BL Starter Pack Watch List (Updated)
LONG post of all my most recommended BLs
This is a list of my most often recommended BLs from each country. With very few exceptions, they all have happy endings. (I include my personal highly rated BLs in each section because these are not necessarily the ones I actually rec the most.)
When a streaming service is listed, it isn't guaranteed. For example, if a Thai BL is no longer on YT, it is likely on Viki, iQIYI, or Gaga (in that order).
Japan started this madness so they get to go first. They're the oldest producer of BL with the most traditional yaoi tropes still in their shows (surprise surprise). These are also some of the genre's most problematic tropes and all shows will carry Japan's brand of uncompromising emo, love of kink, and chewy point of view.
Because this is my blog you all know who is gonna top this list. My baby...
(in 2 parts: Seven Days: Monday-Thursday AND Seven Days: Friday-Sunday)
Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. A faithful adaptation of the original manga of the same name, it’s not only one of the best live action yaois ever made, it’s one of THE BEST BLs of all time (fight me). It has perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, pristine production values, and (unusual for Japan) no problematic tropes - except maybe the ghastly hair.
About an adorable older boy who dares the hot af younger boy to date him for one week. Turns out they both like it… a lot. The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses, and this show is just so great. A must watch.
You'll have to hunt for this, at last check it wasn't officially hosted by any legitimate streaming platform.
I Cannot Reach You aka Kimi ni wa Todokanai (2023 Netflix)
The heir apparent to Seven Days it's no surprise this is my personal favorite of all modern JBL.
This classic friends-to-lovers high school BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst.
Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving their romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way.
This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters (and us viewers) and I felt honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen. Full review here.
My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare (2021 Gaga)
Any examination of the evolution of high school JBL must include MBM on its list. But be warned, this show is A LOT. My first 2 JBL recs are good for anyone, this BL is hard work.
One of the most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade, as weird and as messed up as any 2000′s yaoi: emo af and hella warped, entirely true to itself with no attempt made to modify its POV for modern sensibilities or current BL fandom. Utsukushii Kare is, simply put, very very pushy about everything. It uses seriously old school problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly uncompromising piece that also manages to hit up themes of communication, consent, and self acceptance.
It’s a wonderful BL but uniquely dirty and harsh, in the best possible way. This is a BL designed to test boundaries, you must enjoy the sharp edges of it or back away, because it gives no quarter. Full review here. (warning, I lost my tiny mind)
My Love Mix-Up! AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (2021 Viki)
This is a slapstick and cartoonish but incredibly raw and earnest look a high school crushes and first love. Also the meme generator to end all meme generators.
Completely adorable absolute chaos bi disaster muffin falls accidentally and utterly in love with his classmate, hijinx and friendship result. What’s great about this BL is that it deals with things like homophobia, asexuality, and one sided affection in an extremely gentle and palatable way. Oh and it’s very funny.
I believe this is a great show for younger audiences, particularly if you want to spark conversations around identity, sexuality, authority, truthfulness, and consent.
Old Fashion Cupcake (2022 Viki)
Moving into the adult sphere. I would say this is the JBL I actually recommend the most to newbies and outsiders. This also showcases Japan's BL style outside of a school setting.
The ultimate in what Japan can do with this genre, and how they push it differently from any other BL producing country. This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits.
It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said man with pancakes.
It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness… and it’s wonderful.
It also has one of the greatest long shots in the genre.
Cherry Magic AKA 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard (2020 Crunchyroll & indie subbed)
The first JBL to make waves in an office setting and a big hit in new wave JBL this would go on to become one of the best Thai remakes as well.
The sweetest fluffiest magical realism BL packaged as a pinning office romance, very low heat (practically chaste) but the cutest. It’s truly great.
About a man who wake's up after turning 30 to find he has the power to hear people's thoughts when he touches them. Discovers that the office heartthrob has a mad crush on him... cue gay panic.
My Personal Weatherman aka Taikan Yoho (2023 Gaga)
The grown up version of My Beautiful Man this style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan.
Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but are so repressed they don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that aspect is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already f*cking.
It's truly great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan. That said it's also bruisingly romantic. Emphasis on bruise.
Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (2023 Gaga)
Only the complete other end of the spectrum, I picked this BL for it's intimate connection to it's source manga and the fact that basically anyone on earth could watch this.
Lonely salaryman (and talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. This is a quiet cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me with the best of what Japan can do.
Restart After Come Back Home aka Risutato wa tadaima no ato de (2020 Gaga)
Beautiful atmospheric movie about returning home to find yourself and finding love along the way, more classic gay romance than BL but charming. An intimate portrayal of rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a framework of city boy meets country boy and grumpy/sunshine.
This movie exemplifies Japan’s sweeping cinematic style (which they don’t often apply to BL) resulting in something stunning and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience. Full review here.
(If you’d like this kind of thing from Japan try also Tokyo in April is... on Viki from 2023.)
Japanese BLs that AbsoluteBL has rated 9/10 or higher:
KBL's shorter style with pretty optics, high production, and small cast is probably my favorite kind of BL. As a result, they've earned more 10/10s from me than anyone else. There's a rich heritage of Korean gay short form content (going as far back as Japan's live action yaoi) but Korea came late to BL as we know it today (with its yaoi and Thai derived tropes). But Korea pays attention to pop culture and will play with what suits them best, thus they have found their stride despite a slight puritanical feel.
Semantic Error (2022 Viki)
Sexy older boy discovers pouty younger boy has outed him as a slacker, starts out bullying him, accidentally falls madly in love instead.
Korea hits it entirely out of the Parks (pun intended) by doing a university BL with everything we expect from BL just done exactly right. Korea's signature quality executed perfectly with added bonus good story, great pacing, stunning visuals, and fantastic chemistry. You cannot ask for more from a BL, let alone a KBL.
Our Dating Sim (2023 Viki)
This is a perfect short form KBL, an office set reunion romance featuring geeks that really suits 8 eps with no fluff and no chaff. Just comforting and yummy.
I adored every aspect from the casting to the pristinely simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story - a cozy BL.
It lives in my rewatch pile and you know what’s best about it? Every single episode is in that pile. There’s no skipping with this one, it might be good natured and calmly sweet but it’s tight and the pacing is excellent. Full review here.
Hwang Da Seul (our queen) directs this show about a neurotic actor plagued by scandal (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE.
It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming and gentle once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance. Full review here.
(This has a second season which I do not recommend.)
The New Employee (2023 Viki)
So good, SO QUEER, so soft, a near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Bonus? Found family and a lesbian bestie.
Sweet & innocent (and out) Seung Hyun scores the office internship of his dreams. On his first day at work he gets into it with his cool reserved (and also v gay) boss. As you do. Frankly? This is what I wanted from this new crop of office set KBLs ALL ALONG. Rainbow rice cakes forever!
Directed by queer activist Kim Jho Gwang Soo (Just Friends?) this was way gayer than we have any right to expect from Korea (so don't). Full review here.
Korea does an elegant pastiche of traditional live action yaoi but all tropes are cleverly deployed to bolster one of the most riveting love triangles ever put on screen… and I don’t like love triangles!
LoM strategically tailors classic BL tropes to 2 different semes resulting in pristine pacing, plot, and character development, explicitly serving narrative (not just to tick boxes). LoM is a master class in trope drops. (If you write fanfic or romance you should study this show.) Full review here.
Ball Boy Tactics (2025 Gaga)
Newest entry on this list and what a charmer.
After retiring from gymnastics a gold medalist, painfully shy Jiwon struggles to survive university. He gets adopted by a group of jocks and falls in love with campus heartthrob and basketball star JeongU.
It’s great, charming, well executed, and prettily acted (especially from the dude playing JeongU who comes to us from the stage and you can tell). Can’t go wrong with this one, I smiled the whole time I was watching.
Love For Love's Sake (2024 iQIYI)
A KBL isekai (finally!) about a man who must "win a game" by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness.
Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed its truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances.
I found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles BUT the crisp consistency of tone, script, and immersion is beyond the norm for any BL. You will drown in this show and like it that way. The leads have fantastic chemistry and it's ultimately highly rewatchable and utterly charming, which counts for a lot in my universe.
Long Time No See (2017 Gaga)
Catfishing assassins on either side of a turf war fall in love, not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they?
Suspenseful plot, good fight sequences, mature characters, hot sexitimes, and even hotter beating the shit out of each other and kissing while covered in blood (this came from KOREA?), plus an HEA.
One of the greatest hidden gems of the BL genre. But don't expect this kind of thing from your KBLs on the main, it's such an outlier that I always forget and think this came from Taiwan.
The Eighth Sense (2023 Viki)
Speaking of "what not to expect from KBL."
This if one of the few KBLs that feels more atmospheric gay coming of age romance than strictly BL. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. It’s a bit chewy and sticky and less perfectly pretty than most KBLs (do I detect a whiff of Taiwan?)
This one deployed BL tropes (messy eater, shoulder sleep, protective seme, there’s even some hyung-slinging) but front loaded them with painful backstory and used a ton angst to drive the 2nd half.
This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a KBL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled (which is the only reason it didn't get a perfect score from me) but it does have a glorious ending that really landed this one for me.
This is one of my 10/10 KBL favorites but I truly dithered over whether to keep it on this list, because I actually don't recommend it all that much because it is... stiff. But I couldn't leave it off. I just couldn't.
A unique paranormal twist elevates this classic high school drama into a pitch-perfect allegory for the queer coming out experience and one of the best BLs of all time (I will fight you on this). I mount a defense and write a whole damn thesis about it here. But if you like your BL with a bit of magical realism thrown in, this was one of the first and best.
(I do not recommend the second season.)
Korean BLs that AbsoluteBL has rated 9/10 or higher:
A First Love Story (short)
Cherry Blossoms After Winter
Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart
Taiwan has it's heritage in JBL + CBL but they do pull from Thailand's style occasionally. With the longest history of equal rights and queer acceptance, and the most casually out acting pool, there is an honest backbone to TaBL that other nations just don't have. Not even Thailand. High on domesticity, their story structure can be quite weak, and they are simply too small to produce very many shows. Still they are my favorite BL powerhouse for good reason.
We Best Love: No 1 for You & We Best Love: Fighting Mr 2nd (2021 WeTV)
The 1st season is a short run classic university set BL combining the best of Korea & Thailand’s modern takes on genre. The 2nd season moves into the office, and employs Japanese style in terms of setting, obsession, and mature concepts.
WBL thus successfully managed to pick up and combine the best features of Korean, Thai, and Japanese BL right now. Couple that to the insane chemistry from the leads, and we have one of the best BLs of all time, cooking to a recipe I doubt anyone else will ever be able to replicate since only Taiwan is this flexible. Full review here.
If pressed, I would show this BL to anyone first entering the genre. I think of it as the most BLishly representative and digestible of all BLs. If you don't like this, you probably won't like this genre on the main.
A relatively simple friends-to-lovers story about a boy who fell in love with another boy when they were kids, but got friend-zoned for most of their lives. Until, in university, it becomes too much for our seme and things escalate.
A very domestic, very pretty, high chemistry, Taiwanese take on some ultra classic BL themes, archetypes, and tropes. Basically a combination of my favorites, I Cannot Reach You and We Best Love, two great BLs that tasted great together.
This is exactly the kind of show I love best. Yes it is quiet and simple but it is not bland or boring. This is a classic, like perfectly prepared Taiwanese chicken and rice. Sure, we all love spicy curry, but sometimes, when the world is going to hell, we just want chicken and rice. And this is the BL equivalent. They embraced the genre and served it warm and sustaining when I needed it most.
See Your Love (2025 Viki Gaga)
A darling little show that I genuinely couldn’t have enjoyed more. About a deaf physical therapist and his spoiled shattered lonely little prince.
A caretaker takes a job protecting and healing a mafia boy (in all ways). The boy is tortured and broken but still loving and earnest and willing to enter his beloved's world. Taiwanese BL at its softest and most life affirming.
A show that basically said "it is more important to get the sign language and kisses right then any silly mafia bits". And they were right. Highly recommended.
HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (2018 Viki)
This is a perfect sports romance, don't bother me with trifles.
Lin Pei Yu directs this volleyball BL with a good boy/bad boy pairing, and it is my hands-down favorite of the HIStory franchise. Ostensibly it's high school set (but Taiwan doesn't care about age appropriate actors and I don't care either). It's a very soft sweet romance with some ridiculously easily overcome conflict. There's great kisses but it's medium heat. The side dishes are the stepbrothers trope but they’re very tame, and there’s no other triggers.
It's not just my favorite of the HIStory franchise, it’s one of my favorite Taiwanese BLs over all, with a hugely romantic happy ending.
Be Love In House: I Do (2021 Viki)
A cute classy BL set in a jewelry-making studio with a few plot raised eyebrows, but no other concerns. ALL THE TROPES plus a general sweet softness that was once quite rare from Taiwan, who historically preferred to go hard, but all their signature domesticity. Also they very very pretty. Full review here.
DNA Say Love You (2022 GaGa)
DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn’t spoil this show. However the first few episodes do require patience. It's worth it, I promise!
The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and a ton of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The last few eps really are something quite special and life/love affirming - and the ending is big-grin charming. Full review here.
Kiseki: Dear to Me (2023 Gaga)
The plot of this BL is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged, but that’s normal for Taiwan. It involves all the tropes under a very casual framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love.
Absolutely every character is queer. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs, and a KILLER side couple. Actually killer (aka Dimpled McMafia and Feral Bunny Foofoo). As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL at it's chaotic/domestic best, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL.
Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan. This is just so much fun.
HIStory 3: Trapped (2019 Viki)
Basically the definition of enemies to lovers from Lin Pei Yu. This is a cop + the mafia leader he is chasing but WAIT, they fall in love. Added bonus side couple: assassin + nerd cop ALSO falling in love. It’s great.
All the leads are stellar. It's high heat, fun action, with a bit of a mystery, and v pretty about all of it. My only warning is that the main couple doesn’t entirely end up together, it’s implied, but... amorphous ending.
Also the SUITS are to die for. Literally.
A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst story and an earnest depth. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot.
A weak seme/uke dynamic but tons of BL tropes (both rare in a high school setting but common for Taiwan) makes this one feel both sweet and colored by real world authenticity and grit. It's quite lovely, actually. Full review here.
I dithered as to whether to put this on this list since it was so divisive but maybe that's part of the point of watching it?
Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and a version of the stepbrothers trope.
About a young man struggling to survive and raise his own sister who takes in a street urchin as well. That urchin grows into a serious, capable, handsome young man who falls deeply in love with his older "brother." About broken people and what we do and feel in the midst of struggle and how we cope (or don't) with the worst parts of unrequited love.
The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters extremely believable. When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. It's few flaws are the result of curtailed length. It could have used more breathing room to deal with side plots, characters, and companion character development. The editing was occasionally choppy and packed with flashbacks that broke the emotional tension.
But those are mere quibbles. For this is an excellent show that deals with some of BLs best/worst taboos, content that I happen to adore. I could rewatch that "you don't know my dreams" scene until the end of time.
Taiwanese BLs that AbsoluteBL has rated 9/10 or higher:
We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd & We Best Love: No. 1 For You, Fighting Mr. 2nd
HIStory 2: Crossing the Line
Love is Science? (BL cut)
As the top producer of BL (orders of magnitude higher than anyone else with over 60 shows a year), Thai BL and it's signature bright cheery style has come to absolutely dominate the genre. By volume, they suffer from weak concepts and poor storytelling and production, but since 2023 they have made strides in both arenas by remaking and adapting stories from other counties and also reaching into their own history and historical archives. However you personally feel about their pulpy long form approach and branded pair addiction there is no denying Thai BL rules BL in terms of quantity (if not quality). I broke this down into categories.
THE EXCEPTIONAL EXCEPTIONS
Until We Meet Again (2019)
UWMA is, without question, a work of narrative genius with a powerful and cohesive romantic backbone and stellar performances. Do not expect this from Thai BL. But watch it anyway.
Basically a non BL trope reliant soulmates (red thread) romance that just happens to have the right setting and age of protagonists to fit the genre. The way the two romances, past and future, weave and interconnect is surprisingly satisfying. There is even a glorious, much beloved side pair.
It is (to date) the only Thai BL (of over 300 watched) that I’ve rated 10/10 predominately on the basis of its story structure. That said it is also very well cast (and it is a BIG cast), with solid production values, beautiful food, powerful themes, and enduring memorable couples. Full post here.
I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023 grey)
Thailand has been getting into historicals big time in 2025 but this was the first big one on everyone's radar. If Thailand did prestige BL, this would be it.
IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again).
It's about a gay man from our time who falls into the past, becomes a servant to a noble house, and falls in love with the heir. It turns out this has all happened several times before. Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn.
This is an elegant and classy soulmates BL… from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and as individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine.
Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever. My full feels detailed here.
A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021 Viki)
With great casting and cinematography this drama nods at BL tropes but manages to elevate them (and itself) with a strong mature story concept about a spoiled rich kid who gets a heart transplant and becomes a teacher it order to pay out survivor’s guilt. On the way he falls in love with a local park ranger and contends with his own classism and escapist tendencies.
Everyone seemed to perfectly suit their roles and GMMTV made the most out of its vast actor pool. Combined with excellent production (and post production) values, 1000 Stars is without question GMMTV’s most mature, charming, and smart BL series. I think it should go down as one of the top BLs of all time. I feel safe recommending this one to friends and non BL watchers.
I refer to these 3 as exceptions for a reason, there is very little other Thai BLs like them.
This was GMMTV’s flagship BL and it started 2022 on a BANG (okay no actual banging but you know what I mean), starring heavy hitters Ohm & Nanon in a pitch perfect university Romeo & Romeo masterpiece that will give you domesticity meets pain whiplash throughout and jet lag at the end.
Some of the friendship and family dynamics are overworked, but it has good production, killer acting, and some conscious effort to correct for half a decade of Thai BL’s anti-queer mistakes. Full review.
My School President (2023 YouTube)
GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that made this one Love Sick (the first Big Thai BL in 2014) for the modern age, with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues.
Yes, we’ve seen it all before, but I still ADORED this. And there is a lot to be said for the classics being re-executed perfectly. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny? This show was fantastic, it’s only flaw was the singing (and that’s my baggage).
My favourite Thai high-school BL offering to date. And yes, I've watched them ALL.
The boyband idol romance I've been waiting for from Korea, only Thailand did it instead.
Quintessentially Thai and very GMMTV with good production values, great chemistry, and a solid support cast. It also was a hung romance (younger boy pursues older one) mostly driven by external conflict and a found family reunion trope, so I didn’t mind (too much) when that romance thread felt secondary.
I loved it (except, of course, the singing). It's just lovely and pretty and fun. Peak Thai BL and my favorite style as opposed to...
Thai BLs 2022 SENSATION and it has EVERYTHING. No like everything Thailand does with BL is in this show, from soup to nuts, sweet to savory ass-licking good.
How to describe? Bass-ass kick-ass fine-ass bartender saves crime lord, is blackmailed into becoming his bodyguard and lover. Also some kinky shenanigans from hot af side couples.
Was this show good? Nope.
Was it absorbing as fuck? Sure.
Was it well acted? Absolutely.
Were the sex scenes great? Yes.
Were the fight scenes awesome? Well, the actors we clearly enjoying themselves. (Special props to Jeff for the hand-to-hand stuff.) Did I enjoy the kinky bits? Certainly.
For me? This show is the McRib of BL, I don't get the hype or the obsession, but I also... I don't really care. As a result of fan fervor meets my own profound indifference, I never know how to judge (or talk about) this show but I have to go with my heart, and KP didn’t win it. But, that doesn't mean it isn't one of the most important Thai BLs in BL fandom.
This show is literally everything (except straight) all at once. It's BL, queer, band of brothers, romcom, erotica, PNR, soulmates, police procedural, fantasy, mystery, mythology, suspense, and slasher. It’s the king of genre mash-up chaos. Sure, it's madness but there is genius in it.
Was it a crazy unhinged mess +1 roll for damage? Yes. Yes it was.
Did it manage to hold all those tangled threads together? No it did not.
Was it also a charming, sexy, engaging, non-stop piece of entertainment? Sure thing.
I think this show is basically my KinnPorsche, and frankly I’ve been chasing that dragon naga since KP aired. Is it perfect? No. But it was balls to the wall FUN.
The Heart Killers (2025 iQIYI)
An action romcom about assassin brothers meets conmen (tattoo artist ex-booster and very flirty mechanic). I dithered over how to rate this. It felt like an 8 show wearing a 9’s britches. There were dropped threads, forgotten characters, and unfinished plot lines even with a particularly long run time. And, for me, it doesn’t have significant rewatch potential. But it was such fun (when one applies no expectations or logic) and I enjoyed the wildly unhinged relationships and, weirdly, music.
Look here, nobody claimed that we needed Taming of the Shrew only with gay Thai hitmen, but we really needed it. And no one asked for Petruchio to be the gayest brat ever to strut his perfect skin and croptop across our screen, and yet we loved him for it.
Sure, it didn’t make sense and was utterly absurd, but it was terribly earnest and sexy about it. In the end this goes hand-in-hand with all these other absurd crime pieces we’ve been getting since KP, and frankly I like this one the best from Thailand so far.
Pulps = BLs that have quick turn-arounds and low production values, weak plots and acting, but a certain raw charm.
Any round up list from me will probubly have this BL on it.
Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles.
Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics.
With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple. Full review.
As pulps go this is right up there with my favorite if all time, My Ride, but for different less complex reasons (and with better chemistry).
This is a relatively simple yet endearingly old fashioned university set story of a fake relationship between a sunshine sweetie and an older reserved rich kid who slowly fall in love.
It's soft gentle low stakes leans on everything I love best about Thai BL, no damage no trauma. It’s a warm fuzzy robe of a BL that will not hurt you, featuring some of the greenest flags I have ever seen in the genre. Somehow it manages to be very much a 2025 ThBL while pulling on all the nostalgia of a decade prior.
Thai BLs that AbsoluteBL has rated 9/10 or higher:
Cherry Magic (Thai remake)
I Feel You Linger in the Air
Look I put China last on the list not because they don't have a strong history of BL, they do, but because that history is so very checkered. 3 things you NEED to know:
China put heavy censorship in place in 2016-2017 that has impacted CBL ever since. This included banning/imprisoning out gay Chinese YT vlogers and throwing danmei authors into jail. It resulted in most high production CBLs being heavily censored down to bromances (e.g. Guardian, Untamed, and Word of Honor).
In 2024 China began chucking danmei fanfic authors (mostly young women) in prison (again) under their anti porn legislation.
All uncensored CBL currently being produced is constantly at risk of cancellation (as are the actors, writers, and production teams). These days it's produced/distributed to a non-China market/audience via production houses, platforms, and distributors based in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and (minimally) Japan or Hong Kong. (Although Chinese viewers are still getting hold of it.)
Keeping that in mind, let's talk CBL!
Revenged Love (2025 Gaga)
A remake of 2015's Falling in Love with a Rival (aka Counter Attack). From China ON Taiwan's GAGA distributed via Singapore? Ah the alt-reality that is 2025 BL.
The story of a scrappy street urchin who, in order to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend, decides to seduce her current boyfriend. The boys fall in love but that's just the beginning.
There’s also a side couple made up of their respective best friends, one of whom is a doctor. The friendships are as important as the romance, one of which is a blatantly queer quasi frenamies and the other of which is the "how to be gay" trope. The entire shows' love language is manipulation, and everybody is both good-looking and adorable. There’s a lot of "who falls first, who falls harder?" But they all fall very hard in the end.
My feelings? This was a GREAT BL and I enjoyed it partly because of the online enthusiasm for it, somewhat mitigated by the unpleasant "will it won’t it" tension around cancellation. But something like this cannot be divorced from its time. And that’s part of my feels. If China hadn’t undergone such severe censorship over the past decade, we would’ve gotten more shows like this soon and shows like this would have evolved. This is a peak BL… for 2019.
We’re not in 2019 but I kind of feel like I have to rate this as if we were, consequently it gets a 9/10, but it's for BL fans only, I wouldn't recommend this not non-drinkers of the pink milk.
Addicted Heroin (2016 Viki)
If Revenged Love is the best current CBL then Addicted is the best of the past offerings.
When Chinese BL was good it was very dirty good and when it was bad it was censored. This is the model for that statement: censored mid/late series but a high heat classic BL prior to that, Addicted has a sublimely weird (unfinished) ending, but remains a fan favorite.
Well acted and shot, with a high school setting, this features a rich kid falling madly for the genius poor kid in his class, who starts an aggressive pursuit, includes kidnapping for love, obsession, stepbrothers trope, plus some cheating.
I love this BL because of what it could have been. Just stop watching it after The Sex Scene. Okay?
2024's The On1y One recreated this magic, sadly with an even worse (and less excusable) ending.
Frankly? Addicted died in production and Counter Attack failed in execution so that 10 years later Revenged Love could soar.
ABO Desire (2025 Viki Gaga)
China continues its historic 2025 run on the international BL market with the first true omegaverse mpreg piece.
The world's most perfect sociopath ult baby girl being a violent, unchecked, manipulative, psychotic monster so pretty he will hurt your teeth. Look, this show would have been sublimely fucked up and utterly ridiculous even without the ABO trappings, but the world-building actually adds to the enjoyment (and I am not an omegaverse stan).
What to say about Desire? Well... it is very very pretty and it is... completely NUTS. This is the CBL KinnPorsche no one even knew to ask for. I completely adore it. I love our sweetie Alpha Sheng + the most beautiful soft sweet gentle omega little obsessive stalker pouty ruthless gremlin ever to swish around in silk pajamas. Oh and there is a nod at a side couple with actual ONE SCREEN mpreg. Wild times.
(As of typing this it's not ended yet. If tumblr lets me I will come back and edit this with my final thoughts.)
Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island (2025 YouTube)
This was an interesting, beautifully atmospheric but kinda plotless BL about a boy who falls in love with his older brother‘s best friend in an idyllic countryside jungle setting.
The boy is quite femme and open about his identity but his lover is... not. This dynamic ads an element of queer authenticity that's often missing from all BL, let alone something from China.
I don’t know what it actually wanted to be, but it felt like a BL had a love child with one of those odd Chinese relaxation farm propaganda channels. The kisses are great, the chemistry is lovely, and the setting stunning. It’s strangely charming in a very artistic, very queer, way.
I have to say, I quite enjoyed it but this is a modern symphony, not a pop song, it requires patience and relaxed immersion.
Word of Honor (2021 Viki & YouTube)
Censored bromance, amorphous ending. Two murder-gay assassins (pining sunshine/tsundere) manage to be insanely gay for two boys who will never be allowed to kiss. Tropes include: wuxia, soulmates, paranormal, historical, and fantasy elements.
I don’t rec Chinese stuff often, because I believe in censoring the censors, but this show is one of my favorites of the post 2016 bromances.
Like wuxia? You could also try our King The Untamed (go for the Special Edition BL Cut 2020 YouTube) - Censored bromance, amorphous ending. Probubly the best known BL of its kind and responsible for bring many fans to the BL side.. But a BEAST of a show.
Meet You at the Blossom (2024 Gaga)
This was Very Silly Indeed but undeniably a wuxia and most definitely BL.
Evil stunning princely Cheekbones meets and falls in love with the bisexual disaster Dimples of his dreams. There’s a lot of floaty fighting sleeve action, tangled plots, and overworked emotions. From start to finish it is exactly as it claims to be, including more than the expected amount of sexual claiming (dubious consent to the point of r*p*).
I’m not wild about the wuxia genre, but I will tell you what I do like: Very pretty men in flowing robes + eye makeup + hair ribbons wafting about stabbing and kissing each other plus ridiculous soap opera machinations. I also like cheekbones and dimples. AND I love a stupid gay sleeve, okay? There was also truly epic levels of stink-eye, and that too is to be lauded. This show left me grinning like crazy.
Was it great? Not really, but it was a great experience and I enjoyed it immensely. If you want to dip into wuxia danmei in a way that's less burdensome than Kill to Love and shorter/kissier than Untamed or WoH, then try MYATB. I did a trash watch of it and had TONS of fun.
Chinese BLs that AbsoluteBL has rated 8/10 or higher:
No list needed, it's comprised entirely of stuff I've already mentioned above.
BL of Interest from Other Countries
Mr Cinderella (2022 Vietnam YouTube) - Higher production values and experienced BL actors plus two charismatic smoldering leads with good kissing and comfortable body language makes this Vietnam’s objectively best BL to date. There is no plot, but there is bathing together, lap sitting and domesticity, so hey, ya win some, ya lose some. (Others maybe worth watching if you like VBL's style are My Lascivious Boss and You Are Ma Boy.)
My Day (2020 Philippines YouTube) - The set up on this one is enemies (also boss/employee) and they don’t like each other to start. But that gets resolved pretty quickly. And then they are some of the cutest, hottest, and best boyfriends ever. This is an under-appreciated BL, IMHO. (Other Pinoy stuff worth checking out? Gameboys and Like In The Movies.)
Our Golden Times (2024 Hong Kong YouTube) - This was an odd disjointed little piece, but the most BL BL we’ve ever seen out of Hong Kong. The optics are good and it’s enjoyable for what it is, which is a circumspect, badly subbed, slightly strange yet earnest reunion romance. I liked it more for what it could be, and for what it represented, than for what it actually was, but I did like it.
Began Beginning (2024 Myanmar YouTube) - Childhood best friends must come to terms with their own identities and true feelings for each other when a new boy comes to town, putting them into conflict with their families and ultimately, each other. For the first half of this show there’s a lot of sitting and talking about life choices over yummy food and then going to tourist spots (mildly boring and not particularly important to the plot). It changed tone about 2/3 in to be way more of a coming out family drama about forced marriages and homophobia. And then at the very end it changed again, becoming a full on soap opera with kidnapping, crazy characterization shifts, and rescue missions. All in all? It was a wild raw creature to consume. No kisses since this is Myanmar, but a very romantic ending, so I think maybe actually worth your time? I'm certainly glad I watched it.
What, not enough for you?
Intro Level BL starter pack master post - recommendations of specific BL for someone just getting into the gene from @heretherebedork and I back in 2021.
Meta Post of all AbsoluteBL Master Posts
This post prompted by an ask from @fangirlshrewt97
Shows only make my lists once they have finished their runs.
Last updated: Sept 2025 (sometimes I am stopped from updating by a bug in the system so this date can reflect the last time I was even able to update.)
