The boys love/yaoi anime and manga subgenre is well-known for the often toxic relationship dynamics between its main characters. It commonly features set dominant/submissive (seme/uke) roles, sexual harassment and abuse, and several other extremely psychologically unhealthy tropes that are nonetheless typically viewed through a romantic lens, such as in the likes of Gravitation, Loveless and Junjou Romantica.
However, some boys love anime do feature genuinely healthy sexual and romantic relationships, particularly those released in the later 2000s and post-2010s. Here are five of the very best of them.
1) Antique Bakery/Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten: Antique (2008)
A gourmet anime drama revolving around four young men from very different walks of life who end up working in a French-style bakery, the 12-episode series Antique Bakery is the least ‘boys love-esque’ anime on this list, not least because its main protagonist Tachibana, while having an important connection with the overtly gay Ono going back to their high school days, does not himself identify as gay. However, Ono does eventually begin a relationship with another main cast member -- a relationship that’s at first somewhat surprising, but no less heartfelt or compelling for it.
In fact, all of Antique Bakery’s characters have remarkable depth, and it's thanks to their mostly lighthearted yet thoughtful interactions that the show works as well as it does. It’s a series that revolves around not sex or exploitation, but rather around righting past wrongs and facing one’s inner demons -- and yes, also lots and lots of cake.
2) Hey, Class President!/Seito Kaichou ni Chuukoku (2009-10)
‘Two high school boys in the kendo club become friends, then friends with benefits’ might not be the most original premise, but Hey, Class President! earns a lot of goodwill for its sense of humor. While boys love anime is often extremely dramatic and angsty, with a tendency to take itself overly seriously, Hey, Class President! is lighter on the angst and heavier on the comedic aspects of clumsy teenage love and endearingly awkward interactions.
Tragically, the story of Chiga and Kokusai remains an unfinished one, with only two OVA episodes of the on-hiatus manga being adapted. However, these two episodes are well worth a watch for anyone in search of a sexually explicit BL title that nonetheless doesn’t fall into most of the more common trope-ridden pitfalls of its genre.
3) This Boy is a Professional Wizard/Kono Danshi, Mahou ga Oshigoto Desu (2016)
Relatively light in terms of sexually explicit BL content, the anime-original Professional Wizard is part of a series of stories directed by the groundbreaking Soubi Yamamoto. While made up of only four 7-minute episodes, Professional Wizard, about a government wizard who meets and falls in love with a beautiful stranger at a bar, is a highly unique story that features extraordinarily eye-catching visuals.
Its two main characters, Kashima and Utsumi, are both likable young men and independent working adults -- somewhat of a rarity in anime compared to shows set in junior or senior high school -- and their relationship is clearly based on vulnerability, care and mutual respect. Viewers may also want to check out the other five boys love titles in the This Boy/Kono Danshi series, all likewise directed by Yamamoto.
4) Given (2019)
While taking a couple of episodes to kick into high gear, Given managed to do what the vast majority of overt boys love anime don’t -- achieve significant mainstream success. This 11-episode slice-of-life romantic drama, about a guitarist with dreams of making it big and a classmate who’s new to the world of professional music but has a stunningly beautiful singing voice, is quietly powerful and remarkably realistic. Its characters have real depth, and the series is just as much about the complexities of dealing with grief and depression as it is about the burgeoning relationship between its two main characters.
Both extremely relatable, Ritsuka and Mafuyu are compelling leads who grow to care deeply about one another over the course of the series (which also features another male couple in the older Akihiko and Haruki). However, sexual tension and teenage-ridden hormones aside, Given is a surprisingly subtle yet wonderfully intense show about working through past heartbreak in order for two young men to (no pun intended) make beautiful music together.
5) Stranger By the Shore/Umibe no Étranger (2020)
The only movie rather than a TV or OVA series to make this list, Stranger By the Shore is a slice-of-life title that spans several years in the lives of Shun and Mio, an openly gay aspiring novelist and an orphaned high school student (and later restaurant worker) respectively. Set in the idyllic backdrop of rural Okinawa, the film follows their developing relationship through its numerous ups and downs, although it does finally culminate in a happy ending.
While at times more dramatic than it needs to be, as well as beset by pacing issues, Stranger By the Shore takes care to portray Shun and Mio’s relationship as one that’s relatively realistic. Shun faces bullying and homophobia, for example, and is estranged from his family as a result of his sexual orientation, while Mio struggles with self-identity, as he is attracted to women but falls deeply in love with Shun. The film is also visually striking as well as highly atmospheric, lending plenty of beauty to its emotionally-driven story.