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

Asian BL from the 1980's to 2021: A comprehensive Guide for lazy Fangirls (and Boys) 

Or, more like, "BL from some Asian countries"... China (+ Taiwan and Hong Kong), Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.)


If you'd like recs about non-Asian BL, just ask...

 

List will only contain titles in which BL/Gay/Male Bi couples/characters/themes, have at least a somewhat prominent role. 


***(Titles with (only) Trans characters; not included--a Trans woman who loves men is straight, not gay.
Crossdressing has nothing to do with gender identity so titles with cross-dressing guys who like guys; included.
Bodyswap is (reluctantly) included.
Bromance if there is an implication that it is/will go beyond friendship)***


Adding every now and then. 


Note; To make it simple; I'll just call BL, even if it would be more correct to say; stories about guys who are attracted to guys.  
"Gay theme" and BL are two different things.
But as long as one can tell fantasy from reality--it's a convenient word. 


My ratings are pretty harsh at times, but I judge by quality, not by how much I like/dislike it. Also by intention. Don't compare masterpieces with romcoms. That's not fair. Judge by what they were intended to be. A stupid romcom can be a 10 just as well as a Kurosawa flick, can. 
Btw; A "5" means "mediocre". "10" means "perfect". "1" means "a crime towards mankind."
People, there are a whole lot of numbers between 1 and 10.


Note: Included are dramas made of the manga "Hanazakari no kimitachi e". Even if it's not BL, there is a beautiful point made, which I think deserves attention because it's present in a manga/drama which has no BL connection.

Bambikill Jul 15, 2017
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  • Love Place: Shiawase no Katachi

    402. Love Place: Shiawase no Katachi

    Japanese Movie - 2013

  • Love Poison

    403. Love Poison

    Thai Drama - 2019, 8 episodes

  • Love Poison 2

    404. Love Poison 2

    Thai Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

  • Love Sick

    405. Love Sick

    Thai Drama - 2014, 12 episodes

    7.5

    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.

  • Love Sick Season 2

    406. Love Sick Season 2

    Thai Drama - 2015, 36 episodes

    7.5

    Season 2. See S1 for comment.

  • Love Sick: The Movie

    407. Love Sick: The Movie

    Thai Movie - 0000

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

  • Love Stage!!

    408. Love Stage!!

    Japanese Movie - 2020

    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.

  • Love Swing

    409. Love Swing

    Thai Drama - 0000

  • Love Syndrome

    410. Love Syndrome

    Thai Movie - 0000

    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.

  • Love to Our Youth: He Falls in Love with Him

    411. Love to Our Youth: He Falls in Love with Him

    Taiwanese Drama - 2016, 5 episodes

    Mini-drama.

  • Love with Flaws

    412. Love with Flaws

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes

    Not BL, but supposedly has gay character(s?)

  • Love: Must Fight

    413. Love: Must Fight

    Thai Movie - 2019

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

  • Love: Must Slap

    414. Love: Must Slap

    Thai Movie - 2019

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

  • Love: Must Take It Off

    415. Love: Must Take It Off

    Thai Special - 2019, 1 episode

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

  • Love's Coming

    416. Love's Coming

    Thai Movie - 2014

    6.5

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

  • Love’s Outlet

    417. Love’s Outlet

    Taiwanese Drama - 2021, 50 episodes

  • Loveless Society

    418. Loveless Society

    Thai Drama - 2021, 4 episodes

    Upcoming 2021.

  • Lovely Writer

    419. Lovely Writer

    Thai Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

  • Lovely Writer Special Episode

    420. Lovely Writer Special Episode

    Thai Special - 2021, 1 episode

  • Lychee Light Club

    421. Lychee Light Club

    Japanese Movie - 2016

    Listed as having gay character(s?)

  • Make It Live: On the Beach

    422. Make It Live: On the Beach

    Thai Drama - 2019, 6 episodes

    5.0

    Special episodes for drama "Make it Right".

  • Make It Right

    423. Make It Right

    Thai Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

    7.0

    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... 

  • Make It Right 2

    424. Make It Right 2

    Thai Drama - 2017, 14 episodes

    7.0

    Season 2. See S1 for a comment.

  • Make Me Shudder

    425. Make Me Shudder

    Thai Movie - 2013

    4.0

    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.

  • Malila: The Farewell Flower

    426. Malila: The Farewell Flower

    Thai Movie - 2017

  • Manner of Death

    427. Manner of Death

    Thai Drama - 2020, 14 episodes

    7.0

    Hmm. I like it! (I would like it no matter what--since I've been waiting a long time to see Max and Tul reunited in BL...) Can't say yet if my 8/10 will hold--I suspect it won't--but it's decent. More so than I expected.

    The genre is tricky to navigate if one has been working in BL (director behind "The Love of Siam" and "Dew, Let's Go Together")--especially when giving a love story equal space. One will have to yield and here it will be the thriller part that gives in to the romance. Which is sad--and awesome--depending on how one sees it.  It's hard to mix and find the balance and it doesn't turn out that perfect here, but perhaps that's because of the original novel, I don't know. I plan to read it. Eventually.
    I wasn't expecting thriller quality á la South Korea, so I wasn't disappointed. It works. So far, at least. 

    I'm a bit split about that part above--since we're talking my two fav genres, BL and crime, I don't want either to fall flat. But I'll choose to see it this way; this is a BL thriller. Not a thriller with BL. And then it's fine. And I'm SO HAPPY that we finally get gay content in other genres than sappy romance and/or heavy dramas. So even if I'm critical, just that simple fact makes me love it.

    Well, two eps in--one can't say all that much yet.
    But one thing is certain; Max and Tul belong together in front of a camera. Their chemistry is still superb. Both as co-actors and in terms of "spark". Their close friendship truly is an asset for them. And I have to admit--even though I'm interested in all aspects of the drama--I can't fricking wait to see them get all hot and dirty. :P


    Just a nerdy side note; As a life-long criminology/forensics buff + worked in human and vet care--I spot quite a few annoying little technical stupidities and errors in procedures and whatnot... but... who cares...

  • Matching! Boys Archery

    428. Matching! Boys Archery

    Korean Drama - 2016, 8 episodes

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

  • May The River and Sea Flow Upward

    429. May The River and Sea Flow Upward

    Chinese Movie - 2020

  • Mayonaka no Kita-san, Yaji-san

    430. Mayonaka no Kita-san, Yaji-san

    Japanese Movie - 2005

  • Me and Mr. X Season 3: Goodbye Mr. X

    431. Me and Mr. X Season 3: Goodbye Mr. X

    Chinese Drama - 2016, 9 episodes

  • Me, My Familiar People

    432. Me, My Familiar People

    Thai Movie - 2013

  • Mermaid Sauna

    433. Mermaid Sauna

    Taiwanese Drama - 2018, 8 episodes

    Mini-mini-drama.

  • Method

    434. Method

    Korean Movie - 2017

    8.0

    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.

  • Midnight Screening with the Vampire

    435. Midnight Screening with the Vampire

    Japanese Movie - 2014

  • Military Dog

    436. Military Dog

    Taiwanese Movie - 2018

    Short.

  • Mind.

    437. Mind.

    Korean Movie - 2017

    Short.

  • Missing Piece

    438. Missing Piece

    Thai Drama - 2019, 8 episodes

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

  • Moneyboys

    439. Moneyboys

    Taiwanese Movie - 2021

  • Monsterz

    440. Monsterz

    Japanese Movie - 2014

    Supposedly has a gay character.

  • Mood Indigo

    441. Mood Indigo

    Japanese Drama - 2019, 6 episodes

    8.5

    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.

  • Morning Boy

    442. Morning Boy

    Thai Movie - 2014

    Short.

  • Motor-Cycle

    443. Motor-Cycle

    Thai Drama - 0000

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

  • Mr Yan Dong! Don’t Come Over

    444. Mr Yan Dong! Don’t Come Over

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 10 episodes

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

  • Mr. CEO Is Falling in Love with Him

    445. Mr. CEO Is Falling in Love with Him

    Chinese Movie - 2017

  • Mr. Heart

    446. Mr. Heart

    Korean Drama - 2020, 8 episodes

    8.0

    Mini-drama.

  • Mr. Heart Special

    447. Mr. Heart Special

    Korean Special - 2020, 1 episode

    5.0

    Special episode for mini-drama "Mr Heart". 

    I'm  generally not interested in behind-the-scenes stuff--but it's not bad, nor good. It just is.

  • Mr. X and I

    448. Mr. X and I

    Chinese Drama - 2015, 4 episodes

    6.5
  • Mr. X and I Season 2

    449. Mr. X and I Season 2

    Chinese Drama - 2015, 6 episodes

    8.0
  • My Baby Bright: Best Friends Forever

    450. My Baby Bright: Best Friends Forever

    Thai Special - 2018, 1 episode

    7.0

    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.

  • My Boy

    451. My Boy

    Thai Drama - 2021, 12 episodes

  • My Boyfriend

    452. My Boyfriend

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 7 episodes

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

  • My Broken Love Story

    453. My Broken Love Story

    Taiwanese Special - 2020, 2 episodes

  • My Bromance

    454. My Bromance

    Thai Movie - 2014

    6.0

    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. 

  • My Bromance

    455. My Bromance

    Thai Drama - 2016, 12 episodes

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

  • My Bromance

    456. My Bromance

    Taiwanese Drama - 2018, 12 episodes

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

  • My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later

    457. My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later

    Thai Drama - 2020, 9 episodes

    Upcoming sequel for the "My Bromance" movie.

  • My Bromance: Reunion

    458. My Bromance: Reunion

    Thai Movie - 2015

    A short connected to the movie "My Bromance".

  • My Dear Loser: Edge of 17

    459. My Dear Loser: Edge of 17

    Thai Drama - 2017, 9 episodes

    7.5

    This is actually decent. The BL storyline is smaller and not as well developed as the straight one, but it's still rather nice and the couple is sweet. I actually, for once, enjoyed the straight storyline just as much--or more--than the BL one. 

    It's kind of stupid and cliché, but it's entertaining and well done.

    You can see more of In and Sun in the BL anthology "Our Skyy", in which they have a special episode.

  • My Dream

    460. My Dream

    Thai Drama - 2018, 12 episodes

  • My Eleventh Brother

    461. My Eleventh Brother

    Korean Movie - 2016

    Short.

  • My Engineer

    462. My Engineer

    Thai Drama - 2020, 14 episodes

    8.0

    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.

  • My Engineer Season 2

    463. My Engineer Season 2

    Thai Drama - 0000, 14 episodes

    Sequel season for drama "My Engineer". 

    Upcoming 2021.

  • My Engineer Summer Trip

    464. My Engineer Summer Trip

    Thai TV Show - 2020, 3 episodes

    5.0

    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.

  • My Engineer Summer Trip: Episode 0

    465. My Engineer Summer Trip: Episode 0

    Thai TV Show - 2020, 1 episode

    5.0

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

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

  • My Friendship

    466. My Friendship

    Thai Movie - 2020

    5.5

    Short.

  • My Friendship 2: Before the Rainbow

    467. My Friendship 2: Before the Rainbow

    Thai Drama - 2022, 2 episodes

    Upcoming sequel for short-film "My Friendship".

  • My Gear and Your Gown

    468. My Gear and Your Gown

    Thai Drama - 2020, 12 episodes

    7.0
  • My Lucky Cat

    469. My Lucky Cat

    Thai Drama - 0000

  • My Personal Trainer

    470. My Personal Trainer

    Korean Movie - 2019

    Short.

  • My Pistachio

    471. My Pistachio

    Korean Movie - 2018

    7.5

    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. 

  • My Ride

    472. My Ride

    Thai Drama - 2022, 10 episodes

    Upcoming August 2020.

  • Nabang Spark

    473. Nabang Spark

    Korean Movie - 2011

    Short.

  • Naughty Boys

    474. Naughty Boys

    Japanese Movie - 2001

  • Never Again

    475. Never Again

    Thai Movie - 2014

    5.0

    Short of the longer kind. (47 minutes.)

  • Never Forget I Love You Never Forget

    476. Never Forget I Love You Never Forget

    Thai Drama - 2017, 5 episodes

    Mini-drama.

  • Night Flight

    477. Night Flight

    Korean Movie - 2014

    7.5
  • Night of Love

    478. Night of Love

    Thai Movie - 2020

  • NightTime

    479. NightTime

    Thai Drama - 2019, 3 episodes

    5.5

    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. 

  • Nitiman

    480. Nitiman

    Thai Drama - 2021, 10 episodes

  • No Regret

    481. No Regret

    Korean Movie - 2006

    6.5

    Old school. Not very good. But back then we just couldn't afford to be picky.

  • No Touching At All

    482. No Touching At All

    Japanese Movie - 2014

    7.0

    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. 

  • Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

    483. Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

    Korean Drama - 2021, 8 episodes

  • Not Me

    484. Not Me

    Thai Drama - 2021, 14 episodes

  • Not...You

    485. Not...You

    Thai Drama - 2019, 3 episodes

    Mini-drama.

  • Okoge

    486. Okoge

    Japanese Movie - 1992

    W.T.F. 

    I wanna' watch it.

  • Once in Memory: Just Found Love

    487. Once in Memory: Just Found Love

    Thai Movie - 2021

  • Once in Memory: Love at First Sight

    488. Once in Memory: Love at First Sight

    Thai Movie - 2021

  • Once in Memory: Uncut

    489. Once in Memory: Uncut

    Thai Special - 2021, 1 episode

  • One Last Order

    490. One Last Order

    Korean Movie - 2019

    Short.

  • One Night Only

    491. One Night Only

    Korean Movie - 2014

    Very short full-lenght movie (or a very long short.) (1 hr 7 minutes.)

  • One Night Standing Till It Over

    492. One Night Standing Till It Over

    Thai Movie - 2016

    Short.

  • One Summer Night

    493. One Summer Night

    Korean Movie - 2016

  • Onli(n)e

    494. Onli(n)e

    Thai Drama - 2017, 8 episodes

  • Ooku

    495. Ooku

    Japanese Movie - 2010

  • Open

    496. Open

    Korean Movie - 2015

  • Oppressive Love

    497. Oppressive Love

    Chinese Movie - 2016

  • Ossan's Love

    498. Ossan's Love

    Japanese Special - 2016, 1 episode

    First version of the "Ossan" series, a shorter special. Also see the two drama versions plus special plus movie.

  • Ossan's Love

    499. Ossan's Love

    Japanese Drama - 2018, 7 episodes

    8.0

    Second version of the "Ossan" story, here in a drama version as opposed to the previous version, a shorter special. Me like! 

  • Ossan's Love

    500. Ossan's Love

    Hong Kong Drama - 2021, 15 episodes

    Hong-Kong remake of the Japanese "Ossan"-franchise. Could be nice!

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