Hornytoad's BL Manga Recs

Mangaka: Honjou Rie
Genre: Yaoi
Length: 3 chapters + extra
Scanlated by: Attractive Fascinante

In the Heavenly Jade Pavillion there are many beautiful hustlers and their protectors, each with their own talents and mysterious lives. The lovely S&M hustler, Yagarasu, who hides his eye behind a patch, is visited by a man from his past. Why is Yagarasu's past appearing now? Will he be given a reason to put aside his whips and chains and only give pain to one man?

I almost didn't quote this summary because it describes the extra, rather than the main story, but I wanted to mention it in case S&M isn't your thing and it would put you off of the series once you went to download it. The main storyline is not about Yagarasu.

The first three chapters are about the premier prostitute in the pavilion and his new "protector," who insists that he's straight but finds working in an all-male whorehouse more tempting than he expected. What I like about this story the prostitute's personality, which is confident and unapologetic.

The artwork is also pretty nice, especially if you have a thing for guys in kimono who are pretty, but not uke waifs x 1000.

The extra about Yagarasu is much darker. It contains implied child molestation (not shown but perfectly clear). I didn't like it at all, but it's very short and if you don't read it, you're not missing out on anything.

Sample Pages
Cover + + +

You can download this page from this post in Attractive Fascinante's community.

Mangaka: Akira Norikazu
Genre: Yaoi
Length: 5 chapters + extra
Scanlated by: Dangerous Pleasure

The Akira Norikazu test can be applied to any manga. If the manga contains four of the following five things, there is a 90% certainty that it was penned by Akira Norikazu, and if it contains less than two of these things, there's a 100% chance it's not Akira Norikazu, with the standard margin of error for making statistics up.

1. Men in suits. Probably yakuza.
2. Random peonies.
3. A lot of sap.
4. A manly seme with this haircut.
5. The dreaded uke-face.

Kyou Hana no Gotoshi has all of the above, but luckily, it skimps on #5. The first four chapters are about a young yakuza heir and his bodyguard and mentor. Unlike a lot of Norikazu's ukes, he actually has a glimmer of a spine. Chapter five is a related oneshot with a separate couple.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

You can download this title through Dangerous Pleasure's website.

Mangaka: Tori Maia
Genre: Yaoi
Length: 5 volumes (complete)
Scanlated by: Game Over Or Continue

Sex, Love, Bondage, Masters and servants, tangled love stories. Find out the many mysteries of Hoshi no Yakata, the Palace of Stars.

I've considered reccing this series for a long time, and I think I just need to get it out of my system. But I'm embarrassed to, because Hoshi no Yakata caters to a very specific audience: fans of extremely effeminate men who are also into hardcore bdsm porn and who have a thing for one-legged, eighties-inspired fetish clothing.

I INSIST I AM NOT THIS AUDIENCE. JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR.

The plot--what there is of it--centers around an exclusive brothel where bdsm isn't just something you do for clients, but a lifestyle. Things that in the real world are pure fantasy are true here. It has the widest variety of graphic, creative sex scenes that I've seen in yaoi manga.

On the other hand, the art--and the clothing--looks like this:

Sample Pages
+ + +

You can download this series from Game Over or Continue's website.

Sorry for the horrible layout. This was one of the few layouts with a tags list that wasn't completely broken by LJ's recent server move, and I just don't have the patience to bang it into something a little more pleasant to look at.

Since my last post, Dangerous Pleasure has been busy:

-- Border ch 05a and 05b
-- Keep Out ch 03
-- Omoisugoshi mo koi no uchi ch 03, 04, 05

Links to all of them are easy to find on the first page; just do a CTRL-F.

Mangaka: Hiiro Reiichi
Genre: Yaoi, supernatural
Length: 4 chapters (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Datenshi Blue

I'm feeling too lazy to write a summary of this one, but I think that the conversation I had with sudaki last night about it covers all of the important points:

hornytoad: So I am reading a porn, and the premise is that the uke is a "cockatrice," a half-bird creature, and the seme is a "basilisk," also a half-bird creature BUT EVIL. And the uke's arms randomly turn into wings and he flaps around.

sudaki: Ha ha.
sudaki: Cockatrice.

hornytoad: HAH HAH HAHAHAHA HE'S IN HEAT
hornytoad: This is the second story by this mangaka with men going into heat.
hornytoad: This is awesome.

sudaki: God.
sudaki: Is he a GW pilot? They're always going into heat.

hornytoad: No, he's a COCKATRICE.
hornytoad: Which is a type of lovebird, it says.

sudaki: Cockatrice.

hornytoad: I have a feeling you aren't buying the premise. =/

sudaki: I'm having some issues.

You know you want it.

Sample Pages
cover + +

You can download this title through Datenshi-Blue's LJ community if you join.

Mangaka: Sugiura Shiho
Genre: Action, fantasy, shounen-ai
Length: 8 volumes (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Sweet Lunacy, Storm in Heaven, Bushido Angel Adventures
Published in English by: Tokyopop

Rakan lives alone, and the plants in his garden grow so thick and fast that it seems like a jungle. One day a man, holding a gun made of wood, falls right down into his garden. He seems to come from another world, and he's searching for someone who can bring back the green into his own dark and inhospitable world. (Storm in Heaven)

This series probably doesn't belong on a recommendations journal run by someone calling herself "horny toad." Eight volumes in, and no one has had sex--or even kissed! Silver Diamond is more shoujo fantasy than shounen-ai, at least right now. So far there is just a glimmer of sexual tension on the horizon.

But I really like it, so there. Nyah.

Sugiura Shiho's artwork usually isn't to my taste, but in Silver Diamond it's delicately drawn and full of detail, and it really suits the story and the characters. (Another thing I like about this series: Rakan keeps adding oddballs from an alternate universe to his collection of followers. In addition to the interesting premise and promise of lots of plot, the characters are a good reason to read this one.)

I suggest this series if you're in the mood for a fantasy story where there are plenty of pretty men, but romance isn't the primary focus.

Sample Pages
cover + +

This series has been licensed by Tokyopop, so Storm in Heaven has dropped it. Manga Updates lists Silver Diamond as being scanlated by Bushido Angel Adventures, a group that apparently specializes in other groups' dropped projects, but I was unable to find it on their website or LJ community.

Mangaka: Araya Miki
Genre: Yaoi, comedy
Length: 1 chapter (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Beautiful Soup

Takami has an ‘eye power’ that causes guys to fall in love with him by looking them in the eye and Ninomiya has a ‘pheromone power’ that gets both men and women fall in love with him. What happens when these two characters clash together? (Beautiful Soup)

I've recommended another work by Araya Miki before, Secret. I love Araya Miki, because she writes stories that don't take themselves the least bit seriously. They wallow in yaoi conventions but then play with them in unexpected ways, or are based on completely ridiculous premises like this one.

For some reason, I can't help but imagine Araya Miki as the type of person who writes in pink glitter pen and uses hearts to dot her i's, or, I guess since she's Japanese, to write handakuten.

With only one chapter released so far, it's hard to guess where this series is going, but the first chapter does stand alone as a oneshot.

Sample Pages
cover + +

You can download this series through Beautiful Soup's website. You'll have to register to see the project page, but it's a quick and painless process.

Mangaka: Watanabe Asia
Genre: Yaoi, comedy
Length: 3 chapters (complete)
Scanlated by: Two Dandies' Maleshoppe

This trilogy of oneshots is about Shiro and his darling Kii-chan. Shiro will do anything for Kii-chan, who is a depraved pervert and constantly puts him through horrible, kinky ordeals. It's hilarious and hot at the same time.

Plus, there is some serious topping from the bottom going on here.

Watanabe Asia has a distinctive style that may not be to everyone's taste, but it's grown on me over time. Something about how she drew Kii-chan's face in "Ropeman" nearly turned me off of this series of oneshots, but I gave it a second chance, and I'm glad I did. "Fistman" has one of my favorite yaoi manga pages of all time.

(It's the one with the random dinosaur.)

Sample Pages
Cover + +

You can download these three releases on the Two Dandies' Maleshoppe community.

Mangaka: Kanamaru Maki & Honami Yukine
Genre: Yaoi
Length: Oneshot
Scanlated by: Mochi*Mochi

Congressman Colin Rudd's public image: good looks, charisma, and an honest willingness to serve his people and country. The only thing he's missing is a wife. What the public doesn't know is that he's a shrewd tactician and in a relationship with his secretary, Paul... (Mochi*Mochi)

This story is an old favorite of mine, released before any of the notorious gay sex scandals of recent years. Of course, Colin Rudd looks absolutely nothing like Larry Craig. (And I'm pretty sure he's a Democrat--or maybe an outright commie. "Welfare"? That's a dirty word!)

It's an adorable, but short, piece.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

This oneshot has been licensed by Digital Manga Publishing.

Mangaka: Fujiyama Hyouta
Genre: Yaoi
Length: 5 chapters + omake (complete)
Scanlated by: Attractive Fascinante, Bliss, Fantasy Shrine

Photographer assistant Kurejima Eiji has just been dumped by his girlfriend when he meets high school student Hiroto Suginoi, who is cold and is trying to warm himself on the roof of Eiji's car. Eiji brings Hiroto back to his apartment, where he discovers that Hiroto is gay and also broken hearted. The two become friends, even though Hiroto wishes there could be more. After Hiroto realizes it is useless to continue to pursue Eiji, he decides to leave. Can Eiji convince Hiroto to stay? (AF)

I don't know!!!!! Can he?! The suspense is almost too much for --

Oh, wait. This is boy's love.

I'm usually skeptical for stories about adults involved with high school students, because the age difference often means that there will be strong seme and uke stereotypes. Fujiyama Hyouta, though, is an exception to this. I like her Hiroto: he's young and somewhat naive, but he has a mischeivous and temperamental side. He's not just a fill-in-the-underaged-uke's-name-here. And Eijii is sort of scruffily cute.

The way that the relationship between Hiroto and Eijii develops is perhaps a little unbelievable (considering that Eijii is supposed to be straight), but she lets it develop slowly. It has the same realistic feel that her other work does, and I really like that.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

You can download this series from this post in Attractive Fascinante's community.

There is a certain type of story that I like, but I'm having trouble coming up with a term for it; right now I'm just tagging such stories with "everyday people." It's easier to point out stories that fit this "genre" than to explain it, but in essence:

--The characters are ordinary, not angels or princes or sex demons or anything like that. They may hae a job that is unusual, but in a mundane, non-magical and non-secret-government-agent way.

--The situations that the characters find themselves in can happen to ordinary people. In this type of story, Average Joe Salaryman is not finding a magical lamp with a genie that will grant him three wishes.

--Most importantly, the tone of the story is realistic. Things aren't really exaggerated all that much for comedic, dramatic, or pornographic value--well, not like in other BL manga. This is why Miki Araya would never be considered this type of mangaka, while Fujiyama Hyouta is pretty much the epitome of one.

Some examples of this genre:
everyday people tag

Mangaka: Kunieda Saika
Genre: Yaoi
Length: 5 chapters + omake (complete)
Scanlated by: Doki-Doki

Kento is mild-mannered, straightforward and quite honestly, a bit boring. At 26 he's landed his first full-time position teaching at high school and does everything he can to make his grandparents, who took him in to raise after his parents' tragic death, proud of him. Unfortunately Kento is gay... and they ~don't~ approve.

Enter Akira, a ticking-time bomb with a perpetual evil smirk, a ridiculously flamboyant wardrobe and a tendency to hit on anything that moves. Akira's everything Kento isn't... including drop-dead gorgeous and mindbendingly annoying. It's almost a miracle that the two of them have been dating for over a year!!

But after all that time, Akira's still keeping some secrets... secrets that aren't going to reflect well on Kento's choice in a partner. Would Kento's grandparents ever survive the shock of their son dating the child of a sex-worker and an alien? Or will they, as Akira puts it, "cough up their pacemakers"?! Does Kento care more about his family's opinion of him, or his high-maitanance lover's deep-seated social inferiority complex? (Doki-Doki)

I was skeptical of this story by a mangaka who I'm not familiar with. The artwork isn't really to my taste, and I wasn't sure that the story would be compelling enough to make up for it. But I gave it a chance, and I'm glad I did.

Kento and Akira are a terrifically cute couple, and Kento's family is quite special as well. Gramps cracks me up, the crotchety old bigot. What I like about Kento is that he really is a normal man with normal dreams, who life has thrown a curveball in the form of one flamboyant and flippant art teacher. It's a very romantic story, in an every day sort of way.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

You can download this through Doki-Doki's website.

Dangerous Pleasure (downloadable at their website):

-- Chapters seven and eight of Tengoku e Ikebaii have been released; the series is now complete.

-- Chapter four of Border has been released.

These releases can be downloaded from Dangerous Pleasure's website.

Also, I haven't really been keeping track of these releases, but The Pink Panzer has released more bits of Eroica. You will have to be a member of their community to see the downloads.

Mangaka: Takatsuki Noboru
Genre: Yaoi, comedy
Length: 2 chapters (ongoing)
Scanlated by: No Deadline

Both released chapters are short, but they're well worth the download. This is a cute, funny series, and I can't wait for more chapters: will Oku overecome his shyness and tell the hot delivery man his feelings, or will he just continue to order useless junk from "Amason" just to see him? Will he, at twenty-six years old, finally lose his virginity, or will he just continue to fantasize?

The real appeal here is the story, but the artwork is nice too.

Sample Pages
+ + +

This is available for direct download through No Deadline's community, although you have to join to see the links.

Fujisaki Kou is a popular mangaka; the group Countless Time, in particular, seems to enjoy her work. They have several series by her on their active projects list. Other groups seem to like her as well--and yet, all I can do is boggle.

I think that this page sums it up. the grossly exaggerated proportions, the ridiculous pose that is supposed to somehow be masculine and sexy, the huge lips, the fucking creepy hands. But wait--I almost forgot that when it comes to faces in oblique perspectives, they're all unappealingly lopsided.

The stories are all formulaic, as well. She seems to specialize particularly in the "coldly competent businessman sweeps younger man off of his feet" fantasy, with very little unique characterization or detail to make it interesting. I can usually enjoy that just fine, but I can find enough of it with good art.

Mangaka: Toribito Hiromi
Genre: Yaoi, historical
Length: 3 chapters (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Loveless

Amidst the crowds in Asakusa district, Tokyo, a young man is assaulted by a group of bandits. When a red-haired stranger comes to his rescue, Suoh falls in love at first sight, but all is fair in love and war. (Loveless)

That makes Suoh sound like a total wuss--but what I like about this series is that he isn't. For sure, he's a gay man who designs flamboyant kimono, but he has a huge temper and isn't afraid to use it. The characterization is unusually multi-faceted for yaoi manga.

And so is the story. It's nothing sensationally complicated, but there are several things going on: Suoh's conflict with his younger brother over the direction of their kimono shop, the dangerous gangster trying to seduce both of them, Suoh's unrequited love for Shinobu (the stranger who saved him), and Shinobu's problems with being a Christian an obviously foreign in historical Japan.

Three chapters and no sex yet, just one hot hot hot masturbation scene.

Sample Pages
cover + +

This title is available through Loveless's IRC channel, #loveless on IRChighway.

Mangaka: Kodaka Kazuma
Genre: Yaoi, action
Length: 3 chapters (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Dangerous Pleasure

In an era where crime spreads without punishment, these four men soar through the adrkness in order to reveal and judge those crimes! A detective, a programmer, an engineer, and a hair designer! These four friends are overstepping the law and carrying out their missions!

In other words, Mission: Impossible meets a bad bar joke, and they have gay sex.

Reading this one, you get the impression that Kodaka Kazuma takes it seriously, terrible pick-up lines and all. That's why I love it. The artwork in this one, as well, doesn't suffer as much from the terribly big heads that she's prone to drawing. I would almost call it appealing.

The first chapter of this story introduces us to our heroes and their first mission: infiltrate a company that is allegedly producing rape porn of company wives and daughters. I was pleasantly surprised when their method of infiltration turned out to be something other than what I expected, but then one of them rappeled out of a window when walking out the front door would have worked just as well, and I started laughing again.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

This can be downloaded from Dangerous Pleasure's website.

-- Chapters 5 & 6 of Tengoku e Ikebaii have been released and can be downloaded from Dangerous Pleasure's website.

-- Chapter 2 of Omoisugoshi mo koi no uchi has been releeased and can be downloaded from Dangerous Pleasure's website. It's not on their downloads page; you'll have to go to their updates section, and back one page to find it.

Dangerous Pleasure <- here

Mangaka: Ike Reibun
Genre: Yaoi
Length: 6 chapters + oneshot (complete)
Scanlated by: Nakama

I think I may need a "hairdressers and stylists" tag soon.

Yoshiaki is a successful businessman with an unconventional lover: Kasumi, a high-maintenance personal stylist who's the type of person that will point out that you're serving parfait with the wrong type of spoon. Yeah, he's that special. The two are so different that even they don't know how they managed to end up together.

I think that Yoshiaki is boring, but I'm drawn to the goofy, demanding and flamboyant archetype that Kasumi is. In manga, anyway. In real life I would want to punch him in the face. This isn't a comedy series, but it can be pretty cute at times -- especially when Kasumi decides to test Yoshiaki's love for him by going 1970s gay disco.

Sadly, Yoshiaki did not then snort cocaine off of his abs.

There's a non-con scene of the "no no oh yes yes yes!" variety that occurs when Yoshiaki and Kasumi are having a fight. Just warning you. It's pretty mild non-con by yaoi standards.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

This is a pretty popular series, but you can get authorized downloads by joining Nakama's yahoo group or their forums.

Mangaka: Naono Bohra
Genre: Yaoi, supernatural
Length: 5 chapters + extra (complete)
Scanlated by: Nakama

I'm a fan of Naono Bohra's work, and not just because she's the one that made it possible for me to tell my friends, "If you don't do what I want, I'm going to send you the gay zombie porn."

For one thing, she's stuck to her own paradigm--her own kink, which is younger seme and older uke. And by "older" I mean that these guys have wrinkles, omg. It's very much a formula, but it's a different formula, and that's refreshing.

This series is about a private detective who has the psychic ability to sense another's emotions with just a touch. The rhetorical, you-already-know-the -answer question of the day is: will he be able to get over his phobia of touching another person in order to have porn with his sexy younger assistant?

Oh, and there are cases and kidnapping and stuff.

Sample Pages
Cover + +

This title can be downloaded through Nakama's yahoogroup.