There's always that one work that pretty much changed the direction of your life and this one was it. I've always been into BL but PBtC has pretty much made it into part of my identity. All the characters here seem genuinely like people, like Munamu-nim based her work off the actual historical recounting of a homosexual couple in the 19th CE. Just a heads up--su experiences rape/slavery. And there is dubious consent between su and gong...just not in the way you think.
If you had not read this, then you...do not understand...how much these two...fkkn belong together. Soop2rang-nim came in with all the cliche tropes possible and fkkn remade those tropes into breathtaking storylines. She took the stereotypical gong and su, thought of how to make them un-stereotypical, and made it slap so hard that it woke the rock of fate from its sleep. And there's no rape! Proving you can make SSS-tier level drama and tragedy without it!
Yey, this series finally reached the end! This story is the epitome of great execution. The way Seram-ssi handled the reveals and twists were absolutely masterful. The way the characters interacted with the plot blew my gddmn mind. Chp 45 fkkn ended the shit outta me. The fact that these two somehow found the space to still love each other despite this...neverending nightmare...it provided the emotional impact to this already thought-provoking story.
Yo, if anyone wanted me to recommend them a first-time BL, THIS would be it. Or even just as a regular comic recommendation if they're okay with LGBT works. Along with lovable characters, action with plot, comedy that reaches the heart, and no actual explicit scenes, this is the type of BL that I can sincerely envision on a big screen. Tbh, I was so sad when this ended...but good works KNOW when, where, and how to end things, which is what Eresemo-nim did.
This one made me realize my tastes are changing and I'm not sure if that's a good thing. *wheeze* Kuku-san shows the best side of sci-fi with a soldier cyborg who who lost his way in life, thus traveling to another planet to find what he lost. There, who finds him is uke, who has the same tastes as I do. Especially with seme's gentle, devoted nature that simply wants to protect what he cherishes. All the easier to cherish each other. I loved this read so much.
This work of Enzou-san holds a special place in my heart. The way seme and uke bridge the cultural gaps warms my heart past the brim. There are problematic parts to this--how the "aboriginals" have to be portrayed beautiful or the 'manly' vs 'womanly' personality differentiation--but considering that there is no rape or portrayal of how seme's background makes him 'dumb', this gets an absolute super win in my book. And yay for dark skin!
This story is unfinished but it really doesn't matter, I have faith in its ending. The plot is fkkn' exquisite, the art elevates the story, the characters are so well-written, the relationship dynamics give me feels damn it, and it's to a point that rather than only "yaoi", I'd call this an LGBT themed story. Without the attitude of "no, this isn't BL ew", as Ichika-san embraces its identity in the way she has uke + seme embrace their own identities.
This was. Was fkkn. Gorgeous. Seriously, if "yearning" could be an artform, Moyori-san accomplished in creating it. Seme is some kind of mercenary, pressured by his father to continue killing. Uke, being blind, is shunned by his parents out of shame. They met as children then later reunite by some twist of fate. Seme brings light to uke's darkness and brings him back out into the world. Uke brings warmth to seme's cold, cruel world and breathes life into seme's heart.
Omfg, I love Chobom-nim. She's great at turning frustrating situations into incredibly fun and memorable reads. We have gong being a jerk, gong regretting, gong chasing, gong being jealous, and su being precious. Tbh, I would've rated this higher if it were not for the pressure gong puts on su for them to have penetrative sex...but su being such a sucker for gong's face does make up for it. Also, I feel like this portrays the pressure Chobom-nim felt to make sex scenes, so.
This work of Hijiki-san is THE Omegaverse Manga. Good smut, adorable kids, a growing family, deals with the societal ramifications from the existence of pheromones...this is a great and feel-good manga. It starts from high school and continues on through slices of their life. And I love the dynamic between younger, closed-off Seme who does everything he can for his family vs Uke who balances raising his child, dealing with prejudice from being an omega, and the trauma of his past.
A Painter Behind the Curtain