14 Best BL Manga With Official English Translations

Highlights

• BL manga covers diverse sub-genres, offering something for every fan, from action to pure romance.
• English translations of BL manga are now widely available, with quality and diverse genres represented.
• Some iconic BL manga titles offer unique stories, from vampire romances to pure high school love.

Boy’s Love (BL) manga is a unique genre that tells stories about same-gender relationships. Among this genre are various sub-genres ranging from action and fantasy, to slice of life and pure romance. While BL can be known for its sexualized storylines and racy themes, the genre provides fans with an assortment of stories, many of which don’t contain such content matter.

The best manga in this genre represent mixture of different sub-genres and age-ratings, and offer something for everyone. That being said, it’s difficult to pinpoint “the best” anything, so some favorites might be missed here. BL fans can expect some timeless classics, as well as some new faces, among these recommendations.

Updated June 19, 2024 by Rie Takumi: Boy’s love is often translated by enthusiasts, often spawning dedicated online communities. But thanks to companies realizing the financial potential of thin books, also known as doujinshi or self-published works, publishing houses are picking up more and more boy’s love manga for English localization.

Some amateur translation groups also went professional, or had members enter the industry. As such, BL manga with official, quality English translations are the norm now. What’s more, publishing houses pick up titles with diverse genres and topics. Not every manga is pure eroticism either, and a select few even have great worldbuilding that allows mangaka to iterate on their world.

14 At 25:00 In Akasaka

Boys “Research” What A Relationship Feels Like

The straight romance series Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It focused on university researchers trying to prove love using data science. At 25:00 in Akasaka’s leads, meanwhile, zeroes in on actors who are, perhaps, a little too dedicated to their roles.

Yuki Shirasaki was a struggling actor until he landed a break-out role. Problem is, it’s of a gay man opposite his former classmate and hit actor Asami Hayama. The ostensibly straight Yuki struggles comprehending what it feels like to be gay and be in a gay relationship. That is, until he agrees to do research in the form of becoming friends-with-benefits with Hayama.

13 I Cannot Reach You

Gay Boy Confesses To Straight Best Friend

It’s a story familiar to many LGBTQIA+ folk: queer folk keeping their feelings for their friend a secret to avoid jeopardizing their friendship. Kimi ni wa Todokanai or I Cannot Reach You flips the premise a little by having Kakeru realize that his childhood best friend Yamato may be deeply in love with him.

His hunch is nearly confirmed when Yamato nearly confesses to him after Kakeru gets close with a girl at school. Yamato backs off out of fear, but the stage is set for Kakeru to think about their friendship, and if he feels the same way for his friend.

12 My Boyfriend Is A Dog

Cute Furry Gag Comic About Sweet Adult Couple

Kentarou is a literal dogman with a face that can scare off kids. But his regular human boyfriend Inukai can see through his stoicism, mostly because of his expressive tail. The fluffy couple are as sweet as can be, even through Inukai’s clumsiness and Kentarou’s sensitivity.

Their cute dynamic and sweet daily life form the basis of My Boyfriend is a Dog or Inukei no Kareshi, a manga where human and Beastars-like animals co-exist. Kentarou and Inukai are a perfectly sweet adult couple, while Inukai’s workmates, the human Nekomiya and tiger Shimada, are adorably argumentative.

11 Welcome Home

Fluffy ABO Parenthood

Although the omegaverse trope started as an excuse for writers to get characters to bone together forever, it’s old enough now to have writers weave in healthcare and real life concerns. Welcome Home or Tadaima, Okaeri is one such BL, as Hiromu and Masaki Fujiyoshi have to deal with the realities of discrimination.

Hiromu or Hiro is an alpha, whereas Masaki is an omega. In a world where the norm is to stick with one’s type, they had to move to a less discriminatory relationship to raise their son Hikari. Their fresh start isn’t so perfect, as they must still contend with prejudices against their relationship and secondary sexual characteristics.

Unfortunately, there’s only one volume published in English. Medibang has also seemed to drop the title. Fortunately for fans, Crunchyroll has an English subbed version of the anime in circulation.

10 Fangs

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Fangs is a vampire BL set in the modern day. It revolves around En, a newly made vampire, and Ichii, an older vampire that works for the organization FANGS. The romance is light in this one, with most of their connection being around blood sharing and satisfying urges. However, En relies on Ichii, and Ichii is starting to catch feelings.

This slice-of-life manga follows the two as they introduce En to the vampire world and all of its quirky characters. It was written by Billy Balibally and so far only has two volumes, but is still ongoing.

9 Given

Amateur Rock Band BL About Teens Struggling With Feelings

Given is a Natsuki Kizu classic that follows the members of a band and their relationships with one another. When Ritsuko Uenoyama finds Mafuyu Sato clutching a broken Gibson guitar, the two connect, though not instantly, and Ritsuko starts teaching Mafuyu the guitar. This introduces us to Ritsuko’s band members, Akihiko and Haruki, who become an important part of the story.

Given mixes school-life and music sub-genres to create a masterpiece that is great for new BL fans. It has been adapted into an anime and a live action show, both of which are available on Crunchyroll.

8 10 Count

Man With Severe OCD Falls In Love With Therapist

10 Count follows two people as they fall in love and overcome their fears. Shirotani is a regular office working with severe OCD and a fear of germs, and Riku Kirose is a psychotherapist who wants to help Shirotani. When they get to know each other, Kirose finds it hard to be Shirotani’s therapist without crossing client-therapist boundaries. Together, the two must balance love and professionalism without jeopardizing Shirotani’s progress.

This one is more wholesome than it sounds, with very little misconduct on Kirose’s part. Fans might be apprehensive about the power imbalance between the two, but Kirose knows when to call it quits with the therapy and to just be a devoted boyfriend. This manga is brought to readers by Rihito Takarai, and is completed with 6 volumes.

7 Finder

Erotic Thriller Between Journalist & Mob Boss

This action-packed Ayano Yamane classic from 2002 blends action, mafia, and romance. It centers around the relationship between Akihito, a freelance photographer, and Asami, a top mafioso. It is essentially an enemies-to-lovers romance that starts with Asami kidnapping Akihito and teaching him about BDSM. As the two get to know each other they become inseparable, and their relationship becomes healthier.

Finder is not for first time BL readers, and audiences might want to consider checking the content warnings on this one. That being said, Finder is meant to be outrageous and funny more than it is meant to be taken seriously, and that becomes evident from the beginning.

6 Doukyuusei

Pure High School Romance

Doukyuusei, sometimes referred to by its English name, Classmates, is a high school romance by mangaka Asumiko Nakamura. It follows Rihito Sajo and Hikaru Kusakabe as they get to know each other, fall in love, and graduate from high school. Their relationship is healthy and pure, as these opposites find comfort in each other, communicate their woes, and support each other through big life changes.

This BL is a great read for newcomers and devoted BL fans alike. It’s a sweet and tender slice-of-life story for fans of wholesome romances, and can now be watched in the hour-long film adaptation by the same name.

5 Therapy Game

Finding Love While Overcoming Trauma

Meguru Hinohara’s sequel series to Secret XXX, Therapy Game, is a story of overcoming trauma and heartbreak to find love. Minato is an out gay man that spends his time photographing drag queens at a local gay bar. Shizuma thought he was straight and in love with a girl named Yuka, until he starts getting to know Minato. Together, the two heal from their respective pasts while making the most of the present.

The set-up of Therapy Game is that Minato and Shizuma have a drunken one-night stand, but Shizuma can’t remember in the morning, and rejects Minato once sober. Minato is so distraught that he makes a bet that he can make Shizuma fall for him, just so he can break up with him. However, things do not go as planned.

4 Ogi’s Summer Break

Sweet Summer Romance That Touches On Disabilities

Not only is Ogi’s Summer Break a great example of disability representation in manga, but it is an endearing love story of two young men who find each other at the right time. This manga tells the story of Ogi, a unique college student that likes cute and pretty things despite gender norms, and Tago, a blunt blind boy in his last year of high school. Ogi is immediately attracted to Tago, but Tago has never liked boys before. Together the two explore their sexualities and build a relationship like no other.

This one starts off kind of rough, and Tago comes across as a bit creepy. Readers should push through and get to know Tago before making too much of a judgment on author Koikawa’s story as a whole.

3 Our Not So Lonely Planet Travel Guide

Pre-Wedding Honeymoon For Cute Couple

Asahi and Mitsuki romantically decided to travel the world together even though neither of them had done it before. Our Not So Lonely Planet Travel Guide is a story about travel, getting outside of one’s comfort zone, and above all else, love. Asahi and Mitsuki are already a couple at the beginning of this story, but Asahi has qualms about being openly gay in public. As they travel they meet all sort of people, each one impacting the couple in different ways.

This title by Mone Sarai is a great option for people looking for an adult story that doesn’t revolve around sex. It’s a gentle story full of healthy communication and beautiful scenery.

2 Twittering Birds Never Fly

Mob Boss & Bodyguard’s Dark, Action-Packed Romance

Twittering Birds Never Fly is a hardcore series that isn’t for first time BL readers. It contains explicit and violent scenes that might be disturbing for some readers. With all that in mind, though, this story is a classic for a reason. It follows Yakuza boss Yashiro, and his bodyguard Doumeki. Together the two overcome trauma, grow as people, and find comfort in an otherwise terrifying world.

In between erotic scenes and gang violence, Kou Yoneda’s story is a beautiful one. Even though their circumstances are often ugly, Yashiro and Doumeki’s love is anything but.

1 Links

Four Romances About Not-Quite Lovers

Links is another Natsuki Kizu BL manga that follows the lives of multiple couples that are all interlinked with one another. It uses flashbacks prompted by the line, “do you want to hear my story,” in order to show how each couple was linked in the past, while too, showing how the couples relate in the present.

This slice-of-life manga mixes sub-genres and themes like music, yakuza, school life and home life. It’s a beautifully told one-shot for those looking for a quick binge.