is a Japanese

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

series by Kaori Tsurutani. ''BL Metamorphosis'' was serialized digitally in the monthly

manga magazine Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...

''Comic Newtype'' from November 17, 2017 to October 9, 2020. A live-action film adaptation premiered on June 17, 2022. Since its release, ''BL Metamorphosis'' won the New Face Award at the 22nd

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by a ...

Awards and was nominated for the

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer collected volumes in length. The Manga Taishō was founded with the aim of re ...

in 2019 and 2021.

Plot

Yuki Ichinoi, a 75-year-old woman lonely after the death of her husband, comes across a BL (

boys' love ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created b ...

) manga in the bookstore one day and buys it out of curiosity. This catches the attention of one of the bookstore clerks, Urara Sayama, a shy 17-year-old high school student and a with no friends. As Ichinoi returns to buy more BL manga, the two develop an odd friendship despite their 58-year-old age gap.

Characters

; : ; :

Media

Manga

''BL Metamorphosis'' is written and illustrated by Kaori Tsurutani. It was serialized digitally on ''Comic Newtype'' from November 17, 2017 to October 9, 2020. The chapters were later released in five bound volumes by

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines s ...

. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first ...

2019,

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...

announced that they had licensed the series in English for North American distribution.

Film

A live-action film adaptation was announced in January 2021. The film is directed by Shunsuke Kariyama, with scripts by Yoshikazu Okada, and produced by Hidehiro Kawano, Yutaka Tanito, Hiroko Ōgura. It premiered on June 17, 2022.

Reception

''BL Metamorphosis'' appeared on the top 50 best manga in the magazine ''

Da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on hi ...

''. It was the #1 top-ranked manga in the women's category by ''

Kono Manga ga Sugoi! is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying people in the manga and publishing industry. The series is part of Takarajimasha' ...

'' and was named the #1 Best Manga of 2019 in ''Kono Manga o Yome!'' ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' described the series as having an "unhurried pace" and praised the artwork, comparing it to ''

Princess Jellyfish is a Japanese '' josei'' manga series written and illustrated by Akiko Higashimura. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine '' Kiss'' from October 2008 to August 2017. The manga is licensed in North America by Kodansha USA. An 11-e ...

'' due to its female-centric view on subcultures in Japan. Rebecca Silverman from '' Anime News Network'' also praised the story, describing it as a "lovely story of friendship" built on common interests.

Awards

References

External links

*{{anime News Network, manga, 22798 2017 manga Japanese webcomics Kadokawa Shoten manga Live-action films based on manga Manga adapted into films Seven Seas Entertainment titles Slice of life anime and manga Webcomics in print Yaoi anime and manga Japanese drama films