Interest Stacks

- a gay high school boy is outed to his classmates and finds refuge in an lgbt lounge

- pretty much everyone is queer/questioning, and there’s mlm, wlw, trans, agender and asexual characters

- i really like how this manga shows queer people at all ages and stages of life, rather than only teenagers/young adults

- the author is also asexual and x-gender (Japanese term roughly equivalent to nonbinary)

- highly recommended, especially if you're new to lgbt manga

- a god, an immortal, and a girl grieving the loss of her friend travel together to the land of the dead in order to die

- the god is genderless, the immortal is (probably) pan

- a heavy and beautiful story focusing on the varying perspectives of life and death

- by the same author of 'Shimanami Tasogare'

- a high school boy invites his ‘cross dressing’ classmate to work at his sister’s cross dressing cafe. however, his classmate is actually nonbinary, and although they are upset at being mistaken for a boy, their appearance at the cafe sparks a journey of self-discovery for themself and the other cafe workers.

- got the whole lgbt acronym up in here

- the plot is slightly predictable, but the portrayal of how gender, gender expression, and sexuality intersect is done very well

- overall has similar vibes to ‘Shimanami Tasogare’ but has a cuter artstyle and more lighthearted moments (although it still has many serious parts)

- an aroace fujoshi and a gay man with a perpetual one-sided love get married to each other

- it’s about loneliness and feeling alienated due to societal norms and the fact that sometimes the people who love us still hurt us because they don’t know how to empathise with us. but it’s also about platonic love and solidarity and making an effort to understand one another despite your differences and coming home to someone who you may not love romantically but who accepts you for who you are.

- this manga perfectly encapsulated how i feel about a lot of things. i have felt so many emotions please read it

- four high schoolers struggling with their identity and how they want to live in the future

- there is a love square between them, but it really serves to fuel the character growth

- quite deep and introspective, if you’re looking for a romcom this ain’t it

- the ending is fairly controversial and feels a little rushed, but as a whole it’s a great read

- a series of oneshots about various forms of love

- the titular story is focused on a trans man

- the other stories aren’t lgbt-focused but are still super good

- a trans boy and his friend start a fashion brand together

- author is a transgender man

- i’ve only read the first few chapters and it was a long time ago, so i can’t say much more on it, but i liked it at the time and i’ve heard good things about it

- collection of 4-panel comics about a girl and her friend, who is a trans boy

- no romance

- pretty short, funny, and sweet

- oneshot about a relationship between an asexual and non-asexual person

- author is also on the asexual spectrum

- as an ace person, I found this pretty relatable

- a woman who believes she is abnormal because she doesn't experience romantic or sexual attraction goes on a journey of self-discovery

- focuses on asexuality but also has queer side characters of other sexualities

- super relatable as an ace person, highly recommended

- by the same author of 'Mine-kun wa Non-sexual'

- a woman who’s never had a boyfriend but feels pressured to date meets realises she may be aromantic after meeting another woman at a bar

- oneshot

- a unique take on how aromanticism and asexuality intersect with dating culture and society’s prioritisation of romantic relationships

- autobiographical manga about the author’s struggle with her family, life situation, mental health, and sexuality, culminating in a visit to a lesbian prostitute

- very introspective, very brutal, but honestly pretty relatable

- includes discussion of depression, eating disorders, and other heavy topics

- as you would expect from the description, this has nsfw scenes

- has multiple sequels. the next in the series is ‘Solo Exchange Diary’

- autobiographical manga by a trans woman about her journey to marriage

- super interesting and informative about transgender rights in Japan

- also her and her husband are really wholesome

- haven’t read it myself yet but i’ve heard very good things about it!

- the author is very openly supportive of lgbt rights also

- a manga based off an autobiographical essay by a Japanese gay activist

- tells of his life experiences and his relationships with his family, friends, and partners

- does have some explicit nsfw scenes

- basically a million misunderstandings piled on top of one another, but it’s funny as hell

- main couple is mlm

- the art is really great too, the character expressions are the best

- really wholesome. please read it

- also has a live action drama

- a high school boy who aims to become a hero like in the movies fall in love at first sight with the star actress of the drama club. however, after confessing, he finds out that the ‘actress’ is actually another boy.

- content warning for child sexual assault and generally heavy themes

- a beautiful story about trauma, gender, and identity

- love triangle between two childhood friends and their mutual friend

- one of the side characters is also gay

- focuses more on the character growth than actual romance

- a really unique read

- two girls kiss kiss fall in love

- not a lot of plot but really wholesome

- also surprisingly spicy at times (but nothing explicit)

- has a sequel: ‘Yamada to Kase-san’

- taisho period (1920s) romantic drama between a waitress and a female author

- has a pretty unique art style

- fairly standard plot, but very sweet

- this author has also created a lot of other short yuri comics so check those out too

- on the outskirts of a seemingly utopian city, two boys from vastly different upbringings work together to expose the corrupt government and reconstruct their classist society

- also has a non-binary/trans character (it’s a bit ambiguous)

- mlm, romance isn’t that prominent though

- also has an anime

- an elderly woman meets a university student majoring in film and is inspired to dive into the world of filmmaking

- one of the characters is most likely aroace

- no romance

- a very unique read

- a college student is saved by another student and after searching for her to thank her, he finds that they're... a man? no, a woman? huh???

- focuses heavily on the social norms surrounding gender expression and sexuality

- a high school girl confesses to her crush, who misunderstands and reveals he’s a shoujo manga author. hijinks ensue

- doesn’t have any explicitly queer characters but one character is gender non-conforming, and overall it definitely has the vibes

- also just generally hilarious

- has an anime

- an assassin is on a mission to get married, and is helped by a crossdressing marriage swindler

- assassin’s sister is in a sapphic relationship, although she’s a minor character

- ridiculous in the best way

- a high school boy finds passion in life through art and aims to get into an exclusive art university

- has a genderqueer character, and also a wlw couple

- really makes you think about what can be considered ‘art’ and what makes ‘good art’

- admittedly there’s not many queer characters and the queer vibes aren’t that strong, but the story is amazing and there is a decent amount of focus on other social issues

- a country bumpkin girl moves to Tokyo for high school and does her best to make new friends and deal with big-city life

- one of the side characters is a trans woman

- overall very refreshing and subverts a lot of societal norms and manga cliches

- a girl who dreams of becoming a witch fulfills her wish, but realises that things may not be as easy or simple as they seem

- mlm couple in recent chapters, and the author is very vocal about her support for lgbt rights

- overall has a very diverse cast, with lgbt, poc, and disabled characters

- one of the prettiest manga i’ve ever read, and one of my current favourites

- a group of otaku live in a women-only, no-men-allowed apartment building, spurning the outside world in favour of their various interests. with the help of a male crossdresser, their lives are turned upside down as they learn how to live in society while staying true to themselves

- not explicitly lgbt but has a gender nonconforming character, and is generally about embracing your uniqueness

- a heartwarming and memorable story, highly recommended

- slice of life following the life of a middle-aged gay couple

- established couple but not a lot of actual romance. it’s mostly about cooking, living together as a couple, and their relationships with friends, colleagues, and family

- a boy’s best friend goes missing for a week, but when he returns, something else has taken over his body

- supernatural horror

- super intriguing and unique, everything from the art to the pacing maintains the eerie vibe of this manga

- be gay, do crimes: destroying classism, one murder at a time

- sherlock holmes inspired. also james bond is there

- trans guy james bond, what more do you need

- there's definitely uh. SOMETHING going on between the two main characters as well

- a bl fanboy introduces bl to his upperclassman and their shared passion unexpectedly begins to evolve their relationship

- avoids the usual bl cliches while remaining super wholesome

- if you aren’t familiar with bl you might find it a little overwhelming, but bl fans will probably find it refreshing

- a spin-off featuring side characters from ‘Sasaki and Miyano’

- has more romantic drama than its source manga, but it’s not needless drama

- all-girls ballroom dancing!

- pretty art and pretty girls

- not a lot of romance yet, but it’s serialised in Comic Yuri Hime so it’s definitely gay

- not really a sports manga, focuses more on the characters’ relationships/feelings

- two women, having almost graduated university and in the process of job hunting, become disillusioned with ‘normal’ life and run away together to start a new life on an island

- the two main characters are in an already established relationship

- has nsfw scenes

- finished, but it’s pretty obvious that it got axed so the ending feels rushed unfortunately

- a man realises his feelings for his high school friend on the way home from his friend’s wedding. a few years later, he reunites with said friend at his grandmother’s funeral, reigniting the feelings that he had hidden away.

- love triangle, all three characters are main characters

- the central character’s struggle with distinguishing romantic love from other types of love and coming to terms with his feelings felt really relatable to me

- briefly touches on catholic guilt too which is rather rare in a manga

- new and currently being translated, i read it in japanese. only one volume currently, but a sequel is releasing sometime this year

- two girls kiss kiss fall in love

- really cute slice of life. my crops are flourishing, my skin is clear, it’s so wholesome

- unfortunately the webcomic is on indefinite hiatus at the moment due to censorship. hopefully it’ll be able to continue censorship-free in the future

- slice of life that follows four high school boys

- two mlm couples

- roughly has a plot, has more drama than SQ

- also affected by censorship so the relationship progression kind of comes to a standstill after a while

- an outgoing, openly gay university student meets a serious and quiet underclassman, and although they have a rocky start to their relationship, they gradually grow closer to one another

- along with the main couple, also has mlm side couples

- great art, cute story, and the main character is a badass

- i’m fairly sure the author is a gay man? maybe don’t quote me on that though

- a gay novelist living on an island reunites with a man he briefly met three years ago

- main couple is mlm, has a side wlw couple

- the art style is *chef’s kiss*

- has some nsfw but nothing too explicit

- has a sequel ‘Harukaze no Étranger’. sequel has explicit nsfw

- follows several different characters and their intertwining lives as they try to follow (or find) their dreams

- lgbt couple

- by the same author as the ‘Étranger’ series

- a high school girl with a secret love of rock music becomes interested in the good-looking guy at the record store, but the guy turns out to be her female classmate

- series of short comics published on twitter

- super pretty art and great characters

- really really cute. makes me feel things. please read it

- based off of the vocaloid song ‘Villain’ by Teniwoha

- one of the protags is definitely trans, unsure about the other

- by the same mangaka who made Wotakoi

- the song is a banger also, i especially like Miyashita Yuu’s cover

- set in 1930s Japan, a strong willed female detective and her charming assistant solve mysteries together

- several cases have lgbt characters

- as a whole has a strong focus on societal issues/norms

- very well researched with interesting historical notes at the end of many chapters

- based off of shakespeare’s plays ‘Henry VI, Part III’ and ‘Richard III’ with some… creative liberties

- intersex main character

- dark, angsty, gory, and has nsfw scenes

- has an addicting, well-paced plot, and the overall execution is very, very dramatic (in a good way)

- has an anime but the manga’s way better

- in the underworld of 1980s New York, a teenage gang leader and a Japanese photographer aim to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new drug

- literally every trigger warning ever applies here, so proceed with caution

- mlm, romance is kind of up to interpretation but is more or less canon

- a classic with an intense, no-filler storyline

- a story that follows two roommates who aren’t lovers but also aren’t quite friends as they try to navigate their “nameless” relationship and the struggles that come with it

- more or less slice of life but there’s also a fair amount of angst. personally i wouldn’t consider it a romance