WORD OF THE DAY: Blood Types

Ok, technically it's not a BL word but something we see a lot of in boys' love regarding the mangaka and periodically in the story as well.  Why are the Japanese so obsessed with blood types? Well, Peter Payne over at J-List had this to say in his daily email:

"I remember reading through old Saint Seiya manga back in college, wondering why they always write the blood type of each character along with their name, age and astrological sign, and now I know: in Japan, it's believed that you can tell a lot about a person's personality and character traits from his blood type. Type A people are neat, tidy, and plan things meticulously, almost to a fault. Type B are "going my way" (as the Japanese say), meaning that they do their own thing without worrying about the opinions of others, and don't plan things out in advance. They can be messy, and tend to act on impulse, too — I am type B, and my wife is always commenting on why do some things I do based on my blood type. Type O people have a private world inside their minds, supposedly, and they're quick to become passionate about something, but then change to something else just as easil y; type O people make good leaders. Finally, AB people have "two faces," one that they make in front of some people and another one they keep to themselves. Could there be something to it all? If you're feeling the urge to get into Japan's fun blood type culture, we've gotten in some cool phone straps today that let you announce your blood type to everyone."

BTW, if you're not on J-List's email list, get on it.  I absolutely LOVE Peter Payne's daily emails because they always contain explanations like this one about every day life in Japan.  I've learned so much about the culture through his emails and it's the little things that don't get explained anywhere else.  Plus, I love all the boys' love stuff J-List carries and the emails alert me to anything new or restocked items.