BL Lines to Look Out For: KiR Comics

As I’ve mentioned both on here and on Twitter before, when it comes to whether or not we can fulfill a license request, the best bet is to check if we have a history of licensing from that publisher. If we’re already releasing series by a specific publisher, it already means we have a relationship and contract with them, which makes it significantly easier to request titles. If we don’t have a contract with them, well… we will still gladly request the license, but the chances of obtaining the license can be a lot slimmer for a variety of reasons (some of which I discuss in my post about digital vs. physical publishing). But, this is just to say, there’s a reason we have a lot of content by certain publishers, and little to none by others.

For those who don’t know, you can find the publisher and line on the manga itself via logos on the cover, insert pages near the beginning, or backpage credits at the end. You can also check the description on the product page:

Also, the publisher and publishing line aren’t the same thing. For instance, B.Pilz and Tulle are both separate lines under Brite Publishing, and both aim to provide different content, if only slightly. A more clear-cut example is TAIYOH TOSHO‘s HertZ and Craft lines—HertZ tends to offer more standard, shorter BL stories that can be contained to one or two volumes, whereas Craft tends to run longer, more chaste, plot-driven content. There is some overlap between the lines, of course, but that’s simply because it’s hard to put all stories into clean boxes—one BL might be long and story-driven but very sexual, and vice versa.

Lately, when I’m sending out our licensed projects for translation, one BL publishing line that’s been catching my eye more and more is: KiR Comics! It’s not a rare occasion at all that I’m flipping through something thinking “damn… this is The Good Content…” and I find myself distracted reading the full chapter, get to the backpage, and it’s KiR! A few recent ones (and spoiler on content that’ll be coming later this year ): Dekisokonai no Love Song by Akota, Kyou mo Kimi ga Toutoi by Hiiro (coming soon!), Eye Wink de Korogashite by Akari Hayashi, Ato Mou Sukoshi de Koi na no ni! by Sanma Tarou… the list goes on, really.

KiR’s manga don’t seem to have too strict a theme, but they often tend to be a bit on the lightly gritty, very sexy side—but not always. KiR also tends to host a lot of lesser-known or debuting artists, which is exciting for me personally since I love discovering new BL mangaka to throw myself behind.

The manga I noted before are all things to look forward to in the future, but for now, I was thinking I’d put together a post recommending some of my favorite current KiR releases that you can read in English. Also, this would be a great time to point out that their website actually has an “overseas” section that lists all their books that have been licensed and in what languages! A very nice feature for non-JP readers; thank you, KiR Comics staff!

So without any further ado, my personal five picks that I’ve really loved from KiR Comics!

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This Is Why I Can’t Deal With Inexperienced Guys
by Mare

This one was already on the site before I took over the job of freelance coordinator, and since quality checkers are really only well-versed in their own projects (of which this was not one of mine), I only had the joy of discovering it when I was swapping out the Japanese to English covers. I was actually grabbed more by the description than the cover itself, since I’m a sucker for a good “deceptive pretty-boy bottom tricks the idiot childhood friend he’s been in love with for ages into sleeping with him” story.

Attractive and popular Yoruichi has been in love with his numbskull friend since they were children. Strong in both personality and stature, Benio puts girls off because he’s not sure to act around them, but as a teenage boy he’s still super interested in sex. Seeing this as his chance to get closer to Benio, Yoruichi claims that Benio can “practice” sex on him, since his face may be pretty but he’s still very much male, and Benio can be rough with him all he wants. While he’s sure Benio will be weirded out, Benio jumps at the opportunity to “practice” and gladly devours every inch of Yoruichi’s body.

I feel like this is a fairly common trope, especially in BL, but it gets me every time. I love the drama inherent in Yoruichi waiting for Benio to catch on to his feelings, or get a girlfriend and move on. Plus, Benio is sincerely just a sweet guy and I really love their dynamic, with Yoruichi being very cold and logical while Benio is very brash and hot-headed.

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Shun, Look Over Here!
by Sanma Tarou

I’ve recommended this manga before in my love letter to the dumb boys of BL, because boy is the top in this manga dumb. Shun is madly in love with his best friend Haruto, but he’s constantly too blinded by his bitterness over being one-upped by just how perfect Haruto is. Haruto is cute, popular, outgoing, and highly intelligent—all of which seems to come to him naturally. But, most importantly, Haruto is openly and unequivocally in love with Shun. Can Shun see past his own securities long enough to accept Haruto’s feelings, or is Haruto finally going to get sick of being hurt and find someone new?

I have to admit: I’m biased in how much I love this one because I love Haruto. He’s so cute, so even though I thought Shun needed to be slapped (lovingly…) upside the head a few times, I still couldn’t help but root for their love. I know one of the reviewers, however, had trouble getting over what an insecure douche Shun could be at times so just know going in that it’s something he’s working on.

I also really love the art for this one. I already mentioned how cute Haruto is, but Sanma Tarou’s linework is so clean and I love the use of tones and the characters are so fun and expressive. Definitely a good one if you want something a little silly. I’m really looking forward to reading more of Sanma Tarou’s work!

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I Want to Spoil You
by Nobiru Hoshi

This is the book that really made me start paying a lot more attention to KiR. The second I saw the cover I knew I was a goner—the art is just stunning, and Wataru is so cute with that little panicked and embarrassed look on his face. Then, when I peeked inside, I was even more blown away by the eroticism in the book. It’s just so good.

Wataru is a masochist with a bit of a praise kink. He wants nothing more than to be dominated and then told he’s a good boy who’s trying his best. And these feelings bleed over into the real world—he’s desperate for praise and recognition from his strict, overbearing boss Reiji. When he ends up living with Reiji through a strange twist of fate, he doesn’t realize that maybe he’ll finally get that praise he was so desperate for… in the bedroom.

The art for this one is just beyond beautiful, and the story is incredibly sexy with plenty of sweet, romantic moments to come. I won’t spoil too much, though—instead, let’s wait for more chapters to be released in English. Also, I don’t doubt Sou will talk about this book at a later date, since we’re both about equally obsessed.

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A Romantic Comedy Between Two Ex-Boyfriends
by Kishimoto

Speaking of manga Sou and I are equally obsessed with…

The title pretty much says it all, but for a longer description: Naoto and Tomoki started dating on what seemed to both of them like a whim, and then it just fizzled out. However, both of them are still madly in love with each other, both under the impression that their relationship meant nothing to the other person, and that they were just humoring each other and there’s no way they can achieve the closeness they both always wished they had. To all their coworkers at the café they work at, it’s clear as day they’re absolutely obsessed with each other. But, whenever they interact, they get so flustered they can only bicker. Is there any way these two will ever be able to be honest about their feelings for each other?

I feel like I’ve briefly mentioned this manga a variety of times, mostly in the ChillChill Festival 2024 event report since Kishimoto being there was a major draw for me. This one I ended up reading because it seemed very popular with our Twitter users, and I liked it so much I personally requested we get a nice cleaned cover for it (since it previously had one that included the Japanese title) and also went out and bought multiple copies of the physical book.

Kishimoto’s art is just so wonderful and detailed and clean and expressive, and I love how immersive the characters’ lives are, including all their coworkers and little habits they have with each other. Another thing I really love about this series is just how relatable the characters’ misunderstandings are—it makes their inability to connect less frustrating than other manga with similar themes of unrequited love. Kishimoto is really skilled at conveying and really making you feel the characters’ worries and doubts and insecurities, and it makes everyone so much more endearing and their actions more understandable. You really want to root for these two, which makes it so much more impactful when they’re finally able to be honest and open about their feelings.

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My Brother’s Sweetest Spot
by Zakuro Mizuhara

Yes, I am going to out myself as the pervert who loves the incest manga. But I love this manga. SO MUCH. I actually originally read this when it came out in Japanese in 2020, when I’d just gotten my job at Renta!, and at the time I was too new to even realize we were translating and releasing it in English. When I realized we were later on, I got so excited because this is a manga I sincerely have on my “treasured items” bookshelf—where I keep the BL I read time and time again so they need to be super easy to access. By this book alone I should have known KiR was a publishing line to keep an eye on.

Plot-wise, this is a simple book about two twin brothers, Azuma and Miyabi. Miyabi has always been the gifted one—both sons in a line of traditional archers, only Miyabi’s skill is treasured by their family. Azuma, on the other hand, isn’t particularly good at archery or in school. One thing he relishes in, though, is the fact that Miyabi can’t live without him—Miyabi is constantly falling asleep in random places, leaving his messes everywhere, and just wholly incapable of taking care of himself. One day, when Miyabi leaves himself defenseless in Azuma’s own bed, Azuma can’t control his urges anymore and decides he’d like a “taste” of his beautiful twin brother.

The plot is good, don’t get me wrong—who doesn’t love the inherent drama of an incestuous relationship? (A lot of people don’t, Ames…) But for me, what I love about this manga is the eroticism between the two of them. The way Zakuro Mizuhara convey’s Azuma’s intense lust and desire for Miyabi, juxtaposed with Miyabi’s gentle, pure, selfless love for Azuma…? Just THIS SHIT IS SO GOOD. It helps that Zakuro Mizuhara draws bodies beautifully and the posing during the ero scenes is just stunning. Sincerely just god-tier content for perverts. I couldn’t ask for more. This is definitely one of those BL I open frequently just to stare at the linework on the hands and collarbones and just… everything.

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Overall, I highly recommend KiR as a publishing line to keep an eye on, especially for those who have similar taste to me. In fact, A Romantic Comedy Between Two Ex-Boyfriends won not just one but two ChillChill BL Awards for 2024. That’s kind of amazing. I recommend following their Twitter account, as well. Recently, they’ve been heavily promoting Akota’s upcoming physical book, so lots of samples and inside artwork from that. They’re also great at retweeting the artists in their lineup, so lots of great content all day every day!

Actually, from May 25th to May 30th, KiR is holding a an exhibition for their 5th anniversary, and we wanted to go so bad but the tickets sold out too fast. Sou and I were both so sad. But I hope everyone who is able to go has a wonderful time! Please ogle Wataru’s little side-boob enough for us as well.

Here’s to many more years and many more wonderful manga from KiR! Hopefully we can keep providing them to an English-speaking audience as well.

And, please let me know if you would like any more publisher-specific posts like this! For a long time I’ve been intending to do a whole post and why paying attention to publishing lines matters when it comes to BL manga, but I’m a bit rusty in my publisher knowledge since the number of publishing lines has absolutely exploded in the last five to ten years due to BL slowly becoming more accepted in the public zeitgeist, and digital publishing lifting the bar to entry. But I’ll gladly start researching BL publishers again… for work purposes…