BL (boys love) is a genre I started watching back in 2020, and have been watching it more often during the years. I compiled a list of my top 10 picks that I have watched on the Viki website. This site is my primary source for most of my foreign dramas, primarily BL. I also watch on GagaOOlala, but that list will be for another day.
You can watch the playlist on Viki here.
Senpai, This Can't Be Love!
Yuki Kaneda (Seto Toshiki) is a young man who has just taken up a new job at a company. He is told that he will be trained on the job by Jun Yanase (Shuichiro Naito), a highly experienced and brilliant computer graphics designer. Yuki Kaneda is also a talented CG designer, but despite being told he must work with his new office senior (or “senpai”), he is standoffish and cold with his more experienced co-worker. Even though Jun Yanase – who is well-groomed, handsome, and enormously popular with both men and women – tries to draw close to Yuki Kaneda, the latter keeps pushing him away. Jun Yanase feels dejected by this frosty attitude.
Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!
Fukuhara Kota (Sota Ryosuke) is a bumbling college student who is plagued by terrible luck. Although he never gets down about it, you can bet if something could possibly go wrong when he’s around, it almost certainly will! One day, he is about to walk in front of a car and end up in a traffic accident when he is saved by a fellow college student named Naoya Shinomiya (Yusuke Sato). The latter is Kota’s polar opposite: His “problem” is that he is “cursed” with endless good fortune. Kota is grateful for Naoya’s assistance, and tries to ask his new acquaintance to be his friend – but phrases his request badly and accidentally leads Naoya to believe he is asking for them to become lovers. The “lucky” Naoya surprisingly agrees and the duo embarks on an unorthodox relationship. Will Kota’s chaos bring a taste for the unknown into Naoya’s life? And will romance bring spell the end for Kota’s bad luck? “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!” is a 2022 Japanese drama series that was based on a manga series of the same name and directed by Yoshino Mamoru.
Until We Meet Again
Korn (Kao Noppakao Dechaphatthanakun) is a university student and the son of a dangerous mafia boss. His classmate Intouch (Earth Katsamonnat Namwirote) has a big crush on him, and keeps making advances to Korn, but the latter keeps turning him down. But the attraction between the two is strong, and eventually they form a romantic bond. But in late-20th-century Thailand, homosexuality is frowned upon, and their parents are strongly against their relationship, forbidding the young men to be together. However, their love is now too strong for a breakup. Instead, tragedy strikes, claiming both young men’s lives. Three decades later, the 19-year-old Pharm Triwinij (Fluke Natouch Siripongthon) is a university freshman. He has spent his whole life searching for a person he’s never met – a journey that seems to be complete when he meets a third-year swimming team captain named Dean (Ohm Thitiwat Ritprasert). Slowly, the two form a romantic bond, but start to realize that their lives and love are somehow linked with Korn and Intouch...but could their story have a happier ending? “Until We Meet Again” is a 2019 Thai drama series that was directed by New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul.
Love By Chance: Season 2
Growing up in a wealthy family, Tin (Mean Phiravich Attachitsataporn) had always enjoyed the privileges that inherently came with wealth. Never denied a thing, he had the world at his fingertips, yet his heart constantly reminded him that there were more important things in life than wealth and privilege. But with people using him as a means to better their own lives, he had little chance to explore the desire of his own heart. Suspicious of anyone who ever tried to get close, Tin had closed his heart off to the world, until the day he met Can (Plan Rathavit Kijworalak). An innocent and rather impressionable young man, Can had never met anyone quite like Tin. An incorruptible soul, Can’s sweetness left an indelible impression on Tin and their friendship blossomed overnight. However, as Tin and Can drew closer, Tin began to realize his feelings for his friend were quickly becoming much stronger than those of simple friendship. Mustering the courage to tell Can how he felt, Tin admitted his feelings for his friend, but Can could not accept them. Heartbroken, Tin must now decide where things go from here. Does he give up on the boy who stole his heart? Or does he hold onto the hope that eventually, true love will conquer all? The highly anticipated sequel to the popular drama, “Love By Chance”, “Love By Chance 2” is a 2020 BL drama directed by New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul
Semantic Error
Chu Sang Woo (Jae Chan) is a junior computer science majoring student who prizes reason, rules, and a rigid sense of what is right above all else. As part of his university work, he is told to work on a group project for the liberal arts, whereby the group is required to make a final presentation in order to pass the module. But as the rest of the group – whom he knows nothing about – have decided to leave him to do all the work on his own, he decides to remove their names, and make the presentation in his name. But little did he know that when he did this, he would deal a heavy blow to the academic prospects of a senior student named Jang Jae Young (Park Seo Ham). The latter, a design major, is Chu Sang Woo’s polar opposite. He is stylish, fun-loving, and – above all – extraordinarily popular. He is the closest thing the college has to a superstar! But when his credit for the liberal arts project is taken away, his grand plans to study abroad are suddenly thrown up in the air. He seeks out Chu Sang Woo and is of a mind to torment him. But when the duo is forced to work together, a strange attraction starts to develop between them… This drama series was based on a long-running web-based cartoon of the same name. “Semantic Error” is a 2022 South Korean drama series that was directed by Kim Su Jeong.
My Beautiful Man: Season 1 & 2
With no friends, poor grades, and a stutter, Hira Kazunari (Riku Hagiwara) isn’t exactly enjoying his life as a high school student. With no dreams, and little ambition, Hira’s only hobby is to take photographs of his everyday life. With a new semester now starting, Hira doesn’t really expect things to change but when they take a turn for the worst, he’s caught completely off-guard. Rescued from a horribly uncomfortable situation by none other than the class’s “King”, Kiyoi Sou (Yusei Yagi), Hira can’t help the feelings of admiration that threaten to overwhelm him. Despite his best efforts to resist, Hira soon finds himself madly in love with the exceedingly handsome Kiyoi, but with such polar positions in the class, his chances of winning Kiyoi’s heart are slim. Or so it would seem. Uncovering Kiyoi’s secret dream, quite by accident, Hira soon realizes he and his crush now have something important connecting them. Sharing such an important secret, will Hira and Kiyoi find themselves slowly coming together, or will it eventually become the wedge that drives them apart? Adapted from the novel, “He, Who is Beautiful” by Nagira Yuu, “My Beautiful Man” is a 2021 romantic high school drama directed by Mai Sakai.
Having overcome the obstacles that stood between them in high school, Kazunari Hira (Riku Hagiwara) and Sou Kiyoi (Yusei Yagi) have spent the past few years in relative bliss. Living together, they’ve been able to support each other as they learn to navigate the ups and downs of their adult life. But just because life has gotten better, doesn’t mean everything for the happy couple is perfect. Currently, in his fourth year of college, Kazunari has spent the majority of his free time following Sou around in disguise. While Kazunari enjoys watching his boyfriend from afar, it has recently begun to dawn on him that with graduation looming, he might need to turn his attention elsewhere. With no part-time job experience whatsoever, Kazunari is starting to see that his favorite pastime may be doing him a disservice. A fact that only becomes more apparent as his classmates, with their impressive array of work experience, begin to turn their attention toward post-graduation job hunting. Feeling a bit left behind, Kazunari begins to wonder what it is he wants to do with his life. While Kazunari struggles at school, Sou continues to work hard in his acting career. As both Sou and Kazunari learn to deal with some of life’s more harsh realities, will their relationship stand strong or will they find their bond beginning to crack under the pressures that come with adulthood? Adapted from the novel “He, Who is Beautiful” by Yuu Nagira, “My Beautiful Man Season 2” is a 2023 Japanese romance drama directed by Mai Sakai.
Oh! My Assistant
Seon Ho (Song Seung Hyun) is a writer who authors web-based comic strips (webtoons). In order to make ends meet, he decided to start creating “19+” titles – erotica intended only for those aged 19 and above. His comics are wildly popular, but they have had a very strange effect on his libido: He cannot feel arousal since he started writing these webtoons some two years ago. As his workload begins to pile up, Seon Ho decides to hire a new assistant. He appoints Mu Young (Ko Chan Bin). But Mu Young turns out to be no ordinary assistant – he has actually taken the job because he is Seon Ho’s number one fan. He is also besotted with the writer – and hopes to start a relationship with him. The sparks of romance begin to fly between the two. But there is a catch: A male acquaintance named Jun Seok (Lee Do Ha) – who has a girlfriend – begins to take a shine to Mu Young. Could a love triangle be forming? And will Seon Ho rediscover his lost passion? “Oh! My Assistant” is a 2022 South Korean drama series that was based on a web-based comic of the same name and directed by Ju Seong Min.
A Man Who Defies the World of BL: Season 1 & 2
Just an average college student, living his average life, “Mob” (Atsuhiro Inukai) had never once considered the fact that his life might be anything other than ordinary. With each day passing very much like the one before, Mob might have been stuck in his average, ordinary life forever. But a sudden epiphany causes Mob to see the world in a whole new light, flipping his ordinary world upside down in an instant. Now fully aware of the fact that he is living inside a “world of BL”, Mob can’t seem to go anywhere without being caught up in some boys’ love story. From school classmates to his own little brother, Mob finds himself surrounded by boys whose sole purpose in life seems to be to fall in love. Determined to keep himself from becoming this world’s protagonist, Mob assigns himself the role of a background character, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to escape the love scenarios unfolding all around him. Constantly bombarded by love-struck boys, Mob does everything he can to fight back, but even as he fights, he feels his will beginning to crumble. With one special boy slowly stealing his heart, Mob begins to wonder, how much longer will he be able to fight the inevitable? Adapted from the manga of the same name, written by Konkichi, “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” is a 2021 romantic comedy drama directed by Koichiro Miki.
Once a normal college student, living his normal college life, “Mob” (Atsuhiro Inukai) had his world turned upside down the day he suddenly realized he was not only living in a manga-esque “world of BL” but was also the world’s main character. Unable to escape the constant stream of love stories unfolding around him, Mob eventually realized that he had no choice but to accept his fate. Having fully embraced his life in this “world of BL” Mob even went so far as to admit his feelings for his classmate, Kikuchi (Asahi Ito). Believing that was the end of his story, Mob was happy to settle into his newfound “happily ever after” but in reality, that “end” was really only the beginning. With the sudden appearance of the handsome Igarashi (Kenta Izuka), Mob finds himself dealing with a whole new set of problems. With Igarashi vying for Kikuchi’s affection, Mob finds himself forced to prove that he’s not only the best man for Kikuchi but still the best man to play this world’s main character. Watching the love stories of so many others unfold around him, Mob must find a way to straighten out his own story. But how? Adapted from the manga series of the same name by Konkichi, “A Man Who Defies the World of BL 2” is a 2022 Japanese romantic comedy drama directed by Koichiro Miki.
Love In the Air
Considered by many to be a cute guy, Rain (Nuttarat Tangwai) shouldn’t have any trouble getting a girlfriend. Unfortunately, the only girl to ever truly capture his heart has her heart set on Phayu (Chaikamon Sermsongwittaya). With his devastating good looks and his bad-boy biker persona, it’s no wonder Phayu is the one senior at school every girl dreams of dating; which means Rain doesn’t stand a chance with his dream girl. When fate brings Phayu into Rain’s life in an almost cruel and unexpected way, Rain decides it’s time to put Phayu in his place. Hoping to ruin Phayu’s reputation among the girls at school, Rain decides to make Phayu fall madly in love with him. While supporting Rain in his attempt at revenge, his best friend Sky (Wasuthorn Chaijinda), struggles with his own set of problems. Having been in a toxic relationship, Sky has no desire to find love ever again. But when he crosses paths with Prapai (Thitipong Sengngai), he seems unable to escape the fate that seems to inexplicably bind them. Overwhelmed by the rush of feelings that wash over them, every time Phayu and Prapai are around, Rain and Sky do their best to make sense of it all. But are either of them willing to accept what those feelings might mean? Adapted from the novels “Love Storm” and “Love Sky” by MAME, “Love in the Air” is a 2022 Thai romance drama directed by Neti Suwanjinda.
Cutie Pie
Lian Kilen Wang (Pruk Panich) and Kuea “Kirin” Keerati (Chawarin Perdpiriyawong) are in a quandary. Because of a promise made to their parents and grandparents, they find themselves heading toward an arranged same-sex marriage. The latter is a free-spirited musician – a vocalist and drummer – while the former is an outwardly cool businessman. While Kuea is keen to explore a happy and romantic life together with Lian, the feeling isn’t mutual – at least not initially. Lian is cold to Kuea, and treats him dismissively. Eventually, he indicates that he has no intention of entering into an arranged marriage, and wants to break off their engagement. Kuea is reluctant, but sadly agrees. However, soon after they have officially split, Lian starts to have feelings for Kuea. The duo finally begin living together, even though they are still unsure about their relationship. As they begin to spend more time together, Cupid takes aim at their hearts... “Cutie Pie” is a 2022 Thai drama series that was directed by Aoftion Kittipat Jampa.
Comentários