Boys Love, or BL for short is a genre that depicts romantic and/or sexual relationships between men. It’s a rich genre with stunning variety in its themes and due to its popularity, the English market gets a satisfactory number of localized titles. The trends and tropes change and evolve over time, however, certain broad strokes or fan favorites remain.
The word ‘trope’ has a negative connotation among anime and manga fans, but it is merely a tool whose outcome depends on its implementation. The romance genre especially runs on tropes, but it’s either a setting or a dynamic that helps the reader decide whether to invest in a series or not. In this corner, I want to highlight 5 Boys Love VSC that share the same trope. Today’s theme is shapeshifters!
Wolf in the House
Writer/Artist: Park Ji-yeon
Platform: Lezhin (All-ages & Mature)
Minsuk is an essayist in his 30s and has recently become single after his 10-year-long relationship with his boyfriend ended. He isn’t too sad considering the relationship had run its course. One day, while he’s idly spending time on social media, he comes across an adoption posting for a Siberian husky. Minsuk had to compromise on getting a dog because his ex didn’t like them, but no one’s gonna stop him now! He first brings his new furry friend Bexan home and leaves to buy the necessities. What awaits Minsuk on his return, however, clearly has legs and arms instead of paws!
Park Ji-yeon is an established BL artist and all three of their works are translated into English! Unfortunately, Momentum was taken off of Lezhin. However, Wolf in the House and their collaborative work with Chepali, Spring, The Color of Love, are still available on official platforms.
Whenever I review or recommend Park Ji-yeon’s works, I feel conflicted. I don’t want to go overboard with the praise as I know having raised expectations going into a comic can hinder your enjoyment. At the same time, I’m so confident that these series have the depth, beauty and nuance that I want to give credit where it’s due. Especially Momentum and Wolf in the House, where Park is the sole creator.
Focusing on Wolf in the House, the main couple Minsuk and Bexan’s story is completed but the side stories of the second pairing, Diesel and Ein, are still ongoing. We quickly find out that Bexan is a werewolf who turns into a man in the evening and is a big, goofy husky during the day. His plan is to go to Siberia, but he gets lost and is captured as a lost dog, ending up as Minsuk’s pet. Their story starts with Minsuk and Bexan trying to adjust to cohabitation.
This comic lacks nothing. Seriously. Comedy? Look no further than wolf Bexan’s hilarious expressions and the things Minsuk goes through because of him. Drama? Minsuk and Bexan’s story is touching as well, but wait till you get to learn more about Diesel and Ein. And maybe keep your tissues nearby. There’s so much to explore not only about the human condition but also about the circumstances of the werewolves who coexist with humans and the ways they clash or get by. You can expect crime and a lot of action-packed fighting scenes, too!
I’ll end this entry by underlining Park’s exceptional talent in conveying intimacy and sensuality. You can feel the softness of the skin when characters touch each other and that they emotionally connect, a feat not at all common. I’d recommend Wolf in the House to BL lovers who are up for a bittersweet, beautiful, supernatural story!
Like It Ruff
Writer/Artist: Shida
Platform: Lezhin (Mature)
People say the two biggest red flags are treating servers disrespectfully and hurting animals. Euncheol can confirm. His dog Jonggu means the world to him. But one night while he’s getting hot and heavy with his boyfriend, Jong-gu mistakes the now-ex as hurting his dear master and bites the guy’s buttocks. Euncheol immediately ends the relationship then and there for hurting Jonggu, though it doesn’t help that he’s been feeling the blues now that he’s lonely. Trying to find comfort in his loyal friend, he sleeps with Jonggu on his chest, only to wake up to a clingy young man who keeps calling him ‘master’!
Like It Ruff characters might look familiar to you, as the series was previously available on Tapas with a different name, Master of Master! This is Shida‘s first work to be translated into English, and they have another ongoing BL comic called Midnight Men.
I’ll rip the band-aid off to end the recommendation on a more positive note: the plot of Like It Ruff is not its strongest part. I did think the ending was wrapped a bit haphazardly. But keep in mind that this is Shida’s first commercial work and Midnight Men is much more polished and intriguing. I still wanted to add this series because boy, is this a sexy comic!
Eunchol is a gay man who loves being degraded and engaging in kinky plays in the bedroom. He’s had trouble finding the right partner, or when he did, he refused to tolerate their behavior toward his precious Jeonggu. As someone who cannot deal with loneliness, Eunchol finds it hard to deny the human Jeonggu who’s determined to satisfy and be the master of his master.
I understand that this setting blurs lines and will definitely ruffle some readers’ feathers. However, for BL fans who are more than okay with jumping into this sort of dynamic, expect a super hot sexy time in bed! Shida is great at bringing out the lust and feeling of urgency of their characters.
I saw some people classify Like It Ruff as bestiality, and while I agree the line is thin, I don’t think it falls into that category since both Eunchol and Jeonggu are in their human form. I’d recommend this vertical-scrolling comic to readers who like their BL extra spicy, prefer the bottoms bulkier than the top and love it when the dynamic between the couple does a 180 on and off the bed!
Cold-Blooded Beast
Writer/Artist: 10min
Platform: Manta (All-ages & Mature), Lezhin (Mature)
Chaewool desperately tries to keep his composure around others. But in truth, he’s been devastated ever since the sudden passing of his boss Chaeheon, the man he’s been in love with. He may have been a man of few words and many scowls, yet he moved Chaewool’s heart. After a company dinner, drunk and all alone in a dark alleyway, Chaewool yet again breaks down in tears. He’s first startled to see a shadow nearing him, and he’s sure he must be drunk out of his mind to see the man he misses the most before him. However, the figure transforming into a big, actual, tangible snake forces Chaewool to come to his senses.
We’re taking a break from our warm-blooded loyal friends. While 10min had BL works released previously, Cold Blooded Beast, or In Cold Love on Lezhin, is their first title translated into English. Manta and Lezhin seem to have worked with different localization teams, hence the difference in the title or overall translation.
I want to start by saluting Chaewool for being the strongest soldier! Imagine your Adonis-bodied, non-verbal, long-time crush walking around naked in your house and you have to be in close proximity at all times to take care of him. I found it interesting that shapeshifting for Chaeheon and shapeshifting in general, isn’t par for the course in this world. Chaeheon is as confused as Chaewool, and they can’t communicate through language. Caeheon basically has to learn to be human all over.
There are subtle hints that there’s more to Chaeheon’s memory reset, and the sepia tones that dominate the panels underline the uncertainty and haze that envelopes the air. I wouldn’t say the art style is drop dead gorgeous, but it’s fairly decent.
It’s worth mentioning that In Cold Love on Lezhin is uncensored! I’d recommend this series to readers who love mysteries, supernatural elements and who are willing to give this unique premise a chance!
Neuromance
Writer/Artist: JK
Platform: Lezhin (Mature)
It’s the year 2066 and in the back alleys of Jingwang District, fighting for money is a sport. Raw strength is the language and Kangtae is the most fluent. He lives on the prize money and does side jobs his friend Pia, an info broker, brings. During one of these jobs, Kangtae has to steal a certain something but he force-enters into the wrong flat. Its inhabitant Rion turns out to have known Kangtae since childhood, although Kangtae has no recollection of this skinny, tired-looking man. To make things worse, he’s unexpectedly hit with a rut that seems very different from the ones he escaped in the past.
Before Neuromance, JK collaborated with writers on two BL vertical-scrolling comics under the pen name Jungkun: Make Me Sweat on Tapas and The Secret Life of the Demon King on Lezhin. Neuromance is a short comic with 30 chapters in total and completely available.
This is for sci-fi and Omegaverse lovers! Well, kind of. Kangtae is actually a ‘product’ of a military experiment where animal traits are transplanted into humans. They are called “enhanced humans” and while they are much more capable than humans, they go into heat regularly, just like omegas in Omegaverse. There are very few enhanced humans left and they keep their animal characteristics under wraps.
This is a very short comic and even though there is human experimentation, drugs and fighting in the slums, the series only uses these elements to paint a picture rather than delving into what any of them really mean in a sociopolitical sense. Hence Neuromance isn’t a dark, broody comic. While there are certain twists and turns to uncover, it stays fairly light and very kinky! Just like me, Rion can’t say no to a man with an ample bust like Kangtae.
I’d definitely recommend Neuromance to readers who are looking for a quick read, interested in a futuristic backdrop and would enjoy many different kinks/plays wrapped up neatly in a single work!
The Priest Dreaming Of A Dragon
Writer: liubeili
Artist: yezhao
Platform: INKR (All-ages), Tappytoon (All-ages)
Father Ivor’s blessed looks and nonchalant attitude toward the attendants of the church results in him being chosen as the “sacred messenger.” The believers think highly of these messengers, yet the church people know it’s hell on earth and Ivor won’t be having none of that. It’s soon time for the dragon to return to the castle to capture the princess as it left a note 10 years ago. Knowing they like glittery and golden things, Ivor captures its attention and the dragon kidnaps him instead of the princess!
The Priest Dreaming Of A Dragon is not the first time liubeili and yezhao have teamed up to create a vertical-scrolling comic, but it’s the first one to be licensed in English. The series is marked as completed with 50 chapters, although there’s still a handful of chapters left to be released on INKR. However, both versions are localized by the same team.
This is one of the silliest BL comics I’ve read! The Priest Dreaming Of A Dragon definitely doesn’t take itself seriously, and it does so in the funniest, most meme-able way. Ivor refuses to be confined to the church and certainly won’t be staying a virgin till the end of time. Preposterous!
Now that he’s left the church, he’s off to find a hunky, delectable man to date. To ensure the freedom to do so, however, he needs to keep the knights off his back. In short, the task is to find ways to entertain the dragon so that he can stay a “captive” in the den.
Our mighty dragon, although he doesn’t fancy staying in that form for long, can shapeshift into a man. It’s no surprise that this human form is a feast for the eyes with his tanned skin, amber eyes and six-pack on full display. yezhao’s art style successfully goes back and forth between blessing the readers’ eyes with gorgeous men and drawing laughter out of them with whimsical faces.
I recommend The Priest Dreaming Of A Dragon to anyone, as I think it has the potential to entertain readers who don’t normally read BL as well! If you’re looking for a title to breeze through, looking to widen your meme collection or just in for a good time, this is tailored for you!
Boys Love Shapeshifters: Adopt, Don’t Shop!
It’s safe to consider fictional romances with anthropomorphic shapeshifters as a niche trope in an already niche genre. Since many of these series include a pet dog and their human, understandably it won’t be every reader’s cup of tea.
However, I believe there’s still charm to human-looking characters having huge, fluffy ears or a tail! Hopefully, this list introduced you to a series you’ll enjoy reading or convinced you to give this trope a chance. As always, let us know your favorites in the comments!
Catch up with previous entries in K-Comics Beat’s Boys Love for Life series by clicking here!
