Yaoi/BL/Shounen Ai anime (A Group) short reviews
1. Yuri!!! On Ice
Rating: A+
Watch for free here: https://www.crunchyroll.com/yuri-on-ice
- YOI is the best example I've seen of character development of a gay romance with two fully consenting adults who have actual well-defined characters, without rape or shitty age differences or girl stand-ins or really any other annoying yaoi tropes. The ice skating storyline outside of the romance is just as interesting as the romance subplot. Tension is generated by the ice skating main plot ("sports anime" formula), not by constant misunderstandings. The supporting cast is great, and it is unfortunate the show is so short that more time can't be spent on them. Downsides: Nothing is ever shown beyond hugging (the one kiss we see is obscured, although the creators confirmed that they did kiss, so it is canon my dudes). The subtext is incredibly heavy, so it definitely supports the legitimacy of the ship.
2. Free! Iwatobi Swim Club (and all its sequels and prequels)
Rating: A
Watch for free here: https://www.crunchyroll.com/free-iwatobi-swim-club
(be sure and start with the first season at the bottom - Free! Iwatobi Swim Club)
- This show is not YAOI, BL, or Shounen Ai. However I have to include it if I include Banana Fish because the subtext and manservice is so heavy in the show it may as well be BL. This is a sports anime that follows four characters through their trials and tribulations rebuilding their school's swim team and working hard to achieve accomplishments with it. It spans from high school through college so far in the tv series (the high speed movie covers middle school), and there is more on the horizon in 2020. This is a gorgeous show, full of manservice, great relationships between guys platonic or otherwise, however you interpret it. It is full of happy feels and adorable wholesomeness. There is competition without people being hateful, and there is extremely subtle character development with the main character, Haru, that can't be appreciated enough. I will also say that Haru's relationship with Makoto may as well be canon, and the care that the creators give to the development of their relationship on screen is spectacular (trust me, I combed through every inch of source material for this show to create a shipping music video for it). However, this is a show that anyone can watch and enjoy. I let my 9yo son watch this. Also, there are females present in this show and they are awesomely great characters (a particular shout-out to Gou, who is my spirit animal). Watch the sub not the dub (the dub effs up some of the adaptation of how characters call each other, -chan and the like, and this is _important_). Upsides: Great animation. Great character development. Pretty good plotting, but great execution and structure. Shit loads of well-framed, well-executed, sakuga manservice. Seamless and gorgeous integration of difficult-to-do water animation with character animation. Great music. The first two ending sequences are super awesome. Great cast and supporting cast who are all unique and interesting. Downsides: Mmmm.... some of the storylines feel a bit recycled. Season 3 requires you to have seen the High Speed movie. Not all of the grouchy characters in the show really feel justified in their moodiness (but you'll ship them anyway, by george!).
3. Banana Fish
Rating: A-
Watch it on amazon prime. (episodes can be found on youtube but may be taken down - I watched it on youtube).
- If this show is BL, it's really, really buried in subtext. Instead, the plot is extremely well written and interesting even ignoring the fact that the two main leads are both guys who may or may not love each other. There are a lot of characters said to be gay in the show, but they're mostly evil people who eventually get their heads blown off. It is never said one way or another if Ash falls into that category (or Eiji for that matter), but neither is shown to be disapproving of it, and they do show a lot of affection toward each other. The supporting cast is great, and a lot of time is spent realizing them. It is a show worth watching for anyone, not just BL fans. Upsides: Great story. Ash is just great, and episode 10 is a heart-stopper. Eiji at least has an appealing character design, and his personality is fine. Downsides: Main character (Eiji) is more useless than I'd like him to be (Ash has to do pretty much everything). He's basically an albatross and I prefer my relationships to be more equal. BL is so extremely light it is almost non-present. (may not be a downside -->) This show is not for the faint of heart; shameless murdering and frank discussions of sex trafficking abounds.
4. Love Stage!!
Rating: A-
Watch for free here: https://www.crunchyroll.com/love-stage
- This is the story of a male college student who is pursued by a famous actor who, from childhood, thought he was a girl because he was dressed up as one when they met (and he is so delicate and beautiful that he's more beautiful of a girl than actual girls). The tension of the series is generated by main character being wishy-washy for most of the series, so we don't get the main couple doing much until toward the end of the series (unusual for yaoi). While this series technically falls into the trope of main character as a girl stand-in, they took it soooo damn far it's come back around to become no longer a trope. Main character is actually drawn that beautifully, but doesn't particularly act like a girl. He's also not an airhead. The comedy generated by actor's misunderstanding is pretty good. The whole show is just generally a hilarious romp. Also, of standout note: the animation is gorgeous. Upsides: beautiful animation. hilarious comedy. real situations and concerns. great supporting characters. Downsides: gets slightly rapey once, but it is acknowledged and is profusely apologized for, legit forgiveness is sought. Story is clearly unfinished; characters are introduced that are obviously intended to become main characters or love rivals or secondary couples, but the series ends before this can be explored.