I cannot think of any manga that I would like to recommend so…there you are. Thank you.

None of those three is actually yaoi.

Rape is a tough one, since what the Japanese see as rape and what we do are two different things (tears for them for example are a sign of release and pleasure, and “no” doesn’t always mean “no”, in manga; one’s partner is supposed to be able to tell what one really means). But there are a number of books that don’t include that that you might try, and some only one or two volumes long. But at that length you don’t get much exploration of sexual roles.

One series where you do get that exploration is called Embracing Love, by Youka Nitta. It’s about two male AV (adult video) stars who meet and fall in love and rise out of that industry to become major TV and film stars. It’s graphic sexually, incredibly sexy, and a very good romantic story. It contains no rape (except a couple of bad guys try it on a occasion), but none between the heroes. And they both play seme on occasion, but more after they’re married than before. This is an ongoing series about their relationship, though comprised of a number of short stories within it. It’s kind of like the In Death series if you know what I mean. But the first vol reads kind of piecemeal since it wasn’t to be a long series when she wrote it. Vols 1-4 are released in English.

For something shorter, Shout Out Loud is a 5 volume series about voice actors, and very sweet. DMP/June’s titles tend to be sweeter than other lines, though some have more depth, like Desire (1 vol), about how settling for sex when the person you love doesn’t love you back hurts everyone involved (and it’s about growth too). Other series out there you might consider are Yellow (4 vols), Your Honest Deceit (1 vol), Only the Ring Finger Knows (1 vol), Wild Rock (1 vol), Last Portrait (1 vol), Lies and Kisses (1 vol), Seven (1 vol), Close the Last Door (2 vols, 1/2 out), Everlasting Love (2 vols), and Ichigenme (2 vols, 1/2 out, and I’ve already got a review written for this one but not posted yet). None of these contain rape. Some like OTRFK don’t even have sex, just love and kisses. Most do contain sex though in some form.

There are other series like Challengers (that’s a really funny one), or Gorgeous Carat, or Antique Bakery, which are more along the lines of what you’ve already read, but are still good reads. AB especially.

(LOL it’s never a good idea to get me started talking about yaoi manga. ;D I’ll stop now.)

(and I figured out the Torquere website and bought a few more things :))

Oh, Japanese BL novels. Of the 4 novel series released here, only one contains rape. But the others are nothing to write home about so I wouldn’t recommend any of them. OK, now I’m done. ;P

Rape is a tough one, since what the Japanese see as rape and what we do are two different things (tears for them for example are a sign of release and pleasure, and “no” doesn’t always mean “no”, in manga; one’s partner is supposed to be able to tell what one really means). But there are a number of books that don’t include that that you might try, and some only one or two volumes long. But at that length you don’t get much exploration of sexual roles.

One series where you do get that exploration is called Embracing Love, by Youka Nitta. It’s about two male AV (adult video) stars who meet and fall in love and rise out of that industry to become major TV and film stars. It’s graphic sexually, incredibly sexy, and a very good romantic story. It contains no rape (except a couple of bad guys try it on a occasion), but none between the heroes. And they both play seme on occasion, but more after they’re married than before. This is an ongoing series about their relationship, though comprised of a number of short stories within it. It’s kind of like the In Death series if you know what I mean. But the first vol reads kind of piecemeal since it wasn’t to be a long series when she wrote it. Vols 1-4 are released in English.

For something shorter, Shout Out Loud is a 5 volume series about voice actors, and very sweet. DMP/June’s titles tend to be sweeter than other lines, though some have more depth, like Desire (1 vol), about how settling for sex when the person you love doesn’t love you back hurts everyone involved (and it’s about growth too). Other series out there you might consider are Yellow (4 vols), Your Honest Deceit (1 vol), Only the Ring Finger Knows (1 vol), Wild Rock (1 vol), Last Portrait (1 vol), Lies and Kisses (1 vol), Seven (1 vol), Close the Last Door (2 vols, 1/2 out), Everlasting Love (2 vols), and Ichigenme (2 vols, 1/2 out, and I’ve already got a review written for this one but not posted yet). None of these contain rape. Some like OTRFK don’t even have sex, just love and kisses. Most do contain sex though in some form.

There are other series like Challengers (that’s a really funny one), or Gorgeous Carat, or Antique Bakery, which are more along the lines of what you’ve already read, but are still good reads. AB especially.

(LOL it’s never a good idea to get me started talking about yaoi manga. ;D I’ll stop now.)

(and I figured out the Torquere website and bought a few more things :))

Oh, Japanese BL novels. Of the 4 novel series released here, only one contains rape. But the others are nothing to write home about so I wouldn’t recommend any of them. OK, now I’m done. ;P

(Someone needs to seriously revamp Torquere’s online store btw.)

I’ve read most of what’s on the fantasy shelves and didn’t really care for most of it to be honest. The Flewelling was great, and the Huff was pretty good, but I thought most of the rest was kind of blah. (There’s another one I liked a lot but I can’t recall the author…)

Which of the BL titles did you try? They come in a wide variety too, so perhaps you didn’t pick up the kind you might prefer? I’ll be reviewing some titles here actually. But manga will tend not to be as in depth as a novel simply because of its length.

um, it’s hot here and I am inadequately caffinated. I am sure others can suggest things along the line of “if you liked Roses n December…”

It might be the audience for which they’re writing. That is the difference between gay manga and yaoi or BL manga from Japan. Gay manga, by men for men, focuses on the physical, and very masculine body types too. BL manga, by women for women, focuses on the emotional story (with sex too though), and with very aesthetically different body types, most unrealistically beautiful.

One manga house, DMP/June, has translated a couple of Japanese BL novels, though they’ve chosen some strange ones. I’m hoping that they bring over some better choices, and get some good translators for them too, because the titles so far aren’t that great.

But since there are some yaoi publishers springing up in the US, perhaps those might eventually be the best bet for people looking for well-written mxm romance novels. At least I hope they save room for romance among all the erotica.

*laughs* This situation reminds me of how I as a trad Regency fan feel slighted amidst the growing number of erotic historicals. Perhaps the romance lovers will always get the short end of the stick.

I’m actually working on another novel as we speak (write?) but as ‘Roses’ took me around three years to write, it may not be available for some time yet. ;)

I agree there’s not much gay *romance* around, as opposed to erotica. Most of the publishers who take gltb want full-on erotica, the more graphic the better. *shrugs* But I’m not sure Emily’s being fair to herself – she does a great line in gay romance when she wants to.