The Winter 2024 season brings us another LGBTQ+ anime with Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! airing weekly. This comedy Boys’ Love (BL) follows the story of Adachi, an office worker who gains the ability to read the thoughts of others through touch, as he discovers that his coworker Kurosawa is interested in him. Only two episodes are out so far, and if you’re looking for what to watch between episodes, here are some recommendations that also have queer representation.
YURI!!! On ICE (2016)
YURI!!! On ICE is my absolute favorite anime, so it comes highly recommended by yours truly. When it aired in fall 2016, I remember waiting excitedly in anticipation for each episode’s premiere along with plenty of other fans on Twitter. It also inspired fanart and fanfiction galore, including some of my own. Insecure Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki catches the attention of his figure skating idol Victor Nikiforov when someone uploads a video online of Yuri skating to one of Victor’s past programs. Victor suddenly leaves his home country of Russia and arrives in Yuri’s Japanese hometown announcing that he will be Yuri’s coach through the figure skating season. By the end of the first season, I wanted more. Unfortunately, even though we were given a poster and trailer for a movie following Victor in his younger days called Ice Adolescence, there is no information regarding a release date.
given (2019)
Music lovers, this one’s for you. High schooler and guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama meets a sulking Mafuyu Sato on a school staircase and fixes his broken guitar strings. Enamored by how cool he is, Mafuyu begs a reluctant Uenoyama to teach him how to play the guitar he’s been carrying around. These two inspire each other while overcoming past traumas. There is currently one season of this anime followed by a movie and an OVA.
Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series (2017)
Kino’s Journey follows the story of nonbinary protagonist Kino and their talking motorcycle Hermes as they travel the world. Kino only stays in each town they visit for a few days before they move onto their next location. Each place offers a different story and culture, and at times, there are dark themes at play. This version of Kino’s Journey is one season, but there is also an older version of this anime that was made in 2003 as well.
Sasaki and Miyano (2022)
Upperclassman Sasaki comes to the aid of a student being bullied and briefly meets first-year Miyano who was nearby the scene calling to report the fight. Sasaki finds Miyano cute and tries to spend more time with him to decipher what these feelings mean. Meanwhile, Miyano, who loves reading BL manga, finds himself confused to seemingly be in the plot of one. Sasaki and Miyano has one season that is followed by a movie called Sasaki and Miyano: Graduation.
I’m in Love with the Villainess (2023)
The anime industry loves isekai, and so do I. And so does our overworked protagonist Rae, who falls asleep while playing her favorite otome game and wakes up as the protagonist of said game. Instead of interacting with the romanceable princes from the game, however, Rae has her eyes on someone else: the game’s villainess, Claire. Rae makes it clear from the beginning that she is dedicated to Claire and tries her best to win her heart. There is currently one season of this anime, but as it just came out last season (Fall 2023), it is unclear whether or not we should expect more to come.
Natalie Smith 