Day 21 - "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain.

Never a truer word was spoken with regard to the world of 'ふ' or ’腐’, meaning rotten. Rotten girls and rotten boys and the reality in which we seek and in which we exist. We see therefore we couple. We see therefore we slash/ ship. We see therefore we fan - fan the flames of Moe fire within our souls and squee with unparalleled joy. 

We see with our eyes and our imagination takes over. It is clearly explained in cultural models now and they themselves entertain. 

So, why do I wax lyrical. Well, today I spent a little time looking at things not yaoi - and I found yaoi lying in wait for me. I thought I would watch a J drama - of course I instantly shipped the two main characters - I then saw the next videos and there it was all the BL slash videos waiting to be watched - created by others in the land of ふ。

Then there was videos of BL drama - Doushitemo, Seven Days, Fujimi (which I love).

I then thought I would watch a little TV and reference after reference was made - some tongue in cheek (pardon the pun) others straight out about gay marriage. Even the BBC and Studio Canal's new drama Versailles is on just now and I am loving Phillipe!! 

The point I am making is this: even when I stray from this path - I am on it. My imagination is out of focus and my eyes see nothing but yaoi. Even when I think to have some non-BL pursuit it is still BL.

And so I come to Aki's amazing アルオスメンテ Aruosumente Volume 6. Easy Going Scans has been doing the scanlations of this manga but they said a while ago that they were dropping it. Boo. I thought "what the hell - I'll get the book". So, I ordered volume 5 and it arrived in January 2015. I then spent time trying to translate it into English, or at least enough for me to understand what was going on. I understood and boy was it a doozy of a cliffhanger to leave the volume on! Shock and awe for the twist!

Anyway, I waited to see if the next volume would be released in January 2016 but it came and went and no next volume. Just as I was getting to the point of giving up - I saw on animate online shop and CD Japan that the next volume would be out in July 2016. I ordered it there and then!

And as if by magic one and a half months ago, Easy going scans released the whole of volume 5 scanlated. So, I could re-read but in English as prep for the Japanese volume 6. I could finally find out what happened after the cliffhanger. Couldn't I?

No. This volume mostly deals with the twins (which is no bad thing) and what happens to them after the killing of the 300 and the creation of the black chariot legend. Wow. The twist that came from these few chapters killed me. It added a whole new dimension to the story and made me want to re-read whole passages of the previous volumes - just to see the clues and red flags that Aki (the wonder storyteller) had created. My respect for her just grows bigger with every read. I love, love, love her! Wow. If you haven't read it - read it now! Please. But I know what you are going to ask.

So, is it BL? - Well, isn't everything.