In retrospect, I recognize those first fanfics as something that let me safely imagine myself as a boy in a relationship with another boy. That desire to find media that would let me project myself into the positions of these male characters was what led me to discover BL.
Nov 2, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Finding Role Models in Anime
In my New Year’s resolution, I stumbled on an important idea. “Anime isn’t afraid of emotional intimacy – it celebrates it. Rather than aiming for mass appeal, anime…
Being a Better Man: The healthy masculinity of MY love STORY!!
Through its characters and their relationships, MY love STORY!! supports a vision of masculinity where boys and men can be openly emotional and not be shamed for it.
Portrayals of Black Masculinity in Carole & Tuesday
Despite its social justice-minded storytelling, Carole & Tuesday can be a frustrating watch as it swings back and forth between exploring these characters as nuanced individuals and perpetuating…
5 Healthy Restaurants in Azabudai Hills
Here are five healthy restaurants in the popular Azabudai Hills complex where you can dine on nutritious food that tastes great too.
Finding Positivity in Death Via Anime and Manga
Recently, my mother and I had a conversation about a topic a lot of Westerners don’t talk about - death. My mom discussed how she wanted to die…
Different Types Of VTuber Models
Choosing the right type of VTuber model can be daunting. Learn what the different types of VTuber models are and which type is right for you.
Weekly Round-Up, 29 April – 5 May 2020: Toxic Masculinity, COVID-19 in the Adult Entertainment Industry, and Free BL Manga
AniFem Round-Up 2020 Spring Three-Episode Check-In The team checks in with the current season a quarter of the way in, including a few delayed productions. Home is Where…
Instrumentalism, Masculinity, and Humanity in Dororo
Management: This essay is meant to be less of a review and more of analysis of the show being examined. It contains plot spoilers for the Dororo anime.…
Finding My Manga Art Style!
Starting this year, I have really gotten into digital art. Specifically, I’ve been studying manga and manhwa art styles and trying my best to make my art look…
Togainu no Chi~Lost Blood~ BL Game Review – Finding Love in a Hopeless Place
Say what you will about Nitro+Chiral and their games, but beneath all the angst, leather, and dubious consent are some pretty introspective stories. Sure, their games tend to…
Recipe: Healthy White Christmas
This is a delicious, healthy version of White Christmas!
Some Pain Is Healthy
I know the saying, "Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional." is cliched as hell, but there's a bunch of truth to it. The thing is some pain is…
VTuber Adoptable Models
VTuber models are expensive, especially if you have them commissioned by famous artists. You can be a bargain shopper and go for the VTuber adoptable models option. That…
The Campy Masculinity of Steve Martin
I thrill when I drill a bicuspid.It’s swell, though they tell me I’m maladjusted…But somewhere, somewhere above me,I know,I know that my Momma’s proud of me.Excerpted from &…
ShuCream BL Whips Up More BL for Manga Fans
More BL manga are hitting digital shelves thanks to Japanese company ShuCream, and that requires a look in this week's Please Save My Money.
The dangerous Boys Love (BL) manga of 2016
Another year. Another set of dangerous boys love (BL) manga for us to read and enjoy! Here’s this list Kono BL ga Yabai list!
Masculinity in Japan + S. Korea, and Josо̄
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything at all, and many years, in fact, since I’ve posted anything on gender. For those new to my blog,…
The BL Manga Starter Kit
I’d like to think of this BL Starter Kit as Pandora’s Box. When Airin raised the idea to me, I was obscenely curious over what she had to…
Manga Mini Reviews: BL Edition
A little while back, I did a batch of mini reviews of all yuri manga titles, so I had the thought to clear through some of my review…
The Filming Models of Koichi Ohata’s Genocyber
Unearthed via the DVD-ROM features of an ancient US Manga Corps digital video disc, we speculate on the provenance of the models used for filming on Genocyber.
The Filming Models of Koichi Ohata’s Genocyber
Unearthed via the DVD-ROM features of an ancient US Manga Corps digital video disc, we speculate on the provenance of the models used for filming on Genocyber.
Finding Comfort in Bad Anime
What a way to spend the quarantine
Finding Tokyo’s soul in sento
「メゾン刻の湯」 小野美由紀, 2018 Maison Toki no Yu, by Miyuki Ono, 2018 In my quest for books set at sento or onsen, I ran across 「メゾン刻の湯」by Miyuki Ono. When Ono…
Finding Comfort in Bad Anime
What a way to spend the quarantine
Finding Tokyo’s soul in sento
「メゾン刻の湯」 小野美由紀, 2018 Maison Toki no Yu, by Miyuki Ono, 2018 In my quest for books set at sento or onsen, I ran across 「メゾン刻の湯」by Miyuki Ono. When Ono…
Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart – BL Manga Review
Released by Seven Seas Entertainment, Syundei’s Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart centers one Hoshino Terumichi, a young man who’s fallen in love with his classmate, Yamada Omihito,…
The Beautiful Masculinity of Mob Psycho 100
At its very core, MP100 is a show that despises violence as the main means of resolving interpersonal issues, and instead invites its audience to understand each other.…
The Fun Continues in Finding Shojo Manga with the Letter “B”!
Here on the Beneath the Tangles, we recently kicked off a video series called the ABCs of Shojo Manga, and today we are here to continue the fun!…
S3E19 - Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, BL Metamorphosis Vol. 1
In this episode of ScreenTone Club Elliot and Andy take a look at the World of Japanese Comics (in particular, not just in general) before undergoing a BL…
The Fun of Finding Your Style in Multiplayer Games
When I was playing Splatoon 3, I would do something that I barely attempted in previous games: try out as many weapons as I could to get a…
BL Manga Review: The Two Lions
Nagisa Furuya’s works are always sweet and cute!
Finding God in a Light Novel!?
Gods tend to come off badly in fiction. Really, really badly. No, wait, “badly” isn’t strong enough. Worsely? Worstly? Anyway… There are stories with evil gods. There are…
Finding Comfort and Longing in Harvestella
Not long ago there was one particular video game that gave me a lasting impression. That title was Harvestella, and it was surprisingly its demo that gave me…
Immaturity and Impunity: Performative Masculinity in Baki the Grappler
Despite its enthusiastic embrace of playful exaggeration and dramatic pageantry, Baki the Grappler shouldn’t be written off as mind-numbing entertainment for the masses. A critical analysis of Baki…
Anime & The Apocalypse: Finding Catharsis in the End of Everything
This essay is for all of us who look to retreat into the end of everything. Get in the car, loser, we're escaping into the apocalypse.
Crafting Psychological BL Manga with Kyoko Aiba
Manga creator Kyoko Aiba discusses Derail, a compelling portrait of two men attempting to hide their vulnerabilities while simultaneously pulling the other one into closer and closer intimacy.
BL Fans Love My Brother – Manga Review
I thought that BL Fans Love my Brother was a great title. I still do. Let me tell you what I thought about the rest of the manga!
Manga Mini Reviews: BL Edition Take 2
My ‘Manga To Buy’ list has been steadily growing, my ‘To Read’ pile has been ballooning and I’ve once again fallen behind with writing reviews for the new…
The 2017 Dangerous Boys Love (BL) Manga
2016 was quite surreal as seemingly impossible things just got real. From the deaths of our cultural heroes to the figure skating anime we never realised we actually…
Finding Balance
I have been posting on this blog every day for over 5 years now. Pretty impressive right?? Huh, huh!!! Ok, it’s no great accomplishment but it was something…
Chillaxy: Finding Quality CBD Products in Japan
Chillaxy is redefining relaxation in Japan's cannabidiol (CBD) industry.
Bryn Apprill: Finding Her Voice in Anime
Dive into Bryn Apprill's inspiring voice acting journey, her challenges, and the balance between career passion and personal life.
Finding Queerness in All The Right Places
We spent the last couple of days running from one section of town to another. This was a manhole cover not too far from the Animate main store.…
Murakami’s redefinition of masculinity with reference to his novels.
Written by: Prakriti Basu Critically acclaimed for his portrayal of gender norms, Murakami poignantly approaches the gender roles prevalent in contemporary Japan. His representation of masculinity …
Pick of the Week: Finding Gems
SEAN: There’s no new manga titles that really call out to me, and while I am interested in These Legs Don’t Lie!, that borderline H cover makes me…
Star’s experience in BL: Banana Fish
So this had me in my feels. Wow no wonder why Luna was raging about it. This is incredible and this time, I’ll be the one to tell…
The Dangerous BL of 2015
It’s awesome to start the new year with some BL and I’m more than happy to share to you the list of most dangerous BL in 2015 from…
Challenges of Finding Apartments in Japan by a Real Estate Agent
Moving to Japan? Learn what to expect when apartment hunting in Japan for foreigners.
The Face of War: Finding Anime’s Roots In World War II
C.D.T. Ceates traces the earliest periods of anime history, and its evolution from experimental short films, to tools of propaganda during World War II.
Finding Kafka in Kaneki: Tokyo Ghoul and the Perils of Boyhood
We take a deep dive into Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul, and examine the implicit and explicit ways that the series ties to the classical works of Franz Kafka.