The anime industry continuously changes over the years, which allows various anime genres to arise for the developing demographic. Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love enthusiasts need not hide in the shadows anymore as the anime industry has embraced the genre twice as much. Boys’ Love, also known as Shounen Ai, depicts the narrative of love transpiring between two boys or men. Without further ado, here are the 20 best BL anime (not including BL anime OVAs) to watch in 2022: Bonus: You can watch 2022’s recent anime, Sasaki and Miyano, alongside 07-Ghost, Black Butler, Spirit Pact, and Cardcaptor Sakura (if you ship Touya and Yukito). The anime centers on the introverted bookstore clerk, Mikado Kousuke, who has the ability to see the paranormal, and the exorcist, Hiyakawa Rihito. Together, they solve the bizarre cases that come their way while growing closer to each other. Gakuen Heaven follows the fortunate story of Itou Keita as he enrolls in the prestigious academy of Bell Liberty Academy for Boys, an exclusive school for the most privileged, talented, and beautiful. Upon arrival, Keita attracts the attention of both the student council president, Niwa Tetsuya, and the secretary, Saionji Kaoru. As he juggles his everyday school life, Keita begins to unravel the secret of his mysterious school invitation. No.6 follows the story of a boy named Shion, who lives in an exclusive area, the titular city-state No.6. Shion’s life is changed forever after he rescues a runaway boy named Nezumi. Based on the manga by Murakami Maki, the premise centers on the aspiring professional singer and high school student Shindou Shuichi, who falls in love with the famous novelist Yuki Eiri. Together with his long-time friend Nakano Hiroshi, Shindou forms a band to achieve his dream. The story tackles Shindou’s dream of becoming a professional singer amidst the harsh reality of the industry and Shindou’s growing feelings for Yuki. With likable and relatable characters, catchy music, and an interesting premise, the anime will surely leave you with a heart-warming feeling that will make you want to watch more. The anime centers on the relationship between the helpless delinquent student, Setagawa Masahiro, and his high school teacher, Ooshiba Kousuke. The story begins to develop as Kousuke decides to protect Masahiro from bullies. While Kousuke denies his interest in Masahiro, he begins to closely involve himself with Masahiro. While the anime has a confusing start, it becomes better and better as the story progresses. It is a romantic story that can soothe your tired and stressed-out nerves from other anime. With a huge responsibility and familial pressure, Izumi is torn between following his dreams to become a mangaka and following in the footsteps of his family. One day, Izumi accidentally meets Ichijou Ryoma, who mistakes Izumi for a woman and falls head over heels in love with him. It turns out that Ryoma has met Izumi 10 years ago. Love Stage is a light-hearted BL comedy with a bit of romantic teasing. It is a must-watch for every BL anime fan, although it is quite short with only 10 episodes on its slate. Keiichirou owns the cake shop Antique, and he invites the genius protégé baker Ono Yuusuke to work for him. The story develops as Yuusuke comes out of the closet and begins his advances toward Keiichirou. The anime is unique and has a fresh take on the BL genre. With a solid storyline composed of comedy, angst, and realistic drama, Antique Bakery wows fans with its plot and amazing character development, not to mention the sublime voice acting that keeps viewers interested until the end. Although it has been released for quite some time now, Kyo Kara Maoh! remains a decent watch for anime fans, whether they love BL or not. From its interesting take on the isekai narrative to its ridiculous antics, Kyo Kara Maoh! is a must-watch! With some light and soft BL elements, this anime is perfect for any isekai fan. Kyo Kara Maoh! follows the story of Yuuri Shibuya after getting pulled into the school toilet transport into a world where humans and mazoku exist. Due to his hair and eyes being considerably black, he takes on the role of the next Maoh (King of the Mazoku) to solve the kingdom’s problems and pacify the relationship between humans and mazoku. Loveless is a combination of fantasy, angst, and the josei genre based on the manga by Kouga Yun. It centers on the twelve-year-old Aoyagi Ritsuka as he becomes Agatsuma Sobi’s partner in fighting an organization called Nanatsu no Tsuki. Together, they become Fighter and Sacrifice, and begin investigating the death of Ritsuka’s brother, Seimei. A BL anime that stays true to its source material, Loveless is a series that has a lot of interesting characters, unexpected twists, and pleasant combat scenes. Although 2016 was an emerging and uprising year for the LGBTQIA+ community, many anime fans did not like Super Lovers. Super Lovers follows the story of high school boy Haru and his adoptive younger brother Ren. They grew closer together after Haru’s mother started living overseas. With the responsibility of looking over the wild and aloof Ren, Haru needs to go beyond Ren’s personal walls. Despite the anime’s fast pace, it has good character and plot development. So, if you’re looking for a feel-good anime to watch for a while, Super Lovers will do it right for you. Based on the manga by Nakamura Shungiku, the anime follows the story of Misaki and Usami, who are student and tutor, respectively. Misaki starts having confusing feelings and odd problems after reading Usami’s shocking book about him licking every inch of Usami’s hot body. Although the anime has a lot of smut and explicit content, Junjo Romantica deserves a spot on our list because of its popularity and well-received comedy and romance aspects. This is a definite must-watch for any fangirls out there! Xie Lian is a deity that was previously beloved by his followers for 800 years. However, he becomes the laughing stock of the citizens after he gets kicked out of heaven three times. In order to make up for the crimes committed by his followers, including violence, plague, multiple demotions, and even poverty, Xie Lian needs to exorcise ghosts to ascend to heaven again. Not long after, he meets Hua Cheng, the richest and most dangerous of the Three Devastation Demons and one of the Four Great Calamities. He had been keeping an eye on Xie Lian for quite a long time. They embark on an action-packed adventure to uncover the dark secrets of the heavenly realm. It is one of the most highly anticipated Chinese anime, with smooth animation, a dynamic duo, and an enjoyable narrative that even non-BL fans can enjoy. It follows the story of Katsuki Yuri, a Japanese professional ice skater who’s on the verge of retiring until he meets the five-time consecutive Grand Prix Champion, Viktor Nikiforov, as well as his Russian protege, Yuri Plisetsky. With Viktor’s coaching and guidance, Katsuki Yuri continues to skate in the beautiful, yet harsh reality of ice skating. The anime shows a lot of BL scenes but doesn’t go beyond its limitations. It also hints at a blooming romance between Viktor and Yuri but doesn’t confirm nor deny the obvious romantic tension. It is an anime about friendship and features gorgeous ice-skating scenes and beautiful animation. From the best action-packed scenes to the most touching moments, Banana Fish is a rewarding watch for all BL fans. Putting aside the BL elements, the anime still appeals to non-BL fans because of its dark and hyper-violent narrative, terrific characters, and catchy music. Set in New York, Banana Fish follows the story of 17-year-old Ash Lynx and the kind Japanese cameraman assistant, Eiji Okumura. In one fateful encounter, Ash was entrusted by a murdered man with a mysterious thing while uttering the phrase “Banana Fish”. Given follows the story of Ritsuka Uenoyama and his losing passion for music. One day, he accidentally overhears the singing voice of Satou Mafuyu, which changed his perspective on music. With its very fluid character development, well-animated sequences, touching moments, and beautiful music, Given is a recommended watch among all anime fans. When Junta takes Takato’s title, he becomes depressed and drowns himself in alcohol. Junta messes up Takato’s depressing act, much to Takato’s chagrin. What will happen now that Junta is blackmailing Takato for physical affection? Dakaichi is a 13-episode TV anime that debuted in the fall of 2018. Sasaki and Miyano is a 12-episode TV anime produced by Studio DEEN that premiered during the winter 2022 anime season. It has been so successful that an OVA is currently in the works. Sasaki and Miyano follows Miyano, a BL manga reader who becomes involved in a scuffle with the delinquent Sasaki. What happens when two diametrically opposed individuals collide? As Sasaki becomes more intrigued by Miyano’s fiery personality, it will only be a matter of time before the two of them become closer together. The Titan’s Bride, which was released in 2020, follows high school graduate Kouichi Mizuki, who is summoned to another world by Prince Caius of Eustil. It turns out that Kouichi got transported to a world of titans, where he must marry Prince Caius! What will happen to Kouichi in the land of the giants? Will he be able to coexist with his colossal groom? Taishou Mebiusline: Chicchai-san is based on a visual novel and is produced by Studio A-Cat, the same studio that animated Frame Arms Girl, LBX Girls, and Amazing Stranger. It centers on Hiiragi Kyoichiro, who has a special ability to see the spirits of the dead. This led the Japanese army to hunt him down. Set in the Taishou era, Kyoichiro only wants to finish school and return to his village as a great man. Its story follows Hashiba Sora, an amnesiac, as he attempts to reshape his life after a mysterious accident. Sora gets to meet his childhood friend and now roommate, Fujimori Sunao. Things take an unexpected turn when Sora discovers that Sunao has a secret identity as Ran. Can Sora regain his memories amidst all of the distractions coming his way?
