AbsoluteBL

One of my all time favorites

It’s one of the best Japanese BLs (live action manga) ever made and that’s because it has a lot of the breezy style of the later Thai BLs, without losing its yaoi roots. The leads have a certain comfort with each other which yields up excellent on screen chemistry. It has a low heat level but there are some sweet kisses (we are in 2gether/SOTUS territory).

Popular first year Seiryo (Seryou) has a policy of going out with any girl who asks... for one week. On a lark, third year Yuzuru (Yusuru) tests to see if that policy also applies to boys. Seiryo agrees that it does.

Yuzuru is very pretty and attractive but so brash and honest that girls always end up dumping him because his personality doesn’t match his looks.

As the two boys date it becomes clear that Seiryo really likes the blunt side of Yuzuru, and Yuzuuru starts to fall in love with Seiryo because of this. He’s so happy to be liked for who he really is. Seiryo thinks it’s all just a game to Yuzuru, but he’s falling hard too. They both want it to last more than a week.

Seiryo is young and reserved but yearns so much to be loved and give love, while Yuzuru is the best possible version of an obtuse tsundere uke without being immature or a brat.

Their miscommunication comes to the story honestly and is sourced in their characters. The actors put these personalities into their physicality too, with Seiryo moving in an elegant if cautiously stilted manner while Yuzuru is relaxed and sprawling.

It’s utterly adorable.

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I Don't Know, I Just Wanted it to be better

Basically gay Strictly Ballroom about 2 different competitive dancers who must work together to win a world championship… or something (that bit didn't happen). Despite the fact that this was decently shot and acted, script and director let it down. It felt like it owed a lot to 90s Australian cinema as well as darker JBL (read stylistically old fashioned) but also this was a very self aware movie. Too self aware. I get that the filming style was designed to reflect the respective dancers' attitudes, but also, it kinda beat us over the head with the metonymy of it all. We get it. We got it within the first 10 minutes. Surprise us, please. The dialogue was cliche and online complaints around casually racist stereotypes well earned. The voice over was a bit much MUCH (and I'm not as opposed to VO on principle like many are). In the end, the movie felt as full of itself as the characters. The fact of the matter is, I wanted this to be better. A better story, a better romance, a better resolution, better engagement resulting in better discourse. It was moody and pretty and not a great deal more than that. And I really like dance movies.

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Not What It Sad On the Tin

Less a love quad and more a friends-to-lovers narrative with additional love interest trapping. I did like that we had one of each language-type represented: by which I mean, same age, younger, and older. So we got all the different forms of address and levels of formality. As well as different kinds of pursuit, not just because of the different characters, and personalities, but because of different social status. In the end, I wish this had leaned into the gentleness of the central romance arc (as a JBL would have) rather than muddy the waters with extra sides. Nice kissing for a KBL tho.

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ABO Desire Deep Dive Diatribe

As I type this, it has been a few days since the final episode of Desire aired and I have... a lot, to say.

Frankly, I should have done a trash watch from the start. But it took 5 episodes for me to realize what a dumpster fire phenomena this was, and by then it was too late. Live and let burn. As a result, I must write a whole thesis on the following formula aka the design of this damn show:

psychotic obsession + delicious toxicity
- chronic neglect of side dish
/ by the sheer madness of this show existing at all

Up top confession?

I loved this Very Silly Show in the worst possible way. And I do mean worst. It really was like watching fanfic brought to life.

Good fic but still... rough in places, in need of a solid edit past, littered with forgotten threads, dropped characters, tired tropes, and weak development.

* The main pair is a work of gd art.
* The filming quality is solid.
* The wardrobe department is unhinged and has issues with shirts (absent or awful, only 2 options).
* Generally, most of the acting had a lot in common with vintage sleds: cold, hard, wooden, and stiff, but still somehow a fun ride.

For what it was (remarkable) and that it existed at all (unprecedented) and how much I enjoyed the experience (despite myself), I went outside of my comfort zone when rating this darn thing. I admit, Desire is an 8/10 show, but I personally am compelled to give it a 9/10 on pure entertainment value.

And without question Desire is an icon of our BL times. 2025 will forever be remembered as the year China put mpreg on our screens.

And now, your actual review of this show:

Close on the herculean strides of Revenged Love, China continued its historic 2025 run on the international BL market with the first true ABO mpreg piece.

There is some semblance of story = about a boy who falls in love with an alpha (top of food chain) right before he manifests as an enigma (secret extra-special tippy-top of food chain) and then obsessively stalks/courts the object of his devotion though means both fair and foul (mostly foul) for the next decade. Why so secretive and manipulative? No reason, just Hua Yong being Hua Yong.

This show focuses on Hua Yong, a perfect sociopath ult babygirl, being a violent, unchecked, conniving, psychotic monster so pretty he will hurt your teeth, intent on possessing, owning, and sexing-up one increasingly confused alpha. (I know honey, we were all confused, it's okay, you're safe. No one else is. But you are.)

And when our little psycho wins? We likey! (So does the alpha.) Somehow everyone, including the audience, has also become toxic trash along with Hua Yong. Fun fun.

There is actual on screen kissing (yes, from China, no it's not very good) combined with some of the world's hottest shirt suspenders and some the world's ugliest shirts.

The end.

That's the whole show.

Oh... there is a nod at an intriguing side couple who ended up being mere set dressing.

And there is also actual ON SCREEN mpreg. Twice.

Plus China aired this by distributing through Hong Kong to a Taiwanese platform and if that isn't How Dare levels of malarkey I don't know what is.

Wild times we live in.

And I haven't even gotten to the Cpop boy group component.

What can I really say about this show?

This show would have been sublimely f'd up and utterly ridiculous even without the ABO trappings, but the world-building actually added to my enjoyment (and I am not an omegaverse stan).

However, there is a ton of Basil Exposition to wade through during the first 3-5 episodes (not unlike this review). If you are not familiar with omegaverse or dystopian alt-reality info-dumping... it's going to tax you eternal.

If utter fascination with Hua Yong gliding sveltely down marble stairs and primly torturing all the wettest-eyed omegas can't hold you through the opening episodes, don't bother with this show. I liked our sweetie Alpha Sheng but it's Hua Yong who rules (and drives) this show. Hua Yong = the most beautiful little obsessive stalker pouty ruthless gremlin ever to swish around in silk pyjamas. If you don't find him riveting from the moment he wades through that pool in the opening scene, you're not gonna like Desire.

If you decide to risk it, please know that this show is very very gorgeous, unbelievably toxic, and completely NUTS. This is the CBL KinnPorsche no one thought to ask for. Only this is KP stripped of all grit, sanitized within an inch of it's life, made larger and icier and very very precise.

All your triggers will be hit with this, we are in dark territory: stalking, obsession, possession, threat, blackmail, dubious consent, and more. There is a large dose of willful misunderstanding, plus a hand being torn off, and (for some labubull reason) stuffed teddybears are adhered to perfectly innocent shirts (that did not deserve such treatment). (Look, that shirt was a trigger for me. And then they had to go and do it again, outside of the flashback. In the future! LIKE THEY STAYED IN FASHION FOR YEARS. Untenable.)

And yet.

I adored Desire for the wild ride and tried not to get bogged down with the details.

And yet.

Here I am typing away... tunneling into the details.

The point is… that it exists at all. Desire is very meta. It is it's own mpreg. Most of us spend most of the time it was airing staring at it in wonder and thinking “How were you born? How do you even exist?”

So putting aside how I felt about it, I am going to talk about why Desire is, against all odds, actually important and crazy in the history of BL. As the self proclaimed most bonkers pundit chronicler of BL's abject nonsense, I feel compelled to make a statement. And also, I need a post to point people at when they ask me about this damn show in the future.

Me explaining Desire to a non-BL non-Ao3 friend.
Friend’s eyes getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
(I actually had to go into everything I am about to cover in this post. It took me half and hour of excited flappy hands.)
Eventually the friend says, “I think I must watch this.”
Me, “Oh no! It’s not good, it’s just a miracle of the modern age.”

[large section redacted that details the history of omegaverse and China's very checkered relationship with BL right up until this moments. If you wanna read it, I put it in full plus images on tumblr. Just search my handle and the title of this review). MDL is China owned, I didn't think it wise to put the reality of the situation here. Plus... word use is more authentic on tumblr.

Notes, Tips, & Tricks

I watched this show on both Gaga and Viki. I think Viki has better subs that better translated the ABO worldbuild into English. But there are strengths and weaknesses to both platforms' respective subs.

The first few eps really do have massive amounts of info dumping. But after that it's "manipulation as a love language" all day every day... and night.
The secretary core/beta assistants are a hoot. I want an Upstairs Downstairs of them dealing with their idiot bosses. It kinda feels like they’re the true masterminds of all relationships. They must be having vicarious fun with all of these hormone-crazed whack-doodle power-hungry (or utterly disempowered) alphas. Just the betas shuffling paperwork, making coffee, and kvetching about what dumbarses their superiors are. I watch it.
It’s hilarious how little work CEOs in Asian dramas actually do. There’s a lot of walking around in suits, playing on phones, passing each other clipboards, and occasionally flipping though a file.
Of course Gao Tu (the omega disguising himself as a beta) is my favorite character. I’ve always been a fan of cross dressing. Don't get too attached tho, his story arc doesn't get much resolution.
Be warned: Shen Wen Lang (his clueless alpha) will never gain a clue or a brain cell. The actor will never be any less uncomfortably stiff. And there will be no kissing for them.
But that said, Shen Wen Lang and Hua Yong's worstie relationship is pretty darn excellent. Lots of fun to watch that one.
Sit back and enjoy Hua Yong's lies. He is so darn pretty, who cares if evil? He can do whatever he wants. Also, do not apply logic, it will never make sense, because he is certifiably insane. No sense or sanity in that pretty little brain. He has 2 brain cells that know only 2 things: manipulation and Sheng Shao You.
At the start, Desire does not feel unhinged, it feels quite tailored and controlled. I prefer my CBL a bit more like Revenged Love (the Taiwanese side) with crunchy edges. At first this show feels more KBL-esk. Don't worry, all the edges will get very very fried. (But the kitchen stays white and immaculate.)
Beware Episode 9 for it is toxic and full of pheromone marks flaring, plus all the rutting dub con (and worse) one could ever desire. *big sigh* Everyone got all messed up by this episode. Over this episode. Because of this episode. The characters in this episode.
From ep 9 on, I pretty much spent every ep kicking my feet, flailing about, and squealing. I love the main couple and their were warped little power dynamic. So damn kinky. Oh the glorious toxicity of it all.

Us = crying screaming puking our guts out. The mpreg boys = pale milk-water maidens delicately coughing into sinks and lying decorously in bed pining for the fjords. Their husbands = clutching pearls.

The final episode was lackluster. At the last gasp they gave us our little gay families but they ultimately misused the excellent side pair.

I too was a bit disgruntled that Desire let us down in the 11th hour.

BUT read the diatribe I just wrote above.

I forgive it its sins.

I kinda feel like I have to.

My goodness gracious, what a glorious ride it was.

Ultimately do I recommend it?

Well YES, but with approximately 4000 words of reservations.

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gay boys play b-ball and fall in love

I am well aware that objectively this show was, erm, NOT good. But this was a sports romance Thai BL pulp with everything I could have asked for given this sub genre. More, actually, since MeenPing are both great basketball players and the team component really did form part of the connective tissue of the show (vital in a sports romance IMHO since these are band-of-brothers narratives).

Meen has his shirt off within the first two minutes which is all I needed but he's still pretty great as the sullen secret-keeper against Ping's cheerful survivor - childhood sweethearts torn asunder and now reunited. Then Frank sweeps in to give everyone a bad case of second lead syndrome.

I always try to judge BL for what it is AS BL, and what it’s trying to do within its own territory and purview. This did exactly what it claimed on the tin: gay boys play b-ball and fall in love. That was all I wanted from it. Sure there was random kidnapping and a light bought of mass murder, but what’s a BL in 2024 without a touch of the mafia? You do you little pulp, I’m disposed to be pleased.

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incredibly sweet and incredibly wholesome

This is a charming and adorable little romance about a forlorn university kid and the police officer who adopts him. They are relentlessly kind to each other. In fact it’s an extremely kindly show over all (everyone in it is so nice to everyone else including us) so there’s very little tension. But what it lacks in drive, angst, and complexity it makes up for in earnest acts of service and simple affection.

These two are basically boyfriends from the get-go, it’s just one of them acts like it and doesn’t realize it and the other one realizes it and has to figure out how to make it a reality. It’s incredibly sweet and incredibly wholesome, nourishing but delicious.

Everybody who can, should watch this show. It will make you feel better about life.

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What a fun show!

This is a very pretty drama about a young man who fell in love with a nice girl 100 years ago, and when she died in his arms, he was cursed to live until he could meet her reborn self. Only this time around, she’s reborn into the body of a man. Or is she?

I love it when Thailand gets all up in its own historical business and reincarnation and shizz. I like this pair (it’s not DaouOffroad’s fault I didn’t enjoy their first series.) Daou’s wushu is snazzy and we got a unique meet cute. (Erm… Remeet cute? Meet cute 2.0?)

Ultimately, this is I Feel You Linger in the Air + First Love Again, rather than (as one might expect) Until We Meet Again or The Director Who Buys Me Dinner.

The leads turned in great performances, although Daou outclassed everybody else on that screen by making us really believe he's over 100 years old.

It’s a good story and a great BL and I can’t find any major faults with it beyond a certain level of camp that is endemic to lakorns. I’m going to give it credit as the kind of BL that one could safely recommend to lovers of melodrama and historical romance, without having to qualify it as “good for a BL.”

This was, to put it succinctly, a VERY ENJOYABLE show.

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Every single trope in the book, and then some

This show is literally everything (except straight) all at once.

It's BL, queer, band of brothers, romcom, erotica, PNR, fated mates, police procedural, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and slasher. It’s the king of genre mash-up chaos. Sure, it's madness but there is genius in it.

Was it a crazy unhinged mess +1 roll for damage?
Yes. Yes it was.

Did it manage to hold all those tangled threads together?
No it did not.

Was it also a charming, sexy, engaging, non-stop piece of entertainment?
Sure thing.

I think this show is basically my KinnPorsche, and frankly I’ve been chasing that naga since KP aired.

Is it perfect? No. But it was balls to the wall FUN.

Emphasis on balls.

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I didn't have faith in TayNew and I was wrong to doubt them

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth that really worked for me. With no-fuss execution from a consummate team and an OG lead pair (proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up).

Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right - not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it stands strong.

I, personally, like the Thai BL slightly better than the Japanese live action yaoi, but I think that’s because I just really enjoy Thai BL's style and I LOVE TayNew (who may be my favorite OG branded pair still in operation). Also all the kissing was both present and better in this version. As it should be from Thailand.

Highly recommended.

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Taiwan is BACK!

Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and the stepbrothers trope.

The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters very believable.

When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. Its other few flaws are the result of curtailed length. It could have used more breathing room to deal with side plots, characters, and companion character development. The editing was occasionally choppy and packed with flashbacks that broke the emotional tension. Still, those are mere quibbles for me.

This is an excellent show based on one of my favorite old school BL tropes that I know I'm going to be recommending for a long time.

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I love this show

KBL isekai about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness.

Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. The narrative tension is tight, and the pacing is killer.

That said, I did find the flow a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, but the consistency of tone, script, and immersion is spectacular, beyond the norm for BL (even KBL). You will drown in this show and like it that way. The leads have fantastic chemistry and it's ultimately highly rewatchable and utterly charming, which counts for a lot with me.

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A nostagic piece from Thailand

I really enjoyed this show. It was slow to find its stride (I didn’t get into it until ep 7) but I’m very glad I gave it a chance.

It’s a soft ensemble piece with multiple couples and very little plot, but I didn’t care because it’s not trying to be anything more substantial. Essentially this was a series of vignettes covering one year of uni for a queer friendship group finding love, new friends, and laughter. It’s not being harsh with us or it’s characters the way some offerings of this ilk have been (side eyes Friend Zone, Only Friends) nor did it tumble into Gen Y chaos.

In fact, this reminded me more than anything of a refined and elevated Love Sick - just with older characters and occurring with a genre that has matured too. It has that close queer friendship group meets earnest gentleness that made me adore Love Sick so much. In other words m, this was Thai BL at its finest, finding it roots again 10 years on, but also stretching upwards and showing us what it could do with that original seed. So? I loved it. Did it blow my mind? No. But it left me smiling and made me belly laugh quite a bit. 9/10

Technically it should probably get an 8/10 - too much singing, but I’m bubbling over with nostalgia rn.

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a bodyguard BL, got censored mid series, has a VERY weird end

Tropes & Quick notes:

E2L, bodyguard mixed with sports style romance workplace (gym) and home set.
Some action sequences.
Teacher/student, protector/spoiled prince dynamics.
Trigger for hazing, but there is no sexual contact between leads so it never gets into dubcon etc...
Themes of revenge, salvation, infiltration, and domesticity.

This is kind of a bodyguard romance, but it got censored mid series, and has a VERY weird ending. I actually kinda like this show (they VERY PRETTY) but it is very much chopped off at the d***, so to speak.

Basically?

Hottest bodyguard on the planet decides he must "protect" hottest spoiled prince on the planet from (no really, completely) unknown forces of evil, mostly shirtless and occasionally in the shower or rain (still shirtless).

China pretended this wasn't gay by putting them in bed together regularly and then dumping them into a lime pit and not allowing them to finish, so I won't either...

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opposites attract, workplace romance, grumpy/tsundere, enemies to lovers

For me the mains were unlikeable and the actors had poor chemistry. So while this offered a lot of what I thought I wanted from a Thai BL - mature characters, workplace setting, adult themes - I’m wasn’t wild about the execution. I suspect Thai pulps are better when they stick to university/high school. This one felt like a better version of Loveless Society (not hard). The main couple's sex scenes were kind of sweet but I’m just not into them.

The side dishes (Yoon & Yacht) gave us more chemistry and a better kiss but had little screen time. It was interesting to see them portray BL actors being shipped and then confessing to actually dating each others. I’m not sure how I feel about the handling of it but it was different from Lovely Writer, and I guess it's nice to see different takes.

In the end, this show was nicely grown up but boring and became a matter of endurance for me. I can’t ever see myself rewatching this one and that weighs hugely in my enjoyment of any series.

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