BL Drama Lovers Club

Laalaa17930228:

Tiffany:

So I did something a bit weird ! 😂 I was thinking about how Bank from Fool in Love thought he was too old to be in a BL, so I started wondering about the ages of the actors I'm watching every day.

I think Bank did hit a nail in the fact that entertainment industry in general including BL is very ageist. A lot of the series also have university/high school or youth based plots, which kind of directs picking actors that are in terms age considered suitable for the roles. As a millennial fan I have been just waiting when we would start getting BLs with more mature actors, and plots focusing more on adult life after your twenties. I when I got into BL, yes the uni plots were very much relatable. Being 30+ give me something else.

I think I read somewhere that NuNew who is one of the most famous actors in the industry was worried fans would abandon him because he turned 25 o_O I think that with Bank's statement sums up quite well where the industry has to improve in.

You're right ! I really hope we get to see more and more BLs with mature actors. 😊 I also found it pretty sad that it's making the actors feel insecure about their age. 😔

https://www.reddit.com/r/GMMTV/s/LhnzUNv5Z5 - poor Kay I hope he feels better soon 🥺😔💖🤒

Tiffany:

Italophilia:

Tiffany:

I'm only 15 minutes into episode 10 of Mr. Fanboy, and I think I'm going to get dehydrated.

Thanks for the warning!

You're welcome ! But maybe it was just me. I also cried a lot during episode 9. I cry a lot when I'm really invested in a story. 😂

Oh, I cried a lot too!

Tiffany:

So I did something a bit weird ! 😂 I was thinking about how Bank from Fool in Love thought he was too old to be in a BL, so I started wondering about the ages of the actors I'm watching every day.

I made a list of every BL I've watched this year or am currently watching, with the actors' ages when the series started airing. Then I calculated the average age of the actors for each drama to sort them into age ranges.

I've watched 90 BLs so far this year !

Average age of main actors	Number of dramas	Percentage
Under 20	4	4.4%
20-24	31	34.4%
25-29	47	52.2%
30-35	8	8.9%
Total	90	100%

Among the BLs I've watched, Ordinary Love has the oldest actor, Furukawa Yuki (39). It's also the BL with the biggest age gap, at 16 years.

LoveSick 2024 has the youngest actor on my list, with Progress being only 15 at the time ! 😮

LoveSick 2024 has the lowest average age, at 16, while Burnout Syndrome has the highest, at 33 ! 😁

I could share the whole list, but that would make for a pretty long post. 😂

Very interesting. I think we are starting to see more BLs with adult characters and adult themes. The question is whether companies will actually cast actors 30+. Both The Journey to Killing You and When It Rains, It Pours come to mind. These stories could be told with older actors.

I know it’s not on many people’s radar, but Lovers & Gangsters just started. It’s GMMTV’s first BL where all the MLs are around 30. (OffGun in Burnout Syndrome are even older, but Dew is younger.) Not only are both couples around 30, but GMMTV is introducing GreatBright as a new lead couple, not a support couple like newer adult couples such as PodPapang. I think this is a good sign. OffGun and ForceBook already have loyal followings, so it makes sense to give them lead roles, but to introduce a new adult couple means GMMTV believes there is a market for it. I hope this is a promising development and gives other actors more confidence that they can continue to work in BLs in their 30s. I don’t expect this show to be a huge hit, but nonetheless it’s nice to see it being made.

Also of note: In Teach Me, Touch Me, Gear (James Pongsapak) has gay grandpas!

Another note: with the enormous success of Fool in Love and a new massive fan following for Bank Artit, maybe the future BL landscape will include more 30+ actors.