Disclaimer: this is written from the perspective of a Hollywood adjacent, queer, English speaker. I love these shows, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious about them or able to recognize their flaws.
They are, of course, influenced by their source culture, as am I. This is meant as a broad overview and to manage watcher expectations, not as a socio-critical pop-culture analysis. That would take a book.
This is intentionally broad scope because one of the things that interests me most in film is trends.
One last thing, I talk about “visual queerness” as a marker of representation because this is CINEMA which is visual, not because I’m passing any kind of moral judgement on how you, personally, like to do or consume queer. Speaking of: I do not mention butch/Tom or visually queer-coded lesbians because, so far, in BL, I haven’t encountered many. (There is some GL out there tho. It’s not as popular as BL.)
Typical Format: Short episodes of 20-30 mins in medium length series of 6-10 total; or, more commonly, movies (some movie series)
2nd installment: if it was a movie, maybe, but Japan (as of 2021) has never done a 2nd season of a full BL series (except Ossan’s Love, My Beautiful Man) only movie series or movie specials/follow ups
Triggers: dark BLs LOVE a murder gay, mutilation, and obsession; can get very high heat to the point of explicit, and will explore taboo and kink; newer stuff marketed as BL is tamer but still goes emo
Comedy stylings: physical slapstick will be somewhat violent or entirely absent; cartoonish over-reaction to extreme emotion, particularly shame & guilt
Queer rep: some non-visual queer elements (like implied ace) but coming out and being out is restrained, to say the least; little to no femme
Female rep: decent; no faen fatales; usually complex mother/sister and supportive friend characters
Quality issues: Yaoi trope reliance but cinematographically few problems, it’s a mature film industry; difficult to find internationally because of distribution issues due to Japan’s strict IP laws; weirdly bad hair; uses voice overs all the time
Strengths: workplace settings; grown up characters; beautiful cinematography; seamless post production; high audio quality; excellent sound and music choices; great subs; solid acting
Story style: yaoi influenced but not as much as you’d expect anymore; relatively modern; short but mature and complex; thought provoking; loves the “running of the gays” trope; weak endings (with a few notable exceptions)
HEA: usually hard fought but there; dark BL predictably NO (history of this bifurcation written about here)
Heat level: in branded BL very low, you’re lucky if you get a kiss and that will be chaste; physical intimacy is considered very private, usually embarrassing, and mostly not to be depicted on screen (on the other hand, the dark BL can get VERY high heat - the highest in the industry, see the pinks)
Language barrier: some, Japanese is a particularly formal language and often glottal and monosyllabic and nested deep in the diaphragm (for men); it can feel stiff and curt to native English & Latin language speakers; last names used almost exclusively; honorifics in play
Seems weird until you get used to it: lack of physical touch; extreme alcohol consumption; smoking; nuanced emotions contrasted to slapstick; characters get nose bleeds to indicate sexual attraction; gay = a beta fish (don’t ask)
Subs & captions: usually very good, but you will often have to hunt down subbers who specialize in Japanese BL for fun & profit, so there is usually a delay, titles in MDL are always in Japanese
First noticeably queer cinema? 1990s
First yaoi manga live action (AKA BL)? 2006
First ones to make waves? Takumin-kun & Boy’s Love 2007
Full history + Top 10 BLs from Japan
Classic great example: Seven Days 2015
Best current offering: Cherry Magic 2020 or Old Fashion Cupcake 2022
Typical Format: short episodes of 15-20 min in shorter series of 6-10 total, for c. 1.5-2 hrs total runtime, and they will repackage what aired as series into movies
2nd installment: historically no, but Korea is new to BL series in general (prior to 2017 their BL bailiwick was microfilms) and with 2 second seasons in 2022 it looks like things might change
Triggers: obsession; instalove; but otherwise its pretty tame
Comedy stylings: subtle and sly, if any
Queer rep: poor; coming out and being out is restrained if present at all; no visually queer, trans, or femme characters, Korea uses the bubble technique
Female rep: sometimes a female friend; few faen fatales; rare to depict family at all; systemic benevolent sexism
Quality issues: yaoi trope reliance; romantic arc pacing issues; sparse dialogue; can get very sappy
Strengths: manhwa visual elements and music video training influence both staging and film style; well acted; great audio and visual quality; range of settings; good wardrobe, hair, and makeup (K-pop industry impact on Korean BL is profound); pulls in new watchers by casting Kpop idols
Story style: strongly yaoi influenced 3 act romances; powerful foundational themes and world building; simplistic; endings often rushed; uses voice overs
HEA: yes for BL branded shows, Korea knows marketing (with a few noted exceptions like Peach of Time + Kissable Lips)
Heat level: low, usually a kiss but not much physical intimacy beyond that
Language barrier: not as much as you’d expect, K-pop and K-dramas have had such a profound effect on the western ear for Korean that it kinda rolls over us now; casual use of English in dialogue (when present at all) is a characterization tool used to indicate informality, modernity, and a certain level of youthful punk-ass in characters
Seems weird until you get used to it: distinct influence of western cinema style particularly crime dramas; very specific beauty standards; obvious use of plastic surgery; use of idols who aren’t comfortable with BL standards; lack of physical contact; characters get hiccoughs to indicate sexual attraction and eat spicy food to cope with emotional trauma
Subs & captions: very good, usually fast, often fan subbed (again, blame K-pop)
Approx 30 offerings (+ c. 30 microfilms)
First BL tangential offering? No Regret 2006
First BL? Just Friends? 2009
Full history + Top 10 BLs from Korea
Classic example: Just Friends? 2009
Best current offering: Semantic Error 2022
Typical Format: Short episodes of 15-20 min in shorter series of 4-8 total (with a few key exceptions)
2nd installment: very unlikely, to date (2021 = 35 BLs) We Best Love is the only Taiwanese BL to get a 2nd season (and I’m pretty sure they were filmed back to back)
Triggers: still uses kidnapping for love trope; obsessive & stalker behaviors the norm; rough sex
Comedy stylings: modest slapstick; some exaggerated facial expressions; cultural inside jokes; loves the “crash into me” and/or pratfall kiss trope
Queer rep: decent in terms of a range/balance of gay relationships; coming out and being out is restrained if present at all; rare to see visually queer, trans, or femme characters; often depicts gay engagements & marriages (since it’s legal there); on one noted occasion, Pride
Female rep: sometimes a female friend; no faen fatales; some sisters and mothers (often supportive) even the occasional lesbian
Quality issues: names of shows are weirdly awful; bold filming style but not very refined or stylish; pretty much only on viki and gaga internationally, and not always there
Strengths: lack of visual heterosexual imposition; consistent quality in terms of acting and staging despite often limited budget; serviceable sound, audio, and visual editing if not ground breaking cinematography; office/urban settings; good wardrobe & makeup (beautiful suits); will use BL as a side plot in mainstream dramas; ADORES cameos
Story style: mature and modern but not sophisticated; uses voice overs; can be a little confusing or overly saccharine
Heat level: wide range, usually some kissing, can get much higher heat (is known for this)
Language barrier: it’s Mandarin Chinese although nationalized and formalized; names are occasionally difficult to distinguish
Seems weird until you get used to it: how different Taiwanese society is from mainland China, at least when represented in cinema featuring younger age brackets
Subs & captions: usually good, fan subbed, sometimes very hard to find, can be delayed in dropping
First noted queer film? 2006′s Eternal Summer
First BL? Co-plot with a GL, Pair of Love 2012
First classic BL? HIStory: Stay Away from Me 2017
Full history + Top 10 BLs from Taiwan
Classic example: anything in the HIStory franchise (my favorite is HIStory 2: Crossing the Line 2018)
Best current offering: We Best Love 2021
* Incidentally Taiwan is the only country on this list, and (as of May 2023) the only country in Asia, where same sex marriage is legal.
Typical Format: Medium length episodes of 20-40 min in series of 8-12 total
2nd installment: sometimes, but only for the ones we don’t care about
Triggers: not many, occasionally deals with actual queer issues like bashing, cat calls, trans phobia, and verbal abuse
Comedy stylings: some physical humor; reliance on comedic (often stereotyped) side characters; can be crass
Queer rep: pretty strong over all; decent positive rep of trans and femme characters in particular
Female rep: lots; sometimes there is a faen fatale but there are also always positive female friend, sibling, or mother characters
Quality issues: pacing problems; narrative can feel more reality TV than 3-5 act story structure; some abrupt editing; gritty workman-like cinematography; occasional lighting problems; poor makeup and wardrobe (if present at all); framing and staging issues; post production concerns; immature film industry
Strengths: honest queer experience; mature high-quality acting; out actors; real world authenticity; good range of setting and character; lack of heterosexual imposition
Story style: somewhat informed and influenced by Thai BL; arcs are sometimes underdeveloped
HEA: sometimes but not always
Heat level: medium - usually kissing, occasionally making out, casual physical contact, lots of skin shown (there is a Latin machismo influencing exhibitionism in masc men in the Philippines)
Language barrier: not much, Filipino (the standardized basically a version of Tagalog) sounds like exactly what it is: a mix of a root Malayo-Polynesian language + Spanish influence + sudden whole phrases, sentences, or words in near perfect English (which is the bureaucratic tongue there)
Seems weird until you get used to it: the frequent reoccurrence of English; color saturation; visual clutter lending a chaotic element; honest (but somewhat messy) household staging
Subs & captions: usually very good and at the time of release
#s as of 2021: None. I do not watch enough Pinoy BL to keep data on it, sorry.
Classic example: Gameboys (Netflix)
Best current offering: Like in the Movies; or for something lighter, My Day the series 2021
Typical Format: long form 10-14 episodes of 40-60 minutes, each ep broken into 4 parts
2nd installment: Often yes. Not only will they do 2nd seasons they will do short spin off LTR look-ins in order to give beloved couples extra happy endings. This is pure fan service, and mostly a result of the strong BL pair-branding meets product placement/sponsorship traditions.
Triggers: dubious or non-consensual sexual acts (statutory rape); very bad singing; terrible sound effects; extreme heterosexual imposition (including use of husband/wife language); femme gay vilification and predatory behavior (punching down humor); actors who are minors and look it; crass/scatological humor
Comedy stylings: overacted facial expressions; seriously egregious cartoon sound effects; some violent slapstick
Queer rep: strong trans women and/or 3rd gender rep; some femme; Thai is (somewhat) linguistically accepting of multiple genders; gay relationships are strongly heterosexually dysmorphic; however, some studios are making a conscious effort to improve queer rep and range
Female rep: poor but getting better; always feature a faen fatale often predatory and homophobic; mother characters are often absent or disinterested; sisters are usually supportive
Quality issues: very poor audio quality from smaller production houses; overuse of sound effects, songs, sound tracks; propensity to sub background lyrics instead of dialogue; uneven pacing; settings often limited to high school and university; poor wardrobe and makeup; egregious and excessive product placement
Strengths: length of treatment means fully developed story arcs and complex side characters; often a 2nd BL couple superior to the primary; larger cast; acting style and training/workshopping for bigger projects is good; sheer quantity of offerings; range of adaptations
Story style: usually long form classic 3 act romance structure with kiss/interest acknowledged at 1/3, relationship tension/confession at ½, and crisis at 2/3-¾ (around episode 11); some pacing issues for shows that have not be adapted from y-novels
HEA: most of the time; Thai studios take note of audience expectations; however unlike other countries Thailand will do specials, spin offs, and second seasons in order to give fans an HEA
Heat level: ranges, usually at least a kiss, some making out or physical intimacy, university set BL can get high heat
Language barrier: gender neutral, self gender, or lack of pronouns means Thai is linguistically queer friendlily but very challenging to translate; the language structure is ALSO class/gender coded which does not sub well; high vocal range and pitches plus aggressive intonation can feel aggravating or seem nasal to Latin/Germanic based listeners; use of polite particles can sound like a verbal tic; must be hand subbed (machine sub programming DOES NOT work) and subbers are few and far between so can be slow/full of errors
Seems weird until you get used to it: blatant product placement; child autonomy; codified sibling framework for friendships; everyone up in your medical business; Thai studio system and “ownership” of certain actors or actor pairs; creepy level of IRL shipping from fans; propensity to “exoticize” beauty standards; character & actor names
Subs & captions: decent and at release if they originate in a larger production studio; otherwise can be quite poor; very few fan subbers
First noted queer film? Love of Siam 2007
First popular BL? Love Sick 2014
First internationally popular BL? SOTUS 2016
Full history + Top 10 BLs from Thailand
Classic examples: for university 2gether 2020 or high school Love Sick 2014
Best current offerings: Bad Buddy 2022
Thai BL is my original hyper fixation, here’s a master post on the subject.
Typical Format: Short episodes of 15-20 min in shorter series of 6-8 total
2nd installment: sometimes there will be a short 2nd season, or a kind of reimagining spin using the same actors as an alt reality couple
Triggers: will kill the gays; physical violence (bordering on abuse) played for laughs
Comedy stylings: overacted facial expressions; cartoon sound effects; slapstick
Queer rep: little to none (improving as of 2021, see My Lascivious Boss & Stupid Boys Stupid Love)
Female rep: poor; usually a faen fatale, often predatory or homophobic; some nice bffs
Quality issues: stiff acting; bad subs; limited cast; immature industry; roughness seems to be funding related; pacing issues
Strengths: close, clear, bright cinematography; visual editing; audio quality; original content; a certain restful simplicity of style
Story style: unsophisticated, often involve conflict easily settled through conversation and/or coming out struggles
Heat level: expect some kissing and more casual physical touch than Korea but not as much as Thailand
Language barrier: confined vocal range, monotones, and lack of inflection can sound flat or somber to Germanic & Latin based listeners (like a dirge)
Seems weird until you get used to it: for me it was mostly the voice, Vietnamese is so different tonally from other Southeast Asian languages
Subs & captions: usually originate in studio on release but are of a poor quality
First BL tangential? My Sky 2017 (Dam My hoc Doung)
First classic BL? The Ring Goes Missing (microfilm) 2018
no post on the history of BL or top 10, since it’s too new of an industry
Classic example: The Ring Goes Missing I guess?
Best current offering: You are Ma Boy 2020 and Mr Cinderella 2022
Typical Format: none (was once movies, briefly became series, now…?)
2nd installment: Used to do some 2nd movies in their BL heyday, but now it’s unlikely
Triggers: used to use kidnapping for love trope; obsessive & stalker behaviors; rough sex; now it’s all censored
Comedy stylings: modest slapstick; some exaggerated facial expressions; cultural inside jokes
Female rep: decent, actually, but systemic benevolent sexism
Quality issues: some in the past, none now
Strengths: now in bromances? Historic setting, lots of money, high production values, and very very very very pretty but *DECLARES LOUDLY IN CASE CHINA IS LISTENING* not gay, not gay at all
Story style: 4 act structure; censored
Heat level: high heat until 2016, now nothing, if you’re lucky there is a hand to the waist or a piggyback ride and if you’re really lucky they cook together *gasp*
Language barrier: it’s Mandarin Chinese, in the historic fantasy dramas there’s a lot of names, A LOT OF NAMES and one character may go by approximately 8 million different ones
Seems weird until you get used to it: miss dubbing because they were told to loop a different line in; how obviously gay it is while being totally not gay, nudge nudge wink wink; in 2022 there have been tentative inroads into high heat versions of the international market (or not distributing said BL to China at all) which is generally confusing for us all, but welcome
Subs & captions: usually very good
First BL tangential? From Here to There 2012
First obviously BL? Like Love 2014
Last actual BL? Addicted Heroin 2016
Anything airing after 2016 (c. half of China’s BLs) = highly censored, sometimes into incomprehension (e.g. Advance Bravely)
Full history + Top 10 BLs from China
Classic example: Addicted Heroin 2016 (AKA the last true Chinese BL)
Best current offering: Word of Honor 2021
There seems to be some levels of stylistic similarities that indicate exchange and influence, can be multi-directional but basically in this order:
Japan dark BL –> China > Taiwan
Thailand –> Philippines & Vietnam (& even back up to Korea)
I believe that this ties to the age of the respective industries as well as cultural taste, linguistics, and historic geo-political relationships.
For example, Korea and Taiwan both have a propensity to use voice over narration (Japan used to do this a lot more than they do now). Japan has the most established film industry, and is the origin of yaoi manga - which has had the most significant influence on story structure in all BL. But Thailand has the longest running tradition of successful BL shows and definitely the largest oeuvre widely available. Thus they are creating new traditions (influencing Pinoy BL in particular) and should not be discounted as arbiters of international taste. That said Korea is coming for their crown.
Distribution also has significant impact on industry development and reach.
Japan and Korea have established network connections, plus high IP profit protection legislation, from a mature film and music industry (respectively) which means they are using standard distribution channels (like Netflix or Viki or Amazon) which is good for profit but throttles broad reach.
Thailand is just starting to get distribution in order. Their biggest BL production house, GMMTV, has gone all in on YouTube, gunning for sub fees, ads, sponsors, and eyeballs as a revenue generator. This seems to be working for them and has given them the largest number of international views and fans and the biggest market share in BL. It could be argued that BL is a soft power for the Thai entertainment industry.
It means NEW fans tend to enter BL through Thai shows and series, which (again) significantly impacts trends, taste, and popularity.
BL wave data: which countries are experiencing growth? 2022 follow up report (with graphs!)
Country Specific BL Tropes
English Language as a Narrative Trope in BL - in many Asian dramas (not just BL) a character speaking English is an intentional characterization trait
Asian Honorifics & BL - a quick & dirty guide, with examples
Struggling with Thai Language and Acting Style (plus some more chatter on linguistic and cultural barriers to entry in Asian BL)
BL Docs & NonFic Resources on YT
Strongberry on BL (Korea)
TED Ex BangKok (growing up gay in Thailand)
Perth on working on a BL show (Thailand, Aussie perspective)
Chef de Smooching - Recipes for BL
If THAT Studio Remade Semantic Error (and similar for Remaking the HIStory Franchise)
Planning the perfect BL using a game of Frankenstein by country.
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