First of all, Iâm not a hardcore BL fan. Yes, I read some and I was once in that short-phase when I only want to read BL and no others. But I immediately got bored and since then, I considered myself as a picky BL reader. From like probably dozens of BL manga iâve read, thereâs only 4-5 that have become my favorite  manga which by heart I have still remembered the title and the characterâs names.Â
Picky reader, yes I am. Mostly BL manga iâve read (not fave) have the same pattern of story line.
First or two meetings, have sex, fall in love then have sex again, END
Have a crush, confused, have sex, then fall in love, END
Either they fall in love first then have sex or have sex first then fall in love, basically itâs just around like that.Â
When I read BL, my favorite tends to have these important aspects:
Mature plot and good story line. I dont really like gay high schooler theme, maybe because Iâm too old enough for school romance.
Strong characters. My type of uke should be the one whoâs blunt, beautiful, sassy, arrogant, smart, badass, not too feminine in appearance, manipulative, acting all strong and tough but vulnerable and insecure inside, basically characters that remind me of a cat or fox. While the seme should be the one who can endure the pain, kind, dependable, patient in love (but not really in bed lol), masculine (with preferable short hair), calm and quiet, friendly in a proper way, sometimes stupid, or just basically that aura that screams âdad!!â (tf is wrong with my type)
Drawing. Iâm not a really a big fan of big doe eyes uke or round face kawaii gay art. I like something like a dark angst one and a drawing which can tell the expression of the character so well, especially the sad one. I also like a drawing that dont really show too much dialogue. The way of the mangakas draw the expresion of their characters is my judgment to tell if the manga is worth reading for me or not.
Here are my favorite BL manga so far.
Saezuru Tori Wa Habatakanai (Twittering Bird Never Fly)
Summary: Yakuza Yashiro, who only ever loved Kageyama, meets a new bodyguard, Doumeki Chikara. Unfortunately, the latter is impotent. The masochistic, lewd and beautiful yakuza Yashiro and his silent, clumsy, impotent subordinate, Doumeki. This is the story of a man who has never known happiness and of a man who is reborn by getting to know him.
In order to understand this story, reader have to read the previous works of Yoneda Kou called âDonât Stay Goldâ then âTadayoedo Shizumazu, Saredo Naki mo Sezu (is tossed by the waves but doesnât sink, and yet doesnât cry)â. While Dont Stay Gold put the focus more to Yashiroâs love interest and his boyfriend, it is still important to read it first to understand the character that affects yashiroâs in saezuru. The Tadayoedo Shizumazu, Saredo Naki mo Sezu is a prequel and a strong preface for saezuru focused on Yashiro. Reading those prequels for me is as important as reading the main story (Saezuru) because it helps me to relate and understand more to the emotion of the characters.
This is my most favorite BL manga so far. The plot story is great, the characters development are great, and the drawings are so beautiful that it hurts it makes me cry. Â At a glance, it probably looks like a story just about kinky sex judging by the first and second cover but actually it is not, itâs beyond than that. The kinky sex and the masochist behaviour of the main character are not the only and main issue here. The angst, the pining, both the internal and the external conflict in this story are so on point. They involved characters that you cannot just ignore. They all have roles to the story which matters. I also feel the sexual tension between two main characters is like a thick bomb that once itâs eventually blown up, itâs going to be amazing lol. But really, itâs more than that. Donât forget the strong emotion that the characters have here. Yoneda Kou gives the readers a high quality BL reading that is worth waiting. Â Plus, itâs about yakuza which I have a weakness with.
Soredemo Yasashii Koi O Suru (Even So, I Will Love You Tenderly)
Summary: Romance intensifies in this one-volume follow-up to Doushitemo Furetakunai. Our two young lovers met as supervisor and subordinateâwhen the boss was hungover in the elevator! What kind of love can spring from such an awkward start? The kind full of patience and gradual understanding or just another heartache?Â
 This is basically a Spin-off of Onoda and Deguchiâs from Doushitemo Furetakunai. Yep, before you read this, read Doushitemo Furetakunai (not touching at all). In all honesty I like Soredemo better than Doushitemo. The reason is probably the characters. I didnt mean to compare but the uke in this series is just my type than in Doushitemo. Plus, the unrequited love theme has always been my weakness. I love how their relationship started from bestfriend, one-sided crush then later bloomed into mutual attraction and romance. I read this many time and it still gets me a hard pang in my heart in the middle of read but then warm and happiness in the end.
Honto Yajuu  (Like A Beast)
Author: Yamamoto Kotetsuko
Summary: Ueda Tomoharu is a cop manning a local koban station, and heâs quite happy with his job and relatively quiet life until he happens to run into yakuza member Gotouda Aki while chasing down an underwear thief⊠and is suddenly confessed to! Aki doesnât seem bothered in the least about their star-crossed lovers status and eagerly dives into a super lovey-dovey relationship with his policeman, but Uedaâs about to find out just how dangerous it can be dating a mobster⊠in more ways than oneÂ
 Again, itâs about yakuza lol. A spoiled and hardheaded son of yakuza falling in love with a nice handsome friendly policeman.  Rather than dark angst and mature plot story, itâs more like comedy, to be honest. Itâs fluff, warm and light read but itâs still good story with good characters and nice art. Reading this makes me giggle as the story tells the daily life of the main couple established relationship. But it doesnt mean the story is just full of sunshine and rainbow. There are hard times that they have to get through, they fight like a normal lovers, jealous over their ex-s, the miss-communication leads to wrong assumption which adds the spices in their relationship, etc. But the problems are not around them alone, sometimes there are also stories about other people that they help to resolve. And so far, the plot line hasnt gotten me bored yet. In fact, itâs refreshing and interesting to follow.
Summary: Masato Karashima is a âtransporterâ, a man paid to smuggle anything from guns to drugs to people. When heâs hired by yakuza gang member Masaki Hozumi, he finds himself attracted to the older man, and what starts out as a business transaction quickly spirals into a cat-and-mouse game of lust and deception.
If thereâs a flaw about this BL, I would say.. itâs too short. This has potential as good as Saezuru. It has good plot line, my kind of taste of characters, and as usual presented by Yoneda Kou, a very good art. This is just sooo good.
Note: thereâs a sequel to this called Night One Month After, itâs only 8 pages but itâs worth it. Kind of like epilogue tho.
Summary: When the President got into an accident, Shirotani Tadaomi met Kurose. On their very first meeting, Kurose could tell right away that Shirotani is Mysophobic and said that itâs pretty bad while suggesting it would be better to consult a doctor about it. Shirotani was left perturbed by the encounter. Who is Kurose? And how was he able to tell Shirotaniâs condition?
Okay, I usually dont really like this type of uke but the seme here makes it all up lol. I read this pure because i was so curious. Everybody likes this series, in many BL read recommendations, this one is often mentioned. And yes, I realy really like the drawing. It is so good. I would say the story and the character of shirotani is not strong enough to reach my satisfaction level. But the sexual tension in the first dozen chapters of its series is enough to make me all giddy and frustrated. The conflict is actually not rich enough to explore since itâs more about internal conflict in the ukeâs point of view. But still, Kuroseâs character is strong yet mysterious i cant help but follow its update.
Summary: In a city where the law has been rendered non-existent, Yuki and his best friend Tetsu break into the offices of the Seidoukai to steal in a desperate attempt to finance his ailing brotherâs hospital bills. They ultimately fail but instead spark the interest of the mobâs young leader, Kazutaka Hyodo, who offers Yuki a deal he canât refuse: pay him a visit at his office once a week and all hospital bills will be taken care of. Yuki accepts without hesitation and in order to keep his end of the deal, starts paying Hyodo the visits he asked for.
Once again, itâs yakuza theme of  story lol. What makes this interesting for me is the fact that they have two pairings who are equally important to the story. One of the pairings is my type of pairing and it makes me to keep sticking on to this series. Almost like Saezuru, but the external conflict are more dominating and complex. But the angst is there, the character development, the flashbacks  of the background story for each character makes you wonder how is like the story gonna end.
I consider these manga and the beautiful art as a good literature
