recommendations for media

welcome to mediareccs! we post recommendations for media. pretty self explanatory. you can submit posts as well, please follow this format:

image of the media (official art), type of media(ex: video game, book, tv show), full title, genre(s), possible tws, and a quick description of it! optional: why you recommend it!

please think before submitting as to whether or not something is “problematic” to keep our blog running smoothly. theres a good chance a mod will end up posting something without doing a background check, or miss something completely. if any things we post are horrid, please let us know and we will delete the post.

title: got dropped into a ghost story, still gotta work

type of media: webnovel

genres: horror, action, comedy, psychological

content warnings: its horror so a whole lot. mass death, extremely graphic violence, all kinds of violence and psychological horror

description: kim soleum is a wiki editor/contributor for a famous creepypasta/scp type collaborative story. he goes to a pop up shop selling merchandise, an gets isekaid into the world of horrors hes a fan of and gets a job working with the horror stories. the problem is that hes a huge scaredy cat! the only way out is through unfortunately for him!

why: by the same author as debut or die so you know its good. soleum is such a hilarious protagonist he has that methodical isekai protag approach of making detailed plans based on his knowledge, but hes shaking in his boots and wanting to cry constantly. imagine getting isekaid into the scp universe youd hate it too. this novel is so scary but since soleum is scared too it makes it a little less scary. i dont like horror but i love this novel so much! read for secretly batshit insane protag and even worse coworkers and friends

title: love me for who i am

type: manga

genre: drama, romance

content warnings: dysphoria, self harm, homophobia, transphobia, abuse, etc.

description via animeplanet: Mogumo is a cute but lonely high school student who just wants a few loving friends. Fellow student Iwaoka Tetsu invites Mogumo to work at his family’s café for “cross-dressing boys,” but he makes an incorrect assumption: Mogumo is non-binary and doesn’t identify as a boy or a girl. However, Mogumo soon finds out that the café is run by LGBT+ folks of all stripes, all with their own reasons for congregating there. This touching manga explores gender, gender presentation, and sexuality from many different angles, including the ways people are pushed to conform in a world that doesn’t understand them…until the world begins to learn, one person at a time.

why: nonbinary manga hell yeah. mogumo gets a wonderful support system and is able to live as themself. they meet other lgbt people, somebody for every letter. the cast is wonderful and diverse, but not without conflict. mogumo navigates discrimination and transphobia, but they always have their friends and their boyfriend. also includes one of the best lesbian character arcs ive ever seen btw

type of media: completed webnovel and ongoing manhwa

title: mission save the hunter / i delayed my death because of a will

genres: action, modern fantasy, romance (bl), tragedy, optional smut

possible tws: mass death, near constant suicidal ideation, panic attacks, trauma flashbacks, survivors guilt, lots of violence, lots of blood, gets worse before it gets better

description via manta: Death delayed due to scheduling difficulties. Chaeyoon, once a famous hero, now lives as an unknown hunter, fulfilling the odd dying wishes of ex-colleagues before he can end his own life. Haunted by the past and drawn to Jihan, a skilled hunter he meets, Chaeyoon questions whether fulfilling last wishes and finding his own solace is possible.

why: i bawled like a baby. its about recovery from trauma and suicidality. its extremely painful to read but is so worth it. its pure catharsis to watch yoonseo build himself back up and begin to want to live. i rarely cry at media but this got me. its okay to want to live despite whats happened in your past, its okay to be happy with your life, the people youve lost want you to live happily. me and the bad bitch i pulled by being suicidal

title: the hunters gonna lay low

type: webnovel and manhwa

genre: action, modern fantasy, romance (bl)

tws: human experimentation, memory loss, graphic violence, apocalypse, etc

description from novelupdates: Hunter Cha Eui-jae, who was dispatched to seal a rift that appeared over the West Sea, was flung out as soon as he closed the rift. When he came to his senses, he was lying in a garbage dump. Starving, he was drawn like a zombie is to blood to a hangover soup restaurant, where he realized that he had fallen into South Korea, eight years in the future. In this era, disaster alerts notify people of rift openings in advance, ASMR videos of slimes gathered from dungeons were trending, and idle hunters livestream unboxings of A-rank longswords. Unlike the past, where people trembled in fear of an impending apocalypse, the future was surprisingly peaceful, leaving Cha Eui-jae feeling empty. Since things had turned out this way, why not start a second chapter of life as a part-timer at the hangover soup restaurant, rather than being a hunter? Cha Eui-jae’s plan to quietly spend his remaining days as the only part-time worker at the decades-old hangover soup restaurant goes awry when he encounters a mysterious, gas-masked individual…

why: the love interest is freaky as hell for the main character its hilarious. their whole relationship is the aita response of you two are perfect for each other dont get anyone else involved in what you have going on ever. the plot is really good and i have dropped my jaw many a time. i read all 200 chapters in less than a week. dont read just for the romance read for a good apocalypse story

title: i stole the first rankers soul

type: webcomic/webnovel

genre: action, dungeon crawling, typical hunter bullshit, romance

content warnings: violence, blood, unrealistic insects (many of the monsters she fights are monstrous bugs. they are exaggerated but could be offputting to some. mod has a bug phobia but is fine with the monsters)

description (via webtoon): Moa Son, an ordinary office worker, wakes up in a dungeon in the middle of the night and awakens as a collecting hunter. After barely making it out alive, she falls into the same dungeon but gets rescued by the first-ranked hunter, Jihan Seo, and becomes bound up with him. Now he’s offering to make her strong on this one condition -- "Promise me you will do your best to kill the bosses of all the dungeons that exist in the world.”

why: finally a dungeon hunter story with a bamf female lead. kind of like solo leveling but actually good with a compelling story. moa is a fantastic protagonist, and her antics with her boytoy jihan are so silly. if you like hunter genre stories, youll love this one.

title: hand jumper

type: webcomic

content warnings: blood, death, abusive systems, oppression, graphic violence

description from webtoon: Sayeon Lee despises Aberrants. They wreak havoc on society with their strange, unthinkable powers. It's just too bad she happens to be an Aberrant herself! Forced to fend for her life in the deadly Aberrant Corps, she's determined to make it to the top, and her unusual ability should help her -- if she can figure out how to use it in time.

why you should read it: sayeon is a really good example of how morals can both hinder and help you. her character growth (growth as in she gets worse) is fascinating to see and the worldbuilding is exquisite. its a series worthy of binging, one brimming with both commentary on morality and sick time travel shenanigans.

title: monster prom trilogy

genre: dating sim, comedy, co-op

type: video game

content warnings: drugs and alcohol, sexual content (nothing explicit), violence, typical teenager stuff

description from their website: (first game) You have 3 weeks to get a date for Monster Prom! Explore your wacky monster high school, go through absurd and funny situations, raise your stats and seduce one of your classmates before anyone else does. Beautiful art, bold, unapologetic dialogue and hard choices make up this Multiplayer (1-4 players) Dating Sim. Be your WORST self

why you should play: ive only had this game for a week and ive replayed so many times. theres so much content crammed into one game. each run through is about an hour, but 100%ing it takes like 56 hours. jesus! its a trilogy by the way, theres monster prom, monster camp, and monster roadtrip. the characters are amazing, the dialogue is hilarious, i cant praise this series enough. i sound like im being paid but no im genuinely in love with this series and its world!

ENTIRE TRILOGY IS ON SALE ON STEAM FOR ONLY 20 BUCKS! THATS DAYS OF CONTENT! THE FIRST GAME IS ONLY 3 DOLLARS! ITS A STEAL!

title: insomniacs after school

genre: slice of life, romance, drama

type: manga

content warnings: discussions of death

description from anime planet: Unable to sleep at night, Ganta Nakami is cranky in class and unpopular with his classmates. He discovers that the school observatory, once used by the now-defunct astronomy club, may be the perfect place for a nap—but he’s not alone. Fellow insomniac Isaki Magari is willing to share the observatory with Nakami, and a friendship between the two begins as they bond over the most unlikely of things.

why you should read: i say this every time, but beautiful art. theres a lot of focus on astrophotography, so the scenery needs to be beautiful but the characters are too. i wouldnt say realistic, but its more realistic compared to moe blobs. the romance is wonderful, it actually feels like a romance teenagers would have. the handling of a characters chronic illness is something id have to get a second opinion on, but its done quite respectfully. fingers crossed it wont turn into a your lie in april situation because sometimes it can get real ominous. the plots great, the arts great, the characters are great, what more can i say!

Title: Duke, Please Repent (공작님, 획개해주세요)

Type: webnovel with a webcomic adaptation (both ongoing)

Genres: Fantasy, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Childcare

Content Warnings: child abuse, torture, trauma, tragedy, psychopathy, possession, violence, depression, demon worship, survivor's guilt, kidnapping, manipulation, Stockholm syndrome, secondhand embarrassment

Description: He became an aide to the final boss in the novel. In the ending of the novel, the final boss is dead, and the world is already in tatters. So why don’t we get the final boss off the hook in the first place? We can’t fix people, but there’s no other option, so let’s try fixing the boss.

Why I recommend it: It's a hilarious, lighthearted read about healing one's childhood wounds. The power of MC's goofy personality is so strong you'd forget the things mentioned in the content warning even exist so long as they're not smacking you in the face with a sledgehammer. The story focuses mainly on childcare, but once MC gets enough sugar in poor little meow meow's system and transforms him into a filial simp, they then go on an adventure to battle demons and save the continent along with an elf fanfiction writer, a traumatized knight, a pottymouth mage and her yandere dongsaeng, that one anime girl that prays in the background /pos, a himbo crown prince with a heart of gold who takes denseness to new heights, and a shapeshifting mercenary Beyonce, but mostly they just drink World Tree tea and eat delicious foods.

Why I recommend it evil version: The horrors. Oh, the horrors.

So what are you waiting for? Join the MC as he raises his son (who's only a year younger than him) and travels the demon-infested land of Canaan while pretending to be a corrupt bishop or an unhinged masochist, depending on the situation.

title: akiba maid war

genre: dark comedy, yakuza

type: anime

content warnings: death, so much blood, violence

description from anime planet: Akihabara is the center of the universe for the coolest hobbies and quirkiest amusements. In the spring of 1999, bright-eyed Nagomi Wahira moves there with dreams of joining a maid café. She quickly dons an apron at café Ton Tokoton, AKA the Pig Hut. But adjusting to life in bustling Akihabara isn't as easy as serving tea and delighting customers. Paired with the dour Ranko who never seems to smile, Nagomi must do her best to elevate the Pig Hut over all other maid cafés vying for top ranking. Along the way she'll slice out a place for herself amid the frills and thrills of life at the Pig Hut. Just when Nagomi's dreams are within her grasp, she discovers not everything is as it seems amid the maid cafés of Akihabara.

why you should watch it: its so wild. it opens with someone getting shot. it turns out the maid cafes of akihabara are actually a yakuza like organization, with each cafe being a clan out to get each other. with murder. nagomis not that down with murder but she has to be if shes gonna be a maid.

title: kimi ga shinu made koi wo shitai / my wish is to fall in love until you die

genre: action, romance (yuri), drama, tragedy, fantasy

type: manga

content warnings: character death, blood, war, limb loss, violence

description from mangadex: There is an orphanage, a “school”, that raises girls with no relatives as weapons of war. Every day, students are taught to kill other people and take their lives without any mourning. One night, a fourteen-year-old Shiina, who had never been able to accept her circumstances, met a little girl named Mimi, covered in blood. Fearful Shiina wished for peace, while cheerful Mimi always headed off to war with a smile on her face. However, after the encounter with Mimi, a girl who was rumored to be the school's secret weapon, Shiina's mind undergoes a change. A story of two girls' innocent wishes, found in a world next to death.

why you should read it: amazing art, realistic depictions of grief, compelling story and world building, immortality and the ethical questions it raises, teenage girls having fun but also killing people, characters deal with many ethical and moral questions such as why does war happen, why do we have to fight it, etc. i wouldnt read it for the main couple, i think the plot is more interesting than whatever they have going on. yeah theyre gonna be gay but im not too sold on that. its like pmmm but less weird. teen girls fighting wars that adults should be is always a good genre if done right

title: assault lily bouquet

genre: action, sci-fi, shoujo-ai

type: anime

content warnings: character death, blood, violence, hallucinations, unwanted romantic advances (not between the main couple, thats reciprocated)

description from animeplanet: On the verge of extinction by the alien entity known as Huge, the planet unites to develop CHARM. Merging science and magic into a weapon, military facilities called Gardens quickly sprout up to train recruits in this nascent technology. Forged by nature and training, teenage girls emerge as a heroic Lily upon blossoming. Can humanity survive long enough for these Lilies to bloom and save us all?

why you should watch it: tbh i cant give you a very good reason. usually tumblr draws you in saying something is gay, and yes thats true, it is. but dont watch it just for that. i think the most endearing part is the characters, the plot and worldbuilding are a little lacking. its well animated in my opinion, and the opening is by raise a suilen. the action scenes are sick, even if incredibly improbable by the massive weapons these girls are swinging around and their physical feats. post-apocalyptic world, which is fun. its a plot filled show that its ok to turn your brain off for

title: sss-class suicide hunter (aka sss-class revival hunter)

genre: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy. (romance if i do say so myself.)

type: web novel, and an ongoing webcomic adaptation

content warnings: suicide (like. a lot. but hes fine), death, violence, etc. the usual fantasy webnovel drill

description from animeplanet: I want an S-Rank skill too! I want it so badly, I could die for it! "You have awakened an S-Rank skill. But it only works when you die." Eh?! What is the point of getting one if I die?!

why you should read it: i know the premise sounds intense but. its genuinely so good. i love all of the characters and the world building is so impressive and well done. it starts out kinda intense bc this guy is super driven by revenge but then once he kills someone he is cured of all of his mental illnesses. and then he becomes the best. also like 90 chapters in you meet his husband(wife) raviel who he becomes such a wifeguy for. when two people equally powerful marry each other with no compromises. for most webnovels with comic adaptations, you can read the comic first then switch at like the library arc maybe. if you read this ill love you forever

title: tsuritama

genre: comedy, iyashikei

type: anime

content warnings: the shows main themes are the ocean and aliens. also slight racism, the brown character is handled badly

description from animeplanet: Yuki is an introverted teenager whose intense fear of public speaking makes it difficult for him to make friends, so hoping for a fresh start, he moves with his grandmother to the small island of Enoshima. Shortly after his arrival he encounters Haru, a strange youth claiming to be an alien - and what's more, the otherworldly visitor requests his help to catch a strange being that inhabits the local waters! Along with fellow classmate and local angling celebrity Natsuki, the boys must now form a bond in the hopes of saving the town from the force that is threatening it. With a mysterious organization also lurking about and posing potential danger, Yuki must put his best face forward and protect the island... with the help of a fishing rod?!

why you should watch: very pretty art style. calming despite a wild plot. that type of anime that leaves you wanting more but also satisfied. cured every illness i have. you will want to go fishing. i have never been so tempted to fish in my life.

Title: Shitto wa Ai wo Kumoraseru / Jealousy Disturbs Love

Genre & type: BL 

Warning for NSFW scenes, parental death, abuse

Description: Kirino Shion is a talented and famous pianist. However, he feels that his talent for piano has reached its limit, and has grown to become cynical. Takase, on the other hand, is Kirino's junior, and is not only blooming with talent, but naivety as well. Kirino hates Takase's admiration, so when he admits how important Kirino is to him, he doesn't hesitate to "play" with Takase and take advantage of his feelings to show him his "true" self. However, Takase doesn't sway- instead, his affection only grows stronger, which deeply troubles Kirino. Gradually, Kirino finds himself becoming more and more attached to Takase... but if Kirino is held back by insecurity, how will their love work out? 

Why should I read this? Its about 7 chapters so its a short read but it is a good read. Both parties are incredibly complex and theyre both really well written in my opinion- especially Kirino whos inferiority complex struck a chord with me in a personal way. Plus, the ending is sweet and makes me feel warm inside! Overall I think its really really good!!

Title: Hatoful Boyfriend

Genre & Type: Otome, dating sim, psychological horror, ect...?

Content warnings can be found on its doesthedogdie page. There is a lot going on in this game please read it before you start a serious run of this game. Im being so serious.

Description (from Steam): Congratulations! You’ve been accepted as the only human student at the prestigious St. PigeoNation’s Institute, a school for talented birds! Roam the halls and find love in between classes as a sophomore student at the world’s greatest pigeon high school. Finding happiness won’t be easy, but it’s not all academic - there’s always time for a little romance in this delightful remake of Hato Moa’s popular visual novel / avian dating sim Hatoful Boyfriend!

Why should I play this? Unironically has an interesting storyline and complex characters that you can easily get invested in. The lore runs deep, the gameplay can get repetitive at times because its a visual novel style dating sim but its all worth it once you get to the secret ending. The main routes are short but Bad Boys Love totally makes up for it by being long as hell and jam packed with literal insanity. Bird game ruined my fucking life and gave me 300 disorders. Play it.