Shounen-ai
These works feature a romantic and emotional relationship between two men. Sex is usually not a focus if it even appears at all.
Manhwa Review | The Boy Who Stole From the Fairy Lake by Sudong
First Story is Meh, But The Second is Delicious
Manhwa Review | In My Closet by RISA LISA
Title: In My Closet
Sua knew he was gay from the moment he saw his first love: Jung, an idol at the same agency Sua was training in. It’s enough of an intense moment that Sua nearly quits his training, afraid of what these feelings might mean for him in the future, only to be convinced to stick with it. Thankfully, he does and ends up being part of the successful idol group L. Boys. All is well in the world until the group’s new manager is introduced.
As it turns out, it is Jung who had quit being an idol some time ago for unknown reasons. Suddenly, all of those quietly kept feelings come bubbling back up. Unlike in his youth, Sua is no longer terrified of these feelings. If anything, he sees this as an opportunity. It has to be fate that has brought them back together, and Sua isn’t going to let the moment pass him by. Sua is determined to seduce Jung and make his first love his forever. But will Jung take the bait?
Manhua Review | Monstrous Heart by SYball
Title: Monstrous Heart (Tapas) | Ogus’s Law (all other platforms)
Johnathan Su is a human. Yet, he has been accepted into the prestigious monster academy: Augustine Academy. Why would a human be able to apply to such a place, and why would he even want to attend such a place when many monsters‘ primary source of energy and sustenance is humans? Johnathan’s mother is drowning in debt. While he could easily move on in life and leave her to deal with it, he would never do such a thing. Unwilling to let his mother go into further debt, putting him through college, he can attend Augustine Academy for free and allow the monsters there to learn about humans through his presence there.
There are safety precautions in place in the form of laws that prevent the monsters in the academy from harming human students, but that doesn’t mean the danger is gone. Still, Johnathan finds the risks worth it and attends all the same. Within just a few days, he’s assaulted and attacked by various monsters. Eventually, he learns about the Pal system, where a human partners with a monster. This partnership opens both individuals up to more opportunities, including the ability to leave campus, and requires the monster to become an unofficial bodyguard for their human.
Johnathan initially intends on becoming the pal to a bunny demon, but the bunny turns out to be a serial killer, having murdered numerous humans and demons alike in revenge for them abandoning him or bullying him. Johnathan, after coming upon his latest kill, ends up being his next victim. Before the bunny can successfully kill and consume Johnathan, Lucian Yu, the infamous black fox demon, swoops in and kills the bunny. Unfortunately, Johnathan’s wound is to his heart, and he’s facing death. Despite his better judgment, Lucian hands over one of his three hearts to Johnathan, keeping him alive while also intrinsically tying these two together for the foreseeable future.
It’s hard enough being a human and a blacklisted species of monster, but beneath the pristine veneer of Augustine, numerous plots are stirring that could alter the monster world forever.
OEL Comic Review | Bloom by Kevin Panetta
Title: Bloom
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.
Manhua Review | My Delicious Dream Boy by Xiyuer
Title: My Delicious Dream Boy (Less Censored) | Watch Out for the Dream Demon (Censored)
Joel Lin has had a lonely life. His family did their best to keep him happy and occupied, but nothing could replace the fun of school and public places. Unfortunately, Joel has suffered from an undiagnosable chronic illness that weakened him to the point he had to be homeschooled and kept out of any excitable public places at the risk of his life. He was nearly at the end of his rope when he and his mother visited a purveyor of magic called the goddess, who gave Joel a talisman to keep in his home and a charm to carry on him that successfully staves off most of his dire symptoms. Still, the nightmares he has been subjected to every night persist.
Being healthier now than he has ever been leads to the first time in his life that he can physically attend school for his first year in college. There, he meets a popular pink-haired man named Mara, who latches on to Joel immediately and solidifies himself as Joel’s first friend outside his family. Incidentally, his new best friend is very similar to the main villain in his nightmares, a pink-haired monster with wings, horns, and tentacles who captures and threatens him until he wakes up. This has to be just a coincidence, though, right?
Mara, though, has an ulterior motive for befriending Joel. As it turns out, Mara is a dream demon, a supernatural creature that feeds on human dreams. The most delicious of dreams are nightmares, and with his powers, he can determine how healthy his targets are and how likely they are to have nightmares. As it turns out, Joel has a 100% chance of having a nightmare every single night, and Mara is determined to have this delectable feast. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to taste Joel’s dreams, and he has no idea why. But the more he tries, the closer he gets to Joel, and soon, he wants to taste much more than Joel’s dreams.
Novel Review | Limerence by Jiang Zi Bei
Title: Limerence
Pei Ran and Luo Qingshan have been together since high school, three years and counting. Luo Qingshan is extroverted and overly affectionate, while Pei Ran is the opposite, more shy and reserved, and has mysophobia, making him averse to most of Luo Qingshan’s affections. This often leads to them disagreeing or Luo Qingshan pleading and begging Pei Ran to relent, but they are otherwise comfortable. However, Pei Ran will give in as much as possible when Luo Qingshan’s birthday comes around.
As much as he hates it, he goes out to a karaoke place with Luo Qingshan, along with a group of his friends. Everyone is drinking and smoking, two things Pei Ran has trouble being around. Another person who happens to be there is Su Nian, Luo Qingshan’s close friend, who is more forward and affectionate with Luo Qingshan than Pei Ran would like. After a lot of drinking, Luo Qingshan heads to the bathroom. After a while, Pei Ran checks on him, only to find him and Su Nian kissing outside the bathroom.
Stunned, Pei Ran isn’t sure what to do until Luo Qingshan’s roommate Yan Zhun comes by and gets Pei Ran out of there. Comforted by Yan Zhun, Pei Ran spares no time to gather all of Luo Qingshan’s things and break up with him the next time they meet. Luo Qingshan isn’t ready to give up just yet, going out of his way to get close to Pei Ran and beg for his forgiveness. Pei Ran holds firm, thanks in part to the friendship he’s found in Yan Zhun, but it isn’t long before Yan Zhun makes it clear: he likes Pei Ran more than a friend.
Fresh out of a painful breakup, with an ex still hot on his heels and a love rival in Su Nian who bad-mouthes him any chance he gets, can Pei Ran find it in himself to fall for someone else? Or has the well of love been poisoned for good?
Manga Review | One-Week Family by yatsuhashi
Title: One-Week Family
Ren Fujimaru is an up-and-coming actor. He’s desperate for his next great role so he isn’t forever pigeonholed in his previous big job, but the next role works directly alongside a child actor, and Ren hates children. Ren wants to nail this job, and he’s willing to do anything to do it. His manager suggests living with the child actor and his manager for a week to grow more comfortable with each other. Ren isn’t excited about the opportunity, but again, if this is what it takes to kill the gig, he will do it.
Not long after agreeing, he is introduced to his costar, Yuu Kusaka. Yuu is the child of the current CEO, and it’s clear by his quiet and composed demeanor, which Ren would usually be thankful for, that he has been trained for this industry. But Ren is more disturbed than anything, especially as Yuu opens up and reveals how much he craves attention and interaction. While this relationship was set up for Ren’s benefit, Ren quickly changes the purpose of this setup to make Yuu’s life a bit more enjoyable overall.
All the while Ren is working with Yuu and getting to know him, he is growing closer and closer to Yuu’s manager Kei Haruo, which makes all of this effort worth it on its own. As it turns out, Kei is Ren’s whole reason and purpose for acting. When Ren was a child, he saw Kei receiving an award as a prolific child actor, and from that moment on, Ren desperately wanted to be an actor and join Kei in his success. But Kei left just as Ren was getting a foothold in the industry. Now that Ren has this opportunity, he wants to find out all he can about his acting idol Kei and tear down the wall he’s put up around himself.
Manga Review | Anti-Platonic by Yupopo Orishima
Title: Anti-Platonic
Anti-Platonic
Ryoya is a player, and that is putting it mildly. He lives his life by the crotch of his pants, jumping from bed to bed and, in turn, wallet to wallet to keep himself fed and housed. His current favorite is his roommate Io, this cold and quiet guy with a strange fetish: for scent. Io likes Ryoya’s scent, and he presumably likes Ryoya’s body, which leads to Io allowing Ryoya to move in with him. They spend their nights romping around in bed before going their separate ways in the morning; Ryoya often goes to his other lovers while Io goes to class.
It’s a playboy’s dream, but for some reason, Ryoya can’t shake his discomfort over Io’s lack of interest in him. With so many other lovers clambering for Ryoya’s attention, why can’t he get Io’s? More importantly, why does Ryoya care so much about the introverted Io?
The Demon’s Definitely Lovesick
Rintaro is a sixteen-year-old boy with the weight of his family on his shoulders. Unfortunately, after his father passed, his mother was left to feed herself and Rintaro alone. Then, she fell sick, leaving Rintaro to take on the mantle of the breadwinner for his small family. Rintaro doesn’t complain, fishing every day to feed his mother and get money from the market in his village. Things are going well, but he hears whispers of bigger and better fish to be found in the forest, but there are legends of a fox demon in those woods who eats those that dare travel into his territory.
While Rintaro is just as frightened as everyone else, the chance at a large haul is just too alluring. Of course, while fishing, Rintaro comes face to face with the fox demon, Shiranui. Rather than eating him up, Shiranui gives Rintaro a fish and asks the boy to never return. Rather than heed the fox demon’s warning, Rintaro is only encouraged to return, determined to return Shiranui’s kindness. All the while, whispers continue to swirl, with the village prepared to rid themselves of the demon altogether if need be.