Amazon Japan 2014 Mid-year Ranking Top 20 BL Manga

It's that time of the year in Japan when ranking sites like to list the bestsellers of the year so far. Amazon Japan conveniently sorts their bestsellers into genres including one for BL manga. There's also one for BL novels for anyone interested, but I'll just list the manga here. It covers the sales period 1st Dec 2013 to 31st May 2014, the date after each entry is date of publication (DD/MM/YYYY).

1. In These Words 2 (Amazon exclusive edition) by Guilt|Pleasure
    01/05/2014

2. Dakaretai Otoko Ichii ni Odosarete Imasu by Sakurabi Hashigo
    10/02/2014

3. Yuuutsu na Asa 5 by Hidaka Shoko
    25/01/2014

4. Soredemo, Yasashii Koi wo Suru by Yoneda Kou
    01/04/2014

5. O.B. 1 by Nakamura Asumiko
    15/02/2014

6. O.B. 2 by Nakamura Asumiko
    15/02/2014

7. Shinjou-kun to Sasahara-kun 1 by Koshino
    25/12/2013

8. Sex Pistols 8 by Kotobuki Tarako
    10/04/2014

9. Koisuru Boukun 9 by Takanaga Hinako
    10/04/2014

10. Warui Ouji Demo Suki by Sakuraga Mei
      27/12/2013

11. Aitsu no Daihonmei 7 by Tanaka Suzuki
      10/01/2014

12. Hana to Usagi by Kashima Chiaki
      10/08/2013

13. Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriguse by Sakurabi Hashigo
      17/07/2013

14. Hidoku Shinaide 4 by Nekota Yonezou
      10/12/2013

15. In These Words 1 by Guilt|Pleasure
      10/09/2012

16. Ten Count by Takarai Rihito
      29/03/2014

17. 10Dance 2 by Inoue Satou
      07/04/2014

18. Hitotsu Yane no Shita no Kedamono by Kuroiwa Chihaya
      26/11/2013

19. Itsumo 3-nin Issho de ne? by Sakana Tomomi
      10/12/2013

20. Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai 2 by Yoneda Kou
      01/11/2013

Deadlock 1 by Aida Saki & Takashina Yuh

Rating: 7
Juné 2014 - Tokuma Shoten 2012 - Chara 2011
1+ volumes
Translation: Leighann Harvey

The first volume of this prison drama series is a promising start to a plot-driven story featuring a cast of characters so good-looking that at times it looks like a prison for male models. Yuto Lennix is found guilty for a crime he didn't commit: the murder of his partner in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He is sentenced to fifteen years but an FBI agent offers him a chance at immediate release if he can find a suspected terrorist leader thought to be directing a cult organisation from inside prison. With no support, Yuto enters the California Schelger prison as just another inmate, determined to root out the terrorist leader and gain his freedom.

The immediate draw for this manga are those beautiful guys on the cover, how can they look so catwalk perfect in prison? The art throughout is good and the manga delivers on story too. The only comparison I have for prison manga is Sadahiro Mika's brutal and dramatic Under Grand Hotel series but Deadlock is an entirely different kind of story, it's a more sanitised, prettier version of prison life, less grim and muted in tone compared to the often melodramatic Under Grand Hotel. Its more understated approach makes for a more believable story, aided by a realistic prison setting created by author of the original light novel, Aida Saki, and adapted into this manga by Takashina Yuh (or Yuu, DMP can't seem to decide on standardising their romaji spelling).

There isn't any romance in this first volume which is not a bad thing since the story busies itself with world-building and establishing the large cast of characters. The depiction of prison life in itself is interesting and, as I found out after some googling, is based on the real life California state prison system. In the story, the inmates are housed in different blocks according to race and it is the race-based gangs who have the running of the place. Unfamiliar with American prisons (or any prisons), I was surprised to learn that this practice of racial segregation has indeed been used by California for many years, though there have been moves in recent years to curtail the practice on the basis of it being unconstitutional. Aida Saki obviously did some research as the names of the gangs are also adapted from real life gangs; the black group is called the Black Soldiers, a variant of the real life Black Guerrillas; the white group is called the ABL and, though the acronym is not explained in this volume, it's more than likely a variant of the real life Aryan Brotherhood.

Race is naturally a big theme in the story, the other big one being prison rape culture (though I'm not sure how true to life this aspect of the story is). This is BL so it's not like it's unexpected but it's still uncomfortable, to say the least. It's the norm for stronger inmates to take weaker inmates as 'substitute women' and Yuto is targeted by a leader of the Black Soldiers on his first day. Rape is constantly talked about but there is no actual rape scene in this volume. Generally, the manga shies away from depicting graphic violence, there are fights and murder but Takashina does not linger at all and those scenes are limited to a few panels. Though this results in less impactful drama, it does prevent the mood from turning too bleak. There's a general emotional distance to the story so although it's not depressing, it's also not as involving as it could be.

Along with his enigmatic cellmate (and obvious destined boyfriend), Dick, who's sometimes nice and sometimes cold, Yuto makes friends with a nice group of people who teach him about prison life, about the gangs and dangerous inmates to avoid. A lot of people are introduced in this volume and Takashina does enough to sketch out the personalities of each character as they appear so that they are distinct and memorable, though so far none of the characters have much depth. Yuto is a typical stoic hero and Dick is a lone rebel with a past type; they're still getting to know each other by the end of the volume so I'm prepared to reserve judgement on characterisation for later volumes when they do grow closer, though I suspect that in the end looks will win out over personality.

One issue I have with the story is with its treatment of the 'sisters', a group of transgender women inmates. The group is mostly there for comic relief and some cheap jokes are made at their expense. The plot and the writing are not particularly strong in originality but the cliched trans jokes are irksome, though they do probably mimic real life attitudes, especially of an all-male prison environment. However, Aida makes up for the casual discrimination with a strong supporting character in one of the women, a defender of her fellow sisters who are regular victims of rape and violence, and a respected figure among the inmates.

Volume one lays the groundwork for an interesting story, setting the stage and introducing the players, preparing for the plot to really kick into action in the next volume, which I look forward to (though it'll probably be a long time in coming since volume two isn't even out yet in Japan and then DMP are soooo slow). Characterisation certainly needs some work and the romance isn't even at the start line but the steady pacing hopefully means that the relationship won't be rushed into and we can anticipate a gradual romance developing between the bishies.

President Momoi Kun by Nishida Higashi

Rating: 6
Juné 2013 - Akaneshinsha 2011 - Opera 2008
1 volume
Translation: Laura Russell

I don't know how DMP choose their BL print licenses but I've long suspected that, outside of established popular series like Viewfinder, Tyrant Falls in Love, or recent acquisition Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai, the strategy is anything goes, and popularity back in Japan is not a necessary part of their criteria. This has resulted in some real stinkers, a lot of mediocre titles, and some occasional gems from lesser-known mangaka. President Momoi Kun is not quite a gem but it is by a mangaka I like but thought had little of hope of being published in English, and so in this instance I'm grateful to Digital for their seemingly filterless approach to licensing.

President Momoi Kun is a BL gag manga, with the emphasis very much on the comedy. Momoi starts a new job as company president after the previous president, his father, was driven out of the company. He's known as the idiot son, a puppet president, but this doesn't deter Momoi in the slightest, he's there for one reason only...

He soon falls for a colleague and tries to win his love, while largely ignoring all the office politics and intrigues surrounding him.

The story doesn't take itself too seriously, any threat of sobriety is soon relieved with a joke (good or consciously bad). There's a lot of fun poked at the BL genre and manga in general. Whether you'll like this manga is mostly dependent on how you find Nishida's humour. While there's a lot of slapstick sort of comedy in the story, I think Nishida is an intelligent, thoughtful writer, and this is reflected in her work, whatever she writes. Her main characters never become caricatures, beneath the surface shenanigans, they still come across as regular people with normal hopes and fears like the rest of us. Amidst the gags, a sweet and considered romance develops between Momoi and his crush and their relationship serves as the backbone to an often featherbrained story.

Rather incongruously, in the middle of the volume there's a side story about one of the supporting characters, unrelated to the main plot. This story is played entirely straight and, though it feels out of place to the lightheartedness of the rest of the volume, it serves as a spotlight on Nishida's more serious storytelling talents. She's a writer who prefers to show rather than tell, leaving a lot to the reader's imagination, and this trait is more effectively used in the serious side story about a man who has waited twenty years for the man he loves to be released from prison.

Nishida doesn't have the pretty style of art that can appeal to readers who buy based on artwork, nor does she write emotional heart-tugging stories that can easily reel readers in, instead she offers more measured, often deliberate, perceptive storytelling. President Momoi Kun isn't the best showcase of her style but it's certainly much more than the frivolous shtick it appears to be.

Spiritual Police 1 by Nitta Youka

Rating: 7
Sublime 2013 - Shinshokan 2012
1+ volumes
Translation: Adrienne Beck

This book had been lying around for a while since I'd bought it, I didn't know anything about the series and the cover art and title didn't stir much enthusiasm (bland cover and what? magical police?), but when I finally got around to reading it, I whipped through it in no time at all. It's a page-turner of a suspense drama, loaded with melodrama and angst, with an intrigue-laden plot that steers you at a brisk pace towards a cliffhanger ending. While the packed plot makes for an exciting read, it comes rather at the expense of character and relationship development, which is a disappointment coming from the creator of my most beloved BL manga couple (see Embracing Love). Though this Spiritual Police couple don't quite have my affection, they're caught up in a conspiracy that threatens to tear the lovers apart and their tragic story does more than enough to elicit my sympathy and support; I can't wait to find out what happens to them in volume two.

Nitta Youka can always be relied on for an interesting plot and she doesn't disappoint with Spiritual Police. Nagatsuma is a serious minded policeman who, stressed from work, is referred by a colleague to a physical therapist. The therapist, Aoi, is blind but claims to be able to "sense" things; by touch alone he diagnoses a stomach problem. Nagatsuma is dubious of this power but as well as the physical, Aoi also has an uncanny way of pinpointing the reasons behind Nagatsuma's mental stress and the policeman leaves the clinic with his mind full of the therapist. Later, a prediction of Aoi's comes true and Nagatsuma begins to believe that his supernatural powers are for real.

No sooner does he meet Aoi than Nagatasuma learns that the therapist is the subject of a police investigation. Despite being on different sides of the law, the two fall in love, but circumstances conspire against them and as the investigation proceeds it becomes increasingly difficult for the pair to be together. It all gets a bit tragic and by the end of the volume I am absolutely rooting for the couple to get their happy ending. But like I said earlier, they have my pity more than my liking, this being one of the weakest couples Nitta has written in a while.

A large part of the problem is the set-up, it's a love-at-first-sight sort of scenario where they confess and consummate their love terrifically fast but just as fast, obstacles come tearing them apart so there's hardly any time for the relationship to develop. What Nitta does cram into their few meetings is intense, emotional and just about believable, but there isn't enough time spent on savouring the moments, the feelings, before the plot goes racing off onto the next piece of action.

I didn't find the two main characters particularly appealing either. Aoi is quite cool, easy-going, direct and forthright, but his supernatural 'feelings' take some getting used to, a leisure that the reader isn't given. Nagatsuma's personality is more of a problem; "Do you have to be so melodramatic?" one character says to him, voicing the thought that every reader must have, but naming the problem doesn't solve it. His character has more layers to his personality, a stoic front belying an emotional mess, which makes him the more interesting of the pair, but his occasional wallowing in drama doesn't do him any favours. Nitta always writes her stories with a strong psychological slant so it's as much about the discovery of self for a character as it is the unfolding of a plot, and it's no different for Spiritual Police; the characters are certainly interesting and you do get involved in their story, but I find this pair are harder to relate to personality-wise than other Nitta creations.

Though it doesn't quite pack the emotional punch that it could have, Spiritual Police is still a highly entertaining read and very much recommended. I'm looking forward more to the next volume of this series than Sublime's other Nitta series Starting With A Kiss, though it looks like it'll be a wait for both, considering the slow rate of releases in Japan.

Kono BL Ga Yabai! 2014

Kono BL ga Yabai! (このBLがやばい!) is an annual publication in Japan that compiles a ranking list of BL manga (and one for BL novels) published in the last year based on reader votes. This 2014 edition covers manga published between Oct 2012 - Sep 2013. The date following each title is the publication date. Here's the top 20 manga (see here for last year's list):

1. Tokyo Shinjuu 1 by Totempole
    25/01/2013

 2. Mauri to Ryuu by Moto Haruhira
     10/05/2013

 3. 10 Dance 1 by Inoue Satou
     16/02/2013

4. Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai 1 by Yoneda Kou
    30/01/2013

 5. Udagawachou de Mattete yo. by Hideyoshico
     25/10/2012

6. NightS by Yoneda Kou
    09/02/2013

7. Smells Like Green Spirit Side B by Nagai Saburou
    24/04/2013

 8. Hana wa Saku ka 4 by Hidaka Shouko
     24/04/2013

9. Gosan no Heart by Ogawa Chise
    10/04/2013

 10. Hitorijime My Hero 2 by Arii Memeko
       13/07/2013

11. Kono Ore ga Omae Nanka Suki na Wakenai by Ogawa Chise
      27/02/2013

 12. Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriguse by Sakurabi Hashigo
       17/07/2013

 13. Yozora no Sumikko de, by Hayakawa Nojiko
       19/07/2013

14. Fushigi na Tomodachi by Arai Niboshiko
      02/05/2013

15. Saka no Ue no Mahoutsukai 3 by Meiji Kanako
      01/03/2013

16. Kachou Fuugetsu 1 by Shimizu Yuki
      30/04/2013

 17. Michi to no Souguu by Koshino
       09/03/2013

 18. Asuya Akinai Hanjou 2 by ARUKU
       24/05/2013

19. Hana no Miyako de by Takarai Rihito
      09/03/2013

 20. CANIS -Dear Mr Rain- by ZAKK
       28/06/2013








A very different list to the Amazon Japan 2013 bestsellers I posted yesterday, with several of the above not in the top 50 bestsellers including, curiously enough, the no.1 title, Tokyo Shinjuu. This blogger says that it was originally a doujinshi so perhaps it only received a limited print run but gained a following in digital format? I count only three of the above titles licensed in English so here's hoping that we'll see some more soon!

Amazon JP 2013 Top 50 BL Manga

Here's a look at what's been selling in Japan this year: Amazon Japan's 50 bestselling BL manga in 2013, covering the period 1st Dec 2012 - 30th Nov 2013. The date following each title is the publication date of the volume. Yoneda Kou rules, so much so that Doushitemo Furetakunai, published in 2008, has creeped back into the top 50.

1. Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai 1 by Yoneda Kou
    30/01/2013

2. NightS by Yoneda Kou
    09/02/2013

 3. Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi 8 by Nakamura Shungiku
     31/07/2013

4. Finder no Katsubou (limited cover edition) by Yamane Ayano
    10/08/2013

 5. Finder no Katsubou (limited first edition) by Yamane Ayano
     10/08/2013

6. Crimson Spell 5 by Yamane Ayano
    25/03/2013

7. Michi to no Souguu by Koshino
    09/03/2013

 8. Sunao ja nai Kedo by Sakuraga Mei
     28/02/2013

 9. Junjou Romantica 17 by Nakamura Shungiku
     30/08/2013

10. Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai 2 by Yoneda Kou
      01/11/2013

 11. Toshishita Kareshi no Renai Kanriguse by Sakurabi Hashigo
       17/07/2013

12. Junjou Romantica 16 (premium anime DVD edition) by Nakamura
      Shungiku
      19/12/2012

 13. Gengetsurou Kitan 4 by Ima Ichiko
       25/09/2013

14. Sex Pistols 7 by Kotobuki Tarako
      10/06/2013

15. In These Words by Guilt | Pleasure
      10/09/2012

16. Junjou Romantica 16 by Nakamura Shungiku
      28/12/2012

17. Hana wa Saku ka 4 by Hidaka Shouko
      24/04/2013

 18. Punch ↑ + Jinan Joutou by Kano Shiuko
       09/03/2013

 19. Kachou Fuugetsu 2 (limited first edition) by Shimizu Yuki
       30/04/2013

 20. Kachou Fuugetsu 1 by Shimizu Yuki
       30/04/2013

 21. Bukiyou na Silent 4 (special edition) by Takanaga Hinako
       09/03/2013

22. Gosan no Heart by Ogawa Chise
      10/04/2013

23. Super Lovers 6 by Abe Miyuki
      31/10/2013

24. Hana no Miyako de by Takarai Rihito
      09/03/2013

25. Kuroneko Kareshi no Amaekata by Sakyou Aya
      30/09/2013

26. Stroboscope by Yamashita Tomoko
      10/12/2012

27. Yoso wa Yoso, Uchi wa Uchi (limited first edition) by Kitakami Ren
      30/01/2013

28. Hakkenden - Touhou Hakken Ibun 12 by Abe Miyuki
      28/12/2012

 29. Hakkenden - Touhou Hakken Ibun 13 by Abe Miyuki
       28/06/2013

 30. Koishii Akuma by Madarame Hiro
       24/12/2012

31. Mauri to Ryuu by Moto Haruhira
      10/05/2013

32. Aitsu no Daihonmei 6 by Tanaka Suzuki
      10/04/2013

33. Nawa ga Nakutemo Daijoubu by Shoowa
      29/01/2013

 34. Kono Ore ga Omae Nanka Suki na Wakenai by Ogawa Chise
       27/02/2013

35. Kuroneko Kareshi no Asobikata by Sakyou Aya
      29/09/2012

36. Mousou Elektel 4 by Nekota Yonezou
      03/07/2013

37. 10 Dance 1 by Inoue Satou
      16/02/2013

38. Ikasama Memory 2 by Natsume Isaku
      30/10/2013

39. Samejima-kun to Sasahara-kun by Koshino
      20/03/2011

40. K-sensei no Yaban na Renai by Natsumizu Ritsu
      29/07/2013

41. Doushitemo Furetakunai by Yoneda Kou
      01/09/2008

42. Heart no Kakurega 1 by Natsume Isaku
      30/05/2013

43. Choco Strawberry Vanilla by Psyche Delico
      17/09/2013

44. Castle Mango 2 by Konohara Narise & Ogura Muku
      30/09/2012

45. Hima Nano de Hajimete Mimasu. by Sakyou Aya
      30/03/2013

46. Nozomubeku mo Nai by Masao Sangatsu
      30/01/2013

47. Mujihi na Anata by Sakuraga Mei
      29/09/2012

48. Konoyo Ibun 7 by Suzuki Tsuta
      10/05/2013

49. Sekai wa Kimi de Mawatteru by Ogawa Chise
      10/05/2013

50. Ore to Buka no Koi no Saki by Nanameguri
      29/05/2013