Yaoi, or as it’s commonly known Boys’ Love or ‘BL’ is an increasingly popular niche in manga and anime. One of the most charming recent examples in this subgenre, Sasaki and Miyano, has had a successful run and been a hit among fans with its self-aware anime run. It’s a romance drama with comedic elements that are fully familiar with BL storytelling tropes, thanks in no small part to Miyano’s meta-commentary. The series recently received an Original Video Animation (OVA) to which Crunchyroll graciously provided a screener. Below are some brief impressions of mine about Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation in a mini-review!
They’ve Confessed; Now What?
Yoshikazu Miyano and Shūmei Sasaki are already an established couple, so what else is there to develop? It turns out, there’s a lot. When the BL angle is taken to its logical next step, this beautiful couple is still wildly uncomfortable in terms of broadcasting their relationship to the public. At least, in Miyano’s case, Sasaki continues to push the envelope. There are experiences such as for the supporting cast such as in the initial scene’s romantic tease, and even just charming anecdotes like the main characters when Sasaki’s sister catches onto their relationship, and how she grows to embrace it.
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The series explores the characters of Sasaki and Miyano but ultimately fixates on its titular characters, and boy does it deliver. They have made their feelings clear to one another, but their main initial step was to confess their feelings, become a couple, and share their first kiss all in one season. The BL angle allowed them to dance around their emerging self-perception surrounding their sexuality, but in this case, there’s a sense of longing, an apprehension that Miyano has about Sasaki graduating and no longer being his senpai.
Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation is for the BL Fans
Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation won’t necessarily win the big popularity polls or be as insanely viral as a bisected Shonen Jump protagonist on Twitter, but this series will certainly serve up vicarious romantic thrills for the readers and viewers. The floor scene, i.e. where Sasaki has a tender moment with Miyano in an empty classroom, is sure to entertain fans for weeks to come.
The intense feelings they have for one another, fully expressed and expanded for the sake of their family members, are wholesome and encouraging. This one is for the BL fans, as it’s a worthy entry point for those just getting into the manga and anime subgenre. The whole OVA is about 1 hour long, and shows Miyano’s apprehension about losing a vital connection to Sasaki; however, the anime affirms that the two will have a connection beyond their high school years, which is encouraging.
Those who have watched the wonderful series on Crunchyroll were treated to a slow-burn exploration of their feelings for one another, and this is a natural extension of this experience, albeit one specifically for the fans.
