I'm looking for a serious shoujo/josei story with an abused male teen. He can be the protagonist/main love interest or a secondary character (as long as his role is not too small). There can be romance or not, and abuse can be sexual or non-sexual (if sexual, the abuser's gender doesn't matter). I would love the manga to explore the themes of friendship, but this isn't necessary.

Here are two examples of what I'm looking for, but these come with female characters instead...

Koe no Katachi - http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=94116

Satougashi no Dangan wa Uchinukenai - http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=22930

Both of these are considered "shounen" but I like the mood. The reason I don't ask for shounen with an abused boy is that those manga naturally come with bullied geeks who get pushed around by a strong hot girls, losers with a harem (with at least one abusive female) and weak, at first badly treated characters who turn strong ("from zero to hero"; when it's a sports/fighting shounen). I'm interested in psychology, I would like the characters to be explored... thus shoujo/josei 🙂

A male example of an abused boy would be Masao Kirishima from Mars (even though he is abusive himself). I would also count Jeremy from Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru, even though there is a lot of yaoi in the story.

I'm not interested in characters younger than 12. Only middle/high school boys, please 🙂 No characters that just recall abuse that happened when they were children but doesn't continue in present, either.

river's edge maybe?

if there is an option between "to do" and "not to do", I will always choose the latter.

"what kind of crazy, twisted conclusion is that...?" - banana bread no puding

Chou ni Naru Hi. Story 6.

The characters in these ones are under 12, but they are really good, so I thought I should recommend them:
Tamashii no Futago
Kizu (KIYOHARA Hiro)

Thank you guys! I've not read any of those, I'm looking forward to it. I only know Chou ni Naru Hi, but I only read 2-3 chapters, then dropped it before I got to the chapter 6th.

Yes, characters below 12 are fine too, as long as the story is good and the characters somewhat unique (mature?). Elementary school kids can be pretty interesting as well thinks Oboreru Knife, I just don't want to read stories with useless helpless children that get abused. There is nothing interesting in it, the reactions are predictable and little kids don't have much of an insight.

Mekakushi no Kuni has an emotionally abused high school boy as a side character.

im sure you've heard of/read Fruits Basket

i feel like i've read a lot but can't think of any....then again this is a common theme in BL mangas lol.

;D

gwkimmy, thank you too! 🙂 I've not read Mekakushi no Kuni, it sounds cool (even without the abused boy character) so I'm going to give it a try 🙂

Yup, I know Fruits Basket. Although I've not read the manga, just watched the anime. The series was good and got me hooked, but after the last episodes I didn't like it as much, the heroine bothered me (I don't like the super kind, pure-hearted type that almost every character in the series come to like/love) and there are many of characters I didn't like/care about. I totally love Momiji, but there isn't enough of him in the series + I've heard that later on (in the manga) he starts falling for the heroine. So I never tried the manga.

Yup, I know there are many abused boys in yaoi manga 🙂 Unfortunately this is not my thing (although I do like yaoi), unless the series is really deep in psychology (Zankoku na Kami..., Kaze to Ki no Uta). When the hurt/abused boy is there just so we can see some hurt/comfort and/or comfort sex, I don't find this interesting.

-Orange Marmalade
-Love So Life (age gap): one of my favorites! 😃 & Matsunaga isn't so much "abused" as he is simply "lonely"
-Kore wa Koi no Hanashi (age gap): another one of my favorites! 😉
-Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan: sentimental
-Diamond Dust: kind of, but not really...still a good read though.
-Hana No Namae

** "Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud."**

The One
Nobody Knows (LEE Hyeon-Sook)
Coelacanth
Pupa - (This is shounen but doesn't give off that certain vibe you're avoiding.)

"But if I see your eyes once more... I'll be able to feel that it is you..."

I second Eitoku on Pupa. It's got a brother and sister who are abused by their dad.

And then the sister regularly eats him; though it's "consensual."

Another maybe is a oneshot that was printed with Flower in a Storm. It doesn't go into details, but it's about a teen with an aunt that was a bit too touchy-feely with him when he was little.

Sekine-kun no Koi it's a past trauma that occurred when he was young, but it has severely affected his ability to function socially and emotionally.
The Friendly Winter I'm not sure if this is quite what you're looking for, but it's a good read nonetheless.
Dokuhime All three princes are equally tortured in their own right, but the youngest especially.
Kami-sama no Sonata the title oneshot.
Tetsugaku Letra

Yes I love this kind of manga
Butter!!! great characters and development
Again!! This one is a shonen but there is no stupid boy or stupid harem
Tetsugaku Letra Cute and pretty art, basketball girl and dancing boy
A Pocket full of holes forgets everything one shot he isnt really bullied but is good

bump*

Rainbow is pretty much exactly what you're looking for, even though it's seinen.
Banana Fish
Count Cain and its sequel, GodChild
Loveless
J no Subete -- Yes, this is yaoi, but it's a serious psychological drama and not pornographic BS, so...

And if you want a really good exploration of this theme, only with a female MC, Sekai Oni and Gunslinger Girl are very much recommended.

Sekine-kun no Koi has an abuse adult that kinda messes up mind

*bumping this thread

Masao Kirishima from mars
Soichiro Arima from Kare Kano