#Drama rec

[silviakundera]

to make up for the vicious atos slander...

what is a tale of thousand stars about, actually?

10 episodes, 60 min each; slow burn with product placements

30-something forest ranger, working the same job that killed his dad, in an incredibly rural village (i mean, rural rural: no indoor plumbing or internet and a long trip to the nearest city). Very gay and very closeted

20-something rich kid of a politician, who has a defective heart and expects to die young before even completing his degree; jumped up the transplant list due to his family pulling strings. Been too busy being terminal to figure out he likes dudes.

Rich kid discovers his new heart came from a woman who died due to his street racing bet that night. When he gets ahold of her diary and finds out she was a volunteer at this tiny village, he decides to finish her assignment. Without telling anyone why.

They fall in love. It's about✨the yearning✨

But the Dark Secret™ and their difference in social status and age loom large

Will a young man with wealth & privilege throw away all modern conveniences, abandoning facebook & toliets for love?

After learning the truth, will this strict & set-in-his-ways ranger still want him to?

Can they have a happy ending? lol ofc this is a gay romance novel, haven't you been paying attention?

vid recs?

beautiful mess by jimochies

breathe by samyvids

[bushia]

Man, i don't know if the main characters of Snowfall want to fuck or kill each other. They're like "If i die, i would die with you" and "i have fear for you like a man fear lion and tiger" the actual fuck is going on here ?????

[cywscross]

Cross, if you feel like watching a Chinese Drama I really would recommend Mysterious Lotus Casebook. Have you heard about it?

I haven't enjoyed a drama like this since Nirvana in Fire all those years ago.

It is full of hidden identity, bromance, and whump goodness.

The acting and production value are top-notch. I can't get enough!

I know about this one but haven't watched it. I do want to though so I'll hopefully get around to it eventually.

[writing-reading-watching-living]

Nowadays, I'm getting totally lost into asian dramas but I can't convince my friends to watch my recs so I'll try to find people who need recs or want to talk about those dramas here. My absolute faves are still being aired. So please go watch those (or rec me new ones if you like all those five):

"Summer Strike", Korean drama, ep 5 and 6 just aired. This is so soft and hopeful, I'm in love with all the characters (and I'm a librarian so this one really speaks to my heart).

"Between Us", Thaï LGBT drama, ep 4 just aired. It's a spin off of "Until We Meet Again" who is way better than the original serie imo (sorry sorry sorry). Five stars for consent in this show.

"May I Help You", Korean drama, 10 episodes aired for now. Another soft story with lots of tears but not painful ones, and with magical undertones.

"My Tooth Your Love", Taiwanese drama, the unexpected one for me, ep 9 just aired. The title is ridiculous but the story is so good. Lots of unexpected healthy reactions and dentists can be sexy, what a revelation!

"Revenge of others", Korean drama, episodes 9 and 10 will air tomorrow. I'm obsessed with this one, even if I know the end will destroy me. It's rare that a thriller manages to hook me more than 4 episodes on but I can't get enough of this show.

Have you seen any? Or know similar ones?

[kdramacrybaby]

Ready, Set, Love (2024)

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Mystery

Synopsis: In a time when very few men are born each year, they have become a valuable resource and are kept safe at The Farm. Whenever new men have come of age, a competition is held to find the most eligible young women to pair them with. If you win this competition, you win a chance to marry and to move into the luxurious place that is The Farm. All is fair in love and war. Good luck.

Episode info: 6 episodes / Runtime around 1 hour

Lead cast: Belle Kemisara Paladesh (Day), Blue Pongtiwat Tangwancharoen (Son), Lilly Nichapalak Thongkham (Chanel), Man Trisanu Soranun (Almond)

Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix or Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

Netflix kept recommending this to me, so I decided to give my first Thai drama a go.

From the trailers, I thought it was going to be a fun, colorful drama about a dating show - and I did get that, but I also did get a lot more I hadn't expected.

It is a bit silly, but it knows that and owns up to it, so it doesn't bother me all that much. Though I do think that the contrast between that and the darker themes it has going on is a bit too jarring sometimes.

I do appreciate all the darker things it tries to explore that would come with a world with very few men, but a lot of it ends up falling a bit flat as they never really go as deep into it as I hoped. We spend a lot of time on the competition (as it is of course the main focus), but with only 6 episodes that leaves very little for everything else they want to do.

Which also leads into the ending falling flat compared to what they led up to. But it seems that there's maybe coming a season two? So perhaps they'll answer the questions I'm left with there.

It's not a bad drama at all, and I had a good time watching it. The actors made it so much better, as they really leaned into the comedy with everything they had. But that's really all I have to say about it as well.

[badedramay]

Noorpur Ki Rani!

I just saw that HumTV is uploading Noorpur Ki Rani in HD on their youtube channel. I'd most definitely recommend to check the show out. It was my first Haissam Hussain show and I have to admit the me in 2009 was completely enamored by the show. i don't know if it has aged well or not but I can say for sure that visually (and even narratively) the show is so much bolder than the content that gets made in 2023. It's not the most original story whatsoever (Noorie's story is heavily inspired by Anne of Green Gables) but it's a very fun, enjoyable watch especially the Salar-Rania-Anna angle. watch it without spoiling the story for you if you do plan on watching it, that makes it so much more fun!

[moon0fairy]

If you haven’t watched (not all of them are Thai BLs) Young Royals, Our Flag Means Death, What We Do In The Shadows (it’s more just queer characters, but trust me, it’s worth it), Century of Love, Manner of Death,

Yes I watched almost all of them (haven‘t watched the 2nd season of Ofmd) and I love them 🥺

Century of love is actually the one I consider to watch next and Manner of death has been on my list for ages, maybe one day I‘ll watch it :‘)

[theside-b]

BL DRAMAS + 'Postcards from Japan'

[starplanes]

Audio Dramas by Black Creators

Not an exclusive list, of course - if your fave isn't on here, recommend it below!

[silviakundera]

Ok, upon request my thoughts on Bad Buddy, a good queer romance drama that doesn't get much if any international exposure outside the circle of Thai BL fans. Full spoilers.

after consuming literally dozens of BB videos, the best trailer to the drama imo is actually the talented samyvids' "Just My Type" songvid. Perfectly captures the setup.

* the hook: 2 boys raised by their feuding families to be rivals end up attending a university that has a childish Jets vs Sharksesque historic rivalry between the science/engineering vs artistic/architecture majors. Despite these 2 barriers, the boys stumble into a secret bromance and then into love. Secondary couple here is f/f, though it's basically just soft girls meet cute then getting together (no conflict).

* Comedic and light-hearted drama that doesn't take itself too seriously, while also swerving into the appropriate amount of angst for its set up.

* This '20-something bros in love' dynamic reminds me vividly of what a lot of SPN J2 RPF and Hockey RPF has tried to capture. The 2 leads feel like your prototypical good natured university bros and falling in love never changes that. Friends AND Lovers is a challenging dynamic to capture imo but Bad Buddy succeeds

* It helps the Bros In Love vibes that the actors look less primped & polished than many other asian BL productions. They seem like guys you could have actually had in your classes in uni.

* If you welcome the drama's tone and just vibe with it, I think it successfully executes 4 popular romance tropes:

- rivals to friends to lovers

- forbidden (hidden) love

- fall first vs fall harder

- golden retriever bounding around paw cleaning cat

* If you are going to sell me on a modern day romeo & juliet esque queer rom-com, without the bloodshed, then you BETTER put your money where you mouth is and make their love actually forbidden.

* Thankfully, Bad Buddy understood the assignment. It's not just a misunderstanding. Their parents truly do have a feud and they truly are forbidden to even be friends, forget a romantic relationship. 2 kids obligated to be enemies since birth, bound by this twisted shared experience that no one else understands.

* Pran falling first, with enough time to comprehend how cruelly impossible they are. Pat falling late, fast, and hard - too impulsive to consider the consequences and wearing his heart on his sleeve.

* Both characters won me over quickly:  cautious & restrained Pran who likes order, chaotic Pat who craves his attention

* Love that the dramatic tension & hiding in all the early episodes isn't revealed to be pointless. If there was no consequence, then it removes the poignancy of its classic rooftop kiss scene. Prans' fears must be justified in order for the angst to stand up in a rewatch. Pran's friends DO reject him at first. Their parents DO refuse to accept the relationship, including his mom considering this a personal betrayal.

* Prans' fears are painfully rational and everything he is scared of does have to be confronted. But that also gives romantic weight to his decision to give in to the feelings and accept the consequences.

* In the way that scifi authors will try to explore sociopolitical topics through allusions & metaphor, and that Hunger Games author keeps writing dystopian YA whenever she gets heated about politics, Bad Buddy does a good job imo of using the feuding families setup to address the reality of existing in a homophobic and transphobic society while being queer -- demonstrating it in a way that straight cis people can relate to. And approaching from this angle allows the production to tell that story with a certain emotional distance for queer viewers who have experienced such struggles.

* The bittersweet ending sells me completely on this drama. Closeted but not. Open but not entirely. Accepting that you can't change the world and make all your family & friends & coworkers accept your truth... but refusing to abandon them OR your truth. It's a decision so many queer people have made over the years, in different countries and decades. And it's tinged with hope.

* Let's acknowledge that indeed there is tons of product placement in this series. Sometimes to hilarious ends. But frankly, without this sponsorship the series would not exist. So I'm very grateful to suffer through the marketing that helped fund it.

* Available streaming in multiple places, including YouTube.

[bushia]

Once Upon a time in Lingjian Mountain

Just started Once Upon a time lin Lingjian Mountain and it was so weirdest first episode EVER I saw in c drama and I loved it so much lmao I'll keep this post update cause it's so promising and so not serious i already like it

+1

+2 :

WHAT DO YOU ME

SO JUST STEP ON ME.

[the-medieval-husbands]

The moment Arthur tells merlin about his magic that boy is running for the hills. He's not waiting for Arthur to explain. Then poor Arthur who is head over heals inlove with him has to go frantically search for him. When he finds him he drags him back home.

[uhhhhmanda]

I devoured it. I'm thinking of rewatching it again soon. The writing was excellent -- at the end of every episode I had to reevaluate how I felt about every character because I'd been given a smidgen more backstory or a slightly different POV on something they'd done.

There is less of the batshit craziness that clawbehavior craves (don't we ALL) but it's there: especially in the scenes where (I don't think this is too spoilery because it's in the official show summary) when he's jonesing or going through withdrawal for the drugs that he's been addicted to against his will.

I know what we all really want and that's A) shirt off B) sexual tension with a twink. Sadly, we do not get A. The show takes place in the dead of winter and our man spends a disgusting amount of time in the ugliest puffer coats you've ever seen. B, however, is there if you want it to be. (Like, moreso than Adamas but significantly less than TDJ). Our man has a very devoted subordinate.

It's also hilarious now and then, especially the comedy trio of Ji Sung's character and his non-cop investigation squad of unassuming but very troublemaking busybodies.

Have you watched Jisung's Connection? I was hoping someone has so i know if it's worth watching 👀

hi hi,

i haven't unfortunately. i feel most inspired by unhinged jisung and his character in connection doesn't give off the same batshit crazy vibes (based on gifs). however, @uhhhhmanda @thedeviljudges have so i'm tagging them bc i am also curious about their insights

[recursivetransformarray]

marathon shill now that the whole trilogy is free on steam

[killjamxxx]

FIND OUT MORE AND FOLLOW OUR FEEDS HERE!

Cast (In Order of Appearance) 

Narrator - Bradley Gareth  Faustina Fetamine - Addison Peacock  Bellamy Pink - Zuwie LeFou  Mara Nacht - Tiana Camacho  Dr. Yuzna- Jonny Sims  Anna Konda - Moe Rock  Vic Cadmium - Charlie Green  Molly Malarkey - Misha Bakshi  Roger Tallarico - Josh Rubino  Lex The Talon - Kelly Nugent  Mr. Dirge - Austin Lee Matthews 

[starryalpacasstuff]

Queer Indian Media: A Compilation

A couple of days ago, @impala124 sent @lurkingshan an ask about the lack of discussion about Queer Indian Media in fandom spaces. I wrote about it here, @neuroticbookworm here, and @waitmyturtles here (both of them have excellent points, I highly recommend you read their posts!). It's become quite apparent that people are willing to watch and engage in discourse about queer Indian media, it's just that the lack of popularity and accessibility makes it harder for people to start. So, I've decided to make a list tracking all of the queer Indian media I know of, and hopefully also any meta/discourse about it, which is an idea I've had floating in my head for months now.

This list is by no means comprehensive, so if you have recs, send them my way! Text me on DM, send an ask, tag me in your posts, whatever. And though it's not possible for me to watch everything on the list, I will be slowly going through as many of these as I can and writing about them, as well as hopefully finding more stuff and easier to access versions for the ones that are harder to access right now. This post is going to be a slow work in progress, but I'm hoping to update it regularly. So, if you'd like me to keep you updated, let me know through the tags/replies and I will tag you in future posts!

I've tagged the people who've recommended certain shows alongside each show. Everything on here is available online. The hyperlinked titles lead you to the media itself, meaning that it's available for free online with subtitles. Other details will be mentioned separately.

Disclaimer: The media I have watched/read have recommendation ratings (which will not always reflect my enjoyment of something, rather are based on how much I'd recommend it). While I did lightly screen everything on here, the criteria was 'has a trailer or otherwise showing queerness to be a central theme in the story' and 'is available online', so take that into account if you decide to pick something up, and definitely watch trailers and/or skim the wikipedia pages beforehand.

Movies

Fire | English | @neuroticbookworm 

Recommendation: 8.75/10 A 1996 movie surrounding a lesbian couple packed with commentary on religion, class, purity culture and more. Quick Pitch + Historical Context

Kapoor & Sons | Hindi | @neuroticbookworm

Available on Netflix, Prime, and paid on Youtube and Apple TV

Kaathal-The Core | Malayalam | @neuroticbookworm 

Officially on Prime, also available grey without subtitles

Super Deluxe | Tamil | @neuroticbookworm 

Officially on a paid streaming service called aha, grey on youtube

Dear Dad | Hindi | @neuroticbookworm 

Geeli Puchi (Ajeeb Dastaans) | Hindi | @blorbingqls @neuroticbookworm 

Available on Netflix

Cobalt Blue @blorbingqls

Officially on Netflix, also available grey without subtitles

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga | Hindi | @fallsouthwinter @usertoxicyaoi @neuroticbookworm

Available officially on Netflix, so watch there if you can, but can also be found grey in two parts without subtitles

Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish | Bengali | @silverquillsideas @neuroticbookworm 

I believe it's available on prime, but you might need to do some digging. Also available grey on youtube without subtitles (the movie is in part Bengali, part English)

Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan | Hindi | @silverquillsideas @twig-tea @neuroticbookworm

Officially on Amazon, grey on youtube without subtitles

Maja Ma | Hindi | @flyingrosebeetle @silverquillsideas 

Available on Amazon Prime

Badhaai Do | Hindi

Officially on Netflix, available grey without subtitles

Loev | Hindi

Available on youtube with Spanish (I think?) subtitles

Margarita With A Straw | Hindi

I believe this is a cut version, it is officially on Netflix which is likely the uncut version

Recommendation: 9/10

A self-discovery story about an Indian woman named Laila with cerebral palsy with great rep and beautiful execution.

Meta by @wen-kexing-apologist

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Hindi | anon

Available grey without subtitles, officially on Netflix

Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani | Hindi | @flowerbeasblog @aneechan

Officially on Jio Cinema, also available grey without subtitles

Time Out | Hindi

Available on Netflix

My Brother…Nikhil | Hindi

My Son Is Gay | Tamil

Hindi dub available on youtube without subtitles

Shows

Romil and Jugal | Hindi | @anixknowsnothin

You do need a vpn if you're outside India to watch it with the above link, it's also grey on youtube without subtitles

Recommendation: 8.5/10 India's modern gay remake of Romeo and Juliet, five years before Bad Buddy Random thoughts

The Married Woman | Hindi | @a-not-knowing-bisexual-wizard

Dev DD Season 2 | Hindi

Legitimately no clue whether this and the prev are grey or official

Made in Heaven | Hindi | @flyingrosebeetle @non-beingnary @neuroticbookworm

Available on Prime

All About Section 377, Still About Section 377 | Hindi

The Story Tales S2 | Gujrati

Insomnia | Hindi

It's a streaming service I've never heard of before, not unlike Gaga, this is one of the darker shows on the list so please do check out the trailer beforehand

Amra 2GayTher | Bengali

Available on two streaming services here and here, both paid

Mini gls from @twig-tea (og post here)

Firsts S3 | @tinyreadinglifelight

Neverland

Maaya 2

Last two eps do not have subtitles but the story is followable

The ‘Other’ Love Story @/silverquillsideas 

Just Another Love Story

Books

Memory of Light

Recommendation: 5/10 A historical book set during the colonial era, the lesbian romance is mostly a subplot that loses it's way towards the end. It's kind of a drag, but the history component is somewhat interesting.

Don't Let Him Know

Recommendation Rating: 7.5/10 with serious trigger warnings including rape. It's a brutally honest book designed to make the reader uncomfortable, so proceed with caution. I personally liked it quite a lot, but that's majorly because of how authentic the book felt.

Falling Into Place

Recommendation Rating: 8/10 A modern lesbian romance that follows similar beats to the typical thai bl/gl. A little underdeveloped in some places, but overall quite good.

My Magical Palace

Cobalt Blue

The Paths Of Marriage

Marriage Of A Thousand Lies