Favourite Dramas

Tags: Korean, grim reapers, afterlife

TW: Suicide, self harm

Summary: A young man ends up in a coma when preventing a stranger from taking their own life. Whilst in a six month coma, he is recruited by a team of Grim Reapers who's main goal is to prevent suicide.

Notes: My all time favourite Kdrama. The cast is P E R F E C T and whilst the subject of the show is very triggering (suicide), it's handled in such a loving way. I feel like this show really tried to bring a new way of thinking to the topic. Also, Yun Ji On is an angel and I will fight anyone.

Tags: Pinoy, first love, COVID-19, distance, coming of age

Summary: Two boys meet online during the Covid-19 lockdowns and fall in love. Cuteness, angst and love ensue. 

Notes: My all time favourite series. I would die for these boys.

Tags: Thai, BL, oppression, 

Summary: Sexually repressed head prefect wants to protect the good name of his private boys school, but struggles with his feelings for the new troublemaking student who has a secret of his own.

Notes: I'll be honest, I didn't think I enjoyed this as much as I did until after I'd finished it; this is one of the best casts ever, and I re-watch this series whenever I can.

Tags: Thai, BL, motorbikes, 

TW: sexual assault

Summary: Two architecture students find their lives intertwined with motorbiking riding older men.

Notes: I should probably thank this show for introducing me to the Thai BL world. It's not perfect, but I would give my life for the main cast.

Tags: Korean, autism, lawer, first love

Summary: Woo Young Woo is the first autistic lawyer in South Korea. 

Notes: Whilst there is romance, it's not the main focus, and I loved that about this show. I normally dislike romance if it isn't LGBTQ+ but I LOVED the main pairing. The acting is on point and you can tell there was lots of research and studying done to perfect the characters.

Tags: Thai, BL, ghost boyfriend, first love

Summary: Boy moves into a new home after his father abandons the family. He meets the ghost boy who's living there and they fall in love as they try to beat the clock to discover ghost boys' past.

Notes: The way I sobbed my heart out at the end of this. I'll be honest, I don't know if I could re-watch the whole series, but this really did the ghost boyfriend trope perfectly.

Tags: Thai, BL, enemies-to-lovers, childhood friends

Summary: Two boys are raised as enemies, but have a secret friendship that develops into more.

Note: Possibly one of the best written and paced series there is.

Tags: Thai, BL, 

Summary: Boy gets a second chance at life after a heart transplant, so decided to go to the country to fulfil the goals of his heart donor; he meets the handsome chief forest ranger and becomes a volunteer teacher.

Note: I didn't think I would enjoy this at all, but it was so sweet and wonderfully written. The pacing is perfect.

Tags: Korean, dystopian, futuristic, classism, space

Summary: Futuristic sci-fi; water is rationed on Earth with differing levels of cleanliness according to class. A group of scientists are sent to recover 'moon water' from the moon, only to discover their superiors have been hiding some secrets...

Notes: Okay, so I will watch anything with Gong Yoo, but this was a great wee sci-fi show that was filled with mystery and thrills.

Tags: Korean, romance, fantasy, soulmates

Summary: A former Korean warrior has lived centuries as a Goblin (a godlike creature), walking the Earth, unable to die until his true love ('Goblin Bride') appears and pulls the sword from his chest. 

Notes: Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook in one show? That's a recipe for perfection. I did cry VERY hard during it, so be warned. I don't like non-LGBTQ+ romance all that much, but this was BEAUTIFUL.

Tags: Thai, BL, first love, enemies-to-lovers, music

Summary: The student president is secretly in love with the leader of the music club, and must help the club win the Hot Wave band competition before he can date the band leader. (review)

Notes: This is one of the cutest shows I have ever seen. I know my summary sounds cliché or dull, and I genuinely didn't think I was going to enjoy it but it quickly became one of the sweetest, cutest, and even slightly realistic high school romances.

Tags: Thai, BL, age gap, economy crisis

Summary: Jim runs Moonlight Chicken, a chicken rice restaurant in a poor part of town; Wen is a retail worker who falls in love with him. Things get messy when Wen's ex doesn't want to let go, and Jim's nephew falls for a lonely deaf boy. (review)

Notes: In the build up to this show, I didn't think I would get as invested as I did; every character is perfect and the acting is fantastic. It's a more mature and serious series compared to GMMTVs usual stuff, I think.

Tags: Korean, BL, past lives

Summary: Jungwoo is a young man struggling with loneliness and depression, when one night two strange men follow him home...who turn out to be his late childhood pets, Choco and Milk! (review)

Notes: I did not think I would like this as much as I did, and I wish it had been a longer series. I know the idea of a guy falling in love with his dog-who-is-now-human might sound a bit strange, but it's just perfect. The acting is fantastic and the cast are remarkable.

Tags: Thai, high school, super powers, 

Summary: A high school in Thailand is home to the Gifted program, in which kids with special powers are educated and taught to find their full potential. (review)

Notes: I put off watching this for so long, and I regret that. This was full of drama, comedy, angst and was very addictive.

Tags: Thai, high school, super powers

Summary: Two years after the events of the first season, the Gifted program returns amidst betrayal and lies, spanning the past and future. (review)

Notes: I've included Graduation as a separate point because I didn't feel like it was the same as the first season; all the characters have grown and changed, and I felt like this is one of the few series I have watched that actually managed character growth in a good way.

Tags: Thai, BL, 

Summary: The boss of a video game company falls for his new intern. [review]

Notes: Okay, so I didn't think this would be to my taste, but GOSH, I fell in love with this series. I was devastated when it ended. ForceBook have so much on screen chemistry I expected my TV to explode.

Tags: Japan, BL, high school, coming of age

Summary: Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she's written the name of another boy—Ida—on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him! 

Notes: This is the sweetest, cutest bl that has ever come out of Japan.

Tags: Thai, BL, fantasy, disability

Summary: Follows the story of a man who dislikes strangers and talking to people unnecessarily. He also suffers from a sensorineural hearing loss when it rains. However, as fate decides, he can only hear one voice when it rains. 

Notes: This was absolutely adorable and actually so well done. 

Tags: Korean, bl, reunion,

TW: n/a

Summary: A story about what happens when two men who have been friends since school days meet again at work and create a dating simulation game.  

Notes: This was absolutely adorable, and so well done, My only annoyance is it wasn't longer!

Tags: Thai, bl, time travel

TW: n/a

Summary: Botkawi has forever been in love with Pearmai. His life is forever changed when a musical crystal ball he bought as an important gift for Pearmai transports him back in time to the age of eighteen. Everything turns upside-down. Instead of fulfilling his hopes and setting things right with Pearmai, Botkawi somehow ends up in the arms of Pisaeng.  

Notes: I didn't start watching this until a few weeks into airing because I didn't think it was for me, but gosh, this show was perfect.

Tags: Thai, time travel

TW: sexual assault, homophobia

Summary: Alex breaks the oath he made to his mother forbidding him from losing his virginity before turning eighteen, causing chaos he never could've anticipated. He wakes up ten years later with his life completely different than he'd imagined.

Notes: Okay, so this right here? One of the best series I've even seen in my life. 

Tags: Thai, college, friends, found family

TW: sexual coercion, 18+, cheating, drug use

Summary: Mew, Ray, Boston and Namchueam are a group of business students who decide to create their own hostel.  Boston introduces Top to the group but doesn't anticipate the instant attraction between his former hook-up and Mew; Ray, who is in love with Mew, meets rockerboy Sand and finds himself confused about how real feelings; Boston, a playboy with no intention finds himself dragged into drama but always finds Nick, a quiet tech shop employee, always by his side. 

Notes: I knew from the second this show was announced that it was going to be one of my favourites of the year; it's got six of my favourite actors and an amazing directorial/writing team. Whilst I did give it 9/10, I will admit that there were a few fumbles, especially with Boston's character and the fact they edited certain scenes out because of fans getting mean about certain characters on Twitter. Regardless, this was a fantastic drama and really showcased the actiing chops of the main cast.

Tags: Thai, college, coming of age, ghost boyfriend

TW: Character death

Summary: Med, a kind and sweet boy, is the heir to a rich family, but mysteriously dies and finds himself as a ghost haunting his grave. For twenty years he waits for someone to visit him so he can reincarnate, but no one ever does; until one day a small boy greets him during the Ching Ming Festival. Thud then visits each year and Med begins to look forward to seeing his new friend. Now a university student, Thud wants to know what happened to Med, and takes his spirit friend home to live with him. s they unravel the mystery of Med's life and death, the boys find themselves falling in love. Can they have a happy ending?

Notes: Okay, so after the absolute trauma of Something in my Room, I don't know what possessed me (haha) to watch this, but I'm glad I did. Not only did this series not traumatise me as much, but it introduced me to Singto whom I'd never seen in anything before (I know, SOTUS is on my list, okay?!). He and Ohm were fantastic together, and the support cast were great, too. This was just a lovely little show that I would always recommend.

Tags: Thai, time travel, dispacement

TW: Classism, homophobia, drink spiking, sexual assault

Summary: Jom is an architect living in 2023, working on the renovation of an old house in Chiang Mai. During the project he finds himself dreaming of a man who doesn't know, but feels close to. After having his heartbroken by his long term boyfriend, a night out ends with tragedy when he plunges into the Ping river.  

Somehow, Jom finds himself in 1927 when he emerges from the water and has to pretend he has amnesia as takes on the role of a servant to a rich family; he meets a host of familiar faces from his past (future?) as well as the kind and handsome Khun Yai, the son of his new masters - who also happens to be the mysterious man from Jom's dreams. 

Notes: I'll be honest, despite being a wannabe historian, I don't really enjoy period pieces. I gave this a go because so many of my friends on Tumblr were gushing about it. A few episodes in and I wasn't sure whether I'd continue, but I'm so glad I did because I became OBSESSED with this series. The acting was amazing, the cast was fantastic and I will lose my mind if we don't get a season 2. I've even started reading the novel, which is something I rarely do.

Tags: Taiwanese, mafia, classism

TW: Minor character death, prison

Summary: Bai Zong Yi, an exemplary student with dreams of becoming a doctor, is unexpectedly drawn into the world of an injured gangster named Fan Ze Rui. This unexpected encounter disrupts their tranquil routines and sends their lives into a whirlwind. Their initial awkwardness gradually gives way to familiarity and eventually blossoms into a heartfelt connection.

Chen Yi and Ai Di have been friends for years, having grown up in the care system together. Ai Di has been in love with Chen Yi for as long as he can remember, but doesn't believe that Chen Yi could ever love him back.

Notes: When I started this series I didn't think it would grip me the way it did. The characters were so intriguing, and even though some things were perhaps not as fleshed out as they could have been, this show was just amazing.

Tags: Thai, coming of age, friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers

TW: N/A

Summary: Teh and Oh-Aew are best friends until a childish line of reasoning breaks them apart. They reunite in a Chinese class in their final year of high school and rebuild their friendship, but discover there's more than just friendship between them.

Notes: This series was...it's so hard to find the words to explain how perfect this series is. I put it off for so long and when I finally gave it a chance it blew my mind. I didn't feel like I was watching a typical bl, it felt like I was watching real life. The emotions, the actions the words...it was the most realistic telling of first love I have ever seen. Pp Krit and Billkin really just gave it their all and I cannot recommend this series enough. 

Tags: Thai, sequel, coming of age, college, 

TW: cheating

Summary: Set after ITSAY with Teh and Oh-Aew moving to Bangkok for university. They both start to live their lives and see changes in one-another as their lives start to take different directions. Can their love make it?

Notes: Gosh, the way I cried through this series. Yet again, like with it's predecessor, this was the most realistic and heartfelt portrayal of young queer love and growing up. I've seen many people complain about this season because of the angst, but to that I just say "I'm sorry you didn't experience falling in love when you were young." 

Tags: Thai, BL

TW: talk of suicide

Summary: A top badminton athlete loses his sight; enter the rough bad boy who takes the role of caretaker and watch them slowly fall in love.

Notes: I very nearly didn't include this because the last two episodes really divided the fans and I will admit, it made me rather angry/sad at the ableism. However, if you ignore the last ten minutes of the final episode it really was a fantastic show. I have never enjoyed JimmySea before, but this really showed they have great chemistry and are fantastic actors.

Tags: Thai, BL, office romance

TW: N/A

Summary: Achi wakes up on his 30th birthday to discover he can read peoples minds through touch - all because he's still a virgin. Soon he discovers that reading minds isn't all it's cracked up to be when he discovers the hottest guy in the office is in love with him!

Notes: Listen, I will take no arguments - this is so much better than the Japanese version. TayNew are unmatched by anyone in terms of chemistry (okay, other than maybe FirstKhao) and they made this story fun, romantic, dramatic, and beautiful. 

Tags: Taiwanese, BL, found family

TW: gang violence, drug abuse, age gap

Summary: Qian is raising his little sister on his own after the death of his parents, when he takes in a homeless boy and raises him as his brother. Qian takes on jobs from a gang to make ends meet before making something of his life. As the little family grow, feelings develop between the two 'brothers'.

Notes: I did not expect this to be one of the best series I've ever seen. So well written, the acting is immaculate and it's so nuanced that it just hits every spot. It's so hard to review this series without just dissolving into a little puddle of squee.