As someone who spends a lot of time in Japanese 女性向け (joseimuke, or female-oriented) spaces and also consumes a lot of BL, one thing I really enjoy is how BL manga very frequently reflects what’s going on in those circles—what themes are popular, what fashions are getting big, social concerns women are dealing with (have you ever wondered why JP Omegaverse is significantly more about social issues than hot breeding kink sex…?), etc. But it’s not just these themes and styles, but overarching trends in popular culture that suddenly start showing up as well. And in this case, the one I want to talk about is:
Vtubers.
I’m not super open about it, but I’ｍ a Vtuber fan. I’m not as big into them as I used to be—back during the pandemic it was my (and many other people’s, I believe) main fandom. My cat is named after Saegusa Akina. I cried so hard and for so long on the day Mayuzumi Kai graduated that I wished I could call into work the next day but instead went in looking like I’d been punched in the face. I attended the Nijirock concert back in 2021 as well as Fantasia in 2022. Unfortunately, I’m not super acquainted with the newer gens, and I have much less time to watch them now that we no longer work from home, but Vtubers and streamers still hold a special place in my heart for making living alone during the pandemic significantly more bearable.
And the fun thing for me is that many BL mangaka seem to feel the same. When they aren’t drawing Vtuber fanart on their side accounts, BL manga about streamers (and Vtubers to a lesser degree) has exploded in the last couple years, so I wanted to write about the collision of these two things I love.
BL Trends
From the time I first gave my soul over to the gods of BL in the early 2000s, I’ve seen many a trend come and go. I remember when single dads were all the rage around the time of Haruko Kumota‘s debut, and how muscular dudes got super popular during the rise of authors like Sakira to the point where Asia Watanabe and Reibun Ike‘s seme (and sometimes uke) characters just kept getting bigger and buffer. This also gave rise to the “seme vs seme” trend (my personal least favorite of all time, unsurprisingly) which was all about masculine guys fighting for dominance over who gets to top.
I remember when Omegaverse just hit the scene and was initially relegated to the Fusion Product Omegaverse anthology series (please click all of those because the covers are stunning) before it exploded and completely took over the genre, splintering into Sub/Dom and Cakeverse. Then, of course, we had the massive trend of beast people being incredibly popular over the last few years, riding on the coattails of the same “animalistic” themes that Omegaverse popularized—just now with visual animal characteristics.
All of these trends are usually tied to something. For instance, the giant boom in idol-related BL drew from the heyday of Arashi and other idol music through the 2010s as well as the explosion of アイドル育成 (idol ikusei, or idol-raising) games like Ensemble Stars, Idolish7, Idol Master: Side M, B-Project (r.i.p.) and—the OG—Uta no Prince-sama. When there’s a popular shonen manga about delinquents, suddenly there will be a wealth of BL about delinquents. Jiraikei is currently popular, so it’s reflected in BL through the styles the characters wear, the reemergence of hosts as a common theme (because jiraikei is tied to Kabukichou nightlife), as well as menhera (mentally unwell) characters and darker story beats about sex work, mental health, and trauma.
Now, Vtubers have been all the rage in otaku (and even normie) circles for a good three years or so, and that’s slowly starting to be reflected in the BL being released.
Vtubers
I suppose, I should probably talk a little bit about Vtubers for those who aren’t particularly familiar. Virtual YouTubers, also known as Vtubers, have been around since the early 2010s but were popularized by acts like Kizuna AI. While their popularity was mostly relegated to Japan and particularly hardcore weebs, in the 2020s Vtubers started catching on the West as clips of Inugami Korone’s English-only Mario streams started making the rounds, followed by the release of Hololive EN. Because of this, Hololive exploded in popularity, followed by acts like VShojo and Nijisanji (my oshi…). There are now a vast number of indies as well as Vtuber start-ups—so many, in fact, that it would be impossible to name them all here.
Vtubers are great because they anime-ify streamers, removing some of the discomfort of stanning some random dude you’ve found on the internet. Vtubers usually use “kayfabe” personalities with fake, often fantastical, backstories in order to distance the character from their real selves. So while they also get the benefit of protecting their anonymity, it’s like you’re watching an anime character in real time, chatting with you, playing games, having inside jokes with their friends, etc. Win-win.
Although there are also some more unique Vtuber designs, such as dragons or animals or horrifying monsters, the fact that most Vtubers have cute, anime-like avatars also means they’re highly popular with otaku and those susceptible to moe. But it’s not just the anime art styles that draw in otaku—according to Weplay Holding’s article on the rise of Vtubers: “VTubing bundled idols and anime, appealing to an audience of two huge fan bases in Japan at once.” In their self-introductions, Vtubers often include their favorite foods, their favorite media, and lots of information to make them relatable and appealing to the audience. For instance, for my oshi Saegusa Akina: he’s a bi disaster who likes cats, he likes to play video games, and he has a lot of trouble relating to other people. A man out for my own gay heart.
So, you have these anime-ified personalities and talents with really cute designs, who often stream for hours and hours on end just chatting or playing Fall Guys or building bizarre masterpieces in Minecraft. And mangaka work a job where they’re often alone in their room quietly drawing for the entire day. So, it just makes sense that Vtubers and online streamers would be a media that many mangaka are drawn to.
Vtubers in BL
The streamer takeover in BL started slow. Initially, it came in the form of characters who just looked suspiciously like incredibly popular Vtuber personalities, like Kuzuha and Kanae. As Vtubers started really taking off, though, people started following more and more different names, and it started being more about the actual concept of being a streamer or Vtuber rather than just basing characters off the top acts. Suddenly, characters would mention liking Vtubers, and watching them. But next thing you knew, the characters actually were Vtubers.
According to ChillChill, there are currently only seven titles on the market where the main characters are Vtubers. Which is way less than I’d expected when I looked it up. However, I think it’s actually much higher—it’s just that the actual “Vtuber” tag is so new, that some Vtuber series are only tagged with the 配信者 (haishinsha/streamer) tag. For instance, if you check the 配信者 tag, the following titles are actually about Vtubers—and these are only the ones I already know of:
Virtual-kun wa Otonari-san kara Nigetai
Babiniku Oniisan ha Suki desu ka?
And then this one is also about Vtubers, but it’s not on the Vtuber tag or the 配信者 tag because it’s instead tagged with 動画配信 (douga haishin/video streaming):
Usotsuki Yuri Haishin, Buchikamasarete Naku
As you can see, the concept is still too new for there to be one specific tag they’re all categorized under. As Vtubers continue to gain popularity and move into the mainstream, I’m sure the categorization will become much more streamlined.
You can tell that, in particular, a lot of new and younger artists are entering the BL publishing space interested in telling stories about Vtubers and streamers. Which I guess makes sense since Vtubers are, by and large, considered a relatively youth phenomenon on a global scale.
Anyway, of course this leads to: Vtuber and streamer BL recommendations.
On Renta!:
Do You Like Virtual Cuties I.R.L.?
by Rui Menno
A very cute, heartwarming story about Haruka, a gay man who’s so traumatized by his past relationship that, in order to cope, he takes on the persona of a cutesy female Vtuber so he can soak in the praise from his male audience. When Sunao, an attractive and incredibly attentive college student moves in next door, Haruka tries to hide his Vtuber persona as well as his past, but Sunao is openly interested in him and ready to accept all that he has to offer. I really love this one—the art is so expressive and cute, and Haruka deserves all the happiness in the world.
Note: this one was super hard to localize since the concept of バ美肉 (babiniku, or a man who takes on a female persona/avatar), coming from the phrase バーチャル美少女受肉 (virtual bishoujo juniku, or virtual beautiful girl incarnation), is really only known in Vtuber spaces. It doesn’t have to be a man trying to trick people into thinking he’s a cute girl while streaming—a lot of popular babiniku don’t use a voice changer and are openly male, such as illustrator and hentai artist Ito Life. They just want to look like a cute girl since… well… they like them.
Yuri on Livestream, Yaoi Behind the Screen
by akimitsu
Sick of being a background character on stage and hoping to up his acting credentials, Subaru decides to start streaming under the female Vtuber persona Lilim Akahoshi. When super popular Vtuber Mizuki DMs him suggesting a yuri collab, even though they’re both men behind the scenes Subaru can’t help but get excited at the thought of sexy collab with someone so cool and professional. However, when he meets up for Mizuki for their big day, it turns about Mizuki is actually Ryunosuke—annoyingly popular and talented fellow actor, and Subaru’s sworn rival!
Highly recommend for people who like both BL and GL, since the artist draws their female avatars going at it during the stream as Subaru and Ryunosuke are fooling around.
SHOCK! My Favorite Online Beauty Streamer Showed Up at My Work, and What Happened Next…
by Uri
Harumi is an otaku and makeup consultant, but because of his intense personality, masculine features, and poor customer service skills, most women who come to their shop are terrified of him. When his favorite crossdressing beauty guru comes into the store, though, he does his best to sell him the perfect lipstick. This chance encounter leads to them growing closer in business and in friendship, and possibly also…? 
This is a particularly cute and relatable story to read as an otaku, because Harumi is a huge nerd when it comes to makeup but especially when it comes to Sakaki. I feel for the person who had to translate his 早口, or hayakuchi, the tendency of otaku to talk a mile a minute when explaining or gushing over something they’re super passionate about. (For a cute example of this, please listen to Genshin Impact Heizou’s Japanese VA discuss his Fontaine oshi.)
I Caught Him Getting Off Online!
by Megane
While watching dirty streams to jerk off, Hayato finds himself surprisingly drawn to a stream of another man masturbating. When he goes in to work the next day, he realizes his coworker Mamiya just happens to have two moles on his hand in the exact spot as the man from the night before. Thus starts his rocky relationship assisting Mamiya with his livestreams, all the while falling for the cold and aloof erotic streamer.
For those who like the kuudere/tsundere archetype, Mamiya is just 
. He’s so cute, and while this series is definitely very sexy, it’s equally satisfying on an emotional level to see him slowly opening up to Hayato and realizing that relationships are a two-way street.
Private Live Streaming
by Reo Ohno
I think I already made it clear I love this series in my Cat Day post, but since it’s about streamers I can push it here as well. 
Jun Kanamori is the president of the video game club as his university. Having worked hard to polish his appearance and hone his social skills to rise above the other nerds and be seen as popular, approachable, and—most importantly—someone people want around, he doesn’t take kindly to some new hot, arrogant guy coming in and trying to push him aside.
When this new hot guy, Sota, happens to find out Jun does sexy streams of himself jerking off to help boost his ego, Sota won’t leave him alone. “You just make me want to tease you,” he keeps claiming—but this isn’t the kind of attention and affection Jun wants! Or… is it?
This story actually has a lot of really cute moments about overcoming trauma and learning how to open yourself to real, actual love and affection, and it’s really good so please give it a try! Also I met the mangaka at J.GARDEN 55 and she was lovely!
I’m Going To Eat You To The Bone
by maria
This isn’t a manga about streamers or Vtubers so much as it just has a single scene of Anna, Ref’s love interest (if you can call it that…) streaming in jiraikei clothes, which leads to a lot nods to highly online jokes and then strange crossdressing sex. This was also quite tricky to localize, since the dialogue made a lot of references that only knowing the full background of jiraikei would make understandable… 
The spinoff of the hit BL gore/comedy series Captured By The Masked Murderer -Okay, We’ll Get Cozy… Just Don’t Kill Me!, this series follows Ref as he sloooooowly comes around to having Anna by his side. Equally as quirky, strange, and cartoonishly gore-y as its predecessor, please go into this one with your stomach and heart fully prepared. (No, that’s not a cannibalism pun.)
Would You Let Me Support You With Money And Love? -Lessons About Pleasure With the No. 1 Host-
by Kazu Akizuki
Ayumu is a struggling stageplay actor who also streams on the side to boost his finances and get his name out there. He has one specific viewer in particular, “Eleven,” who’s constantly throwing red superchats his direction—yep, the ones that are worth hundreds. When Ayumu needs to improve his sex appeal to take on a steamy role, he goes to a host club to see how they charm their customers. However, unbeknownst to him, “Eleven” AKA Jun just so happens to be working at that exact host club, and is more than happy to teach Ayumu his ways in the bedroom.
A surprisingly cute story—it’s nice to see a host who’s flustered and in love, since they’re usually portrayed as really aloof and cool. Both characters are just so charming and passionate about their respective interests (acting for Ayumu, and Ayumu for Jun) that it really makes you want to root for them.
Coming to Renta!:
Oshikake Inma-kun to XL Size no Shachiku-san
by Miyako
A really cute story about an incubus who can’t get it up. Because of trauma around being told he sucks in bed by women, incubus Ruki seeks out gay ero streamer “N-kun,” deciding he’ll just specialize in bottoming while training under N-kun’s rock-hard dong. Unfortunately, I believe this series is still quite a ways out, but I hope everyone is looking forward to it! It’s also a 2024 ChillChill Awards nominee under “Up-And-Coming”!
Gachikoi Anti ni Gochui wo
by Hina Inami
A BL that explores the idea that, sometimes, antis are more obsessed than fans. ASMR streamer “Shirayuki” spends his evenings whispering sweet nothings into the ears of his listeners, afterwards lapping up all the adoration they post online. However, he has one incredibly dedicated anti he can’t stop wondering about… A rather dark story about the lengths obsessed “fans” will go to get near their favorite online personalities. Unfortunately, this one is also a ways from going live.
Kyou mo Kimi ga Toutoi
by Hiiro
This one should hopefully be coming soon! A cute story about content creator Natsuhiko who streams himself exploring haunted areas with his friend, only to find one of the houses isn’t abandoned after all—popular model and personality Yukiharu happens to be living there. It just turns out that Natsuhiko is a massive fan of Yukiharu and has been following him since his first photo went viral. But, what if Yukiharu is also secretly a fan of Natsuhiko?
Other Recommendations:
Heat x Beat: A Shut-In Omega Becomes an Idol!
by Ken Homerun
This is a continuation to the adorable Ken Homerun series Heat x Beat: I May Be an Omega, but I’m Going to Be an Idol! It’s localized by our partners at TOKYOPOP, but we unfortunately can’t have it on Renta!’s site due to the decensoring being against Japanese guidelines. Sorry. The first volume isn’t about streamers, but I still recommend checking out both volumes regardless since Ken Homerun’s art is beyond stunning and she always writes really sweet characters.
Minami-kun wa Sono Koe ni Jirasaretai
by Coco Aino
It’s been a while since I had the chance to talk about Coco Aino on the blog, but I absolutely love this manga. I mentioned it briefly in my Coco Aino artist spotlight, but it’s about a boyfriend ASMR streamer, Koudai, who’s been struggling to get his channel off the ground because there’s no passion behind it. In reality, he’s never dated anyone before, nor does he even have any friends—always seen as the “gloomy” one due to his inexpressive face, he’s slowly become more and more reclusive. He’s jealous of his bright, happy classmates who all seem to excel at socializing.
When one classmate, Minami, seems uncomfortable sharing a classroom with him, very much the type to always blame himself, Koudai is happy to leave for Minami’s sake. However, when Minami drops his phone, it turns out he’s actually “Melon Latte,” one of Koudai’s most dedicated listeners. After collecting himself, Minami suddenly blurts out “If you delete your channel, I won’t be able to get off!”
It’s really sexy in Coco Aino’s signature way, but the manga itself also deals very heavily with Koudai healing from his trauma and self-confidence issues, so it’s just a very charming and satisfying read. Hopefully this one can be brought to an English audience soon!
Furetai Shisen
by Pimi-chan
A very, very sexy comic about an ero streamer named Shion. Stunningly sensual Shion makes good money touching himself on stream, but it’s not necessarily anything to write home about. When a random stranger comes up to him and asks if he’s the Shion, Shion originally thinks he’s being approached by some perverted fan. However, rather than coming on to him, this fan has a proposition: if Shion is willing to let him direct, he knows just what to do to make Shion way more money than he already does.
While the intention is just to help with directing, and the fan—Takehito—originally rejects Shion’s advances no matter how hard he gets during the streams, their relationship slowly morphs into one of give and take: Takehito directs Shion’s streams to help him cash in, and Shion relieves Takehito of all the pent-up lust afterward. However, Shion slowly finds himself catching feelings—which isn’t good, since while Takehito definitely desires his body, this is nothing more than a business transaction.
The story for this one is super simple, but Pimi-chan’s art is unbelievable smooth and clean and beautiful, so if you’re similar to me and you just like looking at very beautifully-crafted bodies, I can’t recommend this enough.
Senpai, Naka Misete
by Okita Yuuho
The crème de la crème of Vtuber BL, both in terms of having Vtubers as the main characters, and in terms of knowing the culture really well. This manga is centered on Haruki, who’s essentially been rejected by the world his whole life. He’s uncomfortable being around others, insecure in social situations, and overall a recluse and a shut-in—an 陰キャラ, or inkya, someone who’s quite negative and introverted. Only when he’s performing as his Vtuber persona can he LARP as a positive, outgoing, friendly person. When, against his better judgement, he agrees to an offline meetup with fellow Vtuber Yuu, he’s struck by how friendly and outgoing the other man is—to the point where even Haruki feels comfortable around him.
However, Vtubers are still idols and they still belong to their fans. So while fans initially ship the two as they grow closer and constantly collab, they won’t be quite so supportive if they know just how intimate the two are getting behind the scenes.
I really really really love this manga, to the point where I would dedicate my life to Okita Yuuho. Thankfully the series is so popular that it got a continuation, so I’ll have more and more of these two to come. But Haruki is adorable, and his struggles with social anxiety and fitting in are incredibly relatable to those of us who weren’t gifted with amazing social skills. I just love him and want what’s best for him, and am so glad he found Yuu. Also, this manga is a wonderful love letter to Vtubing—all the way down to the janky way the models move (and how they “shut down” whenever Haruki and Yuu start making out since they’re blocking the motion sensor), the worst and best parts of the fandom, and the mental struggles of a life sitting in your own home in front of the computer, alone, all day, every day.
Anyway, those are my top pics for BL about Vtuber and streamer culture! Are any of you guys fans of Vtubers? Who are your favs? Thankfully, there are also quite a few Vtubers who are just fans of BL, and are willing to chat about it in their streams. (Fulgur Ovid comes to mind, as he did a collab with Futekiya in the past! If you understand Japanese, there’s also a whole group of Nijisanji streamers who talk frequently about their BL preferences.) Also, some BL mangaka are also Vtubers: Waco Wacoco (author of Princess Top) comes to mind, as well as Gomouriki (author of the smash-hit My Quiet Best Friend’s Just Tongue-Tied). They do live-drawing but also play games (Gomouriki is currently playing Star Rail… good taste…) and do free chats just like any other streamer.
Please let me know if you have any streamer/Vtuber BL to recommend, or if you have any streamers I should watch!
rentaBLog 