ShotaSidePart:

I love a dark themed bl and I think it's only because so many of them are light and cute.

I honestly think if China didn't have the ban, they would be #1 when it comes to bl content. All of their pre-banned bl dramas were great.

If I had to make a BL industry leaderboard, it would probably look like:

1. Thailand

2. Taiwan

3. Japan

4. Philippines

5. S Korea

6. China 

Filipino and Korean BLs have been making waves this past year. If they stay consistent, I can see them overtaking Taiwan and Japan. Thailand is a powerhouse, I don't see them giving up the throne anytime soon. As much as we may dislike their "quantity over quality" approach, their fanfare-centered marketing is a force to be reckoned with. 

Oh I love rankings!

I've only been watching BLs since autumn, so my ranking would be a little different.

 1. Thailand (The holy Godmother BLs, responsible for all the Stereotypes, the good ones and the bad ones.)

2. Phillipines  (Has made at least 2 Outstandig BL-Dramas in 2020 with great support for the LGBT-Community.)

3. Taiwan (a little bit more serious and realistic than the other ones, has those their own charm)

4. Japan  ( Don't make enough BLS yet, but those are highly recommended) 

5. South-Korea (Are still in the Beginning Era of their Own BL-History, hope they will make a full standart BL-Drama in the near future.)

6. Vietnam (Unfortunately not supported on MDL, have they at least 7 or more BLs and will produce a lot of content in 2021)

 To be mentioned is that Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos are making their own BLs in 2021.

 Since China has banned gay content i wouldn’t rank it. 

 

 Blueshockwave:
Korean BLs have been making waves this past year.

SERIOUSLY! Like they just came out of nowhere and blew my wig off! They are so good!

I haven't seen any Taiwanese bls and would love some recs.

I personally would rate China a bit higher.  Even though they don't make outright bl dramas, the ones with censored storylines ie The Untamed and Guardian blow it out of the water with the subtleness they portray.  It will have me all in my emotions and a wreck after watching.

1. Thailand

2. Japan

3. China

4. South Korea

n/a for Taiwan and the Philippines (I have a couple on my ptw)

 QueerDudeGermany:
6. Vietnam (Unfortunately not supported on MDL, have they at least 7 or more BLs and will produce a lot of content in 2021)

I didn't know about Vietnamese BLs until You Are Ma Boy! I went to put it on my PTW list and couldn't find it. lol That's when I discovered MDL doesn't cover all of Asia. 


 ShotaSidePart:
I haven't seen any Taiwanese bls and would love some recs.

I personally would rate China a bit higher.  Even though they don't make outright bl dramas, the ones with censored storylines ie The Untamed and Guardian blow it out of the water with the subtleness they portray.  It will have me all in my emotions and a wreck after watching.

The HIStory compilation series is definitely Taiwan's most iconic. The titles fans tend to like most are Trapped, Make Our Days Count, and Crossing the Line.

I've heard great things about Untamed and Guardian and I'm sure they're good despite the censorship. Personally, the thing I've appreciated most about BLs is that they've helped me become more accepting of my own gayness since coming out. So I need my BL dramas to be Gay with a capital G. lol

OMG! Fail on my part as I've seen a couple HIStory dramas but none of the more famous ones. Except for Trapped, that one I dropped.

I get you wanting the gayness to be in your face but believe me when I tell you, if you're in the mood to be all in your feelings then watch those two from China. 

 Blueshockwave:
Personally, the thing I've appreciated most about BLs is that they've helped me become more accepting of my own gayness since coming out. So I need my BL dramas to be Gay with a capital G. lol

Exactly! I want my BLs as gay as possible *lol*


 ShotaSidePart:
I haven't seen any Taiwanese bls and would love some recs.

We best Love No.1 is a really good BL, also History 3/MODC and History 2/CTL.

Also Worthwatching and totally underrated are Craving You and Red Balloon.

I know History 3/Trapped is popular but I didn't a get  connenction to the Story

 ShotaSidePart:
Except for Trapped, that one I dropped.

LOL

 QueerDudeGermany:
Exactly! I want my BLs as gay as possible *lol*

It's gotten bad for me. I've gotten to the point of skipping through straight side couples. lol

every time i see a straight Couple on a BL is like

I'm always wonder why are they doing  this

I think in some cases, they feel a BL is more marketable to the general audience if there’s a hetero love story intertwined. But I’m so desensitized. lol

I always thought they made it, to make the  series more Realistic. So the opposite of 2gether, for example ,where  also the best friends/brothers (and maybe the whole Family) are becoming gay. 

Lovely Writer & You Make Me Dance are premiering soon. Who's watching them as they air, who's going to wait for the series to complete, and who's not interested?

I'll give both a try when they start, at least the first 2 episodes to see if they're any good.

I probably should starting testing shows that way. When I start watching a completed BL and it doesn't grab me, I usually just force myself to finish the series, hoping it'll get better. But if I have to wait a week for the next episode, it'll be easier for me to just drop it and save myself the agony. lol

Yeah I get that feeling lol. I watch a big variety of shows but I don't always have time to binge, so I mostly stick with airing dramas. I like trying the first 1 or 2 episodes of most of the shows starting that month and then deciding which ones to stick with. It's not fool-proof though because sometimes I get hooked by a really good beginning and then the rest is terrible. Nothing wrong with dropping dramas you aren't enjoying!

I find it easier to get through even a bad drama while it's airing than when it's finished. I should have done that with TharnType season 2 because I am only 2 episodes in and I want to drop it already. That said, I'm gonna start 1000 Stars just in case I don't have the same feelings.