Birds of Shangri-La, Vol. 2

Birds of Shangri-La #2

by Ranmaru Zaria, Ranmaru Zariya

A straight man takes a job at a gay brothel that has a firm rule of no falling in love. What could go wrong?

Apollo takes on a rather odd job at a brothel as a way to make some fast cash, but when one of the male prostitutes takes an interest in him, his days of gainful employment seem numbered.

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Boys Love, Romance, LGBT, Comics, Queer

202 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2020

About the author

ZARIYA Ranmaru: 座裏屋蘭丸

Please also see other profile Ranmaru Zariya.

Reviews

[ꪖꪶꫀ᥊ⅈડ ꪆৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE YOU!!!!!
My jaw is on the FLOOR!!! That cliffhanger LISTEN LISTEN, listen... there better be a book three SOON if not I will SIMPLY PASS AWAY! And you're all invited to my funeral!!!
Oh my when I say I'm obsessed with this series I'm OBSESSED and ADDICTED!! That last scene was soo intimate PLEASE I devoured this entire book and I crave more!!!

[Fallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art style is so good 🤤

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHERE. DO. I. GO. FROM. HERE?

It's oozing with sexual tension, but here I am continuously turning pages. And just when we finally get there, guess what—the volume ended!! You left me here all alone, cold, with a fricken cliffhanger in my mouth. The author is harsh. I have so many hopes for this volume, but well what do you know, the author wanted to take the longer path (and I guess, I don't want it to end either.) But yea, in hope for rendezvous business for the third volume... I'm excited!!

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this manga series!

With volume 2, we get some of Phi's past. And it seems like his dark past might be coming back to haunt him.

Apollo is so protective of Phi. Can't wait to see how their relationship progresses.

[Victoria (Victoriabooklover) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi what? Where is the next volume?!!!! I need it so bad

[Liliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my!! Jajaja cada vez nos acercamos al punto de tensión máxima. Me gusta mucho el ritmo al que va todo. Ahora a resistir la espera para el tercer volumen

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: Sexual Abuse Trauma in past, Possible murder, Sex trafficking in past

This volume was just as sensual and exciting as the first volume! We get a bit more development with our lead couple. I love that everyone in this manga is so sex positive. The brothel is so well handled, full of consent. While it does have some dark themes, it's handled in a way that is tasteful. The artist does an amazing job of drawing just enough to get the point across without going into too much detail.
This is a series I highly recommend if the content is something you can handle. I love it.

[Nea Poulain · Rating 5 out of 5]

No mamen que pedo esto, es otra onda. Me recuerda a Hoshi no yakata porque pues ambos tratan de burdeles, aunque sean establecimientos muy diferentes (pero ambos son lugares que constituyen el hogar de los protagonistas por alguna razón y su lugar seguro y aaaa aunque traten con kinks MUY diferentes (en general si el bdsm no les hace tic tic en el cerebro hoshi no yakata no les va a gustar lol))

Pero no mamen qué pedo esto es otro mundo jajaja, amo aquí

[Say · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apollo Apollo Apollo….I can see you breaking the 1st rule.
And I guess by the next volume you will be breaking the other 2?

Ahhhh book 2 is EVERYTHING!!! We finally get a glimpse of Phi’s life in the slums. And they opened up to each other.
And I guess falling in love will be next???

On to volume 3!!!

[Knigoqdec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Рядко чувано нещо се случва тук - все пак Фи сподели част от проблема... обикновено вариантът е "Хъ, сещай сЪ сам/а".
Като цяло целият том е на фаза "каваи".

[colagatji · Rating 4 out of 5]

the art style of this is exquisite

the art, the plot, characters is everthing i love

just please gimme more please Y.Y
PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Vany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. Just yes. Thank you for the meal, Ranmaru Zaria.

I can't put my thoughts into words but this:

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Original Review*
Beautiful, gorgeous, amazing.

There's just something about this series that brings me so much joy. It's so beautifully written and drawn. I love it so much. So many more elements came to play with Phi and Apollo finally telling each other about their pasts and the potential stalker coming into play. Then there's just the shock Apollo had when he realized he'd broken the rules. I'm really liking Klarna too. He wasn't super relevant in the first volume, but he's becoming more involved now. He's kind of bratty and I love that.

Not sure when the third one will be out which absolutely hurts. It seems like Ranmaru takes a little longer to put out content, but their works are so good it's definitely worth the wait.

*Reread 6/15/2024*
Loved this just as much the second time. I love the atmosphere and the characters so much.

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zariya no deja de demostrar lo diosa del bl que es. Ahora a aguantar el hype hasta el tomo 3.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to the first Birds of Shangri-La feels less plot driven and more... Aside: Here's a look at the other protagonists' backstory. The first focused on the protagonists' backstory (at least in parts). Here the non-romantic interest gives their take.
The visuals while striking and well-drawn and their backstory, while unique, didn't hold the same flair for me as the first one did. I won't give too much away but the backstory does have the twist that sets it apart from other "sex-worker" backstories I've read.
Seeming to go at a slower pace than the original and featuring less intimacy, but more poignant moments of sensuality (as in plot specific, which was nice), it lacked in the hold that the first had for me.
However, I'd be curious to see where the story goes, especially after the ending.

I cannot say anymore, so go forth and enjoy. By the way, it does follow the sequence in storyline so I highly suggest you read the first volume before this.

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

~*See below for review in English*~

4,5 Sterne

Trotz der teilweise für mich schwierigen Thematiken, die ich sonst meistens versuche zu meiden, mag ich die Geschichte sehr und möchte gerne mehr über die Charaktere und ihre Schicksale, insbesondere Phi erfahren!

Inhaltswarnung (ggf. unvollständig)

- dub/non-con
- Kinderprostitution

~*~*~*~*~

This manga has some difficult themes for me that I try to avoid, usually. But I still enjoy this story very much overall and would like to know more about the characters and their fates, especially Phi!

Content warning (may be incomplete)

- dub/non-con
- child prostitution

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I’d love a manga about an elite male brothel on an island until I picked up this series.

Phi’s past is coming back to haunt him and with the information we are finally getting about what he went through as a child, I’m amazed it took this long. I feel horrible for what he went through. No child should have to live on the streets and be pimped out to afford to eat, especially not by a family member. But those are the memories of what he deals with daily.

I love that we finally get to see Apollo open up and find some kind of comfort in Phi. I really hope that they get their happily ever after.

[Kye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ranmaru Zariya shows again why she is one of my top 5 mangaka of all time! This story is developing beautifully. We finally get Phi's full, tragic background story. We also get some insight to his mindset and why he considers Shangri-La his home. In addition, watching the transition Apollo is making as his relationship with Phi develops is chef's kiss! Utterly intriguing and enticing story. I cannot wait for the next volume!

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was really about diving deeper into the characters and developing their relationship, so it was quite slow burn compared to the first book, but it’s really working and I can’t wait to see where it goes. Less outright sexiness than the first book, but it’s getting more intimate which is kind of equally hot in a different way, and as much as I just wanted a *Plastic Wrapped Yaoi* when I first picked up this series, I’m already catching feelings and I know I’m gonna end up so fucking soft for these men as they continue to fall in love. 🙄

[Marika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ☆

[Elys · Rating 4 out of 5]

if u see me reading this, no u don't.

also: IS HASSAN ALIVE OR NOT? that was a bit...brutal.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooooh drama with Phi's past!

[Brianna🖤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.5 stars⭐️

[Runar Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of all TIME! I want MORE!💙🖤

[Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only downside to this is that it's not yet finished. Might just be my top bl manga of 2022.

[🧸♡뀨♡🐣 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 情感什麼的都好讚 然後還有懸疑感 結果兩人打破的禁忌是看起來最普的

[Rekki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as enjoyable as volume one, but now I'm even more curious about our main characters~

[Andria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn. This series just keeps getting better and better.

[Neha · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg the story is so interesting AND THE ENDING?? that was hot😮‍💨

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟