#ameiro thoughts

[kexing]

i just choked so hard on my food watching this preview i almost died 🪦

[gillianthecat]

I appreciate everyone's good advice to just drop the damn thing, but for some reason I feel compelled to keep watching Candy Color Paradox, and then complain about it. It's feeling like my experience watching War of Y, although they are very different shows, in that I'm fascinated by it's successes and failures. And I now want to find out what the show ends up saying (either intentionally or not) about the morality of paparazzi journalism. I did notice that two minutes after I paused to write my last post Kaburagi was questioning the ethics of what they did and how it impacted their subject, so I have some hope that the show is at least trying to say something.

However to avoid polluting the tags with my negativity for people who are enjoying the show, I'll keep my criticism below readmores.

Before I get into that, are the editors at the magazine trying to match-make Kaburagi and Onoe? 🤔Because they keep singing the praises of each of them to the other one. 👀

I think the biggest problem for me is that I just don't think the actors are very good. According to MDL they're both idols and don't have much previous acting experience, and I can tell. They're both trying their best, but there is this awkward amateurism to their acting that is distracting me and makes the characters feel less real. I'm just now watching the scene with Congressman's secretary, and it's clear just how much more comfortable this older actor is on screen (at least before he sexually assaults Onoe). He moves and talks and inhabits his body in this unselfconscious way that is engaging to watch. And in the scene when Onoe is talking to his bartender friend, Masayan, my eyes kept being drawn to the bartender, even though all he was doing was listening and nodding. But he just seemed so much present and real.

I bring these two other (much more experienced) actors up because it affirmed for me that it wasn't just my imagination. Both young actors have this tentativeness to their physicality, which really doesn't work for the supposedly cool and dominating Kaburagi, but neither does it feel like it matches the awkwardness that Onoe has. It feels like the actor's own awkwardness, rather than the character's, somehow. It doesn't help matters that they both seem made-up and styled like idols rather than journalists. They just both look so young.

They're not terrible, they both have some nice moments, and Onoe's face especially is growing on me. I think he's the stronger actor, actually, he has this wonderful wide-eyed way of looking at Kaburagi that temporarly creates the illusion that these two have chemistry. The roles I suspect are actually deceptively hard to do well, balancing complex emotions with slapstick comedy. I'm not an actor, but I imagine that's something that requires a lot of experience to pull off well. But it does mean that the chemistry isn't really there, that Kaburagi's philosophical musings feel shallow instead of like insights into a moral crisis, and that Onoe's panic about falling in love doesn't ring true for me.

And oh my god that final sex scene in the car, there was no connection there, it felt like they were each in their own world, not like they were reacting to each other. Which I get, it probably feels much safer for the actors to approach it that way. But it's so obvious on screen. At least a JBL is willing to portray sexuality on screen, I guess? Next step is helping inexperienced actors get comfortable with it. (Eternal Yesterday and Utsukushii Kare were on a different level all together, production and direction wise, and the actors in Old Fashion Cupcake are such pros that they probably could have managed it on their own, though I imagine they had support. And thus concludes the list of JBL I've seen that have attempted more than dead fish kisses.)

The other problem is a mismatch of my expectations and what the show actually is. I keep wanting it to be more serious; it touches upon these complex issues—the sexual assault, ethics in journalism, Kaburagi's feelings about trading sexual favors for information—and then glancing right off of them. Whereas I keep hoping for them to dig in. But it seems very devoted to it's yaoi roots, particularly with a sexually aggressive seme and a blushing maiden uke, and not interested in going much deeper.

And since this is my space to vent, I just watched another show where a completely untrained person was miles better at tailing people and taking covert photos than than these two are. The shows are completely different in tone and budget, so perhaps it's not fair to compare, but it did make me laugh. (I don't want to spoil that show, though it's barely a spoiler, but it's this one for anyone curious.)

[yourstormthlaylirahh]

I was lukewarm for most of the episode - I really hate paparazzi celebrity gossip magazine type stuff - but if they keep leaning into this idealist vs cynic thing they have going on my interest is definitely piqued.

Also now that they seem to be doing more investigative journalism instead of celeb gossip next ep I think I will be more interested

[petrichoraline]

finally!! a proper menace for a ml!!! i adore him! i love his righteous bf-to-be!! this is great!

[mihotose]

tsuzuri's mixing imagery is back

[crehador]

parting thoughts on bokura no ameiro protocol

honestly a bit of esports yuri could have saved this

i've been pretty hard on this one all season, maybe unfairly so, but it's just frustrating because there was so much potential here and i've been waiting for an esports anime for like. forever

first off, the esports parts? actually not bad! i quite enjoyed them right up until the final moment (the standoff between shun and mutsuki where they were just shooting at each other point blank. without dodging. and missing every shot. lmao. laughable and not in a good way)

but overall the esports parts were a hit for me, and i wish they'd focused on that more. because everything else was just... ridiculous, and not in a good way

which is a shame because it almost could have been good. if there'd been just a sprinkle of esports yuri on there

because here's the thing, right

you have shun, the mc. exceedingly average gamer guy who happens to be very good at xaxerion (the game the esports team will play)

then you've got his little sister mio, who hasn't been able to walk since an accident for which shun feels responsible. she's an unsettling little creep for most of the series (and i actually think she's well written! more on that later) with the goal of emotionally manipulating shun into taking care of her forever

then you've got yuu, a literal famous actress, who joins the esports team with a secret identity and oh yeah of course has a crush on shun

then there's nozomi, an oneesan type childhood friend of shun's who takes care of him like a mother and later of course realizes she has a crush on him

THEN A WEIRD GUY APPEAR rival player mutsuki is also, you guessed it, obsessed with shun. to the point of saying something like he thinks they'll have a relationship even deeper than romantic, as rivals

it's honestly too much, and i sincerely feel like it would have been amazing with just one change—if yuu's crush had just been on nozomi instead. she has these feelings because she played with them (shun and nozomi) when she was younger, though they don't know that. nothing would have even really changed? if she'd just had feelings for nozomi instead. in fact, it would've added another layer of depth to her struggle of hiding her esports life (her true passion/desire) while maintaining a public face (her acting career)

but with all these people completely obsessed with shun, the most Just Some Guy guy of all time, it just... becomes absurd

they also pulled back, weirdly, from the incest vibes? which were very blatantly there, like mio was sneaking into shun's bed to sleep with him and smelling his unwashed shirt. which all basically just went unaddressed. kind of a shame because her trauma is clearly the fuel for these actions, and that could have been fascinating to actually address and work on, but... nope

like if mio and mutsuki were set up to be the unsettling ones, let them be even more unsettling! pit them against each other. it would not have been remotely out of character if they'd tried to kill each other, and that would've surely fulfilled whatever melodrama quota this show was trying to satisfy

nozomi and yuu could have been so fucking cute and compelling together too. funny, even! have nozomi misunderstand, both yuu's feelings and her own. maybe she thinks yuu likes shun, and feels weird about that, mistaking her own feelings for jealousy stemming on a crush on shun (when in reality she's just bummed about the thought of growing distant from a childhood friend)

anyway. i usually hate being like "BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THIS INSTEAD" because, well, it wasn't. it was what the writers wanted it to be. good for them. it sucked ass

eta: ALTHOUGH I'M GLAD YUU GETS TO KEEP PLAYING THE RESOLUTION TO THAT WAS NOT SATISFYING AT ALL!! her manager gets to be relentlessly negative about her passion for esports, belittling her, trying to corner her into quitting by manipulating her work schedule, not taking her seriously in the slightest, and in the end... she just gets to profit by getting the team as new clients? love a woman in a suit but fuck that, fire her

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Feb 2023 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most. 

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - WinSound totally won me over in this ep. They were great. Their competitive style of romance, made me really happy. Double tsundere it’s so rare to get and not be annoying or depressing. Of course the mains were adorable too. 

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 8 of 12 - Solid little episode. Perth in the pool, thank U BL gods. Peeling the shrimp to rope, always a favorite of mine. Some awesome couple flirting and a nice romantic sex scene. What’s not to like about this episode?

Hit Bite Love (Sat YouTube) ep 2 of 6 - King is fucking adorable. Burger is clueless and (apparently) entirely straight. Shogun is one of the gayest characters ever put in high school BL. Heda is kinda awesome, basically a chaos wingman. Matteo is interesting. I genuinely like the central friendship between King & Shogun a lot. Queer baby besties! It’s Ming & Wayo-esk but better. Holy KINK FEST outta nowhere, BLman! I’m getting total whiplash with this show. Very Make It Right. What does it want to be? Who tf knows but I’m into it, that’s for sure. It’s accomplishing something, which most pulps don’t.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) ep 11fin - my backup computer is down so I haven’t had a chance to watch this yet. Hopefully but next week’s report.   

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 6 of 10 (or 11&12 of 20) - Jonny’s hair is driving me nuts. Hai Yi’s behavior is confusing me too. Office boys remain totally adorable. Very doomy mid run ep 6. Ah Taiwan, how unpredictable you are. 

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - these weirdos make for very strange boyfriends. Frankly? K seems like a useless bit of business, if you ask me. 

Individual Circumstances (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 5-6 of 8 - I’m just annoyed with Mr. Tsundere at this point, he’s gone from grumpy to mean. I just want him to have a really good reason for having disappeared without saying anything, and good does not mean “sensitive pathetic authorial feels.” You don’t abandon your best friend just because you fell in love with them, that’s an unforgivably shitty thing to do. 

The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (Japan Sun Gaga ep 1 of 8 - Stars Toshiki Seto (Senpai, This Can't Be Love). The world is about to be destroyed by a meteor, so Masumi visits his old uni library to read as much as he wants until the end. There he meets Ritsu, his player ex. It’s a bit awkward, and I’m not sure about the premise (it scares me that it might be sad). It’s racier, gayer, and has better kissing than i was expecting (again a sign it might go dark). Also Is Ritsu a big time bi-slut player or is that Masumi’s perspective? Regardless I’m intrigued if wary. 

Finished this week

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) ep 7fin - They are so cute it’s unbelievable. I thought it was a good office romance ending, if not a great Bl ending. All in all this is a darn near perfect nugget of an office romance BL, sweet and much gayer than we have any right to expect from Korea. Rainbow rice cakes forever! 9/10

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) ep 12fin - It’s a serviceable series about hot swimmers flirting and dealing with family drama in a sweetly earnest manner, but ultimately it squanders the talent in play. I would’ve preferred a cleaner narrative arc, less angst and more plot, fewer couples, and a shorter series. That said, there’s nothing objectively wrong, sub-standard, or off-putting about this show. And it has lots of consent and other good qualities. It’s fine. Watch along here. 8/10

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) ep 12fin - I did think a lot over why I disliked this one. Because on the surface it’s just your standard slightly terrible Thai pulp, and I’m usually not that mean about them. I think in the end it comes down to the uke who just seemed to never warm to the boy pursuing him, and never really actually wanted to be his boyfriend. Also terrible dead fish kiss. 5/10 

Gossip

Apparently we have new scions (waves goodbye to BrightWin) - GeminiFourth: The Crown Princes of BL. If you’re wondering how their chemistry is so good (My School President), this article may explain it. 

In Case You Missed It

Caught up on 2020′s The Reason Why He Fell In Love With Me. (Gaga picked it up and I’ve been wanting to see it since it got announced in 2019.) 

TRWHFILWM Series 1 - 2 teachers who work together at the same high school, one outgoing and the other reserved, start an affair. Gave me Ossan’s Love vibes and that is my least favorite kind of JBL. It’s just far too cartoonish and slapstick and I don’t like it. That said, it has several kisses, a happy ending, and they are cute together. So if you can this style BL, it you might like it. 

TRWHFILWM Special - Completely ignores the first couple and the teacher premise, carrying over just one main character, and should have been a new BL (Boys Love flashbacks). I understand 2021′s season 2 continues this tactic. But I’ll watch it eventually. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Not a lot actually, which is cool, I still got some 2022 catching up still to do. Why You Y Me, may be? 

Starting: 

Moonlight Chicken (Weds? YouTube) 1 of 8 -   

My Beautiful Man S2 - ??? sorry I’m scared of this one and not really paying attention, it being Japan and a desirable property, I’m assuming it will either be impossible to find or just show up on my dash in 2 places at once. 

Feb releases list is here. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments some are inaccurate, NOT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Hit Bite Love it’s classic terrible Thai pulp and I’m kinda loving it. 

Thank you very much GMMTV. 

FINALLY! 

Also FINALLY. 

More FINALLY (My School President). 

I love the acknowledged combative nature of this relationship. It’s great. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Under the Skin by &team, eh, it’s catchy I guess

[1eos]

please share some of these bls!! its crazy because i dont even like them but the ones i get from you are so fun. like the best friend who turns into a girl one i made my friend read with me and it was a good time!!

alright this will be my definitive bl rec list as of today september 15th 2024. its a LOT of reccs here so i will separate them into subsets i guess

my faves: (bls i love w all my heart and will recc constantly)

amber paradox/ameiro paradox by natsume isaku. one of my first bl 🥺they're 'straight' coworkers with beef -> decide the other isn't as bad as they first thought -> jealousy when other ppl hit on them -> realizing they have feelings for each other. i can't even say its enemies to lovers done right bc one guy didn't know they were beefing and they stay arguing w/ each other but in a cute way 😭😭😭 VERY tsundere x tsundere

konokoi wa unmeijanai by yamada yugi. this bl saved me. gay boy has a bad break up, moves, and goes to a print house (hes a graphic designer) where he meets a pretty boy who used to be a delinquent thats like 'ohhhhh so you know my friend? you're gay aren't you?' and he doesnt want to get a crush on him but the ex-delinquent is soooo charmingly stupid and crass (i love him too) and they develop a friendship and then more...?

elektel delusion by nekota yonezou. sadly the characters are in high school 😔 but the characters are very very charming. pair of besties that are childhood friends are always together. one is gay, out, and has a crush on the other and the 'straight' one keeps getting dumped by girls bc he prioritizes his bestie. gay boy (he's so scorpio coded) gets a 'boyfriend' to make other bestie jealous and straight gay boy begins to lose his mind and realize some things. this one is a classic...TO ME

konya mo nemurenai (another sleepless night) by yamamoto kotetsuko. a fave of mine. gay boy accidentally summons a demon that will not leave and keeps eating all his food. the demon is a freeloader. the gay boys wants a boyfriend. they learn to coexist and something blossoms <3

liquor & cigarette by zaria ranmaru. the art on this one is sooooooo gorg. love this one. childhood friends. one friend is openly bi and this leads to the other's bicurious moment. bi friend is like finallyyyyyyy you're considering men pleaseeeeeee pick me pleaseee date me i love u so much i've loved u for so long i want you soooo bad. and so they explore sexuality while practicing for a drinking contest in town. and the top explicitly waits for the other to figure out how he feels ouuu its so good

hashi no xl saizu by omoimi. faveeeeeeeeee. all time faveeeee. its simple, cute, no violence, nothing weird. and the plot? a college guy has a dick so big he can't date or have sex and he meets someone at a club event whos like what? no i'll teach you that there's no dick too big for someone's hole. surprisingly wholesome despite that being the lede

FUCK BUDDY BY HINAKO. i love this one. tsundere dark haired main character. bi4bi. and needless drama bc both characters are kinda toxic. tres bien. soooo these two friends are both sluts that do threesomes w women all the time bc what else do u do when u can't admit you want each other? well after one of them gets a dick injury (dont ask) they take the women out of the occasion and things progress from there

kabukichou bad trip by eiji nagisa. i loved this one so much i would suck the author off for another 4 volumes. so theres this guyyyyy he can read minds and he uses it to make bank as a host and he has a crush on a model and randomly meets said model and reads his mind on accident and the model wants to do s&m with him and the mind reader starts considering some things. the art is sooooo good btw like wow

fucked by my best friend by yupopo orishima.........this one was a staple on the blog. two besties who are sluts....are they are. one gets his gender transed by a spurned ex-lover and his friend is like 'oh finally i can fuck u' and he's like WAIT WHAT DID YOU SAY? and they fuck a lot. slut 1 transes his gender back and forth a lot and they keep fucking and gender becomes merely a trifle. an afterthought. so good

ookami-sama no koiwazurai by tobi washio. and i would KILL for a sequel to this one. its a world where some ppl have animal ears/traits and live peacefully w humans. sooo wolf guy gets into accidental beef w a human and wolf guy is like 'i was after your friend first but your autistic boy swag has seduced me....' and starts courting him and the other guy is like 'damn ive never been moved to express my emotions all too much but this sexy wolf man wants me so bad maybe i'm feeling desire for the first time?' its very funny

baby, sugar, succubus by tojo sakana. idk why i love this one so much???? it might be the art style but basically a guy runs a restaurant his dick is just too damn big and then he runs into a boy succubus that's like >.< let me in coach. but the boy succubus is very cute and has no idea how anal works glkagaklgkagkalk. anyways they make an oddly sweet couple

wholesome reads (as the kids say......gives u fluffy feelings):

totsugimasen kara by sunako. ohhhh this one is so wholesome. its omegaverse (sorry) but not in a weird way. basically the omega is sent to the alpha's family's estate to prove that he'd make a good wife and he's like naurrrr not into this. and the alpha is like naurrrrr not into all these ppl in my damn house so they butt heads. but the omega starts to have fun bonding w other omegas and fighting w the alpha and yeah <3 nothing weird is depicted in this one but warning. there is a stalker. and someone is set up to be hurt but nothing happens. just beef havers becoming sorta kinda besties to awkward as hell boyfriends

mad cinderella by yamamoto kotetsuko - comedy. slice of life. poor kid and rich kid grew up together. rich kid had to move away to bum fuck america one day and asked poor kid to promise him marriage and poor kid did thinking it was a joke. rich kid was NOT joking and when he comes back poor kid begins his gay awakening. the main conflict is that rich kid wants to hit BAD and everything keeps getting in the way 😭

wootan to fumi by saida nika. a guy is buff w big tits and an even bigger ass but once a month he grows bunny ears and a tail. so he's basically heaven for all the bunny boy enthusiasts (me) anyways his best friend wants him bad but they keep it casual and then move in together and you know! p wholesome tbh its just that wootan just be bussing out his clothes....too much bawdy

'no i actually read bls for the plot' (bls i reread mainly for the plot....winners of bl pulitzers....to me)

kohitsuji project by takenaka sei - supernatural comedy. human boy flops so bad in school he ends up going to a boarding school for vampires and everyone wants to eat him. nepo baby vampire with no socialization skills becomes infatuated with him and things go from there. just one volume wish there was more tbh

dog style by motoni moduru. a classic in the kendra blverse. this one is retro so the style is super nice and late 90s/early 00s. another highschool setting one :( soooooo punk 1's best friend is the brother of punk 2's best friend so they know of each other. punk 1 is a good fighter and punk 2 is a good runner (and gay). bc theyre both being ditched by the brothers (who they have crushes on) they spend more time together and accept their crushes fucking suck and grow closer. and they fight a lot

escape journey by ogeretsu tanaka. love this artist's style. um. exes run into each other and have to pretend they still don't wanna suck and fuck until they suck and fuck again and it's messy and funny 😭😭😭😭a sorta fave bc i love it when ppl break up and get back together sorryyyyyyyyyy

saiyaku wa boku o suki sugiru by ninomiya etsumi. now this one? is a fucking STORY. so bc of their ancestors fucking around one member of a family after a birthday will have to go thru these disasters. basically the world is trying to kill them but the kicker is any injury they get is TRANSFERRED to the person in another family. so basically they have to work together to both not die. its like 7 volumes long and i got bored of the 'gods' talking in riddles abt the disasters but the two main characters make it worth it

kami-sama no uroko by hinohara meguru. i actually don't remember shit abt this one other than how PRETTY the art is and the cool concept. so a writer returns to his hometown that has a legend abt a dragon that used to fuck abt and then he meets the dragon that looks human but swears he's a dragon. the writer is super skeptic and u know....things happen. theres a dog in this one and i love the way he's drawn 🥺

honto yajuu by yamamoto kotetsuko - comedy. mostly slice of life some drama some smut. the bl goat. the granddaddy of bl. it will be on everyone's list. a young member of the yakuza is so supple so toppable it turns a well meaning cop bisexual 😭 bl so good it makes you forget for just one second that all cops are going to hell

sick by kurahashi tomo. slice of life w a bit of comedy. blonde man has a weird desire to bully his upperclassman and turns out its sexual fascination. despite getting off on a bad foot the two of them learn more about each other and grow to fit together. the upperclassman has 3 siblings and theyre the best part of the manga tbh like seeing how the little sister starts off hating the top for taking her brother to loving him is so 🥺

furimuite tsukamaete by yoriko. i will not kill myself bc i am waiting for the ending of this one. guy has a crush on another guy who's getting married so he's like ok i have to get over this and then crush's younger brother busts in to live w him and cheers him up and that's weird? younger brother keeps getting mad when gay boy mentions the brother????? and younger brother wants to share the one bed???? and cuddle????? hmmmmmm

pretty n fun (just turn your brain off and enjoy how fun the characters are and how pretty the art is):

datte maou-sama wa kare ga kirai by yamada nichoume - UNFINISHED. supernatural...kinda? comedy. demon king and hero reincarnates? kinda. every generation and fight. this generations demon king just wants to fly under the rather but this generations hero wants to fall in love fight and fight using his 🐓the concept is kinda out there but its surprisingly wholesome

love nest by minaduki yuu. another one that's super pretty but i don't remember most of what happens. i do know that this gay guy is sick of the loud ass kids that live above him so his friend hooks him up w a new place but doesnt tell him theres another man living there 😭😭😭😭😭 (nasty af of them btw) they hate living together at first but get closer....and then they fight over who's gonna top. but its grown man yaoi so bonus points for that

30 sai kara no coming out by saike natsuhara. love this one <3 its grown man yaoi. 30 year old moves out of the country to the city so he can lose his virginity. he meets up w a guy on a dating app and they have a great time but then they reconnect bc the guy cannot get over the 30 year old's big ol' tiddies. very straightforward and sweet

natsume-san wa hirakaretai by mamita. this one is okay but the art makes it a stand out. a guy isnt that good at sex so he sets out to learn how to be a sex kitten or whatever and hires an escort/sex trainer????? girl idk and they develop his bottoming skills 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

ii ko ni dekitara hometekure by kuroi yodaka. the setting of this one is kinda stupid but its hot.......its in a world where some ppl have a secondary gender of dom or sub 😭😭😭😭 and they have to do subdom play or they'll be on lexepro (its soooo dumb) anyways a teacher got dumped bc his fiancee found out he's a sub and didnt tell her so he wants to meet someone to relieve himself but an ex student (but is now an adult) shows up and he's like naurrrrr but the student is a dom and they click and the teacher hates that he's into it and they find out their sub/dom styles fit each other. *sigh* but the born sub plot point is sooo dumb

kocchi muite glare by yareya umako. ANOTHER 'you're born dom/sub' story 😭 its such a dumb ass idea but the art on this one is soooo good. anyways a guy is isekaied into a world where everyone has animal ears + tails + you're either a dom or a sub. and he's like chill. until he starts getting subby with everything the dom that found him says and theres some shit abt the dom being Too Strong of a Dom but the isekaied sub has no problem w it and yadda yadda ok i didn't read this one for the plot the art is nice and the main couple is cute together SUE ME

netsujou drawing by sakura hitsuji. college student meants a man soooo hot sooooo sexy he's like can i PLEASE draw you i will die if i don't. sexy guy agrees and then the college student is like 'ykw? you're so sexy not only will i keep drawing you, i'm bisexual now. let's date idc if we just met...look at your sexy ass omg' and they go from there lol

one side in room by mitsuko. shy guy with crazy rbf meets another guy that's good at speaking his mind and becomes infatuated. other guy thinks rbf guy is cute underneath the rbf so they fall into dating without actually talking abt dating and shy guy is confused and fucks shit up by being so shy and the drama's a bit annoying but theyre cute <4

itsuka no true end by nakamura makino. sweet and simple setup. theres a couple and they fuck a lot and u go back to get their back story and it turns out one is a literal demon king and the other the hero who was isekaied to kill the demon king but was like um can i not be a murderer? so they got married instead and u see how they went from awkward to mutually lovey dovey

cock n balls (the ones that are mostly 🐓 but i love them not despite but BECAUSE of it)

stay goodboy by dotsuco. this one is basically just porn but im obsessed w this artist's style and how they draw boobs and i need everyone to see it. so there's this sexy dark haired tsundere <3 and he has a boyfrienddddd and they don't meet up for a month and then they do andddd boobs

the dreaming trainer's ideal master by rai yaezaki. if u like big boobs.....this is the one. big tiddied softie works training subs and secretly wants to be one but is scared he's just too breastful but a rich man is like 'i saw u jolting thiccly and fell in love...' and then in the 2nd story a depressed man is saved by a.....street fighter? idk. and the street fighter gives him pussy so good the depressed man turns his whole life around. me and leo if he let me hit omg who said that?

the handsome salesman at work is an ideal master by atarayo aka nocori. my best friend nocoriiiiiiiiiiiii. this one is mostly porn but its got good art and the couple is funny as hell together. gay boy 1 is a severe introvert and gay boy 2 is an extreme extrovert and they have amazingggggg chemistry so introvert gay boy overcomes his fear of extroverts to hook up again and they match each other's freak and its saur good

[mynameisnotthepoint]

Ossan no pantsu EP 5

Disclaimer: I had already watched this drama with subs that were mostly machine translated, so this is less of a first time reaction and more of an "i finally have the whole picture now". This will contain spoilers, so be warned!

As always: thank you to @isaksbestpillow for continuing to provide us with excellent subs to this drama!!

Quote

"That's how it is being a parent. You can't really think with confidence: 'I just handled this the best way.'" (Mihoko to Mika, translation by isaksbestpillow)

My very jumbled thoughts/extras

I am a bit behind with my posts about this series. Work and a cold caught up with me, but I will try to finish this.

Later episodes will deal with this more, but ultimately, older people are left behind by this rapidly changing system. My coworker's husband had to look for a new job at 62 after his bus driving company closed down. He spent months unemployed. Makoto here also knows that he doesn't have a lot to offer except grit and perseverance. You need them to survive a job, but these days you have to have many more qualifications to think about switching jobs. I also noticed that the coworkers call her Shimura-san!! Which also is something that will come back in a later episode.

I also love the fonts and color grading they used to show Makoto's entrance into the office - a contemporary suspense (?) font/music - and then the flashback scenes to when Makoto was starting out that feel very oldschool.

I think it is in this episode that Makoto realises he could be a burden to society. He is, in many ways: people bow down to his wiles (his wife) or ignore/avoid him (his subordinates, his children, even his dog). Throughout this series he comes to a bigger understanding of how respect should be mutual, and is also earned. --- INTERLUDE: Theme song and Daichi's actor Oppan's opening credits song アプデライフ (Updated life) is by the Jpop group FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE, of which Nakajima Sota, who plays Igarashi Daichi, is a member (he is a vocalist). This group has two members who have also played in BLs: Yagi Yusei (vocalist, from the My Beautiful Man-series) and Kimura Keito (dancer, from Ameiro Paradox). It is actually through FANTASTICS fans that I first learned about Oppan :) --- My heart aches for both Daichi and Madoka. You can see Daichi's face fall, a sadness creep into his eyes while Madoka tries to explain why he couldn't tell his parents he had a boyfriend. Meanwhile Madoka is just so scared to lose Daichi, so scared to be himself. And Daichi is the one who can muster up a smile, try to make everything seem OK. Madoka is so tall and yet, he always seems to make himself small, hunches over, ridden by guilt. The flashbacks of how they met and how they got to know each other are so well done (@twigtea and @bengiyo have written such good meta about it and the outing scene at the end!!).

Daichi's mom is such a wonderful person. She knows her son, knows when he is being chipper to hide that he is feeling sad. It shows the strength of their bond that he can show his anger with her, although it might be misplaced, as she was the one trying to help him. And Daichi knows, after raising his voice at her, he immediately deflates and apologizes. (my mom is so very similar to his mom. and i can also get angry at her or take her for granted, which i immediately feel sorry about).

BTW: Matsushita Yuki (who plays Igarashi Mihoko) plays Ida's mom in Kieta Hatsukoi AND Kurosawa's mother in the Cherry Magic movie!

I touched upon this briefly in a last post, but I love how they made Kakeru's hair truly look like it has grown out and he hasn't really cut it evenly. Although it does change quite a bit at the school scenes, which were probably filmed later. Through the series, Kakeru not only becomes comfortable wearing make-up outdoors, but also puts a lot of effort into his hairstyles.

I love Mika so much. Kakeru feels down and useless because he is unable to go to school again, and she encourages him to help her with the laundry. We later learn that she doesn't enjoy housework all that much, but in this moment she is happy to see him outside of his room and wants to spend time with him. He is also doing more housework just by helping out than Makoto ever seems to do...

The dynamics in this family are so developed!! Mika talks very differently to Moe, who seems to have the upper hand a lot in their conversations. But I really like how they genuinely seem to get along and want to spend time together. Them evaluating Makoto together if he can attend a barbecue with Madoka and Daichi and Daichi's mom was so funny. Also them preparing for the barbecue together and welcoming their guests together warmed my heart.

ME TOO. Also, this is one of my favourite Kakeru outfits. I truly love his style. Also, after meeting the girls who were nice to him, this meeting with Hasegawa shows Kakeru he can talk to people his age without feeling alienated. It takes repeated experiences liket this to get you to enjoy company again, but he smiles and is happy. (Now Makoto, we don't just assume our child is dating someone, he is literally just sitting next to him and talking - the face touching means nothing!! I do like that this makes the updating even more concrete for Makoto). The second time Hasegawa and Kakeru meet up starts a bit akward, but they talk to each other freely. Yet, Kakeru shuts down when Hasegawa starts talking about school and the baseball club. He'd still rather avoid the conversation and walk away than say what is on his mind. He is going outside, went outside to buy products for Hasegawa, but he isn't suddenly free of his worries and coping mechanisms.

Makoto buying books on queerness and acceptance is what makes Moe believe he has changed. And yet, reading up on things doesn't make you know how to react in real life. Makoto having his subordinates clap for him makes him overconfident, makes him think he knows everything. But, as @bengiyo pointed out, it is really important that he does his updating independently too, he shouldn't just wait for Daichi to explain everything to him.

The scene which hurts the most here is at the barbecue, when everyone has been having such a good time and even Kakeru is happy to watch them from his window. Makoto just says out loud what everyone has been avoiding all afternoon: he calls Madoka Daichi's boyfriend. It was just an unspoken rule that everyone at the party understood: Daichi and Madoka are there. What they are to each other is personal to them. Makoto wants to please, wants to show that he has updated, has such foot in mouth syndrome that he doesn't realise that rule. And Madoka very understandably freaks out. I must say, I have watched this episode three times now, and I have only been able to watch this scene without pausing or fast-forwarding once. It hurts.

What I did notice, in the aftermath, is that there are shots of the characters where Moe and Mika stand together in the foreground, then in another shot Daichi stands in the foreground while his mom is in the back, and Madoka and Makoto are both alone in their shot. I don't know if this was intentional, but it does illustrate how they feel about themselves in that moment in time. Moe and Mika are united in wanting to make this work, Daichi has his mom he can rely on, but both Madoka and Makoto feel alone and afraid in this moment.

An anecdote from when the show was airing: this episode was the one I saw people talk about the most before episodes 8 and 9 aired. It generally frustrated me to no end that people seemed to only focus on "the gays" and disregarded the rest of the story (Moe!! Kakeru!! Mika!! and even Makoto's development). Seeking out explicitly gay characters shouldn't make you disregard a story that is about queerness, about how women are treated, and so much more. It didn't help that a lot of fan translators were only focused on translating Sota's scenes, as they were fans of his group/him as an idol. It is so interesting to have an actual idol in a drama that has a whole story thread about being a fan of an idol group! (I am now just referencing later episodes...).

[pink-heart-jam]

BL Recs - Office Romance

Anyone else loves a hot inappropriate office romance? 🌝 I’ve been exploring this genre in manga/manhwa for a while and have found so many gems! This trope usually walks hand in hand with light humour, flirty banter, enemies to lovers and cute slice-of-life (not to mention the sexy a/b/o dynamics!) which I absolutely love. These are all light and fun comfort reads, perfect choices as a palate cleanser between heavier, angsty stories. Here are some personal favourites - I hope you enjoy them!

Ameiro Paradox by Natsume Isaku

A change in the stakeout team throws Onoe, reporter for a weekly magazine, together with his contemporary, Kaburagi, a photographer. Onoe secretly considers Kaburagi his rival, and Kaburagi's haphazard way of doing things goes against Onoe's strong sense of ethics--there's nothing but conflict between them. But, in joint pursuit of a scandal, the two of them begin to care about each other...?

Beta Off Not Dating by Mintran, Saena, Doojja

Juhyeok is a clueless beta who is thrust into the messy world of alpha-omega dynamics when he leaves his wholesome beta college to work at a more diverse company. There, a full-on fistfight and loud makeup. Repulsed by the pheromones that trump common sense in this crazy environment, Juhyeok swears himself off dating until he saves up enough money to move to a faraway haven for betas.

Day Off by Qing Cai

Sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, and always relaxing, this is a fluffy office romance about a powerful yet gentle superior (who’s occasionally a picky eater) and his cute and earnest subordinate (who’s a silly young Gemini).

Doushitemo Furetakunai by Yoneda Kou

On his very first day at a brand-new job, shy Shima is trapped in the elevator with a hungover mess of a guy…who turns out to be his boss. Togawa’s prickly exterior definitely puts the rookie recruit on-edge, but it doesn’t take long before Shima’s every waking thought is invaded by his overbearing yet totally thoughtful superior.

It’s Not Like That by Gangto, Lime

Under pressure from his unimpressed parents, BL writer Lim Iro is forced into applying for a “real” job. But instead of a cover letter, he accidentally submits an unreleased extract from his book instead. Disaster! Or maybe not…? Faced with Iro’s unconventional application, Baek Ho-ryung, the dashing CEO of Beus drinks company, is intrigued.

On or Off by A1

Yiyoung is building a startup with his college friends. They get a chance to present their proposal to SJ Corporation, one of the leading companies in the country. But in the meeting room he sees Kang Daehyung, the extremely handsome company big shot that's very much his type.

Perfect Buddy by Lash, Daki

Seo Hyunsoo is sure of one thing: people are scum and they will always disappoint you. Sure enough, at his very first company dinner after his transfer to a new department, he finds his coworker, the obnoxiously upbeat Baek Youngchan, performing an unsavory deed in the men's bathroom. As much as Hyunsoo would like to avoid Youngchan from that point on, Youngchan seems intent on not letting him out of his sight...

Punch Drunk Love by Moscareto

Park Sunwoo, who prefers a pair of thick glasses and an awkward-fitting suit, is an employee of DM Electronics' Financial Accounting Team. While secretly spying on his unrequited love as usual, he finds out that Jung Taemoon enjoys promiscuous and rough one-night sex.

The New Recruit by Moscareto & Zec

After spending his 20s getting over a crush, Seunghyun vowed to never give his heart to someone in the same field again. Enter Jongchan, Seunghyun's tough new boss with a surprising soft side.

You Get Me Going by Moscareto, Oh doyeon

Despite being thirty-three, Young-won sure is gullible. He falls in love way too easily, comes on way too hard, and still believes that he’ll meet “Mr. Right” sooner or later. Not that he knows who “Mr. Right” is, but he sure does know about “Mr. Wrong,” a.k.a. Kang Hyun-woo. Young-won swears that he’ll never, ever get together with this polar opposite of his, but the universe sure seems to think different.

[writer-sandbox]

I DO SHIP WHOLEHEARTEDLY MY BELOVEDS onoe & kaburagi together so much. like they DESRVE each other. the amount of ridiculous energy they give out is so <3 to me. they make so illll i cant. but also. k… fck despite rereading this manga many times I have NO clue what is name is. kanai? urgh….. cba to look it up right now. but that second lead who has a crush on onoe. i love him so much. his & onoe’s story is so <3 to me as well. also the flavour of kabu being so jealous is so great to me. whenever they get jealous of each other it’s SO funny to me (thinking rn of onoe/kabu magic au they would be So funny. i want that) ANYWAYS. as i was saying. onoe/k whatever his name is would be so good. like THEYRE CUTE okay. the way k crushes so hard on onoe got me like 😭😭😭 but onoe is so clueless he doesn’t even Realise. he keeps breaking his heart talkinh about kabu LMAO. but also. i v much believe in the threesome onoe/k/kabu….. LIKE FJFKFKF it’s so impossible but I want to see it work. i believe k has some kind of crush towards kabu….. but lmao kabu just hates him. well he doesn’t really hate him fjkfkf I THINK ITS JUST FUN TO THINK OF A THREESOME FOR THESE THREE

even if I have NO fcking clue how it would work. i cant Even See it at all tbh. i just really like k…. oh oh oh u know. this threesome just being a bit of k’s fantasy would be perfect 😭😭😭 like PLS. an entire thing where it seems like all three of them r getting together but then K just Wakes up. and finds himself in the actual, cold reality: onoe being completely unaware of his feelings + breaking his heart by talking about kabu to him and kabu just…..hating him :’ SAD REALITY.

u know. i think onoe should get jealous, seeing k close to kabu and them having these ‘moments’ I think that’d be so funny. kabu catching on some vibes off about onoe, enquiring him on what’s wrong, and the onoe blurting it out and kabu just being……speechless cuz HFJJFKFKF lmao k is in love with onoe. anyways i love how k keeps getting dragged into onoe/kabu shenanigans ITS MY FAV THING and making me even fonder about these three.

like honestly, i cant see the threesome or onoe/k ship BUT I V MHCJ LIKE THE IDEA OF IT SO I WANT TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE (in my mind)

anyways….. i think satoshi/onoe okay wow i was going to write satoshi/onoe/kabu but NOW IM THINKING ABOUT SATOSHI/ONOE that seems like a crazy dynamic cuz i don’t even think they’d register in each others mind usually. like would satoshi even find onoe appealing companion in any way….? idk. anyways. satoshi/onoe/kabu. i think this trio is more possible than k/onoe/kabu because kabu actually has some kind of relationship with satoshi even tho it’s hfjfjfjfjf. anyways! i think that satoshi should have a sudden panic n go on my god i love kabu. and then not still realising that kabu and onoe r a thing, consult him after it gets too much n onoe then gets JEALOUS!!!!!!! doesn’t tell kabu at first, but then kabu sees how he’s acting Weird and tells him to cough it up Now. and then kabu is like. What. satoshi is what. it kinda breaks his mind cuz what. i was gonna have more thoughts on this but I am tired now. will leave it here.

[ryansjane]

What are some good bls that are airing right now?

here's the bls I'm currently watching, somewhat in order of how I like them? but I like them all so it's hard lol:

I will knock you: campy gangster gays GALORE! this is such a simple plot yet I fucking love this show?? it's truly unlike any other bl I've ever seen & so fucking endearing, and noey is definitely one of my favorite characters of the year already! if you love khai from theory of love, you'll love noey 😌

my school president: I initially thought that the only thing that would make me like this show would be its ressemblance to love sick's plot but I was WRONG! I love this show??? like, it's actually one of the best bls gmmtv has ever produced??? it's cute & quirky, and takes its time to really develop its characters without being boring for one second! without a doubt one of my faves of the year already, and what I love THE MOST is how they didn't make the "perfect" love interest boring like every other bl, here tinn is my disaster gay son I adore him & I'm so glad the series shows us both main characters' perspectives!

never let me go: while never let me go might not be as high impact as I initially expected it, it's still a great fucking show! I'm super entertained by every episode & absolutely love the cinematography and character development in this show! so nice to see such a young cast all being given the opportunity to finally show their talents & I have very few doubts that this show will let me down in its final episodes :)

ameiro paradox: this is a fine show, very stilted in terms of intimacy like most jbls but I actually like that it mostly focuses on the stories the characters are working on rather than romance. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this show, but honestly if you're bored, go for it!

[gillianthecat]

I’m trying to get through the second episode of Candy Color Paradox and I’m really struggling. These guys just seem so bad at their jobs? I’m not and have never been a paparazzi (or any sort of journalist) so maybe I just don’t know, but I feel like they should be better at tailing people and hiding. They keep parking their car or sitting at tables in plain site! Like, I understand Onoe being bad at tailing, the whole premise is that he’s new to this pap gig, but would he really be that unsubtle? He is an experienced journalist, after all. And in the first episode, why didn’t Kaburagi already have the right lens on his camera? He knew how far he was from the door, he’s supposedly extremely good at his job, it seems like he would have been better prepared. Maybe the point is that he was distracted by his annoying yet cute new partner? idk

It’s a silly thing to get hung up on, but I think I was already at a deficit because I’m struggling with the idea of sympathetic paparazzi characters in the first place (at least as done by this show—see below for further details). And perhaps part of the story will be that they change and realize their job is harmful. The show's moral stance on paparazzi feels ambiguous show far. Yes, Kaburagi seems to be sympathetic about their Asaoko Yuma’s (their target) mother’s dementia, but oh look! It turns out she has links to organized crime. That feels like the shows attempt to elevate the dirty work of invading privacy and hunting for celebrity scandals to "serious" journalism with a public benefit. And I could not figure out what, if anything, the show was trying to say about Kaburagi’s strategy of lying to sources to get scoops.

However, I did love the paparazzi guy (Nikaido) in Kabe Koji, despite (or perhaps because of) one of the themes of the show being how harmful and invasive the paparazzi are. At the time I even wanted a romance story for him, and was a little excited at the beginning of Candy Color Paradox, hoping this show would provide that. But alas, it feels very different. I think what I like was that character was older, so obviously world weary and cynical. And that he was won over by Issei’s genuine kindness and dangerous charm, so that his conversion to realizing he didn’t want to hurt people through his job anymore felt meaningful. Although to be fair, I was intrigued by him even before his conversion. Possibly just because I liked his face though.

Kaburagi I think is supposed to be portraying the same sort of cynicism and world weariness, but he just looks too damn young, so that feels like a pose he’s putting on, rather than who he is.

It is interesting watching this after Kabe Koji, which had such clear things to say about the harmful invasiveness of the paparazzi and celebrity "journalists." And because I think the two leads are both idols (although I don't know how famous they are), which means they’re on the other side of this battle. How do they feel about portraying sympathetic paparazzi, I wonder?

I think I could like a romance between paparazzi (or even between a pap and a celebrity!) but it would have to be done just right, and not shy away from the toxicity inherent in the job. I suppose this one might win me over in the end. I don't have a strong reaction (positive or negative) to either of the main characters yet, separately or as a couple. They've had a few charming moments, and I do like how flustered Onoe is when Kaburagi turns on the charm, or the hints of jealousy he seemed to have when they met up with Kaori, the bar owner.

Perhaps this is one where I should actually watch the trailer to see if the show seems worth sticking it out for. Do y'all think I will like it more as it goes on?

Because this is in my head now.

[yourstormthlaylirahh]

I'm finishing the last couple episodes of Ameiro Paradox, which I admittedly only gif watched because I kind of fell out of drama watching for a bit this year, and I am ANNOYED! This show is ANNOYING! Kaburagi is a fucking hypocrite who is good at his job because he can lie, and gets pissed at Onoe for being good at his fucking job because he can also lie!!!! Wtf! And the show trying to make a moral point that Onoe shouldn't have lied to get the scoop about the scammer. THE SCAMMERS WERE LYING ON A MASSIVE SCALE. I DONT THINK ONE PERSON LYING AS WELL TO GET THE RACKET BUSTED UP IS SO TERRIBLE IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS especially when the scammers were using emotionally manipulative tactics, and also with the real world knowledge that these types of money schemes tend to target older and more vulnerable people.

fuck all the way off

[waitmyturtles]

I wonder what folks’ thoughts are on this, but: I think I may need a primer in suki. (@the-nihongo-adventure, I’m lookin’ at you, this may be an S.O.S. moment if you have the time, ha!)

I’m a touch confused by that scene in the last episode of Ameiro Paradox/Candy Color Paradox, where Onoe is sitting in the bar with his friend. They’re talking about how, in the previous episode, when Onoe and Kaburagi were in the car together, that Kabu said “suki desu” to Onoe.

But THEN, next episode, in the bar, Onoe is wondering what that “suki” meant, and his friend actually trots out the English/Western words/concepts of “like” vs. “love.” Does Kabu “like” or “love” Onoe?

Okay, so we know at least that Kabu is being a little coy with Onoe, as while he (Kabu) brushed off Onoe’s memory of what Kabu said, that Kabu is actually paying close attention to Onoe, observing what Onoe likes (vanilla yogurt, cute), etc.

But….I know that in translations, that I’ve often been caught off-guard by the strength/meaning/intensity of when suki is used in context. (Like when just “suki desu” is translated as “I love you,” that seems a little much; or when “daisuki desu” is translated as just “I like you,” I feel like the English is missing some intensity.)

So back to the scene at the bar — is “suki” often as confusing for the Japanese audience as it for us, to the extent that Onoe and his friend had to revert to the Western dualistic “like” vs. “love”? I’m so confused! I mean, that scene just took me back to every American teenage movie ever, ha, but I kind of didn’t expect a conversation about feelings in a Japanese BL to land in the dualism, literally, of our Western “like” and “love.”

I think my big question here is: while everything about suki is related to the context of the conversation in which it’s being said, it seemed pretty clear that Kabu was saying he liked Onoe in the car. So why did the conversation with Onoe and his friend in the next episode jump to “like” vs. “love”?

Or…. is all of this just part and parcel of a possibly questionable script? (Probably, right, @gillianthecat and @bengiyo?) Maybe this is all drama in a dorama for nothing, I dunno, aaahh!

[littleragondin]

12 and 13 for bl tropes

Thank you for asking! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝

12. Forced Proximity

This one is turning harder than I thought when I received it. It is on the less restrictive side of the definition, I think, but I will pick Onoe and Kaburagi from Ameiro Paradox who had to work together against their will and ended falling in love. The show had ambitions a little too grand for itself, but despite that I really, really liked it and I still have a soft spot for those two idiots.

I will cheat a bit for this one because now that I put it down, I think it's only fair to bring up another "forced to work together and you'll never guess what happened to us" couple: Phumjai and Yang from Love in Translation. In a show that I think was better, and with a really good execution of the trope.

13. Grumpy/Sunshine

After some quite long debate, I think for this one I will have to pick Ji Wonyoung and Yoon Taejoon from Unintentional Love Story. Grumpy, serious and somber Taejoon slowly opening his heart again to the absolute sunshine that is Wonyoung? Absolutely lovely. This show was a very classic romance but with every step extremely well executed and I cherish it so, so much.

(also obligatory mention of the managers in BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen because they fit the bill to a T and I love them dearly)