By Courtney
If you have just entered the BL community or have recently dabbled in the online Yaoi spaces, you have probably run into references to the anime Mignon. It is one of the most popular BLs because of how explicit the last episode is, how enticing the character design of the main character is, and how deliciously and quickly the plot progresses. The downside to this series, initially available on Vimeo, is that it is almost impossible to find now that it is no longer on that platform. The difficulty in finding it makes it more of a legend because when people have a fear of missing out on something, it makes them want in on it even worse.
That was precisely my predicament for the last year since discovering BL, and I was determined to get my hands on this series once and for all to be on the inside of all the discourse. I finally found this series in some mysterious corner of the internet, had to pay for it, and am still not sure if the site is legit, so I apologize for not being able to share that with you here. If you look hard enough, you will locate it somewhere.
Once I finally found the series, I tried watching it with my husband on Valentine’s Day, but we got distracted by our romantic activities and never made it past the second episode. Then, to my great joy, my best friend agreed to watch it after recording the romance novel podcast episode of the month with me. If you listen to the podcast, you are probably familiar with Phoebe, whom I call Princess. She has been my bestie since I was twelve. I wouldn’t suggest watching this series with anyone you don’t know EXTREMELY well. Since we went through puberty together, shared a dorm and our first home as roommates in college, and have intimate knowledge of each other’s entire sexual history – it was safe to say we’d be comfortable watching this show together.
As someone’s first BL, Mignon is a crazy introduction. Firstly, it is not available in dub, so you must convince them to stick with the subtitles. On top of that, the content is hugely spicy, and the voice acting/sound effects are heavy. Whereas in most BL anime they only imply kissing or intimate scenes, this series shows every minute of and leans into the squelching and moaning you usually only hear on websites that give your computer a virus. Phoebe is a reverse harem romance novel savant, so I knew she had a high tolerance for spice and would be able to handle this. I had a suspicion that she would be pulled into the BL genre more with a salacious series rather than a wholesome one, so this was the right decision.
Mignon is twelve episodes long and about forty-five minutes in total. We watched every episode on my big screen TV with my husband in the next room, and when I say that hearing this on large speakers in 4k was a spiritual experience, I mean it. As the main character, Mignon, fights in an underground boxing club, he discovers that the onsite physician, “Doc,” is not only his heart’s desire but also a vampire. Phoebe and I agreed that Mignon, with his white hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and muscular body, was an absolute dream boat.
It was so fun to watch someone outside the BL community make their first foray into the genre and love it. Her excitement matched mine as we watched Mignon fuck up his fight, consequently almost die, and finally be turned into a vampire. It was so validating; It made me feel that anyone could appreciate these stories if they only gave them a chance. Watching Doc and Mignon consummate their eternal love in episode twelve was equally memorable, shocking, and hilarious to witness with a friend. Discussing it at length while recording the podcast episode for this series was on another level entirely. We had so much fun!
I’m so lucky to have people in my life willing to take an interest in my hobbies. I’m even more fortunate to have found a fantastic online community to share these niche experiences with and make content to entertain and discuss. This space has been such a fun outlet for my creativity and social needs, and I just want to say thank you to anyone who watched the anime of the month along with us. Even if you weren’t sitting on my couch, I feel like we are all having movie night together! Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and any podcast app that is available to you. That way, you are the first to hear the Mignon episode when it drops on March 5th! Follow our socials to keep up to date with all DBBC news. Until our next get-together, remember, sometimes the delusion is the solution!
Yours in Deep Delusion,
Courtney