Five Titles Essential to the Yaoi and Shonen-ai Genre of Manga

Don't yet know what Yaoi and Shonen-ai are? Yaoi, to put it simply, is a very popular genre in Japanese manga with a distinct focus of gay (male-male) relationships and content. Shonen-ai, more commonly referred to by fans as Boys' Love because of disuse of the term Shonen-ai in Japan, is a term for titles with softer content, often focusing on the development of a relationship or the storyline. Now, for total newbies to both terms: before you open your mouth to object, Boys' Love does not at all indicate inappropriate relationships - just a certain element of male-male romance that admittedly sometimes involves youthful-faced older adolescents and men as this is the popular style to draw in manga artwork. Yaoi and Boys' Love titles can intersect with any number of other genres - science-fiction, drama, horror, and fantasy, to name a few - and can appeal to a wide audience of manga fans. Many Boys' Love titles in particular have a very strong cross-over appeal due to their tendency to offer both engaging storylines and realistic character relationships. And while Yaoi can sometimes be harder to jump headfirst into due to a few titles in the genre running the risk of being too focused on explicit content (rather than actual plot), there are some exemplary titles in Yaoi that strike as comfortable a balance between storyline and content as many Boys' Love titles do.

Below are five manga titles that exemplify the cross-over appeal of mixing a good story and well-developed relationships:

Earthian, by Yun Kouga - Yun Kouga is perhaps best known in the US for two of her Boys' Love works, Earthian and Loveless. Earthian follows two angels, Chihaya and Kagetsuya, sent to Earth on a mission by the Archangel Michael to tally up the 'plus points' of whether humans (and by extension, Earth) are worth keeping around...or not. Chihaya is determined to prove that there is more good amongst human behavior than bad and consequently gets into all kinds of trouble on his quest to do so, and the by-the-book Kagetsuya makes for an entertaining character as he's usually the exasperated angel to bail Chihaya out of dangerous situations. The art is well-done despite the fact that in some scenes it's difficult to tell one or two of the side characters apart from each other.

Loveless, by Yun Kouga - While some may argue that the relationship of Soubi and Ritsuka is not precisely a romantic one, I feel that the content in the intricate world of Loveless deserves a top mention in any Boys' Love hall of fame. Set with a backdrop of a world populated by cat-eared humans, the engaging tale of the fateful bond between Ritsuka, an existential young boy, and Soubi, the mysterious young man left as a guardian to him by his late brother, makes Loveless a clear favorite of both Fantasy and Boys' Love genres in manga.

Let Dai, by Sooyeon Won - This is a Boys' Love series not often mentioned by fans of the genre that revolves around Jaehee, a high school boy who one day gets mixed up with Dai, a gang leader from the wrong side of the tracks. However, this manga becomes so much more than this seemingly simple premise, weaving into the mix intriguing side characters and the tragic experiences that change them even as these circumstances further link Jaehee himself to the destructive Dai. There are a few translation typos, but this doesn't detract from the complicated and often existential story.

Our Kingdom, by Naduki Koujima - Humble Akira Nonaka is suddenly taken in by the Takatou family and told of his candidacy as heir to the Takatou fortune. However, the disinterested Rei is also a contender to the family's fortune, but he seems much more interested in Akira than being a candidate for heir. A light-hearted and humorous Boys' Love series with distinctly cute, flowing artwork and a perhaps a touch too naive of a protagonist.

Gerard and Jacques, by Fumi Yoshinaga - Set just before the time of the French Revolution, this two volume Yaoi manga begins with Jacques, a nobleman's son sold to work in a brothel, and his first customer, Gerard, a much older, self-made man of commoner's blood. Gerard buys Jacques freedom from the brothel on a whim, and the younger man ends up as Gerard's houseboy and is given the opportunity to start a new life. Gerard particularly shines as a character, his personality and history fascinating as it unfolds. His relationship to Jacques, at first built on mutual disdain, becomes genuine with time. The Yaoi content is strong but as well-done as the artwork, the storyline involving and flavored with just a touch of humor.

Yellow, by Makoto Tateno - One of the most popular Yaoi series available in English. An openly gay man (Goh) and a straight man (Taki) work together as a partnered team to bust underground illegal drug dealings. High on situated humor with fairly mild but steady Yaoi content throughout the four volume series.

And yes, admittedly that was six titles and not five, but the last title is a classic and deserved to be added. I hope that this list was helpful to those curious or new to the genre.