Manga like Smells Like Green Spirit

Shimanami Tasogare

Also known as Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare.

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

Not only is high schooler Tasuku Kaname the new kid in town, he’s also terrified that he’s been outed as gay. Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own. In this realistic, heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.



Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Coming of Age , Found Family , Seinen , Male Protagonist , Bullying , Ensemble Cast , Transgender , Crossdressing , Agender , Yuri , Boys' Love , Asexual , Rehabilitation , Suicide , Aromantic , Primarily Teen Cast , School

Koimonogatari

Also known as Love Stories.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life

When Yuji accidentally hears his classmate Yamato confessing to another friend that he's gay, his perspective shifts. Seeing Yamato in a new light, Yuji does his best not to let prejudice color his view, but he still finds himself overthinking his classmates' interactions now. He especially notices the way Yamato looks at one particular boy: Yuji's own best friend.

Even though he tells himself not to get involved, Yuji finds he just can't help it: watching Yamato's one-sided love draws him in a way he never expected. At first, it's empathy, knowing that the boy Yamato has his sights on is definitely straight and has no idea. But as his own friendship with Yamato develops and the two of them grow closer through a mutual study group, Yuji comes to truly care about Yamato as a person, regardless of his sexuality.



Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , Boys' Love , School , Bullying , Primarily Teen Cast , Unrequited Love

Boy meets Maria

Also known as Boy Meets Maria.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance

Taiga dreams of becoming an actor, so the first thing he does upon entering high school is join the drama club. There, he meets the beautiful, enigmatic Maria and immediately falls in love with her. Not long after, Taiga is told that she is actually a boy—but is that all there is to Maria's story? This beautifully illustrated, single-volume tale explores the nature of personal expression and the fluidity of the power of love.



Note: Includes an extra chapter.

Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , School , Crossdressing , Acting , School Club , Primarily Male Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Boys' Love , Male Protagonist , Agender , Tragedy , Philosophy , Bisexual , Coming of Age , Dancing

Kaijuu ni Natta Gay

Also known as The Gay Who Turned Kaiju.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Supernatural

Bullied for being gay, teenager Takashi Arashiro wishes he could just be somebody else-but who could predict he’d morph into a giant-headed sci-fi creature?! Takashi’s tumultuous emotions become the catalyst for personal and social exploration of the LGBTQ experience in this quirky, profound manga from prolific BL author Kazuki Minamoto.



Tags: LGBTQ+ Themes , Bullying , Anti-Hero , Monster Boy , Revenge , Shapeshifting , Seinen , Kaiju , Delinquents , Male Protagonist , Unrequited Love , Teacher , School , Transgender

Ao no Flag

Also known as Blue Flag.

Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance

High school senior year, spring—one of life's important forks in the road. Taichi Ichinose finds himself in the same class as Futaba Kuze, who he feels strangely averse to, and his popular childhood friend, Touma Mita. One day, Futaba confides in him her love for Touma, and asks him for help. How will Taichi respond? This new “pure” love story begins as the three are colored in the emotions of youth.



Tags: Coming of Age , LGBTQ+ Themes , Love Triangle , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Chibi , School , Philosophy , Bisexual , Boys' Love , Baseball , Ensemble Cast , Unrequited Love , Time Skip , Rehabilitation , Heterosexual , Yuri

Mizuno to Chayama

Also known as Mizuno & Chayama.

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

Mizuno, the daughter of a mayoral candidate, is desperate to escape the suffocating pressure and scrutiny of smalltown life. Chayama, the heiress of the tea company Chayama-en, is adamantly walking down the path laid out for her, despite being forced to atone for her family’s apparent misdeeds. Yet in the bubble of the school’s third floor guidance counseling room-away from rumors, watchful eyes, and their feuding families-they’re simply Mizuno and Chayama, two teenagers who find comfort and hope in each other. But when the outside world tries to tear them apart, the two must find a way to protect their relationship and, more importantly, themselves…



Tags: Yuri , Bullying , Female Protagonist , Rural , Seinen , LGBTQ+ Themes , Politics , Primarily Teen Cast , School , Estranged Family

Shintan Kairou

Status: Releasing
Genres: Drama , Psychological , Romance , Slice of Life

When Yanagida found out that his student is homosexual, he fell in love with him.
He had to run away from everything and became a vagabond.



Tags: Age Gap , LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , Teacher

Udagawachou de Mattete yo.

Also known as Wait for Me at Udagawacho..

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

Momose may be a recluse but he's pretty observant. He's quite sure that the pretty girl that he saw that day on the shopping district was his classmate, Yashiro. And worst of all, Momose finds the crossdressed Yashiro cute. As images of Yashiro and his reasons why continue to plague Momose's mind, he decides to confront Yashiro about it only to be rebuffed. But Momose is nothing but persistent, so Yashiro better brace himself!



Tags: Crossdressing , Boys' Love , Gender Bending , School , Makeup , LGBTQ+ Themes

Kieta Hatsukoi

Also known as My Love Mix-Up!.

Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Romance

Mistaken identity leads to a blossoming romance between two boys.

Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she’s written the name of another boy—Ida—on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!



Notes:
Winner of the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shoujo Category in 2021.
Includes five extra chapters.

Tags: Boys' Love , Shoujo , LGBTQ+ Themes , Male Protagonist , Bisexual , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , School , Surreal Comedy , Slapstick , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Amnesia , Time Skip , Unrequited Love

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu

Also known as The Summer Hikaru Died.

Status: Releasing
Genres: Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

Two boys lived in a village: Yoshiki and Hikaru. The two did everything together...until the day Hikaru was encompassed by a mysterious light. That was when everything changed—Hikaru most of all. Yoshiki still wishes from the bottom of his heart to always stay by his side...but is there even a Hikaru left to be with?

Tags: Monster Boy , Male Protagonist , Rural , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Boys' Love , Mythology , School , LGBTQ+ Themes , Unrequited Love , Gods , Curses , Urban Fantasy , Seinen , Aromantic , Asexual , Mountaineering