A World of Asian "Boys Love" Drama

2019 Thai BL series Theory of Love (TOL) is regularly on lists as one of the best BL series of that year. So does it live up to the hype? Summary: Four university seniors studying film and the cinematic arts live a pretty typical life - lots of fun, drinking, sex and a bit of work and study in between. Sensitive Third has a secret crush on his best friend Khai, a selfish womaniser with a total inability to treat people with respect. Third has kept his feelings to himself since freshman year, but Khai's insensitivity and steady stream of girlfriends finally convince Third he's a lost cause so he tries to distance himself and get over his feelings for Khai. But Khai's behaviour suddenly becomes very sweet and ambiguous. Is he trying to flirt with Third? If he is, why is he still dating girls? When an explosive revelation rips the gang apart, Khai's life is turned upside down. On paper, TOL's story isn't anything we haven't seen many times before. "Sec...

Openly gay Korean director Leesong Hee-il's revisits LGBT themes from his other movies, such as blog favourite No Regret, in his 2014 film Night Flight. His portrayal of gay experience from a uniquely Korean perspective and distinctive direction makes his work highly watchable. But his warping of his stories under the magnifying glass of the strictures of Korean society can make his fatalistic view of homophobia and anti-gay violence tough to stomach at times. Night Flight is monumentally grim, despite its deceptively pretty BL-style high school promotional poster, but it's no less riveting for that. Summary: Three friends since junior high are now in senior school, but they are steadily growing apart. Yong-Ju is secretly gay and tries to keep a low profile, hoping to cruise through school more or less unnoticed by the bullies and bad teachers, not liked but not disliked either. He's had a crush on strong, silent Gi-Woong ever since junior high, but they are now completel...

I'm going to jump forward now, and review a Korean movie I watched last night called No Regret . It had an immediate impact on me so I thought I would write about it while its impressions are still fresh in my mind. Summary: A young factory worker Su-min is struggling to make ends meet, and works numerous jobs. He's openly gay but has never had a relationship. When working as a for-hire driver one night, he meets Jae-min, drunk at a bar, and drives him home. Jae-min is instantly smitten but Su-min baulks and runs away, even though he is obviously attracted to him. When he loses his job at the factory, Su-min ends up working as a male prostitute at a host bar. Jae-min continues to pursue him obsessively, to the point where Su-min threatens to kill him if he doesn't stop following him. Eventually feelings develop further, but it's at this point that the story suddenly turns upside down and Su-min becomes desperate. Su-min makes a decision that could lead to total catast...