Youth

School setting. VERY slow burn so prepare your heart.

Completely by accident (and nonchalant observations), Yuiji finds out that one of his classmate, Yamato, is gay and in love with Yuiji's best friend. One thing leads to another and they become rather close friends who confides in one another, but is there something else...?

I really like how every character, even the side characters are being depicted so vividly. makes you feel a deep connection to the story

School setting + band setting. Kinda slow but i enjoyed every part of the ride.

Uenoyama dedicated his life to music but lately he feels like losing his excitement/passion. That's when he came across Mafuyu, looking like a lost puppy asking Uenoyama to fix the strings of his guitar. The budding love between two highschool boys while they play/learn/create music together

The side characters' stories are really interesting too!

University setting.

After a chance encounter, Taichi offered to take notes in class for Kouhei, a fellow student with hearing impairment, in exchange for daily bentos. The simple-minded but kind Taichi, and Kouhei who faced small but enduring daily struggles with his disability, what will become of their story?

I think it's a very realistic and insightful depiction of the struggles faced by deaf and hearing-impaired people. A lot of interesting side characters too!

School setting.

Shunta and Tamaki are childhood friends, but Shunta starts having impure thoughts about Tamaki. As they grow up together as friends, how will they cope with having these desires, that according to everyone around them is 'wrong'?

I really like the storytelling from Shunta's point of view about his budding feelings ever since they're childhood friends until they're in highschool, how he slowly come to terms with his sexuality and his desire for Tamaki.

School setting.

Sorry I had to sneak a non-BL story in this list but when we're talking about youth, ofc we can't forget this!

A story about a group of friends from an all-boys school in their last year of high school. Last club activities, last summer together, last school festivals, last-minute love confessions, impulsive decisions, attending the last weeks of classes, studying for exams, supporting each other through it all. It really captures the most beautiful moments of youth!

School setting.

Himari is a normal high school freshman, aside from the fact that he's awkward around girls and completely clueless about anything sexual-related. His new friend in the all-boys high school, Gaku, offered to teach him. It's a story of two highschool boys who started as best friends as they explore their sexual confusions

University setting.

It's a story about how love grows between Lihuan, a brooding junior with an exceptionally tender heart and Yuyang, a friendly and popular senior who is out-of-the-closet. What I especially like about this story is how it depicts Yuyang, who hides a lot of fear and insecurities under his strong demeanor. I really like how the story highlight the struggle he had to face being out-of-the-closet, especially in his relationship with his parents

School setting.

Nanami, a 1st year on the verge of having to take supplementary classes due to poor grade, and Takanashi, the 3rd year genius senpai with a mysterious and unapproachable aura. When Nanami asked Takanashi to tutor him, he didn't expect to see these soft sides to Takanashi. A very cute story about a senpai and a kouhai trying to make sense of the future ahead of them and the feelings that starts to grow between them

School/dormitory-historical setting (like Japan in the 70s or 80s i guess?).

Asakura enters the all-boys boarding school where he becomes roommates with Tachibana, his childhood friend with whom he had some complicated history with. Their re-encounter opens up memories from their past, as well as doubts about how to deal with the sparks they start to have for each other in the world where everything seems to be going against them

School setting.

Tajima is star-struck the first time he saw Koga's crying face, even though they barely knew each other. But what is he supposed to do when he found out the reason Koga's crying is, in part, his responsibility? It's a very cute love story between two boys trying to understand themselves and each other