On Twitter a while back, I remember seeing a complaint that there’s lots of BL with businessmen and older guys, and lots of BL with high schoolers, but where are all the college guys? And while plenty of people were kind enough to swoop in with their favorite college-centric BL recs, it still made me start thinking about what college BL I would personally recommend from Renta!’s catalogue. And what better time than now to make a rec post, as spring semester heads into full swing in the U.S.?
First, though, let’s talk a little about what college looks like in Japan to get a better understanding of some of the more common college tropes you might see in BL manga. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the fanfiction that puts Japanese characters in a super American college setting, with dorm parties and drinking and fraternities—the whole nine yards. (Always a fun and exciting AU scenario, up there with flower shop or coffee house.) Actually, though, college in Japan is pretty different in a lot of ways.
First, there’s no greek life. There also aren’t really dorms—at least, not in the on-campus sense like in the States. I stayed at a dorm that was eight train stops away from my school, and that seems to be the norm. College students generally live at home, stay in apartments (financed by their parents if they’re wealthy enough, or by themselves if not), or live in shared housing or general dormitories that aren’t associated with a particular school but instead house students from schools all around the city. The dorm then has a dorm head who usually takes care of management and maintenance, and a dorm mother who’s usually in charge of cooking and cleaning. This scenario is pretty common in manga: the main character moves into the dorm and has to rely on all the strange and exciting people they meet.
Another interesting thing about college in Japan is… the coursework doesn’t really matter. Well, that’s an extreme way to put it; it depends on what field you’re going into, obviously. In the U.S., while there are definitely party schools where people attend hoping to just coast through relatively easy coursework, for the most part there’s an attitude of getting the most out of your (extremely expensive) education. In Japan, university is often seen as a four-year break between the pressure of high school and the grueling tedium of working life. The best way I’ve seen it referred to is that Japanese universities are “generally hard to get into, but easy to graduate from.” I know that I was personally shocked when I studied abroad for a year—after three years of incredibly rigorous, demanding coursework in the States, my Japanese classes were often more about attending the lecture and passing the tests. While my U.S. classes required a LOT of work outside class and taking an active role in my schoolwork, crafting my own theories around the teachings, networking with other students and advisors, etc. at my JP university, anything outside class was fairly unnecessary aside from the occasional small group project (which usually consisted of making a short presentation on that week’s reading assignment).
So what do people do with all this free time, you ask? Clubs, first and foremost—部活 (bukatsu) or サークル (circles) ! Joining clubs is the number one way to meet new friends and put yourself out there, as they provide a structured way to socialize with fellow students. There are also lots of drinking parties, but they’re not the ragers you see at universities in the States—instead, a venue is usually reserved for a two or three hour all-you-can-drink mixer, and everyone goes their separate ways before midnight since you don’t want to miss the last train home. This is why, when you read college BL, there are often lots of scenes of drinking parties or big outings and events hosted by the clubs they’re in.
And, as you’ll also see from the BL I’ll be recommending in this post, no different from college life around the world, a lot of time is spent fooling around and looking for the partner you want to spend the rest of your life with. 😳 If you, too, are on the hunt for some college life BL to read, please check my personal recs below!
Adorable and Impossible by Owal
Part time lecturer Tatsuya has one student he just can’t handle: energetic, ditzy, adorable Tsumugi. Tatsuya wants to keep as much distance between himself and the students as possible, but he just can’t seem to shake Tsumugi, who runs around calling him “Tatsu” instead of “Mr. Nakahara,” makes fun of his work, is constantly slacking in his class only to beg for better marks, and—worst of all—flirts with him endlessly. When he finally caves and agrees to tutor Tsumugi one-on-one, Tsumugi instantly takes advantage of the situation and Tatsuya can’t deny his attraction any longer. Just as Tatsuya is convinced that Tsumugi is in love with him, though, he finds the boy has been selling himself to get by and pay for school, and is even a live-in sugar baby. He just can’t write Tsumugi off, though—he’s passionate about clothes and design, and is a sincere and hard-working person deep down. And as they get closer, Tatsuya can’t help but notice that Tsumugi’s sugar baby lifestyle isn’t as great as his carefree attitude and expensive clothes might make it seem. This is a surprisingly dark story in parts, and while their student/teacher relationship might be a turn-off for some, Tsumugi is such a sweet and sincere character and it’s such a treat watching him melt down Tatsuya’s icy exterior. Will Tatsuya be able to give Tsumugi the true freedom of expression he yearns for, or will Tsumugi forever be trapped under the thumb of his “daddy”?
On The Verge Of Love! by Sammataro
This is actually a low-key sequel to Sammataro’s Shun, Look Over Here!—though not to the extent that it matters significantly if you forgot to read that one first. All the characters are a call-back to that series, which I love because that series also left a lasting impact on me after I first read it. (I even recommended it in my KiR Comics showcase… after which Sammataro changed the romanization of their name.) However, now all the boys are in college, and Akira’s moved on from tutoring—though he’s still the same old playboy, happily sleeping around with many a fuck buddy. When he runs into one of the guys he used to tutor, Tadayasu, and sees what an incredibly hot guy he turned into, he—always the pinnacle of morality—makes it his end goal to sleep with Tadayasu just once. But as things constantly go awry and they end up spending tons of time together just watching movies and bonding instead of having sex, Akira is horrified to realize he might just… like Tadayasu… as a person and not as a potential one-night-stand?? What in the world is going on!?
Lingerie Thicc by Chiji Shimada
We’re only up to chapter four on the site, but this series is actually a whole whopping 12 chapters and…. I love it. The story revolves around Fukujiro, a poor college student living on his own for the first time. He finds a cheap room at a shared house, and while it originally seems like he sincerely lucked out on a great place, he gets his butt groped pretty much the second he walks through the door. Turns out the landlord, Akira Monzenji, is also a lingerie designer and is absolutely smitten with Fukujiro’s round, pert, perfect butt. After Fukujiro breaks an unbelievably expensive vase, Akira tells him to pay back his debt with his body—in the form of incredibly risqué lingerie photoshoots. This manga is very silly and ridiculous, and I laugh through every chapter during editing. Fukujiro always looks amazing in the skimpy little get-ups Akira dresses him in, and their interactions are just so charming and over-the-top. I’m enjoying the slow process of Fukujiro warming up to Akira and his weirdo pervert obsession with lace panties. Will poor Fukujiro ever get to enjoy a simple college life, or is he doomed to parading around in panties as long as he lives under Akira’s roof?
Just A Kiss Will Be Fine by Pi
I could have sworn I recommended this one before, but it appears I only talked about it during our 2024 Citrus Con panel. Just A Kiss Will Be Fine is about college students Mashiro and Toru. Mashiro is a firm believer that “kissing is the ultimate form of intimacy”—much more than sex—and he’s slowly gaining a reputation around campus for his skills. So when rumors of his prowess get back to Toru, who was recently made fun of by a girl for sucking at kissing, he decides to request lessons from the master. While Mashiro is turned off at first, he figures if he teaches Toru the art of kissing, Toru won’t pressure him to go any further, so he can enjoy just making out with someone to his heart’s content—as an act of service, of course. But as things keep escalating, Mashiro’s forced to realize that if the kissing chemistry is good, then kissing and touching at the same time can only be better. If you’re a fan of sexual tension I can’t recommend this one enough, because as their kisses get deeper, the attraction growing between them gets stronger and stronger. Also, the dynamic between the two is really cute, with Mashiro acting like a stand-offish cat and Toru like a needy, hopeful puppy.
The Unexpected Expert by AIKAWA AKI
This is actually the first series I was trained with (hopefully there are no mistakes…) and I’ll always remember it fondly for being absolutely bizarre but also incredibly fun. The original story centers on childhood friends Ayumu and Shinta. Shinta is super plain and weird and socially awkward, and Ayumu mostly keeps him around out of habit. However, when Ayumu’s classmate Hibi suddenly shows an interest in Shinta, and it turns out that plain-Jane (now ex-) virgin is naturally amazing in bed, things start to spiral out of control. Maybe Ayumu likes Shinta more than he thought. The plot is incredibly strange, but the art suits it—simple but super expressive. I personally love the second couple and will always have a special place in my heart for Hibi—a true darling in the junjou bicchi genre. There’s not a ton of college life vibes in this series aside from the guys all knowing each other from class and clubs, but I still had to include it since it has such a special place in my heart.
Finally, I didn’t recommend it here because I’ve already written an entire review on it, but please if you like college themes and that kind of coming-of-age, youthful arrogance, learning the folly of your ways, growing into yourself, overcoming past trauma, etc. etc. vibe of young adulthood READ JIRO KAWAII’S WE’LL GET OUR HAPPY ENDING. It’s so good and has everything you could want from a story about two college guys finding their place in the world.
What are your favorite college life BL manga? And what do you look for in a manga dealing with college woes? Would love to hear everyone’s recs and ideas here or on our socials!
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