June is Pride Month, which celebrates love in all its different forms. Anime Fire has put together a list of LGBTQ+ – friendly anime that is sure to make you fall in love with the characters and their love stories.
Here are five anime series to watch this Pride Month.
SK8 the Infinity
SK8 the Infinity (2021) isn’t explicitly queer like some other entries on this list. For anyone only familiar with the subbed version, SK8 may come off as your run-of-the-mill queer-bait sports anime. This is where the English dub picks up the slack spectacularly. Instead of making characters explicitly gay, the characters and setting are immersed in gay culture. Oh yes, we’re talking “b****es, bros, and non-binary hoes.”
David Wald won the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best VA Performance (EN) for his portrayal of Adam. Proudly out, Wald has made it a personal mission to “speak directly to the queer segment of the anime fandom with authenticity,” and so far, he’s got quite the resume for doing so. Wald had a creative hand in the localization of Given and Stranger By The Shore.
Synopsis
In Japan, a group of skateboarders race on a winding road in an abandoned mine after midnight in a competition known as “S.” Cheerful high schooler and skater Reki Kyan introduces his new Canada transfer-student and snowboarding friend Langa Hasegawa to S and the world of skateboarding. The series follows multiple rivalries or “beefs” between the skaters, their different skating styles, and learning that skating is more about having fun with your friends.
SK8 the Infinity is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Bloom Into You
Credited by many as a turning point in LGBTQ+ representation in anime, Bloom Into You explores the very real, very overwhelming emotional reality of high school. Despite being classified as yuri, the story and romance don’t follow the usual tropes. Though there is melodrama, it falls into your run-of-the-mill romance melodrama instead of drama caused by the main couple both being girls. Instead, it’s a story of adolescents learning about love and navigating a tough period in life. Plus, there are adult lesbians who take on the mentor/support role. It feels like a template for another anime later on this list…
Synopsis
Yuu Koito has always loved shoujo manga and songs about love. She waits for a love confession of her own, yet feels empty when her male classmate confesses his feelings for her in junior high. She’s unsure whether she’s capable of experiencing love herself, until she enters high school and meets Touko Nanami, where her life changes forever.
Bloom Into You is available to watch on AppleTV+.
Wandering Son
Wandering Son is one of the first anime to portray trans identity and representation in a contemplative and sensitive way. The original manga was published in 2003 and the anime adaptation released in 2011. With the story going on 20 years, your mileage may vary. This truly represents a very earnest attempt, but may lack authenticity as the creators were, as far as we know, cisgender.
Even so, the anime doesn’t make a spectacle of its trans characters or inappropriately sexualize any of the queer-coded cast. Instead, it takes a moment to process how gender and sexuality makes the usually difficult transition from child to teen to adult even tougher, and how important solidarity is.
Synopsis
Fifth grade student Shuichi Nitori is a new transfer student who befriends fellow student Yoshino Takatsuki. The two discover that they have something in common: Nitori is a transgender female, and Takatsuki is a transgender male. The series explores themes of gender identity, dealing with puberty and gender dysphoria, and the struggles and acceptance that comes along with being transgender, either within oneself or within society/school.
Unfortunately, Crunchyroll no longer has the North American distribution license for this anime and is difficult to find. However, the Blu-Ray is available for purchase. You can also use a VPN service with Hulu to change your location to Japan.
Sasaki and Miyano
Sasaki and Miyano (2022) is your traditional slice-of-life high school anime. Sasaki and Miyano is the perfect mix of cute and romantic, but also deals with figuring out one’s sexuality, practicing patience and consent, and drawing boundaries. While the main characters create their own love story, the side characters all navigate relationships of their own, and voice their support for Sasaki and Miyano’s budding relationship. The storyline concept is nothing new, but watching Sasaki and Miyano will leave the audience feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
Synopsis
High schooler Yoshikazu Miyano has a secret: He’s a fudanshi, or a boy who loves to read boys’ love (BL) manga. Life starts to mimic art when he meets Shuumei Sasaki, a delinquent upperclassman who takes an interest in Miyano and boys’ love manga. Now, Sasaki wants to spend every minute he can with Miyano, and Miyano navigates his feelings to see if he wants to read boys’ love, or live it in reality.
Sasaki and Miyano is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Given
Given (2019) is one of the most notable homosexual romance anime, with an interesting budding romance rising from the main cast’s formation of a popular band, and the growing romantic feelings along the way. Not only is it great at accurate and realistic love, but its musical-centered plot leads to some amazing composition throughout the anime itself. Not only do fans get to enjoy interpersonal relationships, but the side dish of great music behind it as well. All of this lends itself to the main attraction: Ritsuka and Mafuyu’s compelling romance behind the scenes. It’s a great and loving story of trust, passion, and evolving friendships, with some great musical numbers to go with it.
Synopsis
Follow Ritsuka Uenoyama, the lead guitarist for his own band, as he has a chance encounter with Mafuyu Satō, a shy classmate with a broken Gibson ES-330 guitar. After begrudgingly becoming Mafuyu’s guitar teacher, Ritsuka sparks a passion for music again, and asks Mafuyu to join his band as their lead singer. Along with their bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji, these four try to make a name for themselves… with a wholesome, budding love story rising along the way.
Given is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
I LOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVEEEEEE sasaki and miyano i am so loving this bl anime i want more entusiasim in the next up coming bl anime