Golden Sparkle – a story of high school boys pondering and discovering an earnest and pure young love.

I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love* – an inexperienced company employee going on 30 and a handsome college student with his love life set to autopilot find themselves in an awkward yet amusing love story.

Reproductions of the original manuscripts of Minta Suzumaru-sensei titles, published by Home-Sha Inc., and many illustrations were displayed in an exhibition from February 6th to 9th, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. So, naturally, the futekiya team hopped over the seas to the event and covered the exhibition!

Off to the exhibition!

The exhibition took place in a gallery close to the famous Seonyudo Park. We passed through a calm alleyway, then made our way up to some stairs, and what awaited us was a world that sparkled and shone.









Reproduction Manuscripts

On one wall were reproductions of the original manuscripts of Minta Suzumaru-sensei’s Golden Sparkle and I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love. This wall gave us a glimpse of their worlds.





Illustrations & Panels

On another wall hung many illustrations by Minta Suzumaru-sensei along with several cutout panels sprinkled throughout the gallery. The editor of a particular world-renowned manga title came with us and remarked that “Suzumaru-sensei’s artwork is incredible!” Quality that is recognized and praised by an esteemed professional? Check.















The Shrine

In the back of the gallery was a quiet yet strong display made from cutout panels and illustrations. The shrine-like exhibit seemed as though it were awaiting the adoration of fans. And in actuality, that is indeed just what the attendees of the gallery gave it.









From Sensei to Fans, and from Fans to Sensei

There was a corner where Suzumaru-sensei answered questions gathered from fans. There were also star-shaped cards for fans to write a message for Suzumaru-sensei. Messages were written in Korean and Japanese, showing that BL fans could come together and understand each other regardless of language differences.













Amazing Goods Lineup!

From character plushies, character acrylic stands, and of course, Minta Suzumaru-sensei’s manga in Korean, the goods corner was stocked with merchandise that would make everyone fill up their baskets.













According to Kim-san, one of the organizers of this exhibition, there are many passionate Korean BL fans, both male and female, who frequent Japanese manga stores and never fail to buy new releases. Also, more and more Korean BL titles are coming out, which reaffirmed our belief that BL goes beyond national boundaries. Several exhibitions like this have taken place in Seoul with the hopes of spreading to other regions like Busan in the future. Go BL culture, go!

Author’s note: Korean food, both meat and fish dishes, is delicious!





Golden Sparkle is available in English in futekiya Library!

I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love* is set to release in futekiya Library on March 24th! Stay tuned!

* The English translations of the title may change.

If you are interested in other BL manga events in Tokyo, be sure to read our articles on the Harada Solo Exhibition, “To Asia with (Boys) Love: BL Media and the Transfiguration of Gender and Sexuality” Public Lecture at The University of Tokyo, Animate Girls Festival 2019, TAKATO YAMAMOTO EXHIBITION -NOSFERATU, Yoneda Kou’s Op: The Colourless Days of Yoake Itaru Book Fair@Shosen, AnimeJapan 2018, Kizu Natsuki at Manga10, Ten Count at the Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store, Remnant and Pendulum Fair at Kinokuniya, and GUSH’s 15th Anniversary Exhibition.

About futekiya: BL manga subscription

In 2018, futekiya began as a Boys’ Love manga news and culture website operated by FANTASISTA, INC., a CG/VR production studio based in Tokyo, Japan. futekiya transformed into a budding global distributor of officially licensed BL manga in 2019.

futekiya launched as an online subscription service for officially licensed BL manga on July 8, 2019. Determined to connect fans around the world with English-translated BL legally and conveniently, futekiya empowers readers to support creators and the manga industry.

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