Hello! do you have any recs for bls that aren't set in high school or university, and that have a more... "adult" feel to them? I'm thinking along the lines of To my star and Manner of death.
This is actually an easy ask since one of the categories on my spreadsheet of BL is setting.
BLs Not Set in High School or University
Already called out, my all time favorite in this category To My Star. Review here. And romantic suspense Manner of Death.
My rating system is pretty tough so a 7 is actually really good from me. I’ll only give you pitches for the ones I really enjoyed. Where possible I’ll include a watch link.
I tried to choose adult characters, who are out of college age, or at the very least the fact that they are that age doesn’t really matter.
I also didn’t include shows or series where the couple started in high school or uni (like Life: Love on the Line or We Best Love).
I didn’t include bromances. So nothing from China.
Taiwan and Japan, because they connect to origin yaoi the most closely, are going to have the most non-student BL % of their total offerings.
You Are Ma Boy - CAFE & MUSIC
7/10 - I love this quirky barrista meets idol cat/mouse romance, no student characters at all.
My Lascivious Boss - CAFE
7/10 - queerst BL ever, boy in drag meets and has one night stand with hot mess *straight* man who turns out to be his new boss. Then has to pretend to be his own sister to fool said boss, until boss figures it all out.
7/10 - responsible older brother type has one night stand with a young man who turns out to be his sister’s tutor. The love interest might be in uni but it doesn’t matter to story.
NOTE: There are quite a few from Vietnam, actually. They are more likely to do home and country set stuff than they are high school or uni. You can ask @heretherebedork for suggestions if you want to deep dive into that sphere.
Cherry Magic AKA 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard - OFFICE
9/10 - 30 year old virgin can suddenly hear people’s thoughts, discovers the most popular guy in his office has a mad crush on him. Has to decide whether he wants that or not. Possibly one of THE most adorable BLs ever made.
Restart After Come Back Home - COUNTRY
8/10 - post college characters in atmospheric countryside setting, super under appreciated little gem of a film that’s beautifully made and acted, revolves around family home life and farming.
7/10 - super awkward and shy clerk at a clothing store has a mad crush on one of the mall managers, based on a yaoi manga.
What Did You Eat Yesterday? AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? - HOME
6/10 - lower rating because it really is NOT BL, it’s slice of gay domesticity, featuring a middle aged couple at home most of the time. Not a lot happens and it really revolves around food and the office, but it’s super sweet and very comforting low angst, low stakes.
OTHERS THAT SATISFY YOUR CRITERIA BUT I DON’T RATE HIGHLY
This is Japan so trigger warnings on most of these. Some have university characters but not setting. Anything lower than a 3 probably doesn’t end well.
His the movie 6/10 - COUNTRY
Sei no Gekiyaku 1/10 - HOME
The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese 2/10 - HOME
Forbidden Love 2/10 - HOME
Forever Summer 2/10 - HOME
Shape of Happiness 1 & 2: Love Place: Hakanaki Kata Omoi - Gaiya no Koi & Love Place: Shiawase no Katachi 4/10 - HOME
Ai no Kotodama 5/10 - HOME
Does the Flower Bloom? 5/10 - HOME
The Pornographer series 3-5/10 - HOME
Love Stage!! 5/10 - HOME (uke is in college)
Fujimi Orchestra 3/10 - MUSIC
Docchi Mo Docchi AKA Same Difference 5/10 - OFFICE
No Touching At All AKA Doushitemo Furetakunai 5/10 - OFFICE
Junjou Pure Heart - 6/10 OFFICE
Ai no Kotodama 2: Sekai no Hate Made - 6/10 OFFICE
Ossan’s Love original - 6/10 OFFICE
There are a number of spin offs (Our Skyy) and second seasons that feature main characters from uni or high school BLs now grown up and out in the world. But I didn’t include them since you have to have watched the initial series first.
9/10 - you’ve probably seen this and the uke character *was* in uni but he drops out to teach kids in rural Thailand and falls in love with a park ranger (basically). It’s one of the best things we have ever gotten from GMMTV or Thai BL for that matter.
Lovely Writer - HOME & DRAMA SET
9/10 - seme character is in uni but doesn’t act like it. Revolves around the shooting of a BL drama (and has things to SAY about THAT) along with the writer of that drama and the lead actor who, it turns out, has wanted that writer for a really long time.
Ingredients the series - HOME
7/10 - I think both characters are in college but like Gameboys it’s doesn’t matter because this is basically a cohabitation slow burn friends to lovers romance. It’s about a sweet chef and a singer, and is the only BL I’ve ever watched where I actually liked the sing your feelings trope. The leads are an established pair and have very good chemistry.
Red Wine in the Dark Night 1/10 - COUNTRY
Present Perfect & Present Still Perfect - TRAVEL
Hometown’s Embrace 3/10 - COUNTRY
Close Friend 4/10 - different couples different settings
What the Duck 2/10 - AIRLINE soap opera
Love Love You 3/10 - OFFICE
I Am Your King 2 2/10 - CAFE
My Mate Match 6/10 - HOME
Top Secret Together 5/10 - OFFICE (one minor couple is in uni and they are the only good couple)
Call it What You Want 1 & 2 dnf - DRAMA SET & HOME
3 Will Be Free 7/10 - MAFIA and recommended but not strictly BL
Bite Me (unfinished as of this update) - RESTAURANT
Love With Benefits (unfinished as of this update) - HOME
Be Love In House: I Do - OFFICE
9/10 - a bit frenetic and contrived but has a weak seme/uke dynamic, super broken soft slow burn romance, adorable side characters and no trigger warnings, which is unusual for Taiwan. I really loved this one, but the plot is naff.
See You After Quarantine? - HOME
8/10 - The Taiwanese answer to Gameboys featuring a Japanese love interest, a tiny frantic disaster gay, a slow burn pining and ends on a domestic montage of pure joy. OMG SO CUTE.
HIStory 4 Close to You - OFFICE
8/10 - trigger warnings on the secondary couple for all the normal BL yaoi derived questionable tropes (step brothers, dubious consent, a few other things) but I still enjoyed this one because I’m used to that by now, and the main couple is basically Taiwan’s answer to Cherry Magic.
7/10 - lesser known BL about a kind of mafia family of 3 brothers all of whom have their own mini gay romances going on. It’s real old school yaoi with all the tropes and a whackdoodle plot not really holding them together. And by ALL I mean: kidnapping, dub con, whipping boy, and insta-ove. But it’s kinda fun as it’s also bilingual: it takes place in Taipei so most characters speak Mandarin, but the lead older brother speaks Korean, and his love interest speaks both.
7/10 - like What Did You Eat this is a slice of gay domesticity only they are younger and have a son. Possibly one of the best peeks into happy queerdom we’ve ever gotten from Taiwan = proper queer fam and Taipei’s Pride on display. It’s adorable but has a somewhat cliff hanger ending.
HIStory 3 Trapped - MAFIA
7/10 - would be one of my most favorite BLs ever except the main couple is given a bit of a cliff hanger ending. Still it’s great and if you like Manner of Death THIS is the follow up BL for you. Also Korea’s Long Time No See.
We Best: Love Fighting Mr. 2nd - gets a 10/10 from me, but you need to watch the first installment first and that is VERY much uni set BL.
Love is Science? has a BL side plot that’s amazingly good - OFFICE
Craving You 5/10 - PASTRY CAFE
Light 5/10 - STREET & HOME
Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart - MUSIC INDUSTRY
9/10 - production assistant/pianist sees and falls in love with a busker who might be the next big star. Tries to help him make it happen. (you want the movie version)
8/10 - secret love between 2 men trying to decide what to do with their lives. One of them is on leave from military service and the other one goes to meet him. There’s coming out narrative plus themes of self actualization, it’s short and sweet (and hot) and also Korea’s first BL-ish piece.
Also A First Love Story a two part micro series makes a great prequel to this.
Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding - HOME
9/10 - fake relationship period drama about a boy who pretends to be his own sister and marries (what turns out to be) the man of his dreams. Very properly Korean so a bit stiff, but high production values for a Cinderfella meets 12th Night.
The Tasty Florida - RESTAURANT
8/10 - Essentially this is a sweet and fluffy story of a willing and eager sunshine boy saving a grumpy chef from himself which featured an unnecessary love triangle that was woefully underdeveloped for the amount of angst that resulted. On the bright side, everyone was VERY pretty. Did I enjoy it? Hell yes, they beautiful! Did it have any substance to it beyond the pretty? Not even slightly. Do we want more than that? Ya know? Sometimes… no, no we don’t.
7/10 - (machine subs) new movie about two gay boys who are besties one of whom is dealing with a breakup/death of a closeted lover and the other of whom is a manic pixie type trying to settle down, or not? It’s very very much a gay drama and not BL. Obviously, given the plots, only one story arc ends happily. But it’s not depressing either.
7/10 - I actually really love this one, it has a low rating because it’s technically not BL. Mature characters, hitmen assassins, start a relationship not realizing they are on opposite sides of a turf war. Or do they? Ends happily but lots of violence.
OTHERS THAT SATISFY YOUR CRITERIA BUT I DON’T RATE HIGHLY
This is Korea so few triggers but many of these do end unhappily or cliff hanger. I’m not including any microfilms.
A Frozen Flower 1/10 - HISTORICAL
The Boy Next Door 1/10 - HOME
Peach of Time 7/10 (I enjoyed it but it’s VERY sad) - HOME & CAFE
My Sweet Dear (unrated as it’s unfinished as of this update) - RESTAURANT
Gameboys the series - LOCKDOWN
9/10 - lockdown romance about an out bisexual who pursues (virtually) an online relationship with the cutest disaster gay to ever pick up a controller.
My Day the series - PASTRY OFFICE
8/10 - Sky is a university student but this is about his internship at a pastry company where he meets and falls in love with his boss. No seme/uke dynamic but all the tropes and it’s very cheesy and sappy. I love this BL, but it’s under appreciated because it’s a bit… MUCH.
Like In the Movies AKA Gaya Sa Pelikula - HOME
8/10 - cohabitation enemies to lovers out gay character ends up crashing with closet case, hijinks ensue.
There are a lot more but I really don’t track the Pinoy stuff.
I created a My Drama List for these.
(source kept up to date as of end of 2021)
