Title: I Want to Be a Wall (わたしは壁になりたい/Watashi wa Kabe ni Naritai)
Media: Manga
Approx length: 3 volumes (complete); the first two are about 140 pages each, the third is about 180.
Where to find it: Bookstores/other places that sell manga.
What is it, in summary?: An asexual, aromantic woman (Yuriko) who's a Boys Love fan enters into a lavender marriage with a closeted gay man (Gakurouta), and they try to figure out how to relate to each other as a married couple, with flashbacks to their respective backstories.
What do you love about it?: The characters are interesting and apart from one spat (and some tension with Yuriko's and Gakurouta's families) most of it is a warm and fuzzy story about two people figuring out marriage and adulthood. It's got one of the better discussions/depictions of aroace people I've seen. Yuriko is a character whose storyline I felt so much and Gakurouta makes one of the most devoted husbands ever. I like the fact that Yuriko's BL hobby/interest is more used to explain who she is (along with some comedic bits involving Gakurouta) rather than turning her into a stereotype that is eternally trying to get Gakurouta together with his oblivious love interest - she does have a moment or two, one of which causes some drama, but that's it.
The message of the manga is that you should live a happy life, even if it isn't the way society wants you to live, and I feel that so much right now.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: More of the same as canon: the two of them figuring out how to be spouses and living their lives together. Possibly some missing scene type fic about secondary character Sousuke and the aftermath of certain revelations at the end of the story.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Not really - I'm likely to request post-canon (and perhaps pre-bonus future story) fic, but a lot of Yuriko and Gakurouta's pasts are covered in volumes 1 and 2.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Mostly free of triggers, but there is a character with some mental health issues that brandishes a weapon at another character in the 3rd volume; a character is minorly injured and is temporarily in hospital. Discussion and examples of societal expections (husband, wife, kids) and the pressure to conform comes up with not only the main characters but some side characters.
On a minor note, the translator chose to translate the Japanese word for aroace as asexual (confusing readers of the first volume) and doesn't clarify this until volume 2.
I Want to Be a Wall (Manga)
Title: I Want to Be a Wall (わたしは壁になりたい/Watashi wa Kabe ni Naritai)
Media: Manga
Approx length: 3 volumes (complete); the first two are about 140 pages each, the third is about 180.
Where to find it: Bookstores/other places that sell manga.
What is it, in summary?: An asexual, aromantic woman (Yuriko) who's a Boys Love fan enters into a lavender marriage with a closeted gay man (Gakurouta), and they try to figure out how to relate to each other as a married couple, with flashbacks to their respective backstories.
What do you love about it?: The characters are interesting and apart from one spat (and some tension with Yuriko's and Gakurouta's families) most of it is a warm and fuzzy story about two people figuring out marriage and adulthood. It's got one of the better discussions/depictions of aroace people I've seen. Yuriko is a character whose storyline I felt so much and Gakurouta makes one of the most devoted husbands ever. I like the fact that Yuriko's BL hobby/interest is more used to explain who she is (along with some comedic bits involving Gakurouta) rather than turning her into a stereotype that is eternally trying to get Gakurouta together with his oblivious love interest - she does have a moment or two, one of which causes some drama, but that's it.
The message of the manga is that you should live a happy life, even if it isn't the way society wants you to live, and I feel that so much right now.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: More of the same as canon: the two of them figuring out how to be spouses and living their lives together. Possibly some missing scene type fic about secondary character Sousuke and the aftermath of certain revelations at the end of the story.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Not really - I'm likely to request post-canon (and perhaps pre-bonus future story) fic, but a lot of Yuriko and Gakurouta's pasts are covered in volumes 1 and 2.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Mostly free of triggers, but there is a character with some mental health issues that brandishes a weapon at another character in the 3rd volume; a character is minorly injured and is temporarily in hospital. Discussion and examples of societal expections (husband, wife, kids) and the pressure to conform comes up with not only the main characters but some side characters.
On a minor note, the translator chose to translate the Japanese word for aroace as asexual (confusing readers of the first volume) and doesn't clarify this until volume 2.