Asian BL - BL/Gay Dramas and movies 1980's to 2021

Old School Japan. Pretty sure I've watched it but can't remember a single thing... Which would probably mean that it sucks.

Old School Japan

The first dramatization of the nutty story posted on Thai discussion forum "Pantip". 

The later version you're probably familiar with--the BL drama "What The Duck?"

Short

Not true BL. More, like, "pretend" BL. But I'll include it since there is a clear indicator that it will turn real eventually. 

The movie itself is pretty much total junk. Thin in story, less than stellar acting, and not much substance at all. 

Mini-mini-mini-drama.

Mini-mini-drama.

I'm actually not sure if this belongs on the list, at all. It's been listed with "LGBT" and similar tags, here and there--but the synopsis mentions nothing about it. Perhaps the MC swings both ways. When I feel motivated, I'll check to be sure.

One of the crappiest of the bunch of Japanese BLs based on mangas. It's your run-of-the-mill typical Japanese BL. Harmless, meaningless, kind of cute--and totally forgettable.

Short

Hmm. I like it! (I would like it no matter what--since I've been waiting a long time to see Max and Tul reunited in BL...) Can't say yet if my 8/10 will hold--I suspect it won't--but it's decent. More so than I expected.

The genre is tricky to navigate if one has been working in BL (director behind "The Love of Siam" and "Dew, Let's Go Together")--especially when giving a love story equal space. One will have to yield and here it will be the thriller part that gives in to the romance. Which is sad--and awesome--depending on how one sees it.  It's hard to mix and find the balance and it doesn't turn out that perfect here, but perhaps that's because of the original novel, I don't know. I plan to read it. Eventually.
I wasn't expecting thriller quality á la South Korea, so I wasn't disappointed. It works. So far, at least. 

I'm a bit split about that part above--since we're talking my two fav genres, BL and crime, I don't want either to fall flat. But I'll choose to see it this way; this is a BL thriller. Not a thriller with BL. And then it's fine. And I'm SO HAPPY that we finally get gay content in other genres than sappy romance and/or heavy dramas. So even if I'm critical, just that simple fact makes me love it.

Well, two eps in--one can't say all that much yet.
But one thing is certain; Max and Tul belong together in front of a camera. Their chemistry is still superb. Both as co-actors and in terms of "spark". Their close friendship truly is an asset for them. And I have to admit--even though I'm interested in all aspects of the drama--I can't fricking wait to see them get all hot and dirty. :P

Just a nerdy side note; As a life-long criminology/forensics buff + worked in human and vet care--I spot quite a few annoying little technical stupidities and errors in procedures and whatnot... but... who cares...

In the middle-ground between a short and a full-lenght movie. Aboutish an hour.

I haven't watched this, so I base this on the synopsis;

I think this probably belongs on the list even if there is a sex change involved. (If he would identify as a woman but likes a guy--he would be straight = not BL.)
Because as far as I understand; the choice to change sexes is not really based on gender identity but a wish to get the guy he wants. (How fricking horrible is that?!) I.e. he's gay.
It depends on how one sees it and how the piece portrays it.

I won't watch this because I think that I might end up VERY upset and angry. This plotline is absolutely disgusting, whether it would end up being because the producers are extremely disrespectful towards the whole issue of being Transgender and transitioning--or whether it would be because I want to cry at the thought that anyone would be insane enough to change their gender physically in order to get a person they're in love with.

Short

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii"

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii"

This is so simple--just your basic, lightweight, by-the-book cliché BL manga (here in live action version)--but darn, is it fricking feelgood...
At times, quite hilarious--but mostly just... cute and puts a smile on your face. 

Add to that a  pretty nice production and decent acting--that wraps it up as one of the most endearing BLs of 2020. 

I can't rate it higher than this, since it's just TOO light weight to make an impact, but it's so sweet that I'm not bothered by its silliness and ridiculous innocence.

Short in a collection of five short-films.

I loved this one. It seems others don't seem to appreciate is as much as I did--but I think it's great. The story is something you've never seen before, and it's hilarious. Yet, it tells it without glossing over the fact that the issue is impairing to the life of the MC. Short movies need to be able to tell a big story in a short amount of time--and here we get a story fleshed out enough to make this guy and his life real. Everything is in place, the story is complete, and I, for one, loved the nutty theme.

A big plus for the entertaining fact that this series of shorts have open endings--and the audience gets to decide and vote for which ending they want--which will then be included in the final, featured version of the movies.

Short

Short

To be honest, all the Club Friday Installments are completely jumbled in my mind and I can't remember which ones I've seen and which ones I haven't. I've included the ones that supposedly have BL/Gay storylines according to tags on MDL.

Junk. Junk, junk, junk. I started watching in lack of other light-weight dramas (since I've already watched everything else, like, ten times) but I had to put it on hold, it was so extremely boring. Acting isn't good, storyline is a mess (and boring)--it's just not worth your time. 

Big minus; To put Mark--so far almost exclusively a BL actor--in a BL series, but in a straight role. Why?! What a total waste.

Short

Short

Short

Short. 

I was a little bit disappointed in this one... Because I loved the first half. It had full-lenght-flick quality to it, and there would have been material to make a full movie from it, and it would have ended up a lovely, light and spring-like romance story--the type of low-key indie flick I adore.
But IMO, the director made a crucially bad choice and strayed from that feel... 

I'd spoil if I elaborated more than that, but let's just say that there was a plot component shoved in, that should have been left out. Or at least done differently. Even though it was small, and was kind of poignant for the development of the rest of the movie, IMO, it cracked that simple, fragile feel and tainted it with a cliché melodrama-plot device. And they didn't even make use of the whole thing and just brushed it away. 

Sigh... 

Well, despite that--this was one of my fav Korean BL shorts and I absolutely loved the subtle and soft chemistry between the guys. They were just somehow perfect together, in a way I can't quite put my finger on.
The first part--even though it's a plot thing I don't like (music/idol/whatever-industry... who cares...), I still fell for it. The first half I adore. The rest was okay.

Short.

Okay... 

WOW.

The insane ratings made me a little bit suspicious. I did think it sounded interesting when waiting for the release, but I'm always sceptical to crazy ratings, so I didn't except quite this level of awesomeness. 

I was blown away. And THAT does not happen often. With BL--practically never. Sure, I can adore BL series and movies--but I seldom think they hold exceptional quality in terms of story and direction. This did.
As a BL--this is a fricking 10/10. No... it's actually 11/10... (I kid you not.)

But thing is--this holds the quality of being close to flawless as a DRAMA. Not just as a BL such. I'm very restrictive with my 10s. But I can't--just can't--find anything to motivate anything other than a "masterpiece"-stamp of approval. The 0,5 point deduction is not really based on anything particular--more, like, a moderation in case I find some tiny flaws when rewatching...

This should finally convince those BL-fans who diss and label (all) Thai productions as "cheap", "commercial fanservice", "run-of-the-mill" and alike. There is true quality stuff in Thailand.

This is one of the most realistic, tender and engaging coming-of-age stories I've ever seen in the department of BL. Relatable to anyone who is, or once was, a teen--gay or straight. The insecurities, infatuations, search of self, impulsivity and intensity. 

Exquisite athmosphere, masterful direction based on careful script and planning, wonderful pacing, beautiful visuals, bulls-eye score and music (too cheesy for me, but always perfectly fitting). And the acting is absolutely phe-no-me-nal. From almost every single actor. Chemistry is outta' this world... 

DO.NOT.MISS.
Seriously. 

(Btw - the reference to Oh-aew looking like actor Tor--I was flabbergasted from first appearance, about how similar they look, and laughed my ass off when they actually pointed it out... haha)

Well... It's a commercial spot. There is no point, no story, no time. It couldn't possibly be GOOD... Take it for what it is; fanservice with Off & Gun. Who are always cute.

Upcoming 2021.

Haven't finished this one, since it was too heavy for my current mood... 

I'd been putting it off for years--something I now regret. I tend to do that--create preconceptions that I then hold for true until I give it a chance and realize that I once again judged a book by it's cover. (Not literally, but you know...)

It's a super cheap production--but it doesn't matter, because this is a STORY.
It's realistic, depressing, sad, thought-provoking and a work that puts the plastic BL in another perspective. I love the crappy, ditzy junk, too. But I don't for a second forget that it's fantasies.

There are real people (a shitton of them--5-15 % of the world's population, you know...) behind our obsession and ships. The fandom often forgets to support the real people and their struggle to achieve equal rights and respect. OUR, actually. I belong to the "letter group", I'm bi, but I'm lucky enough to be born in a country where equal rights (ALL rights, including marriage, adoption and everything else) for LGBTQ people are written in stone and any discrimination is heavily scorned upon by most of society. 

Most aren't so lucky. And this is a fact we need to remember, oppose and fight for. Otherwise our fangirling is vile hypocrisy of the worst kind.

If you're a fan of heavier, REAL stories; do not miss. (Even though I haven't finished it, I can't imagine that it would turn less good further on.)

Ahh... This sucks. Lol. But there is a tiny portion of BL. 

A bunch of super-short specials for the drama "Dark Blue and Moonlight". Bad such, but very satisfying since they gave closure. (Ambiguously presented but still clear, IMO.)

The third, latest (2019) and probably last, installment in the story of Pete and Kao--this season focusing almost exclusively on them + the second BL couple who are made up from characters we met in the previous installment. A small straight storyline is present, very much an excuse to make everyone happy, but it's okay and is connected to one of the BL couples, in a reasonable and logical way. 

One's gotta' love Pete and Kao, they're so cute. This season has a lot of drama but sweetness tastes even better after bitter, right. The side couple's story is quite nice, too. And both couples have good chemistry and acting skills.

For those craving smooching and skinship, this one has more of that, although still too little for my taste :P

Upcoming 2021.

I wasn't very impressed with the latest Korean BL mini-dramas, but this was by far better than the higher rated "To My Star". 

The synopsis made me suspicious, since i expected something shallow "idoly", but it wasn't like that at all. A simple and straight-forward little love story that was quite adorable. 

It's lacking in depth, and that's definitely because of the short runtime, but it makes up for it decently, with a beautiful score and OST, good acting and a nice production with many beautiful scenes and atmosphere. 

Nothing I'll remember for a long time--but definitely not a waste of time.

The biggest disappointment in a long time... I was really looking forward to this, especially since I'm a big fan of Ohm, but this was just... pretty bad. It could have been great if it would've played out as the coming-of-age thing that it seemed to start out as. But it just went completely off-kilter and ended in a train wreck. 

Editing was a mess, the writing was crazy strange and the whole thing just felt moronic. I get what the director wanted to say, but it just didn't work. Too bad, because he does have a knack for creating atmosphere and beautiful scenes.  I wasn't all that bothered by the thing I suspect most BL-fans would oppose. I'm bothered by the uncomfortable way it was resolved. I won't spoil, watch it for yourself. 

I also dislike the way the movie handles a very serious topic--which I have never heard of, but assume is anchored in reality; some kind of former school run "re-education" for Thai gay kids. Whether it has been very regional and sporadic--or whether it has been done in a bigger scale--I have no idea about, but I would definitely have wanted to know more about it. But the movie doesn't go into any detail at all and just touches the subject in a shallow way, which feels offensive. It would be very important to direct attention to something that awful, but if done--it needs to be done a hell of a lot better than this.

Pluses; The acting. Great such from pretty much everyone. Some scenes were beautiful in execution and visuals. 

And... on a personal nostalgia-note; I was a kid in the 90s, albeit much younger than the guys in the movie, so I do get some flashbacks to my childhood. Clothes, hair-dos... And, of course, the 3D-pictures... Yay! (Natually, I had to pause the movie in the scene where they show the particular picture that is poignant to the story--to see what the picture showed. I won't spoil. Look for yourselves. If you can see 3D-pics, that is.)

Haven't watched these series, so I can't vouch for certain that they, indeed, belong on this list. If there are no characters who identify as male and likes guys, it doesn't belong here. (If one identifies as female and likes guys--one is straight, no matter what parts may still be attached.)

Sequel season for "Diary of Tootsies". See S1 for comment.

Mini-drama

Short

Short

Based on the lovely manga "Hana wa Saku Ka?" by mangaka Hidaka Shoko (another of my fav mangakas in the department of tender and simple works). A mellow, gentle little story--and I think the movie managed to adapt the story and the atmosphere of the original work, very well. 

Unfortunately, it would have needed a longer runtime in order to flesh out the story and make it less shallow. In the manga, the relationship develops slow and much softer than here--where it becomes a little bit too haphazard and makes the growth of feelings between the guys, feel too rushed.

The chemistry between the leads doesn't work for me and that's due to Amano Kousei's non-convincing acting. He does his best and he's not a crappy actor, the problem is that he doesn't catch Sakuragi's feelings for Youichi and feels awkward in their interactions, even if Watanabe Tsurugi works his ass off trying to meet him halfway. (And in case you haven't read the manga and find Watanabe's acting stiff; it's not Watanabe himself, it's his character. He makes a good portrayal of Youichi, who in IRL likely would have been diagnosed with mild autism.)

But all in all--this is still a sweet little story, even if it doesn't quite manage to stand on its own. It's likely more rewarding for someone who has read the manga.

Quite solid and entertaining romcom flick with the premise of a LGTBQ "beard-marriage", well worth a watch.

Short, which is part of the compilations "Gay Out Soon".

Short

A very long short--or a very short full-lenght movie, depending on how you see it.

This... is definitely not for everyone. I, for one, went ballistic when I heard the news about it being filmed. I just couldn't believe that someone would choose THIS title to adapt into a live action. The manga is already in itself provocative and far from an easy-chew. Nakamura Asumiko is one of the greatest mangakas ever, IMO, but her art is not for everyone and some of her stories are heavy and dark enough to make many BL fans shy away. 

This one is one of her darkest, and pretty much one that one either loves--or hates. It takes effort to understand these twisted characters and their screwed-up, but profound relationship. They're not likable at all, there is nothing cute about their love, their bond is much stranger than that. So to turn it into a movie was a bold move.

It turned out good. And bad. Some parts were exceptionally well adapted and it catches the dark and menacing beauty of the original story, but other parts didn't work. Some things have been beautified, thus losing much of the original complexity in their relationship dynamics. Also, some balance is lost between dark and light, making the full picture somewhat crooked and haphazard. 

But I still love this dramatization of a great manga, because of the parts that truly captures the story--and because there are far too few dark fairy-tales in the assortment of BL.

Short of the long kind. (52 minutes.)

Short.