Company History
Seiji Biblos
(Mar. 1988 – Apr. 1997)
Biblos Co., Ltd.
(Apr. 1997 – Apr. 2006)
Check out our Biblos Series page for a growing list of their publications!
青磁ビブロス (Seiji Biblos), (later re-branded as 株式会社ビブロス, Biblos Co., Ltd., in 1997) was founded in early 1988 as the first commercial response to the growing popularity of doujinshi (fanfiction or self-published works) throughout the 1980’s.
The company quickly grew to become one of the largest publisher of boys’ love (BL) print media.
The superimposed image, in the bottom left-hand corner, is captioned 「これが社長っ!」 or “This is the company president!”
(Image published in Patsy, Vol. 0, pg. 114; first printed Jan. 25, 1989)1
Seiji Biblos printed the first issue of FRESH PACKS in April 1988.2 Branded as a parody anthology, the first issue contained fanfiction doujinshi based on the popular bishounen anime Saint Seiya, titled 「メイドイン星矢」 (in English, “Made in Seiya” ).
Made in Seiya, the first volume of FRESH PACKS was almost a “rip-off” of Minori Publishing’s 「アニパロコミックス」 (Aniparo Comics), a spin-off of Magazine OUT, which was comprised of gag manga parodies of popular children’s anime series, often featuring homoerotic themes.4
FRESH PACKS launched the careers of many mangakas that would later become prominent creators in the 1990’s and after (the era that media scholar Akiko Mizoguchi would later categorize as the “BL Period”).3
FRESH PACKS ran from April 1988 until early 1994, for a total of 122 volumes.
Following the success of FRESH PACKS, Seiji Biblos published 「パッツィ」 (Patsy) in January 1989, a new anthology of serialized original works.5
Patsy primarily published traditional shojo manga which depicted male-female romances, but series also included homoerotic themes and subtext, some more overtly than others.
However, many of the one-shots published in Patsy were republications of previously published doujinshi, which were subsequently discussed in a section of the magazine titled “COMIC REVIEW”.
Seiji Biblos published their first anthology of entirely BL 読み切り (yomikiri, or one-shots) towards the end of 1991 with a special called b-BOY, which proved to be especially popular.6
As with Patsy, a majority of one-shots included in the b-BOY anthologies were republished doujinshi, and the anthology included its own “COMIC REVIEW” section. Some of these series would eventually be serialized in one of Seiji Biblos’ magazines, such as KIZUNA.
b-BOY became a bi-monthly publication in 1992, running through 1996. b-BOY was succeeded by b-BOY Zips, b-BOY Petit, and b-BOY LUV.
Due to a growing demand for BL novels and prose works, Seiji Biblos published the first issue of 「小説ビーボーイ」 (Novel b-BOY) in December 1992, which would continue irregularly until becoming a stand-alone publication in 1994.7
In March 1993, Seiji Biblos published the first issue of 「マガジンビーボーイ」 (Magazine BE×BOY), the BL anthology that would become the company’s flagship magazine. Magazine BE×BOY was initially published as a special issue of Patsy, published bi-monthly, until branching into a freestanding publication with the December 1993 issue.8
ZERO (later known as Magazine ZERO) also premiered as a special issue of Patsy with the Spring 1994 issue.9
While still featuring some BL manga, its primary focus was the science fiction and fantasy genres. The Autumn 1994 issue of ZERO marked the final volume of Patsy. After ceasing publication, most of the incomplete series found homes in ZERO and Magazine BE×BOY, though some were dropped.
After Patsy ceased publication, ZERO continued publication as special issues of Novel b-BOY, maintaining the quarterly schedule.
In 1995, Patsy made a limited reappearance with four special issues of Novel b-BOY, titled Patsy DX (Deluxe).10
After the closure of Minori Publishing in 1995, Seiji Biblos acquired MEGU, another sister publication to Monthly OUT, focused on anime.
Published Mar. 6, 1993.
Published Mar. 28, 1995.
Simultaneous to the acquisition of MEGU, 「ビーボーイゴールド」 (BE×BOY GOLD) published its first quarterly issue as a special issue of Novel b-BOY, continuing through 1995.
BE×BOY GOLD was published as special issues of MEGU starting with the Winter 1996 issue.11
These special issues continued quarterly until the Winter 1997 issue (also referred to as “Volume 8”), where it was announced that BE×BOY GOLD would begin bi-monthly publication from the next issue, branching into a separate publication.
In 1997, Seiji Biblos—now rebranded as Biblos Co., Ltd.—began publishing a second anthology featuring light novels, titled 「小説BEaST」 (Novel BEaST).12
When the parent company of Biblos, Hekitensha, filed for bankruptcy in early March 2006, a chain reaction ensued, leading to the bankruptcy of numerous affiliate companies, including Biblos Co., Ltd. in April.13
PUBLICATIONS LIST
Seiji Biblos (Biblos Co., Ltd.) publications included in the Yaoi Archive:
Yaoi Archive 