32 Best Yaoi Anime Recommendations To Watch

We’ve put together a list of 30 Yaoi anime manga series that you should check out. Whether you’re new to manga or a manga fan looking for a new Yaoi anime with strong feelings, romance, and even twists in the main characters’ relationships.

32. Semantic Error

In the anime Semantic Error, both the story and the characters had a lot of room to grow.

The main characters have a refreshing, natural chemistry with each other, which makes it easy to believe in their relationship and fun to watch it grow over time.

The movie Semantic Error is based on a Korean novel. In a change from the usual high school setting, our main characters fall in love while working on their video game project at college.

We only have one season of four fifteen-minute episodes left, which is a shame.

Still, I hope this will change as the show gets more popular so that people can see more of these unique boys who have a lot of potential.

31. Papa Datte

The story of Papa Datte is based on the main character, Kya Asumi, who is a fourth-year college student who gets a new part-time job as a maid. Keiichi Naruse, a single father, hires her, but as time goes on, Kya starts to like Keiichi, and the two of them start dating.

30. Fairy Ranmaru

Fairy Ranmaru is a good choice if you want to watch a fantasy anime with BL themes and a lot of gay romance scenes that also has a main plot.

Five fallen fairies from a faraway kingdom are being followed by the fairy Ranmaru. Now that they are stuck on Earth, they use their fairy magic to help girls on Earth.

They are both noble and gay. Romance isn’t the main focus of the show, but it plays a big role in the lives of the main characters.

With its fun costumes and over-the-top vibes, this anime is a real treat.

We think it’s one of the best yaoi anime because it shows classic BL tropes and good-looking guys in a beautiful and honest way.

29. Ai no Kusabi

In the world of Ai no Kusabi, everything is based on the colour of your hair. This OVA is great for fans of yaoi and BL because it has a lot of pretty scenes and intense conversations.

The planet Amoi is run by an AI named Jupiter. It has decided that people with blonde hair are the best and people with dark hair are the worst.

We don’t know what else could be more clear as a metaphor than that.

The OVA is about a dark-haired man named Riki the Dark and a blonde woman named Iason Mink.

Riki becomes Iason’s pet in one of the most BL things that could ever happen. As their friendship grows, Riki starts to miss Iason even after his sentence is over.

28. Sasaki to Miyano

Sasaki to Miyano is a beautiful, classic BL anime. It is a good example of the type.

The story is set in high school, and the two main characters are also fans of yaoi.

Because they both like fictional boys, the two become friends, which naturally leads to something more real.

Bullying, shame, self-discovery, and building relationships are just some of the high school themes that are very relatable.

Yoshikazu Miyano and Shuumei Sasaki have a sweet relationship that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

27. Beryl and Sapphire

Beryl and Sapphire is not a typical anime because it started out as a Chinese comic book about two young men.

This anime is made up of 72 episodes, each of which is eight minutes long. Beryl is the one with green hair and a calm personality, and Sapphire is the one with blue hair and a quick temper.

No two episodes are the same, and you never know how each one will end, but this anime covers a lot of different kinds of stories.

This might be your new favourite BL anime if you’re looking for something different.

26. The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window

The Night Beyond the Three-Cornered Window is a supernatural anime about two characters falling in love. At the start of the series, they’re friends with otherworldly powers who fight ghosts and spirits. As the series progresses, they become life and battle partners.

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window is a must-see for yaoi fans who like slow-building tension. It’s worth sticking with the plot to see how this couple’s relationship develops.

25. No. 6

This 11-part show is based on a series of books with the same name. No. 6 takes place in a dystopian science fiction world where Sion lives in peace.

Sion lives a comfortable life until he meets Nezumi, who is an escaped prisoner. Because Sion helps Nezumi, he is forced to leave his comfortable life and move to the lower town.

But after four more years, Sion meets Nezumi again, but this time there is a plot in the works.

This BL anime doesn’t put romance front and centre, which makes it more realistic and subtle.

24. Yuri!!! On Ice

The 2016 popular anime Yuri!!! On Ice shows how YuuriKatsuki gets back to being the best professional ice skater in Japan.

Yuuri doesn’t go on this journey alone, though. His inspiration, Viktor Nikiforov, soon joins him.

Yuuri and Viktor work and train together to get ready for the next Gran Prix. As they do this, they get closer and build a relationship that is worth cheering for.

You should watch this BL anime because it shows a healthy same-sex adult couple in a world that doesn’t judge them for it.

23. Gakuen Heaven

Keita Itou always thought he was a normal guy, so he was surprised when he was asked to join the prestigious Bell Liberty Academy.

Keita doesn’t know if he belongs at this prestigious school, but he is determined to find out who and what makes him special.

With so many talented and interesting classmates, Keita is drawn to the kind and popular Kazuki Endou, who becomes his first real friend—and maybe more.

22. Super Lovers

Haruo Kaidou flies all the way to Canada to take care of his sick mother, but when he gets there, he finds out that his beloved mother was just playing a trick on him. She has also taken in a boy named Ren who is 14 years old. Now, Haru has to take care of this grown-up boy who doesn’t know how to interact with people and seems to care more about dogs than people.

Haru wants to be a good big brother to Ren, but it’s hard for the two of them to get along. Haru tells Ren that after Haru finishes high school, the two of them will move to Japan together.

But Haru can’t keep his promise because he has an accident and forgets everything about his time with Ren.

Ren won’t give up on Haru and his promise, so he shows up in Haru’s life in Tokyo, even though Haru has forgotten that they are brothers.

21. Spiritpact

You Keika doesn’t expect to be rescued when he falls into poverty, so  he works hard to get out. No one saved him, and when he wakes up, he’s dead and a ghost.

You meets China’s best exorcist. Tanmoku doesn’t kill You. In exchange for protecting him, he lets him be his servant and fight in the spiritual world.

You and Tanmoku fight bad spirits together, and a strong pact beyond master and servant is forming.

20. Gravitation

Shuichi Shindou, who is 19, wants to be a famous musician, so he and his best friend, Hiroshi Nakano, start a band called Bad Luck. They don’t have to wait long to get their first record label.

Shuichi hasn’t finished any of the songs yet, and he’s having trouble coming up with lyrics. Shuichi needs something to get him going, and Hiroshi thinks he should get a girlfriend.

As luck would have it, Shuichi runs into the famous novelist Eiri Yuki, who tells him he has no talent. This makes Shuichi even more determined to write his songs and show Yuki how successful he is.

19. This Boy is a Professional Wizard

Chiharu Kashima is one of the few humans who can use magic. Toyohi Utsumi, who has always wanted to meet a wizard, notices her right away. When Toyohi and Chiharu first meet, he tells her he loves her.

After this, Chiharu and Toyohi start spending more time together. Chiharu, on the other hand, worries that the only reason Toyohi loves him is because of his magic. Does Toyohi love Chiharu or the wizard who helps her?

18. Tight-rope

Ryunosuke “Ryu” Oohara is the first son of a yakuza family, but he doesn’t want being the heir to the family to keep him from spending time with his best friend, Naoki Satoya.

He has loved Naoki since they were both young. Ryu knows he needs to think about his duties to the yakuza, but everything changes for him when Naoki starts to understand how Ryu feels, and the two of them start to date.

17. Antique Bakery

Yusuke Ono will never forget the day, 14 years ago, when he told Keiichirou Tachibana, the high school boy he liked, that he loved him. He is now a world-class pastry chef with so much charm that no man can stay away from him.

But when a man named Tachibana becomes Ono’s new boss, everything he has worked for might start to fall apart around him like a cookie.

Is this the same Tachibana who told him he wasn’t good enough in high school? Why is Ono’s new cake boy a former boxing champion? That’s more important.

16. Yes, No, or Maybe?

On the outside, Kei Kunieda is a friendly newscaster with a nice smile. But on the inside, he has a sharp tongue and keeps his anger toward people bottled up.

He keeps this part of himself hidden from everyone else and tries not to show it.

This changes when, one night, he goes out with messy hair and a medical mask on his face and meets Ushio Tsuzuki. Then he sees Ushio again as the clean and organised newscaster.

Ushio now thinks that Kei is two different people. Worse, Kei is starting to like Ushio, but he doesn’t know which side of himself Ushio likes best or if he likes neither.

15. Hyperventilation

Lee Myeongyi has a collapsed lung, which is called pneumothorax. Because of this, Myeongyi hated the pity attention he got at school, along with the coughing fits, hyperventilation attacks, and physical fatigue.

Myeongyi has always felt like an outsider, and Han Seonho was the only person who ever showed him kindness and acceptance. Myeongyi’s first crush was on Seonho, but she never tells him, and they lose touch after high school.

After 9 years, Myeongyi only goes to the high school reunion to see Seonho again. He does see Seonho again, but this time she is wearing a wedding ring. Myeongyi has no idea that this is the start of an affair that is against the law.

14. The Betrayal Knows My Name

Yuki Sakurai doesn’t remember anything from his past, but he has always been able to see a person’s most painful memory just by touching them. He also keeps getting strange notes telling him to kill himself.

Yuki doesn’t know that some people are watching him and want to hurt him, and that other people want to protect him.

Yuki’s memories come back to him all at once one night when he is saved by a mysterious man with black hair and silver eyes. Now, Yuki will remember his past, who he was when he was born, and who he is meant to be.

13. Love Stage!!

Izumi Sena grew up in the world of show business. His dad is a producer, his mom is an actress, and his brother is a rock star. Izumi and Ryouma Ichijou were both child actors for a wedding magazine when they were young.

Izumi didn’t want to be with Ryouma, even though they had a good time. He hopes to become a well-known manga artist one day.

After ten years, the wedding magazine asks Izumi to come back for the 10th anniversary. Izumi is excited to see Ryouma, who is now a successful actor, again after all this time.

Ryouma says to Izumi that he loves him. One problem is that Ryoma thought Izumi was a girl. Izumi says they can start over as friends, but Ryouma is worried that he still has feelings for Izumi even though he is a boy.

12. Wei, Kanjian Erduo La!

Da Shu is an orphaned manga artist who has failed at his job. He lives alone in an empty apartment. A young boy with cat ears named A Miao brings a little bit of light into Da Shu’s life.

This silly cat-boy moves in with Da Shu and gets into funny trouble every day. But it’s okay, because Da Shu is there for him and excited to live with A Miao and slowly figure out what all this cat-secrets boy’s are.

11. Hitorijime My Hero

Setagawa didn’t believe in heroes. No one would save him from his miserable life running errands for neighbourhood gangs. He thought nobody would help him. Masahiro’s life is changed by the “Bear Killer,” a lone gang fighter.

Masahiro and Kensuke are now in high school. Masahiro discovers that the Bear Killer is his new teacher, Kousuke Ooshiba, Kensuke’s older brother. Will Masahiro’s new feelings for Kousuke bring them closer, or push him away?

10. DAKAICHI –I’m being harassed by the s*xist man of the year

Takato Saijou has been the “Sexiest Man of the Year” for five years, but rookie actor Junta Azumaya finally puts an end to his reign.

Takato can’t help but feel jealous of the new guy who is starting to steal the spotlight from him and his usual leading roles. Worse yet, Junta is a nice guy with a cute smile! Argh!

When Takato is drunk, he takes out all of his anger on Junta. Junta then uses this as blackmail, which could hurt Takato’s reputation.

9. Papa to Kiss in the Dark

Munakata Mira is a gay teen who falls for his father. Papa to Kiss starred Munakata Kyousuke. The duos had secretly fallen in LoveLove, and then we saw Mira, who started high school and met a classmate and developed feelings for him.

The father marries an actress. This actress became a stepmother, but the series’ sun is now close with all the males.

Kyousuke sexually harassed Mira as a child, but he recently adopted her as his non-biological son. The anime shows the flaws in this two-part OVA franchise.

8. Junjou Romantic

Three couples’ relationships are explored in three stories. Misaki Takahashi works hard in high school and college. Author Akihiko Usami, his brother’s best friend, helps him.

Misaki will learn that Akihiko is sneaky and naughty, which could bring them closer.

Nowaki Kusama loves a down-on-his-luck professor, Hiroki Kamijou. Nowaki does anything for Hiroki.

Shinobu Takatsuki falls for his literature professor, You Miyagi. Can these difficult relationships last?

7. Hybrid Child

A man named Kuroda makes fake people called Hybrid Children. They have their own minds, feelings, and need to be loved in order to grow.

Even though a Hybrid Child isn’t considered to be human, Kotarou Izumi, the heir to his family, takes Hazuki in after he found her in the trash.

Even though the family wants to get rid of the Hybrid Child, they can’t break the bond between them. Will Kotarou and Hazuki’s love last even though time is against them both?

6. Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi – World’s Greatest First Love

MyAnimeList – 7.6/10

Ritsu Onodera vows to never fall in love again after Masamune Takano broke up with his first love in high school.

Years later, Ritsu Onodera leaves his father’s business to try to make something of himself by working at Marukawa Publishing. Ritsu becomes a manga editor and meets his first love, the editor-in-chief.

Ritsu swore to himself that he would never fall in love with Takano again, but Takano swore to make Ritsu love him again!

5. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi Movie: Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai

MyAnimeList : 7.8/10

When someone has a broken heart, there is only one way to feel better: drink a lot of alcohol. At least, that’s what Takafumi Yokozawa did after his heart broke into a million pieces.

Takafumi gets so drunk one night that he blacks out. The next morning, he wakes up naked in a stranger’s house and has no idea what happened the night before.

Zen Kirishima is the editor-in-chief of a shounen manga magazine, and he lives in the house. Takafumi gets a lot of blackmail!

Takafumi works for Kirishima and does everything he wants. Even though Kirishima is hell, it might be just what Takafumi needs to heal his broken heart.

4. Umibe no Étranger : The Stranger by the Shore

MyAnimeList : 7.9/10

Two guys meet on Okinawa’s beach. Mio Chibana, who was an orphan in high school, and Shun Hashimoto’s family left him because he was openly gay.

Shun and Mio get close, and Shun starts to like Mio, but then he suddenly has to go back to the mainland.

After 3 years, Mio goes back to find Shun and tell him that he loves him. Shun isn’t the same person he used to be, though. Does Shun still care about Mio, or is it too late for him to change?

3. Doukyuusei –Classmates

MyAnimeList : 8.3/10

Hikaru Kusakabe and Rihito Sajou are both in the same class, but they couldn’t be more different. Hikaru is a laid-back rocker, while Rihito is a quiet honour student. Even though they are both in the same class, they have never talked to each other.

Then, when the class is taking part in the chorus festival, Hikaru finds out that Rihito can’t sing and is afraid of failing. When Hikaru sees his classmate’s flaws, he promises to teach him, and the two quickly become friends.

Even though the two are getting closer, they are both starting to have doubts about their relationship, which could hurt their future together.

2. Given

MyAnimeList : 8.4/10

Ritsuka Uenoyama, a high school student, has never met Mafuyu Satou better, but when he finds him sleeping on the stairs of the gym with a worn and rusted guitar, he is not impressed at all.

Mafuyu goes to Ritsuka’s jam session with his band because he won’t give up on getting his guitar fixed.

Mafuyu starts to sing while rocking out, and Ritsuka is blown away by his beautiful voice. He decides to make Mafuyu the lead singer of his band. If Ritsuka promises to teach Mafuyu how to play guitar, he reluctantly agrees.

Together, they can help each other grow and solve the tragic mystery that brought Mafuyu to the stairs where they first met with the old guitar.

1. Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: The Clouds Gather

MyAnimeList : 7.4/10

The Clouds Gather is a popular Yaoi anime series. Despite being a minority genre, the 2020 series has received overly positive reviews.

The series was voted the best Yaoi anime of 2022, largely due to its excellent directing. The anime plot is inspired by a new, unique, and exceptional theme that shows us the problems of modern-day slavery, which many are unaware of.

The anime’s business setting contributed to its popularity. Japan Yaoi portrayed power abuse and modern-day enslavement. It’s a good choice for anyone looking for a modern Yaoi series.