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← darkroom
Anime/manga with LGBTQ+ characters
Hello!
I am looking for anime/manga with actual LGBTQ+ content. And by that I don't mean yaoi/yuri, but instead series that just happen to have queer characters. Any series at all will do, I am low-key desperate for representation in anime/manga.XD
Examples of what I am looking for:
Sailor Moon
Yu Yu Hakusho
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Tokyo Godfathers
Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Code Geass
Deadman Wonderland
Tokyo Revelations
A couple in Naruto
Mirai Nikki
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Tokyo Babylon
Madoka Magica (debatable)
Shinsekai Yori
Attack On Titan
SteinsGate
Gurren Lagann
Tiger&Bunny
Yuri On Ice
Hetalia
Akame Ga Kill
Durarara
Any more???
Thank you!!
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu and the sequel.
Could you please spoil me what LGBT+ theme there is? I remember dropping this anime after one episode because I found it boring (I know I know, shame on me).
Nooo it's slow, granted, but it's got beautiful storytelling and it's an amazing drama. Not explicit, really, but heavily implied and if iirc confirmed by the mangaka that the main character (Yakumo/Kiku) is bi.
And remembered some other ones!
Kobayashisan Chi no Maidragon
Cardcaptor Sakura and basically anything CLAMP tbh
Samurai Flamenco
Thank you for all the recs! Def heard of these, will be checking some of them out~
Fan-service.
It's really heavy during few episodes, and it's pretty hot.
But it's just that, fan-service.That is sad T ^ T I don't like fanservice much, and I wouldn't count it as an LGBT+ theme, but I guess many wouldn't agree, since Owari no Seraph and other stuff was recommended.
Yeah, I am looking for something solid too, not fanservice.......sigh
In shouwa?? It's been while since I watched it, granted, but I don't remember any fanservice at all
When this series came out, I thought I would be bored by it so I didn't pick it up. Now I see it was a missed opportunity haha.XD
I may remember wrongly since it's an old watch, but what I meant there is that I don't remember any explicit romantic development between the two guys. But subtexts for fujoshi/fudanshi to spot? Yes, definitely, and that's what I call "fan-service" in this case.
All I remember is that it's a story of two guys, best-friends, who "fight" for a woman.In particular all the scenes where the two guys are doing some duo. The direction is really heavy handed and make the scenes really hot.
The mangaka may have confirmed in off that X-character is bisexual or whatever. But personally I think it's pretty void when there is no actual romantic development, even one-sided.
You might as well watch the entire Ghost in the Shell anime collection, since it's confirmed in the manga that Motoko is bisexual. Even if we see nothing in the various anime beside one or two little hints.- continue this thread →
Isn't there that one scene with Motoko and a woman in the anime though? To me that was confirmation enough.XD I am def not picky lmao~
A few from my completed lists, anime:
BANANA FISH
NO6-/
on ICE
anilist.co/anime/8426
anilist.co/anime/759
anilist.co/anime/8129
anilist.co/anime/1637Right yes, forgot to mention No.6~
And isn't Kaze To Ki No Uta BL?
Anywho, thank you for the recs! I didn't know two titles here!^^KazeKi follows some yaoi tropes, but I wouldn't count it as a yaoi, especially since yaoi didn't really exist when the manga got published. I would suggest reading the manga to better understand the work but English scans are very slow (like, 3 chapters a year) so unless you know Japanese or Italian there's no way to read the whole series (Spain is also publishing it, though).
I remember watching the movie simply because I didn't wanna pick up an unfinished work, yeah.XD I do trust the manga is better, but I rather focus on other series for now. Thanks for the info!!~
the monogatari series has a canon lesbian character. shes introduced in episode 6 of bakemonogatari. there's also a lot of possibly queer characters where it isn't explicitly stated
Unpopular opinion, I couldn't get into the monogatari series the first time I tried it, but I have bern thinking of giving it another shot. Thank you for reminding me!
and manga:
J
anilist.co/manga/87459
anilist.co/manga/87208
anilist.co/manga/85922
anilist.co/manga/33588
anilist.co/manga/39174
anilist.co/manga/87322
anilist.co/manga/32759
anilist.co/manga/98583-/
anilist.co/manga/31721
Ugh yes, Shimanami Tasogare is definitely one of the best nonyaoi/yuri LGBT related mangas out there.
Omg thank you, perfect!!!
Wandering son, Princess Jellyfish, Psycho Pass, Utena, Yuri Kuma Arashi (this one is 100% about that, though), Devilman Crybaby, Kino's Journey (debatable, but I'd say Kino is NB), Banana Fish, every manga by Asumiko Nakamura (gay and gorgeous to look at) and more that I'll edit in at some point
Thank you for your recs! Didn't know about a few of these. ^^
Curious, what makes you think Kino is NB? I never quite saw it like that, but would be interested in hearing your reasoning.
Kino is assigned female at birth, but for a while now I've seen the dialogue as pretty telling. Kino choses to use the softly masculine boku and rejects being referred to as both "bouya" or "ojou-san". The show itself generally avoids third person pronouns and goes back to the neutral "Kino-san" or "tabibito-san" (traveler), the only expressions that Kino doesn't actively reject. The subs don't exactly help, I'll admit.
It's, of course, never mentioned within canon (this kind of awareness wasn't generally a thing when the books were written, so I can't imagine Sigsawa going "ah yes, Kino is non-binary", but there's a lot supporting the reading. Plot-wise, Kino's original country was one of binaries (child-adult, mostly), and there, Kino had an old name that was eventually rejected upon leaving. Old Kino's speech ("Not a child or an adult, but a traveler") made Kino find out about the possibility of something outside of the clear dicotomy. Then they left, and also abandoned the traditionally female clothing and stuff besides what I mentioned before.
It also helps that there's never a fetishistic look at Kino's situation. Many shows would take the backstory as a "gender reveal" of some sort and then look at the character from a different perspective (changes in artstyle-role) but Kino remains the same before and after the backstory episode.
Back to the beginning of the comment, I can't say anything for authorial intent. I admittedly don't really care too much for it, but I feel like I have to mention it anyway. Sigsawa hasn't had trouble with the increasingly sexualized marketing of the character, and, while I could never really know, Nakamura's anime adaptation looks like a different story. The art-style, the episode put in an earlier place, not a "reveal" anymore and the fact that Nakamura has already explored Dysphoria in Lain are there. It's not anything concrete, but, you know, it's how I've come to see it.
Seraph of the End Vampire Reign
what am I doing online when what I should be doing is sleeping !?!?
I think this is fanservice so far, but thank you!~
and of course a trans character in
ZOMBIE LAND SAGAZombie Land Saga?! For real?! Wow I legit had no idea, thanks!
@aocchan has good taste, I can only support what she recommends. :)
And I see you already know Ebine Yamaji's manga.
Gay:
anilist.co/manga/34011 anilist.co/manga/43399 anilist.co/manga/63743 anilist.co/manga/47020 anilist.co/manga/31022
(warning on the last one: it's a parody, and thus play on stereotypes)
The first story in:
anilist.co/manga/31874Lesbian:
Applause anilist.co/manga/31557 anilist.co/manga/40557
And depending to how you see it, might be lesbian or FtM trans':
anilist.co/manga/33192Trans':
Now, I am a trans' myself, thus I have a particular relationship with gender-bender manga.
The manga that I relate the more is Double House, already recommended by aocchan.I am fascinated by Moto Hagio's sci-fi works, that often include intersex/hermaphrodite characters. You've already read A-A' and aocchan recommended Marginal. Her last major manga (translated) with that kind of character is: 11
When it comes to pure fiction with trans' character, this one was really powerful, despite its untasteful fan-service: anilist.co/manga/71709 (there is also a gay character in it)
The next two are unrealistic shitty rom-com, but because they're total heartwarming fantasy, they have a strong place in my heart:
anilist.co/manga/70981-/ anilist.co/manga/44115Honestly, easily 1/4 of my manga list contains at least a LGBTI+ or queer character in it (and a lot of them are… questionable…). Because I got into animanga searching for representation too, and I basically read only that during 6 months before widening my scope to my current tastes.
Thank you for going in depth with your recs, hardcore appreciated!!
Will be checking all of the manga recs from you and @aocchan when I have more time in the near future for sure!! There are a few amazing titles here I have been both hearing about and haven't heard of before so truly thank you very much!!~
Aoi Hana is personal favorite LGBTQ+ anime. It's unusually nuanced and open; there's even a coming out scene. I highly recommend it if you don't mind a slower paced series. I posted a full review here.
There's also Onii-sama e, which is like the grandmother of yuri. It broke ground in the early 90s—making room for modern LGBTQ+ anime—and was banned in some countries at the time. Shoujo Kakumei Utena and Maria-sama ga Miteru were heavily influenced by it.
Oh wow thank you very much, I shall be checking these out for sure!! Even though this wasn't exactly what I was asking, but I def need to see a series with a coming out scene~^^
I'm watching Karneval these days... I think it can definitly be on that list !!
Karneval-/It's fanservuce tbh.XD But thanks!! I do like Karneval too~
I don't really agree as Karneval is not a famous anime and most people don't like it...
But yeah anyway, what about Flip Flappers?
Flip FlappersWhat do you mean by that? Fanservice anime doesn't need to be famous. Fanservice = queerbaiting, it's when you give hints at LGBTQ+ content without confirming it. And that is what Karneval does.
And thanka for recing Flip Floppers! I haven't seen it so I can't comment haha.XDFanservice is not a LGBTQ+ exclusive!! It's a general term for any kind of material which is intentionally added to please the audience!!
I don't know about what wanted the author, and about the history of this anime, so yeah sorry I can't say if it was intentionally added to please the audience!!- continue this thread →
I mean I agree with that definition of fanservice, I was simply reffering to the context it seems to be presented in Karneval specifically, which is in fact queerbait.
And while sure, we may not know what the author's intentions were, but we are also getting no confirmation, which leaves only one conclusion that it was bait.
maybe UQ Holder aswell !! I just started, but the character Kuroumaru is neither male or female. As a members of the Yatagarasu tribe He/she will choose a gender at the age of 16.
UQ HolderThis sounds great, thanks!
One more.... Really "manly" but one of them like cross-dressing!!
Hakata Tonkotsu RamensNot sure how I missed this message in my notifications, but thank you!!
I'd list
Otouto no Otto
since I finished it a few hours ago (as of typing this post) and it has characters both in and out of the closet, as well as dealing with the concepts around being gay...but I see you already finished it.Also, there's this one, which is really hard to find in the present day due to the publisher going defunct:
(It's spoiled in Princess Princess that Megumi is a trans character, specifically MtF, but Kakumei no Hi is where it actually happens. The series Family Complex completes the trio of related series, but it's probably the most straight of the lot due to its focus on family.)
About the spoiler of Kakumei no Hi:
Note: Megumi is an intersex, not a trans'.
Trans' is having the mental gender different from the body gender. Whereas intersexuality is often but not only due to chromosome issues (like being XXY, or having an X or an Y inactive or deficient…), resulting in various genital malformations, hormonal immunizations or other symptoms (I'm not specialist at all, Wikipedia has a lengthily article on the topic).It is said by the mother that Megumi has genitals that look like male's, and thus she was assigned male at birth, but like the doctor said, she is XX and thus "female" genetically speaking.
In the manga Megumi choose to become a girl, despite being raised as a boy.
It's true that in this situation, in can be considered as a transidentity issue in addition to an intersexuality issue, I guess. Since there is a change of gender and thus share common traits, but the process is somewhat different from a "only trans'" like me.@ladyfreyja: Thanks for that. It's telling Kakumei no Hi is the only one I haven't read in any capacity out of the trio I mention in the spoiler, so I never got 100% specifics regarding that.
My Brother's Husband is a very important manga imo. I'm sincerely glad it exists.
Thank you for your recs!
Also, these two probably qualify:
(I read both of these after a trans girl recommended them.)
Thank you very much!! These look grand!!
There's also Mariandale, although she's essentially just "a character who happens to be trans" in a parody Isekai show, so don't expect too much in the way of Serious LBGT+ Themes.
Citrus
It's actual shoujo-ai/yuri, not exactly what I am looking for but thank you!~
Anima Yell
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA
these two shows from the same season both had canon LGBTQ+ characters and I liked how both the shows handled itMiss Kobayashis Dragon Maid
BANANA FISH
Ouran High School Host Club
These titles also contain LGBTQ+ characters, these are the ones I could remember ontop of my head, I haven't watched "Wandering Son" but that should be a pretty good one as wellI also quite liked these titles:
Bloom Into You
Sweet Blue Flowers
Asagao to KasesanThank you so very much for your recs!!~~
I would like to thank everyone for your recs!! Truly, I missed out on a lot of series with much needed rep. Sometimes, I feel there is not enough of it, but then I forget just how many series there actually are.
Anyway, thank you everyone! You're awesome!!~~
Arashi no Yoru ni (if you're okay with some animals as main characters, this is a very refreshing take on BL, if not explicitly expressed as such. Definitely interesting and often accurate gay representation)
Cardcaptor Sakura (I think someone already recommended this but definitely watch, lots of stuff here)
Comic Girls (sometimes overly fanservice-y, but some very genuine portrayal of lesbian romance that isn't played as a joke at all, I think it does the "yuri cute girls show" in a more tasteful and accurate way than many similar shows)
Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken (main guy's brother is gay and just about the best character in anything I love him)
Demichan wa Kataritai (cute gay blond shota at one point, some main characters are perceivably gay)
Haruchika Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru (main boy has a crush on male teacher, used as a plot point and not a joke)
Kobayashisan Chi no Maidragon (Kobayashi and Tohru's progression feels like genuine gay romance more than many shows that actually aim to be gay romance)
Orenchi no Furo Jijou (this is as close to BL you can get without actually being BL. It's very cute and heartwarming)
Tsuritama (alright, this one isn't like really in the same vein as these other shows, but if you like cute boys shows with like some BL undertones definitely watch this one)
That's all from my completed list but I can probably find some others later
Wow, this is truly great! Thank you for commenting on each series too! Def going to check out quite a few titles here!
Outlaw Star This anime has a homosexual merchant who does business with the main character.
Yooo! Always good stuff! Thanks!!
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Thank you so very much for your recs!! Will happily be checking all of them out in the future!
Pretty sure the character O.D fits what your looking for pretty well.
Omg yes!!
Thank you for the food pal!!~No problem at all. ^-^ There's also Nishinomya in the show that'd also a cross-dresser so there's definitely a lot going on. But enjoy!
Perfect! Truly, thank youu!!~~
I see you're new to this weeb universe and you've only touched the surface level. There is a whole Yaoi world awaiting you.
Actually, I have been into yaoi for more than a decade man.XDD
And while it is great, I am looking for shows where queer characters just happen to be there. Yaoi is not that.
So yeah, def not looking for yaoi, or yuri. Just regular shows with queer characters.
Devils Line
The manga has multiple LGBTQ+ characters.Is it good? I've heard good things but found the first episode of the anime pretty bad :c maybe the manga is better?
Thanks for the rec! Looks great actually~
I had it on my planning list for ages, time to pick it up it seems XD
I'm bringing this post back with this one. ^
Although I'm partially through the anime at the moment, Max's past involves a guy whom is canon transgender.
Perfect! Thank you!!
Dead Dead Demons Dededededestruction
No BraBoth of those have a cross-dressing character. No Bra is revolved around it, while DDDD it's a side character (although it's slowly getting a bigger place in the story). No Bra is a ecchi comedy, tho. But DDDD does do a good job in portraing (overall) good characters.
This manga has a character who is in love with the concept of love, and not of any gender in particular.
I don't remember more, so here's a manga that's really ambiguous with love and there's characters getting attracted with characters from the same sex even if they are not outright LGBTQ+
Komisan wa Komyushou desuAwesome, thanks!!
Just remembered that there's also this short manga:
It's super bizarre, but the main duo ends up being gay.
do crossdressers count? if so:
Ouran Koukou Host Club
[edit, someone's already recommended this one, so consider this as a support vote^^ - ctrlf doesn't seem to work on links :(]and also this one, although what you're looking for appears only towards the end:
MoyashimonYeah who doesn't know Ouran. XD
Thanks!!
[Removed]
So what's the use of this comment?
[Removed]
I'm not aggressive, I genuinely can't see the reason for your comment... we're trying to find LGBT+ themes, which already are pretty uncommon. I don't think interpreting an abiguous relationship in AoT as homosexual really needs to be called out.
[Removed]
- continue this thread →
They're literally just close friends, nothing points to them being more than that.
I mean... that's just your interpretation. Which is fine, but we could also say that nothing points at them not being in love? And I'm not even a fan of the couple, but if someone is, who am I to say their interpretation is wrong? I did definitely think they were in love, because of how their relationship was presented in the anime.
Would anyone really follow a series just for one relationship between 2 side-characters?
Yes, definitely. In many series mentioned in this discussion, the LGBT+ theme is even less relevant...
Could be helpful to other ppl using this thread as an inspiration. If I wanted to watch the show just because of the LGBT aspect, I would be grateful for the warning. I don't wish to argue or anything, but I think it's a bit unfair to criticize someone for raising a fair point. No one's frobidding anyone to interpret anything in whatever way they find plausible, yet it sure is good to know what kind of thing (implied, confirmed...) I, as a would be viewer, am bargaining for.
I don't know what the discussion here was in its entirety because of removed comments, but if you are questioning why I added Attack On Titan to the list, I did that because Ymir and Reiner are confirmed gay, not because of Ymir and Krista although them too, as they were confirmed to be official by so many people who worked on the show. I was mostly focusing on Ymir and Reiner though simply because they were so outright about it in the anime and manga (as in they flat out talked about it XD). So yeah.
