I’m not exaggerating when I say that I mourn the loss of Futekiya almost every single day. Their extensive BL catalogue was unmatched and some of those titles are just not available anywhere else in English. A lot of the titles were older too, so I don’t have a lot of hope that they’d be license in English print any time soon.
So you can only imagine my absolute surprise and DELIGHT when I’m scoping out Omoi, and I see some familiar titles. I nearly shed tears!!! Some of these titles were favorites of mine that I didn’t have a way of accessing any where else. The BL catalogue is light but they have a lot of new titles from publishers like Kodansha and Square Enix Manga and Books, so I’m trusting more will be available in the future.
Anyways, here’s a quick little list of four BL manga on Omoi I need you to check out ASAP!
Hachi/Ritsu by Sanba Maekawa
I realized that I’ve talked about Hachi/Ritsu here before but this story is so good, I’ll gladly tell you again! Hachi and Ritsu are childhood friends who were inseparable. But right before high school, Hachi leaves their little small town without saying a word to Ritsu. Ritsu is devastated, and when it comes time for college, he tracks Hachi down in Tokyo, with a plan to figure out why Hachi left.
This story pulls at my heart strings because Hachi ad Ritsu love each other so much. Once they figure out what happened in the past, they work together to build a new future together. They’re so cute together and it’s nice to see their relationship past just making it official.
A Love Story Between My Boss and I by Nanameguri
If you know me, you know I don’t usually gravitate towards love triangles. However, A Love Story Between My Boss and I, puts a super cute spin on the trope.
Takanashi is a typical salary man who learns his boss Tokunaga has a crush on the company president, Mr. Furuya. Takanashi is straight though, so this doesn’t really concern him, does it? Except Takanashi soon starts seeing Tokunaga in a different light. Does he have a chance when his bosses heart is already taken?
A Tempest of Cage by Mikan Matsumoto
Period piece BL’s always manage to suck me in. Who doesn’t love drama set in the past? A Tempest of Cage is set in the Taisho-era and follows Yoshihisa trying to figure out why his brother was betrayed 10 years ago by Kai, his alleged lover. But as Yoshi digs into the past, he starts learning that it wasn’t just his brother and Kai keeping secrets. Maybe he had some of his own, too…
The 10 O Clock Rule by Sachi Murakami
Lastly, I couldn’t leave out a sweet and funny childhood friends story. In The 10 O’Clock Rule, Wataru and Ryusei are childhood friends who have seem to missed the timing with each other. Wataru was in love with Ryusei as kids, and now as adults, Ryusei is the one declaring his love. Wataru swears he’s moved on but has he really?
I love the push and pull with these two idiots. Even though it’s super obvious to everyone but Wataru how much he still loves Ryusei, it’s still fun watching him fumble through his feelings.
All of these stories are available to read in full with a Premium Omoi account.
Thank you to Omoi for providing The Wonder of Anime a press account for reviews!
