ENEMIES TO LOVERS (BL)

The dynamics of their relationship is more accurately: friends to enemies to friends to lovers.

They start off as enemies with one of the male leads trying to get back at the other. They soon become closer and develop into a mutual attraction.

They competed with each other in everything as kids causing one of the male leads to hate the other, as he was always second best.

The sequel also fits the theme because one of the male leads has animosity towards the other and has a secret plot against him until they make up and become lovers again. 

When the male leads first meet they do not like each other, leading them to play pranks on each other. They soon become friends only to find out they are step-siblings. They become enemies again but make up a short while later. As they become closer they develop a mutual attraction to one another.

Please be advised: bls that originate from China are usually presented as bromances due to their censorship rules for the entertainment industry, so there are no overt love confessions or explicit intimate content. The romances are all portrayed through sub-text which may be frustrating for some viewers. This series is as close as we’ve gotten to an ’overt bl’ from a Chinese production.

The leads start out disliking each other. They soon develop a closeness and start falling for each other.

One of the male leads starts picking on the other to get back at him for something that he thinks he has done but this is all a misunderstanding. This causes them to dislike each other. While pursuing his revenge, one of the male leads starts to fall for the other. They soon develop a mutual attraction but be advised: the ending of this one is gut-wrenching (I wish somebody had warned me before I watched this series, to prepare me for it).

One of the male leads starts off not liking the other male lead but they soon become friends. There is a love triangle entanglement but the two leads do eventually end up together.

This series is probably the epitome of enemies to lovers. Loosely based on Romeo and Juliet; everyone in this series has beef with one other. The leads don’t like each other, the friends don’t like each other, even the parents don’t like each other. Unfortunately, even when the male leads develop a budding romance and the friends bury their hatchet; the parents do not and this becomes an huge obstacle for the male leads and their romance. 

They were first friends in the past who developed a crush on each other and a misunderstanding made them start hating each other. They meet again in college and are enemies trying to avoid each other. They soon become friends again and develop into lovers once more.

They start off disliking each other but the attraction is there from the start even as one of the male leads puts the other one through the wringer. They soon become close and their attraction becomes clearer and clearer.

One of the male leads starts out disliking the other as every run in with him leads to him getting into trouble. One incident even threatens his scholarship. They keep getting thrown together though, and romance blossoms.

One of the male leads starts off not liking the other as he mistakes his teasing and demeanour for arrogance. There is a slight jealousy as well because he’s everything the other wants to be (effortlessly cool and popular). They soon become friends and develop a mutual attraction towards each other.

The male leads do not get off on the right foot due to one being afraid of going to the dentist and the other being injured by the former. They have a thin air of animosity towards each other but it only highlights their magnetic chemistry, which soon becomes apparent to both of them.

One of the main leads consider the other his rival and the way they each do things causes conflict between the two. When they are forced to work together, they become closer and soon develop a mutual attachment to one another.

Another pillar of the enemies to lovers trope in the bl genre. Both male leads start out disliking each other which leads to a lot of conflict. When one of the male leads starts falling for the other, he tries to figure out if he reciprocates his feelings. The journey to them both admitting they like each other is not a straightforward one, as one male lead seems to be in denial about his true feelings. They eventually end up together.

The male leads start off disking each other because one is the son of a mafia boss and the other is a detective. The son of the mafia boss hates the police and the detective doesn’t like him either because he views his whole family as criminals. They are soon thrown together into a dangerous situation and need to work together to survive. Their romance develops when the detective becomes his bodyguard.

They start off not liking each other because of a misunderstanding that is caused by the male leads‘ best friend. The best friend scams male lead 2 by pretending to be the landlord and renting him a room. Male lead 2 is unhappy about being scammed and male lead 1 doesn’t want him living there either.  They are forced to live together and soon find out they are boss/employee as well as landlord/tenant. Both try to laud the power they have over each other in their respective environments. They soon develop a romance.

They start off as rivals in love, or at least that’s how it appears from one of the male lead’s pov. They soon become friends but this is complicated as one has feelings for the other but he has feelings for a girl. A love triangle ensues. Add the element of time travel as well and this becomes a complicated romance to say the least. The male leads do eventually end up together.

They start off disliking each other because one is a rule follower who likes order and discipline and the other is a rule breaker who likes to shake up the establishment. They become close and start to fall for each other.

They start out disliking each other. One suspects the other of murdering his friend. They are forced to work together to uncover the truth about her death. In the process they develop a budding romance. 

They start off as rivals in love as male lead 1 starts dating the girl that male lead 2 likes. The girlfriend forces the male leads to spend time together to bond but little does male lead 2 know that he’s the one that male lead 1 actually likes. As they get closer it’s evident the feelings are mutual and they begin a relationship. They keep this relationship a secret because of the girlfriend and the male lead’s father but they are soon found out.

Type is a homophobic college student who finds out that his roommate is gay. This causes conflict between the two as he tries to force his roommate to move out. Tharn, the roommate, refuses to leave as it’s not his fault Type doesn't like gay people. They soon develop a friends with benefits type situation that gets messy. Type is still adamant that he is straight and pursues a relationship with a girl. He finally accepts his true feelings and sexual orientation and begins a real relationship with Tharn. Their relationship is further complicated by past relationships and meddling from current friends.

This is definitely one of the more toxic bls but the chemistry between the leads is undeniable. Be warned, this series deals with sensitive themes and triggering topics.

The male leads start off as rivals for school president. They become close and develop a romance.

They start off as rivals in love (or so it seems). The two become close and a budding romance develops.

One is the leader of a local gang and the other is a university student. The university student happens to get on the bad side of the gang leader one day and becomes his target. It turns out the gang leader is younger than he is and is still in high school. He is hired to tutor the gang leader who asks for his help to woo a girl in a nearby high school. The two male leads become close in the process and end up falling in love. They are pulled apart by one of their parents but they do eventually end up together.

They’re not really enemies but one of the MLs does not really like the other ML to begin with. He’s kinda cold and dismissive of him until they start to get close.

This is the Korean remake of the Thai series. The story follows two couples. The main couple start off disliking each other but they are forced to work together on a class project. They soon develop feelings for each other.

The male leads get off on the wrong foot when one criticises the work presentation of the other. He becomes annoyed with the other male lead trying to get close to him. He thinks the other male lead is toying with him. There is an early confession from the other male lead who wants them to date. They start dating each other for two months as an experiment. Although a romance develops between them, the male lead is adamant that he does not want to be in a relationship or fall in love. They eventually work everything out and end up together.

They start off as rivals with one challenging the other to get a female classmate to fall for him and invite him to an awards ceremony. It’s all a ploy as the first male lead is actually trying to get the other male lead to fall in love with him. They become close and fall for each other.

The MLs do not like each other to begin with because one ML doesn’t want to share the dorm with the other. This causes some tension and shenanigans. They soon start bonding and become closer, then fall for each other.

The second couple from Love By Chance are the main couple in this sequel. The story follows their romance from the beginning, from disliking each other to falling in love.

The MLs get off on the wrong foot and spend most of the series pulling pranks on each other while they grow closer and eventually fall for each other. 

They are rival dorm leaders at their university. Their dorms do not get along. One male lead is secretly in love with the other. Though it turns out they both like each other unbeknownst to them. They become close while trying to get both dorms to get along. They hide their romance from both of the dorms.

It’s not a bl per-se but it’s the most bl bromance I’ve ever seen. While other bromances are trying to be bl this bl is trying so hard to be a bromance. 

It’s hilarious and worth a watch.