Hi all! Ursa here!
This past month, my fiancé and I have been making more of an effort to get out of the house, especially to work on projects that are close to our hearts. These projects, for me at least, have ranged from working on mental health workbooks, wedding planning tasks, and writing fanfiction (yes, even the smutty stuff because people really don’t give a shit what is on your laptop).
As a result of all this library time, I’ve made it a goal of mine to see how many different BL titles I could possibly read for free, either using my library’s physical collection, and the Libby app, which connects me to my library’s ebooks and more. This is both in an effort to use more resources available to me, as well as to save some money. If I can get a free fujoshi fix, hell yeah, I’m gonna take it!
And the results genuinely surprised me! The first time I started my search in the library system about a year ago, the selection they had did not exactly impress me. I tried out Dekoboko Sugar Days, Twittering Birds Never Fly, Seven Days, etc. I might return to them later, but none of these spoke to me on a first read. There were maybe five different titles in total, and many were older in terms of publishing dates. Around the 2010s or so, which isn’t bad, but I personally wanted to see more recent, modern titles.
But there must be some local fujoshis working in the system or something, because my most recent searches have been so fruitful that I’m seriously overjoyed to share what I found with you! I might even have enough for a part two in the coming months!
Now granted, I am using the US library system here, which is very localized in terms of state, city, and even county. I am also in a part of the country that is more socially liberal, so these titles may be readily accessible to me, while harder to find for others in different areas (for example, Sasaki and Miyano was the subject of debate in terms of censorship and book banning in Florida, not too long ago: link to that board hearing here).
Libraries are sincerely great resources, however, and if books are requested by people in the community, librarians typically do research said titles and often order them based on demand. I’m ridiculously shy, so I haven’t personally requested BL, but I’d like to try it out and see how it goes someday. I’m just lucky they’re procuring BL without me having to ask. Even the act of checking out a certain book can let librarians know there is a need for more like it—which I probably contributed to with my own check-out history.
I’ll talk a bit more about how to fujoshi out at your local library a little further on in Ursa’s Mama Bear Tips.
For now, let’s get into the treasures I uncovered in the library stacks:
Fujoshi Island
RePlay by Saki Tsukahara
Yuta and Ritsu are high school seniors that have just finished their final season of baseball together. But when that happens, Ritsu becomes more distant and secretive than Yuta would like. What’s even more spicy is that they were what’s called a “battery”, essentially a paired team of pitcher and catcher (and if that isn’t a BL euphemism, I don’t know what is). Plus, because of this team up, they are known as a “married couple” (both to others and to themselves). Filled with fluffily sweet plot twists, this BL is a delightfully done slow burn. Gotta have that oblivious blond not see the signs until it’s almost too late, right?
When I say slow burn, I do mean it, by the way. They’re super slow to kiss one another. They even save any big leaps into intimacy for when they’re well and truly graduated from high school (and my asexual heart squealed). That doesn’t mean to say there isn’t a bit of smut though. In fact, there’s some very nicely done smut while baseball uniforms are worn sooo—heheheh.
Tropes Done Well: Childhood Friends, Good Old Sports Team Tension, Slowly Requited Love, Slice of Life, Coming of Age Romance
Trigger Warnings: Not much I can say for this category other than there is some jealousy that’s handled well. There’s an implied coach/student dynamic because of it—but it’s not the reality of the situation. Just two young men being dumb about feelings, as they are. They don’t explicitly state that these characters are 18+ either, it’s more ambiguously implied since they’re seniors and move in together by the end. So, if that’s bothersome to you, then steer clear.
Interested? Check it out here!
There Are Things I Can’t Tell You by Edako Mofumofu
Kyousuke, our main character, and his love interest, Kasumi, have a complicated relationship. And when I say complicated, I mean like there was a love confession between them and it went poorly, and now everything is messed up, kind of complicated. Kasumi, our man with glasses, confesses to Kyousuke long before the events of the manga even begin, and we learn that Kyousuke rejected him on the grounds of his own upbringing in a homophobic household. He tells him that he must be confused, and a more traditional (heteronormative) relationship would be more fulfilling.
Thing is, Kasumi seeks out just that, but with a married woman, which bothers the hell out of Kyousuke. So, there’s this constant back and forth of “I love him”, but also a misguided sense of “I also want what’s best for him”. Which, of course, Kyousuke could never provide, right? (I say in the most sarcastic eye-rolly tone). It’s a BL setup done a lot. It’s classical, almost traditional yaoi vibes, and I was surprised to see them get a modern revamp. Internalized homophobia has become a rarer issue discussed within this medium, especially with BL’s popularity boom and more cultural acceptance for same-sex couples.
But that’s what I appreciate about this title. Even though large strides have been made with acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities, that doesn’t mean hate, ignorance, and misunderstandings will be completely erased. I think this is a great story that can help others who are dealing with the same things in their lives, especially because it has a happy ending. Many older stories like this do not.
Tropes Done Well: Mutual Pining, Messy and Angsty—With a Happy Ending, Can’t Move On From Each Other, Men with Glasses (please sexualize them more omg), Classic BL Vibe
Trigger Warnings: Infidelity (not between the main couple but it is a theme throughout), Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, and General Angst. This ain’t your old Ursa-grandma’s fluffy smut you’re accustomed to. Be warned, lots of feels and tears.
Wanna read? Find more info here!
The God and the Flightless Messenger by Hagi
One of my favorites of the bunch, this fantasy BL tells the story of Shin, a messenger with wings too small to fly with, and Baku, the god he’s assigned to serve. It’s a rather simple premise, but the world-building is complex and rather spectacular! The setting is a mountain range where each god is assigned to a mountain based on how powerful they are. So, highest mountain, highest power (number ranked to showcase this as well). So, of course, Shin, without wings strong enough to care for other gods, gets assigned to the “lowest” god on the smallest mountain.
Both are seen as outcasts, but they take solace in each other. As they do, a sort of respect, affection, and eventually love blossoms between them. Also, Baku is a giant ball of fluff for the first half of the book (I know that sounds weird but it’s super endearing). There’s also a huge mystery and intrigue about Baku’s past. There’s a huge implication that Shin and Baku knew each other before, yet Shin doesn’t quite remember. This gets resolved, but I don’t want to give too many spoilers because it’s so goddamn heartwarming. I really encourage you to read it. If not for the plot itself, for the gorgeous art and beautiful fantasy elements.
One BL that is extremely similar to this (which I actually own and is also in my library’s catalogue) is The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow, and hands down The God and the Flightless Messenger is the better of the two. (Even their cover art is similar. No joke). This was actually more of the story I was hoping for when I picked up the snake/sparrow. So, if you’re deciding between the two, go with this one for sure!
Tropes Done Well: Fantasy Worldbuilding, Epic Plot with Intimate Vibes, Mysterious and Powerful Love Interest, Childhood Friends, Significant Other Helping You Love Who You Are, Fun Side Characters with Romantic Tension (Shipping Material, hehehe)
Trigger Warnings: Ostracization and Fear of The Other. Emotional Abuse and Bullying. You may have guessed at these from the synopsis. It ends happily, and what you do see of it is mild, but all these themes are present.
More info on it here! (And if you wanna check out The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow, that’s gonna be over here).
I Ship My Rival x Me—Story by PEPA, Art by Qualia
A surprise favorite, this Chinese BL manhua absolutely stole my heart. It had been on my radar for a while, but I typically go for smaller volumes of Japanese BL manga because my brain gets intimidated by larger page numbers and thicker volumes of endless chapters. My energy gets depleted really fast nowadays. I couldn’t justify buying it whenever I saw it in bookstores. No storage for a book that big. Not enough time to invest. Not to mention, it was nearly twice as expensive as what I was used to (but hey, for fully colored pages of gorgeous art? That’s worth it if you love the story!)
BUT, while I was at the library, the thought crossed my mind to search up romantic graphic novels on their website. Low and behold, it told me this novel was sitting not five feet away from me on a shelf I’d never looked at before. I had to read it at that point—had to. Free, easy to return, sitting right there. See the magic that can happen at the library?!
It’s about two rival actors—Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang—and the shipping culture around them. Literally not only a BL but a fantastic insight and near parody of shipping. Wei Yanzi, while looking up his rival’s name online, runs into a subsect of their fanbase that ships the two together. So, guess what? He starts to ship it too.
But in a hilariously objective way. He enjoys it because people say nice things about him and his rival, everyone is friendly and supportive instead of cynical, and he enjoys a good romance. He then takes every opportunity he can to “feed” the fans and give them more to speculate about. Yet, he begins to feel things he can’t explain for Gu Yiliang. He defends him from fans’ misconceptions and even Gu Yiliang’s literal evil step-mother who’s been blackmailing him for who knows how long.
And he’s not the only one catching a bunch of feelings. Every once in a while, we get a chapter from Gu Yiliang’s perspective, where we see him slowly falling for Wei Yanzi—unprompted by any shipping or rumors. Just naturally. So sweet it makes me want to SCREAM. It’s also the most I think I’ve ever laughed while reading a BL. The shipping and fan culture is so accurate. It’s all about feasting on those little crumbs. I had to giggle because I was like—oh, it do be like that out here.
So, if you couldn’t tell already, it’s in my to-be-purchased list now.
Tropes Done Well: They’re Both Straight??, Rival Celebrities, Dark Pasts/Secrets, Chapters of Pure Fluff, Incredibly Slow Burn
Trigger Warnings: I think the worst thing in here is the step-mother’s attempted extortion. The rest is pretty much standard fluff and romance.
Interested? More info here!
Ursa’s Mama Bear Tips
So, here’s a basic run down of ways to be a fujoshi in a US library near you!
· Getting a library card, first and foremost, is helpful! Not only can you check out books, but magazines and DVDs too!
· See if your library is connected with an online app that lets you read ebooks on your phone or tablet.
o I use Libby for this, but your library could have something different. That’s where most of my library’s collection is housed (especially the smutty ones). The only physical copy I borrowed was I Ship My Rival x Me.
· When searching your library’s catalogue online, there is often no BL Tag. Filter your search with genre names like LGBTQ, Romance, Graphic Novels, or even all three.
o Also search for publishers that have produced BL, such as Seven Seas Entertainment, Tokyopop, or SuBLime
o Sometimes looking up a specific author/artist can yield results too
· Request BL books, novels, manga, manhua etc. in person.
o Letting librarians personally know people are searching for these books will often help them know what to order for their catalogue. It often doesn’t hurt to ask what they can do.
o It’s a step I still need to take myself. It’s hard to muster up courage, so I understand if this isn’t a step that seems accessible.
· If there are multiple libraries in your city, ask if they have a circuit. This means you may be able to get titles delivered to your local branch from another one!
· Potentially check out titles you aren’t sure about.
o If there’s only one BL in your library and you check it out, they know at least someone is reading it. Makes potential for more to come in!
· Look for Free Little Libraries in your area.
o These are basically take-one, leave-one book exchanges. There’s a possibility to find BL in these. I have donated a couple volumes this way myself. This might also spark the idea for others to donate volumes too!
o The website on where to find these is linked here~
Also, when I put links to Amazon for BL titles, that’s mainly so you can see the covers and read a synopsis. There is no pressure to buy stuff from that source. Websites like ThriftBooks works just as well if not better!
I’m sure there are more ways to find BL in libraries and other places that I don’t know about yet, but I’m going to research and see what else could be out there. I might put that in a part two.
That’s all I’ve got for you this month! Join me in June where I’ll be putting out a special issue with BL titles and possibly fanfic that describe the asexual experience. I want to give my own perspectives on being an asexual fujoshi and fandom enjoyer, as well as give my love to all my fellow asexuals out there during Pride Month!
Sincerely,
Ursa M.