Quote from calstine

I'd like to read Girl Friends - but it's yuri, and well, I'm not really into that - the same way I'm not into yaoi... The yuri only comes at the end and it's not really graphic. I'd really recommend giving it a chance. 🙂 Another good one is Ebisu-san and Hotei-san.

Quote from Whatever

Quote from calstine

I'd like to read Girl Friends - but it's yuri, and well, I'm not really into that - the same way I'm not into yaoi... The yuri only comes at the end and it's not really graphic. I'd really recommend giving it a chance. 🙂 Another good one is Ebisu-san and Hotei-san.

I see...Well then, I might just throw caution to the winds and check it out. Yuri is usually not as smutty as yaoi, anyway (I think 😛 )
I don't really like the sound of Ebisu and Hotei. Might check it out someday, though.

@pshomid -

And I just remembered a few other BL titles I think you ought to try. They're really nice and the only reason I forgot about them before is 'cause it's been ages since I've read them.

Tsuki to Mizu no Yoru - Simple, tranquil and very sweet. Implied shounen-ai only.

So wa Reirei no Yuki ni Mai - Perhaps slightly heavier on the BL front, but in a weird way. The 3 MCs aren't romantically involved with anyone at all (they're all very amusing guys), but they meet this writer who has a really bizarre relationship with his long-dead rival (or is it best friend?)'s ghost...
It's a very unique little story and there's no sugar-coated happy ending, so definitely worth a read.

Marginal - This is a Hagio Moto manga, so I don't think I need to say anything else 😀

Quote from pshomid

I'm digressing a bit : Would a straight female enjoy reading a shoujo-ai manga that has a good story like Honey & Honey or Pieta (imo) ?

Yep, I don't have probs with GL. Like calstine said just the het females tend to accept GL more than the het males accept BL. This proves (again) that we the girls are much more tollerant. 😉 😛

For me it is simple - I don't think that only the things I like worth to exist. This is just immature. I never thought that I have to hate the things that are not "my taste". It is normal ppl to like some things. But this doesn't mean that they have to hate the others. In that point ppl have to hate many things bc they like few. Not liking something is not equal to hate it. All is about the respect. If I have to say it abt me in one sentence - "Respecting all, loving some". For example I have to hate classic music bc I don't like it. But in fact I don't like it but I respect it. I think that as soon as ppl find this thin difference as soon the world would become a bit better place.

Oh, I forgot to suggest MW from the great manga master Osamu Tezuka. Strange plot and strange artstyle but then again this is from 1976. 😉

[img]http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6674/naturebyabhishekultimat.jpg[/img]

Ruler of the Yaoi world

I see. Very interesting, calstine. That's pretty amazing. For me, I'm not at that level yet where I can enjoy a more straightforward love story like sasameki koto (the shounen-ai equivalent of that, I mean) -- but I'll reach that level soon, I think 🤣

Thanks, veve, for your thought. That's pretty much my view too. and @pervysage : kunisaki izumo's pretty amusing.

1001 nights?
Running on empty
Shounen Zanzou
50 X 50

[img]http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/6167/avvy.png[/img]
Rape is imminent.

Thirding(?) Silver Diamond!~ 😁

And also if you don't mind anime, have you ever tried the series "Kyou Kara Maou?" I know a lot of people who dislike BL, and wound up accidentally watching this series before realizing it was shounen-ai but still really liked it in the end. 😛

I was going recommend recommend Togainu no Chi as well before I saw that you already read it, but only the Togainu no Chi (YAMAMOTO Kana) version since I found the other version (Togainu no Chi) incredibly boring (no offense!). 🤣

For another shounen-like BL, I'd also suggest checking out Madness if you don't mind it being more... fanservice-y (for both guys and girls xD) than the previous mentioned above titles.

And if you like cracky and parody stuff, I'd also suggest Mossore and Tsumikabatsu (yes, it's BOTH shounen and shounen-ai! xP)

[url=http:////www.mangaupdates.com/showtopic.php?tid=42718][img]http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo105/CatzCradle64/Avis-Sigs/FunghiPower_zps2a00ba56copy_zpsfc03990e.png[/img][/url]

Quote from pshomid

I see. Very interesting, calstine. That's pretty amazing. For me, I'm not at that level yet where I can enjoy a more straightforward love story like sasameki koto (the shounen-ai equivalent of that, I mean) -- but I'll reach that level soon, I think 🤣

Well, I think my tastes are pretty unusual because, unlike other girls, I read BL and GL for the same reason. And that reason? Because I'm bored to death with straight romance! 😃
To be honest, the first couple of years after I started reading manga, I read nothing but (straight) romances...up to the point that I just can't stand it anymore, unless it's a very small part of the plot.

So...there you have it. I don't read BL to stare at the guys, and I don't read GL to stare at the girls. So I don't have an issue with reading straightforward love stories in either genre. But actually, I prefer both my shounen-ai and shoujo-ai manga to not have romance as the primary plot focus.

Not a brilliant reply, I know. But it's the truth 🤣

Well, I think everyone mentioned all my recommendations but I like to add that maybe, if you are looking for theme, you might try to light gay novels. I have a topic here.

The one I think you will like the best is a historical novel named the Persian Boy by Mary N.

If you liked A Night of a Thousand Dreams, you will definitely like Persian Boy.

It is a romance historical novel about a historical character named Bagoas who was made into a eunuch at the age of 12. He served previously as a prostitute, later entered and served Darius, the King of Persia. When Persia fell to Alexander the Great, Bagoas[at age 15] was presented to Alexander[I think he was 26] as the Persian Dancing Boy. There, the story begin with the relationship Bagoas had with Alexander up to the death of Alexander over a long seven year periods. You will also see historical events including battles and social turmoils.

It is very light and made very little description about the intimate moments [especially given the fact that Bagoas was a eunuch.], but it expands on the emotional connection between the two. I really like it better than all the other yaoi, bl and gay novels I read because the character Bagoas is so sweet , naive, and tragic yet, as Ptolemy said: "However, one did not sleep with two kings and remain naive."

Gay book discussion thread

Quote from you_no_see_me_

this is not about cannibalism...please get back on topic

Quote from Toto

I think it is exactly the topic. I see nothing wrong.

Quote from veve

Quote from pshomid

I'm digressing a bit : Would a straight female enjoy reading a shoujo-ai manga that has a good story like Honey & Honey or Pieta (imo) ?

Yep, I don't have probs with GL. Like calstine said just the het females tend to accept GL more than the het males accept BL. This proves (again) that we the girls are much more tollerant. 😉 😛

Yeah, I know! Why the heck are most guys incapable of tolerating even the slightest bit of BL? Like, I've come across at least 10 guys (and 1 girl) here at MU who go around giving '1' ratings to shounen-ai / yaoi manga - because - guess why - because they're BL! 🙄

I'm a het female, relatively new to both BL and GL (compared to calstine, at least!), and I've had no problems whatsoever with either so far. As long as the plot is good I'll read irrespective of genre. (Don't like yaoi / yuri though - too much sex)

I like Sasameki Koto and Pieta. They're very nice. Honey & Honey I have yet to try - I really ought to 'cause it looks fun ^_^
Hatshepsut was not innocent at all compared to the usual sweet-as-honey GL, but I love the heroine's grit 😛

Btw, calstine - about Girl Friends. While it's true that it isn't very graphic compared to most yuri, it is incredibly sweet up to the point of distraction. GF is the only yuri I've ever tried and the only manga - ever - that made me cringe at the cuteness. It's a little too cute, imo.

There have been some really great recommendations. I second Wild Adapter and Yami no Matsuei, which are barely shounen-ai, and Antique Bakery, which although it has gay scenes is not yaoi.

I don't think these were mentioned:
Sengoku Nights
From Dusk Till Dawn
Shibuya de Aimashou - this one feels like there was supposed to be a volume 2, but I enjoyed what was here.
Otona no Mondai. The protagonist is a straight college student whose father "adopts" a man his age.
Gravitation is yaoi, but there aren't too many graphic scenes - it's mostly Shuichi's crazy antics. I had a guy tell me he liked the anime.
Vassalord is shounen-ai but it pushes the edge hard. Try it if you like vampire fiction.
Loveless is considered by many to be shounen-ai. I don't think it is, but I do think it is a work of genius. There is canon yuri FTW.

@cyclamen -
Thanks for the heads-up! I'll keep that in mind 😉

I did think of recommending Loveless, and then just forgot 😮 'cause there hasn't been a new release in months...
There's no BL at all in the beginning, then 3 or so volumes with a few kissing scenes, and then again nothing. I'm almost certain that the final pairing will be between Ritsuka and his cutesy little (female) classmate, so I agree with scarletrhodelia on this not being an actual shounen-ai title. The story is dark and fairly serious (for a manga); so even if the BL bit irks you, you should still keep reading - you won't regret it ^^

Maybe I'm wrong, but how is Sengoku Tsukiyo shounen-ai? Wasn't the demon king in love with the MC's female incarnation? I mean sure, he's a guy now - but he was a woman back in the day when the king fell for him - and I'm sure he still loves the woman, not the protagonist. He protects the protagonist only by default, so to speak.

As for Vassalord - I advice you not to read it. Heck, I'm a girl and I thought there was too much...um...biting. I'm pretty sure it'll make you feel uncomfortable. (There's no actual sex, or anything, though)

I don't usually take people's recs apart like this, but I just sorta had to, in this case >.<

Whew, that's a lot of shounen-ai. I've read a lot shounen-ai this past 2 weeks 🙂 , thank you brucie, catzcradle, cyclamen, scarletrhodelia, boxbox and again, calstine for all your replies.
@boxbox : thanks, I've read it.
@calstine : 😮 I see, you're a veteran then 😀
@cyclamen : Ooh.

lol, now I am curious, what makes a straight man desire for borderline gray works of art? A little Bi-curious are we perhaps? 🤣

Well, after Persian Boy, I recommand..uhhh....the Nightrunners Series by Lynn Flewelling

It's about an elf and a half elf half human boy who work as spies and intelligence officers for the Queen of the country Skalan. And there's wizards and mages, druids, necromancers, alchemists, talking animals, dragons, gnomes, ghosts, demons. And it's a lighter version of the Lord of the Ring with some boy love as the sub theme.

Gay book discussion thread

Quote from you_no_see_me_

this is not about cannibalism...please get back on topic

Quote from Toto

I think it is exactly the topic. I see nothing wrong.

Quote from BoxBox

lol, now I am curious, what makes a straight man desire for borderline gray works of art? A little Bi-curious are we perhaps? 🤣

That statement is uncalled-for, and pretty offensive too. I wouldn't be happy if someone called me closet lesbian or a bisexual, and I'm sure pshomid feels the same. What's so odd about someone who is entirely straight reading BL / GL, anyway?

mossore!!!!!
you can't help but lol so much in this.