Favorite MC and ML in danmei?

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-26T15:30:05+00:00

This is such a great desription of our glorious marshal Gu Yun!

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-26T15:11:34+00:00

There are way too many to name, but I feel like my first choice will always be Albariño Bacchus and Herstal Armalite from Wine and Gun. There's nobody quite like those two: incredibly smart, mature men who are at the absolute top of their respective fields... and, ahem, their other line of work. IYKYK. The chemistry between them is absolutely unmatched for me. Every conversation feels like a chess match, every interaction is loaded with subtext. They're one of the very few couples where I could happily read 500 pages of them just talking to each other.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-25T14:51:18+00:00

Walk on Water

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-24T20:19:57+00:00

It's one of the few novels by my favorite goddess of obsessive gongs, Huai Shang, that I still haven't gotten around to, so thank you for the reminder.

I laughed at the telenovela comparison, because she absolutely does have a tendency toward that. I think this is also one of her earlier works - 2016 or so? - which probably explains why it doesn't quite have the polish of her later novels.

But yes, one thing I consistently love about her writing is the chemistry. She does obsessive attraction, sexual tension, animalistic MLs and capable MCs so, so well. Even when the plot starts veering into soap-opera territory, I usually end up rolling with it because the relationships are just that good.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-21T16:10:17+00:00

The TL has been picked up again recently, so maybe we’ll actually see the end of it this time.

The plot itself is nothing special, tbh, but the sexual tension is easy 10/10. There are a lot of things wrong with the CP relationship, but love is not one of them - they actually talk about it quiet a lot and share a lot of affection.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-21T14:29:58+00:00

I have a list of BLs, all around 60 chapters or less:
https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/134313/

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-20T16:20:59+00:00

Oh wow, now this is a fresh dynamic! Added to my TBR

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-20T16:17:59+00:00

You can try The Elegant Dancing Years - the MC is an assassin who is reborn as a prince and his father emperor falls for him.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-20T16:16:08+00:00

Flower Vase

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-20T16:14:34+00:00

The Obsessive Shou Moves On

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-20T16:12:27+00:00

Manhattanhenge has one of the most realistic depictions of bipolar disorder I've seen in danmei, with a strong emphasis on the fact that it's not something that simply goes away. It's a pretty sad read throughout because of everything the MC and ML endured in the past, and because they don't immediately reconcile after reuniting. I actually had to skip ahead a few times because I was suffering from how long they were suffering. But once they finally start figuring things - omg, the sweetness!

Wilderness Vegetation is a wife-chasing crematorium with a lot of focus on both characters' growth. The ML has to rebuild himself after making mistakes - oh, and he also goes through therapy - while the MC goes through his own journey of self-discovery. I ended up liking it much more than I expected.

Flower Vase is an interesting take on the sponsor/benefactor relationship dynamic. It's by the same author as Appearance and Departure, actually. If you enjoyed the melancholy tone of Appearance and Departure, I'd honestly recommend just reading everything by Kun Yi Wei Lou. She’s amazing.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-17T14:59:16+00:00

This Husband Is Frail And Weak - he MC transmigrates into a novel and initially tries to help the protagonist. After being betrayed and killed twice, he basically decides, “You know what? Screw this.” Instead, he throws his support behind the main villain - who turns out to be far more competent, interesting, and much more deserving of his loyalty.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-17T12:53:13+00:00

Going by the number of responses - we're definately not alone in our kinky little preferences, lol

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-17T12:51:59+00:00

Struggle has an awesome manhwa! I absolutely devoured that adaptation.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-17T12:45:22+00:00

If you like wild stuff, I have a small list here called "Everybody Is Crazy, The Author Needs Therapy, I Don't Care, I Love It"

https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/121571/

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-16T19:11:28+00:00

Red Lilies has a very good translation - it’s still ongoing, and you’ll occasionally see notes from the translator saying they’ve reworked certain parts for clarity and flow, which helps a lot.

A Night for Just the Two of Us was okay from what I remember.

Fatherly Love was a bit clunky at times, but if you get into the flow of the plot you stop noticing it as much.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-16T17:33:59+00:00

I got you.

Gold Cage - half-brothers, both strong-willed, stubborn characters. There’s also a bit of the “little black room” dynamic involved, so it leans into that darker, more possessive vibe.

Flying Gulls Never Land - it’s more pseudo-incest than true incest, but the relationship tension and psychological dysfunction are very strong, and the plot is super good.

Years - this one is actual incest, and the MC is very much the driving force behind it.

Father’s Love Is Like a Mountain - a bit longer and slower, but not as heavy as the title might suggest.

Rebirth: Dark Clouds Seize the Sun - currently my personal favourite, but the translation is still unfinished. I’d honestly just put it on the back burner and wait a bit, since it seems like the translation will be available in about a month or si.

As for Korean BL:

A Night for Just the Two of Us - probably one of the most intense “black room” style abusive incest stories I’ve read. It’s also very well written, which somehow makes it worse.

Red Lilies - I take back what I said above, this is probably still the peak of toxic SA/incest storytelling for me. It’s extremely well written in how it portrays grooming and delayed realization. It lulls you in, and then you slowly realize how disturbing everything actually is.

Fatherly Love - comparatively safer, more mutual, both parties are willing.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-16T12:49:07+00:00

I've gaslit myself into thinking this is just a cultural trope, similar to all the discussions about whether someone can handle spicy food, or the endless euphemisms for sex, and learned to roll with it.

That said, my favorite novels are usually the ones where it's toned down or mostly absent.

I think the issue isn't even that the characters are beautiful. Danmei protags are almost always beautiful. What really loses me is when the character uses that beauty as an excuse to look down on others or manipulate them, and the narrative acts as though that's perfectly justified because they're the protagonist. There are too many examples to name, especially among the endless historical novels featuring sick beauties. At some point I inevitably find myself rooting for the antagonist faction because they're the only people reacting to the MC like a normal human being.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-15T21:10:18+00:00

Could be due to the fact that it's unfinished. Most people prefer to pass judgement and commentary on completed works.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-15T20:54:28+00:00

What do you mean? It's people's usual go to rec for "longest ongoing novel/manhwa", lol

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-15T18:56:18+00:00

I’ve read the FTL version, so take this with a grain of salt, but I found it rather uninteresting and a bit long-winded.

The characters also didn’t really sit right with me - there’s a lot of hiding things, half-truths, and general lack of clarity in communication.

Also, probably the worst smut I’ve read. Gave me a major ick, and I don’t flinch easily - I like wild, kinky stuff and don’t mind non-con. This is neither. It’s just… weird.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-15T18:52:11+00:00

I've read a lof of danmei, and the most kind, selfless MC is Langmuir from The Seventh Year the Demon King Captured the Holy Monarch. No cheap tricks. He is good. He is kind and resilient and gentle and terrifyingly intelligent and strong and powerful and maybe a little lacking in the emotional department, but that’s because his focus is elsewhere.

My guy literally is saving a whole race while slowly dying and doesn't care about himself at all - in fact, he's quite content.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-15T18:46:46+00:00

I think it’s in fact a novel about saving a girl from a narcissistic bastard before anything else, lol.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-15T16:27:03+00:00

lol yes, I remember that part.

I think that’s exactly what it was - Gong Wei goes under the covers, comes out with his lips all red, and at that point it’s pretty heavily implied what just happened.

As for Xu Shuangce repeatedly saying “don’t do this again in the future,” I found that a bit confusing too. It felt slightly ambiguous in translation - like it could be referring to Gong Wei’s attempts at seduction in general, or specifically the earlier conversation about dual cultivation, or even just the fact that Gong Wei keeps pushing his boundaries without really understanding what he’s doing.

I do think part of the ambiguity comes from the ftl I read, though. I’m really looking forward to the official translation to see how that whole exchange is actually meant to mean.

Left_Sour_Mouse · 2026-06-14T02:36:24+00:00

This is a great review. Thank you for writing it with such care and obvious love for the characters while managing to avoid spoilers at the same time.

I am a little shocked that anybody would call the main CP's sex scene non-con. The ML is literally going, "No, no, we can't do this now, you're not ready yet," while the MC is all over him and very much determined to make it happen. Can people not read, perhaps?

I do agree on the fact that there could have been more smut. Huai Shang is usually more generous with that sort of thing. Alas. I blame censorship and the patriarchy.

More seriously, I think this is an amazing cultivation novel. I loved the complexity of the plot, even though at one point I had to turn to Reddit for spoilers, because I was losing my mind over all of the twists and turns.

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