QL Firsts
so, the lovely @negrowhat posted this and didn’t know who to tag, so I’m jumping in to take part because I always love to ramble about falling in love with the world of QLs!
Rules: So post the first 3-5 (or as many as you want) QL shows that got you into the genre. Feel free to explain or give propaganda
Before I get into BLs, I’d like to ramble a little about why I even ventured into watching the dramas in the first place. I’d been obsessed with foreign horror for years, and I’d watched some Asian dramas over the years but in 2022 I got really into Kdramas (which then lead to me getting into Stray Kids!) and it was something I really needed at the time. My mum’s sister was dying and we were spending time with family we don’t often see and things were really stressful. Literally, the night before the funeral I didn’t sleep because I stayed up watching Goblin in order to keep myself calm (really what it did was allow me to get a lot of my crying done so I could focus more on my mum and cousins). This was about the same time I came across my first ‘real’ bl and I just feel really thankful for that. I know there’s drama and infighting, but I am very thankful for all the friends and connections I’ve made over the last four years and this has truly been the kindest fandom I’ve been in (and I’ve been in plenty 😂 take a guess which one was the worst 👀)
Anyhoo, I’ve mentioned plenty of times before how Gameboys was my first ever bl, and I truly think it was the best show to introduce me. (I had seen the movie Shelter before, and of course had consumed LGBTQ+ media - I literally worked where Lip Service was filmed - but to me when I talk about QLs I’m mainly meaning Asian dramas.)
so yes, Gameboys was my introduction and because of the friends I’d made via Twitter I started seeing posts for another bl that was airing at the time - Love in the Air. So, LITA was my first ever Thai bl (though I had seen plenty of Thai movies before, and had watched School Tales a few months earlier). I was extremely shocked by how toxic some things were in the show and I was confused a little by some poor production at parts, but I was hooked. I remember telling my brothers about these shows I was discovering and trying to explain without sounding like a lunatic 😂
Next up was two shows I watched at the same time, which was Until We Meet Again and The Eclipse. I did not enjoy UWMA 🫣 I know a lot of people will think I’m mad, but I was just just not vibing, and Ohm’s acting really bored the hell out of me. Funnily enough, I also didn’t love The Eclipse when I was finished, but it stuck in my head so much that a few days later I did a full rewatch again and BAM favourite series and FirstKhaotung were my first Thai ship!
Next up was Oh, Mando! Which is another Filipino bl series starring Kokoy De Santos from Gameboys. Looking back at the 9.5 I gave it on MDL, I feel I was a little too generous 😂 It’s a cute but dramatic series with internal homophobia, self harm, and some questionable writing, but Kokoy and Alex Diaz are really cute. (I cannot find a gif of this series, all that’s coming up is the Mandalorian 😂)
then I finally jumped in the deep end and watched KinnPorsche and Not Me. Now, I feel my opinions on KP sometimes alienate me because I HATED Vegas. Listen, I love Bible and think he played the role AMAZINGLY but I just hate the character so much, and I hated that Pete went to him. Some friends have asked before why I tend to not interact with anything KP and it’s basically because I really hated what happened with VP and I was very anti-KimChay (I really felt creeped out by them pairing a child actor with an adult actor). HOWEVER I won’t judge anyone for being a fan, I gave the show 8.5! I loved 4Minutes and Man Suang, and I need to find time to watch Shine! So please don’t think I’m hating on the actors or fans (other than Build 😬)!
Not Me is another weird one for me because when I first watched it I didn’t care for it. I stuck with it because I loved Yok (“Oh! It’s Akk!” I remember telling my cat 😂) but OffGun just weren’t appealing to me. I admit I’m still not a super fan of them as a ship (though I always enjoy them solo?) BUT I acknowledge that Not Me was something special, and I’m kinda ashamed that, as a queer person, it took me so long to really feel something for the series. I also really enjoyed Gun playing twins, he really pulled it off well. (I also still hate Dan and think Yok deserves better, but that’s could just be my ACAB life.)
So, those were the first few that I watched when I first entered the bl world. I actually watched 26 bls in the space of like, 4 months after I discovered Gameboys! I feel like I should give a shout out to Something in my Room because I called my brother and sobbed down the phone to him for over an hour after I finished that. That was the first series to utterly destroy me. Then I have to mention TharnType, which is of course my mortal enemy in the form of a series. My School President! That came out within the first wee while and I kept waiting for it to disappoint me but instead I became obsessed and it’s literally one of the best series ever.
Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the absolute GOAT of bls, Bad Buddy. That was a game changer. Like, I consumed so much content in a few short months and now it’s almost 4 years later and I’m still so thankful for the joy these shows all still bring me ❤️