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

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This is not BL, but contains a teen gay couple. (And don't expect happy, because nothing about this drama is happy.)

Survival-theme with supernatural elements--think "Lord of the Flies" or "Lost", with a touch of "Battle Royale" towards the end. The feel is creepy and claustrophobic and the tension just grows. 

I have to point out that this drama is FAR too similar to the German sci-fi-thriller series "Dark" (also a Netflix production) for it to be coincidental. If you've seen both, you'll know what I mean. Even if the settings are different, there are a lot of parallels. Too many.

Some very good acting from most main actors--I watched partly because I LOVE survival themes but also because of the LGBTQ elements,--we find all kinds of representatives here. But especially I was tempted because of the fact that one of the guys in the (male) gay couple is Perth ("Love By Chance", "ReminderS", "Until We Meet Again") whom I really like as an actor. March ("Hormones" plus a shitload of other stuff) is back with a vengeance here. (In a straight, "bad guy" role.) I utterly dislike the guy, but I have to admit he's a very good actor.

Production is very good, with a good score (can't really talk about an OST here) and very nice SFX for a tv production.

Second season is coming up and I'll be watching. 

Horror with gay characters.

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Golden oldie. Gay themed romcom of classic 90s style. Think Julia Roberts-flicks, but with gay love instead. Not amazing in any way, but a nice watch if one likes older and "less teen-oriented" gay stories.

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I don't really consider this drama THAT amazing, it was good, but not one of my favs.
I don't like the side couple stories at all. But as a production, it's good and well made. The movie theme is interesting and overall, it's entertaining and time well spent. A couple of scenes are great and very memorable.

But the big treat here, is of course the once-again-paired-up duo Off and Gun, who just are so awesome together that they'll probably be paired up in BL for the rest of their careers... They're just a pure joy to watch in all their BL collaborations, with their sweet and funny chemistry--but also as the charismatic stand-alone actors that they are. 

Ahhh... this was... nice, yet disappointing. 

The very, very unique scenery and setting is devastatingly beautiful, and the whole feel of this mini drama, is artistic and exquisite--but it just doesn't fulfil its potential. It could have been one of the most beautiful pieces in the assortment of more mellow, low-key gay-themed works--but it falls a little bit flat in writing, characters and development. 

Such a shame, because the premise could have made for something unforgettable.

Not BL--but the last episode is about a teen BL couple. This episode is a short version of the movie "The Blue Hour"--also on this list. 

(I love this series. A collection of urban legend-style little horror stories, of which some are really great and would make for awesome full-length horror flicks.)

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The two Korean mini-dramas released approximately at the same time--this one and "Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart"--have quite different ratings, with this one having a considerably higher one. 

Which I don't quite get.

To me, they're equal in quality, so I've rated them the same, but in terms of likeability and entertainment value--this one loses. 

It's well made, acting is good, there's nothing particularly WRONG with it--but I still didn't "feel" it. The short runtime, of course, makes it hard to achieve any real depth to the characters and story--but that's still not an excuse, when there are other mini-dramas that have managed to, even with episode counts and runtime less than this one has. 

I'd say that my overall feeling was... underwhelmed. Slightly bored. 

Yikes. This sounds bad... lol...
Which it isn't. I guess I just think it was very, very forgettable. Flat.

Movie version of the drama "To My Star".

Not BL. Adapted from Japanese manga "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e", se note in list description.

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I just can't praise this drama enough. Or, more like; I can't praise this couple enough. 

We first saw Korn and Knock in "Bad Romance", as one of the main couples. Then came this prequel--their own story. BR is a bit too stupid for me, but here we get something that's less nutty. The storyline is cliché, a run-of-the-mill BL plot, but it feels far more adult than most other dramas we've seen.
There is a lot of drama, arguments and angst--but overall, the feel is happy and the comedy mostly stays on the "that's actually funny--and not idiotic" side.

But what makes this unmissable, is the guys. For many reasons. I, for one, went nuts about getting a really manly couple--buff and big guys who really are dudes. Secondly; this couple has chemistry.
Serious such. On all levels. As BFFs, as lovers, and later--that "old-married-couple" cozy feel. They're just so comfortable with each other, that you're completely convinced. That feel just grows, and is epic in the sequel season. (Which in timeline is set after "Bad Romance" but released after this one.)
And let's not forget the acting. Tul and Max are awesome together, but even as separate actors, they hold their own--growing by the season. 

Very few BL couples convince me to this degree--so, for me; Korn and Knock are and will remain THE BL couple.
(Sharing the #1 spot with two other guys on this list.)

An extra super plus would be the pretty abundant kiss/cuddle/hot scenes, that for the most part are good. You'll see one of the best BL kisses in history... 

And the very opening scene... WOW. "Hot" does not begin to describe it. First watch; my jaw literally dropped. (Then I replayed aboutish 2000+ times.)

A note; Do NOT read the novel on which it is based. I'm seriously warning you. The lovable and gentle guys from the drama--are nothing like that in the novel. I ditched it because we're talking severely disturbing stuff.

This sequel for Korn & Knock's story has received extremely unfair bashing due to certain plot elements--this season is much heavier and less cheery than the first--but for God's sake, don't ditch it because of that! There are limits to how stubbornly one should refuse to acknowledge that things aren't always black or white.

Sure, it's not very nice to see characters we love, do nasty things and make each other unhappy, but that's life, you know. But just because stuff go to hell, doesn't mean that there is no way back. All the people who ditched the series after the particular episode that caused a fair share of aneurysms, hysterical bawl-feasts and probably minor riots here and there in the world--missed out on the sweetness following, because after rain comes sunshine, right.
In this season--in particular; AFTER the BL emergency incident in class of a major global disaster--we get several of the absolutely sweetest Korn-Knock moments of all the three series they appear in. You can't beat the reunion scene and the ending scene.

The straight storyline of Jihwa and Cho has almost equal time to Korn and Knock in this season, which is fine only because I like the characters. Their plotline is pretty boring in this one. As for the other gay couple; Farm and Doc's storyline isn't all that entertaining either, though Farm's 180 degree personality change is hilarious.

The only minus is the tiring, annoying and gross character of Pete--who, unfortunately, forms the very foundation for the whole plot. If one would judge the season as a whole, just from the plot, my rating would be significantly lower. But I choose to rate it by the story of Korn and Knock's relationship development and the acting from Max and Tul--since those things are what defines the whole thing.

In this season, they absolutely kill their parts and the acting is awesome. In both the painful scenes and the sweet ones. (But especially the former.)

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Korean-Thai co-production.

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii"

Not BL, but is supposed to have gay characters. I've got to say that the premise sounds quite irresistible--and very unique. I haven't been able to find it, though.

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Quite solid and entertaining romcom flick with the premise of a LGTBQ "beard-marriage", well worth a watch.

Uhhh. I only watched because of Singto in a side role as the gay bro. And if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been able to get through it. I'm sorry, August, but you suck. Pretty to look at--but the acting skills are appalling. (As is the plot, the acting from most others and just about everything about it.)

This does belong on the list. The MC likes guys and does not identify with, nor does he want to be, a woman. (Which would have made him straight.) He wants to be a guy (who crossdresses) and likes guys = he's gay.

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Opinions are divided on this one, but I think it's very good as a whole.

The concept is unique--and it works.

There are parts that I dislike, some of them downright boring.  
But the good parts--goosebumps. This drama rides on emotion and it's melodramatic, to say the least, but it works, because the feelings portrayed are so overwhelming that they demand this kind of over-the-top emotional gushing.
I mean--we're talking humongous emotions here. Feelings strong enough to pass on into the next life. Of course they have to bawl their eyes out and go into half-hysterics. How else to portray such profound things?

The four main actors do a good job, especially Earth, who kills every scene he's in and already in the opening scene of the drama showcases exactly what he is capable of.
(And btw, let's support all his work, since he's one of few who dares to be out in an industry that has had the habit of demanding only straight actors (or actors that hide/deny their orientation) for BL roles... Thankfully that's changing and the few out-and-open actors are getting roles. Deservedly so, since Earth in particular, is a gem.)

The acting is so good that I decided to translate the subs into Swedish for my mom--and she really liked it.

I'm not a huge fan of the 2019-couple--actors nor characters--but they do carry their load and convince in both chemistry and acting. The 1989-couple though... Not only is their story the  BL version of Romeo and Juliet, but their chemistry is adorable and one can't help but love them. 

The side couple story is unnecessary. Considering the far too sparse airtime they get--it just becomes shallow and haphazard. Which is a pity because I like them.

This isn't a super fav of mine. But I think it's a must-watch because of the concept and parallel timelines, as well as for many of the "remembering" scenes that give you goosebumps. And for Intouch's and Korn's story. 

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii"

No synopsis on MDL but has "gay" tags, so...

This has gotten quite a lot of decent ratings, but I don't really love it. It's a bit strange, as a whole. At some parts--it's excellent. At other--not so much. But worth a watch. Acting and themes are good.

Not BL, but the MC , a "love doctor" serving romantic advice to a bunch of women, is gay. (But supposedly, the actual gay content is very low.) But the drama has high ratings and does sound entertaining.

Upcoming sequel season for "Wake Up Ladies". Perhaps Mr. Love's own relationship gets a bit more focus in this season?

Another one I haven't watched--and am a bit unsure of about the actual gay content. It's not BL, that much I know. But supposedly gay character(s?).

And it has Ohm... (Which for me is enough of a reason to watch it, when I can get around to it.)

I don't like the movie, so I wasn't thrilled about the drama, but this isn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be. Definitely one of the better ones in the big bunch of the more mediocre Thai BLs. 

I like the setting (because I love sports BL) and the plot is acceptable, but too much focus on the side couples (two straight, one gay/BL, one hinted BL one and a GL one) but their stories were fairly interesting, at least enough so to make me watch them and not fast-forward to the next BL scene. Unfortunately, the most interesting side couple got far too little time--as to not spoil, let's just say "the (huge) age gap one". At first it made me cringe a little bit, but then it was the sweetest ever and I would've loved to see their own story. Toptap is unforgettable as one of the two guys in that couple.

Acting is decent to very good, from most involved. New is adorable and even though I'm no fan of Earth, he does a pretty good job here, and the chemistry between him and New is quite nice even though I prefer New with Tay. (The "Kiss" series.)
Music and score was decent, directing and production pretty good.

I really don't like this movie. It's not utter junk, there are some nice themes there, but it's just not executed well. Ngern isn't a very good actor, nor are the others in the cast. FAR too much filler junk scenes, far too messy, far too random.
One plus is the focus on the main couple--something we don't get as much of in the drama series version--but I'd still recommend that one instead of this. 

One of the couples featured in the drama version--in this one, is... kind of creepy. (The huge age gap one.) I'm ambivalent. On one hand, it's somehow cute and touching. (The old guy, that is. The young one is much less likable in this one than Toptaps adorable version in the drama.)
In other ways, it makes me cringe.

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Sequel season to drama "We Best Love: No 1 For You". 

I was annoyed at the stupid plot ending to S1 and the time jump to S2--I fricking hate time jumps, they're ridiculous and unbelievable--but I actually find myself really liking the setting and maturity of the guys' characters in S2. 

And... OMG, their chemistry... Absolutely epic in this season.
Not only do they showcase great acting (especially Sam Lin impressed in episode 2)--but their interaction is electric. One of the best connections between actors in any BL. Ever.
If you aren't interested for any other reason--watch it if only for that reason alone... It's worth it.

I can't believe I almost missed out on this one, just because of something so stupid as an annoying title...

One of my absolute favs for this year and probably will end up on my all-time-fav list.

A very pleasant surprise! 

I'm usually hesitant to most of these short dramas, since the descriptions--and often the titles (as in this case) sound "bleh" to me, but when I get to actually watching them--every now and then, I find something I like. 

It's light weight, silly and not exactly heavy impact BL--but it's really entertaining and the acting is great. Especially Yu as Zhou Shu Yi, just OWNS the scene whenever he's on screen. I love him, he's so charismatic that he's absolutely irresistible.
The chemistry between these two guys is absolutely awesome. In S2... WOW.
Worth watching even for just that.

A simple, straight-forward story and production, with a lot of humour and heart, that's really likable--despite a ridiculous conclusion to S1 and an incredible time-jump to S2. 

Me like. A lot.

Meh. As I said in the comments for the drama--I don't like time skips. And the content was "meh" too. 

But well, whatever. It's a part of it. I love the drama so much that I'll just ignore this.

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Mini-mini-short. 

It has Lay! <3

"Kinou Nani Tabeta" Movie--upcoming 2021.

The drama apparently is based on the content of a long thread posted on the Thai discussion forum Pantip--ages ago. It has a previous adaptation, in movie-form; "Boring Love" from 2009.Also has a S2. 

I have no idea why there are people who actually consider this good. I just can't...
I rewatch the Mew-scenes. Other than that; nope. It could have been so much better if it had skipped some of the ridiculous comedy parts and kept a TINY bit more of a serious tone... It's messy and uneven and just... no. The small parts that are good, just can't save it for me. 

Epic though; some sex- and kissing scenes... Not very many BLs that have dared to top them so far. (Not all of them are exactly... aesthetically pleasing, but the ones that are, are pretty damn fricking' hot...)

Season 2. See S1 for comment.

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Mini-drama.

Upcoming May 22nd 2020.

Movie version of the mini-drama "Where Your Eyes Linger"--slightly altered in this alternate format. Both have their pros and cons, and both are worth watching. I prefer the movie version for the different vibe that the (very slight) changes brought.

I reluctantly love this...

Okay, this isn't that GOOD, per se--it's messy and far from perfect in execution, but it's more like... a parade of BL, BL, BL.
I can't resist this shameless poking fun at the BL fandom. Here you have ALL the tropes,  ALL the stereotypes, all which is ridiculous about BL, fanservice and insane Fangirls/Boys. Served with a huge portion of sarcasm and self-awareness--it's just pretty much hilarious. 

I'm a Fangirl, but still, I despise a lot about the BL fandom. I see real and troubling issues in many of the tendencies surrounding shipping and delusional fantasies. At the same time, I can't help but laugh my ass off at the insanity. Because it IS funny. 

So to make a drama that highlights the stupidity--is entertaining. Though, this one does it lovingly, not nearly as venomously as I do :P 

So, you are served; A shitload of couples (too many) of different types, in every single super-trope scenario/coupling you can think of--generously sprinkled with intense kissing, a bit of groping, silly crotch-shots and jokes, sweaty/freshly-out-of-the-shower male bodies, slip-and-catches, running-in-the-rain, accidental "kisses", piggy-back rides, bed-baths, an army of engineer boys, guys-with-guitars and soccer players, gratuitous-but-oh-so-rewarding cameos by iconic BL couples, super-cheesy dialogues and sugar-sweet moments, crude sexual innuendoes and everything else.

Huge plus for some of the hottest scenes in any Thai BL to date. I will never be able to wrap my head around how Saint, with his innocent baby-face looks, can look so lethal when he turns the switch. (And his crazy versatility. I mean... from Pete in LBC, to this?)

I love it.

NOTE; Watch the special episode before you watch the drama. It will make everything easier to follow.

Watch this before you watch the drama. 

It'll make things a hell of a lot clearer, since the first episode of the drama leaves you kind of "huh, wait, what, umm, what was that supposed to.,..?, say what?" until the picture becomes clearer in following episodes.

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I wasn't very impressed with the latest Korean BL mini-dramas, but this was by far better than the higher rated "To My Star". 

The synopsis made me suspicious, since i expected something shallow "idoly", but it wasn't like that at all. A simple and straight-forward little love story that was quite adorable. 

It's lacking in depth, and that's definitely because of the short runtime, but it makes up for it decently, with a beautiful score and OST, good acting and a nice production with many beautiful scenes and atmosphere. 

Nothing I'll remember for a long time--but definitely not a waste of time.

Movie version of drama "Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart".

Junk. Junk, junk, junk. I started watching in lack of other light-weight dramas (since I've already watched everything else, like, ten times) but I had to put it on hold, it was so extremely boring. Acting isn't good, storyline is a mess (and boring)--it's just not worth your time. 

Big minus; To put Mark--so far almost exclusively a BL actor--in a BL series, but in a straight role. Why?! What a total waste.

Mini drama based on a Chinese BL novel with the same name. ("Yandai Xie Jie No. 10"/"Yandai Byway No. 10",  by Jian Zou Pian Feng.)

The drama pretty much sucks, in more or less every department. It's a cheap and sloppy production and the whole pet oriented plot premise revolving around a bunch of Chinchillas, doesn't get enough space--somehow deflating the whole atmosphere since the furballs, in the novel, were a plot device which carried the story and relationship forward in development. Somehow, it all just fell flat. 

Which is sad because the novel is enjoyable and cute. I'd recommend reading it instead. (You can find it fan translated on Wattpad among other places.)

Special for drama "Yandai Byway No. 10".