I don't like abusive, dog-blood drama, and weak characterization. I don't like Imbalanced Couple where the Seme/Gong is too Overbearing. I don't like weak, femininized, Uninteresting/Lackluster Uke, or bratty/silly Shou whose IQ drop drastically when encountering the Gong.  ... more>>

So these are a few novels with good plots, and mainly consist of interesting MC and good ML I strongly recommend. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NOVELS IN THIS LIST IS RANDOMLY LISTED WITHOUT FIXED RANKING, and also these are only novels that I HAVE READ. 
This list will randomly be updated if I find another worth noting novel. <<less

Major hurt/comfort simp. ... more>>

Been hurting all my life with no one to comfort me so reading a hurt/sickly MC being worried/doted/cared for/loved on really soothes my soul or something twisted like that. I'm trying to find meaning behind all the suffering. Hmnn yeah that sounds about right, I wanna read meaningful suffering.

SSSSE (Self Sacrifice= sacrificing themselves for others/a greater good) (Self Suffering= is hurting/carrying burden/enduring hardship on their own) (Exposed= other people find out leading in increased positive action/attention towards them and or it affects other people in some way so there is meaning to the suffering)

Absolutely love the vomiting blood and everybody worries trope. MC in pain? It's okay baby it's all worth it there will be people that will take care of you or make up for it. Fluff stuff. Spurting blood is fun and all but psychological hurt also rubs me right, stuff like taking blame then the other party regretting and making up for it? Angst stuff. Mmm working too hard or getting hurt in place of others is also nice.

Romance. No romance. Straight. BL. Some I read using mtl.

tl;dr I just wanna talk about the novels I've read but highlight the heart abuse scenes :)

*Recommendations are welcomed but not always accepted to the list ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

If you decide to follow, I'll warmly say; Welcome to the cult  <( ⓛ ω ⓛ *)> <<less

Chinese BL novels/manhuas  + some Korean manhwas/novels getting adapted to live action (that I've read/heard of/know of) in 2022 (and some are later)... more>>

Let's read them all before the adaptations are here~~~ 

(01/22 edit: ahaha it might be hard now cuz of that situation with the translators, but at least here's a list for (potential) adaptations) <<less

some unlimited flow danmei novels i am currently reading or have read. ... more>>

(self-indulgence galore)

(no r*pe, in*est, black belly, abuse) <<less

--"my most special person is you" feeling that goes both ways... more>>

-Dote on each other

-Actually COMMUNICATE with each other, like actual functioning human beings

-NO r*pe 

-We don't tolerate MCs or MLs who overstep boundaries

-Angst, only if it burns GOOD

-Place their trust in each other

-fluff all the wayyy

-It'll probably be sad how short this list might be

Someone once told me "Fluffy couples are boring. Isn't it much more interesting when they have drama and misunderstandings. Or when they both hate each other and their relationship is explosive" and I get the hype around that type of romance, but honestly, we need to start normalizing healthy and communicative relationships because it wasn't until I was 18 years old that I realized I've been reading a ton of abusive relationships (that authors painted off as romantic) and it was these FEW novels in this list that made me realize "this is what a loving relationship looks like, wtf have I been reading?" Plus, fluffy couples are not boring. There's a way to keep the reader intrigued; it's called plot. Personal recommendation: Governor's Illness. So many times I thought the protagonists would engage in a hate-love relationship, but they NEVER hold grudges against each other, even when it seemed like they were the cause of each other's issues. Instead, the writer is skilled and doesn't rely on petty drama. The plot itself is suspenseful. <<less

These novels are ranked according to the amount of readers they have. If you're suprised by the ranking, then trust me, I'm also suprised to begin with lmao. I thought some novels, such as 2ha and Silent Reading (because I hear about them EVERYWHERE), would rank a bit higher but the number of readers said otherwise. ... more>>

Not sure about Silent Reading, but in 2ha's case I believe it could be because, compared to other higher-ranked novels (like The Legendary Master's Wife, Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil etc etc), it's pretty new and once its popularity sky-rocketed, it got published with eng translations and the fan translation was removed, so about 40% of readers of this novel probably bought the novel instead of reading it on NU — which is why they didn't add it to their reading list and those readers weren't counted.  <<less

2023 updated list bio:
variety of genres, including but not limited to: historical, sci-fi, unlimited flow(thriller/horror), xianxia/wuxia/xuanhuan, (e)sports, mystery, psychological, supernatural, slice of life, school life, comedy, transmigration. PLOT HEAVY>>>... more>>

enjoy relatively balanced power dynamics between the two leads - especially in the more enemies to lovers novel e.g. ML insanely obsessive paired with a MC who knows his worth and will beat the sh*t out of ML if he tries anything weird

⚠️ NO MPREG, NO “UWU” MC, NO SEME PROTAGONIST, NO SHITTY TRANSLATION, NO BELOW 4.2 STARS

recs are welcomed!

notw: most reviews r very old and cringe… sorry <<less

(Actively updated.) When I first started reading on NU, I wished that there was a rec list with long descriptions of the novels so I knew what I'm getting myself into instead of having to check the synopsis of each individual novel. Couldn't find any, so I created one. Here it is. Arranged from best > worst > boring reading experience.... more>>

Disclaimer; my "reviews" are my own personal, biased opinions. I'm terrible at being systematic & putting my thoughts into effective sentences, so 90% of the novel descriptions in here are just me rambling. I usually only drop & rate novels after I've read at least until c.35. Also, I like to change my ratings & reviews sporadically. Feel free to suggest more novels and/or argue with me.

[5/5] - Truck-kun would shed real man tears at these masterpieces.

Below [4.4/5] - Truck-kun would shed tears of a disappointed Asian parent.

[3/5] - Truck-kun would hit them (again), maybe then they'll transmigrate and become a better story. Replaceable at any time.

("|| STATUS: [ ]" is my reading status as of typing the novel's description.) <<less

[NOT RANKED]... more>>

I'm tired of the double standards, third parties, unnecessary drama, scumbags etc. This list features extremely devoted couple! 1v1 HE. Totally safe to read. 

Gong (Seme) and Shou(Uke) are each others first & only s*xual partner; first & only love.  (Either it's explicitly mentioned, mentioned by the author, mentioned between the lines, or assumed in some cases if no other partners/ prior experience is mentioned). No exes, cinnabar moles, substitutes etc. 

No other partners in case of a seperation or breakup. 

No getting r*ped/ assaulted/ kissed/ mol*sted by passerbys or supporting leads. No love triangles or leading others on. If there's a harem it should be dismissed by the end. If either Gong or Shou are actors, then they should be the type that doesn't do intimate scenes. 

No kids involving other women (surrogacy). No marriage of convenience with other woman. 

P.S I only have requirements for the main cp. 

********************************
I'll try my best to eventually mark the details...

PART 2: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/80741/ <<less

These novels are those that I deemed worthy of being called one of the High/Top Tier BL novels out here. ... more>>

There are also novels here that aren't BL but I still included them (in the list and in the comment box) to bring such masterpieces to your attention.

Also, those with a ⭐ are the ones that occupy a space in my heart! They are very special to me and I will read them over and over again!

10/08/2023. I will arrange my lists in the future! So excited!

01/29/2024. Making a second shelf! Link: https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/85506/?ft=yes <<less

All of these are, IMO, must-reads. Hands-down some of the best novels here. I've also included my own personal ratings and opinions of each of these novels. Well-written stories, great plots, characters, etc. I have relatively high standards for these to be my favorites, so these are all really high quality. I can't recommend them enough! coincidentally, all of them also have very high ratings (4.3-4.8)... more>>

Actively being updated. I haven't finished writing reviews/ratings for all of them yet, but I will in time. Meant to be ordered by highest personal ratings -> lowest personal ratings, but haven't had time to fix it yet. These are also my own opinions and feelings regarding each novel, so they won't be particularly eloquent, and you can definitely disagree. It's just me rambling.

Also added some ones I haven't read but will read and I know i will love. Feel free to recommend any danmei too!

...somehow, this also turned into a list of danmei I also want to read, not just a review of the ones I've read. I really can't control myself from looking for good danmei. Though, I'm sure I'll get to reviewing all of these someday <<less

It’s in the title ... more>>

O turned to A 

A turned to O 

O who thinks he’s an A 

AxA 

Bottom A

Top O 

Shou who thinks he’s the gong 

Gong turned to shou etc  <<less

Bl, bg, and no romance.  Genre’s pretty diverse.  I consider all of these top tier yummy food with good plot and fleshed out characters.  Not... more>> all of these are complete but some are good enough for me erode my brain and mlt.  Hope u all find smth u like.  (List incomplete) <<less

Just BL without the stereotypical overbearing, abusive, rapist ML. Naturally they also have to be good reads (though this is subjective) to make this list. ... more>>

If you feel like something should or shouldn't be included in this list, let me know and I'll review the story in question. The books are in no particular order. <<less

basically e-sports / game related bl novels i've read + some personal opinion about the novel, biased, so don't take it seriously. your taste and... more>> mine might be completely different <<less

My comments and ratings on the BEST BL out there that I've read over the past 5 years.  Completed as of January 2024 and will start part 2 list soon. ... more>>

I have a soft spot for strong MCs, unusual relationship dynamics, plotty action, and a well-developed side character cast. I tend to prefer feel-good stories over dark, overly complex ones. These stories don't have everything I like, but they're all great for at least one aspect. 4/5 = like it, 5/5 = love it! MXTX novels not included because they are classics. 

Let me know what you think or if you have MTL recommendations! <<less

Just a bunch of reccs :) please beware of the TW for some novels! The novels in this list are mainly on the angsty side and some fluff. Contains both historical and modern day novels. Some novels in this list are completed while some are close to being completed OR i MTL’d them and thought they were good. ... more>>

PS; i actively try to avoid things that portray characters as ‘small and innocent and childish’ (they usually describe the shou like this) so this list may not have novels like that! <<less

Because I'm picky.... more>>

Every unlimited flow novel I read is really just a desperate attempt to return to the way I felt reading Liar Game for the first time ten years ago. *lights up a cigarette and takes a long drag, staring vacantly out into the distance*

Note: A lot of titles have had their links removed from NU due to some recent concerns about copyright. I'm not entirely clear on the situation or when/if they'll be returned, but they are still out there to find if you want to read them although there are potentially hoops to jump through to get to the actual texts. Some of the novels are removed for other reasons, such as being officially licensed in English, and I've tried to make a note of those, although I haven't really kept up to date with the status of the super popular novels that are missing or marked incomplete like Husky and his Shizun (aka 2ha). I pretty much just assume that these are in the process of being licensed. If you want to read them, you can find them. <<less

For personal reference/rereading. Mostly plot focus & serious favs, with solid writing/characterisations/overarching plot. Any pairings (mostly bl/het), but not many harem/stallion novels. Mostly CN/KR novels for dialogue. Roughly sorted, many genres, no/low spoilers.... more>>

I prefer wuxia over xianxia, tragedy over fluff, etc. Some less serious/non-plot-focused novels included/marked for their definitive traits.
Personal genre/trait favs: comedy, tragedy, historical, mystery, psychological, scifi, realistic, mature, bittersweet, wuxia, delinquents, strategies/war, empire building, betrayal, food.   <<less

haven't read this all BUT this is basically my ongoing list so this is also for me as well HAHA ヾ(*'▽'*) these are very well-recommended... more>> to me so I wanna share these to you guys!!! (⌒ω⌒)ﾉ ps: i'm not really sure if this is ACTUALLY underrated but i just haven't seen that much people talk about this so here you go!!! | 4.5 stars and above and in NO particular order <<less

Therapy costs more than these novels.... more>>

**A better name for this list would be Tragic Romance Novels (18+) but I wanted to emphasize on the process of grief I regularly experience while reading this stuff. 

-----------------------------------------------

I'll still be implementing a rating system from **1-5 with 1 being just sad at some parts to 5 being downright horrific**

**In addition, rather than the summaries I put short explanations for the rating. In all honesty, it's better for you to ignore them. Protect your mental well-being from my inane babbling and mild spoilers. <<less

✩ A list of horror bl novels at your service! ♡ ～('▽^人) ✩

ML protecting MC while MC doing his own things are nice yes, but right now I'm into mutual support and protecting. Teamwork makes dream work (?) ... more>>

Inspired by: 

"Xing conglian even wanted to laugh. He suddenly realized that the feeling of fighting side by side was better than one side protecting the other side." from criminal psychology  (Yes i mtl the novel and stumbled into this and got...inspired) <<less

Various BL novels that I've read so far and my opinions on them. I'll update this later, can't be bothered to remember and search for all the stuff I've read.  I've discovered that I love fluff and prefer healthy relationships so my comments reflect that but not all of the novels I like adhere to that and certainly not all the novels I've read.... more>>

It starts from the stuff I like (the order is based on themes, setting and genre not how much I like them), then goes into classics territory, then into "stuff that were kind of entertaining and okay but definitely not amazing" and then into "okay but kind of boring" and lastly into "I would rather have not wasted my time reading it but the ratings were good so some people may like it" (the ones here were either really bad or were good at first or in someway built expectation only to heavily disappoint). I've recently also added ones that were bad and had bad ratings which speaks for itself. Novels that aren't on NU but are interesting are in the comments.

I've removed most of the novels that were categorized as smut from this list but some of the yaoi (and also some of the shounen ai) stuff may still have some explicit scenes. 

Also, I really hate lecturing and virtue signaling in novels but I forgot to add comments for that and now I don't remember which ones were like that. If I remember I'll add that to my comments. <<less

I really like ✓unique (world building/game rule/setting), ✓logical development, ✓solid plot, ✓all character in the novel have a life of their own that not serve for the purpose of the plot and finally a ✓logical MC. If there are at least two of these qualities, LINNIL APPROVE!!... more>>

I like to read various genre I don't care if it's ✮shoujou, ✮shounen, ✮yaoi or ✮harem, if only there is my require qualities~

This list order by my like, it not depend on the novel quality though. >wOb <<less