In the age of the internet, it’s easier than ever to connect with people who share the same interests as you — you can collectively squeal over your favorite series on social media, share your fanwork creations with other fans, and stream video and gaming to share real-time reactions. However, there’s still something to be said about the unique atmosphere of a convention, where people travel from all over just to revel in their shared love of a certain thing.
This past weekend, I attended the very first Citrus Con — a weekend-long BL-centered event that combines the convenience of online interaction with the sense of close community provided by good old-fashioned fan conventions.
I’m sure everyone else has them, too: artists we would ride or die for. If someone insults them, we will defend them with our dying breath. We gaze lovingly at their art as if it’s a masterpiece in the Louvre, taking in every single detail from all angles. We follow and purchase every single thing they release, read every social media post by or about them, and have read every book multiple times. Well, that’s how I feel about Sakana Tojo.
Sakana Tojo specializes in very fluffy, sweet, intense smut. A majority of her BL are released through Junet, a publishing line that caters to the more ero rather than story oriented side of the genre. She started out as an ero manga artist, and still does illustrations for various types of manga, light novels, etc.
When our campaign team decided to hold a fan-letter campaign in honor of HANASAWA NAMIO’s “The Foxy Mouse’s Romance”, I read it to find out more—and then I threw a curse on my colleague that’s been blessed with preparing it for our website, because damn, do I wish I had his luck.
Writing this review to introduce more and more people to the sheer beauty that is this manga, I’m seriously struggling. There are just no words to describe how perfect it is. All I can think to write is an endless string of squealing. It’s that good.
Omegaverse meets the Food Chain
For the uninitiated, ‘omegaverse’ revolves around the idea of a ‘secondary genre’—omega, alpha, beta—based on as-of-now debunked animal behaviors around mating. Betas are the ordinary majority; alphas are bold, aggressive and at the apex of social hierarchy, while the rare omegas suffer through a phenomenon called ‘heat’ that causes them to exude pheromones that make them sexually irresistible to alphas.
Now, throw humans originating from various animal species that retain predatorial/prey dynamics into that mix and you’ve got HANASAWA-sensei’s “The Foxy Mouse’s Romance.”
It follows the story of Sachio, a mouse omega working as a manga artist in a young men’s magazine, and Ukano, a fox alpha and his editor. The dangers implicit in a mouse omega and a fox alpha having to work together are not lost on either of them, especially Sachio who’s painfully conscious of his place in the bottom of the social ladder—and the food chain. Not only is he a sexual target for the alphas around him, but also actual food for predators—especially to Ukano, as mice constitute a fox’s main meal.
But, while Sachio may have his guard up against his editor, Ukano seems unyieldingly determined to pursue Sachio for love rather than for his stomach.
But first, let’s rant about that world-building
I cannot—cannot—overstate that it’s HANASAWA NAMIO-sensei’s world that stole my heart above all else. There are elements familiar to any reader of omegaverse (pheromone blockers, neck guards, secondary-gender clinics, the concepts of a ‘heat’ and a ‘rut’, etc.) but sensei’s animal-kingdom spin on it elevates everything to a different level.
Laws govern peoples’ animalistic, voracious tendencies. Omega-only spaces offer a safe night out. When someone is in their animal form, humans can understand their words only if their own animal ears are out—and, there are even little cards that state, “I have my ears out because I’m looking after someone, thank you for your understanding” to be worn in public in such cases. Grooming salons cater to one’s animal-form fur. Cab drivers must state their species and secondary gender on an ID card for the safety of their passengers. Diseases and phenomena surrounding the animal families or one’s secondary gender also exist, as do various intricacies surrounding sex between predator and prey.
All of it is proof that this universe exists beyond our two characters. HANASAWA-sensei could easily write other stories featuring this same world; and, on this point, the characters that surround our two protagonists are interesting on their own, too. The treacherous civet could have an extra tidbit, Sachio’s two mangaka friends, Tomo and Momoi, could have their own side-stories; I’m personally intrigued by the head editor of the publishing house.
That’s the beauty of this world; every detail that jumps out of the pages amuses and intrigues, and every panel serves the purpose of delving deeper into it all. Which also brings me to the matter of the art—besides being GORGEOUS, it’s also masterfully used to the utmost to tell this story. The paneling is on point. The expressions are fantastic as it is, but it’s the attention to detail that makes this world and the characters come alive, such as Ukano’s eyes dilating when he gets turned on. Anytime Sachio is hand-held in mouse form, you can almost feel the weight of his tiny, pudgy body in your own palm. The art accompanies the writing and dialogue perfectly, which is what makes this world so believable and the characters so relatable and easy to understand.
From (natural) enemies to lovers
Have you ever tried to sleep, only to end up staring at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes, wondering why the Hell you said x-y-z that one time? Then you’re bound to somewhat relate to our mouse protagonist. Who hasn’t wallowed in negativity at least once?
Though cynical at first glance, Sachio’s core is kindness. Despite a traumatic situation with his college friend Tomo, Sachio had always been willing to forgive him. Similarly, he comes to love Ukano, so even when a dire misunderstanding occurs in ch.4, Sachio is ready not only to forgive him, but also to get closer to him. His negative mind twists everything to take others’ mistakes onto himself, not just because he’s self-deprecating to a fault, but also due to his love for others.
Now is the part where I will do my best to describe Ukano without rambling incomprehensibly. I’ve written in other posts that dark stories and vaguely yandere characters are my forte, and, let me tell you, Ukano strikes a perfect balance between being a normal, loving boyfriend but also having this menacing, darker side to him. His loving devotion to Sachio doesn’t override his ‘foxiness’. The art itself often reminds us of his more devious nature via a grey shadow over his eyes. Sachio, at the start, is constantly on his toes around him, and we see that even others get an uncanny feeling from the wily fox.
But, it’s when we see Ukano’s perspective that we get, in my biased opinion, some of the greatest gems in this story. In a scene that explores what it’s like being a predator in this world, Ukano recalls a time that Sachio, too exhausted to keep his guard up, transformed into a mouse in front of him. Ukano transports him home in a bed made of his handkerchief (so. cute.) and that’s when we get this beautiful internal monologue: “Life is sacred, and I was holding someone’s whole life in my hands. That’s how humbled I felt. At the same time… I thought about how I could crush him easily if I wanted to. The sadist in me reared its ugly head. ‘I want to eat him.’ ‘I want to protect him.’”
Compare this to the time that Tomo surrendered to his wolfish instincts and you’ll see how Ukano shines: he’s deeply aware of his nature, but he understands it’s in his own hand to curb his urges. Just like a quote from a certain anime I love goes, “Taking responsibility for oneself is the basic qualification for being human” and truer words have not been spoken when it comes to this universe of beings teetering between human and animal. The line that divides the two is exactly this capacity for taking responsibility, and Ukano’s always on top of that. Contrariwise, when Tomo and Sachio reunite for the first time, Tomo literally runs away from his responsibilities, forcing Sachio to shoulder the blame for everything instead. Ukano could and would never.
Darkness, more darkness, and fluff
Whether or not I realized it at first, perhaps the thing that personally drew me to this story is that it hits that perfect sweet spot between tooth-rotting sweetness and grim darkness. The art is adorable, the interactions hilarious, the romance is great and the love between our two characters is true, but it all coexists with the bleak implications of an omegaverse world and the danger that one could lose control and literally eat their loved one. And, perhaps the best/realest thing about it is that those dangers don’t magically disappear after Sachio and Ukano become a couple; even if it’s through humor, the reader is constantly reminded of that possibility, just as Sachio and Ukano themselves are.
From the first few pages, the manga doesn’t pull any punches. Starting with a kid-friendly show explaining animal families and secondary genders in a squeaky-clean manner, the story soon contradicts this cheaply manufactured narrative with Sachio’s mother calling to tell him that his mouse omega sister got fired from her part-time job for getting into heat in front of an alpha customer and almost getting assaulted/eaten. Our mouse protagonist himself works as a mangaka because it allows him to stay cooped up at home (mostly), away from danger. And the story continues with various examples of how perilous, inconvenient, and downright unfair it is to be born as a mouse and as an omega.
Nowhere does it get more obvious than in the juxtaposition between our two main characters, not just in their obvious difference in status, but also in their thinking. When Ukano stands up for Sachio and the latter thanks him, Ukano thinks anyone would have done the same, but Sachio corrects him that no one would. ‘Foxiness’ aside, Ukano’s mindset is positive, proactive, that of someone who’s strong and therefore able to act for others without weighing any consequences first; Sachio, on the other hand, has had no other choice but to see the world—and his place in it—in the most negative light, existing as literal prey.
Due to his trauma and negative worldview, Sachio takes the blame and compromises on everything, out of love and the idea that it’s his justifiable place to act that way. While that mindset might seem odd to a lot of readers, it makes sense for Sachio as a character to think so, and it’s very pleasingly contrasted with Ukano’s worldview. “The onus is on me as an alpha.” he tells Tomo, his most direct foil in the narrative. While Sachio surrenders to the possibility that he could be devoured at any given moment (and it would be his fault, according to him), Ukano actively takes steps to ensure that he’d never hurt the one he loves, to embrace that danger and then boldly defy it.
At this point it’s rather obvious that I’m rambling, but I can’t help it because there’s so much I could say about “The Foxy Mouse’s Romance”, even going into every single scene I adore (the horrible misunderstanding in ch.4? The jump in ch.5? the hand-holding heavy with implications in ch.7?? The fur-grooming session in ch.8???). If you enjoy elaborate worlds and multifaceted characters, if you fancy a dose of angst in your fluff, if you love stories about (dangers aside) wholesome couples, please give “The Foxy Mouse’s Romance” a chance. And, while we’re at it, why not show HANASAWA NAMIO-sensei your love through Renta!’s fan-letter campaign? All you need to do is either fill in the form here or tweet using the hashtag #SqueaksForSensei. I’m deliberating on sending something too (after I find out a way to convey my admiration in fewer words than this long blog post).
If you’ve read “The Foxy Mouse’s Romance”, what do you love most about it? What are your thoughts? Favorite character? Join me in rambling about it in the comments!
A lot of people who’re interested in anime and manga often think they’d like to work with it someday, but since localization is kind of a closed industry (understandably, since there’s a lot of IP that needs to stay hidden behind NDAs) there seems to be a lack of understanding for what goes into localizing, just how many different types of jobs there are, and what goes into taking a manga (or manhua or manhwa) from its original language and adapting it for an English-speaking audience. So I figured I’d take my personal experience in the manga localization industry and talk about that today!
What is Localization?
First off, what is localization? Simply put, localization is the process of adapting a translation to fit readers or viewers of a different culture. Literal translations can sometimes leave very large cultural concepts intact without explaining them or making them understandable to a foreign audience, and localization looks to solve that issue by making minor tweaks to the source material—editing a sentence to describe a food that was otherwise just named, changing the currency, changing a youth culture phrase in the source material to a similar style of speech, etc.—to make it easier to understand for readers who aren’t so acquainted with the source culture. I’ve lived in Japan four years and there are still cultural things that pop up in the manga that make me do a double-take, so localization is used to kind of explain or slightly alter certain cultural things that wouldn’t make sense otherwise.
This title was one I was fortunate enough to encounter when I first started working at Renta!, and I’m glad I did! The art is flat-out gorgeous, for starters. Omoinakaba tends to draw her men extremely fit, and I am very much on board with this choice! This one has left a strong impression on me, and I am excited to share my thoughts with you.
Enter Tokio, an unassuming bellhop at an upscale Tokyo hotel. One day, he and his coworkers get a sudden briefing from their boss about the arrival of a rich oil tycoon, Azam. While Tokio is contemplating the somewhat bizarre instructions on how none of the staff are allowed to be alone with him in closed spaces, Azam and Tokio meet by chance at the hotel’s entrance, where Azam abruptly declares that Tokio will be his “bride!”
The story has a light-hearted and humorous introduction but goes dark very quickly. A warning that it contains scenes of sexual abuse against a child and attempted murder and is not for the faint of heart.
As the story progresses, you discover that Tokio and Azam knew each other as children. Tokio spent part of his youth in an unnamed Middle Eastern country due to his father’s job, where he met and got to know Azam. The scenes with them as children are plain adorable and its heart-breaking as darker events are revealed. Many years have passed, and while Azam clearly remembers their brief time together and is eager to reunite, Tokio has forgotten, causing more tension between them.
One thing I like about Omoinakaba’s works are that her ukes are very much power bottoms, power capital P. You’d think meek looking Tokio would be bottoming here, but it’s the brusque, aloof Azam taking it up the bum! He’s no pushover in bed, though he shies away from kissing early on. Tokio’s no cold fish in bed, either! He’s eager to please and have Azam moaning and writhing in pleasure.
Whereas I generally prefer the softer, fluffier side of BL, this story is just the perfect mix of gorgeous art, humor, drama, intrigue, eroticism and the complications of human emotions. It’s not as simple and clean as “childhood friends reunited as lovers, a few hijinks, happily ever after.” There’s a reason why Azam is so eager to reconnect with Tokio, and why Tokio forgot about their time together (and it’s not because he got amnesia from a head injury). This delves into the more twisted parts of relationships, though the two have very strong chemistry and it’s a delight whenever they’re on the page together.
More eagle-eyed readers might pick up on some quirks, such as Azam’s headdress being slightly off from a traditional ghutra and Azam being drawn holding glasses of champagne. While the story never flat-out states where Azam is from, it’s implied to be Saudi Arabia, due to the style of clothes he wears and his status as an oil tycoon. I chalk it up to typical perceived depictions of Middle Eastern countries in Japanese media and it does not detract from the story. If you’re looking for some BL that tosses most common tropes out the window, look no further! Give this one a try! It’s short but will have you glued to your screen til the end!
Nestled in a narrow, trendy side street in Tokyo’s youth fashion district of Harajuku is a bright pink building named emo café, a tiny collab café that partners with mangaka and publishers to turn manga into a culinary experience. emo café is relatively new, having started up in the last few years, and follows in the footsteps of other BL cafés like Toriko Mangaten and ComiComi Studio Machida (r.i.p.).
When I saw they would be doing a third B+Library, this time for Harada’s Happy Shitty Life, Akira Minazuki’s Smoky Nectar, and Mitsuaki Asou’s The Farthest Love in the World I knew we had to go—especially considering Happy Shitty Life is one of our localizations, and Smoky Nectar is coming soon. Unfortunately, because of the massive popularity of all three artists (each one of them being a veteran in the BL genre) I once again couldn’t get in.
…That is, until they extended the end date by a week. Sometimes it pays to sit on Twitter constantly. -w-)b
Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, it’s not so foreign of an idea (I would hope). Hotaru Dies Tomorrow tells the story of a high school student, Saneatsu Asada, whose parents give him a novel he becomes engrossed with; it’s a dreamlike Murakami-esque book about a girl, Hotaru, who could be straight out of a Sylvia Plath novel.
For those who don’t know, 801 can be read as ya-o-i in Japanese so, among the otaku masses, August 1st is known as Yaoi no Hi or Yaoi Day. While the phrase yaoi has mostly outstayed its welcome, slowly shifting over to “BL” even in western fandom as yaoi begins to feel more and more antiquated, it’s still a word with a lasting impact so it still feels fitting that this day be referred to as Yaoi Day.
In honor of this joyous occasion, the four members of Renta!’s BLog team have decided to write small personal snippets about our history with BL, and what BL means to each of us!
Like “the real meaning of Christmas,” but make it BL!
rentaBLog 