some upcoming release announcements!

One of my favorite sites is back from hiatus and brought with it some really great BL release news so I figured I’d share some of the ones I’m particularly excited about.

♔ → First, Chara’s July 25th releases!

Kojima Lalako “Ano Ko to Juliet”
Kitazawa Kyou “101ban wa Uke Tsukemasen!”
Hidaka Shouko “Yuuutsu na Asa” vol.4

Obviously, I’m sure you all know the one I have my eye on most: Kojima Lalako! It has officially been over a year since her initial 3-in-a-row releases and even though I get a taste of her work in magazines and anthologies every now and then it’s just not enough. I don’t think I’ve read many of her Chara releases so I can’t wait to get my hands on her book through them. Unfortunately I’ll have to either track it down while I’m on vacation or wait until late August, but I have my fingers crossed for an in-store pick-up! *A*)

♔ → Then Asuka’s late June releases list Takatsuki Noboru. It feels like forever since I’ve read something by her (him?? idk who cares) so I’ll definitely be tempted to pick that one up. The title is “Ore no Kokoro ni Fumikomu na!”

♔ → Craft then has a new Yamamoto Kotetsuko book lined up for early July, titled “Fukurou-kun to Kare”.  Yamamoto’s books are never a miss for me personally, and I don’t think I’ve seen/read a single chapter of this one. Distressing! I guess I’ll have to shove it into my June order so I don’t have to wait forever to read it haha.

♔ → Psyche Delico then has a new book coming out through Citron. This one isn’t quite as exciting for me personally (since I buy Citron and thus already read a majority of the stories I’m sure) but I’ll definitely be buying it nonetheless just because it’s Psyche Delico. When I saw her name on the list I had my fingers crossed for a new book through Junet, but alas! Her Citron stories are good too so I hope everyone will still consider giving them a chance.

♔ → One I’m super super suuuuuuper pumped about is Mita Ori, who has a book “Shiro no Koro” through Marble in late July. I don’t know if you ladies recall, but she’s the author of one of my very favorite BL oneshots Mahou no Okusuri. Now that she’s officially releasing a book I hope more and more people will be able to read her stories, which are all very charming and go wonderfully with her sketchy art style. I highly recommend it!

♔ → Not as exciting for me personally since I’m not into doujinshi collections, but for hardcore Minazuki Akira fans there’s a new book to look out for: her doujinshi work will be compiled and released by Poe Backs/Fusion Comics in late July!

♔ → Moto Haruhira has a new book coming out through drap, “Mazu wa, Hitokuchi”, in late July as well. tbh I haven’t really been reading this one so closely in drap (sometimes it’s so annoying to keep up with series in magazines, unfortunately… orz;;) so I’ll probably be buying this. Her art is so cute and I don’t want to skip something that could potentially be really great but I haven’t given a proper chance to.

♔ → Finally, finally, Shinomiya Shino’s book through EDGE will be released on July 27th. Titled “The way I am”, it seems like such a charming story but since I don’t buy OPERA regularly I’ve missed so many chapters. I’m hoping after this, Aniya’s book will also be coming out soon. It does seem to have hit the climax…

♔ → Another one that feels like it’s been making me wait for a very very long time, Koiwazurai Shibito’s book through Junet will finally be released this coming June! In the few magazines I bought that had her, she seemed to have a penchant for writing perverted semi-depressing stories, which are my favorites. (see: Aniya’s Kangoku 69) So I would like to see them in full. ;; Finally, here’s my chance! Speaking of Junet, I wonder if they’re ever release Yonekura Kengo’s story sighhh.

♔ → And then the final one I wanted to talk about: drap already has their releases through November planned! Once again, Ootsuki Miu is their late-in-the-year pick and supposedly the compiled version of Vanilla Resort will be released November 2nd. Considering the official series is just starting (and there are so far only two chapters) that’s really planning ahead! But I guess that means there’s a lot of Ootsuki to expect in the coming months from drap? Other releases include Nekota Yonezou in August, and an amazing quadruple-whammy of Akahoshi Jake (yay!!), Yamada Maya, Hino Garasu and Konjiki Runa all in September. Thank goodness that’s an odd-numbered, non-anthology month!

today in BL manga

♔ → for fans of Kinoshita Keiko, B’s-garden now has the POP images up for both her upcoming releases. I’m not as excited for Koyoi Omae to if only because I already read it regularly in HertZ, but I’m pretty pumped about the third and final volume of Ikusen no Yoru. Considering that cliffhanger volume two left off at. orz;;;

Also if you go to the B’s-garden main page you can see a larger version of Kusama Sakae’s novel illustration. *A*

♔ → LYNX has their previews up for the latest issue already! \o/ Minazuki Akira already has a new story running, which I’m pretty damn excited about df;ghd;fhdf also also Mio Junta and Rokuro Kuro’s color pages also look very beautiful. Another thing from this latest issue that I’m super excited about is Ike Reibun’s continuation of Tatsu no Otoshigo! I really liked that while it was running but it felt like it ended so abruptly sobbb. So I let out a pretty dumb excited noise when I saw ‘Tatsu no Otoshigo 2’ listed. Then of course there’s Nimoda Ai, Umematsu Machie, Kitazawa Kyou… definitely another great issue!

also related to LYNX, if you go to their site they now have sample pages up for both Nimoda Ai and Katsuragi’s releases. I highly recommend checking them out, since both artists have gorgeous styles and really cute stories.

♔ → another magazine coming out this month that I’m excited about (though in a more bittersweet way, since I probably can’t afford to buy it) is Daria! If you go to the actual magazine page they just listed the cover last night and it’s very cute. Also, the lineup. ;A;)/ Ahhh Ootsuki Miu and Kumonosuke!! I’m so tempted to buy it but I’ve already told myself countless times to just wait for the book releases. Who wants to make bets on whether I’m patient enough to hold out?

♔ → Not necessarily BL-related, but Kumota Haruko’s story through ITAN will be releasing its second volume early next month. So quick! orz;;; You can pre-order it here. Unfortunately I haven’t seen the cover illustration yet. I think last time it was posted on Comic Natalie before it was shared anywhere else so I guess I’ll just have to keep an eye out for it. Kumota Haruko’s first release of 2012! Hopefully this means 2012 will be full of her work.

♔ → The cover for the latest issue of Cab was finally revealed! This time it’s Hideyoshico. \*w*/ Also I’m glad to see Ogura Muku and Konohara Narise are back again this issue after a short hiatus last time. Castle Mango really always leaves so many things unresolved by the end of each chapter. orz;; I wonder when Konohara will start tying up the loose ends instead of constantly creating more. This time around, of course I’m happy to see yet more Kevin Komine and Komeri, and I’m also absolutely pumped to see more Mita Ori. Though it said there would be Kimura Hidesato in this issue and I don’t see her name… ;; Sad. I’m also sad to see there isn’t more Aako! I absolutely loved her story from Cab 16.

Anyway you can see more on the story titles and such here. It’s kind of interesting to see Komeri will evidently be starting a longer story again! Usually she just sticks to oneshots and her longer stories up to this point usually weren’t planned.

♔ → There is also now a more high-quality version of Canna’s cover posted up. Very pretty and dreamy—somewhat unlike most of the covers Canna has featured thusfar. As expected of Yamada Torico, though. Her watercolor work is seriously stunning.

♔ →I’m sure you all know by now that this month Hidaka Shouko will be releasing volume three of her hit series Hana wa Saku ka. However, did you know she’ll also be releasing a book through Hanaoto in February called Hatsukoi no Atosaki? This is definitely a good season for Hidaka Shouko fans!

covers + release update

Sorry for my absence! I haven’t had much access to my regular computer, so it’s been too much of a pain to blog. orz;; I have at least been trying to dutifully read and keep up to date with BL and BL news, though, if that means anything.

Recently there are two new cover releases I wanted to post since I quite like them: one by Est Em and the other by Mio Junta.

 

Somehow the coloring style Est Em used feels different than usual, and I quite like it. As for Mio Junta’s, well… it’s just really cute. orz;; tbh I was originally thinking of putting off buying it since it’s through drap (and I’ve thus likely already read all of it), but with a cute cover like that I doubt I’ll be able to resist.

In other news, Katou Setsuko actually will be releasing a book in 2011! Unfortunately, it’s at the super far end of 2011: late December through Asuka CL-DX. The title is Hi wo Otoshita Ato de. Or something like that. Either way, I may have jumbled the romanization but it’s still something to look forward to! Also, a Kitazawa Kyou book through Hanaoto, Ijimekko no Okuda-kun, to be released in late January.

Mousou Hello Work

I thought I would actually post about something that isn’t BL release covers for once haha. Mousou Hello Work was actually released late last December but at the time I wasn’t sure exactly what it was so even though Ogura Muku was in it I figured I’d just leave it in my backlog wishlist. However, a month or two later I happened to come across the website for the book while looking up a mangaka and I decided then that I had to have it. Mousou Hello Work is a black and white illustration book on the theme of “jobs”. If you don’t know what Hello Work is, you can read more about it here on Wikipedia.

It’s set up similar to Moe Danshi Gatari. It’s not a BL artbook, necessarily—it only has quite a few BL mangaka as guest illustrators. In the book they do a full-body illustration of their job of choice with an explanation of the outfit, and then on the opposite page they also illustrate a mini comic with explanations of the job and why they picked it. It’s not as fancy and beautiful as Moe Danshi Gatari but it’s still a really fun, cute book and it’s packed with great artists.

quickie reviews, take 2

Momoka | Haru no Yuki

I looooved this manga! Seriously absolutely adored it! The general premise is this: Yukihiko lives as the sole caretaker of small baby boy named Yuuto. Aside from Yuuto, Yukihiko has no one and cares for no one—his love and responsibility lie with taking care of Yuuto and nothing more. So when he takes Yuuto to the clinic one day and is suddenly confessed to by Yuuto’s doctor, Yukihiko isn’t sure what to do. Days and weeks go by but the doctor, Hiyoshi, isn’t deterred no matter how often Yukihiko pushes him away. Perhaps Hiyoshi can be the only person to break through the wall Yukihiko built up around himself and melt his icy exterior? I know I probably made it sound super cheesy, but this manga is just so sweet! Momoka’s art is just so fittingly fluffy and it works perfectly with the tiny drops of angst. She draws amazing facial expressions and really knows how to capture the flow of the story. Some people have complained that the story moves too quickly, but idk I found no fault with it. I’ve already read this manga about five times and I see many many more rereads to come! Comparable to other really cute ‘kozure’ stories such as Kumota Haruko’s Nobara—seriously, Yuuto is the cutest manga!baby ever with his hilariously fat head and ridiculous expressions. I couldn’t get enough of him, and I generally don’t even like kids.

Kitazawa Kyou | Mori-no-Yu wa Kyou mo Poka Poka!

This manga is more of a ‘middle ground’ type—not particularly fluffy, not particularly angsty, not particularly perverted. The first story centers around a couple of childhood friends (one of which runs a bathhouse, which is where the bathhouse theme comes from obviously)—the younger of the two, Yuudai, is in love with his older friend Izumi and wants to show it and have his adoration reciprocated. But it seems like Izumi is only interested in running away and avoiding the topic, even though he seems to have realized Yuudai’s feelings. Perhaps, though, he’s running away from himself more than he’s running away from Yuudai. After the first story it centers around various other aqaintences of Yuudai and Izumi’s, including a couple who frequents the bathhouse and Yuudai’s father. While I wouldn’t shout from the hills recommending this manga to everyone who knows how to read, I did enjoy it quite a lot! A fairly simple, fun read with a good amount of fluff and perverted scenes to keep most any fujoshi happy. It has a little of everything, from childhood friends to oyaji uke to master/servant type relationships.

Tsutomu | Punch Drunker

I got it! I was able to read the manga so outwardly recommended by Ogura Muku and Kobato Mebaru!! Call me biased if you will, but this is another one I just truly adored. I never expect much out of sets of oneshots tbh—they’re enjoyable to read, but it’s generally longer stories that really stick with you. But somehow Tsutomu pulled off the most incredibly endearing set of oneshots I have possibly ever read. Her art is just soexpressive and endearing, and you’ll fall in love with her characters almost instantly. Included are stories of brotherly love and boxing, an adorable but downtrodden pâtissier who just wants to make people happy with the sweet things he creates, the home life between a dull businessman and a street singer, and a few more! They’re all equally sweet—as expected from a friend of Ogura Muku and Kobato Mebaru. I absolutely loved it!

Mangaka earthquake talk & some short reviews.

I guess I have to get back to my regular posting schedule eventually. ;; For those who are still working hard at this, thank you for your efforts! Every new name added is at least one small relief. I am still a bit worried about Katou Setsuko but I’m sure she’s fine. I was also worried about Yamada Torico for a while but she has since tweeted. Thank goodness, last night Hirakita Yuya was able to get online and post one small tweet saying she’s okay and reunited with her family. (Though not all of her friends, sadly.) And then Kojima Lalako responded to her in the most sincerely adorable fashion:

Obviously it’s probably not as cute if you don’t speak Japanese and can’t read it (I won’t translate it because it just wouldn’t be the same in literal-ish English—sadly, one of those ‘lost in translation’ type things—but I can just say that Kojima Lalako is very very very relieved that Hirakita Yuya is okay) and if you don’t really do twitter. But sometimes I think Kojima Lalako is just the most sincerely sweet person I have ever seen, as a mangaka and as a human.

Then Aoi Levin is very worried about the cats (as am I—it’s not just the people who are suffering through all this catastrophe) and retweeted this, which kind of made me cry a little bit. Kumota Haruko has been tweeting a lot of cute, touching Japan-related videos such as this shinkansen advertisement. In this time I realize that being in this fandom is more than just reading a lot of illustrated, unrealistic gay porn but is just as much about the other amazing people who share your interests who all band together to form a network of great human beings.

today in BL manga

♔ → I was able to reach my goal on MAL! I got my general list to 1615 and my completed list to 1104. That would have been much easier if I weren’t too lazy to input the manga I own into their database, but that’s a pain in the ass. I was able to read a couple of the few Kano Shiuko manga I hadn’t read yet, which was enjoyable. Even when it’s weird and kind of plotless, I really like Kano Shiuko’s manga. They’re dirty while still retaining a vaguely sweet, loving atmosphere. I used to not read her work because I wasn’t so fond of her art, but through caving and just reading what she has to offer I’ve come to really love her.

I also read a bunch of oneshots, including Kimi wa Samishigariya no Hana by Nomori Mina, which I found to be quite brilliant for some reason. I always like BL manga that doesn’t include the line “I’m not gay, but I love you!” to be honest. It’s a nice sentiment but I always cringe internally when I see the boys so quick to be disgusted by the idea that someone thought they were gay. That’s not cool. :< So a BL manga where the characters are open and active about their homosexuality is always a nice break from the norm.

Then a read some Sadahiro Mika manga, which… uh… 8D;; I know I like dirty stuff, but she is really too much for me. Too much cheating on significant others and just all-around icky sexual behavior. There’s being very sexually active and kinky, and then there’s being a dick and Sadahiro Mika’s manga just always crosses the line for me. Perhaps I’m too conservative haha. But I was able to read the final chapter of Asou Kai’s Sono Mama de and I then felt better about the world.

♔ → For the post I wrote about Canna Comics, the dates seem to be a bit off? I posted the ones Kijitora reported, but then Asu posted that January with be Monzen Yayohi and Coga Mayumi, February will be Umematsu Machie, and then March with be Yamada 2choume and Sunae Hata. I’ll just have to see when I get my own copy haha.

♔ → I didn’t buy BOY’S Pierce this month since I put my order in before the cover was released, and BP just hasn’t been doing it for me lately. I generally get it for Ootsuki Miu, but for the past two issues she’s been absent. And I haven’t really had the extra money to just buy magazines because I might like them, regardless of whether of not a mangaka I particularly like is in it. But now I’m kicking myself:

New Ootsuki Miu chapter of PLAYZONE. :< The other mangaka are also quite good. So sad I’m missing out on this. I guess I’ll just have to get it next month. Also, admittedly, the Kano Shiuko DVD is a bit more interesting to me than the Sakira one. Do they show Kano Shiuko working? That would be really cool. *w* I’d like to see her drawing process.

♔ → But I’m mad at Junet, because they announced their tankoubon for January and still no Ootsuki Miu! Booooo! However, HertZ also posted their January releases and one of them was MatsuMieco’s Sawatte mo Ii ka na which I absolutely love so I’m still excited. That means Coga Mayumi, Hino Garasu and Matsumoto Miecohouse for January!

Another release announcement I’m pretty giddy over is Kitazawa Kyou’s Aishite Daddy for February. It’s not an incest story (sorry, if you’re into that!) but instead a kozure story through Daria about a young man who falls in love with a young, single father of an adorable little boy and how he tries to fit into their family. Sexy and dramatic parts aside, this manga is seriously so cute and I can’t wait to have the completed volume in my hands.

♔ → Rutile came in the mail yesterday! But I’ll wait to post about that later when I have my camera out. :9

BOY’S Pierce 05/10

This time around I decided to talk about the magazines on a book-by-book basis, because this gives me more incentive to properly read every story and also makes it so I’ll have more general content to post on this blog. /o/ Because it sucks when I make an order, make one big post, and then have nothing to talk about for the rest of the month. So here we are, starting out with the first book: the May ’10 issue of BOY’S Pierce.

Obviously, I will just be taking pictures. Because my scanner is still dead rofl. 8( And obviously this is BOY’S Pierce we’re talking about, so reading any further down this post is agreeing that you are in fact 18 or older and are of legal age to view adult concepts.

Recent Arrival.

And now I’m finally ready to sit down and talk about all these BL manga. orz These are, of course, just my initial thoughts on the books I got in the mail today. No actual reviews. Those can definitely wait for later when I actually get a chance to properly read everything.

There are six magazines, four anthologies and six tankoubon total. /o/