BL I'd recommend to people who haven't watched BL before
bl dramas i'd recommend to people who don't watch bl. has to have at least three of the following things: interesting concept/setting, good writing, good acting, beautiful cinematography, good soundtrack, and just an overall good and compelling story with a good and compelling romance. not all of these couples are the healthiest, but i don't think a show featuring a toxic relationship means it's automatically bad.
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1. Bad Buddy
Thai Drama - 2021, 12 episodes
overall, kind of a masterpiece. one of the best bl dramas ever made as of 2022. amazing and compelling and just overall very real-feeling romance, great performances, great music. it has some writing faults of course but they're small enough and you fall in love with the characters enough to overlook them. also, features THE best kiss scene in bl history, imo. give this one a try if you're looking for slice-of-life university antics.
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2. Not Me
Thai Drama - 2021, 14 episodes
another one that's kind of a masterpiece. definitely not for everyone, do not come into this one expecting a cute university romance, because that is NOT what you are getting. considering the political situation in thailand, it's kind of wild that this got made without being heavily censored. offgun both give the best performances of their careers, and you kind of forget this is even a bl because you get so sucked into the story. yok and dan were the highlight for me, though, what a compelling couple. again has some writing/pacing issues and not everyone will enjoy the serious tone, but try this one for sure if you're looking for something story/plot-heavy and not romance-centric.
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3. Semantic Error
Korean Drama - 2022, 8 episodes
cute cute cute cute cute!! one of my favorite enemies to lovers stories ever. great music, great performances, great kisses, great slice of life story. the pinnacle of bl kdramas.
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4. Theory of Love
Thai Drama - 2019, 12 episodes
keep some water handy to rehydrate because this one's a tearjerker. lots of melodrama, but a great coming-of-age story overall. wonderful performance from gun. the perspective swap halfway through the series may be jarring to some but is absolutely necessary to the story. a lot of people complain about not understanding what third sees in khai and i'm happy for them because they seem to have never been so in love with someone you willingly look past or are blind to how terrible they actually are. (plus, i'm a sucker for 'don't know what you had till it's gone' type plots.) i still wanna cry when i think about khai at the train station at the end. not for the fainthearted who only want something fluffy, you will absolutely suffer with khai and third as you watch this.
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5. Enchanté
Thai Drama - 2022, 10 episodes
kind of a guilty pleasure one for me. you don't see a lot of harem plots in bl dramas, which makes this one pretty unique. runs out of steam a little bit at the final episode but watching the main romance develop is really rewarding. the mystery revolving around finding out who enchante really is is also pretty compelling. very very sweet, you will get a cavity.
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6. Gameboys
Filipino Drama - 2020, 13 episodes
an innovative slice-of-life coming-of-age story that takes place during the pandemic and is filmed almost entirely through video calls, streams, and vlogs. adorable romance, and it's amazing that they managed to create one of the best series of 2020 in such a restrictive setting.
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7. HIStory3: Trapped
Taiwanese Special - 2019, 20 episodes
the OG gangster bl drama, and a bit of a classic. it's a classic enemies-to-lovers story with a crime drama backdrop. not a masterpiece, but a lot of fun.
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8. Color Rush
Korean Drama - 2020, 8 episodes
super interesting setting/concept, beautifully shot, and the main actor gives a really stellar performance overall. the romance and the love interest's acting didn't work for some, but i have a soft spot for this one.
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9. Until We Meet Again
Thai Drama - 2019, 17 episodes
a bit of an instant classic. a very wet show, there is so much crying in this one. it's very sweet and touching, and the flashbacks to their past lives and the character's investigation of them are definitely the highlight of the show, but there's a lot of sweet slice-of-life stuff in there too. you'll also learn a lot about thai traditional desserts which is fun. some people may find it's a bit too long and drags on a little, but it's a very calm and healing show (when it's not showing that one specific flashback oh god. the opening scene is pretty shocking and may upset people, big trigger warning for suicide there.)
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10. A Tale of Thousand Stars
Thai Drama - 2021, 10 episodes
i love everything about this show except the romance, lol. the setting, the vibe, the music, the characters, and the performances are all wonderful but i just felt the main actors didn't have much chemistry. some may disagree with me, though. but really, watch it for the fun and somewhat cringey fish-out-of-water story, watch it for the characters, watch it for how beautiful it is overall. the thai countryside is kind of the real main character of this one.
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11. Blueming
Korean Drama - 2022, 11 episodes
short, sweet, absolutely beautifully shot. siwon is a very relatable character for me personally and i think a lot of people would agree.










