From Eroica With Love

From Eroica With Love is a comedy shoujo manga written and illustrated by Yasuko Aoike, which ran from 1976 to 2012. The series follows Dorian Red Gloria, Earl of Gloria, a gay British nobleman. Under the alias of "Eroica", Dorian is an international art thief. Throughout the series, Dorian often crosses paths with Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, a West German NATO intelligence officer.
Since the manga's initial release, both Western and Japanese fandoms dedicated to the manga have emerged. Due to the manga's initial release date, the Western fandom for From Eroica With Love serves as an example of the growth of anime and manga in Western culture during the 1990s.
==Creator's Views on Fanworks==
In 1989, a fan asked Yasuko Aoike's publicity department about her opinion about fanworks based on From Eroica With Love. The answer was printed in Guns and Red Roses #1:
==Canon Plot and Background==
Eroica is set in Europe against a Cold War backdrop. Its plots are complex and suspenseful, usually revolving around spies scrambling to liberate microfilms containing vital information, dashing about in the way of James Bond, pitting the Western and the Eastern Bloc against each other. The espionage vicissitudes are complemented by high-end international art thefts. Eroica includes both (homo)romantic situations typical of nineteen-seventies shoujo manga and light-hearted comic elements. 
Issue #1 of the series originally starred three teenagers with supernatural powers named Sugar, Leopard and Caesar, who crossed paths with art thief Dorian Red Gloria, known as Eroica. However, when Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, uptight NATO major, appeared in issue #2, his relationship with Eroica was so dynamic and compelling that they quickly became the two main characters of the manga, and Sugar, Leopard and Caesar vanished completely. Dorian is openly gay and makes no secret of his feelings for Klaus, who has rebuffed them throughout the series.
Eroica has a large Western-style slash fandom.
== Characters==
===Dorian Red, the Earl of Gloria===
Eroica’s protagonist is Dorian Red, the Earl of Gloria. Dorian is a vapid English aristocrat by day and daring international art thief Eroica by night.  He’s flamboyantly and openly gay. Dorian loves beautiful art and beautiful young men, and has a passion for clothes. He leads a faithful band of thieves who adore him and are a sort of family. Some of Dorian’s stunts include stealing the Pope, and saving world peace—literally—together with the series’ other protagonist: Klaus. 
Jean Lorrah made some comments on the earlier characters and said: 
===Klaus von dem Eberbach===
Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach is a high-born German Major working for NATO intelligence. In other word: a spy. Klaus is buttoned up, choleric, and un-PC. He’s a badass, and he’s totally absorbed in his job, but he loves the aesthetic beauty of tanks and well-oiled machines. Klaus’s way of telling his team  ‘I like you, well done’ is to yell at them. Actually, everything Klaus feels comes out as yelling at people—or pointing a gun at them. And this is just what he does to his allies: His enemies, such as KGB officer Misha the Cub get a much worse deal.
Some fans found Klaus' character problematic, and addressed this in their fanworks. In 1989, a fan wrote about a story in Guns and Red Roses #1: 
=== Other Characters=== 
* Beck
* Bonham
* James 
* Jonsey
* Agent A - Agent Z
==Pairings==
===Dorian/Klaus===
Although at first Dorian mostly seems to enjoy irritating Klaus, soon he openly declares his love, and spends the rest of the series trying to "get" Klaus any way he can. 
Klaus responds to Dorian's overt pursuit with everything from homophobic slurs and personal insults to physical attacks, at one point even holding a gun to Dorian's head. More often than not, Dorian's thefts and Klaus's missions collide. They are cast as frenemies, especially in the early volumes of the manga. It’s collaboration with an edge, until their purposes cross; at which point, sparks fly.
However, the antagonism of their relationship is punctuated by the occasional moment of quiet understanding, mutual respect, or even gratitude on Klaus' part for Eroica's help with a mission. 
===Dorian/Other===
Other Dorian pairings are fairly rare, one can find Dorian/James, Dorian/Agent Z, plus Dorian being shipped with original characters.
From a fan in 1996: 
===Klaus/Other===
As with Dorian, other Klaus pairings are rare, but one can find Klaus/Agent Z, Klaus/James, as well as shipping him with original characters.
From a fan in 1995: 
==Connections to Led Zeppelin==
The names and appearances of some of the Eroica characters are an homage or reference to the members of Led Zeppelin, a band that was at the height of its popularity when Yasuko Aioke was creating her characters for From Eroica With Love. Dorian's curly blonde hair makes him a ringer for Robert Plant, while James' dark, permanently-tousled hair and Bonham's mustache resemble the mid-seventies appearances of Jimmy Page and John Bonham.
 
There are also several Zeppelin cameos in Aoike's manga Eve no Musuko Tachi.
Early in the manga, Dorian also sometimes traveled in an actual zeppelin, but it has not been seen in later volumes.
* The Eroica Connection, essay by Kay Reynolds (1993)
* More Eroica Connections, essay by Jean Lorrah (1995)
==The Fandom==
===Early Fan Translations===
One fan involved in early scanlation efforts was Lily Fulford. She, along with others, translated under the group name "Kx." Some of these early scanlations were posted online here without credit. They are listed on Fanlore here: From Eroica With Love (fanzine)‎ and physical copies of the scanlations can be found in the Escapade Fanzine Library.
===Canon vs Head Canon===
In 1996, a fan wrote of fans being disappointed in newly presented canon after they'd been subsisting on fanworks for years:
===Differences in Japanese and American Fandom===
==Fan Comments==
===1994===
 
===1995===
==Example Fanworks==
 
===Stage Play===
From Eroica with Love Manga Gets Stage Play; archive link (a 2023 play in Tokyo)
===Fanzines===
*The Eroica Double Feature Super Special: Rose Vines and Wire Ropes
*Rose Vines and Wire Ropes
*Guns and Red Roses
*Iron and Silk
*Companions in Chaos
* Tales of Eroica Coloring Book
* From Eroica With Love
 
A list of fanzines with Eroica content can be found archived here.
In addition to published fanzines there was an informal circuit of paper stories circulated from fan to fan by mail (and later by email). One example is the story Watching Me Watching You.
=== Doujinshi ===
* NEUE SACHLICHKEIT Series by エーベルバッハ少佐親衛隊Sachlichkeit circle (1990s)
* CIPHER by Charles Angels (June 30, 2003)
* ILLUSION! by Charles Angels (July 15, 2005) crossover with Patalliro!
* Lost Property by 風巻智 (August 13, 2005, C68)
* EROICA MAFIA by Charles Angels circle (July 18, 2006)
* EROICA OF THE GALAXY by Charles Angels circle (November 23, 2006)
* MISSION:EROICA (Anthology) by 流浪青年 circle (August 15, 2008 - Comiket 74)
* SHIZUBON 静かなるボン (Anthology) by Charles Angels circle (August 15, 2008 - Comiket 74)
* Suppai dai sakusen aratame | スッパイ大作戦・改 by フロイライン製鉄所 circle (December 30, 2011 - C81)
* Tsuchi o fumu kamisama | 土を踏む神様 by たんぽぽ | Tanpopo circle (October 9, 2016)
* Tsumina otoko | 罪な男 by SERUN‐FACTOR circle (March 20, 2017)
* Minor Reflections by NADGE circle (Date Unknown)
* Alarm by Charles Angels circle (Date Unknown)
* Supai wa mahō ni kakaranai | スパイは魔法にかからない by 星空ジェット circle (Date Unknown)
* Torisutan to izorute | トリスタンとイゾルテ by パラノイアスター circle (Date Unknown)
* THE EMISSARY OF LOVE by Charles Angels circle (Date Unknown)
* Somewhere in Time by 何処 circle (Date Unknown)
* My Beloved Spy by otomecocoro circle (Date Unknown)
===Vids===
* So Damn Hot by Diana Williams
* The Human Cost of Hanahaki Disease by Cassie Ingaben
===Fanfic ===
* Watching Me Watching You by Kathy M. and Toni Collins (Appeared on the informal Eroica circuit. The title comes from a Jethro Tull song.)
* Calamity Is Virtue’s Opportunity (Eroica) (31 pages) by Sandy Herrold 
* Le Coq d'Or by BT (1989)
* Cantiques de Noel by Barbara T (1991) ("BT is an author whose Eroica fics date back to that mythical age - pre-Internet. But thanks to Sylvia, her Eroica fic is now hosted online, and thank goodness. It's hard to pick just one, but this particular fic starts with an contemplative Klaus, a strange Christmas, and a broken engagement. It's dreamy and thoughtful, and perfectly accompanied by a pot of tea. If you like this one, there's a lot more where it came from." Crack Van (Oct 29, 2003) )
* Do Blonds Really Have More Fun? by Barbara T (1992), a crossover with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. first published in the zine Homosapien.
* Revels and Revelations ("Klaus goes undercover, and as luck may have it, ends up at a Christmas party with Dorian and his family. I like the way that Klaus must struggle to remain in character, even when faced with the infuriating thief. Also, seeing a glimpse of Dorian with his family is interesting, as it shows a new facet of his personality." Crack Van (Jan 19, 2007) )
* (2006)
* You Light My Fire by Serenade (2013)
* Hesitation Waltz by cranialaccessory (2014)
===Podfic===
* Hesitation Waltz by cranialaccessory [Podfic] by Rhea314 (2015)
*podfic_lover (2008)
* Oh, the dreadful wind and rain [Podfic] by Cassie Ingaben and TelWoman (2022)
===Meta===
* The Eroica Connection, essay by Kay Reynolds (1993)
* More Eroica Connections, essay by Jean Lorrah (1995)
* The (not so) humble charm of Eroicaslash, essay by Red Rose (2001)
===Paper Dolls===
Image:companionsinchaos2-4.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #2, Kat Benedict
Image:companionsinchaos2-5.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #2, Kat Benedict
Image:companionsinchaos2-6.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #2, Kat Benedict or Tim (Jim?) Collier or Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
Image:companionsinchaos2-7.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #2, Kat Benedict or Tim Collier (Jim?) or Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
===Fan Art===
 
File:Companionsinchaos2-13.jpg|Eroica as a merman, from Companions in Chaos #2 (1995), Sharon Young
 
Image:companionsinchaos1-7.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #1 (1995), Sharon Young
Image:companionsinchaos1-8.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #1 (1995), April Lee
Image:companionsinchaos1-9.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #1 (1995), April Lee
Image:companionsinchaos1-10.jpg|from Companions in Chaos #1 (1995), Kat Benedict
File:Gunsandredroses1-6.jpg|from Guns and Red Roses #1 (1989), TACS
Image:gunsandredroses1-13.jpg|from Guns and Red Roses #1 (1989), Pat Cash
Image:gunsandredroses1-14.jpg|from Guns and Red Roses #1 (1989), Pat Cash
== 45th Anniversary Tributes ==
Mystery Bonita magazine celebrated Eroica's 45th anniversary with a series of tributes by famous mangaka, including: 
* Urasawa Naoki's Eroica Tribute 
* Hagio Moto's Eroica Tribute
== Resources==
Fansites often include fanfiction, fanart, resources and links to other fan sites.
===Archives===
*Eroicafans.org - Fan site with fanfiction archive (of offline, a copy can be found archived here)
*Fried Potatoes - Fansite with fanfiction archive and fanart gallery. 
*From Eroica With Love - Fanfiction site.
*From Eroica With Love tag on Tegaki
*From Eroica With Love tag on Pixiv
* Sources for Eroica Fan Fiction 
===Mailing Lists===
There are at least three Eroica mailing lists. One is from_eroica_with_love on Yahoo! Groups Another is eroicaml, also on Yahoo! Groups. Eroicaml has been ported to groups.io, can be joined here https://eroicaml.groups.io/g/main
===Live Journal===
Eroica-related livejournal communities include:
* schlosseberbach - A discussion community 
* castlegloria - A fanfiction and fanart community
* eroica_center - An Eroica and Aoike Yasuko Resource Center 
* thepinkpanzer - A fan translation community (members-only)
* alaska_or die - A Klaus-centric community
===Primers, Ship Manifestos, Info===
*Eroica Resources - Canon, fandom, fanart, fan writer's resources. 
* Eroica: Not Only for Beethoven Fans, a 10-minute video manifesto and primer by Cassie Ingaben and isindismay (August 2021)
* From Eroica With Love fandom primer on crack_van, by thehoyden (September 2003, archive link)
* , Klaus/Dorian ship manifesto by Hunter (November 2014)
==References==
Category:From Eroica With Love