BL anime announcments thus far

So here's what we have to look forward to in 2009:

Hey! Class President by Kaori Monchi. There's not a lot of information available so far other than PrimeTime will be in charge of production.

Sex Pistols by Tarako Kotobuki. This will be a two volume OVA.

Last, but certainly not least, a remake of Ai no Kusabi, by Rieko Yoshihara. This will be 13 volumes and released fall of '09.

I'm excited about Ai no Kusabi and Sex Pistols. Sex Pistols has always been one of my favorite boys love manga. The plot is very interesting and unique. If you haven't read this manga you might want to snatch up a few volumes before the anime is released. The one I'm least excited about would have to be Hey! Class President. The first and only manga I ever read from this creator was Imadoki no Shishunki (Awakening Puberty). I wasn't a big fan of the story or the art so I pretty much avoided any of her other work. But maybe this will be like Junjou, where a scoffed at it before it was released but ended up watching it and falling in love.

Source: ANN

KakaIru heading into 2009

In japan the KakaIru fan community seems to be slowing down. Dying? Not quite, and probably not until we see the end of Naruto. But it has reached a sort of loll. One of the signs of this is when Halco of Chikadou fame announced in her blog that she would cease publication of any future KakaIru material. Halco, I believe, is one of the people who has helped shape Kakashi and Iruka by giving them traits that have become a part of fanon. These personality quirks such as Iruka's shyness and Kakashi's overactive libido can be found in many doujinshi. Not to say there aren't those that go against the norm or there isn't any tweaking between the artist. Sometimes Kakashi is super sweet, or kinda jerky, but undoubtedly he will also be a total horn dog. This shows how certain aspects have become a standard in this community.

artwork by Halco

This consistency found throughout the fandom is one of the reasons I find it so enduring. For me, it has become the definitive. Really. If I read a fanfic and Iruka is the seme or if I see a fanart with him on top I literally get pulled out of the element. This very rarely happens to me because I'm usually all about swithcin' it up. But when it comes to KakaIru I'm all about Kakashi being on top.

As the years continue to pass the KakaIru community will begin to dissipate even more. In order for it to regain some strength there will have to be a resurgence of new artist and writers willing to breathe life into the fandom. As much as the consistent characterization has given KakaIru staying power, I think changing it up might help revitalize it. Making Iruka an aggressive uke would be interesting. Or even just making them sex buddies while they carry on romantic relationships with other female Naruto characters would be a cool twist. Be creative! Although KakaIru will never return to what it was when Naruto was at its height in Japan I would love to see it go out with a bang. So keep it coming with the fanfiction, art, and comics, 'cause I'll be here to read, look, and buy.

artwork by Satoru Shigemi

Final Episode of Junjou Romantica

So, there was no sex, a bad soundtrack, and very little terrorist, but you know what? The second season of Junjou is still good. If this season has accomplished anything, it has made me like the romantica pairing. They are still my least favorite, but I actually have come to care for them and appreciate their storyline.

It was a fun ride, and who knows, maybe it will get an OVA release some day. I doubt there will be another season, especially with the little material they have left to pull from the manga. And if there is an OVA release I can only hope it's terrorist, because their storyline deserves the attention.

Menkui! Libre editions

So I finally got my copies of the Libre Shuppan editions of Menkui!, and I must say I am quite impressed.
Marvel at my mad camera skillz!
As you can see both books have new covers. Ooooh, shiny! I'm quite glad they replaced the old cover to the first volume because I was never a big fan of it. But for those who are, it's included as a color insert. I did, however, like the second cover and would have preferred it to the third cover insert included in volume two. Also the new volume two cover had me lol. Akaiwa is gonna poke poor Kotori's eye out with that pointy chin of his! Oh noes!
One of the great aspects of this two volume set is it excludes all the filler comics that were a part of the original releases. So all you get is ooey gooey Menkui goodness. Not that I didn't like the extra comics, but it's nice to have each story run into the next without any interruption.
The first volume includes Menkui! 1-4 and the bonus story about Kotori's older brother. The second completes Menkui! 4 and has stories 5-7 as well as the bonus story about Chikage's adorable little brother and his best friend turned boyfriend, Shinobu. Each volume also contains a new side story written by Tanaka. Her drawing style has gotten exceedingly better as the years passed, so it's nice to see her draw her old characters with her updated technique. And I swear, in the case of Akaiwa, there isn't some huge change, but she has somehow accomplished making him look sexier.
*drools*
There's something about Kotori that is different, but I just can't put my finger on it. I don't know if it's the length of his eyes, or his chin, or...I just don't know!
Whatever it is, my uber sweet looking Kotori has been replaced with a manly looking one.
I really like this new release and it shall be displayed proudly on my bookshelf right next to the older version (yes, I'm keeping them >_>).