Danmei/BL novels I absolutely love and adore

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Danmei/BL novels I absolutely love and adore

List of danmeis that threw me off orbit, rated and given commentaries by a picky reader.

Rating components: 50% romance / chemistry / dynamic, 20% technical writing, 20% MC and ML characterizations, 10% plot. Reviews may contain spoilers (rest assured, I will put a warning).

Edit: Added a song recommendation to some novels for funsies xD

2 6863 82

35 Followers

yinyangberry

Created: May 20th, 2022, Updated: Apr 7th, 2024

Created May 20th, 2022

Updated Apr 7th, 2024

CN (4.7)

#1The Founder of Diabolism

17 Chapters Every 176.6 Day(s) 25011 Readers 546 Reviews 04-01-2024

Completed Adventure Drama Mystery Romance Supernatural Xianxia Yaoi

10/10 - Song rec: Young and Beautiful - Lana del Rey... more>>

CN (4.7)

#2Heaven Official’s Blessing

23 Chapters Every 106.7 Day(s) 20556 Readers 479 Reviews 11-29-2020

Completed Drama Mystery Romance Shounen Ai Xianxia

9/10 - Song rec: There You Are - Zayn... more>>

CN (4.4)

#3The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

0 Chapters Every 1886 Day(s) 23651 Readers 462 Reviews 05-01-2017

Completed Action Adult Comedy Drama Mature Romance Xuanhuan Yaoi

10/10 - Song rec: Fetish - Selena Gomez... more>>

CN (4.7)

#4I Ship My Adversary X Me

48 Chapters Every 78.7 Day(s) 8483 Readers 95 Reviews 10-16-2023

Completed Comedy Romance Shounen Ai Slice of Life

11/10 - Song rec: Paparazzi - Lady Gaga... more>>

CN (4.7)

#5I Can Do It

144 Chapters Every 68.2 Day(s) 9528 Readers 182 Reviews 06-08-2022

Completed Comedy Romance Slice of Life Sports Yaoi

999999/10... more>>

This is the first novel I read when I returned to the danmei fandom after 3 years (and the second novel I had the energy to reread), so you can see that it has a very special place in my heart QAQ

But! that's only one of the reasons why I rated it so high. The thing I love the most about it is the Main CP. F*ck, just thinking about them makes me feel all tingly inside. When I was on my 2nd reading, I expected the romance to have less effect on me than before (because, you know, I've already read through all of them) but GOD was I wrong! The amount of butterflies in my stomach were enough to send me floating to the stratosphere!!!!! Everything was 10x sweeter and hotter!!! SOFTROAD!!! How did you manage to generate more s*xual tension!!!! GAH if I keep talking about it I might never stop!

OK, calming down. Second, do you know my favorite trope? It's gaymers. I LOVE reading about silly little gaming nerds falling in love. I could consume gaming danmei for the rest of my life HAHAHA. The novel has a lot of gameplay scenes and I have to admit I just skim through most of them. But it's still an exhilarating experience! Although I only watch but never played League, I could still understand the gameplay, so kudos to Author for the clear descriptions!

Third, the writing. The characters are realistic, the dialogues are smooth, the pacing is immaculate. The plot is your usual climbing-to-the-top so it is predictable at times, but because of how excellently the novel was fleshed-out, it gives the feeling of freshness and newness. I read this for 10 hours straight because it just flows so smoothly, and that in itself is worth praising.

Fourth..... WHEWWWWW boy let me tell you how hard I CRIED at the extras XD I read the extras for the side CP at like, 12 am. I slept feeling like sh*t, and I woke up STILL FEELING LIKE SH*T. (Btw, don't worry, this side CP is actually a HE. I just read a tweet about them that was a little too painful for me to bear). My heart was so broken to the point that it triggered a small depressive episode QvQ I sobbed non-stop the entire morning, slept all the way to noon, finished a small tub of ice-cream, and cried again. It took me hours to regulate my mood. Anyway, I don't want to experience such agonizing pain ever again <3 (Side note: This might not be as sad to others; it's just my being unable to handle angst well.) (Side note 2: Here's the tweet https://twitter.com/Ianweiran/status/1435901050293080065?t=F3G4UB5TxsKqIWNj-JOtjQ&s=19)

Okay I've said a lot already HAHAHAHA but yeah, that's it, I just love it so much :happy tears: :heart: :heart: <<less

CN (4.7)

#6Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating

40 Chapters Every 99 Day(s) 10101 Readers 203 Reviews 06-05-2021

Completed Comedy Romance School Life Yaoi

10/10... more>>

CN (4.7)

#7Global Examination

1 Chapters Every 87.1 Day(s) 12010 Readers 259 Reviews 09-21-2023

Completed Action Comedy Horror Mystery Romance Sci-fi Yaoi

∞ ∞ ∞ infinity/10 - Song rec: You and I - PVRIS; Song rec#2: Bad Romance - Lady Gaga; Song rec#3: Unconditionally - Katy Perry; Song rec#4: Skyfall - Adele... more>>

CN (4.6)

#8I’ll Have My Seatmate Beat You

68 Chapters Every 67.6 Day(s) 5380 Readers 88 Reviews 07-30-2021

Completed Drama Romance School Life Yaoi

8/10... more>>

CN (4.6)

#9New Times, New Hell

9 Chapters Every 196.6 Day(s) 7711 Readers 100 Reviews 04-22-2023

Comedy Fantasy Romance Shounen Ai Slice of Life Supernatural

9/10 - Song rec: Judas - Lady Gaga... more>>

CN (4.7)

#10Kaleidoscope of Death

156 Chapters Every 71.5 Day(s) 12357 Readers 274 Reviews 07-18-2021

Completed Comedy Drama Horror Mystery Psychological Romance Shounen Ai Supernatural

9/10... more>>

CN (4.6)

#11A Certain Someone

2 Chapters Every 197.5 Day(s) 5795 Readers 119 Reviews 12-15-2023

Completed Comedy Drama Romance School Life Shounen Ai Slice of Life Yaoi

10/10 - Song rec: Magnet - Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka; Song rec#2: Bittersweet - Wonwoo x Mingyu ft. Lee Hi; Song rec#3: Fools - Troye Sivan... more>>

CN (4.5)

#12FOG

0 Chapters Every 1149 Day(s) 6124 Readers 102 Reviews 03-04-2021

Completed Drama Romance Shounen Ai Sports

9/10 - Song rec: Bulletproof - Dotter... more>>

You might've already seen the reviews saying the romance arrives late and that's what made them drop the book, but for me... it was completely justifiable? We opened the novel by seeing things from MC's perspective, and naturally, we would find the ML's actions displeasing, because honestly, Sir, that was such a Bad Move. Their relationship seemed irreparable at this point, but ML, this smitten motherf*cker, persisted on redeeming himself, and so we would get to know why he decided to do such things and what sh*t he went through while playing abroad. The more I listened, the more I find his decision agreeable. The many things that happened within those two years were revealed one after the other, and the major miscommunication was eventually resolved. This entire thing took up 40 chapters. But that's fine by me, because now that the angst is out of the way, I can eat the rest of my dog food with no worries. Speaking of dog food... ai, these two are disgusting (affectionate). So-called-slag-man ML is dead-set on properly taking care of MC now, and that, he absolutely did. f*ck, he's so doting, my aromantic ass almost wanted a relationship, too. He is a huge tease, has a severe case of favoritism, and is chronically h**ny -- I had to light a candle for MC's heart and blood pressure every other chapter. MC, on the other hand... this sly little silverhead who's still in his post-rebellious phase is SO f*ckING CUTE when he's flustered QAQ I originally thought he'd lean into the tsundere side, but no, he actually indulges a lot of ML's antics. And whenever these two are together... I'm either suffocating in s*xual tension or retching up fluff balls... either way, I'm dying a good death =v=

Okay wow I've already said this much but hadn't touch upon the other aspects yet. I'll make this quick: 1) plot is, of course, winning the world championships, but I'd say it's pretty character-driven; 2) writing is okay, just that some dialogues are very, unnaturally lengthy; 3) CP dynamic is the selling point of this novel; 4) characters are entertaining and fleshed out — but again, my problem is with the dialogues that make them sound 2D; 5) game mechanics are, from what I can see, a mix between first person shooter and a tower pushing game, but replace tower pushing with fog clearing; 6) character development is 10/10; 7) and, this is not a technical detail but I BAWLED my eyes out at the parallelism of the beginning and the ending; it will be etched forever in my heart T__T <3 <<less

CN (4.8)

#13Mist

0 Chapters Every 1256 Day(s) 9414 Readers 233 Reviews 11-16-2020

Completed Action Adult Comedy Mature Mystery Romance Sci-fi Yaoi

20/10 - Song rec: Глубина (Depth) - Kristian Kostov... more>>

CN (4.8)

#14Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

191 Chapters Every 63.4 Day(s) 12179 Readers 239 Reviews 10-21-2021

Completed Adventure Comedy Romance Shounen Ai Supernatural Xianxia

10/10... more>>

CN (4.6)

#15Fake Slackers

86 Chapters Every 6.6 Day(s) 8467 Readers 120 Reviews 04-24-2024

Comedy Romance School Life Shounen Ai Slice of Life

10/10 - Song rec: Strawberries and Cigarettes - Troye Sivan... more>>

CN (4.6)

#16The E-Sports Circle’s Toxic Assembly Camp

213 Chapters Every 63.2 Day(s) 8096 Readers 92 Reviews 09-30-2021

Completed Romance Shounen Ai Sports Supernatural Yaoi

9/10... more>>

Out of the many attributes this novel has, probably the thing that shocked me the most was the immensely thick and dense s*xual air between the MC and ML that dropped on my head right as I opened the first chapter (and all the consequent chapters thereafter). Even with the lack of explicit NSFW scenes, their dynamic stayed hot and spicy. Only halfway through the novel did the author begin sprinkling sugar so some sweetness intermingled with the spice. Overall, it was a tasty, 5-star dog food. I am very satisfied. >_<

The plot is character-driven so let's talk about the characters.

MC... to sum up it up, he's the personification of the quote "You're playing checkers while I'm playing chess." He's clever, deceptive, creative, sharp-mouthed and assiduous to a fault. He has a tendency to over-exert himself, but thankfully, we have the ML to remind him from time to time. His gaming ideals are a bit... um, out of this world, which sunspots ridicule him for, but by doing so, they're obliviously paving the way for the faceslapping later.

ML is a demon king (figurative) forced to hide his claws and fangs, stand as the sole pillar, and carry the entire weight of his previous team for many years, but was soon liberated from his inhibitions with the help of MC and new teammates. He is protective and indulgent, but he also has a cheeky mouth that even MC couldn't escape from.

The other four darlings of the team are composed of a tr*shtalk king ADC, a stinky face jungler, a sweet-but-deadly midlaner, and a hooligan-looking healer. The first two almost had their gaming careers destroyed, and the latter two were stuck in the shadows. I'm glad Coach Lin (MC) took them in and gave them another/a chance to clear/build their reputations, shine on the stage, and permanently carve their names in history. Such sweet kids are also very obedient and hard-working, making Coach Lin the E-sports coach with the most stable blood pressure.

Plot-wise, it follows the same route as every other E-sports danmei (world championships.) Pacing is comfortable and well timed. From what I could observe, the mechanics of the game is like that of DOTA, but understanding just the basics of MOBA games is enough because the novel isn't heavily game-oriented. You could find side cps (not canon, sadly) everywhere, especially in the extras. The last three extras in particular hit me so hard in the heart ;__; <<less

CN (4.6)

#17My Underachieving Seatmate Doesn’t Need Any Comforting

123 Chapters Every 95 Day(s) 7484 Readers 123 Reviews 06-18-2020

Completed Romance School Life Shounen Ai Yaoi

9/10... more>>

CN (4.6)

#18Reborn with an Old Enemy on the Day of our Marriage

109 Chapters Every 92.6 Day(s) 9147 Readers 123 Reviews 08-24-2020

Completed Comedy Romance School Life Shounen Ai

9/10... more>>

CN (4.7)

#19Heart Has Ling Xi

50 Chapters Every 4.6 Day(s) 3488 Readers 73 Reviews 01-21-2022

Completed Comedy Romance Yaoi

7/10... more>>

CN (4.5)

#20Thousand Autumns

145 Chapters Every 64.9 Day(s) 14794 Readers 182 Reviews 04-09-2023

Completed Action Adventure Drama Historical Martial Arts Mature Romance Shounen Ai Wuxia

10/10 - Song rec: RED - Survive Said The Prophet... more>>

CN (4.7)

#21All-Round Mid Laner

166 Chapters Every 30.5 Day(s) 6364 Readers 110 Reviews 04-21-2024

Comedy Romance Shounen Ai Sports

12/10 - Song rec: Moondust - Jaymes Young... more>>

CN (4.6)

#22Your Scandals Are Way Cuter Than You

88 Chapters Every 34.3 Day(s) 4307 Readers 70 Reviews 02-04-2023

Completed Comedy Romance Shounen Ai

10/10... more>>

CN (4.6)

#23Mistakenly Saving the Villain

140 Chapters Every 34.9 Day(s) 12348 Readers 247 Reviews 09-23-2023

Completed Drama Mature Psychological Romance Tragedy Xianxia Yaoi

100/10 - Song rec: Wildfire - SYML... more>>

WHEWWWW BOY I have so much to say, where do I even start? Okay, first, let's start with our main characters. They are both intelligent (super mega ultra intelligent), study maniacs, unhinged, and Mentally f*cked Up. I can't stress this enough, see, I didn't even want to censor the curse word. I'm not kidding, they were so smart I was shamed into finishing my requirements before reading the rest of the novel :pain:

But on a more serious note, the plot gets heavier as it progresses, heavy emphasis on the psychological situation of the ML. I'm pleading you to exercise patience and understanding because this is not your typical love-cures-all-mental-illness trope. This is precisely what I love about it, because it's realistic. The novel did not hide the ugliest truths of mental illnesses: recovering takes an awful long time; it is painful, erratic, and exhausting not only to you, but also to the people around you. So to anyone who finds themselves relating to any character in the book, I hope you don't give up, and I hope you find your own Song Qingshi or Yue Wuhuan, who will love you no matter what.

Okay sheesh I sobbed writing that. Hehe. *wipes tears* Moving on! Let's talk about the ship. Red flag x red flag, mass mu*derer x mass mu*derer -- what can be more couple goals than this?! But, after all the things I said, would you still believe me if I say they're adorable? BECAUSE THEY ARE, OKAY! Even their s3x scene's mood was soft! SOFT! I was dying from the cuteness!

And then boom, the major plot twist. Let me repeat my reactions at that point in the novel. "I'm gonna k1ll myself." "I literally don't know what to say." "Christ. Kill me." "Now this is what you call a plot twist." "I wanna jump off a cliff btw." "Author I think you broke me." "Author what about my therapy." Yeah. I was literally just staring at my screen, unmoving. There are other small-scale plot twists other than this, but they were nice surprises, and hey, we even got an ML character development, so don't worry too much.

F*ck, I went overboard with this review. To wrap it up, at the end, although I was feeling a bunch of things simultaneously, there really was just one preeminent emotion -- relief. I was relieved. I was really just so relieved for the main couple. They deserve the entire universe <3

P.S. I recommend this to every sadomasochist out there. <<less

CN (4.4)

#24The Daily Life of Being the Campus Idol’s Fake Boyfriend

78 Chapters Every 74.5 Day(s) 7933 Readers 78 Reviews 02-16-2022

Completed Romance School Life Yaoi

7/10... more>>

CN (4.5)

#25Life-Saving Days by the Husky’s Side

75 Chapters Every 57.9 Day(s) 5601 Readers 100 Reviews 12-26-2021

Completed Comedy Romance School Life Shounen Ai Supernatural

8/10

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Comments (2)

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jongdokschild· Jun 13, 2022 08:27 PM
i really liked your list, earlier i had finished some novels from this list and I had liked them so I decided to read other novels from your list I thought we had the same taste and I'm so lucky to find this list so far I have read 3 novels based on your recommendations and I liked them. Your recommendations are the best and I find it cute that you give some song recommendations I have been listening to You and I by PRVIS for days on repeat. Just wanted to say you have immaculate taste and thank you for this excellent list.
Reply · 1 Like · ·
- yinyangberry· Author · Jun 15, 2022 07:12 AM
  AWWW thank you, thank you so much, your comment made me smile so hard!! I'm glad you liked both the novel and song recommendations >O< Btw, is that beomgyu on your pfp? If you're also a MOA, then our taste really is quite similar! xD
  Reply · 1 Like · ·

Danmei/BL novels I absolutely love and adore

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