Some people know exactly what they want to do for a living from a young age, and BL manga artist Ogeretsu Tanaka is one of them. Making her first U.S. appearance at Anime Expo 2025, Tanaka reminisced about how she got into BL, made it her career, and created some of her recent works like Happy of the End.
It’s been over a decade since her debut as a manga artist in 2014, but Tanaka can easily recall that manga has always been a part of her life. What’s more, she said, “I’ve always been an otaku. I have no memories of not being an otaku.” She began reading manga when she was in preschool and a particular manga left a deep impression on her. “I really enjoyed Cardcaptor Sakura, particularly Touya and his ‘special’ friend,” she started. “I became a fujoshi in preschool.” To which, the crowd erupted in laughter, with many nodding in agreement. High school is when Tanaka began drawing manga as a hobby, but she was hit with an epiphany. “That’s when I figured out this is for me,” she started. “From day 1, it was BL.” Naturally, the audience cheered enthusiastically.
One of her works, Happy of the End, is currently being translated into English by KUMA, and she talked about how this manga is built on contrasts. Happy of the End is inspired by Kabukicho in Shinjuku for its dichotomy of being quiet except for the sound of crows in the daytime and being full of bustling activity at nighttime. Likewise, the titular characters are designed as aesthetic opposites. Haoran is dark haired with tareme (eyes that droop at the outer corners), and Chihiro is light haired with tsurime (eyes that slant upwards). Despite these differences, they’re both broken souls, who are dealing with traumatic pasts and seeking understanding and love.
This work also inspired a live action TV series, and Tanaka was able to visit the set a few times. “It was exactly what I expected, and they nailed the light and dark themes for the characters,” she said. On seeing the actors Yurai Beppu and Rei Sawamura on set, she sheepishly shared, “They were shining so brightly I couldn’t look at them.”
Tanaka is continuing to explore darker stories, as she said that she is currently working on a horror BL. However throughout her career, she’s also written comedic BL, and she hopes that Mermaid Prince will be translated into other languages. Explaining the plot, she summarized, “It’s a story in which if you knock up a mermaid, you get 100 million yen.” Considering the zany premise, she assured the audience that there would be plenty of sexy scenes to enjoy.
Staying true to her childhood dreams, she thanked the crowd for coming and declared, “I’ll draw BL until I drop.”
