When it comes to BL manga, it’s often dismissed as only being adult titles. However, BL is an overarching genre of MLM romance fiction that can include 18+ explicit content that features sexual intimacy, and it can also be shounen-ai, which is more akin to shojo wholesome romances that may have a hand-hold or a cutaway scene. As an editor here at But Why Tho?, I’ve made it one of my missions to cover BL, which spans the entire spectrum. In the same way, we wouldn’t exclude a movie from having a sex scene.
I also don’t exclude romance manga. It’s important to share wholesome Shounen Ai that anyone can pick up. Whether you’re not in the mature reading group for the plastic-wrapped content or don’t want to read it, knowing there are shounen-ai options is important. This is especially true because reading stories about queer love is important, and many of these choices feature queer joy, even if it’s only found after some hardship.
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So, I’ve taken the time to put together a list of accessible wholesome Shounen Ai manga. Now, wholesome here means suitable for teenage readers and up. The key criterion is that these are BL manga titles that aren’t packaged in shrink-wrap. So here are ten wholesome Shounen Ai manga to read right now.
My Summer With You
Publisher: Kodansha Manga
Mangaka: Nagisa Furuya
Volumes Currently in English: 2 (ongoing)
“Chiharu Saeki and Wataru Toda are two high school students who share a common hobby: They love to watch movies. After they meet, they become fast friends until one day, when Chiharu confesses his love for Wataru. Wataru says that Chiharu’s confession doesn’t bother him, and the boys continue throughout their summer, going on pilgrimages to see film spots from their favorite movies. But the more time he spends with Chiharu, Wataru realizes that he may not only be as unaffected by Chiharu’s confession as he claimed to be, but those feelings may also be mutual…”
Buy here.
The Two Lions
Publisher: Seven Seas
Mangaka: NagisaFuruya
Volumes Currently in English: One-shot
“Not long after he starts university, friendly, big-hearted Junpei runs into the very unfriendly Leo. As they speak, Junpei learns that they went to the same high school and that Leo was the “Demon Lion” feared back then as a secret gang leader. After those days spent as a lonely, misunderstood high schooler, Leo escaped to a faraway college to make new friends. Junpei becomes his first and vows to help Leo make more, but are his feelings for Leo stronger than friendship?”
Sasaki & Miyano
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Mika
Volumes Currently in English: 5 (ongoing)
“No matter how much time we spend together, I’ll never become special to you.
Childhood best friends. Two halves of a whole. The cool, smart one who’s good at almost everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles to do anything right—Yamato and Kakeru. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other…”
My Love Mix-Up
Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)
Mangaka: Wataru Hinekure
Volumes Currently in English: 4 (ongoing)
“Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she’s written the name of another boy—Ida—on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!”
Our Dining Table
Publisher: Seven Seas
Mangaka: Mita Ori
Volumes Currently in English: One-shot
“Eating around other people is a struggle for salaryman Yutaka, despite his talent for cooking. All that changes when he meets Minoru and Tane—two brothers, many years apart in age—who ask him to teach them how to make his delicious food! It’s not long before Yutaka finds himself falling hard for the meals they share together—and falling in love!”
Classmates: Dou kyu sei
Publisher: Seven Seas
Mangaka: Asumiko Nakamura
Volumes Currently in English: 6
“Hikaru always thought his classmate Rihito was kind of a snob until he stumbles across Rihito secretly practicing a song in an empty classroom. Hikaru agrees to become Rihito’s music tutor, and with each lesson, the two boys grow closer. But when Hikaru realizes that he’s fallen for Rihito, will they stay classmates or become something more?”
I Hear Sunspot
Publisher: One Peace Books
Mangaka: Yuki Fumino
Volumes Currently in English: 4
“Because of a hearing disability, Kohei is often misunderstood and has trouble integrating into life on campus, so he learns to keep his distance. That is until he meets the outspoken and cheerful Taichi. He tells Kohei that his hearing loss is not his fault. Taichi’s words cut through Kohei’s usual defense mechanisms and open his heart. More than friends, less than lovers, their relationship changes Kohei forever.”
Restart After Coming Back Home
Publisher: Seven Seas
Mangaka: Cocomi
Volumes Currently in English: One-shot
“Hotheaded Kozuka Mitsuomi left his home in the country for a sophisticated life in Tokyo. Unfortunately, at age 25, he’s fired from his job and returns home in disgrace. As he tries to rediscover himself, he meets Kumai Yamato, a man about his age who was adopted into his community while Mitsuomi was away. The sweet and even-tempered Yamato is hiding his own pain, and as the two men connect, they start a journey together.”
I Cannot Reach You
Publisher: Yen Press
Mangaka: Mika
Volumes Currently in English: 4 (ongoing)
“No matter how much time we spend together, I’ll never become special to you.
Childhood best friends. Two halves of a whole. The cool, smart one who’s good at almost everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles to do anything right—Yamato and Kakeru. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other…”
Blue Flag
Publisher: VIZ Media (Currently available on the Shounen Jump App)
Mangaka: KAITO
Volumes Currently in English: 8
“Love is already hard enough, but it becomes an unnavigable maze for unassuming high school student Taichi Ichinose and his shy classmate Futaba Kuze when they begin to fall for each other after their same-sex best friends have already fallen for them.
For some reason, Taichi Ichinose just can’t stand Futaba Kuze. But at the start of his third year in high school, he finds himself in the same homeroom as her, along with his childhood friend Toma Mita, a star athlete. But one day, Futaba opens up to Taichi and admits she has a crush on Toma. She then asks for his help in confessing to him! There’s just one problem—Toma seems to already have a secret crush on someone else.”
Wholesome Shounen Ai manga that are suitable for nearly all-ages are great, and for those looking for age-accessible stories about queer love, here’s a starter pack.
