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

Not a romance, but an intergenerational character study about a gay semi-closeted divorcee and his son. Well-realized and genuine in its feelings - it's optimistic, but also realistic. Very beautiful

This story lacks the heightened emotions & depth of her more serious work. While the romance is still very good, the focus is more on the comedic overreactions of our main character as he comes to terms with being able to see gods & spirits. Overall it is well-paced, has some interesting twists, a solid romance, and is very funny. Recommended if you want a well-written and light romantic comedy with a strange premise that has just the right amount of worldbuilding and (minor) angst.

One of the most fully realized BL manga out there. It does an exquisite job showing the background, anxieties, and psychology of the characters & every step in the developing relationship feels plausible and earned. What drives the plot & the emotional arc of the story isn't the romance; instead, the romance is woven into events in the lives of characters. Highly recommended if you are craving something with wonderful storytelling, characters, and psychological complexity.

A thoughtfully told, achingly beautiful story. The lessons the characters teach one another are just good life lessons in general. (A particular highlight: "Having great strength doesn't mean you're strong. Being violent doesn't mean you're strong. You have to have a gentle heart. Remember this, and you can become strong too.") Recommended if you want a story about moving past childish idealism & coming to recognize an inner beauty in a person that changes and yet, somehow, remains the same.

A good story told with the author's characteristically idiosyncratic, expressive art and feeling for the messy inner lives of her characters. Recommended if you want a student x teacher story that glosses over the inherent problems in such a setup to a certain extent but preserves a nuanced and very human picture of messy relationships and recovery from lost, impossible loves.

Slow-build romance focusing on character development. The plot is driven by the way their interactions force them to confront things about themselves and their respective pasts that each would rather not face. The story is mature, focusing primarily on how they grapple with failure, fears of inadequacy, and envy. With excellent writing & complex characters, this manga is recommendedif you're looking for a story that deals realistically with mundane psychological blockage.

A BL that shows a story can have a typical setup & still be outstanding. Through meticulous pacing & attention to the emotional expectations of the characters, the mangaka depicts ordinary people that feel real. It also has the benefit of having adult sensibilities about relationships & casual sex. Recommended if you have the patience for a nuanced story without any over-the-top drama that maintains a focus on character development and the messy way romance develops out of a friendship.

There is a delicious comedic sensibility throughout, excellent pacing, and, at times, a degree of emotional depth that sets this manga apart from other similar yaoi. The art (which I quite like) is fairly typical of the early-mid 2000s in that it is more comic than beautiful. Each character has a very distinctive look, which is one of this mangaka's consistent strengths.

Part crime drama, part sex comedy, part anti-drug PSA, and all awesome. While this story has many things I typically dislike, I admit I had a blast reading it. The pacing, the cases - even the distinctly dated art style and slight cheesiness - it just works. In any case, it's safe to say that if you liked Fake!, this manga will definitely be your jam. It's just... fun, and the characters are ridiculous. Recommended if you want a buddy-cop story that's a silly and delightful romp.

A restrained manga that eschews contrived drama to focus on the delightfully mundane and plausible dynamics of the couple, whose interactions feel authentic, familiar, playful, and mutually loving. Recommended as a much-needed break from the genre's absurdities but not its setups, a breezy read about a couple with great chemistry and complementary personalities. This is an age-gap story that is handled well.