Boys Love, or BL for short, is a genre that depicts romantic and/or sexual relationships between men. It’s a rich genre with stunning variety in its themes and due to its popularity, the English market gets a satisfactory number of localized titles. The trends and tropes change and evolve over time, however, certain broad strokes or fan favorites remain.
The word ‘trope’ has a negative connotation among anime and manga fans, but it is merely a tool whose outcome depends on its implementation. The romance genre especially runs on tropes, but it’s either a setting or a dynamic that helps the reader decide whether to invest in a series or not. In this corner, I want to highlight 5 Boys Love VSC that share the same trope. Today’s pick is gangsters!
Under The Green Light
Writer/Artist: JAXX
Translator: RJS
Letterer: Chana C.
Platform: Tapas (Mature)
Jin is a director of a gangster group that operates as a construction company. His boss assigns him to bribe an official despite Jin’s objections to the project, so he’s trying to get through the day, doing his best not to murder anyone. He decides to stop by a coffee shop, only to end up drinking the lousiest cup his buds have ever tasted. Little does he know this chance encounter will earn him a new, passionate ‘fan’; the part-time barista and sculpting major Matthew.
A huge fan favorite, JAXX‘s Under The Green Light has accumulated 1.5 million views and this is only the first season! The long-awaited continuation, Under The Green Light: In Dreams finally hit the library in November last year and is still ongoing. Contrary to some of the other yakuza/mobster-themed manga or webtoons, this series takes its themes a bit more seriously. Even though Jin’s aides are quite comical and Matthew’s boss at the cafe treats these men as if they are friendly neighbors, the series still incorporates drug abuse, non-consensual sexual acts, and violence, to list a few.
This series had taken me by surprise with how tailored it was to my tastes; older bottom/younger top, both unhinged in differing ways, a color palette so dim and often tinged with a shade of green that screams toxic! JAXX’s talent shines in creating atmospheres that feel calamitous and depressing, where the city is as unsettling as its inhabitants lurking beneath the normalcy of everyday life.
Under the Green Light would be suitable for readers who love a good heartbreak, prefer their BL smutty and leads messed up.
WET SAND
Writer/Artist: DOYAK
Platform: Tappytoon (All-ages & Mature), Inklore (Mature)
Jo takes off his phone to snap a couple of photos of the beautiful night sky and ends up noticing Ian, the man who recently moved into the area. His finger accidentally hovers over the shutter once again, and knowing Ian has heard the shutter sound, Jo flees in a panic. This accident tangles the lives of three men and the world Ian tries so hard to leave behind; an inescapable pit riddled with drugs, crime, and in it his inseparable partner TJ.
WET SAND by DOYAK has taken over the BL fandom by storm, and rightfully so. The series is in its second season, but Inklore already announced the print release in June. The art style is gorgeous and only gets better by chapter, the sex scenes are so sensual, and the characters are written compellingly.
What appealed to me the most, however, is the series’ down-to-earth approach to criminal groups and the crime’s relation to poverty, being a racial minority, and social class. The socioeconomic class into which these characters are born, in turn, shapes the intimate relationship of these men and even affects their family or friends.
I hope DOYAK continues to integrate these themes into the story and rather than who Ian will end up with, I’m more interested in finding out how this seemingly impossible situation these three in will resolve.
Mad Dog
Writer/Artist: Haribo
Platform: Lezhin (Main Story & Side Stories)
Hamin resents the family he was born into. Some might envy his wealth but he had trouble forming close relationships with others as the heir to a notorious mob family. Right when he thinks he’s free from these ties and ready to enjoy his university life to the fullest, he suddenly has to live under the protection of his father’s right-hand man, Kwon Sehyuk—an unhinged, murderous, teasing man who’s… sculpted like a Greek god.
From the creator of the renowned series At the End of the Road, Haribo turns to the dark(-ish) side and brings together a chaotic pair in forced proximity. Mad Dog is a short, high-tempo series perfect for binge-reading as both the main and the side stories are completed. I wouldn’t call it a dark, psychological thriller because none of the events that transpire during Hamin’s ride with Sehyuk give the reader the impression that the stakes are high.
However, this also means that your ride won’t be bumpy. You’ll get to enjoy how annoyingly charming Sehyuk can be, or despite his grievances, Hamin is a big softie at heart. The mature-rated side stories are a welcome resolution to the relentless teasing and sexual tension between our male leads during the main story.
Mad Dog would be perfect for readers who don’t want to invest in an ongoing and long series, and prefer to enjoy eye candies in comfort!
The Dangerous Convenience Store
Writer/Artist: gusao
Platform: Manta (All-ages), Lezhin (Mature), Seven Seas Entertainment (Mature)
People strapped for cash can’t get picky and in Eui-joon’s case, he has to work the night shift at a convenience store in a super sketchy neighborhood. He earns more because no one wants that shift, but having gangsters as customers still puts a number on his nerves. One customer, however, occupies a particular place in Eui-joon’s mind. And soon, the flat next to his.
Like WET SAND, The Dangerous Convenience Store is at the level of fame to snag itself a print edition from Seven Seas Entertainment with 4 volumes out already. I suggest you read Hilary’s in-depth review to get a more detailed idea, I’ll only briefly tell you what worked for me.
And that would be Eui-joon himself. He’s such a sweet and lovable character that from the first chapter I was immediately enamored by him! Always wearing his heart on his sleeve, kind and considerate, our sheepish main character carried the series for me. Gunwoo, the ‘bad boy’ Eui-joon got involved with, felt flat in comparison.
It’s not easy to create a character who’s a ‘man of few words’ and it’s usually the reader who fills in the blanks in their minds. The Dangerous Convenience Store provides very little apart from some backstory and we barely know Gunwoo, so Eui-joon ends up filling the whole space for both of them. Still, this series has the charm and heartache to keep the reader engaged and breeze through the chapters, digital or print. I highly recommend it to readers interested in reading a bittersweet BL webtoon!
Unfinished Business
Writer/Artist: Antstudio
Translator: yw740030
Platform: Tappytoon (All-ages & Mature)
It wasn’t easy for the alpha Jichan to become a director and he certainly won’t let Yang Jaehyo, another director at the same conglomerate, walk over him. One day, a mysterious man called Eugene appears in front of Jichan, who works for the world’s biggest pharmaceutical company and offers a business partnership, knowing Jichan’s company is run by a gang. At a desperate moment, Jichan decides to accept the offer, without actually knowing what it entails.
Gangsters AND Omegaverse? I say, best of both worlds! For the newcomers, Omegaverse refers to an alternate universe where people are assigned secondary genders such as alpha or omega, and showcase traits or go through certain medical conditions related to their assigned secondary gender. Eugene’s company specializes in medication geared toward the health-related issues that arise from their biological functions.
Unfinished Business is… well, a lot of things, but a walking fire alarm first and foremost. Vertical scroll comics always add content warnings at the beginning of a chapter or in the summary, but it’s not always easy to discern the degree. Sometimes it’s one single event or scene in the whole series so it can be tolerable even if you usually avoid said warning. Other times, as in Unfinished Business‘s case, it’s central to the series. My suggestion is you take the warnings seriously.
This series would be suitable for people who love messy and hardcore revenge stories, or is looking for a BL manhwa that pushes boundaries, as it’s made clear very early on that Eugene knows Jichan and intends to break him both physically and mentally.
Boys Love: “Be Gay, Do Crime”
What did you think? Did you find any of your favorites on the list? Or something you love that didn’t make the cut? Let us know in the comments and see you next time!
