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twig-tea · 2 years ago

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I'm going to append to this excellent list of recs (all so good!!) a few more BLs that in my mind qualify--not so much ride or die, but as shows that get criticized for having "no plot" or being boring, because they're about relationships rather than about events--and that I enjoyed! This is really Japan-heavy. Apologies to the OP for any of these that they disagree with, my opinions are my own etc!

Seven Days (Mon-Thurs and Fri-Sun) (Japan, grey)*

(anyone who's on BL Tumblr has seen @absolutebl recommend this show before but I can't not mention it) Premise is they get together in the first episode and spend the rest of the show learning what dating the other is like, and deciding whether they want it to continue. Still one of the best shows of all time. While it's still falling-in-love because they barely know one another when they get together, something about the relationship being the sole focus of the show makes it qualify for this in my mind.

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan, GaGaOoLaLa)

Again, they get together in the first episode and spend the rest of the show really feeling out their relationship. I think this show doesn't get a lot of love partially because it "has no plot" (relationship building is a worthy plot), partially because the blushing virgin trope turns people off (fair) and partially because it relies on the viewer to have familiarity with manga (also a fair criticism). There are jokes, comedic and dramatic beats that I'd only ever seen illustrated that were being acted out in live action without the added effects like in Kabe-Koji, and it admittedly only kind of works. I think my former life as a yaoi scanlator could be blamed for why I love this show so much; it's become a comfort series for me (even though the blushing virgin trope bothers me too, fwiw). I've already re-watched many times and it's less than a year old.

Doushitemo Furetakunai/No Touching at All (Japan, Grey)*

In this one two coworkers hook up and then don't talk about it, and assumptions are made on both sides about what's happening based on each of their past experiences. This one is a classic and remains one of my faves. If I had to compare it to a recent BL, it would be Tokyo in April Is..., if that gives you a sense of the vibes. I read the manga for this one before I watched it and it is such a perfect adaptation, which I admit is part of what I love about it.

Life~Love on the Line (Japan, Viki)

Since you can't really untangle wrestling the weight of societal expectations from a gay relationship, I think this one still meets the criteria. This show follows one couple from when they meet in high school through to old age, and so much of the plot is about the way they navigate and negotiate (and renegotiate) their relationship. Watch the movie version with the extended ending.

I Want to See Only You (Japan, Grey)*

Best friends in high school decide to date and then feel out what that means for their relationship over their last summer break before high school ends. This one has very low stakes through the whole thing and admittedly only covers the start of exploring their relationship, but I'm counting it because I liked the way the relationship change was decidedly undramatic. This show reminds me of what it was like when my best friend and I started sleeping together in our last summer of high school, in that we angsted a bit about it and then our friendship stayed exactly the same, just with an additional element. In that sense it doesn't do much exploring, and I am understanding of the criticism that "nothing happens" in this one more than any of the others on this list, but I'd argue the way nothing changes is just as valid as when everything changes! Fully willing to admit I'm biased on this one too lol

Papa and Daddy S1&2 (Taiwan, GaGaOoLaLa)

This show isn't perfect but it's one of the few with an established couple that has a first and second season, and one of the only ones exploring how parenthood affects a marriage. We do get the story of how they got together throughout S1, but it's more about how their relationship changes as they become parents and again when their kid goes to kindergarten. S2 is more about wrestling with the secrets one of them has kept about their past, and what it means for their relationship in the present. Plus some really excellent Taiwanese Pride representation and queer found family support networks in this show.

Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend (Japan, GaGaOoLaLa)

Three (+) people trying to figure out if polyamory can work for them. Not my favourite, but relationship negotiation was the entire plot, and I did enjoy how messy this show got and how imperfect it allowed its characters to be, and that the ending was not perfect or pat but still happy and still poly.

Goodbye Mother (Movie; Vietnam, Viki / Tubi)

Toeing the line because this is about how the couple manage visiting one of their families in Vietnam without being out to the family they're staying with, but I would argue that their relationship with one another as well as with the mother is a key point of exploration in the film. Plus this movie is just so beautiful, and funny, and queer, and wonderful.

Bonus Recs that don't fully match the criteria:

Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (Japan, Viki) they're not technically in a relationship and it doesn't end happily but the entire film is about the main character figuring out who he is, and he does that in the context of his relationships for most of the film, so it still feels tangential but related to this category.

Eternal Yesterday (Japan, GaGaOoLaLa) this one doesn't end happily and technically it's about a couple who love one another negotiating how to say goodbye to one another (because one of them has already died--magical realism) and what the character's death means for each of them, which makes this show just so utterly heartbreaking, but also really really interesting from a relationship dynamics perspective.

Bed Friend (Thailand, iQiYi / GaGaOoLaLa) this couple are friends with benefits for most of the series, and other plot stuff happens, but the actual important/driving plot is their relationship negotiation and development alongside the processing of and triumph over trauma, and it is incredibly well done and rewarding

Made on the Rooftop (Korea, GaGaOoLaLa) Ok so this film is about two best friends and their relationships, one of which is ending and the other is just starting, so neither really qualify, but it's about the way both of these relationships are being negotiated; we get flashbacks to see what happened in the ending relationship, and we get insight into what is holding back the new relationship. This film is so funny and fun and queer and heartbreaking and beautiful and there is at least one happy ending, so it's getting added here anyway.

*If anyone needs these grey shows, I can probably hook you up.

The Ride or Die Drama Couples List

So the other night I got a little sassy on main because some of the girlies were complaining that King the Land is focusing more on the couple moments (aka relationship development) between Gu Won and Sa Rang and doesn’t have enough plot. Which is a very typical fandom complaint about romcoms that I absolutely hate, because in a good romance the relationship is the plot, people! It’s bizarre attitudes like this that get us random murder plots spliced into every other romcom for the ratings, and I am begging y’all to stop the madness.

Ahem. Anyway, that post seemed to resonate with some folks and get them discussing other dramas, and so inevitably @troubled-mind wandered into my notes and said gee Shan, it seems like maybe you should make a list of dramas that show us couples in a relationship and explore how they make it work and ultimately stay together. And I’ve warned y’all before, if you make a stray comment in my direction there will be a list coming your way. So here I am again, doing the absolute most.

Today I present to you a list of my favorite dramas that show you not only how the couple gets together, but also how they stay together. Criteria:

The couple doesn’t have to be together when the drama starts, but they do have to actually begin their romantic relationship no later than halfway through the drama’s run so that we have substantial time with them as a couple

The relationship development between the couple is a primary plot driver (so no dramas where there’s a great long term couple just hanging out in the background)

The relationship story may include some physical separation or even a temporary breakup, but not the betrayal kind–these are the sort that actually force an unaddressed issue to the surface and ultimately bring the couple even closer

Happy endings only, these pairs are sticking together

Ride or Die Drama Couples

Bad Buddy - Pat and Pran

(Thailand, YouTube)

This is tumblr so do I really need to tell y’all about Pat and Pran? There is a reason we all lost our minds over this show and it’s because we got to be in this relationship with them so intensely and see them fight to stay together despite it all. Their ending is bittersweet because of their families, but the show leaves us no doubt that they both think the other is worth it and they will always stick it out together.

Dark Blue Kiss - Pete and Kao

(Thailand, YouTube)

Shout out to the OGs! Pete and Kao originally got together in the Kiss series (you can watch it, but you really don’t have to, fam) and Dark Blue Kiss brings them back three years into their long-term relationship to give us a peek into their struggles with the closet and the toll it takes on both of them individually as well as the strain it puts on their relationship.

Flower of Evil - Hee Sung and Ji Won

(S Korea, Netflix or Viki)

Hee Sung and Ji Won are already married (with an adorable daughter) when this drama begins, and the backstory of their relationship is unspooled alongside the larger mystery at the heart of the show. One of the most fascinating and heart wrenching love stories I have ever seen, centered on a character who is so emotionally damaged that he genuinely believes he is incapable of love even as love pours out of him. Damn, I’m gonna make myself cry into my oatmeal.

It’s Okay, That’s Love - Jae Yeol and Hae Soo

(S Korea, Viki)

Speaking of crying, lord. Ahhhhhhh. Let me pull myself together. It’s Okay, That’s Love is a healing drama about two people who fall in love and support each other through serious mental health challenges. I don’t really want to say much more than that. Bring tissues, besties!

La Pluie - Patts and Saengtai

(Thailand, iQIYI)

My beloved! This Thai drama is about a pair of soulmates–or are they–who find each other and try to make their relationship work. That’s it, that’s the show. In this drama, the relationship truly is the plot, despite some of the fantasy elements being used to highlight its themes. La Pluie is about the importance of choice and a rebuke of romantic fantasies that fate and destiny will handle your love life for you. I and many others have written about it extensively, so if you decide to watch, you can go nuts on meta.

Lighter & Princess - Li Xun and Zhu Yun

(China, Viki)

I really love this show. This is a long format drama so there will be longer stretches where the couple still has not officially gotten together, but the relationship between them is the heart of the entire show, and we get the distinct pleasure of watching them fall in love twice, and the second time figure out how to make it stick. Such a treat.

One Spring Night - Ji Ho and Jung In

(S Korea, Netflix)

Oh how I love this quiet little drama about two people who fall for each other while one is still in a relationship with someone else, and figure out how to untangle the mess they’re in. We get to see them not only fall in love, but figure out how to become a unit who can withstand the harsh judgment coming their way and become a family on their own terms. Bonus adorable child alert!

Tomorrow With You - So Joon and Ma Rin

(S Korea, Viki)

This time travel melodrama is one of those that I started with no expectations and then sat up part way through and said what gave you the right to be this good! This is another one where the relationship begins for dubious reasons, but the suspect motives are quickly taken over by genuine feeling. We really get to live with the relationship in this one and the message is all about treasuring the life and time we have together.

The Rebel Princess - Awu (Wang Xuan) and Xiao Qi

(China, Viki)

I think the phrase Ride or Die was actually invented for them. Talk about a power couple. Once these two get to know each other (this is a historical so as per usual, their marriage wasn’t actually their choice but rather the result of some asshole’s machinations in a quest for power, joke’s on them though) they are in, baby, and their devotion and loyalty never wavers. This is a historical epic in war time, so the couple will be physically separated multiple times, but it only makes them stronger and each of their reunions sweeter. Their relationship is the heart of the show and the throughline in their chaotic lives.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? - Shiro and Kenji

(Japan, the ether)

Saving the best for last because this right here is the GOAT in this category. It sits at the top of my all-time favorite dramas list and I love it passionately. Because y’all? This drama is explicitly about a middle-aged couple learning how to be together in a long-term relationship. That is the entire plot. And it’s fantastic. Stop reading this and go watch it!

Honorable Mentions

Yumi’s Cells - Yu Mi and Goo Wong

(S Korea, Viki)

This one is not on the list proper because (gasp) the couple doesn’t end up together. I know, I’m still sad about it, too, even though I went into this drama fully aware of the concept (a season about each of Yu Mi’s major relationships). But man. Yu Mi and Goo Wong just have that something, you know? Even knowing they don’t stick it out, it’s a delight to watch them fall in love and settle into a relationship together. Technically there is a second season featuring Yu Mi’s next relationship (Babi? I don’t know her), but I don’t want to recommend it and you can’t make me.

I must also give a shout out to the bl season 2s that exist expressly for the purpose of showing how the characters settle into a relationship after the first season get together:

Gameboys 2 (Philippines, Gaga) - Cairo and Gavreel

Minato’s Laundromat 2 (Japan, Gaga)- Shin and Minato

SOTUS S and Our Skyy (Thailand, YouTube) - Kongpob and Arthit

Still 2gether (Thailand, YouTube) - Tine and Sarawat

Utsukushii Kare 2 (Japan, Gaga) - Hira and Kiyoi

And because this is my post and I make the rules, I am also doing some honorable mentions of the friends to lovers slow burns where technically they are not together until the final arc of the story but let’s be serious they are together the whole time and just don’t realize it yet so you know exactly what their relationship is going to look like:

Fight for My Way (S Korea, Viki) - Dong Man and Ae Ra

Happiness (S Korea, Viki) - Sae Bom and Yi Hyun

Hospital Playlist 1 and 2 (S Korea, Viki) - Song Hwa and Ik Jun

My Only 12% (Thailand, iQIYI) - Seeiw and Cake

My Ride (Thailand, Gaga or YouTube) - Mork and Tawan

Romance is a Bonus Book (S Korea, Netflix) - Dan Yi and Eun Ho

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (S Korea, Viki) - Joon Hyeong and Bok Joo

Whoops you woke the beast @troubled-mind. @rocketturtle4 @neuroticbookworm @chickenstrangers here are more for your mile long rec lists. :)))