Vassalord by Chrono Nanae
Where to read: Good luck!!
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Holy FUCK Johnny Rayflo is hot. Anyway this is one of those great “blood drinking as a metaphor for sex” series from the 2000s. I read this in my late teens and it changed something in me. It has everything. Vampires, gothic aesthetics, Catholic guilt, a sired vampire living off the blood of his master, did I say Catholic guilt? The best time to read this manga is when you are 17 years old but the next best time is now. There’s also a pretty cool OVA of the pilot chapter!

Sleeping Dead by Asada Nemui
Where to read: iykyk
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I can't say I reccommend this manga very easily. It's a tragedy horror and I felt sick almost the entire time I read it, until the very end where I felt so incredibly upset that I simply had to wait for the day to end and for me to go to sleep because my mood was so irrecoverable. That being said, it's a manga that left a big impact on me. A school teacher is killed and then revived as a zombie by a scientist. He is now only able to stomach human flesh.

The Other World’s Books Count on the Bean Counter by Kazuki Irodori
Where to read: In print by Yen Press
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This delightful BL isekai is set to get a TV anime in 2026! A wage slave accountant from modern day Japan is spirited away to a fantasy world as an add on with the Holy Maiden they meant to summon! Unable to function without a purpose, he joins the royal accounting department. This is a dramatic, yet heartwarming series.

Love Recipe by Kirico Higashizato
Where to read: Good luck!!!
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I feel like I’m the only person left in the world who still likes this manga or remembers it. I picked it up in a bulk June manga haul. Most of the titles in that haul were nothing to write home about. But this… This is a work of art. It’s a long forgotten June manga about a guy who starts working at a BL publishing company and soon becomes the star of his own IRL BL drama. This manga is an absolute time capsule of BL culture in the early 2000s. My only complaint is that only the first two volumes were ever translated. Damn you, June!!!

Hit on by a Kinky Guy by Bov
Where to read: Coolmic
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This one is really intense in the beginning and it almost scared me off. But one of my fujo friends is really into it and she kept posting all of this super cute merch of it, so I soldiered on for her. I’m so glad I did! Their relationship eventually becomes very cute and they’re so silly and dumb.

Reincarnated into Demon King Evelogia’s World by Io Kaziwara
Where to read: Coolmic
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If you like cute semes, this is the series for you. Evelogia is so damn cute UGH and he’s also very cool. His relationship with Gozu is incredibly sweet too. They’re a couple of misfits on an adventure to find somewhere they can belong. This one also has a short OVA.

Momo and Manji by Sawa Sakura
Where to read: Manga Planet
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This historical BL will rip your heart out, step all over it and they painstakingly piece it back together. Momo is a retired kagema, Manji is a wandering musician. Together they love and learn to heal and move on. The artwork for this series is spellbinding, PLEASE do not let the historical hairstyles put you off. This series is also fascinating in its historical accuracy. You can learn through the power of yaoi with this one.

Caressing My Hibernating Bear by Haruchika
Where to read: Coolmic
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This series is like… What if Sylvanian families fucked. Cozy woodland domesticity with little woodland critters but what if it was yaoi. Lots of animal ear cuteness! The art style is a bit out there, but it’s charming in its own shojo sparkle way. This is a very relaxing read. This one once again has an OVA.

Demon Boss Mr Gokudera Wants to be Exposed by Arata Licca
Where to read: Manga Planet
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Pretty men in lingerie… This series is really cute. The only downside is only the first two volumes are translated. Pick it up, Futekiya!!! Anyway, it’s a workplace romance about a guy named Shouji who discovers his boss’ secret of wearing lacy sexy lingerie under his clothes to work and posting it to his secret social media. It’s very fun, cute and sexy. I’m desperate for more volumes to be translated.

What if I Undress Usaka After Work by Tamako Hanamori
Where to read: Coolmic
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This is pretty much exactly the same as Mr Gokudera except instead of lingerie it’s general kawaii clothing. Usaka wears frilly dresses and a bunny ear headdress and collects a bunny mascot character, but at work he’s quiet and serious. Get your secret gap moe fix here!!

The Foxy Mouse’s Romance by Hanasawa Namio
Where to read: Renta
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Omegaverse is always better when they have animal ears and tails. This series is also good because it makes use of different animal species and predator/prey dynamics! Awkward omega fox is romanced by his shady alpha fox supervisor. It’s soo cute!! The artist also draws them with incredibly cute animal forms. (There is an arc where the mouse gets stuck in his animal form and the fox has to look after him, it's so cute UGH would you still love me if i was a worm type shit)

Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Where to read: Published by Seven Seas
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Everyone and their mother knows who MTXT is. Do I even need to tell you what Heaven Official’s blessing is? I bought TGCF ramen at my local asian mart for crying out loud. Go read the damn books. There is also a donghua, an audio drama and a sadly unfinished cancelled graphic novel and cancelled live drama.

Slow Damage by Nitro Chiral
Where to download: JastUSA
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An absolutely excellent crime noir BLVN with extremely satisfying themes of grief, healing and moving on. I do suggest playing this after trying out Nitro Chiral's other games as after this they may not hold up as well. I’ve already written about my thoughts on this game on my Slow Damage shrine.

Nu: Carnival by PINKCORE
Where to download: EroLabs
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I think every BL fan knows about Nu: Carnival at this point - it is the BL mobile game. A fun, campy isekai harem with an extremely loveable cast plus captivating story and fully voiced, animated and uncensored H scenes! You really can't go wrong, just make sure you download the original version (NOT the Bliss edition) from EroLabs for the full, uncensored experience. You can also check out my Nu: Carnival shrine for some more fun goodies.

Patalliro by Mineo Maya
Where to find: I wish you the best of luck finding anything for this damn series
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While Patalliro is indeed a manga, it's also a lot of other things. It's multiple anime, a stage show, a live action movie and a whole lot of audio dramas. Some of it is translated into English, but most is entirely untranslateable. It's not even a true BL, it's a gag manga that nearly predates BL entirely. But I think any fujoshi worth their salt should still give this series a go, even if it is one of the most batshit insane things you'll ever experience.