Back in early January, I met up with two industry friends for New Years coffee at Akha Ama near Waseda, and suddenly one of them asked “have you heard of this BLT thing??” Of course, we have to get the joke out of the way: “Like, the sandwich?” I asked, and she was like “nooo it’s this massive BL event they’re supposedly planning…” while showing me their website. At the time, there wasn’t much info aside from a homepage with a bunch of “coming soon” markers. I was interested, but skeptical.
A week or two later, they announced a massive list of extremely popular artists who they said would be participating. “But, participating how?”
Then they announced a list of book signing events. “Okay, so it’s just a really big book signing thing?” I thought to myself. But, all the participating artists weren’t doing book signings, so there has to be more.
Then they announced a bunch of talk events, but still not all the participating artists were included.
“Just what the heck is this god damn event!?”
Well, on June 27th, I went to BLT 2026 Day 1! So I’ll tell you a little bit about my experience.
Disclaimer: I went as a fan first and foremost (as in, I did not get paid to go, so I didn’t take extensive notes or photographs and just enjoyed my time attending), so this is going to be a more casual report just using my memory and the photos I took for my own personal enjoyment. So apologies if none of your favorite artists or series are represented here!
There was actually a pretty crazy double typhoon heading right for Tokyo the day of the event, so there was a lot of fear that after all that planning and hype, the whole thing would end up canceled. Especially since, as the typhoon was moving through the day before, it left Osaka in pretty rough shape. When I woke up the next morning it hadn’t even started raining, so I got ready and headed out, hoping for the best.
I had joined the lotto for the early tickets, but I didn’t get in. (I got too lucky early in the year by getting in for the first day of the BexBoy 30th Anniversary “Boys In Love” exhibit.) So, I instead went for the earliest general tickets. I didn’t try for any of the signing events or talk events (though I was tempted by the Momose An 10th anniversary stage…) since I just wanted to experience the event with as little stress and structure as possible.
In truth, I really didn’t know what to expect going in. Conversations about the event with friends usually revolved around how hard the merch was being pushed and how little we knew about the rest of the exhibits. Looking back, it makes sense—it’s hard to fully explain an event until you’ve experienced it first-hand, especially since they didn’t want to post the inside and give everything away.
There were 40 artists (and one author) participating in the main event, with even more artists outside the main lineup participating in the talk and signing events. Some people might not realize this, but “general” BL events like this are essentially unheard of, even in Japan—usually events are put on directly by specific publishers, so only series or artists under that publisher are represented. Very occasionally, you might see a mixed event with multiple publishers, but the scale is usually exceedingly small: a café here or there… perhaps a goods line… As anyone who has worked in Japanese publishing knows, each publisher has their own rules around their IP, as well as their own processes and timelines and requirements regarding requesting and planning for stuff like this. So I can’t imagine what a massive undertaking this event was for the organizers. The fact that they pulled it off likely required an extraordinary amount of passion and coordination and preplanning on their part. My hats off to them, seriously.
Each participating artist drew a full-body illustration of their boys in formal attire, and that was the basis of the event itself.
The full list of BL that were showcased:
Kyoudai Seido no Aru Yankee Gakuen de Kyou mo Chigiri wo Semararetemasu by Akai Shirafu
Sekai de Ichiban Tooi Koi by Asou Mitsuaki
→ EN: The Farthest Love in the World (Futekiya)
Ikebo Haishinsha wa Ore Nerai!? by Apeko
Oni Joushi Gokudera-san wa Abakaretai by Arata Licca
Blue Sky Complex by Ichikawa Kei
Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai by Irodori Kazuki, Yatsuki Wakatsu, Oohashi Kikka
→ EN: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (Yen Press)
Omega no Kashoku Kyoumei Renjou by Yukimura Kanae, Iwamoto Kaoru
Koi ga Ochitara by Ueda Aki
Unmei dakedo Aiirenai by Eijou Ei
→ EN: Fated NOT to Meet (TOKYOPOP)
Noumi-senpai no Benmei by Ohmugi Koala
→ EN: The Apology of Noumi-senpai (Seven Seas)
PUNKS△TRIANGLE by Okita Yuho
→ EN: PUNKS TRIANGLE (Seven Seas)
Matte, Suki. by Omayu
→ EN: Wait, I Love You (Seven Seas)
Futago to Sensei by Kakinotane
Umibe no Étranger by Kii Kanna
→ EN: Seaside Stranger (Seven Seas)
Strawberry Kiss Melt by Sakura Rico
→ EN: Melting Strawberry Kiss (Animate International)
Coyote by Zariya Ranmaru
→ EN: Coyote (SuBLime)
Pink Heart Jam by Shikke
→ EN: Pink Heart Jam (SuBLime)
Gozen 0ji no Amai Wana by Shakeda Nene
Tasogare Out Focus by Jyanome
→ EN: Twilight Out of Focus (TOKYOPOP)
Cupid ni Rakurai by Suzumaru Minta
→ EN: Cupid is Struck by Lightening (Seven Seas)
Torokeru Kuchibiru by Takasaki Bosco
→ EN: Melty Kiss (Renta!)
Kouguu no Omega by Tsuyuhisa Fumi
→ EN: Palace of the Omega (SuBLime)
30sai Made Doutei da to Mahoutsukai ni Nareru Rashii by Toyota Yuu
→ EN: Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard? (Square Enix)
Love Virgin by Nagi Wataru
→ EN: Lost and Undefiled (Renta!)
His Little Amber by NATSUME KAZKI
→ EN: His Little Amber (Seven Seas)
Haru wo Daiteita by Nitta Youka
→ EN: Embracing Love (SuBLime)
After Midnight Skin by Nim Mahiro
Rairairaise by Nojiro Guri
White Night Bitter Porn by Nobana Saori
Amakute Atsukute Iki mo Dekinai by HACHISU
→ EN: Breathless, Steamy Love (Frontier Works)
Goshisou Omega wa Chuu to Naku by HANASAWA NAMIO
→ EN: The Foxy Mouse’s Romance (Renta!)
Happy Kuso Life by Harada
→ EN: Happy Shitty Life (Renta!), Happy Crappy Life (KUMA)
Sasaki to Miyano by Harusono Shou
→ EN: Sasaki and Miyano (Yen Press)
Anomaly Life by Hidaka Shouko
Therapy Game Restart by Hinohara Meguru
→ EN: Therapy Game Restart (SuBLime)
Fudanshi Shoukan ~Isekai de Shinjuu ni Hameraremashita~ by Fujisaki Moe
→ EN: Fanboy Summoning Shafted by an Otherworldly Beast (MangaPlaza)
Motto Kawaikunatte Ii by Hoshi Nobiru
→ EN: I Want to Spoil You (Renta!)
Pittosporum by Mikami Shino
→ EN: Pittosporum (DE)
Aware na Beta wa Koi wo Shiranai by Yashiki Shima
→ EN: This Poor Beta Doesn’t Know About Love (Renta!)
Yoake ga Ichiban Kurai by Yamada Nonono
BLT was hosted at the Sunshine City World Import event space. For those who don’t know, this is essentially the same hall where J.GARDEN used to be held before it massively outgrew the space and was moved to Tokyo Big Sight. (Ames note: as someone who lives very close to Sunshine City and now gets very exhausted having to wake up at 5AM just to get to and line up at Tokyo Big Sight… pain! Bring it back!) So when I heard it was taking place at Sunshine City instead of one of the bigger event spaces, I thought that was a very cute nod to the history of BL culture. The first time I attended J.GARDEN was actually the last time it was hosted at Sunshine City, so it will always have a special place in my heart.
However, the event spaces at Sunshine City are confusing to access, to say the least. And the annoying thing about BL events is that—even as BL becomes more popular and well-known in Japan, even among general audiences—they’re usually not marked very well. I guess you can see why—some fans were even (semi-jokingly) uncomfortable to be seen outside the venue with the bright pink and blue BLT wristbands and the little Boys Love Tokyo giftbag you were given on entry. (I personally thought it was incredibly endearing how you could spot your comrades from a mile away for the rest of the day, but I understand everyone has a different threshold for how open they want to be about being a BL fan in public.) Because of this, there wasn’t really any signage or anything directing you where the best entrance was. So, of course, I ended up picking one of the most confusing ways in. (BLT did try to share a “best way to enter” demonstration on Twitter, but by the morning of the event, they were so busy RT’ing goods and congratulatory tweets that explanation was buried and gone.)
After a few minutes of awkwardly trying to not get in anyone’s way while figuring out what to do, I finally had to ask some staff where to go. Timeslots were broken by the half-hour with seemingly around 500 tickets sold per period, so you had to find your ticket number which was dutifully marked on the ground in the massive 500-person, 4-row line just outside the main doors and around the corner of the building. Once your time came, they took people in by row (mine was second, toward the very end) and you quickly got your wristband, bag, map, illustration booklet, and they freed to you go explore.
On the ticketing floor (Hall A) was the goods shop, the café, the stages, and the signing events. On the upper floor (Hall B) was the actual exhibition hall. Above is the map they handed out with your ticket (source) which details all the exhibits and where to find them, but I honestly had fun just wandering in circles throughout the exhibition hall so I ended up not using it too much. But the activities were as follows:
① BLT Shrine
When you entered there was a cute Boys Love Tokyo torii gate photospot for oshikatsu/nuikatsu or selfies. I admittedly didn’t photograph it at all because I was instantly distracted by literally everything else, but here’s a cute photo from Shikke-sensei.
There were also little omikuji you could pull with popular BL tropes to see what your “destined couple” would be. I got 御曹司 ✕ 社畜 (onzoushi x shachiku), which is essentially generationally wealthy seme and office drone. This isn’t exactly 100% my favorite couple from Haruyosi Hiro’s Naisho no Stalker-san (that would be supadari or yandere rather than onzoushi), but close enough. I’ll take it.
Lastly, there was a little corner where there were ema (prayer boards) written out by all the participating artists, as well as tables where you could write your own to hang. They were very cute but this area was always extremely crowded so I didn’t get many photos. Still, here are some I took pictures of as well as my own:
② Full-size Panels of all the Participating Series
Nearly the entire hall was lined with the full-size panels of the 40 series being showcased. ngl it felt very weird standing next to a full-size Noumi-senpai because he feels so smol in the actual series (maybe just because he’s so cute??) but he’s taller than me. That’s insane.
These were really wonderful but I didn’t spend too much time photographing them because if you purchased the artbook, you got all the full-body illustrations already.
Still, it was fun to stand next to them and gaze lovingly at the details. One attendee, for instance—much to Kanae Yukimura’s glee–pointed out the fact that you can see hearts in Enjouji’s eyes in the Omega no Kashoku artwork. His love for Iriya is truly shining through.
Some more of the standees that I photographed. I wanted to get Sakura Rico’s as well, but sadly it had people huddled around it constantly so it was hard to get to.
③ Panel Exhibition Space
This area was just rows of walls with important scenes from the participating manga, blown up so you could capture all the wonderful details. There’s not really that much to say about these aside from the fact that I just love being surrounded by tons and tons of wonderful artwork from artists I love, so I wished I could have stayed in this area forever.
④ Drawing Process Showcase
Anyone who read our Citrus Con Q&A knows that I love getting to see the rough artwork, and the process through which the manga comes to life. Sometimes the art is just so beautiful it’s hard to imagine that human hands created that. Getting to see the roughs and sketches humanizes the artists and reminds you that this beautiful art was all made through hard work and tons of practice, and I just love that.
So when I found out BLT has a “rough artwork” section I was absolutely ecstatic—and even still, it exceeded my expectations.
The section had large walls that showcased the artists ネーム (storyboard) alongside the finished pages, and it was such a treat. Not only could you see the process through which the pages are mapped out, but you could also get hints of each mangaka’s personality through how tediously they detailed their initial sketch or how much they just winged it. It ran the gamut from artists like Okita Yuho, whose rough is just a bunch of abstract shapes and lines with the word “kiss” layered over the top, to artists like Shikke and Yamada Nonono, whose roughs were pretty much the finished page from the very start.
There were also large TV screens showcasing the start-to-finish art process of each artist. I didn’t photograph these bc you couldn’t really capture it in a single photo, but they were wonderful.
By an unfortunate accident they forgot to include Hoshi Nobiru’s at the event, but that means it’s currently being showcased on the BLT site (until July 9th JST) so please check it out!
⑤ Artist Workspace Photos
This section was “no photos allowed” since it included personal images from the mangaka’s homes! You got a glimpse into each mangaka’s workspace, with stuff like what their set-up includes (some had just a computer and tablet, and others had tons of fancy, crazy devices) or how they decorate. Similar to the roughs, you could really see each mangaka’s personality and work process shining through in a single image. Ohmugi Koala, for instance, had a three-tiered trash bin right next to her workspace, which told me two things: she’s very dutiful about sorting her trash, and she probably essentially lives at that desk. Nojiro Guri’s space was incredibly beautiful and clean and aesthetic, right next to a window with tons of greenery outside, and it absolutely looked like the type of atmosphere where manga like hers would be created. Mangaka also shared photos of pets and of things around their house that were notable for them.
Harada’s was actually a drawing, which was shared on twitter recently!
⑥ Notable Quotes Showcase
I didn’t spend too much time in this section, though it was really lovely. There was a big screen in the middle the shuffled through all these scenes the quotes are from, and then all the quotes were hanging in these large banners from the ceiling. It was difficult to photograph, so enjoy the one image I got for Noumi-senpai.
⑦ Editor Commentary
This area showcased the full manga cover spreads alongside commentary by those who worked on it, usually the editor. So for instance, Noumi-senpai‘s editor discussed how they were worried the manga would perform since the pairing dynamic is a bit unusual, but it was a huge hit on social media after the first chapter was released, so they decided to really lock in on the story.
I can’t remember if it was “no photos allowed” or maybe I was too distracted trying to read everything, but sorry about not taking any photos! I really like this kind of behind-the-scenes glimpse in the thought process behind greenlighting and pushing certain stories, how they perform, and what part the editors play in that process. Because it’s always a surprise how big a part editors often play in the initial story crafting.
⑧ BL Personality Quiz
BL personality quiz! I got 下剋上ハンター since I picked the following path:
I prefer days when I don’t have a lot of plans
↓
I prefer to live in the city over the countryside
↓
I would prefer hot guys be crying rather than smiling
↓
下剋上ハンター
“You prefer couples where there’s a overthrow of the power balance” which I guess isn’t wrong, since I prefer power bottoms and strong-willed uke and pathetic, simpering, lovestruck seme.
Other options include super happy end, meriba (merry bad end), gap moe, otaku bros, etc. Sorry the image is low-quality, but I’d love to hear everyone else’s results if you do the quiz!
⑨ Favorite Scene Showcase
A way to show your love for a story that’s very common in doujin spaces and also occasionally makes it’s way to commercial BL is 付箋本 (fusenbon) or “sticky note book,” wherein the reader will fill a doujin/manga with sticky notes pointing out all their favorite scenes, lines, and artwork. I’ve even considered doing this for the previously-mentioned Haruyosi Hiro manga Naisho no Stalker-san because I want to point out all of the scenes that just stick in my brain (the ふにっ of his balls during the reach-around scene… the way his cheek is pushed into the pillow as he pouts and cries… the little チカチカ as his eyes adjust and acknowledges his stalker’s true face for the first time… his little froggy pose when he falls asleep from depression and exhaustion…) and how beautiful I think the anatomy looks in every single panel. It’s a great way to make an artists TRULY and deeply understand how much their book means to you and how you’re noticing all the tiny details they worked so hard on.
So including fusenbon in BLT was a really cute, wonderful touch with a nod to BL’s strong continuing ties to doujin culture and the way fans express their love. Each participating series had three books on display at any given time, which I’m sure the staff switched out once they got too packed with notes. As a fellow fan, it was so cute and fun to see other people pointing out the same scenes that mean so much to me, and what they love about them, and letting their own personalities and likes shine through in their comments and doodles.
Apologies again for no photos—I didn’t want to put anyone’s comments on blast and embarrass them, even if no one included their name. I would recommend looking up 付箋本 for examples of how people make them, since it’s a very wonderful practice! I really hope the artists were given all the books after the event so they could bask in the love of everyone who contributed to them.
③-2 18+ Showcase
I loved literally everything about the conceptualization of this area.
So, as you can tell from the map, it’s hidden way, way back in the corner. I got done looking at all the standees on the north wall, and finished my time in the fusenbon section, and was really feeling the high of love for BL manga and its surrounding community. And I glanced to my left and saw… a bunch of adult women crouched over and peeking through a bunch of tiny peepholes on a wall.
What in the hell?????
As I approached I saw the 18+ sign, and so I saddled up next to everyone and look in one of the holes, and I saw… Iriya from Omega no Kashoku getting absolutely railed. Each hole had a different panel of a sex scene, each one as gratuitous as the last.
When you enter the actual room, the walls are just covered in sex scenes. Part of me was hoping they were the less censored versions, but I believe they were the scenes directly from the books. I loved this room, but I didn’t spend too much time in it since it was crowded, and I like to look at the… uh… fine details of the sex scenes when I’m not surrounded by strangers lol.
Still, even if I didn’t spend a ton of time in the 18+ cave, I was extremely happy they had this section. As an OG BL fan, I have mixed feelings regarding the slow sterilization of the genre to hide the sexual parts and make it more friendly for a general audience, so it made me happy to see BLT celebrating the eroticism of BL and not just the romance. It filled my heart with joy seeing all the fans hunched over and talking excitedly amongst the peepholes. Truly splendid.
There was also a big line (designated with gray on the map, but not numbered) where you could go and take a bunch of free pamphlets, which may sound like “why would i want a bunch of ads…?” but they were covered with mangaka’s artwork and sincerely looked more like posters for half of them. I particularly loved the add for the Alpha no Hanayome drama CD, which folded out into a large poster of the volume 2 artwork. Absolutely stunning.
Café
Even though I loved seeing everyone’s cute photos with their drinks, I didn’t partake in the café this time. (Once again, for those who read our Q&A, you know I’m not big on sugary drinks so it Wrecks me when that’s the only thing on offer.) Thankfully the coasters had the same artwork as the acrylic stands, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out too much.
BLT Weekend in Ikebukuro
Because BLT was such a big event, there were a handful of tie-in events through the weekend. One actully included my sweet babygirl princess Mana-chan from Love Chain, Love Gene so I obviously had to partake. It was relatively small, at White Hall toward the top of Animate Ikebukuro, but I’m happy for any Love Chain, Love Gene recognition so I’ll take it. There were just large posters showcasing the participating series, with a synopsis and inside art alongside blown-up art of the covers.
And, because I bought some of the BLT and campaign tie-in manga, I got the signed Ebino Bisque postcard! Thank you BLT… 😭🙏 Thank you…
Sunshine Road was also showcasing banners of all the participating series so you could get hyped on your walk from Ikebukuro station.
Final Thoughts
It was wonderful. A mutual on Twitter asked what I thought of the event, and the most succinct way I could describe it was: the community vibes and intense love for BL of J.GARDEN without the “kill or be killed” stress and mad dash to make sure you get all your books.
You could feel the love for BL manga, its roots, and its community from the very core—from the activities that were chosen to the massive focus on the mangaka and editors and people who truly make BL happen, as well as on the fans and their love and support for their favorite artists and series.
I have to admit, for a long time I was on the fence about going to BLT. For one, because I have weird taste, not that many of my personal absolute favorite series or artists were being showcased, which made me wonder if it was worth it. Also because I’ve already been buying too many goods lately, so if that was the main focus I was kinda iffy. But I’m so extremely glad I got to experience what I hope is the first of many years of BLT (or similar events) to come.
The crowd control was great, so while there were a lot of people, you could still really enjoy all the displays and exhibits. At no point did I feel like I wanted to participate in something but couldn’t because it was too crowded. This might be because I was in a pretty early time slot, though—your ticket has an entry time, but you could stay as long as you wanted, so I could see it getting pretty crowded by the middle and end.
Also, the goods line was pretty horrific, so I kind of regretted buying goods at the venue instead of just waiting for online sales. The staff were trying their best to keep everything moving along, but the wait for goods was over an hour for me (in a super crowded space with zero network connection, so you were just trapped in line with nothing to do…). I got my Ohmugi Koala acrylic stand, though, as well as all the stickers I wanted except Hoshi Nobiru (whose goods were completely sold out), so I was still pretty happy. Also, the staff who helped me check out was incredibly sweet, and everyone was super polite during the whole process, so even if the wait sucked it didn’t sour my experience at all.
If they hold it again next year, I think I’ll try my luck for the stage and sign events as well, because I can see myself wanting to spend more time there! I hope if they host it again, the list of mangaka and series showcased changes each year so lots and lots of works can be celebrated and adored, and even more BL fans get the chance to experience it!
rentaBLog 