Interest Stacks

Outstanding/Memorable BL

Manga
byiliad33
Jul 02 2023, 9:33 AM | Updated Oct 26, 2023 8:07 AM
I’ve read a lot of boys love and most tend to blend together—these do not. These mangas leave a lasting impression because of one or more of the following qualities:

- compelling/effective and detailed/vivid ART; bonus of distinctiveness in style
- evocative, dynamic, intelligible COMPOSITION
- impactful/cinematic, fluid PANELLING
- gorgeous CHARACTER ART (in terms of physical appearance only); bonus of memorable or iconic character DESIGN
- naturalistic, non-sentimental DIALOGUE
- thoughtful CHARACTERISATION resulting in believable or relatable/multidimensional/complex characters who can exist and are interesting as individuals outside of the romance
- CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT that’s natural, reflected in character action/interiority, and are depicted in depth
- interesting character RELATIONSHIPS that are well-developed, grounded and complex, and/or with bonds that can be felt; irresistible character chemistry
- compelling, creative, coherent (visual) STORYTELLING in which narrative techniques are used deftly to develop the story and its elements
- THEMES are woven into the narrative and are explored in depth and with nuance to provoke thought/give deeper insight or different perspective into a topic

Stack notes:
- Listed for each entry are the notable qualities as described above that distinguish the manga
Manga, 2020Finished1 vol, 7 chp

Minagi and Aki have been friends since high school. Minagi was a "genius," with the promise of a future in medicine... Aki was working to become a professional football player. Now, years into the future, Minagi became a host and Aki took over his grandfather's hair salon. One day, Minagi, oblivious to Aki's feelings towards him, shows up and asks to stay at Aki's house. Will their relationship finally make it to the next stage? (Source: BL Tsundoku Scans)

Serializationgateau
7.17
675
Manga, 2018Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Kasumi and Kyousuke are polar opposites when it comes to personality. Kasumi is reserved, soft-spoken and shy; Kyousuke is energetic and has always been popular among their peers. As the saying goes though, opposites have a tendency to attract, and these two have been fast friends since elementary school. To Kasumi, Kyousuke has always been a hero to look up to, someone who supports him and saves him from the bullies. But now, school is over; their relationship suddenly becomes a lot less simple to describe. Facing the world—and one another—as adults, both men find there are things they struggle to say out loud, even to each other. (Source: Tokyopop)

SerializationCanna
7.31
3.1K
Manga, 2018Finished1 vol, 7 chp

In front of a camera, roommates Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Ootomo make three promises: Mao must not tell anyone Hisashi is gay and in a relationship with another man; Hisashi must never fall in love or make any advances on Mao; and one must not disturb the other's "personal time." Thus begins their second year of cohabitation. However, everything starts to crumble when the film club—of which Mao is a member—wants to cast Hisashi in the lead role for their upcoming movie. The problem arises with the movie's plot, as it is about boys' love—a romance between a delinquent and the class president. Mao is adamant to dissuade Hisashi from becoming the protagonist due to their first promise; but, to his surprise, Hisashi is easily convinced by the director. After imagining Hisashi as the delinquent he is playing, Mao becomes overly conscious of his presence. He knows Hisashi is just a friend and out of his reach, but Mao cannot keep lying to himself anymore—his feelings toward his roommate may no longer be purely platonic. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

AuthorJanome
SerializationHoney Milk
ThemeSchool
7.69
4.3K
Manga, 2019Finished1 vol, 7 chp

Meet Jin Kikuchihara, a popular 3rd-year dormitory student at a Boys' School and the President of their Movie Club. In the school, Kikuchihara is practically a god. No one can resist his immaculate eyebrows, perfect grades, physical fitness, and confident personality... except his rival Giichi Ichikawa, a lanky 2nd year student and fudanshi. Ichikawa's overwhelming passion for directing and devotion to quality have made him into the rising star of the Movie Club, threatening Kikuchihara's supremacy of the club. But when these two rivals with their similar interests are forced to share a room, sparks are bound to fly! (Source: Kodansha, translated)

AuthorJanome
SerializationHoney Milk
ThemeSchool
7.45
1.2K
Manga, 2016Finished1 vol, 7 chp

Even though Chihiro is Shuuto's cousin, his neighbor, and a guy, Shuuto has had feelings for him for five years. Shuuto knows nothing good could come from these feelings. That doesn't stop Shuuto from kissing his cousin...and touching himself. When Chihiro catches Shuuto kissing him, Shuuto soon realize his unrequited love might still have hope. (Source: Fantasista Inc.)

SerializationGougai onBLUE
6.76
589
Manga, 2020Finished1 vol, 7 chp

Zen and Ryo have been rivals since high school. By chance, they get jobs in the same company and start competing against each other. Both are sore losers. And one day, when they are having drinks after work, the topic turns to love and romance and the argument gets heated as usual, only to find out that they have a silly competition to see who will cum first is the loser. That naturally leads to the intercourse but still disputing on the bed, they come up with the next new competition...whoever makes the other fall first is the winner! Both are good at business but too bad at love, what will become of Zen and Ryo's love competition!? (Source: Takeshobo)

SerializationQpa
ThemeWorkplace
7.52
1.5K
Manga, 2016Finished1 vol, 8 chp

Promiscuous and obsessed with sex, Ryo Emoto has spent almost his entire life in the pursuit of pleasure. By his side since high school is his best friend and roommate, Yuuji Akanishi—a fellow nymphomaniac. Forming a brotherhood through their unrestrained sex life, the two have been engaging in threesomes for as long as they can remember. Their nightly exploits follow a routine: after the charming Akanishi ropes in a loose woman, Ryo is introduced with the prospect of a threesome, and they then head to a hotel to have sex. However, one night, an unfortunate accident occurs during fellatio, and Ryo's penis is put out of action. As a benevolent friend and sympathetic pervert, Akanishi offers to help Ryo achieve sexual stimulation through other means. With Akanishi opening his eyes to the wonders of anal and the prostate, Ryo is able to achieve gratification even with his damaged goods. He starts to develop an addiction, but as he begins to become more aware of Akanishi, he realizes that things aren't so simple between them. With their pasts coloring their actions in the present, the darker motives and emotions of these two sex addicts will soon unravel before their very eyes. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

AuthorHinako
SerializationBaby
6.96
2.3K
Manga, 2017Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Satomi currently works as an apprentice gardener and is in a complicated relationship with a soon-to-be-married man. He used to be a teacher, but he thought of himself as a sorry excuse of a teacher back then and even until now. Though one student still lingers in his memories, memories which he's trying so hard to forget. As fate would have it, Satomi meets his student again: Usui, now grown up and a teacher. Will the two of them be able to settle things from eight years ago and find closure? (Source: Fantasista Inc.)

AuthorSenmitsu
Manga, 2017Finished2 vol, 10 chp

One day, on the roof of the old school building, Shuuichirou Hayakawa and Ryouhei Konno meet by chance while skipping class. Over the next three months, after repeated encounters in this same space, the two strike up an incidental friendship. Konno has a reputation for being intimidating and difficult to speak to, but he is surprisingly forthcoming about his love for photography. Hayakawa envies the fact that his friend does not have to hide or make excuses for his passion. Although Hayakawa is always singing under his breath absentmindedly, he appears to have an aversion to music, and this contradiction piques Konno's curiosity. For how long can he keep pressing for answers before his questions push Hayakawa too far? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

AuthorEnjou
ThemeSchool
7.61
3.4K
Manga, 2017Finished1 vol, 8 chp

Yuuta and Ritsu have been playing baseball together since they were children, but after being defeated in a local tournament over the summer, they must retire from the high school team to study for university entrance exams. Still, Yuuta finds himself unable to give up his lingering attachment to baseball. The one person who can truly understand him is Ritsu, who has been acting worryingly distant since they quit the team. But there's something Yuuta himself doesn't understand... Does he think of Ritsu as his partner in the way that a teammate would, or is the affection between them something stronger? (Source: Tokyopop)

SerializationLynx
ThemeSchool
7.44
1.4K
Manga, 2017Finished1 vol, 7 chp

Touichi Mashimo is a famous actor renowned for playing princes and gentlemen. After learning that his favorite playwright will be directing a play, Touichi challenges himself to branch out from his usual roles. At the audition, Touichi meets a young and lively Kakeru Matsumoto. Being paired up to audition together, Touichi is enraptured by Kakeru's acting. The pair end up booking the roles of lovers and are assigned to live together as their roles to immerse the play with their reality. Will they be able to separate their emotions from their professional ones? (Source: Fantasista Inc.)

N/A
161
Manga, 2020Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Tatsunoshin, an aspiring cook, and Nanami, a diver, are close childhood friends who, before they knew what happened, were even masturbating together. For the sake of changing how he's always doting on Nanami, Tatsunoshin decides to leave the island. But Nanami won't give him up, saying "Leaving the island won't change that I'm the most important person to you." (Source: Frontier Works, translated)

SerializationDaria
7.08
473
Manga, 2020Finished1 vol, 8 chp

Since they were kids, Takeo has looked after his next-door neighbor Wako. Though they are the same age, Wako was very sensitive to the cold and would often fall so sick he had to miss school, days at a time. But now, Wako is stronger than before, perhaps thanks to Takeo's incessant care... or perhaps because Wako has been fighting a silent battle every single day... Being next door neighbors with the love of your life, having them sneak into your room at night and sleep in your bed, walking to school together every day, and watching them date others while having to support them would make anybody stronger... Wako wants to stay by Takeo's side for as long as possible. He doesn't mind if Takeo finds a girlfriend and has mentally prepared himself for when Takeo finds a wife. But Wako's world flips upside down when Takeo says something unexpected like, "I could go for a guy, too." (Source: Fantasista Inc.)

SerializationNUUDE
ThemeSchool
7.34
1.3K
Manga, 2017Finished2 vol, 10 chp

Fresh off of an awful breakup, Shizuma Ikushima ends up heavily intoxicated and wakes up in bed with a strange man the next day. When confronted by Minato Mito, the man with whom he spent the night, Shizuma cannot remember a single detail of the previous evening. His forgetfulness offends Minato, who swears vengeance on Shizuma with a mean-spirited bet to seduce him and break his heart. But despite their rough start, the two grow closer. As they begin to fall for each other, Shizuma struggles with his sexual identity while Minato wrestles with unfamiliar emotions and unresolved trauma. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

SerializationDear+
8.20
9.8K
Manga, 2013Finished1 vol, 5 chp

As the only son of a trading firm, Asakura Michitada enters the dormitory at an all-boys school. There, he is put in the same room as his childhood friend and only person he could trust, Tachibana. But for Asakura, their reunion is something of a more complicated nature (Source: Hoshikuzuu Scans)

SerializationCraft
7.61
2.9K
Manga, 2019Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Minehito is a professional interviewer covering the famous idol group Strobe☆Light, which means he often interacts with the group—especially the group's so-called "Prince Charming" Rui Shina. When the group was starting, it was Rui's charm that caught Minehito's eye on stage, to which the latter decided to help the group kick off to stardom. To Minehito's surprise, Rui was not the prince charming he expected. Instead, he was faced with a talkative and loud persona—Rui's real self, which is constantly kept secret by the group and their manager in vain. Minehito is unfazed, though. After all, everyone has a secret, including himself: his hobby is crossdressing. What happens when Rui, of all people, finds about his secret? (Source: Fantasista Inc.)

SerializationGUSH
6.91
326
Manga, 2020Publishing? vol, ? chp

"I want to be loved, as a person, and as a woman." Misaki Nakamichi (35) is a teacher who has been married for 5 years to her attractive husband. She appears to have a life that many would be envious of. However, the truth is that she has been concerned about her marriage due to the lack of intimacy. Her husband only sleeps with her once a year, on the day of their wedding anniversary. As she continues to question her husband's sexual desire for her, their next anniversary arrives... and she receives a shocking confession from him! (Source: Coamix)

N/A
432
Manga, 2019Finished9 vol, 39 chp

A heated rooftop confession takes place between two men, but not all is as it seems. The good-natured Souta Aoki has had his heart stolen by the angelic smile and kind actions of his female crush Mio Hashimoto. Unfortunately, he is devastated when she lends him an eraser with another classmate's name—Ida—engraved on top. When Kousuke Ida spots his name on the eraser, he is led to believe that Aoki is the one harboring romantic feelings for him. Aoki is left struggling to clear up the situation alone without revealing Hashimoto's feelings for Ida. Fake and honest pinings mix as misunderstandings abound in this heart-pounding triangle of first loves. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

SerializationBessatsu Margaret
ThemeSchool
DemographicShoujo
8.34
17K

For a gacha game enthusiast like Hashimoto, work is essential to earn money for his unusual spending habits. However, his office job serving the cruel demon boss, Makoto Shirase, is a living hell. Whenever he has the time to rest, Hashimoto immerses himself in an online game and often complains to his friend "UMA" about his stringent manager. While the two become close virtually, they mutually decide to arrange an offline meeting. Hashimoto looks forward to finally seeing the person behind the screen, but UMA is someone he least expects... [Written by MAL Rewrite]

AuthorNmura
7.58
3.5K
Manga, 2016Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Takafumi often sees "him," a man that is just his type, at his part-time job. Always in the same seat, always studying, Takafumi couldn't help but notice him. When Takafumi moves into his friend's dorm room, he discovers his new roommate is "him," a college student named Fukumachi. Through a series of coincidences, Takafumi keeps crossing paths with Fukumachi and becomes more entangled with his life. This is...normal, right? (Source: Fantasista Inc.)

Serialization.Bloom
6.89
279
Manga, 2018Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Shuu Sakuma is a handsome and capable man whose external successes hide the scars of a youth marred by isolation and brutal bullying. When a chance meeting brings him face to face with Tsukasa Hayami, the monster that terrorized his school days, he is desperate to hide their connection from his colleagues. Shockingly, Hayami doesn't recognize him, and responding to his desire, he discovers a perverse thrill in having sex with his former tormentor. So begins a story of a game of deception, seduction, and revenge. (Source: Hero Scans)

Serializationgateau
6.88
990
Manga, 2015Finished1 vol, 6 chp

Hibi starts working at his old school as a librarian and reunites with his former senpai, Sugino, who's now a teacher there. Although he confessed to Sugino in high school, he was told that his feelings were a misunderstanding and that he didn't understand the feeling of 'like.' Even so, Sugino now says that he likes Hibi. The feeling Hibi has for Sugino now is no longer love - it is hatred… (Source: xiaojiangworld) Includes Fuantei na Signal (不安定なシグナル; Unstable Signal).

SerializationB's-LOVEY recottia
ThemeSchool
7.00
1.2K

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