Saving For Later - Blog Posts

Japanese BL Starter Pack

It’s been awhile since I dropped a rec list, so I am here today to share one that is very near and dear to my heart—a Japanese bl primer for those who are new to the jbl game. I created this for @neuroticbookworm to help her on her journey when she decided she wanted to start getting into Japanese works. The fandom (on Tumblr and generally) tends to focus primarily on Thai shows because they are the easiest to access for international fans, since Thailand is working its way toward world domination via ql media and wants us all to be able to watch. But there is a lot of great stuff to watch beyond the easy access Thai channels, and Japan is the country where this genre originated, so its shows are important for anyone who considers themselves a bl fan. Japan doesn’t cater nearly as much to the international audience so tracking down the shows sometimes takes some ingenuity and can-do spirit, but that’s part of the fun!

And so, the list! Bookworm is about halfway through it and having a ball, so I figured it was time to stop hoarding it and share it with anyone else who would like to dip their toes into jbl and isn’t quite sure where to start. A few notes: 

I am not here to teach you about the deep roots of the jbl genre or give you a primer on yaoi manga. I am by no means an expert and there are other places to find that information. Start here with this great post by @nieves-de-sugui and then maybe wander over to @absolutebl to read up more on the evolution of the genre.

This list is by no means an exhaustive accounting of every important Japanese bl ever made; it is simply a nice sampler platter of the cream of the crop among various styles you will find in jbl. Watching through this whole list will not only expose you to some fantastic shows, but also give you a sense of what makes jbl unique and how the country’s style differs from others, and point you toward the types of jbl you’ll like most (they tend to put shows in pretty specific style and tone lanes and once you find the ones you like there are lots more where that came from). 

If you’re coming to this post as a jbl lover and you don’t see your favorite here, I promise it’s not because I don’t love it very much; I simply had to make some choices to get this down to a reasonable shortlist. Feel free to leave extra recs for others to find! 

I’m putting these in a loose suggested watch order that will take you through the various jbl lanes in a kind of popcorn style, because I always think it’s good to change it up so you don’t get too stuck in one mode, and it works its way up to most of the extremely Japanese stuff (you will know what that means by the time you finish). But do what’s in your heart and change up the order if you want, friends, I am not the boss of you! 

Cherry Magic (Crunchyroll or grey)

gif by @liyazaki

I believe everyone on Tumblr is pretty familiar with this one, which is not a coincidence—this is one of the most accessible jbls. Not in terms of actual access to watch it, mind you (we’ve all jumped through shady internet hoops to watch it) but in terms of its content and style. Cherry Magic is a classic workplace romcom with a magical twist, and it is charming af. It’s a great exemplar of Japan’s light and zippy comedy lane for bl—a lane in which, importantly, the romances stay chaste even when the actual plot is about sex, or lack thereof. My friend @waitmyturtles would kill me if I didn’t make sure you know that Cherry Magic also has a lovely follow up film. And bonus: there is now a Thai remake airing so if you watch the original you can get in on the discussion about the different adaptations between countries. This is pretty easy to find these days in all the usual places, but I strongly recommend watching it here.

Old Fashion Cupcake (Viki)

gif by @liyazaki

Moving on to a slightly more mature workplace romcom. Old Fashion Cupcake, another Tumblr favorite, is an age gap boss-subordinate romance, and it’s both very adult and somehow wholesome af at the same time. Sure, there is a lot of carnal desire going on here, but there is also a lot of wooing via fluffy pancakes. It’s a tight five episodes and a fantastic example of what Japan, with its extreme technical precision in writing, directing, editing, pacing, and acting firing on all cylinders, can do in two hours. There’s not an ounce of flab on this thing and you’ll want to watch it over and over again.

Utsukushii Kare (Viki)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Time to get a little weird! Weird is a key feature of Japanese media, and lots of jbls explore unusual relationship dynamics rooted in complex psychology. This is the first show on the list that will likely feel very Japanese if you’re new around here—my advice is to lean into it and finish the show, even if you get uncomfortable along the way. In Japanese media, discomfort always serves a purpose. This is a high school story with a twisted relationship at its center, and I’m not saying any more than that. Don’t spoil yourself and go watch it! This one also comes with two sequels—one short second season and one movie—that continue from the original story. They are less essential but still excellent.

I Cannot Reach You (Netflix)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Next up, another high school tale, but with a totally different vibe. This show is kind of a revelation in its willingness to tell a story about overwhelming desire—including sexual desire—with young protagonists. It’s rooted in a classic but often misunderstood trope, friends to lovers, and takes the angst of it seriously, giving us a low stakes story that feels extremely high stakes to our leads. It’s also gorgeous and uses a classic Japanese visual style (bokeh) that you’ll be dying to learn more about. 

His (Viki)

gif by @gabrielokun

Time for a break from high school, and we’ll sprinkle in a movie for some added flavor. His is a jbl film featuring a second chance romance between a stoic, introverted man who moves to a remote town to start over, and his ex-boyfriend who follows him there unexpectedly, adorable child in tow. Importantly, this movie does not take place in what we often refer to as the “bl bubble” where homophobia doesn’t exist; the leads’ experiences of being gay men in a homophobic society are hugely important to the plot and themes of the story. It’s a beautiful film and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. @bengiyo would surely also like me to tell you that this film follows a brief prequel show called His: I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love about the characters originally meeting in high school; I do not think it’s really necessary to watch it but completists can start there.

The Pornographer series (Gaga)

By now you should be ready to get into some classic Japanese fucked up psychosexual material, right? Right! The Pornographer series is told in five installments in this order:

The Novelist, a six episode miniseries

Mood Indigo, a six episode prequel series

Spring Life, a 15 minute short

Pornographer: Playback, a two hour film

Spring Life Continued, a 15 minute short

Confused by that distribution model? So say we all; sometimes Japan likes to make us work for it to make sure we really appreciate its many gifts to us. The story across these installments is about a very difficult to love protagonist, what makes him the way he is, and the also-unhinged-but-in-a-different-way man who finally gets through to him. It’s an extremely satisfying love story and one of the best character arcs I have ever seen, full stop. For this one, you’ll want to just pull the word problematic out of your pocket and store it in a drawer; nearly everything that happens in this story is problematic and that’s the point. Lean in! All of these installments except for the film are on Gaga, if you get that far hmu and I will supply you with the final puzzle piece.

Our Dining Table (Gaga)

You could probably use a break after those last two, so it’s time to shift over to a heart-tugging twofer: family trauma mixed with the cutest shit you’ve ever seen. ODT is an example of another classic type of Japanese show: the food drama (you will see the GOAT in this category at the end of this list). In Japanese culture, food is love, and the act of preparing food for your loved ones is a common path to romance. You’ll love this story about an isolated office worker who meets a pair of brothers, learns to cook as a way of connecting with them, and begins to heal from his own trauma as a result. The image above is a scan from the manga, which @troubled-mind curates to make extremely cool comparison sets like this one. Many jbls are faithful adaptations of yaoi manga source material, so it’s good to have a bit of familiarity with them.

Minato’s Laundromat (Gaga)

gif by @liyazaki

Japanese media loves to explore taboo, and often manages to do it in a way that is surprisingly light and chaste. This is an age gap romance between a teenager and his adult neighbor that explores internalized homophobia, emotional repression, and falling in love across seemingly impossible social chasms. It’s also a great example of old school yaoi seme-uke dynamics that still show up across the bl genre. Also, take my advice: end your journey with this one with the first season and just pretend season 2 doesn’t exist.

Eternal Yesterday (Viki)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Remember what I said about weird? Time to do that again, but with a heaping dose of grief and pain on top. It’s not a spoiler to tell you this show involves a major character death; a major character death is, in fact, the root of the entire story. This is a magic realist tale of first love turned tragic, and it will hurt and heal you. It is one of my favorite dramas of all time.

Restart After Come Back Home (Gaga)

And now for a break for your poor exhausted brain. This film is basically the jbl version of a Hallmark original movie, about a city boy who goes back home to the country and falls in love with a total sweetheart while working together on a farm. Enjoy it, bestie, you’ve earned it! 

Tokyo in April Is… (Gaga)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

You’ve probably noticed by now that emotional repression and failed communication are big themes in Japanese works. This second chance romance has plenty of both, and it’s a great example of a kind of muted emotional style that Japan does so well, where the surface of the story seems almost placid and calm even as deep emotion roils underneath. This one (and Eternal Yesterday above) are part of a special line up of jbls on Japanese channel MBS called Tonku (Drama) Shower. The shows air one after another in the same time slot on Fridays (in Japan, perhaps Thursdays for you depending on where you live) and you truly never know what you’re gonna get, but they’re all interesting. Warnings on this one for sexual assault and trauma. 

The End of the World With You (Viki)

Time for sexy and weird again, but even more so! This has to be one of the most unique bls ever made; it goes to some truly divine and strange places, and it feels incredibly queer while doing it. Made by the same screenwriter/director of the Pornographer series with a lot of the same sensibilities, but in a more heightened apocalyptic setting. This one has existential angst, a road trip, a redemption tale, and a variety of interesting side characters in the mix.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Gaga)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Congratulations, you’ve reached the end of the list and your reward is watching one of the best bls of all time, and a perfect slice of life food drama to boot. WDYEY now has two seasons (along with a couple specials and a movie that fall in between) because the universe clearly loves us. You can now get it on Gaga for easy access but I’m partial to the versions over at @kinounaniresource for better subs. Wherever you watch, settle in to get cozy with Shiro and Kenji and make sure to always eat before you hit play.

got any system of a down? theyre my favorite band

!!? SYSTEM OF A DOWN

credits! x x x x

𝓓𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂-𝒛

this is JUST for my favicon posts. if needed, i'll make a masterlist for blinkies, stamps etc

( PART 2 )

tip: use "command F" and type in the keyword you're looking for, so it's easier to navigate !!

𝓕ood + 𝓓rink ୨ৎ

fresh produce

fruit

apples // part 2

bananas

citrus fruits

strawberries

vegetables

nothing yet .ᐟ

sweets

choco and strawb // part 2

desserts

flan / pudding

ice cream

pastries

pink sweets

savoury

fast food

sushi

drinks

hot chocolate

milk

tea / coffee

𝓕lora ୨ৎ

assorted plants and flowers

beetles and plants

flowers

roses

yellow and orange flowers

𝓕auna ୨ৎ

sea creatures

jellyfish

sea creatures

sharks

squid, octopus and orcas

turtles

insects and arachnids

bees (and bears)

beetles and plants

bugs and plants // part 2

cockroaches

ladybugs

mammals + marsupials

bats (+ vampires)

bees and bears

bunnies // part 2

bunnies and deer

cats

deer

dogs // part two // part three // part four

foxes

hedgehogs

monkeys

orange bears

pandas

pink bears

poodles

ponies

sheep

tigers

rodents

nothing yet .ᐟ

avian

birds

ducks

flamingo

penguins

fantasy

dragons

𝓞bjects ୨ৎ

instruments

guitars

pianos and music notes

beauty

perfume

unsorted

jewels // part 2

stationary // part two

umbrellas / parasols

weapons

𝓢easons ୨ৎ

summer

pink summer

summer one , two , three , four

winter

snow

winter

spring

spring

autumn

nothing yet .ᐟ

𝓗olidays ୨ৎ

halloween

bats + vampires

blood n guts

ghosts + demons

skulls

zombies

valentines

valentines day

christmas

christmas cats

easter

nothing yet .ᐟ

𝓤nsorted ୨ৎ

nature / natural occurrences

clouds / lightning

oceans

space // part 2 // part 3

stars

vehicles + mobility

trains

wheelchairs

random

boops

𝓓𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂-𝒛 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝟐

this is JUST for my favicon posts. if needed, i'll make a masterlist for blinkies, stamps etc

( PART 1 )

tip: use "command F" and type in the keyword you're looking for, so it's easier to navigate !!

𝓒olour sorted ୨ৎ

red

black and red

red // part 2

orange

nothing yet .ᐟ

yellow

pink, blue and yellow

yellow

yellow + brown

green

green

neon green

blue

blue, purple and pink

bright blue and pink

neon blue

purple

light purple

pink

pink and green

pink

pink, blue and yellow

pink and brown // part 2

soft pink

monochrome

black and white

light grey

white

𝓜ulti coloured ୨ৎ

favicon dumps - one , two , three , four , five , six , seven , eight , nine , ten

doodle style // part 2

fantasy / fairytale

pastel // part 2

sparkles

𝓐ethetics + fashion ୨ৎ

gyaru

agejo gyaru one & two

amekaji gyaru

ane gyaru

ganguro

goshikku gyaru

hime gyaru

himekaji (sorta??)

rokku gyaru

lolita

aka lolita

gothic lolita // part 2

guro / nurse lolita

sweet and shiro lolita

core aesthetics

angelcore

balletcore

clovercore

clowncore // part 2

dollcore

green and pink cottagecore

nursecore

scenecore

webcore // part 2

goth + punk

angura kei

goth rocker

gothic and pastel goth

pastel goth

vampy

cutesy + scary-cute

fairy kei

gurokawa

jojifuku // part 2 // part 3

pastel goth

clothing items

dresses

unsorted

mori kei // part 2

trashy 2000s

twee

𝓒haracters + fandoms ୨ৎ

anime

anime girls

madoka kaname

one piece

pokemon

video games

doki doki literature club

pokemon

resident evil

music

vashti bunyan

vocaloid

sanrio + san-x

domo

keroppi + frogs

my melody

my melody and kuromi

red hello kitty + my melo

sugarbunnies // part 2

cartoons / animated movies

jack skellington

littlest pet shop

south park

snoopy

shows / movies

rawtime

gonna post my entire stickman reaction pic collection