Blue Lynx
Japanese anime label
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Blue Lynx (Japanese: ブルーリンクス) is a Japanese anime label and subsidiary of Fuji TV. Founded in 2019, the label produces boys' love (yaoi) anime films exclusively.
History
Development of Blue Lynx began in 2017 through the efforts of Yuka Okayasu, a producer at Fuji TV who previously worked on the network's Noitamina anime programming block.[1] After noting that Fuji TV's existing programming blocks Noitamina and +Ultra seek to appeal to a broad audience of anime viewers, she sought to develop a label that would conversely appeal to a niche audience of yaoi fans.[1] Development of the label was aided by the critical and commercial success of the live-action boys' love television dramas Ossan's Love on TV Asahi and Pornographer on Fuji TV on Demand (FOD), which demonstrated the popularity of the genre to executives at Fuji.[1] As the sexual content of yaoi manga is necessarily limited in television anime adaptations due to broadcast standards and practices, it was determined that Blue Lynx would produce anime film adaptations exclusively.[1]
Blue Lynx was announced on April 22, 2019 through Twitter, with an announcement that the first project of the label would be revealed on April 26, 2019. Gekkou wa Kimi no Sasayaki (Moonlight is Your Whisper), a five-part short story by Shion Miura with illustrations by Yoko Tanji, was posted on the studio's Twitter and website in the days leading up to the announcement.[2] Its first production, a film adaptation of the manga Twittering Birds Never Fly, was announced on April 26, 2019 by Grizzly.[3]
The label's title is a reference to "BL", the acronym for boys' love, as well as a reference to blue ocean vs. red ocean marketing theory, in regards to the untapped potential of the boys' love market.[1]
Titles
| No | Title | Director | Release date | Format | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twittering Birds Never Fly – The Clouds Gather | Kaori Makita | February 15, 2020 | Theatrical film | Grizzly | Based on a manga by Kou Yoneda.[4][5][6] |
| 2 | Given the Movie | Hikaru Yamaguchi | August 22, 2020[a] | Theatrical film | Lerche | Based on a manga by Natsuki Kizu; sequel to an anime television series that aired on Noitamina.[9] |
| 3 | The Stranger by the Shore | Akiyo Ohashi | September 11, 2020 | Theatrical film | Studio Hibari | Based on a manga by Kanna Kii.[10] |
| 4 | Don't Stay Gold | Kaori Makita | March 1, 2021 | OAD | Grizzly | Prequel to Twittering Birds Never Fly – The Clouds Gather.[11][12] |
| 5 | Given: On the Other Hand | Akiyo Ohashi | December 1, 2021 | OAD | Lerche | Sequel to Given.[13] |
| 6 | Mask Danshi: This Shouldn't Lead to Love | Naoko Takeichi | October 20, 2023 | OAD | Studio Fusion | Based on a manga by Mitsuru Sangō.[14] |
| 7 | Given the Movie: Hiragi Mix | Noriko Hashimoto | January 27, 2024 | Theatrical film | Lerche | Second sequel to Given.[15] |
| 8 | Given the Movie: To the Sea | Noriko Hashimoto | September 20, 2024 | Theatrical film | Lerche | Third sequel and conclusion to Given.[16] |
| TBA | Twittering Birds Never Fly – The Storm Breaks | TBA | TBA | Theatrical film | Grizzly | Sequel to Twittering Birds Never Fly – The Clouds Gather.[17] |
| TBA | Untitled Twittering Birds Never Fly sequel | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | Sequel to Twittering Birds Never Fly – The Storm Breaks.[18] |
See also
Notes
- Originally scheduled for May 16, 2020; delayed to August 22, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]