#The High School Life of a Fudanshi

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day Pride Month: Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu

Alt title: The High School Life of a Fudanshi

Just like this main character, I too love shipping. This anime is a short, which makes me sad, but it is so worth it. What’s a boy to do when he loves BL, but is also straight? His ultimate goal is to make friends who have the same interest as him. Let’s be upfront, this is a comedy. It’s designed for laughs. I enjoyed watching him handle having to buy BL in a bookstore. I loved how supportive his friend is. His best friend, who is a dude, is supportive of him. I think it’s unique in its own way. It brought me a little bit of joy and that is all that matters.

[lotus-duckies]

same image

[engshoujosei]

The High School Life of a Fudanshi

5 volumes

Licensed by Seven Seas

An all new comedy about one man’s obsession with BL! Ryo Sakaguchi has a deep, dark secret: he’s a fudanshi―a straight boy obsessed with boys’ love (BL), the genre of stories revolving around the romance between two men. While he has trouble understanding how others don’t find the same bliss he does from his unusual hobbies, that doesn’t make it any easier for Ryo to buy his precious manga from the “girls” section of the store, or any simpler explaining the world of boys’ love, shipping wars, and doujinshi circles to his best friend Nakamura. Will Ryo find other fanboys to share his hobby with, or is he doomed to sit alone on his throne of BL romance?

Status in Country of Origin

5 Volumes (Complete)

Tags:

4-koma/Yonkoma

Adapted to Anime

Ambiguous Feelings

Ambiguous Relationship

Banding Together

BL Subtext

Childhood Friend/s

Classmate/s

Club/s

Comedic Misunderstanding/s

Comic Artist/s

Conventions

Delusions

Dependency

Devoted Followers

Fudanshi

Fujoshi

High School Student/s

Important Non-Romantic Relationship/s

LGBT Themes

Misunderstanding/s

Secret/s

Sexual Innuendo

[metalandmagi]

Romance Anime Starter List

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick and tired of seeing “Top ___ Best Anime of All Time” lists that are nothing but shounen. So, with "My Happy Marriage" getting a little attention from the anime community, I wanted to put together a list of some romance anime that I consider good “starters” for the genre. Because if I were just now becoming an anime fan, I’d think all there was to offer was shounen action series.

And by “starters” I mean basic stuff that’s not too…out there, and actually involves the characters getting together instead of just harems or using romance as a side plot (sorry Ouran High School Host Club and My Next Life as a Villainess). 

So if you’re new to anime and want stuff that’s not just guys beating the shit out of each other (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong), here are some basics.

Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale- When the pessimistic Tamahiko Shima loses all function in his right arm, his family sends him away to live in the mountains with the cheerful, hard working Yuzuki Tachibana…who was purchased by the Shima family to pay off her family’s debts and basically act as a caretaker/future bride for Tamahiko so they’d never have to deal with him again. It’s a more cheerful version of My Happy Marriage (without the supernatural stuff), except in this one, the guy is the one who has massive self-esteem issues and an abusive family. There are still very serious themes, but ultimately it’s not meant to make you cry every episode. I swear it’s so good, but nobody watched it!

Horimiya- A slice of life in which pretty and popular high school queen bee Hori, finds out her quiet, unassuming classmate Miyamura is hiding piercings and tattoos that could get him expelled. The two gradually find out more about each other and get together in the most realistic way I’ve seen depicted in an anime. It’s also fucking hysterical and genuinely emotional.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie- Another slice of life that focuses on two adults who meet in an MMO game without realizing they also know each other in real life. I don’t want to say much more than that. It’s adorable, and the main character is so relatable it hurts.

Love with Yamada-kun at Level 999- Speaking of MMOs, this is a newer series about Akane Kinoshita, a college first year who’s reeling from a bad break up. In an attempt to get back at her ex, she winds up meeting Akito Yamada, a popular gamer who happens to be in her guild in the MMO they both play at an IRL meetup. The two go from acquaintances to something more as they keep running into each other. Even more relatable main characters and just wholesome relationships all around.

Snow White With The Red Hair- A fantasy in which an apothecary named Shirayuki (meaning, you guessed it, “snow white”) runs away from her home in order to escape becoming the concubine of her town’s prince. While fleeing, she is rescued by Zen, the prince of a neighboring country, and she ends up becoming an herbalist to repay him. It's super cute with some genuinely swoon worthy moments and a couple that just works so well together. I have a habit of comparing this to Akatsuki no Yona, even though the two aren’t really that alike. This is more romance driven while Akatsuki no Yona is more of a serious historical fantasy with romance elements (Yona manga is amazing, but the anime barely scratches the surface, so that’s why I didn’t include it).

Sasaki to Miyano- When the shy, easily flustered Miyano meets Sasaki, a cool “delinquent” upperclassmen, the two end up bonding over manga…specifically BL manga. That’s right, Miyano is a fudanshi, but due to his small stature and somewhat feminine appearance, he’s constantly trying to convince others that he’s not interested in having his own love story where he’d be reduced to a stereotypical doe-eyed uke. But as Sasaki and Miyano spend more time together, they realize that what they have is more than friendship, and they have to come to terms with their own perception of gay relationships. This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s a slow burn, but boy is it worth it. Their relationship is so natural and realistic, just like Horimiya. Just two people hanging out and bonding over things the way people do in real life!

Given: The story of some boys in a band with trauma. Enough said. It's great. Go watch it.

Bloom Into You- Yuu Koito is a high school girl who’s been waiting her whole life for her own perfect romance to start…but when she receives a confession, she realizes she doesn’t know how to respond when she’s just not into the guy. And then she gets another confession…this time from the cool student council president Touko Nanami, who basically jumpstarts her lesbian awakening. Very cute story about how we perceive the concept of love vs actually feeling it. Also has a canonically aro/ace side character, so that’s a win for me. Another show like this is Adachi to Shimamura (but I honestly don’t remember much about it. It just didn’t stick with me as much).

Ore Monogatari- Takeo Gouda is a tall, bulky high school first year with a sensitive heart of gold. He wants nothing more than to find his own true love, but most girls are intimidated by his enormous stature, and they end up falling for his conventionally attractive friend instead. That is, until he meets the tiny, adorable Rinko Yamato. He falls in love instantly, but he’s sure she’s interested in his best friend like everyone else, so he vows to help get them together, even though his heart is breaking. Peak himbo behavior. Pure of heart, dumb of ass.

Yuri on Ice- Yes it’s the gay figure skating anime everyone knows. And yes it’s a fucking romance, okay? I will die on this hill. The romance between Viktor and Yuri is just as important as the plot!

Kaguya-sama Love Is War- Two insanely smart high school students both have a crush on the other, but since they’re…you know…high schoolers, neither of them wants to admit it first. So they come up with increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess first. This will go down as one of the best of all time. It’s a hilarious yet poignant modern classic.

Fruits Basket- I’ve talked about it before and I’ll talk about it again. A romance “comedy” that slowly morphs into a drama about a girl named Tohru who finds herself living with the mysterious Sohma family after her mother dies. Little does she know, the Sohmas are the victims of a  (somewhat silly, but ultimately tragic) curse that she must fight to break. Even though I’m more into it for the family drama, the romance is still top tier and plays an important role in the story. This is my second favorite anime of all time, and it’s a classic for a reason. If anyone hasn’t watched it yet, GO WATCH IT! IT WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

And now for some honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into the regular list:

Ride Your Wave- A movie about a surfer who falls in love with a firefighter……and I’m not going to say any more than that. Go into it blind. If you like stuff like Your Name, this is a good one to watch.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun- A comedy about a high school girl who finds out the upperclassman she has a crush on is actually a shoujo manga artist, and no matter how she tries to confess to him, he just never gets it.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague- A slow burn slice of life that focuses on a guy with ice powers who has a crush on his coworker. That’s it. That’s the show. When I say slow, I mean SLOW. It’s perfectly cute and fluffy, but my god does it take forever to get anywhere with these two.

Skip to Loafer- A high strung, small town girl decides to go to high school in Tokyo, where she meets a variety of classmates, including the laid back Sousuke Shima. The unlikely pair become friends, and soon enough, she starts to feel something more than friendship. The only reason I didn’t include it in the main list is because they don’t get together by the end of the first season, but it’s still really cute (also canonically trans character for the win!?)

So that’s my starter list. And no, I didn’t include Toradora, even though it’s a classic. I know it’s blasphemous, but I like it more as a comedy than a romance. It kinda lost me with the ending. But anyway, maybe someone will find something they like. Or maybe you'll just want to roast me and my picks 😅

[zurgles]

Comedy Anime I’ve Liked

Asobi Asobase

Daily Lives of High School Boys

D-Frag!

Mob Psycho 100

One Punch Man

Tonari No Seki-kun

Kaguya-sama: Love is war

Hinamatsuri

Poyopoyo

Love is hard for Otaku

Haruhi Suzumiya (and light novels)

Servant x Service

Senyuu

Ouran High School Host Club

Lovely Complex

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions

Romantic Killer

Toradora!

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Disastrous Life of Saiki K (can’t believe I forgot this, I was obsessed. Top 5)

Handa-kun

Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun

Nichijou

Aho Girl (it was just ok tbh)

Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu

Heaven’s Design Team

If you have any recommendations for comedy anime, let me know! I’m gonna edit this as more shows come to me.

More shows under the cut.

More anime I like / am watching

Kimi ni todoke (read the manga in high school but fell off, watching again now years later)

One Piece (still in the hundreds)

Dungeon meshi

Monster

Sousou no Frieren

Magical Witch Punie-chan

Spy x Family

Mashle

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

Tesagure! Bukatsu mono

Anime I fell off

Sailor moon (few years ago, might have finished R)

Inuyasha (back in high school, think I made it halfway)

Uncle from another world (plan to finish)

The Way of the Househusband (season two, plan to finish)

Ranma 1/2

Chio’s School Road

Devil is a part-timer (finished season 1)

Bungou Stray Dogs (think I made it through season 3? plan to finish)

Detective Conan

Space Dandy

Other shows I like

Avatar the last airbender

Legend of Korra

There are other manga and anime I’ve watched, mostly in high school like Special A, Maid-sama, Fruits Basket, Absolute Boyfriend, Nodame Cantabile (did I finish this? I remember I watched the live action), Skip Beat (was pretty obsessed but fell off around the setsuka arc), Rurouni Kenshin (finished the manga in high school, fell off the anime), Beauty Pop, Crimson Hero (never finished), probably more that I can’t remember. edit: All the Sayonara Zetsubou Senseis when I was in high school. Ace Attorney. Death Note. Cowboy Bebop. Hyouka.

[allthefujoshiunite]

Entryway to heavens, a.k. the BL genre!

As requested by @weiying-tododeku-2023 , who wanted to dip their toes into the genre, I, Nora, am once again here to compile a recommendation list that you can take a peek. Most titles here won't be any news to my seasoned fujin frens, but it's always interesting to think of which manga or anime would be the best for a newcomer!

BL ANIME

We don't have many options to choose from when it comes to anime, so I might as well start from here.

Stranger by the Shore: This 1-hour, gorgeous movie is an adaptation from Kii Kanna's manga of the same name. Since it's short, I think it's better to focus on what the plot has to offer instead of expecting a deeper dive into the characters individually.

Sasaki and Miyano: Another manga adaptation, but this time it's 12-episode series (with a +1 OVA). Very sweet and emotionally rich coming-of-age story with a fudanshi as its MC. A must see!

NO.6: Less like a BL and more of a sci-fi anime with queer MCs, NO.6 is not exactly suitable for a newcomer, but I still wanted to include it because of its tender story and the companionship between Shion and Nezumi. So you shouldn't expect a big emphasis on romance.

Bonus: This Boy is a Professional Wizard: This is a 4-episode short anime. It's honestly gorgeous and cute, but not very "deep" as every episode is around 8 minutes. You can finish it in one sitting!

There are so many other popular (and great) BLs or action/sports series that have queer characters out there: Given, Banana Fish, Yuuri!! on ICE, Doukyuusei, Case Study of Vanitas, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Antique Bakery, Yes No or Maybe? etc. They are already popular so with a quick search you can find more about them as you finish the ones you've started!

BL MANGA

Now, this... is a challenge. There are SO MANY good stuff that it's hard to pick, so I decided to go with my gut xD

I Didn't Mean To Fall In Love (Suzumaru Minta): There's something in this series that just.. UGH! It hits me. I have reviewed it before so you can head over there to find more information, synopsis, and my thoughts.

Love Tractor (Hmmyongyong & Angrymonster): I started reading it for the sake of the challenge I mentioned above but what a joy this one turned out to be!! Has great balance of fun and drama, gorgeous to boot. The main story is finished but there'll be a continuation! Here's my review.

Here and There and Us (Thanat): This is a very interesting work (as any other Thanat work, I'm a huge fan of the artist) and it's less focused on the romance and more on the main characters and their friend circle navigating their high school life and the the ever-changing relationship between them. If you're looking for something that's more slow burn, this should be your go-to BL.

Under My Skin (Usui Iroha): People tend to stay away from spicy recommendations for newcomers but I say, why not give it a go! Usui Iroha has a way of drawing sultry gazes that'll make your heart skip a beat! I'm taking a break now, but I normally review a new BL title every Friday, and I've also reviewed Under My Skin before because it's THAT good.

Dream Away (Hana Lee): If you like a sprinkle of supernatural on your plate, then this is for you. The art style is simple yet eye catching, it's short and completed, the characters are wholesome; what more you could ask for!

Bonus - Swing Baby (Mudan): This manhwa, again, is a bit different. It does feel like it has supernatural elements at first and is a bit confusing (bc there's an interesting stylistic choice in narration) but it'll feel worth sticking to! Here's another Friday BL review if you'd like to check some screenshots out and read the synopsis.

And that's it! Welcome aboard and hopefully, at least one of these titles will be to your liking. Thank you for sending an ask, see you around!

[lildoodlecat]

my sister and i just rewatched sasaki to miyano again so im finally reading the manga and honestly it's just super sweet. finding someone who takes a genuine interest in what you like and engages with you abt it genuinely,, I really appreciate the care that goes into sasamya's relationship in general bc it really is just like. An ideal version of what you'd want in a partner regardless of romance. They're so fucking cute I wanna squeeze them is what I'm saying ajdksk

also i usually stick to single volume BL manga bc I generally prefer a relatively quick complete story, so it's interesting to read something more drawn out that's just cute and easy. kinda makes me claw at the walls tho since ive already seen the entire anime + the movie special lolol but I love all the bits and pieces that the anime had to cut for time bc it feels really cohesive. Plus there's some fun panelling especially for big/dramatic scenes and I loveee creative panelling ✨✨

luckily i have at last reached vol 7, so I'm sneaking into newer territory sjxk (relevant since I hadn't actually seen the movie special until literally today)

I think it's also relevant to mention that I generally dislike high school settings and slice of life,, the setup and all of it usually doesn't grab my attention enough for me to bother lol but here we are. Tbf sasaki to miyano has a unique premise compared to most high school BL I see by making its mc a fudanshi, so definitely started off strong with the BL meta haha

anyway there's the thoughts. no I don't know how long I've had this manga on my shelf sjxkdk but it WAS a christmas gift at some point so minimum 8-ish months

[coolkoreamag]

2022 series that I watched !!!

Given - season 1

Dakaichi - season 1

Hitorijime My Hero - season 1

Sasaki and Miyano - season 1

Stars align - season 1

Tsuritama - season 1

Daily lives of high school boys - season 1

My dress-up darling - season 1

Run with the wind - season 1

Dota dragon’s blood - season 2

Burning Kabaddi - season 1

The Gymnastics Samurai - season 1

Days - season 1

Dive - season 1

Ryman’s club - season 1

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi  - season 1

Welcome to the Ballroom  - season 1

Tsurune for better or worse - special

Free The Final Stroke - movie

Prince of Stride - season 1

Hinomaru Sumo - season 1

Yuri on ice - season 1

Try Knights - season 1

The high school life of a Fudanshi - season 1

Rainbow days - season 1

Ensemble stars - season 1

Handa Kun - season 1

Starmyu - season 1

Starmyu - season 2

Starmyu - season 3

Those Snow White Notes - season 1

Kotaro lives alone - season 1

You and me - season 1

You and me - season 2

Silver spoon - season 1

Silver spoon - season 2

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto - season 1

Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life - season 1

Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life - season 2

School babysitters - season 1

Ichu - season 1

Thermae Romae Novae - season 1

Fanfare of adolescence - season 1 

Love all play - season 1

Dance dance danseur - season 1

Komi can’t communicate - season 2

Deaimon: recipe for happiness - season 1

Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time - season 1

Aharen Is Indecipherable - season 1

Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie - season 1

Ao Ashi - season 1

Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness - season 1

Spy x Family - season 1

Summer rendering - season 1

Antique Bakery - season 1

Raised by wolves - season 2

Star Trek Picard - season 2

Blackish - season 8

Russian doll - season 2

Alias - season 1

Alias - season 2

Alias - season 3

Alias - season 4

Alias - season 5

Charmed - season 1

Charmed - season 2

Charmed - season 3

Charmed - season 4

Charmed - season 5

Charmed - season 6

Charmed - season 7

Charmed - season 8

Canada’s next top model - season 1

Canada’s next top model - season 2

Canada’s next top model - season 3

The Umbrella academy - season 3

The future of… - season 1

Nikita - season 1

Nikita - season 2

Nikita - season 3

Nikita - season 4

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto - season 1 (rewatch)

Grand blue dreaming - season 1

Camp Cretaceous - season 5

Dota Dragon’s blood - season 3

Boukyaku Battery - season 1

Tekken bloodline - season 1

Shoot! Goal to the future - season 1

Battery - season 1

Unbelievable Space Love - season 1

Semantic Error - season 1

Love Love Campus - season 1 

Someone Else's BL - season 1

The Tyrant Falls In Love - season 1

Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire - season 1

Wotakoi Love is Hard for Otaku - season 1

The emperor’s strategy - season 1

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 1

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 2

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 3

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 4

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 5

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 6

Buffy the vampire slayer - season 7

Schitt’s creek - season 1 

Schitt’s creek - season 2 

Schitt’s creek - season 3

Schitt’s creek - season 4 

Schitt’s creek - season 5 

Schitt’s creek - season 6

The rings of power - season 1

Fate the Winx saga - season 2

Great news - season 1

Great news - season 2

Grace and Frankie - season 1

Grace and Frankie - season 2

Grace and Frankie - season 3

Grace and Frankie - season 4

Grace and Frankie - season 5

Grace and Frankie - season 6

Grace and Frankie - season 7

Spy x Family - season 2

Idolish7 - season 3 - part 2

Play it cool guys - season 1

Eternal boys - season 1

Bewitched - season 1

Bewitched - season 2

Bewitched - season 3

Bewitched - season 4

Bewitched - season 5

Bewitched - season 6

Bewitched - season 7

Bewitched - season 8

Kiss him not me - season 1

Titans - season 4

Vazzrock the animation - season 1

Wednesday - season 1

Lookism - season 1

[proustianrevelry]

"there's no reason to ever set gay romance w sex scenes in high school"

idk man, im reading a book abt two office workers who were each other's preschool sweethearts reuniting and neither of them has ever seriously dated anybody before, and a major source of ongoing conflict is the uke's history of getting crushes on every single boy who reminds him of the seme. There's a whole chapter where the uke and his fudanshi friend go to a fan convention and buy doujinshi.

^ all of this shit would not only be age-appropriate, but better in a high school setting, where themes of first love, sexual confusion, & relationship insecurity would resonate w/ a) many readers' real life experiences, & b) the entire subgenre of teen [gay] romance manga & its established conventions.

This couple should be having their jealous miscommunications at a cultural festival or on a field trip, not in an office building.

[wheredidyamileavemenow]

Yugi: I know Kaiba and I MUST be dueling...

[canonlgbtcharacteroftheday]

The canon LGBT+ character of today is:

Yūjirō Shiratori from The High School Life of a Fudanshi who is gay

[myanimerecs]

The High School Life of a Fudanshi

Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu

Rating: 1/3

Categories: comedy, fujoshi, manga adaptation, otaku, school, shoujo, slice of life

Ryou has a very unusual interest for a boy. He’s obsessed with boys love stories, making him a fudanshi. He spends his school life with other boys love enthusiasts and his “normal” friends.

S1, 12 eps

Special, 1 ep

[hatsumishinogu]

Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu Vol.5

[bengiyo]

Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

We should let Japan name all of the shows.

I do love BL about people making BL when it's funny. Hoping this isn't on the War of Y side of the board.

This man has too many alarms.

Excited to see the shrine he has to the Shiny Smile member later.

Now I'm thinking about The High School Life of a Fudanshi. I will be making "Good job, BL" jokes now.

I did enjoy the explainer sequence. Glad Japan is having fun.

I also like the end of line sign.

I do like seeing a male fan be nervous with a creator.

I'm glad Nekoyashiki has a friend/manager/helper to stop him from being rude to his readers.

I need @liyazaki to know about this show. I want to be introduced like Framboise when I enter a venue. This is fun!

I've only had Framboise for 30 seconds, but I love them. I hope they are in every episode.

Oh my goodness this first meet is fun. I like that the leads have met before.

This is the most amazing intro we've had since A Man Who Defies the World of BL. I didn't expect another fun intro after Minato's Laundromat. Good job, BL.

I love that the sunshine boy is literally in a group called Shiny Smile, and has yellow hair.

Omg he ran away. Japan sure does love people running. I wonder if it's the robust public transport and safe walking that contributes to this.

I love the manga text. BL should do this more.

Not the food babies!! 😂

The name of his book is "Please Suck on my Enormous, Manly Tits ❤️." I love it here. Never stop, BL.

Tsubasa is harsh, but you can't defeat a sunshine boy

I do not want strawberries in miso soup.

Holy shit he was really following him in a garbage can.

Nekoyashiki is so dramatic. I need to him to unpack all of this, when he definitely has a shrine to this boy in his room.

Oh lord the shrine is not small.

Oh my god. He fanboyed too hard.

Of course his character talks to us as the narrator.

This is everything I wanted and more. Absolutely amazing. Good job, BL.

[hammergirlanime]

New manga in stock this week! (Part 4)

[gender0ffender]

ya’ll this anime is full of relatable moments