BL Masterlist

SO GOOD!!! I watched this after being recommended it because I mentioned I really liked Old Fashion Cupcake. It is also sorta similar to Cherry Magic and Perfect Propose. I would totally recommend this!!! Heartwarming story about two office workers who are both (secretly?? kind of) gay. They bond as they fill out char 1's list of things he wants to do before his 40th birthday, which is in 3 months on Christmas Eve.

Angst, homophobia(mild)

YES YES 7E SYE SYE SYE SYE SYE SYE SYEYSYEYSYEYSYSYSYSY

yep. ok so. Such beautiful eroticism and romance in equal parts, and an amazing representation of dance. I was dialed in the whole time. It's paced well and incredibly beautiful. The main characters have insane chemistry and I literally couldn't ask for more. The acting, story, production, effects, filming, all of it is just SO perfect!

Angst, homophobia(?), dance setting, sexual themes and scenes

Incredible.

Incredibly artistic. Makes no sense, but the senselessness of it is what makes it so good. Follows Kafka and Daniel throughout their relationship, battling Kafka's sexuality and drug usage. Multiple climaxes throughout the movie and wraps it up with an ending that keeps you thinking. This is the first film I've seen by Scud, and I am hooked. It is incredible-- The symbolism, style, acting, music, all of it knots into this genuinely fascinating piece of media! It tackles complex and taboo topics and doesn't shy away from anything.

Trigger warnings include:
Rape, violence, drug usage, attempted suicide, suicide, sexual themes and scenes, full frontal nudity

A very beautiful, genuine story. It is not just a BL, but a telling of queerness overall. The film embraces personal differences in a way that makes the viewer smile-- every person is allowed to be themselves, united by human nature.

Through prejudice and hardship, the two main characters-- a lost young man aspiring to be an animator, and an older man, an ex swimmer going through some hard times make it out together. They both must come to terms with their sexuality. The animator must tell his father, and the swimmer his daughter.

They come together after the swimmer's sudden divorce. Their relationship blooms from there, but not without conflict. Overall, the movie is full of hope, and definitely has a lighter perspective on getting through hard times. It is very well made and the story makes sense. Acting is good and I really connected with all the characters, even those with less spotlight.

Sexual themes/scenes, homophobia, bullying, divorce(past)

I really liked this movie. Kind of similar to Your Name Engraved Herein.

Troubled orphan x troubled delinquent, not sure how to describe the exact dynamic. Char 1 has unrequited love for char 2. It drives him to do stupid things out of jealousy and sadness. He lives life through a camcorder, but because of his crush, he wants to live it on a motorcycle, too.

Homophobia, violence, major angst, bullying, stalking

I watched the anime a long time ago and finally decided to watch the live action. Pretty similar, and just as cute!! Kurosawa and Adachi's actors are both very handsome lol

Popular office worker x loner office worker, both work very hard but have contrasting personalities. At heart, they are both very kind, and well liked faces in the office! :)

Popular dude's long time feelings for loner are found out when loner gains the ability to read minds upon his 30th birthday as a virgin. The urban legend about long-term virginity sprouting wizardry is true! They navigate through a complex but sweet dynamic, and it is very cute.

Minor angst, office setting, cute watch

Two dudes in the cosmetology line of work get gay at their job. Minor angst at the start, nothing crazy, it works out well for them.

Only possible TW is that some dumbass makes advances on one of the dudes, but it goes nowhere. Pretty healthy relationship. Also one of the dudes has a bad relationship with his family, almost forgot about that. They have a major fight over it but it is resolved.

Non-graphic sex scenes
Good, easy watch. Would recommend.

Two dudes in the cosmetology line of work get gay at their job. Minor angst, nothing crazy, it works out well for them.

Guy goes to Paris for more makeup experience. More angst with his family also.

Non-graphic sex scenes
Good, easy watch. Would recommend.

It's a no for me. Dude goes to kill himself because his life falls apart and then gets sexually tortured by some psycho to 'save his life' I guess. Stockholm syndrome, super romanticized. Amazing cinematography, and from a technical perspective, it's a good film. That's the only reason I rated it as high as I did. This is irredeemable in my opinion, sorry dudes. Only rated as high as it is because it's very well made.

Very explicit and graphic scenes, violence, rape and other sexual torture, isolation, general abuse, romanticization/fetishization of serious topics, BDSM, Stockholm Syndrome. Nnnnope.

Super cute story about a quiet photographer student and a popular boy faking it until he makes it. They bond over shared creative dreams and a connection that extends beyond fake social appearances. Their dynamic is incredibly cute, but also sad at times. A fair amount of yearning.

Timeskip/age up, reconnection, confession gone wrong, school setting

Sexual scenes/themes, homophobia, sexual assault(?)

One of my favorites on this whole list. Super sad but really good.

Two codependent gays reunite after high school to bury the body of one of their girlfriends. Relationship progresses with push and pull. Frequent flashbacks to high school which is super interesting. They have a very fleshed out dynamic and it's such a sad movie. I love it though trust you should watch. One dude is deeply involved with the yakuza and the other follows him around. They cross the line into the underworld together and run away, presumably to do a double suicide.

Rape, abuse, yakuza, general violence, sexual themes and scenes, suicidal ideation and attempts, death, humiliation stuff...one guy is the other guys dog and he likes it

Guy tries to win other guy over, it eventually works. They get gay and uncover each other's pasts. High comedy, angst, hard fought relationship, dcrfv4bythgv. College setting.

Abuse, sexual scenes, crazy ex

Similar to Your Name Engraved Herein, or Brake.

Incredible movie about love. Not just romantic love, but platonic love. Unconditional love. Complicated love.

Follows two childhood friends whose lives are changed by a new female student. A very, very sad love triangle. Jonathan Kang is in love with Shane Yu. Shane Yu says that Jonathan Kang is his best friend.

Major angst, homophobia(?), childhood friends, love triangle, doomed, sexual scenes/themes, no they don't end up together sorry, unrequited love(?), violen

Holy shit dude. This is genuinely incredible and I think everyone should watch it.

A beautiful story about trouble and hope. No matter how much happened to these characters (which was a lot), they kept wishing. Through determination, love, and adaptability, they found themselves living their respective dreams. A man who wanted to be a photographer, and one who just wanted to be normal-- it had to be fate. When I think of the red string theory, these two characters are truly the definition of soulmates for me

Sexual themes/scenes, abuse, violence, rape/sexual assault, prostitution, drugs, heavy angst, ambiguous ending, night life

Similar to Double Mints, but with a much more hopeful tone. They 'made it out' whereas in Double Mints they never really did.

Biased towards this one, I love it a lot extra because it was my first live action BL haha

Two best friends in high school, one is so super in love with the other, develops into a romantic relationship. In love best friend is jealous because they go to a mixer and best friend 2 meets a girl, plot develops. blah blah...Not a super complex plot but such a good watch.

SA?? idk?? char 1 jumps the gun and initiates physical contact before char 2 is ready, resolved quickly and handled well, no bad intentions from char 1, only possible tw I can think of

Wow, just wow. This movie is so beautiful. The realistic portrayal of homophobia, bullying, and fear. It easily brought me to tears. Sometimes the judgement of others is so big that not even love feels like enough to beat it. It pans between the present, past, and future in an incredibly artistic and emotional portrayal of events, mostly throughout the two main characters' high school career.

"I transferred because I used to get bullied,"
"I can tell."

"Aren't you gonna ask me why?"

"I don't wanna know, dummy."

Angst, homophobia, school setting, suicide, violence, bullying, self harm

A pretty cute story about two boys falling in love. One has never thought of falling in love with a guy before, and the other has never wanted to fall in love at all. They meet after the second day comes to live in Enoshima with his grandma after some family struggles. They meet, and over time, form a genuine and caring bond. It's a very sweet show, full of fluff-- almost no angst in this house, and the angst that is shown is treated very gently.

Homophobia, death(past), illness(past), sexual themes(mentioned, not shown)

Production? Awesome. Story? Interesting. Acting? Great.

I personally am actually not a big fan of Kinn x Porsche. I only finished this because by the time I decided I wasn't a fan I felt like I was too far in LOL. Besides my personal dislike of the main ship, I was very interested by the characters Porsche, Tankhun, Kinn, Tawan, Vegas, and Pete. (Mostly Tankhun. Tankhun, I love you.)

Very good example of an action BL. I feel like in the earlier episodes it was too much comedy for me, and I almost dropped it. I'm mostly glad I didn't.

Plot set itself up like a puzzle. Pieces fell into place across all the episodes. Each character is genuinely interesting, with their own vices and distinct personalities. We as watchers get to see a lot of their inner psyches, something I honestly don't see often. The show itself approached dark topics with care, I was icked out by how some of the individual characters treated it though.

Bodyguard x Mafia heir, complicated but distinctly romantic relationship that unfolds across the series. Interesting subplots and a consistently evolving story.

Mafia, sexual themes/scenes, abuse/torture, rape, sexual assault, violence/murder/blood

"I was surfing the internet!" "You were watching porn."

Guy from city goes to train taekwondo in a little town. Housemates with other guy and his dad. Dad abuses them. They train together, get gay overtime, run away together, then shit happens and other guy/guy 2 runs away fr and is never seen again...for 12 years.

They meet again at dad's funeral and do a push and pull relationship thing idk. Sex and drinking and events and then a big scandal about college and they have a conflict about the dad also. Idk. I'm done writing summaries help

It's really good i promise my summary isn't doing it justice

Violence, angst, abuse, homophobia, sexual scenes

Such a cute and heartwarming story. I think this is a really beautiful and hopeful representation that queer people can lead fulfilling and romantic adult lives. This couple is so cute!!! They have great chemistry and the ex coworkers backstory is one I really like. They both have individual aspirations and compliment each other so well! I loved learning about these characters while watching, and I loved the inclusion of other important relationships like family and friends.

Sexual themes and scenes, family angst, character death(past and during show, homophobia(?)

This was so good and sad. I loved it

Undercover cop guy trying to find out about the underworld x forced prostitute abused dude with no way out

Prostitute gets abused in all the ways by his stepdad and forced into prostitution to make money to appease his stepfather. Cop guy is working at a tailor shop as a cover, and helps him out of prostitution. They have a major conflict towards the end of the movie but it has a happy ending.

Abuse, incest(stepdad sexually abuses mc), prostitution, sexual themes, mafia(mentioned, basically irrelevant), rape

Straight laced lawyer x happy go lucky conman. They bond over their respective dilemmas-- the lawyer needs his 100th partner, and the conman must quench his curiosity. Cheesy or cliche at times, with a fair bit of angst, but overall a very beautiful and cute story about love. Very heavy on the... 'opposites attract' dynamic and the sentiment that love changes you.

Criminal x man of the law, court setting, angst, city setting, opposites attract

Violence, sexual themes, sexual (but not explicit) scenes, angst, comedy

I really like the idol x fan concept. I usually like more serious shows, but I think in this case the comedy aspect definitely made it better. Very fluffy, with some angst and plot twist stuff. A super silly dynamic that kept me entertained, I binged this in one day LOL.

Idol x fan, K-pop, music, school setting, miscommunication

No TWs!!

Misunderstanding about a love charm turns into a real relationship. Cool. A little forgettable, but pretty good.

I think there might be some homophobia in this, but I honestly don't remember LOL. Minor angst, relatively upbeat, comedy or fluff focused scenes

It's just fine LOL idk, like I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me out of the water. Manga artist x Weatherman with a complex live-in relationship, not explicitly romantic at the beginning but definitely sexual. Grows into a romance though?? I think?? I watched this a long time ago. But they get gay!

Easy to follow storyline and a good casual watch. Would recommend.

I'm not really sure about trigger warnings...I would say weatherman is quite possessive of manga artist but all their behaviors are consensual. It is angsty at times though. Also contains explicit scenes

People have told me this one was really bad/on the darker side and...I guess so? It's really nothing crazy.

Holy shit this was goated. A very complex and interesting relationship with so many plot twists I felt like we'd done, like, three 360 degree turns by the time the movie was over. At around two hours long, it's a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The story follows a troubled, lower-class man trying to make money in any way he can, and a smart, upper-class man who has fallen for him. Deeply. Obsessively. It's really crazy. The film is very offbeat and unique, following both characters through their own unique struggles. The lower-class man turns to odd jobs and prostitution, and the upper-class man feels empty and lost after meeting the other. As a closeted gay man of many years, his world is thrown upside down, and so is his already rocky relationship with his soon-to-be wife.

Featuring equally meaningful side characters like Madame, Ga-ram, and Hwan-sun, the movie is very interesting in the way it treats its dynamics. I feel like I was properly able to get to know every character, even those with less spotlight.

Sexual themes/scenes, prostitution, obsession, violence, attempted murder, suicidal ideation

Pretty good, a little forgettable but pretty good!

New worker meets boss, gets past his jerk facade, falls for him, they have to confront their bad pasts, lots of conflict. Officially break it off at one point, then get back together. Happy ending.

Homophobia(Environmental), sexual themes and scenes, uhh I don't think theres anything else but maybe, pretty angsty

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Middle aged men. One is pining for the other, takes him out on what are essentially dates to battle his midlife crisis, calls it an anti-aging routine. Super angsty, hard won relationship, lots of fluff too. It's very cute.

Homophobia(?), manipulation(Not really...I don't know what to call it, the guy taking the other on dates just goes on about how he's been trying to seduce the other...not really a tw...idk.)

STRAIGHT comedy shoved down your throat. Harem surrounding a boyfailure office worker who was forced to live alone for the first time at 33 after his mom crashed out on him for being a useless slob.

This thing is so fuckin' funny. Plot makes no sense, heavy over-acting and overall just...weird. But it was funny, and kept me entertained during an all nighter, so I guess it gets a pass. Least serious thing I've ever watched.

No TWs.

So cute!! Salaryman x Part-timer

Opposites on the outside but very similar people at heart. The story follows the salary man, the part timer, and the part timer's little brother through cooking, romance, and family. I watched it in one sitting, and was very smiley for most of it. Both characters have complicated and or upsetting family pasts that they face together, while also learning to make new dishes to appease the part timer's younger sibling. A beautiful story!

Minor angst, death(past), illness(past), 'fated' couple

Delinquent x nerd, delinquent is being abused and nerd has an absent family, they get to know each other and each other's traumas, form a bond until delinquent has to move away after his abusive dad dies and orders no contact. Nerd goes to delinquent's old house, finds an undelivered letter to him confessing feelings inside the DVD case of a movie by nerd's dad they'd watched together.

They meet again in college, get to know each other over again, and get gay! Woo.

Hard fought relationship, angst, homophobia, abuse, neglect, time skip

So cute!! Childhood friends meet later in life, troubled x overworked. Frequent flashes to the past, very cute dynamic. Easy, quick watch-- got it done in one sitting, and it went down easy. (Almost) all smiles with this drama, if you can even call it that. They had one major conflict and wrapped it up by the end of the episode.

Guy 1 found on sidewalk by guy 2, move in ensues, feelings developed . . . very fleshed out in terms of guy 1's office life and guy 2's past/guy 2 and guy 1's past, very interesting. Unique, individual characters that work well as a couple!!

Please get some rest Hirokuniiiiiiiiiiiii :(

Bad family life(past), minor angst, sexual themes mentioned briefly but very very minimal graphics

Guy is poor, gets cheated on by gf for being ugly and poor, has a major glowup, starts doing random shit to try make money. Ex gf gets with guy 2 who is criminally associated, he does like dog fighting but with snakes. Guy seduces guy 2 to get back at ex and ends up really falling in love with him. A lot of crazy shit happens, guy's mom dies, they break up like twice, a lot of hoopla idk. It's really good though, I would recommend. I did this all in one sitting and I don't wanna write summaries anymore.

Guy 2 is kind of forceful with guy 1 when it comes to sex for some of the scenes? This is weirdly brushed off by the show itself, idk. They have a healthy relationship by the end I guess.

Dubious consent, cheating, manipulation, crazy revenge plot, criminal activity, violence, animal cruelty(dog fighting but with snakes...there are scenes of snakes fighting, and obvi getting hurt)

Loner x popular boy go on a school trip with friends, loner ends up really liking the popular guys, basically becomes part of the group across the trip, whatever...Stay friends afterward, go to next school yr, occasional romantic scenes and buildup that lead to a confession. Loner takes time to think, and they then make it official.

Popular dude is super possessive, not really red flag material but it's... noticeable LOL

Minor angst, possessive behavior, mostly pretty happy

Guy cheats on his wife. Private investigator is hired to get proof of the cheating. Private investigator turns out to be guys old friend from high school. He covers it up for him in turn for sexual acts (I think they really just kiss. Don't remember) Guy divorces wife, has push and pull relationship with private investigator, private investigator accuses guy wrongfully of cheating on him this time, conflict leads to break up. He gets engaged, guy and private investigator have sex, guy breaks up with girl and they never meet again.

Cheating/affair, blackmail, sexual themes, maybe more I don't really remember

Typical school setting, popular guy tries to win over crush, crush gets bullied for spending time with popular guy and 'ruining his image', crush tries to distance from popular guy, ends up going to popular guy's birthday party. Crush tries harder to distance, popular guy follows his home and rapes him. Uses it as blackmail to keep crush with him. I didn't watch this one all the way through.

Total no for me. Plot is shallow, the show itself is filmed horribly, very low budget and ugly. Don't like it. I also heard (but again, didn't finish so idk) that popular guy raping crush was excused basically and that no justice happened. Idk this thing sucks. Dogshit

Stalking, obsession, rape, violence, blackmail, bullying, suicidal ideation

University student x Erotic novel writer

They get in a bike accident, student has no money so helps him by writing instead, also there's this other guy who the writer is gay with too I guess? I didn't finish this series whatever

Some CRAZY plot twists in this. Like foul shit happens seriously. It's pretty decent idk

Manipulation, debt(kinda..he owes services to the dude for breaking his arm), sexual scenes

The writer is just evil I decided not to keep watching this series after this movie because the summaries I saw told me shit I didn't like

This one alright though

Teacher x student. I'm pretty sure the student is 18, but that honestly doesn't make it any better. Predator bullshit. They kiss once, and the student gets mad and kicks him out. He gets fired after being reported for sexual assault. Obsession, and not in an enjoyable watch kind of way. Student grows up to be a host, then a prostitute, gets his dick bitten off yadda yadda... Don't wanna spoil too much, I guess. Meets teacher again somewhere in the middle of this, they fuck, teacher bails, whatever. My description might go a little into the second movie, I watched them back to back so it all kinda blurs together for me, sorry.

Despite its dark topics, the show handles it very well. It's filmed well, good cinematography and acting. The show doesn't treat what happened like its nothing, and the characters actually have a reaction. This is a yes for me!

Mutilation, abuse, prostitution, explicit/graphic scenes, dubious consent at the very least. I'm just glad this movie mostly handled the topics respectfully-- it was a mostly alright watch.

We meet more people and learn more about the teacher and it's all just???? like alright. BOOOO TEACHER. Idk it's fine. Interesting backstory and plotline. Student dude has to work at a club to pay off teacher's debts because teacher is dead now. I don't know why student is responsible but sure.

Despite its dark topics, the show handles it very well. It's filmed well, good cinematography and acting. The show doesn't treat what happened like its nothing, and the characters actually have a reaction. This is a yes for me!

Mutilation, abuse, prostitution, explicit/graphic scenes, dubious consent at the very least. I'm just glad this movie mostly handled the topics respectfully-- it was a mostly alright watch.

This one is my favorite out of this series because two guys I really don't like die LOL

Ummm. Idk I forgot. It's good, student ends up being gay with someone else that teacher dated?? coincidence?? no it's not. sorry it's not a coincidence. you'll see.

Despite its dark topics, the show handles it very well. It's filmed well, good cinematography and acting. The show doesn't treat what happened like its nothing, and the characters actually have a reaction. This is a yes for me!

Mutilation, abuse, prostitution, explicit/graphic scenes, dubious consent at the very least. I'm just glad this movie mostly handled the topics respectfully-- it was a mostly alright watch.

Sequel to We Best Love: No. 1 for You

Childhood rivals that end up together. Plot is very complex and a very interesting watch. Follows the main couple through complex emotions, love, and their competitive past. I would absolutely recommend this-- it is a longer watch, though. An interesting mix of comedy, angst, and fluff-- pretty much equally split between those three.

Homophobia(?), sexual themes/scenes, grow with the characters (across this and the original show you see them from childhood all the way to adulthood)

Childhood rivals that end up together. Plot is very complex and a very interesting watch. Follows the main couple through complex emotions, love, and their competitive past. I would absolutely recommend this-- it is a longer watch, though. An interesting mix of comedy, angst, and fluff-- pretty much equally split between those three.

Homophobia(?), sexual themes/scenes, grow with the characters (across this and the sequel you see them from childhood all the way to adulthood)

A beautiful film about what it was like to be gay in Korea. Follows the story of a man visiting his home country, presumably for the last time, and the one night stand he meets. They chase each other through the streets until their time is up, with a heart wrenching push and pull dynamic.

Would recommend. Is definitely a sadder watch. The movie has a very dark and gloomy tone, and feels almost hopeless. Every time you think the movie will shift to be happier, you're hit with reality; not every story has a happy ending.

Homophobia, violence, sexual themes/scenes

Two best friends, they like each other but can't because of homophobia, one guy gets with a girl and tries to forget about it. Some stuff happens and then they have sex. It doesn't work out, big argument. The other guy runs away, the first guy follows him, at some point they never see each other again. Later, guy 2 calls guy 1 and makes him listen to a song I think that he made called Your Name Engraved Herein, presumably about his old friend. Later in life, after the death of a supporting character, they reunite at a gay bar and go down memory lane. It ends on an abstract note. My summary doesn't do it justice at all, it's an amazing movie and truly was so sad to watch.

Homophobia(Internal and environmental), extreme angstiness, semi?? graphic sex scene(s)