Comment Bingo- a challenge comm for commenting

Hmm... well, while the news has shifted off of Minnesota, the I*C*E raids are still happening in the USA. It feels like it's only a matter of time before more cities like mine feel the full force. I worry as a community we'll go belly up instead of defending our neighbors. I live in a majority Southeast Asian community, we also have a large refugee population that's already exhausted. So it only makes sense. As for news clips and influencers, I've had to monitor my own screen time so I can feel like I can take more information in and keep being responsible and resourceful.

This doesn't mean I don't miss by fanfic, anime or asian drama bingin, kpop jamming days. So, for today I'd like to talk about what Boys' Love I've read. I think it's fitting since all I've been doing is consuming, it's time I make some output, balance my energies - or something like that.

My first manga of 2026 was the third and final volume of Blood Night Market by Chise Ogawa. I purchased the first and second volume at last year's Anime Boston from comicopia, I think. This last volume came from Kinokuniya. (Yes I still have my $25 membership with my Sasaki & Miyano membership card.) I enjoyed the premise and had hopes for it, but the ending felt flat.

The story takes place in Blood Night City, where vampires come from human blood. Any mention of a night market will pique my interested, it usually echoes of cyberpunk, action, or lurking evils. So, knowing our protagonist, Sotetus, a member of the Blood Control Bureau, was part of the policing body of the city I was hoping for a classic trope: cop and criminal. A lot of Boys' Love I actually read are Japanese doujin so I thought it could be one of those short and sweet gems. In reality, it felt like it was too quick and a huge part was missing, and maybe it was the literally time gap of the publishing that made it feel like I didn't see the two leads develop their interest in each other. The plot solutions also felt like they had been the first idea that was thought up. I had more interest in Sotetsu's fellow BCB who could've been their own pairing and they were presented as platonic as possible. Overall, I do give it a 3/5 because the concept was good and I got through volume 1 and 2 in a breeze, it kept me going.

I'd like to note at this time that CAT is sitting on my right shoulder/back and I'm sitting strangely. If anything is mistyped... well, I can't be mad, she's usually home alone and I can't come to move her off.

The Troublesome Guest of Sotomura Detective Agency by Sakae Kusama was my next read, borrowed from Hoopla through my local library. (I think I keep my library manga collections alive with my checkouts.) It's one-shot manga, but who doesn't love Old Man Yaoi?

It starts at private detective Matsuda's agency, already setting the scene with an odd job more than a serious case. However, we learn pretty quickly he's basically the neighborhood's handy-man, as much as he doesn't want to admit it. It's great virtue which pairs with Kamiko, an old classmate of his who becomes his roommate and friends' with benefits. Things move quick, but in such a succinct way that I almost didn't question it (like I usually do but also accept in the same breath, haha). I like how they show the (somewhat healthy?) dependency they develop on one another and how they confront their feelings eventually. Nothing about this manga has a WOW factor, it really is another broke but sweet man plus colder, broken man who loves sweet man. Yet, that's what I like about these kinds of slice-of-life stories. I gave it a 4.5/5 because it was the scene-to-scenes that left their impressions on me.. also the childhood friends to lovers gets me every time. I'm biased!

Loved Circus by Nemui Asada, another Hoopla read, was a more unique one-shot. We start with an ex-salaryman who is ready to take his own life because he felt like he couldn't do enough for a hostess he was pining after. At this point I think a lot of people know about the host culture in Japan, but if not, this kind of plot isn't unusual. It's a method to get your customers to spend more money and bolster your own pay. I wasn't into the non-consensual part where Kei gets pulled into the job of a male brothel worker for male clients, but it's not far from the truth so I can't deny it isn't necessary. I do like the part where they flesh out the characters. I would've liked a few parts of the platonic relationships to be extended just enough for a second volume. The love interest is the top worker who we learned has deep ties to the place, which is part of our conclusion. We don't get to see much romance between them, but we do come full circle and see that they meet back up after parting for some time. Their ex-coworkers who also left return for a bit of a reunion. We see they're all in a better place, even if it's not perfect. I can see this being unsatisfying for some since I also ended with a bit of a disappointment. I gave it a 2.5/5, but for an old man yaoi this is more realistic than the previous where the feelings are there, but the pair just aren't in a place to pursue that quite yet.

The other book I got from Kinokuniya was the fourth volume of My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie by Kaho Ozaki. I also bought the first two volumes from last year's Anime Boston. Real estate for spirits? How interesting! Here we have Osuke, who left a perfectly good home, struggling after being kicked out of his apartment. He gets a job offer from a tall handsome man, who is still mysterious in volume 4, to work at his real estate agency. He'll get a free room out of it. Osuke's a bit of a simpleton, so he goes for it only to find out his roommate is some ikemen named Nijio. I was hoping for an in-your-face kind of seme for our soft yet goofy Osuke, but he's just a big, misunderstood and awkward silent type. (In later volumes, he's trying to be better.) At this time, it's a lukewarm read, but that's because we have only had instances of "maybe I do like him?" moments. They've yet to truly confront their feelings, so this is probably going to be long-term read. ??/5 rating!!

I just finished volume two of Ogi's Summer Break, on ComicsPlus (another library paid resource), and I like the topics they're touching upon: Ogi's identity crisis as a boy who has always like girl's clothing; Tago learning more about relationships outside of his family; how Tago's blindness isn't the main focal point, but an added point for Ogi's personal dilemma; and the relatable in-betweens of crushes and heartbreaks. It's layered, and I want more of it.

From here, I think I'll be reading more BL from Hoopla, I just have to take advantage of a free service from my library. Maybe I'll write another round-up post in the summer.