🍑🍌 BL + gay: my top picks 🌈 ⚣

[Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!]

BL supernatural comedy series with magical realism vibes.  hilarious and sweet, plus there's a lot of attention to detail!  i was so obsessed while this was airing and it's a great rewatch. ❤  if you check it out, afterward you might enjoy these spoiler-heavy fan made videos pointing some lil things out.  adapted from a BL manga.

♦ prequel to two specials (further below): ❤ Tsuge & Minato and Valentine's Day / Rokkaku ❤ {my preferred viewing order} and also a film {skippable imo}.

► dramacool  |  crunchyroll (sub)  |  fansub ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ luv!  makes me laugh and warms my heart.  this sweet series is one of my all-time favs!  i enjoyed the manga as well (vol 1-6 so far). ❤}

[Our Dining Table]

BL drama series about family.  this has the coziest, warmest vibes ~ just lovely.  an instant fav from the first episode. ❤  adapted from a manga.

♦ prequel to the special episode Bokura no Shokutaku Spin Off - Bokura no Kyujitsu [Our Dining Table ~ Our Holiday].  i thought it was okay but it's not included on this list.

► gagaoolala (sub) ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ i really cannot get enough of Inukai Atsuhiro, he's made it to my top 5!  another role of his that is perfection, he surprised me again!!  Iijima Hiroki was fantastic too, along with Maeyama Kuuga and Harada Ryuji!  i loved this cast! ❤}

censored BL epic mystery xianxia long series dripping with gay subtext.  beautifully interwoven relationships between characters and sects, and so much more comedy than i was expecting!  yes, there is plenty of cheesy acting and terrible effects but i found that the overarching story combined with the powerful energy between the MLs shines through all of that (and becomes endearing).  adapted from a danmei (BL novel) which has also been adapted to a manhua (comic), two donghua (animation) series, and an upcoming mobile game.

♦ prequel to 2 spin-off films (pretty sure no gay content).

• note: The Untamed Special Edition is a drastically edited version of this (~20h vs ~37.5h) that tightens the story to focus more on the MCs but may be more difficult for new viewers to follow.  there are other differences in the edit, such as a few slightly longer scenes and the ending scenes of the finale are reordered.

► viki (free w/ads)  |  netflix  |  youtube ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ another fav! ❤  despite glowing reviews and sky high ratings, i put this off for so long thinking it looked too cheesy and was too many episodes to hold my interest... but holy shit, i could not have been more wrong!  this became another of my favs.  gd, the opening and closing songs hit me right in the feels every time!!!}

BL/QC coming-of-age drama series that is near masterpiece, imo. cinematography, locations, color grading, writing, acting, music, symbolism - nearly everything is on point.

♦ prequel to the short film Last Twilight in Phuket (pretty good but not listed here); followed by S2, I Promised You The Moon (in my ptw section below).

► viki (free w/ads) ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ teh feels! (lol) ❤}

[My Love Mix-Up!]

BL high school short series with plenty of comedy plus tender, wholesome vibes.  adapted from a BL manga.  [3h 56m]

► viki (free w/ads) ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ hilarious!! ❤  i didn't finish the manga but it's cute, too.}

[Who Fell In Love With Him First?]

BL/QC drama feature film...  i don't want to say too much.

► netflix ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ got me. ❤}

BL/QC feature film (romance is not the main focus but a significant part of the storyline).

/// be careful of spoilers on this one! ///

# mystery     # drama     # family     # gay romance     # grief

·=═ leaving gagaoolala soon ═=·   ► gagaoolala (sub)  |  dramacool ◄

• 2021 SIPFF Selection

♫ ost / score:  Fran & other artists (album)

✦ completed

{personal notes:  ❤ taiwan is destroying me.  first eternal summer, then dear ex, and now dear tenant.  TT________TT  ❤  Bai Run Yin who played the son was one of the MCs in an episode of Twisted Strings!}

BL/QC drama feature film about a friendship spanning from childhood into college years.  a great example of taiwanese new wave cinema.

► netflix ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ no words. ❤}

ridiculously over-the-top comedy short series - a bromance on steroids poking fun of BL tropes BUT(!) there is a gay couple briefly shown in an episode or two so i'm including it here {fight me}.  adapted from a manhwa.  [1h 39m]

► youtube (playlist) ◄   -includes official series, marathon version, fansubbed version, MVs, and extras-

{personal notes:  ♡ so freaking funny! ♡}

[My Brother's Husband]

gay/QC drama short series about life, family, and the LGBTQ+ experience.  i don't want to say too much in case it spoils the story (although the MDL synopsis would).  adapted from a manga.  [2h 27m]

► dramacool ◄

{personal notes:  ♡}

tender BL drama feature film in a rural setting that's not too heavy.

·=═ leaving gagaoolala soon ═=·   ► gagaoolala (sub) ◄

BL/QC drama feature film about a highly dysfunctional relationship.  plenty of unique cinematography, experimental editing, raw/complex emotion, and layers of symbolism to analyze (some of which relate to Hong Kong's political situation at this very specific time in history - right before the handover of Hong Kong).

♦ written and directed by Wong Kar Wai

► max  |  kanopy (w/library card) ◄

BL mystery thriller series with political and social commentary, plus includes some great street art/graffiti, studio art, dance/movement, and a live rap that feels like spoken word poetry.

► youtube (playlist) ◄   -official playlist is out of order so this is an alternate-

{personal notes:  some might find the socio-political discussions too forced or heavy-handed and i'd usually agree, but i thought it mostly worked in this story.}

BL series, office romance with over-the-top absurd comedy.

► gagaoolala (free)  |  viki (free w/ads) ◄

{personal notes:  ❤ OMGGGGGGG, how did i sleep on this for so long?!!  i can't remember the last time i laughed this much!!! ❤}

main titles (w/Hayashi Kento as Maki Ryota):
♣ Ossan's Love (2018) – this title. first series in the franchise that's a (better) retelling of the original special. best place to start imo.
♣ Ossan’s Love: LOVE or DEAD (2019) – film sequel. i thought it was meh so it's not included on this list.
♣ Ossan's Love Returns (2024) – series sequel to the film. included on this list (further below)!
♣ spin-offs (2024) – ...

"related" titles (for clarity):
• Ossan's Love (2016) – original 48m special. 2 of the 3 MLs are the same (no Maki). can skip this.
• Ossan's Love: In The Sky (2019) – alternate reimagining that is not connected/related to the main story. 2 of the 3 MLs are the same (no Maki). can skip this.
• Ossan's Love (2021) – hong kong remake. i personally didn't care for it.
• Ossan's Love (TBA) – upcoming thai remake.
• KinQ Sokuho (2016) and Koisuru JK Zombie (2016) – not related. MDL links because they were part of TV Asahi's "Year-end Strange Love Drama" series along with the 2016 special.

[Kei x Yaku: Dangerous Partners  |  Kei x Yaku: Dangerous Buddy]

an action thriller mystery drama censored BL series with a couple of brief gay scenes.  there's heavy bromance (arguably romance) between the cop and yakuza MCs, and (imo) it's not just queerbaiting because one ML is openly bi.  adapted from a BL manga.

► dramacool ◄

{personal notes:  ♡ baby it's a BOP!  peak Inukai Atsuhiro.  it was set up perfectly for a S2 - i reeaaally hope that happens!!! ♡}

historical fantasy comedy body swap series.  exceedingly frustrating and difficult to classify but imma say "gay".  even though it infuriated me i somehow still feel compelled to include it {trust me}.  adapted from a novel.

♦ followed by a 2 episode special (not listed here) that doesn't make me feel any better.

► viki (free w/ads) ◄

{personal notes:  grrrraaaawwwrrr!!!   (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠Д⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻   impossible to rate properly because it went from a +10 to a -10 in the final minutes.  i hope that's not saying too much... anyway it's just like, my opinion, man.  some people loved it, wdik.}

[My Beautiful Man]

BL drama short series about obsession, from high school to college years.  adapted from a novel.  [2h 23m]

♦ prequel to S2 and My Beautiful Man: Eternal (both are below).

► viki (free w/ads)  |  gagaoolala (ep01 free, sub for full) ◄

{personal notes:  ♡ i nearly skipped this one, so glad i didn't.  it's not perfect but they really wormed their way into my heart. ♡}

BL short series.

historical drama feature film with a bit of gay (QC?) content, but it's the (separate) gay subtext that gets me.

► dramacool ◄

{personal notes:  ♡ Lee Joon Gi cross-dressing makes me weak.  he is so damn pretty, but especially in this role. ♡}

[The Pornographer]

dark, moody BL/QC short series.

♦ 1st of 5 titles in the franchise (others are further below).

cd series with gay and bi/pan(?) characters. some things don't age well... and there's some weird shit at the end with one of the gay(?) characters. but dang, i love the chaotic energy.

♦ prequel to film special (not recommended).

BL or gay short series.  viewers disagree about whether this is bl or bromance, but there are gay characters.  personally i would classify this as BL but it is nuanced.  note, there are a few cw tags you may want to check.

BL/QC feature film, includes some rough content (which is why it's lower for me).

• 2021 SIPFF Selection

► mubi ◄

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a few sequels (these were moved down just to distill the top spots):

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

BL special.  adapted from a manga.  [18m]

♦ sequel to Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (further above).  this is technically SP2 but i prefer to watch before SP1 (below).

► dramacool  |  crunchyroll (sub)  |  fansub ◄

BL special.  adapted from a manga.  [18m]

♦ sequel to Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (further above).  this is technically SP1 but i prefer to watch after SP2 (above).

► dramacool  |  crunchyroll (sub)  |  fansub ◄

BL sequel series with over-the-top absurd comedy.

♦ sequel to the series Ossan's Love (listed above) and the film Ossan’s Love: LOVE or DEAD.  the film is chronologically between the two series but i personally didn't care for it so it's not included on this list (and i'm not sure it's referenced enough to matter).

► gagaoolala (ep01 free, sub for remaining) |  viki (standard sub) ◄

{personal notes:  YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!  compared to s1 i didn't laugh nearly as much (although it has plenty of silliness) but i found this season much more tender. ❤}

[My Beautiful Man S2]

BL short series.  adapted from a novel.  [1h 34m]

♦ sequel to Utsukushii Kare [My Beautiful Man] (above) and prequel to My Beautiful Man: Eternal (in my unwatched section below).

► viki (free w/ads)  |  gagaoolala (sub) ◄

{personal notes:  ♡ my biggest complaint is that it's too short! i can't get enough of these two dummies!! ♡}

BL feature film.  adapted from a novel.

♦ sequel to S2! (S1 & S2 listed above.)

{personal notes:  i was thrilled to get additional content!!! it's my least favorite of the three but still worth watching.} 

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next up are the BL/gay picks from my currently watching and ptw lists, starting with released titles and ordered loosely by interest.

(these are not recommendations, i'm just holding here for convenience.)

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

◒ on hold

BL feature film.

# gay romance     # drama     # sci-fi

• 2021 SIPFF Opening Film

► b4watch ◄   ▲ trailer ▲     mubi  |  viki  |  gagaoolala  |  netflix  |  max  |  youtube  |  dramacool

◒ on hold

[related to The Pornographer  |  The Novelist]

BL short series.

♦ 2nd of 5 titles in the franchise (others are also on this list).

◒ on hold

BL/QC? feature film.

► tubi (free w/ads)  |  amazon (prime sub, rent, or buy)  |  dramacool ◄

◒ on hold

gay? feature film.

► kanopy (w/library card)  |  dramacool ◄

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

UNWATCHED – gay feature film.

[Can I Buy Your Love from a Vending Machine?  |  This Love, Can You Buy It at the Vending Machine?]

UPCOMING – BL feature film.

# waiting for subs #

UPCOMING – gay or BL short film.  keeping an eye out for a trailer to drop.

# no release date yet #   -waiting for subs-

UNWATCHED / NO SOURCE – BL very short special.  [4m]

♦ sequel to Old Fashion Cupcake (not on this list).

UNWATCHED – BL short film about polyamorous gay relationship including an asexual.  [18m]

{personal notes:  there's not enough poly & ace rep so this is cool to see.}

UNWATCHED – supernatural censored BL feature film.  adapted from a BL manga.

{personal notes:  Shison Jun!!! and he's in glasses, heheh!}

UNWATCHED – BL short film.  [30m]

UNWATCHED – BL series.  [5h 33m]

♦ S2 of I Told Sunset About You (above).

► viki (free w/ads) ◄

# gay     # romance     # life     # youth     # drama     ♦ 5x1h5m

UNWATCHED – BL feature film.

UNWATCHED – gay or BL feature film.

► netflix ◄

UNWATCHED – gay or BL feature film.

► gagaoolala (sub) ◄

UNWATCHED – gay documentary feature film.

▲ trailer ▲     mubi  |  netflix  |  dramacool

UNWATCHED – gay short film.  [17m]

• 2021 SIPFF Selection

► gagaoolala (sub) ◄

UNWATCHED – BL short series.  [3h 6m]

► viki (free w/ads) ◄

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

the remaining picks are BL/gay upcoming titles that i think look most promising, ordered loosely by interest.

(these are not recommendations, i'm just holding here for convenience.)

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

UPCOMING????????? – censored BL series based on a BL manhua {my fav ❤}.

{personal notes:  it would be sick af if this is ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!  even if the censorship might seem unbearable... <sobs>  def would be my #1 pick for *must see*.}

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<praying to the almighty BL gods>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

# no release date yet #

UPCOMING – censored BL xianxia series adaptation of the BL novel TGCF / Heaven Official's Blessing (by the writer of MDZS / The Untamed)!!  this story has also been adapted into a manhua and donghua.

{personal notes:  eeep!!!  this is actually happening!!!  i finished S1 + the special of the donghua (on netflix) and i love the MCs but overall i had really mixed feelings about the series.  waiting for S2, hope it doesn't get cancelled for any reason. :/  i'm considering reading the manhua or the novel but haven't got around to it yet.}

# no release date yet #

UNCONFIRMED – censored BL xuanhuan series adaptation of a danmei, by the writer of MDZS / The Untamed and TGCF / Heaven Official's Blessing!!

{personal notes:  this would be hella cool as well!  with the popularity of her other works, it has to happen, right?!?  okay, so i tried checking out the donghua and it is unwatchable.  idk if/when i'll read the novel but i like the premise so i'm checking out the manhua...}

# no release date yet (unconfirmed) #

[related to The Pornographer  |  The Novelist]

BL short film.

♦ 3rd of 5 titles in the franchise (others are also on this list).

[related to The Pornographer  |  The Novelist]

BL feature film.

♦ 4th of 5 titles in the franchise (others are also on this list).

[related to The Pornographer  |  The Novelist]

BL short film.

♦ 5th of 5 titles in the franchise (others are also on this list).

UPCOMING – BL sci-fi short series romance with an AI!  {i love that kinda stuff!}  no trailer yet, it recently started filming.

# no release date yet #

airing

UPCOMING – BL series.

# no release date yet #

UPCOMING – BL gansta mid-length film (now listed as a) series!

{personal notes:  cover art is nice, hope it doesn't change (it did).  haven't seen any promotional material yet so for all i know this could be hot garbage.}

# no release date yet #

UNCONFIRMED – censored BL series.  adapted from a danmei.

# no release date yet (unconfirmed) #

UPCOMING – censored BL series based on the BL novel Saye, which has already been adapted to manhua with an upcoming donghua as well.

{personal notes:  i have yet to check out any version of this story but they seem popular and well received.}

# no release date yet #

UPCOMING – BL vampire series with Boun & Prem. (pretty sure written by Boun and maybe produced as well?)

{personal notes:  even if it's trash i might dumpster dive to check this out.}

# no release date yet #

UPCOMING – BL series set in post-apocalyptic world.

{personal notes:  i saw just the beginning of the trailer and thought it looked so good, but later when i showed a friend the trailer i watched further and it looked bad.  i guess i'll reserve judgement for now.}

# no release date yet #

UPCOMING – BL series.

{Jeff}

# no release date yet #

UPCOMING – BL series (unsure if short or full series).  it's Tutor & Yim so maybe short.  holding here temporarily while waiting for a trailer to drop.

# no release date yet #

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

/ looks like this will be a remake, not a S2 - now listed as unconfirmed /

UPCOMING – BL series.

♦ sequel to S1 (pretty good).

{personal notes:  i thought was S1 was good although i removed it from my picks.}

# no release date yet #