#jaanese drama

[absolutebl]

If You Like This Newer BL Try...

It’s BL roots week! 

What you didn’t know? 

Yeah well that’s because I just declared it. 

So I’ve no idea when you got into BL, but most of us matriculated via the Thai renaissance within the last 5 years. So there is some early stuff out there you may not have seen... so how about some comps? 

If you liked: 

2gether (2020) 

then your should try 

Seven Days (Japan 2015) 

Seven Days comes in two parts: 

Seven Days: Monday - Thursday 

Seven Days: Friday - Sunday 

You can watch it eng subbed on YouTube. 

It’s one of the best Japanese BLs ever made and that’s because it has a lot (for Japan) of the more modern breezy style of something like 2gether. The leads have a similar comfort level with each other (with the same heat level - low) which yields up a similar on screen chemistry. 

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. 

Yuzuru is very pretty and popular but so brash and honest that girls always end up dumping him. As the two boys date it becomes clear that Seiryo really enjoys this blunt side of Yuzuru, and Yuzuru starts to fall in love with Seiryo because of the joy of being liked for who he really is. Seiryo thinks it’s all just a game to Yuzuru, but he’s falling hard too. They both want it to last more than one week. 

Seiryo is young and reserved but yearns so much to be loved and give love, while Yuzuru is the best possible version of an obtuse tsundere without being immature or a brat. Their miscommunication comes to the story honestly and is sourced in their characters. The actors put these personalities into their physicality too, with Seiryo moving in a cautiously stilted manner while Yuzuru is relaxed and sprawling. It’s fucking adorable. I promise you will love it. 

This is an absolutely faithful adaptation (staging, story and dialogue) of the yaoi manga of the same name, but I actually think this film is even better. 

If you liked: 

TharnType & TharnType 2 (2019-2020)

then you should try 

Takumi-kun (2009-2012) 

Like TharnType (and for many of the same reasons) Takumi-kun is one of the most (in)famous adaptations (in Japanese BL). It also has similar themes and issues. But honestly, if you like Mame’s style then you owe it to yourself, and your fetishes, to figure out why and what’s going on (in your own psyche and in the history of BL and yaoi). I can’t help you with your personal kinks (or issues), but the Takumi-kun series will showcase a LOT about origin Japanese yaoi and why it’s troubling, why it’s addictive, and what a core foundation it gave to the modern industry out of Thailand, Taiwan, and Korea particularly. 

Beautiful fragile traumatized Takumi escapes the horrors of his youth by attending boarding school. There things aren’t great because his coping mechanism is touch-aversion, timidity, and fear. Alone and bullied, Takumi is barely surviving until handsome, rich, popular Gii becomes obsessed with him. Oh and they’re roommates. 

Takumi-kun (like 2 Moons/2 Moons 2) shot the first movie and then recast for the remaining adaptations. They did not, however, re-film book 1 except in flashbacks so I actually recommend you watch the fan made first movie version (from those flashbacks), and then 3 of the 4 follow ups. So here’s a watching order: 

Takumi-kun Series 1 DaiMao Version (Fan Made recut via flashbacks) 

Takumi-kun Series 2: Rainbow Colored Glass  

Takumi-kun Series 3: The Beauty of Detail 

Takumi-kun Series 5: That Sunny Blue Sky 

Series 4 is about side characters and doesn’t add to the main story, but it’s fine if you like those side characters. 

2007′s original Series 1 with the different cast is okay (I guess?) and a more honest adaptation of the original yaoi (which is NOT good), but not worth watching first. From a heritage BL film perspective this first movie (but also bits of the others) showcases how yaoi framing, filming angles, body positioning (staging), and cinematography for BL uses the origin manga as a storyboard. This filming style would go on to influence Korean BL in particular (see Color Rush) and is still used in Japanese BL today (see Love Stage!!). 

Expect the dark side of BL in terms of trigger warnings - but if you liked Tharntype then you’re already okay with that. Also like TT this series is a higher heat level, which we usually only see in the obsession=murder-gays from Japan. Takumi-kun ends happily (each movie) so don’t worry about that. 

If you liked:

Manner of Death (2021)

the you should try

Long Time No See (2017)

One of Korea’s early forays into gay suspense romance, this one is about two hit men (mafia assassins) who meet and fall in love. Neither of them knows they have to kill each other, or do they? This is also a grumpy/sunshine pairing. 

Like Manner of Death there are themes of brother loyalty and betrayal as well as mafia drama. It also has a higher heat level and is squarely in the adult sphere. This one has some great fight scenes, too. 

If you like: 

The HIStory franchise (ongoing) 

Particularly with how it deals with pining and obsessive love than you kinda owe it to yourself to watch...

Addicted (2016) 

Addicted deals with A LOT of the more problematic tropes that China loved until 2016 and Taiwan (and occasionally Japan) still use which are mostly sourced in yaoi manga. Tropes like pranking, kidnapping, stalking, stepbrothers, forced cohabitation, and dubious consent. These are notions of affection colored by the obsessive need to possess - destructive all consuming uncontrollable covetous love. 

Addicted does it all and pushes each trope just far enough. Also it was China’s first “censor that fucker now” controversy in the BL sphere, so it’s worth learning what all the fuss was about. 

You want the Viki version with the uncut extended final sex scene... trust me. And you might wanna stop watching right after that sex scene ends. 

Some Quick Picks 

If you like A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021), face it you’re basically looking for “find yourself transformative gay romance” featuring pretty boys. Try American indie gay romance films Latter Days (2003) and Shelter (2007). They are both brilliant, super romantic, HEA, and similar in spirit to 1000 Stars. Although I should warn you there will be no sponge baths or forehead kisses but there will be great sex scenes. Both are made by queer directors from queer production houses. 

Finally, if you liked Your Name Engraved Herein then you HAVE to watch Red Balloon. No seriously. They are weirdly similar.

Please feel free to ask for a suggestion based on a trope or current BL you love, or recommend others. 

Personally, I’m always looking for pre 2010 stuff that has the spirit of modern Thai BL (read: upbeat and with a happy ending). 

(source)

[omghappysparks]