When Randy "Ryo" Maclean is assigned as a new detective to the 27th precinct at the New York City Police Department; his new boss pairs him with Dee Laytner, a good-looking veteran prone to impulsiveness. Much to Ryo's confusion, Dee takes an immediate interest in his new partner. As time goes on and the partners continue to work together, the distance between them gradually shortens. But could Ryo ever reciprocate Dee's feelings?
My Review
I do not think this was my first BL but it was one of the first and it was the one where I completely fell in love with the genera. Even ignoring the romance it's a silly yet poignant series with great characters and very nice art work. The cases are fun to read albeit not very realistic (nor are they trying to be) and the adult characters are all good at their jobs and the kids do have moments where they feel very mature but overall they still feel like kids.
Then there's the romance. It is so hot to watch the guys as they figure out their relationship, every kiss scene is dripping with pure lust. All culminating in the single hottest sex scene I've ever seen in a manga ever. And even outside that the guy's are just so good together, warm and supportive while not afraid to call each other out on their BS. They work well as cop partners and they'll work just as well as life partners.
I will say though it takes Ryo forever to get there (two years in series) and my god do I want to smack him sometimes. I enjoyed the UST, don't get me wrong, but still... Also there's two jealousy storylines with unwanted suitors (both of which I do not like) and one fake out. I like Diana... for helping Ryo get his head out of his ass if nothing else but still! I also wish Dee wasn't as pushy as he can be at times but I've seen worse to.
Fake also avoids several of the stereotypes you see in BL, especially older BL. There are several cool and competent female characters and yeah Ryo's the uke but he's just a big and BAMFY as Dee is (and while Dee hides it he's just as sensitive as Ryo) just for a couple examples. The Bicky/Carol side stories are ok, with the exception of the one where they become a couple... that one's very cute. I'm not a fan of the sequel Fake 2 but I do like the short story Like, Like, Love. Overall if you like BL this is a must read, in my opinion and 100% deserves a place on my favorites list.
Author: Minekura Kazuya
Note: Unfinished and not likely to be finished
Summary
Makoto Kubota wandered through life, not taking things too seriously or looking too deep within himself. His job as the head of the Izumo Group's youth gang kept him pleasantly occupied with yakuza wars, mahjong and assassinations... Until the day he stumbled upon a strange drug called Wild Adapter that produces bizarre side-effects--including death. Forever changed, Kubota becomes entangled with a drifter named Minoru Tokito, and the two form an unlikely companionship that draws them deeper into the mystery of Wild Adapter...
My Review
This manga is both darker than my usual fare and doomed to forever remain unfinished (on a cliffhanger no less!!) and yet I do like it. Mostly for the main characters and their relationship. Makoto's usual cold demeaner just melts with Minoru (seriously that boy is so fucking whipped) and Minoru, Makoto's "stray cat", is a massive tsundere. While I'm not the biggest fan of female tsundere I love it when they're male. Their relationship is so codependent in the most delightfully toxic way and yet it's oddly sweet? It's also ambiguous (esp on the sexual side) but that only adds to the fun IMHO.
The stories themselves are well written although, as they're partly told from an outsiders POV that changes with each volume, I sometimes find them hard to follow. The side characters are all fine. Nothing spectacular but they do what they need for the story. Finally the art is very well done. A bit sharper and darker lines than I usually prefer but still quite lovely. All in all I'm never sure if I should recommend the manga but if you're fine with it ending on a massive cliffhanger and enjoy dark plots and messy relationships I do think you'll enjoy this.
If you prefer anime I do recommend the OVAs. They are mostly during the 6th volume but they flesh out the story a bit with bits from other chapters. It's by far my favoirite story in the manga and the OVA does it well. Oh and there is an AU dojinshi but I don't care for it.
Author: Tagura Tohru
Summary
Yutaka gets his yearly letter from his beloved older brother.
My Review
Ok yes this is incest... Actual incest, mind you, none of that stepbros or "we aren't actually related" stuff (which can still hit my incest button but still). So yeah here's you're TW, I guess. This is a gorgeous manga all about the pining. And Tagura-san really knows how to write and draw pining. *swoons* Otherwise the art is beautful, the characters are fun, and the various relationships are all well done. Outside the pining there isn't much in the way of a plot but I love slice of life so no complaints here.
We, sadly, do not get to see them as a couple really (I demand a sequel) but they are together and it has a hopeful ever after ending. It's also a secret... sort of. Everyone knows these two are unusual but they aren't quite willing to make the jump to incest, understandably. All in all if you want a well written story about a taboo relationship or you're in the mood for a lot of pining and don't mind incest I highly recommend this manga.
Author: Kuku Hayate
Summary
As the town's sheriff, Fran was on an errand for his people. Alas, on his journey back, his horse died. Stranded in the middle of a desert with his only transport to civilization dead to the world, Fran had to endure scorching heat to reach his town. Wandering for days, his weakened body betrayed him, only to be saved by a Native American...
My Review
It's a cute little BL. Well for the most part... the story gets pretty dark near the end. Neither MC die though. Toto, the Native American character, is... well I can tell Kuku-san is a western fan but all things considered he's alright. A bit noble savage but I've seen way worse. The manga also tells the story from Fran's POV only, an eternal annoyance of mine. With that said the sex scene is pretty hot, and I'm iffy on sex scene's in manga. Overall I like this manga, although I wouldn't consider it a favorite, and I appreciate Kuku-san being willing to use a very different setting.
Author: Unohana
Summary
Ryuuta has worked a summer job in Naoki's pub for several years, falling deeper and deeper in love with him despite Naoki's long-term girlfriend. But as soon as Ryuuta decides this will be his final summer on the job, he finds out Naoki's girlfriend is gone, and Ryuuta can no longer resist telling Nao-san about his feelings.
My Review
So we're coming into this story after Ryuuta has been pining for years. Sadly we don't get to see much because he confesses pretty damn quickly but we do get to see both guys be all adorable and awkward afterwards. And we even get a couple chapters after they fuck for the first tine and watching Naoki slowly realize he's falling for Ryuuta (no he wanted Ryuuta but he wasn't quite in love with him yet.) was so good.
This manga is also quite hot at times. There's a very nice masturbation scene featuring Naoki. Also, the scene where Naoki asked Ryuuta to steal him from his ex was pure fire. The sex scenes themselves are ok... I've seen better but I've also seen worse.
Speaking of yeah the ex is a woman and I'm not the biggest fan of hers. She cheated on Naoki after lying about being on birth control for two years. He wanted kids to... the irony of him ending up with a guy does not escape me. With that said Naoki wasn't too bothered about wanting a guy. He has issues with the relationship with Ryuuta but his gender isn't an issue. He never says he's bisexual but that's how I read him.
But annoyance aside this is a solid manga with a happy ending that I very much enjoyed reading.
Authors: Tsukimura Kei, Itsuki Kaname
Summary
When Nakajima's mother decided to remarry he was afraid but everything turned out to be even better than he expected. His new older brother helps him and spoils him a lot and they're getting along very well until the moment when Nakajima comes home earlier and sees his big bro playing with another guy in bedroom. What's gonna happen from now on?
My Review
The first thing I liked about this manga is that it was willing to do something new (at least new to me)... Nakajima catching his brother while with another guy then having to try to hide his feelings of jealousy, worry, and later lust is very enjoyable to watch. And the brother in question being so worried about scaring him that he can't see the obvious is just as much fun.
Outside of that I enjoyed the family vibes both for their own sake (I love blended families) and because we really get to see why Nakagima's so worried his feelings for his step brother will destroy everything. Sadly we do not get a family finds out story. Most unfortunate.
But really the manga isn't as good once the older brother finds out about Nakajima's feelings... It's still a solid read but Nakajima struggling with understanding his feelings and pining is where the real fun is.
Finally this manga has a lot of second hand embarrassment. I dislike it myself but it's not so bad I had to stop or anything. It's also hard to follow the timeline for me, not sure if that's the translation though. But overall this manga's good, not great but good.
