Gold Standard (BL) Manga

A manga that pays attention to its setting. It presents both the modern world and the world of the Amish in a way that makes both seem like plausible alternatives. Everything is pitch perfect: the writing, art, characters, and pacing. I highly recommend this for anyone craving BL with greater historical and cultural specificity or just anyone who wants to read a damn good love story that is so much more.

A comic and melancholic story about a rag-tag team of sex workers from various walks of life-almost an ensemble piece even as it builds beautifully to its end-game romance. Recommended if you're looking for a manga that does the sex work trope right, seamlessly blending comedy and drama without ever losing its connection to the mundane and small lives of its cast of chequered characters who exist at the periphery of society and the economy.

A Western featuring the majestic landscapes and the ever-present threat of violence, yet the narrative feels very personal and immediate; it is tender and tense, carried by the fantastic, almost cinematic style of the drawings as much as the restrained writing. I highly recommend this to any BL fan craving a romance that is mercifully free of the usual saccharine cliches of the genre, a story with great writing, perfect pacing, and fabulous art.

A manga that both avoids genre cliches while commenting on them. The first half is a coming of age story about one gay teen's unrequited love for his straight childhood friend, and it is a joy to watch the MC struggle, learn, and grow from the experience. The second shows the unglamorous way that actual adults often interact when in an affectionate sexual relationship. Realistic characters, excellent writing, good treatment of gay characters, sweet as hell, one of the absolute best.

This is a phenomenal shounen-ai story featuring two unforgettable characters, a fully realized dystopian setting, and excellent pacing. I wholeheartedly recommend this to any BL fan who is looking for a well-paced dystopian adventure taking place in the (not so distant) future with an incredible scope, a well-realized world, and one of the most compelling couples in the genre.

About middle aged men who have been good friends since their school days. It does a good job of plausibly explaining why they have failed to get together after all these years. Funny (and sexy) as hell, it has a streak of genuine human warmth that comes from its humor as much as anything else. read this if you want a rollicking good story with a lot of humor and some surprising moments of pathos and longing, featuring leads with excellent chemistry. Dynamic and expressive art, too.

Sweet, lightly comedic vignettes about an established couple, delightful in its attention to the details of everyday cohabitation. The couple feels like they have been together for a long time, and their easy familiarity shines through on every panel and avoids sliding into an overly idealized picture of domestic partnership. recommended if you are in the mood for a cozy and gentle slice of life that manages to avoid being cloying or boring by virtue of its above par characters and writing.

Maybe Basso's best work to date, showcasing her strengths as a mangaka: concern for ordinary, unglamorous people, attention to the minutiae of the inner lives of her characters, and principled disregard for the easy or sentimental. Her attention to mundane detail makes Hayama's transition from desultory observation of a stranger on a train to a personal revelation and deep feeling achingly plausible. Beautifully observed and tightly paced, recommended to anyone who likes thoughtful, mature BL.

As an historical story attentive to the specificity of its setting while being very human in scale. As a romance, the buildup is written plausibly and maturely, with interesting leads and pitch perfect pacing. Highly recommended if you want an historically textured story well-plotted, non-formulaic, exquisitely written.