The world of BL is expanding rapidly these days. However, it can be quite disheartening and frustrating to see many of these stories populated by toxic characters that I would call "walking red flags." Even though I find value in reading such stories because of my interest in the psychological genre, I sometimes long for a break from the toxicity and drama.
To cleanse my mind and soul, I turn to BL stories featuring adorable children. They are typically filled with warmth and innocence which melt your heart and uplift your spirits. Recently, I read three BL comics that made me feel that way. Let me tell you about them.
NOTE: All photos are screenshots from the manga and are edited using Canva or PhotoScape X.
From the top: Kazoku ni Narouyo | Daraku Kazoku-ron | Bokura no Shokutaku
Let's start with the first one...
KAZOKU NI NAROUYO (Let's be a family!)
Chiaki and Kazuma together with Tomoe were raised like siblings. The two men started having a relationship when they were in high school and Tomoe has been very supportive of them.
Years later, Tomoe contacted both of them for a reunion and they were both shocked to see her pregnant with a fatherless child. They didn't really question her about it and supported her throughout her pregnancy.
When Ayu-chan was born, the three of them became her parents. However, Tomoe one day showed up carrying Ayu-chan alongside her luggage. She had to go abroad for work and requested both Chiaki and Kazuma to foster her child.
First of all, the friendship these three is amazing. I can relate because both my male and female besties are like a brother and a sister to me despite us coming from different bloodlines. :)
The manga only has 6 chapters, but it was enough to capture my heart. It's interesting to see how two men handled such a crazy request from their childhood friend.
Ayu-chan also grew up to be a strong-willed yet loving little girl. <3
Daraku Kazoku-ron (Dysfunctional Family Therapy)
Sentarou and Touma have been acquainted years before because of Ririko. Touma was her co-worker while Sentarou was one of the performers in their live house when he was in university.
Sentarou and Ririko had a relationship in the past but immediately broke up and cut ties when he found Touma and his girlfriend together. Seven years later, Ririko died and both of them were summoned by her mother.
Unbeknownst to them, Ririko had a child, and in her will, she specified that Megu-chan should meet them both and decide who she would consider her father.
This one has 13 chapters. The story is quite complicated, but it was amusing to read. Megu-chan is cute, but appears to be emotionless especially because of her upbringing.
What's interesting is that these three have really different personalities and being forced to live together was utterly chaotic!
It was a good read, though... there were some twists in the story as well. :)
Bokura no Shokutaku (Our Dining Table)
Hozumi usually eats alone because people around him have told him that eating with him is so boring that it makes the food taste bad. Since then, he's been avoiding eating with others.
One day, while he was eating in the park, he was approached a cute little boy (Tane) with a growling stomach. He then offered his onigiri to him. Later, his older brother Minoru showed up. The two has a significant age gap, so Minoru has been taking care of him as well as their father.
When the three of them met again, Minoru asked Hozumi to teach him how to make the onigiri because Tane insisted that it was the best rice ball he has ever eaten.
Although reluctant at first, Hozumi gave it to the adorable little Tane and ended up their cooking teacher. And these lessons slowly became opportunities to eat together.
One of my students introduced me to this manga. There's a drama version of this as well.
The story is so cute and their relationship is so heartwarming. Of course, there were certain complications in the story especially those related to Hozumi's past, but they were well presented and very engaging to read as well.
However, my favorite in this series is definitely Tane. He's such an adorable little goofball! I just love him so much...
Anyway, this manga only has 9 chapters. :)
My heart and soul are cleansed by these three stories. The kids are amazing and so adorable which made the story even better. It was indeed a great way to take a break from the toxicity and complexity of psychological BLs. Hahaha
There are a lot of other BL stories with adorable kids including omegaverse ones! I'll introduce more of them next time! Thanks for reading and see you around! (^^,)/