By Courtney
When a bl anime is not only outrightly queer, but gives you three canon couples – you’ve hit the jackpot. Twilight Out of Focus is my new standard for gay media for doing exactly that. The layers of BL in this show are nothing if not fan service, and this fan feels they SERVED.
First of all, this is a story about a high school film club entering the end-of-year competition with a BL (boy’s love) film. They are writing, casting, and filming it from scratch. The seriousness and enthusiasm with which these characters approach their project is nothing short of fudanshi behavior. As they do their “research” for this project, they all become BL readers, and it feels so validating to see my hobby not only depicted in media but respected and revered by the characters.
The best way I can explain this phenomenon is BL inception. We are BL fans, watching an anime about characters who read and create BL while also playing parts in their own BL romantic plotlines. It is as immersed in the culture as you could get. My hyperfixation was FIXATED.
If you asked me to choose a favorite couple, I would be hard-pressed. Between the love stories, we have every trope represented: friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity/roommates, age gap, trauma, red flag backstories, and even the ultimate trope of the red string of fate. The multitude of characters and relationship dynamics is overwhelming in the best way.
I usually don’t recommend high school stories, but this one feels done just right without being creepy to watch as someone in my late twenties. The characters experience many firsts together, but the scenes fade to black and are handled tastefully, still representing a stage of life that I can relate to and reminisce about. As far as a coming-of-age story, this is a BL for those of us who were a little more adventurous in our youth. If Sasaki and Miyano is a slow burn – then this is a firecracker.
If you want to hear my full, in-depth opinion on this story – check out the podcast episode I did with Val from the Girls, Gays, Animes! You can listen to the podcast on all major podcast apps, available here on the website. I’ve also linked the YouTube version below, in case you prefer to watch it there. One of the best things to come out of asking her to guest on this episode is that she agreed to guest on all of the bl anime episodes this year! Making friends who enjoy the same stories as I do has been the most unexpected and rewarding result of starting this blog and podcast, and I hope you, dear reader, know that I am so happy you are along for this journey! Until next time, remember that sometimes the delusion is the solution!
Yours in Deep Delusion,
Courtney