot of problems and I think he sees him as not so easy to toy with as Yokozawa, but dealing with the loss of Ritsu would put him over the edge of Kirishima would see this and maybe feel a bit of resonance of when he lost his own wife (though it’s a little different) and want to help.  I think the best part about this dynamic is that Takano would become a dad.  Takano has no family and it’s really tragic how his parents really just left him behind so being with Kirishima and Hiyori, he would finally feel that void in his heart.  I’m not saying that people can’t live by themselves, but to really not have anyone is super hard and I think Takano would feel strongly for Hiyori, not wanting her to go through anything he had to go through.  Seeing this fondness he has for her, I think Kirishima would also fall a little bit in love cause he realizes that maybe he had also been holding on to his lost love and has let it hold him back as well.  Something like “I don’t want Hiyori to go through the same thing as I did,” and Kirishima is like “Okay wanna get married then?”  The more and more I write about them, my score slowly increased from an 8.5 to 10 so yeah, great relationship I would pay for Nakamura to write something like that.

- Misaki x Hiroki - 9/10 this is really hot, idk.                                                           I’m kidding, but I’m not.  I mean, it’s not the only reason I like this pairing, but it a certain dynamic that I am once again romanticizing :/.......but I mean think about it.  Lost student Misaki, not wanting to get hit by Kamijou again actually goes up to ask him and Hiroki realizes that he’s actually a hard-working student but just needs a certain push in the right direction.  Once they start working together, Misaki realizes that Hiroki actually isn’t a demon professor and just feels very strongly (violently) about classic Japanese literature.  Not only that, but his pining for Akihiko almost mirrors the pining that Akihiko had for Takahiro so it’s almost similar to Romantica’s plot in that Misaki feels for Hiroki and how his feelings will never return.  Maybe Misaki even forms a love for classic Japanese literature and they can share that between each other.  I just see a lot of opportunities and the actual interactions that they have in the manga while limited are pretty sweet.  They both care deeply for Akihiko so why couldn’t they care deeply for each other?

- Misaki x Shinobu - 8.5/10 okay so any ship with Misaki besides Nowaki kinda works.  This one though, I mean I’ve already seen a few fanfics and they’re great.  I love Shinobu, he really is such a fun character.  I also find him somewhat relatable (don’t worry I’m not in a relationship with a classic Japanese literature professor who is 15 years older than me).  Instead, he says that he’s gone by life without a passion in the world until he met Miyagi.  This is cliche and done so many times, but it still resonates to that certain dullness of everyday life that seems to creep up every now and again.  His passion for Miyagi stems from his passion for life itself, he is that catalyst I believe.  So basically, Misaki is the one he’s passionate about this time.  Shinobu is a very sporatic person imo so I feel like this is the only way he’d fall in love.  I think Misaki dealing with Shinobu’s antics would also be funny.  It’s just an overall fun dynamic with two characters who are some of my favs.

- Misaki x Miyagi - 7/10 and that’s the final character from the main three couples shipped with Misaki.  Miyagi and Misaki seem a little strange at first, but I’d imagine that Misaki, being too scared to ask Kamijou for help, goes to the other professor instead and they slowly get acquainted from there.  The most appealing aspect of this relationship to me is the shared bond they have from losing very important people in their lives.  It’s obvious that Miyagi still hasn’t moved on and while Misaki has fared better I’m sure the incident still haunts him so I think it would be very cute to see these deal with their issues together.  Mostly Miyagi though, I think Misaki would really help him deal with the loss as he’s dealt with himself and Miyagi slowly realizes that he’s in love with this person.  Bottom line is that I love the Romantica and Terrorist couples and I think they should just become one big couple.

- Akihiko x Shinobu - 6.5/10 it’s continuing on and this is a pairing I’ve discussed with some people before and I think that it would probably be the fastest couple to get together ever.  Shinobu being Shinobu would fall in love with this gorgeous millionaire author and still shoot his shot because he’s that guy and Akihiko would be like “why not?”.  Okay probably not but it would be easier to imagine Akihiko after Takahiro’s whole engagement is a severe mess and Shinobu finally comes into his life after stalking him a bit and confesses to him.  It would take some time but I think Akihiko would very much appreciate a presence like that in his life, I mean someone to love him that much openly, it would definitely be a pda relationship.

- Nowaki x Akihiko - 6/10 this is another case of rivals getting together cause obviously Nowaki is somewhat hesitant about Akihiko’s presence in Hiroki’s life.  What I think is interesting is that Akihiko doesn’t really feel the same way to Nowaki, if anything he uses him as material in his BL novels.  He’s just always somewhat surprised when Nowaki is there and idk maybe he’s just attracted to the tall muscular doctor.  I could definitely see these two being a very dysfunctional relationship, maybe Nowaki not liking Akihiko at first, but then slowly coming around to him and maybe they can even bond from their somewhat troubled upbringings.  

- Todo x Misaki - 2/10 I really don’t see the appeal.  I’m sorry, I also know this one has a lot of fans but they don’t give off any romantic vibes at all.  They both like Za Kan and Todo is more proactive when it comes to his life decisions while Misaki is better at taking care of others, but together they just don’t really pose an interesting dynamic for me.  Throw in Sumi though then we’ve got something.

- Sumi x Misaki - ∞/10 so this is my crack ship.  I think it’s obvious but I’m a Romantica fan at heart and that hasn’t changed, it’s only widened to include Sumi in the mix.  I honestly think that a relationship between Akihiko, Misaki and Sumi would be viable....no I don’t.  However, it definitely would be an interesting thing to read about.  Sumi is just my guy, he’s manipulative, he’s toxic, he has long hair, terrible sense of humor, he’s perfect.  And with Misaki, the ever pure-hearted boy that can’t do no wrong, they’d be perfect together.  Again, this a pair that can go two ways for me, either Misaki and Sumi form a natural relationship throughout college and Sumi is able to get over Akihiko and Misaki is able to get over his fear of being selfish or Sumi can take advantage of Misaki and be a parasite.  Again, either way sign me up.  I do really think though that even at the start, Sumi was a good character.  It seems to me that Nakamura was almost unsure of what to do with him and saw that Akihiko needed a rival and just put him in that role.  But the way she sets him up just seems to me that he’s supposed to be so much more.  He’s a rival in the sense that he tried to steal Akihiko once and after that was never seen again.  It’s just strange because he had such a large presence before that and to see his role be so small and then disappear seems like unfinished characterization to me.  Well, you know what they say, if it isn’t finished then do it yourself.  Bottom line, I think that Sumi and Misaki have a lot of chemistry and I know that it’s just me so just leave me be in my Sumi corner alone thank you.

- Sumi x Akihiko - 7/10 is this a crackship?  Maybe not, they were about to get in on, with Misaki under the same roof no less, do they have no shame!  No, they really don’t.  Obviously, these two shouldn’t be together, it would be a parasocial fan’s dream.  It’s just the idea of Sumi and Akihiko together is an interesting idea only in the drama that it creates.  It would be potentially the most toxic couple ever, I know, even more than Romantica, so please stop reading if this is getting too much for you.  However, it would just be an interesting story to read.  You have Sumi, the parasocial fan who has read everything that Usami Akihiko has written and Akihiko, the lonely author who has no one to love him.  If they got together without Misaki in the situation I could maybe see a yandere thing going on which might be some people’s thing.  I could personally see a relationship where Sumi puts down all that Akihiko writes and Akihiko stays with him only because it reminds him of the harsh words his mother used to say to him therefore a familiar habitat.  You know, all that mushy stuff, but would probably make for a pretty dark BL.  If Misaki was in the picture it would definitely be a little different, I mean what if Misaki really wasn’t in love with Akihiko (and I guess that’s the truth since everyone thinks he’s got stockholm syndrome so) and he’s unable to stop those two.  What a mess, sign me up.

- Onodera x Misaki - 8/10 the main characters of each series meet each other at last, the purest, number 1 first romance if you will.  Half the reason why I think these two would be cute together is that train scene in SIH.  Yeah, that one where Onodera decides to sit on the only seat where a certain somebody is sleeping.  A little creepy but maybe he just has a crush.  If you think about it though, I really think these two would be good for each other.  Both have a lot of issues they struggle with, but I think they compliment each other well, fill in the missing gaps that they lack in each other.  Misaki, with his homemaking expertise, would make sure Onodera lived a proper and healthy life and Onodera would help Misaki on his independence.  I mean, it’s not perfect but it’s cute.  Onodera obviously feels that his accomplishments aren’t worth anything, but I think having an outside party look at him and what he’s doing would help in him understanding just how hard-working he is.  Ritsu would also see how selfless Misaki is and help him in understanding that he shouldn’t be afraid to be selfish sometimes and maybe get settled into the working world having experience of his own.  Also the illustration between the two of their chibis is cute, the most recent Emerald one not so much.

- Akihiko x Takano - 7/10 now lets pair together the other main characters!  Personally, I don’t find it as appealing as Onodera x Misaki however there are definitely certain characteristic to be of note here.  First, Takano has read Akihiko’s novels and maybe in a certain way the loneliness that ponders those works maybe resonate to his own sense of isolation.  So basically this is the most emo couple on this list.  I could see a very melodramatic, but beautiful, story between these two and how they slowly fall in love through each other’s understanding of what they’ve each been through.  While not completely the same, there are very much similar aspects that they share such as a bad relationship with family (or no relationship) and romantic troubles.  Honestly, they might be pretty good at understanding each other and sorting out each other’s problems to become better people.  Also lead shoujo manga editor x best-selling author of the publishing company, now that’s a power couple.

- Takano x Misaki - 3/10 no.  Well, it’s more complicated then that and I’ll try not to let my biases get in the way, but the only depiction I’ve read of these two getting together was definitely...disturbing.  What’s interesting is that they both don’t really have parents, but Misaki does have Takahiro which makes a world of a difference when compared to Takano who practically has no one.  The fact that they’ve lost their parents in one way or another though would make for a compelling narrative of how they each heal through each other’s loss.  I feel though that Misaki would be more encouraging to get Takano to reunite with his living parents.  I’m not really sure, but I just don’t really see these two having any other relationship besides that.  They have completely different personalities and hobbies and I don’t think they’d necessarily mesh well but who knows, maybe there are some fans out there who can say otherwise.

- Akihiko x Onodera - 5/10 this is the rich boy drama that I wanted.  Is this even a crackship?  Yes, it is because Onodera was only his editors despite what some people may think.  Then again, maybe they did hook up, but I’m not sure whether Nakamura would write that in her stories.  What is interesting about them is of course a sort of similar background of having been born in a really well-off family that owns a company of some sorts that they are being pressured to inherit.  It didn’t seem so in Onodera’s case, but with the newest chapters it really seems that’s the narrative Nakamura is going towards, so there is definitely some tension there.  These two have more potential than TakaMisa imo because they almost seem to be foils of each other’s characters.  Akihiko doesn’t seem to have any confidence issues on how his family name has brought him success and knows what he wants to do with his life without his family’s interference.  Onodera however, well, he definitely has more issues with that and I could see how Akihiko could help him overcome that with his own experience.  They also both struggle with loving people so it would be a story of learning how to be your own person and love again, in a private boarding school in England.

- Onodera x Isaka - 6/10 more rich boy drama.  This is the nanahikari-doushi couple that I think works better than Akihiko and Onodera only because this time the situation is basically the same, but just approached radically different.  I mean think about it, Isaka and Onodera both of sons of the leads of big publishing companies and are set to inherit that top position.  I’m not sure of the age gap between the two, but maybe if they met when they were younger and slowly grew up together (idk rip Asahina), then Isaka could help Onodera with his whole issue with feeling inadequate.  It would seem like Isaka would be the best person to help him, seeing as he just worked his way to the top of Marukawa without worrying what other people thought.  I think that Onodera is just more overall sensitive when compared to Isaka so it would be interesting seeing those two get along, either way dating the CEO of the company you’re working for, that’s gotta be an OSHA violation.

- Haruhiko x Sumi - 4/10 not as big of a fan as I thought I would be honestly.  There are definitely some works out there involving these two, mostly because people just wanted to pair together the rejected rivals (better Sentiment) but it’s just not the same...  Haruhiko and Sumi don’t really have anything in common, and I really can’t see a scenario where Haruhiko would be attracted to him.  The only common thing they really share is that they were both rejected by the people they wanted.  I mean, even Sentiment had more than that.  But I do like Haruhiko and Sumi’s characters individually and a story where Sumi just gets with Haruhiko to mess with Romantica sounds funny so yeah, not terrible.

- Haruhiko x Todo - 3/10 I don’t know, I just don’t find Todo that interesting.  I know that this one is pretty popular, shout out to the Junjou Acceptance fans, but I feel like if Nakamura actually does this it would just be too much.  Todo really doesn’t have that much of a developed character as many other characters and pairing him up with Haruhiko really just seems like forcing someone to get with Haruhiko for the sake of him not being alone.  However, the idea of Todo and Misaki becoming brother-in-laws is sort of amusing so it’s not all bad I suppose.

- Aikawa x An - 5/10 I don’t think Aikawa isn’t given as much characterization as many other characters.  It’s strange since she’s such a staple of the JR cast, but I also don’t think Nakamura ever intended her to be a deeper character unfortunately.  An on the otherhand definitely has more going on, but even then I’m not sure how far you can go with these two.  I think if anything it would almost be like erotica with a stressed out Aikawa and more relaxed An telling her to take it easy.  She might even go over and kick Akihiko in the balls for always turning in his manuscripts late and stressing out her girlfriend.  Points for that, so overall a pretty cute relationship.

- An x Kaoruko - 7/10 now this is the shoujo power couple I need.  An and Kaoruko definitely share a lot of similarities in being rejected by the person they like and being from more wealthy backgrounds.  Kaoruko probably struggles more with the fact that her family is so pushy on her since it really isn’t stated with An whether or not that’s the case, however I think these two would be cute together.  Two women trying to carve out a future from themselves away from the pressures of their overbearing households, I mean it’s kinda giving Tamaki and Benio vibes.

- Shizukuishi x Misaki - 7/10 Shizukuishi basically disappeared, but for the 3 moments that he appeared in the manga, he really made an impression.  There’s some tension on how much Ijuuin dotes on him, but they both respect each other’s passion for Za Kan and I just think that he’s a more interesting character than Todo.  I mean, he’s an overworked little guy that needs a break, what’s not to love.  Plus, their personalities are a little more contrasting which is a bit appealing, love a good serious x sunshine trope.  Not bad, I wish there were more than 4 panels of him though.

That’s about all I can think of right now.  Anyway if there’s anything to take away from this, it’s that crackships are the backbone of JRSIH and draw Sumi x Misaki fanart!!!!!

[darklightsworld]

Hi! I'd like to ask a question about your Fire! post, because I got asked one when I reblogged it :) Can you elaborate a little bit on what you are referring to with the edgy stuff "Friends" did? I'd like check it out. Thank you, and have a nice February.

Hi! I was referring to Weekly Shoujo Friend, the other major weekly shoujo magazines in the 60s next to Weekly Margaret. These rival magazines followed different editorial directives and had different tones overall.

Initially Friends was considered to be the more conservative one. Even though many young female artists debuted in the magazine in the 60s (this was the decade when female artists became the main content providers of shoujo magazines), they weren’t really trusted to write their own stories, and most had to work based on narratives provided by separate writers. Kodansha continued this at least till the early 70s (I have to check further), and many artists hated it, for example, Aoike Yasuko (Eroica yori ai wo komete), who came into her own only after she left Kodansha and this practice. (There are exceptions, of course, Satonaka Machiko, who debuted at the same time as Aoike in 1964 (both were 16※), was mostly doing her own thing—with editorial guidance, of course.)

Conversely, Margaret recognized faster that young female readers would rather read what artists of their age group would create, and at the same time these young artists, many of whom debuted at 15-16, would know better how to approach readers hardly younger than themselves. This does not mean that there was no editorial guidance, and editors often suggested themes, literature, movies and such for young artists to use as a template for their stories, but Margaret was less rigid and reacted to the changes in demand faster. This is one of the reasons Weekly Margaret was the most popular shoujo magazine in the 60s, the first one to break a million copies in 1967, and even overall, the second manga related magazine to reach that number after Weekly Shounen Magazine.

While Friend hung on to family oriented dramas of young girls for quite long, Margaret switched to romantic comedies faster, first Hollywood-esque, then about foreign girls in foreign setting (mostly American), then about school girls in Japanese setting. Eventually Friend shifted too, but overall the magazine seems to be darker and more dramatic to me than Margaret, the art was also plainer, less decorative overall in Friend (huuuuuge exception is Hosokawa Chieko, who had the most amazing, most decorative, most unrestricted art in the 60s). This impression got only stronger in the late 60s/1970 when Friend had several serious coming-of-age dramas, like Mayuko no nikki by Yamato Waki and stories by Machiko＆Kenji (all came with a writer, but it’s not always a bad thing). Especially Machiko＆Kenji’s works have a touch of gekiga (this was the period when gekiga was widely popular, trickled into shounen manga and led to the birth of seinen manga magazines a few years before) and occasionally mixed with shounen manga line work. Mayuko on nikki is interesting too, it has some experimental artwork as well.

All in all, even though Margaret also had dramas, sometimes addressed societal issues, coming-of-age (the latter in foreign settings more in Bessatsu Margaret), and Friend also had its share of school girl love comedies, I feel Friend, that was more serious to begin with, gained an edgier, grittier tone as well by 1970. (Disclaimer: while I have read every issue of Weekly and Bessatsu Margaret from 1963 to 1970, I have only sampled Friend, a few issues per year, so far, so these are my impressions based on that.)

And since this came from the first bed scene, sexual revolution arrived in Japan as well, and by the late 60s it trickled down to manga magazines even for school boys and school girls. The infamous Harenchi Gakuen is a result of that, which caused the quite harmful trend of boys flipping girls' skirts in schools. These topics appeared in shoujo magazines in articles and manga as well, although often from a male perspective. Naughty (harenchi) behavior was kind of encouraged, and even regarding skirt-flipping girls were encouraged to “deal with it” as “boys will be boys” *rolls eyes* (Also never forget that one Friend issue in 1970 where teenage girl nude modeling was basically encouraged—photos included! *urgh*) Gradually articles about physical maturing of teenagers appeared, both about boys and girls, which were more serious, but in comedic shoujo manga “harenchi” elements (peeping toms, skirt-flippers) became frequent, and even more serious works featured shower scenes, underwear scene, nudity. Many of these were also from a male perspective (peeping toms not getting punished, girls being embarrassed, girls showing skin… in a shoujo manga), but many artists were more forward thinking and/or showed boys at the end of the female gaze as well.

Anyway, sexuality was kind of there at the end of the 60s, kissing became more frequent, and coming-of-age narratives featured sexuality, although mostly offscreen. I remember having seen panels of people in bed in at least one story I think in Bessatsu Margaret, but I can’t seem to find it among all my photos now.※※ An there are also the junior manga titles I mentioned, that featured more mature characters and relationship. Characters are obviously sleeping with each other, so at this point, when I haven’t read all the 60s shoujo and junior manga I would neither confirm nor deny that Fire! had the first bed scene ever (depends on the definition anyway.)

※By the way, it is often mentioned how Satonaka Machiko’s debut at 16 was a shock to young mangaka aspirant girls. However, her age is just one reason, several shoujo manga artists debuted that young or younger even before her. However, this was the start of manga awards for people aiming to be a manga artist, and with this (and also manga schools, a tradition started by Bessatsu Margaret not long after and immediately copied by almost every magazine) aspirants finally knew an exact way how they could become a manga artist. Before that it wasn’t clear at all, it involved sending or bringing manuscripts to publishers or older artists and so on.

※※Found it, it was in 1971 so it doesn't matter, Juliano no asa by Nishitani Yoshiko. Well, that was crazy stuff: the boy slept with the mother of his girlfriend thinking she might be his mother o_O

[batangtamad]

Blunder turned wonder (Manhwa)

Genres: Shounen Ai, Romance, Comedy, Webtoons

Status: Completed

Author: Caribo

Favorite Character: Jung Minkyu

Favorite Chapter: Chapter 8, Chapter 14, Chapter 26, Chapter 39, Chapter 41, and Chapter 70

Plot Synopsis: Minkyu’s heart is pounding in his ears as he waits for Jung-yun, his dream girl, up on the roof of the school. Today, he got her number off the class contact list and finally mustered up the courage to text her. Now all he has to do is ask her out. Minkyu hears the door creak. Jung-yun’s here! Too embarrassed to look her in the eye, he blurts out his feelings for her and pops the question. “Okay,” a guy who is definitely not Jung-yun answers. Startled, Minkyu turns around to find Jung-hyun with an "h" blushing in front of him. Wait, wait, waaaait… Did he just ask out a dude? And did the dude just say yes? Does that mean he now has a 192 cm-tall, curtain-haired boyfriend? What the heck is going on?!

This is hilarious and good. Minkyu is gullible, funny, and kind, but at the same time he is strong, and the type not to let anyone get to him down even when he's cornered. Also, he is honest. Maybe not at first because of his friends, but he always did want to tell the truth, and he did eventually.

SPOILER ALERT!!

I like that the author didn't brush off what happened to Minkyu at the hiking. It was shown that Minkyu did have a trauma from what happened. Also, I'm glad that Minkyu did not easily forgave Jiho. Jiho may have regrets of what he did, but that isn't enough for him to get forgiven. He needs to show more sincerity and that he has changed for the better. Though, I still sympathize with him as he did have an abusive father. I really hope he changes and will eventually get away from his abusive father.

Lastly, I like Minkyu and his friends friendship. They are loyal, and supportive though they are hilariously evil for teasing Minkyu too much. I also like the second couple and their story. However, it felt like the author focuses on them in the end and the main couple pushes the main couple aside.

[yousei-no-mori]

small babies