A World of Asian "Boys Love" Drama

2016 Filipino online BL series Hanging Out is one of those fantastic programs you come across by chance, usually from a recommendation online or through word of mouth. I'd certainly never heard of it before seeing it in my YouTube recommendations a few months back, and I'm so glad I did. It's the very first Filipino BL I've seen, and it's such a breath of fresh air after the unadventurous repetitions of Thai BL. Summary: In one of the funniest 'meets-cute' out of all the BL series I've seen so far, aimless cynic David meets the dashing and charming Adrian at a surprise party that he was never invited to. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, there's an instant connection between the two men, though they are both very tentative and afraid to admit to it. Adrian's friends notice the sexual tension, but their unsubtle gossipy speculation about David might scare off the already jittery new guy. Despite his reservations, David is immediately

Thai BL series Love by Chance was hyped well before it was finally broadcast in late 2018. Controversially, this is allegedly due to a postponed release date enforced by the show's creators, whose new executive team has apparently purged all gay content from its productions. If this allegation is true, it's a devastating policy reversal from the creative team behind BL classics such as Love Sick and Make It Right. (Check out blogger Queer Fudanshi's take on the scandal here .) So it's very fortunate that Love by Chance was picked up instead by GMMTV and Line TV and released at all, because this series is BL gold. Summary: timid, naive university student Pete is from a wealthy family. He's secretly gay and has had terrible luck dating guys; most of them have used him solely for his money. One day at university, he is accidentally knocked over by handsome soccer jock Ae riding past on his bicycle. Kind-hearted, decent Ae takes Pete to get medical attention, and over

I came to 2018 Thai BL series Cause You're My Boy (CYMB), also known as My Tee, after seeing a recommendation on Twitter. This series is exceptionally good, beyond anything I had anticipated after having read a synopsis of its derivative central storyline. It lacks consistency in places, and its production values are bargain-basement, but it still manages to be an instant classic, with some stints of top-notch screenplay. Big Spoilers Warning :  I reveal extensive plot details in this review, especially from episodes 6, 7 and 8. I swore I would never do this in my blog, but I've decided I want to look at some of its narrative choices more closely. I've marked the paragraph that contains spoilers, so that you're able to avoid it if you want to. Summary: High school student Mork leads an eventful rebellious life at school, surrounded by friends and having lots of fun times, though his grades are suffering. He's rather selfish and has street smarts rather than book

I was drawn to watch new Thai series Kiss Me Again solely on the basis of the actor Newwiee, one of my BL favourites and a fun charismatic performer. He didn't disappoint, although that's about the limit of the interest to be found in this series. It's a prequel to 2016 drama Kiss The Series. Summary: A disparate group of five university students unite together as friends. Two of the boys in the group, bad boy Pete and intelligent sensitive Kao, don't tell the others that they know each other better than they are letting on. They hate each other, after a series of violent incidents that has set them at odds. One of these incidents ended up with them accidentally kissing. While it's clear that Kao wants to talk about his confused feelings for Pete after the kiss, Pete pushes him away angrily, leading to more violence. Their friends eventually realise that something is wrong between Pete and Kao, leading Pete to lash out at Kao even more violently and destroy the gr

Thai 2016 series Project S The Series: SPIKE! was recommended online as one of the top 60 (!) Asian BL dramas, so I thought I'd give it a look. Being a volleyball-focused series, I was hopeful it could have similarities to HIStory: Crossing the Line, which would have made it a fantastic find, but unfortunately high-school volleyball is their only point of likeness. Summary: A group of four friends in a successful Under 18 boys volleyball team at Thappanya School in Bangkok make a pact after losing a finals match: they will all play again the following year  and get their revenge on the winning team San Sebastian. When one of the boys Singha betrays his friends and transfers to San Sebastian, the team is devastated and must start from scratch to build a new team. The 'spiker' captain Puen must work closely with the new 'setter' Than, and they take an instant and violent dislike to each other. When the team coach falls ill, team manager Best takes a gamble and enga

Japanese BL mainstay from 2007 Takumi-kun Season 1: And The Spring Breeze Whispers is one of the most famous BL dramas ever made, and still gets glowing reviews online whenever it comes up. It's based on a manga, and this comes across on screen. Summary: Quiet and solitary high school second-year student Takumi Hayama suddenly finds himself the centre of attention, when the most popular senior in school Giichi Saki ("Gii") rescues him from a cafeteria fight. Gii makes it clear to everyone that he is now Takumi's protector, which earns poor Takumi some notoriety among the schoolboy gossips, and some enemies too. Gii and Takumi are also allocated the same dorm room. Handsome Gii very quickly makes it clear that he is in love with Takumi. This mortifies Takumi; he can barely tolerate anyone touching him, due to a horrific childhood trauma. Will he be able to overcome his traumas and distrust, to be able to love Gii in return? There's not much to this drama, with

The handsome protagonists of novel 'Mr Zhang and Mr Zhang' deserve a last look-in, with their final three episodes coming to a close. They are going to be difficult to write about without giving away spoilers and without writing too abstractly, but I'll give it a try. (To read my earlier review of episodes 1 to 3, you can find it  here .) Summary: Zhang Nan and Zhang Zhe continue with their struggles in their new separate lives, pining for each other but still heavily constrained by the forced exile imposed on them in episode three. They desperately try to meet when they can, but most of their secret contact is over the phone. The lives of their friends continue to deteriorate as well, and everyone is increasingly despairing of their future. Chunzi's relationship turns upside down and destabilises all his friends. The three final episodes of this grim mini-series are very grim indeed. The earlier trap set for Zhe and Nan is now inescapable and exerts an increasingly

I am taking a break from watching and writing about BL dramas for the moment, but in the meantime, here's an overview of my top 5 favourite BL dramas that I've seen so far. Remember that I've only been watching BL for about 5 months, so there's still a long way to go and so much more love to share. And please let me hear from you if you have your own Top 5 or some viewing suggestions, or even just an opinion about my own list. #5: Seven Days . The high quality of this ethereal two-episode series from Japan is, in my view, unsurpassed by other examples of Japanese BL. Its greatest asset is its finely-tuned screenplay, which passes through each of the seven days with a gentle quiet beauty that's distinctively its own. If only all BL dramas could be this well-written and directed. #4: Together with Me . Korn and Knock are the greatest couple in BL, with the best sexual chemistry in BL. They are also the hottest. There, I said it. And they finally get the top-tier

Examples of Korean BL haven't been easy to find. I've struggled to find anything other than "No Regret", a fantastic movie in its own right but it's not really BL in the strictest sense. Bromance seems to be more common in Korea, a genre that I always try to avoid due to its cynical use of gay-baiting. Mini-series The Boy Next Door is more bromance than BL on the face of it, but more than anything else, it's a brilliant and really effective satire of BL. Summary: University students Gijae and Kyutae live next door to each other in a block of small flats. They meet out front when smoking a cigarette and don't really hit it off. They feel uncomfortable with each other but at least make an effort to be more friendly with each other. However all their meetings in public end up having the very odd appearance of them being a new couple in love. Their friends and acquaintances are mystified by how close they seem to be, and they all jump to the conclusion that

Chinese series The Ambiguous Focus is currently screening at the time of writing, so only the first three episodes are available to view, and only intermittently as they get taken down. It's described as a BL drama, but it's far removed from the youthful innocence and tentative attractions of that genre. It's a ferocious melodrama, riven with the exploitation, cynicism and cruelty of gay adulthood. It's blown me away, so I thought I'd work through my initial thoughts about it now, and watch the rest later.  (UPDATE: You can find my review of the final three episodes  here .) Summary: Friends since childhood, Zhang Zhe and Zhang Nan have been in a relationship for ten years, since university. When we meet them, it's obvious that they are having difficulties, to the point where trust and fidelity are no longer even the most serious part of the problem. They are both having affairs and hookups on the side, though Zhe is less brazen and Nan is more careless. Both

I've read in a couple of places the 2016 Chinese movie The Male Fairy Fox of Liaozhai has some BL elements to it, but without it being the central focus of the story. It's based on a Qing dynasty era fairy tale. There's also mention of a sequel on the way soon. Summary: A mischievous "fairy fox" (a supernatural deity that seems to be a cross between a spirit, a god and a demon) enters the human world disguised as a beautiful young man, with a view to learning more about human behaviour. When he sees a young couple in love being refused marriage by her father, he is immediately intrigued. He follows the young man - a scholar - to his hometown and befriends him, then he manipulates him with alcohol. It's soon evident that the two men are attracted to each other. When the scholar's servant exposes the fox god's true identity, they enlist his help to rescue the fiancee, who has been captured by a local warlord. Danger and violence ensue, with the fairy

I've been having a more difficult time lately finding a BL drama that interested me enough that I wanted to stick with it till the end. I started with Korean drama Hello Monster, mainly to see what all the fuss is about with Park Bo Gum, but I didn't make it far enough before getting bored. I finally got to see the sublime Call Me By Your Name at the cinema, but I won't review it here. Instead I took a recommendation online to watch Chinese BL drama Like Love . And I'm very glad I did. Summary: University student Maiding is a nerd but likes to think that he is outgoing and sociable. However he only has his roommate Li Meng as a friend and doesn't understand why there's no one else. One day Li Meng asks Maiding to find out whether their very handsome dorm neighbour Ziyan An is gay, as a lot of his  fujoshi friends are interested in finding out the truth. Ziyan responds that he's bi, which intrigues Maiding. He starts following Ziyan around and basically fo

I've stuck with my Taiwanese obsession by watching feature-length movie Artemisia . I went into this movie cold, not knowing anything about the storyline except that there was a gay-themed subplot. SPOILERS ALERT: I give away some of the ending in this review, beware. I've marked the section with spoilers so you can avoid them if you want to. Summary: A middle-aged widow leads a lonely life and struggles to fill in her days. Her two children are in their thirties; her closeted gay son looks after her, and her daughter studies in France. She also regularly looks in on her elderly mother, a malicious, cantankerous woman who is a chronic miser. She secretly longs for a large family, all living together, but is increasingly resigned to the fact that it probably won't happen. She finds it extremely difficult to understand her children and the way they live their lives. Knowing her temper and conservatism, her children generally give their mother plenty of distance from their