Which Is Your Favorite BL Anime! 2020 Edition. "Given" at 3rd, "DakaIchi" at 2nd, and 1st Place Goes to…
Sep. 9 is "Danshoku no Hi" (Male Homosexuality Day).
In the yin-yang philosophy, male is classified as yang, and it is said that this day was set because 9 is the extreme of odd numbers, which are also classified as yang. Another theory says that it is related to the "Chrysanthemum Festival".
Works that depict romance between men are called BL (Boys Love) and have a large fan base. BL is also a popular genre in anime, and various titles have been broadcast in the past.
We at Anime!Anime! conducted the same survey as last year asking, "Which Is Your Favorite BL Anime?" This year, only titles that are officially labeled as BL are included.
127 votes were received during the voting period from Aug. 26 to Sep. 2.
The voters were manly female with a gender ratio of 15% male to 85% female, and the age range was on the younger side with 35% under 19 and 40% in their 20s.
■Topping the list was "The World's Greatest First Love", which had its latest work released in 2020.
1st Place
1st place was taken by "The World's Greatest First Love" with roughly 30% of the votes, pushing it up from last year's 3rd place.
The anime is based on the manga written by Nakamura Shungiku-san. Since its 2011 anime adaption, it has kept releasing new series, and in 2020, it's latest work "The World's Greatest First Love ~Propose Hen~" was released in theaters.
"It depicts the romance of different pairings of the characters, so it never gets old. Also, it's enjoyable as a career anime set in a publishing company", and "It's fun to see through the eyes of different characters," describes how the fans enjoy watching the different depictions of romance of each character.
The fans each have their own favorite characters, "Yokozawa and Kirishima are mature, but their pure and selfish love makes me so excited. Sometimes it even makes me cry", and "The romance between Ritsu and Masamune makes my heart throb!"
2nd Place
Coming in 2nd is "DakaIchi: I'm Being Harassed By the Sexiest Man of the Year" with roughly 25% of the votes. It dropped a position from last year, but it is still very popular.
The anime is based on Sakurabi Hashigo-san's manga, and it received a TV anime adaption in 2018. Fans enjoy the relationship between the seasoned actor, Saijou Takato, and the rookie actor, Azumaya Chihiro, "It's exciting to see the tsundere Takato-san gradually becoming spoony to Chunta!"
"The detailed psychological portraits of the characters make it an interesting drama," is a comment that shows how popular the story set in the showbiz is.
3rd Place
3rd place went to "Given" with roughly 15% of the votes, moving it up from last year's 4th place.
This anime is based on the manga written by Kizu Natsuki. It received a TV anime adaption in 2019, and a film is currently being screened at theaters.
The youthful drama of the members of a rock band received comments such as, "The detailed, realistic description of this anime is so amazing. I can't hold back my tears watching the characters trying to move forward from their pasts", and "The everyday life in the story gives you butterflies in your stomach. The psychological portraits of the characters are so detailed that it made me rethink what love is."
The concerts in the show are also well received, "The quality of the concerts in the show is amazing. I think it's easy to get into, even for people who don't usually watch BL titles."
■Here are some comments for other titles!
For "Junjo Romantica: Pure Romance", "The love for each other is so precious, beautiful, sad, and adorable... You can feel it all. This anime will definitely fill you with excitement!!"
For "Papa Datte, Shitai", "It's a 5-minute short anime, but the shortness makes the message come through. Every episode moves my heart!"
For "Classmates", "I love how the time flows so calmly between the two high schoolers, Kusakabe Hikaru and Sajou Rihito."
There were also votes for an anime film, "Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather", "I watched it because I like the theme song 'Moratorium' by Omoinotake, and I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next chapter."
"L'étranger de la Plage", which will be released on Sep. 11, made it in the top 10, receiving a lot of anticipation for the film adaption.
A wide range of titles from TV anime, OVAs, and anime films made the list, and it looks like we'll have a variety of titles to enjoy from.
■Top 10
[Which Is Your Favorite BL Anime? 2020 Edition]
1. "The World's Greatest First Love"
2. "DakaIchi: I'm Being Harassed By the Sexiest Man of the Year"
3. "Given"
4. "Junjo Romantica: Pure Romance"
5. "Super Lovers"
6. "Hitorijime My Hero"
7. "No Money"
7. "Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather"
7. "Hybrid Child"
10. "L'étranger de la Plage"
10. "The Titan's Bride"
10. "The Tyrant Falls in Love"
10. "Papa Datte, Shitai"
10. "Yarichin Bitch Club"
10. "Love Stage!!"
(Voting Period: Aug. 26 to Sep. 2, 2020)
