rentaBLog

The good, the dark and the gritty: omegaverse

Blooming cherry blossoms be damned, Japan has been in a rainy mood lately. It’s probably the kind of situation when most people would like to indulge in something uplifting, like a comedy or happy song; but, if you’re anything like me, you prefer to consume media that affirm the rainy season tenfold. That’s sometimes the appeal of sad, dark stories, after all. Which is why this humble purveyor of angst embarked on another exploration through the Renta! catalog, not to find our many cute, sweet, domestic, sexy omegaverse manga, but the stuff that shows people utterly under the thumb of a society governed by biological urges.

Which means of course, here’s a hefty content warning for the most ruthless things omegaverse might offer—if you’re looking for something to scatter the rainclouds rather than darken them, how about Sou’s April Fool’s post?

BL Event Report!: ChillChill Festival 2024

On April 6th, Sou and I had the honor of attending two separate talks at ChillChill Festival! What is ChillChill Festival? What did the talks entail? And why the heck were we able to go? Read on and you’ll find out!

『✈️旅するBL🚂〜ちるちるフェスティバル２０２４〜🚢』
役者の皆様、登壇いただきました先生方、スタッフさん、大変お世話になりました！

3日間の旅を終え帰路へ…
ご来場ありがとうございました♪
ヽ(〃∀〃)ﾉ

色んな経験、体験、お話、
特等席で堪能できて……
脳汁ぶわぁぁあ:*+.(( °∀° )).:+ pic.twitter.com/U3jGv8U9yL
— 波多野和俊 (@_mikex_) April 7, 2024

On a Friday in mid-March, our coworker Snow (also a participant in the Renta! Staff BL Awards 2023) suddenly approached me after the weekly company-wide meeting and asked if I’d heard of “ChillChill Festival.” Spurred on by my confused post-hour-long-meeting look, she brought up the event page and told me tickets were available through work, since our main Japanese branch is a sponsor of the ChillChill BL Awards. We were allowed to pick two talks, and attend them with one friend if we so desired.

While I would have loved to bring my friend Merry (interviewed on the BLog here), she was unable to come. So, I was thinking I’d go alone—until I brought it up with Sou. Since they’re also a huge fan of Kishimoto-sensei (we discuss her adorable tweets regularly), they said they’d be interested in coming with. Thus, I requested two tickets each for “Discussing the Frontlines of BL Trends” (BLトレンド最前線を語る) featuring Kishimoto, Satou Sugar, and Teku Rin, and “BL Fetishism in the Reiwa Era” (令和のBLフェティシズム) featuring Okita Yuuho, Nikuya Inui, bov, and Yukiharu.

However, before we go into the day of the actual event, let’s discuss ChillChill, and the history of ChillChill Festival!

A love-letter to fanfic

Fanfiction. Fanart. Fan-works. Fandoms.

A great deal of discussion has been carried out over the cringe-ness and the legitimacy of fan creations, with many voicing discontent. Admittedly, that’s partly why writing this was kinda difficult, since I wasn’t sure what sort of feelings to pour into this; but eventually, I decided I wanted this to be a love-letter to the fans that comprise fandoms and keep the excitement for stories alive through their non-profitable, for-the-love-of-the-game work.

This is especially true when it comes to manga and BL, of course.

Artist Spotlight: Kaoru Watanabe

Kaoru Watanabe’s work was first introduced to me through my job at Renta!, quite early in my career here. When I was first assigned her I Might Be Your Fan, But I’ll Never Fall For you!, my first impression was that her art is incredibly unique and beautiful, but her characters weren’t necessarily to my tastes. However, after starting to read it, I was hooked—their personalities made me fall in love with her characters, and eventually I came to love both them and the storytelling so much that my own tastes didn’t even matter—or more like, my tastes evolved to include “anything by Kaoru Watanabe.” I’ve now read everything by her that I can get my hands on.

Thus, I want to introduce you all to the BL powerhouse that is Kaoru Watanabe.

Read on Renta!:
I Might Be Your Fan, but I’ll Never Fall for You!
Lovingly Cruel Services

Release List:
ビッチ受け～純情リーマン×ヤリ捨てBitch～
推しには絶対ほだされない！
恋するサディスティックサービス
 はるかといつか
 ディア・マイ・ヴァンパイア
 ミルクなきみとビターな彼

If I had to sum up the intense appeal of Kaoru Watanabe’s work in one word, it would simply be: “sensuality.” Her stories have a lot of humor to them, and great pacing and comedic timing. But when it comes to the relationships, it’s truly the push and pull of their feelings and biases and fears and desires that truly makes Kaoru Watanabe’s work. This adds a lot of sensuality to her stories, because things tend to move quite slow between her characters—in their relationships, as well as in the bedroom.

Happy Twink(ie) Day!: a Discussion of BL Twinks by Two Passionate Twink Enthusiasts

Did you know that April 6th is National Twinkie Day? Well, now you do!! Perhaps only Americans will understand the nostalgic, sickly-sweet sensation that is a Hostess Twinkie (everyone else we tried to explain the iconic junkfood to seemed baffled yet fascinated at the concept).

While many would argue that aside from the hit of dopamine thanks to the intense sugar content of the phallic snack, it has little to offer, I’d disagree — it is rumored to have been partly responsible for the slang term “twink” that is well-known in LGBTQ+ circles, and even mainstream pop culture today. (Why Twinkies, you ask? Well, uhm, you might have to do some of your own research to get to the bottom of that one )

Because of that association, we decided to use this opportunity to show our love for the twinks that are so prevalent in — and do so much for — Boys Love.

In celebration of twinks, BLog authors and pretty boi connoisseurs Ames and Sou sat down for a nice, long chat (via DM) about twinks in BL. What is a twink? What kinds of twinks are we most drawn to personally? And, what is the appeal of twinks in the broader BL culture?? Read on for our extremely big-brained, candid, and (mostly) unfiltered fujin thoughts.

Conversation timestamps have been kept intact so that you can see for yourself just how much (or how little) time we spent poring over our thoughtful discussion of this dazzling aspect of BL

World’s First “Yaoi Cruise” to Set Sail Spring 2025

Get your yaoi paddles ready, because you’re in for the seaborne adventure of your life

Have you ever wanted to get away from it all and enjoy a relaxing and luxurious vacation… where you can revel in all forms of BL media in a judgment-free zone, surrounded by other fans? Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?

Well, starting next year, Bophades Cruises is making the dream come true with the world’s first ever “yaoi cruise” — an all-inclusive vacation plan catering to BL fans from all over the world.

This 14-day cruise will stop at 3 countries, giving passengers the chance to explore several IRL locations that have played a significant role in the yaoisphere. Each of the selected spots is guaranteed to have wonderful sightseeing and shopping opportunities.

No, no THAT kind of bingo! Unless…? (Also, please read Nipple Bingo )

There will also be exclusive fan events with special guests — including star talent and creators from the BL world — such as special talks and autograph sessions.

And, the cruise ship itself? Extravagance incarnate.

When you’re not chilling your luxury suite or enjoying the gourmet buffet and open bar, there’ll be plenty to keep yourself occupied with at all hours of the day — including a massive BL manga library, karaoke rooms, BL anime screenings in state-of-the-art theater rooms, a cosplay masquerade ball, bingo (with fabulous prizes!), and more!

If all this sounds too good to be true and you wanna know how on earth it came to be — or, if it sounds like another Festival in the making and you’re asking, “Why??” — you’ll want to keep reading, because Renta! BLog has the full scoop — along with a special chance for you to win FREE tickets!

All aboard the S.S.B.L.!!!

VTubers and BL Trends

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:

Shikinagi Akira and Hayase Sou discuss their fav BL tropes

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.

Fuyu Touji’s “Pain, Sweet Pain” and a dive into the Dom/Sub-verse

Read it on Renta!: Pain, Sweet Pain by Fuyu Touji

Japanese title:
スウィート・ペイン・セラピー
Sweet Pain Therapy

Links:
pixiv
ChilChil page

It’s not like I have a particular preference for omegaverse. I don’t really go out of my way to find it. It finds me. That’s how I’ve come to review omegaverse works twice on our sweet BLog. So, I guess, why not also tackle one of its many offshoots, the Dom/Sub-verse? I mean, as an afficionado of the darker stories that romance has to offer, clear-cut dom/sub dynamics aren’t just music to my ears, but the additional element of mind-control is the cherry on top of the fucked-up yet oh-so-delicious cake that this trope could be.

So, considering that I recently discovered Fuyu Touji’s “My Bias is a God!?” (coming on English Renta! soon) I decided to explore the Dom/Sub-verse through their previous work, “Pain, Sweet Pain” which has been in my reading list forever. Just as the title implies, this story is both sweet and painful, so join me if you’re down for that.

Bad Boys in the Heat of Youth: “Heated Love” by Katsura Katsuragi (Review)

Read it on Renta!:
Heated Love by Katsura Katsuragi

Japanese Title:
発情リレーションシップ
HATSUJOU RELATIONSHIP

Links:
Author’s Twitter
Author’s Pixiv

Spring is just about ready to, uh… spring here in the northern hemisphere, and Japan loooves the season (minus people with allergies… we feel for you ); it’s hard not to get caught up in admiring the cherry blossom trees, wanting to try sakura-flavored EVERYTHING at cafes and restaurants, and enjoying the warm weather.

In Japan, springtime is also associated with transition and new beginnings; students begin the new school year in April, and many job transfers occur around the same time, meaning all the hassle and excitement that comes with moving. There’s also a romantic aspect to the season, with many believing that spring is the season of new love and romantic aspirations

Then, of course, there’s the association with youth and all its lush opportunities. There’s a reason “springtime of our youth” is a popular phrase, and the word for “youth” in Japanese, seishun (青春) even contains the kanji for “spring.”

In the spirit of blooming romance and the riveting trials and tribulations of youth, I’d like to introduce a BL manga that wonderfully showcases the beauty of young love — featuring lovestruck schoolboys who just happen to be pure-hearted delinquents! The lovely cover for this story shows exactly what you’re in for — two hot guys making things even hotter together!

“Picnic at Dawn” Lullaby of the Dawn Cafe Report

Aside from the fact that I’m allowed to openly display BL goods on my work desk and read BL for large chunks of the day, another great part of working my job is that I get paid to attend BL conferences, conventions, and collab cafés. For this installment, I was allowed to stop by the Lullaby of the Dawn (夜明けの唄, or Yoake no Uta) collab at Manga10, a wonderful event and café space (‘ten’ sounds the same as 展, which means ‘exhibit’) that frequently hosts collabs for BL and other media popular with women.

A short summary for those who aren’t familiar with Lullaby of the Dawn:

To be a ‘kannagi’ is to give oneself up for the world, cutting one’s own lifespan short while protecting the land and its people against the black sea. Elva is one such kannagi, his limbs stained black since youth from battle after battle against the dark waves. When orphan Alto stumbles upon him, it’s the only time since becoming a kannagi that Elva isn’t looked at with scorn and fear, but instead with curiosity. Alto, seeing and understanding the loneliness in Elva, decides to stay with him—and somehow, Alto’s tenderness and touch over the years reverses the stains marring Elva’s body. Is this a sign that the lifespans of the kannagi don’t need to be sacrificed to the sea, or is there something larger at play…? And what role does Alto have in it?

Especially considering the fifth volume is currently on the way, it’s an incredibly plot-heavy BL with tons of intrigue, so if you’re a fan of such stories I can’t recommend it enough! Thankfully, volumes 1-3 have already been released by TOKYOPOP, with volume four hopefully coming soon. (Admittedly, some of the Japanese is rather specialized and difficult to understand, even as someone who usually reads in Japanese… So, I also super appreciate the TOKYOPOP version!) But, what I really love is that, even though the central plot is the freedom of the kannagi, Elva and Alto’s relationship doesn’t get sidelined, and there’s still lots and lots of great BL content for those who’re like me and prefer relationship development over driving action. This series is truly a good mix of both!

Also, can we just appreciate how beautiful Ichika Yuno’s art is? You know I’m incredibly hung up on Elva—with his tsundere personality and incredibly ethereal features, how could I not be? He’s stunning. Of course, Alto is also wonderful and is like a huge puppy-dog—incredibly kind to everyone around him, but intensely protective of Elva. The rest of the cast is also just amazing, and it’s so fun seeing everyone play off each other.

Anyway, because I’m a huge fan, and it’d been a while since we did a café report, I requested to go so I could write about it. I booked a reservation for March 10th, which was the last weekday available for the Tokyo café. (It’s now taking place in Osaka!) Thankfully, the weather was stunning, and I didn’t have too much outstanding work to be stressed over, so I went to Ikebukuro to take my lunch before heading over to the café.