Theme Spotlight: Kimi=Hana

Mmm, I love me some male vocals, and Pigstar's performance on Junjou Romantica's opening track "Kimi=Hana" is particularly delicious. Tomonori's rich voice is a smooth as butter and downright sexy on this romantic song about never wanting to let go of the hand of the person you love. I'm not sure why, but his voice always reminds me of JJR's Usagi-san, probably because they're both in a way very smooth and very manly. Love that emotion on the final note of the song!

Never let go of that hand, Usagi-san!

  

Fun Stuff: Blah Day Anime

Having spent all my life in Ohio, I am veeeerryyy familiar with the four seasons. Winter in particular is a rough one for us. Some years, like last year, winter hardly even comes at all, and all we receive is an early and extra long Spring. And then other years, like this year, snow falls nearly every day, the ground turns muddy and gross, and as soon as the weather warms up a little bit, the whole lawn turns into a massive lake of standing water. Ick, ick, ick.

As much as I enjoy parts of winter, I do suffer from a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder every time the dead of winter hits. For those unfamiliar with the wonders of SAD, it's essentially a minor depression that arises based on patterns of weather. In my case, I get a bit gloomy when the days get darker and the sunlight goes away for long periods of time. It's not so much that I suddenly think life is a black abyss or anything, but I lose a lot of energy, motivation, and high spirits when the weather outside is gray and blah and uninspired.

Luckily, sun lamps and a positive atmosphere help with SAD, and one of my favorite things to do on gray days is to watch a handful of my favorite episodes from my favorite shows. Since I usually don't have enough energy to invest myself in a new plotline, it's fun to go back to a story I'm well familiar with and just sit back and enjoy. The episodes I choose are usually ones that can stand alone, and that can be shown to someone unfamiliar with the story and still be simple to comprehend. Filler is usually a four letter word, but when I find a quality episode that takes a break from a serious storyline, I don't mind stockpiling them for these kinds of days.

Here are some of my favorite blah day anime from various genres, although since it's me, you can expect quite a bit of CLAMP :)

Code Geass- Season 1, Episode 6: While this episode covers details important to the plot including Suzaku's transfer to main character Lelouch's campus and the overarching battle between corrupt empire Britannia and rebel Japanese forces, the main story of this episode features a mischievous cat stealing a mask meant to preserve the main character's double life. And said cat is very talented at evading capture, and said main character, while being a total genius, is quite physically weak. Hilarity ensues when the school president offers a reward for whoever retrieves the secret that cat stole, which Lelouch desperately wants to keep secret. It's overall the most lighthearted episode to a serious action show.

Code Geass might have taken a completely different turn if it was Cat Geass

Natsume Yuujinchou- Season 1, Episode 13: All you really need to know to enjoy this episode is that main character Natsume is a young man who can see spirits and returns power to them by giving them back their names, which were once collected into the Books of Friends. Aside from that, you can simply enjoy a touching bonding moment between friends, as well as the growing connection growing between Natsume and the spirits he helps. The setting is an autumn festival, so there are familiar tropes to make it an easy watch along with the supernatural twist.

This touching episode of Natsume Yuujinchou features ayakashi alongside a beautiful festival and hanabi viewing

Ah! My Goddess- Season 1, Episode 5: Simple plot summary? Main character Keiichi makes a wish for beautiful goddess Belldandy to live by his side, and promptly falls in love with her. In this episode, he tries to work up the courage to tell her his feelings, but unfortunately for Keiichi, Belldandy is a bit... clueless... when it comes to matters of the heart. For romance fans, this is a sweet and simple episode, while also showing off the series' comedic elements. But if you're looking for tips on how to confess to the person you love... this may not be the way to do it!

Nice try, Keiichi, but the road to love won't be that easy!

Junjou Romantica: Season 1, Episode 3: For a quick fix of Boy's Love, watch the beginnings of the Hiro x Nowaki pairing in this episode. The first two episodes cover the relationship between Misaki and Usagi, so you really don't need to know anything about the rest of the show to enjoy this episode (although I would suggest deciding if BL is your thing or not before trying it, because softcore sexythings do happen). The story features Hiro finding a new chance at love with an unexpected partner, although his tsundere tendencies and pride may cause a few troubles along the way!

Nowaki and Hiro won't fail to satisfy a craving for the BL genre!

Ouran High School Host Club- Episode 11: Girl who looks like boy gets forced into a host club. Boys in host club find out she is a girl. Girl stays in host club dressed as boy to pay off a debt. Now that you've got that basic storyline down, watch this hilarious episode where the members of the host club try to bond a lil sis who's afraid of the dark with her occult-crazy older brother who hates the sun. Nekozawa is comedic gold, and the brother-sister elements are quite adorable and kooky.

Nekozawa (and his puppet) isn't quite capable of your standard family reunion

xxxHolic- Season 1, Episode 19: Snow ball fight! Main character Watanuki lives in a spirit-ridden world where anything is possible, and when his employer Yuuko, a powerful witch, is thrown into the mix, nothing is quite so simple as it seems. In this episode, Yuuko initiates a snowman contest with Watanuki in his friends, but things get interesting when their creations come to life and start battling one another. Who will win the battle, and what will the amazing reward be?

And with a Mokona snowman on the field like this, you can bet the battle will be fierce!

D. Gray-man- Season 1, Episode 8: In this show, exorcists battle against demons called akuma, but the conflict with big bad Millinium Earl is set aside in this episode to make way for a rogue robot called Komlin II created by a Komui, a scientist with an off the charts sister complex. Komlin II goes haywire in the exorcist headquarters and starts trying to off the exorcists, and it will take quite a bit of work to defeat him when his creator will do anything to preserve his "masterpiece." D. Gray-man can get heavy, but a rambunctious Komlin episode always does its job in providing comedy.

Behold! The majesty that is Komlin!

Cowboy Bebop- Episode 7: Spike, Faye, and Jet Black make a living as bounty hunters, catching criminals in order to receive the price on their heads. In space. That's all the info you need to start watching this episode, which features Spike teaming up with a tough-as-nails female trucker V.T. to nab a dangerous explosives smuggler. Don't forget, Cowboy Bebop has one of the best English vocal casts of all time, so it might not hurt to watch the dub of this show rather than the sub!

V.T. only factors into one episode of the show, but's she an incredibly likable character

Maria Holic- Season 1, Episode 11: The basic set up is that lesbian Kanako is attending an all-girls Catholic school with the intention of falling love, but is constantly tormented by her roommate Mariya, a boy secretly cross-dressing as a school girl. In this episode, we meet rogue and clueless priest who not only has an eye for the lovely Mariya, but is tricked into using his baffling psycho-analyzing skills on Kanako, who is terrified of men! I'm a Catholic not easily offended by people poking fun at my religious culture (as long as it isn't meant with pure hatred), so the perverted priest trope didn't really bother me, but if this doesn't sound like your thing, feel free to pass on this one (although I will add, the humor in this episode is hysterical!)

To figure out why Kanako is yelling about Trinidad and Tobago, you'll need to watch the episode!

Tsubasa- Season 2, Episode 11: Tsubasa actually has a ton of horrible filler, but one episode was quite funny. Dimension travelers collecting magical feathers that contain the scattered memories of Princess Sakura end up in a world comprised entirely of chibis! It will take the inventiveness of Mokona to get them out of the comic book world and back into reality to continue on with their journey! This episode does contain a few flashbacks to earlier episodes, but for the most part is a humorous stand alone episode where the characters look way too cute for words!

Fai, Syaoran, and Sakura look quite charming in the chibi style!

Enjoy, and chase those winter blahs away!

Fun Stuff: 30 Day Anime Challenge

For those of you who enjoyed the 30 Day Shipping Challenge, here's one focused on anime in general. I personally have a great time digging through my memories of watching my favorite shows to pull up the answers to the questions and recalling the things I loved the most. So let's give this one a shot!

Day 1 - Very first anime: Technically Sailor Moon and Pokemon when I was a young 'un, but in my more adult career of watching anime, it was Tales of Symphonia, as I detailed in my first post. It was so much fun seeing a game I loved animated that I checked out other series, including Bleach, Gakuen Heaven, xxxHolic, etc. But the very first were definitely the good old nineties classics. 

Ah, nostalgia. Brings back those good old grade school days.

Day 2 - Favorite anime you’ve watched so far: Definitely xxxHolic. I am obsessed with Yuuko, Watanuki, and Doumeki, so I was absolutely ecstatic to see them in the animated form. I was also pleased with how well the first two seasons stuck to canon and kept the filler to a minimum. Also, the use of Suga Shikao for opening themes? Um, YES!

Day 3 - Your anime crush: Oh, I definitely have plenty. Ogami from Sakura Wars, Hakkai from Saiyuki, Kyoya from Ouran High School Host Club, Yuri from Tales of Vesperia, Kotetsu from Tiger & Bunny... the list goes on

Day 4 - Anime you’re ashamed you enjoyed: Hmmm... I don't know, I don't really get ashamed of things I enjoy. With Tsubasa, I, along with many of CLAMP's fangirls, was disappointed by the filler and veering from canon, but I still enjoyed it aside from the many problems... mainly because of the soundtrack and the absolute joy of seeing Fai D Flourite animated.

 
Day 5 - Anime character you feel you are most like (or wish you were): I feel a kinship with Franz from Gankutsuou. We both like to be the voice of reason to our hot headed friends, and have a tendency of keeping our heart to ourselves. We both have someone we love very passionately, but realize we aren't the right person to make that person happy. Instead we do everything we can to ensure they are happy, even if our own happiness takes a backseat.

Franz does get minus points for engaging in needless self-sacrifice, though

  Day 6 - Most annoying anime character: I tend to have a problem with clingy jealous girls and guys. Sodia from Tales of Vesperia comes to mind (although I suppose that's the video game rather than the anime). And Yokozawa from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi before he finds his own romance and gets over Takano.

Day 7 - Favorite anime couple: Kurogane and Fai from Tsubasa. So deep and complex, it makes me drool with all of the fanfiction possibilities. 

Day 8 - Most epic scene ever: One of my favorites is when Light is trying to figure out how to keep Ray Penbar's lady love from reporting to the police what she knows about Kira in Death Note. The mental work that went into stopping her is just astounding, and the pacing and tension of the scene is brilliant.

Day 9 - Saddest anime scene: Since I've already gone on and on in other postings about my sad Tomoya/Nagisa scene in CLANNAD, I'll pick a different one this time: Subaru and Seishirou in X. All of their interactions together. The scene where Subaru broods on his ailing heart. The scene where we learn that Subaru can no longer make his barrier because he lost the thing he wanted to protect and has pretty much lost his usefulness as a Dragon of Heaven. Gaaaah, Subaru.

Ah, those two...

Day 10 - Favorite slice of life anime: Now that I think of it, I watch very few things without fantasy elements. Does Kuragehime count? If so, then totally Kuragehime.

 
Day 11 - Favorite mech series: Code Geass has a pretty awesome use of mechs going for it, but I like the personality of the machines in Gurren Lagann. Especially the incorporation of Kamina's shades onto the machine.

Day 12 - An ecchi picture from your favorite series: Ummm... let's just have kinky Watanuki and Doumeki from a doujinshi

 
Day 13 - Cosplay of your ‘waifu’ or Husbando’: I don't want to post someone's photo without permission, but if I did, it would most definitely be a Ranulf cosplay from Fire Emblem.

 
Day 14 - Current (or most recent) anime wallpaper: To go along with the fanfic I'm writing, One Soul

This is 100% in character too, which makes it even better

Day 15 - Post a cute Neko-girl: NOPE! Let's do a neko boy!

Day 16 - Post a kigurumi cosplay of your favorite anime character: Don't want to post someone without their permission

Day 17 - Favorite tsundere: Hiro-san from Junjou Romantica, of course. I love it when he orders flowers for Nowaki and then orders him not to get a big head over it. Nowaki still tackles him and announces that he's so happy he could die.

Day 18 - Something moe: Finland!

Day 19 - Mandatory swimsuit post: How about the pool scene from Toradora?

Day 20 - Favorite shoujo anime: Fruits Basket. My god, Fruits Basket. Although the series is incomplete, I just love the characters and romance so much that I can't be mad at the show. It would be nice if they animated the amazing ending the manga gives us.

Day 21 - Best yandere character: Belarus, naturally. 

Day 22 - Favorite boy’s love couple (or yuri couple, if you don’t like that sort of thing): Well, I love my KuroFai, but that's not a real BL series. So how about Kisa and Yukina from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi?

 
Day 23 - Anime you think had the best, or most intriguing art: Gankutsuou hands down. Especially the clothing designs of Haydee, as well as Albert's pirate outfit.

So awesome... it's even better when you see it in movement

Day 24 - Favorite anime hero or heroine: Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia is a pretty excellent hero. I'm also rather fond of Vash from Trigun. And Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin.

 
Day 25 - Best anime villain: Ulquiorra from Bleach. His final scene... hot damn. He really does perfectly personify emptiness, and of course the fact that he's voiced by Daisuke Namikawa doesn't hurt!

Day 26 - Your favorite harem anime: I demand reverse harem! And as far as that goes, Ouran High School Host Club does it best.

Day 27 - Favorite anime opening theme song: Oooh, this is a toughie. Durarara does an excellent job with their track by Theatre Brook, and I'm rather fond of 19sai from xxxHolic. But really, does anything beat the Pokemon theme song?

 
Day 28 - Favorite pokemon: Bulbasaur!

Day 29 - Favorite school uniform: I'm going to have to go with CLANNAD

Day 30 - Anime character you want to cosplay: Euphemia from Code Geass. Costume is already on order!

Fun Stuff: 30 Day Shipping Challenge

I certainly had fun last time with Shipping Rouelette, so here's another fun thing to try with the joy of shipping: the 30 Day Shipping Challenge! Perfect for blogs, twitter, and fan communities, the 30 Day Shipping Challenge is a conversation starter about favorite and least favorite anime and manga pairings, who's hot and who's not. Of course, you can expect opinions to vary and arguments to start, but go ahead and like what you like and hate what you hate: you'll probably find plenty of people who share your opinions as well.

Since I'll be posting all thirty questions, I might as well knock all the answers out briefly for my own entertainment. Shipping is something I love to support, and since it comes with the territory of fanfiction writing, I have plenty of my own couples that I follow through thick and thin!

Day 1: What is your current favorite ship?
None other than Kurogane and Fai from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle by my favorite mangaka group, CLAMP. I love a pairing with a complex history and emotional baggage, and these two fulfill all the requirements. On one hand, you have teasing, happy Fai, whose smiles mask a painful history and a wish that may end up destroying him, and on the other you have Kurogane, a gruff and temperamental man who sees through the facade and tries to reach the person Fai is afraid of revealing. A beautiful pairing in every way, and the best (in my opinion) that CLAMP has written.

  

Day 2: What was your very first ship?
Rogue and Gambit from the old X-men animation on FOX. I used to watch that show all the time with my brothers and swooned over the cajun charmer and his troubled Southern belle sweetheart. Of course, the fact that Rogue can't touch people with her bare skin keeps the romance rather tame, but the show found a way to sneak a few kisses in. THANK GOD! 

Day 3: A pairing that needs to happen now.
America and England from Hetalia. England is clearly hot for the United States, but America has a tendency of ignoring the atmosphere and shooting his former caretaker down. Poor England! But if they can work through their issues, they'd make an excellent alliance, so let's get to work on that, America!

Day 4: The pairing with the most chemistry.
Holo and Lawrence from Spice & Wolf. As I mentioned on my posting on this series, Holo is practically oozing with feminine wiles, and she uses them to quite an effect on her traveling partner. Even Lawrence himself is overwhelmed by the chemistry half the time, and it just keeps getting better as the episodes go on.

Day 5: The pairing with the least chemistry.
Emil and Marta from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Don't get me wrong, I like both characters. Just not together. Marta is way too much for meek Emil, and even when Emil mans up, it still feels like he's being led along by the nose by her. I prefer Marta with Emil's Ratatosk identity, which puts them on more equal footing (once Ratatosk lessens up on the jerkiness).

Day 6: The best kiss. Hiro and Nowaki's kiss in Junjou Romantica after Nowaki comes home from America and Hiro keeps him from leaving the apartment after treating him coldly. Hiro does his best to resist, but gets pulled in by Nowaki's charm. And who wouldn't? That kiss is smokin, as is the one in the library when they make up 100%.

Day 7: The most heartbreaking scene. Tomoya proposing to Nagisa in CLANNAD. And everything that comes after. But that scene in particular gets me every time. *Sniffle*

Day 8: The pairing with the most baggage.

Seishirou and Subaru from Tokyo Babylon and X. Without getting too spoilery for Tokyo Babylon which will be posted on soon, their past relationship involves a lethal bet, a few missing eye balls, hidden identities, betrayal, broken arms, a dead twin, and a more than one death wish. Oh, CLAMP. 

Day 9: The most believable relationship.

Colette and Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia. They're childhood friends, Lloyd is extremely devoted to Colette to the extent where he places saving her above almost everything else, Colette is determined to see through her duty for the sole sake of protecting the world he lives in so he can be happy, and she's pretty much the easiest person for him to become soulmates with in-game. In the animation, the scene where he finds out she's lost her voice is one of the most touching I've seen.

Day 10: Why aren’t these two married?

Rita and Estelle from Tales of Vesperia. They're best friends. Rita is tsundere for Estelle. Their life goal is to raise a child together. Even Yuri refers to them as 'Ristelle'. Just get married you two!

Day 11: What is your dream pairing?

Eirika and Seth from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. The ultimate lady-and-her-knight pairing. Plus their conversations are adorable.

Day 12: Who had the best wedding?

Alistair and Lady Cousland from Dragon Age. It doesn't happen in-game unless you download a mod, but the mod is AWESOME. It's a beautiful royal wedding, and the looks on Alistair and Lady Cousland's faces are absolutely perfect. Well worth the download.

Day 13: What is your favorite movie pairing?

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from the movie adaptation of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. Both the Colin Firth and the Keira Knightley versions portray it excellently, especially the first proposal scene where Darcy gets shot down. This is definitely one of the most classic pairings of all time for a reason!

Day 14: What is your favorite book pairing?

Jena and Costin from Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing. All of her books are must-reads for fantasy fans, and this relationship is my favorite of all her couples. And Costin spends the majority of the novel as a FROG, and it's still one of the most romantic and well done pairings I have ever read.

Day 15: What is your favorite real life pairing?

My brother and his wife. One day I would love to be as happy as the two of them.

Day 16: What is the absolute worst pairing?

Ike and Elincia from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. It's not a canon pairing, but plenty of people support it as the traditional princess/hero set up. Which is nice and all, but what the heck about Soren and Geoffrey who clearly have feelings for Ike and Elincia respectively? And what about Ike's hatred of nobility, titles, and living in court? There's no way it would work, in my opinion.

Day 17: A pairing you never thought would work, but did.

Makoto and Chiaki from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I thought she'd managed to mess it up with all her time skipping, and then I was convinced he was going to leave her without a proper goodbye. I was so relieved when the end indicated that they had a fair chance of reuniting in the future.

Day 18: What is the cutest pairing?

Kaoru and Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin himself is adorable as it is, but the genuine feeling he shows her in the last few arcs is truly moving. I would trade places with her any day; who wouldn't want to be the most important person to Kenshin?

Day 19: A pairing you’ve rooted for since the beginning.

Taiga and Ryuuji from Toradora! They started the series with feelings for two completely different people, but I was always pulling for them to realize that all of their sexual tension was aimed at each other. Although I do feel a bit sorry for Minori, who loved both of them, although she takes the high road and wishes for their happiness together.

Day 20: The can’t-stand-the-sexual-tension pairing.

Kyo and Tohru from Fruits Basket. After exploding with unresolved sexual tension the whole series, it was agony waiting for him to get a hold of his feelings and accept the kindness she gave him. It probably took a lot out of him to hold back for so long.

Day 21: A pairing you like and no one else understands why.

Hawke and Sebastian from Dragon Age II. My favorite is pairing fem Hawke with Fenris and male Hawke with Anders or Isabela, but I also have absolutely no problem romancing Sebastian. As a total pervert, my friends don't understand how I can be okay with the chaste relationship that goes along with him. I just think it's cute, is all.

Day 22: A pairing you hate and no one understands why.

Again, Emil and Marta. I almost always go the canon route, so people are usually surprised that I refused the game's official couple.

Day 23: A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great.

Eagle Vision, Hikaru, and Lantis take the best route in the Magic Knight Rayearth manga: make it a threesome! Or at least that's what Hikaru oh-so-innocently implies. All three people seem to have feelings for one another, so it all works out.

Day 24: A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly.

Watanuki, Himawari, Kohane, and Doumeki from xxxHolic. Watanuki likes Himawari, Himawari mildly likes Watanuki but is bad luck to him, and Kohane and Doumeki both really like Watanuki. SPOILER: Watanuki ends of having to freeze his lifespan and never leave Yuuko's shop to sort out the craziness of Tsubasa, leaving him an eternal teenager while all his friends grow old. Himawari gets married to someone else, Kohane and Doumeki get hitched so they can produce offspring to watch over Watanuki after they die so he won't have to be alone. Watanuki himself potentially takes a third option and develops feelings for Yuuko depending on how you read it, but I've always interpreted his love for her as intense devotion to an important mentor (since Yuuko already has Clow, and is never going to return to the shop no matter how long he waits judging by CLAMP universe rules). SPOILER END.

Day 25: A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out.

Franz and Albert from Gankutsuou. Poor Franz is in love with Albert, and Albert would certainly benefit from loving him back since Franz is the sensible one of the two of them, and if Albert had only listened to Franz from the start, a lot of bad things would not have happened. However, Albert likes Eugenie, and has hero worship verging on an intense mancrush on the Count, so Franz is out of luck.

Day 26: A pairing that you hated and ended up loving.

Gin and Rangiku from Bleach. I didn't understand why people supported them until I got to the backstory. Gin is still a jackass, but he's her jackass. Sometimes, you just can't help who you fall in love with.

Day 27: A pairing that you loved and ended up hating.

Harry and Hermione from Harry Potter, because I fell for the main character/main girl allure. But as the series progressed, I just wasn't getting romance vibes from their characters, and ended up switching gears with them.

Day 28: A pairing that you will never understand.

The people who support Fai and Chii from Tsubasa. Um, guys, remember a little person called Hideki who is Chii's person just for me? Or how CLAMP doesn't break up canon pairings even in the space-time? Or how Fai made Chii to resemble someone he's related to?

Day 29: What ship had the bed proposal?

I've actually never seen or read a bed proposal to my recollection, so this one I'll have to pass on.

Day 30: Your favorite pairing forever and ever and ever!

Ike and Soren from Fire Emblem. *Pokes 'What's not to love about love?' post*

Crossing the point of no return

I was introduced to the world of BL, as I've mentioned before, by the buddy cop manga FAKE. It was a tame introduction. Dee makes out with Ryo a few times per volume, and when they finally get it on, all the details are hidden beneath their sheets of modesty. Their story was sweet and unfolded slowly, and I loved absolutely everything about it. And after I finished, I decided I was ready for more BL in my life.

I did some research, and found out that Junjou Romantica was currently the most popular BL anime/manga series among female audiences, so I decided to give it a whirl. I started out with the anime (a good idea in hindsight; the explicitness of the manga may have scared my innocent self to death) and curled up on the sofa to enjoy some more fluffy boy on boy fun.

Except fluffy isn't exactly the word I would use to describe Junjou Romantica. It's cute and funny, but let's just say I was not expecting the main character to get molested by the love interest in the very first episode. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a shocker. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Did that really just happen? Did he really just...? Why is Misaki talking so calmly to Usagi as if nothing happened? Do I like it, or am I totally grossed out right now?

My innocence has come a long way over the years. It takes much more than this to get me flustered now.

It took me a bit to sort my feelings out on the subject. Misaki Takahashi (uke), who starts off the series as an eighteen year old nice boy with a self-sacrificing complex and an inability to express his true feelings without panicking, was a bit of a challenge for me to understand at first. His actions indicated he loved Akihiko “Usagi” Usami (seme), but his words were all about resistance and accusing Usagi of being a raging pervert. I didn't know at that time that stubborn ukes are a common BL trope, and that if Misaki really didn't want a physical relationship with Usagi, he would have never allowed Usagi to touch him in the first place (as he admits later in the series). Until I figured that one out, I was a little conflicted over how much I enjoyed watching all the shenanigans of Junjou Romantica.

Misaki is a bit overwhelmed and totally in denial over the crazy BL world he has fallen into, and he pretty much has every right to be.

JR is a story of second loves. Usagi was once unrequitedly in love with Misaki's older brother Takahiro, who, with the sole exception of Mizuki and Usagi-chichi, is the only straight guy in the series (I bet even Alexander and Takana are secretly gay). For obvious reasons, it doesn't work out. Clueless Takahiro gets married and moves to Osaka, and Misaki moves into Usagi's apartment when he needs a place to stay while attending university. Usagi is captivated by Misaki's ability to empathize and deeply feel the pain of others while treating them with consideration and tenderness, and almost instantly falls in love. For Misaki, it takes a bit of coaxing. He loves Usagi and subconsciously admits it, but apparently normal, healthy Japanese young men do not go around saying 'I like you' to their partners. Since Usagi is a seme, as well as a crazy Japanese anomaly, he is allowed. That's what you get for spending so much time in England, I guess. In any case, Misaki enters into a physical relationship with Usagi, but tries to resist and act as if the entire thing is against his wishes.

The power couple is quite lovey-dovey, but Misaki brings his share of issues to the match

On that subject, does anyone know of any semes who resist having sex with their ukes for reasons other than not wanting to cause them pain? The only one I can think of is Kuon Aikawa in the first chapter of Mujihi na Otoko (a part of the I want to be naughty! Series), and even he gets over that pretty quickly.

The second couple features literature professor and all-out tsundere Hiroki Kamijou and tender-hearted med student Nowaki Kusama. Nowaki is Hiro's second love; his first was (surprise!) Usagi, who was of course in love with Takahiro while Hiro was crushing on him. Hiro was crying over Usagi in the park one day when fate led Nowaki to find him, and after Nowaki dogs him for awhile and sneaks into his head, the two fall in love. Of course, it doesn't end so simply. Hiro is a bundle of tsundere pride who is incapable of being directly affectionate, and Nowaki is insecure about the fact that Hiro is four years older than him and lives a more adult and professional lifestyle. In their respective quests to become more ideal lovers, they both end up confusing each other and having their intentions come across in a jumbled fashion.

My favorite of the couples in a rare moment where Hiro's tsundere tendencies aren't causing trouble

Last comes You Miyagi and his ex-wife's brother Shinobu Takatsuki. If Nowaki thinks his four years difference with Hiro is a big deal, Miyagi and Shinobu take the cake: there is a grand total of seventeen years separating them! Add that to the fact that Miyagi starts off straight and is still hung up on his high school love (his homeroom teacher, now deceased) and Shinobu is a bit of a spaz who expresses his love by repeatedly cooking and botching cabbage stir fry and insisting Miyagi take responsibility for his feelings for him. In true BL fashion, Shinobu manages to charm his way into Miyagi's heart and lessen the pain of losing his first love, but this isn't achieved without a few epic misunderstandings and another case of non-consensual touching (Shinobu wants a relationship with Miyagi, but is freaked out when a pissed off Miyagi gets a bit 'handy' to shut him up).

Miyagi has guilt over his cradle robbing. Shinobu? Not so much.

It isn't hard to see why Junjou Romantica is the king of BL manga. The characters are endearing, and its hard not to grow to love them. Whenever I sit down to watch this show, time seems to fly. It usually takes me more time to knock out 24 episodes of anime, but with JR I just want to keep watching and watching. Even when the characters do stupid things, I'm always rooting for them.

HOWEVER, that is not to say there aren't some issues. BL has one particular trope that is overused x10, and that is the “Character A sees Character B out with Character C. Character A assumes Character B is cheating or else that Character C is after their lover. Character A gets pissed, only to find out that Character C is actually Character B's sibling/co worker/childhood friend/or casual acquaintance, or that Character B has absolutely no interest in Character C. Characters A and B kiss and make up” set up. This happens quite frequently between Misaki and Usagi over Aikawa, Sumi, Haruhiko, Kaoruko, Mizuki, and Ijuuin. Jealousy is undeniably spicy, but using this trope too often gets old. When JR gets away from this set up, the stories are stronger because they focus on the one-on-one dynamic of the couple rather than the interlopers. For example, the episode where Misaki has to decide whether to move back with his brother or stay with Usagi is particularly good, as well as the arc where he struggles over the fact that Usagi's father makes it clear that he thinks his son's relationship is destructive and headed for disaster.

Misaki is a wanted man. Who can resist an adorable, hesitant uke?

That being said, I'm really hoping that Junjou Romantica will address the fact that neither Usagi nor Misaki have told Takahiro about their relationship. Obviously this would be an awkward conversation, but even the clueless Takahiro will eventually notice that Misaki is a working adult still leeching off a family friend. I am also curious as to how Takahiro would react. I doubt he would be happy, considering the fact that his ultimate goal is for Misaki to have a normal family life. The ten year age difference between Misaki and Usagi would also make it look like Usagi forced and took advantage of Misaki to Takahiro (and the incident with Sumi proves this is the action Usagi is most uncomfortable of being accused of). However, the thing most important to Takahiro is Misaki's happiness, and I think that's what will rule out in the end. Besides, Takahiro is already doing his duty in carrying on the next generation, which is rather noble given that the in-universe version of Japan is pretty much doomed due to its high level of gay and bisexual individuals going the same-sex route, especially if you factor in all the characters from JR's companion, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi.

Fight for the next generation of Japan, Takahiro, you brave young soldier!

One of these days the scattered single females in the series will have to band together and date each other. I swear to god.

All in all, I'm glad I came across Junjou Romantica when I did. It shocked me to begin with, but I've always had way too much innocence for my own good, and it's considerably tame compared to some of the things I myself have written in the way of fanfiction. At first I felt like the world's biggest pervert for getting such a kick out of it, but do you know what? Not all perversion is bad. In fact, life would be pretty dull without it. So if Junjou Romantica sounds like something you might be interested in, just go for it. Bishie on bishie action is delightfully hot!

Since I've done plenty of shounen-ai, next up will be Maria Holic, where shoujo-ai runs supreme!