Yaoi that focuses on a self-deprecating keyboard player who’s admired by others but doesn’t see himself as cool.

I love the minimal artstyle, and how it portrays an underground, feel-good gay romance. It’s an easy read.

It follows the journey of a character who transitions from being a sort of bad-boy jock into the world of art. He’s someone who’s always lived for others, striving to appear effortless and cool, and now he’s exploring his own identity through art.

The manga dives into both the personal journey of self-discovery and the technical challenges of art, like composition, color, and the pressure of maintaining a vision.

Eventually I let it go because it falls into the “life is hard do your best” of most edutainment manga.

A zany manga set in a peculiar future where reality, dreams, and technology blend in playful, sometimes absurd ways.

We have a ghost friend mediated by tech and warning robots from the future.

Society will change as our interiority becomes legible to machines, so it’s kind of cool to see a future that explores that weirdness with a sense of awe.

Dorohedoro is a vibe. Creepy, gritty, demonic world where magic-wielding gangsters dominate and the non-magic users hide in The Hole. Governance is gangster, with strong bonds (trauma bonds) between characters.

It’s the second time I’m reading it, and boy I wanna live there. It’s an entire aesthetic.

They do have an anime too, and color made it more raver-y, but still urban neglect.

A feel-good yaoi centered around a rock band, highlighting the effort musicians, fans and producers put into building a healthy community.

The characters are deeply caring and complex, and they find themselves through music and love.

This one also has an anime, but I decided to keep the beautiful songs they talk about as a mystery, expressed via illustrations and narrative only. I’m not much into japanese music, and I’m afraid I’ll end up disappointed.

Fumi Yoshinaga has the best slice-of-life yaoi out there, with mature characters expressing their love and support in gentle ways, focusing on how their everyday experiences build up a support network, even without intense romantic or sexual moments.

I relate with main character a lot, a handsome middle aged gay lawyer who gives meticulous attention to food and budgeting. Dude is avoidant of grand gestures, but provides acts of service to his loved ones thru delicious dishes.

I got it, the description may sound boring af, but like anything Yoshinaga, it’s fun, light and relatable.

Best finding of the year: space opera scifi with detailed orbital theory and complex societies living in artificial satellites.

The story centers on a woman with almost magical abilities to detect glitches in highly complex technology, making her essential in a world where governance and engineering are deeply intertwined.

It’s a rich, utopian sci-fi.

Another Fumi Yoshinaga. The story revolves around parents coming to terms with their teenage daughter’s lesbian discoveries, with husband reassuring wife while he flashbacks to a teenage gay relationship.

If there’s family trauma, there’s also family healing.