Ao no Flag

On the most basic level, both comics are about teenagers dealing with relationships, understanding their own sexuality and that of their peers and dealing with homophobia from society and the people around them. The main differences are that Ao no Flag focuses more on the development of relationships between the protagonists while Shimanami Tasogare is a lot more introspective. I would say that Shimanami Tasogare also has much broader LGBTQ representation and just a more diverse cast in general, while Ao no Flag is almost purely focused on high school students.

Despite some differences in content, both share a similar pacing and tone. Ao no Flag has a slightly more comedic vibe, but they share overall themes of identity, gender, sexuality, romance, love and friendship. If you enjoyed reading one of these comics, you would probably enjoy the other. read more 

reportRecommended by Karudima

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Kieta Hatsukoi addpermalink

Both about a love triangle revolving around one female & two male characters
They also tackle the topic of LGBT+ issues and clearing misunderstandings related to it
Clean and beautiful artstyle 
Easy to read through and insanely addicting (with cliffhangers obviously)
 

reportRecommended by Kokorune

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Koimonogatari addpermalink

Both delve in the pain of being outed in a very poignant fashion. The main characters of each title is able to move forward and take on the judgementality of his peers thanks to the allies he has giving him courage. Both also have at least one female character that isn't just a plot device, as is the case with BL, but a compelling character in her own right. 

reportRecommended by Auron_

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Skip to Loafer addpermalink

Good teenage romance with well written characters and LGBT themes. I think they have similar artstyle too 

reportRecommended by Koyuuki_

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Triangle addpermalink

Love triangle between a girl and two boys with complex feelings. 

reportRecommended by K-san

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Koi wo Shiranai Bokutachi wa addpermalink

Both stories have main characters dealing with unrequited love. 

reportRecommended by K-san

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Ame Nochi Hare addpermalink

Even though ANH has got some fantasy elements to it (boys turning into girls when it rains), these both manga really have a similar feel to them. In both there's a group of teenagers who learn some important things regarding social issues (like lgbt or issues women have in their daily lives), falling in love and facing the consequences it comes with. I strongly recommend one if you liked the other.
Personally I like Ao no Flag more, but Ame Nochi Hare is really good too. In both the characters are very likeable and you can relate to them as well, whether you are a teenager or recalling your days as one.
 read more 

reportRecommended by MeiYoko28

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Sakamichi no Apollon addpermalink

Both Kids on the Slope and Blue Flag center around a trio (and a fourth character which could be argued to be more of a main character) that follow friendship and eventually love. One noticeable difference I noticed was the characters. Touma from Blue Flag and Sentaro from Kids on the Slope have a very similar personality which can be described as a jock and more athletic type of person. Although there are some differences as well, both of these mangas give off a very similar vibe and are both sad in some aspect. (I cried while reading both of them.) 

reportRecommended by jjashael

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Orange addpermalink

both focus on the trials and tribulations of young adults growing up as well as dashes of romacne in it as well too. 

reportRecommended by Disapeared_Ghost

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Otouto no Otto addpermalink

Did you hate Ao no Flag horribly rushed ending arc? Do you want something much nicer pace and deals with being gay in Japan with a much more delicate and profound touch? Then do I have a recommendation for you.
Otouto no Otto is the perfect homophoic introspection story, there is no annoying sense of being overdramatic, it handles all of its subject matters carefully and it does it in a very concise manner. Firstly, this story's situation setting is goddamn a work of genius, it allows for a perfectly melancholic tone which the author makes sure to never drive too far from. It never becomes overly dramatic, overly happy, nothing because the whole manga is about acceptance and regret. The main MC that is the dad goes through honestly one of the most smooth, well paced character arcs of all time, being slow to realize his shortcomings of how he thinks of other people. He is constantly reflecting throughout the book about all the situations past and future that he might have to deal with when it comes to gays and I think that's fantastic. After reading the trashfire ending that was Ao no Flag’s story this was a nice needed refreshment of the subject matter. It handles the topic of Japan's tendency towards negative stereotyping very well and makes sure to always treat it very delicately. I highly recommend this to anybody who is looking for a good yaoi read that's not even really about yaoi, it's short, sweet and beautifully melancholic. It has a great bittersweet ending and more than deserves its praise so give it a read if you haven’t read more 

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Restart wa Tadaima no Ato de addpermalink

Personally I find Touma and Yamato pretty similar. They have the same energy so if you liked one of them you would definetly like the other. 
In terms from the plot, it doesn't have any simmilarities besides the childhood friends part.
Both are really cute with lot of fluff and a bit of angst. 

reportRecommended by s6umap

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Manga: 10th: You and I fell in love with the same person.

10th: You and I fell in love with the same person. addpermalink

Somewhat similar plot-wise in it's unconventional take on the love triangle genre by including lgbt characters. Both have similar themes of friendship, growing up, and interpersonal relationships.  

reportRecommended by bloodfruits

Ao no Hako addpermalink

I'm surprised no one has recommended this yet. Though I promise there's more in common than just the name, I swear! When I started reading Blue Box I was immediately reminded of Blue Flag.

Firstly, they're both really cute and wholesome romances. Blue Flag starts out being very obviously a love triangle, but Blue Box is less interested in that, and more about the developing relationship in both of its main leads. Though it's still possible it might go in that direction in the future.

The art style also is somewhat alike. They both manage to make some very detailed and beautiful panels of the characters, while still balancing that with silly and cartoony faces without making it feel jarring.

But what I like most about both these mangas is the characters. They feel real in both these stories and in both of them, the conversations are basically the highlight of the story because they feel like conversations you would have with people you know in real life. The characters show they care about their friends and their crushes, sometimes in very obvious ways, and sometimes subtlety. 
And when they're bothered about something, they talk about it, no useless drama prolonging for too long, so both stories manage to be wholesome and at the same time have a very fast pace in relation to other romance mangas, where the characters will stay in that "will-they-won't-they" state forever. Also, these mangas still build up to the story's turning points, so they feel earned.

So yeah, I think if you like one, you should definitely check out the other.
Also, I'll say it again. The silly faces are super funny in both of these. read more 

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Bokura no Hentai addpermalink

Heartwarming heartbreaks. Bokura no Hentai and Blue Flag are both stories about self discovery and love taking a very liberal look at each respective subject. These coming of age stories are in my opinion great representations of queer struggles in our societety and their characters are easily relatable for anyone having just questioned their sexuality/gender before. They also both feature love triangles (or polygon in Blue Flag's case ig) which were drawbacks for me, but could also be a key appeal for another reader. Anyway, if you're looking for bittersweet tales of identity and romance the two manga are definitely for you! 

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Ai no Shintairiku addpermalink

Both high school history with an LGBT character.
Both cute and dramatic stories about self-knowledge.  

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Koe no Katachi addpermalink

Honestly they may not be as similar as I’ve Made them out to be in my head but whatever, they both ‘romances’ but the romance isn’t really important like in a way it is of course. They both take place in high school with two characters who knew eachother when they where younger who haven’t really spoken in a while and they meet again, in a silent voices case they become friends for the first time and in blue flags case they become friends again, they both have a lot to say about the world and the people inside of it and they both made me sob hysterically. read more 

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Kimi ni wa Todokanai. addpermalink

This recommendation comes from a place of love, but I have to be honest - Kimi ni wa Todokanai is SO similar to Ao no Flag that it's ridiculous at some points. As far as I saw, no one has made this recommendation yet, which shocks me. The similarities are probably most egregious in the first volume since the premise of the stories is really where Kimi ni wa Todokanai feels like a carbon copy. Premise is as follows: two boys are childhood friends, one grows up to be very popular in high school while the other is a bit dorky, girls try to use the dorky friend to get with the popular friend, but the popular friend secretly harbors a crush for the dorky friend. Hijinks ensue. I guess the main difference is that the MC's personalities are sort of switched. You'll see what I mean when you read them. Also, Kimi ni wa Todokanai does not have a love triangle (square?) at the center of the story. Regardless of all this, I DO think they're both worth checking out for their own reasons. Plus, Kimi ni wa Todokanai is still being published, and it's looking like the ending will be notably different from Ao no Flag. That should be refreshing news for a lot of people since it seems the general consensus on Ao no Flag's ending is pretty negative. I really do have a lot of love for both of these series lol. If you like these tropes, give it a go! read more 

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Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia addpermalink

Both give off similar vibes from the art style. They are both wholesome and good stories, although Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia does not have as much love-related themes. 

reportRecommended by peepan

"Oshi no Ko" addpermalink

If you’re looking for another manga series that’s about the entertainment industry, this one is not for you.

But while reading Oshi no ko the characters heavily reminded me of blue flag because they were real and dealt with very real and modern issues. I often find myself disconnected from the characters in manga and anime as western culture and Japanese culture is very different and I’ve noticed that in mangas, characters don’t reflect on themselves and deal with things as we do. But both of these mangas have fantastic characters and talk about really interesting topics that makes you think.  

reportRecommended by AmazingElephant

Manga: Kanojo ga Suki na Mono wa Homo de Atte Boku dewa Nai

Kanojo ga Suki na Mono wa Homo de Atte Boku dewa Nai addpermalink

I read it one after the other, so that's might affect why I think it's similar. Both story's character have similar issues and struggles. These mangas potrayed them following the same way of thinking too, they're trying hard and thinking about "fixing" the whole situation by themselves. But of course, nothing will goes as smoothly as planned. Not quite satisfied with the endings, but I ended up feeling so attached to the mangas at the end, in a good way. I highly recommend this series! 

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Sensei mo Net Sedai addpermalink

If you enjoy reading stories from the shoujo/shounen genre about high school problems and love stories that cross the boundaries of gender and sexualities, give this a go. The characters are a lot more complex than what they appear to be on the surface 

reportRecommended by -Sonal-

Hourou Musuko addpermalink

both of these mangas are set around childhood friends that grow up dealing with lgbtq stigma in japan and dealing with love triangles and basically having to hide your true feelings for someone because you are lgbtq, and since in japan lgbtq is tabboo or looked down upon on, both characters in both stories would have rumours and or bullying linked to them and their identity thus hiding their feelings for their same sex counterparts. Also theres themes of love triangles in both. 

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Koisuru Shirokuma addpermalink

This may seem like a strange recommendation, but I thought that they both have similar elements when it talks about love. If you've read both of them, you'd probably know what I'm talking about. 

While Koisuru has animals as its main characters, it really talks about who you can love and that it's ok to feel that way, which is also a major theme in Ao no Flag. They kinda go in-depth with these kind of topics, especially in Ao no Flag. 

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That Summer addpermalink

Both address LGBT themes centered on the experiences of teenage characters and their relationships 

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Nanashi no Asterism addpermalink

Both manga have a similar themes of complicated and unrequited love. 

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Achira Kochira Bokura addpermalink

Slow build romance between two high school boys. Ao no Flag address LGBT+ issues more directly, while Achira Kochira Bokura doesn't address the subject that much. You see the ups and downs of the main characters' relationships in both manga.  

reportRecommended by arisusagi

Tatoe Todokanu Ito da toshitemo addpermalink

Both of these series seem to be really simple on the outside, but are a bit more complicated. (They also both have to deal with same-sex relationships)

Tatoe Todokanu Ito da Toshitemo is a manga about a girl who fell in love with her newly-wed childhood friend, while Ao no Flag is about a love triangle between 3 high schoolers. 

Although these stories seem pretty simple, the authors decide to take these stories, and really show each individual character's perspective. 

reportRecommended by cheezyrules016

Kamisama no Ekohiiki addpermalink

If you’re looking for a story of unrequited love where a young girl/boy falls for their best friend then you’ve come to the right place. Although Kamieko has gender bender and supernatural elements while Blue Flag does not, at the end of the day both manga give a similar feel. 

reportRecommended by blueraimo

Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku addpermalink

both deal with lgbt themes and unrequited love from childhood friends in a high school coming of age story, both also have somewhat divisive ending chapters that some people consider rushed but others consider a very fulfilling epilogue to the story 

reportRecommended by mirp448

Haisha-san, Atattemasu! addpermalink

Both manga are from Shounen Jump, and both explore the hidden feelings a man has for another man, without poking fun at their feelings, their relationships, or their sexualities. The genres are vastly different - Blue Flag is more serious, while Dentist-san is pure comedy. Even so, I'm sure that if you enjoyed reading one, you'll love reading the other. 

reportRecommended by -Sonal-

Cherry Boy, That Girl addpermalink

Well written works that romance across all genders. And honestly, while the main romance in Ao no was predictable and boring (mostly bc of the useless female lead and your generic shounen male lead), the one on Cherry Boy was interesting and unpredictable bc of the spunky female lead and the shy, but strong headed, male lead. 

reportRecommended by -Sonal-

Hina-chan Change addpermalink

Even if they give off a different air they both generally focus on sexuality and how it’s being handled and looked at by high school teenagers, although blue flag’s approach is more realistic and (imo) better, this one is not bad. 
Both series are from shounen jump+. 

reportRecommended by blueraimo

3-gatsu no Lion addpermalink

Might seem a little strange, but both mangas actually talk about similar themes. About growing up, about learning about the relationships with people, and the amazing writing that manage to perfectly describe feelings and emotions. Ao no Flag goes for more romance relationships, but about more less-spoken-about topics, which are issues that are more prevalent in today's society. Also, Ao no Flag has the most amazing art, I love the way the mangaka draws. A good, wholesome, read for a quiet weekend in my opinion. 

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