Top 10 Cozy BLs!
Our Dating Sim made me realize we have a new sub genre of BLs happening right now: the cozy BL.
I decided to invent/identify/name this new BL category because... I can. I crowd sourced (here in the hellhole) opinions of how to define it and what should go on it. The collective brainstormed and elected the following qualifications:
low angst
low stakes
high domesticity
a central relationship that is more cute than anything else
extra points for found family
AKA BLs that make you feel happy and comfortable.
These BLs leave you feeling warm and safe, like a hot water bottle. I will list them in order of my personal preference when in the mood for “cozy.”
1. Our Dating Sim
(Korea, Viki)
Did I create this list for this show? Yes I did. It defines this category. It is a very low stakes, high domesticity, extremely warm and gentle second chance at love office romance.
This is a fuzzy blanket of a story that perfectly suited KBL’s short-length tendencies. The pacing is... muuuuuah... chef’s kiss.
2. Seven Days
(Japan, grey in 2 parts Seven Days: Monday - Thursday | Seven Days - Friday - Sunday)
Popular first year Seiryo has a policy of going out with any girl who asks… for one week. On a lark, third year Yuzuru tests to see if that policy also applies to boys. Seiryo agrees that it does. Along the way they accidentally fall in love. Possibly my favorite BL of all time. It’s very gentle with us and its characters while still having that Japanese emo edge to it.
A master class in quite yet riveting cinema.
What, you doubted me? OF COURSE it’s on the list
3. My School President
(Thailand, YouTube)
GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that made this one Love Sick for the modern age with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache, but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues. Yes, we’ve seen it all before, but I still ADORED this, and that’s partly what makes it so comforting. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny?
4. See You After Quarantine?
(Taiwan, Viki)
Be you never expected lockdown to be comforting? This under appreciated gem is Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys and is just as charming and adorable yet still as quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. Slow burn because the two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry plus sweetly caring and earnest. Honestly how does Taiwan do it?
5. Ingredients
(Thailand, YouTube)
At the time (during lockdown) many of us referred to this as our “emotional support grocery store advertisement.” If all you want is two soft boys being domestic, cooking together, cuddling on the couch, cat sitting, and babysitting - just put this on and be comfy.
6. What Did You Eat Yesterday?
(Japan, grey)
Basically the grown up version of Ingredients. Emotionally repressed, grumpy, salary man shows his hair dresser husband his love by cooking amazing meals. That’s it, that’s the whole show. There some queer fam drama, and blood-fam coming out drama, but mostly is husbands cooking and eating together and it’s great. Is it BL? Not really. Do we care? Not really.
7. The New Employee
(Korea, Viki)
This one is queer comfort, explicitly. If you aren’t queer you might not find it as warm and engaging. A near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Also featuring found family and a lesbian bestie. Sweet & innocent (and out) Seung Hyun scores the office internship of his dreams. On his first day at work he gets into it with his cool reserved (and also v gay) boss.
As you do.
But things get romantic pretty darn quickly.
As you gay.
8. En of Love: Tossera & Future the series
(Thailand, YouTube)
Tossera = Younger boy wants to court older boy and does and… that’s it. No really that’s the WHOLE STORY. There is actually no angst, drama, or, indeed plot. But are they the softest bois ever to BL as a main couple? Yes, yes they are.
Future is... exactly the same thing.
Are we mad about it?
Nope.
9. Oxygen
(Thailand, YouTube)
Softest seme in the universe sings his affection to the older boy at the cafe. Let the slow burn courting commence. Oxygen uses every BL trope in the playbook for one of the gentlest lowest angst BLs ever made. It’s a hyung romance (younger boy courts older boy) but very very earnest about it. Am I biased? Sure. This is probably one of my biggest comfort watches.
10. Our Dining Table
(Japan, Gaga)
Lonely salaryman and talented cook gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. It’s a quiet cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me with the best of what Japan can do (like Restart After Come Back Home), it’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, it’s OK with me, but not totally BL.
For me one of the hallmarks of cozy BL is that as a chronic rewatcher I find myself starting to rewatch these ones even as they are still airing. Oxygen was an icon of this (also my first watch-along and the reason I realized I really had a passion for BL)
Shorts
Summerdaze - Singapore & Korea, YouTube
The 8.2 Second Rule - Japan, YouTube
A First Love Story - Korea, YouTube
Some More - Korea, Gaga
Quite a few other Strongberry offerings.
More like this?
Top 10 Most Romantic BLs for Valentine’s Day
Top 20 Softest Couples in BL
Top 10 Cutest BLs
Fluffy Sweet Soft Thai BL
10 BLs Best Enjoyed with Hot Tea & a Roaring Fire
MOAR RECS?
From the blog comments. If I agree I gave it a description.
Boys Lockdown (YouTube) - actually on this list because it go so many votes by everyone else, I haven’t watched it.
My Ride (GaGa) - Thai BL grew up with this pulp - a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine AKA a cinnamon roll couple. 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. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple. Full review.
Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (Viki & Gaga) - yes, high school angst but so sweet about it. Review here.
2 Moons 3 Ambassador (grey) - I love this odd little pulp, it’s oddly satisfying for all it’s awkward cheese-fest. Maybe that is why I like it. Review here.
21 Days Theory (YouTube)
About Youth (Gaga) - A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst and an earnest depth. Full review here.
Ai no Kotodama (Gaga)
Be Loved In House: I Do (Viki)
Cherry Blossoms After Winter (Viki warning dub con) - it’s here because a lot of people (like me) love it, but there are objections. Review here.
Cherry Magic (Japan, indie subbed) AKA Doutei dato Mahoutsukai ni narerurashii - the sweetest, fluffiest, most charming bit of adorable ever, full of found family and pastry and serious slapstick, the characters are utter spazzes, but so cute about it. Still that aspect makes me a little tense so I don’t find it as cozy as others do.
Craving You (Viki)
Destiny Seeker (grey) - see 2 Moons Ambassador
DNA Says Love You (Gaga) - particularly the last few episodes.
La Cuisine (GaGa) - sweet and kind of pure show, and like Thai desserts perhaps requires too much patience for a layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on the bad girl character, I did dock it. But if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. That said, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would. Full review.
Meet Me Outside (Gaga)
Meow Ears Up (Gaga)
Mr. Heart (Viki)
Mr. Unlucky has no Choice but to Kiss (Viki)
Nitiman (Thailand YouTube) - This Thai BL pulp had sympathetic characters, a solid tsundere uke redemption arc, and a fantastic pining seme who yearned without bullying, grooming, or gaslighting. Plus when they were together, they were ridiculously soft. But it also had a realistic portrayal of university life, bisexual awakening, and friendship groups. Ending is okay but a victim of lockdown.
Old Fashion Cupcake (Viki)
Ocean Likes Me (Viki)
Roommates of 304 (Viki)
Wish You (Korea - Netflix or Viki, you want the movie version) AKA Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart - low stakes high pining romance about a pianist who falls in love with a busker who is on his way to being the next big idol.
There was quite a lively discussion coming up with this list, since everyone defines cozy differently but I am not alone in my top 10 choices, these mostly got the most votes.
(source)
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Okay so, yesterday I've been on my worst DRG mission yet xD
I am a very green-greenbeard (barely over 10 hours playtime), my fav mission type is Liquid Morkite mining (space oil mining, you need to build a system of pipelines leading to each morkite rift, which requires a lot of fun terrain-conquering problem-solving), because building pipelines is addictively fun. So, as a complete idiot, I see a mission with modifiers (this was a decision I would later regret-but not really) and get on it on a public server (meaning any player can join in, which normally doesn't take too much time at all).
The modifiers on that mission? Low oxygen and Cave Leeches (Cave leeches are enemy type that grab you and drain your health to zero unless somebody else saves you, Low Oxygen means precisely what the name implies, and you need to regularly come back to the mining station to refill your oxygen tanks.) Oh, and the Cave Complexity was 3 (which means, as I've intimately learned on that mission, that the map becomes much bigger, and more obstacles will get in your way, this pairs very badly with low oxygen modifier, as your mission objectives are placed further, but you constantly need to route back to be able to breathe)
So, there my lonely Engineer was, with my best boi Bosco (robot-companion while you play solo, he actually does what you ask him to so he is more useful than actual players xD yes but not really but yes), terrified of the amount of lootbug mess I just stepped into, once I logged in and realised what exactly all those modifiers meant.
I was terrified to explore, as it would be extremely easy to get caught by leeches and Bosco can only revive me two times, and this was only the prep step of the actual mission. Very carefully, I was able to find the first morkite well, and then the real issue arose. While, I am really glad I picked Engie for this mission, as his ability to create platforms is extremely useful when building pipelines, he also is one of the classes that doesn't have innate fast mobility options. In the context of a big map and pipeline building this meant that I had to: imagine the route I can build the pipeline to that particular morkite well, figure out how to mold terrain so the pipeline route would be actually possible to build, go out and mold terrain, then immediately route back because I have no oxygen left, rinse repeat, but switch 'terrain mold' to 'pipeline construction'. Very soon the time I spent getting to the construction point and back took most of my oxygen, so I could work like 30 seconds maybe on a pipeline, before heading back, otherwise my dwarf would suffocate. Also, somehow, Nobody would join. I think I spent around 30, maybe a bit more minutes just trying to build the first pipeline. I was terrified of going outside the tried and true routes because of the cave leeches, so I didn't even have any nitra for a resupply when my platform gun ran out of ammo. I started manually digging through the rock to build the second pipeline. I mean, I started digging for 2 seconds at best, then had to run back because of low oxygen, then back to mining for my two limited seconds.
For some reason, I persisted through this, and built two out of three pipelines. Thankfully, the best route I found for the last line went parallel to my first built line for a long time, so that eased the process a little, and the middle morkite well turned out to be closer than the others, so that was a break. I only had the longest pipeline to build, the one where I had to manually dig a tunnel to place, when, THANK GOD, another player joined in. It was a Gunner, he clearly didn't feel nearly as terrified as I was of the cave leech ambushes, was I bravery or stupidity I know not, but he found us nitra, and I was finally able to order a resupply. Things went easier after I figured out that his ziplines took less time to go up the cliff that pipeline surfing, and with my reloaded platform gun things got much easier. Then another player joined in, a scout this time, and it all went pretty smooth after that. The entire mission took me an hour and a half to complete, and for the most of it I was on my own.
Bosco, I will never forget the bond we built on that mission, robot-buddy my dear,
and the joined guys really saved my ass there,
I would never have finished the mission without them. Remember, if you Rock and Stone, you're never alone!
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Doug Eiffel set to "Run Away to Mars" by TALK.
Animatic idea from my morning commute that will never happen because I am not a visual artist and do not have the motivation to learn said skill for a project as big as a full-length song.
Your colour’s fading
'Cause I kept you waiting
It’s a wild, wild world
And you’re a wild, wild girl
Zooming in on a polaroid of Anne and Eiffel smiling. The color becomes stronger as we get closer, and by the time it takes up the full frame it's no longer a fading polaroid but an in-motion memory of them playing air-guitar in a public park. We also see flashes of Anne growing up without Eiffel.
Our sun’s still shining
But it seems half the size
And it’s a wild, wild world
Out here
We're back on Earth, post-canon maybe? And there's comparison shots between Sol in Earth's sky and Wolf 359 as seen from the Hephaestus, both in its smaller red stage and its larger blue stage.
Before my time runs out
What If I run away to Mars?
Would you find me in the stars?
We see the initial launch, maybe Cutter offering Eiffel the job when he's in prison. Eiffel staring out a shuttle window as he gets his last glimpses of Earth, the planet quickly shrinking into nothingness. A brief shot of Kate and Anne glancing at the night sky, maybe while they carry in groceries. Nothing to suggest they're actually looking for Eiffel.
Would you miss me in the end
If I run out of oxygen?
When I run away to Mars
Some of Eiffel's initial struggles on the Hephaestus, including the time he nearly drowned on a spacewalk. Also featuring Eiffel coughing on knock-out gas while Minkowski is trapped outside the airlock during Hilbert's initial betrayal.
I can’t tell which way's home
I’ve been gone for so long
It’s an empty world
Up here
Shots of them being unable to orient themselves because Eiffel didn't keep up the star charts. Eiffel alone in the storage room sifting through the boxes of junk. Shots of each of the first four characters alone in a different room or hallway of the Hephaestus. Glimpses from "Am I Alone Now?"
I skip stones and wonder
How long till I'm discovered?
It’s a quiet life
Up here
Long, quiet shots of Eiffel counting and fiddling with his illicit cigarettes, in between sending out hails into space and receiving static in return.
Before my time runs out
What If I run away to Mars?
Would you find me in the stars?
We see Hilbert's experiments on Eiffel, when he's coughing and can't breathe. When he nearly dies. He's a ticking timebomb himself.
Would you miss me in the end
If I run out of oxygen?
When I run away to Mars
We get Hera saying to herself "Some days I wonder if I’ll miss you after you go away forever, Doug." We also get her threatening Lovelace and Hilbert over Eiffel's life.
Three, two, one, I miss you
I’m sorry, I got issues
A shot of the polaroid taped to his desk. Eiffel explaining it to Minkowski. Eiffel yelling at his imaginations/hallucinations of his crew during the USS Horrible Unending Nightmare.
What If I run away to Mars?
Would you find me in the stars?
The launch of Lovelace's shuttle with him trapped aboard. Hera and Minkowski scanning space for him desperately. Long, hopeless shots.
Would you miss me in the end
If I run out of oxygen?
When I run away to Mars
While Eiffel rations food and cryogenically freezes and thaws himself, looking closer and closer to death each time, we see Minkowski, Hera, Lovelace, and Hilbert getting sadder, more tense, and more snappish on a space station that is falling apart.
The answer is yes, they would miss him in the end.
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