Love Monster
Reflections of a Black man
falling in love with a Japanese man
I began writing these reflections after each episode of The Boyfriend. Somewhere between watching and writing, I realized I wasn’t only witnessing their love stories, I was tracing my own.
In Love Monster, Chicago dancemaker and writer J'Sun Howard reflects on moments from The Boyfriend and the feelings they stirred in him. These writings are not meant as commentary on the individuals themselves, but as quiet observations about recognition, intimacy, and the unexpected ways love reveals itself.
That Summer, I Fell in with Him
Some doors we don’t notice we’ve walked through until love is already standing on the other side.
Getting to Know the Real You
It’s strange how quickly a table can become a small universe for two people.
Welcome to a Stormy Picnic
i still want to ride the ferris wheel over osaka & watch the sunset with you
There’s Nothing I want Now
“No” can have so many meanings, but they all end up meaning yes. Coffee, chocolate—these small symbols of connection—remind me how fragile love can be. It’s so hard to hold all this love in one place.
Did You Wait Long? I’ve been Waiting Forever
So many times I have asked the moon about you.
Accepting You No Matter What
It doesn’t matter what we do as long as we’re spending time together.
I Don’t Want This To End
We had just finished tonkatsu, and you walked me to the entrance of the subway. By then, tonkatsu had quietly become our goodbye tradition.