January 2023 Faves

For 2023, I want to make a list of things I enjoyed every month.

READING 

The Tragedy of Homosexuality by Jane Ward

I became interested in this book after I saw a quote from it on Tumblr. I was expecting white lesbian feminist theory drenched in sarcasm, but what I got instead was a sincere look at the inherently discordant nature of heterosexuality and its affects on heterosexual women that explored Black and other POC voices on the issue. It made me angry, sad, amused, and, yes, empathetic to the plight of heterosexuals. I definitely wouldn't say I agreed with everything Ward asserted here, but it made me consider things in a different light. This was one of my favorite January reads.

Jinx by Mingwa

I enjoyed Mingwa's other work, BJ Alex fan, but I didn't hear about Jinx until The Discourse™ surrounding it reached my neck of the web. To the mob's credit, this story is just as fucked up and toxic as they say. I'm enjoying it so far. The art is gorgeous (as expected), Dan is the embodiment of whump, and Jaekyung and his cauliflower ear have me tuning in every update.

WATCHING 

Bad and Crazy (2021)

A friendly actually recommended this show to me back in 2021 when it was airing, but in true THOTCRIMES fashion I forgot about it crossed my Netflix feed. I loved this show. My fiancee and I had to impose a 3-episode limit every night otherwsie we'd watch the whole thing in one sitting (on a weeknight!) I wasn't totally satisfied by the ending, but it made sense to me. I'd love to have this as a Blu-ray, but I doubt it'll get one. #RIP

Bullet Train (2022)

This one's a bit of a cheat since I technically watched it late last night (the 31st, going into the 1st), but it deserves a spot on the list. I saw the trailer for Bullet Train ages ago and it hooked me instantly. But, just like with Bad and Crazy, I kept putting it off/forgetting because, well, my brain's bad. I'm really kicking myself now. This would have been a great movie to see in theaters. I will be buying the Blu-ray for this!

ON REPEAT 

NEATO 

February 2023 Faves

For 2023, I want to make a list of things I enjoyed every month. I did one for January, now here is February:

READING 

Pearl Boy by Inking

After catching up with Jinx, I 500 Lezhin coins and nothing to read. I prowled throught the tags looking for something to occupy my time and stumbled on Pearl Boy. The synopsis is:

Dooshik is in a bind. After making off with the takings from the gay bar where he worked, he seeks refuge in a small, coastal town. As his funds dwindle, he desperately needs a way to make ends meet. Still, a boy's got to eat! So he dives into a clam house to satisfy his cravings. But with no money to pay, he dashes off leaving Jooha, the server, to foot the bill. Later on, when Dooshik returns to pay his debt, he's greeted by a sordid scene that offers a tantalizing glimpse of the solution to his money problems. For within Jooha's beautiful shell lies a secret treasure waiting to be drawn out. And Dooshik is just the man to do it.

The summary mentions nothing about a guy coming pearls but, well, that's what happens.

With such a silly premise, I wasn't expecting much. But I was quickly won over by Kang Dooshik (a fuckboy with a heart of gold!) and the copious amounts of whump. The story then spiraled into something tense and anxiety-inducing, and this webtoon quickly became un-put-downable.

Oh, did I mention this mad genius of an author also threw in some brocons? She did that for me. God bless her.

I caught up with all chapters in no time and now I'm doing the tortuous wait for Tuesday updates. I thought I'd save money by ending my WeTV subscription, but a fujoshi's wallet is never truly free, huh?

Run Away with Me, Girl, vol. 2 by Battan

I read volume 1 of Run Away with Me, Girl last year while at my parents' house for the holidays and I devoured it in one sitting. I want to wrap Midori, Maki, and Komari in my arms and never let anything bad happen to them. This is a mature yuri done right. Not overly cutesy, idealized, or unrealistically depressing. It's real and raw and it hurts but it feels good and hopeful, too.

I've already pre-ordered volume 3. Honestly, short of an absolutely dumpster fire of an ending, this is set to land a place on my Best Reads of 2023 list.

WATCHING 

My School President (2022)

I'm gonna snitch on myself right now: I was a full-blown My School President hater before I watched it.

After the teaser announcement at GMMTV 2021, I ranted to my (very patient) fiancee about how tired I was of high school romances. "We have evolved past the need for blue shorts boys!" I'd told her. In a way, I stand by that—as I get older I find myself wanting more mature characters in my media—but MSP proved I shouldn't be so quick to judge. I loved this series. From the characters to the romances to the comedy, it was pure gold. GemininiFourth proved themselves by making their first series a bang (the chatter about them being part of GMMTV's next gen pillars seems right on the money) and I will happily follow whatever they do in the future. I could have done without the 18,000 montages (a pet peeve of mine—but "Come Closer" by Ford Arun is a certified slap), but that didn't stop me from pre-ordering the boxset.

My Beautiful Man: Season 2 (2022)

Everyone's favorite toxic fluffy couple made a very quick return with a 4 episode "season" (does it really count with only 4 eps?). Hira is still obsessed—but maybe a little less so?—and Kiyoi added a little more deredere to his tsuntsun.

Sources say this "season" was just to support the upcoming movie, My Beautiful Man: Eternal, but I think it worked well on its own, too. Looking forward to the movie... whenever that may be for us poor international fans.

Physical: 100 (2023)

Yes, I am one of those people who watched a reality show about peak physical performance while eating chips on the catch.

I tuned into Physical: 100 on a whim after finishing Love and Leashes (long story) because it popped up in my algorithim. I roped my finacee into watching it with me and we quickly became obsessed. I'm not a big fan of reality shows (I get very upset when my pick doesn't win and when people are mean to each other) but I had no horse in the race for the most part (MY JANG EUNSIL!!!) so it was fun to see. The once-a-week formula kept things lively and most of the competitors were chill and easy to root for. I ended up not caring about the ultimate winner, controversy aside, but I was so impressed with both him and everyone who competed. I won't be taking up weight training any time soon, but I haven lengthened my walks!

ON REPEAT 

NEATO 

Otaple's HypMic character breakdowns continue to be entertaining and enlightening--and I'm not just saying that because she's a friend. Give them a watch and you'll see what I mean!

March 2023 Roundup

Super late with this one hhhh

READING 

I've been severely slacking on my reading lately. I haven't been reading as much as I used to these past several months anyway, but since finishing volume 1 of the SOTUS manga (and being reminded how mid SOTUS was) it's been a slew of DNFs adding to a very long dry period. When I do read it' s usually just BL, yuri, and non-fiction, but even those have failed me. It doesn't help that all of my anticipated titles don't come out until May (Run Away With Me, Girl vol. 3, Happy Crappy Life, The Yakuza's Bias, My Dear Agent, Manner of Death vol. 1) and June (Old-Fashioned Cupcake, If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die), and those are just the ones I felt like listing. At least I have Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity To An Android? to look forward to, but even that doesn't come out until the 18th! Luckily my days have been busy enough to where true boredom hasn't set in, but I miss those bits of escapism.

At least if no one else got me, I know webtoons got me. I'm still reading Jinx and Pearl Boy. The good thing about webtoons is that they go on for ages, so I'll be getting my BL fix out of those for the forseeable future. We're on ep 70 of Pearl Boy now (I think I was somewhere in the 40s when I first posted about it) and our dear Inkling saw fit to give us some psychotically, erotically codependent brothers!

Daehwi is, uh, very much a villain here, though, so I don't see us getting that brocontent for long, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

WATCHING 

Divorce Attorney Shin (2023)

It's always nice to watch a show with little to no het romance in it.

I put on Divorce Attorney Shin on a whim. What a gem! The plot waws intriguing, humor refreshing, and the cast phenomenal. And can you believe there was only one romantic couple in the whole thing with the majority of the story focusing on the strong platonic bonds between the characters?

My beef with Netflix aside, I would not mind another season of this. In the meantime, I'll be watching videos of Cho Seungwoo's performance as Hedwig. What a guy!

The End of the World With You (2023)

Did someone say "Toxic"? Bruh, this show. This show. Thetoxicity, the apocalypse, the fucking, the crying, the gender and sexuality reveals—this drama had everything. I first saw Seto Toshiki in Senpai, This Can't Be Love! which was... bad. And his performance wasn't exactly the greatest. I'm also not the biggest fan of end-of-the-world settings, so I had low expectations going into this thing. But it's based on a manga by Marukido Maki (the mind behind the manga series Pornographer which was adapted into a whirlwind multi-part drama series in 2018) so I was going to give it a go. I'm so glad I did. I only wish Japanese companies would include English subtitles on these kinds of releases because I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Jack O'Frost (2023)

Japan has been stepping up their BL drama game lately. The End Of The World With You, My Beautiful Man: Eternal, and Jack O'Frost are all contenders for the Top 5 2023 BL Drama list so far and it's only March! Jack O'Frost had little fanfare when it was announced so it almost slipped under the radar for me, but I quickly grew to love it. How cute are Kosuke Suzuki and Kyoya Honda? The 6-episode series, while shorter than the other Tunku Shower BLs, didn't result in a rushed or unfufilling ending. It wasn't perfect by any means, but damn if it didn't make me feel things.

ON REPEAT 

Something I never talk about—because literally no one has ever asked—is my love of the Japanese rock group B'z. To tell you the truth, I cannot for the life of me remember where I learned about them or the first song I heard from them. I know it was sometime in the 2000s and I think the metadata of whatever song it was pointed to the B'z The Best "Pleasure" album (or was it the The Best "Treasure"?). Either way, I loved what I heard and went down a B'z hole I didn't emerge from for almost a year. Five years ago B'z weren't on Spotify so I bought The Best "ULTRA Pleasure" and The Best "ULTRA" Treasure on eBay (in decent condition, too!). Not long after that I realized B'z were on Spotify now. No regrets for buying the physical albums of course, but now I can enjoy the songs more easily. I don't know why my love of B'z came back this month, but I've cycling through their discography nonstop. Honestly, this whole playlist could have been B'z songs but I limited myself to three.

NEATO 

I'm four months late to this hbomberguy video but it is a whirlwind. You can't guess where it ends up—or you could if you're more tapped into the video game world than I am. Highly recommend!

April 2023 Roundup

Super late with this one hhhh

READING 

The reading slump continued in April, unfortunately. My most anticipated releases drop this month (Run Away With Me, Girl vol. 3 hit my mailbox yesterday!) so hopefully that'll change. April wasn't a complete, bust, though.

I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love by Minta Suzumaru

I love a good Older Uke/Younger Seme story. It felt like I was late to the party on this one; apparently title has been available digital for some time and I'd heard nothing but good things about it. I understand the hype now: gorgeous art, relatable characters, realistic sex scenes—and even some fuojshi appreciation!

It ended pretty tidily so I don't expect a second volume of this, but I wouldn't say no to some special chapters in the future. A solid 4 stars from me.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat,, vol. 1 by Sakaomi Yuzaki

I can't believe how long it took me to read this after hearing about the live-action adaptation and the mangaka's Marriage Equality Charity Shop. My fiancee and I were passing through our local manga shop and I stumbled upon a copy of volume 1 by chance and snatched it up immediately.

First off: This title had so many relatable tidbits in it. I can't remember ever reading a manga, yuri or otherwise, where periods were discussed. There was also a conversation about the gender pay gap that had me nodding along vigorously. Nomoto recoiling at her male coworker's insistence that her cooking skills will make her a good wife or mother also hit home. Lesbian or not, that shit gets old.

The first volume was cute, relatable, and genuinely funny at times. I would have liked more romantic tension between our two leads—the overall tone reminded me a lot of I’m Kinda Chubby and I’m Your Hero where it was apparent why the title had run in a josei magazine rather than BL (or in this case, yuri) one. This is only volume 1, though, and there are at least three licensed. I'm excited to see how Nomoto and Kasuga's relationship evolves.

Now I just need to track down the drama...

Black or White, vol. 5 by Sachimo

I took a break from reading Black or White after devouring the first two volumes in one day (my brain does not like to cooperate with me). It was only during my reading slump that I decided to pick it back up again. Shin continues to be lovable while Shige continues to be a whole factory of red flags mistakenly painted white, but I'm enjoying the journey and the colorful cast of side characters. My enthusiasm for this series and Sachimo's writing has dulled sense those first two volumes, but it's still on track to make my Top Series of the Year list.

One thing I found interesting in volumes 4 & 5 are how easily the mangaka writes about prep and foreplay. Yes, Shige wholeheartedly disregards foreplay (and consent) without batting a lash, but talking about lube, douching, and stretching in a BL? We're a long ways away from the early days, comrades.

WATCHING 

The Eighth Sense (2023)

I hesitate to call this a BL because I don't believe I've ever seen the creators themselves refer to it as a such. There's a tendency in fandom, both live-action and not, to call anything featuring a relationship between men BL, and while I roll my eyes at creators who treat the BL label like a dirty word I do respect how creatives choose to categorize their works. However, it is in the BL cateogry on Viki and the social team has repeatedly referenced Viki in their posts, so I'll tentatively lable it that for now.

BL or not, The Eighth Sense was a beautiful series. A K-Drama with an indie darling feel? Revolutionary! I was also charmed by how open the directors were to fans and their feedback. They've dubbed the fandom "Free Birds" and regularly talk to them on Twitter and Insta. Really adds to that indie filmmaker feel.

The team has made allusions to there being more of the series, maybe a second season? They're currently auctioning off a prop from set to raise funds for their next move. I hope that move includes a boxset!

Unintentional Love Story (2023)

Listen: I can admit when I'm wrong. I took one look at Unintentional Love Story—the pleasant-looking cast of semi-familiar faces, the unassuming cover of the original webtoon, the by-the-numbers plot summary on MDL—and said "Nah, not for me." Korean BLs tend to get a little...overhyped in fandom. Whether it's a mix of K-Pop stan crossover, the spotless reputation of K-Dramas, or regularl weridos dubbing anything Korean to be superior, I had just had it. I mean, we all lived through the mediocrity that was Color Rush, and coming hot off the heels of the Individual Circumstances snoozefest I decided to save myself some grief and skip this one.

Big mistake!!!

If it wasn't for sheer boredom I never would have given this series a chance, meaning I never would have felt the warm fuzzies Wonyoung and Taejoong's relationship gave me. And I saw the return of Won Taemin who previously starred in my favorite Korean BL of all time (he plays a delinquent obsessed with a childhood friend, nice). I ended up loving this so much that I staretd (respectfully) spamming the official instagram account, begging for a boxset release. So far all that's been announced is the OST and a photobook, which I'll probably have to settle for. In my experience, Korea doesn't do physical releases as much as Japan or Thailand, and when they do it's usulaly from a Japanese licensor and without English subtitles. Yes, I am still upset about never owning an official copy of You Make Me Dance.

UPDATE: At the time of posting this the creators have announced they're selling the vase seen in the series. Prod teams will literally sell a vase before selling a boxset. Goodnight.

The End of the World With You (2023)

Did someone say "Toxic"? Bruh, this show. This show. Thetoxicity, the apocalypse, the fucking, the crying, the gender and sexuality reveals—this drama had everything. I first saw Seto Toshiki in Senpai, This Can't Be Love! which was... bad. And his performance wasn't exactly the greatest. I'm also not the biggest fan of end-of-the-world settings, so I had low expectations going into this thing. But it's based on a manga by Marukido Maki (the mind behind the manga series Pornographer which was adapted into a whirlwind multi-part drama series in 2018) so I was going to give it a go. I'm so glad I did. I only wish Japanese companies would include English subtitles on these kinds of releases because I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Jack O'Frost (2023)

Japan has been stepping up their BL drama game lately. The End Of The World With You, My Beautiful Man: Eternal, and Jack O'Frost are all contenders for the Top 5 2023 BL Drama list so far and it's only March! Jack O'Frost had little fanfare when it was announced so it almost slipped under the radar for me, but I quickly grew to love it. How cute are Kosuke Suzuki and Kyoya Honda? The 6-episode series, while shorter than the other Tunku Shower BLs, didn't result in a rushed or unfufilling ending. It wasn't perfect by any means, but damn if it didn't make me feel things.

ON REPEAT 

April was a little all over the place, but that's nothing new for me.

I've recently rediscovered my love of New Orleans Bounce—it tickles my brain. Katey Redd is an icon who makes me wish I could twerk (we need more Black Girls Who Can't Twerk representation anyway. That's my line and I am sticking to it).

NEATO 

I'm four months late to this hbomberguy video but it is a whirlwind. You can't guess where it ends up—or you could if you're more tapped into the video game world than I am. Highly recommend!

May 2023 Roundup

READING 

RUN AWAY WITH ME, GIRL V. 3 by BATTAN

The final volume in this series came out in early May and I devoured it in a day. RAWMG has already made it to my top 10 favorite manga series of the year. I connected with the characters, the story was captivating, and the art was gorgeous. It's a shame Battan doesn't write more yuri. I adore her style.

READING 

MY DEAR AGENT V. 1 by Ebino Bisque

I liked this more than I thought I would, and it was already right up my alley. Older Uke/Younger Seme? Suave playboy himbo subordinate pursuing uptight virginal tsundere senior? Oh, hell yeah. This was sweet with just a hint of spice and I utterly enjoyed myself the whole way through. Not even Tachibana looking like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction ruined this for me. I pre-ordered volume 2 before I'd even reached the end. Is it July yet?

WATCHING 

BE MY FAVORITE (2023)

I was skeptical, but excited, when Be My Favorite was announced. The concept seemed cool and I was intrigued by Krist pairing up with someone other than Singto, but him being paired with Mike was a head-scratcher. The teaser featuring them (which seems to have been removed) didn't inspire confidence in their chemistry, but I was optimistic anyhow. Then it was announced Gawin would be replacing Mike and I became all for it.

The first episode of Be My Favorite was damn near perfect. Not a ton of romance there, but it was funny and well-paced. I found Krist charming which is weird because I've never found him charming before. Currently the views are abysmal but fans predict they'll pick up now that Our Skyy 2 is wrapped.

Speaking of...

OUR SKYY 2 (2023)

I have a confession to make: I didn't watch all of the original Our Skyy. At the time I was just a baby drama watcher after all. I hadn't seen all of the series (and I still haven't...) so the appeal wasn't there for me.

Another confession: I didn't watch all of Our Skyy 2 either. For some, the storyline just didn't grab me (Vice Versa—kid storylines are like poison to me). For others, I just didn't care enough about the couples (Eclipse and Boss and a Babe). The completionist in me feels bad but the lazy person in me is fine with that.

My favorite episodes were the Bad Buddy/1000 Stars ones. I'll admit I was skeptical when they announced there would be a crossover but the set-up turned out to be plausible. What really made these eps special was the Phua/Tian engagement. All my 1000 stars feels came rushing back! A great end to an amazing story.

(Speaking of 1000 Stars: I posted this over on the microblog, but I finally got my hands on the 1000 Stars boxset! I got it secondhand and there's some light damage to the box, but I don't even care. I feel complete lol. I'm coming for you next, Bad Buddy)

ON REPEAT 

Sometimes I'm gobsmacked by how all over the place my music taste is. The real winner of this playlist is Fine Azz by KaMillion. The theme song for the new season of A Black Lady Sketch Show slaps but nothing will ever hit quite as hard as that song.

NEATO 

I recently discovered Intelexual Media and I'm obsessed. Not only is she intelligent, funny, and relatable, she's gorgeous, too.

Here are a few of the video I've binged from her channel:

Every time I see someone with braids I want braids even though I know I'll just want to change my hair again in a month. Every. Time.

June 2023 Roundup

READING 

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, vol. 2 by Sakaomi Yuzaki

After a slow--but adorable--start, She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat is picking up! Nomoto and Kasuga are so, so cute together. The flashback to Nomoto's sexual awakening was well done, too. I especially loved the Frog and Toad shoutout here.

This volume marks my first time seeing Yen Press put content warnings before chapters. The note warned of discriminatory language, so I braced for the worst, but it turned out to be a jokey bit about Nomoto making the mistake of googling "lesbian" without Safe Search on.

Volume 3 comes out in October and yes, I have already pre-ordered it.

My Dear Agent, vol. 1 by Ebino Bisque

The summary for this one got me from the get-go: Cold, seasoned tsundere meets hot-blooded, suave rookie? Sign me the fuck up. The art is also gorgeous. To top it all off, it won seventh place at Chil Chil's 2023 BL Awards. I can definitely see why. The story isn't anything spectacular, but that's made up for with the characters. I'm invested in the romance and already pre-ordered volume 2!

As a side note: TOKYOPOP has really stepped up their game with BL. They've come a long way.

WATCHING 

Tokyo in April Is... (2023)

The new MBS BL has dropped. This series is based on a manga by Haru, and from what I hear, it's a faithful adaptation--almost too faithful. That's a criticism I see of Japanese BL adaptations a lot. As a Western viewer, I usually only read a show's source material if it's licensed, and usually, they're licensed after the series has been completed. I can't weigh in on whether Tokyo in April is too by-the-book, but reading Old-Fashioned Cupcake) was like a rehash of the series but with bonus bits. Not that I'm complaining!

So far, Tokyo in April Is... is a pretty good. There's an air of mystery around the characters' shared past that's intriguing. MBS series have been pretty hit or miss, but this one seems like a potential hit.

Star Struck (2023)

What to say about...Star Struck

Star Struck joins the growing list of KBLs featuring K-Pp idols. Zuho of SF9 (great group btw) plays Yoojae, a frustrating character that even I couldn't get behind--and I love characters with shitty personalities! Kim Insung did a solid job as Hanjoon, but Zuho could do with some polishing.

I really wanted to like this not only because SF9 is a great group but because Zuho had to defend his involvement in this production. I wanted it to be worth putting himself out there for. Instead, we got a lackluster romance between two characters with zero chemistry and a rushed, unsatisfying ending.

As underwhelmed as I was with Zuho's acting, the potential was certainly there. I hope he continues exploring acting. If he winds up in another BL I hope it's a better story.

Love Mate (2023)

Love Mate was an unexpected gem. Cute, simple, and satisfying. I wasn't expecting much from it which is why I didn't watch it until June even though it wrapped up in May. I wouldn't say it's all that special either. The storyline is your basic romance suspension of belief plot (so you meet guys on Fantasy Grindr just to have someone to go on chaste first dates with? Right.) and there's a lot of This-Would-Be-Creepy-In-IRL-But-It's-Not-So-It's-Fine thrown in. But I found it charming. South Korea is notorious but not giving BL fans physical media, so I'm not expecting a DVD or boxset, but I would not mind owning this series.

ON REPEAT 

June was a fantastic month for music. EXO released 2 pre-release songs from their upcoming July album EXIST. This is their first full studio album since 2019. I'm so excited that every day is a struggle not to buy multiple copies of the photobook version. My EXO collection could handle it though...

SHINEE also had a new album release with HARD. Talk about an unskippable album! I easily could have put this entire album on my June 2023 roundup, but I showed restraint but picking only 2.

XG announced a mini album--finally--and blessed our ears with the pre-release song GIRL GVNG. I have no notes! This shit slaps! I can't wait to own an actual, physical XG album. I don't know when we'll get a full album, but given how hyped everyone is I have my fingers crossed for a North America tour.

Yeah, June had me winning fr

In addition to all the new music, I also went back back back to some oldies. Do you remember how much of an absolute banger Dream's He Loves You Not was? Iconic.

NEATO 

Now, I have a soft spot in my heart for raunchy comedies when done right; I saw Booksmart twice in theaters, and I own both Neighbors movies on Blu-ray. So when I learned there was a movie about two lesbians starting a fight club to hook-up with cheerleaders, I was all in on that shit.

It doesn't come out until August, but it looks so fun. It's nice to get excited about movies again. Super Mario Brothers Movie, Barbie, Oppenheimer, and now this. Blessed.

July 2023 Roundup

READING 

My Dear Agent, vol. 2 by Ebino Bisque

I loved the first volume of My Dear Agent and pre-ordered the second volume before I'd even finished. Volume 2 did not disappoint! Well, for the most part; communication issues are still annoying even when it's technologies fault!

Riichi and Tachibana have earned a place on my favorite pairing list. I may or may not have immediately ordered a standee of them after finishing this one...

The Summer Hikaru Died, vol. 1 by Mokumokuren

The first I'd heard about this manga was a post declaring it was the most popular manga among Japanese men in 2023 Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2023. A queer horror manga being popular among men? I was intrigued. When Yen Press licensed it I pre-ordered it and forgot about it until it came in.

Volume 1 is a top contender for my favorite manga of 2023.

The creepy rural setting, the feeling of unease on every page, The Thing That Isn't Hikaru's obsessive devotion to Yoshiki—it's all so good. Volume 2 has been pre-ordered. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, vol. 1-3 by Mokumokuren

I've known about this manga for a while but it never piqued my interest. I'm not a fighting game fan, and early reviews weren't that positive. I finally picked up volume 1 at a bookstore after I'd ran out of things to read while visiting my parents. I think went back to that bookstore the very same day to pick up the rest of the volumes.

Yes, Young Ladies is heavy on the fighting games—the mangaka wrote that in addition to a childhood of fighting game experience she also listens to streamers while drawing—but that doens't distract from the story. A lot of pages are spent explaining jargon for laymen so it obviously wasn't created with superfans in mind, even if the tournaments and sessions go on longer than they probably should. As with most licensed yuri, the yuri aspect is more about yearning and romantic friendships than actual romance, which is a little frustrating. But honestly? I wasn't expecting too much in that department

This series is cute, funny, and informative. A live-action adaptation was announced but appears to be running into some issues. I hope it gets worked out. I'd love to see this on the big screen!

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, vol. 1 by MXTX

It took me a while to "get" danmei

When Seven Seas announced they were licenseing MXTX novels, I joined the happy chorus. More BL is always a plus, and more global BL is just fantastic.

But I wasn't really a danmei fan before. I watched one ep of The Untamed before my attention drifted elsewhere, and I didn't even make it through the full first ep of Word of Honor. In my defense, paying attention to anything with new-to-me systems to learn was virtually impossible. I read so little at the time that it really couldn't be helped.

That didn't stop me from pre-ordering all three volume 1s of the MXTX novels. They were a part of BL history, how could I not? When they came in I started with MDZS as was suggested... and I couldn't commit. Then I moved on to TGCF... and the same thing happened. I was told that SVSSS was the least popular of her novels, so by that point I just gave up and left those 3 volumes to collect dust on my shelf. This was in 2021.

Fast-forard to 2023. I don't have as many issues with my attention, but the world is an absolut shitshow. More than usual, anyway. I'm in desperate need of some quality escapism, so I dive headfirst into books and manga. After exhausting all of those, I finally pull SVSSS off my shelf. And it fucking grabs me by page 3.

I'm mad it took me this long to read it, but I'm also aware that I wouldn't've had the spoons to give it due at the time. Instead I'm choosing to focus on what a fun ride this is already. I love meta and humor. This is perfect for me. Plus, the meta nature of it allows me to learn more about cultivation and Chinese literature conventions in an accessible way.

And yes, I am on the hunt for SVSSS merch. My shelf could really use a standee or two...

WATCHING 

The Glory (2023)

The Glory: 9/10

The Glory if there had been 45% less Yeojung: 10/10

WATCHING 

Bloodhounds (2023)

Bloodhounds just might hold the spot for Best Bromance of 2023.

There's no romance in this series! None! No, not even a tiny little side one! How refreshing!

It was also really nice to see Choi Siwon get his shit rocked. A+ drama, would recommend.

Hidden Agenda (2023)

JoongDunk are back again!

JoongDunk are far from being my favorite Imaginary Couple, but I have a soft spot for them. It's weird because I didn't find Star in My Mind all that good (it just barely misses being bad) and I don't keep up with them personally. I think my positive feelings stem from them being one of the few GMM couples to kiss like normal people whose fight or flight responses are triggered by being in a man's presence cough. So yeah. I want good things for them.

The first two eps of Hidden Agenda didn't not spell good things. I found their acting kind of awkward and stilted. They've hit their stride since then and the last two eps have been entertaining. It's also just nice to see GMM putting BLs in non-Friday slots so we get more a week. It's the least they can do since BLs have the shortest number of episodes.

ON REPEAT 

Not a lot of new music in July, but I'm very pleased with my On Repeat.

Every time I listen to EXO's Exist album I find something new to love. Regret It and Another Door have been added to my morning routine because of how hype they ge tme. I'm bitter that we likely won't get a repackage for this album (it's only 9 songs ugh) but I do love what we got.

SB19's I Want You, despite being purely babymaking music, has become a regularly part of my work day. I don't know what it is about this song that tickles all the right parts of my brain; maybe how clasically RnB it is? How fully they commit to their Usher-NeYo-Ray J bit? I don't know, but I hope they make more like it.

July was a time for RnB feel all around: Poison by NCT Dream, Invitation by Junny and Gaeko, and these EXO B-sides were in heavy rotation.

My love of TikTok viral hits (despite not having a functioninig TikTok account) continues with You Wish by Flyana Boss (great name). The girls have also been seen repping canonbuds merch, showing their weeb side. I hope they go far!

NEATO 

Barbie was amazing. I loved it so much I saw it twice in theaters. Just campy in the best way possible. I am 100% going to be one of those people that dress liek Mojo Dojo Casa House Ken on Halloween (I never doubted you, Ryan Gosling!). I'm so glad it did numbers. I can't wait to own this on Blu-ray.

August 2023 Roundup

READING 

Happy of the end, vol. 2 by Ogeretsu Tanaka

KUMA had some concerning some production problems starting in summer where release dates were getting pushed back significantly. Happy of the End #2 was one of the victims of these delays. My pre-order release date went from June/July to a tentative August. When people complained on Twitter they were told that some places surely had it and to just be patient. They didn't even put out an official announcement of what the heck was actually going.

So it took me almost 2 months past the promised release date to pick up on what has quickly become my favorite OT title. I love this series more than anything (licensed) she's ever put out. The irreverent eroticism of Yarichin, while enjoyable, doesn't hold a candle to the lovely ache Chihiro and Keito's story gives me. Volume 2 left off on a cliffhanger and it genuinely pains me that I'll have to wait an uncertain amount of time to read the resolution.

We're only 2 volumes in but this is already a 10/10 series.

Eiji and Shiro: From Zeroes to Heroes by Kaya Azuma

Eiji and Shiro was another KUMA casualty. I wasn't looking forward to it was much as HotE, so I didn't actually keep up with its updated release date until I saw it on the shelf of my local manga shop. The main story is about two background characters who try to become main characters through engaging in BL tropes. Despite meta BL humor being right up my alley this story only managed to get a few chuckles out of me, but I wasn't super disappointed for the price.

Eiji and Shiro are on the cover and in the blurb, but I didn't know beforehand this would be an anthology. Eiji and Shiro and their connected characters are peppered throughout but the real star of this anthology is about two half-brothers who reconnect in college. That's right: We got explicit, blood-related brocest in a licensed BL manga. The story itself? Kind of mid, but it's the implication that makes it so damn good.

Also feautring the worst story I've read in a while about a teacher who makes it his mission to check up on a previously straight-A student who has stopped coming to school. Long, convuluted story short, the teacher ends up raping the student and said student gets revenge by repeatedly raping the teacher after re-enrolling. Then they fall in love, because of course they do. It's not darkfic done right, and it feels super out of place in what is otherwise a pretty light anthology. I mean, who would have thought they'd get that after picking up a manga with that cover and blurb?

This was my first manga by Kaya Azuma, and I'm not totally put off that I won't read anything else by her. Another title by her, Training Mister Sakurada, has been licensed by Seven Seas. The description tells me this title isn't quite for me, but I'll likely end up borrowing it from one of my more sadistic kink-inclined friends to give her a second chance. She did give me licensed, English language brocest after all.

Megumi & Tsugumi, vol. 3 by Mitsuru Si

I originally read Megumi & Tsugumi on Renta back in the day. Then there were only a couple of chapters but I instantlly fell in love with the story: (stupid) delinquent omega x (soft) delinquent alpha? Sign me the fuck up. That's why I was ecstatic when SuBLime licensed it for print.

After picking up volume 3 I can safely say Megumi & Tsugumi is on track to becoming my favorite BL manga series of all time. The humor and sex scens are impeccable, but the emotion and commentary are on point as well.

WATCHING 

The Afterparty, season 2 (2023)

I watched the first season of Afterparty on a whim while trying to get the most out of my free Apple TV+ trial and I instantly fell in love with it. It combined two of my favorite things: comedy and murder mysteries. The series has a Rashomon-style set where the same incident s told through multiple perspectives, which each revealing a little extra piece of the puzzle.

Season 2 didn't have the same punch as Season 1 (where I legitimately did not see the culprit coming). This season left me guessing, but not in the fun way. The creators even launched a fake wedding website and crossword puzzles in line with this season's plot. The extra stuff felt like a distraction and, from what I've seen on the Afterparty subreddit, didn't really lead anywhere. I did love the "Mind Movies" remix in this season, though. The anachronistic Pride & Prejudice parody is probably my favorite.

Bottoms (2023)

I talked about Bottoms and my excitement for it in last month's round-up. I got to see it on opening day and at my favorite movie theater (who have finally, FINALLY, brought back their iconic buffalo wings). I love a good raunchy comedy, and centering on lesbians? There was no way I wasn't going to make a whole day of it.

Bottoms was solidly good that got more than a few genuine laughs out of me. I appreciate that they didn't go the cliche romantic route with who ended up with whom. Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott were amazing and the whole cast was just charming. I have my quibbles with the movie, but overall it's earned it's place in my Physical Media collection.

ON REPEAT 

A friend of my reminded me of my Jrock fan days by pulling up An Cafe's Escapsim ("Sub Esp" ah, the glory days of being a fan of any Japanese media). This prompted me to look up my old LiveJournal and, god. I was an insufferable little brat back then lol.

"Two Black Keys song to start the playlist? Was August okay, TC?" Yeah, I'm just always like that.