#hk bl

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Charming Endings

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2026 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Love Upon a Time (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - This show is very engaging. There’s a lot going on. Heavy plot in my Thai BL? Amazing! I don’t like the fact that there are a lot of characters intentionally obfuscating the truth, and never giving Klao a direct answer. That feels like the narrative manipulating us. But it doesn’t stop me from enjoying this show. Still love the side couple, tho Jom is a prick of the first water. 

The Sun From Another Star: Fourever You2 (Weds WeTV or YT) ep 7-8 - What can I say? I love this couple’s dynamic. I love that there is finally BL in my BL. (This is gonna be another one of those where we have incredible ever-changing hair color.) North is such a little shit. He may be one of my favorite characters this year. My goodness does this cast make me laugh. Wall slide, my old friend! I kinda like the half Korean dude, he cute! Give him his own BL. I do wish the fight and the beating had been set up a little bit better. But it was a great cliffhanger, and I had to watch the final episode right after because of it.

Summary

Essentially, this is the story of a bad boy with mommy issues and the cute sullen medium who wins his heart by talking with the dead. But there wasn’t much actual romance until episode 6. Honestly, just with the final 2.5 episodes this became one of the better BLs I’ve seen this year. We even got well executed sexitimes without it being too explicit. Delightful. Perfection at  40%. The friendships are the best thing about this whole series and they really shine in this final installment. (Also it was fun to see Ngern & Oat together again 12 years later!) 8/10 

Duang With You (Sat iQIYI) ep 12 end - Qin is peak babygirl. Of course I loved the linguistic begging (it cannot be dignified with the term negotiation) over the use of ter. Delightful.

Summary 

The puppiest puppy to ever gooddoggo pursues the sulkiest cat to ever babygirl in a classic Thai uni BL. There is some friendship drama and family trauma but not much else going on... for 12 episodes. But the little that does happen, leaves you smiling, and the NC scenes are sweet and hot. Side couple was underused, no surprise there, but it was great to get an unashamed legman in one of our shows. Been too long since Ghost Host Ghost House. All of which is to say, one cannot ask for much more out of ones Thai BL these days. (Although, I could’ve done without the singing, and I’m going to expunge the jazz from my brain meats.) 8/10  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Always Meet Again (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - I am so enjoying the show and I am so scared of it at the same time. It’s very tense. Also, I’m so glad Korea chose to confer the rare reboot upon a pair that can kiss well.

Sammy's Children's Day (HK Fri Gaga) eps 7 of 9 - Hong Kong gangster babygirl with sexual identity crisis was not on my bingo card for 2026, but I sure am delighted to have him here. Paired with manipulative af genius college kid seme and life ain't bad. The "manipulation as a love language" agenda proceeds a pace I see. I'm scared that we are in a The On1y One situation. But I can’t stop watching this. So I am girding the proverbial loins. (And so should you.)

Contrast (Japan Fri Gaga) eps 6 of 8 - This remains an excellent show. I think we all yelled “too late“ at the end of this episode. Also, I think we all are hoping that the tutor character gets his competence. This is JBL tho - I’ll remind you “cherish no expectations.”

Life in Smokey Blue AKA Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I do like this a lot, but I’m not riveted or obsessed with it. And I would like to be.

Feel What You Feel (China via HK Fri Viki & Gaga) eps 5 of 8 - They are such utter boyfriends. There’s no doubt about it. It’s just that they haven’t realized it. I’m into the side couple, too. I love a little enemies to lovers drunken hate fuck bisexual slut moment in my BL. 

Wishing Upon The Shooting Stars (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 12 - When Taiwan is good, it’s really very good. Also: "Hi Sam, long time no see. I always miss you, and I’m always happy to see you show up even when you're playing a sleeze."

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami AKA Yatara Yarashii Fukami-kun (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - This is not my favorite kind of JBL, it’s just a little too slapstick and camp for me. Still, I’m not mad about it the way I sometimes get. Meanwhile, how much do I love a show actually playing into the old adage (that my promiscuous arse figured out in my 20s): the better looking the person the less good they are in bed.

It's airing but...

Flavor of Us (Mon YT) 3 of 10 - Search me, search the hard drives, it seems they have lost the damn thing.

My Romance Scammer (Thai YT) ep 9-10 of 12 - Ends soon. Circumstances beyond my control seem to have dictated that I drop this. I don’t care.

Love Like A Bike (Thai iQIYI) 8 eps - Ends this week. Dropped at ep 2. Too many ethical violations but not toxic in the way that makes it work, I'm out. DNF 

Only Friends Dream On (Thai) 12 eps - I was virulently against this except I do love watching pairs get busted up, but it doesn't look like they gonna let EarthMix fly free soooo... meh

Love You Teacher (Thai Viki) 10 eps - I do like Perth & Santa (although I'm not sold on them as a pair) but words cannot describe how much I dislike this premise. No thank you very much. Infantilization and people acting like children wigs me tf out. YKINMKBYKIOK of course, but not in my BL GMMTV.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming April 2026

4/19 Wuju Bakery (Korea Sun Gaga) 8 eps - From 2023, Silkwood & Be On Cloud (!) production about a spaceship that crash-lands into and destroys a bakery shop. Of course this means the alien and the baker end up living together. At the same time, other aliens-in-hiding all around the city start hunting for them. One of my most anticipated BLs of 2024. It sounded SO WEIRD. Now I'm not sold (dev hell for this long is never a good sign) and it looks like they haven't paid the talent.

4/21 Magic Move (Thai Tues iQIYI) 10 eps - trailer From 2023, When an architecture student in his final year accidentally becomes a famous university fortune teller, he pretend-reveals that he was the childhood ship partner of the young heir to a real estate fortune. Although their relationship begins with a lie, it develops into a genuine love.

4/24 Love of Silom (Thai Fri WeTV) 12 eps - trailer UpPoom are back in another complex piece. Closeted brokenhearted policeman meets struggling single dad. We adore this idea!!! (This may pull me back onto WeTV - curses.)

4/24 Fake Fact Lips (Japan Fri Gaga) 10 eps - 2 former high school rivals end up working together in the same sales department.

4/25 Flower Boy (Thai Sat Gaga) 10 eps - Pearl and Peak From 2025's Love in the Moonlight, in a magical realism about smell. Caught between survival and the gradual development of feelings, will this love blossom or be plucked prematurely?

All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.)

Best thing this week:

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs @waitmyturtles @worldhopping

(hellsite doesn't allow me to tag that many people, sadly)

[pandasmagorica]

First watch: Desire, episode 7

Okay, so after watching episode 7, I went back and watched the cold open of episode 1. They don't show Hua Yong's face, which might be how I didn't pick up that it was Hua Yong. But now I'm recognizing his voice. And it establishes how his pheromones are problematic.

As for episode 7, spots of it were slow for me. Not the best episode. But now I can see, thanks to @nabi-unveiled's coaching in Omegaverse, that Hua Yong is indeed an Enigma. We get to see his strength when he snags and holds a hanging-in-midair Shen by one hand.

We still haven't had a flashback to explain why Hua is so infatuated with Sheng, but it's clear he is.

Waiting to see where this goes.

[guzhufuren]

HONG KONG | Jupiter Entertainment, the creators of the Cantonese BL drama Stay Still, have announced a collaboration with Thai production company BYTE for their upcoming BL drama Eyes On You!

source: blupdate2022

[heretherebedork]

Stay Still (Ep 0)

Oooo, new BL out of Hong Kong? And with the neat young man cleaning up his space and then talking about his ex boyfriend while he's sloppy drunk passed out in the hallway? You know what, I'll take it. @absolutebl Episode 0 setting everything up!

And thanks for the tags in the post about this, @blmpff! I'd seen it hovering around the edges of my recommendations and that got me to finally watch it.

[biochemjess]

Stay Still, the HK mini web series, shows us how to fully integrate product placement.

Carlsberg beer, right in the middle of the action. But wait, there’s more!

Licking the product placement off his lover!

Well done. A+ work!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - China serving us excess, we admit to overwhelm

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2026 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Dear Daddy (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 8 - Ooo bossy little queen, I like him! But honestly, everybody, how fantastic is it to have Fluke on our screens again looking fine AF? Delightful.

Love Upon a Time (Fri iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 - I am still enjoying this. And I really think it comes down to the simple fact that the pacing is good in this historical, not typical for the sub-genre. This show just doesn’t ever drag. It’s very good.

Flower Boy (Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - illustrating why I intensely dislike rain showers, I see. I like the bits with the smells in the perfumery. I like Sun, I wonder if he’s going to live up to his name. I’m intrigued by the new characters. I have to admit I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this week's installment, but it was a solid episode.

Magic Move (Tues iQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - All those lies begin to emerge. But that was a good drunk make-out scene. However, the premise is kind of falling apart and it’s getting very slow. Also, our seme, while apparently kind, seems to be defined by only one personality trait: he hot.

Wuju Bakery (Korea/Thai Gaga) eps 1-4 of 8 - While it is fun to see both Korean and Thai BL actors in the same show, it just doesn’t work for me if they don’t pick a language. Apart from that, this is a very silly show. There are things I’m enjoying. The arranged marriage alien princess. The “gender only exists on earth”. The aliens acting the way vampires do in other shows. I am amused. I currently like the cop/princess sides way more than leads. However, I did only watch the first half. 

One Year (Sun YT) ep 2 of 8 - it is the amnesia trope, and so far I haven’t found any redeeming qualities to save it from that trope, so this is a DNF for me. Dropped.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Double Helix (China Fri & Sat Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - Now THIS feels like a high quality vertical. Also killer premise and opening! I do hope the breakup and misunderstanding is not stupid. Historically in all BLS this premise has always been quite stupid (still mad at The Promise). However, as these first episodes were mostly the beginning of their relationship, which is all university sweetness, I actually really love it so far. Like, really love it. Like this one is made for me. My kind of trash. Don't disappoint me, China.

The Gaze (China ??? YT) eps 1-4 of 10 - Oh, this is very toxic and very kinky. And as such, I am enjoying it very much. About a tennis star who gets into a g4p arrangement with the team physical therapist who is in desperate need of money because his brother is dying. Our tennis star is jealous, controlling, aggressive, demanding, casually cruel, and does not ask for consent. Basically the definition of CBL toxicity. Absolutely no one can stand him, which is of course riveting to watch. The side pairing of a cheerful innocent photographer and a sophisticated artist is slightly less interesting to me. But the leads have me in a chokehold.

Fake Fact Lips (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - Actual name of this show: And now, these two idiots. 

Life in Smokey Blue AKA Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - I do love these 2. They’re so into each other, but also so friendly but also so distant. It’s weirdly charming.

Journey With You (China Fri Gaga) eps 1-2 of 10 - Too much sword-swishing and not enough floaty floaty sleeves. Oh right, this is a rebirth narrative. I suppose we must start with tragic stabby. We get rebirth so rarely in BL that I forgot the narrative beats. Stabby stabby bleeding beginnings. Look, it’s all too politically coiled for me to keep up with what’s actually going on, that's not really my cup of tea in any kind of drama, or IRL. But I was riveted and I did watch it. Floaty sleeves, did help, once they showed up.

How WILDY different do these two look without their wigs? Wigs are magic, I tell you. (Unless used buy Thailand, when they are evil.)

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami AKA Yatara Yarashii Fukami-kun (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - they were apart for most of this episode, but I did get a moment of "aw maybe they really like each other."

Wishing Upon The Shooting Stars (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - I have said it before and I have no doubt I will say it in the future, Taiwan gives the best kisses. They just do. and in this instance, I gotta crying kiss, my favorite. Also an unexpectedly significant amount of hanky-panky. Wasn’t expecting that much from this team. 

It's airing but...

Love of Silom (Thai Fri WeTV) ep 2 of 12 - I'm sad it's not coming to YT but also I still hate watching on WeTV even more than I wanna watch this show. If it is that good I'll binge eventually.

Flavor of Us (Mon YT) 3 of 10 - Search me, search the hard drives. It seems they have lost the damn thing. DOA?

Only Friends Dream On (Thai) 12 eps - Ends this week.

Love You Teacher (Thai Viki) 10 eps - Ends this week.

CrazyLove-MooMoo AKA Crazy Love, Moo-Moo (Thai Sat ????) 10 eps- trailer It's BossNoeul in a comedy based on a novel but who tf cares when my boy Noh is there paired with Turbo? How delightful. Honestly? I just didn’t have the bandwidth to track this down this week. Too much started, and too much airing Friday and Saturday. Some of us have lives outside of BL. I would love to watch this, but they sure aren’t making it easy on international audiences.

There sure is a ton to keep up with these days. Say what you want about CBL, and I have, but they sure are swelling our ranks. And I do mean swelling.

I have THOUGHTS

Feel What You Feel (China via HK Fri Viki & Gaga) ep 8 end - NO READING THE DIARY. And this show was doing so well. Director/author: Why not have these two have a conversation where in this information is told from one boy to the other boy?! Is that so hard to depict on screen? Oh I am so annoyed. The journal reading was invasive and unnecessary for the plot which would have been better if the had JUST TALKED ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS.

Summary 

The story of 2 boys who meet in college and fall in love. Side couple (best friend with disappointed crush has one night stand with hot jock) was slightly more interesting. This show was a fine, somewhat quiet, university BL with shaky chemistry and a shaky ending (read the diary trope) that I suspect will render the whole thing ultimately unmemorable. 7/10 

A note at this juncture to say that Vicki is the streaming platform I have been subscribed to the longest, and while it still has a substantial back catalogue of BL, it airs so few new ones these days that I’m actually thinking about canceling my subscription when it comes up to renew in the autumn. 

Private Galaxy (China 2026) - this is supposed to air... somewhere starting 5/30, I caught it grey fan-subbed in full on YT. (No promises it's still there.)

Summary

The story of a bullied college student who wants to be a model and a neglected rich kid who is now a famous singer who meet by accident and slowly, but inexorably, fall deeply in love. The love develops through time spent together talking (communication for the win!) as well as physical affection. BL tropes are very light on the ground, making this more of a gay romance than a BL. The acting is honest, if a little raw at times, but all-in-all this is an enjoyable watch. I’d recommend it, if you can find it. 8/10

Next Week Looks Like This:

Aren't you tired? I'm tired? Guess what, there is STILL MOAR.

Coming May 2026

5/13 When Oranges Fall (Thai Weds YT?) 12 eps - trailer AlmondProgress from Lovesick 2024 got scooped as a pair by GMMTV (I'm not wild about any of this). This is a HS piece about neighbors who have the same name and start out hating each other but become besties and more. Coming of age, possibly bittersweet, very low heat in the Lovesick style. I wasn't on board but it's been so long since I had anything sweet and high school on my dash that I'm game.

5/14 Soul Mate (Japan/Korea Thurs Net) 8 eps - Hotly anticipated with some very heavy non-BL hitters this should be interesting. A Japan South Korea co production (ahmazing) that looks like it could be remarkable, but kept getting delayed (never a good sign). Staring 2PM's Ok Taec Yeon (now a v famous Kdrama actor - like BIG GUNS people) and Hayato Isomura (Alice in Borderland) so yeah. Woah.

5/14 Lately It's Winter Season Fourever You2 (Thai Thurs WeTV) 8 eps - trailer Side couple folded into a mafia situation.

5/19 Cherm Chey (Thai Tues ????) ?? eps - Adapted from the web novel เฉิ่มเชย by Nottakorn this seems to be a travel/self-discovery healing romcom. Eat, Pray, Gay? My best guess for this is Gaga but iQIYI may snatch a TutorYim project.

5/20 Smile after Tears (Taiwan Weds Gaga) 12 eps - "A transfer student experiences first love, loss, and healing through music and unexpected companionship, ultimately learning to move forward with love." High school BL from Taiwan! Rare beastie, indeed. Love this for me.

5/21 Check in to You (Korea ??? YT?) 6 eps - Our old #instrongberrywetrust slogan is threadbare since Blossom Campus and this featuring bodyswap (my old nemesis) does not bode well. Still, KBL is thin on the ground these days, so I will try. Described as "a chaotic body-swapping journey of two men from 180-degree different worlds who accidentally switch bodies after an unexpected incident." SIGH.

5/26 The Guy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days AKA 100 Nichi Go ni Wakareru Boku to Kare (Japan Tues ????) 10 eps - "Documentary" about the "ideal gay relationship" features a couple already broken up who decide to fake it for the camera.

5/28 Love Class 3 (Korea Thurs ????) ?? eps - that's all we got folx.

5/30 Payback (Thai Sat YT?) 10 eps - trailer Thai adaptation of the Korean webtoon of the same name 페이백 written by samk and illustrated by Fujoking. A gang member joins the entertainment industry for revenge, and a powerful mogul becomes obsessed with him. This could go to YT, Gaga, or iQiyi. (I am VERY intrigued by this premise - Bangkok Boy meets Reset?)

All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.)

Favorite Moment

Love me a linguistic flirt.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs @waitmyturtles @worldhopping

(hellsite doesn't allow me to tag that many people, sadly)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - We Live In Interesting Times

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2026 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Duang With You (Sat iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - I am enjoying this but 12 episodes is too long. We should be done now. Yet again, I am left wishing that we had more of the side couple. But I will say the friendship groups are the best thing about this show. When all is said and done, this BL always leaves me with a smile on my face, which is why I like to end my week with it.

The Sun From Another Star: Fourever You2 (Weds WeTV or YT) ep 5 of 8 - I do love this. I like how deep we are getting into both boys issues in this installment. Like that there is finally a little BL in my BL. I cannot decide whether Jo’s double entendre over the word “brother” (ter emphasis) was intentional or not, but it was clever. And it made me chuckle. (About ter here.)

Flavor of Us (Mon YT) 2 of 10 - Some seriously old school BL legacy feel to this show. I’m being taken back to 2M2 by both Dome and Ben. Wild. Must be weird for them too, considering it’s ben (misspelling left for my own amusement) almost 10 years and look what has happened to Joong and Pavel (not to mention the other 2, no really = not mentioning).

Right now this show is a bunch of separate threads that haven’t yet entirely knit together yet, but I’m beginning to see a pattern. I’m enjoying this more than I had anticipated.

Love Upon a Time (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - Frankly, I’m mostly frustrated with the stuff that’s going on in the past and only really interested in the storylines in the present day. Which sucks for me since that’s a very small part of each episode.

(We said it at the same time.)

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Always Meet Again (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 5 of 8 - Oh, our baby boy is getting everything he wants, just not for the right reason. But it is what he wants. He’s so happy. How cute.

Contrast (Japan Fri Gaga) eps 4 of 8 - So boyfriend coded. Also heartbreak incoming.

On a completely different note, I think it’s about time HAYATO lead his own BL. Please and thank you.

Sammy's Children's Day (HK Fri Gaga) eps 5 of 9 - I am very much enjoying this. But I’m also a little scared of it. (Gah. None of the flowers in that bouquet have a pleasant sent. Don’t be sniffing silly.) 

Do you really like lollipops? No.  But I really love this dynamic tho.  (Oh look, I’m a poet.) 

I can’t help it, every time I see an image of our gang leader in his suit and all the rest of the gang members in their flower shirts I think of this image: 

Meanwhile, holy random hot side couple, Batman. For something outta HK this is feeling v Taiwanese. 

Feel What You Feel (China via HK Viki) eps 1-2 of 8 - Out the gate, I’m getting Red Balloon vibes, which did not have a good ending, so it making me nervous (especially from China). I like pretty skater boy. Not sold on leads yet. But I don’t think I am meant to be either. But, baby boy, he does not want to be your friend. 

Wishing Upon The Shooting Stars (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 12 - Huh. Still not sold. The only scenes I really enjoy are the ones that take place in the past (irony, considering what I said above about Time).

I think the two young actors are doing the best job of anybody currently airing, quite frankly.

It's airing but...

My Romance Scammer (Thai YT) ep 9 of 12 - My VPN currently isn’t working. Honestly, I’m not fussed. 

The Masked Hearts (Thai) 8 eps - Pulp that doesn't really interest me. Ends this week.

Only Friends Dream On (Thai) 12 eps - trailer I was virulently against this except I do love watching pairs get busted up, but it doesn't look like they gonna let EarthMix fly free soooo...

Love You Teacher (Thai Viki) 10 eps - I do like Perth & Santa (although I'm not sold on them as a pair) but words cannot describe how much I dislike this premise. No thank you very much. Infantilization and people acting like children wigs me tf out. YKINMKBYKIOK of course, but not in my BL GMMTV.

Love Like A Bike (Thai iQIYI) 8 eps - Dropped at ep 2. Too many ethical violations but not toxic in the way that makes it work, I'm out. DNF 

Final Word

Yesterday (Thai WeTV) 10 eps - trailer Revenge betrayal and messy gay meets corporate power struggles from FortPete based on Chinese IP. Been reliably informed this isn't to my taste. It's over now, has anyone's opinion changed?

Never Forget Your Enemy (Korea WeTV) 10 eps - Anyone have any thoughts?

Delivering a Delicious Divorce AKA Oishii Rikon Todokemasu (Japan TVer 2025) 10 eps - I sourced this nefariously and binged in chunks.

This show was about a gay divorce lawyer and his private investigator partner who explore the ramifications of love and affection in both theirs and other people’s relationships. Specifically the show addresses how identity and representation intersect with the queer community. However (and you knew this was coming) this is not a BL by any stretch of the imagination, but that did not stop it from being an incredibly the enjoyable watch. It is a sublimely Japanese piece, from the elegant reserve of the acting, to the peak inside into the Japanese legal system, to the repressed yet profound interpersonal bonds. As a result, I would highly recommend this. If you enjoy any kind of legal drama mixed with a little bit of queer, you can’t go wrong with this.

As a BL it’s a 6/10, as a show it’s a 8/10 I’m taking the difference for the spreadsheet and giving it a 7/10. But I do think you should watch it.

Me and Who (Thai WeTV) paused at ep 8 - I never managed to finish this before my WeTV VIP lapsed. I simply do not want to renew - I hate the platform interface that much. My guess is this is a 7/10 show. I do like BigPark but not enough to figure out how to finish this one (and that says a lot).

Branded pairs reported as being busted now (that I didn't already know about) included JimmyOhm, WinnySatang, and PingNut. Color me sad, indifferent, and pleased respectively.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming April 2026

4/7 Life in Smokey Blue AKA Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - One evening at a gay bar, Sakutaro is nearly forced into a hotel by a man he just met. He is saved by Kuji Shizuka, a former coworker rival from his past. 8 years earlier, the two competed as top sales reps. On the day Kuji left the company, they slept together.

4/7 Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami AKA Yatara Yarashii Fukami-kun (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - When judgmental sales ace Kaji discovers the unexpected charm of his dull colleague Fukami during a trip they begin a passionate fwb arrangement that blossoms into romance. Currently region locked but picked up by LonelySubber.

4/10 Wuju Bakery AKA Space Bakery (Korea/Thai ????) 8 eps - trailer Silkwood & Be On Cloud announced this JeffBarcode vehicle in 2023 and then a lot of stuff happened. This about a spaceship that crash-lands into a bakery shop. Of course this means the alien and the baker end up living together. At the same time, other aliens-in-hiding all over the city start hunting for them. One of my most anticipated BLs. It sounds SO WEIRD and I love scifi.

Also I am still not convinced this is going to happen and likely won't be until it does.

4/21 Magic Move (Thai ????) 10 eps - trailer From 2023, When an architecture student in his final year accidentally becomes a famous university fortune teller, he pretend-reveals that he was the childhood ship partner of the young heir to a real estate fortune. Although their relationship begins with a lie, it develops into a genuine love.

4/24 Love of Silom (Thai WeTV) 12 eps - trailer UpPoom are back in another complex piece. Closeted brokenhearted policeman meets struggling single dad. We adore this idea!!! (This may pull me back onto WeTV - curses.)

4/25 Flower Boy (Thai YT?) 10 eps - Pearl and Peak From 2025's Love in the Moonlight, in a magical realism about smell. Caught between survival and the gradual development of feelings, will this love blossom or be plucked prematurely?

All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.)

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs @waitmyturtles @worldhopping

(hellsite doesn't allow me to tag that many people, sadly)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Lots of Quality NC, Lucky Us

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2026 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Dear Daddy (Sat iQIYI) ep 2 of 8 - Oh how nice, 4 of my favorite words: viewer discretion is advised. Okay so, I like this set up a lot. Fluke, baby, talk about a face card. Welcome back to my screen. Meanwhile, they’re cute together and the flirting is fun. The dialogue is neat. The chemistry seems to be on point. Daddy is v smitten. I’m enjoying this.

Love Upon a Time (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - I adore the reincarnation explanation for the plot. Such a fun twist on that tired old time travel trope. This is a clever story, I’m really liking it a lot.

Net. Hon. Sweetie. Put away those peepers. They in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Lately It's Winter Season Fourever You2 (Fri WeTV) ep 1 of 8 - I'm into this installment more than I thought I would be. It’s deceptively simple to start but charming. I like the leads. Frankly, I’m enjoying this anthology series on the main.

HOWEVER: I could not hate WeTVs mobile app more. But I knew going in that it was gonna be a nightmare.

Love of Silom (Fri WeTV) ep 2-4 of 12 - I am now caught up! That steak was well done not medium. I find the "slicing meat for a lover" weirdly infantilizing, in a way I don’t feel about peeling shrimp. I don’t know what that says about me. But there it is.

I love the beard bestie, she is everything to me.

There is a lot going on with this show, onion layers, each character has strengths and weaknesses, not to mention family and workplace problems to overcome plus there’s the overarching police case. I suspect tears are inevitable. Also… KISSES. 

Meanwhile, Talay my heart! Hi cutie!!!

Flower Boy (Sat Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Uh oh. Pacing-wise, an early NC scene is never a good sign for the plot. It means things are gonna go south pretty badly for a while. But they sure served us up a pretty one.

Magic Move (Tues iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - I don’t know. I think they’re cute and all but … the wedding part was odd.

When Oranges Fall (Weds YT) ep 1 of 12 - AlmondProgress from Lovesick 2024 playing basically the same characters all over again just for GMMTV? I’d love it if there was something different going on with this, but it seems to be cut from exactly the same cloth. I don’t mind it, we don’t get a lot of this style of Thai BL anymore, but I’m not over the moon about it either.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Double Helix (China Fri & Sat Gaga) eps 3-4 of 12 - Alright, side couple introduction… oh noes, I love them! It would be great if our leads actually talked to each other. Oof this is so toxic. Gah this is also so damn good but how can I possibly suffer through 12 whole eps? 

Fake Fact Lips (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - OMG these 2 goobers. So frustrating. But also, ya know, hot. Why so good?

The Gaze (China ??? YT) eps 5-6 of 10 - Not the best kissers China has given us recently (how surreal I just typed that sentence) but at least there is kissing. OMG why is our tsundere so intensely bad a talking to his obsession? And another case of worsties, I see. China loves this particular trope for their semes. 

I like the secondary couple a lot more this week.

Life in Smokey Blue AKA Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Gosh, I just love them. They are both trying so hard. 

Journey With You (China Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 8 - I’m getting an ominous Kill to Love aura off of this show, so I’m increasingly nervous. Anyway, this episode was mostly backstory. Also, I guess this emperor is not getting any heirs, everybody v gay.

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami AKA Yatara Yarashii Fukami-kun (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Second-hand embarrassment is strong with this show. It is very jock/nerd coded. Oh and a confession + first names! Yay! Is Fukami aero coded do we think? I can’t, in all honesty, say I genuinely look forward to this show each week, but I always seem to enjoy it after I watch it. We are in an interesting relationship.

Wishing Upon The Shooting Stars (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - Oh my goodness, now this is getting sinister and creepy. I’m being reminded of the end of Back to the Future where he’s playing the guitar and starts to disappear. Or the last bits of I Feel You Linger in the Air when he starts to become invisible. This is basically the emotional version.

It's airing but...

One Year (Thai Sun YT) dropped at ep 3 of 8, not for me.

CrazyLove-MooMoo AKA Crazy Love, Moo-Moo (Thai Sat VIU) 10 eps- trailer It's BossNoeul in a comedy based on a novel but who tf cares when my boy Noh is there paired with Turbo? How delightful. Honestly? I would love to watch this, but they sure aren’t making it easy on international audiences.

Soul Mate (Japan/Korea Thurs Net) 8 eps - Started 5/14 Hotly anticipated Japan/South Korea co production (ahmazing) that looks like it could be remarkable but kept getting delayed (never a good sign). Staring 2PM's Ok Taec Yeon (now a v famous Kdrama actor - like BIG GUNS people) and Hayato Isomura (Alice in Borderland) so yeah. Woah. I don't have Netflix and I mistrust the gravity of this, so I will wait to hear how it ends before watching. Have been informed this is not BL and I believe iy: see comment.

In the Department of Me Me Me

I bit the bullet and re-upped to WeTV (grumbles in bad UX).

Yes, Fourever You made me do it. I also scheduled an annual reminder the day before subscription renew date (includes the cost). In case I want to cancel (or, in the case of Viki, downgrade). I recommend you all do the same. (If you opt for annual like moi.) Don't stay subbed to stuff you don't use. That's SILLY.

All of which is to say, I hope to get caught up on BL. I have a few long flights coming up, so I might finished out some of the shows I dropped.

There sure is a ton to keep up with these days. Say what you want about CBL (and I have) but they sure are swelling our ranks.

And I do mean swelling.

It Ended, Thoughts & Prayers?

Only Friends Dream On (Thai) 12 eps - Ended, your thoughts? I have been advised not to bother.

Love You Teacher (Thai Viki) 10 eps - Ended, your feels?

Wuju Bakery (Thai Gaga) eps 4-8 end - Aliens are just ravers I guess? Cute kiss. Well, we all know Jeff can kiss.

Summary 

An odd BL, not because of the plot (alien crash LANDS on earth gets involved with a baker) but because of the casting choices. 2 of the actors were acting in Thai, 2 of them in Korean, and 2 of them in English. It ended up being a disjointed campy rave meets collective hallucination... just with pastry. I feel like I did all that already in my 20s, and I didn’t really want to revisit the sensation. 5/10 watch it only if you have nothing better to do.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming May 2026

5/19 Cherm Chey (Thai Tues Gaga) 10 eps - Adapted from the web novel เฉิ่มเชย by Nottakorn this seems to be a travel/self-discovery healing romcom. Eat, Pray, Gay? My best guess for this is Gaga but iQIYI may snatch a TutorYim project. Gaga scooped it.

5/20 Smile after Tears (Taiwan Weds Gaga) 12 eps - "A transfer student experiences first love, loss, and healing through music and unexpected companionship, ultimately learning to move forward with love." High school BL from Taiwan! Rare beastie, indeed. Love this for me.

5/21 Check in to You (Korea ??? YT?) 6 eps - Our old #instrongberrywetrust slogan is threadbare since Blossom Campus and this featuring bodyswap (my old nemesis) does not bode well. Still, KBL is thin on the ground these days, so I will try. Described as "a chaotic body-swapping journey of two men from 180-degree different worlds who accidentally switch bodies after an unexpected incident." SIGH.

5/27 The Guy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days AKA 100 Nichi Go ni Wakareru Boku to Kare (Japan Tues Gaga) 10 eps - "Documentary" about the "ideal gay relationship" features a couple already broken up who decide to fake it for the camera.

5/28 Love Class 3 (Korea Thurs ????) ?? eps - that's all we got folx.

5/30 Payback (Thai Sat YT?) 10 eps - trailer Thai adaptation of the Korean webtoon of the same name 페이백 written by samk and illustrated by Fujoking. A gang member joins the entertainment industry for revenge, and a powerful mogul becomes obsessed with him. This could go to YT, Gaga, or iQiyi. (I am VERY intrigued by this premise - Bangkok Boy meets Reset?)

All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.)

This Week's Best Moments

Communication? Yay!!! My heart. (Love of Silom)

And, permission! From CHINA. I am all amazement. (The Gaze)

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs @waitmyturtles @worldhopping

(hellsite doesn't allow me to tag that many people, sadly)