Bambikill

Yeah, I started out with one list but it just grew and grew and people were asking if I had recs for movies and dramas from specific countries--some have such a strong preference that it's more like a rule with few exceptions.
Then I decided to separate the shorts as well, because the main list grew to such proportions that I couldn't even keep tabs myself...

I know what you mean... :D My imDb, MDL, MAL--and to some extent, Youtube--lists have snowballed completely out of control and I some stuff just get lost in the mountains of "ohhhh, I wanna watch that!"s... haha
(But without lists--there is no way that I could remember even a fraction of what I have seen and want to see. I have trouble keeping track of what I have seen--even WITH lists. That's what a life-long abuse of BL gives you...)

But never-ending lists are kind of good at this time, right... We have a good excuse (or, well, more like it's necessary) to lock ourselves up with a shitload of BL and binge away. (But it would be a hell of a lot nicer if the world actually was in a state where one couldn't do that...)
I notice it in the amount of messages I've gotten lately, with people asking for recs or looking for certain titles--I don't think I've gotten this many messages in total, in all the years I've had a MDL account--as I've gotten during the past month or so...
Not that I complain, I'm happy to get to babble away about BL without people rolling their eyes and running away screaming... lol

I actually only recently realized how much shorts have popped up on Youtube, which is awesome. Shorts have always been so tricky to find and get access to. Fansubber pages have had a good assortment during the past years, but Youtube is much smoother in stream.

The assortment of dramas and movies on Youtube, has also grown huuuuuge. Before, one could only find the pop stuff and the classics. Now one can find the smaller productions, too.

I'm impatiently waiting for some dramas, I have a hard time focusing on shorts or movies right now--I tend to want to binge dramas when I start watching, so I've been piling up a couple of the currently airing Thai ones, but there are many others I'm waiting for. I have no idea whether the Covid-19 situation will effect filming, but I think most of the "crucial" ones are already done with the filming part. (Ugh, I feel awful worrying about whether I get my BL fixes, but one has to have something to look forward to...)

You're welcome ^^

Well, I hope you can find stuff you like in the list :) I've tried to comment/review the stuff I find particularly good (or bad). I get a bit carried away when writing so the rants become long, but I hope that they could give pointers for people who are browsing for something that might interest them.

Thailand is my fav country for BL, overall--even if one can find good stuff from every Asian country. (Of the ones included on MDL. I don't know much about Filipino stuff, though. Nor from any other country in Asia.) Taiwan shares the spot with Thailand, though. China (mainland) has a few good titles, but not that many, due to their disgusting ban on LGBTQ content...

If BL from other Asian countries interests you, I have a bunch of other lists--of which the collected Asian BL/Gay list is pretty huge. (600+ titles.)

I'm a severe abuser of BL/Gay themed stuff, so I'd say that the list is pretty complete. Though, there are a bunch of titles I've come across here and there online, that I haven't been able to include, since they aren't added to MDL. (And I'm too lazy to start adding titles to the DB... :P)

Unless it's in Uni setting, since long pants (usually black but not all schools have black as a requirement) is the standard university uniform for Thai schools that have a dress code. (Most schools do, but probably not all). But on the other hand, a t-shirt wouldn't be okay if it WAS a school with uniform requirement.

I can only remember two Thai dramas where high school kids wore long pants. "Great Men Academy"--where they had blazer style uniforms, but that one is pretty much fantasy... The other one is Water Boyy, but those uniforms are also super-weird mixes of tracksuit/uniform style.
(Actually, I get unsure whether the drama was supposed to be high school or uni setting. The movie was in high school setting but I can't remember any uniforms at all from that one... I think it was tracksuits. But it's a sports school, so...)
There are strange uniforms with long pants, in some other random dramas but those are all in uni setting, from what I can recall.

Chinese schools have diverse dress codes, usually tracksuits but if they have suit style uniforms, they're usually blazer style. Korean styles seem to vary as well, but generally the same blazer style as Japan or China. I think I've seen Gakuran style in some Chinese title, but I'm not sure.

But if the shirt was a tee and not a buttoned shirt, my best guess would be
Japan, since a tee is usually the norm for guys to wear underneath the jacket, if worn with a Gakuran style uniform. If the jacket happened to be off in that scene, it might be a Japanese drama/movie.
Less likely, but possible, would be China, because they're more likely to have schools completely free from dress code. I have the impression that more or less all Korean schools are more rigid, like Japanese ones. Blazer style seems to be the norm there.

But the OP's request was too random for any bells to ring in my memory. Could be any title... Usually clues like clothing, environment or other visuals can help but in this case, it was a bit too vague.

Btw, I created two other lists, but they aren't very comprehensive, yet. One for titles based on novels and comics--and one for BL titles I think are essential for one reason or another. If you happen to have missed out on some of them, there might be some recs for you :)

I've been on a roll with the updates :P Mostly because I need to update myself on what's new so I don't miss out on stuff--my memory is seriously crappy so lists are crucial for me, otherwise I don't remember the stuff I want to watch.
The main list is at 581 titles as of right now, just threw in a couple more, and the other lists have grown to 4-5 times the previous size, so there is a lot. I'm planning on trying to check out Filipino stuff when I've worked myself through a bigger part of the Thai/Chinese things I have yet to watch, but I really have no clue about other Asian countries, so that'll have to wait.

Japan... well... considering that I'm a complete Japanophile, study Japanese and have devoured BL for so long that most of today's fans were still in diapers when I started--I, of course, can't help but to love it :) But TBH, I do consider most Japanese BL to be utter crap. Some of that crap I do love, but when you start going back pre-2015 or so--I don't have much good to say in terms of quality. HOWEVER--some of the dramas from the past couple of years, are excellent.

BL kind of died in Japan, or at least went into a semi-comatose state, but after the gargantuan Thai BL-explosion post-2015, and the steady trickle of high quality Chinese (mainly Taiwan, of course), Japan seems to have changed their attitude a bit. I'm excited to see that they are choosing a different path than Thailand and China, since that means that we get a very broad assortment.
Thailand, of course, rules the market in both abundance and production budgets--and just throw out one title after another in the category of lighter entertainment. China keeps it more realistic with their HIStory-installments and little gems of short webdramas.

Japan's decision to revive their BL production seems to go more narrow--low-key stuff like "Hana wa Saku Ka?" (okay, the flick wasn't all that with a cherry on top, but it's an interesting choice for a manga to adapt, since Hidaka's stories are so... mellow and simple. I'm a big fan of her works) or the bunch of great, simple dramas like "Kinou nani Tabeta?", "Fujoshi, Ukkari Gei ni Kokuru" or "Ossan's Love". But what excites me above all; the darker and heavier. And I love it. Starting with the bold decision to film "Double Mints", it just gets stranger and darker. "Pornographer" and "Indigo no Kibun" impressed the hell out of me on so many levels.
Upcoming--some dark SM thingy (haven't read the manga) and of course "The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese" (I literally died when I found out) or just a strange (but much appreciated) choice like "Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru"...

As you say; enjoyment doesn't have to be narrow. I can love some shitty, simple B-production because of some reason whatever it might be--and if they manage to achieve what the piece is intended to be; it can deserve a high rating just as well as some superb stuff that makes one gawk in awe.
A thing like before mentioned "Pornographer"/"Indio no Kibun" for example. It depends on my mood and as long as it's guy-on-guy, I'll pretty much everything. But my ratings will be according to quality. :)

I think I love Thai stuff the most and this is simply because
1) Thai society and attitudes are more allowing--thus also allowing for less angst, pain and misery. There is more room for happiness. Painful is rewarding, but I want to see light stuff, too. Plus--no matter how much I love Japan--I can't even imagine the horror of living there. I would fit in as well as a street thug in an English boarding school...
Thailand is much more close to my country in terms of relatability with stuff.
2) Thai actors and TV are brave (like, seriously so...) Japan seldom (with a few OMG DID THEY JUST SHOW THAT???) shows anything that seems even remotely real.
3) They produce a LOT.

Chinese stuff I love because they often choose more realistic stories, something that isn't that common in Thai BL/Gay themed stuff. Real life, anchor to reality not just from a LGBTQ perspective but including society and the world as a whole. Also, more raw feel to acting, stories and directing. Not so glossed up.

Ahh :) I like the language but I definitely do not need to add more to the mix, my head is already messed up with too many languages and writing systems. I want to get further in my Japanese before I start taking my Thai seriously and then after that I'd want to go for Chinese, but considering the head-ache the Japanese writing and the tongue-twisting Thai is giving me--I'll save further language plans for a rainy day -__- (Though, being able to read some Japanese, does give a huge advantage if to move on to Chinese. It's so bizarre... One can read some Chinese and know what it means, but can't say/understand it verbally :D)
But my brain picks up stuff unintentionally, so I have some Korean vocabulary whether I want to, or not :P

There are several titles that would translate well to a movie, like. I'd die to see "Killing Stalking" in a movie version, because if made right--it would be absolutely awesome. It's written and drawn in a way that would adapt perfectly to the screen. But there are other, non gay-themed thriller ones, that would make for great movies, too.

I've seen a few Korean darker gay-themed flicks but they're usually pretty disturbing and depressing. Also seen a few on a lighter note, that could be called BL rather than just "gay themed"--those are in my list--I don't remember titles since they unfortunately weren't good enough to register permanently in my memory :P
I saw one movie the other day that I'd been putting off for several years and then forgot all together. That one has kissing, fairly graphic such, too :) Sure, it's pretty much a clean comedy, but the relationship nor their kissing is treated in a comical way. (However, that one bed scene... lol... but it wasn't making fun of the characters, just the situation... I think that flick treated the LGBTQ respectfully, for most part :)
"Two weddings and a funeral". :) It was rather good, IMO.

Next Korean one will be "Tropical Night", since it popped up subbed the other day, at Gcinee. I have no clue what to expect but it seems dark--and has a very high rating.

I have ADD... ;D lol... which is why I prefer dramas to movies, in general. Then I'll usually be able to keep my full attention at the screen for the runtime, then do something else for a while in case I get antsy :P (Though, the ADD is also what makes me obsessive about things, so usually I binge the dramas--causing me to lose focus on everything ELSE :P)
But I usually watch everything I can find in a genre/theme that interests me--movies or dramas. I have too much time on my hands so I spend a huge amount of time with Asian tv and cinema :P

But as far as non-Korean BL goes, I could give you a tip if I knew what you like/not like. Though, I have no idea--perhaps you are as bad an addict as I am, and already watched everything :D haha
(I've watched so much through many years, that I have no clue which ones I HAVE watched, and not... so I'm trying to go through my lists and sort out if I've actually watched some stuff, or not...)

Oh, I'm sure they will, it'll just take some time :)

I remember the start of it all in Thailand, with "Hormones" paving way and then suddenly "Love Sick" became the super hit it was. And then the ball started rolling... :) Before that, LGTBQ wasn't really all that accepted as a normal part of Thai tv entertainment.
The first years after that, most what was done was crap--mostly just pure fanservice, but then the producers started hunting for stories among online novels, and they've dug up many good ones.
It's crazy--I haven't counted but I think there are, like, 30 BL dramas/movies airing/will be released, in Thailand, this year. o__O
Taiwan also have a bunch, but nowhere near as many.
It's been like that for several years now, and it just grows and grows.

Korea does produce quite a lot of gay themed/BL shorts, but not very many full-length movies--and those that are released are usually dark, artsy indie stuff that definitely don't appeal to everyone.
Actual BL titles are veeeery scarce.
Unfortunately, it'll probably take a long time before that changes, considering Korea's nasty view on LGBTQ :S Japan is harsh, but Korea is worse. (Let's not even talk about China...)
Too bad, since there are a shitton of Korean webtoons that would make for awesome movies or dramas. But most of the best ones are so dark that I doubt there are many who'd have the guts to take on such projects considering the gay factor--even if Korea rules the world in terms of dark thrillers.

I'm not a big fan of Korean cinema/tv, though. I worship their thrillers but otherwise, I prefer China, Japan and Thailand for tv and movies. I think I'm just closer to those cultures and languages :) (I study Japanese and dabble in Thai.)

You can take a look at my Asian BL-list if you want to have a huge checklist... (575 titles... lol...) (Thailand, China, Korea.)

Yeah, exactly. I have it in my list but can't think of the title right now. I don't mind the theme if done correctly, but it's likely one of those gratuitous gross mangas it's adapted from, rather than one of the ones with some brains...

Thai BL has really changed during the years since the start of the boom, aboutish 2014. I've followed it with delight, since it just gets better and better, IMO :) There is a lot of crap too, but IMO, at least half of the best BL made, is Thai. (The rest is Taiwanese.)
But it's pretty logical that the quality gets better--the craze just keeps growing, there is money in the industry, more productions get the chance to see the light.

And the diversity is starting to become quite big. Everything from the most shallow fanservice junk--to really well-made productions with good stories. Last year saw two of the best BLs ever, IMO. "He's Coming To Me" and "TharnType".
"Love By Chance" is very good, too. And the ongoing "Until We Meet Again" is of very high quality. And "Together With Me" is absolutely great, IMO. That one is without a doubt the best Thai BL overall--thanks to great acting and a good balance between realism and the "prettied up" BL.
That one and "TharnType" are my absolute favs when it comes to "not-all-dead-serious" BL dramas. TharnType might be called stupid, but it's absolutely solid and extremely entertaining. Not to mention hot, cute, romantic and well acted for most part.
I'd say that Thailand keeps it within the framework of romance and some comedy even when the themes are heavier, while China mostly keeps to much more serious stuff--which is perfect, IMO :D The best of both worlds. There are many Chinese (mainly Taiwanese) ones that are reeeeaaaally good. I like both heavy and light. :)
Though, Thailand shoves in Gay themes in every drama nowadays, so you can find gay couples in thrillers and action and what-not.

I do enjoy some of the more stupid Thai BLs too, for one reason or another. I think the ongoing "Why R U?" is really, really stupid, but I enjoy the series' shameless bashing and making fun of the BL fandom :D

I have never seen a perfect BL, there are always flaws in every single one, but if one picks and chooses between titles--Thailand is my favourite country for BL, because of the ever-increasing production quality, shitton of good actors and diversity in titles created :)

I don't think Japan has managed very well in BL at all... They used to be the only place to go to, if not counting Western gay-themed stuff (but we don't really have "real" BL here...) but I've never held any of the productions in high esteem, really.
But now it seems there is a shift and I think Thailand and China (or, well, Taiwan mostly...) are to thank for that. Japan is putting some money into gay-themed stuff again, and they're choosing an interesting path, IMO. Choosing titles that are far from the light-weight stuff they used to spit out. Like this one, or Double Mints, or the upcoming (don't remember the name and haven't read the manga but it seems really dark). And also their dramas from the past years, that are really nice and totally a breath of fresh air.
("Kinou nani Tabeta", "Fujoshi, Ukkari Gei ni Kokuru", "Ossan's Love".)

I love Thai BL and Chinese BL because they have gotten far in terms of quality and diversity, but I'm hoping that I might feel that way about Japan too :)
But still--I love some Japanese stuff even though it's utter crap :) As long as one takes it for what it is, it's okay to love junk, too :D

:D You pretty much took the words out of my mouth and nailed exactly the issues I had with "Double Mints".

I love the movie because I still can't believe they actually chose THAT one to adapt to a LA--I love dark and twisted stories and Nakamura Asumiko is one of my absolute fav mangakas, so I can't NOT love the movie.

But yes, I do find a shitton of flaws in it. As you say--the air and feel was captured really well by both the actors, the directing, the music and attention to detail. But it could have been even darker and I agree on that it was mostly because of the fact that they tidied up their relationship a bit too much and therefore lost some of the thing that's the very core in Nakamura's story; we're SUPPOSED to have to struggle to fully understand them and their relationship because it IS fucked up. Sure, I like seeing Bad Mitsuo a bit nicer, because it's cute--but I prefer the complexity of the characters in the manga.

And YES--the cut out sex scene bugs me because it makes no sense. The BJ scene is a thousand times more explicit and provocative in content, in both the manga and movie--even with the discreet portrayal in the movie. Though, thank God they didn't leave that out because I think it's really important for showing more of their relationship dynamics.
As for graphic content--yes, the same goes for the rape scene. It was absolutely awful so it was very well done, IMO, but it's questionable why the "negative" sexual content is included on the expense of the more positive such--which is what balances and evens out a lot of their interaction in the manga, on many levels.
No news there, though... Doesn't it always turn out like that :S

I do, however, think that the rape scene works well and does give another layer to the story, but the unfair balance pisses me off too.

Haha :D I never bash other people's opinions, because they ARE opinions and not truths :) It would be boring if there was never anything to discuss/disagree on movies/dramas/comics/novels/whatever. I mean, people visualize and interpret things differently when reading/watching something--so of course people will consider adaptations more/less "correct" :)

I think most Japanese BLs are fairly true to the manga on which they are based, even though some stuff are usually changed or cut short. Sometimes the changes can f*uck up the story a bit, since things I consider important might be left out. There isn't a single one that I consider to be a truly good movie, though. Not in the BL department, at least. But I still like some of them, whether I think they're good adaptations or not :) But the only ones I keep rewatching are "Double Mints", "Doushitemo..." and "Seven Days". They all have a bunch of flaws that make them less than perfect as movies, and some crucial things are lacking in the first one especially--but overall, these are titles that I think catch the mangas fairly well. For most part. I thought "Hana wa Saku ka" was okay--but that was mostly because the production was very good if compared to earlier dramatized Japanese BL.

But then again; how much I will like the adaptations depends on how much I love the manga. If it's a super fav of mine, I will watch whatever chap is made in movie/drama version--just to see it "live".

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to "Ten Count", too. :) The manga isn't THE best out there, but I still rate it a strong 8 overall. I, of course, also own the manga ;P I'm thrilled about the more daring choices the anime producers are going for recently.
Sure, I enjoy cheesy/stupid/light-weight stuff too, but I miss the more serious titles in both manga and anime. Very few of my favourite mangas are published in English :S

Btw, if you watched "Banana Fish" (another oldie fav of mine so I loved that they made an anime adaptation--and a good one, to boot), the director is the same as for "Saezuru..." and also involved are other staff from BF, so it should turn out great.

Tokyopop volumes doesn't ring a bell, precisely since they don't publish in English anymore, so I'm likely thinking about "Sekaiichi..." since I haven't paid close attention but just seen them in webshops in passing by when browsing around for other stuff. Probably just kind of registered in the back of my head as "Nakamura series, new volume."

Yeah, I practically died when it was announced last year... Oh, I mean anime, of course. But if one likes comics, I'd assume one likes anime, too :) And when it's a title one loves, I think even someone who doesn't usually watch it, would.
Since it's a cinema movie release, it's likely to be very toned down, but I don't mind as long as they keep the innuendoes and make it clear what happens, whether one sees it or not. Anything else would wreck the story. I was surprised to hear that this title was chosen to be adapted into an anime, but it's a new company and they seem to go for edgier stuff than the standard light-weight romcoms.
I'd guess it takes a while before it's out subbed, but I've waited a year so I can wait some more ^^
The feel in the trailers and teasers is great, it feels gritty and gloomy and the art is true to Yoneda's angular style.
The second installment was announced the other day, too.

Another surprising choice for an anime adaptation was "Ten Count". Even if the story as a whole isn't that explicit, the parts that ARE, are very much so, right... But that's going to be a series so they'll probably have much more leeway. I think it's supposed to air late this year. Perhaps winter 2020/2021.

Hmm but Junjou Romantica... aren't they published and readily available? I have no clue, I wouldn't buy it--but I admit that I do still read it, even if I usually bash it... lol... Maybe I'm thinking of "Sekaiichi..:" since that one publishes.
Yeah, tell me about it (about "Saezuru...") I'll regret for a long time that I didn't buy them when I had the chance. When I intended to--they were impossible to find. I was incredibly lucky to find at least ONE volume second-hand online, I was the quickest to press "buy" :P
I don't get it, it's one of the most sought after series second-hand, why does Juné put off a reprint? I think it was spring 2018 when I asked about it and the staff replied that the reprint is planned, but not scheduled. Why not just sell the rights then... However, it'd be sad if the manga got SuBLime's fugly design, since the Juné ones are pretty.
Though, at least they tidied up the design for the Scarlet Beriko and Seven Days volumes, they don't have that ugly white spine.

BL is big in Germany, Italy and France and seems to be quite popular in Poland, but that doesn't help me very much :D I know French but I want my comics in English and/or Japanese. Not that my Japanese is good, I don't understand more than, like, 20-30 % of what I'm reading. I have "Gravitation" in Swedish, those are hilariously ugly and it feels ridiculous to read it in my own language... It's an ancient print from when people over here actually read a bit of Asian comics.

I didn't know that Net Comics still publishes. I only have one series from them--"Let Dai", but there I have another problem. For some very mysterious reason, you can't find volume 3 in Sweden. Nor Europe, it seems... All other volumes I can buy from any webshop, for, like, 10-12 USD, but volume ... nope.
I've been thinking about ordering it from Amazon US but the shipping and customs charges will add about 30 USD to the price of the manhwa :S Uhhhhh...
But the gap in the row is so annoying!
I've also had problems finding the last volume of "Fake", I found all the others used from the UK on Ebay UK, (and super cheap, too) but for some reason, volume 7 seldom shows up and if it does--it's always expensive. Bleh.

Overall, there are many titles that are hard to find and it's crazy annoying when you have one or two volumes of a series. I've never been able to find vol 2 and 3 of "Junjou", not even when I bought volume 1, like a thousand years ago.

OH! I assume you know that the "Saezuru.." movie was released yesterday? :) I can't wait to see it, whenever that might happen.

Yeah, Juné owned the rights to "Seven Days" but they were sold out fast and since then, they've been impossible to find. SuBLime apparently bought the rights since they released a double volume recently :) (Which I, of course, already own ;D)
SuBLime is a bit "hit/miss" IMO. Half of the titles are great, the other half is pure junk. But I guess they have to try to keep it fairly mainstream as to have a big market.
I'm excited about the upcoming releases of "Given" though :D
The tiny "One Peace" publishing company releases "Hidamari ga Kikoeru", very pretty editions too. (Of course they are in my collection :P)

The SuBLime titles here are pretty much in the same price range as they are in the US, since the publisher is quite big and most releases are pretty new, if comparing to older companies that used to be quite big. But older titles from different publishers, can costmore than twice as much, since they're hard to come by :S

Juné titles are always more expensive, since you can hardly find the new releases. I want Juné's recent re-prints of Yoneda Kou's "Doushitemo..." and "Soredemo..." but no webshop in Sweden sells them and the shipping from the US is soooo expensive :S I'm sure I'll miss out on them this time, too--couldn't get my hands on them at the last printing -__-
Not to mention "Saezuru..." I managed to get my dirty paws on vol 2 on Ebay UK (and "only" had to pay twice the original price...), but the others are impossible to find if one doesn't want to pay, like, up towards 80-100 USD each... eh... no way. Juné told me a couple of years ago that they were going to reprint them, but so far, no news :S

I've ordered some stuff directly from Japan, and they're cheap, but the shipping charges are awful. I checked recently what it'd cost me to order all the "Saezuru..." volumes. The manga would cost me aboutish 40 USD--the shipping... about 70 USD o__O

Depends on what one likes. I prefer heavy, dark, psychological stuff and serious stories--although I read cutesy stuff, too :) I've devoured a shitton of BL through maaaaaany years, so my taste has changed and developed a lot, even though I still read the "pop-crap" as well. The style of stories has really changed during the last 5 years or so, which is awesome, IMO. Much deeper and well written stuff.
If I'm to guess, I've probably read up towards, or over, 1000 BLs if counting one shots and crap--and of those, I think just 10 % or so, breach a 7 rating for me...

So I'm picky, but I'll watch pretty much any BL filmed, since it's been such a small genre for so many years. But the last few years, it's really exploded. I could literally ditch watching everything apart from BL, my watchlist is so huge :D Heaven. <3
(573 titles on my "Asian BL" list. Of which I've only watched, like... aboutish 250 or so...)

Really? SuBLime's webpage claims that it won't be released in print, I've just assumed that it meant "not at all--previously nor later". Interesting. I would have liked to own them in physical copies, Yamashita is one of my all time fav mangakas.

Comics are REALLY expensive in my country (Sweden) so I can't afford to buy even a fraction of all the ones I want, but I buy the ones I can't live without. Annoyingly enough, this damn country has no interest in comics overall--except a small market for artsy Western stuff. So; no possibility for second-hand purchases, either :( I was lucky a couple of years ago and just happened to stumble over a big lot of BL, I got like 60+ of Junés older titles, for... aboutish 50-60 USD :D (YAY!)

I'm hoping that the movie releases of certain titles might encourage SuBLime (or others) to release the ones by Mizushiro Setona, since they've never been licensed in English. (For some incomprehensible reason...)

Yeah, do that. It's so painful--but so worth it. It's still in my Top 10 ever, even after all the years since its release. And I've read literally 1000+ BLs...

I get what you mean by having a preference to read/watch first,
I think it differs from person to person :) I'm exactly the opposite, unless I happen to watch something and then realize that there is a novel/comic behind it. I feel that it kind of gives me a further understanding and insight into the characters and their actions. (Although, since I rewatch and reread everything a gazillion times, that doesn't really matter in the end... I discover new things at every watch/read...)

I seldom get hung up on small stuff like "her eye colour is wrong", or "he should be taller", or whatever, but sure--if they change reeeaaally big details, it's annoying. Sometimes it's exusable, if the production simply demands that some stuff is altered in order to make the movie/drama work, but at other times, it's like "WHY?"

Late reply, but; I haven't updated the lists for, like, forever. I started, then I got lazy and ditched the projects. But I've just updated my all-countries-list and it grew to massive proportions... There you'll find a shitton of Japanese ones (plus other countries). I'll be updating the lists separated by country, when I have the energy. (Added, like, 200+ titles to the main list during the last couple of days... :P)

I loved "Make Our Days Count", I'm not one of those who can't watch sad stuff. (That one kind of broke me a little bit, though. Won't rewatch it for a while, then I'll just end up miserable... I like a ton of different styles of BL/Gay theme stuff, though. Everything from MODC and "Trapped", to "TharnType" or "Love By Chance", to "Gay OK Bangkok", to "Ossan's Love", and what not. Depends on what I want to watch. :)
I judge by intention, I don't compare stuff like "Make It Right" with something like "Farewell My Concubine"--I mean, that's just not fair, right :)

The manga on which this is based is absolutely amazing, one of the best BL ever written. I'm always suspicious when watching an adaptation, but I keep in mind that they are two different works and that the two seldom align perfectly in interpretation and/or result. Most dramatizations of some of my favourite BL, have turned out mediocre or crappy, but it doesn't make me all that disappointed, really. I'm just happy to see them filmed, whether they're awesome or not :)

This might turn out as a poor adaptation, who knows, but the story is so heavy and complex in emotional layers, that I doubt that anyone would take on the project if they are not very serious and determined to make a real effort to portray it well.

If you don't want to read the manga before the movie, I at least STRONGLY recommend that you read it afterwards, because it's one of those that are absolutely essential.