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 nobility!
A Painter Behind the Curtain
Writer & Artist: MUNAMU
Translation: Sam Im
Lettering: Sami
QA/QC: Jen Lee
Platform: Tappytoon (All-ages & Mature)
His father sells Ian to the noble Bardi family. The family head had promised Ian could paint to his heart’s content and he’d be provided the materials he needed, so Ian held on to the hands of this conniving and greedy man. The harsh reality of his situation is being locked into a room, painting day in and day out whatever he’s requested in exchange for a piece of stale bread and the Bardi family’s son gets all the credit for his paintings, not to mention the money. He feels stuck in a cycle of neverending cruelty until one day a wealthy merchant named Raymond requests his portrait to be painted by the genius painter he’s heard so much about.
A Painter Behind the Curtain is one of Tappytoon’s lesser-known gems. It’s completed and has 75 chapters in total. While this series isn’t MUNAMU‘s first commercial BL, it’s the only one available in English. And contrary to the usual VSCs, it’s black and white!
This is a tragic one, I tell you. Verging on melodrama, even. Ian is exploited, abused and shamed at every turn. And it’s relieving to see the impact of this traumatic phase isn’t undermined or quickly healed simply because Raymond appears in his life as a savior. Without laying all the cards on the table, the creator leaves hints of Raymond’s own motivations early on for his insistence on sponsoring Ian no matter what the cost.
The series, despite being on a vertical scrolling comic platform, is originally in the horizontal comics format. The consequent pages are added vertically without any breaks in between and due to this, the pages look dense, even confusing at times. Also, there’s no way of seeing the double spreads at the beginning of certain chapters as one complete illustration. Reading A Painter Behind the Curtain takes a bit of getting used to, but it didn’t dampen my experience.
I found the art style expressive and character designs worked for me, but if you’re used to hunky hunks or beautiful, androgynous babes, your mileage may vary.
Even though A Painter Behind the Curtain ran between 2015 and 2019 and can be considered a rather recent work, it reads like a classic novel with all the drama, intrigue, despair, and hope despite it all! If you’re a fan of works such as this, then I highly recommend this comic!
Concealing Sacred Simplicity
Writer: Samjuil
Artist: Goongguma
Original Story: Nirugi
Translation: Prodigy
Editor: Kelly Lee
QA/QC: Elizabeth
Graphic QA: Yoom
Platform: Tappytoon (All-ages & Mature)
Brica is blessed to have a benevolent, talented and powerful king, Albert Rosenberg. Everyone in the monarch is enamored with him, except The Minister of Science, Technology and Magic, the genius of geniuses, mage Michael Rhodesman. He’s the only one who can speak his mind in front of Albert, doesn’t matter in private or public. Not that Michael has any qualms with how he’s running the monarch. On the contrary; ever since he was a kid, his eyes constantly followed Albert’s bright smile, his skipping heartbeat in tow. But his sole purpose has been to be of use to the king, and his affection has left him no other choice but to “become a sharp sword that can even cut its owner”.
Concealing Sacred Simplicity is a completed, webnovel-to-VSC adaptation, available on Tappytoon. The original novel isn’t been translated into English yet, as far as I know, and this series is the only available VSC from Samjuil and Goongguma.
What drew me to this series was its beautiful name at first. From the key visual, I got the impression that there’d be a love triangle with one of the relationships being “impossible” as Albert was separated from the other two by his clothes/uniform. I thought, hey! This might work!
The premise is great and the setup is intriguing. The character designs were to my liking, and loved the uniforms. The movement and bodies looked stiff, but not to a point that would ruin my experience. The love rival of King Albert is Heide, Michael’s subordinate and right-hand man. He’s sworn to protect and serve Michael, and follows him like a puppy wherever his superior goes.
The first half or so is great, but then, for reasons I won’t spoil here, the plot tanks. Not liking where the story was heading was one thing, but I still remember how shocked I was to see “The End” because it was abrupt and the story, in my opinion, was haphazardly tied up.
You might wonder why I’m adding Concealing Sacred Simplicity to this list if it didn’t live up to my expectations in the end. My answer to that would be, I don’t know! As I occasionally say, I try to highlight series that aren’t 100% suited to my palate because someone else might enjoy reading it! I also consider this column as an archive of sorts, and hopefully, a lot of series will find themselves a place here.
I’d recommend Concealing Sacred Simplicity to readers who are looking for a short read, enjoy reading stories with magic and military uniforms!
Eternal Covenant
Writer & Artist: Haejin
Translation: Soohyun
Editor: Jane Woo
QA/QC: Jen Lee
Platform: Tappytoon (All-ages)
Due to his special power, Ian was branded a monster. Not only because he unintentionally went berserk but also because in Derwin, these powers are considered heretic. Cardinal Brixton saves and takes Ian under his wing, cultivating him to be a paladin. Finding out that a marquess is collecting exorbitant taxes from commoners by circulating rumors that Arcaia is preparing for war, Ian formulates a secret mission to take him out. He does the job, but when it’s time to flee, he encounters a stranger who unexpectedly triggers the special power he thought he had under control.
Haejin is the creator behind The Sweetest Man, available both at Tappytoon and Lezhin. There’s also a short VSC called SHADOW where Haejin teams up with yunuji as the author on WEBTOON. Eternal Covenant has been on hiatus due to the season finale and it’s scheduled to be back on May 25th. Currently, there are 107 chapters.
Boy, is Eternal Covenant a journey! You could call this series a fated meeting in the fantasy genre. It builds very slowly, it’s tragic, it’s sweet—it’s not for the faint heart. There are dragons, magic, religious fanaticism, and political intrigue. Lots to look forward to!
Haejin has a unique character design style and whether you find the male leads attractive or not will depend on your taste. Personally, I love Haejin’s style and the way they are able to convey emotions, intimacy specifically, with talent. The backgrounds and objects aren’t drawn by hand but are computer-generated so sometimes they tend to give a sterile feeling. Still, considering the limited time VSC creators have and the number of panels they churn out on a weekly basis, this is perfectly understandable.
Eternal Covenant has a lot to say about love, acceptance, manipulation, authority and whether people who are fundamentally different can nurture the love they have for one another to be able to stay together. This is the most I could do without going into too much detail. However, if you decide to give this series a shot, you can expect Haejin to go into so many details related to ruling countries, power and conflict—themes that are out of the scope of the romance between the love interests, that seem unrelated at first glance but enriches the story overall.
I’d recommend Eternal Covenant to people who are patient and are looking for BL works that expand its fictional world beyond its focus on romance.
Blood Bank
Writer & Artist: Silb
Platform: Lezhin (Mature)
Staring into someone’s face up close when they’re trying to use the urinal? Rude. Getting on your knees, asking him to step on you? Rud-ER! Vampires rule society and people live on human farms, providing blood, living in servitude. One is your otherwise run-of-the-mill banker working in a blood bank, but unlike other humans, he’s unaffected by vampires’ pheromones they use to exercise control over them. One day Shell, the son of a Blood Bank lord, visits the bank One’s working at and immediately figures out One’s quirk. Let the hijinks begin!
Blood Bank is Silb‘s first and only commercial BL that’s credited to their name. The series is completed with 61 chapters and currently, you can unlock a new chapter every 24 hours. You can read the first 20 chapters for free!
This series is so fun and kinky! Vampires like Shell who want to be dominated are considered to have “abnormal personalities”. It’s bad already to want to be dominated by other vampires, it’s worse if you want to be below humans. As someone who’s of importance, Shell is expected to play the role. But who can withstand the power of desire surging from deep within?
While the art style shows certain signs of inexperience, the faces, especially Shell’s, are very expressive! The comedic timing is great, and there’s thought and care behind eating and being eaten, the power dynamics and unjust circumstances between the vampires and humans.
I have to say the way One and Shell engage in BDSM in the early chapters isn’t exactly consensual, or done out of anger and resentment. I’m on Team Fiction is Not a Text Book, and in the context of the story, it makes sense why sex scenes end up that way. However, if non-con is not your cup of tea, I suggest you skip Blood Bank.
Overall, it’s a series with a splash of fantasy, world-building, compelling themes and both funny and heartbreaking moments! I’d recommend it to readers who are looking for shedding tears AND getting hot and bothered at the same time.
Perle
Artist: Arthur
Original Story: Cherrymanju
Translation: hhc
Lettering: mariahbstory
Primary & Secondary QC: Blaire Hawthrone & Moon
Platform: Tapas (Mature)
If there’s one thing nobles of the Joachim Empire hate more than the poor, it’s the ones who acquire their title with money. However, Jean Erhardt is used to being looked down upon and pays no mind to what nobles have been whispering behind him from ear to ear. After all, they are nothing but weak-willed people who do nothing but exploit the common folk. He’s determined to bring change, and for that, he wants to curry the crown prince Maximillian’s favor. Their first meeting cannot be considered cordial, and now that Maximillian has made it known that he’s privy to the man’s past, Jean has no choice but to comply with the prince’s whims.
Perle is a completed, webnovel-to-VSC adaptation from Cherrymanju and Arthur. Other VSC adaptations of Cherrymanju’s works available in English are One Night Mate on Tapas and Part-time Partner on Lezhin. Arthur, on the other hand, is credited as one of the authors behind The S-Class Guide as Sweet as Honey, under the pen name sua. I highlighted this series in my column’s Guideverse week!
Perle is an impressive work in many aspects. Similar to A Painter Behind the Curtain, it’s a revenge story. While Jean’s goal is to overthrow the strict hierarchy of bloodlines, we can’t disregard that his disdain partly stems from the years he suffered at the hands of the rich and the ways he came to intertwine with the Erhardt family. The creators are great at conveying the tension between the male leads, whether it’s desire, disgust, discomfort, or curiosity.
The artistic direction taken for the backgrounds is interesting as well. The VSC is black and white, save for rare moments where the creators want to emphasize a moment or expression. The backgrounds are clearly not hand-drawn, but since they are monochrome, layered with screentone-like textures, they work well with the beautifully designed characters.
They don’t clash but because it’s clear they aren’t drawn like the characters, this choice creates a distance between the characters and the spaces they inhabit. It gives the panels a theatrical feeling, and considering how they all play a role in this farce that is the Empire, this stylistic choice works for Perle.
I highly recommend Perle to readers who love period BLs and are looking for a series with gorgeous art and an engrossing, beautifully narrated story! If there’s one series you want to try reading from this list, let it be Perle.
Boys Love with Nobility: Eat the rich!
I gathered these 5 Boys Love VSCs under a broad understanding of what nobility entails. Not that I’m afraid of hurting unjustly rich fictional characters’ feelings, but still! These series are all loosely inspired by the Western style of living and societal dynamics back in the day. They may have fantasy sprinkled on top or may choose to tell a more grounded account—either way, it’s a joy to read period pieces like this!
I chose to focus on Western-style period pieces this week but fret not, I’ll make a list for Korean historical BLs as well! Until then, let me know which BL made your heart race this week in the comments, and don’t forget to floss after eating the rich.
The header is taken from Perle‘s artist Arthur’s Twitter account.
Catch up with previous entries in K-Comics Beat’s Boys Love for Life series by clicking here!
