#and because of the amount of hate bls get from western folks I think it's good to introduce people to the genre first with the stuff that's

[bl-bracket]

What would you recommend as the first bl to show someone just starting to watch bls/qls?

This is a really hard question tbh. Cause a lot depends on someone's personal tastes and what type of other shows they have watched before. And it's going to differ between countries. And also my recs are going to be limited to what I've actually seen or are familiar with.

For Thai bls, Bad Buddy is one that gets brought up a lot as a beginner. I also watched pretty early in my ql journey. I think it's a pretty good one for getting an idea of what Thai bls are like stylistically (as well as just being a pretty solid show). Another one I think really sets the tone would be Cherry Magic Thailand. Another solid show that doesn't veer too off the rails, while having a compelling romance, and also engaging stylistically with the genre.

Now if you're dealing with someone who isn't even ready to get a feel for the style of Thai bls, you just need to get them comfortable with the idea of bls in general, then something like I Told Sunset About You or Moonlight Chicken is probably better. Though these shows are very different tonaly so it's going to depend on the person's tastes which to recommend (itsay is more for people who enjoyed the vibes of Call Me By Your Name or other similar style).

For Korean bls, Semantic Error is a classic. It'll set you up good. It's good for beginners too since it's a solid plot that feels like a kbl, but isn't like super deep into the genre if that makes sense, The Eighth Sense is also brought up a lot as a beginner one, especially for folks more accustomed to western cinema. Another good one is Blueming, which has the artsy feel with still a strong kdrama feel.

For Japanese bls, the original Cherry Magic series is good. It definitely has the style and feel of a jdrama and sets up well the humor/fluff side of jbls. Old Fashion Cupcake is another good one for introducing more of the cozy food side of jbls. She Likes to Cook, She Likes to Eat is another well done cozy food jdrama, this time a gl. I think those all set the tone well of what to expect in those type of jbls. Now there's definitely a darker side to genre, but honestly I've still only dipped my toes into that side and it's probably not the best thing to start with someone just getting into the genre as a whole lol.

For Taiwanese bls, honestly See Your Love is like exactly the vibe you can expect from a Taiwanese bl. It'll teach a lot about this niche of the genre and give you a good idea for the style of a lot of the shows, while also landing well in all the most important parts. My Tooth Your Love is another one with a bit less crazy of a plot, but very much ticks the boxes of a Taiwanese bl and is a good watch!

When it comes to Chinese bls, there's so few currently available (hopefully soon that'll change) so it's hard to give recs without just listing every major title in the genre. Another barrier is that if you're not familiar with the wuxia or xianxia genres, you're going to have a pretty steep learning curve in any of those dramas you watch. (And if you're not watching wuxia/xianxia that leaves you with even fewer options). Honestly I don't think any Chinese bl is better suited than the others to give you a taste of the genre. Meet You at the Blossom is shorter and uncensored, but it's also some classic toxic stuff, which I don't know if you want to use as the introduction. The Untamed has a lot of fans independent of the bl fandom, or even just the censored chinese bl fandom, so that could be a good sign that's it's a good entry point, but it's also quite long and again, if you don't know what xianxia is, you're going to be confused a lot. Idk for Chinese bl, if you're new, just pick whichever plot sounds best to you and accept that you're not going to understand everything at first.

[lurkingshan]

i don't know where you're from or how old you are, i just came across your post about love in the big city and as a queer korean and i just want to let you know, while it's an honorable goal, it will not change a thing. i hope this show will do well internationally and i hope the author gets opportunities to talk about his novel with international publications, but no amount of tweeting and westerners using korean hashtags will change the perception in korea. the political landscape here is getting worse. it is conservative to a degree bl fans do not seem to realise to the point where it is dangerous for actors to even star in something like this show. if a bunch of westerners/non korean people are hyping it up, conservative groups will fight even harder to get that piece of media taken down. i don't want to discourage people from sharing this show and writing about it online, i just want everyone to be realistic and know this effort of trying to make things better for the show in korea will not work. look at how people are treating the female author who was just awarded the nobel piece prize for literature. she is met with hate and they are trying to silence her. the only thing i would ask for non-koreans to do is not only to tweet and talk about korean bl, but inform people in their own countries/other fans of how bad it is here for everyone who is not a straight men.

Hi and thanks so much for sending this ask. I really appreciate your perspective on this as someone more closely connected to the culture this show is being released in.

I also want to be clear that I don’t think western folks posting on social media will shift culture or affect how the show is received within South Korea. Rather, I think it’s important for people who care about queer people and media globally to watch a show that is so determined to tell a story about the experience of queer men in South Korea. One of the reasons this book got an official English translation is because Sang Young Park and Anton Hur, who did the translation, were passionate about getting this story to a broader audience so people could better understand their life experiences. Art is advocacy, after all. Anton actually joined us on tumblr briefly to talk about this during our book club earlier this year.

We know that many queer Asian creators pay attention to the international audience and seek to get their shows in front of them, and I do think international fans have a role in engaging with their art to say “we see you, we care about you, and we are with you even if we can’t change your context.” That’s what I think we can accomplish by engaging with this show, and I hope it will reach the people who put so much time and effort and love into making it, and into making sure the international audience would be able to see it. To your point about communicating to our own people about what life looks like for queer folks in South Korea, watching and talking about this novel and drama is part of how we can do that.

On a personal note, my country is also experiencing a conservative anti-queer backlash, and I want to extend my empathy and love from across the world. It’s a hard time all around right now. I’ll be thinking of you.