So, I was thinking about my list of manga read, and there's very few or none in the yaoi or yuri demographic that i've read. I assumed it would not me to my liking, due to being either too fujoshi-pandering or too otaku-pandering, but that's probably really prejudiced and wrong.

So, I want to change that! Do you here have any recommendations for someone who hasn't read any of it yet? My lists are public, and i'm basically open to try anything that you think would be good. (but i would prefer shorter series, like 1~3 volumes)


(if that makes any difference, I'm 17 years old, male)

(hey, that's my post number 100, nice)

Yaoi
OK, I'm going to suggest a couple different things for you to try. Just keep in mind that yaoi is written for the erotic tastes of women, so it may never appeal to you, and that's OK.

Plot-heavy shounen-ai, where the relationship is implied more than stated:
Gohou Drug - the side characters are clearly in a relationship
Koori no Mamono no Monogatari
Silver Diamond
Earthian - science fiction
Shibuya de Aimashou
From Dusk Till Dawn
Yami no Matsuei - shoujo with lots of subtext
Gorgeous Carat
Banana Fish
Otona no Mondai - a man learning to accept his father's new relationship
Wild Adapter
Loveless - imo not shounen-ai; Ritsuka is 12, but awesomely good
Antique Bakery - imo not really yaoi, as the main characters are not in a relationship with each other, but one is gay and has other relationships. Very good.

Classic shounen-ai:
Heart of Thomas - one of the first two works of shounen-ai, a true classic
Kaze to Ki no Uta - the other one, rough going
From Eroica with Love - a flamboyantly gay art thief pursued by and pursuing a strait-laced NATO intelligence officer. Hilarity ensues.
Patalliro! - gag manga with shounen-ai subplot

Slightly more explicit:
FAKE - NY city cops, lots of plot, humor, and kissing, chaste until the end
Gravitation - Shuichi can't live with Yuki and can't live without him; nearly as much about his fledgling rock band as the relationship, very funny and also angsty.

Romance-focused:
Kanjou Spectrum, excellent short
May I Tell You, understated short
Totally Captivated - really good, more explicit

Try some of these out, let us know what if anything you like, and we can suggest more like it. There are some titles and mangaka that you will see suggested a lot here, that are popular and well-regarded, but I thought it might be too much to start you out on anything too explicit.

Shoujo-ai
I don't read yuri, not my thing, but here are some great classic works of shoujo-ai.
Shiroi Heya no Futari - the prototype for "Crimson Rose and Candy" yuri
Oniisama e...
Claudine...!

Last edited by scarletrhodelia at 9:42 pm, Aug 8 2014

i dont see why you need to read every genre there is if you dont have the inclination. well, here's some if you want to try

shoujo ai

Poor Poor Lips
Youkai Gakuenki
I Love You (HANATSU Yaya)
Atashi no Onna ni Te o Dasu na
24, 25

shounen ai
A, A'
MW
Otona no Mondai
Concrete Garden
Chou ni Naru Hi.
Michikusa (KUNIEDA Saika)
Pokerface
Hakushaku Cain Series
Zankoku na Kami ga Shihaisuru

looking at your completed list we have quite similar taste, so i hope you find some here to your liking

Last edited by whitespade at 5:45 am, Aug 9 2014

Well some people don't know they like it until they've tried it. I began by avoiding Yuri altogether. Now I'm trapped. I have a link in my signature which I need to update, but it should have what I would put here concerning Yuri.

It's not that I HAVE to, but that I never tried. If I don't like anything, I will give up.

Anyway, there are some recommendations that sound like something I would enjoy, thanks! (Heart of Thomas, A,A, MW in special)

You may also want to check out Doushitemo Furetakunai. I always recommend this to people who are new to manga/yaoi. There's just something about it that I just love. It's not over the top. The relationship between the two is some what realistic and there is also nothing about the relationship that would be considered unhealthy or abusive. There a few smutty scenes, but nothing too graphic or without reason. And it's really funny too. I actually laughed out loud a bit when I was reading it.