BL Library - Male Protagonist

Manga Review | Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart by Syundei

Title: Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart

Author(s): Syundei

Artist(s): Syundei

Terumichi is in love with his mysterious classmate Yamada, who just appeared in his life one day. Yamada is strange and imposing but dangerously beautiful and one of the few people who have been kind to Terumichi. His unique disposition makes him all the more alluring to Terumichi, and in the end, he can't help being drawn to Yamada. After an abrupt confession, Yamada and Terumichi seem on the cusp of romance when a stranger with a knife appears.

Terumichi does everything he can to protect Yamada, but in the end, Yamada is stabbed to death. Terumichi is in a panic, calling an ambulance, even though it's clear by the amount of blood that Yamada isn't going to survive. Yet, somehow, Yamada gets right up and walks away as if nothing ever happened, whispering a cryptic sentence:

“Only two left.”

Terumichi would be better off cutting his losses and moving on, but he just can't forget Yamada.

Title: My Bias Is Showing?!

Author(s): Nabit

Artist(s): eol (formerly cereal)

Aejoon is a superfan of K-pop idol group A-One. More specifically, he is a stan for member Siyeol. Siyeol is his bias, and Aejoon shows his love and devotion for his favorite idol through his bedroom, which is decorated from wall to wall with Siyeol merch. Unfortunately, that's as far as his expression can go. As a teacher, Aejoon feels he can't be his true fanboy self in public without risking his professional image. Thankfully, while his students discuss K-pop occasionally, his coworkers don't seem to know a thing about it, making it easy to blend in with his colleagues.

His two worlds are set to collide, though, when it turns out his school has been chosen to be the set for an upcoming variety show starring none other than Siyeol. Aejoon is simultaneously overjoyed and horrified. He's not confident that he can continue to hide his fanboy nature when faced with the idol he loves above all others. Unfortunately for Aejoon, Siyeol intends to draw that love and devotion out of him, but not for the reason Aejoon might assume.

Siyeol is in love with the former leader of A-One, Jooha, but Jooha has been in a relationship with Kyusung, leaving Siyeol without a chance. That is until Jooha confesses that he thinks Kyusung is seeing someone else on the side. Siyeol is furious, and in passing, he sees Kyusung on a video call with none other than Aejoon on the screen. With the identity of Kyusung's paramour, Siyeol is determined to get revenge for his unrequited love, Jooha. What Siyeol doesn't realize is that Aejoon and Kyusung are cousins, and Aejoon ends up being much more attractive to Siyeol than he ever could have imagined. Will this relationship based on a lie survive? Or is it destined to fall apart?

Title: He's a Predator

Author(s): Yuji Toriba

Artist(s): Yuji Toriba

Yuma's work-life balance is all out of whack. He spends more time at work than he does at home, and even when he is at home, he's so stressed about work that all he can manage is falling asleep before heading in the next day. His only real reprieve is with his childhood friend Yasuharu, who dotes on and cares for Yuma. Yuma cares for Yashuharu, but there is one thing about Yasuharu that disturbs Yuma. Yuma has a bad habit of saying that he wants to die, and this habit is at an all-time high with all of the work stress. Whenever he says this phrase around Yasuharu, Yasuharu always responds with:

“I'll eat you.”

It's undoubtedly just a joke, but the way Yasuharu says it so seriously, Yuma can't help being bothered by it. Still, Yuma's phrase might become a reality when, after returning home from a long and strenuous day of work, Yuma passes out on his floor, but not before calling Yasuharu and asking him for help. Yasuharu comes to the rescue, ensuring Yuma is fed, rested, and gets the medical attention he needs, all of which Yuma is thankful for. But Yasuharu doesn't intend to stop here. Yasuharu demands that Yuma move in with him so Yashuharu can care for him.

Though Yuma is hesitant, the offer is too good to pass up. But is Yasuharu's offer as innocent as it seems?

Title: The Warehouse

Author(s): Killa+Whale

Artist(s): Killa+Whale

Dohyun Kim is just barely hanging onto life. Since graduating high school, Dohyun has been hopping from job to job, scraping by, with little regard for other people and personal relationships. He longs for the simpler days when he could partake in the fun and pleasures of high school without the pressures of the real world and with the forced relationships of classmates. Without that forced proximity to people, Dohyun lives a pretty lonely life, but he would prefer that to the vulnerability intimate relationships require.

While working in a scammy cell phone shop, Dohyun is again bemoaning his existence. He leaves his post to smoke in the alley nearby, but before returning, he is assaulted, knocked out, and taken away. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a strange, almost empty room. As if that wasn't odd enough, he also has a chain around his ankle, limiting how far he can move around the strange room. Why would someone take him? He has no enemies, no loans, and is just generally uninteresting.

When the kidnapper shows himself, the reason behind Dohyun's kidnapping doesn't become any clearer, but for whatever reason, this man seems to want to punish Dohyun.

Title: Bloom

Author(s): Kevin Panetta

Artist(s): Savanna Ganucheau

Aristotle, or Ari as he prefers to be called, is ready to leave his hometown. Unfortunately, his father is unwilling to let him go, as the small family bakery they own and run isn't doing very well, and Ari is the only other person his parents can rely on. Ari has bigger dreams than being a baker, though. He and his friends are part of a band, and Ari wants nothing more than to move with them to the city and play music. But as it stands, it seems the only way for him to escape is if he can find someone to take his spot at his family's bakery.

After many useless interviews, Ari finally meets Hector. Hector is in town to tie up his grandmother's affairs, having put a pause on his schooling to do so. Unlike Ari, Hector loves to bake, and when Ari pulls him into the bakery, it's clear that if anyone is going to be able to take over for Ari, it's Hector. But as Ari begins to work alongside Hector, Ari finds himself enjoying working in the bakery again. The summer is hot, but the relationship between Ari and Hector is getting hotter.

Title: Midnight Stranger

Author(s): Bohra Naono

Artist(s): Bohra Naono

Roi is a goat spirit born from the wants and desires of humans. While the purpose of his existence is to protect and heal humanity, his looks scare all of the people around him. Unwilling to trust in this being, the humans end up sacrificing Roi in a fire to the gods, hoping they will gain favor for their offering. Instead, they end up calling upon the god of fire, Xiu. Xiu is far from impressed by the human's offering, scaring them off with his power. Now that Roi has been sacrificed to Xiu, Xiu has no intentions of letting the goat spirit go, instead rebuilding his form into something cute for Xiu to enjoy.

Centuries pass, and the importance of gods in the modern world has faded. Xiu and Roi are still hanging out in the human realm, with Xiu becoming an idol to pay for their lifestyle among the humans. On the other hand, Roi continues to work for his master, Xiu, whom he cares for much more than a servant should. But as much as he loves Xiu and follows his every command, Roi can't help but still be drawn to the humans who betrayed him so long ago against Xiu's advice. So, during the night, in the cute goat form, Xiu made for him, Roi goes out to rid humans of illness and spirits.

While this is Roi's purpose for living, would he be able to live if Xiu found out he was still protecting humanity?

Title: You Get Me Going

Author(s): Moscareto

Artist(s): Oh DoYeon

Young-won wants a fairytale romance. Though he has some relationship and sexual experience under his belt, they were all cruel or useless men, hardly anything he would consider a real romance of any kind. Young-won is tired of settling for shitty partners. So he wants to get out into the dating pool and find the prince charming he has longed for all this time. Unfortunately, work makes it challenging to find time to date around, and the added stress of working alongside his polar opposite certainly doesn't put him in the mood for love.

This rival in question is Hyun-woo. Though he's as handsome as a prince, his attitude is anything but. He's direct and rude, often making fun of and picking on Young-won in meetings until their discussions become full-blown arguments. Even if Hyun-woo were the last man on earth, Young-won would sooner die than be with him. They spend every day making each other's workday a living hell, and as a result, their rivalry is well-known around the office.

However, Hyun-woo and his antics are far from Young-won's mind when he gets matched up for a blind date by his good friend, who owns a restaurant where they will be meeting. All day, to show off in front of Hyun-woo, Young-won talks about how great his date is supposed to be and how excited he is to meet them. Unfortunately for Young-won, the person he meets is none other than Hyun-woo. The date ends in disaster, but with their sexualities revealed, they start to see each other in another light.

Can these two enemies become lovers? Or are they destined to hate each other forever?

Title: I Caught Him Getting Off Online!

Author(s): Megane

Artist(s): Megane

Hayato was just perusing cam sites when he came upon a camboy. Hayato wouldn't consider himself gay, but upon seeing this particular camboy streaming while pleasuring himself, Hayato can't help but be attracted to him. He's entirely enraptured by the camboy, going so far as to memorize the moles on his finger. Hayato watches the camboy stream late into the night until the camboy finishes and ends the stream. Only then does Hayato finally go to sleep.

The next day, while at work, Hayato runs into part-timer Mamiya. They've worked together for a long time but haven't worked the same shifts since Mamiya was in college. But now that they can work the same shifts, Hayato can finally get close to his coworker. While getting to know him, Hayato happens to notice that there are moles on the same finger as the camboy. What are the odds that Mamiya is the same camboy Hayato watched? And even if he is, why should Hayato even care?

Title: Interview with a Murderer

Author(s): KJK

Artist(s): KJK

Clark is a reporter. He doesn't like working all that much, but he does enjoy one aspect of his job when he can partake in it off the clock: gathering macabre and interesting stories about criminals that intrigue him. He has an extensive collection of stories stored away for his eyes only. There's a new story on the horizon that Clark is determined to get his hands on. There's a serial killer on the loose, known as the Triage Killer, who has killed three people thus far. There's no evidence of his identity, so the odds of Clark encountering him are slim to none.

That is until his friend and ex, Oliver, reaches out. Oliver is a psychiatrist, and as it turns out, his patient, Alex, is none other than the Triage Killer. Oliver wants Alex to form meaningful relationships, and he feels that being interviewed by Clark will start that process. While Clark doesn't believe his presence will help Alex, Clark is all too happy to jump at the chance to meet the one and only Triage Killer. When they do meet, the killer is much more normal than Clark would assume, and his only explanation for why he kills is a simple one: love.

In order to get more information out of Alex, Clark must give himself over to the killer. A small price to pay for what Clark craves: interesting stories. But when Alex becomes enamored by Clark, will Clark come out of it alive? Or will he become the Triage Killer's next victim?

Title: Obnoxious Hero-kun

Author(s): Amanduur (Amanda Rahimi)

Artist(s): Amanduur (Amanda Rahimi)

Hiro is the perfect man, at least in his own mind. He has a slew of women vying for his attention, all of whom he dubs his “girlfriends.” He's got it all except one thing: experience. While he is popular with the ladies, he has yet to take the next step with any of them. He hasn't even kissed anyone yet! This is a well-kept secret… except from the aloof Takashi, one of Hiro's classmates. Somehow, Takashi can see right through Hiro's confident performance.

Hiro is determined to put Takashi in his place and ends up in a standoff with Takashi, daring Hiro to kiss him. This starts what Hiro sees as his ultimate high school friendship. After the kiss, Hiro finds himself watching Takashi all the time, in what he can only guess is admiration and the burgeoning flames of friendship. Meanwhile, Takashi seems all too keen to grow closer to Hiro in private but just as often pushes Hiro away. When Hiro discovers Takashi's fetish gear collection, will this tie them closer together, or will it keep them apart?

Male Protagonist

Manga Review | Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart by Syundei

Manga Review | He’s a Predator by Yuji Toriba

Manhwa Review | The Warehouse by Killa+Whale

OEL Comic Review | Bloom by Kevin Panetta

Manhwa Review | You Get Me Going by Moscareto

Manga Review | I Caught Him Getting Off Online! by Megane

Manhwa Review | Interview with a Murderer by KJK

OEL Comic Review | Obnoxious Hero-kun by Amanduur

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