Manga like California Monogatari

Banana Fish

Also known as Banana Fish.

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Psychological , Thriller

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands--and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance...



Tags: Mafia , Tragedy , Gangs , Conspiracy , Noir , Drugs , Primarily Male Cast , Coming of Age , Fugitive , Anti-Hero , Criminal Organization , Ensemble Cast , Crime , Revenge , Shoujo , Delinquents , Urban , Politics , Male Protagonist , Foreign , Tanned Skin , Primarily Adult Cast , Guns , Orphan , Adoption , Assassins , LGBTQ+ Themes , Boys' Love , Police , Cars , Bisexual , Classic Literature , Prison , Time Skip , Photography , Heterosexual

Jingzi De Ling Yibian

Also known as The Other Side of the Mirror.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

In the dismal backdrop of New York City, Southern-belle-turned-prostitute Sunny meets the college-educated Lou, who makes a living by out-drinking people at bars. What first starts as a night of drunken passion quickly spirals into unexpected love, as together they begin to search for meaning in a world that has all but deserted them...



Note: Includes 99 Roses, Peggy, and Funeral Procession of the Stars

Tags: Tragedy , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Urban , Heterosexual , Drugs , Foreign , Suicide

Nemureru Mori no Binan

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Tomoi Hisatsugu went to New York to work as a doctor. But that's not all. He hopes to lead an easier life as a young homosexual than in Japan. Indeed, he meets another doctor, Richard Stein, and they become lovers. Nemureru Mori no Binan tells of their relationship in an extremely realistic way. It portrays the life of homosexuals in the early 80s very exact and conveys the mood of the secrecy gays and lesbians had to live in well. It is also a very down to earth story with characters that could meet in the street every day and doesn't use the elements so common in today's Shounen'ai-Manga. One of Akisato's very best works and highly recommended.



Tags: Boys' Love , LGBTQ+ Themes , Age Gap , Tragedy , Foreign , Shoujo , Medicine , Male Protagonist

Hoshi no Tokei no Liddell

Also known as Star Clock Liddell.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mystery , Slice of Life

Hugh is haunted by a dream of a strange Victorian house that he doesn't remember ever seeing in life. This dream, while not at all unpleasant, is becoming more vivid every time he enters it. His close friends, affluent Vladimir and clothes designer Vi, are concerned for his well-being, and they reach out to their wider circle of acquaintances in an effort to make sense of Hugh's predicament before it is too late.



Note: The author quit writing many years ago, and according to rumours she has repeatedly turned down offers to reprint this work.

Tags: Foreign , Tragedy , Ghost , Time Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Primarily Adult Cast , Fashion , Shoujo , LGBTQ+ Themes , Bisexual

Haruka Tooki Ie

Also known as A Home Far Away.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

In the winter of 1990, a young man named Alain finds himself lost and searching for direction. He currently cannot find it at home nor through the church. But when he meets Hayden, a free-spirited cook, he at least finds someone he can relate with. He may not know where his life is going but at least he has someone to lean on. But Alain's new life, filled with new feelings and many new challenging experiences, may force him to find his path on the road...



Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Travel , Boys' Love , Tragedy , Fugitive , Religion , Crime , Foreign , Suicide , Male Protagonist , Prostitution , Nudity

New York New York

Also known as New York, New York.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

Police officer Kain Walker has gone to great lengths to prevent his coworkers, family, and friends from finding out he’s gay. But when Kain meets Mel Fredericks, he realizes at once that his whole world is about to change. For the first time, Kain wants more than a one-night stand, but a relationship carries risks, discovery not least among them. Battling with others’ expectations and biases—and his own—Kain struggles to balance his desire for secrecy with his feelings for Mel at a time when being out could cost him dearly..



Tags: Foreign , Boys' Love , Shoujo , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , LGBTQ+ Themes , Police , Bisexual , Time Skip , Adoption

Sex

Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama

Despite the title this manga has nothing to do with sex, just young people rebelling against the world.

The manga is about the adventures of a girl, Kaho. In the first chapter she goes on holiday to Okinawa and starts following around Yuki, a car-stealing punk.

Tags: Seinen , School , Heterosexual

Mesh

Also known as Mesh.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological

The story follows the life of a teenage boy named "Mesh," so-called for his unique "mesh"-colored hair: blonde with silver strands on the sides. It begins with a scene where Mesh, after being beaten, escapes from a mob and encounters Milon, a forger and painter. Mesh ends up staying at Milon's house, and the two form an unlikely bond as they navigate life together. Each chapter is a poetic blend of crime, peaceful everyday moments, or the vibrant nightlife of artists in a fictionalized Paris. Mesh is regarded as one of Hagio Moto's defining works, marking a pivotal shift in her artistic style. It was her first series to adopt a more realistic look while retaining the ethereal beauty characteristic of 1970s shoujo art. The story ventures into more mature themes while continuing to explore Hagio's recurring motifs, such as parent-child relationships and adolescence. Volume 1:
Mesh Rouge
Volume 2:
Haru no Hone
Volume 3:
Kakumei Montmartre
Volume 4:
Mimi wo Katamukete Buran Volume 5:
Sen no Ya Nigate na Jinshu
Volume 6:
Shanikusai
Volume 7:
Surreal na Ai no Real na Shi
Volume 8:
Fune

Note: In 2024 a digital only eight volume was released which included the story Fune

Tags: Shoujo , LGBTQ+ Themes