From the beginning, the hom*oerotic undertones of Dead Boy Detectives are undeniable. Unlike some supernatural mystery shows of the past, though, it’s not just a tease.
[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for Dead Boy Detectives. Only read on if you want to know who’s actually gay.]
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25415871/DBD_101_EA_11102022_0155_R.jpg_DBD_101_EA_11102022_0155_R.jpg "Dead Boy Detectives proves yaoi would save a repressed Edwardian schoolboy (1)")
Showrunners Steve Yockey (Supernatural, Doom Patrol) and Beth Schwartz (Legends of Tomorrow, Sweet Tooth) commit to making Edwin (George Rexstrew) fully queer in one of the show’s most well-done and thoughtful arcs — and the best bit is that it is completely and unironically done via the power of yaoi.
Edwin, the self-proclaimed brains of the Dead Boy Detectives duo, died in the 1910s and was trapped in hell for another 70 years. When we meet him, he cannot even fathom that being attracted to another guy is normal, let alone acceptable. He’s clearly devoted to Charles (Jayden Revri), but he never says out loud where that devotion stems from. But when Edwin lands in Port Townsend, cute boys keep throwing themselves at him, and even though he’s initially uncomfortable, it very quickly becomes clear that Rexstrew is portraying this discomfort as stemming from Charles’ own repression. To Charles, this is just something he can ignore about himself completely if he tries hard enough.
Enter Niko (Yuyu Kitamura). After a near-death experience allows her to see ghosts, she strikes up a quick friendship with the boys and their psychic friend Crystal (Kassius Nelson), but she and Edwin share a particularly special relationship. Especially because she’s the one who first snaps him out of his antiquated feelings toward himself.
After an encounter with a cute boy, Edwin says something about how two boys can’t possibly be into each other. Niko stops him and very earnestly says, “You do know two boys can like-like each other, right? I have a lot of manga about it.” A beat, as Edwin’s expression shifts slightly, and then: “It’s very sweet. And explicit.”
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25420456/Dead_Boy_Detectives_n_S1_E3_00_15_32_04_RC.jpg_Dead_Boy_Detectives_n_S1_E3_00_15_32_04_RC.jpg "Dead Boy Detectives proves yaoi would save a repressed Edwardian schoolboy (2)")
Edwin cuts her off — but by the end of that episode, he’s more open to making plans with the aforementioned cute boy (never mind that he’s a witch’s familiar turned human who’s supposed to be luring the ghosts in), wherever it may lead.
One of the most fun quirks of Dead Boy Detectives is how genre-savvy many of the human characters are… just for starkly the wrong genre. Jenny the butcher, for instance, knows her way around a crime thriller, but despite her goth appearance she’s not super well versed in the supernatural. The boys, obviously, know paranormal stuff, but aren’t as well versed in the human connections required for a teen drama (ghosts, amirite). Niko, meanwhile, draws from her knowledge of Scooby-Doo to help with the cases. But more importantly, she’s also using her fondness for manga, specifically boys’ love manga, to help Edwin process his sexuality. She first puts the idea that it’s OK for boys to like boys in his head, and she’s the one who gently nudges him along throughout the show.
Slowly, but surely, Edwin learns that it’s OK to have romantic feelings for other boys. And that allows him to finally admit that he’s been in love with Charles for decades. It’s an arc that builds across the entire season, and has some quite delicious moments. The Cat King, for instance, clearly has a crush on Edwin, and uses his shape-shifting ability to dangle Charles in front of him. When Edwin ends up in hell, he runs into one of his former bullies, who confesses that the reason he was so malicious to Edwin was because he was battling his own internalized hom*ophobia. Thanks to Niko’s prodding, Edwin and his yaoi-assisted coming out is even able to help this guy overcome his self-hatred and find peace in the afterlife. Dead Boy Detectives meaningfully threads Edwin’s sexuality in interactions beyond just any romantic arcs; it informs his character and all of his relationships.
[Ed. note: OK, big spoilers for real, y’all!]
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25420459/Dead_Boy_Detectives_n_S1_E2_00_05_48_01_RC.jpg_Dead_Boy_Detectives_n_S1_E2_00_05_48_01_RC.jpg "Dead Boy Detectives proves yaoi would save a repressed Edwardian schoolboy (3)")
It all culminates in a big love confession as Edwin and Charles run out of hell. À la Orpheus and Eurydice, Charles broke into hell to reclaim Edwin. But as they’re just mere feet away from the surface, Edwin halts them in order to confess his feelings. This love, however, is unrequited, as Charles says he can’t say he feels the same way. But, he adds, there is no one else he’d literally break into hell and rescue, and they have all of eternity to figure out what that means — as long as they get the f*ck out of here (which they do, thankfully).
The unrequited love confession is not as bittersweet or tragic as it might seem, though. The biggest hurdle Edwin had was his own suppression. Now that he not only admitted he has feelings for boys, but that he had feelings for his best friend, a weight has been lifted. The relationship he has with Charles is still one built on love and devotion. Finally, Edwin can be honest with himself. The unrequited love is sad, but it’s freeing (it helps that a certain suave Cat King is right there).
The moral of the story? Yaoi saves (un)lives.
Dead Boy Detectives is out on Netflix now.
