BLazed Passion Part5

2013 has been a turning point for great Boys’ Love manga to get published. The fruits of that labour are just recently being collected, since the titles we’re about to delve into have been turning into anime 6-10 years after their debut. I can’t say the same for Girls’ Love stories, unfortunately, but here’s to hoping (CITRUS feeds on old fanservicey tropes and I find Blooming into You problematic here and there). But let’s be grateful for what we’ve been blessed so far. We’re making such huge progress~ These are stories of teens and young adults who venture into gay relationships, they mess things up then stand up again to attain happiness with their special person.

Diving Into The Mysterious- Notes on Children of the Sea

Children of the Sea holds a special place in my heart but as it is relatively niche, it’s rarely discussed. Back in the 2010s, the golden era of aniblogging, before anime analysis got dispersed in YouTube, other social media and big for profit platforms, the interaction between the content creator and the commenters was more meaningful, allowing for exchange of ideas and viewpoints, furthering the discourse. Therefore, when I came across the perspectives of fellow anime fans, @fathomlessblue and @AJtheFourth, I was more than elated, because going back to something you love to reexamine details, challenges your mind and gives birth to new facets of appreciation. Here I reconstruct their opinions, argue against certain misconceptions and elaborate on the finer details of this masterpiece.

If you had questions about the film, this post has the answers.

WARNING FOR SPOILERS for both the anime and the manga.

Women supporting women in the manga of Kaoru Mori and Mari Okazaki

We live in a society, where, especially girls, grow up hating their looks because that’s profitable for capitalism. They turn into insecure individuals in a heteronormative model where they are implicitly told to compete. Add in to the mix the hectic life of the modern city person on top of women’s domestic responsibilities, and healthy socialisation looks farfetched. It’s no wonder then that the image of adult female friendship is weak and when it’s present, it’s perceived as either pretentious and malicious or gossipy and superficial.

When josei manga, that usually deal with romance and work, also feature women who support fellow women, it’s a sight to behold.

The art of Mari Okazaki

There are few mangaka that can capture one’s heart wholly, both with their stories and their stunning artstyle, and Okazaki Mari is definitely one of them for me. She hasn’t been given the required attention in the West, partially due to the unfortunate release circumstances of some of her titles under Tokyopop. Follow me to learn why she deserves the spotlight.

All My Darling Daughters review

All my darling daughters is a collection of five short stories that weave a complex tapestry exploring the important emotional relationships in women’s lives.

Leyla Alert, Editorial Manager, VIZ Media

Light & Darkness: Feminist Narratives by Tomoko Yamashita

Left: Ikoku Nikki (Different Country Diary, 2017); Right: Hibari no Asa (Morning of the Lark, 2011)

Tomoko Yamashita is the kind of writer who writes what she wants. In other words, she’s unconventional and unpredictable. Even her early works that are Boys’ Love are relationship explorations that defy cheesy or tragic conventions. Three years after her debut, she started trying her hand in stories for other demographics: be it shoujo, seinen or josei, her pen crafts very real portraits of breathing-like humans. Nevertheless, not all her stories are equally captivating for everyone and her art suffers from speech bubble clarity occasionally, while her anthologies tend to be filled with similarly looking characters.

If one wants her most solid works, the pinnacles of her craft are these two opposing in atmosphere titles: Hibari no Asa, the painful story of objectification and negligence of a teenager, and Ikoku Nikki, a tender story of growing up and growing together. Both have at their heart women’s voices but they aren’t limited to them, including multiple perspectives to complete the “picture”.

Glorious Love – Part 6

Some of this niche’s best, two of which are already published in English!