Sasaki and Miyano is a hit BL (Boys’ Love) manga series that’s recently been adapted into an anime. The show follows two high school boys, Sasaki and Miyano, who bond over Miyano’s love of BL manga and eventually develop feelings for each other. It’s a light and comedic BL anime that’s a refreshing addition to the genre. Sasaki and Miyano is the cheesy slow-burn romance we’ve been waiting for.
Finding anime with queer characters is hard enough and finding good anime with good queer characters is even harder. Most queer stories that are getting told through anime are BL, meaning they’re largely focused on a romance between two boys. Usually, this involves a slice-of-life style stories wherein the two leads fall in love. This by itself is fine but with such limited options to begin with, it becomes even more apparent when certain issues are prevalent in the genre. The BL genre is plagued by convention (both of the storytelling and societal varieties) and some unfortunate tropes, most of which are entirely absent from Sasaki and Miyano. This is what sets Sasaki and Miyano apart.
One of the most refreshing things to see when watching Sasaki and Miyano is how easily Sasaki accepts his feelings for Miyano. Where many characters will go into a state of gay panic when presented with the idea that they may have feelings for another guy (like in The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi) Sasaki doesn’t get bogged down by self-doubt and simply accepts his feelings, understanding that it's no different from having feelings for a girl except for the social barriers. This helps to maintain the lighthearted tone that permeates the whole show. From the first episode, it is clear that this is not a show in which characters will agonize over being different rather it's a show about coming to grips with one's feelings–whatever they may be. Miyano takes longer to accept his own feelings but this is coming less from a place of internalized homophobia and more from a lack of understanding for his own feelings. Since he’s spent so much time reading BL manga, he doubts the legitimacy of his feelings because he fears it could simply be a projection of his interests. This change from the typical source of internal conflict creates a warm tone and a sense of acceptance that’s refreshing to see. It’s not about hiding one’s relationship or feelings for fear of social rejection as it is in many other instances.
Additionally, while Sasaki and Miyano aren’t dating yet there’s no doubt as to the romantic nature of their feelings. There are times when leaving things ambiguous can serve a narrative function but it can also be frustrating to see characters not reach a satisfying resolution about their feelings for each other. Banana Fish makes it clear that Ash and Enji have strong feelings for each other, but the exact nature of those feelings is never made explicit. It can be frustrating to see all the signs point towards a romantic relationship but have the show never fully address it. Banana Fish is not a romance like Sasaki and Miyano, not by a long shot, but the core of both shows is still a relationship between two men. The ambiguity in Banana Fish serves some purpose but ultimately it leaves the relationship between the leads feeling weaker due to their lack of definition. We get the sense that both Ash and Enji understand their feelings but refuse to voice them. Meanwhile, the ambiguity in Sasaki and Miyano is directly tied to the ambiguity of Miyano’s feelings. It’s a subtle difference but it still sets Sasaki and Miyano apart from shows that want to lean into BL elements without fully committing to a gay romance plot.
Sasaki and Miyano also stands out simply for being so lighthearted. Many BL shows feature a lot of internal and external struggle regarding one’s identity that fuels angst for the show. Given is a BL show about a band with a few different BL relationships in it but they sometimes oscillate from relatively lighthearted to deeply melodramatic. Shows that will engage with making their characters explicitly gay like in Given will often invoke the struggles of coming to terms with one’s own sexuality in an unaccepting society. These stories undoubtedly have their place, but they are far more numerous than lighthearted alternatives. Thus, Sasaki and Miyano is a rare alternative. Of course, there are other slice of life-oriented BL shows but they often come with potential problems of their own. Problems Sasaki and Miyano avoids.
Anyone who’s ever watched BL before is probably familiar with the prevalence of age gaps in the genre. This is an unfortunate and often uncomfortable staple of the genre that Sasaki and Miyano completely avoid. All of the main characters are high school students, with Sasaki and Miyano only having an age difference of one year. This may seem insignificant to those unfamiliar with the genre but shows like Hitorijime My Hero and Junjou Romantica both feature romances between high schools students and adult men which, for some, is a source of discomfort. It’s hard to maintain immersion in a wholesome romance plot once you’re aware it’s technically statutory. And even without bringing the law into it, shows like Junjou Romantica trivialize consent as early as the first episode with the older character forcing himself on the high school student. The trope of one character forcing himself on another is unfortunately prevalent in BL content. Thus, Sasaki and Miyano is in somewhat rare form for featuring a high school-centric romance where both of the characters are actually in high school. And Sasaki states over and over that he never wants to do anything to make Miyano uncomfortable. Again, this helps to keep the show feeling lighthearted and avoids some of the less wholesome tropes that dominate the genre.
The inclusion of these problematic aspects is not itself a bad thing, but the show's refusals to interrogate these tropes and instead treat them as romantic or necessary creates a sense of unease for the audience. It also makes the story weaker overall by refusing to engage with the character's flaws. Instead, it gives us Twilight-esque toxic relationships and begs the audience not to interrogate them. Sasaki and Miyano avoids problematic portrayal by not engaging with any sort of trope or event it's not prepared to deal with. Where kissing someone (or doing more) without their consent is an unquestioned part of many BL stories, Sasaki and Miyano wants to construct a relationship in which both party's wishes and comfort levels are respected.
With any luck, Sasaki and Miyano will pave the way for more BL and general queer content to make it to an anime adaptation. And with that, hopefully, it will bring some of its more forward-thinking ideas, like self-acceptance and peer-acceptance. Sasaki and Miyano is certainly not the first or only wholesome BL anime but by being so earnestly saccharine and romantic it asserts itself as unique among its compatriots. It views the world with candy-colored glasses and offers us a glimpse of the delicious view as it presents an unabashedly cute rom-com, something queer people still don’t get very often. And it’s greatly appreciated.