It’s been quite a year for boy’s love (BL) fans. We’ve seen the release of three movies, as well as the web series of Titan’s Bride. Yet there is still one more title to anticipate thanks to this year’s Boy’s Love Festival, which is still on schedule to happen in Tokyo despite COVID-19. The festival’s feature presentation has been decided. In a slight twist to all the BL media released this year, instead of an adaptation from manga, the feature film will be adapted from Japan’s popular lite novel, イエスかノーか半分か, or as localized in English, Yes, No, or Maybe?
So what’s it about?
Well, Kunieda Kei is an evening television host and on the steady rise as a primetime heartthrob. However, before you’re even finished with the first page of Yes, No, or Maybe? his two-faced personality rears its ugly head right at you. Flashy, flirty, and cool when the cameras are rolling — and short-tempered, nit-picky, and harsh when they aren’t. Throughout his career, he’s been balancing both personalities, keeping himself under control, until he meets Ushio Tsuduki.
In an accidental meeting, he ends up breaking Ushio’s hand. Being an animator, having a broken hand cripples his capability to work. To avoid the destruction of his public reputation, Kunidea agrees to help Ushio with his animations until his hand is healed. Unbeknownst to Kunieda, he has met someone who can handle, tame, and accept both of his personalities, on and off-camera.
Since the original lite novel’s release in 2014, several sequels and spin-offs have been released within Japan. Currently, the original lite novel, Yes, No, or Maybe?, is available in English on e-reader devices such as Amazon’s Kindle and Rakuten’s Kobo for only $10.00. Physical print editions are scheduled to be released this November for $15.00. The film will premiere in Tokyo at the 2020 Boy’s Love Festival this December. A nationwide theatrical release is currently unknown.
