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My first yaoi and one of the best ever written in my opinion. Continued in 'Sojou No Koi Wa Nido Haneru' (The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice).
i wish i could give this six stars. yashiro and doumeki are probably my favorite yaoi pairing. dark, but highly engaging yakuza/opposites attract story. wonderful art as always. be sure to read "Don't Stay Gold" and "Tadayoedo Shizumazu, Saredo Naki Mo Sezu" before starting the main story.
Really beautifully written and drawn. Somehow both heartbreaking and uplifting. be sure to read the continuation, 'Soredemo, Yasashii Koi o Suru,' as well.
adorable and romantic, maybe the perfect shounen ai- or at least one of the best examples of the genre.
tough but touching story about partner abuse. that probably doesn't sound like a recommendation, but the characters feel real and the writing and art are wonderful. catch the continuations in 'Renai-rubi no Tadashii Furikata,' and the backstory in 'Azami.'
insecure woman takes in a free-spirited young man as her 'pet.' sounds gross but just roll with it- the characters and plot are well-developed. josei.
i just really like this one. sweet, sexy, good characters, even with a kind of cliche story of dorm mates falling for each other. nice art.
i reread this one like once a month, it just touches my heart more than most for some reason. so sweet to see the relationship develop naturally, from the emotional to the physical aspects. loved the art. glad there have been updates recently to see their relationship develop further.
funny, smutty, graphic bara about a god who is sent to earth to make every male homosexual. ridiculously great art.
Stern faced, rabbit loving secretary meets poor, strong college student and falls for him. Cute, warm, silly, and a bit sexy. Great art, fun read.
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What’s top drawer means? Top arts? Or mangas that always draw you to re-read them again and again? XD I love your list btw...
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy the list! I always wondered if people understood the reference in the title, so I am so glad you asked about it! And your take on its meaning would have never occurred to me, even though I really do appreciate great art in manga. So, thank you for sharing that.
Anyway, the drawer in 'top drawer' is like a chest of drawers, one you pull out of the wall or a cabinet and put stuff in. The phrase 'really top drawer' is old slang meaning 'of good quality.' It's in the movie 'Auntie Mame' (the Rosalind Russell version)- this snobby woman refers to some of her equally snobby friends as being 'really top drawer' and I always thought it was a funny phrase, so I used it for the title of my list of (in my opinion) 'top quality' manga. You can look up the phrase on YouTube, it's only a couple seconds long and it's worth hearing in all it's affected glory.
Thanks again for asking, you made my day!
Hey I love this list, I'm so glad you put your opinion in the notes too because it helps me get an idea of what to expect more than just the description. Love this, tysm for putting it together. It certainly is "top drawer"!