Anime genres such as BL (Boys' Love) and Yuri (Girls' Love) demonstrate that there is much more to it than meets the eye. Unlike Yuri, BL anime has a vast library to choose from. The best BL anime on Crunchyroll is only a taste of what's available in the collection.
BL anime are usually short, so it's surprising to find a good show that doesn't rely on oversexualizing the characters.
The anime community widely expects boy-on-boy explicit actions in BL anime, but the shows on this list are quite the opposite.
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The World’s Greatest First Love
The World's Greatest First Love, also known as Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi, follows Ritsu Onodera, a 25-year-old literary editor, and Masamune Takano, the editor-in-chief.
After leaving his previous job, Onodera joins Marukawa Publishing and is assigned to the shojo manga department, Emerald.
Onodera meets Takano, who turns out to be Masamune Saga, his first love. While he is intimidated by Takano, the latter is determined to reclaim Onodera's affections.
The anime not only revolves around Onodera and Takano, but it also follows the blossoming love story of its side characters.
Love Stage
Love Stage is a BL anime that follows the love story of Izumi Sena and Ryoma Ichijo.
Ryoma meets Izumi when they are both children. They were both casts in a commercial in which Ryoma mistook Izumi for a girl.
They cross paths again, but Ryoma's feelings for Izumi remain unchanged.
Izumi is currently aspiring to be a manga author despite his lack of natural talent. The success of his family members puts pressure on Izumi.
He is torn between following his dreams and following in the footsteps of his family.
Izumi also has stage fright from his childhood experiences which stops him from doing so.
The High School Life of a Fudanshi
The anime follows Ryo Sakaguchi, a high schooler who is obsessed with Boys' Love.
Despite being a straight boy, he is a fudanshi. Having no interest in Sakaguchi's hobbies, his best friend, Nakamura, appears to understand him.
Sakaguchi demonstrates how difficult it is to like BL, especially when he is a straight guy. He frequently sneaks into the girl's section to buy his favorite manga.
Simultaneously, Sakaguchi is having difficulty explaining BL slang to his best friend.
He doesn't want to keep his passion to himself. Not only does he want to inform Nakamura about his hobbies, but he also wants to find someone who shares his interests.
This Boy Is a Professional Wizard
This BL anime follows the relationship between Chiharu Kashima and Utsumi Toyohi in a world where magic and sorcery exist. Chiharu's favorite bar, the Memento Mori, is where they first met.
Despite Chiharu's surprise at Toyohi's sudden confession, they got off to a good start. He gradually falls in love with Toyohi.
Their days were happy and peaceful until Chiharu pushed Toyohi away due to an incident at work.
Will they mend their relationship, especially since Chiharu has a significant role to play?
No.6
No.6 isn't your typical BL anime. It is set in the dystopian city of No.6, and it follows Shion and Nezumi's twisted and cruel fate.
While Nezumi is a wanted fugitive, Shion lives peacefully in the luxury of their Kronos home.
Shion's status, however, has changed as a result of his assistance to Nezumi and his treatment of his wounds.
He is now a commoner, the lowest caste in society, and begins working as a park maintenance worker.
In an unexpected turn of events, he is accused of murdering a coworker after a parasitic wasp sucked out the man's youth.
Shion avoided arrest by the police forces with the assistance of Nezumi. Shion then began to live under Nezumi's roof after that incident.
Super Lovers
The story of Super Lovers revolves around the strange relationship between stepbrothers Haru and Ren Kaido. They first meet when Haru is duped by his mother, Haruko, into caring for the wild and anti-social Ren.
Haru is initially irritated by Ren's attitude but gradually warms up to him as their relationship improves.
Haru manages to civilize Ren on her mother's orders. He also promised Ren that he would accompany him to Japan to bond with their other brothers.
Everything was going smoothly until Haru was involved in an accident that caused him to lose his memories of that particular summer.
Ren returns to Japan five years later to reclaim his older brother and his promise.
Hitorijime My Hero
Hitorijime My Hero, also known as My Very Own Hero, follows two couples' relationships. The main couple depicts a student-teacher relationship, while the other depicts two childhood friends.
Masahiro Setagawa is a weakling delinquent who is frequently bullied and used as a gopher by others. Kousuke Ooshiba, a well-known street fighter, took Masahiro under his protection.
Kousuke, it turns out, is a mathematics teacher who also happens to be his best friend's older brother.
Masahiro and Kousuke's relationship gradually improves after the latter occasionally meddles in the former's affairs.
The anime, on the other hand, follows Masahiro's best friend, Kensuke Ooshiba, and his boyfriend, the possessive Asaya Hasekura.
Spirit Pact
Spirit Pact is the first Chinese anime on this list with a Boys' Love theme. It's a mix of business, fantasy, and action that centers on Keika You and Ki Tanmoku's budding partnership.
Keika You is the descendant of an infamous family of exorcists. His situation changed after he lost his parents. Keika survives by working as a street fortune teller and part-time computer recovery technician.
Keika died in an accident after being hit by a car one day. Keika, befuddled and shocked by the events, meets the enigmatic and charismatic exorcist, Ki Tanmoku.
He recalls meeting Ki in a junkyard after witnessing the latter fighting an evil spirit.
Their collaboration began when Keika and Ki made a spirit pact to fight evil spirits together.
Banana Fish
Banana Fish is not a blatantly BL anime. However, critics are quick to point out the anime's depiction of homosexuality and homoeroticism.
Regardless, Banana Fish features a lot of boy-on-boy action, making it a good watch for BL fans.
The anime follows the relationship between a New York City teen gang leader and a Japanese assistant photographer.
It revolves around Ash Lynx, who wishes to be free of Papa Dino Golzine, a prominent and powerful mob boss who desires him as a lover and heir.
To survive, Ash leads a gang in downtown Manhattan while plotting his escape.
After seeing a dying man in an alley, his fate quickly changed. Before he died, the man handed Ash a mysterious vial and said the words Banana Fish.
Soon after, Ash meets Eiji, a photographer who is currently covering American gangs.
Given
Given is a lovely BL anime centered on two couples. The first is about the blossoming relationship between band members Ritsuka and Mafuyu, while the second is about Akihiko and Haruki.
The first couple meets on the stairs of the gymnasium, where Mafuyu notices Ritsuka. While the latter berates the strings on his Gibson guitar, Mafuyu requests Ritsuka's assistance.
Fortunately, Ritsuka is kind enough to agree to Mafuyu's request.
After jamming with the other band members, Ritsuka discovers Mafuyu has a soulful voice. Ritsuka eventually persuades Mafuyu to become the band's vocalist.
On the contrary, Akihiko and Haruki's relationship grows as the band prepares for their first music festival.
However, things aren't going as planned because Akihiko's ex-boyfriend, Ugetsu Murata, gets in the way.
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard is a BL and mystery anime about Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian and Seigi Nakata's relationship.
Richard is a well-known British jewel appraiser, whereas Seigi is a typical Japanese college student.
After opening his jewelry store, the Jewelry Etranger, Richard takes Seigi under his wing.
Seigi began working part-time for Richard while the two of them solved mysteries and cases involving jewels. After all, Seigi is a man of great honor and justice.
The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window
This BL anime, adapted from Tomoko Yamashita’s supernatural and mystery manga series, revolves around the partnership of a fearless exorcist and a man who can see ghosts.
Kosuke Mikado tries to lead a normal life as a bookstore clerk, but his ability to see ghosts always gets the best of him. His life changed after an exorcist named Rihito Hiyakawa offered him to be his assistant.
By entering Mikado’s body, Hiyakawa can exorcise ghosts. Soon after, the duo learned that all these ghostly incidents are tied to a peculiar student named Erika Hiura, who works as a mercenary necromancer!
Merman in My Tub
This BL anime is very adorable! Merman in My Tub has a very simple yet interesting premise about a merman living in a young man’s bathtub!
This is comedy and slice-of-life anime gold, as Merman in My Tub allows us to peek into the lives of the two main protagonists.
It all started when Tatsumi found Wakasa drying himself in a heavily polluted river by the upstream dam.
He decided to take Wakasa in, but everything escalated quickly after he discovered that Wakasa was a merman!
Thus began the beginning of Tatsumi’s life with Wakasa, as the latter decided to move into his clean bathtub!
Fairy Ranmaru
Fairy Ranmaru is a magical boy anime with BL elements. That said, expect a lot of fluff and boy action among the characters that fans of BL will surely love!
This original anime centers on five young fairies posing as high school students in the real world.
They come from different clans, each having different personalities and abilities, but they are bound by their goal of healing the afflicted hearts of people and collecting "attachments", the so-called resource of their kingdom.
In the real world, these five young fairies work at a bar called Bar F to help other people and accomplish their goals.
Yes, No, or Maybe
Will you watch Yes, No, or Maybe? Most likely, your answer will be yes, due to this BL anime’s interesting and engaging storyline.
Yes, No, or Maybe explores the budding relationship between the young and popular TV announcer named Kunieda Kei and the animation artist called Tsuzuki Ushio.
Their worlds collided when Tsuzuki’s arm got injured and Kei had to compensate by helping him do his job. But the problem is, Kei has another side to him that is completely opposite of his good persona!
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