In honor of the boys love / yaoi manga insanity that was Yaoi-Con 2009, I asked a bunch of manga fans, connoisseurs and critics on Twitter: What are your picks for essential yaoi manga reading? What titles would you recommend to friends? Which manga give the phrase "graphic novels" new meaning?
I got responses from 29 tweeters, and the result is this list of 36 essential yaoi / boys love manga. Titles from #1 - 17 got 2 or more comments / votes, so they're listed by popularity. #18 - 36 got one recommendation each, so they're listed alphabetically.
Topping the list was Future Lovers by Saika Kunieda from Deux Press, a sweet and funny two volume series about two teachers, one straight-laced, one flamboyant. Despite being very different, the pair fall in love and learn how to make it last despite their fears and the resistance of their families.
See the rest of the list of reader recommended yaoi manga titles -- from sweet to sexy, heartfelt to hilarious and see if you agree, or discover a new title to pick up the next time you're at your favorite comic or bookshop.
Feeling left out? Want to give your pick a chance to move up in the ranks, or did we miss your personal fave? Add your comments in the manga forums, and who knows? Maybe your selection will be added to the next update of this list.
© 2002 Saika Kunieda, Biblos Publishing Co.
Comments
Great list–I see a lot of my favorites, along with some titles that I’d like to try. I just wanted to add a clarification/update about Embracing Love (Haru wo Daiteita), which is #11 on the list. The entry lists it as incomplete, but Youka Nitta was allowed by her publisher to come back and finish the series. The final volume, 14, is scheduled to come out this month in Japan, listed here on the b-boy website: http://www.b-boy.jp/comicnovel/itemSearchDetail.php?id=000-0684
Also, she is not completely retired, as her (non-yaoi) series Otodama is still ongoing–and due to be released in English by Doki Doki, as you noted on a more recent blog post.
I love Nitta-sensi’s work. Why is she out of the “lime light”?
You know its sad that Youtta Nitta-sensei isn’t doing yaoi anymore. The controversy was blown so out of poportion and it effected Nitta and her fans a great deal. Being an artist should allow for artistic license. Personally, I don’t care what she used as a background, as long as her characters are drawn with emotion and feeling. I truly hope she comes back. She is one of my favorite manga artists.