the first prequel to Twittering Birds

the second prequel. the main story in Twittering Birds follows straight from here

this hard-hitting manga just keeps getting better on rereading. the author has a pared-down art style but every line is purposeful, with sparce sex scenes used only to help characterisation, good paneling and witty dialogue.

yes, there are plenty of BL yakuza stories, but in this one all the characters feel like real people - from their to and fro banter all the way down to their mannerisms - who gravitated towards the organisation because they were dealt a bad hand in life or had sadistic tendencies

I don't like the art style but the story explores the themes of insecurity and growing up so well. This mangaka writes for the josei demographic and it shows; how often do you get worthwhile female characters in a BL manga?

vol 2 of the Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese and an improvement

I don't care for Takarai Rihito's other works but Ten Count gets everything right. More than just one-note characters, Shirotani's and Kurose's motivations stay the right side of spoon-fed to the reader. a successful combination of character development and ahegao

Kou Yoneda for the win, she manages to convey so much with so little. probably the best introduction to the genre

this manhwa excels at atmosphere, baring the unglamorous side of the underworld

here's your 1st class ticket for the misery train. this really succeeds as a horror, I was gripped by 1 thought throughout: please, please let Bum be alright in the end.

the 1 aspect I disliked about it are the gratuitous sex scenes. the initial depictions of rape worked well at being utterly terrifying and contributing to the helpless horror of it all. but it undermines the tone in the end if there are too many of them. there r only so many untitillating sex scenes one is willing to consume (I get it already, Bum opens his diary every morning n it says 'threat of rape' on every page in capital letters)

I feel like Painter of the Night suffers from the same problem. the very interesting plot and themes have to take a back seat because there r so many scenes of rape. and again, it works initially, to show Kyum's predicament before someone who can extinguish his life with a wave of the hand but after a while I can tell that these scenes are drawn to be arousing not to horrify. on the other hand, it is less interesting storywise to dismiss Seungho as just a murderer/rapist who will never go to prison for his crimes than to give him an arc where he has to learn that he cannot take/ demand/ pay for the one thing he most desires - unconditional love and acceptance. I hope Na-Kyum will be alright in the end

damn, the human art is so gloriously correct in this one. the 'I'm not gay but you're special' trope done right

I like roundhouse kicks in the feels

in all of Harada's manga characters are either abusive, manipulative, deceptive or coercive, a feeling of unease slowly creeping up, and coupled with quite outstanding art in Colour Recipe, it sets their style apart.

do you also love it when homosexuality is conflated with paedophilia? test how much discomfort you can bear by reading 'Nii-chan'

a slow burner that turned out surprisingly poignant

no tropes here, officer

far from perfect, sometimes inconsistent, deus ex machina ending, but just so much fun!

a nice introduction to guro.

but whatever you do, don't start exploring the genre with 'The Orc Bride', that stuff can't be unseen

here's an example of something completely unoriginal that is nevertheless enjoyable because the dialogue doesn't bore me to tears and the characters make sense (the bar is so high, I know). it's one of those single volume BL that don't even have a plot, I've seen tons of similar stories but this one DOESN'T SUCK

was Doronuma too mild for you? try this

I'm keeping an eye on this author because, within the confines of a well-trodden genre, she creates characters that struggle with relatable issues

oh look, you don't have to assault a guy to get in his pants. I love this mangaka's art, so too bad that more of her stories don't imitate how a relashionship might progress in reality

I like the main story

only the 1st story is worth bothering with and it's delicious