Just based on the amount of comments I see in this thread whenever I come back to the forums, I feel like this club is going to be the most fervent one we have. 
9 Likes
So after @shablul writes up a nom for 今日から, we’ll have two slots left… 
What will be the lucky nominees?
2 Likes
When I started it was gravitation lmao
Though when kkm came out there was barely any noise but it had a lot of episodes and several seasons so I guess inside Japan it was fairly popular
The noise about junjou Romantica when it just came out was HUGE lol I remember it so well it was so surprising 
5 Likes
Another series I haven’t thought about in years! 
3 Likes
Dang, same here. I don’t remember how popular it was, but Loveless was another one from my childhood. 
3 Likes
(done!)
Title: 今日から（マ）王！
Book type: light novel
Available formats: physical / ebook
Summary - Japanese
水洗トイレから異世界へＧＯ！
正義感あふれる野球小僧の渋谷有利は、ごく普通の高校生。ところが（なぜか！）物理的法則を無視して水洗トイレから異世界へ流され、気がつけばそこで魔族を統べる王――「魔王」に指名されてしまった!?
Summary - English
Yuri Shibuya was living a pretty normal life. That changed the day he was dunked into a toilet after an attempt to save a classmate from a gang of bullies. Instead of just getting a good soaking, he’s pulled in. The next thing he knows, he’s in a world that vaguely resembles medieval Europe. If that’s not odd enough, he’s told that he is to be the next Maoh, just because he has black hair and black eyes. The Maoh is the King of the Mazoku, who are coexisting not-so-peacefully with the humans in this world. Much to his subjects’ dismay, he’s totally different from the rulers they’re accustomed to. He’s kind, considerate, a believer in justice, and not willing to use violence to solve conflicts. Not exactly someone they want running a country on the very brink of war. Now, Yuri has to deal with trying to become a good Maoh, while at the same time attempting to adapt to this lands’ customs and culture, all in a world where the tension between the humans and Mazoku is reaching its peak.
Content warnings
Reason(s) for nominating: huge nostalgia and a series I remember veryyyy well and would love to formally read the book of 
5 Likes
I completely forgot about loveless, that one was also a must see
2 Likes
This was #1 in my heart for YEARS… So mad it’s been abandoned. 
2 Likes
The poll for deciding how many votes each person gets will be closing on Friday, and if the last couple of slots are filled by then I’ll open the poll on Saturday morning. Most people wanted voting to be open for a week, and I like @Naphthalene’s idea of including two weekends, so it would run to the following Sunday.
And we need a spin-off book club just for all these BL manga of our youth…
3 Likes
I need 2 people to go vote for the option to vote on 5 books for me, please. 
2 Likes
It feels like the poll is going to be an epic heated battle since we only get 3 picks. Can’t wait! 
3 Likes
Makes me wish I could do an experiment seeing what the top picks are with 3 vs. 5 votes, everything else being the same. I wonder how that would affect people’s voting habits?
2 Likes
holy crap that takes me back… 
you and me both.
stahp you guys… I feel like I am one step away from a retirement home…
also: the OG BL stuff was all so problematic… 
7 Likes
Any BL before like 2010? 2013? I don’t know when the cut off really is is soo problematic!
5 Likes
Tell me about it, haha. You have to wonder how they chose some of that stuff to bring over in the first place.
Good thing we all turned out normal, right? Right?
6 Likes
Yeah some of that stuff I liked when I read it in middle or high school, but I would not touch it now
2 Likes
tbf, there was some stuff I wouldn’t even touch back then and I don’t understand how some of it made it through CP laws… 
(also plenty of modern stuff is problematic, too - think dark romance - but people are more aware? still… growing up in the late 90s/early 2000s was wild )
6 Likes
Kind of related to stuff being super problematic, I’ve been wanting to read BL進化論 ボーイズラブが社会を動かす for ages! It analyzes the history of BL and how it’s evolved over time and its place in society within the larger context of public opinion regarding gender and sexuality. It’s from 2015 but it appears the author, who does research on BL and feminism, released another updated book this year called BL研究者によるジェンダー批評入門: 言葉にならない「モヤモヤ」を言葉で語る「ワクワク」に変える、表象分析のレッスン which also looks super interesting (and was probably needed since BL has boomed in popularity and I’m sure there have been many changes since 2015!!) 
Alas they are both super expensive since they are basically like textbooks…one day I’m going to get them though!
8 Likes
Mabye it’s because I am so used to fixed book price law, but 18 EUR for a (400 pages) nonfiction book feels cheap.
4 Likes
Daaaang; those look awesome. Thank you for mentioning them! Did you already have them added to Natively?
I’d love to see books like these nominated for a book club; this one would be appropriate, I think, but a nonfiction club in general would be welcome.
4 Likes
