Just BLs or generally gay-themed shows? Only Asia or are Western ones fine as well? And can you give me an idea…
By the way, I don't know if you just want TV series, but I have made a separate list for BL/LGBT films, and Ai no kotodama & No Touching At All, recommended below, are both films.
Just BLs or generally gay-themed shows? Only Asia or are Western ones fine as well? And can you give me an idea…
So, how many of the shows above have you seen? If not, those would obviously be my top recommendations! I'm with you on LITBC. But I can't shout enough about Old Fashion Cupcake or Mood Indigo. 180 Degrees is very good as well, but it does sag a bit in the middle. My friend here, FreshKicks, has a BL cut of Love is Science, which is perhaps my favourite gay love story on Taiwanese TV. (And they actually use the word "gay", which no TBL does.) And none of these are set in schools/universities. That said, I would recommend Gelboys, still on air and set in schools, very much.
I've put up reviews for most of the shows you mention -- so you can get an idea of my taste. Beyond this, I can recommend some old-school BLs, such as Ai no kotodama, No Touching At All, and Long Time No See. A lot of people love Utsukushii Kare and ITSAY, and think them both amazing. They are not to my taste, but are worth checking out.
Let me know if you want more specific recommendations!
With the caveat that this is still my favourite BL at the moment, and that it is miles above any Thai, Taiwanese or Korean BLs I've seen in a couple of years, with the sole exception of Love In The Big City (which I don't count as a BL), some thoughts, which I'm sure won't win me any friends:
[Spoilers ahead.]
1. I don't think the show is at all realistic, which is its greatest strength. What it is is evocative, capturing particular moods, feelings, and states of being that are the privilege and the pain of being young. It's just brilliant, and achingly accurate. 2. The acting , direction & cinematography continue to be brilliant. Leon is the breakout star for me. 3. The plot has, alas, become quite predictable. We know BuaBaabin was going to happen, and that there would be a crisis separating them before they got together in the finale. [It's possible, given that this is Boss, that no one gets together, which I'd be fine with, but I have unexpectedly fallen in love with Bua.] I also felt that, unlike the previous episodes, the ending didn't quite pack an emotional punch, perhaps because I don't understand why the two men would now be rooting for Fou4Mod, given his self-serving behaviour towards everyone. [I'm not judging Fou4Mod for who he is.] 4. The moments of intimacy between Bua and Baabin were glorious: my favourite part of the episode. 5. Baabin's character still feels undersketched, as does Bua's. But Leon makes the character fully alive thanks to his acting. 6. The past few episodes could have been 45 minutes, and tighter. The show feels a bit bloated at the moment.
This might be probably my last BL for a while. If so, I'm glad I'll be leaving it with a high.
I'm only half-way through Ep. 6, and I feel like I'm watching a sci-fi film -- in the best sense of the word. The idea of two boys having their nails gelled, and then playing footsies under the night sky in bright view of everyone else, is so far removed from my reality, even in one of the most liberal places in the world, that I'm convinced this show has nothing to do with realism: and thank heavens for that!
I’m loving this first episode. I don’t even care about the audio or CGI or whatever. I am glad to see another…
I'll be honest, I basically skipped straight to the Joss scene. And to think, he trapped all that thirst while emerging out of a pool... Coleridge would have been proud.
I adore Fluke. He's divine to look at. Yet, I don't think I have seen that poor stud move so much as a facial muscle in all the time he's been 'acting'... And while I do approve of his playing a bottom -- we all need more butch bottoms in our lives -- I still can't get over the fact that he's practically playing a teenager!
Hahaha. My friend, look at the last word of my review: "exPectorant". That should tell you everything! I wouldn't…
I took down the review for Gelboys. Some of the comments under my recent reviews, as well as nasty messages sent straight to my inbox, left me quite dispirited, and I realised that I didn't have it in me to finish that review. Also, it's a show I really like, and my experience with Love In The Big City is enough of a warning against reviewing shows I liked. Sigh. I know I have a loving & devoted readership here -- for which I'm grateful -- but sometimes, the meanness gets to me, and I admit I'm a fragile creature.
The film that I most recently watched, and thought a genuine masterpiece, was Happy Hour by Hamaguchi Ryūsuke. I can't recommend it enough. To think, it was all done through workshop & improvisation, with amateur actors...
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4 
3 
1 
I've put up reviews for most of the shows you mention -- so you can get an idea of my taste. Beyond this, I can recommend some old-school BLs, such as Ai no kotodama, No Touching At All, and Long Time No See. A lot of people love Utsukushii Kare and ITSAY, and think them both amazing. They are not to my taste, but are worth checking out.
Let me know if you want more specific recommendations!
[Spoilers ahead.]
1. I don't think the show is at all realistic, which is its greatest strength. What it is is evocative, capturing particular moods, feelings, and states of being that are the privilege and the pain of being young. It's just brilliant, and achingly accurate.
2. The acting , direction & cinematography continue to be brilliant. Leon is the breakout star for me.
3. The plot has, alas, become quite predictable. We know BuaBaabin was going to happen, and that there would be a crisis separating them before they got together in the finale. [It's possible, given that this is Boss, that no one gets together, which I'd be fine with, but I have unexpectedly fallen in love with Bua.] I also felt that, unlike the previous episodes, the ending didn't quite pack an emotional punch, perhaps because I don't understand why the two men would now be rooting for Fou4Mod, given his self-serving behaviour towards everyone. [I'm not judging Fou4Mod for who he is.]
4. The moments of intimacy between Bua and Baabin were glorious: my favourite part of the episode.
5. Baabin's character still feels undersketched, as does Bua's. But Leon makes the character fully alive thanks to his acting.
6. The past few episodes could have been 45 minutes, and tighter. The show feels a bit bloated at the moment.
This might be probably my last BL for a while. If so, I'm glad I'll be leaving it with a high.
When Baabin says “your face looks funny” to Bua early in the episode, it makes no sense. Does he mean “your face looks cute” or something like that?
https://kisskh.at/profile/sasameyuki1950/review/432550
I adore Fluke. He's divine to look at. Yet, I don't think I have seen that poor stud move so much as a facial muscle in all the time he's been 'acting'... And while I do approve of his playing a bottom -- we all need more butch bottoms in our lives -- I still can't get over the fact that he's practically playing a teenager!
The film that I most recently watched, and thought a genuine masterpiece, was Happy Hour by Hamaguchi Ryūsuke. I can't recommend it enough. To think, it was all done through workshop & improvisation, with amateur actors...