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Komiket Anthologies
Thirsty: A Filipino Boys Love Anthology
Love Boys
Who Love Boys
Who Love Boys?
From the hopelessly romantic schoolboy crushes to the hot and steamy fantasy of your dreams - we're serving fifteen thirst-quenching stories in this Filipino boys love anthology.
There's a lot of boys to love, SO STAY THIRSTY.
Who Love Boys
Who Love Boys?
From the hopelessly romantic schoolboy crushes to the hot and steamy fantasy of your dreams - we're serving fifteen thirst-quenching stories in this Filipino boys love anthology.
There's a lot of boys to love, SO STAY THIRSTY.
254 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2022
63 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 28, 2022
okay uhh sorry but considered me officially BUMMED. you'd think a collection of BL stories by different queer guys of different backgrounds across the country would bring a good variety of stories, but unfortunately that is not the case here. sadly, the BL genre still is stuck in this one-note narrative cute shy gay boi crushing on an oblivious or questioning straight-acting probably-gay boi structure and that Bums Me Out. we all know there's so much more to gay relaitonships than this high school crush thing and it infuriates me somewhat that we can't get past this one trope.
MAYBE i am old and simply unexcite-able. maybe. i think we all got sick of the miserable HIV-infected, gay-couples-die storyline so now we leapfrogged to the complete other end where everything has to be idyllic and unrealistically CUTE. i guess this rant too isn't necessarily about this book but again the packaging of boys' love stories in general. just who are these "boys" anyway? Thai teenagers enrolled in the Thai equivalent of Xavier school in Zobel? "boys" that have to appeal to the Straights which is still majority of the audiences? idk idk.
now there's a couple of pieces in #Thirsty that are actually explorative and seems to comment on something relevant and truthful, good for them. some seem to miss the mark entirely by sending in porny stuff that i think would be better in Komiket's erotica anthology instead of this. though i also understand that sex in its most SEXxX form is def part of gay coming-of-age.
anyway feel free to brush this all off as Shin Hates///Does Not Get BL. that's okie.
MAYBE i am old and simply unexcite-able. maybe. i think we all got sick of the miserable HIV-infected, gay-couples-die storyline so now we leapfrogged to the complete other end where everything has to be idyllic and unrealistically CUTE. i guess this rant too isn't necessarily about this book but again the packaging of boys' love stories in general. just who are these "boys" anyway? Thai teenagers enrolled in the Thai equivalent of Xavier school in Zobel? "boys" that have to appeal to the Straights which is still majority of the audiences? idk idk.
now there's a couple of pieces in #Thirsty that are actually explorative and seems to comment on something relevant and truthful, good for them. some seem to miss the mark entirely by sending in porny stuff that i think would be better in Komiket's erotica anthology instead of this. though i also understand that sex in its most SEXxX form is def part of gay coming-of-age.
anyway feel free to brush this all off as Shin Hates///Does Not Get BL. that's okie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2025
This is the second BL anthology I've read from Komiket and I might like this one more by a bit.
The artstyles are less varied and more explicit but they are closer to what I think of as BL. I liked all of the stories but the stand out was Promise, Just Friends.
What's interesting is a lot of these could be parts of longer work instead of just one shots. One of the artists here had a multi volume work published so here's hoping the others also get a chance.
The artstyles are less varied and more explicit but they are closer to what I think of as BL. I liked all of the stories but the stand out was Promise, Just Friends.
What's interesting is a lot of these could be parts of longer work instead of just one shots. One of the artists here had a multi volume work published so here's hoping the others also get a chance.
January 31, 2023
"Boys Love" has a rather specific connotation, one reinforced by the boom in such shows across the pandemic years. I feel like this is more a general compilation of comics about gay encounters and relationships and not all truly "boys love" tales. But that's a really minor point, but I just wanted to put it out there in terms of how I approached this anthology.
No short story collection is ever "perfect" as the diversity of voices means that some stories will resonate more than others. "Fire in the Fog" by Gigi Chan was the first story that really felt like it captured my understanding of the theme well and was more charming than overly in your face. Levi Sabarre's "Tubero Mike" Dandampas story was hilarious, but I think I may have read it elsewhere first (Penlab?)
Lumi's "The Human and His Kapre" was a great play on the genre with rather evocative art and pretty funny dialog. "Hally Parrot" by Lemuel Gonzales was a pretty cute story, but does the ending still count as "boys love", if you get my meaning? "Meet Me Saturday" by Ahron Daffon had cute Ghibli-esque art and a really charming story. "Flick Me" by Karvic was a creative execution which may not necesarily be about boyhood love but it was just very on point for modern gay dating app culture. "Run For Love" has some really beautiful art and another heartwarming story that I really appreciated.
Kudos to Komiket for bringing all these creators together and assembling a vibrant showcase of local creators. You won't necessarily like every story, but there's a lot to love in this collection nonetheless.
No short story collection is ever "perfect" as the diversity of voices means that some stories will resonate more than others. "Fire in the Fog" by Gigi Chan was the first story that really felt like it captured my understanding of the theme well and was more charming than overly in your face. Levi Sabarre's "Tubero Mike" Dandampas story was hilarious, but I think I may have read it elsewhere first (Penlab?)
Lumi's "The Human and His Kapre" was a great play on the genre with rather evocative art and pretty funny dialog. "Hally Parrot" by Lemuel Gonzales was a pretty cute story, but does the ending still count as "boys love", if you get my meaning? "Meet Me Saturday" by Ahron Daffon had cute Ghibli-esque art and a really charming story. "Flick Me" by Karvic was a creative execution which may not necesarily be about boyhood love but it was just very on point for modern gay dating app culture. "Run For Love" has some really beautiful art and another heartwarming story that I really appreciated.
Kudos to Komiket for bringing all these creators together and assembling a vibrant showcase of local creators. You won't necessarily like every story, but there's a lot to love in this collection nonetheless.
February 22, 2024
Actual rating: 4.5
I liked this anthology a lot more than I expected! There's a little something for everyone, whether you're in the mood for something cute, reflective, hilarious, or sexy. Definitely checking out the other Komiket anthologies.
I liked this anthology a lot more than I expected! There's a little something for everyone, whether you're in the mood for something cute, reflective, hilarious, or sexy. Definitely checking out the other Komiket anthologies.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews