Since this list was updated last year, we've updated it with a few new BL titles that are worth giving a chance. While the genre still has its flaws, there are titles that deserve recognition. While there are plenty of titles that fall into toxic tropes and blatant fetishization, there are plenty that depict healthy, loving relationships that give queer people the representation they deserve. Updated on May 12th, 2022 by Sarah Martin: BL is one of the most popular genres of anime. Since this list was published, a few more heartwarming queer anime have debuted and proved wholesome enough to meet the standards of this list. Updated on July 27th, 2021, by Leah Thomas: While BL still has a lot of growing up to do, progress is being made. Great BL should showcase healthy, loving, and consensual relationships between boys, no matter the storyline. Newcomers to BL could do no better than start with anime that depicts healthy queer relationships, and many of the more famous - or infamous - yaoi shows simply don't make the cut. RELATED: 10 Must-Read Boy's Love Manhwa For BL Fans More and more often, positive queer representation has been normalized. Fortunately, as anime as a whole has evolved, so has BL. Given this, much of the criticism yaoi receives is warranted, and many of the relationships depicted in manga and anime have been damaging to the queer community. Examples include gender or gender identity themes an LGBT relationship as a primary focus or an LGBT character as a protagonist, especially if their gender or sexual orientation is showcased as a back story or plot point. These anime have an LGBT theme as a strong focus. While representations of queer romance are invaluable, the genre has propagated some extremely toxic tropes over the decades. Complete list of lgbt themes anime, and watch online.
The show also has absurdist humor and sight gags that work regardless of your frame of reference.Boys' Love, also known as BL or yaoi, has a problematic history. Some of that comes from jokes that land despite the language barrier. Still, the show manages to be legitimately funny, which is why it takes the title of best comedy anime. Gintama straddles a fine line where some jokes may be lost on Western audiences.
The original played the material straight, while the dub is one of the most hilarious anime series of all time. Ghost Story is another example where the humor was introduced almost entirely in the dub. In the original Japanese, the humor was primarily based on puns and double-talk. A prime example is Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, which Western audiences know for its surrealist, nonsensical humor. The funniest series out there rely on Japanese puns that don't translate.
Rated: TV-14 Honorable mentions: The Devil is a Part Timer, Space Brothers, Ghost Stories (Dub), Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Hinamatsuri, Excel SagaĬomedy is a hard nut to crack when it comes to anime. Some jokes may be lost on Western audiences. The original has an even pace and more drama. Both have great animation, engaging stories, and fantastic dubs.īrotherhood is a good choice if you prefer a faster pace, more action, and more humor. Brotherhood came later, and it faithfully adapts the entire manga. The difference is the former was produced while the manga was in production, so the end of the show has nothing to do with the manga. The more contentious issue is whether to choose Fullmetal Alchemist or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.įor the uninitiated, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are based on the same manga. There's no question about whether the story of the Elric brothers belongs on any list of the best anime of all time. Building on that foundation, it delivers a story about two brothers that's as grounded as the setting is fantastic. The reason Fullmetal Alchemist is the best fantasy anime of all time is that it paints a fully realized, unique world with internally consistent rules that have real consequences. Rated: TV-14 Honorable mentions: Slayers, Fairy Tale, Log Horizon, Magi