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☆ 4.5/5
[18+, Romance, slice of life]
+ friends to lovers
+ manly couple
+ realistic
+ great writing, characters, and development
First BL i've ever read. Two friends re-learning about each other and eventually becoming lovers. So simple with almost no conflict yet it's still my most favorite BL manga ever. Can't say enough how much i love this, it's very close to my heart. Sequel: https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/dear_green/
☆ 5/5
[PG, school life, rom-com, slice of life]
TW: homophobia
+ friends to lovers
+ hilarious
+ made my heart race with just 1 hand holding scene
+ great side characters
+ well written and drawn
One of my absolute favorites. The romance is so pure and lovely that my shriveling old man heart exploded million times while reading this. It's funny, absurd, but also realistic with good life lesson and well written relationship between the characters that doesn't feel shallow at all.
☆ 5/5
[PG, supernatural, slice of life, drama]
TW: non-sexual non-con, manipulation, child abuse, cult, ghost, murder
+ bromance
+ AMAZING writing and characters
+ interesting plot and good world building
"Not a horror movie, but a profound study of human relationship". That's how one of the MCs described the movie "exorcist", and that's also how i'd describe this manga. The more you read the story, the more you'd realize there's nothing like it in the BL manga scene. It's just Super Good.
☆ 5/5
[PG, romance]
TW: age gap (45 yo with early 20s), toxic workplace
+ strangers to lovers
+ short but well developed
+ the tenderest tender to ever tendered
+ beautiful art and writing
What a beautifully made strangers to lovers story. Each panel is like a well cinematographed movie scene. I loved the way the author used horse-racing as the MCs' shared interest as well as a symbolism for the lucky / serendipitous encounters between them.
☆ 5/5
[PG, drama, slice of life, found family]
TW: suicidal thoughts, homophobia, internal homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia
+ friendship/bromance
+ good representation of LGBT+ characters
+ realistic
+ great writing and beautiful art
- a stereotypical depiction of an asexual character
Best LGBT+ manga i've found so far. Harsh but hopeful, this manga is exactly what i wish i'd read growing up.
☆ 5/5
[18+, supernatural, mystery, drama]
TW: graphic crime (ie. gore, rape, infanticide, etc.), child abuse, age & size gap
I died a little reading this. Like honestly i feel like crying. How am i gonna read anything else after reading something this well written? It's literally one in a million: original plot, GREAT writing, well thought of panels and good art direction, lovely characters. Absolutely one of my most favorites. Prologue: http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/stigmata_seikon_sousa/
☆ 5/5
[PG, psychological, drama]
TW: bullying, manipulative & abusive family, child abuse, mental illness, trauma, suicide attempt
+ great and realistic writing
+ character growth
+ ND representation
+ happy ending has never been THIS well deserved
I'm actually still screaming while writing this. Man, the amount of heartache this manhwa gave me. I didn't expect it to be this beautiful and heartbreaking. It'll definitely stay with me for a long time.
☆ 5/5
[PG, school life, hurt/comfort]
TW: pedophilia & rape (not between MCs), child abuse, gender normativity, PTSD, body disphoria
+ great coming of age story
+ beautiful writing and art
+ good characters and development
+ genderfluid character
This manga is... i'm not gonna lie and say that it was easy to read, at least for me. I think this manga has a degree of realness that will hurt, touch, and give you hope. I'm sure it'll be very difficult to find another manga like this.
☆ 5/5 so far
[PG, slice or life, hurt/comfort, found family]
TW: abuse, violence, bullying, ableism
The original novel is honest to god one of the greatest coming of age works i've ever read. It's complex and heart-wrenching, but also funny, tender, and so hopeful. I can't describe how much love i have for these characters, and seeing them in manhua form is totally an amazing experience. Read the novel: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/saye/
☆ 5/5
[18+, drama, slice of life, romance]
TW: depression, suicidal thoughts, boss-employee relationship
+ no power imbalance
+ relatable MC
+ good depiction of depression
+ realistic & beautifully written
This still resonates deeply with me, probably because i can identify myself as the MC. A very beautiful story about finding a reason, no matter how small, to keep on living.
Messages
You made such an amazing list, you have amazing taste !! Thank you for this. ┗( T﹏T )┛
Commenting for myself to see, completed upto pg 10
I keep on coming back to this list over the years to discover new faves, it hits exactly my sweet spot, thank you for helping me keep faith that ppl don't just care for indulgent trash and for sharing this with the rest of us <3
Thank you so much for this list
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this list is a lifesaver honestly. im trying to avoid 18+ stuff so having the ratings is a godsend ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
Happy to help!
omg look at this ANGEL tysm for your hard work making this list! you are a blessing to a picky reader like me <3
Glad this list could help :D
Omg i can speak
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what does non sexual non con mean lmfaooo
It's as it says! Non consensual but not in sexual way, or forcing someone to do something with no relation to sex whatsoever. The term "non-con" is associated with "rape" afterall, and i didnt want people to misunderstand.
I'll fr use this list, it's so hard finding decent bls, most just Romantize pedophilia r4p3 and abuse, omgg love uu
Thank you! Glad you liked the list "D
Hey, I've been on here for ~5 years. I have some recommendations. Lemme know if you want some. You can also check my list if u want
some of the 'age gap' tags are just a way to soften the blow to practically pedophilia, whats the point of no rape if theres a romantic relationship with a minor
Can you point out which manga is it? I'll delete it if there's a relationship between a minor and an adult. Thanks!
Fr
The fact that a [no rape between mcs] category is needed clearly shows an issue with how homosexual relations are portrayed..
I think theres a balance in this. Stories with topics like rape are sometimes important--not because of the rape itself but how it is handled. I do not condone romantic relationship between a rapist and their victim. But sometimes good stories that depict healthy relationship DO have rape scenes in them. Hence, the [no rape between MCs] title. Because i want people to be warned that yes, this list does have manga with rape scenes, but not between the MCs, and the rape act is never fetishized or romanticized. It is treated like the crime that it is. If you find mangas in this list that romanticize rape, please tell me so i can remove them.
There's the same amount if not ore rape/abuse in heterosexual romance stories, there's just more heterosexual stories in general meaning that there are also more healthy ones. The romance industry in general has a huge problem with the portrayal and normalization of abusive or toxic relationships. Also, no rape between MCs doesn't mean anything as to how homosexual relations are portrayed because what that means is that the rape is probably used as a plot device to one of the character's trauma or an explanation to their attitude/behavior. It's not romanticizing/fetishizing/normalizing rape, it's actually doing the opposite typically showing the (negative) effect it had on the character. ╮(￣▽￣)╭