AX 2026: MangaPlaza’s BL/GL Panel Recap: Pride, Tropes, and Queer Joy

Because we love queer media—and MangaPlaza delivered exactly what we wanted to hear.

Team Redbeanime was thrilled to attend MangaPlaza’s BL/GL panel at Anime Expo, a celebration of all things boys’ love, girls’ love, and romance. Moderated by Daniel Dueñas and featuring panelist Laura Neuzeth, the session kicked off with a heartfelt reminder from Daniel that “we’re a beautiful, loving community.”

Here at the MangaPlaza BL/GL panel and stoked to learn about some queer titles (and to see what free gifts are being hyped pre-panel)The panel is moderated by Daniel Dueñas, and the panelist is Laura Neuzeth #AX2026 #MangaPlaza #AnimeExpo #BL #GL

Ollie Kaplan (@rebeccaoliver.bsky.social) 2026-07-03T19:00:56.291Z

Trope Talk: From “There’s Only One Bed” to CVS Receipt Titles

First up favorite manga tropes. The winning selection (so far) is one bed in a hotel room #AX2026 #MangaPlaza #AnimeExpo #BL #GL

Ollie Kaplan (@rebeccaoliver.bsky.social) 2026-07-03T19:06:51.983Z

The panel dove straight into everyone’s favorite manga tropes, and the crowd was fully invested. The top pick? The classic “there’s only one bed”—a trope that never fails to deliver tension and chemistry. Other fan-favorites that got plenty of love included:

  • Black cat energy
  • Body positivity
  • Office romance
  • Sunshine characters
  • Found family
  • Heroes x villains
  • Hopeless lesbians
  • Contract marriage
  • Forbidden romance

Our on-site reporter Ollie Kaplan was especially thrilled when the conversation turned to “CVS receipt length” titles—those beautifully absurd, gloriously long manga names that have become a genre staple in themselves.

Meanwhile, we finally got to my favorite trope: the CVS receipt length title #AX2026 #MangaPlaza #AnimeExpo #BL #GL

Ollie Kaplan (@rebeccaoliver.bsky.social) 2026-07-03T19:24:37.862Z

What Is MangaPlaza?

For the uninitiated, MangaPlaza is a digital platform featuring officially licensed titles, including exclusive releases and original content. The service offers a carefully curated focus on BL, GL, and romance—and the best part? No subscription is required. Readers can dive straight into their next obsession without committing to a recurring fee.

Meanwhile, we finally got to my favorite trope: the CVS receipt length title #AX2026 #MangaPlaza #AnimeExpo #BL #GL

Ollie Kaplan (@rebeccaoliver.bsky.social) 2026-07-03T19:24:37.862Z

It was a panel full of queer joy, trope appreciation, and genuine community warmth—and Team Redbeanime left with our hearts (and reading lists) full.

Source: Bsky, Ollie Kaplan

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