There is no order, rhyme, or reason to this list of my favorite yaoi/BL titles. I love all of the series on this list for different reasons, so it didn’t make sense for me to rank them *shrugs* I know that there are some great anime and OVAs out there but I want to highlight manga and manwha, so I won’t include any anime/OVA exclusives…
Before you all start grabbing your torches and pitchforks, this list is purely my opinion…You are more than welcome to agree or disagree with me if you want, by all means leave a comment and suggest your favorite yaoi/bl series. So without further ado here we go: My Top Five Favorite Yaoi/BL Titles.
Finder series by Yamane Ayano
About the Finder series
This is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine from way back. I’ve been following this series for years and like a fine wine it manages to get better with age. The story follows Akihito Takaba, a 23 year old freelance photographer out on the prowl for his next big scoop. One day while out on a job, he manages to capture a picture of crime lord Ryuichi Asami in the middle of a big “business deal”.
Asami kidnaps Takaba and teaches him a lesson he won’t soon forget. Through various coincidences the pair find themselves drawn to one another. Each man trying to gain the upper hand on the other in twisted cat and mouse game. This manga is ongoing with 7 volumes in print so far. In 2007 and 2010 the series was licensed in English. So pick up a copy either on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
Why I Like the Finder Series
There is just so much going on between the two men. It’s interesting to watch their relationship progress from Asami’s constant attempts to capture Takaba to a more or less romantic relationship. In the beginning it was a constant fight for control between the cool Asami and the flighty Takaba. Neither one willing to fold to the other, but slowly the dynamic between the two shifted to one of mutual respect and acceptance.
Especially on Takaba’s end, he actually willingly gives himself to Asami, despite his initial reluctance. But on the other side of things, we have little insight into Asami’s feelings. While it’s obvious that he has some affection for Takaba, as he was willing to move heaven and earth to protect him. We just don’t know how deep those feelings run, whether it is a passing fancy or truly love. There is a really interesting give and take between the two characters that you can’t help but want to see more of it in the future.
Don’t Blame Me by Yamada Yugi
About Don’t Blame Me
This was the series that taught me there is more to yaoi than just sex. Before reading this series I believed, like most, that yaoi was more akin to mindless hentai, than to more mainstream manga. This is a stunning example of yaoi done right! The story follows university student Toshiaki Kaji, a man on the verge of the single most important experience in his life.
Tired of always living his life by the rules. He decides to throw caution to the wind, by joining the campus film club. For the first time in his life he finally feels like he’s found a place where he belongs. Suddenly his life is anything but normal, and when he meets Nakamura everything he ever knew gets turned on it’s head. This manga is only 2 volumes long. In 2008 the series was licensed in English. So pick up a copy either on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
Why I like Don’t Blame Me
The story is basically series of flashbacks told to Makoto, the younger cousin of Kaji, about the now adult members of the University’s film club. The story reads more like a slice of life, school manga than an actual yaoi. As the plot progresses we delve into the college days of the film club. While the main couple is the “main” focus of the story, each and every one of the characters gets a chance in the spotlight. In fact this is more a coming of age story than anything else, and I absolutely love it! The story is fun, with just enough angst to push the plot along. Everything is a slow build, and the final reconciliation between the main pair is sweet.
The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese & The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice by Mizushiro Setona
About The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese
So I kind of cheated with this one. Since the story is split into two separate yet continuous titles I decided to include them both in the same place. Both manga tell the story of Kyouichi, a man with some serious commitment issues, he’s a serial adulterer. Somehow or another he manages to cheat on his wife, not once, but several times. That all changes when he meets his old college classmate, Imagase. Who has been hired by his suspicious wife to uncover evidence of Kyouichi’s philandering ways. Imagase promises to keep Kyouichi’s secret, but at a cost. Just one small favor: that Kyouichi give his body to him in exchange.
Why I like The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese
The main characters are some of the most broken people I have ever seen. One is a straight guy who simply can’t muster up the energy to stay faithful to one person, male or female. While the other is gay man hopelessly in love with a man who is both physically and mentally incapable of returning his affections. It is a perfect mess, and I love it! There is so much wrong with this manga, but it works. You get caught up in all the drama and angst which makes for an amazing two volume emotional roller coaster ride! This title stays with you long after you turn the last page, and it is something, you won’t soon forget.
Totally Captivated by Yoo Ha Jin
About Totally Captivated
I must have a thing for gay gangsters…but who cares I love this series! Unlike the other titles on this list this is a manwha (the Korean equivalent of manga). The story follows Ewon Jung, a handsome but extremely unfaithful college student. His much bereaved boyfriend, Jiho, has had enough of his infidelity and has finally left him for good. His new beau is the extremely handsome mafia boss Mookyul, who as a favor to Jiho, forces Ewon to work for him as an indentured servant of sorts.
Afraid for his life, Ewon reluctantly assumes his role as Mookyul’s personal work horse. But, not long after, Mookyul starts to take an interest in our flighty protagonist! Between his pissed off Ex and his cold blooded mafia boss, Ewon doesn’t stand a chance. The main story is told over 6 volumes, with an additional 3 volumes of separate side story (two are a continuation of the main story and one is a prequel). The title has been licensed in English. So pick up a copy either on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
Why I like Totally Captivated
This title turns the angst and drama up to eleven! These guys have so much baggage, it’s a wonder they are able to function normally. Both have been shaped by their pasts, and both are extremely damaged because of it. Mookyul, despite being the big bad mafia boss, more often than not bends to the whims of Ewon. He has Mookyul wrapped around his little finger, and boy does he know it!
The dynamic between the main pair is interesting to watch, it’s a constant system of checks and balances. Mookyul is in love with Ewon to the point that he is willing to give up everything just to have him by his side. While Ewon, refuses to let himself be taken in by Mookyul’s oppressive feelings. It was definitely an intense ride from start to finish and I highly recommend giving the series a read!
Ten Count by Takarai Rihito
About Ten Count
It is super rare that I even look at an ongoing series, but from time to time I will make an exception. This is one of those rare exceptions. The series follows the relationship between mysophobic (fear of contamination/germs) secretary Shirotani Tadaomi and clinic counselor Kurose. While the relationship between the two men is essential to the plot, a lot more focus is put on Shirotani’s mysophobia. This manga has become one of my new favorite! This manga is ongoing with 4 volumes in print so far. The series is set for release in English, in August of 2016. So pick up a copy either on Amazon or wherever books are sold when it becomes available!
Why I like Ten Count
This is a really unique premise, I don’t think I’ve ever read a title that dealt with a complex condition like mysophobia. Shirotani’s condition handled in a very sensitive manner, it doesn’t just clear up over night, he has to constantly work at it. The progression between Kurose and Shirotani is extremely interesting. At first it seems like Kurose is helping Shirotani for purely altruistic reasons, but as the story progresses you realize that he is a bit of a sadist. Plot twist! This is an amazing series and I highly recommend giving it a read if you have the chance.
Check out this updated list of BL Manga
10 BL Manga Series You Should Be Reading
If you’ve been following my socials, you already know that after gaming my biggest obsession is manga, specifically BL manga. My Instagram is pretty much just pictures of all the manga I buy, and at last count I own over 550 volumes of manga, with about half of them being boys love titles. So I…
So that’s my list, were there any titles you though should have been on the list that weren’t? Something on the list that you think shouldn’t be? Do you have any suggestions for posts? Any burning questions? Want me to review a specific game, manga, or anime? Feel free to Comment on this post! As always Thank You for reading!
AH! We share a lot of favorite yaoi manga 😀 I haven’t read Don’t Blame Me and I’ve been debating whether I should check out Totally Captivated (On cover alone, I had no idea what it was about or that it was even a yaoi title)
The cornered mouse dreams of cheese was such a great read and it was such a dark story, definitely one I’ll remember for a really long time xD Have you read others by the same mangaka? I checked out After School Nightmare and it was good too, though I haven’t finished it @_@ I’ve also been meaning to check out their newest series, I forgot what it’s called >__< uhm quite some people didn't like the change but I am a fan of darker themed stories So…hehe. When I heard that it was getting licensed I was a bit bummed out because I had already been collecting it in Japanese ._. But I'm so glad! Now people can actually buy it and read it if they haven't already 😀
Is the Finder series on hiatus? I read it a while back and when I recently revisited, it hadn't been updated @_@ ?
If you had to make this a top 10 list, what other 5 would you have included? :3
Sorry it took me so long to reply I just got back home after driving 9 hours from my Mom’s house…
Don’t Blame Me is awesome, it’s the same author that wrote Close the Last Door and Glass Sky. I highly recommend reading it.
I did read one of her other works, Mister Mermaid…I remember the story being so bittersweet. I heard that After School Nightmare was awesome, but I never got around to reading it, now I will! I’m happy for it getting licensed, lol, I’ve been saving my money all year!
The Finder series is always on hiatus, lol! The author started writing new chapters a few months ago, but I stopped reading to let the chapters build up a bit.
If I had to make a top 10….hmmm the top 5 was hard enough to write lol…But, if I had to choose: Blue Morning, Kizuna, Close the Last Door (and the sequel), Seven Days, and Twittering Birds Never Fly
AH! I can’t believe I haven’t answered you yet, I was so sure I had @_@
9 hours is long! hopefully it wasn’t too bad xD I know being in a car for that long can be a pain
Oh, I haven’t read mister mermaid before :0 (adds to TBR pile) I really liked blue morning! Couldn’t stop reading once I picked it up lol I don’t think I’ve heard of Kizuna before hmmm, really need to check out these titles xD
Lol its all good! Kizuna is an older title, but I love that it isn’t tragic like most other BL from the time…
I also forgot Banana Fish, which while it isn’t technically BL has some serious undertones…The plot is amazing it is one of my all time favorite manga series of all time…I cried like a baby at the ending…and I still cry every time I reread it
Thanks so much for introducing me to Ten Count, I’m eagerly awaiting for it to finish, but really liked what I read of it. You have excellent taste, I need to look at that Don’t Blame Me series, it’s the only one I haven’t read from this bunch xDD;
I’d have put Crimson Spell instead of Finder, more because it’s super hard to find a good BL fantasy series, but they’re both solid works, the mangaka is excellent!
The mangaka for Mouse Dreams of Cheese is a superb storyteller, even her older (uglier) work has a depth and darkness, her 1999 Shanghai is very talked about as a great manga, and I must it is. It’s a pity her work isn’t as known, and that lately she seems to be doing more mainstream stories like Black Alice (a vampire story that is really wild/out there, but not BL) but it’s on hiatus so bummer.
I sometimes like to read fluffier than BL stories, aka shounen-ai, like Asterisk because it goes straight to my 心 when they’re being all cute and sweet. DJ are sinful too, specially from sports series /pets them all
Sorry it took me so long to respond, I just got back from my Mom’s house and it was a 9 hour drive.
My pleasure! Ten Count is amazing, I can’t wait till they release the first volume in August!!!
I like both Crimson Spell and Finder, I had a hard time choosing between the two…but in the end I always find myself going back to Finder (because of Asami).
For some reason I always find myself gravitating to the older, darker stories…not so much the tragic BL of the 90’s and early 2000’s, like Boy’s Love, but the gritty adult stories. I find that Josei mangaka write some of the best BL stories.
I read the fluffier Shounen-ai for the same reason I read shoujo fluff, ‘cus it’s so cute! They are so cute, but I hate it when they have overly feminine ukes. Now that is one of my Yaoi/BL pet peeves!
DJ are beautiful, beautiful things! Sports anime and manga are a trap! All those boys together getting all hot and sweaty and not one of them are together?! Madness!
Ooh, hope you had a good drive! (●´∀｀●)
I always return to Crimson Spell because sezy demon self with fangs and dark skin and amazing eyes + long-haired seme are like hnnng <333
Older stories do tend to be darker, 1999 Shanghai is one of them, if you ever get interested you definitely should check it out plus Love Mode. Older and darker tends to be angsty and dramatic though （＞ｙ＜）
Fluffy shounen-ai is definitely super cute! Though I've read some angtsy ones that really made me go all gwee inside haha :,)
Feminine ukes…at the beginning I was into them, but then I got saturated because overload holy cow. Like Haruka Minami has really cute artwork, but after a while they blurr together and I started getting turned off. I like when ukes are lookers though, not in a "look and act like shoujo heroines but have dicks and no breasts" type of thing, more in the bishie/shiny/sparkling type.
Right?! It's a sin to see sports boys all sweaty and touchy feely without fucking together! Long live DJ artists! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ
A sad thing is GL/Yuri falls really behind BL in terms of how broad/good they're. I've read some sweet/good stories, but GL really is even narrower of a niche, which is saddening :/ Girlf friends (GL title) was really cute and really liked it, but I wish GL had equivalents like The Mouse Dreams of Cheese, etc, that push genres and storytelling forward. Another is trans subjects are so few, I really praise Hourou Musuko for dealing with it, but the Trap genre really harms trans issues, plus okama sigh. I wish more authors broached sensitive subjects like Hourou Musuko did which such delicacy and fineness （＾～＾）
Ten Count is one that has my interest. I might pick it up when it comes out.
It is definitely worth the read!
My girlfriend has been recommending I try out Finder ever since I started buying the Love Stage manga for myself (it’s the only yaoi I’ve either read or watched, I’m such an innocent boy!). She’s also been following Ten Count. Will definitely be giving at least these two a look over!
The finder series is really good, it gets a lot more focus and plot progression towards the later chapters.
I highly recommend Ten Count, especially since it’s getting licensed in August!
Thank you so much for reading and sharing!