The List

5 Best Boys-Love Anime

Who doesn't enjoy a good love story? Their eyes meet, sparks fly, their hands graze one another and...! Ah, but it's just an anime series! I've rewatched Yuri and Victor's partner-skate routine so many times now, I'm probably inflating the episode's viewing numbers! For those wondering what I'm talking about, there's a fantastic boys-love sports show called Yuri!!! on Ice that premiered three years ago and absolutely took the anime world by storm. People could not get enough of Victor, Yuri, and Yurio. Director Sayo Yamamoto has promised us a new movie but the release date is MIA. What's a BL fan to do?

Well, this week we've put together five awesome boys-love shows to help tide you over until we get more Yuri!!! on Ice! If you have seen these series before, I can promise that they'll give your heart a good squeeze!

Also returning this week by popular demand is the reader poll, so make sure to scroll to the bottom so you can choose your favorite BL anime of all time!

5. Love Stage!!

Izumi's family is super famous. His mom is an illustrious movie star, his dad is a famous singer, and his big brother in a popular rock band. They tried to get Izumi into show biz too, but all this otaku boy wants is to fulfill his dream of being a manga creator and collect merch of his favorite character. But uh...he kinda sucks at drawing. One day, Izumi agrees to reprise his role in a commercial he appeared in 10 years ago...where he played a little girl. It just so happens his counterpart is the super handsome actor Ryoma who has been in love with the “little girl” version of Izumi he met when they were both kids. Gender misunderstanding aside, Ryoma is still gaga for Izumi and maybe... This romance is super cute (but definitely features some “too hot for TV” content). Ryoma is really supportive of Izumi's otaku dreams! He believes in his bad art and helps him make comics!

4. No. 6

This is an oldie but it's so, so good! Sion has the world at his fingertips as smart kid living in “No. 6,” a city-state that looks like a utopia. Once chance encounter brings him face to face with the truth about the world he lives in. A boy called Nezumi crosses his path and Sion helps avoid being captured by authorities. In the blink of an eye, Nezumi loses all of his rights for aiding a fugitive. A few years later they meet again and they live together while attempting to unravel the mysteries of the dystopian world. The mystery goes deep folks, and so does Sion and Nezumi's relationship as they learn to rely on one another.

3. Doukyusei -Classmates-

Hikaru and Rihito seem like they have nothing in common. Hikaru doesn't know what he wants to after high school and has always been average at best at academics while Rihito excels at everything. Surprisingly, it's Hikaru that ends up tutoring Rihito for choir and something begins to blossom between them both. However, Hikaru is an awkward teen who doesn't necessarily know how to articulate his emotions or act on them while Rihito is more outgoing. Classmates is about two people who genuinely want to be together but also navigating lack of confidence and shyness, something a lot of us can relate to when it comes to romance.

2. Given

Given is first and foremost a tender story about not just discovering love, but discovering yourself. It centers on young adults Ritsuka and Mafuyu who start hanging out through their mutual love of music and are eventually pulled into an actual band. Prior to meeting Mafuyu, Ritsuka didn't know he was attracted men but through interactions with positive rolemodels, he's able to navigate his feelings for another a guy and about himself. All of these raw emotions set against the backdrop of some really, really good music. The series just ended last season but we'll be getting a movie next year to continue Ritsuka and the band's story, so prepare yourself for more tears!

1. Yuri!!! on Ice!!

There was no way I couldn't give the top spot to our little pork cutlet bowl, Yuri and talented coach and boyfriend Victor! Yuri!!! on Ice pushed the envelope on what a BL show could do on television. Sayo Yamamoto has said publicly that she really had to push for the kiss scene and then went two steps further and had our boys get engaged. When they aren't together, it's obvious that Yuri is performing for himself AND for Victor, putting all those feelings out on the ice. They work through Yuri's anxieties together and have such a supportive relationship. #GOALS!

That wraps it up for our favorite boys-love series, but what are yours? Let us know in reader poll and in the comments!