Nagahama to Be, or Not to Be

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I’ve read a lot of boys love and most tend to blend together—these do not. These mangas leave a lasting impression because of one or more of the following qualities:

- compelling/effective and detailed/vivid ART; bonus of distinctiveness in style
- evocative, dynamic, intelligible COMPOSITION
- impactful/cinematic, fluid PANELLING
- gorgeous CHARACTER ART (in terms of physical appearance only); bonus of memorable or iconic character DESIGN
- naturalistic, non-sentimental DIALOGUE
- thoughtful CHARACTERISATION resulting in believable or relatable/multidimensional/complex characters who can exist and are interesting as individuals outside of the romance
- CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT that’s natural, reflected in character action/interiority, and are depicted in depth
- interesting character RELATIONSHIPS that are well-developed, grounded and complex, and/or with bonds that can be felt; irresistible character chemistry
- compelling, creative, coherent (visual) STORYTELLING in which narrative techniques are used deftly to develop the story and its elements
- THEMES are woven into the narrative and are explored in depth and with nuance to provoke thought/give deeper insight or different perspective into a topic

Stack notes:
- Listed for each entry are the notable qualities as described above that distinguish the manga

Hello, it's me again with another list of BL stories! This time I made it by including young characters aka under 20 years old but NOT a shota. If you want to see the adult version of the list, kindly check this out: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/10877
(or you can visit my profile and see the stack "The BL" in Adult Life)

So... I've read quite a lot of BL stories where the characters are underage, but these are the ones I enjoyed and liked the most because they have so much flavor in them. It just tastes like an orange, you know? Sweet, sour, a little bit astringent and bitter yet fresh. Love in youth does taste like that~

That's also the reason why I didn't put titles with slightly heavy topics/themes (Hidamari ga Kikoeru Series, Given, Hana wa Saku ka, Boy Meets Maria, Paradise View, etc) because they have something more than just love and youth. And that doesn't fit my stack concept. I still love them all very much, though!

Anyways, I'll keep updating this stack ♡

[WARNING! Some of the stories here have erotica tag which means it has sexual stuff. I will provide descriptions so that you can avoid them if you feel uncomfortable with such scenes :) thank you~]

Boys love manga with beautiful/aesthetically pleasing (character) art that’s detailed, on the realistic side, and clean & polished, bringing to life characters and creating a good sense of setting. Effective composition & panelling are taken into account too.

Distinctiveness in style is not considered here but in the “Distinctive & captivating art styles” stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/36747

Stack notes:
- I’ve read, am reading, or PTR but have looked through parts of (denoted by “*initial impression”) the listed mangas; stack will be updated accordingly
- Max 2 entries per artist (I’m exercising self-restraint, but safe to assume that other works by the same artist are worth checking out)
- No prequels/sequels included

*Non-BL version of stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/36750

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/42304

Manga/manhwa titles that heavily emphasize mood, atmosphere, and ambiance in their storytelling and artwork.

bestest bois of the best - mostly catered towards the semes ❤️
this stack also doubles as my fav BLs that i would recommend <:


note: won't include "romance" or "smut" in the tags because 99% of the list has them

part 2 of this stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/57591

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more that's not listed on MAL:

Frenemies: Thicker Than Blood [악우] - manhwa; 10/10
❤️ Baek Rigon (seme) x Yeo Haon (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: so green <3 i love him i love him i love him
• i tend to be more attracted to semes but here i love both the seme and uke equally
• their constant bickering is SO FUNNY AND CUTE
• bonus, rigon's a soft dom who has a kink you'll notice in the side stories heheheheheheh
• tags: historical, fantasy, action, comedy, lil bit of angst, drama, childhood friends/rivals to lovers


Big Apple [빅 애플] - manhwa; 8/10
❤️ Juergen Eisler (seme) x Johan Yerpe (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: questionable green flag? cuz like he treats his lover very well but he has very possessive tendencies
• like he'd be the type to literally lock johan in his house to keep him to himself
• big on lack of communication and misunderstandings in this story bc both juergen and johan keep a lot of big secrets from each other :/
• but they're cute together and i'd let juergen lock me up anytime
• tags: fantasy, action, yandere seme, drama, lil bit of angst


Smyrna & Capri [스미르나 & 키프리] - manhwa; 10/10
❤️ Seram Marita (seme) x Theo Peserus (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: so green i thought i was looking into a forest full of lush trees, cured my myopia
• where do i even begin with seram??? on top of being a DROP DEAD GORGEOUS HUNK OF A MAN, he's the sweetest, most gentle, protective and loving soul ever???
• if you read omegaverse, you'll know how alphas often lose all their sense and reason when they're in heat but even then, seram constantly asks for consent and makes sure that theo is not in pain
• and theo?? i love this tsundere power bottom ok i love him so much
• the two of them always take turns being each other's emotional support and pillar of strength, helping to calm the other down whenever things go wrong <3 i will love this couple till i die
• tags: omegaverse/mpreg, enemies to lovers, fantasy, historical, drama, angst


The World Without You [네가 없는 세계] - manhwa; 8/10
❤️ Han Segye (seme) x Woo Yijun (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: red but like... he's trying ;-;
• this one hurt to read. the author really portrayed trauma and depression very realistically here, even till the very end
• a lot of media tend to romanticise mental illness but this story fully shows the ugly and painful side of it for both the person struggling with it and the person who loves them
• tags: author!seme x aspiring actor!uke, psychological, angst, tw!self harm & depression


Love History Caused by Willful Negligence [미필적 고의에 의한 연애사] - manhwa; 8/10
❤️ Lee Wooyeon (seme) x Choi Inseop (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: a red flag that’s on par with yoon seungho from POTN. he gets better once he stops being in denial of his feelings towards inseop but he’s so mentally unstable that i could never say he's a green flag
• wooyeon is literally a diagnosed psychopath so...
• it’s actually heartbreaking to see how often he loses his mind and does the craziest things because of inseop. the guy needs to be checked into a mental institution fr
• wooyeon is a far cry from the title of this stack but in terms of being a yandere, he's definitely one of the best
• tags: yandere seme, psychological, angst, drama, hella non-con


The Pizza Delivery Man and The Gold Palace [피자배달부와 골드팰리스] - manhwa; 9/10
❤️ Doh Woowon (seme) x Kang Seo-An (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: such a gentle and soft spoken green flag
• my heart goes out to seo-an because i understand what it feels like to struggle with panic disorder as well
• woowon's insecurities and heartbreaking inner monologues always make me so sad because it's so relatable
• they are just two hurt souls healing each other ): i wish that i could take all their pain away
• tags: poor!seme x rich!uke, power bottom, drama, angst, psychological, tw!domestic abuse


Willow Love Story [버드나무 로맨스] - manhwa; 9/10
❤️ Lee Reok (seme) x Han Sangyul (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: green flag prince <3
• reok was just the kindest man from the very beginning; even when he first approached sangyul with hidden intentions, he never once treated him with any disrespect and was always so patient and gentle towards him
• sangyul my precious little cinnamon roll ;-; he most definitely deserves all the love and affection reok relentlessly showers him with
• caught myself smiling at so many of their cute moments together, this couple is so sweet plsplspls
• and how they both just want to protect each other )): truly not a single toxic moment between these two
• tags: royalty, drama, omegaverse


Taming the Tiger [눈에 범이 서리다] - manhwa; 10/10
❤️ Beom (seme) x Ahn Geumhu (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: a green flagged killer, if you will <3
• fair warning - prepare to cry your eyes out
• our beautiful beommie only kills to protect his beloved lord. other than that, he's just a quiet giant who only seeks to stay by geumhu's side forever
• like even when they're doing it rough in bed, beom absolutely refuses to let geumhu be in pain, even if geumhu asks for it. BEOM COULDN'T BE MORE OF A GREEN FLAG EVEN IF HE TRIED
• i love how geumhu calls beom the spring to his winter ): words alone cannot capture just how beautiful, passionate and poetic their love is
• tags: historical, power bottom, drama, angst, yandere uke & seme, peasant!seme x noble!uke, tragedy


Dear.Door [디어 도어] - manhwa; 9/10
❤️ Cain (seme) x Do Kyungjoon (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: kinda sus in the beginning since he's a demon lord after all, but he ends up being the greenest green flag ever!!
• THE SMUT IN THIS IS INSANE. the uncensored version almost gave me a nosebleed what the heck it's so intense
• tbh i put this one off for a long time bc the art style is very seinen-action manhwa type which is not my fav but if you already love it then you'll love this, and if you don't, here's me telling you to give it a chance, you won't regret it
• the relationship between cain and kyungjoon will be one of the sweetest and most passionate things you'll ever see
• cain literally be the kind of antihero that's like, the world can burn for all i care, if kyungjoon isn't it. but as long as the love of my life lives on this planet, i'll fight till my death to protect it
• also all the side couples are super cute
• tags: supernatural, fantasy, demon!seme x human!uke, action, drama


Omega Complex [오메가 콤플렉스] - manhwa 10/10
❤️ Choi Taegyeom (seme) x Lee Yoonwoo (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: HE IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE LOVELIEST GREEN FLAGS EVER
• taegyeom is the perfect boyfriend/husband material and i'm crying bc he's not real and i can't have him; he is so loving, so affectionate, so caring, so beautiful
• also i noticed that taegyeom loves to rub his face against the palm of yoonwoo's hand, it's the cutest thing ever HE IS SO BABYGIRL
• yoonwoo is so precious i wanna squish him- i totally understand why taegyeom cannot stop peppering his pretty little face with kisses at every given chance
• tags: omegaverse, childhood friends, drama, school, slice of life


Again [다시] - manhwa; 8/10
❤️ Kang Junil (seme) x Han Nokyoung (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: GREEEEN
• really feels like i'm reading a whole k-drama plot with this one, i love it
• kang junil is such a sweet, protective lover and a freak in the sheets I WANT HIM
• also nokyoung does crossdress a few times in this so if you're into that... (;
• tags: rich chaebol!seme x actor!uke, drama, regression/reincarnation


The Third Ending [세 번째 결말] - manhwa; 8.5/10
❤️ Seo Yoonseul (seme) x Kang Jun (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: he's not a perfect guy but i wouldn't say he's a red flag. just a realistic character making mistakes and doing his best to redeem himself afterwards
• kang jun is the cutest lil bby boi ever )): must protect at all costs
• yoonseul becomes the most devoted lover when they get together, he's so desperate for jun he literally falls apart without him- tbh it's rather satisfying to see him get knocked off his high horse after breaking jun's heart multiple times
• if you love desperate chasing/wooing plots, this is it
tags: office worker!seme x baker!uke, drama, slice of life


Cherry Blossoms After Winter [겨울 지나 벚꽃] - manhwa; 8.5/10
❤️ Jo Taesung (seme) x Seo Haebom (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: such a good boi green flag
• their love story is so perfect and beautiful and wholesome- like if you're looking for fluffy innocent love between two good boys, here you go
• taesung is actually the sweetest guy whose world revolves around his loveable bby haebom
• he hates sweet things but grew to appreciate cakes because haebom loves them. literally started learning to bake just for him ):
tags: school life, cute, slice of life, childhood friends, office/coworkers


Passion [패션] - manhwa; 8/10
❤️ Ilay Riegrow (seme) x Jeong Taeui (uke)
• red or green flag seme?: this man scares me- meaning to say he's RED
• this is on the list because ilay is one hell of a yandere <3 and i love that taeui isn't a pushover
• psychotic murderous seme x hot tempered uke who can fight!
• would your man burn down a forest just to force you to come home with him when you're trying to escape from him? ilay would c:
tags: action, drama, yandere seme, non-con, enemies to lovers

just beautiful art from BL stuff that's candy for my eyes, nothing to do with whether the story is good or bad (because i'll admit there's some bad ones here)

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part 1 of this stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/42294
part 2 of this stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/43236
part 4 of this stack: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/54472

*i have a non-BL version of this list as well: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/42518

--

more that's not listed on MAL:
• Spinel [스피넬] - manhwa
• Plaything: The Grand Duke's Boytoy - manhwa
• Bitten by Moonlight [다빛에게 물리다] - manhwa
• Mania [열광] - manhwa
• Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun [二哈和他的白猫师尊] - manhua
• Miscreants and Mayhem [개차반] - manhwa
• Non Zero Sum [논제로섬] - manhwa
• Heart Racer [스키드마크] - manhwa
• Wish You: Your Melody from My Heart [위시유] - manhwa
• Shame♡Application [치욕어플리케이션] - manhwa
• Sadistic Beauty BL Sidestory [새디스틱 뷰티 외전 B] - manhwa
• Nineteen Over [라벤더 피는 정원] - manhwa
• Triangle Lover [트라이앵글 러버즈] - manhwa
• The Pizza Delivery Man and The Gold Palace [피자배달부와 골드팰리스] - manhwa
• A Fate Rewritten [걸손전] - manhwa
• Behind the Desk [새빛남고 학생회 고문입니다] - manhwa
• Stigma [허상의 낙인] - manhwa
• Big Apple [빅 애플] - manhwa
• Trick or Treat [트릭 오어 트릿] - manhwa
• Love History Caused by Willful Negligence [미필적 고의에 의한 연애사] - manhwa
• [诱敌深入] - manhua
• [逆转阴阳] - manhua
• Please Sleep With Me [请与我同眠] - manhua
• Global Examination [全球高考] - manhua
• Kill My Love [爱与杀意之夜] - manhua
• [德萨罗人鱼] - manhua
• Yet You Love a Guy Like Him [你却爱着一个他] - manhua
• In The Name Of Bai Ze [白泽之名] - manhua
• My Ex is Begging to Get Back Together Again [前任今天也在求复合] - manhua
• The Movie King Wants to be My Financier [影帝他硬要当我金主] - manhua
• Corrupted Pleasure [贪欢] - manhua
• [少爷不乖] - manhua
• Ogus's Law [奥格斯的法则] - manhua
• On Air [싸불생중계] - manhwa
• Full Time Freelancer [일간알바] - manhwa
• Frenemies: Thicker Than Blood [악우] - manhwa
• Smyrna & Capri [스미르나 & 키프리] - manhwa
• Toxin [톡신] - manhwa
• Love Jinx [러브 징크스] - manhwa
• Runway Hit [런웨이 히트] - manhwa
• Willow Love Story [버드나무 로맨스] - manhwa
• Taming the Tiger [눈에 범이 서리다] - manhwa
• Passion [패션] - manhwa
• Dear.Door [디어 도어] - manhwa
• Omega Complex [오메가 콤플렉스] - manhwa
• Don't Cry, Sunbae! [울지 마세요, 선배님!] - manhwa
• Chase me, Watchdog [ロマンスは番犬と] - manga
• The Third Ending [세 번째 결말] - manhwa
• No Reason [노 리즌] - manhwa
• I'm Being Used as a Toy by the One I Hate [嫌いなアイツの専用オモチャにされてます] - manga
• Business as Unusual [을의 연애] - manhwa
• SLEEP OR SEX (S.O.S) - manhwa
• Alpha Trauma [알파 트라우마] - manhwa
• A Room Without Windows [창 없는 방] - manhwa

more that's not listed on MAL:
• Omega Complex [오메가 콤플렉스] - manhwa
• Frenemies: Thicker Than Blood [악우] - manhwa

All titles published in English (print) by Seven Seas Entertainment.
https://sevenseasentertainment.com/tag/boys-love/

Part.2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/49985
Part.3: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/59924

a compilation of my favorite bl! i prefer bl with 2 masculine men that focuses more on fluff than smut, so that’s what this will mostly be!

[ENG]
One volume mangas published in Poland by Waneko (in the "One volume manga" series).
All information comes from the publisher's website and their store.


[PL]
Jednotomówki wydawane przez wydawnictwo Waneko.
Wszelkie informacje pochodzą ze strony internetowej wydawnictwa oraz ich sklepu.

Even more queer manga published in English through Seven Seas Entertainment.

Part 1: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/54950
Part 2: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/55914
Part 3: https://myanimelist.net/stacks/55937

A continuation of last year's 'Best of the Best BL 2023' interest stack, featuring some personal favorites alongside many new additions that caught my eye this year. As before, this stack is neither ranked nor in order and is based purely on my subjective taste. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the journey of discovery. Take care and happy reading!

BL with good storyline

BL manga that evokes healing, soothing, calming, comforting feeling.

*updates whenever I find something new