#10 Thai BLs to try if you prefer Japanese BL

[absolutebl]

Hello, hi.

Next week is Cherry Magic's last episode and I'd like a suggestion as to what to watch next. Since last year I've watched some shows that I've enjoyed to different degrees. So far I've vibed more with the Japanese ones and only have watched two Thai shows: step by step and cherry magic.

I definitely like cherry magic more but I'd like to watch some more Thai bl, as I can see they're very popular, but honestly I don't know where to begin. I don't know if mentioning my favorite shows would help?

Old fashion cupcake

Cherry magic (JP)

I cannot reach you

Semantic error

Thank you so much in advance 🙌🏽

This is a perfect question for me!

I think you're vibbing more with Cherry Magic Th because it's following the original yaoi so closely, so it's def more JBL feeling story than it is ThBL.

Okay so your favorites are:

Old Fashion Cupcake

Cherry Magic original

I Cannot Reach You*

Semantic Error*

You've named some of my all time favorites, and 2 of my VERY few top 10s*. (For more of my top 10 JBLs, try here (pre 2023). For my top 10 KBLs, those are here. And my top BLs of all time are here.)

But you want Thai recommendations?

Before I start, off script, seek ye Seven Days. It's my favorite JBL of all time and it's absolutely amazing and very special. It's in two parts and worth every effor to try to find. Here's me talking about it.

First, let me triage some connective tissue.

It seems like you like soft and gentle BL. (Try this cozy list.)

You like JBL so that means higher filming standards and certain aura of authenticity.

Also a lower heat level.

Okay, here are 10 Thai BLs I think you should try, in order...

10 Thai BLs to try if you prefer soft Japanese BL

1 Until We Meet Again (YouTube)

UWMA is, without question, a work of narrative genius with a powerful and cohesive romantic backbone and stellar performances. It is (to date) the only Thai BL that I’ve rated a 10/10 predominantly on the basis of story structure. That said it is also very well cast (and it’s a BIG cast), with solid production values, and enduring pair branding and a softness and complexity that should appeal for a JBL stan. More of my feels on this on here.

trigger warning on the original trigger

2 I Feel You Linger in the Air (iQIYI or grey)

I truly loved this time travel romance. IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn AKA soap opera. This is an elegant and classy BL… from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t great either. However, JBL isn't noted for sticking the landings either. Full review and discussion here.

3 My Ride (Gaga)

Thai BL grew up with this little pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. Full review.

My caveat with this one is, like Step by Step, it is a Thai pulp which mean production values will not be up to Japan's standards. So if you bounce hard off the style of the first few 2 eps, it doesn't get better, so drop it and move on.

4 A Tale of Thousand Stars (YouTube)

With great casting and cinematography this drama nods at BL tropes but manages to elevate them (and itself) with a strong mature story concept about a spoiled rich kid who gets a heart transplant and becomes a rural teacher in order to pay out survivor’s guilt. On the way he falls in love with a local park ranger and contends with his own classism and escapist tendencies. Everyone seemed to perfectly suit their roles and GMMTV made the most out of its stable. Combined with excellent production (and post production) values, 1000 Stars is without question GMMTV’s most mature, charming, and smart BL series. I think it should go down as one of the top BLs of all time. I feel safe recommending this one to friends and non BL watchers.

5 He's Coming to Me (YouTube)

Boy and ghost boy fall in love, must solve ghost’s murder. Peak pining but also pretty tame, features my favorite sweet but important coming out sequence. The third in my precious triumvirate of unbeatable Thai BLs, that are only nominally BL because the story, acting, and production values are so good. (others are UWMA & 1k*)

You don't mention any PNR or high concept, but I still think it's worth giving this one a try.

6 Moonlight Chicken (YouTube)

I enjoyed this complicated little show, even though it’s spectacularly messy gay with lots of shrapnel and authentic pain. I thought the leads (EarthMix from 1k*) turned in their most compelling performance to date. But it was GeminiFourth (My School President) who stole my heart. That said, the most interesting central relationship was that of Jim & Li Ming, their father-son angst mixed with evident affection made me tear up. This was more slice of life than it was BL, but it ended happily so I’m not mad at it. Full review here.

It's not as soft as you like, but you might try it anyway, because it is Very Good.

A note if you watch this and enjoy GeminiFourth, you could try their BL, My School President. I chose not to explicitly rec it to you because it's VERY Thai Bl with lots of comedy and slapstick, and you named prestige JBL and KBL (which are the anthesis of this). Taht said, MSP has no more or less than Japan's Cherry Magic, so you might enjoy it.

7 Make a Wish (grey)

An odd pull but I'm going with it. This PNR (from noted Y-novelist Sammon - Manner of Death & Triage) about a doctor who can see the dead and strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love. The Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay af and has a fag hag bestie and everything. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings could feel too overblown and tonally off. (But again no more than something like Japan's Cherry Magic.) It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

8 Bed Friend (YouTube -cut version, iQIYI - v high heat)

You didn't name My Personal Weatherman (a great high heat JBL from last year) but if you want to try some Thai-style high heat, this is your best bet. Office frienamies transition a flaming hot one night stand into a f-buddy relationship that is built on a puppy/cat dynamic (and kinks into it at one point). Our puppy is loyal, smitten, and protective with endlessly longing eyes, while our cat is snarky, prickly, and deeply damaged (ALL THE TRIGGERS). NetJames give lovely high-heat with excellent chemistry and tuned-in performances of surprising depth, the story ultimately fails them at little as it waffles and went off the rails. But that's a Thai BL thing. Full review here.

Triggers include: child abuse, attempted rape, family abuse

9 The Eclipse (YouTube)

This is a good show but the cast is excellent and the leads are absolutely flawless, which elevates it beyond just good. We got a nuanced and multifaceted burgeoning relationship: philosophical (and socio-political) conflict contrasted to moments of empathy; flirtation contrasted to moments of genuine affection, plus plenty of angst. This narrative is less about love than it is about courage and tenderness. However, near the end the pacing was off and the plot frustrating. Still, this is an enjoyable watch, with a finale that features verbal consent and a fun blooper reel.

10 Love By Chance (YouTube)

Okay I dithered a lot over this last one and finally chose this. Because in an intro to Thai BL you should have at least one trail by fire and that's bound to be a MAME offering.

AePete’s meet cute is one of the best ever put on screen. They are just so genuine and soft with each other, it’s hard not to love them from the first moment. All the best Thai BL tropes deployed (and there are a lot of them) are earned honestly by the narrative, including the seme/uke dynamic (such as it is). The characters are unique as this is a poor/rich pairing, where Ae is tough & scrappy, caring & protective, and probably demisexual, while Pete is timid, shy, lonely, and out gay (with his peers). The language is also glorious with Pete using formal (even old fashioned) register, while Ae is entirely rude. You can train your ear for Thai high & low registers with this show (in fact, it's why I started learning them). As surrounding characters point out, they shouldn't work together, and yet they're very much wonderful when they are together.

HOWEVER: You watch LBC for the mains, ignore the sides (trigger warnings), and don't bother with any of the follow ups and you'll be fine. AePete will remain in your heart for a really long time. They are still one of my all time favorite couples. Also (still) two of the Thai BL industry's most famous actors.

For those who are wondering, yes the last contender was, indeed, Bad Buddy. But I chose LBC purely on the basis of softness.

There it is.

I hope I have picked some winners for you and please loop back around and let me know how it goes?

I really want to know if any of these worked for you, this was such a fun challenge.

(source)

[kevin-the-bruyne]

do you guys remember marvels civil war and it was called civil war when they meant this

Like max 10 superheroes just ripping up an empty airport runway … anyhow that’s what the twitter kbl vs tbl debate is to me thus far I’ve counted 3 racist trolls and somehow everyone and their mother aka freaking Jojo is involved in this 😭😭😭😭😭😭

my friends my guys let me introduce you to colorism in Asia - yes not an insignificant number of people think South East Asia is inferior to East Asia. Let’s not even talk about those dirty dirty South Asians. Too dark to even think for themselves those poor fools. Most common in East Asia itself, I’ve legit just stopped going to Hong Kong because of how racist it is. Japanese girls were flirting with a guy whose hand I was holding because they don’t believe/can’t believe that a white guy would prefer to date me over them lol.

But legit SouthEast Asians and South Asians will also follow this hierarchy. Can’t find an aunty in my vicinity that can talk about Japan without mentioning how beautiful their skin is. White supremacy eurocentric ideals of beauty blah blah blah

And now that Thailand is capturing Chinese market ahead of South Korea in the BL field Thailand will be constantly under racist fire. I know only a little about South Korean entertainment industry because I never had or will have a KPOP phase (thank god). But they’re not above playing dirty. I unfortunately know more about Chinese ent then I ever wanted to and they are definitely not above playing dirty. Where money is involved trolls are planted.

Enjoy your TV gays you’re not going to solve this problem by feeding trolls and trying to prove how great Thailand BL is by responding to them one by one on Twitter. GMMTV already proved Thai BL is ahead of every curve back in 2016 with SOTUS and idolfactory did it again in 2023 with The Sign.

If you want so badly to prove that Thai BL is amazing: Show up with whatever money you have when they sell tix and merch. Otherwise, block trolls and have fun.

[absolutebl]

Top 10 BLs Out of Taiwan

(Presented in order of my personal preference.)

We Best Love: No 1 for You & We Best Love: Fighting Mr 2nd (2021 WeTV) - the 1st season is a short run classic university set BL combining the best of Korea & Thailand’s modern takes on genre. The 2nd season moves into the office, and employs Japanese style in terms of setting, obsession, and mature concepts. WBL thus successfully managed to pick up and combine the best features of Korean, Thai, and Japanese BL right now. Couple that to the insane chemistry from the leads, and we have one of the best BLs of all time, cooking to a recipe I doubt anyone else will ever be able to replicate since only Taiwan is this flexible. Full review here.

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (2018 Viki) - Taiwan’s best example of classic BL with a sports romance foundation using some of the most prototypical and least offensive yaoi tropes. 

Be Love In House: I Do (2021 Viki) - A cute classy office set BL with a few plot raised eyebrows, but no other concerns, plus a general sweet softness that’s pretty rare from Taiwan. Full review here.

See You After Quarantine? (2021 Viki) - Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys is just as charming and adorable and still quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. The two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry. Honestly how does Taiwan do it? Full review here.

DNA Say Love You (2022 GaGa) - DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The last few eps really are special and life/love affirming - and the ending is big-grin charming. Full review here.

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong (2018 Viki) - another one that picks up and uses a classic yaoi tropes that most other BL producing countries have dropped - teacher/student. I happen to be okay with this power dynamic (and the child abandonment issues) and really like the grumpy/sunshine leads. But this is basically a happy reboot of Japan’s 2007 Boys Love, one of the first ever live action yaoi. 

HIStory 3: Trapped (2019 Viki) - not quite BL, more a mafia set cop versus criminal cat-and-mouse gay romance, where the leads end amorphously but the side couple ends up together, but wonderfully acted, and the SUITS are to die for. Literally.  

About Youth (2022 Gaga) - a truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst story. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. Lots of BL tropes but also this is quite queer and very Taiwan with an earnest depth I haven’t seen since My Ride, and an almost real world authenticity. Full review here. 

HIStory: Obsessed (2017 Viki) - very strongly sourced in yaoi, this one features the obsessive stalker love trope and “kill the gay”  but with a twist that allows for an HEA in what I would call almost self-referential poking fun at all those murder gays Japan gave us for so many years. The strongest seme/uke Taiwan has ever give us. 

My Tooth Your Love (2022 Viki) - earnest dentist hottie with sad eyes who worries too much is smitten by an adorable sunshine neurotic bar owner with serious anxiety issues. They fall madly in love while courting each other with food, plushies, and naps. Then, shocker, talk about their feelings and try to actually sort out their problems so they can have an adult relationship. Bonus crumbs = 18 year old poor little rich kid in mad crush with a much older man. Fun premise, killer dialogue, there was a solid lead pair with charming chemistry, soft flirtation, and delightful smiling kisses and stinkingly cute domesticity. Trigger for family abuse.

Honorable mention to the amazing BL side plot in Love is Science? Seriously, watch this!!!! 

Taiwanese BL in Brief

Taiwan is relatively new to the BL genre. Their first actual BL offering was 2012′s high school set queer coming of age mircofilm Pair of Love, which featured both gay and lesbian couples, ending happily for one pair but not the other. But it wasn’t until the first of the HIStory series entered the fray in 2017 and proved successful that Taiwan really started producing consistently. 

(Prior to all these there was 2006′s YA coming of age Eternal Summer(s) which is not dissimilar to Thailand’s Love of Siam in that it owes more to queer indie than to BL.) 

Like early Chinese BL, Taiwanese BL owes a lot to the Japanese gay cinema and “the dark side of BL” (which I talked about in Japan’s entry in this series). There’s a lot of obsession, death, and even some kidnapping in Taiwanese stuff. It also tends to lean higher heat and use more mature actors (if not in character behavior and emotional maturity). 

It’s grittier than a lot of other BL, for lack of a better word. It’s settings and filming style is grungy, sticky, and raw (although not as much as the Philippines). It’s also overtly queerer. 

Taiwan is great on their chemistry and workshopping to ensure sex and kissing appears authentic, possibly because they have one of the least homophobic cultures in Asia. 

Speaking of which, unlike other BL producing countries, Taiwan has something to prove. Gay marriage has been legal there since 2019 and they have been spearheading a supportive agenda and pro-queer messaging since 2017, which is GREAT and boy do they deserve to flex those (pretty pretty) muscles. (The platform GagaOOLala with all queer streaming content is based out of Taiwan.) 

Their 2017 BL microfilm Faded is so short and yet uses so many BL tropes in order to get across a strong message of inclusivity, and it was clearly made for Taiwan’s older generation in an effort to tip the marriage equality vote. (Yes, it’s a queer propaganda piece!) 

That said, Taiwan’s BL is inconsistent in terms of length and HEA. 

With some series running short at only an hour or so total, like Korean BL, while others that go all the way up to 20 episodes or more (see HIStory’s season 3). They seem to have no set pattern, and as they don’t produce that many BLs in a year, no pattern seems to be forthcoming. 

They are a very small film production country in general, and with only one or two houses even intersted in making BL, we just don’t get much from Taiwan. However, what we do get tends to be high quality. They even came out with a quality historical gay drama, Your Name Engraved Herein (not HEA and not really BL so I don’t list it, but it is an excellent movie as a movie). 

Because of their tiny industry Taiwan is king of cameos. You will see the same actors over and over again, and often the same pairs in little nods (especially within the gay universe of, our goddess, Lin Pei Yu.) 

But Taiwan is inconsistent and bifurcated in their approach to BL, producing both light BL new wave (more like Thailand), and dark BL old style (more like Japan). 

For example, 2021′s HIStory 4: Close to You proved divisive because it showcased both these story styles at once. Each one a classic example of BL’s yaoi roots: 

the side stepbrothers plot which has all the dark obsessive elements that gave us Japan’s favorite early oeuvre of “death and the murder gay” (dark BL)  contrasted to H4′s lighter more comedic... 

friends-to-lovers office fluff piece that feels a lot like Japan’s 2014 Docchi Mo Docchi decided to reboot itself in Mandarin, only as gay as it was always supposed to be (light BL) 

H4 is, in a way, Taiwan’s internal dialogue with its own style of BL and where it wants to go. Whether it is willing to go up against Korea in the arena of shorter run strong concept but ultimately happy new wave BL, as it did with We Best Love, or whether it wants to continue down the shadowy path of amorphous endings which risk a discontented fan base but garner critical acclaim as they did with HIStory 3 and Your Name Engraved Herein. 

You can all guess which path I’m hoping for. (Full H4 review here)

Taiwan may be my favorite BL production sphere, it’s no accident that I chose them to cast and produce MY ULTIMATE FANTASY CAST AND BL MASTERPIECE. 

Here’s more on Taiwanese BL:

Taiwan’s relationship with BL and how they can more honestly represent gayness than some of the other BL producing countries (as well as mess with the seme/uke dynamic) as a result of local politics and marriage equality. 

Why Taiwan tends to gravitate towards taboo tropes. 

Here’s the Taiwanese BL industry casually flexing Taiwan’s marriage equality muscles.

Taiwan futzes with seme/uke  (and why) 

A Guide to the HIStory Franchise (and here I am Remaking the HIStory Franchise) and the damaging tropes within it 

Top Ten Best Kisses from Taiwanese BL 

This is part of a series on top 10 BLs from each country coupled with a history of BL. I try to keep it up to date but tumblr doesn’t make that easy. 

Japanese BL

Chinese BL

Taiwanese BL

Korean BL

Thai BL

Where of watch it? Taiwanese BL usually launches and/or ends up on Viki (they are why I have a subscription). With very few exceptions, everything else is on GaGa, with soem of the very old stuff showing up on YouTube. 

ALL BLS OUT OF TAIWAN

That I have watched and rated, by date & then rating out of 10. Top ones highlighted. 

2006 Eternal Summer - 2 2012 Pair of Love - 3 2014 100 Apples - 4 2016 Friend or Lover - 6 2016 He's Out There Somewhere - 1 2017 HIStory: Obsessed - 8 2017 Red Balloon - 7 2017 HIStory: Stay Away From Me - 6 2017 HIStory: My Hero - 6 2017 Faded - 5 2017 We Are Gamily - 5 2017 Dark Blue and Moonlight - 3 2018 HIStory 2: Crossing the Line - 9 2018 HIStory 2: Right or Wrong - 8 2019 The Teacher - dnf 2019 HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count - 2 2019 HIStory 3: Trapped - 7 2019 Departure - 3 2019 Bro and Me Bro & Me - 3 2020 Because of You - 7 2020 Craving You - 5 2020 Our Memory - 3 2020 Your Name Engraved Herein - 2 2021 We Best Love No. 1 For You - 10 2021 We Best Love Fighting Mr. 2nd - 10 2021 Be Loved In House I Do - 9 2021 Love is Science? BL Cut - 9 2021 See You After Quarantine? - 8 2021 HIStory 4: Close to You - 8 2021 Papa & Daddy - 7 2021 My Type - 7 2021 Innocent - 5 2021 Light - 5 2021 Friend or Lover - 5 2021 The Immeasurable - 4 2021 The Immeasurable - 4 2022 Plus & Minus - 8 2022 DNA Says Love You - 8 2022 Papa & Daddy 2 - 6 2022 About Youth - 8 2022 HIStory5: Love In The Future - 7  2022 My Tooth Your Love - 8 2023 Stay By My Side - 8  2023 Kiseki: Dear to Me - ? 2023 You Are Mine - ? 

(This is as of Nov 2023. source)

[absolutebl]

BL FAQ

When did you start watching Asian BL dramas?

I saw my first BL drama in 2017, but I didn’t start blogging about BL until 2020. I come to BL with a background of reading yaoi (in translation) in the early 2000s. I’m (intentionally) not familiar with anime. I’ve watched and critiqued queer cinema and literature as part of my professional life since about 2010. One of my (MANY) academic tangents was into narrative analysis. My profession is now tangential to Hollywood and centers around data analysis (which should tell you the reasons I don’t talk about what I do is 1. NDAs and 2. it’s boring). 

I’m pretty sure first BL drama was SOTUS on YouTube, then the HIStory & HIStory2 series, then Love Sick, then Love By Chance. I had seen some Japanese live action yaoi before that (Takumi), but by accident and not really registering what it was. After discovering Thai BL on YouTube, I jumped like ALL in ALL at once, so I don’t remember the order at all. 

2gether and TharnType were the hardest for me to get into. 

Since I travel a ton for work, outside of 2020-2022 I’m usually a binge watcher. Normally, I do not tune in weekly. I don’t care about spoilers. 

What are your favorite BL dramas? (right now) 

Until We Meet Again is my favorite Thai BL. 

Semantic Error is my favorite Korean BL. 

We Best Love is my favorite Taiwanese BL. 

Seven Days is my favorite Japanese live action yaoi. 

Mr Cinderella is my favorite from Vietnam.

My Day is my favorite Pinoy BL (although I don’t follow these closely). 

Here’s my currently running 15 best and 15 worst list. 

I do not consider mature queer cinema (like Your Name Engraved Herein or His) strictly BL. Since I come from 2000s yaoi and tropes are my passion, I expect my BL to display certain defining narrative elements. Similarly, because of my background, I do not expect BL to be all sweetness and light and happy ever afters, although that is the kind of BL I prefer to watch. 

The only 7 BLs that I have rated 10/10 are: 

Seven Days (Japan) 

Color Rush (Korea) 

Light On Me (Korea) 

To My Star (Korea) 

Semantic Error (Korea) 

We Best Love (Taiwan) 

Until We Meet Again (Thailand) 

This is out of 500+ watched as of beginning 2023. 

Who are your favorite BL actors? 

I like actors who show good chemistry with different partners. In other words, I like it when they can act outside of a prescribed pairing. So Fluke Natouch, Lay Talay, First Kanaphan, & Ohm Pawat are some of my favorites. I also admire and try to support out actors like Fluke, Earth, Newyear, Holland. 

What are your favorite tropes? 

Romance tropes in general: 

(love) Rivals to lovers is my #1 fav trope since by its nature it’s queer, (example: Hey Rival, I LOVE YOU!). 

Grumpy/sunshine is my favorite pairing (To My Star). 

I gravitate to found family, journeys of self worth, unrequited pining, and well integrated paranormal elements (Cherry Magic, Color Rush, He’s Coming To Me). 

I like slightly higher heat levels and palpable chemistry (We Best Love). 

Although, I will forgive almost anything for good allegory and great plot (Color Rush). 

I love soft pairings where it’s all about equality and mutual care and domesticity (Ingredients). 

I prefer low angst when outside forces act to keep the couple apart (i consider miscommunication lazy writing). 

Tropes germane to BL in particular: 

Food is my love language is a big favorite (anything from boys feeding boys, to gifts of snacks, to eating and cooking together). 

I enjoy a high school setting and I will cut these stories more slack than those featuring older characters.

If there must be a uke/seme (heterosexual imposition out of yaoi) then I prefer if it is established by some kind of world building concept (Color Rush), character personality (AePete in Love By Chance), or is clearly D/s. Otherwise, I am a big fan of Taiwanese BL and Korean BL because couples tend to have a weak seme/uke dynamic.

And that the uke chracter has agency (physical, vocal, active, autonomy - e.g. TeaKyung in Light on Me). 

I prefer a soft pining aching seme + a tough stroppy agro uke (We Best Love). 

I only really enjoy a happy ending - HEA.

I have a weakness for some systemic but problematic tropes like overprotectiveness, stepbrothers, age gaps, and whipping boy 

Who are your OTPs? 

My comfort babies are: 

SoloGui (Oxygen) 

AePete (Love By Chance) 

ShiDe + ShuYi (We Best Love) 

JiWoo + SeoJoon (To My Star)

JaeYoung + SangWoo (Semantic Error)

Togawa + Nozue (Old Fashion Cupcake) 

Takara & Amagi 

What non-bl dramas do you recommend?

I mostly don’t. Occasionally I will lose my tiny mind over a bromance (glares at The Devil Judge). 

I will suggest non-BL queer cinema sometimes. Some of my favorite BL-friendly English language movies include: 

Shelter ~ Closeted poor kid who’s an amazing artist falls in love with out rich kid who is also his best friend’s older brother. Themes of familial responsibility, hope, and duty. Southern California setting comes across really well. 

Latter Days ~ Repressed mormon meets LA party boy who’s made a bet to seduce him. Includes lots of dramatic indy songs, Tara from Buffy, and an achingly romantic ending. LA struggling actor versus the mormon agenda is extremely well done. 

Boy Meets Girl ~ a near perfect execution of the friends to lovers trope plus finding self worth and acceptance in a very atmospheric, beautifully romantic, and gorgeously queer journey. 

Maurice ~ British upper crust university college kids in the 1920s meet and start a plutonic love affair spanning many years. Based on the life of E.M. Forster, it’s not a typical romance but it does have a happy ending.

I do like noona romances.  

What BL do you recommend the most to non-BL watchers?

AKA gateway drugs? 

He’s Coming to Me on YouTube. I consider this the most palatable BL for a Western mind-set English-speaking mainstream audience. 

Also A Tale of 1000 Stars is a solid classic romance. 

Wish You on Netflix for Korean BL & K-pop fans (with a standard K-drama stalker trigger warning). 

I will crow about Color Rush and Cherry Magic to anyone who will sit still long enough.

Semantic Error - come on, just LOOK at it. 

Where can I find Korean BL? 

Korean & Taiwanese dramas usually show up on Viki. Korea’s premier queer arthouse production company Strongberry sells exclusive to vimeo and GagaOOLala, which also has most of Japan’s back catalogue. 

Ones I’m asked about the most: 

Color Rush (2020) on Viki. The movie is better.

To My Star (2021) on Viki. Either the series or the movie. 

Where can I find Taiwanese BL?

Taiwanese BLs are the hardest to find. But most of them are on Viki or GaGa at this point, except my favorite, We Best Love (on WeTV). 

Like Korean BL, many Taiwanese BLs (including most of the HIStory series) are on Viki (some of them behind the paywall but not all).

Some are also on YouTube. They get taken down then pop back up again. So you’ll need to search. 

If I can’t find it anywhere else I check the discussion thread for the drama in question on My Drama List. 

Where can I find Japanese BL? 

Japanese dramas are sometimes posted by professional level subbers independently. Two of my favorites are irozuku and ichihachi but they both sub non-BL as well. Older live action yaoi (AKA the first BLs) from 2016 and earlier are notoriously difficult to find. If you find a source, tell me, okay? Sometimes they are on YouTube and quite a few are now on Gaga but mostly the darker stuff. 

Ones I’m asked about the most: 

Cherry Magic (2020) - Irosuku subbed it but technically I think it’s on Crunchyroll 

Restart After Come Back Home (2020) - Gaga 

Seven Days (2015) - possibly my all time favorite BL, yeah good luck with that, but it is SO worth the hunt 

Where can I find Vietnamese BL? 

Vietnamese shows are mainly posted to YouTube from their many different production houses. I subscribe to the channel of the ones that I like.

Ones I’m asked about the most:

You Are Ma Boy (2021) from DGTV 

Hey Rival, I LOVE YOU! (2020) on Come Out LGBT Việt Nam (also has Follow My Sunshine) 

Where can I find Pinoy BL?

Pinoy shows are mainly posted to YouTube from the many different production houses. The houses are usually pretty good about making series playlists and the subs are always excellent. 

Ones I’m asked about the most:

My Day (2020) from Oxin Films has been down for a while, sadly

Gameboys (2020) on Netflix 

Like in the Movies (2020) from Globe Studios on YT 

Where can I find Thai BL?

Where can you not find it? 

GMMTV YouTube Channel: Major heavy hitting Thai shows like 2gether & Dark Blue Kiss, 1000 Stars, Bad Buddy are on YouTube. I just subscribe to that channel and/or look at its playlists or use YouTube search function.  

Studio Wabi Sabi YouTube Channel: second biggest Thai BL producers offers The En of Love | Love By Chance | Until We Meet Again 

Smaller production house Thai shows like Oxygen | My Engineer | Ingredients | 2 Moons 2 are on YouTube from their production or distribution houses. 

Thai shows that have been sold for international distribution: SOTUS, Lovesick, Puppy Honey are sometimes on Netflix (but often still also on YouTube) although a select few are going to VIki & iQIYI 

Thai shows that have faded or never got international distribution are sometimes on YouTube uploaded by fans: just search the title of the show + “Eng Sub” for example Make it Right & 2 Moons original 

Thai shows that aren’t on YouTube can usually be found on Viki or Gaga or iQIYI (behind a paywall), just use a search function + name of platform.

Still Totally Lost? 

If I can’t find it anywhere else I check the discussion thread for the drama in question on My Drama List or whatever grey site is currently popular (bad & illegal rips and terrible subs but sometimes it’s all we get). And I set up an occasional vanity hit search alert for YouTube. These include: 

Addicted (Heroin) web series (the world’s best BL from Mainland China) the full uncut version (trust me, you want that one) is on Viki.

Which OTT platform are worth subscribing to for BL? (The Stats)

My infamous BL spreadsheet currently has 383 entries, and a column for “source”, I type this in April of 2022. 

YouTube - 165 BLs

Has the most pieces of content. That’s because bootlegs show up there a lot, especially the early Chinese and Japanese stuff that you can’t find anywhere else. They will often get taken down and you have to hunt for it again. YT takedowns come in waves, every 6 months or so.

However, GMMTV, some Star Hunter, some Studio Wabi Sabi, all the Vietnamese & Pinoy stuff (until now), and a few choice bits of Strongberry are YT content.

I use YT for work A LOT, so the fee for Premium ($11.99) and lack of ads + downloads is worth it for me, but I think it probubly isn’t if you’re on a budget. Sub quality is all over the place but generally worse than on “real” OTTs. The app is fine, but the web based YT at Premium level doesn’t work with Firefox.

I travel a lot and like to take my YT downloads to watch on the plane. HOWEVER, you should know YT doesn’t download CC subs properly, so this doesn’t work for BL unless the ENG SUB are hard coded to the image (as is often the case with bootlegs).

GagaOOLala - 105 BLs

Of the pay to play platforms, GaGa actually has the most BLs by numbers. However, these are mostly shorts. If you’re intersted in darker BL, GL and other queer content, very high heat, the history of the genre, or Japanese stuff - most of that will be on GaGa. Also all of Strongberry and some of the newer more queer series (like My Ride).

I got a subscription to GaGa at the beginning of the year and have NEVER regretted it, at $6.99 a month it’s also the cheapest option. It’s also openly and very aggressively queer and based in Taipei, so if you can afford them, you probubly should support them. Their app is pretty terrible, but their web-based interface is good.

GaGa is the only one that (so long as Taiwan is autonomous) will always have more BL, guaranteed. Ironically, you can follow their YT channel for previews and teasers to their latest series and acquisitions. Because they are Taiwan-based their subs, especially for Chinese and Japanese stuff, are quite good.

Rakutan Viki - 52 BLs

(probubly more, some of those ones I watched originally on YT are now on Viki)

Has the most BL content (apart from YT) by watchable hours. It specializes in longer series, mostly Thai, Taiwanese, and a few of the Chinese bromances. But mostly only more recent stuff.

At $11.99 with another pay point for Plus (you don’t need it for BL) it’s pretty average cost. But most of my favorite new shows tend to go to Viki, and I like Rakutan as a parent company, so I don’t mind supporting them. They don’t have a speed-up option though, which is annoying, and their web-interface is super buggy. But they DO have categories you can name and control, which I really love.

It is amusing to me that GaGa (Taiwan) and Viki (Japan) each have the most of the other’s content. The subs on Viki tend to be a little worse than other platforms because they sub by committee, and for various reasons Korean stuff is better subbed than anything else. That said the Thai stuff is not done by Viki (so far as I can tell). They seem to buy those with subs, so they’re okay.

Other Platforms

iQIYI - has recently entered the field, it’s Mainland China based - so the platform getting BL for its international audience is… how do I put this… kinda shitty? The interface is okay, but it’s heavy hitters are really only Blueming (seriously Korea, respect yourself more), KinnPorsche and few others. It clearly wants to get into the market, but… do we want it in the market? For now they seem to be rolling things out with ads. Or pay to binge. Which is an interesting tactic - smart, actually. Up to you on this one. But I would say right now it’s only worth it if you really also like Chinese dramas. And even so, Viki has A LOT of those.

Netflix - here in the states it almost never has new BL content. Sometimes some old stuff. They tested the waters with SOTUS and Love Sick. I have a feeling they aren’t particularly intersted. So if BL is what you watch, don’t bother.

WeTV - acts like LineTV used to, has Manner of Death and We Best Love. You need to subscribe for WBL2 + no ads. 

I find leads for these well… here. If someone is giffing and talking about a show and I don’t know how they are getting hold of it, I just ask. 

BL Review & Information Content Providers/Blogs OFF Tumblr 

(source)