Same! At this point, I will be satisfied whether they get together or not. Talking about it makes me want to get back to reading that series. So I probably will 
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I used to read voraciously as a kid, but I pretty much stopped reading completely after high school, and only just started again as a way to study Japanese. It’s been lovely being reminded how enjoyable it is, but having a 15-some year gap since I was regularly cracking open books (or consuming any kind of media period, really) means I have no idea what it is that I like now 
It’s nice to see everyone’s opinions about the merits and demerits of different genres and tropes! It got me trying to pin down the kinds of preferences I think I have for stories, which will doubtless keep evolving as I read more and get exposed to more.
Things that get me interested:
- Nostalgia factor - Just out of the necessity of having no other frame of reference and wanting to lean on what’s familiar while I’m learning, most of my reading since getting back into it has either been re-reads of books I enjoyed as a kid, or extra content for series I first got into as a teen. But even if that wasn’t the case, I think I’m pretty easily got by nostalgia anyway; I have very little awareness of or interest in anything that’s been popular in the last decade, and I definitely gravitate towards things with '90s-'00s settings or vibes.
- Low stakes - I like light-hearted stuff that doesn’t take itself too seriously or try too hard to justify itself. I don’t mind things getting dark or going places at all, but I respect a story that can draw me in to an ordinary situation and only uses high-stakes situations and tone shifts sparingly. Continuously-rising stakes or things constantly going from bad to worse just makes it feel like the writer doesn’t have faith in themselves to keep me interested; the next obstacle for the characters doesn’t always have to be the biggest they’ve ever faced.
- Playing with archetypes - By far the most important thing to me in a work of fiction is the characters over the main plot or worldbuilding, and the most fun I have is when characters are clearly made on a template but then allowed to grow into something unique. I love knowing what a character’s about as soon as they’re introduced, and then seeing the creative ways an author can add depth to them and their relationships and make them evolve over the course of the story.
Things that chase me away:
- Contemporary setting - The flip-side of being drawn to pre-2010 media is that post-social-media smartphone-era contemporary works are an anathema to me. I don’t need my books to remind me that Twitter exists
And modern technology has fundamentally changed how we interact with each other and the world around us in a way that completely disinterests me to see in fiction. - Intrigue - I hate politics and couldn’t care less about picking apart 10 layers of backstabbing in a cast of terrible people who all just want to screw each other over. A single terrible character with shady motives sacrificing others for their ambitions is compelling, but Spy vs Spy vs Spy crap feels like it’s just making the story complicated and miserable for the sake of it.
- Short stories - I’m pretty sure the only ones I’ve ever read were whatever I was forced to read in school, and I don’t remember any of them, so they obviously didn’t interest me enough to leave an impression. I just don’t see a point to the format; I primarily enjoy characters over plot, and there’s not enough space in a short story to develop anyone or their relationships to my satisfaction before it ends, so it just feels like a waste of time I could spend reading something meatier and getting to know characters that are deeper.
I also find it a bit funny to see so many people turned off by stories about teenagers, because I’m like that too, but only in phases. I go through cycles of preferring stories about adults to preferring stories about kids/adolescents, and when I’m in the mood for one I lose a bit of patience for the other. Adult characters have more interesting lives to me and stronger principles and are overall more relatable, but sometimes all I want is to see crazily flawed characters getting in their own way and figuring out how to overcome it, and nobody’s better at that than teenagers
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I agree so so much. I never gloss over stuff in Japanese. And I mean like never. Until they start going on and on about food and then I just skip right over it. The worst sections of 本好き by far are when マイン starts obsessing over some food or cooking thing, but thankfully they are few and far between.
There are some really popular food-centered manga too. Like everyone loves ダンジョン飯, and I will just never even consider reading it based on the premise.
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Wishlisted!
I have read time war! I actually haven’t read Murderbot. It is pretty hyped up and hype sometimes turns me off, but I may try it sometime. I’m just not reading much in English rn
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Same
For that reason I won’t hype it anymore, but I will mention that they’re very short (the first one is 150 pages) so it’s low commitment to finish.
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I feel like that , too. In English, I had some definite habits and things I looked for, but I didn’t really explore as much as I am in Japanese. This has made me more open to reading more widely in English. But actually all my reading time is used up in Japanese and German so I don’t read as much in English now.
Now that I think about it, half my genre likes list was probably due to exploring in Japanese, that makes me really happy!
I left this off my list! Definitely seconding this and I’ll keep an eye out for any favorites people recommend 
ps loved your romance and revenge fantasy rants, we’re cut from the same cloth
These are the ones I want to like but at the end of the day it just doesn’t do a lot for me either
haha, I do find some decades more comfortable, never thought of it that way
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Favorites:
- Mystery
- Thriller
- Horror (which often falls into the previous two categories)
- Post apocalyptic (^same)
- Adventure/Fantasy (think キノの旅 and 蟲師)
- Slice of life
Least Favorites:
- Isekai
- Shounen that goes on too long and they ruin it (aka most shounen)
- Straight romance (as in it’s just a romance with no other real plot)
- Ecchi (unless it’s also post apocalyptic)
- Non-robot/technology driven sci-fi (like aliens and such)
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D.Gray-man | L25 immediately comes to mind for this!
This is a big one for me, to the point where it can really bring down an otherwise good book for me. :\ It’s terrible, but at this point I just kind of default assume your female character is going to be poorly written in some way (usually just there to be a romantic interest) right off the bat. Probably a reason I’ve gravitated towards BL so much. 
I haven’t read the source material, so can’t comment on how well it was adapted, but 中学聖日記 S1 | L27 definitely hit that for me in terms of age gap/student-teacher relationship.
Ah, this is a big one missing from my list. I’ve only really started to dip my toes into books with this, but I’ve really enjoyed it whenever I’ve found it.
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In like a “404 Women not Found” (and thus safe from bad writing) way? Or “there’s well-written women here” way?
Well-written women is one of the main reasons I read so much yuri (tho not every series clears that bar)
I’m a pretty hard sell with student teacher, but any chance you could say more about what you thought was done well? I might consider checking out the manga (not sure I could stand the drama version). I have been considering サボりなら保健室でどうぞ?(1) | L24?? - but very on the fence
Of the age gap I’ve read, a few I’ve felt were done well:
- 〆切前には百合が捗る | L25 - both characters feel like their age, and it’s one of a few themes that will come out in their inner monologue
- サルビアのブーケ(上) | L24 - this one actually features the characters aging up a bit mid-story (not just at the end), and kept things very tasteful
- 春とみどり | L18 - not a romance (some feel there is subtext), portrays 2 characters affected by bereavement, and how they help each other move past it
- 三角形の壊し方 | L20 - what I’ve read of this doesn’t even try to pretend the age gap is a good thing. The younger character even breaks up with the older character bc it’s clear their relationship is really unhealthy
- ひげを剃る。そして女子高生を拾う。 | L26 - not a romance per se - age is done well, but this suffers heavily from terribly written women
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This for sure. I might be able to pick out one or two series with actual well-written women that I can remember, but most of the BL I’ve read doesn’t really focus on its women characters, if there are even any major ones at all.
Will spoil my thoughts just in case, though nothing here should constitute true spoilers. I enjoyed how the age gap/student-teacher angle was not romanticized in the slightest; society at large condemns it, and the reason why the teacher might even halfway consider such a thing was backed up with, I thought, valid reasons. (Actual spoiler related to some of the points you mentioned in your series above): There are two time skips, so we see the relationship from different angles. Granted, I almost never consume this type of media, so maybe someone more versed in it could watch/read it and talk about how it’s actually pretty cliched or whatnot, but I enjoyed it. 
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I never thought of it this way b4, but… I guess 404 Men Not Found (in yuri) also saves me from poorly written men (tho I can think of multiple yuri with well-written men, who add positively to the story).
I feel like I should give more BL a try eventually, but don’t really have a good idea what I’d want out of it
That sounds possibly decent. Also the pun with 聖 in the title is cracking me up… So I put it on my (not anytime soon) list
Tangentially I find it interesting how genre familiarity affects one’s reading, for better and worse. Some things you can enjoy bc you didn’t know it was a trope. Others you can enjoy bc you now know it’s a trope
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If you’re up for a collection of short stories, I think 花物語 | L39 probably fits this
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This is pretty much me with yuri, haha. If a well-written story happens to have yuri, great. If I’m looking for yuri? No clue.
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Fun! The books I enjoy in Korean are quite different from what I enjoy in English, so this is just for Korean. Maybe one day when I can understand Korean better I’ll have more similar tastes to my English reading hahaha.
Books I like:
- Thrillers, horror, mystery. While I like horror in English, I find most thrillers boring and predictable. Somehow in Korean, it’s not painful lol I’m just along for the ride and end up super invested in the mystery. Ex. 용의자 x의 헌신
- Short stories. It’s nice to be able to read a whole story in one sitting. And I get to try out different genres without committing to a whole book. And if one sucks, or was really hard, I just have to suffer for 25 pages rather than 250 pages lol. Ex. 살인자의 정석
- Fantasy elements/science fiction. Again something I don’t usually like in English, but I find really fun in Korean. I’m not into the whole world building thing (like…dune is not for me), but I like monsters and people having powers and stuff.
- Queer stories. Mostly I read BL manhwa or translated danmei.
- Oh and I love sad stories! I have a list.
Books I don’t like:
- Character focused, introspective stuff. My baby birb Korean brain can’t handle that. It needs plot and action to stay awake.
- 에세이 (essay) books. Sometimes they’re nice bc they have some sad parts, but sometimes they’re just boring musings about life. Really depends on if I connect with what the author is trying to say I guess. But mostly, they’re too simple and not as deep as I think they’re trying to be.
- 힐링 (healing) type novels. I just get bored and it gets hard to get through if there is no overall ‘point’ to the stories. I also think these books made me realize I don’t like…
- Switching POVs. When 1/3 of a book is a character’s voice or a character’s story that you aren’t interested in, it makes a 5 star book go to a 3 star book. If they’re shorter parts, with many characters (I’m thinking of Under the Dome by Stephen King) then it’s totally fine. It’s just the slog of long parts or chapters dedicated to a boring person…
- Romance. It can’t be the whole story, I need more. However, this is my opinion for books in English so it could be different for Korean. Tbh I am interested in trying more real romance novels in Korean. Like, who is the Nicholas Sparks of Korea? Cause my mom learned sooo much English from Nora Roberts books apparently
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So most yuri is romance-first (or nearly first), but since you mentioned you like fantasy a lot, you could try:
Fantasy yuri or yuri with some extra main element
- 転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命 | L32 (manga version) - as the title suggests, there’s lots of invention, politics, etc. Also I love a lot of the male characters in this. I do have some issues related to consent, particularly starting at vol 4, but they’re not very prominent in the first 3 volumes
- この世で一番素敵な終わり方 | L23 - focused around death/bereavement and agency, tho it didn’t reach its full potential imk
- 崖っぷち令嬢は黒騎士様を惚れさせたい! 1 1 | L25 - romantic comedy, kinda stormy but the local politics are getting more relevant
- しかばね少女と愛が重い聖騎士の討伐学園ライフ | L22 - magic high school, one’s a zombie
- ギャルメイドと悪役令嬢 ~おじょーさまのハッピーエンドしか勝たん!~(1) | L24 - otome isekai romcom, it’s the premise & humor that’s fun
- 私の推しは悪役令嬢 | L33 - I have complicated feelings about various things in this. It’s otome game isekai, but national politics, class issues, homophobia, etc are all dealt with (manga)
- 無力聖女と無能王女~魔力ゼロで召喚された聖女の異世界救国記~ 1 | L24?? - this is absolutely ridiculous for the first two chapters, but shortly after it starts to involve the politics more, and they eventually go around fixing issues in the country
- カナリアは綺羅星の夢をみる 1 | L26 - this is not fantasy, but it is a Taisho-era love story between an aristocratic girl and a sex worker, and deals with class issues and such. One of the more unique stories I’ve read
- 明日の世界で星は煌めく | L27 - zombie apocalypse yuri (I don’t usually like zombies, but it’s very fun)
- 踊り場にスカートが鳴る | L23 - not fantasy, but ballroom dance yuri
- 伽藍の姫 -がらんのひめ-: 1【イラスト特典付】 | L25 - post-apocalyptic sci-fi yuri, human x robot, journeying, amnesia, etc
- サルビアのブーケ(上) | L24 - girl in magic school, who grew up as an orphan, develops crush on teacher who took her in
- 『人斬り』少女、公爵令嬢の護衛になる | L28 - samurai/assassin bodyguarding and the noble lady she’s newly guarding (manga) - I was iffy on the novel’s writing style, and didn’t finish, but the manga adaptation is ok, and I might pick the novel up again at some point
Any examples?
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Very interesting thread so far!
Favorite Styles
Actually I don’t care very much for genres; I start reading many books without even knowing what they are about - some sort of recommendation is often enough for me, be it from a friend, from somebody here in the forums or from a prize committee (Akutagawa, Naoki and the like).
I much more value good writing. Therefore I like to read 純文学 (although some of it is admittedly still too difficult for me), or authors who have a nice way of writing in general.
What I hate in writing is when an author has a pet word that they use every so often, or when they have a bland writing style without much depth and variation (wrt grammar and/or vocabulary).
I also like it when a book makes me think. I don’t really read for recreation, I want to learn something, think deeply about something or be challenged in some way.
Non-Favorite Styles
Anything to do with schoolchildren (or generally teenagers, for that matter). Very often they are imprisoned in the wall of their (Japanese) societal norms and rules and/or just too shallow-minded for my taste.
Romance if that’s the means and end of the book. This is often just too shallow and not challenging enough (although there are a few counterexamples, of course). I don’t mind romance if it happens along the way.
Authors that talk to me: This sometimes happens in non-fiction. If the author talks to me in ですます and でしょうか and in long-winding keigo, I get bored easily. Please state your point and get out of the way, I don’t need somebody who cheers me on.
Favorite Genres
If I have to name some genres:
Medieval Fantasy / Medieval Adventure / Historical Novels: This is the type that takes place in a medieval or other fairly distant historical setting. This may include fantasy like “The Mists of Avalon”, “The Pillars of The Earth”, “Lord of the Rings” or even adventure series like “Winnetou” … Witchcraft is absolutely not necessary, invented creatures are ok if they blend in nicely, but the general theme is more along “put them in some leather garments and put them on a horse, and I’m game” 
In Japanese this is pretty hard to find, as it needs to be the characters’ real environment, not some Isekai, to make it work for me - and Japanese literature is just so swamped with Isekai. Notable examples are 鹿の王 | L36 or 獣の奏者 | L34 (or even FLESH & BLOOD | L35 although it’s an Isekai - its historical bits are just very interesting on top of the adventure stuff) but I have not had much luck finding significantly more than that. Maybe I should finally start reading 御宿かわせみ | L40 or 村上海賊の娘 | L41 or 竜馬がゆく | L40?? but I’m still a bit afraid of their levels…
Murder Mystery: Big fan of Western criminal fiction, but for some reason the Japanese variant doesn’t click with me yet. Maybe because in the Japanese books the murder mystery is more often than not a locked room mystery, and this is somehow not exactly what I’m looking for in that genre. I want the murder itself to be the interesting thing, not the locked room puzzle.
Spy Novels: In English or German, I love those if the action is in the focus and the politics is kept at a decent level because I get bored otherwise. (Examples: Jeffrey Archer, John le Carre, Robert Ludlum etc.) In Japanese, I have not dared approach one of those yet.
Personal Development or Things gone Wrong: I like to learn something, so seeing people grow in adverse circumstances is quite nice. Needs to be very well-written though. (This might include coming-of-age, e.g. I love おおかみこどもの雨と雪 | L30 but that’s difficult, see comment regarding children above). So I guess this is the core realm of 純文学 in some sense.
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I wouldn’t say I noticed any significant difference in how women are written in yuri compared to the average series I read. What are some you think have particularly well-written women?
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Nothing is coming to mind that I’ve read in Japanese, but Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett pops into my head in English.
I feel like I personally wouldn’t call F&B an isekai - by the strictest of technical standards I suppose it is, but it’s definitely not going for typical isekai themes, was written before the isekai genre really existed, and the characters don’t consider the setting an isekai. But those are just my thoughts.
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Remind me, did you read シャドウ? Also ハサミ男 might appeal to you
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I guess it depends what you’re comparing it to… but like I’d have to go out of my way to find stuff like the women in ひげひろ, ダンまち, ネトゲの嫁は女の子じゃないと思った？ S1 | L24 , etc… That may say more about my reading choices tho
Some examples:
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