Heuristic's (Completed and Reviewed!!) 4 and 5 Star BL Manga PART I

Really nice low-key story. Feels a bit more realistic than most stories in this genre - side-stories are nice, but could be a bit more developed. Nice few pages developing the side characters also made me wish there was more about them in the main plot line. But all in all nicely drawn and well told.

Definitely a fun read if you can turn your brain off. Main couple is deeply dysfunctional (/mutually abusive), but there is something about the light-hearted, comedic tone of the manga and the endearing absurdity of the characters that works (at least for me). While they are terrible human beings, I enjoyed their dynamic.

This manga takes a yaoi trope (childhood friends-to-lovers) and executes it with a somber realism that makes their misunderstandings feel organic and not at all contrived. By making readers privy to the inner thoughts and hopes of both characters, this manga reaches a level of realism and poignancy rarely achieved in the genre. Both characters grow as people as a result of their relationship, and this story is very much about the power of love without being in any way cheesy or unbelievable.

A really refreshing yaoi story with genuinely funny comedy. What sets this one apart is both its (relatively) mature attitude about sex and its tight pacing. Definitely a worthwhile read (if fun and light).

Feeling left out of the dynamic his brother has with his best friend, the younger brother forces a kiss on him. Ten years later, they reunite, and the younger brother, ridden with guilt, has to let go of the past and fall in love again. One of the more interesting stories about reuniting with a first love - feels a bit more real than many others like it. The art's nice too. Ends with a short about a strange encounter an author has while vacationing in a remote seaside inn.

It is really the only yaoi manga I have read of that portrays a fat person as attractive and sexually desired/desireable, and that is such a refreshing change. Gets 5 stars from me for actually daring to go a little further with a story about a fat person than any other yaoi I've read, and for having a thoroughly likeable protagonist and an engaging story.

I have (considerably) more thoughts on this - check out my full review on my home page if you're curious.

This is a classic (and very smutty) yakuza-with-a-heart-of-gold story. While it is not perfect, it deals w/trauma & victimization in a way that I find refreshingly nuanced. There is a defined seme/uke dynamic, but the conventions of the genre are pretty thoroughly flipped, given the characters' respective personalities and backstories. Part of what makes this story so erotic is how utterly happy the couple is to be having sex with one another. See my page for more a detailed review.

The characters in this story are better defined than they usually are in yaoi. The POV main character particularly so, given he is a self-pitying sh*thead who would rather lash out at the person he loves than actually risk being vulnerable. It's a good read, with nice art and a refreshingly flawed POV character.

The characters are fairly flat, but the mystery keeps the manga going at a good pace. The focus is evenly split between the romantic/sexual drama and the corporate intrigue, and the plot is nicely conceived. The mystery really does set it above your run of the mill yaoi. Diverting if not substantial fare.