Bambikill

Thanks for the thanks! ^^
I'm happy when my recs and rants are helpful to others and spread the word on all the great BL out there <3 I love to rec stuff and I love to rant on comics, books and cinema so I get happy when people appreciate it instead of rolling their eyes and going "there she goes again..." lol

Thanks for the heads up :) I checked the title and then removed it.
I never add stuff accidentally, since I browse new titles by tags when I add (i.e. "gay relationship", "gay character")--so the title has to have been tagged with either of those tags by the person adding/editing the title to the database, and the tag then later removed.
But I've removed it from my list now :)

Thank you <3 I'm glad that my recs and rants inspire others to watch great stuff! My country is pretty great in terms of appreciation of global cinematic culture--but far from everyone would ever pick up foreign titles unless they are Nordic or American. But I recommend stuff here and there, since I've been a fan of Asian cinema since I was a kid. And I'm delighted when people appreciate what they watch. "Pornographer" isn't a title that would suit all that many, so I get thrilled when someone decides to watch something like that :D

Ah, sorry for late reply--I tend to be periodic in my hobbies and it has been comics, comics, comics for a while :P

But yeah, totally. We can agree on that 100 % :) It's just plain strange and culture elitism. That's me--a pot--calling a kettle black, since I'm quite elitistic when it comes to "good taste and bad taste"... But on the other hand; I'll gladly admit that I like a ton of stuff that I consider to be "in bad taste". Just because I can be objective about quality in terms of film-making, doesn't mean that I don't understand the difference of genres. Of course a comedy, for example, is very unlikely to be a work that rocks the world in terms of profound wisdom and insights. That doesn't mean that comedy is superfluous.
Let's compare... Zhang Yimou's "To Live" and... "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
To compare these two amazing movies, is just pure idiocy. Both are excellent flicks. Just different genres. :)

:)
You mean the Chinese drama? (I think. I'm wasn't entirely sure but a bell seemed to ring in the back of my head so I searched, and I'm pretty sure you're referring to "The Untamed" from 2019, right?) I haven't seen it and I suspect that I probably chose, back when it aired, not to include it since it's heavily censored. However, since then, I've decided to include "de-gay-ified" titles as well, so I'll add it :) Thanks for pointing it out.

Ahhh, a freshly hooked BL-junkie... :D Welcome to your destruction... lol...
Or at least to... the addiction that very easily tends to steal time from everything else... :P
I've always been a fangirl, but I didn't go completely overboard until I started reading Asian comics... Then I was doomed...
But I'm a shitton of years older than most of the BL-fans, so I've been around for a big chunk of the time the genre has been growing and developing. There wasn't ALL that much to watch or read, back in the days--so no matter if one would've wanted to go full-blown junkie, it wouldn't have been possible. Today... wow. (Needless to say; I'm delirious with happiness...)
I've been dying to try to get my paws on some of the REALLY old BL mangas. Like, 70's stuff. I'd love to see how the works were back then. I haven't read anything older than mid-eighties or so.

Thanks for the thanks for the lists :) I'm an incurable chatterbox and it's the same when I'm writing... I'd have wished that the lists allowed for more than 2000 characters in the comments, since I have a shitton of stuff to elaborate on when it comes to certain titles--but no can do. I love writing reviews and analyses, but they often swell to insane proportions... I have this one review/analysis I started writing for "Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai" (IMO the best BL manga ever written), but I realized that it was too long to post anywhere, when I had reached... like, 5000 words or so... lol...
So yeah, the lists have taken quite a few hours of work--but I like it :) I love writing, I love lists (a bit of OCD there...) and I loooooove BL orgies :P

I haven't read the TharnType novel, that's why I haven't elaborated more on it. I didn't think it was... well... abusive or anything? I just thought it was crazy dirty. I've only read a couple of fan translated chapters. (Really bad translations, too...) I haven't bothered to look around for the novel after that. I like watching BL no matter the quality, but when it comes to written BL, I'm a bit pickier. Most of the novels suck quite badly... It takes a really talented translator, too--since the typical storytelling of Thai written works (and Chinese too, if to believe Sai, the translator of "Addicted", whom I helped out with editing for a while) is very, very different from the Western one. I mean, the writing from a technical perspective. The translators usually say that they have to rethink the storytelling almost completely, in order to make it fluid for Westerners to read.

Ah, speaking of chemistry. I think I'll have to take back the thing about "the award for best chemistry" going to Korn & Knock and Tharn & Type...
They have been shoved down one notch, by Zhou Shu Yi and Gao Shi De from "We Best Love"... :D
When they're on screen together... Oh dear. I squeal. Badly.

I can't decide which feeling wins; excited--or terrified. Both, I guess.
Looking forward to it, though!

Yeah :) I wrote that long ago, when the news broke about the adaptation being made :) I usually cross-check my lists when I add/change text in one list, so that I have the same comments in all lists, but I seem to have missed changing this one :) Thanks for pointing it out ^^
I read the manga the first time when it was pretty much brand new--and it's been one of my all time favs since :) Probably one of the comics I've re-read the most times. And Seven Seas made me a very happy fangirl when they released an English translation last year. :) I want to OWN my fav comics :P I already had it in Japanese but I want it in English as well. (Since it's fricking annoying to read comics in other languages. I can actually read some Japanese, but it's not very entertaining to struggle oneself through a comic with a dictionary at hand... I've been pestering several publishers about releasing "Killing Stalking" in English, but I've only has as much as luck as "thanks for the tip, we will take a look" and then nothing more -__-)

Ps; Just updated the Chinese and Korean lists--both the full lists and the short film lists :)
New titles, labels and pasted in short reviews from my other lists.
Tah-daah! ;D

Ah, I see :)

My absolute fav of the Chinese mini-mini ones, is "Red Balloon". It's just a beautiful little thing. :)

If you're not exclusively into Chinese stuff, check out the Korean and Thai stuff as well :) Several of the Korean mini series are absolutely awesome :) One of my absolute favs would be "Long Time, No see". Quite unique series... thriller-romance? :D It's great! Aboutish 5 short eps--but crazy solid for the lenght of the series. South Korea also has a treasure trove of qualitative short films. The mini-drama (about 8 eps of aboutish 10-15 minuters each) "Mr Heart" is quite adorable :) Light-weight, but super cute :)

As for Thai stuff--the quality varies immensely. Tons of mini-mini-dramas, shorts and specials. But the most crucial one, if you're okay with full length episodes, but not too many of them; do NOT miss "I Told Sunset About You". (5 episodes, I think). It may be Thai, but the storytelling and style is more typical of the Taiwanese BL gems.
Absolutely phenomenal. Best BL ever, IMO. It's amazing.

Japan also have quite a few. The first one that pops up in my head, is "Life - Senjou No Bokura", which is only four episodes, even if the eps are pretty much full lenght. Based on a lovely manga, and the drama is lovely, too :)

I guess it comes down to whether you're searching for a very short runtime--or if you're okay with longer episodes as long as there are only a few of them :)

I have different lists for all countries. Collection lists, short film lists + a huge ass Asian BL list. (About 750+ titles... lol...)

Check them out as well. The bigger lists are very up to date, I update them often. There are comments missing for quite a few, though. I try to add reviews and comments every now and then, though. The short film lists are NOT up to date... :S

In the cases where there are no reviews or comments--the ratings I've given the stuff I've actually watched, should at least give a pointer about whether I consider it worth while :)

I felt a little bit compelled to update the lists, I might just do that right now, since I'm too lazy to do anything productive right now...

You're very welcome ^^ I'm glad the lists come in handy for others. I'm kind of a "organizing freak" and love lists, so I would have made them either way, but it's nice to see that people appreciate them :)

I haven't updated the lists for shorts, for a while. I should, though... There are tons of new ones in the bigger lists for each country, just that I haven't gone through them and added them to the lists for shorts... But I've tried to add comments when adding new stuff to the lists, so many of the shorts in the big lists do have comments about them being short films. :) Not all of them, but many.

I do love short films, but I seldom end up watching them, since there's aaaaalways some drama I'm watching, and I tend to binge. And then mpve on to the next one...
I love looooooong series, because I never want them to end... So shorts are a minus for me in that way :)

You're welcome :) I'm glad my obsessions can come in handy for others :D

I actually finished it some weeks ago, but I haven't gotten as far as to update my total bashing (which was done after only one episode). I'm still not impressed, but it wasn't quite as bad as I feared. It holds nothing on the first season and I much prefer the very antagonistic start present in that one, for Tin & Can, but it still works.
But well... sequels seldom match the first installments in terms of quality... I can live with it--I never expect greatness from the "less serious" ones, anyway :) They're just a BL fix. And Thailand is almost always one or the other--silly junk or greatness :) (The latter is rare, but "I Told Sunset About You", really was one of the best Asian BLs to date...)

I'm really looking forward to sequel seasons for "My Engineer" and "2 Moons 2" (or, I guess that'll be "2 Moons 3"...) Two of the most pleasant surprises from past years, IMO. Quality-silly :)
Might not turn out as good as the first seasons, but it's usually better when it's a continous story that picks up where S1 ended.

Yeah, in English the manga has that extra bit to it's title so I just kind of use that term since the title is so excruciatingly long... lol... The Japanese title doesn't, though. The title in Japanese, literally is approximately "It seems one can become a witch/wizard if one is a virgin until 30 years old". (Mahou = magic.) I have no idea why the English title smacked the "cherry" in there with the rest of the translated title--even though we're talking a theme of "popping the cherry". :P

I'm older than you so yeah, I can have trouble relating to the silliest of the silly stuff, but I'm still too addicted to BL to be able to ditch stuff... haha
Or, well, there are titles that I've dumped, but they aren't very many. Even when I don't like stuff, I usually still watch it to the end to be able to trash it... :D

Contrary to you, I love looooong and slooooow stories and the ones I love the most, are the ones that are realistic in both plot and relationship development, but it all depends on my mood.

I saw one of the best (might actually be THE best) BLs I have ever seen, last weekend. The recently aired "I Told Sunset About You". I was absolutely blown away. Not just an amazing BL but an amazing drama, regardless of the sexual orientation of the MCs. I REALLY recommend it. It's not fluffy, but I can't NOT recommend it. It was that good.

But hmm... well... when going into adult MCs, the fluff isn't all that abundant. If the characters are adults, the stories are generally always more mature, too. (Which is a given, though...)
Many flicks and dramas might have cutesy stuff in them, but that overall light, sparkly feel isn't common. That's one of the reasons I like "Cherry Magic". The innocence bugs me (always does--I can take it if the characters are in, like, junior high. But when adults behave like elementary schoolers--it makes me roll my eyes. Make them behave their age... duhh...) but I want to see more adult characters and stories. I have an extreme weakness for high school-BL, but if I have to choose--I'll go for adult. (But I'm fond of the really heavy stuff and serious themes.)

Fluff, fluff, fluff... Hmmm... Have you watched "He's Coming To Me?" It's both super sad and super cute. I absolutely love it. (Which surprised me, since I usally detest supernatural stuff.) That's another one I can't recommend enough. I'd say that a big part of the reason for the cuteness overload--is Ohm, who's just about the fricking cutest thing on this earth. Demeanor and charisma--not (just) looks. The story is heavy (AND very light, which doesn't sound reasonable but it is) but the love part is so insanely adorable. Uni-age but the whole thing is very, very innocent. About emotional bonds and not so much "I'm so in love with you". Ahh... hard to describe. It's just great.

Another cute one that comes to mind is "Crossing the Line" from the "HIStory 2" installments. I prefer the two from "HIStory 3" but they're much heavier. "Crossing the Line" is just,... cute and feelgood. Yeah, it's high school--but it's one of those that just plasters a "damn-I-feel-good" smile on one's face. The other drama from "HIStory 2"--"Right or Wrong" is also very cute, but in a very different way. Love story between a teacher and student. (Very innocent and "legally correct" or what to call it...) Super mellow but super sweet.

Edit; Ah, I came to think of South Korean "Mr. Heart". Perhaps you'd enjoy that one? It's very short, very cute and very innocent. Uni setting but basically focuses only on sports. Enjoyable little cutesy thing :) Available in mini-drama as well as compiled movie version.

But haha, when I think about it--the mental shelves of my Asian BL-library are sparsely furnished with "older cuteness". (Though, Asian BL is pretty much 90 % teen/uni.) But I guess that's to be expected. Teen life is less bound by musts, work and everyday necessities--so it's harder to make that stuff as adorable and light... There really isn't anything quite like "Cherry Magic"--in terms of working adults but with a story following a blueprint for romcom shounen-ai. Even if "Ossan" has the same feel and general setting, it's still not close to that whole "pink and sparkly" thing.
If the characters are adults, 99 % of them contain (in varying degrees) heavy plot components, heartache, bawling and darkness... If I try to think about "my fav fluff", I'd say that they're almost exclusively teen-stuff. And some uni. Because there simply isn't very much else in Asia... :P
Since I usually don't like "just fluffy" (with some exceptions), I can't think of very many of those, even when aiming "youngsters". Hmm. I actually adored "My Engineer". I didn't think I was going to like it, but I did. It was so fricking cute that I couldn't resist loving it, even if I cringe at times when it's TOO fluffy and cheesy.

Well, like I said, it's more like--parts of stories are cute, but not the whole thing. Like in "Red Balloon", the "Ossan" dramas, and others. Or "Fathers"--where the relationship is very sweet but the plot itself is more serious.
You might like the "Ossan" dramas/movies, though. I'd recommend the first version of the drama. (It's bizarre, they've made exactly the same drama with the same actors, but different settings even though the plot is the same...) It's not close to as cutesy--or, rather, it IS cute but not in that... teenish way, but more... composed kind of way-- but it has that same feel as "Cherry Magic". I really enjoyed it :)

Haha, I almost feel annoyed at myself because I can't come up with at least some titles that match perfectly :D But when one tries to exclude things and just keep it super light and cute--almost every single title falls off the list... Especially so when I don't really like recommending stuff I don't like myself :P

:D You're welcome!
I also fell for it--hook, line and sinker. I watch everything, since I appreciate things for what they are. Whether they have true quality or they're pure entertainment. Sure, "Cherry Magic" isn't exactly pure awesomeness in terms of "class"--but it surely is... the kind of soothing fluff that makes one smile and giggle. :)

All countries have a different flavour and style to their stuff--and Japan, nowadays, sticks to the low-key stories--which is something I really appreciate. If you haven't seen "Life--Senjou no Bokura", I strongly recommend it. It's based on a lovely, lovely manga and it was a beautiful adaptation of it. It's nothing like "Cherry Magic", but I guarantee cuteness :) (And sadness, but I promise, it ends up very satisfying in the end.)

If you tell me what you're searching for, for further gorging in BL, I'd be happy to rec stuff :) I'm always happy when I get to fangirl and spread the Looove :D

Whoah. o__O
I got into my head that I wanted to watch the movie I mentioned (whether it was the one you were searching for, or not), I've been planning to, but haven't gotten around to it.
It takes a lot before I go "holy shit". This was pretty much more than that :D
Definitely not for the faint of heart. DAMN was that extreme...

Hey :)
Well, I recognize the theme from a few cliché BL mangas (which I can't remember the names of--I've read too many--but the only movie that comes to mind is "Sei no gekiyaku"? I haven't been able to get my paws on the movie yet, but I've read the manga and the plot is the same, at least as far as that component goes. That's pretty much the only movie I can think of :)
New flick, came out this year.

Thanks for the review--it sounds pretty much exactly like what I was expecting (or at least hoping for) from what the synopsis has hinted. I've been waiting for this one for a long time and your review got me even more hyped up :) These kind of flicks and dramas are far too rare... Even if I love BL, I want--and need--the serious gay themed stories as well. Even more rare are ones with a broader story and context, so I've really looked forward to this.

Can't wait for it to be available online. It's a shame--I would gladly pay to be able to watch new Asian titles via digital pay-per-view cinema, but it's so rare that it's virtually nonexistent...

Well, you sure seem to dislike it :)
Personally, I don't really care at all whether characters are likable or not, or if they even necessarily end up together at all. It would be seriously strange if there only were happy-go-lucky stories. Then I would quit reading entirely.
I care about a good and well-written story. Which "Complex" is.
The author has accomplished something pretty remarkable with that one--after the initial, rocky first few chapters. It's extremely well planned, executed and crafted--to tell a whole life in just four measly volumes, is quite an accomplishment.
And it's one of the best mangas I have ever read. (And I've read a couple of thousand of them...)
Definitely one of the best Japanese BL written, alongside MIzushiro Setona's "The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese", "Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai" and a few others.

"Complex" is just like life is--not black or white. I think it's one of the most beautiful love stories in BL ever. Finding your way back to each other is proof of stronger love than just surfing the easy street all the way, IMO.

But sure, if one just wants cute fluff without realism, then it's not a good pick and would leave the reader upset, in parts.

I love "Senjou no Bokura" as well. But it IS pretty much plagiarism of a very unique concept. But since the end result is good, I'm fine with the theft of the idea.

Ohhh... Irresistible comment! :D
I'm not very used to people actually wanting serious discussions on BL--since I've always been solo IRL in terms of being a fan, and also because most BL fans are either very young and therefore most often don't exactly ponder upon deeper aspects in the stuff they watch--or just don't care, as long as they get their fix...

As for the bows and thanks for the lists and thoughts--thank you and right back at you :)
I'm old enough to be a parent to many of today's fangirls/boys (ouch, that hurt even though I said it myself...) and I've devoured everything I can find, since I was 11 or 12... I'm definitely born a fangirl...
I clearly remember the first movie I ever saw which handled male gay relationships (British movie "Priest" from 1994--very good, btw) and I was completely mesmerized, without being able to explain why. (Since I'm female, I obviously wasn't enchanted because I was a male drawn to men). Until I was, like, 18--the assortment available, was very sparse and my collection of VHS tapes was quite modest (and worn-out from heavy use)... lol...
When I got older, I got fixated on Asia and discovered anime and Asian comics--and Asian BL...
I never stopped watching Western gay themed stuff (since we can't quite talk about "BL" in the West) but I tend to watch mostly Asian stuff overall--so naturally the BL, too. (And I admit that I have a very serious bias for Asian guys, so the eye candy is a huge plus...)

But I think a big reason is the fact that Asia has BL--and the West does not. I appreciate heavy themes--but I want the cute and fluffy as well. Silly romance and cheesy crap.

Which brings me to the thing you pointed out. I agree.
But I think there are quite a few reasons. The main one would be the fact that the Thai projects are often (generally, even) based on popular web novels--and the Japanese and Chinese (including HK and Taiwan) are usually not. If based on anything--they're usually adaptations of more "serious" works. (Excluded Chai Ji-Dan and some others...) Actual "literature". Web novels are mainly directed at a very young audience, and often written by very young authors. And those--often have a quite disturbing attitude and perception towards sex and what's okay and what's not.

And that's not just in Asia... I read a really disturbing report some years back--Swedish teens were interviewed about their attitudes to sex, rape and so on. And the replies made me cringe. Sweden is one of the most equal and liberal countries on Earth--yet kids here are regressing in values, perception and boundaries.
They were (crazy) advanced in terms of what "normal sex" is, and their attitudes to what defines rape--were scary. I could hardly believe how much boundaries and limits had changed during just 10-15 years or so.
You see the same thing in the comic culture. SM and super dark shit are becoming more and more normative in the standard assortment. I like that stuff. But I'm mature enough to understand it. And far from everything is okay. Some titles (that are really popular) are absolutely terrifying in what signals they send out.
I actually sent a very critical e-mail to SuBLime (publisher of BL manga) and questioned why the hell they chose to release "Caste Heaven". Which is an example of gratuitous violence/rape-porn. Their reply was that they have to go by what most fans want. Which was a reeeaaaally scary answer.

But if to go back to Thailand; that society is in a phase which is really paradoxal. On one hand, it's really open and very modern (if to go by the standards of the most liberal Western countries) in attitudes and freedom. On the other hand, the traditional values are still strong. And in such, misogynistic attitudes, are a given. And there comes the thing; BL is written by women, for women. The bottoms are women in disguise.
And therefore are treated as women.
Nowadays, the BL genre has expanded a lot (the comics and novels, which in turn are the foundation for the movies/dramas) and there are clear distinctions between yaoi and gay themed stories--the latter more of a definer for things that don't follow the standard BL blueprint. And this also shows in the movies and dramas, since those so often are based on comics and novels. (The BL boom in "moving pictures" is a new phenomenon in comparison to the steady popularity of the comic department of BL--so the present BL wave never really had the worst period of BL, that was all yaoi, yaoi, yaoi).
But at the same time--since the Thai BL boom in tv/movies is a young one--they've just started to get to the point where the projects get more diversity. I mean, as a producer for tv--you have to sell your product. And the web novels is what the audience wants to see.
But there are definitely options that handle stuff differently.

And when analyzing the recent stuff, you start to see changes. There was just no way that you would see switch couples before. Ever. Anywhere. In any country. I was really surprised to see that in "Why R U?" (And happy, because I'm grossed out by that particular set roles-trope.)
Another thing would be characters that are effeminate. You never really saw that in Thai BL before. They have obsessively gone for "real guy guys", but the diversity is much better now.
Before, you'd only see "pansies" in comedic relief-roles. Now we see them as MCs. Not that often, but still.
(However, I want my BL guyish. But I still think there needs to be room for everyone, because otherwise we'll never get rid of tropes.)
Thailand is also the only country that constantly shoves in talk about protection and makes it clear that gay sex isn't just "wham bam". (Super!)

Also--the whining "no, no, wait, no" thing is usually absent. And that's a very important thing.
Because even if "rape-to-romance" does occur, the "coaxing" is quite rarely seen in Thai BL and THAT is, by far, the most disturbing thing in BL as a whole, IMO. Because that's "kind-of-rape-in-disguise" and it's really scary how normative it is in BL comics and novels. Thai BL might have a lot of alpha male behavior, but when it comes down to sex, both parties usually are on the train, not one "rape-light";ing the other.

I actually don't quite agree with that--that rape and assault would be very common in Thai BL on the screen. In the novels, it definitely is, but usually it's cut from the dramas and movies.
There are several of the most popular dramas from the past few years, that are really heavily changed from their novel counterparts. There are dramas that feature it, in a nasty way to boot, but they aren't very many, IMO.
The bigger problem, as I see it, is the alpha male crap. It's demeaning and so fucking tiring. But that IS, on the other hand, the very root of the problems with equality in BL and what breeds plot themes that involve assault-in-disguise.

I'd say that one generally can sort Thai BL into a few compartments. The really heavy ones (not all that many, but there are some) which handle dark stuff in ways that depend on what the story is about. Then there are the super fluffy ones, which often are drenched in tropes--which is natural since those are adapted from pure BL novels (and most of them have a lot lacking in terms of any kind of realism).
Then there are a few that just are fairly realistic stories about normal guys. Stuff that reminds more of Chinese productions if to describe the feel.
The second pile makes up the majority, but among those one can still find titles that feature balanced, fairly realistic relationships without any of those disturbing components.

All in all, I think Thai BL present a much more positive outlook on LGBTQ and also IS changing society there. Thailand has long been one of--or probably THE best--place in Asia, to be LGTBQ, And that reflects in the themes of many of the stories told. China is one of the least accepting countries on earth and even if Taiwan is different--it still comes through in many of their productions. Japan isn't all that much better, even if it can't really be compared to the extremely rigid China, and Korea is quite surprisingly a nightmare, to be frank.
This will naturally show in many of the BL works produced.
You can't really get very many Chinese, Japanese or Korean BLs where you can even include being openly out, showing any public hints of being more than friends, etc. In Thai BL you can find that. Quite often, too.
For an example--you have coming out scenes in a shitload of them--which gives the opportunity to depict the process of being accepted (or, sometimes, rejected--but rarely so) by family and friends.
The relative openness of Thai society, gives room to handle all kinds of topics that are very, very rare in BL from China, Japan or Korea--simply because it's likely to happen in Thailand, but not very likely so in the latter countries.
This definitely is something very positive for all young gay kids watching the stuff.

So even if one might object to some aspects, there are positive and very important aspects to take into consideration, too :)


And, Oh--about "angsty"; I might have implied that I don't want to see that at all. That's not the case. On the contrary.
I just want room for everything. If we go back 10-15 years--you could hardly find any happy gay themed stories at all. They were all just angst, angst, angst and misery. Which was frustrating. There is a difference between handling heavy topics and showing the not-that-easy things to tackle--and wallowing in the aaaaawful fates of aaaalll the pooooor gay guys.
It really was like that back in the days. :S

Ooohhhh my gawd! Yes! I love this manga! (But I love the one it kinda' plagiarized--more. I.e. "Complex", by Manda Ringo. Which is absolutely amazing when one gets past a disturbing thing + the fugly, fugly, fugly art.)