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

Upcoming 2020.

If this is indeed happening--it's probably a very bad idea... We shall see.

This series has been outclassed many times over, since it came. But it deserves a spot on any list, because this was what started the insane BL-craze in Thailand--which, in turn, has revived it in other countries as well. 

It was the first drama focusing on a BL couple, and a risky move on behalf of the creators. But it became a massive hit with a huge global fanbase--and paved way for everything to come.
It's flawed in many ways and it's a light-weight and nothing to take all that seriously--but it's sweet, it's lovable, it's happy and fluffy and above all; it's iconic. 

A must-watch.

Season 2. See S1 for comment.

Upcoming adaptation of the super popular classic BL manga with the same name. 

(Which I haven't read, since it's not my cup of tea. Whether I will watch the movie depends on the reviews, I guess.)

Upcoming June 5th 2020.

It's seriously questionable whether I should include this title on the list, or not. I still haven't quite decided. Yuck. 

If you have a serious story to tell--any content is justifiable. But this seems to be 100 % gratuitous catering to fangirls/boys that really should book an appointment to a psychologist.

Mini-drama.

Mini-mini-short film connected to the drama "Love By Chance".

Mini-mini-short film connected to the drama "Love By Chance".

Mini-mini-short film connected to the drama "Love By Chance".

Mini-mini-short. 

It has Lay! <3

This isn't all that good, per se. But it's so charming... 

Upcoming 2021.

Sequel season to drama "We Best Love: No 1 For You". 

I was annoyed at the stupid plot ending to S1 and the time jump to S2--I fricking hate time jumps, they're ridiculous and unbelievable--but I actually find myself really liking the setting and maturity of the guys' characters in S2. 

And... OMG, their chemistry... Absolutely epic in this season.
Not only do they showcase great acting (especially Sam Lin impressed in episode 2)--but their interaction is electric. One of the best connections between actors in any BL. Ever.
If you aren't interested for any other reason--watch it if only for that reason alone... It's worth it.

I can't believe I almost missed out on this one, just because of something so stupid as an annoying title...

One of my absolute favs for this year and probably will end up on my all-time-fav list.

Listed as having gay character(s?)

Special episodes for drama "Make it Right".

Season 2. See S1 for a comment.

Okay, this isn't all that qualitative, but in those first years of the recent BL-mania, we took what we could get--and it's not bad either. A lot of moronic content and filler crap, but some parts are nice, with cute relationships and fair acting. Quite daring for a high school BL, even by 2020-standards.
And... worth watching even if just for Ohm's BL debut... 

I was debating with myself whether to include this, or not--but decided to.

Not BL, it's a super cheap and tacky series of horror-parody flicks. (Three of them.) 

But there is a BL-trope-couple in the gang of guy friends. 

It's not very clearly stated if they are an ACTUAL couple, or just a pretend one--it's purposely presented that way. Are they an actual couple, under the cover of a pretend one--or are they just insanely tight buddies (teetering at the edge of friendship vs. romance) who aren't afraid to display extreme bromance?
It doesn't matter, it's not really the point. Which is, more like, making fun of the whole BL craze. 

(It's not offensive in any way, the whole premise of the movies is to make fun of everything and everyone--and the couple just represent a ridiculously clichéed and exaggerated stereotype of stupid BL boyfriends. They're fully included in the circle of close friends, and their shrieky-gay-clingy behaviour is "normal" in the eyes of the others.) 

There are two sequels, but I'll settle for including this first one. All three movies are utter crap,  I only watched them because I love Asian horror, but somehow, I'm kind of charmed by this bunch of idiots... The flicks are so stupid that they border to actually retarded, but... well... And I kind of enjoy watching BL being made fun of, when it's in a way that's not judgemental.

Short.

Not BL, more like; about BL fandom and crazy fangirls.

Old school Japan. Even crappier than the first movie.

Short.

Mini-mini-drama.

This was one of the most fascinating things I've seen in a while. (Why have I ignored it until now?!)

I have to rewatch it, since I'm not sure if I got everything right in terms of dynamics. I'd say that definitely was an intentional move by the script writer--to enhance the theme of reality and play blurring. Ingenious--as well as confusing. But thought-provoking and exactly what made this such an intriguing watch. Is the audience, along with the lead, duped by the seemingly innocent character, who is truth was a splendid actor already to begin with? Or was he indeed innocent, but learnt too fast and too well--ending up outplaying his teacher?

Mysterious, hypnotic, demanding one's attention. But its true strenght lies in the exceptional acting, atmosphere and score. 

Not entertainment--but psychology wrapped in art.

This one is overrated--I wish it really was as good as the MDL rating indicates. It had potential, and the two Flukes really did a good job, even if Fluke the P' didn't quite have his shit together at all times, when acting. It could have been a mellow and tender little coming-of-age love story, but the huge chunk of unnecessary over-the-top melodrama ruins the whole thing--pulling down the quality several notches. I recently rewatched it, since I'm kind of curious about the sequel coming up 2020--and revised my previous trashing of it, slightly.  The acting, in parts, as well as the first half of the movie--is what makes it better than the average BL flick. The second half drags it below that line. 

Drama-version of the movie "My Bromance". Supposedly vastly different in storyline.

Upcoming sequel for the "My Bromance" movie.

A short connected to the movie "My Bromance".

Another Korean short worth a watch. However, I don't like it as much as many others do. It's good film-making, but the story just isn't entertaining enough to make me fall for it as hard as many seem to have done. 

Short.

Short.

Upcoming sequel for short-film "My Friendship".

Mini-drama. (Kind of. Fair number of episodes but short runtime.)

Supposedly has a gay character.

Based on Marukido Maki's manga "Indigo no Kibun" which in both comic and drama form is a sequel to "Pornographer", but chronologically a prequel. 

Warning for VERY explicit content. (Or a plus--depending on your level of tolerance for R-rated content...)

Both installations are good, but as a separate piece, I consider "Pornographer" more solid.

Short.

Was supposed to be released in May 2020. Dunno' what happened...

Mini-mini-MINI-drama, (10 episodes but with just four minutes of runtime, each.)

A commercial worth watching. Such a thing does actually exist. 

Okay, to be fair, the story is far from WOW, but it doesn't really matter--the reward here is the guys. Every minute of Singto and Krist together is awesome and most BL fans would agree on that since they're among the most beloved BL couples ever.
(Btw, one can't really avoid comparing the story to Singto's actual ghost-BF-story "He's Coming to Me"...)

I do love the characters they're assigned here because we're not really used to seeing them like this. Krist being a joking spazz and Singto being a serious nerd. They also get to show off their comedic sides and they really do have those even though we haven't seen all that much of them in their previous work. Even the actual commercial parts are kind of hilarious because they're so exaggerated. 

So yeah, it's a bit retarded. With a run-of-the-mill type of story. But for 17 minutes, it still has quite a lot of substance. And even if it didn't... it's 17 minutes of Krist and Singto, right. And since they are good enough actors to make even the worst crap watchable--this is pretty nice.

Mini-mini-drama. (7 x 7 minutes.)

Mini-mini-drama that has nothing to do with the Thai "My Bromance". (12 x 7 minutes.)

Short.

In general, MDL ratings are crazy because nutty fans are too trigger-happy with the "10"s. I thought the case was the same here. 

It wasn't. This one deserves a top score.

It's that good. 

What really impresses--is the production. This is CLASS. The difference between this, and 95 % of other BL dramas--is that between heaven and earth. And class is about careful and talented work from the crew. Standard tv-shows vs. movie quality. Here, you have quality techs (sound, light, visuals etc), seamless editing and well planned writing and directing that create dynamic scenes and shots. 

But everything else is great, too. (If I had paid attention to the director--I would have guessed. This guy made "SOTUS"... The music gave me a "SOTUS" feel. I checked. And yeah, it's Lit Samajarn...)

The cast is excellent--compare ALL these guys to most BL actors. These dudes can ACT. Most are great and really make their characters come alive. And as icing on the cake; hot. (Especially Lay... so beautiful...) 

OST/score is not awesome at all times--but always fitting. Sometimes; great. I seldom like mushy love songs, but the ending (also in instrumental score) theme got to me. Love it. 

The storylines of four (!) couples, all fit in the time given, which is rare. I.e. = well planned. One couple is superfluous, but have their charm, still. All others are equally endearing and interesting. 

The is corny, yes--but this is true BL, and it's executed so well that it works even for crass BL fans like me. The humor is often (really) silly, but it's tongue-in-cheek and doesn't take itself too seriously. It even seems like it's going to angle the whole top-bottom-trope a bit differently; sarcastically. (Yay!)
The syrup is cute--not unbearable, and all guys have superb chemistry. 

It's light and cheesy, but sweet--and makes you fangirl. Hard.

Sequel season for drama "My Engineer". 

Upcoming 2021.

Special reality-show-thingy episodes connected to the drama "My Engineer". 

Not good, not bad. Just... well... The actors are there, the actors joke around, the actors talk and blahblah. Not my thing.

Behind the scenes episode connected to the drama "My Engineer". 

Not good, not bad. The actors babble about the drama. Period.

Short.

Upcoming August 2020.

Short.

This is not BL, but contains a teen gay couple. (And don't expect happy, because nothing about this drama is happy.)

Survival-theme with supernatural elements--think "Lord of the Flies" or "Lost", with a touch of "Battle Royale" towards the end. The feel is creepy and claustrophobic and the tension just grows. 

I have to point out that this drama is FAR too similar to the German sci-fi-thriller series "Dark" (also a Netflix production) for it to be coincidental. If you've seen both, you'll know what I mean. Even if the settings are different, there are a lot of parallels. Too many.

Some very good acting from most main actors--I watched partly because I LOVE survival themes but also because of the LGBTQ elements,--we find all kinds of representatives here. But especially I was tempted because of the fact that one of the guys in the (male) gay couple is Perth ("Love By Chance", "ReminderS", "Until We Meet Again") whom I really like as an actor. March ("Hormones" plus a shitload of other stuff) is back with a vengeance here. (In a straight, "bad guy" role.) I utterly dislike the guy, but I have to admit he's a very good actor.

Production is very good, with a good score (can't really talk about an OST here) and very nice SFX for a tv production.

Second season is coming up and I'll be watching. 

Short of the longer kind. (47 minutes.)

Mini-drama.

A mini-drama that could have had potential, but kind of belly-flopped. When you have this short a time to work with, you really need to make a clever script, and this unfortunately wasn't clever. It tells what it aspires to do, but it just doesn't make the best possible use of the time it's given. It turned out rather shallow and forgettable. 

Doesn't have the best of ratings, but I think it's a fairly decent adaptation of the classic BL manga "Doushitemo Furetakunai" by my House Goddess Yoneda Kou.
It's low-budget and simplistic, but a good effort. Definitely one of the more qualitative of Japanese BL movies. 

This... sounds absolutely crazy when reading the synopsis.
I love crazy. But it really sounded so over-the-top that I was sure that it would either be a complete disaster--or quite epic. It turned out that it was the latter. 

The reviews were what convinced me to watch it, and I absolutely loved it.
An insane road-movie drenched in gunfire, violence, death, crazy characters, wild partying and crackling sexual tension--yet it gives you deep and serious drama, telling the stories of characters that are of a type that we very seldom see on screen in this way--making them human and real, not just how they stereotypically are portrayed. This is also the first time I've ever seen the love story of a Trans woman portrayed in-depth in a multi-character drama, as a big part of the plot. (Jenny rocks.) We get a big assortment of sexual preferences and identities served and are made to understand them all. 

Acting is top notch, production and music is great and it's just a blast.

This isn't really BL--it's a story about a polyamorous relationship between two guys and a girl--so much of the "action" is in throuple. Polyamory is a concept that's hard to deliver in a way that convinces a watcher who has zero understanding for how someone can love several people equally. This manages to do that. I also find it fascinating how their love transcends actual sexual preferences and just comes down to emotions lighting desire regardless of one's "normal taste" and how jealousy isn't something that can't be overcome. I swing both ways so of course, I'd think this is fricking hot--but I think that almost anyone could because it really manages to almost entirely erase the whole gender thing. 

I can't explain it in detail because it would spoil--but if you end up discontent with some of the end results, I urge you to think deeper than the actual, practical outcome.

Anthology focusing on five (more or less) iconic Thai BL couples. Every couple gets an episode each.

Some are utter crap, some are Okay +. 

But it is what it is; a treat for us who want to see more of the couples we love.
(Mork and Tee from "'Cause You're My Boy", Kongpob and Arthit from "SOTUS", Pete and Kao from the "Kiss" series, In and Sun from "My Dear Loser: Edge of 17" and Pick and Rome from "Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey".)

Mini-drama.

Movie sequel to the first of the two full lenght drama versions of the "Ossan" series. 

Old School Japan. Classic, but crappy.

Short.

This is one of those that one isn't likely to rewatch unless in a mood for good acting. Because this is really uncomfortable, in a lot of ways. But do not miss it, in case you want to see something other than just cute fluff. Because this is the other side and it doesn't get much darker than this. 

The themes are disturbing and regarding some of them, one can draw parallells to the scarier sides of BL fandom. The darker side of Social Media and Fan worship of people or couples, hasn't been explored all that much in tv. Usually we only see the "happy" side of fandom, but it can be really nasty. Cyberbullying, spreading of rumours, harrassment of BFs/GFs--whether they are real or perceived. I have seen creepy examples through the years in the circles of BL fandom--IRL girlfriends of BL actors being stalked and harrassed on social media, to the degree of their BFs and people in the production team having to plead to fans to please stop their behaviour. When people become delusional, they seem to forget the lines between reality and fantasy. Here, it's the perceived romantic interest of an "university idol" who gets the flak when his fans don't like the thought of their "God" being "tainted". 

We see parental pressure slowly grinding down the confidence and psyche of an elite child. Possesiveness and jealousy leading to acts that destroy lives. Self-harm, suicide attempts, severe expressions of PTSD (extremely uncomfortable scenes). Broken people who break others in turn--and the stupid sheep who create the scene for where those things happen. 

There are lights in the dark, though. Beautiful friendship, great parenting and personal strenght. 

The ending is open--choose what you want to believe happened. 

Production isn't very high-end, but sufficient. Acting is REALLY good. Should not be missed. When you're in a mood that allows for pain.

I have to find this! It sounds so good...

Mini-drama.

One of the most charming, and different, gay themed dramas from recent years--a great example of the super-refreshing new path that Japanese BL/Gay has chosen to explore. Straight-forward, more realistic every-day type of stories, far from the fluffy and silly junk they've churned out previously. (Other titles would be "Fujoshi Ukkari Gei ni Kokuru", the "Ossan" series and "My Brother's Husband"--the latter I unfortunately haven't been able to get my paws on. Yet.)

This is SO charming, SO lovable, SO down-to-earth and just... cozy.
Feel-good.
Like a nice, hearty meal. ("Kinou Nani Tabeta?" = "What did You Eat Yesterday?")

"Kinou Nani Tabeta" Movie--upcoming 2021.

Special for the drama "Kinou Nani Tabeta?"