Pride and “Pedigree”: The Mating Ritual of a Cold Snake and a Fierce Tiger

November 15, 2024November 13, 2024 ~ sou ~ Leave a comment

Read on Renta!
Pedigree by Michi Tange

Japanese Title:
ペディグリー
Pedigree

Links:
Michi Tange Official Website (Author)
Hanaoto Twitter (Publisher)

Here on the Renta! localization team, we get to work quite closely with some of the titles released on the site — particularly the ones whose localizations we produce in-house. This is of course exciting when we’re assigned to work on a series we know and love already, or a new work by one of our favorite BL mangaka. But, another joy that’s just as valuable is getting to discover new creators and series we might not have had the chance to notice otherwise, what with how wide and deep the sea of BL is here in Japan (it’s both a blessing and a curse, I tell ya).

I recently got to experience that kind of BL serendipity in the form of Michi Tange’s “Pedigree.” At first, I was admittedly just dreading the marathon that is the final edit and check of a tankobon (full volume), which are more challenging than chapter-by-chapter releases in terms of the time and stamina they require to work through (though the result is always worth it!). But, as I flipped through the pages and spent time with the characters within, I found a BL story that got me just as emotionally invested as I was professionally.

If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, and/or mutual “one-sided” love, this is one I highly recommend — so stick around for some spicy preview images accompanied by my ramblings about why I ended up loving it so much!

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This Manga is the Cat’s Pajamas (Happy Cat Day!! ≽^•⩊•^≼)

August 8, 2024August 8, 2024 ~ sou ~ 1 Comment

Catboy lovers and BL readers looking for something both heartwarming and a little frisky, have I got the purrfect pick for you! (=^･ω･^=)

Yes, we’re very proud of that pun we worked into the title

Read on Renta!:
Choose Me And Avoid Cat-Astrophe [Plus Renta!-Only Bonus] by modu9

Japanese Title:
崖っぷち猫は指名がほしい
Gakeppuchineko ha Shimei ga Hoshii

Links:
(Author) modu9’s Twitter

If the title of this post is giving you a little déjà vu, it might be because we’ve already made a “Cat Day” post this year — on 2/22, specifically, as that’s the day it’s celebrated in Japan. But, as it turns out, August 8th is International Cat Day. And hey, you can never have enough cats, or opportunities to appreciate them, right? Plus, it just so happens that one of our latest Renta! releases, featuring a cat-human hybrid young man (who is very cute) recently caught my eye and didn’t let go till the very end. So, the timing was perfect to write a review for this BL that’s paws-itively remarkable!

What we’ve got here today is a story about a very dumb (but lovable) catboy overcoming the challenges of discrimination and a demanding job, and finding love in an unexpected way…

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Renta! Staff BL Awards 2023

December 29, 2023May 21, 2024 ~ Admin ~ 8 Comments

New Years is the perfect time to look back on the last twelve months and think to yourself… “What was the best BL manga I read in 2023?” Best-of lists are common this time of year, so we wanted to get in on the action and make a list of our staff’s favorite BL titles a la Chill Chill’s BL Awards. However, our list is less a ranking of the absolute top popular titles as voted by our users (you can find that by checking the “best sellers” list), and more just us—as a team of BL fans—wanting to celebrate some of our favorite titles that were added to the Renta! site this year. (The 2024 Chill Chill BL Awards should be happening again in march, with people already discussing the nominees, so let’s look forward to that in the coming months!)

Without further ado, the categories are…

Favorite New Series
Favorite Continuing Series
Favorite Seme
Favorite Uke
Favorite Up-And-Coming Author
Amazing Art
Favorite Renta! Title
Favorite Cover
Favorite Couple

To make sure it wasn’t just our main blog team pushing our favs we’ve already talked about at length, we also invited Nan, Agedashi, Anne, and Snow from our Japanese side to share some of their favorite titles they got to work with this year!

For each category there’s a good mix of responses, showing just how varied BL fans are in their tastes. However, in the spirit of not making this post too ridiculously long, we’ll just highlight two or three staff comments for each and then list the rest of the choices below.

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Zombies, Delinquents, and More: The World(s) of Yuo Yodogawa

November 6, 2023May 21, 2024 ~ sou ~ Leave a comment

Available on Renta!: Works by Yuo Yodogawa

Author’s Twitter: 淀川ゆお (@yuo_zero)

Author’s Pixiv: 淀川ゆお

When I first heard whispers that the next Renta! fan letter campaign would center around THE Yuo Yodogawa, I could hardly contain my excitement. My company would be serving as a bridge between international fans and one of my favorite BL mangaka in the game today?? Heck yeah!

In case you’re unfamiliar with the wildly popular Yodogawa-sensei, I’ll quickly share how I became a fan. Have you ever fallen in love at first sight with an art style? I believe that’s what I experienced upon laying eyes on Yuo Yodogawa’s art for the first time. Little did I know when I stumbled upon a chapter in the middle of a random manga and thought, “Huh, that art looks really nice!” that I would quickly be sucked into the Yodogawaverse — and I couldn’t be happier.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing a Yodogawa manga, I suppose the best way to describe their body of work would be as sexy, funny, and cute — but that doesn’t do it nearly enough justice, so I’ll just use this space to gush about a few of my favorite series from Yodogawa-sensei!

I hope you’ll join me in the Yodogawaverse, and discover some BL series that are both awe-inspiring and “aww”-worthy!

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Beast Week Day 5: Love in a Zombie Apocalypse

October 27, 2023October 27, 2023 ~ sou ~ Leave a comment

Read on Renta!: Fooling Around While The Zombies Roam [Plus Renta!-Only Bonus]

It’d be remiss of me to let the Halloween season pass without giving some much-deserved love to this hit zomBL series that’s just BRIMMING with action, horror, romance, and plenty of heart-pounding smut in between the heart-stopping thrills. Yuo Yodogawa’s “Fooling Around While The Zombies Roam” (Japanese title: ゾンビ・ハイド・セックス / Zombie Hide Sex) is a genre-blending masterpiece that’s exciting right from page 1 and keeps that momentum throughout.

Convenience store employee Haruomi’s life gets flipped-turned upside down when a zombie outbreak throws the world into chaos. By chance, he’s saved by a handsome soldier named Kazuma, but just when the two have made it to safety, Haruomi is confronted by another problem… Kazuma’s hard dick!! Apparently all that adrenaline pumping can get the blood flowing to all sorts of places! Thus begins a confusing yet mutually beneficial relationship between the two —wherein Kazuma protects Haruomi, and in exchange Haruomi takes care of Kazuma’s “needs” with his soft and supple body (sorry, I had to, that boi’s got some CAKE ). The two set out together to find supplies, other survivors, and maybe even a cure for the disease that started all of this… all the while their feelings for one another deepen.

If you’re a fan of shonen battle manga, zombie flicks, and a bit of gore (though nothing too stomach-churning), you’ll love the action-packed man vs. zombie fight scenes. If you like BL on the fluffier side, you’ll enjoy seeing the cute, bespectacled Haruomi and the gruff but kindhearted Kazuma grow closer throughout the series, and become the ultimate power couple in the face of a dangerous world.

You can now read the first 4 volumes on Renta! The story only gets better as new characters join the cast and details about the nature of the zombifying disease are gradually revealed.

I’m currently working on a longer review of this series (with some inside looks at the gorgeous art), as well as other series by the incredible Yodogawa-sensei, that will be up on this BLog very soon — perhaps even with a special announcement… so keep your eyes peeled!

…And that’s a wrap for Beast Week 2023! But don’t worry — we’ve still got quite the MONSTER of a post waiting to be published on the spookiest day of the year, and if any of the manga we’ve introduced this week have appealed to you, we think you’ll be very pleased with it . So, stay tuned for our Halloween Special, and in the meantime, treat yourself to some of these wicked BL titles!