I have a friend that really really loves BL, and only reads BL.
I was a little shocked because all the people in my class stick to BG.
So, I asked her why she doesn't like BG, and she said BG is very 'disgusting'.
I know everyone has different tastes, but I wanted to recommend her some good BG manga to try.
Just when I was going to recommend her a few of my favourites, she mentioned that she hated:
1. Faster than a Kiss
2. Bokura ga Ita
3. Obaka chan Koigatariki
And these were my favourites... So I didn't know what to recommend her...
She told me that she's willing to try any BG manga (because I persuaded her to try ) that I suggest...
But she told me, that she would like it to be pure, so I'm guessing just shoujo, and she likes high school based stories. Plus, she wants the guy to confess to the girl first, and the girl to be younger than the guy.

That's one, but she's looking for a supernatural manga to read as well.
She was asking whether I knew any supernatural manga with a fox spirit, so I recommended the only one I know, called Koyoi, Kimi to Kiss no Chigiri o by Aikawa Saki.
Does anyone know of a supernatural manga with a fox spirit?

Well, what did she find disgusting?

The only one I know that have fox spirits in is Youko x Boku SS (also known as Inu x Boku SS).
For a pure shoujo try Kimi ni Todoke, Hiyokoi, Hibi Chouchou, Taiyou no Ie, Seiyuu Ka! and perhaps Love so Life. Though, I wouldn't say they fit all needs. Well, if a person limit themselves far too much they wont even try to like something anyway, even if it is within the limit.

She gave a general statement: girls in BG are disgusting and I can't stand them.
So... I'm thinking clingy and whiny girls...
She said she doesn't like girls who fight either? Don't know why though...
But she said she doesn't mind the fighting as much... Picky isn't she?

And I'll try recommending those to her! Thanks!

Hm... I think she meant she didn't like those awfully annoying female leads haha. Well I'm not into those manga featuring those kinds of girls either.

I personally don't like those manga your friend mentioned either. Faster than a Kiss was okay at the beginning but then.. Ugh. Slow development and too episodic \(>_<)/.
Obaka-chan was the series I picked up to kill my time when I was bored but she ended up with her first love, so I just dropped it. The artwork is not really unique and the story is pretty much predictable.
I have just read a few volumes of Bokura ga Ita so I abosolute have no idea. But since a lot of people said that BGI was a tragedy, I don't think it's a good manga to start for those who first read shoujo. I am particularly not into those overdramatic manga.

So there you go, here are some of my favorite manga

Nanaco Robin, Himitsu Kichi, Lovely Complex. Those are written and illustrated by the same mangaka. You should try her other works, they are lovely.
The One I'm not into manhua but this one is amaaazing. The art style is also unique, very beautiful.
Beast Master
Tokimeki Gakuen Oujigumi

Game Over (Mizutani Fuka) (Great combination of oneshots, but the main story is sooooo cuuute, i really mean it. <3333333333)

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun(Hm.. does she watch anime? cos I personally find its anime much better!),

Nakanmon! (well, she's a crybaby but this story is not annoying at all, it's a cute series to read ^^)

Bitou Lollipop(josei, but this series really good. i love it >//////////<)
Taiyou no Ie is okay too but I've dropped the series for quite a long time, maybe I'll pick it up someday,

Tora to Ookami is about a girl who loves to read BL manga loool
Bara no Tame ni Josei
Try Shimaki Ako works,
Oboreru Knife
Order wa Boku de Yoroshii desu ka? [m] 12 O'clock bell rings[/m]

Dragon Voice bout a boy band trying to achieve their dream. It's a masterpiece (:
Cat Street
Perfect Girl Evolution

Since you already mentioned that she wanted something "pure", so I'm not giving you any smutty recommendations. But I think if your friend loves reading BL, it's actually an obvious thing that she has already been to the stage to read yaoi looool. Well, most of my friends are like that haha.

I personally don't think she's gonna love those Love So Life, Hibi Chouchou, or Hiyokoi. They are too fluffy for me.. Well, I guess everybody has a different taste in manga.

Wow, now that I realize I've made such a long list. You can also check my lists to discover more series! Hope your friend will like my recommendations <3333333333

Last edited by Pinky Poison at 5:38 am, Jun 5 2013

I second Bara no tame ni especially. For one thing the female protagonist is definately not a 'standard clumsy shy "tomboy" shoujo girl x.' She isn't clingy, in fact she hates that she has those feelings and often says she's content to simply like him and for nothing to come of it. She is very pure and kind hearted, though there's times she gets jealous but she berrates herself for it. Though the main reason I think she'll like it is because there's BL relationships in it, they kind of interweave with the main story.

I also second Cat street because the story is nice, the couple aren't annoying. I felt I was able to get behind the protagonist because it wasn't just about her love life, she was also proactively finding the path she wanted to take.

I think The wallflower will go down pretty well. Sunako absoluetly can't stand the thought of pretty guys and is completely pure (if you can call loving a skull pure lmao.) The only time anything ever happens is either for gags or the odd episode of 'oh no she's been possessed by some slutty ghost that's in love with him!' :C which then leaves and she's back to normal (or some similar situation.)

I don't think she'll like The one, in my opinion lele starts out more or less ok but degrades into a needy and annoying individual that's clingy and totally smitten.

She may like Beast master but I wouldn't really call their relationship pure...I'd recommend the other manga by that artist though which is Otokomae! beads club, it's short but the female mc is good at fighting, not clingy, not particularly smitten and they both are their own individuals, I'm not even entirely sure if they kiss...(haven't read it in ages.)

*Does it have to be a shoujo? Has she tried sienen romances? In my opinion the girls are generally much better. They aren't too cliche and have more personality. Plus there's no (or far fewer) 'babump' moments that most likely contribute to her negative opinion of straight romances. For instance try her on:

Omoide emanon
Horimiya
Otoyomegatari
Spice and wolf (this also covers your fox spirit request )
Ōkami Kodomo no ame to yuki

Though if she still would prefer shoujo then I think the best one to try her on (provided she's ok with blood and gore) is The devil ororon because the style makes the characters quite lanky and the girl is very much like a tomboy. It is set in a school but has supernatural elements and the atmosphere the artist creates is usually quite heavy with more drama and action than a lot of shoujos. The author also did another manga called Demon flowers where the main coupling is shounen ai, mixed with other straight couples. Therefore she's really good at combining the two and portraying strong feelings no matter the relationship.

You could also try:
Bokura no kiseki-definitely very pure love/school/nice characters
Tokyo crazy paradise-fights REALLY well
Oresama teacher-also fights well/pure
Houou gakuen misoragumi (hates men in the beginning, so nothing happens at all till the end)
Kare first love (didnt read it all but it started out nice)
Double arts-really lovely couple, and very nice story
The scarlet chair (although its not school setting)
Akagami no shirayukihime (again another pure love but not school setting...and the hint of impending two timing/falling for someone else)

Hmm.. Well, I didn't like the three manga you recommended to her, so I'll just pick a couple of shoujo I've read that fits your friend's requirements.

Pure Love w/o a whiny/annoying female lead:
Hajimari no Niina
Horimiya
Saiunkoku Monogatari
Beauty Pop
W Juliet (Do not read the sequel)

As for a supernatural manga with a fox spirit:
YuYu Hakusho: One of the main characters
Natsume Yuujinchou: A side character that appears later in the series


________________

It took me a while to figure out that 'BG' was 'boy x girl'.

Beauty is the Beast (Bijo ga Yajuu) - this is the shortest one, with a very untypical heroine, so I'd say try this first.
Fruits Basket - supernatural elements
Ouran High School Host Club
Mars
Hana yori Dango
second Tokyo Crazy Paradise
Her Majesty's Dog - supernatural
Hana ni Arashi
Iinchou no Himegoto - more innocent than it sounds
Mamotte Agemasu

If she only likes BL, then maybe Boku Wa Ne, which is a tease.

Or what about shoujo with male protagonists?
Natsume Yuujinchou, already mentioned
Otomen
Count Cain and God Child
Ludwig Kakumei - fractured fairy tales

I have to say, the 'pure' requirement is throwing me off from someone who reads only BL.

Last edited by scarletrhodelia at 11:56 am, Jun 6 2013

How about Dengeki Daisy?

Should fit the pure requirement, has school life, the male lead is older and on top of that it's a good manga. Beast Master by the same author might be also worth a shot.

Otoyomegatari it's hard NOT to like this series

Spice and Wolf seconding (a few volumes of the novel are also covered in the anime version)

Superior the female lead is nothing like shoujo female leads, so it should be ok

Bitou Lollipop is another great shoujo manga that feature some school setting, but I'm not sure how pure it is, it's still largely untranslated and the main love interest is younger than the girl

I think I understand what she meant as I don't like the usual clichéd shoujos with annoying/clumsy/airhead/.. MC and I'm a yaoi fan too.
But I might be just too conceited, because who'd think they have a bad taste.

If you can, try asking her what's her attitude towards josei and let us know.

I definitely second not recommending The One. I don't really remember it anymore, but I know the MC got really annoying as the time went by.

As for fox spirit/s, I'm surprised nobody mentioned Kamisama Hajimemashita. I'm not sure if she'll like it, because it has the regular shoujo-ish feeling, but even though there are clichés like accidental kiss and so, they are handled quite well. Either way, it's supernatural with fox spirits, so let her try and she'll tell you.

I'd definitely let her try Taiyou no Ie. It's pure and well-written in my opinion.

Then there's Orange (TAKANO Ichigo) - one of my favourites among shoujo.

Others:
Six Half
Kagen no Tsuki - Not shoujo in the true sense of the word, but that might be a good thing.
Strobe Edge - Maybe. I avoided it for a long time, but it was surprisingly good when I finally gave it a try.
Ao Haru Ride
49
Hagoromo Mishin
Yeonmo - Not supernatural, quite confusing and there's no way this has something to do with school life. Why am I even recommending this? I don't know. But it's likeable.

Josei (if she'd like to try some):
Gozen 3-ji no Muhouchitai - Love this one.
&
Mizutama Puzzle - Younger guy, though.

EDIT: Savage Garden lies somewhere on the borderline between shounen-ai and shoujo, so it might be a good idea.

Last edited by KuroiMarimo at 9:29 pm, Jun 8 2013

I guess I might second Kamisama Hajimemashita, though it's somewhat generic shoujo manga (even if above average)

Gokusen is a quite unique manga, has school life, fairly pure romance, while the girl (*cough* woman *cough*) is older than the guy, she certainly isn't very typical

Seconding Horimiya, Taiyou no Ie, Tora to Ookami, Game Over (MIZUTANI Fuka), Akagami no Shirayukihime. They all take it nice and slow in order to develop believable relationships.

I agree with Tsubamex and KuroiMarimo on The One, Beast Master and female leads in Seinen manga. However, I can't support all of these Seinen recommendations wholeheartedly:
I wouldn't call neither Otoyomegatari nor Spice and Wolf pure because they are filled with so much (unresolved) sexual tension, even if it may be presented subtly. Nontheless, they are both extraordinary stories like anything else by these authors, and they shouldn't be missed by no means. The same applies to Shoujo by MOTOMI Kyousuke (i.e. Dengeki Daisy) and MATSUMOTO Tomo (i.e. Bijo ga Yajuu, Kiss etc.).
Maybe you could recommend them to your friend after she has come to appreciate some Boy-Girl romances.

Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki gives off the right vibe, it just doesn't contain much romance since it's more about the daily struggles of a young single-parent family.
Love so Life is very innocent but also very slow-paced. The same goes for Hibi Chouchou whose main couple might irritate some readers due to their extreme introverty.

I would suggest the following titles to your friend:

Dear Tear by KAZUMA Kowo
A short read with likeable characters. Believable and considerate, they will let you take a peek into their first experience with love.

Nineteen, Twenty-One by Yohan/ KIM Hye-Jin
If your friend likes slice of life, subtlety and cats, this will be the perfect fit. No drama, no annoying characters, just two genuine young people who get to know each other as they take care of some stray cats.

YAMADA Nanpei's Orange Chocolate features two kitsune, fox spirits, but they're only side characters. The emphasis lies on two close childhood friends turning into something more. Episodic and sweet-natured.

Issho ni Neyou yo by TAKAO Shigeru
Unquestionably charming cast. They all had some heavy issues to deal with in the past and have developed certain quirks, but it only makes them more lovable as you watch the characters grow with a unique fondness for each other.

MIZUTANI Fuka's 14-sai no Koi
The clumsiness of first love at the age of fourteen captured in self-contained episodes. Even with all their purity, MIZUTANI Fuka-sensei manages to convey the lovers' infatuation with each other.

Karakuri Odette by SUZUKI Julietta
About an android girl exploring the meaning of "humanity". Gentle tale with lots of friendship, attraction and maybe romance.

Your friend might like YUMEKA Sumomo's (aka SAHARA Mizu) work (e.g. Kon no Ki Konoha or Nanairo Sekai) as she also draws Shounen-ai. Her stories reach out to one's heart with tenderness and a hint of melancholy.


Last edited by Tripitaka at 1:33 pm, Jul 15 2013

________________
"Stories are what death thinks he puts an end to.
He can't understand that they end in him, but they don't end with him."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, Gifts

To be savoured:
- Blood Alone by TAKANO Masayuki
- Otoyomegatari by MORI Kaoru
- Gangsta. by Kohske
- Seishun Kouryakuhon by AKIZUKI Sorata