#recomended bl

[absolutebl]

2024's 10 Best BL Kisses (and more)

Okay lushes, the one you have all been waiting for! My favorite BL kisses of 2024.

10 Last Twilight - Beach

9 My Damn Business - Leaving Forever

8 Cooking Crush - all of them

7 Kidnap - In the Bed in Blue

6 Cherry Magic Thailand - On the Rooftop

TayNew were a top tear OG class act this year. Tender, sweet, respectful and joyful. It was eye work and breath work and 8 years of comfort. How very far BL has come while still staying the same.

5 The Sign - Poolside

4 Love for Love's Sake - Beach Boyfriends

So sweet and smiling and soft with each other.

3 Wandee Goodday - Crying

You know me, I LOVE a crying kiss.

2 The Time of Fever - Teach Me

Possibly the only kiss trope I like MORE than the crying kiss, is the "teach me" kiss. SIGH. SO GOOD.

and now...... THE BEST KISS OF 2024!

1 Jack & Joker - We Boyfriends Now

I just, it was just. GREAT. So great. YinWar win.

BONUS! My Top 3 Sex Scenes of 2024!

3 This Love Doesn't Have Longbeans - Health Code Violation

2 Pit Babe - Alan & Jeff FINALLY

I know, same pair, but I love how different these were. Alan and Jeff are tender and loving, and waiting and pining. Oab and Plawan were fire.

1 The Sign - Most of it. The fantasies and that first actual sex scene where they revisit the fantasies. Brilliant. Wonderful. Carry on.

Look it's just the way Billy moves his hips and Babe's tiny waist and what can we do? No one else can even come close.

(source)

Addendum, someone did a pretty fun compilation of 2024 kisses:

[absolutebl]

Hi there! Me and my friend are looking for a thai BL to watch, but we have no idea where to start. Do you have any recommendations? We both like things that are more fluffy and sweet rather than angsty. Thanks!

Hi hi!! WELCOME!

Fluffy Sweet Soft Thai BL 

Comfort babies! Low angst very gentle BL recommendations list (don’t worry, they won’t hurt you)  

Oxygen (YouTube) - softest seme in the universe sings his affection to the older boy at the cafe. Let the slow burn courting commence. There is a tiny bit of angst at the end, and one storyline is naff (the doctors) but this is high production Thai softness so I forgive it. There are some who find it too slow and stiff, tho. 

2gether & Still 2gether (YouTube) - this show is ABSURD. But if you can suspend your disbelief and get through the first few episodes it is delightful to watch Sarawat pine after Tine and the levels to which Tine will go to remain willfully oblivious. Just ridiculous.

Ingredients (YouTube) - if all you want is two soft boys being domestic, cooking together, cuddling on the couch, cat sitting, and babysitting - just put this on and be comfy. It’s a lockdown project and the ending is amorphous but we all know they will end up together. AKA “the emotion support connivence store advertisement” 

Love By Chance (YouTube? Viki) - AePete’s meet cute is one of the best ever put on screen! They are just so genuine and soft with each other, its hard not to love them from the first moment. Many of the side couples are... difficult, but you can’t fault the leads. They will remain in your heart a really long time. Now there is some  abusive ex action, but it’s victoriously dealt with by our tiny crass love muffin hero. 

Love Stage!! (YouTube) - This BL surprised me with its charm. The acting was good, the leads were appealing, support cast on point, and the production values high. It followed the original manga story arc relatively closely: boy falls in love with girl as a child, grows up to discover girl is actually a very pretty boy. Although there are some quintessentially Thai changes that mellowed, softened, and extended the romance arc. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about this story is that the climax is about coming out as a celebrity couple as well as gay. I like the examination of the nature of celebrity versus privacy, and the contrasting kinds of closets. And I love that they depicted two couples with two different versions of this choice. A solid and enjoyable show.

Nitiman (unknown, but might now be on YT) - This Thai BL pulp had sympathetic characters, a solid tsundere uke redemption arc, and a fantastic pining seme who yearned without bullying, grooming, or gaslighting. Plus when they were together, they were ridiculously soft. But it also had a realistic portrayal of university life, bisexual awakening, and friendship groups. Ending is okay but a victim of lockdown.

Puppy Honey 1 & 2 (YouTube) - BL sub plot and then BL shared lead. This is the origin of OffGun but they are only a side couple in a het romcom. Unlike PeteKao and the Kiss series, GMMTV has never cut out a BL version because in the first season the two story arcs are inexorably linked. So you gotta watch both, which is a buy in. But I think it's worth it. PickRome are STILL my absolute favorite OffGun pair. Pick is the poster child for tsundere seme (Off’s part in all their series) and Gun the best boy self actualized out gay uke who is not afraid of asking for what he wants. It has some early BL growing pains around chemistry, but no problematic tropes and together they two are oddly soft, in its own way it is a CLASSIC. 

En of Love: Tossera (YouTube) - younger boy wants to court older boy and does and… that’s it. No really that’s the WHOLE STORY. There is actually no angst, drama, or, indeed plot. But are they the softest bois ever to BL as a main couple? Yes they are.

My Ride (GaGa) - Thai BL grew up with this pulp - a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine AKA a cinnamon roll couple. 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.

La Cuisine (GaGa) - sweet and kind of pure show, and like Thai desserts perhaps requires too much patience for a layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on the bad girl character, I did dock it. But if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. That said, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would. Full review. 

I have a few more blog lists that might be what you are looking for:

Top 10 Cutest BLs (cheerful upbeat)

Top 10 Most Romantic BLs for Valentine’s Day

GENTLE & Soft BL

But these are mixed country of origin, not just Thai. So you’ll see soem of the same recs but also quite  few from Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. 

list current as of may 2022 

(source) 

[absolutebl]

I’ve got some friends coming over next weekend and they have never seen a single BL but want to watch an episode… I’d like to show them a Thai BL but it will have to be only the first episode (unless they get sucked in, ha ha!)

What do you think would be a good first episode - I’m thinking maybe Bad Buddy, 2gether or Cutie Pie?

Good First Episode Thai BLs - for non-BL watchers

Hum well I don't know your friends and their taste, that makes a difference. Are they geeky? Are they more mainstream romance types?

Recommending a BL is like recommending a book outside of someone’s preferred reading genre, you gotta give them an entry point. Pick the BL that suits their existing taste the most. So if they like suspense/crime thrillers then Not Me, 3 Will Be Free, Long Time No See, or Manner of Death. That kind of thing. 

But, first off...

Do not do 2gether. Green’s shrieking and the companion serious punching down humor of those first eps make this show a really really hard buy in. It’s ANNOYING AF. I know because it took me 3 tries to make it through the first 1/3 of that show, and I LIKE BL. 

Cutie Pie has SUCH an absurd premise than unless your friends are fans of classic romance with strong tropes, maybe not that one either. 

Ones that I Suggest - based on first episode ALONE 

honestly first eps are not Thai BLs strong point, sigh, so I struggled with this one  

Bad Buddy - I was skeptical going in and absolutely instantly sold on the first ep. I think this is probubly my top choice. 

Love By Chance - AePete’s meet cute is one of the best ever put on screen, but there is Pond and the masterbation, but also AEPETE! They are just so genuine and soft with each other, its hard not to love them they moment they meet. But then if your friends want to keep watching, you got a lot of ‘splain to do. 

2 Moons 2 - an odd choice perhaps, but such a classic, that first ep just sets EVERYTHING up so well. Also it’s like prime Thai style BL. But, another one where, because of the ending it’s kinda not the best if they do want to keep watching. 

Oxygen - the first ep is a little slow going but I found it both addictive and comforting, at the time it was airing I must have rewatched it half a dozen times, but the rest of the show is also kinda slow. 

I’d consider My Ride too, it is a pulp, but it’s also sweet, but it’s also not really a  typical BL. 

If they have no triggers:

Until We Meet Again - it’s rough but that first ep will absolutely SUCK you in, it might set narrative expectations of the genre too high tho

A Tale of Thousand Stars - same thing as above, but the cast and premise carries quite a bit, and this is one where if they get into it there’s no flagging or issues or ANYTHING, it’s a damn good romance that just happens to be BL 

SOTUS - yeah yeah but the first ep is glorious and very engaging, and I don’t have issues with this series like many others do 

HOWEVER 

The Best 1st Episode BLs 

Honestly, for a pure laymen, knowing nothing else about these strangers, I would actually avoid Thai BL entirely. 

I’d put on Semantic Error. I feel safe showing pretty much anyone this show. And it’s a perfect introduction to the genre. 

I might reach for Restart After Come Back Home for someone into cinema. 

If they are geeky (SF/F types) then Cherry Magic or maybe even Color Rush. 

If they are big Kdrama and/or YA fans? Light On Me. 

If they like indie or modern queer cinema then Gameboys or See You After Quarantine? 

I might even go for a Strongberry short if I just wanted to give a genre sample, like A First Love Story or Some More. 

It’s me, so with a hair warning, I’m also likely to pop on Seven Days. Especially with someone familiar with anime or Japan’s style in general. 

Okay I hope this helps! 

(source) 

[absolutebl]

I just want you to know I loooove lovee your blog and I wait patiently each week for your post about what's happening in every bl series.

I picked up bad buddy because of you and your posts truly make me happy.

So please suggest something I can watch and get obsessed with, because I need a distraction from the dumpster fire that is my life irl.

Stuff I've watched-

Manner of death, Theory of Love, Cherry magic, we best love, history:trapped, UWMA, he's coming to me, 2gether, still2gether, my sweet dear, to my star, wyel....

Anything that's nice, angst is good and has a satisfying ending...

Pretty please if you don't mind🥺🥺🥺

Yayayayayayay! 

So you mention mostly Thai stuff, a lot of which is on YouTube but also a couple of Korean dramas that are on Viki, so I’m gonna assume you have access to those two platforms. Also you said angst is fine but you want a satisfying ending, by which it seams you mean happy ever after. 

I gotcha. 

BLs with HEAs that Are Perfect Comfort Distractions from Real Life 

Regular consumers of this blog may now tune out because ya'll know what I am going to recommend....

JAPAN 

Seven Days (2015)

OMG please watch this. Forgive it its hair? t's just a GREAT. It is an elegant little Japanese BL that stays completely true to its yaoi roots but neatly avoids all the flaws of the genre. I promise it will be such a joy and a comfort to you. 

Popular first year Seiryo has a policy of going out with any girl who asks… for one week. On a lark, third year Yuzuru tests to see if that policy also applies to boys. Seiryo agrees that it does. Along the way they accidentally fall in love. 

Seven Days is on DramaCool in 2 parts Seven Days: Monday - Thursday, Seven Days: Friday - Sunday) it’s also on YouTube right now (it never lasts there tho) I’d link to the original subber but they seem to no longer exist online. More of me talking about how great this show is here.

Cherry Magic (2020) 

The sweetest, fluffiest, most charming bit of office-set adorable ever, given gravity by some stellar performances. The characters are utter spazzes, but so cute about it. All angst is self confidence based, nothing really distressing ever happens, but it is very low heat (practically chaste). 

Adachi discovers on the mornign of his 30th birthday that he can read minds and that the most popular guy in his office, Kurosawa, has a mad crush on him. 

Cherry Magic AKA 30 Years A Virgin Can Make You a Wizard AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii (2020) is indie subbed. 

Restart After Come Back Home (2020)

This one is perfect if you just want a beautiful loving movie, and one that is well filmed and lyrical. The only drama is family conflict of the silent grumpy kind - will baby take over Dad’s furniture business or not? OH THE PERIL of it all. (sense my sarcasm, okay? there is NO peril)

A beautiful atmospheric movie about returning home to find yourself and finding love along the way, more romance than BL but charming.  

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de is indie subbed. 

THAILAND 

You already mentioned a lot of the ones I would recommend, but here are a few you didn’t name. 

A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) 

All BL is romantic, but not all BL is a modern romance in the literary sense of the term, but 1k* is just that, an absolutely glorious slow burn romance that nods at BL but isn’t behooven to it. It’s got a great story and a killer cast. 

Spoiled rich kid Tien gets a heart transplant and feels compelled to give back by pursuing a rural teaching job, he meets a gruff park ranger along the way. 

1000 Stars can be found on GMMTV’s YouTube channel. 

Kiss Me Again PeteKao cut (2018) + Dark Blue Kiss (2019) 

Of all the origin BL couples, PeteKao are probably most of what you’re looking for. They start as a side couple in Kiss, and then are in a secret romance LTR by the time DBK rolls around. 

DBK is not a traditional BL, because it’s not a traditional romance, more like an escapist soap opera. It features the perils of staying in the closest, amazingly supportive friends and family, and a morality tale on the importance of good communication. But it ends super happy. 

Start with PeteKao’s 3 Part BL Cut from Kiss Me Again then move on to Dark Blue Kiss.

Great Men Academy (2019)

Gender body-swap means this isn’t technically BL but I have to suggest it because it just such a great escapist story. For body-swap it’s particularly clever and very well acted. 

Love makes a wish because she has a crush on this boy. But the wish is tricky and turns her into a boy forcing her to attend the elite Great Men Academy and win her man... as a man. Unfortunately, male Love kinda falls in love with his best friend instead. 

You’ll have to get this one off DramaCool or the like, unfortunately it never got wide distribution. 

KOREA 

Color Rush (2021)

High school set BL with a unique paranormal twist that makes this a achingly apt allegory for the queer coming out experience and one of the best BLs of all time (I will fight you on this).

Yeon Woo is a mono, born with the inability to see color until he meets his probe, his perfect match. Unfortunately once a mono find his probe he’s prone to becoming obsessed and deadly. But on his first day at a new school when that probe shows up, said probe seems a hell of a lot more obsessed with him. 

Color Rush is on Viki.

Light On Me (2021) 

Korea does a pitch perfect classic high school set BL with all tropes cleverly deployed to bolster one of the most riveting love triangles ever put on screen… and I don’t like love triangles! It’s pristine in both color pallet and execution. 

Taekyung decides after years of self imposed social isolation that he wants friends, so he joins the student council and meets two boys who both want more than friendship. 

Light On Me is on Viki.

Wish You (2020)

This i a low stakes high pining romance set in the music industry. It’s soft and subtle and achingly adorable.

It’s about a pianist who falls in love with a busker who is on his way to being the next big idol. 

Wish You AKA WISH YOU: Your Melody in My Heart is on Netflix or Viki, you want the movie version. 

A First Love Story (2021) and then Just Friends? (2009) 

This is a double bill but they are both short. Just Friends? is only 30 minutes (its YouTube uploads are padded), watch it AFTER A First Love Story (which is 2 microfilms from Strongberry). AFLS just came out but you should watch them first as they make a great prequel to Just Friends?  

Basically these deal with Korean military service and a kind of comfortable LTR relationship evolving from friends to lovers and then out of the closet. 

A First Love Story and Just Friends? are all on YouTube. 

TAIWAN 

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (2018)

Taiwan’s best example of classic BL with a sports romance foundation using some of the most typical but least offensive yaoi tropes. You know it’s Taiwan so the kisses are great but in this case it also ends well. Only trigger is that the side couple is the stepbrothers trope and some don’t like that.

Super low stakes sweetest story of the bad boy who falls hard for the senior on the volleyball team and then works to earn his love. 

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line is on Viki. 

Be Love In House: I Do (2021)

A cute classy office set BL with a few plot raised eyebrows, but no other concerns, plus a general sweet softness that’s pretty rare from Taiwan.

It has a story but not much of one and it kinda doesn’t matter. The leads are great and carry everything off the maximum pretty. 

Be Love In House: I Do (2021) is on Viki. 

See You After Quarantine? (2021) 

Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys is just as charming and adorable yet still as quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. The two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry. Honestly how does Taiwan do it? 

Again, story schmorey, just watch it. 

See You After Quarantine? is on Viki. 

I got a few pinoy and Vietnamese BLs I could rec too, but that’s enough for now. 

Here are my...

Absolute Top 15 Best (and Worst) BLs 

(source)