BL fans far and wide, I am pleased to announce the third installment of our Fan Mail Special!! In case you’re new to the phrase, this is a Renta!-exclusive project in which we open up digital fanletter submissions from fans all around the globe, translate them into Japanese, and present them to the featured creator — so they can enjoy messages from their international fans, language barrier-free!
This time around, the esteemed artist you’ll all get the opportunity to lavish with your love is none other than… Ikuyasu-sensei!!
(via Hammered And Pounded)With an unmistakeable art style and playful sense of humor, Ikuyasu’s become one of those artists that gets me pumped every time I see a new release of theirs — I just know I’m going to enjoy it somehow, no matter the premise. But my personal tastes aside, I can tell why Ikuyasu-sensei’s manga has earned such high praise from countless Renta! readers over the years.
If you enjoy your BL with a healthy serving of “beef” — that is, a bit of meat on both the seme AND uke — I hope you’re familiar with Ikuyasu’s works — and if not, well, then boy are you in for a treat! The musculature of the characters in their manga, whether on the leaner or thiccer side, is clearly drawn with much loving care, which makes it impressive in an artistic sense just as much as in an erotic sense 
But, the appeal of Ikuyasu’s manga doesn’t stop there. Though they seem to have a penchant for loveable oaf (or, dare I say, “himbo”) characters, which can make for tons of laughs, some of their stories get pretty deep emotionally. All around, they’re quite filling for the yaoi lover’s soul!
For the uninitiated, I’ve prepared below a brief introduction to some of Ikuyasu’s works, and why I’ve personally come to adore them so much. And, for existing fans, maybe this can serve as a quick refresher of some of the many reasons to love them 
Feel free to take inspiration for your own personally crafted fan message, which you can submit here until June 14th JST!
Friendships and Jealousy Lead to Ménage à Trois Fun…
Stuck Between a Sexy Rock and a Hard Friend (Koi Tomo Triangle)
This was Ikuyasu’s debut work, but you can already feel their signature humor and style coming through beautifully.
It features a love triangle between three young men, who all have their own egos and hangups when it comes to their love lives — but somehow manage to make things work with the power of… friendship? Love? Threesomes? Well, anyway, it’s a very interesting dynamic, and the three main characters are all pretty likeable, so the scenes, erm, “including” the whole trio are exciting. A must-read if you prefer love triangles without much angst, and, of course, threesomes involving well-built men.
There’s also a fun story at the end of the book featuring a pole dancer and a security guard who work at a club together… Need I say more?!
Interconnected Stories Featuring Buff Handymen in Steamy Situationships
Move over MCU, the Ikuyasu Cinemanga Universe is taking the world by storm. These next two series, which share the same setting and cast of characters, are both great on their own, and can definitely be enjoyed separately. But, if you like one, I’m sure you’ll want to read the other as well!
Dirty Dandies (Dogusare Dandies) made waves when its English edition first hit Renta!, and for good reason — it’s a funny yet moving story about childhood friends/frenemies working at a handyman business together, and messing around after hours. There’s surely no real feelings involved, right? Unless…? 
Misunderstandings and yearning abound in this cute blue collar romance, and its main couple being around middle-aged is refreshing, especially if you like BL featuring characters on the “mature” side.
The supporting cast made up of the various staff of Handyman Suzumoto is amusing, too — which is why I was overjoyed when I learned that a spinoff featuring two of the younger hands at the shop was coming to Renta! as well. Bros With Benefits (Detarame Dummy Friends) (I helped workshop the English title BTW, and I’m quite proud of it 
) follows two equally airheaded coworkers who have gotten comfortable with their surface-level friendship/rivalry, but one day cross the line, so to speak. What follows is a story of secrets and a whole lotta sexual tension. It’s currently ongoing, so it’s a great time to jump in if you’re on the prowl for something to follow as it comes out.
Businessmen, Plants, Catmen, and More!
Ikuyasu is truly one of the most prolific creators whose manga we’ve had the pleasure of hosting on Renta! — and as a whole, IMO, it’s some of the most enjoyable BL I’ve read. That’s probably why Ikuyasu’s name has popped up multiple times on this BLog already — we just can’t stop raving about these awesome series!
For example, you can check out CL’s full-length review of Boys, Love and Plants (Aigan Danshi Love Grow Up) or my impassioned blurb about My Invincible Vitality (Ore no Zettai Muteki Vitality) in our Meat Day special. We’re confident they’ll make you smile (or LOL)!
We’re also happy to host both volumes of the riveting office romance Hammered and Pounded (Gachi Iki Chouhatsu Night), as well as and A Perfect Day for a Kitty in Heat (Hatsujou Kemono Biyori), which features anthropomorphized cats — essential reading for lovers of furry friends and buff dudes!
To put it simply, Ikuyasu’s blessed the BL world with a treasure trove of manga over the years, and they’ve all got their own unique charm. But, whichever you choose to peruse, you can expect captivating stories and painstakingly rendered steamy scenes (Ikuyasu-sensei professes to be Team Ass, but believe me — both the T & A are off the charts in their manga 
).
Finally, just in case you needed any MORE reason to stan Ikuyasu-sensei… they love cats!! Not only is their “artist persona” a cat character, they apparently own no fewer than 6 cats, and even have a designated Twitter account for posting pics of them regularly! And, not only that, but they’ve even lent their mangaka talents to a collaboration project between ComiComi Studio and Neco Republic, an animal welfare organization dedicated to helping cats in need all across Japan. Ikuyasu-sensei’s original illustrations — which are just adorable! — can be found on special items for sale on ComiComi Studio, and a portion of the proceeds go to Neco Republic for the purpose of rescuing and taking care of cats. We love to see artists sharing their many passions with us!
All that said, we hope you’re as excited for this latest Fan Mail Special as we are! Ikuyasu-sensei is waiting to hear from their overseas fans, so be sure to send them some love — from NOW until June 14th (JST). Click the link below to go and submit YOUR very own message and/or questions in whatever language you’re comfortable with! Happy fanmailing!! 
rentaBLog 