Hi there guys, I have become bored due to having read all the manga in my usual genres, so I moved on to shounen ai/yaoi. The problem is that the only yaoi so far I have run into that I enjoy is Super Lovers.
Every other yaoi has bored me to death so far due to having little of a storyline and the worst thing I guess is that from the first volume (often the first chapter) they tend to have sex and fall in 'love' (in one way or another).
So what I am looking for is a yaoi that actually has a good compelling storyline and where the characters do not jump at each other from the word go. So I guess in a way I am looking for a non-cliche yaoi?
Also, would be good if you could recommend any good shounen ai manga too (have read some of the popular ones including Loveless and Gravitation.
Thank you for your help, it would be much appreciated.

i didnt mind the sudden sex in the beginning but now i am and looking more for a plot here are some of my favorites:
Ai no Gebokutachi
Bukiyou na Silent
color
Dear. Gentle Papa
G-Senjou no Neko
let dai (heads up parts of it made me cry)
King & Prince
rules
Totally Captivated (<3)
Sono Yubi Dake ga Shitteiru (Only the Ring Finger Knows)


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"They were traps? I thought they were attractions"
Killua (Hunter X Hunter)

fav shonen-ai:

From Eroica With Love
Heart of Thomas
Heaven's Son in the Land of the Rising Sun
Banana Fish
A Cruel God Reigns

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In terms of BL, I find it much easier to sort by mangaka rather than by series. If a mangaka writes a BL that I like, chances are, I'll like her other works too.

Having said that, I would recommend anything by Kunieda Saika. Personally my favorites are Mirai no Kioku and its sequel and Itsuka Ame ga Furu You ni. I would also recommend Ima Ichiko and Yoshinaga Fumi. Oh, and Fujiyama Hyouta often writes series I enjoy as well, especially Dear Green. And, in terms of shounen-ai, I enjoy some of Yumeka Sumomo's works, though I would not exactly count her among my favorites.

Other than that, 1001 Nights is undoubtedly one of the best manga I have ever read, full stop, and Tokyo Babylon is magnificent as well, in its own right.

Oh, and, Golden Days. Just. Golden Days.

I second the following:

A Cruel God Reigns - a very good manga, definitely has a compelling storyline.

Bukiyou na Silent - I looove this one. Unfortunately, it's the type that has sex in most of the chapters, but the characters and their interactions make up for it. It's so adorable!

I definitely second A Night of a Thousand Dreams (1001 Nights) - it's so beautifully written.

As for my own recommendations...

Lover's Doll and anything else by Mishima Kazuhiko. Her characters usually have to work their way up to becoming lovers, and the romances are all very sweet. Miwaku no Ringo is the first one of hers I read, hooked me immediately. Puchi Puri is my favorite shounen ai, so sweet!

Complex - "more seinen than it is yaoi" is probably the best way to describe this one. It's very good, follows the life of a couple and the paths they take.

Sannin Gurashi - it's mostly the first chapter I like...it's just so cute and sweet.

Feng Yu Jiu Tian (Novel) - at first it looks like a "sexy seme domination" type of yaoi, but it actually has a lot of plot going on, not just romance, and the male lead is surprisingly very likeable and smart.

Hyakujitsu no Bara - compelling storyline~

Under Grand Hotel - hardcore yaoi, but it fits in with the storyline pretty well.

Okane ga Nai and Henshin Dekinai - there's something about the way they're written that makes me happy to read them. Hanshin Dekinai I personally prefer more due to the interesting characters, but you kinda have to be familiar with Okane ga Nai first.

Umi ni Nemuru Hana - more focus is put on character depth than it is on romance. Has a nice plot too~

Acid Flower - has a lot of sex, but has even more of an intense plot.

Yubisaki no Koi - I recommend this along with the rest of Naono Bohra's works. Her yaoi have the usual amount of sex in them, but they often have very unique and interesting stories. Kimi ni Sasayaku Mirai, Mori no Koe, the first story of Hohoemi no Nichijou, and the first two of Yume ni Tobu Tori as strong examples of this.

Breath - initially seems like the usual sex-and-no-plot, but the deeper storyline becomes apparent soon.

Kasa no Shita, Futari - good relationship drama.

Sono Kuchibiru ni Yoru no Tsuyu - good psychological drama.

Love Stage!! - I love this one. It's one of the few yaoi that has an interesting story to go along with the romance that isn't depressingly serious.

Last edited by Blique at 12:47 am, Aug 12 2012

acid town

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~♥♥♥Yaoi, Gay Books, Music, Manga, Anime, Internet Connection, Prison Break, Animals And Fantasy. They're My Drug, My Hope, My Dreams And My Obsession♥♥♥~

Moved to Yaoi/Yuri~

For someone just getting into yaoi take my advise and go with soft stuff first and then move on to harder stuff later. I read a really hard yaoi when i was first reading and it pretty much scarred me for life even thought that's a little dramatic, but its true. (and i won't tell you the name cause then you'll read it)

Totally Captivated -- one of my favorite yaoi manga's of all time, it has a couple sex scene's but doesn't really show much, pretty mild in that department. The main focus is the relationship. Has one of the best endings ever. It's really hard to find a manga that has a good story line with a good ending.

Is this available in English?

nope, but it's been translated into other languages

Hotcakes was planning on scanlating it, but they are pretty inactive

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