BL Manga for Beginners Main Page
Part 04: BL Events in Japan✧ Part 06: Recommendations for Teens

Last year, I wrote a blog post on BL publishing in English, which has some outdated information now. This is essentially a new version of that post, with a narrower focus on Japanese BL manga. These publishers mainly print commercial BL, but I have included a few who work on indie BL as well. The post will cover some additional information as well.

Who is Publishing BL Manga in English?
US-based publishers mainly print their titles, with some offering digital, and even fewer being digital- only. Japan-based publishers of BL manga in English are mainly digital, though there have been some print releases. Print releases from these publishers are limited, often restricted to specific stores and more difficult to purchase outside the US .

While print publishing is more popular in the US, digital is vastly more popular in Japan. However, digital publishing has also been growing as well. Digital publishing gives more flexibility and offers chances to titles that may be more difficult to license in print. Some are also released by chapter, similar to Japanese serialization. 

The following lists are broken up by where they are based and then listed in alphabetical order. Note that there may be mature content on some sites, mainly with the digital platforms.

US-based Publishers
BluPetal Media: A media company that focuses on BL, GL, and shojo/josei. They haven’t licensed any BL manga yet.
Blush Club:  BL imprint of indie publisher Crossed Hearts. Their BL titles haven’t been unveiled yet.
Glacier Bay Books/Star Fruit Books: Following the passing of Star Fruit Books founder Matt Haasch, the publishing line being transferred to Glacier Bay Books. Both Star Fruit and Glacier Bay focus on independent manga.
Juné: BL imprint of Digital Manga Inc. and one of the oldest publishers of BL in English. Unfortunately, DMI in general has not been active online since 2024.
J-Novel Knight: BL imprint of digital publisher J-Novel Club. While focused on more novels, they currently have one manga. Some of their titles are printed through a partnership with Yen Press, but currently all the BL ones are digital only.
Kuma: BL imprint of independent manga publisher Denpa.
Kodansha USA: The US division of the Japanese publisher. It also includes titles from Vertical, which was acquired by and integrated into the publisher.
Seven Seas Entertainment: Was the largest independent manga publisher in the US until it was acquired by Japanese company Media Do International in March 2026. /
Square Enix Manga and Books: The US of the Japanese company. Several of their BL titles were initially published by chapter on their app Manga UP! and released in tankobon volumes later on.
SuBLime: BL publisher created through a partnership between Viz Media, Libre, and Animate.
Tokyopop: A longtime US-based manga publisher that had shut down around 2008-2011 before returning. Its old BL imprint was called Blu, and current BL titles are part of their LoveLove imprint.
Yen Press: A publisher co-owned by Hachette Book Group and Japanese corporation Kadokawa. 

Japan-based Publishers
Animate International: Primarily releases works digitally, though some have made it to print. Their printed titles are primarily distributed by Animate USA. The company actually focuses more on licensing and importing goods from outside Japan.
Futekiya: Originally a digital BL manga publisher and platform from Japanese company Fantasista. It was eventually merged with the parent platform Manga Planet until the closure of the site in March 2026. It now focuses on print releases, which are primarily distributed in the US by Kinokuniya USA. 
MangaPlaza: An online platform and publisher owned by NTT Solmare, the multimedia company behind the Japanese e-book site Cmoa. They have also printed a few tiles from Cmoa’s digital manga labels. Their printed titles are primarily distributed in the US by Kinokuniya USA. 
Red String Manga: A publisher that focuses on independent manga. Their titles are distributed in the US by their partner Manga Mavericks Books.
Renta!: A digital platform and publisher owned by Papyless, a long-time Japanese e-book distribution company. The English version of Renta! focuses on BL, GL, and shojo/josei manga.

Some Japanese publishers also have digitally published in English independently, with their titles distributed on various digital platforms. Some examples include Takeshobo, Kadokawa, and Compass

License Suggestions
There are multiple ways manga can get licensed, including looking at readers’ suggestions. Many English-language publishers have license request forms readers can fill out. Some are perpetually available (often posted on the publisher’s site), while others are only offered at certain times. For example, Seven Seas releases license requests monthly. Some publishers also look at social media, whether they’re tagged in a post or if a post goes viral. For more history on the process of licensing manga in the US, I recommend checking out chapter 4 of Manga in America by Casey Brienza.

What titles that are ultimately licensed depend on multiple factors, including relationships with Japanese publishers. Last month, BL fan Court created a license request guide for print publishers, which shows data on Japanese publishers and magazines/labels of print licensed titles. It’s interesting information!

Wrap Up
Since the early 2000s, BL manga has been translated into English. Since then it has greatly expanded. While I focus on manga on this blog, BL novels, webcomics, dramas, games and other media from Japan and other countries have grown in popularity over the years. I hope the list is helpful for those looking for BL manga!

I also wanted to talk more on manga publishing, but ended up not having a lot of time to go into the topic in the end. I mentioned Manga in America already, but The Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime have a few interesting chapters about manga/editor relationships and manga distribution in Japan. For those who have the opportunity, industry panels at in-person and online conventions may have publishers discuss the topic. There are also a handful of interviews, posts/articles, podcasts and more featuring industry professionals available online. I love learning about behind the scenes work, and learning about translation, editing, lettering, and more is super interesting. I think learning about the different jobs that go into releasing manga in English is worthwhile, especially with the rise of AI in manga localization, such as translation or lettering. For me, it really helps me appreciate the work localization staff do.

In the next posts, I’ll finally be introducing a few title recommendations I would recommend for beginners. One will be geared for teens and the other for adults. My lists are written more in mind for librarians looking for BL manga for their collections, but I hope it can be useful for others. See you next time!

As usual, please let me know if there are any errors too.

Further Reading/Resources
Manga in America: Transnational Book Publishing and the Domestication of Japanese Comics – Casey Brienza
The Ultimate BL License Request Guide – Court
The Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime 

BL Manga for Beginners Main Page
Part 03: Japanese BL Manga Serialization ✧ Part 05: BL Manga Publishing in English

Long time no post!! In Part 4 of  BL Manga for Beginners, I’ll be talking about BL events in Japan. While the topic is more tangential to the series, I do feel like it’s worth learning about them. As a fan of BL manga, I know I found myself getting interested in them!

J.GARDEN
When it comes to doujinshi events for the original BL, J.GARDEN is the largest event. It takes place twice a year, in spring and in fall at Tokyo Big Sight. J.GARDEN is an offshoot of COMITIA, which is dedicated to original works. J.GARDEN originally took place at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro in 1996, and remained there until moving to Tokyo Big Sight in 2019. The J in the name comes from JUNE magazine I mentioned in the last post. Both amateur and professional creators attend J.GARDEN, bringing doujinshi and sometimes merchandise. It’s an opportunity for both fans and creators to share in the joy of loving BL! Like with other doujinshi events, J.GARDEN also has a traveling editorial department where creators can have their work reviewed and potentially connect with an editor. 

This spring, the 59th event took place on Sunday on March 22, with a total of 1,200 spaces. I was fortunate to attend this time, and the energy of the event was buzzing! This was my second time going, but I once again felt like I barely scratched the surface of checking out all the spaces. I was able to grab a lot of the doujinshi I wanted, and happily walked out of Big Sight with my bag full. The 60th event, which will also celebrate J.GARDEN’s 30th anniversary, will take place on October 4. This event will be nearly double the size of previous events, with a planned 2,000 spaces! I plan to attend again since it’s a special anniversary.

BL Collabs Pop-ups, and Exhibitions
Collaboration cafés, pop-up shops, and exhibitions are common with BL like other manga, anime, and media!

Many of the cafés and pop-ups coincide with the release of a new volume or anniversary for a creator or magazine/label, but they can also take place at any time. These events often have a theme and feature new illustrations and merchandise. Cafés also have themed food and drinks, while some are just drink stands. 

Exhibitions focusing on specific creators, titles, and magazines have also been popular. Many of these celebrate anniversaries

Chill Chill, a review site and database, usually has a pop-up for their annual BL Awards. (I’ve written a post about them if you’d like to learn more!) Last year, Kinokuniya USA also hosted the pop-up at select stores and a few conventions in the US. Chill Chill has stated that Kinokuniya USA will host the pop-up again for the 2026 Awards.

Larger Scale Events
Occasionally there are larger events for BL such as the exhibit BL Evolution: From Pioneers to Global Phenomenon, which was hosted at the Kadokawa Culture Museum in 2023. This exhibit focused on 50 years of BL history.

This year, a new event called Boys Love Tokyo will take place on June 27-28 at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. The two-day event will include an exhibition with original artwork from 40 creators, signing events for about 20 creators, live talks, and a café!

BL Symposiums
There have been scholarly events related to BL as well. Here are two that took place within the last 5 years. BL and Media was an online symposium held by the Japan Society for Studies in Cartoons and Comics on November 21, 2021 and primarily covered the history of BL, similar to the BL Evolution exhibit. Meanwhile,  LGBTQ Issues and the Globalization of “BL” took place in person on November 25-26, 2023. I actually linked a few posts related to this symposium in my first post of the series, since I briefly mentioned BL fitting in with LGBTO+ media. (I’ll link them below again.)

Wrap Up
Events are fun ways for BL fans to come together and celebrate their favorite authors and works. In Japan, there is no shortage of such events, with announcements happening regularly. These events can sometimes be elusive for overseas visitors, as some are only announced a few weeks in advance. But for those who have the chance to travel to Tokyo, I definitely recommend keeping a look out for upcoming events. (Note that some may not be accessible to overseas visitors due to requiring a Japanese phone number or address to register.)

The next post in this series will focus on English-language BL manga publishing! It will primarily focus on print publishing, but I will include digital releases as well.

References/Resources
J.GARDEN: the importance of doujin events on the BL ecosystem – Renta!
A Quick Introduction to Chill Chill and the 2025 BL Awards – Stacks of BL
The Expansion of Modern BL – BL Evolution exhibit report from illuminesce.net
The first BL exhibition – a Renta! report  – Renta!
Reflections on “LGBTQ Issues and BL” Symposium at Meiji University – Thomas Baudinette
BL and its place in LGBTQ media – Renta!

BL Manga for Beginners Main Page
Part 02: BL Stories and Conventions ✧ Part 04: BL Events in Japan

Hello! Today’s topic of BL Manga for Beginners focuses on commercial manga serialization and comics releases in Japan. A lot of the information I mention here I’ve learned over time as I’ve gotten into different magazines/labels, purchased manga, and read Boys Love Manga and Beyond.

Note: While manga are often written and illustrated by a single person, manga can created by writer/artist duos or even groups. For the sake of simplification, I’ll refer to manga creators in general as “mangaka” (漫画家) in this post.

Intro to Manga Serialization
Commercial (商業) manga is primarily serialized by chapter. Manga series have traditionally been serialized in magazines, which collect chapters from multiple creators in each issue. Another term used besides magazine is “label”, and sometimes used interchangeably with magazines. With the rise of digital manga, some magazines/labels forego having a traditional magazine issue. Instead, they have series’ chapters individually and directly available for purchase. Publishers may have their own dedicated sites, or make them available on other platforms. Some traditional magazines have started offering the options of buying individual chapters too.

Manga magazines/labels include more than just serialized manga. Some manga are one-shots, known in Japanese as yomikiri (読み切り). Sometimes yomikiri end up becoming a serialized work! Another kind of short story in magazines is a bangaihen (番外編), which is an extra or bonus chapter of a serialized work. In traditional magazine issues, mangaka interviews and other editorial articles may be included too.

Some BL manga series are published in magazines/ labels not confined to a single genre, like Monthly Comic Gene from Pixiv. Titles from this magazine include Minato’s Laundromat and Sasaki and Miyano. There are also a handful of BL titles published in shojo manga magazines too, like A Love too Captivating in Kodansha’s Besattsu Friend.

As for the length of BL manga, it’s very common for a series to be roughly 4-7 chapters and collected into a single volume at the end! Sometimes the serialization is renewed if popular, resulting in a continuation (続編) or sequel. This may go on for several “seasons”. There are stories that are multi-volume to begin with as well. Spin-offs focusing on secondary characters or couples are also popular.

Over the last 35 years or so, BL manga magazines and labels have come and gone, but there still are plenty out there! I made a list of active BL magazines/labels, which includes links to the editorial department (編集部) social media accounts.

BL Comics/Tankobon Releases
After a several chapters or a serialization finishes, they are collected into a volume. In Japan, the loanword comics (コミックス) and tankobon (単行本) are used to describe these bound volumes. Comics sizes vary, but one of the most common ones are the Japanese B6 size and international A5. The counter used for manga volumes is kan (巻). Manga that are complete in two volumes often use the characters jo (上) and ge (下) to mark the first and second volumes respectively.

For printed comics, magazines/labels generally have an imprint of the same name, but there are occasional exceptions. Some digital only labels have series printed by different publishers. One case is Sonoo Michiru’s KOH-BOKU. Its digital publisher is COMPASS, but it’s printed by Shinshokan under the Dear+ Comics imprint. Print imprints are important, as manga are often grouped by publisher and imprint in bookstores. On a physical book, the imprint name is often located at the top of the spine of the dust jacket.

Many mangaka create content specifically drawn for the comics release, called a kakioroshi (描き下ろし). A kakioroshi for a comics volume can be short as one page, but no longer than a regular chapter. More often than not, they serve as an epilogue to the main story or a side story. Additional bonuses, or tokuten (特典), are also common with a comics release. For physical releases, they may be a free like a one-page comic paper (ペーパー) or a 4 page leaflet (4Pリフレット). Booklets (小冊子) that are around 8-16 pages and acrylic standees are other common paid bonus goods. Tokuten are often store specific, but general special editions and publisher bonuses also exist. Digital versions and stores also have bonuses, usually in the form of a comic. Print bonuses are sometimes collected into digital booklets later on. Below are pictures of the print release and a tokuten summary for If it’s You I Might Try Falling in Love Vol. 6 posted by Maru Kubota on Twitter. Some of the tokuten listed include a 8 page booklet, illustration card, 4 page leaflet, a 2-way acrylic stand, a die-cut sticker, and a new (kakioroshi) illustration.

When it comes to promoting online, mangaka or editorial department accounts often post the first chapter of a series. This helps garner interest for the work, typically before the comics release. At the end of the thread, they usually post more information about the work!

For digital manga, publishers will have promotions, or digital platforms will promote specific titles at a time. Titles are either directly discounted or the platform provides a discount coupon. Sometimes, the free preview is increased or chapters become free-to-read for a limited time.

With commercial manga, mangaka occasionally self-publish extras stories and even create their own original merchandise! For example, Fumi Yoshinaga has a BL doujinshi series for What Did You Eat Yesterday? titled Kenji to Shiro-san. Mangaka often sell these works at doujinshi events and sometimes have phsyical and digital copies for sale later on.

Wrap Up
While BL may make up a small percentage of commercial manga, there are plenty of titles and labels. To me, knowing magazines and labels are a great way to discover more titles to read/ They often have different criteria for what kind of stories they publish, making the collections of works coherent in a way. I don’t know how to explain it properly, but it’s something I’ve definitely felt. I know I’ve come to have some favorite magazines/labels! And while this series is focused on manga, I want to mention there are BL novel magazines/labels too. JUNE had an offshoot magazine called Shosetsu JUNE (小説JUNE), as an example.

Once again if there are any corrections, feedback, or questions, please let me know! The next topic will be about BL events in Japan, from pop-ups to exhibitions!

Words/Phrases Mentioned
Mangaka (漫画家) – A manga artist. Mangaka may or may not also write manga they draw.
Shogyo (商業) – Commercial. For example, the term “商業BL” is used to refer to BL manga that’s traditionally published.
Comics (コミックス) – A bound book of manga, containing several chapters
Tankobon (単行本) – A common publishing format in Japan, around the JIS B6 size. Sometimes synonymous with comics.
Yomikiri (読み切り) – A one-shot. In other words, it’s a complete story than a chapter part of a serialized work.
Bangaihen (番外編) – A side story or extra chapter.
Kan (巻) – Counter for volumes
Jo and Ge (上 and 下) – In 2 volume manga series, this is often used instead of numbers.
Sosaku (創作) – Original
Zokuhen (続編) – Continuation
Henshubu (編集部) – Editorial department
Kakioroshi (描き下ろし) – Illustration/comic drawn for a specific purpose, such as a comics release, event, collab, etc.
Tokuten (特典) – Bonus
Paper (ペーパー) –  A small single sheet paper usually featuring a comic or illustration.
4 page leaflet (4Pリフレット) – A simple folded leaflet, usually featuring a 2-3 page comi.
Shossashi (小冊子) – Booklet, often 8-16 pages.
Shikishi (色紙) – A usually square art board for illustrations, poems, and autographs. For manga bonuses, illustrations printed on shikishi are common.
Doujinshi (同人誌) – Used to describe self-published works, particularly comics and prose work.
Shosetsu (小説) – Novel

Further Reading/Resources
Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan Chapter:
– A Brief History of Shonen’ai, Yaoi and Boys Love – James Welker
Comic Jun, October 1978 – Slightly Biased Manga
An Incomplete List of Active JPN BL Manga Magazines/Labels – Stacks of BL
The Amateur to Pro Mangaka Pipeline – Breeze

BL Manga for Beginners Main Page
Part 1: Introduction ✧ Part 3: Japanese BL Manga Serialization and Releases

Welcome to Part 2 of BL Manga for Beginners! I actually had planned to upload this much sooner, but I really spent a lot of time mulling over this post… Because ultimately the question “What makes a story BL?” is difficult for me to answer. BL has a variety of stories and tropes, and is constantly evolving. Creators, editors, publishers, researches, and fans all have a variety of perceptions on BL as well.

Seme and Uke
While there are some outliers, the seme/uke couple (coupling) is one of the main distinctions of BL in general, and was influenced by doujinshi culture. In short, the seme is the top and the uke is the bottom. These positions are mainly fixed (kotei), meaning the characters do not switch positions. Historically, the seme has carried a “dominant” connotation in addition to being the top. He would be the one pursuing the uke and more initiative of the relationship. There are stories have characters who are vers/switch, which is called reversible or riba for short.

A couple will often be written with an “×” between them, with the seme on the left and the uke on the right. For example, the couple from Ask and You Will Receive by Niyama would be written as Shinobu Urakawa × Hikaru Omoteya. Not only is this writing convention be used for names, it’s used to describe the couple’s dynamics as well. A story may describe a couple with this convention, such as a former playboy × pure prince, which is written on the obi (paper band around a book) of the Ask and You Will Receive 3 tankobon. There are a variety of seme/uke dynamics in BL! For example, opposites attract types such as happy-go-lucky × gloomy and reserved × playful. Other dynamics may focus more on relationship status such as subordinate and boss, upperclassman and underclassman, childhood friends, classmates, friends with benefits, etc. 

Storylines, Settings, and Tropes
When it comes to storylines, current conventional or mainstream (odo) BL manga tend to have a seme and uke enter a romantic and/or sexual relationship with the couple happily beginning to date at the end. Many of these are single volume stories, with roughly 4-6 chapters. Some of these get renewed for multiple “seasons” as well. Multi-volume stories exist as well, with some being slow-burn romances or glimpsing into the seme and uke’s lives as a couple.

While BL’s demographic is more adult and sexual content is very common, there are also BL with little or no sex. The relationships may not be a typical sweet and romantic relationship either. BL is not required to have a happy ending, allowing for ambiguous to tragic endings. One type of ambiguous ending where the situation may look bad to the readers, but one or both of the characters seem happy is known as a merry bad end. Regardless of the outcome, overarching plot and tone, the relationship and emotions between the main characters tend to be an important part of the story for BL. 

With story genres and settings, BL stories can take place in any era/location a creator wishes it to be! While contemporary settings such as office romance and high school or university settings are popular, fantasy, historical fiction, and sci-fi settings also exist. Omegaverse, which began as a fanfiction setting, has gained some popularity in BL. There are also a few omegaverse-inspired settings such as cakeverse and dom/sub-verse. Other popular media and trends also influence BL manga as well, as seen with a rise of BL featuring characters who are VTubers.

Negative Perceptions of BL
There are a few negative generalizations on BL due to some tropes and settings seen in the genre. As previously mentioned in my first post of the series, BL has drawn criticism over the decades due to many creators and fans being women and the fantastical portrayal of gay men and their relationships. Some of these are:
– Gay only for you: One or both of the characters don’t actually identify as gay or bi, and may even be outwardly homophobic. The other character is seen as “special” and the only man the “straight” character would be with. While BL has been known in the past for putting less emphasis on characters’ sexualities, it’s become more common for characters to comment on it. There are still “straight” characters, but a number of stories depict their thoughts and process on discovering their sexuality.
– Dubious consent, sexual assault, and rape: In some stories, there are little repercussions for the actions (usually by the seme) and the couple still ends up together.
– Masculine seme and feminine uke: BL is often accused of being “heteronormative” when the couple has this type of appearance. Some stories have the uke compared to a woman within the story as well, especially during sexual scenes. 
– Relationships with a larger age gap and/or imbalance in power dynamics: These relationships are seen as immoral, so works with these dynamics are often seen as “romanticizing” these issues. One example are student/teacher relationships
– Other taboo relationships: Incest (whether by blood or by marriage) couples have also appeared in commercial BL.

While the following tropes do exist in BL manga, there are plenty of titles that do not include them, whether old or new.

Wrap Up
I’ve seen others describe the possibilities BL stories as a spectrum, and it really is a fitting word to describe. There have been romantic comedies that made me giggle in delight, grounded slice-of-life that pulled at my heartstrings, and stories that lingered in my mind for hours after I finished. Some say BL is rigid with certain tropes and stories, but there are stories out there that go against the mainstream. But with the sheer amount of BL manga published, not every title can be translated into English. And for librarians looking for titles, there may be digital works or print works from smaller publishers that may either difficult or impossible to acquire for collections… Regardless, there really is a BL for everyone, or every BL its reader, as I say.

Also, I recently enjoyed reading Nora’s post in response to a message on BL narratives, and I highly recommend reading it! Reading it actually inspired me to go and finish this post after weeks of trying to figure things out.

Next time, I’ll discuss Japanese BL manga publishing.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Words/Phrases Mentioned
Coupling (カップリング) – A couple/ship; often shortened to CP or kappu (カップ). Used in both original and fanwork for all kinds of couples/ships
Seme (攻め) – The top character. The word is derived from the verb “to attack” and is used in martial arts. In BL, the seme has conventionally been the pursuer or giver of affection in the couple.
Uke (受け) – The bottom character. The word derives from the verb “to receive”, as the uke was the receiver of affection
Kotei (固定) – Fixed; means the seme and uke cannot be reversed
Riba (リバ) – Short for reversible, it means that both characters top and bottom. In other words, they are vers/switch.
Odo (王道) – Literally translates to “royal road”. Often used to show something that is conventional/mainstream.
Merry bad end (メリーバッドエンド) – An ambiguous ending where a seemingly unhappy ending to readers are happy to one or both characters. Often shortened to meriba (メリバ)
Obi (帯) – A small band of paper often wrapped around books and other media, often having promotional content for the book.The name comes from a piece of traditional Japanese clothing.

Resources/Further Reading
Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan Chapters:
– What Can We Learn from Japanese Professional BL Writers?: A Sociological Analysis of Yaoi/BL Terminology and Classifications – Kazuko Suzuki
– What is Japanese “BL Studies?”: ”: A Historical and Analytical Overview – Kazumi Nagaike and Tomoko Aoyama
Sexual Politics- What Gets to be BL with Dr. Khursten Santos – The Yaoi Shelf Podcast Episode
Boys Love as a Genre — How Do We Decide Who Gets to Sit at the Table – Nora @ allthefujoshiunite
Reply to an Anonymous message about BL  – Nora @ allthefujoshiunite (Tumblr)
Japanese for NERDS: Oshikatsu, Otakatsu, Bokatsu, and language – Ames from Renta!

BL Manga for Beginners Main Page
Part 2: BL Stories and Conventions

Happy New Year, all! Today I’ll be starting a little series of posts called BL Manga for Beginners. To be honest, I’ve been thinking for a while about what information would be important to someone who has limited knowledge of the genre… While not a perfect guide, I do hope these posts can help someone who doesn’t know anything about BL/boys love or help people explain BL to others. I also want to thank fellow BL fans who have read over these posts and given me advice/feedback! This first introduction post will briefly cover what BL is and its history and BL fans. There are wonderful resources out there, so this is a very condensed overview.

BL History
I would personally describe BL as a genre/label that refers to stories that focus on male/male relationships. These relationships are often romantic and/or sexual in nature, but other times it’s not as defined. BL can be traced back to 1961 with Mari Mori’s novella “A Lover’s Forest”, a tragic male/male love story. Over a decade later, several shojo manga artists began to write stories with male/male relationships. Some famous works include Moto Hagio’s The Heart of Thomas and Keiko Takemiya’s Kaze to Ki no Uta. In the 1980s, amateur self-published work, known as doujinshi, with male/male relationships also grew popular. These doujinshi were often fanwork, as it portrayed characters from existing media or even real-live figures. These in turn influenced modern BL, which continues to evolve today on a global scale. BL media now encompasses comics, novels, games, live action works, and audio dramas.

If I could, I would just hand people a copy of Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan and have them read the chapters An Introduction to “Boys Love” in Japan and A Brief History of Shonen’ai, Yaoi and Boys Love to better understand the history of BL.

As Boys Love Manga and Beyond mentions, there have been a few terms used for the genre over time. The following four are the most known.
Shonen’ai (少年愛): A subgenre of commercial shojo manga published in the 70s-80s featuring male/male relationships. Literally translates to “boys love”. These stories often featured beautiful boys and were set in places outside Japan. The word is no longer in use in Japan due to the word being associated with pedastry. A common misconception is that shonen’ai refers to non-sexual BL works.
JUNE (ジュネ): (Pronounced joo-nay) A magazine dedicated to works with male/male relationships, started in 1978. It also became a genre term mainly used for original BL works during the time. While not really used in Japan, it’s still used at doujinshi events to refer to original BL alongside the term BL.
Yaoi (やおい): Coined by doujinshi creators in the 80s, it primarily refers to fanworks featuring male/male relationships. It grew to also refer to original work, as some doujinshi creators began to create original works. Overall, the word is self-deprecating, as it mocks the amateur nature of their works. Many were often sexual in nature, leading some to think that the word only means sexual BL. It eventually fell out of use in Japan after BL was coined. In Anglophone spaces, yaoi has been considered a term equivalent to BL as English-translated commercial BL manga was often labeled as such. Many Anglophone BL fans continue to use the word out of nostalgia and fun.
Boys Love (BL/ボーイズ ラブ): First appearing in the 90s, this phrase is currently the most dominant term to describe works featuring male/male relationships in Japan and overseas.

While my blog focuses on Japanese BL manga, here are some more BL media that are popular. Chinese BL is known as danmei (from the Japanese ‘tanbi’) and mainly takes the form of webnovels and sometimes comics (manhua). Webnovels and comics (manhwa), mainly the scrolling webcomic format, are popular in Korea. Thailand is known for their BL live-action dramas.

BL Readers
As for BL fans, the most common word to describe them is fujoshi (腐女子). It translates from Japanese as “rotten girl”, and a play on the word “婦女子” (also pronounced fujoshi) meaning “women and girls”. Originally, it was a derogatory and self-deprecating term referring to the way fujoshi fantasize or create and consume content of male/male relationships where there necessarily aren’t any–making it a “rotten” activity. In a way, its original usage was similar to how shippers imagine their characters would be in a relationship. Since then it has expanded to generally refer to fans of BL, original or derivative. In Anglophone spaces, the phrase “fujo out”/ ”fujoing out” has become rather popular. I would say it’s similar to the phrase “geek out”/“geeking out” but specifically for BL. There are also the terms fundanshi (腐男子) to refer to men who enjoy BL and fujin (腐人) as a gender-neutral option that most likely originated outside Japan. Fundanshi is sometimes used in Japan, but fujin was coined by overseas fans. While fujoshi is overall a common term to describe BL fans, not all BL fans will use it due to its self-deprecating nature.

Wrap Up
I want to mention that BL has historically been seen as a genre “by women, for women” due to cisgender heterosexual women seemingly making up all the creators and fans. BL has also been a space where women can “play with gender” in creating and reading BL, as both characters are men. Due to these reasons, BL sometimes has a reputation for being “not representative of reality” and/or “fetishizing” of gay men and their relationships. These debates have existed since the 90s and continue on today in Japan and overseas. However, on a global scale BL is created and enjoyed by people of all different gender identities and sexualities. While not a topic I will go into great detail, I will occasionally mention the debates and critiques on BL here and there in this series. I do think BL fits in with LGBTQ+ media and stories. While BL is seen more as a “fantasy” genre, I think there has been a growing amount of BL that is more grounded in reality as well. I do think both kinds of stories have worth.

Next time, I’ll talk about BL manga stories and conventions! See you then.
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to send them my way!

Resources/Further Reading
Boys Love Manga and Beyond: History, Culture, and Community in Japan Chapters:
– An Introduction to “Boys Love” in Japan – Mark McLelland and James Welker
– A Brief History of Shonen’ai, Yaoi and Boys Love – James Welker
Fantasies of Cross-dressing: Japanese Women Write Male-Male Erotica – Kazumi Nagaike
– Includes a translation of “A Lover’s Forest”
Origin of BL: Mari Mori’s 1961 Novella “A Lover’s Forest” – Akiko Mizoguchi
The Possibilities of Research on Fujoshi in Japan – Midori Suzuki
Reflections on “LGBTQ Issues and BL” Symposium at Meiji University – Thomas Baudinette
BL and its place in LGBTQ media – Ames from Renta!
What’s in a Name? MLM Romance vs. BL vs. Yaoi & Shonen Ai – The Yaoi Shelf Podcast Episode
BL, Yaoi & Danmei Resources – Sam Aburime

Last Edited: 02/16/2026