Hi! Welcome back to my site. More importantly, welcome to my BL library. I am your BL librarian.
Today, we’ll go through all the mail I received in June and check out all the BL manga, manhwa, manhua, merch, and more.
Before we dive in, it is worth noting that I am not sponsored by anyone in this haul. These were all purchases made with my money.
Manga
Manhwa
Manhua
OEL Comics
Novels
Merch
Manga
Stay By My Side After the Rain – Volume 1
From what I can tell, without having read it, this is a friends-to-lovers title, which I am a big sucker for. The art does scare me a bit, as it has an antiquated look to it that I’m not sure I will enjoy, but I’m trying to be more open, so I’m going to give this an honest try. Should I do a 1st Volume 1st Impression on this one? Let me know, and comment below.
Super Morning Star – Volume 4
I don’t have much to say on this one. I have all the previous volumes, and they look uber cute. I’m looking forward to finally starting the series. Would you guys like a 1st Volume 1st Impression on this one? Let me know, and comment below. Until then, I’ll be adding this one to my backlog.
Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! – Volume 1
I’m really excited to read this one. I love coworker and office romances, and the art on the cover looks so precious. I’m not sure if he is or not, but the character on the front gives me soft, tsundere vibes, which speaks to me. For all these reasons, this was one of my most anticipated releases for the month. I’m itching to start reading this, especially since a second volume has already been posted on Yen Press’s website. I’ll let you guys know what I think very soon.
Marriage to Kitsune-sama – One-Shot
I’ve been reading many titles lately with animal characteristics, and this one is just another on that pile. I’m pretty ambivalent about beastmen and animal characteristics (even though I’ve written my own), so I’m pretty iffy about this title. It looks like it has a charming art style, but I’ve read another Ken Homerun title that was a huge disappointment, story-wise, so I’m not really looking forward to this one, to be honest. I’ll, of course, give this an honest try, but I’m concerned, to say the least.
Acid Town – Volume 6
We’re still going strong with this series. I haven’t started yet, but based on what I’m hearing, this doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon. Super long, ongoing Yaoi titles feel rare, so I’m pretty excited to give this one a go. I can only hope it’s worth the wait.
Mitsuka – Volume 3
I have read this title in the past, digitally, and it’s a very interesting one. I’m still disappointed that the short story collection that inspired this spin-off hasn’t been picked up for physical release in English, but I’m happy to see this one still being published. Fingers crossed that the short story collection gets picked up, too. I need to review the short story collection so I can review these. Someday soon, I hope.
Cover My Scars With Your Kiss – Volume 2
I don’t know why the art style for this one gives me Wails of the Bound meets Ten Count vibes, but it just does. I believe this is the final volume of this short series, which means I can finally start it (unless you guys want a 1st Volume 1st Impression, which I can do – just let me know and comment below). The two series this art reminds me of put my expectations pretty high, which has me nervous, but I’m excited to give it a go, regardless. Wish me luck.
Never Let Go – Volume 2
I loved this series when I read it digitally and was excited to own the physical editions. However, I have to say that I hate this cover. Something about the coloring and the art style combined looks super creepy to me. It looks like a horror manga with exaggerated smiles or something like that. I think the size of the eyes, combined with the dark shading and huge expressive smiles, causes this, and I’m really disturbed by it. Thankfully, I’ll only see the spine on my shelves, so I’m happy to own this one.
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! – Volume 11
I love this series, and this is just one more wonderful addition to my bookshelves. The art in this series isn’t my favorite, but it’s a very fun and fluffy series. I think we’re getting close to the end now, so hopefully, soon, I can share all of my thoughts. Until then, though, you can be sure I’ll continue to be collecting them.
Hitorijime Boyfriend – One-Shot
This one was a bit of an impulse. I have never read the series that spawned from this one-shot, Hitorijime My Hero, mostly because I was a bit intimidated by the length of the series. However, I saw they are releasing box sets, starting July 2024, which also come with bonuses, and as a BL goblin, the prospect of extras is too good to pass up. So, I’ve pre-ordered the box set. In preparation for the full series, I wanted to read where it all began, so I got this little guy. It has a very classic look to it, though not like the late 90s or early Aughts BL titles, but more on the shoujo side of things from the same time period, which has me intrigued. Regardless, I’m excited to give this a go.
Classmates – Volume 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Now, this series terrifies me. Admittedly, I am super picky about art styles, and this series is the antithesis of everything I like in art based on the covers. I have actively avoided this series since it came out, and I didn’t think I’d ever give it a shot. But, after all my reviews, I’ve found many titles where the art wasn’t my preference, yet the story ended up making up for all of it. I’m trying to be more open and willing to try new things, but this has always been on the ‘never’ list. Well, the time is now. I bought all six available volumes, and I am going to read them. I’m honestly not looking forward to it, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Wish me luck! I’m going to need it.
Manhwa
The Dangerous Convenience Store – Volume 3
I adore this series. The main story is finally completed on Lezhin, so I’ve read everything there while waiting for the physical editions to be steadily released. If anything, reading the digital edition has only made me much more excited to receive these physical editions. They’re nice and heavy, as expected from full-color prints, and I love the covers thus far. I’m so happy to have this in my collection.
Love is an Illusion! – Volume 6
I believe this is the last volume of the physical editions, and I’m so sad to see them end. I adore the cover for this one, which features all the characters and couples on it. I won’t dwell too long on this one because I think I’ve expressed how much I adore this series a million times over at this point but just know that I am beyond excited to now own the entire physical series. It’s a treat to have them on my shelves.
Manhua
Day Off – Volume 1
This is the first manhua I’ve seen in a hardback edition, and I love it. I have another Aloha Comics title that was super small and paperback. It was super flimsy, which isn’t all that surprising since it is maybe ten pages in size. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised when a hardback came in the mail. It’s beautiful, and I am excited to read it. If you’ve been hesitant to check out Aloha Comics, let me assure you that the quality of the book is really great. I can’t speak to the content yet, but maybe I’ll do a 1st Volume 1st Impression on it soon.
Here U Are – Volume 1
Here is the second Aloha Comics title I got. It’s another hardback, which is great. I’ve heard amazing things about this particular title, and I have read some of the early episodes on Webtoon. I’m pretty excited to read the full first volume. Once again, this is another really high-quality book from Aloha Comics. I’m looking forward to seeing what else they put out.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi – Volume 6
This was a healthy haul of manhua, and what a great one to end on. These covers are stunning, and the gold detailing is such a nice touch. While these are pretty pricy, I think they are worth the price based on the quality of the volumes. I love them and am so happy to add this to my collection.
OEL and Other Comics
Wild Beast Forest House – Volume 1
I started reading this on Webtoon, and while it was a bit of a tough read due to the quality of the edit, I’m determined to support as many indie creators as possible. I haven’t checked out the edit on the physical print yet, but since it’s Tokyopop, I expect greatness. I guess we’ll see.
Saint for Rent – Volume 1 and 2
This was another “Twitter made me buy it” title. Since I follow so many creators on Twitter, they often retweet other creator’s releases and sales. These happened to be part of a sale before the creator closed out their store for the summer, and the art was too stunning for me to deny my impulses. I picked up these two, and they are of amazing quality. I’m always surprised by how nice these indie prints are, and this is no exception. I’m very excited to give this one a read.
Appeal – Pilot and Redux
This is part two of my “Twitter made me buy it” haul from that store sale. I am very interested in the combination of a pilot and redux of the same story or universe. It looks super cute, and I love that it’s a love story with a single father. We need more dad content, and this one looks super cute. I can’t wait to read them and then compare them. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Novels
The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter – Volume 2
My world also depends on this bean counter. I love both the manga and the novel series thus far, and I’m very happy to have this on my shelf. Yen Press is keeping me fed, that’s for sure.
Yes, No, or Maybe? Where Home Is – 3rd Entry
Surprisingly, I have so much to catch up on in this series. The first entry was out for years, and there was little to no movement on publishing the next entries. Now, with the publication of this third one, I’ve got two entries to read. I’m excited to see where the story goes. I’m also excited about the manga adaptation coming out, but we’ll talk about that when the time comes.
Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu – Volume 1
To close out my healthy novel haul, we have the first volume of a new danmei series. I adore this cover. The wine element dripping across everything is absolutely stunning. This might be my favorite danmei cover to date. I’ll probably do a 1st Volume 1st Impression on this one, and I’m very excited about it.
Merch
Our Sunny Days – Sung Ho and Haebeom Acrylic Stands
I adore Jeong Seokchan. They are one of my favorite BL creators of all time, but I have never been able to find any physical merch or publications to further support them and express my love for their work. But with their new ongoing title, their first full-color title, out and gaining tons of attention and positive feedback, there is finally some form of physical merch (still hoping for some physical books, but I’ll take what I can get). I couldn’t buy it fast enough, and I’m so happy I did. They’ve got a 3D element to them, which is fun; they interact with each other, and they come with photo cards, which I will be framing and hanging up. This was probably the best purchase I made for the month. I love it.
Conclusion
This is everything I got in June. It was really fun sharing what I got with you guys. If you’d like to see more for the rest of the year, let me know and comment below.
Otherwise, I’ll catch you next time. Bye!