Asian BL - BL/Gay Dramas and movies 1980's to 2021

Short.

Truly one of the most unique BL to date. Not only the theme, but also the way that it's told and unravels.
As everything else, it has flaws--at times, it can be a little bit melodramatic and slightly cheesy, but it's excusable since it's always heartfelt and genuine. The story might sound a bit too much for someone who's not a fan of supernatural themes--but believe me, you'll be okay with it. I'm REALLY not one for those themes, but I still fell for this one.

The acting is absolutely superb--Singto, being the veteran BL pro-in-every-inch that he is, as usual, shows his skills and versatility. And paired up with the raw and natural talent of Ohm--who is one of my favourite young actors on a global scale--it can become nothing but awesome. If Ohm doesn't give you goosebumps and a lump in your throat (or even make you cry--I did, several times) in a couple of his strongest scenes, I'd be surprised. He's one of those that doesn't even seem to act. He just is.
Side characters vary in delivery; Than's (Ohm) mom and friends (especially Sing, as Khiao-Khem) do a good job, while Mes' (Singto) ghost buddies bug the hell out of me. Especially Gunsmile, as Jeng, who once again goes haywire when put in a comedic role. It's too bad, because the guy CAN act. He just doesn't have any moderation when he goes comedy. 

There are heavy themes and sadness in this one, but overall, it's just really sweet and light-hearted. Actually, it's quite paradoxal. It's silly and filled with gags--yet profound and quite thought-provoking. Sad--yet very happy. But I guess that's fitting, since it's about life--and death.

The production... It's sufficient. The budget is probably low, but it doesn't matter because it doesn't affect the result. The 90s music sets a nice frame and atmosphere.

I didn't expect to like it and decided to watch it only because of Singto and Ohm--but it ended up as one of my all-time favs. It's just that special.

Third and last in the "En of Love" trilogy of mini-dramas, released back-to-back.

Second in the "En of Love" trilogy of mini-dramas, released back-to-back.

Oh, God. Where do I even start? 

The reviews for this first of the "En of Love" trilogy of mini dramas--were a slaughter-house. But I'll watch (almost) anything once. If for nothing else--at least to be able to trash it. I mean--it couldn't be QUITE that bad?

It was.

First cringe; A crazy, squealing fan going bonkers in an (utterly uninteresting) video rant. I don't want to see it in a shitload of dramas. (Which we do.) Second cringe; The intro song. (The whole OST is awful.) And thus began the major cringe-feast. 

Keywords; 

Cheesy. As in drowning in a swimming pool-sized fondue pot level of cheesy.
Far-fetched. As in--the assigned bottom (sigh), even giving in to the out-of-nowhere courting, was about as believable as Kim Jong-Un's unicorns.
Win. (In the role of Gun.) Who casted this guy?! He's about as good an actor as a some poor kid assigned to play a tree in a school play. Stiff, flat, monotone and (I'm sorry;) came off as more than a little bit... intellectually challenged. Both the character and the actor. And (if to be even more mean;) he's not fit for the role of a supposedly super-hot uni idol that people will walk over corpses to date. I actually LIKE non-gorgeous leads, but it just becomes weird when a whole school shrieks and faints over a really plain, clumsy, dorky dude who just screams "Forrest Gump".

Techs and production were fair. Acting from everyone else, varied between "uhh" and "totally okay". Folk (Bar) has promise, with a bit more experience. He's definitely the one redeeming factor of this crap.

But overall, this was just awful. A corny, sleazy, syrupy, illogical mess.

However--I don't hand out "1" ratings, unless it's an absolute catastrophe of epic levels. The extremes of "1" and "10" should be very sparsely used, IMO. A "4" is fair, taking everything into consideration. I.e.--significantly below average.

Movie adaptation of the graphic novel with the same name, written by the director of the movie.

Sequel/Parallel story to "Until We Meet Again", but focusing on the story of Win and Team.
(Looking forward to this since I do like these guys--but there just wasn't enough time for them in the parent story, so they just became a filler in that one...)

Upcoming 2021.

Short

This is one of those flicks that transcend any label of "BL" or "LGBTQ" or alike, even when it's such a big part of the plot and themes. It's just a movie, just a story, where sexual orientations aren't the main point, even when being the center of attention. That's a very subtle, but pretty hard, treshold to climb. The focus is instead on the emotions, in this mess of a love triangle. 

The story in itself, is nothing new. (Though, perhaps the directions in the triangle, aren't the most common ones.) What's interesting here, are the dynamics and intricate bonds between the three. Which are presented, and portrayed, in an excellent way by the director and the actors. 

I've revised my opinion about most of the BL/Gay themed movies and dramas I used to love back in the days when the assortment was sparse and I was less of a connaisseur (lol), but this is one of few that I haven't downrated with time. 

It's a deep, beautiful little piece, told in a sensitive and poetic way, not just storywise--but also in music, visuals and by solid directorial work. 

It's not just a good gay themed movie. It's a good movie.
That's a pretty rare thing to be able to say about the majority of flicks and dramas on this list.

Short.

This... is what it is. 5 x 25 minutes of fanservice. A bunch of cute teen boys who aren't very restrained when it comes to finding reasons to act out their innate BL tendencies with each other--here, there and everywhere. It's retarded and cheap, production is crappy, plot is idiotic and acting wasn't that awesome. These boys have shaped up during the past couple of years and are considerably better in later roles...

Reasons to watch; 

1) Cute guys making out, stripping and being all kinds of outrageous and naughty.

2) Newyear. I'll support any BL actor who's brave enough to be out and open and refuse to hide their sexual orientation in fear of not getting roles. (Which he didn't, before this one. He got refused because he was openly gay. Thank God this is starting to change.) Besides, he's a decent actor and he's cute to look at. 

Don't expect greatness because this is pretty much junk. But the reasons above are enough for me, considering the short runtime and few episodes. But I'll rate it accordingly.
And even if the second season is aiming for "serious", I'd rather rewatch this one ten times before I force myself to watch S2 again.

I REALLY didn't like this. It's pretty astonishing how this season, that aimed so much higher than the first season, turned out this boring and meaningless. 

S1 was cheap, tacky, and just an excuse to show off a lot of kissing between cute guys--but it didn't aspire to be much more than that. This season tries to be serious and has a much higher budget and better production--yet the entertainment value is pretty much non-existent, IMO.

The first problem is that the theme is gone. Even if the game is still a part of the plot, it makes no sense here, like it did in S1. There the game continued into sober reality and really messed things up for the people involved. Here it's just a thing in the background, except for the three (I think it was) scenes when the game is played as an excuse to show drunken making out. The further use of the game as a plot component, is so slight and pointless that it's almost absent.

We are left with a bunch of people that have relationship issues--without even the game to blame it on. Enter second problem; these characters are not likable, memorable or even slightly engaging. Not for me, anyway. I don't like them, but worse than that--I don't care about them nor what happens to them. They just annoy me and they're pretty much A-holes, most of them.

Acting is okay for the most part, but really bad and unconvincing at other parts. I cringed at all the crying scenes, they were so horrendously fake. Music and score is outdated and cheesy. Production is okay. 

 I can't give it a worse rating than "mediocre"/"run-of-the-mill", since it is a fair production, but as for entertainment value; I wouldn't rewatch it if I was paid--while I would rewatch S1 even if it was utter junk. That says a lot.

Short

Long short/short full-lenght. (A bit over one hour long.)

Short with heavy themes, featuring Gun.

Special for the drama "Falling in Love With a Rival". (Sometimes called "Counterattack".)

Another "long short". Aboutish an hour long.

Not BL but gay theme (which is just a part of the much bigger picture), not light, not cute.
This is cinematic art at its best, in case you want to watch some true quality film-making.

LBGTQ Parenthood.

A rather good flick with some good acting, that highlights an issue that should be a given but unfortunately isn't. Sweet, heart-warming and just feel-good.

This is not even close to as good as some claim it is. It's barely mediocre.

The premise could've been nice and the creators make an effort to bring a decent idea, to life, but it just doesn't work. The production is absolutely horrible in quality--it doesn't get more low-budget than this. And it seriously impairs the end result. Add to that quite a few random and unnecessary scenes (i.e. = the result of a messy and badly planned script) and haphazard pacing which makes for a bumpy ride. 

The actors try their best, but don't quite reach the goal--which is probably due to bad directing. 

Ahh... it's just a really, really sloppy flick--to the degree where the story itself becomes non-enjoyable.

Upcoming 2020

Short

Sequel to the short "Find You in the Crowd".

Short

Short

Upcoming 2020.

I haven't read the novel on which this is based, but if to judge from previous productions on a more serious note, to come from China--this could be good. However, I wonder how it'll turn out due to the Chinese media ban on LGBTQ content.
There is a reason for most Chinese BL/Gay themed stuff being produced in Taiwan...

Short

Short

Short of the longer kind.

Old School Japan

Short

Doubtful whether it belongs on the list or not. I haven't watched it and I doubt I will, but supposedly the BL content is very, very small and perhaps rather should be called Bromance.

TBH, I don't remember a single thing about this flick. All I know is that I considered it to be junk already when I saw it, some 14-15 years ago. (Yes... I'm that old... lol)
But it seems that everyone else considers it quite good. That makes me wonder what the heck it was that I hated so much about it... 

Perhaps I should rewatch in order to justify my trashing of it--but considering that I set my bar much lower back in the days, and rated it this low even then... I'm not sure I feel like giving it another shot...

Short

Short

Mini-mini-drama.

Drama featuring different couples, of which one is a gay one, in a circle of friends. 

I admit that I watched it for the gay part and especially the great BL-veteran Singto in yet another gay role, but the whole thing is decent, with very good acting from most involved and a good assortment of stories about different relationship troubles. 

My problem with it is that I found it... kind of boring. Since it IS good, from an objective POV, I suspect the reason might be precisely the fact that I went in looking for BL. This isn't as easy chew and simple as most dramas of this type, are. This is more mature and sober in tone--so I guess one has to be genuinely interested in the straight stories in order to get really engaged. 

(I'm definitely not the only one--but my life-long BL/Gay fixation seems, to a significant degree, have impaired my ability to get into any romance if it's not between guys... To the degree where I would be likely to not even notice if a guy was hitting on ME, because I would be too occupied thinking that it would be really hot if he'd make out with his guy friend. Or any dude in the vicinity. Which, from an objective POV--is more than a little bit screwed up. But let's just ignore that. Lol...)

I probably won't rewatch it (except possibly the BL parts) but I'll still watch the sequel season coming up this year. (2020.)

Second season for drama "Friend Zone".

Short

Short

I haven't been able to get my hands on all episodes in subbed version--(1-4 are available fansubbed. I'm not sure if the episodes for sale on NHK web-tv are subbed) and even though I do speak some Japanese, I can't claim to understand more than part of the dialogue, when I watch eps 4-8 unsubbed. 

Even so--this drama is AWESOME. It's something unique, showing the confusion and coming of age of a gay teen in a society that does not accept homosexuality--from a totally different angle than anything we've seen before. 

The framework with Queen's music and all kinds of little poetic and philosophical adds (I loved the play between the leads when imagining love stories about the things around them...) gives a unique touch and the narrative voice/storytelling from the MC is done in a great and imaginative way. 

Some people have totally misunderstood the whole thing about "gay dude in a relationship with a fujoshi". Watch the damn thing before you draw conclusions. Wanna bet on how many gay kids have tried straight dating before they figure out what will work and what never will? And their relationship is beautiful--no matter if it's romantic or friends, because their connection is real. The point here is not to promote reprogramming gays, but to show how confusing it can be to accept oneself--and how pressure from society and family can make us try to fool ourselves and do things we don't truly wish to do.

This is definitely (based mainly on the episodes I have been able to watch with English subs) the best Gay themed story to come from Japan, to date. 

Upcoming 2020.

This isn't BL, this is Gay themed. Nothing fluffy about this--it's about real guys, real life, real stories and issues. And it's very good, if you want something more serious than cutesy fairytales.

The only reason I don't rate it higher, is because the entertainment value, such at it is, isn't all that high. It's rewarding, and definitely worth a watch--but it's so realistic that it becomes... plain? It's definitely one of the best Gay themed things Thailand has produced, and I recommend it to anyone except Fangirls/boys who exclusively want BL fantasies. It's just that it's somehow a bit TOO realistic to be something one gets all hyped up about. 

Which ever way I put it, it sounds like I'm complaining--but I'm not.
It just gets down to one's cravings, I guess. If you're in the mood for chocolate cake--you don't go for rye bread. But you go diabetic if you eat cake every day. Something like that.

Season 2. See S1 for comment.

First one in a series of compilation movies made up by shorts.

See "Gay Out Soon".

See "Gay Out Soon".

See "Gay Out Soon".

See "Gay Out Soon".

Upcoming 2020.

Short

Here's another one that I watched so long ago, that I can't even remember what it was about--even less why I disliked it enough to rate it this low. 

Someday when I have absolutely nothing else to watch, I guess I might have to rewatch all those oldies that I've trashed. Maybe. 

Short (of the longer kind.)

Short

Sequel (also a short) to "Good Loser".

This one is strange, too artsy (artsy is fine but it doesn't always work and here it doesn't) and just doesn't come through well enough. Acting is good and production is good for the most part. A couple of scenes are really hot, and to be honest, those are pretty much the only thing I'll remember.

Short film of the longer kind.

Short

Short

I LOVED this. If you liked "HIStory 3: Trapped" and similar bad guys vs. cops or other clandestine enemies becoming lovers-themes, you will too.
Here, the feel is much darker, though. But not dark as in depressing--just more thriller-esque.
This is paired up with sweet romance--and those two shouldn't mix well, but they do...  

For such a short drama, it's very well rounded and feels like a much longer story due to good planning and directing. (What I would give to see this in the episode count of "Trapped"...) Thoroughly entertaining, interesting, exciting and has some squeal-worthy moments including a classy and sweet love-scene.
Acting is nice, production great, it's just really well balanced for such a contrast in main themes. 

Not BL. Adapted from Japanese manga "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e". See notes in list description.

Not BL. Japanese remake of "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e". See notes in list description. Skip this one and watch the original drama instead...

Short

For this short a short--you need to do something that's so poignant that it really pops out. This doesn't. It's cute, yeah, but it's also pointless.

Completely pointless mini-drama. I watch only to see guys smooching and that's pretty bad feedback for the producers.

Short special connected to the web-drama/movie (exists in two versions) "Like Love"/"I Love You as a Man".

Supposedly has gay character(s).