A man’s romantic dates with his boyfriend keep turning naughty. A shy teenage boy dreams of becoming a woman to fulfill his best friend’s fantasies. A farm boy in the big city winds up working as a gigolo—and then his innocent younger cousin shows up for a visit. A manga artist reluctantly takes a job drawing yaoi manga, only to find that his artwork reveals his hidden desires. This collection of unabashedly sensual short stories includes all these encounters and more. -- VIZ Media
I had to accept that I wasn’t just Arthur Leywin anymore, and that I could no longer be limited by the circumstances of my birth. If I was going to escape, if I was going to go toe-to-toe with the most powerful beings in this world, I needed to push myself to my utmost limit...and then I needed to push even further. After nearly dying as a victim of his own strength, Arthur Leywin wakes to find himself far from the continent where he was born for the second time. Alone, broken, and with no way to tell his family he’s alive, Arthur must rebuild his strength to survive. As he ascends through an ancient dungeon filled with hostile beasts and devious trials, he discovers an ancient, absolute power - a power that will either ruin him or take him to new heights. But the dungeon won’t give up its knowledge easily. Before he can plunder its depths, Arthur must learn to untangle the threads of fate. He must band together with the unlikeliest of allies if he hopes to escape with his life.
Volleyball teammates Yuichi and Ryo have great chemistry together on the court and were considered the best combo on the team. Underclassman Ryo even went as far as to express his aspiration to follow Yuichi after graduation. What transpires thereafter complicates their dreams of playing together on the court and so much more.
Boys Love Manga and Beyond looks at a range of literary, artistic and other cultural products that celebrate the beauty of adolescent boys and young men. In Japan, depiction of the “beautiful boy” has long been a romantic and sexualized trope for both sexes and commands a high degree of cultural visibility today across a range of genres from pop music to animation. In recent decades, “Boys Love” (or simply BL) has emerged as a mainstream genre in manga, anime, and games for girls and young women. This genre was first developed in Japan in the early 1970s by a group of female artists who went on to establish themselves as major figures in Japan's manga industry. By the late 1970s many amateur women fans were getting involved in the BL phenomenon by creating and self-publishing homoerotic parodies of established male manga characters and popular media figures. The popularity of these fan-made products, sold and circulated at huge conventions, has led to an increase in the number of commercial titles available. Today, a wide range of products produced both by professionals and amateurs are brought together under the general rubric of “boys love,” and are rapidly gaining an audience throughout Asia and globally. This collection provides the first comprehensive overview in English of the BL phenomenon in Japan, its history and various subgenres and introduces translations of some key Japanese scholarship not otherwise available. Some chapters detail the historical and cultural contexts that helped BL emerge as a significant part of girls' culture in Japan. Others offer important case studies of BL production, consumption, and circulation and explain why BL has become a controversial topic in contemporary Japan.
At a rather salacious masquerade party where VIPs and celebrities alike have gathered, businessman Kamiya encounters a magic wand he can’t forget! Hoping to once again submit himself to its magical abilities, Kamiya recruits the help of his ever-present stone-faced secretary, Tachibana, to find the mystery man who possesses it. Just who is the man behind the mask with the wand from beyond, and does Kamiya have a chance of finding him? -- VIZ Media
Even though Azuma's "spectacle fetish" is infamous, guys are out of the question, and Sorachi is definately way out of the question - he's too serious for him to even carry on a decent conversation with. One day, however, Azuma finds Sorachi asleep without his glasses, and can't help himself from kissing him! Glasses may be the thing that attracts Azuma to Sorachi... or is it?
"Shy Nakaba has been a shut-in ever since gossip at school destroyed his reputation. But when his mom snags him a job to help him break out of his shell, he's forced to face a co-worker who knows a thing or two about courage and commitment! Can Nakaba stand tall and speak up for what he truly wants?"--Back cover.
Yuta and Ritsu have been playing baseball together since they were children, but after being defeated in a local tournament over the summer, they must retire from the high school team to study for university entrance exams. Still, Yuta finds himself unable to give up his lingering attachment to baseball. The one person who can truly understand him is Ritsu, who has been acting worryingly distant since they quit the team. But there's something Yuta himself doesn't understand... Does he think of Ritsu as his partner in the way that a teammate would, or is the affection between them something stronger?
Ryouya is a total party animal with fuck buddies. Living with Ryouya is Io, a cold and cool type of guy who doesn't show his emotions much, but physically he's the 'perfect fit' with Ryouya. Io doesn't normally feel much in the way of affection, but whenever he smells Ryouya's musk he just goes crazy for it. But Io's never said a word of his true feelings, not even once...
Ice Princess meets The Cutting Edge! When ice-skating novice Maya Kurinoki lands a double axel for the first time, coach Eishi Todo sees her potential and vows to make her a figure skating "princess." All Maya has to do is convince famous skater Shun Kano to become her partner. Too bad Shun doesn't want to have anything to do with her! When Maya Kurinoki takes her little brother to the local ice-skating rink for the first time, she's got her hands full just trying to get him to let go of the bar. To inspire a bit of bravery in him, she attempts a double axel--and lands it! Maya never imagined that this jump would change her life...or that a coach named Eishi Todo would vow to make her a figure skating "princess"! Now all Maya has to do is convince famous skater Shun Kano to become her partner. Too bad Shun doesn't want to have anything to do with her!
