BL Metamorphosis (Japanese title: Metamorufōze no Engawa, or "Veranda of Metamorphosis") is a manga written and drawn by Kaori Tsurutani. It was serialized digitally in Comic Newtype from 2017 to 2020 and compiled into five volumes. The manga is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.
75-year-old widow Yuki Ichinoi, who feels lonely and adrift after her husband's death, goes into a bookstore one day and picks up a manga volume out of curiosity. Much to her surprise, the manga turns out to be about a romance between two boys, but she finds herself enjoying it. Her purchase catches the attention of bookstore clerk Urara Sayama, a shy 17-year-old girl who's secretly a Yaoi Fangirl herself. When Ichinoi returns to the bookstore to buy more volumes of this new series she's found herself invested in, an unlikely friendship begins to develop between her and Urara.
A live-action film adaptation premiered in Summer 2022.
Tropes:
- Closet Geek: Urara is an avid Yaoi Fangirl, but she's also self-conscious about it and keeps all of her BL manga hidden away in a cardboard box. She still wishes she could talk about it as openly as other girls talk about things like fashion, and her friendship with Ichinoi blossoms because she finally has someone else to talk to about BL.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Ichinoi is 75 years old and Urara is only 17, but despite their age difference they form an unlikely friendship when they start bonding over their mutual interest in BL manga.
- Sailor Fuku: The girls' uniform for Urara's high school is the classic navy blue serafuku.
- Shout-Out: When Ichinoi thinks to herself how long it's been since she last read any manga, she recalls classic shoujo titles she used to read such as The Rose of Versailles and Aim for the Ace!.
- Theme Naming: The two main characters' names both relate to weather; Ichinoi's first name Yuki means "snow", while Urara's name can mean "bright" or "sunny".
- Yaoi Fangirl: Urara is a longtime BL fan, though she's also a bit self-conscious about it and tries to keep it a secret from most people. Ichinoi starts to become a fan when she buys a volume of BL manga out of curiosity, and she and Urara become friends from here.
