Does Summer 2025 Have Any BL Anime?

Non-Boys Love Anime That Sasaki And Miyano Fans Might Want To Check Out

It’s difficult to overstate the popularity of boys’ love manga and anime in Japan. Romance is one of the most popular genres of storytelling in any medium, and BL is just another manifestation of that. No surprise, it’s now widespread throughout the world, even if it remains relatively niche compared to other themes. The genre adopts many classic elements of romantic comedies, from meet-cutes to misunderstandings. The popular series Sasaki and Miyano doubles down by letting Miyano introduce Sasaki to BL, sharing his passion for a fandom that’s all about passion. The sweet, the funny, the anxious, and the adorable unite in this anime, all about the many possibilities of love. For those who haven’t gotten their fill, here are some other great BL anime.

South Korean animated series will be considered. Also, the rankings are determined by how similar the BL anime are to Sasaki and Miyano, along with their general quality.

Updated June 25, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The Spring 2025 anime season is nearly done, and Summer 2025 is right around the corner. So far, this year has not been great for boys love anime, but the upcoming lineup has one representative. It is pretty unique too.
Does Summer 2025 Have Any BL Anime?

2024 marked a new high point for boys love, but that momentum did not continue into 2025. So far, this year has largely ignored the genre, with Babanbabanban Vampire being the only full series released in the first 6 months of the year. While I enjoyed its dark humor, that show is difficult to recommend overall and has nothing in common with Sasaki and Miyano. The pickings have just been painfully slim this year, but things might be set to pick up slightly.

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Fall 2025’s Go For It, Nakamura! will likely be 2025’s most conventional boys love anime, and it is based on a fairly well-liked one-volume manga. More importantly, Summer 2025 has a pretty unique entry in the genre that could end up being fantastic. That said, it will almost certainly be wildly different from not only Sasaki and Miyano but most BL stories, so please be warned before giving it a try.
The Summer Hikaru Died (Summer 2025)

Yes, we are getting a horror boys love anime. This is exciting news! For one, The Summer Hikaru Died is a highly regarded manga, and CygamesPictures has generally done good work. Secondly and more importantly, horror and BL practically never mix. The latter is a pretty isolated genre, and same-sex male romantic interest is rarely explored in shows that do not specifically target a BL crowd. Putting aside the supernatural element, The Summer Hikaru Died is built upon the strong connection between Hikaru and Yoshiki, one that gets very complicated, very quickly. While primarily a horror mystery, both characters’ romantic interest in each other should be central to their personalities and emotions. Now, onto the best BL anime…
19

A Love Too Captivating

Short But Sweet

Japanese Title: Tamaranai no wa Koi nano ka

Based On: Manga

Creator: Mia Sorahana

A TV special, A Love Too Captivating is kind of frustrating, as the single available episode is pretty good. The manga debuted in 2023 and has roughly 18 chapters at the moment, so arguably not enough for a full season (although some shows have worked with less). As such, this adaptation mostly comes across as an advertisement for the source material. Admittedly, that is something that can be said for many anime, but it is extra obvious in these types of cases. Unlike some other short BL anime, A Love Too Captivating sticks to the first two chapters of the manga rather than jumping across the timeline. Consequently, it primarily serves as an introduction to the core couple: Aoha and Riku. Seen as a delinquent, Aoha is ostracized by pretty much everyone, but he still decides to step in when he sees Riku, an honest student, getting bullied. After this act, Riku tries to get closer to Aoha, but he is pushed away completely. However, Riku does not give up, and he eventually gets Aoha to open up. While their dynamic is nothing too unique, the main characters are likable, both as individuals and as a couple. Hopefully, a more extensive adaptation will eventually happen.
18

Semantic Error

Brief Flashes Of Boys Love

OK, this one is a bit of a special case. Semantic Error is a South Korean manhwa that lasted for roughly three years, producing almost 100 chapters in the process. Ending in 2023, it is a great boys love series that is, for the most part, an easy recommendation for Sasaki and Miyano fans. If someone prefers to watch rather than read the story, they should consider checking out the 2022 live-action adaptation, which is available as either an 8-episode series or a movie, both of which can be watched on Viki. At a minimum, one of those versions needs to be watched to get anything approaching a satisfying experience. Now, there is (technically) a South Korean animated version, but it is intended to complement rather than replace the source material. Consisting of four short episodes, the series covers slice of life moments from the manhwa, all of which revolve around the main duo’s romance. They provide snapshots of different points in their relationship, and these scenes are pretty cute and do a good job of highlighting the pair’s dynamic. Still, the anime does not introduce the characters, their social standings, the conflict that brings them together, or their goals. Consequently, it cannot be recommended as a standalone project, but it works well as a fun little companion piece to (mainly) the manhwa.
17

4 Week Lovers

High School Lovers Reunite In College

Sticking to South Korean animated shows for a bit longer, 4 Week Lovers is another boys love short anime based on a manhwa. However, unlike Semantic Error, this 2023 release features 10 episodes and, for the most part, tries to work as a standalone story rather than just a clip show for the source material. The manhwa is still probably a better bet for newcomers since the animated series does not cover the full story, but people who stick to the latter should be able to follow the main couple’s storyline relatively easily. 4 Week Lovers revolves around Song Jaehee and Jeong Dojun, two guys who used to date in high school and end up sharing a room in college. Dojun ghosted his partner, ending their previous relationship on a sour note. While Jaehee pretends not to hold grudges, he still has feelings for his ex and is willing to act upon them. When Jaehee breaks his arm while protecting Dojun, the latter agrees to a 4-week relationship while the former recovers. 4 Week Lovers is kind of a weird one. The main characters have decent chemistry, and the sequences set during high school are fantastic. However, the college-era stuff can be off-putting due to their relationship incorporating an element of manipulation. The show does not take itself that seriously, and most of Jaehee’s antics have a playful tone, but things get a bit uncomfortable at times.
16

Gakuen Handsome

BL Parody

Yaoi anime are already rare, and that goes triple for parodies of the genre. Gakuen Handsome has hideous art, detestable love interests, and the blandest protagonist imaginable; more importantly, all these things are intentional. Consisting of short three-minute episodes, the hilarious anime pokes fun at some of the more polarizing aspects of boys’ love stories, particularly older shows like Junjo Romantica and Gravitation​​​​​​. Due to its nature, Gakuen Handsome should not be someone’s next BL anime after Sasaki and Miyano since the latter does not contain many of the tropes mocked by the 2016 series. Although enjoyable enough without context, Gakuen Handsome improves significantly if a viewer knows their yaoi.
15

Mignon

Intense Boys’ Love Anime

Before proceeding with this suggestion, it needs to be stated clearly that Mignon is far darker than Sasaki and Miyano. In fact, they arguably represent the two extremes of the boys’ love genre. The latter is a wholesome, cute romance with slice of life elements; meanwhile, the former is disconcerting, violent, and occasionally uncomfortable. Just because someone enjoys one show does not mean they will like the other, but Mignon still deserves a mention for one simple reason: it is fantastic. Furthermore, the episodes are just 5 minutes each, so this story can be consumed in roughly an hour, making it a quick and captivating watch without anything resembling a dull moment. To avoid spoiling any of the major (and well-done) reveals, let’s only go over Mignon’s basics. The core “romance” involves the eponymous character, an underground cage fighter, and a doctor named Young-One who works at the same pit. While strong and somewhat direct, the former is pretty naive, young, and dependent. He lives under the tutelage of an awful coach, who is responsible for some of the most unsettling sequences in the anime. Comparatively, Young-One is far more experienced, and he occasionally gives Mignon advice that falls on deaf ears. They have an interesting dynamic from their very first scene, but the first episode ends with a big twist that propels the story forward. While it exists in a different genre than Sasaki and Miyano, Mignon is still ultimately built on a strong relationship between two characters who are slowly breaking the barriers between them, finding comfort in a pretty dark world (which is, obviously, different than Sasaki and Miyano).

Hyperventilation is another BL anime made by the same studio, and it is also worth watching.

14

Sukisho!

Nothing But Romance

Sukisho centers around the relationship between boys at an all-boys boarding school. Its attractive animation is one of the first things to hook most viewers. As for its plot, it will be too much fluff for some, with several episodes in its 13-episode run that could be considered filler. In many ways, Sukisho is an archetypical BL anime: heavy on romance and light on deeper themes. The anime just focuses on the developing connection between two young men. Toss in some fan service and youthful high jinks and one has the makings of a solid if simple BL series.
13

Love Stage!!

Strong Core Relationship

Stylish, with well-rounded characters and a plot that hits on most of the staples of the genre, Love Stage is the story of Izumi, a college student who is also an aspiring manga writer. His mother is an actress, his father a director, and his brother the lead vocalist for a band, meaning Izumi has big shoes to fill creatively.

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Complicating things is Ryoma, a man two years older than Izumi, who fell in love with the protagonist years ago, mistaking him for a girl thanks to his small figure. Ryoma retains his feelings even after discovering Izumi’s true gender, however, allowing the embers of romance that were kindled years ago to reunite. Neither is sure where their new relationship is leading, but discovering the answer to that question is exactly what makes Love Stage captivating for the audience.
12

Heaven Official’s Blessing

Romance Is One Part Of An Epic Whole

A Chinese donghua anime, Heaven Official’s Blessing takes the idea of divine love seriously. So seriously, in fact, its protagonist is literally divine: Xie Lian was a once-mighty god. Now reduced to a fraction of his former glory, Xie meets Hua Cheng in heaven, a divine entity even more frightfully powerful than himself. The romance between Xie and Hua is elegant. It unfolds gradually, and because it plays out against a backdrop of mystery, religion, and myth, it never feels the tremendous pressure to carry the entire story as romance does in many BL anime. Instead, the love between the gods feels natural, which makes it a whole different kind of divine.
11

No.6

Fun Setting, Likable Protagonists

No matter the time or place, whether deep in Earth’s past, the far-flung reaches of outer space, or a medieval fantasy world where dragons and sorcerers rule the day, love more or less always looks like love. No.6 is a near-future sci-fi story about two young men in a dystopian world. The series succeeds in giving viewers three-dimensional characters in a three-dimensional setting. It isn’t perfect by any means, but the richness of its animation and artwork lends an extra layer of greatness on top of an already good manga. It might not have the humor of Sasaki and Miyano, but it lacks little else.
10

Spiritpact

Charming Banter

Another series that falls short of perfection but has a great deal to offer fans of Sasaki And Miyano, Spiritpact is about Tanmoku, an exorcist, and Keika, the victim of a freak accident that took his life. Two men, one dead, could have been the end of it.

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Instead, Tanmoku offers Keika the opportunity to carry on as Tanmoku’s spirit shadow, allowing Keika to maintain his bond to the real world, even if he isn’t an ordinary human being. The interesting plot and supernatural hijinks are fun, but what is likeliest to keep viewers watching is the banter between Tanmoku and Keika, two men who, for obvious reasons, have a lot to say to one another.