Renta!’s BL Team Sorts BL Tropes

One thing that I really love about our current BL Team is that we have all the bases covered. While there is some overlap between the three of us, we all have pretty different taste in terms of characters, stories, and tropes—to the point where sometimes if I’m completely uninterested in something, Yomogi knows that he should probably check it out. This vast difference in our taste means we can give a variety of recommendations to a much larger audience. I’m sure those who’ve been watching our socials, have attended our panels, visited us at conventions, or sat down to business lunch with us already have a fair understanding of what we like: Sou likes “milfs” and mpreg, Yomogi likes strong eyebrows and ojisan uke, and I (Ames) like my characters ultra femme, a little sad, and extremely slutty.

So when I saw this tier maker going viral while I was making my daily coffee break Twitter rounds, I thought it would be fun/interesting to have each BL team member make their own so we could see just how different our tastes really are.

One thing I’d like to note: we generally try not to talk about manga/characters/tropes we personally don’t like, since we try to avoid anything negative and don’t want to bring down those who do like it. We feel very strongly that all BL is “for” someone even if it’s not to our personal tastes. So please know there’s no judgement from us if you adore the tropes we’re personally not big on. Please fly your freak flag high—there’s nothing we love more at Renta! corp than people who unabashedly love the manga they read. Not to mention, as I already said, chances are someone on the team likes it even if someone else doesn’t.

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#OldManYaoi Never Gets Old

Earlier this year, I was overjoyed to come across this post on X from the mangaka account アライグマ社 (@AraigumaSha) regarding one of the finest phrases known to humans: old man yaoi. The thread of posts features a moment of discovery by the artist, accompanied by wholesome interactions between them and English-speaking BL fans chiming in to explain how the term is used to refer to works of BL featuring older characters. Several users also added to the conversation—whether to reassure アライグマ社 that the term has a positive, endearing nuance, or to let them know how, in Western fandoms, works featuring anyone older than 30 or so could be categorized as old man yaoi. Personally, I absolutely love seeing moments like this, where fandoms from across the world connect over a shared interest, teaching and learning from each other. It truly demonstrates the ways in which communities grow and evolve through curiosity and genuine interactions ☺️

At the same time, as an old man yaoi lover myself, I could not simply sit still in the office. I had been meaning to work on doing an oyaji (term described below) blog post, so I took it as a sign from the universe that now is the time to work on it…! I know many of you are already well-versed in this sub-genre (if I can call it that), but I will start off with an overview of different ways in which old man yaoi may be referred to in Japan, followed by some recommendations.

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An Indulgent Love Story: “Bittersweet Bliss With A Chocolatier” (Happy Valentine’s Day!)

Who needs chocolate-covered strawberries when you have chocolate-covered twunk tits, amirite? 🥴

Read on Renta!:
Bittersweet Bliss With A Chocolatier
by Yan

Japanese title:
ビターポルノショコラティエ
Bitter Porno Chocolatier

Links:
Yan’s Twitter (author)
Melty Bullet’s Twitter (publishing line)

Valentine’s Day is upon us again 💗 and whether that means you’ll be cozying up with a loved one, showing some extra appreciation to your friends, or just chilling by yourself and eagerly awaiting the 15th for all the delicious discounts on Valentine’s chocolate and candies, we hope you have a great one!

And, while we believe there’s never a bad time to enjoy a good BL, when I stumbled upon — and quickly fell in love with — this one in particular, and learned that it was set to drop on Renta! right around Valentine’s Day, I knew this was the universe telling me to jot my thoughts down while reading so I could share them here on the BLog as my Valentine’s Day “gift” to you all.

As the intriguing title suggests, this book has a lot to offer, even aside from the delectable combo of a handsome top in his 40s and a feisty 20-something-year-old bottom with a naughty body; there’s a healthy serving of comedy to brighten your mood, but also plenty of drama to balance out the sweetness.

Get ready for some food porn (in the form of lovingly crafted fancy chocolates), some manga porn (in the form of an astoundingly buff middle-aged chef pounding a cute twunk’s ass), and a genuinely inspiring story about chasing your dreams.

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