In the age of digital everything, it is convenient to have our favorite stories readily accessible on our phones or tablets. With digital manga and manhwa services like Futekiya, Manta, and Lezhin, it has become easy to read Asian comics and legally support our favorite creators and stories. Services like Futekiya and Manta have a monthly subscription cost while Lezhin has a cost per chapter using the in-site coin currency.
I love reading on my phone or iPad because oftentimes, I’m reading in bed or on the couch in the dark. However, as a millennial, I also love owning my things. Especially in our current digital age, where things often go offline due to licensing or other behind-the-scenes reasons. My manga collection is important to me because I have so many titles that are out of print. I like that I can access these titles whenever.
As the popularity of digital comics from South Korea and other Asian countries has grown, manga publishers in the US have taken note. Slowly but surely, more and more popular manhwa are being licensed for print. I could not be more excited to own some of my favorite bl manhwa titles that I consistently reread across digital platforms.
All that being said, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t put you on to some bl manhwa’s that are now available in print or will be soon!
The Dangerous Convenience Store – Seven Seas Entertainment
You guys already know I am OBSESSED with The Dangerous Convenience Store and talk about it often! I almost cried when it was announced last year that this bl manhwa would be getting a physical print. In The Dangerous Convenience Store by 945, Eui-joon is a college student who ends up in a whirlwind romance with Gunwoo, a mysterious gangster. This story is the perfect mafia-ish fantasy full of of sexy scenes and sweet romance.
Currently, volumes 1 and 2 are available, with volume 3 available for preorder and slated for June 25.
Punch Drunk Love – Seven Seas Entertainment
If there was a poster child for the miscommunication and assumptions tropes, the bl manhwa Punch Drunk Love would be it. Seon-woo is a very plain office worker who secretly has the filthiest mind. He is obsessed with the new manager Tae-moon, and imagines all the filthy things they can do together. A misunderstanding leads them to hook up, and it’s only up from there.
Punch Drunk Love is by MOSCARETO with art by Okdong. Volume 1 is currently available and volume 2 is available for preorder and is releasing on June 11.
Perfect Buddy – Seven Seas Entertainment
Buckle up! An office romance with enemies to lovers is HERE! *screams* Perfect Buddy by Lash with art by daki, tells the story of Seo Hyunsoo who is consistently annoyed by Baek Youngchan. The two bicker and disagree, but slowly, the tides start turning.
Volume 1 is available for preorder and is set to release on September 10.
Tied to You – Ize Press
I am not usually a fan of love triangles, but Tied to You’s story is so different. In Tied to You, by Chelliace with art by WHAT, people develop a red string of fate that connects to their soulmates. The string develops when they meet their soulmate and once they meet, they cannot fall asleep without each other. College student Wooseo Shin is conflicted when his red string connects him to his unrequited love’s brother, Jigeon Kang.
Tied to You volume 1 is available for preorder and release on May 21.
No Love Zone – Seven Seas Entertainment
Another office romance with enemies to lovers coming our way! *more screaming* In No Love Zone by Danbi, Lee Eun-gyeom is an office worker who thinks his boss Han Jihyuk is his type. However, Han Jihyuk is a total jerk and they end up butting heads. How can these two come together and fall in love?
Volume 1 is available for preorder and releases on August 6.
The Big Apple – Seven Seas Entertainment
Supernatural assassin type story? Sign me right on up! The Big Apple by Harusari with art by Hodot stars Joachim, a hitman for the undercover organization who hates his job. All he wants is to be with his lover Juergen. When a mission threatens Juergen’s safety, Joachim will stop at nothing to keep him safe.
Volume 1 is available for preorder and will release on November 12.
Semantic Error – Ize Press
There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how much I love Semantic Error. So when I learned this bl manhwa had been licensed by Ize Press for print, I almost lost my mind. (Maybe, I lost it just a tiny bit.)
Semantic Error adapted by Angy, with the original story by J. Soori, is about rivals falling in love. When Jaeyoung approaches Sangwoo to inact revenge for a failed class, he has no idea he’s about to fall super hard. Sangwoo is awkward and has no idea what to do with Jaeyoung, but he starts falling too.
As of right now, a release date has not been announced. I’ll be sure to provide an update once it has been.
If you’re here, you’re most likely familiar with these types of stories and the tropes they contain. If you’re checking them out, please be sure to carefully check the tags and trigger warnings. We’re all adults here and we know that fiction is fiction, and enjoying things in fiction does not mean you support these things in real life.
