Boy’s Love (BL) manga is a unique genre that tells stories about same-gender relationships. Among this genre are various sub-genres ranging from action and fantasy to slice of life and pure romance. While BL can be known for its sexualized storylines and suggestive themes, the genre provides fans with an assortment of stories, large numbers of which don’t contain such content matter.
I Cannot Reach You
It’s a story familiar to numerous LGBTQIA+ societies: queer people keep their feelings for their friends a secret to avoid jeopardizing their friendship. Kimi ni wa Todokanai or I Cannot Reach You flips the premise a little by having Kakeru realize that his childhood best friend Yamato might be deeply in love with him.
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His hunch is nearly confirmed when Yamato nearly confesses to him after Kakeru gets close to a girl at school. Yamato backs off out of fear, yet the stage is set for Kakeru to think about their friendship, and if he feels the same way for his friend.
My Boyfriend Is A Dog
Kentarou is a literal dogman with a face that can scare off kids. Yet, his regular human boyfriend Inukai can see through his stoicism, mostly because of his expressive tail. The cushy couple are as sweet as can be, even through Inukai’s clumsiness and Kentarou’s sensitivity.
Their cute dynamic and sweet daily life structure the basis of My Boyfriend is a Dog or Inukei no Kareshi, a manga where human and Beastars-like animals exist together. Kentarou and Inukai are a perfectly sweet grown-up couple, while Inukai’s workmates, the human Nekomiya and tiger Shimada, are adorably argumentative.
Welcome Home
Albeit the omegaverse trope started as an excuse for writers to get characters to bone together forever, it’s mature enough now to have writers weave in healthcare and real-life concerns. Welcome Home or Tadaima, Okaeri is one such BL, as Hiromu and Masaki Fujiyoshi have to deal with the realities of discrimination.
Hiromu or Hiro is an alpha, whereas Masaki is an omega. In reality, as we know it where the standard is to stick with one’s type, they needed to move to a less discriminatory relationship to raise their son Hikari. Their fresh start isn’t so perfect, as they must still contend with prejudices against their relationship and secondary sexual characteristics.
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Unfortunately, there’s only one volume published in English. Medibang has also seemed to drop the title. Fortunately for fans, Crunchyroll has an English-subbed version of the anime in circulation.
Fangs
Fangs is a vampire BL set in the modern day. It revolves around En, a newly made vampire, and Ichii, an older vampire who works for the organization FANGS. The romance is light in this one, with most of their connection being around blood sharing and satisfying urges. However, En relies on Ichii, and Ichii is starting to fall in love.
Given
Given is a Natsuki Kizu classic that follows the members of a band and their relationships with one another. When Ritsuko Uenoyama finds Mafuyu Sato clutching a broken Gibson guitar, the two connect, however not instantly, and Ritsuko starts teaching Mafuyu the guitar.
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This introduces us to Ritsuko’s band members, Akihiko and Haruki, who become an important piece of the story.
Conclusion
The best manga in this genre represent a mixture of different sub-genres and age-ratings, and offer something for everyone. That being said, it’s difficult to pinpoint “the best” anything, so some favorites might be missed here. BL fans can expect some timeless classics, as well as some new faces, among these recommendations.
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