Kaori Tsurutani’s BL Metamorphosis (Metamorphose no Engawa) manga is getting a live-action film. It was revealed on Thursday, and the announcement did not contain any information about the date of release, nor any other news about the film. Besides, the final five volumes of the series will also be releasing on January 9th.
The manga is a story that begins with the encounter between a 17-year-old high school girl, Urara Sayama, who works part-time at a bookstore, and an old lady, Yuki Ichinoi, who learned about BL at the age of 75. The work, in which two people with a 58-year age gap connect over the same interest and subsequently build a friendship, topped many manga lists for female readers—including 2019’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (“This Manga is Amazing!”) in the guidebook by Takarajimasha. It won the New Face Award in the 22nd Japan Media Arts Festival Awards and earned the sixth position in the 12th Manga Taisho in 2019.
BL Metamorphosis is about exploring relationships with the media we love and, by doing so, exploring human relationships. Yuki Ichinoi is our unusual protagonist who broadens her cultural horizons throughout the series, and she is drawn without glamorizing or patronizing her old age (she is neither liberated nor weighed down by her age). Urara Sayama, who is a seasoned fujoshi, takes the older under her wing—thus starting a beautiful inter-generational friendship. It is rare for a woman of this age to explore a fandom at her age, especially considered how much male gatekeeping of fandoms exists. The BL genre is a way for female creators to enter the industry, as well as bond with each other.
To celebrate the announcement of the live-action as well as the completion of this heartwarming manga, Kadokawa will be releasing up to 20 chapters for free on their manga reading site ComicWalker from January 9th to the 20th. If you have not read this series or want to brush up on it, this is the best opportunity to do so.
