I want to have a look at yaoi mangas, but I'm new to the genre and I just want to start out slowly.  I'm looking for series that are along the lines of Demon Diary in content (not too much "love," mostly BL stuff), but it can have a little of the extra.  Preferably an epic or adventure tale if there are any.  If not, thats okay too, all types of stories are welcome.  Any good suggestions?

Gravitation is zany, fun fluff, and a classic non-hardcore BL story.  12 volumes.  If you want a shorter story, Fake is also BL fluff and only 7 volumes.  Both of these have boys loving boys, but no hard stuff.  I personally hated Earthian, but many consider that a classic BL story, although the BL is VERY underplayed.  Gorgeously bound, and only 4 volumes.  I like Loveless (8 volumes released so far) and it is only suggested BL, not really BL or yaoi and more serious/adventurous than the fluffy fun titles listed above.

How much "harder stuff" are you willing to tolerate?  There are a number of good stories that have naked men together but that are otherwise pretty innocent for the genre and that do not get any harder core than just showing the characters unclothed.  Would these be of interest to you?  Are you interested in single-volume stories as well?

Feel free to PM me - I have lots of yaoi advice and websites I could refer for you.

Crimson Spell and Crimson Spell 2 are really good fantasy adventure but they may be more hard core than what you are looking for.

My suggestion would be, if you see Yaoi posted, and you have the credits, get it quick. If you find that you don't like it you will have no trouble getting someone intrested in it.

Okay, I've done my homework this time and I know what I want in yaoi. 
  1)  It needs a good story that could carry its own even if it were a simple novel.  I don't want to follow the exploits of crazed bed-hoppers sleeping with their friends Jack and George, George's cousin Luke, Luke's friend Harry and Harry's dog Luis and all while having a triangle affair with Tim and his sister Susan.  Two in love or a triangle, but no 'lets-see-how-much-sex-he-can-have-and-let-that-be-the-story' stuff.
  2)  It needs okay to very good artwork.  This is a biggie.  I can't read a romance with ugly people on the cover and I can't read manga like that either (unless the story is REALLY worth the trouble).  Awful, I know.  Oh, and never anything really cartoony.  I have to have some semblance to realism or the whole thing is ruined.
  3)  It can be any length, but I would prefer single books.  I'm seriously broke right now and will be starting school soon.  Though I can go up to about four books.  Although, the series have to be finished and not still going on.   I don't want to end mid-cliffhanger because the writers quit writing, like Lethal Drug...
    And, its not a requirement, but any books with historical stories or stories about an artist or writer would be nice.  I am in the middle of trying to get Black Sun, I have Last Portrait on my wishlist and I'm very interested in Fake (I'm saving my pennies for that) and Crimson Spell.  I have been recommended Gravitation by many, but it is way too long for me to consider seriously right now.  If you have any recommendations that arise from these suggested, that would be swell too.  And thanks for the recommedations so far.  It's a big help!!

The yaoi that I have read is very much focused on relationships and sex - that's pretty much what makes it yaoi. Since it is written by women, for women, the relationships are usually monogomous (lots of sex but no bed hopping). There isn't much adventure yaoi out there (that I know of) other than what's been written above. Most of the stuff that I've read is pretty fluffy even if it's angsty (like only the ring finger knows). I really don't know of any yaoi that would win any literary awards. That being said, this is a list of ones I've really enjoyed:

Crimson Spell - the only adventure one I've read. 2 books so far. Lots of humor and lots of sex. Most beautiful artwork and best looking men!

After I win - sweet story, light on sex, beautiful boys, 1 book

Lies and Kisses - interesting story, beautiful men, 1 book

The President's Time - The men are not that good looking here but the story was so cute and enjoyable. 1 book

Brother - the guys are OK looking but the story is very cute. Tons of explicit sex. 2 books

I would also be interested to hear of any yaoi suggestions with beautiful men. :-)

If you are interested in more of a story you might enjoy yaoi novels. They are regular books with occassional drawings thrown in. Again, these books wouldn't win any literary awards. I have enjoyed the following:

Caged Slave - about on the same level as a "Blaze" romance novel but I loved every minute of it.

Sleeping with money - cute and funny

Clear Skies - heartwarming, no sex, 1 book but I wish she would write a sequel

The Guilty - angsty, about an author and his editor, I think 3 books

On the paranormal side there is Dark Walker and Secret Moon which are both a little more intense.

I hope these suggestions help!

I have to admit that when I'm reading Yaoi, I'm shallow enough that I would like the men or boys in the story to look very pleasing to my eyes. I realize that not everyone would have the same definition of good looking but generally speaking, the guys in "Crimsom Spell" and "Lies and Kisses" are good looking while I found the guys in "I'm not your Steppin Stone" and "Presidents Time" to be almost ugly. I enjoyed "Presidents Time" but I really didn't like "I'm not your Steppin Stone" and I think part of the reason was the unappealing guys.

It can focus on the romance/relationship and can even have sex.  Like Akira Honma's book Last Portrait.  The first story is about a guy who wants to be an artist but gives up his dreams to work the family business.  He then falls in love with his boss who then becomes his sister's fiance and one day he lets the guy know.  A problem surfaces though when the boss also professes his love for him.  This is a prime example of what I'm looking for.  If this were a Julie Garwood novel, I could read it.  Because, even without the pictures, it is interesting.

Black Sun is another good example, but for the opposite reason.  The main character, Jamal, is or was a slave that was snatched from his bed as a child and sold into slavery, so now he can't sleep alone at night.  That is about as deep as he gets as a character.  Well, that and he's a bed-hopper.  He sleeps with his Sultan, he slept/sleeps with the guy the Sultan is sleeping with and he used to sleep with this other servant guy who left him to marry and have kids.  Now Jamal has a man he is holding prisoner to SLEEP with.  And thats the story.  This book would not make a good read as a book because it barely registers as reading as a manga.  I still liked it okay, I guess.  I mean, the other main character, Leonard, was almost believable as a person.  He fell way to quickly for a guy who rapes him in front of his men and gives little resistance, even for escape.  But he was the deepest set character in the book.  He fell in love with a soldier who eventually became his commander, he cared deeply for the soldiers in his care (so much so that he practically gave up his life for them), he has mother issues and so on and so forth.  But everyone else is just keeping records on who they're all sleeping with.  NOT GOOD.

That is what I mean in carrying its own weight as a novel.  The romance can be the main focus, so long as some romancing or something of the like is going on.  I don't want any stories about sexual conquests and the guys who tally the notches.

Tokyo Babylon  is 7 books, same as demon diary and I find the story of that really captivating.  Nothing graphic in that just...creepy in places is more like it.  If you are looking for a series that is extremely HEAVY plot wise, I heard Mirage of Blaze was based off novels/mangas.  That has got probably one of the densest plots I've every come across in an anime I would hazard to say and the relationships are involving as they span as far as 400 years of histor y together.

I don't mean to be a pervert but I'm into sex sex sex but with a bit of a story line.  So I'm kinda looking for a few things too.  I also like a really cute story line but with hot action in it too. =^.^=

All do have sex scenes in them but they are all censored one way or another. Either the privates aren't drawn at all (invisible censor) or blurry (pixled censor). All below are actual yaoi since they have sex.

For single volume manga:

Gakuen Haven. Good story with comedy, nice eye candy, and one soft core sex scene at the end. If you like this manga, check out the anime. they changed it a bit and took out the sex so it's just regular bl but it's still cute and entertaining.

Sensitive Pornograph. Has about five short stories in it with different couples. Each has sex but they are soft core.

Wild Rock. Nice story, hot eye candy. soft core.

Mans Best Friend. same as above.

For Multiple volumes:

Junjo Romantica. All couples are attractive, multiples stories but all are entwined.

Love Mode. Same as above.

Non-yaoi (bl/slash)

Kyo Kara Moah. I actually haven't read the manga of this yet but I am watching the anime of it. It has some of everything. action, adventure, eye candy.

I personally could not get into either Loveless or Gravitation so can't say anything about those. I've read the first two volumes of Earthian but as another poster said, the bl is very under played and is barely noticable. But the story is good in that one so far.

If you want a good story and don't mind light BL, I recommend anything by CLAMP. With them, you are guaranteed a good story and attractive characters. Their stories are full of adventure and comedy and the ones I've read so far have some history in them as well. As a note, they usually start out light but get dark along the way.

If you like historic yaoi, you may be interesed in Gerard and Jacques.  It's a two volume set.

For insane, crack like stories, you've got to check out Love Pistols 1-5

My personal favorites are Love Mode, Kizuna (nearly impossible to find), Yakuza in Love, Rin!, Bondz, Loveholic 1&2, Wild Rock, Mans Best Friend, Red Binds the Foolish & Seduce me after the Show.

I write reviews for the website, Boys Next Door, so I've always got a reccomendation or two.  ;)