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 July 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
Birds of Shangri-La – Volume 3
The series has some of the most beautiful and sensual manga covers I’ve ever seen. While the front cover on this one is a bit lackluster, the back cover is something else. Just what I expect from a SuBLime title. I’ve read/started a couple of series from this creator, and they’ve all been enjoyable. I have yet to start this one, but I have no doubt it’ll be good. I really need to sit down and reorganize my “need to review” list because I really need to put out some for this creator.
The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions – Volume 5
No surprise – this is another series I haven’t started yet. My partner frequently refers to me as a BL goblin because I just hoard BL and all related goodies. Doing these haul videos, I can’t really deny that anymore. So, I guess I’m a goblin, and I’m proud. But enough about goblins; this is a title about vampires, and I have a soft spot for those supernatural creatures. I’ve heard great things about it, so I look forward to starting it. It has a classic look that makes me nervous, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised before, so I will give it a shot.
Happy Crappy Life – Volume 3
I have been waiting for this title for a long time. For whatever reason, these volumes are constantly being pushed back, though it might be Barnes & Noble specifically that is the issue since that’s where I pre-ordered these. Regardless, I’m always happy to pick a Kuma title because these prints are of amazing quality. From what I’ve heard on social media, they print these similarly to how they are printed in Japan, which is why they are so compact and often come with a dust jacket, which is everything. Even if this particular title doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, I encourage you to check out Kuma‘s catalog because their books are super nice.
The Titan’s Bride – Volume 4
I’ve been reading this digitally for a while now on Coolmic, but the physical editions are well worth a purchase since they are uncensored. And with it being a huge (pun intended) size difference title, I think it’s worth seeing in all of its uncensored glory. If you’re reading the digital version, I highly recommend you give the physical edition a shot.
Qualia Under the Snow – One-Shot
Unfortunately, this was one of the shipping casualties this month. When I unpackaged it, the beautiful dust jacket was halfway off the book, pinched and folded up. It’s so sad because, again, I love Kuma prints, and they’re gorgeous when they arrive safely. I’m still happy I have it, but as a collector, this hurts. Another thing I love about Kuma, and yes, I’m going to shower them in praise again, is that a lot of their catalog is one-shots. As someone who tries to refrain from starting a series until it’s complete, I have a wealth of work I can read as soon as I get it, thanks to Kuma, and this is one more to add to the list.
My Dearest Patrolman – Volume 1
This is one of my favorite titles of all time. It was a digital exclusive for a while, which I read on Renta! first (though under the title My Dearest Cop), and I never thought it would be picked up for print, so imagine my surprise when one of my favorite publishers, SuBLime, picked it up. I’m not fond of their choice of title, but I love all of SuBLime‘s prints, so I’m still pumped they’re the ones that picked this up. I implore you to pick this one up because it is beautiful.
I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons – Volume 2
This series is a bit daunting to me since it’s so long and broken up into multiple series, but it just looks so cute, so I keep collecting them. One of these days, I’ll start them. Unfortunately, this one was also a victim of shipping, with scuffing along the top spine. Not as bad as some others I received this month, but it still hurts my feelings.
Engage – Volume 2
We’re back with another entry in what I’m calling the Yuu Minaduki universe. I haven’t started this particular series yet, but judging by the covers, I’m very excited to read them. I need to finish Love Nest 2nd first, though, and then I’ll be on these. Something odd about this particular volume that I received: it’s shrink-wrapped, but it actually has what appears to be grass or something in it (check out the YouTube video to see it). I guess my copy got dropped somewhere before being wrapped? I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt anything, so I’m not bothered by it. I just think it’s funny.
Terano-Kun & Kumazaki-Kun – One-Shot
We’ve got another Kuma print, and this one was long overdue. For whatever reason, this one just kept getting pushed back (at least on Amazon), so when I finally got it in the mail, I was so excited. It looks super cute, and I’ve heard such good things about this. Again, a Kuma title has been damaged in the mail this month. The upper corner is messed up, which is so unfortunate, especially for a book I’ve been looking forward to for so long. It’s not as bad as another title on this list, but it still makes me sad.
My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes with Monsters and a Hottie – Volume 1
This one really interested me because the cover gives me total light novel vibes, but it isn’t. It’s a manga. I know that’s a weird reason to be interested in a manga, but I’m hoping the light novel-esque art style will come out well in a more long-term manga format. I’m not sure that it’s going to be my thing, but I’m excited about trying something new all the same.
Mask Danshi: This Shouldn’t Lead to Love – Volume 1
I’m loving that Animate is printing some of their digital licenses (fingers crossed that we get Kabukicho Bad Trip printed someday). Admittedly, it wouldn’t have mattered what title they put out this time, as I would’ve bought it just to encourage them to print other titles. Thankfully, this is one I really enjoy. It’s really fun, and I adore the main character of this one. I’m all caught up on the digital version, and I hope we get the rest of them printed so I can add them to my collection. That quote on the back is wild, though (again, I encourage you to check out the YouTube video).
Gravitation: Collector’s Edition – Volume 1
I was very excited when this series was announced. I have never read this or watched the anime, so this is my first entry into the series. Admittedly, I will probably not enjoy the art because I never liked that classic 90’s Yaoi style, but I’m still looking forward to reading some BL history. I feel so old calling it history. I was born in 1994, and this was released in 1995. I’m pretty much the same age as this series. Alright, that’s enough of that. Let’s move on.
Hitorijime My Hero – Box Set 1
I was very excited when these box sets were announced. I was always intimidated by the length of this series, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to reasonably collect it, but here we are. Plus, it comes with an extra, and as a BL goblin, how could I say no to an extra? Granted, I’m a bit disappointed in the design of the extra. Sadly, it’s just a plain white booklet shoved in at the end of the box, but I love the box design itself. It’s interesting how different the style looks across each panel, and I am interested to see how the style develops through the series. I’m excited, to say the least.
Novels
Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu (Special Edition) – Volume 5
The book is beautiful, as every danmei I’ve purchased has been. Plus, it’s a special edition with some fun extras I completely forgot about until I unwrapped it, which brought me so much joy. My BL goblin heart is simultaneously so pleased yet so disappointed across this entire haul. This was definitely a bright point.
Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben – Volume 2
I’m currently in the middle of another Seven Seas danmei at the moment. Otherwise, this series would’ve been the series I started. I’m really interested in modern setting danmei. I’m also a huge sucker for battle royale-style stories, which this seems to be. Plus, this cover catches my eye, and I’m so about it. These danmei covers are something else. They bring me so much joy.
Conclusion
This is everything I got in July. 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!