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MANGA: Shitateya to Bocchan
Shitateya to Bocchan – Ohshima Kamome
Since he was a child, Takamiya has had a one-sided love for Katayama, the owner of a small tailor-made clothing store. With the age difference between them, Takamiya does not expect his feelings to be reciprocated, but he decides to make a declaration of his love anyway… and is bluntly rejected by Katayama! But Takamiya does not intend to give up. With his stubbornness, will he succeed in melting the heart of the reluctant tailor?
Ecstatic to find another manga about a tailor!
Tailor and Scion is a poignant age gap romance between Takamiya, a college student, and Katayama, the reserved tailor he adored since childhood.
Takamiya first fell for Katayama as a boy accompanying his father to the shop. Now an adult and determined to be seen as such, he confesses his feelings—only to be bluntly rejected. But Takamiya is nothing if not persistent, and slowly, ever so slowly, Katayama begins to tolerate, then rely on, his presence.
Whether Katamiya will ever lower his walls completely is another matter. And to make thing more complicated is an invitation from a fellow tailor, offering Katayama a chance to work abroad—an opportunity Takamiya refuses to hinder, even if it breaks his heart.
Our boy is a ray of sunshine with unputdownable determination to make the love of his life happy. Seriously, Katayama is spoiled rotten. Takamiya does everything from shower him with gifts, to cooking for him, to nursing him when he’s sick.
Katayama cuts an elegant figure in his shirts and waistcoats, always perfectly groomed—until he isn’t. Those rare moments of dishevelment are the tells, the cracks in his composure that reveal how deeply Takamiya affects him. As the older, unflappable one, he often appears cold, and it took a while before I was convinced he has feelings for Takamiya.
This is slow burn at its most potent! This manga gradually squeezed my heart tighter and tighter. The sheer amount of pining is almost overwhelming as Takamiya contents himself with whatever crumbs of affection Katayama deigns to throw his way.
I almost thought Takamiya deserved better but the mangaka works subtle magic. No L-words were exchanged but in Katayama’s nuanced reactions, his half-said truths, and fleeting softness we glimpse the melting of ice. Then he would go say something swoony and completely slay Takamiya!
Overall, crushes your heart first then stitches it back in place with the most exquisite care!
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MANGA: Ore no Itoshi no Neet-kun
Ore no Itoshi no Neet-kun – Shina Suzaka
Chiaki, who is afraid of interacting with other people is a great neet. He wants to change and decides to show a cool part of himself to Naruse Keiichi, who has taken care of him since kindergarten, and decided to actually find a permanent workplace. However, recently, Keiichi’s attitude has been somewhat aloof … !?The start of a love with a strong classmate “Bokuto boyfriend” also included!
I Love Neet-Kun is a hilarious childhood-friends-to-lovers romance between a hapless NEET and a dependable salaryman.
Chiaki, blessed with good looks but cursed with terrible luck at jobs and social interactions, has been cared for by his childhood friend Kei since kindergarten. Secretly in love with Kei, Chiaki tries one job after another in an effort to prove his worth—until he was scouted as a model.
His striking appearance is the only thing going for him and it quickly made him one of the most sought-after faces in the industry. Meanwhile his bond with Kei deepens into something more.
But Chiaki has a predicament: whenever he and Kei get frisky, he gets too excited, leading to premature mishaps that fuel both comedy and embarrassment. His overthinking, daydreaming himbo ways often cause him to blurt out bizarre comments at the worst possible times, creating ridiculous misunderstandings.
The most hilarious scenes are Chiaki’s interactions with Johnson, a fellow model secretly crushing on Chiaki. Distracted by his PME anxieties, Chiaki stares at John’s crotch and makes awkward references to sex—leading John to believe Chiaki is interested.
When John invites him to his room, Chiaki panics and screams for help. Kei swoops in to rescue him, then immediately performs a dogeza apology on Chiaki’s behalf, because Kei knows his man is an idiot and had unwittingly led John on with his spectacularly clueless ways.
He might be an idiot, but Chiaki is endearing, earnest, and utterly devoted to Kei. Kei, in turn, enjoys being Chiaki’s steady anchor and biggest supporter. Taking care of Chiaki is his joy in life. Together, they’re dorky, adorable, and impossible not to root for!
The side story Bokuto Boyfriend is equally intriguing and deserves a full volume. It follows a gay high schooler crushing on a classmate who turns out to be homophobic. He befriends a notorious delinquent who isn’t really delinquent at all.
When the bully targets the boy, the delinquent steps in to defend him. Impressed, the boy asks if the delinquent could ever look at him that way.
I really liked the dynamic here. The delinquent is the strong, stoic type, but is surprisingly quirky. The boy is the friendly, cheerful type who talks while his friend listens. I particularly liked how the mangaka drew the delinquent and his subtle expressions. AND his blush when he thought of the boy that way!!!
P.S.
John is an fabulous character and a good person. Let’s find him a boyfriend soon!
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MANGA: Yakimochi wa Kitsuneiro
Yakimochi wa Kitsuneiro – Suehiro Machi
Akiha came to Tokyo to attend school, but on his first day, he’s molested on a crowded train. Surprised by it, he was struck dumb but one young man stepped in to help. As they talked, he suddenly hugged the young man to thank him…?
A slapstick love story between a college student who is loved by animals and a pure new student who is possessed by a fox!
Fox-colored Jealousy is a sweet manga about fox spirits and cute boys.
Akiha’s family is cursed with a fox spirit for generations, and it’s now his turn to be possessed. When he’s stressed or nervous, the fox’s ears and tail appear, and the fox can control his body. It was getting out of hand, so he was sent to live with relatives at a temple in Tokyo.
En route to the place, he was molested in the train and was rescued by a college boy, who later turned out to be the younger son of his relative. Yuukuri is well-liked by animals, and the fox spirit is drawn to him. Akiha feels awkward towards Yuukuri, especially when the fox spirit gets extra frisky and affectionate towards Yuukuri.
This could have gone ecchi, but I loved that it went extra fluffy instead. The character design of Akiha is just ridiculously adorbs, with fox ears, tail and little fangs, and so blushy too! Yuukuri looks good too, but his older brother is more attractive, IMO.
Akiha struggles with the possession, his ears and tails popping at an inconvenient time or when he cannot control his body. Yuukuri is the fox whisperer, able to convince the fox spirit not to show his ears and tail until Akiha is home. Akiha is also strongly attracted to Yuukuri but worries that the always kind Yuukuri only likes him out of pity.
Interestingly, while the fox spirit is a key character, playing the matchmaker to Yuukuri and Akiha, they never gave them a name. Akiha doesn’t shift into a fox; we only know the fox spirit is in control when his eyes changes and the ears and tail appear. The fox’s personality is also more forward compared to the timid Akiha.
While the (mostly visual) fluff was doing its magic, I didn’t squee as hard. The overall swoon factor was muted by the not-so-interesting dialogue that I glossed over. Still, the cuteness factor is high, and plenty of readers love it.
For me, it’s fun eye candy, just missing that extra spark.
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MANGA: Kowagaranai de, Soba ni Ite
Kowagaranai de, Soba ni Ite – Long Utsumi
I thought it would go well for you and me from here on after. “Let’s pretend it never happened. From the very beginning.”
Ono Shizuka is a baker who got into an argument with his partner Sakai and fell off the stairs. The accident caused him to forget about Sakai entirely. However, he now is very interested in the beautiful but lonely man.
Don’t Be Afraid, Stay By Your Side is a straightforward amnesia romance that nonetheless packs quite the emotional punch.
After an argument with his partner, Sakai, Shizuka accidentally fell off the stairs and developed amnesia. Following his accident and loss of memories of Sakai, Shizuka still found himself strongly drawn to the man who rescued him.
After being discharged from the hospital, Shizuka returned to work at his bakery. He saw Sakai again there and wanting to thank him for the rescue, Shizuka served Sakai his recommended cakes. Unaware of their history, he chose Sakai’s favorites—a gesture that pierced Sakai’s heart, knowing Shizuka no longer remembered their relationship.
The magic lies in Shizuka’s subtle yet earnest wooing of Sakai, doggedly determined to win over the beautiful, melancholy man despite knowing Sakai is in love with someone else. And so Shizuka competes with himself; each gesture is a shot to Sakai’s heart, closely mirroring pre-amnesia Shizuka’s behavior towards Sakai, who couldn’t bring himself to tell Shizuka of their connection.
It was painful, bittersweet, and so achingly poignant that it transformed a commonly used trope into a deeply moving second-chance romance that made my chest ache and made me smile. This is a manga that breaks a heart and puts it back together again.
Overall, love and memory can be rebuilt—layer by layer, just like the perfect strawberry shortcake.
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MANGA: White Pawn
White Pawn – Tobi Washio
Kuroki, a freshman in college, becomes infatuated with his senior Shirasawa, who enjoys dominating men, and plans to seduce him at the school’s entrance ceremony, but ends up being the one who gets captured. Despite the setback, Kuroki is determined to win over Shirasawa’s heart and comes up with a cunning plan to turn the tables.
White Pawn is another gem from Tobi Washio, mangaka of Hochichirui Hitoka and Enishi Majiwaru Haguremono.
Kuroki spotted the gorgeous Shirasawa at the school’s entrance ceremony and fell in love at first sight. One day, he was approached by Shirasawa, who asked him to be his model for a painting. Jumping at the chance to get close to his crush, Kuroki agreed and began his seduction.
He thought his scheme was working when Shirasawa asked him to come to his house. Kuroki thought he was a tiger ready to pounce, but Shirasawa proved that Kuroki was nothing more than a kitten.
Oooh, yandere in the wild! Not as common as tsundere because they’re not as endearing as love interest. It took a while for me to warm up to Shirasawa. He borderlined sekuhara Kuroki, but our boy wanted to sleep badly with Shirasawa, so yeah. The sticking point, if we may use the phrase, is that Kuroki wanted to top.
Quite a refreshing dynamic! Far from a tsundere, Kuroki loudly proclaims he’s in love with Shirasawa at every opportunity. Shirasawa boldly challenges Kuroki to flip the table if he can, and he will top until Kuroki does so. A challenge Kuroki is determined to win, only Shirasawa is a martial arts expert who can easily manhandle the taller Kuroki. But our boy isn’t giving up anytime soon.
My only complaint is that this is such a missed opportunity to switch. Vers couple is a rare thing in BL, and I was really hoping Kuroki gets what he wants. Maybe a sequel?
The whole time they were together, Shirazawa was seemingly just there for the dominance and sex. My favorite part is when Shirasawa’s big brother crashed the party to stir trouble, and Shirasawa had to stake his claim. Kuroki wonders if Shirasawa has any feelings for him. Only for Shirasawa to fervently declare, “It was never one-sided.”
I get such a thrill every time we get glimpses of the confident and unflappable Shirasawa’s deeper feelings coming to the surface, the rare times he gets flustered or passionate! And the gags were hilarious because we know Kuroki is never getting Shirasawa’s ass.
This is what happens when a cat thinks he’s on top, until a tiger comes along.
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MANGA: Fake Fact Lips
Fake Fact Lips – Suehiro Machi
Ryou and Zen are two men who hate to lose—especially to each other. From high school rivals to rival co-workers, these two men have always been locked in fierce competition. They’ve competed over grades, sports, and even the number of Valentine’s chocolates received! And now that they’re salesmen at the same company, their rivalry has reignited. One night, while out for drinks, the two begin arguing about who’s more experienced in love. Suddenly, their newest competition is set: the winner is whoever makes the other fall in love with them first! But will this competition of hearts really lead to a win or something far more complicated?
Fake Fact Lips is a rivals-to-lovers romance that once again proves that one’s biggest rival is one’s greatest love.
Ryou and Zen have been bitter rivals since high school. Their rivalry reignited when they found themselves working for the same company, and their competitive spirits were so fierce that they competed over everything, from sales records to who could finish a drink first.
One drunken night, they were so hellbent on winning, they came up with a brilliant contest of who could make the other fall in love first. Needless to say, their game quickly became a little too hot, a little too real.
Ryou and Zen became friends as their rivalry began. Zen’s drive to be on top came from an inferiority complex; Ryou felt pressure from his father to excel at everything. They bonded over dropping others’ expectations to focus on each other as worthy opponents.
The manga brilliantly portrayed Zen’s endearing mix of vulnerability and cockiness, his indefatigable desire to win warring with his slowly growing need for it not to be a game. And Ryou’s cool confidence and sudden bursts of passion hint at something fierce and deep. Because we know, oh, we just know, he lost even before the game began.
From the intensity of their rivalry, to the conflicting feelings, to all that delicious pining, and the glorious win, this is a rivals-to-lovers story heated to perfection!
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MANGA: Unmei to wa ie Kono Teido
Unmei to wa ie Kono Teido – Mineshima Nawako
Shirato has always had terrible luck, even with the simplest things. When it seems that he might have a bit of luck going to his usual ramen place, it’s stumped by the bawling, but very handsome person sitting beside him. Pitying the poor guy, Shirato offers him his handkerchief to comfort him. Turns out, the handsome person was Tatsuki Kurose, a famous actor and with his presence, it seems that Shirato’s fortune has gotten better. But when one night reveals that Tatsuki’s feelings for Shirato goes beyond friendship, Shirato’s not sure if his terrible luck has gotten worse. Did it?
That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles is two interconnected stories on the themes of luck and destiny.
Shirato is an perpetually unlucky middle-aged salaryman whose luck turned when he met the famous actor Kurose at a ramen shop. The actor was bawling his eyes out, and Shirato offered his handkerchief. Touched by the kindness, Kurose fell in love with him and proceeded to sekuhara his way into Shirato’s heart.
This could have been super cute and fluffy. It’s cute, but I thought Kurose could have just wooed Shirato in the old-fashioned gentlemanly way instead of harassing a drunk salaryman. Kurose is a heartthrob and has no problems charming people, so a charm offensive would have been a better approach.
The mangaka laid the age gap thickly with a grey-haired Shirato often referring to himself as “old man.” Dude is only mid-30s while Kurose is late 20s, so I think age shouldn’t have been a big deal.
Still, Shirato has that endearing cinnamon roll vibe, and Kurose has that adoring seme going for him, so I kinda enjoyed their story.
The second couple is Shinoda, a blue-collar worker, and Tozaki, a grad student. They had a high school connection that drew them together now that they were adults. They were reunited when Tozaki came into the convenience store Shinoda was manning, and soon, they became fuck buddies.
I did not like this story. Tozaki has no business groping a sleeping Shinoda, then sekuhara him a couple more times. Again, Tozaki has natural charisma so why not just use that? These two needed proper communication, and it took them a while before they talked.
The saving grace is the last chapter that brings the two couples together. This is my favorite part because they were enjoying themselves on their double date.
Overall, they went about it the wrong way, but was still lucky enough to get a happy ending..
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MANGA: Tonari no Metaller-san
Tonari no Metaller-san – Mamita
About to freeze to death on a day of heavy snow, Kento is saved by his neighbor Soushi. Dressed all in black, taciturn and scary-looking, Soushi seems hard to approach, but his eyes, almost hidden by his long hair, shine as if pleading for something. After that day, the two of them end up eating together every day for one year. Kento, while hiding the fact that he’s gay, doesn’t want the peaceful and happy time they share to come to an end. Can he keep a lid on his feelings…?!
As someone weaned on rock, I found this story of a metalhead and a non-music listener unspeakably adorable!
The Metalhead Next Door is a story of two neighbors, Kento, who was saved from being frozen to death on a snowy day, by Soushi, a metal-loving, all-black wearing, taciturn pastry chef. The two struck a friendship with Kento, frequently eating meals with Soushi, who enjoyed cooking for him.
Soon, Kento found himself falling for his quiet neighbor, but he hesitated because he did not want to ruin their friendship.
This is one of my favorite renditions of gap moe. Soushi looks so scary, Kento mistook him for a shinigami when he was waking up from his frozen state. The poor guy is actually a lonely, gentle soul who loves pastries and enjoys knitting.
Soushi has trouble speaking, and as a child was frequently bullied. He took to metal because the loud, frenetic sounds give him energy, and he doesn’t need to talk to people when he’s listening to music. His intimidating metalhead aura also scares bullies.
My favorite part is how Kento, who has zero interest in music, attends concerts and music festivals because he knows it’s important to Soushi. Our boy even endures crazy crowds, rain, and mud just so he could hold Soushi’s hands while they watch Metallica play. That right there goes straight to my kokoro!
I can’t begin to describe how perfect the cover is! That piggy bank hit me hard. It’s where Soushi saves his money for concerts. Kento realized Soushi used to go to concerts alone, but now they can go together. These two will be the death of me and I’ll die squeeing!
From the cozy domesticity of Kento and Soushi bonding over food and music, to Soushi’s heartbreaking yet endearingly brave attempts to overcome his speech anxieties, to Kento’s joyful celebration of everything Soushi, this poignant story beautifully resonates with the soul!
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MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2025
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MANGA: Hazureta Kubiwa wo Suteru Toki
Hazureta Kubiwa wo Suteru Toki – Jita
Is it so wrong for two abandoned souls to fall in love? Kuroda catches his boyfriend cheating and gets dumped on the spot, only to discover another man, Shirato, was also dumped. Out of pity, Kuroda takes the crying Shirato home, and their shared loneliness leads to a one-night stand. But what should have been a one-time mistake turns into something deeper, as Kuroda finds a strange comfort in being embraced by Shirato. But how can he confess his growing feelings now?
Here’s something you don’t see often.
Discarding the Misfit Collar is Kuroda hooking up with Shirato, the ex of his ex, when their three-timing ex-boyfriend dumped them at the same time, and already has a new boyfriend.
At first, it was just consolation sex, the more stoic Kuroda comforting the more emotional Shirato, who was badly shaken by the breakup. This led to more sex, then later a friendship as the two found they enjoyed each other’s company. As they start wanting more, they hesitate as the spectre of their cheating ex still looms large over them.
I was admittedly skeptical about this; Shirato and Kuroda seemingly couldn’t shake off their lingering feelings for their ex. It was slow going, but the slow burn worked its magic. The mangaka deftly depicted their heartbreak, the conflicting emotions and then their blossoming romantic feelings towards each other so convincingly and organically, I was left with no doubts.
All these evolving feels hit hard, and much like Shirato and Kuroda, who didn’t expect to fall for the ex’s ex, the manga’s charm crept up on me, and before I knew it, I was completely rooting for these two misfits!
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