There’s a Japan (several, actually) aside from all the lights and colour, away from urban futurism, spotless cleanliness and unnavigable manners. Head out to one of the country’s many mid-size industrial hubs and you’ll find filthy, dulled, bleak places, miserable in very harsh, hopeless, inescapable, mechanical sort of ways.
It’s that side of Japan that, for me, is captured by the likes of Kaoru Abe. Bootleg Winter 1972 exhibits Abe in his early 20s, a free jazzist whose frantic solo meandering feels more panicked and frightened than spiritual. Abe sounds like he’s playing under threat, like this is the only option and yet his sole reward is the solitary clapping of one audience member.
Live action movie about the iconic Heian duo, Abe no Seimei (Kento Yamazaki) and Minamoto no Hiromasa (Sometani Shota).
It also stars Murakami Nijiro (Alice in Borderland), Honda Nao (Our Sister's Soulmate), Kitamura Kazuki (Heart of a Samurai), Kobayashi Kaoru (Midnight Diner) and others.
jeezus... after 5 months, i finally got my shit together and reopened my online shop. Feeling pretty good and somewhat accomplished. Baby steps y’know?
So I’ve got some restocking to do, but new listings are up including SK8 heart buttons! over at beanclamshop (dot) com
In the fan newsletter volume 100, the members were asked to answer to questions from each member and here’s my take on the translation:
Toshiya
Kyo > Toshiya
- Rich or Extremely rich? (referring to food such as ramen broth) Rich
- All humanity is turning into dogs: woof 🐶
- Very hard or very soft noodles? Hard
- Pigmon or Kanegon? (from Ultra Q) Pigmon
- Would you dye your hair blue again? If everyone dye their hair like the old days then I’ll consider it.
Die > Toshiya
- Are you the type who sleeps well at the hotels during tours? depends on which day
- How often do you change your smartphone? 4-5 years
- What do you usually order from Starbucks? Drip coffee
- Which electric appliances are you very particular about? Electric toothbrush
- If you were to drive, which car do you want to drive in? Shelby Cobra
Kaoru > Toshiya
- Any recommendations lately? ask and answer by yourself
- You’re not watching anime recently? I watch it sometimes
- Which is the most delicious ramen shop? If it’s hard to say here then tell me next time: I’ll tell you secretly
- What would you say if Die send you a picture with his hair completely shaved off? maybe he can’t deal with the intense heat..?
- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? I want it to come with a different kind of excitement
Shinya > Toshiya
- Which country do you like aside from Japan? the US, Hawaii
- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Musashi no Ken
- Are you becoming farsighted? My vision is getting worse so it could be that…
- Do you want to live in Nagano in the future? I'm thinking about it lately
- Are you planning to keep your black hair forever? Silver hair
Kaoru
Kyo > Kaoru
- Jumping up and down (びょんびょん) or chuckle (むひむひ)? (I think he’s referring to fans’ reaction) chuckle
- Which one is better, Light salt or Cheese Karl snack? Curry
- Aren’t you gonna grow your hair long? It’s troublesome
- Aren’t you going to dress up as a pirate? I’m not doing anything this Halloween, so I won’t do that
Kaoru > Kaoru
- Gonna do “it”? Give “it” to me
Die > Kaoru
- What make Hanshin so strong this year, let me hear your opinion: pineapple candy
- If a Hanshin member was to throw an MVP, who would that be? Kinami Seiya
- If you could scout one player from an 11-members team (other than Hanshin), who would that be? Yamamoto Yoshinobu
- If Hanshin finally got “it” after 18 years, what do you think is going to happen at the Dotonbori river? become the prey of Idiots, onlookers and youtubers.
* I don’t watch baseball so I’m not so sure about this whole conversation, but I know Die is a huge GIANTS fan while Kaoru is at Hanshin’s side, and people in Osaka often jump into the Dotonbori river when celebrating something big (new year, winning the olympic games..) so Die is talking as if the Hanshin would surely win the game (or winning over the GIANTS? idk..)
- If the GIANTS were to change the manager, who would that be? I think Abe Shinnosuke…? but the atmosphere would be…
Toshiya > Kaoru:
- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? 1
- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? 2
- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2
- Which member is most likely to runaway from terrors? Kyo
- Who is the most manly member? Toshiya
Shinya > Kaoru
- Which country do you like aside from Japan?Hawaii
- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Toriyama Akira
- Are you becoming farsighted? Yes, I am
- Who is your favourite Hanshin player? Kakefu Masayuki
- Which LINE stamp do you use the most? Kaoru chan
Kyo
Kaoru > Kyo
- Any recommendations lately? Fish from Fukushima
- Are you building plastic models? I’m building them intensely
- What would you say if Shinya send you a picture of him and Tom Hanks? from Deep State?
- Have you seen Mad Heidi? I haven’t seen it, but I’ve watched MEN
- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? Isn’t Ramen Jiro (without the broth) the best thing ever?
Toshiya > Kyo
- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? must be 2, right?
- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? maybe 2, to the future
- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2, the inner strength (health)
- Who is the most affectionate member? Must be me
- Who is the best at telling lies? Must be Shinya
Die > Kyo
- Any scary experience at the hotels while touring? a fan peeping through a peephole and put their ear to the wall (in Osaka)
- Favourite game console? Mega Drive
- The most intimidating movie character in your opinion? Norman Bates
- How many pair of sneakers do you have? about 50?
- FOOD (don’t know why he’s using english here lol) that touched your soul lately? Blowfish dish from the restaurant that senpai took me to
Shinya > Kyo
- Which country do you like aside from Japan? None. Aren’t you Shinya!
- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Jojo. Aren’t you Shinya!
- Are you becoming farsighted? Dunno. Aren’t you Shinya!
- Have you gotten more tatoos? I’ll get more when I’ve become a skin-head. Aren’t you Shinya!
- Will you give up smoking? No. Aren’t you Shinya!
Die
Kyo > Die
- How many times do you go to the beach each year? when I think about it, I guess I haven’t went to the beach for years
- What is your choice of drink on a cruiser, beer or wine? I get drunk immediately after having wine so I think it’s better to go with beer
- The whole world is destroyed: If everything and everyone dissapear all at once then I’m not scared
- Won’t you dye your hair red again? or would you dye it blue? Frankly, during the pandemic when I could not see anyone, I’ve made a mistake and dyed my hair blue. It didn’t suit me at all, to the point that it gets creepy. So I cover it with red dye right on the next day.
- What’s your favourite colour other than red? BLACK&WHITE (he used english here)
Kaoru > Die
- Any recommendations lately? Prison’s book of rules
- Favourite type of meat for Yakiniku (grilled meat)? high-quality outside skirt steak, thick-sliced beef tongue, beef organs
- After Hara Tatsunori, who’s going to be the GIANTS next manager? I wanna see Abe Shinnosuke as the manager already
- What would you say if Kyo send you a picture of him standing on top of the mountain that he’s just climbed? The Zoom meeting has already started
- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? raw (fresh) sound
Toshiya > Die
- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? I’ve spent my whole life with this band so maybe 1
- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? If I can not return to this life time then I’d want to see what the future is like
- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? 2-I’ll work on my appearance somehow…
- Who’s a foodie among the members? Our interests may vary but isn’t everyone a foodie?
- Which members hold the most secrets? All of us are secretive but I think “that person” definitely stood out.
Shinya > Die
- Which country do you like aside from Japan? The humidity right now makes me really want to feel the air of Los Angeles
- Which manga did you like the most as a kid in elementary school? Captain Tsubasa
- Are you becoming farsighted? I’d say my vision has gotton worse from 2007-when I got lasik surgery
- Favourite GIANTS player? It’s hard to choose one, but I’d say Kuwasa Masumi, he lived near my house back in Osaka, and used to be my hero when I was in PL Academy
- Your luggages always seem heavy, which item is the heaviest of them all? Dyson airwrap styler, hair dryer, hair iron, hair oil, hair cream, hair treatment spray… most of the items that added weight to my luggage are hair related
Shinya
Kyo > Shinya
- You’re already dead. No, I’m not dead
- If you can become another person, would you choose to be Yoshiki san or Gackt san? please choose one. I’ll choose Yoshiki san because I’m a drummer
- Aren’t you going to build a room in your balcony? I don’t have a balcony in the first place
- Would you try the punch perm hair style? I really want you to try it? or eipper. you only have two choices, punch perm or eipper? If only these two choices then eipper…
- You’re already dead. No. I’m not dead.
Die > Shinya
- Would you wear anything other colour aside from white at the liveshows? Please answer with something different from “No”. Maybe there’s no other options in the future?
- Would you change your hair style? Please answer with something different from “No”. Maybe there’s no other options in the future?
- Would you change your phone to the iphone 15? Please answer with something different from “No”. I’ll skip for once next time
- Favourite Apple’s product that you’ve owned? please also explain why. I’d say the Macbook Pro that I’m currently using. Without it, nothing will work out
- If you didn’t become a Youtuber then who would you be? Maybe a drummer
Kaoru > Shinya
- Any recommendations lately? What kind??
- What kind of game should I, Tooru and Fujieda play? Who’s “I”??
- If you have the Rock f Solo sheet for Kurenai (ロックfソロシート), please give it to me. I only have DIR’s records
- What would you say if Toshiya send you a picture of him DJ-ing in the club? You’re spinning the Kurenai Solo Sheet! Yay
- How do you want our next song (album) to turn out? Ah! the person who ask this question… must be Kaoru kun? Am I right? 😏😏😏
Toshiya > Shinya
- We will die at some point in life, would you rather (1) be remembered by everyone in the world or (2) always be remembered by one particular person until they die? Maybe everyone in the world
- If you have a chance to time-travel for once, which timeline would you choose (1) before you were born, (2) after you’ve passed away? Absolutely the future, I want to see the future world
- If there is one drug that brings super power, would you choose the one that (1) make you look young like your 20-year-old self or (2) keep the same appearance, but have the strength of a 20-year-old? Inner strength
a long time coming that I've meant to compile a list, but it just kept growing and growing and growing...
the webtoon list includes my very personal & important in-my-heart recommendations. aaaaand the rest are mostly smutty, kinky, and even a little dark.......... do not perceive, just enjoy. and support the official author's work and translations if you can!!
if there are any in this list you'd like a heads up about before reading, feel free to drop me an ask and I'll give you my honest opinion/review.
if you're having trouble locating anything, shoot me an ask (because i have most, if not all, of the links saved).
and feel free to gush to me if you liked any of them!! i'm always happy to talk about mmm's.
[updated july 3rd, 2023] - newly added titles are in green.
𝐵𝐿 = boy's love genre
𝐆𝐋 = girl's love genre
𝟏+ = includes harems & poly relationships
❤ = absolute masterpieces, highly recommended!
! = proceed with extreme caution/heed all warnings
please heed all warnings and tags found within each of these recommendations, as well as my own warnings from the symbol legend above and found throughout this post.
some of these are sfw and some aren't. some of these aren't for the faint of heart and will be marked to be read at your own risk. additionally, not all are translated into English. 𝐵𝐿/𝐆𝐋 are separate from the general list.
𝐖𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐍
A Messy Fairy Tale 𝟏+
A Summer Night's Dream
Age Matters ❤
Back to You
Bailin and Li Yun BL❤
Bitten Contract
Boyfriend of the Dead
Castle Swimmer BL
City of Blank
Dating With a Tail
Daytime Star
Devil Number 4 ❤
Devilish Romance
Down to Earth
Dreaming Freedom
Ghost Wife
Ghostly Buddie
Half-Ghost
Harem of LuuAnh
Hello Baby ❤
I'm the Grim Reaper
I Love Yoo ❤
It's Mine
Jeff's Disorders
Kind of Confidential
Little Rain
Lore Olympus ❤
Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell ❤
Mage & Demon Queen GL
Marry Me!
Maybe Meant to Be
Meow Man
Midnight Poppy Land
Midnight Rain
Mom, I'm Sorry
Morgana and Oz
Muse on Fame
My Beloved Emperor
My Dear Cold-Blooded King
My Four Husbands 𝟏+
My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me ❤
My Lovely Bodyguard
Nice to Meet You
Not Even Bones
Operation: True Love ❤
Pastel-colored Pages
Phase
Scorching Romance
See You in My 19th Life ❤
Selina ~ Moon Bride ~
Siren's Lament ❤
Soleil
Space Boy
Strange and Wild
SubZero
Swimming Lessons for a Mermaid ❤
Take Off BL
The Devil is a Handsome Man
The First Night With the Duke ❤
The Guy Upstairs
The Newlywed Diary of a Witch and a Dragon ❤
The RUNWAY
There Must Be Happy Endings
To the Stars and Back BL
Trapped ❤
Unlovable Replacement
When Jasy Whistles ❤❤
Winter Woods
Your Smile is a Trap ❤
𝐒𝐅𝐖
Abe-kun's Got Me Now! (Abe-kun ni Nerawaretemasu)
A Master, Who Woke Up As a Concubine ❤
And Yet, You Are So Sweet (Na no ni, Chigira-kun amasugiru)
Beloved in-Laws (poor transl.)
Bon Appétit ❤
Don't Blush, Sekime
Forget My Husband, I'll Go Make Money (Aug 2023)
Golden Forest !
I, My, Me, Mine ❤ (アイマイミーマイン)
I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter
I Can't Keep Up With My Stallion Duke ❤❤
I Will Change the Genre
I Will Rewrite the Dead End Novel
In the Clear Moonlit Dusk ❤ (Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki)
It's My Destiny to Be the Hero's Saviour !
Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible
Love's in Sight!
Loving Yamada at Lv 999 ❤❤❤
Male Lead, I'll Respect Your Taste !
Ookami no Musume ❤❤
Pink and Habanero ❤ (Pink to Habanero)
Protected by My Dragon Knight (Seijo wa Ryuukishi-sama ni Mamorarete)
Scary Faced High Schooler and Miss Plain Jane
Second Life of a Trash Princess
Sinking too deep in your rabbit hole, now I'm drowning in your love
Stella Next to Me ❤ (Tonari no Stella)
The Cunning Princess and the Shark ❤
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity ❤ (Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku)
The Muscle Girl Next Door
The Obsessive Second Male Lead Has Gone Wild
The Reasons We Fall in Love ❤ (Watashi-tachi ga koisuru riyuu)
The Tyrant's Comfort Doll !
To the Dear F-Phantom of the Opera (Shinai naru F e: Opera-za no Kaijin)