Kubo did good, making Hitsugaya legalNoé puts the Shaft head tilt in its placeGojo has the whole set, complete with a whore personalityNanami lucked tf out snatching this mancan't believe they wouldn't let him commit bioterrorismwtfmanflashily asking when my turn will be
what a conceited little brathow can one be so strong yet so small at the same time omgno explanation needed herewithout exception i find it the cutest thing when characters fantasize about a future with their crush
i love it when two shitheads get togetherthey literally bring out the best in each other. case and point: Wangji is no longer a tsundere
i don't care that Elaine is a loli when technically she's the predator here
gil is v relatable in that he only has one friendboys who wear short shorts together stay togetherthey really bring out the worst in each other
revised to be actually objective fr.
A Declaration of Revenge
This was such a concise story; there was only just the amount of content needed to make a cohesive, coherent, and overall well put together narrative. Towards that end, “show-not-tell” was prevalent, which makes the experience so much better because you get to ponder the characters’ actions and their motivations by yourself. The main characters were great, both unhinged in their own rights, and their romance was very believable. In a story like this, one would expect the main character’s feelings to be Stockholm Syndrome-y, but surprisingly it was not—because that would be out of character. Rather, the main characters' feelings towards each other were actually very similar in nature: their obsessions with each other somehow devolved into completely unrelated romantic feelings.
Glasses cloth and playlist
By all means this deserved to be at the top of this list. Surely even sliced bread would concede its spot, enamored by how well it pulls off enemies to lovers, how it shows actual chemistry and tension between the main characters, how well the art conveys emotion, and how lovable the mcs are. Alas, even mountains are plateaued with time.
Ookami wo Katte imasu
There’s so many ways to needlessly overanalyze this manga and I love it. I love how the bottom literally deadpans throughout the entirety of the story, so, despite him being the protagonist, we as readers quite literally have no clue what he’s feeling. Herein we can understand some of his struggles without the need for those stupid monologues. I also love how the top has depth, has more than a one-note personality, and has actual complexity behind his actions. I love the characters themselves; I deem them the pinnacle of gap moe. I love how this supernatural story has so much more realism and humanity than any other bl could hope to have.
Randen to saga
A perfect combination of the charming old bl artstyle found in Ameiro Paradox along with the more modern ability to draw proportions. Randen and Saga are also both loveable characters, something u don’t find often in this tsundere infested bl world. Another rare aspect is how emotions don’t run unnecessarily deep. Most bl feel like they need to show that their couple loves each other more than the couple in the next bl over does; here, it merely showcases the development of a high school crush and the affections of two people who cherish the other in their own way. It's day and night with how much less superficial this is.
Bakeneko Katatte Sourou
this could have been the biggest train wreck of all time (being both cross-species and age gap), but the mangaka pulled it off in a very mature manner. They neither romanticized nor avoided such elements; they faced head on the topics of age gap, depression, and outgrowing loved ones. Combined with excellent storytelling and a unique fantasy ambience, they ended up writing something incredibly thorough and heartfelt in only 8 chapters.
At the end of the road
While it has many flaws in its storytelling and side characters, it has a streamlined and coherent story arc that really lets the main two shine. In addition, the way it approaches and showcases trauma is actually emotionally moving and not just angsty. As such, while the main character became very likable for the way he persevered through hardship, the narrative didn’t condemn the original owner of his new body as weak for giving up. And despite it featuring my two least favorite -dere archetypes, i enjoyed the chemistry between the main two (it comes very close to my ideal romance dynamic), and I could understand why and how the ml became a yandere and thought that the mc being a tsundere added that gap moe shit.
Bokutachi wa mada aoku
It’s unique in that the story arc does not solely revolve around the couple getting together but instead on the mc reclaiming his youthful passion. As tacky as that sounds, to reflect that notion, each chapter gets increasingly lighter in tone as the mc becomes less of your typical disillusioned/angsty high schooler. Thus, there needs be no melodrama or random conflict to drag a romance-driven plot out. In addition, there’s good art, romantic tension, and they can actually hold conversations.
Crack of Dawn
Overall, this series has an extremely interesting premise and cohesive plot line (although a little incoherent at times), well established and developed characters, and strong emotional moments; however, it does lack some polish, with its occasional incoherence as an example.
19 days
Funny and heartbreaking. The one piece of bl. the bread and butter of bl readers. an instant classic—no one dislikes this. Nevertheless, it lacks the streamlined-ness of the above entries, which makes me feel much more lukewarm emotions while reading it.
Awairo Emaki
in general, everything by this mangaka is amazing. this in particular is extra exceptional, since their artsyle captures and enhances fantasy elements so well. it’s both romance and plot driven, so the cute story adds extra enjoyment. the romance driven elements are still the highlight of this story, though, because the mangaka has truly mastered the art of the kuudere, especially here
The story about you x me
Not only does this nail the comedy, i also really respect how it presents morally complex characters. I had some trouble figuring out how I felt about this story since I genuinely couldn’t decide whether I liked the main two. But, that’s how people are in real life—nobody’s perfect. That is, except Chen Pan. For Panpan I’d give my life.
Park Hanhoo’s Manager
This helped me through writing a ten page paper alone through midnight on the 8th floor of the library. Chansol is a lovable and well-made character without being a Gary Stu. Hence, I was invested in the plot cuz I actually cared what happened to him. Further, while Hanhoo is definitely an early rendition of the red-flag, obsessive, and scumbag ml that's super in right now, all is rendered to baby in the face of Chansol's halo.
Pixiu’s eatery
Funny as hell. It’s like gintama x Percy Jackson. Also, I appreciate how random offhand gags have continuity, so the humor ends up being well devised.
I Have To Be a Great Villain
this follows a trope that i've seen in many danmei, but i've never in original comics (quick transmigration). so, while i can't say this isn't the isekai of plotlines, it's nice that the comic has the slightly more sophisticated storylines found in books. in addition to good art, the characters are fun to follow
my boyfriend's love complex
while not really my favorite, i have to commend this series for how it handled a harem, its members, and their dynamics. also, the main lead has a corgi and makes it wear a crown. that, too, deserves recognition
Love of Cloud and Rain
first of all, this genuinely had a really sweet storyline that promoted very compelling and mature themes. but, i hated the annoying tsundere bottom mc, and romance driven by noncon sex isn't that convincing. HOWEVER, i fucking love the dragon. i can deal with noncon when it's a cute lizard who speaks in very haughty language, regularly commits theft, wears a track suit, gets very passionate over dramas, and reads old gossip magazines while he gets his hair done.
bright blue ni shizumu
This is angsty in all the best ways. The setting is kinda out of place, but the chemistry was crispy af
rumspringa no joukei
This has the same crispy chemistry as the one above. There’s actually character progression which is kinda cool. This is an unexpected entry, but it well deserves its spot.
majo to neko
HOLY SHIT THE MANGAKA DID NOT HAVE TO GO SO HARD HERE. how the FUCK did they fit slow burn romance into five chapters. UFOTABLE adaption when???
mask danshi wa koishitakunai no ni
I like this a lot bc the characters aren’t the usual apathetic psychopaths u find in bl. They can actually empathize, communicate, and grow as ppl wow. That’s why I’m ok with the mc being a pseudo-tsundere: at the end of the day, he's just another antisocial, lonely hikigaya.
Ikemen no Senpai ga Jitsu wa Doutei de Junjou Deshita
I was taken for a ride here. Shit’s wild. I usually hate the random, needless conflict in order to get the story to five chapters, but here it was actually enjoyable since it was less angsty and more shenanigans.
Yuujin ga Yuusha
it is possibly the cutest manga ever, which makes its bittersweet ending all the more painful.
Tonari no Metaller-san
This is so wholesome and has the type of humor that doesn’t make you laugh but does make you smile. I deem this the truest form of deredere x dandere, with the character designs (polished through tigerxbunny doujins, sadly) perfectly embodying their archetypes.
Ijiwaru shinai de
There’s nothing special about this, but I always enjoy reading it cuz there’s zero angst, and I love the dynamic. bottom gives off nagatoro vibes.
Hetare Maou to Tsundere Yuusha
Mindless semi-smut with a terribly established fantasy setting. But the main two are cute af so.
mou ichido, nando demo
Top likes his sister, and that’s weird as fuck. And sure, relationship development seems kinda lust-focused. BUT omg they’re soul mates. Even though 99% of their chemistry together is sexual, the other 101% is just outright compatibility. Also they technically count as a switch couple so bonus points for originality.
Cupid ni Rakurai
The second volume sucks—let’s get that out the way. But overall, this is the best older bottom high school bl. That is because he can act submissive without seeming like a mopey, feminine bitch (which wouldn’t be a bad thing if it didn’t happen every time).
Farming for love
This one actually isn't basic yaoi. Despite its innovativeness in so many places, it is this far down mainly because of its weird narration style that appears like bad attempt to cover up how it fails to establish character nuances through their actions. While Glasses Cloth and Playlist had a similar third-party-esque narration style (think Love is War), it wasn't an attempt to make up for the author's inadequacies but, rather, was a stylistic choice that added wittiness and lightened the tone. Comparisons such as these make it hard for me to put this series higher. Regardless, it was very enjoyable and contained one of the funniest sequences in bl i've seen to date.
eternal covenant (honorable mention)
This does not deserve to be on the list. there are so many jumps in logic, and the plot is genuinely such a mess--such a shame that this puts it beneath the entries that do not even attempt a sophisticated plotline. However, regardless of how rushed the romance and character development are, they do indeed exist, and they somehow managed to be my ideal. I had an abstract idea of my ideal romance dynamic before this, but this firmly implemented that into a tangible picture. That is, a stoic and angsty mc with an unexpected soft side and a teasing and overbearing ml who is actually very respectful and empathetic. Thus, both characters end up being rather relatable cuz, when one gives a loving look to the other, ur like, same. At The End Of The Road comes VERY close to this, except the ML is a little too yandere and is not a dragon, and the MC is a little too tsundere and is not a dragon knight; both details are very important, I maintain.
all gils are not made equally. yet, within that statement lays the true appeal of this man; the variety of roles he plays adds dimensionality to his character, and together they piece together the delicately balanced entity that is gilgamesh
Fate/Zero
8/10 : his wardrobe (shiny armor, snake pants, naked) is outstanding here, but his personality feels a little lukewarm, not quite evil nor nice. like, when’s he’s giving his spiel about desire, i gave zero shits, but i was also having a really good time looking at him. i can appreciate fz gil as an extension since, like everything else in fz, this doesn't really add anything to his character that we didn't already know. also, he should consider fixing his diet (children and wine). in conclusion, fz gil’s aesthetic makes up for his almost stagnant personality.
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
10/10 : full out evil gil is great. he's reincarnated in a bad mood so duh genocide is the way to go. this is my favorite of his deaths; it was really great seeing his outrage when he was forced to admit he was wrong about shirou, and his va really drove that home. still, it was such a shame his favorite biker outfit got ruined, and i can only really appreciate this gil knowing that he’s only like this bc he’s woken up feeling rlly disrespected and pissed.
Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel
10/10 : as usual, despite the rest of the adaption being rushed, the anime staff clearly put a lot of love and care into the gil dying scene. his heaven's feel death parallels to his ubw death because, while both were caused by a lack of caution on his part, in the former he goes out with resignation towards his fate as opposed to his outrage and defiance in the latter. i love his look of "oh shit i fucked up" when he realized sakura had gotten stronger than he had thought. gil has like four scenes total here, but each one was perfect. also, i can’t imagine the core strength this man must have to pull himself up with only one leg. gil was quite literally a snack here
Fate/Stay Night
9/10 : gil took a firm stance in the fate waifu wars here for sure, but cuckoldry isn’t the best look smh. on the other hand, this first death was super impactful, giving the viewer an initial view into how gil views death. the way he accepted his defeat graciously serves as a foil to his other two fsn deaths: beyond the usual “adding depth”, it ensures he isn’t mistaken for a classic foil villain (like shinji lol). nevertheless, his jacket was crustier than izaya's. i love gil's shit fashion sense in concept but not in practice. also, enuma elish’s old design/animation is really subpar
Fate/Kaleid
10/10 : i'm very conflicted cuz gil-kun’s a mix of kid gil and adult gil, but maybe that's a good thing. as well as being adorable, kid gil is an overall superior being, with the same values as adult gil but with a much nicer personality; on the other hand, adult gil is hot precisely because of his asshole personality. the combo still feels illegal tho. i was very confused on how to feel when gil-kun said mongrel
Fate/Grand Order: Babylonia
9/10 : casgil was great both as a standalone character and as a foil to archer gil. he clearly has grown as a person and as a king: his willingness to reflect upon the past and feel regret, his eagerness to mingle with other people, and his subjects' decision to stay by his side truly show this, even though his personality mostly has remained the same. without this side of gil, as shown here and in CCC, he wouldn’t be able to be my favorite character. his charisma was admirable, especially in his last stand against tiamat. plus, casgil actually has fashion sense and yet again carries the fanservice in his show. imo more male characters should have cool outfits like his. however, while casgil’s existence allows archer gil to be a 10/10 character, he himself just doesn’t have the same appeal (which is precisely the point of his character). in the end, it's nice to contrast how his ideology has changed from what we see in the meeting of kings episode of fz--he has become almost everything he made fun of saber for there (although to a lesser extent with respect to the extremes saber set herself to).
Fate/Strange Fake
9/10 : i'm so done with how much of an idiot this man is–he had it coming here. besides that, he truly was epic here, and dumbass happy gil is the best gil. plus his interactions with enkidu added a lot to his character. i love how they really balance each other out–-gil becomes a better person and enkidu becomes worse. i also love how he instantly went from brooding fate/zero gil to dumbass fate/extra ccc gil the second he realized his bestie was there
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
8/10 : so many highs. a new low. that outfit was abominable, but kid gil being a savage and full power gil can somewhat balance that out. also, idk but it’s just so fitting that he's good with children. regardless of how enjoyable all that was, gil has committed a lot of atrocities, but that outfit is by far his worst offense
Fate/Extra CCC
9/10 : gil's in a better mood this time around cuz he thinks the mooncell is neat. he spends a bit too much time being an idiot, but nice, idiot happy gil is probably best gil as always. indeed, he has AUO castoff and the best ending in CCC. also, it's kinda impossible to really like gil without CCC since it provides an analysis and extension to his character. while young gil and his values are captivating, at the end of the day we have to acknowledge that he was wrong and wasted half of his life chasing his empty ideals. this is exactly what we see in fgo babylonia—casgil simultaneously admires and admonishes his younger self
Noé puts the Shaft head tilt in its place
Gojo has the whole set, complete with a whore personality
Nanami lucked tf out snatching this man
can't believe they wouldn't let him commit bioterrorism
wtf
man
flashily asking when my turn will be
how can one be so strong yet so small at the same time omg
no explanation needed here
without exception i find it the cutest thing when characters fantasize about a future with their crush
they literally bring out the best in each other. case and point: Wangji is no longer a tsundere 
boys who wear short shorts together stay together
they really bring out the worst in each other
All Comments (33) Comments
Ah, so you consider it self-love. Wait the only manga you read is One Piece. O_O
It makes sense now. You don't socialise much these days, do you?
edt: Did people compliment you a lot when you were younger?