9 Best Gay Anime
Let's enter the world of Boy's Love anime!
In anime, there are different genres of stories following relationships between men. There are shows where you totally lose control and fantasize about the characters being in yaoi relationships, and then there are the official Boy's Love anime, where you don't have to feel guilty and where the guys are clearly fond of each other.
Of course, each BL anime is different and there are a lot of genres covered, so that everyone (especially the fujoshi that we are) can enjoy a great relationship between men with a lot of cuteness and/or drama aspects. So, take a deep breath, prepare your ovaries and let's see which are the best BL anime that you could watch!
Need to take it slow and read the saucy action instead of watch it? Try these gay and BL manga first!
Want more of the juicy scenes? Check out these BL anime series!
Find the yaoi boys are just too scrawny for you? Take a bite out of these bara manga!
Don’t forget to check out our most recent updated list of Best Gay Anime 2019 below!
1. Love Stage!!
Izumi Sena was born into a glamorous household—his brother and parents are famous celebrities. However, unlike his prestigious kin, Izumi has never liked being in the spotlight. His one true desire in life is to become a manga artist. Unfortunately, it seems that fate has already chosen Izumi's path in life. He is not only pulled into the show business, but he is also forced to pretend to be a girl! Everything gets even more complicated when he is paired with the handsome rising star, Ryouma Ichijou, on the set of a commercial taping. Ryouma is completely besotted with the feminine side of Izumi, completely unaware that he is actually falling in love with a boy. Is Izumi going to tell him the truth? If so, will Ryouma be able to accept Izumi's and his own feelings? The anime is filled with romance, comedy and adventure. It is one of my favorites to watch. Note that there is more going on behind the main characters as well. Don't forget to watch the whole scene to see what I am talking about.
2. Junjou Romantica
Misaki Takahashi is a regular high school student who is preparing for his university entrance exams. In order to reduce the stress of studying, or so he hopes, he accepts the help of his older brother's best friend, and famous author, Akihiko Usami. However, Masaki is about to find out that Usami's books are of a very naughty genre, and that there may be something naughty waking up inside Masaki as well.
This whole anime is filled with the inner and outer struggles of both Misaki and Usami. Misaki and Usami constantly fight, like any normal couple, but their true love for each other shines through. Junjou Romantica has had 4 seasons with two focused on different couples and has became a staple of gay anime known throughout the community.
3. Yuri!!! On Ice
After a crushing defeat in the Grand Prix and other competition losses, 23-year-old Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki develops mixed feelings about skating and puts his career on hold; returning to his hometown of Hasetsu in Kyushu. Yuri visits his childhood friend, Yuko, at an ice rink (Ice Castle Hasetsu) and perfectly mimics an advanced skating routine performed by his idol: Russian figure skating champion Victor Nikiforov. When secretly-recorded footage of Yuri's performance is uploaded to the internet, it catches Victor's attention, and he travels to Kyushu with an offer to coach Yuri and revive his figure-skating career.
Later, it is revealed that Victor was already familiar with Yuri, having met him before at a banquet where Yuri got drunk and asked Victor to be his coach. Both Yuri K. and Yuri P. qualify to represent their countries in the Grand Prix series, and then later qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. Over the course of the Grand Prix, Yuri K. and Victor become increasingly close, with Yuri K. buying them both gold rings in Barcelona which leads to remarks by Victor about them being "engaged."
On the eve the final, Yuri K. plans to quit skating so that Victor can return to the sport and tells Victor, but Victor tearfully rejects the idea, and they agree to choose their paths after the tournament has finished. The tournament ends with Yuri P. winning the gold medal and Yuri K. winning silver. As a result, Yuri K. decides to continue skating and moves to St. Petersburg so that he can continue training alongside Yuri P. and Victor.
4. Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru
Growing up as an orphan, Yuki Sakurai questions his reason for living and ability to see a person's painful memory by simply touching them. After receiving anonymous notes telling him to die, Yuki is unable to shake off the nagging feeling forming inside of him. Unbeknownst to him, he is being watched, both by people who want to harm him and those who want to protect him. One foggy night, Yuki's life is saved by a beautiful man with silver eyes and jet black hair—a man he has never met before yet seems familiar. With the arrival of this mysterious stranger, Yuki's forgotten past has been awakened and the purpose of his existence has appeared before him. Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru tells the story of a teenage boy as he discovers who he is and where he comes from—all while making friends, experiencing betrayal, and slowly piecing together the puzzle of his past.
5. Togainu no Chi
After the Third World War, also called the Third Division, Japan has been split in two. After a few years, the destroyed town of Toshima is controlled by the criminal organization Vishio, which organizes a fighting game called Igra. After being wrongly accused of murder, Akira is arrested. Then, mysterious persons propose that he participate in the game Igra in exchange for his freedom. In order to dismantle Vishio, Akira will have to enter the fight in Toshima. The atmosphere is dark and sometimes creepy, but it is what makes the story interesting. The BL part may not be as present as some other shows, but as the story is pretty dark, it makes sense that there are not really any lovey-dovey characters. If you enjoy fantasy and drama stories, you will like this one!
6. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
Ritsu Onodera, a literary editor, resigns from his father's publishing company, due to his coworkers' jealousy toward his success, claiming that he is simply riding his father's coattails. He applies for a position at Marukawa Publishing in order to move away from his father's shadow, but instead of his preferred department of literature, he is placed in the infamous shōjo manga department, Emerald. He initially considers resigning, especially because he finds his new boss, Masamune Takano, intolerable and unnerving from the very beginning; however, Takano inadvertently convinces Onodera to stick with the job by calling him "useless," his pride forcing him to stay in order to prove his worth.
Later, Onodera learns that Takano's old family name was Saga, and that he was an older schoolmate from high school that Onodera fell in love with and confessed to. It turns out Takano still has feelings for Onodera, and he tells him he will make him fall in love with him again. The series shows how Takano slowly achieves this goal, and the obstacles the two face. There are also two other couples in this show; their stories are shown in later episodes. The characters follow Onodera's fellow editors: Hatori and his longtime friend (and manga artist he's in charge of) Yoshino, as well as Kisa and the attractive bookstore employee he has his eye on, Yukina.
An extra novel follows salesman and longtime friend of Takano's, Yokozawa, as he’s swept off his feet following a harsh breakup by attractive widower and single father Kirishima.
7. Gravitation
All Shuichi ever dreamed about was following in the footsteps of his pop idol, Ryuichi Sakuma and the band Nittle Grasper. Together with his best friend Hiro, Shuichi's formed a band called Bad Luck and they've even managed to get signed to a major recording label! Unfortunately, the studio deadlines are looming and Shuichi still hasn't finished the lyrics for any of the songs. What he needs is a little inspiration... but he's been running a little low in that department lately. While Hiro recommends finding a girlfriend, fate has other things in store for him.
Walking through the park late one night, Shuichi's latest lyrics flutter away and land at the feet of a stunning stranger that takes his breath away. Unfortunately, that mysterious stranger happens to be the famous novelist Eiri Yuki, who completely crushes the young singer by telling him he has "zero talent". Now, Shuichi's so annoyed that he's managed to finish his song just so he can find and confront Yuki once again. But, are his actions really motivated by anger, or has he actually fallen in love?
8. DRAMAtical Murder
Some time ago, the influential and powerful Toue Inc. bought the island of Midorijima, Japan, with the plans of building Platinum Jail—a luxurious utopian facility. Those who are lucky enough to call it home are the wealthiest citizens in the world. The original residents of the island, however, were forced to relocate to the Old Residential District; and after the completion of Platinum Jail, they were completely abandoned. "Rib" and "Rhyme" are the most common games played on the island. Rib is an old school game in which gangs engage in turf wars against each other, while Rhyme is a technologically advanced game wherein participants fight in a virtual reality.
To be able to play Rhyme, you must have an "All-Mate" (an AI that typically looks like a pet), and the match must be mediated by an "Usui." Aoba Seragaki has no interest in playing either game; he prefers to live a peaceful life with his grandmother and All-Mate, Ren. However, after getting forcefully dragged into a dangerous Rhyme match and hearing rumors about disappearing Rib players, all of Aoba's hopes of living a normal life are completely abolished.
9. Whispered Words
Based on the yuri manga series of the same name, Whispered Words shows us a relationship with typical themes that you’d find in any teen romance. Except that romance is between two openly lesbian high school students. Without running the risk of spoiling the entire anime series, we can confidently say that this is a rarity in yuri media.
The story is incredibly relatable, and any closeted girl growing up could probably find parallels between her life and the events in Whispered Words.Sumika is a high school girl who is in love with her best friend Ushio, but can’t bring herself to confess her feelings because Ushio is apparently really picky about the girls she dates. Sumika is tall, strong, and outgoing, but Ushio only seems to be into shy, cute girls. Throughout the two girls’ storyline, we see interesting side stories as well that focus on lesbophobia and being young gay student in Japan.
