In the anime genre yaoi is the term used for gay animes. Yaoi as in a narrative or anime featuring romance or sexual relationships between men. Though the world has only accepted the fact that there could be men who fall for men, anime has been portraying that for as long as one could remember.
So here we are with a list of yaoi movies and series that you might like to indulge in.
Best Gay Anime Movie
1. Doukyusei
Doukyusei or Classmates is a manga series that released an anime movie on the 20th of February 2016. The film adapts the first volume of the manga series.
The movie follows Rihito Sajo who is an honor student who managed to get a perfect score on the entrance exam and Hikaru Kusakabe a band member who is widely popular amongst girls. Even though they were in the same school their different ways of life never would have brought them together if not for a chorus festival.
They began talking at the practice for the festival and gradually began meeting one another regularly. Hikaru used to help Rihito improve his singing skills. Eventually, they began to fall for one another.
You can watch the movie online on Amazon Prime Video.
2. Given
Given is a manga series that got an anime film on the 22nd of August 2020. The film adapted the second story arc of the manga.
The movie highly focuses on Akihiko and Haruki’s relationship with the older members of the band made up of four people. The first arc mainly revolves around the high school boys Ritsuka and Mafuyu while the second focuses on the older ones.
They have had it really tough with their band preparing for a music festival waiting for their big chance. In fact, it’s funny looking at the fact that Akihiko and Haruki once stated that dating within the band was not a good idea. It has a happy ending and is definitely a worth watching film.
You can watch the movie online on Crunchyroll.
3. Stranger By The Beach
Stranger By The Beach or L’étranger is a boy’s love manga series that released an anime film on the 11th of September 2020.
The series revolves around a gay novelist named Shun Hashimoto and Mio Chibana an orphaned high school student. They meet and get closer to one another and that is when Mip reveals that he would be moving to the city but would try to keep in contact. After about 3 years Mio comes back and tells Shun that he is in love with him.
Shun who is actually facing a lot more issues like family-related stuff tries to figure it all out to just reach the conclusion that Mio does actually love him and it is better if they were both to be together. After this realization, he along with Mio decides to go to Hokkaido to meet Shun’s family and reconcile with them.
You can watch the film online on Netflix.
MUST READ || Disney+ Hotstar January 2023 Releases That You Should Not Miss!
4. The Boy Caught a Merman
The Boy Caught A Merman or Orenchi No Furo Jijo is a four-panel manga series that was released as an anime film on the 9th of November 2012.
The movie revolves around a school-going boy named Tatsumi who ends up being saved by a merman from drowning. The merman somehow ends up living in Tatsumi’s bathtub. Tatsumi lives alone and is kinda cool but pretty much always busy while the merman Wakasa is selfishly cute.
The film displays how they met and what it led to, in a fun manner.
You can watch the film online on Crunchyroll.
5. Gekijouban Sekaiichi Hatsukoi: Yokozawa Takafumi No Baai
Gekijouban Sekaiichi Hatsukoi: Yokozawa Takafumi No Baai or The World’s Greatest First Love: The Case Of Takafumi Yokozawa is a film that was adapted from the manga series of the same name. The film was released on the 15th of March 2014.
The story of the said film revolves around our titular character Takafumi Yokozawa and Zen Kirishima his coworker. The story begins when Yokozawa wakes up in a stranger’s house all confused, but he later understands that it is Kirishima’s house and he is there because he drank a lot and Kirishima ended up taking care of his tab and pretty much him too.
Kirishima somehow ended up with an embarrassing photo of Yokozawa and blackmails him with it to make him kind of his servant. Later on, Yokozawa learns about Kirishima’s past and come to term with the fact that he is just broken. They fall in love with one another and confess also, they decide to go out on Valentine’s Day.
You can watch the film online on Funimation.
6. Yes, No, Or Maybe?
Yes, No, Or Maybe? Or Iesu Ka No Ka Hanbun Ka is a light novel series that released an anime film adaptation of the series on the 11th of December 2020.
The film revolves around Kei Kuneida a widely-known TV host and Ushio Tsuzuki a stop-motion animator. Kunieda is known for being a professionally behaving individual but turns out his behavior is literally the opposite off-screen. He ends up meeting Tsuzuki in a grocery store where he is hit by a bicycle and injured his wrist.
They come closer to each other gradually and even develop romantic feelings but are still worried about it and are trying to keep it a secret from the other.
You can watch the film online on Crunchyroll.
7. Lesson XX
Lesson XX is an OVA that was released way back in 1995.
The story revolves around characters named Shizuka and Sakura who are friends since they are from the same co-ed boarding school. Shizuka ends up getting a tad bit attracted to Sakura when he tries to dive to take a hit from a baseball. Later he states that he wants to kiss him (as a joke) but Sakura did not care if it was a joke and wishes to kiss him under a starry sky.
After this specific incident, they began to stay away from one another trying to figure out their own feelings and decide what to do with them or where exactly to go with them.
You can watch the film online on YouTube or Crunchyroll.
MUST READ || Top 15 Movies Like Zero Dark Thirty That Are Must Watch!
8. Kizuna: Much Ado About Nothing
Kizuna: Koi No Kara Sawagi or Kizuna: Bonds Of Love is a manga series that released a video animation on the 3rd of March 2001.
The story revolves around the characters Enjouji and Ranmaru who are in a happy relationship with one another. One day then Ranmaru ends up finding a lipstick stain on Enjouji and gets suspicious and impatient because of which he decides to leave.
Enjouji runs behind him to stop him and ends up spending an entire day like that where they think about the past, their time together and of course their vague future.
You can watch the film online on YouTube.
9. Kirepapa: Kirei No Otou-San Wa Suki Desuka?
Kirepapa is a manga series that released an anime film adaptation of the same on the 25th of January 2008.
The story revolves around the characters Chisato and Riju. Chisato is actually parenting Riju who is a teenager and Chisato is secretly in love with him. The film begins to get interesting when the fact that Chisato has feelings for Riju is a secret but ends up getting too jealous at the fact that Riju constantly has his friends coming over.
You can watch the film online on Youtube.
10. Kono Danshi, Sekika Ni Nayandemasu
Kono Danshi, Sekika Ni Nayandemasu, or This Boy Suffers from Crystallization is an anime movie that was released on the 24th of November 2014.
The story revolves around Ayumu Tamari a person who is suffering from a condition called “Crystallization Syndrome”. Since he has social anxiety he ends up not telling anyone about this and his crystallization became so often that he ends up repeating the year.
He only finds comfort with his homeroom teacher Kouya Onihar who is interested in the concept of crystallization and thus ends up finding Ayumu beautiful. The story then goes along with a forbidden teacher-student relationship concept.
You can watch the movie online on Crunchyroll.
11. Be-Boy Kidnapp’n Idol
Be-Boy Kidnapp’n Idol is an anime film that was released on the 22nd of February 1989.
The story revolves around a 16-year-old Idol named Kazuya and Akihiko a friend of his. Kazuya is famous and has a ton of female fans. He plays video games with Akihiko when he is not rehearsing or signing autographs. Akihiko is a different character as he is pretty much violent towards Kazuya but is also protective of him.
They do tend to get into a lot of arguments but gradually Akihiko comes open with his feelings for Kazuya.
You can watch the film online on Crunchyroll.
Best Gay Anime Series
1. Yuri On Ice
Yuri on Ice is a sports anime television series that premiered on the 6th of October 2016.
The story of the series revolves around the characters Yuki Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov. Victor Nikiforov is pretty much a living legend in the figure skating world and Yuri Katsuki who himself is a figure skater admires him insanely.
Due to some funny circumstances, Victor ends up mentoring Yuri to be the best he could be on the ice. The story focuses on the troubles they face and the bonds they make. More than that it also showcases how their feelings for one another grow and change into love.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
2. Given
Given is yet another manga series that got an anime adaptation alongside a movie. The series covers the first arc story while the movie covers the second.
The story of the series mainly revolves around Ritsuka and Mafuyu who meet in their high school and end up getting close together as friends. Mafuyu because of his beautiful voice and extraordinary skills gets invited to the 3 man band that Ritsuka is a part of and they make it big.
While they try hard to reach the top and accomplish their respective dreams as members of the band, they also get entangled in the strings of their newfound feeling for one another. It showcases their love and relationship fabulously with everybody trying to cope with their respective lives.
You can watch the film online on Crunchyroll.
3. Banana Fish
Banana fish is yet another anime adaptation of the manga of the same name. It is literally one of the most heart-warming yet heart-wrenching yaoi anime series I have watched.
The story of the said series revolves around the characters Aslan Jade Callenreese or Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura. They are literal opposites when it comes to their perspective way of life. Ash is a runaway who is literally raised by the godfather of the mafia, a 17-year-old boy leading his own gang and ruling the underground.
Then we have Eiji Okumura a literal puff ball of a human who is the farthest away from the concept of violence or anything illegal at all. Eiji is a journalist and he is visiting New York as an assistant journalist with his head Shunichi Ibe. There are photographers out there to make a report on American street gangs.
Since we already know it’s yaoi it definitely has a love story but it portrays a darker world too. Even though Eiji and Ash are pretty much the same age the world they have seen is oceans apart. The story unravels the back story of this dark world while also portraying the story of these two.
You can watch the series online on Netflix.
4. A Foreign Love Affair
A Foreign Love Affair or Ikoku Irokoi Romantan is an anime adaptation of the manga series of the same name.
The story of the series follows Ranmaru a yakuza mob’s son who is married to his childhood friend Kaoru who is also a yakuza’s daughter. Theirs I am obviously arranged marriage and the ceremony is taking place on an Italian cruise ship. On the night of the wedding, they both get into a fight and Kaoru literally shuts him off their room.
He goes to the boat’s bar and ends up getting in a fight with some other yakuza. He is assisted by an unknown Italian man named Alberto Valentino who is fluent in Japanese. To show his gratitude Ranmaru invites Alberto for a drink and somehow ends up having sex with him just to find the next morning that Alberto is literally the ship’s captain.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
MUST READ || 25 Best Basketball Series To Watch In 2022!
5. Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation is an anime adaptation of a manhwa series with the same name.
The story of the series revolves around the characters namely, Myongi and Sunho. They were high school classmates and are now reunited because of a school reunion. They have always had feelings for one another which they thought were over with but, their meeting after so long ignited those feelings back to life.
You can watch the series online on Cyberflix.
6. Gakuen Heaven
Gakuen Heaven is an anime adaptation made by a media franchise of the same name.
The story revolves around Keita Ito a normal high school boy who is randomly accepted into a prestigious boarding school called Bell Liberty. What is more, is the fact that he did not even think that he would be accepted. He is now confused and wants to investigate the possible reason for his acceptance.
In the school, there are multiple talented men and he is questioning the fact that he is in a school with such men when he is nothing but an average boy. Then we have the first friend he made in the academy Kazuki Endo and his love interest who helps him figure out stuff.
You can watch the series online on Amazon Prime Video.
7. Fuyu No Semi or Embracing Love
Fuyu No Semi or A Winter Cicada is an anime series that is vaguely based on the manga series named Embracing Love.
It is a bitter-sweet love story revolving around two characters Touma Kusaka and Keiichirou Akizuki who were never meant to be together. Their very factions of life are contradictory and irrespective of these facts they do end up falling in love with each other.
Even though it is a cliché story it does portray the aspect it is set in fantastically well. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that the story is set in the late Tokugawa period.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
8. Saezuru Tori Wa Habatakanai: The Clouds Gather
Saezuru Tori Wa Habatakanai: The Clouds Gather or Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather is an anime adaptation of the manga series of the same name.
The story revolves around Yashiro the president of an Enterprise called Shinseikai and Doumeki Chikara Yashiro’s bodyguard. Yashiro is actually deviant and a literal masochist. Irrespective of his mannerism he had a motto that said he would never lay a hand on the men that work for him. But something about his bodyguard Doumeki is irresistible to Yashiro. The series portrays the affair that begins to build up between these men.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
MUST READ || Top 20 Adult Anime: Here’s Our Hand-Picked List For You!
9. Close The Last Door!
Close The Last Door! or Saigo No Door Wo Shimero! is an anime adaptation of the manga with the same name.
The story of the series revolves around Nagai Atsushi who was the best man for his friend Saitou Toshihisa’s wedding. After the wedding he was hit with the realization that he would never be able to have a life with the person he loves as the person he loved was his best friend Saitou who had just gotten married.
Nagai who is now quite depressed meets a guy called Honda Kenzou one of the bride’s friends. Nagai who was drowned in sorrow gets drowned in alcohol too and Honda is the one who comforts and takes care of Nagai. After this incident now he thinks he has feelings for both Saitou and Honda and things get even more complicated when Saitou’s bride runs away and he now begins to hit on Nagai.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
10. Love Stage
Love stage is an anime adaptation of a yaoi manga of the same name that was released on the 29th of January 2022.
The story of the series revolves around Izumi Sena whose father is a producer, whose mother is an actress, and whose brother is a rockstar. And then we have Ryouma Ichijou who is a popular actor and is somebody who has worked with Izumi who has only worked in one wedding commercial as a child.
Now Izumi who wishes to become a manga artist is requested to come back for the 10th-anniversary shoot of the only ad he has been a part of. He meets up with Ryouma there and that is when he is hit with the fact that Ryouma has always been in love with Izumi.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
11. Yarichin Bitch Club
Yarichin Bitch Club is an anime adaptation of a manga of the same name that premiered on the 10th of June 2012.
The story revolves around Takashi Toro a freshman transfer student at Morimori Academy. Morimori Academy is a prep boarding school and is located deep in the mountains. Then we have Kyosuke Yaguchi a soccer club member and pretty much the first friend of Takashi in high school.
Takashi who is not really very interested in sports ends up becoming a member of the photography club as it is the quietest club. To his surprise, the photography club is just a cover name and it rather is a club where the members are to have sex with the school students.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
12. Papa Datte, Shitai
Papa Datte, Shitai or I’m A Father, But I Want To Do It is an anime adaptation of the manga series with the same name.
The story of the said series revolves around Koya Asumi a fourth-year college student who works part-time as a housekeeper and Keiichi Naruse a single father who hires Koya. Koya gets attracted to Keiichi even after being thorough with the fact that he should not be. They somehow end up beginning a secret relationship.
You can watch the series online on Crunchyroll.
MUST READ || Anime Releasing In January 2023 That You Should Not Miss!