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.
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.
Manhua Review | Me and My Zoo by La Mian Hua Tang De Tu Zi
Title: Me and My Zoo
Duan Jiaze has recently graduated from college. Unfortunately, the job market isn’t all that fruitful for a fresh graduate, but his luck takes a turn when a relative passes away, leaving behind a derelict zoo in the hands of Duan. While it isn’t much to look at, with most of the facilities in disrepair and the animals on their last legs, Duan has no choice and takes the opportunity to take over the zoo and bring it back to greatness.
Thankfully, Duan isn’t alone. He is inexplicably chosen by the heavens in the form of an app on his phone to take on the zoo under the Lingxiao Hope Project. This zoo will not be inhabited by just zoo animals but by deities needing vacations or punishments in the mortal realm. As Duan works at the zoo, he is given missions by the app to complete, and in turn, is gifted with feed from the heavens, free facilities, and, better yet, gods with animal forms to draw people to the zoo.
Duan is sure his Wonder Park Zoo has every chance in the world to succeed if only he can wrangle these godly animals dispatched to him. That’s easier said than done when his first divine animal, the three-legged crow Lu Ya, sent there as a punishment, acts more like a lord than a prisoner. Can Duan find the courage to command the great Lu Ya, or will he lose the zoo and what little pride he has left?
Manga Review | Restart After Growing Hungry by cocomi
Title: Restart After Growing Hungry
Yamato and Mitsuomi have been together for three years, having only known each other for four years. They spend almost every moment they can together, and though they’ve never labeled their relationship, they don’t question what they mean to each other and are just content being in each other’s presence. That is until they attend their friend Harada’s wedding together. During the reception, it becomes clear that word of their relationship has gotten around, but thanks to Harada and Yamato, the pair avoid being outed among their peers. Still, with so many people aware and such great effort being taken to diminish their role in each other’s lives, Mitsuomi can’t help but wonder how Yamato sees their relationship.
It gets even more confusing when Mitsuomi’s mother brings up the new partnership system their prefecture has accepted. While it doesn’t function the same as marriage, it does help legitimize same-sex couples in the local government’s eyes. Mitsuomi doesn’t see much point in it since it doesn’t provide any benefits that traditional marriage does, but he can’t help but bring it up to Yamato just to see his reaction. Shockingly, Yamato seems put off by the idea and makes it clear that he is happy with their relationship as it stands. That was no different than Mitsuomi’s own reaction, but for some reason, hearing it from Yamato hurts Mitsuomi.
Just what are they to each other, and does Yamato actually love Mitsuomi like Mitsuomi thinks he does?
Manga Review | Restart After Coming Back Home by cocomi
Title: Restart After Coming Back Home
Mitsuomi, from the time he was a teen, has had one goal: escape his small town and make it in Tokyo. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, as time and time again, Mitsuomi’s anger gets the better of him. Once again, he gets fired and has no other choice but to return home to stay with his parents. While he has always avoided staying in the countryside and taking over his family’s business, at the age of twenty-five, with no other direction in his life, that might be his only option, if his dad will even give him the opportunity.
While bemoaning his fate, Mitsuomi meets an unfamiliar face, which is odd for his hometown. The young man is Yamato, adopted by Mitsuomi’s long-term neighbor and farmer who never did have children of his own. Yamato is the same age as Mitsuomi, but his life seems completely put together, with Yamato helping his adoptive father out in the fields and making deliveries around town, all with a smile on his face. However, no matter how well-integrated Yamato is in this rural town, everyone still whispers, questioning his reliability as an outsider.
Mitsuomi can’t stand the judgment and makes it his mission to befriend Yamato. But no matter how hard Mitsuomi tries, there are walls around Yamato that he just can’t seem to tear down. More importantly, this mission of friendship has evolved into something deeper for Mitsuomi. He doesn’t just like Yamato as a friend. He’s steadily falling in love.
Manga Review | A Home Far Away by Teki Yatsuda
Title: A Home Far Away
Alan never feels more uncomfortable than he does when he is at home. His parents are intensely religious to the point that they are stunted into praying their lives away at home, blaming even the most slight inconvenience on sin and the devil. This would be bad enough, but Alan suffers from a chronic disease that his parents blame on some sin he has committed and believes that prayer and repentance will heal him. Alan’s life is suffocating, but he has nowhere else to go.
One evening, having stayed out past curfew, Alan refuses to go home, though he knows he will be punished when he gets home. Instead, he hangs out on the front steps of a restaurant. While sitting there, he’s approached by one of the workers, Hayden, who offers to let him out of the cold after his nose starts bleeding, which is a common symptom of his disease. The two share a deep conversation that continues daily, where Hayden reveals that he’s a drifter and will be moving on soon. Alan is heartbroken, but what can he do?
The day Hayden is set to leave, after a desperate and emotional confession from Alan, Hayden offers him a chance to escape with him. Of course, there’s a chance, even if they run, that Alan will never find happiness, but at least it would be his choice. So the two escape together, trying to find any small moments of joy they can cultivate for themselves while their dark pasts loom over them.
Manhua Review | Offering My Neck To You by Yun Zhong
Title: Offering My Neck To You
Yanchen has been living an odd life for the last decade. It’s already strange enough that he is a vampire, but he’s also raising a child that he never should have. After killing a werewolf, he discovered the werewolf he killed had a half-werewolf child. Feeling immense guilt for his actions, he takes in the child named Luoan. Werewolves and vampires are natural enemies, and having a half-werewolf around is even more dangerous since their blood has unique properties that empower vampires. Regardless, Yanchen does everything he can to raise Luoan to be an upstanding and strong young man.
Things are a bit complicated. Because Yanchen is immortal, his appearance never changes. To protect his family, they have to move every three to four years to avoid suspicion, but as Luoan gets older and older, it’s harder and harder for Yanchen to be able to play his guardian. Things come to a head when the new school Luoan moves to happens to also have other werewolves attending, and they recognize Luoan as one of their own immediately. While Luoan wants to learn more about himself and where he came from, he doesn’t want to be separated from Yanchen.
But Yanchen, seeing Luoan among his kind, wonders if it wouldn’t be better for the half-werewolf to be with them. While Yanchen and Luoan struggle to come to terms with their family foundation weakening, a deadly threat lurks in the darkness. Half-werewolves are ideal for vampires, and with more eyes on Luoan, it’s only a matter of time before the other vampires come out to get a taste of that power. Can Yanchen protect Luoan? Or will he have to give up Luoan to ensure his safety, even if it means living life alone once more?
Manhwa Review | Unintentional Love Story by PIBI
Title: Unintentional Love Story
Wonyoung’s successful career is put on hold after his superior gets caught in a scandal. The company, Taepyung Group, is unsure if Wonyoung played a role in the scandal, so to hedge their bets, they fire him. Needless to say, Wonyoung is heartbroken. His parents were beyond proud of him for getting a job at such a prolific company, so he can’t bring himself to tell them about his situation. Rather than finding a new job, he desperately wants to get back into Taepyung Group. To gather his thoughts and wait out the ensuing investigation, with little hope that he’ll be brought back, Wonyoung leaves Seoul for the countryside, where he tries to relax.
While checking out the area, Wonyoung happens upon a pottery studio and store where a potter sells all manner of bowls, cups, and the like. It just so happens that the man who owns this store is none other than Yoon Taejun, the chairman of Taepyung’s favorite potter who has been missing for a long time. However, he isn’t going by Taejun anymore. Instead, the name he answers to is Joohun. Is this the same guy? There’s no question in Wonyoung’s mind that it is, but why is he hiding out in the countryside?
Seeing this as an opportunity to win back favor with the chairman and get his job back, Wonyoung relays Taejun’s location to his former coworker, who talks Wonyoung into getting close to Taejun in hopes of winning an exclusive contract with Taepyung. While Wonyoung feels this is unethical, his desperation pushes him forward.