welcome 2 my twisted mind....

New World Lovetopia (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

I honestly really like this one, despite it having a pretty pathetic uke as the main character. It's light-hearted without any real drama, and could basically just be considered porn with plot, to be perfectly honest...
The story takes place at a zoo that features a bunch of different humanoid supernatural/fantasy beings (let's not think about the ethics of it all... they seem to be thriving...), and our main character learning all about them. Intimately.
It's surprisingly good, despite the very shallow premise, I promise!!

The main thing I liked were the shockingly nice fantasy designs! They all have their own charm and go beyond copying stereotypical designs for the species. The art is also a huge bonus, even the sex scenes are really nicely done, without feeling too soulless and boring to read. My favorite character is Takuma, although a close second is the merman purely cuz I find him hot! Sue me!
Also fair warning, at some point the main character raises an angel who then... gets a little freaky with it? Also after that chapter there's a recurring plot of uh. Male lactation. Not really my cup of tea, but go ahead.

If you're looking for something light-hearted but heavy on the smut (with hot fantasy ikemen!!!), New World Lovetopia is a great choice!

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Itoshii no Vanilla-chan (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

This is a manga I've read a few times, since it's a pretty decent read. Itoshii no Vanilla-chan is about a man who "saves" a stranger from a man who's yelling at them, the stranger (who our main character percieves as a woman) laughs at him, and for some reason that makes him fall head over heels in love with this vanilla-scented person.
The premise isn't something completely original, but I think it's pretty interesting anyway! It has a very brief panel of Vanilla-chan pretty obviously sexually assaulting another man, and that left a sour taste in my mouth, but otherwise it's safe from anything too dramatic or angsty. I want you to keep in mind that Vanilla-chan is a genuinely bad person who takes advantage of men by dressing up as a woman, and that can be upsetting for some readers. He's adamant about not being trans though, so at least that's... good? Not feeding into bad stereotypes...?

I'm a real fan of the main character being super pathetic in his attempts to get Vanilla-chan's attention, and though some comments I saw framed this as creepy, it's pretty obvious that Vanilla-chan only finds it mildly annoying at most. It's a nice light-hearted comedy story, and though it has a scene featuring dubious consent, it's quite obvious that the story's not supposed to be taken seriously.

If you're a fan of feminine semes that don't act submissive and "girly" (I LOVE YOU VANILLA-CHAN!!!!), and can excuse some mildly dubious themes, this one's actually pretty good!

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Amai na Wolf (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

OOH!!! Back on my kemonomimi bullshit!!! Amai na Wolf is about a cool introverted guy and his loud and obnoxious neighbor... who turns out to be a kind of werewolf!
I've always liked the author of this one, and although this technically is a spin-off from a previous work, it works just as well on it's own, and to be honest I prefer this one anyway...
As always, I'm a huge fan of animal ears, and I love how this artist draws them so much, even though they're rarely actually seen ... I also really LOVE how they bring up heightened senses, and that the werewolf has a sensitive sense of smell, but it's not overly dramatic, which is very similar to my real life experience with the same thing. I honestly wish they went a bit further with that, but we can't have everything I suppose.

The biggest drawback with this one definitely is the fact that it just feels a bit unfinished. There's a lot of stuff that could've been used for a way deeper plotpoint, but instead it's brushed aside. Even the fact that one of them is a werewolf never really actually feels like a huge part of the story, other than a way to lead up to the adult scenes. I definitely think this could've benefitted a LOT from being across two volumes instead of just one. I've heard there's a second volume coming but I'm afraid that'll just have the same issues, instead of expanding on what made the first volume feel so empty. It ends pretty quickly after they get together, so it definitely needs a second volume anyway, though.

If you're a fan of neighbors that are complete opposites, with a supernatural twist, you might find this right up your alley!

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Hoshigari na Rinjin (18+*)
♥♥♥♥♡

A pretty cute story about a gradeschool nutritionist and his college student neighbor who eats practically just absolute garbage...
It's really funny and sweet, and I really REALLY love the nutritionist in this!! He's very like... motherly? in the way he worries about people, but in a way it doesn't feel annoying at all! He really gives off the vibes of someone who loves working with children a lot, it's very cute.
I also really like the college student, the author really gets the college kid energy right with him! He's careless in a lot of ways college kids are, but mature in other ways... He reminds me a lot of myself... Especially with his horrendous eating habits...

Where I have to remove a point for this one, is the pacing. I really feel like way too much time was spent on the flashback (two whole chapters out of 5...), when the rest of the story feels both rushed AND too slow. There's a misunderstanding that honestly could've been done completely different without it setting one of them up to be a creep for no reason, BUT I am also misunderstanding's number 1 hater, so it makes sense why I'm critical there. In general it's good, but it's pretty forgettable, sadly.
Also the large age gap + the backstory of how they initially met is a bit weird, but I feel like that's treated surprisingly well, so it passes for me.
It also has two brief sex scenes, although they're both less than a page long, I'm pretty sure. I'm a bit unsure of how to rate it...

If you like characters with strong motherly instinct vibes, you're gonna love Konan-sensei... The rest of the manga is worth it just for him to be honest!!

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Boku no Kawaii Stalker (PG)
♥♥♥♥♥

So I know I've said I hate stuff like this romanticized, but this is like... my one exception because they BOTH have a screw loose. Also it's not all that serious in the manga...?
Anyway, Boku no Kawaii Stalker has been a manga I've always liked, for a pretty long time now! It has several stories, but the first (and main) one is about a pretty average highschooler and his (very innocent and cute) stalker. It's definitely a hit or miss topic for a lot of people, but personally I find this manga really adorable, so I let it slide.
The way love is portrayed in this feels very accurate and real. It really captures the feeling of being head over heels in love with someone, as well as how sometimes you just kinda fall in love without realizing it.
HOWEVER!! My favorite part of the first story is 100% Eguchi-kun. He's the one person in this who's always going "Hey I know the guy's cute but this is literally a crime what the fuck are you doing falling in love with him?!!??!?" and he's SO real for that. Eguchi-kun constantly goes like... "do what you want but this is extremely weird" and it feels so refreshing having someone who's still sane and expressing what everyone's thinking while reading it. Justice for Eguchi-kun, my favorite character by far.

The other stories are alright, although not at all as memorable. My favorite of them is the one about the kids, since they're super cute and remind me a lot of my own queer awakening as a child. Was holding back tears at it because of how cute it was to be honest...

If you want something sickly sweet and non-serious, I absolutely recommend you read this, especially the main story!!

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MADK (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

I've been following MADK since I stumbled upon the first untranslated chapter many years ago, before it had any sort of translation, official or fan-made. I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful artwork, character designs, and themes. And with every new chapter, I was spellbound, completely enamored with the world Suzuri Ryo had created.
I really loved the concept of literally not being able to say a more powerful demon's name past the first letter without literally having your entire soul torn apart!

MADK is a 3 volume manga that features overwhelming amounts of gore, sexual depravity, and extreme sexual violence and abuse. It's absolutely not something I would recommend to anybody who's the least bit sensitive to these things, because it basically has one of those things in every single chapter.
The story takes place in hell, for the most part, and showcases a world that most definitely could not exist anywhere else.
Suzuri-sensei's designs when it comes to demons are definitely some of my favorites I've ever seen! Extremely few of them have even remotely human-looking faces, and some barely have humanoid features at all. The fact that Makoto (our main character, a human) and J (the most powerful demon of all) are being shown as the most human-like ones throughout a large part of the story, is a very interesting way to show that percieved humanity doesn't prevent people from being evil at all.
Makoto is the main character, and the sole human in (almost) the entire manga. He's supposed to be the one we, the reader, relate to the most. Purely on the part of being human. We are slowly but surely proven wrong about relating to him, however, as he gets progressively more obsessed with J, and more determined in becoming a demon feared more than him. While reading this, I found myself rooting for Makoto for the first 1 and a half volumes, before realizing just how evil he truly had become. It reminds me a lot of how it felt to watch Death Note for the first time, where you slowly realize that the protagonist is fucking INSANE, and you actually start cheering for the antagonist instead.
Makoto is truly a vile human being, and is even considered particularly heartless in literal HELL... BY DEMONS. Obviously, Makoto wasn't safe from abuse himself. Before going absolutely batshit crazy, he had to put up with working at a brothel, which obviously made him lose a few screws. I don't blame him. That doesn't excuse the horrible shit he then decides to do afterwards, in a selfish attempt to get J to notice him, while also trying to find a way to dethrone him.
If you can't tell, I hate Makoto for some shit he does in volume 2.

For those of you brave enough to read it (and I really suggest you second-think that decision), volume 2 is by far probably the worst one, and it's why I had to remove a star from an otherwise 5/5 rating. I still can't forget what happens to Datensho, and though I won't spoil it, it is legitimately disgusting, and made me physically nauseous while reading. It's still something that keeps me up at night. God, it's fucked up...
It's to the point that I really lost my appetite for the series after that, and though I shouldn't have been surprised, I still wasn't prepared. This isn't an "oh my god it's so edgy i'm so cool for reading it" thing either, I'm genuinely feeling sick thinking about it again.
Volume 3 got a bit tamer (thank god), but I feel like the art got a bit less interesting to me. I'm guessing Suzuri-sensei's artstyle has just changed over the years, but I was still a bit disappointed. It just doesn't hit the same as the first volume to me. I also hated the ending despite it being pretty obvious that it would turn out that way. J deserved better...

If you want to cause irreversible psychological damage to yourself, while gawking at a hot sexy demon man who's barely even present in the story half the time, MADK is definitely a good choice!
(Please genuinely look up proper trigger warnings beforehand, it gets VILE.)

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Dramatic de Nani ga Warui (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

Generally I'm a sucker for plots with childhood friends, and this one was pretty alright. The whole thing starts with a guy accidentally overhearing his best friend calling out his name while jacking off, which, surprisingly enough, is like THE main way to push the plot forward in this trope? I'm neutral to it, the second-hand embarassment is unbearable though...
Sadly this one takes place when they're second years (aka they're like, 17) for like... no real reason? There's mentions of the whole "idk what I wanna do in the future!!!" thing (most highschools in Japan have students choose their path in their second year, since the third is focused on final & entrance exams), which could've just as easily been a 3rd year thing? Sigh...
Trying to remember what happens but my notes are from like a week ago... it says I thought Haru was cute because he's goofy? I don't even remember which one he was... Whatever!

A sweet little story about bromance turned romance, uhhh... Read it.. :3 ?

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3LDK, Ouji Tsuki (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

This one's about a handsome rich boy who's affectionately called an alien at his college due to being a little... strange? And an art student who suddenly ends up without a place to live, and ends up living with the rich boy. The rich boy is like, obviously head-over-heels for the artist, but is literally the last person to notice it LOL... It's surprisingly well-done for being a plot that usually edges on problematic territory, I think the tension between them is pretty well written, although it could be... more?... Tension-wise and just in general, to be honest.
I really enjoy the way the bodies are drawn though, I'm always weak for handsome guys from the neck down!!!
Overall this was a pretty exhilirating read, but the plot leaves a bit to be desired, I think... Not enough to dock a point though!

If you enjoy cohabitation plots and some healthy will-they-won't-they moments, this one's right up your alley!

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Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru (18+*)
♥♥♥♥♥

A gentle and sweet blind boy and a yakuza member who hates violence... Match made in heaven...
This one's pretty full of drama, but not once does it feel like it's just there to pad the plot (i.e. it feels natural!). I really love how innocent and bittersweet their love for eachother is, like, you can really tell they were soulmates! I usually get extra critical of stories that have characters with disabilities, and though the blind boy in this is portrayed as weak and fragile, it's relatively obvious that it's just how he is as a character, regardless of being blind.
The scenes of them together honestly made me tear up at some points, it's so heartwrenching seeing this supposed tough guy allow himself to fall in love with someone so fragile, and his internal struggle with trying to protect the one he loves from himself and his line of work, while also desperately wanting to be with him...
There's one adult scene in chapter 4, and though it technically isn't skippable, it's not overtly explicit, so I honestly have no idea how to rate it, LOL...
Keep in mind this deals with violence and familial death, which can be pretty heavy to read about.

If you're looking for something sweet to shed a tear or two to, this one's always my go-to!

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Red Beryl ni Sayonara (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

I'm a certified vampire lover, and this manga is one of my favorite vampire-related BLs!!!
Kazushige-san is such a good like... depressed vampire whos completely done with (un)life, and Akihiko is his perfect counterpart, a polite and puppy-like young man. They're both surrounded by misfortune in life, but despite this, they manage to find love in eachother...
It's an incredibly drama-ridden story, but it's worth the read, especially the first two volumes. Like a lot of romance manga in general, after volume 2 it starts feeling like they're just making shit up to milk a best-seller. My suggestion is to read it until it starts getting boring! You're not missing any huge twists by dropping it whenever.
The one thing that ticks me off a bit about it is the sex scenes... They feel very like... unnecessary? I don't see how they enhanced the story in any way, and I think overall the story could be portrayed just as well, if not better without them, honestly. It's also a bit boring how, once they cross that threshold, they're just going at it constantly...
Anyway, be warned that there are some vaguely suspicious scenes between a young-looking boy and a vampire who's been around for at least a few hundred years. There's nothing outright gross going on, but there's some weirdly suggestive blood sucking going on in there... *shrugs*

If you're a fan of vampires, Red Beryl is definitely a heartwrenching must-read!

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One Week Family (PG)
♥♥♥♡♡

This one was cute, although sadly it suffers from a lot of the issues I have with a lot of BL manga. The characters have no real flaws, and are all meant to be as likable as possible, leaving them feeling... very forgettable and bland. The story is supposed to be about an actor bonding with a child he's supposed to act with in an upcoming movie, and falling in love with the child's manager. It was sweet watching the pretend family thing, but it was just... so bland.
I genuinely believe this is one of those stories that would've been better if it was just a one-shot, since it pretty much just felt like one...

If you want something easy to digest, featuring a found/pretend family and a cute kid as a side character, maybe read this...?

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Koi no Mimiyori Chuuihou (PG)
♥♥♥♥♡

A cute and comedic manga! It has multiple stories, the first one being 3 chapters long, and the other chapters being one-shots. The first story is really... something LOL!! It's about two highschoolers, one who just like... desperately wants to clean the other's ears? Comedic chase scenes galore! Though the first story was the funniest one, I honestly preferred the others... They felt a lot more interesting to me, especially the one about the guy who decided to stay with a random stranger just because he found his guitar cool LOL... That one was especially cute, in my opinion!
Over all, I think this collection was pretty good, but I'm docking a point just because it didn't feel like anything special, but there's nothing objectively bad about it!

Need a laugh and something light-hearted? I think you'll enjoy this!

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Doukyuusei (PG)
♥♥♥♥♥

Nakamura Asumiko my beloved... I read this manga for the first time a very long time ago, and was completely enthralled with the artstyle. The movie is now one of my favorite anime movies ever, just because the art style and story was so beautifully adapted! Art aside, Doukyuusei is a lulu-certified classic that everyone should consider reading! It features two highschool boys who meet through choir class, and clumsily fall in love. I adore both of these boys, and the entire time I'm always wishing the best for them...
I will give a warning that there's a teacher who's just straight up weird about his students, and it's never played as something gross...? It's a common issue in BL in general, but extremely prolific in this era. If you're sensitive about that topic, you should stick to the movie, as it goes into less detail of how gross he is (although it still shows a scene of him attempting to kiss Sajou-kun). If you insist on reading the manga, however, skip chapter 3.
ANYWAY, AAH!! I can't recommend this enough!!! It's genuinely something I consider a masterpiece... I might be overhyping it a bit, but it's genuinely so beautiful and nostalgic feeling... I super suggest you watch the movie as well, since it genuinely is extremely true to the source! I'd even say you could absolutely just watch the movie instead, since you're not missing anything important with it!

PLEASE read and/or watch Doukyuusei! You're absolutely missing out if you've never seen it before!!

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Sotsugyousei (18+*)
♥♥♥♥♥

Since I write these in sections of 3-5 reviews at a time, and not 100% chronologically, I might as well review the continuations of Doukyuusei in order here!
Sotsugyousei is the continuation/second volume of Doukyuusei, and follows Sajou Rihito and Kusakabe Hikaru once more, as they graduate highschool and prepare for the next step in their lives. It's bittersweet with a happy ending, just how I like it! I really love seeing how their relationship progresses, and the very realistic struggles they go through. It feels really bittersweet (as I mentioned before) to watch them struggle with going their own ways in life, and having to accept that they can't be together 24/7 and still live fulfilling lives doing what they want. It's a very realistic thing that happens when you date someone during a part of your life where change is always happening, and I really like these themes when done well.
In this one it's hard to avoid Hara-sen's weirdness without losing important plot, so if that was an issue in Doukyuusei, I wouldn't recommend reading this one, sadly... It also mentions cancer, and although it's not involving the main characters directly, it can still be triggering to read about how they deal with the emotions.
Rating is 18+, but there's no explicit details, and the adult scenes are very tastefully censored so it doesn't feel as raunchy as other 18+ mangas!

If you enjoyed Doukyuusei and want to see more of these two lovebirds, Sotsugyousei definitely won't let you down!

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Sora to Hara (PG)
♥♥♥♥♡*
*This is only rating the overall quality of the work. If it was purely based on the subject matter, it would be a zero.

As much as I hate Hara-sen and his gross pedophilic behavior... The writing in this is still way too good... Ugh... Otherwise this is normally something I skip reading since I'm a sane person who's not into reading about 30-something year olds and 15 year olds getting together, even in fiction LOL.
This is a sequel to Sotsugyousei that follows Hara-sensei after Sajou-kun and Kusakabe have graduated. It's got themes of lovesickness and getting over heartbreak by meeting someone new, and if the age gap wasn't gross I'd actually say this is another really good manga. It sucks doubly because we get a glimpse of a flashback of a potential romance Hara-sen had in the past with someone his own damn age., but no, of course we're supposed to cheer for the morally corrupt option... On the bright side, we get a quick cameo from Sajou-kun and Kusakabe! My boys!!
I was actually hoping for the 15 year old kid to have his little romance moment with his past crush, since there legit seemed to be something going on there, but of course we don't get that... At this point I'd even be fine with Hara-sen getting together with his own dubious teacher from the past, because now that they're both proper adults it's leagues better than the other option... But no, said teacher also has a way too young lover now.
IT'S TOO BITTERSWEET FOR BEING SO PROBLEMATIC!! ENOUGH!!!

If you can ignore gross horrible terrible teacher/student relationships because the art and writing is good, this one's not that bad I guess... It's genuinely a waste of art and writing...

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Occupation to Beloved (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

Another one in the Doukyuusei series! This one's not as interesting as the first two, but being able to see Sajou-kun and Kusakabe in any degree makes me happy, LOL...
There's a mix of different couples in this one, introducing what's going on in Koma-san's life and his past, Arisaka-sensei and his pathetic relationship with his student (skip chapter 4.1 and 4.2 if you don't want to see all that), and the pairing we lost to hara-sen's bullshit: Fujino and Sorano... I still wish they ended up together instead... Sigh...
In chapter 6 we get *through gritted teeth* Hara-sensei and Sorano (who's now an adult). At least we find out Hara-sen didn't put his hands on the poor kid until this chapter which is like... the tiniest crumb of sanity in an otherwise fully off the rails inexcusable plotline.
AHHH!!! The Sajou-kun and Kusakabe parts were so good though, they all take place over one weekend, I'm pretty sure? And they just kinda laze about at home acting lovey-dovey... It's very wholesome. I'd die for those two, for real...
Again, has some adult scenes if I remember correctly, but nothing explicit.

For a continuation of Sajou-kun and Kusakabe's relationship, and interesting backstories about the other characters, this one's alright.

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blanc (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

Yet another in the Doukyuusei series, where the focus is back on the only good couple in the series!
AUGH. This one's all sad... Relatioship troubles, cancer AGAIN, death, augh... It made me cry several times LOL...
Again, the writing and art is amazing, and it's fun seeing how they now use modern phones and stuff... It's like we really get to watch them grow up in real-time. It's weird how even though they feel so grown-up in blanc, they're still only 20-21 (although I think they might be around 22-23 by the end, judging by how much Kusakabe's hair's grown?). It makes the relationship drama going on make a lot more sense, but also the way they handle it is so mature, I'm in awe...
Anyway, this one hits you right where it hurts! Yeowch! I'm in tears! A major part of this story is about a loved one dying from cancer-related illness, and it's extremely emotional, so if thats something triggering for you, please save yourself the pain and wait until you're ready. I'm not all that sensitive to it and I STILL cried a whole lot, so please take care of yourself.
I loved watching these two and their relationship develop. I hadn't read blanc before this, and I'm glad I waited until I had gotten a refresher on the rest of the volumes, since it definitely wouldn't have hit as hard if I didn't. I feel like this changed something in me, that's how good it was. I may be exaggerating LOL...

A must-read in the Doukyuusei series!!! You could absolutely skip directly from Sotsugyousei to this one, since not a lot actually happens after that until blanc.

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Futari Gurashi (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

Is this the final part of the Doukyuusei series...? Please say it is... I'm so tired... I've been reading these all afternoon I think I'm gonna explode if I have to read more...
At least this part was short and sweet! Futari Gurashi is just a quick peek into their lives as newlyweds, and about them moving in together. It's more of an epilogue, and feels very refreshing to read after the very emotional blanc. Not a lot happens, but that's how epilogues are! I'm just happy to see these two happy together.

A cute finale to the Doukyuusei series, read it for some extra fluff!

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Sugar Dog Life (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

This one fits my personal tastes really well! It's about a college student and a police officer (don't worry, japanese cops are mostly seen as actually helpful LOL) who go through a pretty normal strangers-to-friends-to-lovers storyline! My main highlights of this is the height difference between the two characters and the fact that the short one is a total tsundere (I'm super weak for male tsunderes LOL)...
It's a pretty average story, which is why it loses a point, it could've done a lot more with the characters and set-up, but there's nothing to really complain about with what we get!

Love men in uniform with gap moe, or short guy tsunderes? You'll like this!

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Subarashii Kiseki ni Yasashii Kimi to (18+*)
♥♥♥♥♥

OUGHH!!! This one's straight up ADORABLE. I can't believe I haven't found this one until now! It's about a nerdy boy in an equally nerdy club (I'm pretty sure it was electronics or something?), and a super cool ex-baseball club member who decides to join said nerdy club on a whim. It's super cute, has some good comedic moments, and is filled to the brim with fluff!! One detail I see people miss is that all the characters have food-themed surnames?? It made me laugh out loud when I realized it, LOL
It's totally PG up until the latter half of the extra chapter, so if you wanna skip the sex scene (which I'd suggest, since they're minors and it's kinda uncomfortable because of that...), just either skip the entire extra chapter, or stop when it shows the start of a part called "first ♥♥♥". It's a shame that they're supposed to be like.. 16? Because the writing and art is really good in that scene :( their ages just ruined it for me, personally.

Need something wholesome to lift your spirits on a gloomy day? This one's super good!

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Kyou, Aitsu ni Kyunto Shite Shimaimashita...!! (PG)
♥♥♥♥♥

An actual fulfilling feeling one-shot collection!! These are rare, to be honest! I'd absolutely suggest everyone read this, it's a multiple artist collection of stories specifically about the first "kyun!" moment between two characters, AKA, when they realize theyre in love! I was legit stimming while reading this because it was SO good... The one-shot format works SUPER well for this concept, since it gives you all the good parts of the like... fluffy... realizing they're in luuuurv.... squeal-worthy stories.
The characters and plots are simple enough that it doesn't leave you feeling like it's rushed or unfinished, which is a blessing! Like, I'm about to go recommend all my friends read this, tbh.

Want something jam-packed with sweetness that'll leave you kicking your legs and giggling? PLEASE READ THIS!!!!

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Dekoboko Sugar Days (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

One of my all-time favorites! Dekoboko Sugar Days explores the conflicting feelings of being in love with a childhood friend, but not wanting to risk ruining your friendship, and all the hardships that comes with! It's a sweet little story set in highschool, starring two childhood friends where pretty much everyone already knows they're in love except themselves, LOL.
I love how the tall one is a super sweet airhead, since I feel there's a huge gap in the market for tall male characters that aren't super masculine! I love him so much T_T... There's some drama, so it's not a full-fluff read, but it's pretty minor. Apparently there's supposed to be a second volume, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere as of yet, so this review is only for volume 1!

Are you a sucker for childhood friends, and non-stereotypical height differences? This one's a must-read!

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Achira Kochira Bokura (PG)
♥♥♥♥♡

I had to skim this one to remember like, ANYTHING of the plot, but I REALLY want to put up more reviews of PG mangas so I don't come off as a total freak LOL
This one's a pleasant, long read! I mostly like it because the main character has social awkwardness that isn't like... stereotypical? I can relate to him a lot! He's bad at texting too, which I can SUUUPER relate to!!
Anyway, this manga's barely even a romance, to be honest! It's more focused on how the two main characters become closer as friends, despite being in completely different cliques. They're written super well, and it feels really nostalgic to watch these kids become friends in such a realistic way. They're just buddies who end up falling in love with eachother!!! ITS GOOD!!!
The art style's really unique too, probably inspired by older manga? A lot of comments I see online don't like it, but I'm always a huge fan of anything that looks memorable, since the ones that look too similar tend to blend together in my memories...
It gets a point taken off because it IS extremely long for how little actually happens, and you absolutely can't read it all at once without feeling like you're being tortured. However, if you like stories where it's more slow and slice-of-life focused, that'll probably not be a problem!

If you want something that feels natural and chill, and is more friendship focused (it's a slow burn!), you'll love this!

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Kiss de Egaku Ittousei (18+*)
♥♥♥♥♥

OOOHHHH!!!! This one's so cute... The love interest is a survivor of rape, so if mentions of that topic or depictions of trauma responses are triggering, you should avoid this one, even if it's a good manga. It's a bit of a touchy subject for me, but I like how respectful the main character is about it, and the manga handles the topic relatively well, although it shows a bit too much of a flashback for me to really praise it whole-heartedly. They could've just made the guy talk about it, and not visually show it at all, I think. Especially because it takes place when the characters are only 18.
There's a bit of drama, but in a very realistic way, and it ties in with the plot, so I don't mind it!!
As for the rating, it's all PG up until the extra (ch. 6.5), where there's a pretty tame and short sex scene... So while it's not PG, it's not explicit either... If you want something PG, skip the extra (it doesn't add anything to the story, don't worry)!

I can't think of anything good to summarize with! Read it if you want!

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Koi no Shikata ga Wakaranai (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

Healthy open relationship? In MY manga? More likely than you'd think! (just kidding, they're extremely rare) But this one has it!
I'm really excited to tell you about this manga, actually. I absolutely LOVE the way it genuinely portrays an open relationship where one person is open and the other is monogamous, and the monogamous one is completely fine with it!!! It's extremely rare, and here it's not played as the monogamous guy being weird or taken advantage of at all! It eventually ends up being a regular couple at the end, but only because the open guy decides on his own that he doesn't want to play around anymore, which is such a breath of fresh air in the usually highly problematic "cheating" seme trope...
I also am a huge fan of the open guy learning what love is! He's awkward and doesn't know what to do because this is like... his first love? And the other guy is oblivious enough that he's just like "woah... he's being... affectionate?? must be the wind..." and I honestly relate so much to both of them LOL. One of them reminds me a bit much of a guy I know though so it's kinda awkward for me to re-read now...

If you wanna watch two guys fumble around going from dating on a whim to actually falling in mutual love, this one's real good!!

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Stigmata Seikon Sousa (PG) + Aikon (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

The Stigmata series is probably one of the best mystery and plot-focused BL manga I've ever read. The first volume "Seikon Sousa" isn't exactly BL, but it's got the general vibes. The sequel "Aikon" explores the relationship between the main characters and has some adult scenes, but the writing is just as good!
The author (Takahashi Hidebu) is one of my favorite authors and artists of all time. Their artwork is heavily influenced by old Japanese paintings, and it's extremely beautiful!! Each and every page of their mangas are amazing to just appreciate for the artistic value, and that's something I personally really like.

If you love art and more poetic writing, or want to read a non-explicit BL that isn't written for children, check out the first volume! If you want to see more of the characters, and see their relationship develop, read the sequel as well! Some trigger warnings include murder, the main characters are homicide detectives after all.

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Itadakimasu, wa Koi no Aji (PG)
♥♥♥♥♡

This one's a one-shot! It's short and sweet, and I think the length fit the story very well!! It's about two highschool boys, one who wants to be a nutritionist, and one who absolutely could not care less about nutrition... I love the art and the characters in this!! The story's simple, but the art and characters really make it stand apart from other one-shots, I think!

If you like cute slice-of-life stories, and need something sweet and funny to cheer you up, I think you'd love this one :3

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Fukujuu to Amagami (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

AAAHHH!!! I love this one!! It's about a veterinarian and a werewolf, and I'm always a sucker for animal characteristics, so this one was a great read! Again, as with most of these, I really do adore the art... The werewolf boy in this has a design I really enjoy for some reason, I think it's his hair...? Anyways, it features cute dogs, a cute wolf boy, and is a mix of romance and drama. It loses a point sadly because I just really didn't enjoy the drama featured, and the veterinarian is a little scummy, to be honest... They have some sort of D/S relationship but it just comes off as a bit forced (narrative-wise). It's still probably in my top 10 at the moment though!

For those who love dog/wolf boy characters, and don't mind some mildly problematic relationships, maybe this one will strike your fancy?

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Color Recipe (18+)
♥♥♥♥♡

HARADA WARNING!!!
If you're a regular reader of BL, you probably know what a typical Harada manga entails, but just in case you don't I'll go over it in this review, don't worry!
Color Recipe was pretty tame for a Harada manga, but definitely not for the weak-hearted. I'd personally suggest skipping volume 2, as it just kinda goes TOO far for my taste. Color Recipe is about two hairdressers that have a good rival dynamic, that quickly turns into a "oh this guy is a freak now i have a good reason to hate him... but wait he's... hot??" dynamic LOL... He's hot so it's fine though, right...? Guys...?
Volume one was genuinely good, it features some weird somnophilia scenes, but otherwise is pretty alright, and I really liked their relationship. There's a side character who's a stalker, so if you're sensitive about that, definitely don't read this since it's very realistically portrayed.
...Then comes volume two. Yuck. It's genuinely disgusting to read, but Harada is really a master at portraying toxic relationships, rape scenes, and like, psychological torment extremely well.
I HATED volume 2, it added next to nothing to the story, and was just straight up misery porn. It sucks.

If you're weak towards rape scenes, stalking, obsessive behavior, etc. DO NOT READ ANYTHING BY HARADA. PERIOD!! It's not worth it!!

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Kabukicho Bad Trip (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

Now, let me be completely honest, this one's closer to just being porn with plot, and I am painfully aware of that, LOL...
However, the whole thing is just SO... GOOD... Like, the writing and art + the genuinely really hot concept is everything to me!!!
The characters in this one are a host and a famous model he loves, and it's got themes of S/M that might not fit everybody's tastes (keep that in mind!), but the art is extremely good and the pacing and way these characters are portrayed is just insanely good... There's some drama in there that I'm not a huge fan of, and I don't really LOVE either of the characters, but the author makes up for that by making it the most disgustingly hot thing I've read in years.

If you're into mild-medium S/M themes and androgynous semes, give this one a go! The art itself is absolutely worth it too, so if you're more of an art-based reader, this one's a definite must-read :D

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Fukutsu no Zono (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

While the reviews below this one are all because of great story and artwork, this ones purely based on the fact that stories with fighting-turned-making out are an instant 5/5 for me...
It's set in highschool which is extremely hit-or-miss when it comes to BL in my opinion (it feels weird... they're so young...), but I genuinely really love the art and the characters a lot. Zono is a great character, and I really love how he firmly states at one point that just because he likes girly things, it doesn't mean he'll turn into a girl for the main character. I love characters with feminine interests that aren't meant to just be stand-ins for girls!!
Also for some reason the way teeth are drawn in this is insane to me, like, the author definitely has a thing for teeth/mouths and it shows (/pos)

If you like the idea of watching two boys grope eachother as some weird way of asserting dominance, this one's for you!

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Moratte Kudasai (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

I'm genuinely obsessed with the pairing in this one... We've got this awkward short guy who struggles trying to get attention from girls, has no idea how to appeal to girls, and in his quest he manages to catch the eye of the hottest most popular guy he knows in his college. Seems like it could be a really weird power dynamic, but it's actually done really well! The popular guy in question is a genuine sweetheart and actually wants to help the main character to get popular, but ends up falling head over heels for him almost instantly...
I crave him so badly you don't even understand!!!!
The manga explores the "practice dating" turned real dating trope, and It's one I'm extremely weak for, so obviously I love it...

If you like stories with a large height difference, specifically where the uke is taller, READ THIS!!!!

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Ringo, Ki Kara Ochiru (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

This one's really good, just because it goes all-out on making the handsome prince character the most pathetic guy ever... Half the time he's speaking to the main character he's DRENCHED in sweat, stuttering, and speaking lines straight out of an otome game from the 90's (cringeworthily)... I love him.
The manga features other stories as well, although I'm gonna be real honest and say the main draw is 100% the first/main one, I don't even remember the other ones...
I love the artstyle of this one as well! It's really unique, and it adds a LOT to the appeal of the story!!

If you like stories that go heavy on awkward first love-type moments, and pathetic prince-like characters, you'll definitely like this! Keep in mind that this one's set in high-school!

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Itoshi no Nekokke (18+)
♥♥♥♥♥

The main appeal of Itoshi no Nekokke for me is definitely just the general fluffy feeling! It's a very sweet story, and I think it balances some soft drama with comedy and romance really well. One big draw that I think should be praised more is that the characters have real human flaws, but in a way that doesn't seem stereotypical like a lot of other BL can tend to have! It does lean heavy on the non-serious vibe though, so there's some distasteful jokes and themes strewn about, the most noticable one I can remember is about cheating.
It also gets bonus points for making the couple not strictly stick to their uke/seme roles, which I think begins in volume 3 or 4, if I remember correctly? And I absolutely LOVE the artstyle!!!

It's a classic I think everyone should read at least once!

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