BL Reviews Ratings A-Z (all movies rated 4/5 and above are recommended)
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ADDICTED (Chinese) – Overall Rating: 10/10 – A Grumpy Introvert & A Cocky Jock Fall in Love. Well written, well acted, and well directed. Though it has a very small cast of characters, it manages to capture that feeling of young love and young lovers. The insecurities, the excitement, the bluntness and the playful horniness, and the pure adoration of first loves.
ADVANCE BRAVELY (Chinese) – Overall Rating: 6/10 – A Rich Twink and a Big Lug. This show really had potential – and I enjoyed both the main characters, their energy, and their chemistry – but ultimately it was just a mess of a show with zero pay out.
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BAD BUDDY (Thai) – Overall Rating: 10/10 – Enemies to Lovers Done Right. Charming enemies-to-lovers story about the sons of two families who hate each other, who happen to live next door to one another. Great story, great chemistry between the leads, highly entertaining the entire run.
BE LOVE IN HOUSE: I DO (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 9/10 – Love is the Consequence of Living With Your Boss in BL Dramas. Listen, we don’t question the tropes here. If mom approves, then it’s thumbs up for me too.
BELOVED ENEMY (Chinese) – Overall Rating: 3/10 – Stale Bread. I would have given anything for this show to go full NC-17 webnovel version, as problematic as it was, cause the casting was perfect and everything about the show screamed that it wanted to go there but instead it took a sharp right and headed nowhere.
BIG DRAGON (Thai) – Overall Rating: 7/10. A sexy disaster of a show. The leads had great chemistry, but it felt all over the board tonally and in plot. What even was this show?
BLUEMING (Korean) – Overall Rating: ???/10 … I watched this… and remember nothing about it… take of that as you will.
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CAPTURE LOVER (Chinese) – a mess.
CHOCO MILK SHAKE (Korean) – Overall Rating: 10/10. You Can Love Your Pets, Just Don’t Love Your Pets… unless they reincarnate as hot humans. This show makes me smile and sigh and fall in love every episode. Unless the ending completely bombs, I can’t imagine giving this short addictive charming show a lower rating.
COLOR RUSH : Season 1 (Korean) – Overall Rating: 8/10 – You’ll See Colors and Cannibals Everywhere. A cool lite sci fi story of magical connection between high school boys – could have been a dark masterpiece, but alas. Read review.
COUNTER ATTACK (Chinese) – I’m having a hard time finding a decent version of this one – but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far… afraid it ends extremely abruptly, though? Or maybe I just haven’t found all the eps.
CUTIE PIE (Thai) – Overall Rating: 7/10 – Reverse Taming of the Shrew for Gays. I loved the concept of this, the wild boy who is pretending to be docile to win the affection of his childhood sweetheart… but wtf. I did not expect the end result to be that fun, wild kid basically gets domesticated for real and becomes a boring house pet for his bf.
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DARK BLUE AND MOONLIGHT (Taiwanese) – 5/10. Meh. It was a mess.
DEVIL JUDGE (Korean) – Overall Rating – 10/10. Your Honor, We Find the Drama to be Gayer Than a Unicorn Covered in Rainbow Glitter. Probably the best BL from Korea without explicitly being a BL drama, but it’s definitely 100 percent gay. Read Review
DON’T SAY NO (Thai) – Overall Rating – 8./10. Hooking Up with Your Bestie. This was a cute one, nothing to write home about but I enjoyed the rich kids figuring out their feelings with the help of their goofy friends.
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THE ECLIPSE (Thai) – Overall Rating – 9/10. Gay Metaphors & Power Bottoms. I avoided this show for months convinced I would not like it, but I was foolish cause this show completely won me over.
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HIStory 1: OBSESSED (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. There is No Reset Button for Attraction. An angry, confused, overdramatic relationship involving vague time travel. All consuming madness of love and the irresistible nature attraction. A wild ride.
HIStory 2: Right or Wrong (Taiwanese)
HIStory 3: Crossing the Line (Taiwanese)
HIStory 3: TRAPPED (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 7/10. A Campy Cop & A Cute Mobster. I know a lot of people love this one, but for me it was so-so. I liked the side characters more than the main characters. It’s a silly, fun, over the top type show that definitely does not take itself seriously. A fun snack.
HIStory 3: MAKE OUR DAYS COUNT (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 9/10. A Goofball Wins the Heart of a Grumpy Cutie. What can I say? I love this trope. The ending wasn’t especially great, but I enjoyed the drama of these two boys, their different home lives, and how they came together. Horrible kiss, though.
HIStory 4: Close to You (Taiwanese)
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I TOLD THE SUNSET ABOUT YOU : Season 1 (Thai) – Overall Rating 10/10. Two Young Actors Struggle with Attraction & the College Admissions. It’s one of the most visually stunning BL series I have ever seen. It had me tearing up in nearly every freakin’ episode. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, but well worth the ride.
IRRESISTABLE LOVE [also known as Uncontrollable Love] (Chinese) – Overall Rating: 7/10. Rich Boys Buying Friends and Lovers. Flawed but interesting story premise about a young boy adopted to be the play-mate of a wealthy heir. As they grow up, the two must navigate their changing power dynamics as one is openly gay while the other is just figuring out his sexuality.
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Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 9/10. Would have been perfect if they’d not denied us so much of the spice that this plotline is built on. How can we have such a G rated show about a guy who creates horny doujinshi? Baffling.
KINNPORSCHE (Thai) – Overall Rating: 10/10. The Horniest Show on the Planet, otherwise known as Whump and Rump in the Gay Mafia. So sexy! So fun! Top Tier BL and a cultural phenomenon. Read Full Review.
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LIFE~LOVE ON THE LINE (Japanese) – an unusual story that follows two men’s lives, and love, through several decades. I wasn’t a huge fan of this series, but I stuck with it and admit the atmospheric nature of the story and the “what will happen next” installments made it relatively enjoyable.
LOVE IN THE AIR (Thai) – Overall Rating: 10/10. A Masterclass in Kissing. Two excessively cute couples make out for about a dozen episodes and no one is complaining… we are all too busy making gifsets and screaming. Read Full Review.
LIKE IN THE MOVIES / GAYA SA PELIKULA (Phillipines) – Overall Rating: 9/10. Winning the Roommate Lottery. Two college students share an apartment and discover they have more in common than their love of movies. Small but cute production, especially for it’s portrayal of a young man struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality paired up with someone who is out and proud. The chemistry isn’t perfect.
LOVE MECHANICS (Thai) – Overall Rating: 9/10. The Problems of Dating Someone Who Won’t Break Up With the Other Person They Are Dating. Surprisingly fun BL with two interesting lead characters that were both problematic and also relatable, in their own ways.
LONG TIME NO SEE (Korean) – Overall Rating: 10/10. Hitmen and Hard Ons. Although short, this was one of the most unique BL’s I’ve seen, with a gritty realism generally reserved for “straight” dramas. Intense mafia scenes, realistic fight sequences, genuinely threatening antagonists, it was glorious! Exactly my cup of tea.
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A MAN WHO DEFIES THE WORLD OF BL 1 (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 7/10. Silly Slapstick Commentary on the BL Genre. This is an entire drama about BL without actually being a BL drama. I was amused and I was confused.
MANNER OF DEATH (Thai) – Overall Rating: … – ugh… it should have been good! But I did not like these two actors together at all. Neither sold me on their characters or their romance.
MOOD INDIGO (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. Grown Men Being Complicated Disasters. It’s an atmospheric and slowly intense drama about two adult men figuring themselves out, struggling to find their place in society and in the work force, unsure of how to find happiness or navigate their feelings.
MY BEAUTIFUL MAN (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. Interior Spaces are Complicated Places. Both the hot, unattainable sexy guy and the shy, subservient obsessive guy are stuck in the roles they’ve assigned themselves and have the difficult task of figuring themselves out and breaking down their own misconceptions of their identities and needs in order to be together.
MY LOVE MIX UP (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 9/10. Campy, cute, and a near perfect Japanese BL. Points off for no smooching scenes, though. WTF, Japan.
MY TOOTH YOUR LOVE (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 9/10. A unique little show about grown ups still ironing out their particular self-sabotaging ticks so they can learn to be loved.
MR UNLUCKY HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO KISS! (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 8/10. Balancing Out Uneven Fates with Gayness. Japanese school comedy is not really my jam, still I was strangely sucked into this goofy story about a boy with no luck latching on to a guy who has too much of it.
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NOT ME (Thai) – Overall Rating: 9/10. Twin Swapping & Moralistic Street Gangs. A very cool story line of political activists and artists, some action and adventure with some darker political thrills underneath the usual campy, sexy romance story featuring a favorite trope – twin identity swapping.
THE NOVELIST : Season 1 (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 7/10. Depression, Repression, & Lies. Though I didn’t necessarily enjoy this story, I appreciated its cynical and cold appraisal of certain aspects of gay romance that are largely ignored in other media. Mainly, how for many gay people in society, especially those dealing with shame or acceptance – lying is massive influence on your life.
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OH MY ASSISTANT (Korean) – Overall Rating: 5/10. Eh. I wouldn’t bother.
OLD FASHIONED CUPCAKE (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. The Rush High Calories with Nutritional Value. Might be one of the few perfect BL shows out there. I have zero complaints. Please make more like this, Japan!
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PLUS& MINUS (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. Two Great Couples, Two Great Stories. I don’t have much to say about this one other than I thoroughly enjoyed each episode and found both couples completely charming and lovable.
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ROOMMATES OF POONGDUCK 304 (Korean) – Overall Rating: 10/10. Power Plays at Home & at Work. Unexpectedly entertaining show about a rich chaebol who ends up the tenant of his new subordinate at work.
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SECOND CHANCE (Thai) – Overall Rating: 9/10. School Gays. Cute, sweet, and overall enjoyable school romance-drama-comedy.
SEMANTIC ERROR (Korean) – Overall Rating: 8/10. Cute College Students Canoodling Around Computers. A sweet, quippy romance of two college boys in design school. I really enjoyed it but it felt too light weight for a higher rating.
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TAKARA-KUN & AMAGI-KUN (Japanese) – Overall Rating: 9/10. I have a soft spot for the particular brand of bl that Japan puts out… and this show is a perfect example of that. They feel like neurotic poetry, sorta embarrassing and insular, but also such a great example of what it’s like to be young and in love.
THARNTYPE : Season 1 (Thai) – Overall Rating: 9/10. We Watched It For the Hot Guy. A simple sexy story of a closeted homophobic gay guy coming to terms with his past trauma and sexuality by letting his extremely attractive college room mate jump all over him. Kinda dated already, but a classic nonetheless.
TO MY STAR : Season 1 (Korean) – Overall Rating: 10/10. An Attention Seeker and an Introvert Fall in Love. The grumpy one and the sunshine one. Will we ever get tired of this trope? A sweet, emotional drama about a popular, playful actor and a serious introverted chef.
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UNIL WE MEET AGAIN (Thai) – Overall Rating: 8/10. I appreciate the plot line, reincarnated lovers who have to iron out the wrinkles from their previous lives, but honestly… it was a struggle for me to finish this drama. Enjoyably overdramatic but also a bit of a pacing nightmare.
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VICE VERSA (Thai) – I dropped it… eh.
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WE BEST LOVE : Season 1 Special Edition : No. 1 For You (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. The Sweetest Stalker Ever Woos His Wiley Prey. A really fun, shenanigan filled romance of two hot swimmers with electric chemistry. Enemies to Lovers trope.
WE BEST LOVE : Season 2 Special Edition : Fighting Mr. 2nd (Taiwanese) – Overall Rating: 10/10. Will Power & Longing Mend Two Broken Hearts. Season 2 threw the couple into the work force and poured gasoline all over their smoldering relationship with a misunderstanding storyline so that their angst and desire would burn up the screen.
WHERE YOUR EYES LINGER (Korean) – Overall Rating: 8/10. The Gay Experience of Figuring Out You’re Already a Couple. A fun, lightly angsty drama of childhood friends to lovers with some very mild mafia flavoring. One of the first from Korea.
WHY R U? (Thai) – Overall Rating: 8/10. Feels dated now, even though it’s only from 2020. Kinda dragged, in my opinion, but the leads Tutor/Fighter had good chemistry.
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YOU MAKE ME DANCE (Korean) – Overall Rating: 8/10. A sweet, playful romance of a dancer and his debt-collector
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