As anime has gotten bigger and found greater success around the world, its stories have begun to evolve and become more inclusive, and this is evident in an upsurge in queer stories. One label - Blue Lynx - has been working over the past few years to bring the Boys’ Love genre to theaters in a big way, and while their library is small now, they’ve got their hands on some promising projects.
Blue Lynx is the brainchild of Fuji TV producer Yuka Okayasu, a former producer of Fuji TV’s Noitamina block and self-proclaimed yaoi fan who wished to create more content appealing to fans of the like. The label was officially announced on April 22, 2019, and their first project would be the 2020 adaptation of Twittering Birds Never Fly, a Yakuza story crossed with a gay love story. With proven successes of queer stories on TV, like 2019’s Given, Okayasu saw a perfect opportunity to capitalize on a market, while also maximizing the potential of these stories. While Japan’s broadcasting restrictions would limit sexual content on TV, feature films could present their sexual content more freely. Such would be a common trend among Blue Lynx’s portfolio up to now.
Twittering Birds Never Fly
To start, their first feature, Twittering Birds Never Fly - The Clouds Gather, is likely not going to dissuade certain stigmas of the genre when it comes to sexual content. On the whole, the character dynamic is compelling on a carnal level. Yashiro, a mid-level Yakuza boss who can’t seem to feel romantic attraction yet is quite sexually active meets Doumeki, a new hire who struggles to find arousal because of past trauma.
On occasion, the jazzy score in conjunction with its script conjures a crime story that is appropriately seductive for its own genre, to say nothing of its gay overtones. The character dynamic itself creates a sexual barrier between the two leads that gives their love scenes purpose. Sadly, while this film capitalizes on the freedom of more sexual content, it doesn’t do so quite as competently as one might hope.
Clouds Gather was animated by GRIZZLY, a studio known for one other series whose name not bears repeating and which is regarded as pornography more than an actual narrative. Their work with Blue Lynx feels a lot more dignified and composed in its aim to tell a mature drama, but even with its consistent and clean artwork, the film leaves a lot to be desired when conveying sex.
To its credit, the film’s gaze often presents Yashiro’s past sexual escapades with not the slightest pretension of romance, just as he tends to view sex. However, regardless of the internal sense it makes, this film suffers from an obsessive reliance on sexual assault as a dramatic tether, becoming almost numbing by the end. It comes off as a slightly more palatable exploration of nevertheless problematic tropes of the genre.
Given
When it comes to advancing the perception of BL, Studio Lerche’s Given, based on the manga by Natsuki Kizu, was already winning hearts on TV before Blue Lynx came around. But when it came time to continue the anime and go further with these characters and their relationships, Blue Lynx produced not only Given’s 2020 film, but 2021’s OVA Given: On The Other Hand.
Given’s story couldn’t be more different from Twittering Birds; a teen-oriented high school romance that confronts the fears that stem from coming to terms with one’s sexuality. As previously written by Danielle Ordoñez on the matter, this series breaks away from a lot of the more troubling trends of the genre and creates a story far more realistic and relatable to viewers.
Its film sequel spotlights two older side characters from the TV series: Haruki and Akihiko, tying up the loose ends about the complicated feelings bottled up between them. It’s far less sexual than Twittering Birds as well, though sexual content was never the problem so much as execution - and honestly, personal taste. Given was never very sexual and though the film features sexual content, it is handled better than most.
The series was already pushing the genre forward on TV, where censorship has historically prevented other queer landmark anime from being as direct. What Blue Lynx has been able to do is let that same storytelling thrive in film. It would be hard to imagine Given’s movie being quite as effective were it not able to acknowledge the physical relationships between its characters.
Stranger By The Shore
Though not their most recent project, and perhaps not quite as popular compared to Given, Stranger By The Shore might be the reason that Blue Lynx is worth getting excited about. It is painfully short, but only because its story feels so incredibly refreshing and brought to life in such vibrant colors. Studio Hibari, the creators behind this season’s High Card, has created one of the best-looking Boys’ Love anime ever.
It tells of Shun, an aspiring author disowned by his family for being gay, who lives with his grandmother in Okinawa and falls in love with Mio, an orphan from the town. While media about marginalized groups often can become over-fixated on the hardships affiliated with being the "other," Stranger finds a balance. Its drama carries painful weight but just as much optimism about finding love and escaping toxicity.
In particular, it tackles issues unique to the queer experience in a nuanced and respectful way. Shun is hesitant to accept love, having been disowned for being gay, and almost rejects commitment out of some form of internalized homophobia. The resolution isn't cut and dry, but part of what makes it real is how the characters find happiness despite things not being perfect.
There’s been lots of mention of sexuality within this article thus far, but only because the genre has a troubled reputation representing it in a healthy and relatable way. For all the heartwarming romance at the heart of the film, Stranger’s depiction of sex is what is most refreshing. It does not feel fetishized or gratuitous, and the way they communicate with one another feels more believable than almost any other love scene in the genre.
At the time of writing, Blue Lynx hasn’t announced any new projects, though there are reportedly still plans for two sequels to Twittering Birds Never Fly, the first one titled The Storm Breaks. It’s uncertain what the future holds in store for the label but would be a tragedy if it were to peter out as nothing more than a brief experiment in marketing to yaoi fans.
The name itself isn’t just a play on the acronym “BL” but a reference to the “Blue Ocean” marketing strategy. Perhaps this is a reach, but something about diluting an opportunity for meaningful gay representation in anime down to nothing more than a marketing strategy seems in bad taste. It reeks of the same fetishistic attitude that turns many off of the genre.
And the reason for that discomfort is because of the positive reception to projects like Given and Stranger by the Shore. Anime is gradually telling more LGBT stories and telling them better, at that. Blue Lynx has the potential to become a sort of umbrella under which a lot of interesting ideas and stories can come to the surface. Hopefully, they’ll not only continue but consider the stories under that umbrella carefully.