Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read this post, and hopefully give a recommendation.

Background info - As the title of my thread stated I am a novice yaoi fan. Until recently I learned there was a difference between Shounen Ai and Yaoi. (I still love the whole male X male love no matter how explicit or not it was.) I read a very Shounen Ai back in highschool. Like Gravitation , Loveless, and Eerie Queerie!. With maybe one or two Yaoi the only one I can remember was Yellow. Of the ones I remember Eerie Queerie I can't remember for the life of me, only that I found it funny. Loveless I dropped because I was more interested in buying other mangas at the time, then decided to read it once the series was finished (Still waiting heh). Yellow I liked for the explicit contents. Gravitation I loved.

Few yaoi mangas I've read after highschool - (This is in the span of the past 5 years or so)
Kishidou Kurabu / Bitter - Kare no Hisoyaka na Seppun / Neji no Kaiten / Sex Therapist / Sumanai!! Masumi-kun (Wasn't very fond of these. In other words it didn't bother me enough where I had to stop reading them, but I wouldn't read them again.)

Hero Heel / Haru o Daite Ita / Yuushitessen no Koi (These three it was - can't remember if I finished it / got bored and stopped / had to stop because the 1st chapter was that bad.)

Kuroneko Kareshi no Asobikata / Warui Koto Shitai + ( I liked these two. Of the Warui Series I liked more when it had to deal with Nanao Shirahane and Kuon Aikawa)


To the point
See very little I have read. I need A recommendation on what to read since I don't know where to start there's just too many good ones out there.
A max of TEN recommendation (So you're top ten )
Please Rank from the ones I should read first at the top of your list.
- no emotionally weak lead
- Romance preferred
- Completed
- Also I dislike the type of person where they can't realize the other person likes him. (Prime example is the couple in Warui Koto Shitai . How Towa Aikawa keeps thinking he's friends with Mikado Shirahane even though they had sex and he said I like you more than once.) (Something where a couple had sex , but one didn't know if it was just sex or something more -this type of thing is fine)
*I tend to like more dramatize, darker theme, angst, or trails and tribulations in a relationship rather than light fluffy heartwarming stuff.

*As a sidenote if you could post as a sidenote Yaoi lingo I should learn. Like I said I'm a novice and I don't know the difference between Uke and Seme ... or what LGBT or BL/GL means ...

Edit Changed my only ONE recommendation to top ten, please rank. I didn't want to be overwhelmed with 50 or so mangas, but seeing the lack of posts .... I'm thinking most might have been TL;DR sad panda, heh. (edits were made in blue ... although it's kind of obvious and not needed to be point out ...

Last edited by Kitty18dnsz at 3:19 pm, Oct 24 2013

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Rutta to Kodama and other works by FUJITANI Youko are a good start, for example. It's cute, romance, both characters are nice... Since you want only ONE recommendation, that's it. I would LOVE to recommend more (here, here, here...).

For uke = bottom, seme = top. That means the seme is the one "putting it in". BL = Boy's Love, same as "yaoi" but, some say, in a non-pejorative way. GL = Girl's Love. LGBT = lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.

EDIT: Just read the *I tend to like more dramatize, darker theme, angst, or trails and tribulations in a relationship rather than light fluffy heartwarming stuff.

You could try (they are dark ambience mangas, not just drama, but some are really sad and dark):
1 • Endless World;
2 • Shisei no Otoko and others by Aniya Yuiji;
3 • Sakura Gari;
4 • Koujitsusei no Tobira;
5 • Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai and others by Yoneda, Kou;
6 • Double Mints and others by Nakamura, Asumiko;
7 • Let Dai;
8 • Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru;
9 • Sora wo Daite Oyasumi and others by Kyuugou;
10 • Rules Series and others by Miyamoto, Kano;


I second reine eclair's recommendation: Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume o Miru and its sequel. Also, some of my recommendations are incomplete, so you should start with the fully translated ones.

Last edited by dalek at 12:03 am, Oct 5 2013

hello! When I read your post many titles instantly surfaced in my head but since you need only one, I think I would recommend Junketsu Drop. It's good for starters.. I would like to recommend more but oh well.....just ask if you want more

Edit: Oh and Dalek thanks for those links! I think I'll enjoy my holiday

Another Edit:
Top 10? that's hard I haven't given it much thought
Well these are what I think the MUST reads and also my favorites and since you like drama/angst this is the list that I really liked
Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume o Miru and the sequel Sojou no Koi wa Nido Haneru - pretty deep and psychological. You'll see tribulations in their relationship
Mainichi Seiten! series - don't be put off by the messy start..there is more to this series than you can imagine
Not Equal - I don't really like incest but you just can't resist this one. Very good and awesome manga
Doushitemo Furetakunai - this is from my favorite author. And since were on that topic I recommend you also read her other works, some have pretty dark themes.
Giglio - almost forgot this one. Has a dark theme I guess. It will make your jaw drop and you'll want to run away from your computer. Only two chapters.
Love Mode - drama and tragedy but has happy end. I personally think that this is one of the best of the best
Dear Green: Hitomi no Ounowa - Personal favorite. It has drama, but not too much.
Sono Kuchibiru ni Yoru no Tsuyu - Good manga. Psychological.
Cut - angst, psycological
Dog Style - Has drama and comedy. Very good manga

Well, those really aren't my top ten. If I've written my top 10 it will consist mostly of comedy. I really am a sucker for comedy you know. But the one I've listed above are all one of my favorites and will definitely accommodate your liking to drama, dark theme, and tribulations in relationships. If you are confused what to read first, just start from the top to down after all I've listed them as what to surfaced in my mind first hehe

I hope you'll like it

Last edited by reine eclair at 8:37 am, Oct 1 2013

I'll just say these, as I don't think you may like my other choices.
Totally Captivated
Beast & Feast
Aiso Tsukashi - this is a sequel to another story in which the main character is a secondary character
Boku no Shiru Anata no Hanashi

I know you asked for completed series, but here are some classics you MUST read/watch that are long series (mostly unfinished yet)
They're really worth it

Junjou Romantica : Super funny, cute, was my first and I never regretted it + 24 episodes
Koisuru Boukun : Personal fav, comedy + Ovas
You're my Loveprize in Viewfinder : Great story + Ovas
Yume Musubi Koi Musubi : Very, very sweet.
Crimson Spell : Fantasy, adventure (liked it less, but is very appreciated by many)

I also liked Rikugun Renai Shikan Gakkou for it was hilarious.

Also these, but maybe they fit less:

Ai no Kusabi : This is really epic, but maybe the sex won't suit for a beginner because there's... rape? Anyway, if ever you are ready for this, the story is awesome. It's a novel, but there are Ovas and even a recent remake which is awesome.
Okane Ga Nai : Forced sex too, but it's a good classic and is also one of the few yaois made by men. + Ovas

And if you come to like hard and very explicit stuff, Tori Maia's Hoshi no Yakata is a classic too. But... (bondage, rape, toys, etc.) Do not suit everyone's tastes.

Learning
OVA: (Original video animation) When few chapters of a manga are made into anime (episodes), kinda like a prequel. (And habitually it's beeing done for the most popular yaois only ;P )
LGBTQ : Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer <3 A worldwide known abbreviation
BL: Boy's love (yaoi books or anime)
GL : Girl's love (yuri (lesbian) books or anime)
Seme: The guy on top (who penetrates) or, for shounen-ai: The guy with the dominant attitude
Uke: The guy who gets penetrated or who have a weaker attitude.

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Jazz, a lot of people don't like this cause of how seme behaves in the first volume. BUT, believe me, it get a lot better. One of my personal favorties with a lot of angst and drama going on.
Undergrand Hotel, very smutty but at the same time very unique. I haven't found any other manga like this. And again, drama but to a less degree.
Complex and New York New York, AMAZING! That's all I can say. The two manga aren't related to each other but I put them together cause they have similar plot build to some extent. I absolutely love these two.
Bi no Isu and its sequal. These are another masterpieces yet again smutty
Not Equal, this one is overrated in my idea. A lot of people like it but it wasn't my type.
I second Cut and Totally Captivated since those are on top of my yaoi list!
Enjoy~

PS. The suggesstions that I wrote aren't in a particular order. Just sorta whatever came to my mind

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I second Cut, Undergrand Hotel and Beast & Feast. There's also Nemureru Mori no Binan and it's sequal Tomoi. I don't know if you like it because the art is old (from 1980's) but the story is great! And then is Aishuu by Minase Masara. Pretty much all of her mangas are good so I recommend that you check those out.

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At this point I am so far behind, I will never die.


Fufufufu..

Worked on the mangas on this post since you were the first to edit after my 2nd edit.

I read most of these and so far either thought they were good or loved them. Thanks a lot most were really enjoyable. My favorite so far of your recommendation was Sono Kuchibiru ni Yoru no Tsuyu. Going to come back to the longest ones after reading some of the other mangas other have recommended.


Going to work on dalek set now, then scarletrhodelia and so on.

Thank you everyone for the recommendations. I feel like I'm a slow reader, but I'm crossing each one of these works one at a time.
Still Welcoming more recommendations. Thanks in advance.
I'm no where near getting my fill of Yaoi.

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Yes yes, I know I make longwinded comments, but that's just me >.<
I should proof read my comments more, but I won't...
So keep in mind I'm filled with typos

Check out FAQ and Forum Rules if you haven't yet.
For errors linking in threads

Ah, welcome back to the yaoi fold I remember when I first started reading BL (boy love) and was able to get started on the genre by basically googling people's top ten yaoi. You'll find lots of different lists in different forums and usually there's a couple of titles that get frequently mentioned. I'll recommend some of what I kind of consider "classics" and then try to see if I know of any that handle drama and angst in a manner that's not eye-roll inducing.

I'll second Dog Style, which was already mentioned. It's both steamy, erotic, and chaotically dramatic in a good way.

I'm surprised you weren't able to get into Haru o Daite Ita because it's also a heavy favorite amongst readers and it's nothing but filled with drama. There's a short/extra that's written outside of the main story but does later relate to the main arc, and I'll admit that it brought a few tears to my eyes.

ZE by Yuki Shimizu - To note: It's NOT completely scanlated, but it is a complete series and it's been licensed by DMP, who has published 6 volumes. I think that of all the manga-kas writing/drawing BL, she has the most deft hand with crafting drama. It's almost disarming because it seems to come out of nowhere, but once you get started, it just sucks you in. It's a classic, and a series I highly recommend if you haven't read it yet.

U Don't Know Me by Na Yeri - Beautiful art and there's a lot of internal struggle that happens in the mind of the uke as their relationship moves through its various stages.

Leopard Hakusho by Ougi Yuzuha - This is a personal favorite of mine, and although the series is not complete, it might be something you might not mind reading because it's like ZE in that the series doesn't revolve around just one couple, but several. I personally liked both of the couples from the first two arcs, but you'll find that most people's favorite pairing is the second involving Rinka and his teacher. It's not an easy courtship or even an easy romance for Rinka and most of the angst revolves around the fact that it's an unrequited love on Rinka's part. It's still touching though, and even a little heartbreaking as you watch Rinka struggle to get his feelings across. Blah, now I went and said too much, lol. I think their arc is over by the end of the third volume. The fourth volume starts on a new couple.

Punch Up or Otonage by Shiuko Kano - Punch Up is probably the more popular of the two, but I prefer the latter because I like the couple better. Both are good reads and while Punch Up is probably more comedy than anything else, there's an arc in the third volume I believe, that takes it to more serious territory. She's also a pretty popular yaoi manga-ka as her stuff tends to be pretty smutty, so if you get bored, I'd also check out some of her other works.

Kasa no Shita, Futari by Junko - She's also another popular BL manga-ka and most of her work is pretty light-hearted and cute, but I like this one best because it's got a little bit more angst to it than some of her other stuff.

Ubawareru Koto Marugoto Zenbu by Abe Akane - I had this on my wishlist for the longest time but finally got around to reading it and I found myself really liking it. I can't remember if the drama with their relationship happens in this volume or it's sequel - Suki Toiunoni Nazekashira. Takao's obsession with big breasts seems like just a gag at first, but it's really just indicative of his personality as a whole and how his frivolity can really hurt his lover and their relationship. If you do enjoy this, I'd strongly encourage you read the sequel. It also involves a second couple, but it does go back to Takao x Yoshinaga eventually.

Hatsukoi no Atosaki by Hidaka Shoko - I'd seriously feel remiss if I didn't recommend at least one work by them. There's always a pervading "realism" in her work and this one in particular reflects on the mistakes of youth. I wish it had been longer so that we could see these two overcome their issues, but for just one volume, it packs a punch. Just don't go in expecting exaggerated humor or situations. And if you do end up liking this, really consider reading some of her other ongoing, but more popular work like Yuuutsa no Asa or Hana wa Saku ka (my favorite's the former).

Kimi ga Koi ni Oboreru by Takanaga Hinako - It's a guilty pleasure of mine and I for some reason I've always enjoyed this more than some of her more popular stuff like The Tyrant Falls in Love or Awkward Silence. Maybe because it's slightly more serious and a lot of the insecurity on Jinnai's part rings true. Plus there's a beautiful uke involved; I'm a sucker for a beautiful uke XD

Kinpeibai Kinden Honoo no Kuchizuke by Mizukami Shin - I recommend this only if you are able to handle reading a lot of gratuitous sex and violence (not to mention rape; rape is a staple in her work, it would seem) That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this particular work. I remember hating the few series I read by her when I started reading yaoi simply because she's so over the top with the sex and violence that it borders on the farcical. However, she seems to be one of a select few who tends to write historical romance yaoi, which is why I eventually came back. I read this not knowing who the manga-ka was and found that I actually liked it. It does fit your criteria though, so you might end up enjoying it.

And if you really want to go dark and dramatic, I guess I'm obligated to at least mention Zetsuai and it's more popular companion/sequel - Bronze. Just know that I pretty much hated Zetsuai, which is why I didn't bother reading Bronze, but based on the reviews, it seems to fit a lot of your criteria. I figure there's no harm in mentioning it and letting you form your own opinions.

Hope that helps and have fun reading