My health deteriorated recently (relevant but as an extra request) and am mostly able to read comics but not books ... Google and internet archives caused me to read most manga ... and all forum threads on most sites

Am curious if I skipped some wroks but noticed a whole lack of plotty gay manga - by that I mean those which have not been written solely for fetish reasons like Genroh Tagame or Mentaiko. I do not mind porn enhancing horror factor such as Uziga Waita and Shintaro Kago but if horrid stuff is abound - I would like more psychological horror works than gore.

In a neat numbered list, I am looking for manga being a mix of those factors:

1) Protagonists being gay but mature and more of Asano Inio characters.

2) Not necessarily being romantic but it is a plus, however to avoid genre chaos - can include a gay dude who never shags anyone.

3) A work having an interesting plot such as No.6 novels - I do not mind teenagers being protagonists if it makes sense plot wise (however if manga includes kids below 16 - would love it to have no idealised sex - could include traumatic things though).

4) Not ending in tragedy.

5) Not being a muscle macho-man central in art style as I do love art style more realistic or eventually gothic like as Kaori Yuki.

// Works that I think might fit:

Sakura Gari (a bit lacking self-awareness for me), Breakfast Club (tad bit too aimed at kids so not speaking to me), Banana Fish (rocked the criminal plots), Rika the Breeder (was too happy with sexual abuse and not addressing it in realistic manner but concept was neat), Killing Stalking (same as Rika), Cut (done concept great but target group was kids), A Cruel God Reigns, Devilman, A Crush On You, Golden Days, Kamisama no Lutoori (would love manga to be more clear than JKR's Dumbledore which is what this series worships as a trope), Coponicus no Kokyuu, Litchi Hikari Club, Kami no Kodomo, Warehouse, Orchids of Endless Nights (it is a bit unrealistic with sex work themes), Kaze to Ki no Uta, Smells Like Green Spirit, The End of Youth, Bokura no Hikari Club, Tsukigasa, Samenai Yume and Nemureru Tsuki.

// Titles that fit ... a tiny bit or those which I never completed:

Yuureitou, Loveless, Aigan Shounen, Otona no Mondai, Trigun (extra stuff as read main ones), Attack on Titan (if you replace or straight themes with gay and yes, I like it and not saying it would benefit from it just looking for similar work which is gay), Aku no Kyouten (it has background gay couple but looking for main cast one), Shissou Nikki (straight to the boot but is about alcoholism and autobiographical - is there a queer equivalent?), Planetes (awesome sci-fi and would be all over one with gay blokes), Notpia, Corsair (never finished it as action starts .... in the middle chronologically and my dyslexia noped out), Shin Sekai Yori (plot is grand as well as character and those who are not monosexual but bi or pan and whatnot are awesome but ... it makes my insecurecies surface), Mister Mermaid, Kamakiri, Kago no Tori, Yajirushi, Ichigo no Yume, Paranoia Star, Inu mo Kuwanai, Giglio, Bannin, Endless World, Rakuda Tsukai to Ouji no Yoru and MW.

// 100% match if not straight (I do love those mangas just asking about gay equivalent):

20th Century Boys, Ghost Hound, Ghost Hunt, Believers, Marie no Kanaderu Ongaku, Bradherley no Basha, Myum Myum, Fetish, Disrespectful Bitch, Killer Stall, Elena, Deep, Hoozuki no Shima, Hotel, 6000, Zashiki Onna, J no Subete (this one has a weird translation and never found proper one as seen those with main character being a bloke when it is a woman so yeah ...), Wandering Son (note: I heard main protagonist did end in a lesbian relationship but other characters' plot squicks me out), Monster and Homunclus.

And I ... listed all as seen threads of people looking for same stuff so ... wanted to write series and authors I read. Would be really grateful of someone seen anything I did not!

Bonus: Would love manga about protaganists born with physical disabilities such as always using a wheelchair. And here is ... a skeevy request as I mean titles not about deaf or blind characters ... simply for the reason of me only seeing those types of disability (am both plus mobility affected to greater extent). More leaning towards gay but would love lesbian or general as it is a niche lacking anything. Also - if you have any psychological horror recs with lesbian protagonists which do not end in tragedy - would take them as well. Otherwise, mabe some queer autobriographies? Or manga taking social stratification and prejudices seriously.

Post was long. Blame my jaw. Will edit gibberish tomorrow.

Ciel
Golondrina
Innocent (Sakamoto Shinichi) and Innocent Rouge (more the latter than the former)
Murasakiiro no Qualia
Tokyo Babylon and its sequel X/1999
Young Gun Carnaval

Autobiographies:
The Private Report on My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness
Hanayome wa Motodanshi.

Also...
Shimanami Tasogare by Kamatani Yuhki who identifies as X-gender (genderqueer/nonbinary)
Otouto no Otto by Tagame Gengoroh
...if you want stuff that "takes social stratification and prejudices seriously".

I don't really have anything for your main request, but for the disability one, there's Real, which is centred on the theme and has protagonists with physical disabilities. It's 100% heterosexual, though. (Obviously, I guess, because it's seinen).

And as for autobiographies of LGBT people, there's Honey & Honey and Plica, of which the former is really pretty nice. Both are GL.

Last edited by calstine at 8:31 am, May 26 2017

Thanks to both of you! Read Tokyo Babylon and X just did not mention as Subaru's arc was unresolved (um, well it partially was but that would be spoilers).

Never heard of others besides Gengoroh's not fetish manga but never finished reading that as I admire him but his drawing style is not my favourite but he rocks dark stuff so might try this again. Shimanami Tasogare is on my reading list and read first chapter and hmm ... not sure on that but will carry on as cannot judge aftsr one.

Real is making me side eye it because of sports as not fan of those in manga and anime (was a swimmer and Free terrified me). Guess it is my prejudices ruining my reading xD . However, wish seinen had more gay targeted stories as by definition it is mature men in the readers group. Would probably find more in comics globally but ... never did - Artifice kind of fits as it is about android escaping a ship designated to be erased with one of the guys living there and it was written by a gay bloke. I can read moderately straight stories and my weird bias is due to horrid hometown where I had zilch queer content - it is almost a phobia albeit a very arseholy one :/ .

Will edit post when I read those linked and again, cheers for answering!

Moved to Yaoi/Yuri.

Oh, but Free is female-oriented (something like shoujo, only anime) while Real is male-oriented (psychological seinen, to boot), so obviously Real has a very mature and realistic approach to the topic (playing basketball professionally while disabled) and the guys aren't used for fanservice at all. Neither are the girls, from what I remember, but in typical seinen fashion they look way more appealing than the males.

On the other hand, Free is a slice-of-life with lots of fanservice for the ladies and swimming's more like a backdrop for the coming-of-age going on, so I don't think you can compare them in any way. I enjoyed it quite a bit myself, but it isn't representative of manga/anime sports at all.

I know they do not compare and did not watch Free bar one episode as ... lack of nipples bothered me. I generally do not read anything about sports or watch such telly shows but it is just a preference. I am looking for wheelchair sports in my area and it seems general theme with me as cannot read or watch anything bdsm while not being vanilla.

Anyway, I do not mind fanservice if it is centred on dudes and aimed at dudes just not muscle blokes - yep, am shallow and I like staring at long haired, gorgeous dudes such as my husband. This is how I end up reading yaoi and I do not mind it is aimed at women - issue is with the fact it is targetted to teenagers (not that teens are not mature and ambitious but most of these works assume that).

Did start reading Ciel and My Lesbian Experience with Lonliness and both are grand. Second is a bit of how I grown up as also dropped out of uni and struggled with mental health - it is absurdly harder for a woman than for me.

I might give Real a chance one day when can breach the sport genre. Last one I seen was Captain Tsubasa which more like a football fantasy than realistic portrayal.

(Also sorry for posting in wrong area and thanks for moving the thread, also I should probably not babble as much, sorry for that as well)

Forgot to mention this the first time, and can't believe I forgot it, but A Night of a Thousand Dreams is great if you haven't read it yet.

Oooh! Thanks for finding that as I did start it but then confused it with other manga. Gladly found android apps with reading history which makes life easier.