notable bl & recommendations
Under construction as I formulate all my many thoughts...
※ Note on what we mean by "recommendation" ※
Just like on my manga/anime rec page (here), I do not presume to know you or your taste. What I mean by "recommendation" here is less "you will like this" and more "I liked this and I feel it has merit outside of my personal taste".
I would hope it goes without saying that these recommendations are sexually explicit and often deal with heavy human topics. I leave it up to you to do your research and decide if you'd like to consume one of these.
Ai no Kusabi・間の楔 (1992)
- art &
design 
- story &
writing -
- grasp of
medium -
- eroticism & sexiness
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- lasting impression
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- summary
- Ai no Kusabi is, roughly, about the forbidden relationship between two men in different societal castes: Iason, a bio-engineered ideal being created by a super computer, and Riki, a gang leader from the slums. The two-episode OAV explores their relationship within the context of the dystopia they live under.
- tags
- #will_ruin_you_for_anything_else #scifi #incredible_animation #soundtrack #unhealthy_relationships #character_design #it_doesn't_work_out_for_them
- impression
- We watched Ai no Kusabi (”The Space Between”, not “ai” as in “love” much to my shock) mostly on a whim. Something along the lines of “I heard this is one of those Big Yaois. We should check it out”. We were completely floored. The animation is beautiful, the character designs are fantastic. I’m truly shocked that no one is really talking about Ai no Kusabi anymore except for the tossed mention in the context of “yaoi in the 80s and 90s” or the deserved “best yaoi of all time”. The beautiful art is enough to keep this one at the top of the list for me. Unfortunately, I watched this early on in my BL journey and, frankly, nothing else even comes close to being as good, especially not in the animated side of things (happy to be proven wrong, though).
The plot is a kind of straight-forward dystopian, forbidden lovers. The OAV jumps through a lot of the world building that the novel by Yoshiara Reiko goes into in more detail. For a fresh viewer, it can be pretty confusing to remember who’s who and why they aren’t allowed to be happy (hint: no one is), but I think a quick wiki read will get you up to speed. Both Iason and Riki are interesting and don’t fall into the tired tropes of a lot of yaoi. I found the ending to be really memorable as well.
If I were to be unforgiving, I’d assume a modern audience (ie: an audience incapable of critical thinking or reading comprehension) might get upset at some of the elements of the dystopian society (slavery, dub-con, violence, etc.). But, I think, in the end, the beautiful animation and the compelling characters make this worth buying an overpriced DVD off Japanese Mercari so I can watch it whenever.
Dick Fight Island (2019)
- art &
design -
- story &
writing -
- grasp of
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- eroticism & sexiness
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- lasting impression
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- summary
- Currently writing...
- tags
- #dick_armor #world_building #hilarious #♥Matthew♥
- impression
- Currently writing...
Kami no Fune de Nemuru (2023-ongoing)
- art &
design -
- story &
writing -
- grasp of
medium -
- eroticism & sexiness
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- lasting impression
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- summary
- Currently writing...
- tags
- #horror #atmosphere #historic_setting #murder_boyfriends
- impression
- Currently writing...
A manhwa with a similar vibe is "The Black Mirror".
Oh! My Assistant (2018)
- art &
design -
- story &
writing -
- grasp of
medium -
- eroticism & sexiness
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- lasting impression
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- summary
- Currently writing..
- tags
- #cute #healthy # #realistic_relationship
- impression
- Currently writing...