A World of Asian "Boys Love" Drama

The premise of Chinese short BL series Uncontrolled Love  (also known as Irresistible Love) didn't appeal to me when I first read about it. But I thought I would give it a try anyway, seeing as it has generally good reviews. Summary: Orphan Shu Nian is adopted by a wealthy industrialist family, the Xie's, when the malicious capricious young son Xie Yan chooses him from the other orphanage children, mainly on the basis of his passivity and his ability to withstand Yan's cruelty. They become very close as they grow up, but Nian's relation with the Xie's has clear boundaries that never allow him to become a fully-fledged family member. Instead he becomes a servant in a toxic master/valet dynamic with Yan and his parents. After high school, Yan is sent to England for several years to study and learn the family business. When he returns to China in his mid-20s, the two young men live together again in the family home but still as servant and 'young master'. Yan...

The Taiwanese have a decided knack of doing BL well, with their own distinctive spin on the formula, and the team behind series 'HIStory' is probably its best and most famous exponent.  Crossing the Line episodes 1 through 6  (also known as Boundary Crossing) is a fantastic start to a new sub-series, with a snappy pace, crisp dialogue and some really endearing performances. I think it must still be screening on TV at the time of writing, or only very recently ended, because only episodes 1 through 6 are currently available on YouTube. Summary: Three rebellious boys who have been expelled from high school have started at a new school and immediately cause trouble. Step-brothers Zhen Wen and Zhen Wu are hot-headed fighters, while disdainful bad-boy leader Yu Hao mocks and disrespects authority. When the brothers almost cause a fight with members of the volleyball team, the intelligent and serious team manager Zi Xuan observes Hao's nimble potential as a good player and sugg...

The series Together with M e (TWM) came to my attention via a Youtube edit called something like 'Knock x Korn', as the format of many BL edits usually are. I could probably find it again if I wanted to, but once was enough to interest me in watching the whole series. I also discovered more recently that TWM is in fact a prequel to an apparently so-so BL drama called 'Bad Romance'. I think it makes sense to watch them in chronological order, rather than Back to the Future style. More to the point, I watched some of the first episode of 'Bad Romance' about two months ago and gave up in disgust, so that's even more reason to start here. SPOILERS WARNING: I've loved this show and want to share as much of my feelings about it as possible without ruining any newcomer's enjoyment of its surprises. I have gone into a lot of detail about the plot in this review, so be warned. Summary: Childhood friends Knock and Korn were separated when Knock's famil...

Rejoining the boys from Make It Right in their second season wasn't a hard decision to make. There was more than enough of value in the first season to make it the right choice. But was it really worthwhile in the end? SPOILERS WARNING: there's a lot of detail about the plot of season two in this review. No secrets are revealed, but you should still reconsider reading it if you want no surprise reveals or if you haven't seen season 1 yet. Summary: Fuse and Tee are still in a relationship limbo, with Fuse still unsure about what his relationship with Jean means to him. Frame and Book are closer than ever and virtually live together, but this season severely tests them with some horrifying trials. Fuse's best friend Lokmo meets effeminate and openly gay Yok and is instantly smitten. Yok's mother is still up to her devious tricks, with a view to turning Yok straight. She takes a different tack and enlists Lukmo's ex Praew to be Yok's faghag. For all intent...

I was ecstatic to be able to find the rest of Advance Bravely episodes 19 through to 30 on Dailymotion. This was a binge-watch feast and the happiest any BL series has made me. If you can find any of the season 2 episodes on youtube, watch them there, as the quality of the Dailymotion uploads is poor at this point. UPDATE: If you haven't read it yet, you can find my review of Season 1 here . SPOILERS WARNING: there's a lot of detail about the plot in this review. Don't read it if you want to be surprised or if you haven't watched season one yet. Summary: Xia Yao and Yuan Zong's relationship goes from strength to strength, and they are increasingly unfazed by being seen as 'close' by their colleagues, families and friends. Xia Yao's father gives him an ultimatum to find a girlfriend or else a marriage will be arranged. Xia Yao takes advantage of his parents' obliviousness to escape Beijing and go to Northeastern China for Chinese New Year to su...

I came across references to  Make It Right - Season One in an online forum that was ranking the best Asian BL series ever made. It was right up near the top, so this encouraged me to give it a try. This review only looks at season 1, I'll review season 2 later once I've watched it. Summary: After he finds out his girlfriend has been cheating on him, high school student Fuse has a big night out with his friends and gets very drunk. His friend Tee helps him back to his own place to stay the night, and they have sex. Tee is enamoured but Fuse is very confused. The push and pull of a blossoming BL romance ensues. Fuse is also pursued by hero-worshipper Rodtang, which makes Tee jealous. Fuse's brash womanising friend Frame is secretly using gay dating apps. An anonymous hookup turns out to be his classmate, nerdish Book, which turns both boys' lives upside down. Make no mistake, this is a cookie-cutter BL high school drama. It brings nothing original to the table, and s...

Adorable couple Kongpop and Arthit are back, in the SOTUS second season SOTUS S: The Series  ! I've been very keen to see how their relationship has progressed since series one. And I've been gunning for a Prem / Wat romance! Summary: Arthit has started his new job at an electrical goods company Ocean Electric and is discovering that he is being treated like a university junior again, although in a very different adult world. Kongpop is now an Engineering senior at university and the head hazer. His approach to hazing is the complete opposite of the violence and humiliation of his predecessors; while still being very firm and sticking with ritualised activities, he prefers being constructive, helpful and positive. They weather these new circumstances of their lives together and give each other the strength and happiness to persevere, and of course they get by with a little help from their friends. Even though their social group now knows about their relationship after season...