best of the best BL

A slow-burn romance. A true slow-burn—it doesn't feel dragged out nor does it feel that it's taking too long to pick up; rather, the slow development feels natural for the type of story this is & feels rewarding in the moments where you see the relationship slowly build. The characters are nuanced and multilayered, and the story safely steers clear of tired cliches that it could've easily fallen into. Not to mention that the art is gorgeous

Just an incredibly endearing story about 2 young men trying to navigate through their first real relationship, following them through their life as they get into adulthood. What I liked most about this story is that it was character-driven; the plot was simple, but the characters complex, and they acted like real people. The insecurities that come with your first weighted relationship, the euphoria of being so utterly head-over-heels for someone. It's one of the few BL that felt real

(This is a sequel to Pornographer). It was so moving, and I'd go that step further and say quite genuinely beautiful, to read a story about a character learning to open up and accept a new relationship after being guarded for so long and holding an old, first love so close to his chest. Seeing him accept that he can move on and allow himself to experience that feeling again—to love and be loved. Or at least, that's my reading of it. This was seemingly controversial for the ending

While it had a rough start, it eventually fanned out and made me appreciate the complexities and nuances of these characters, and their relationship. What really cemented this as a good BL to me was the ending and epilogue chapters—it added traits to their relationship that I felt made it feel incredibly real. The jealousy, the doubt, and the internal struggle of want & not being able to verbalize everything. They weren't simple characters, so neither was their relationship

I loved the characters and their relationships in this a lot, and what I liked so much about this as well is that their personalities were tied with the plot; with some BL, the characters just find themselves in a situation and their personalities don't otherwise influence it too much. With this, the whole story wouldn't be able to happen with any other characters. The plot exists because of who they are as people. I loved their toxic, co-dependant relationship so much

A straightforward slow-burn romance. I loved the characters, the setting, and the development; it did things other BL so far haven't for me, such as make me laugh. This is the first comedy I actually found to be funny. I liked the dynamic between the characters, the jagged Hams with the puppy Yechan, and Yechan especially I just fucking love. He's experiencing love for the first time and it's just adorable to see him just fall completely into it once he realizes the feelings he ha

This is a BL with 3 couples, all unique in their own right but follow the same base: human x demon. It's mainly on this list because of the last two couples, though the first is still really good. The 2nd couple is incredibly toxic, and while I can obviously see why it's so controversial, the controversial aspects are exactly why I love it. The 3rd couple just has a really fucking bittersweet ending that I just love. Essentially, you watch the rest of the human's life as he lives

This story was really good at atmosphere and mood. There was one scene I'll remember for a long time of Hakdo laying in front of his TV, and his face is illuminated with the soft glow of the television. There's text above the panel saying (something akin to) "this really is goodbye." The author really knew how to paint a scene and grab emotions. The ending too felt really bittersweet, with Hakdo still in love with his best friend but willing to try and move on with Sangho. It

Peak. Both of these characters were so fucked up in their own ways, I fucking loved it. One was incredibly manipulative while the offer suffered rather extremely with attachment issues. It was like these characters were written with me in mind considering just how tailored they are to my specific tastes. The plot was also really good, though it's a type of plot that's tied directly to the characters personalities so that's to be expected. Plot is basically just "manipulation.

This story was fucking great. Maybe it had some flaws, but the most important thing to me was the emotions it had managed to provoke. I was crying like a bitch. Like throat hurting, face tight type of cries. The plot was so unique but also funny and lent itself greatly to angst. I loved the natural build of the relationship between the two men and the inherent angst of it that was focused on later in the story. Despite being 12 chapters it didn't feel rushed nor did it feel lacking