I will be eternally confused with Korea being overtly conservative and still producing a lot of BL content. How…
Quite easily. They looked at Japan and Thailand, and realised that there's a lot of money to be made.
KBL first started with very small productions and limited budget -- stuff like Long Time No See, mainly produced by and for gay people -- and then, when it became obvious that there was a large, straight, female audience around the world for love stories involving two (or more) men, certain pioneering producers of course wanted to go for that pink Won.
Then, young idols realised that this was a way to reach their female (and in some cases, gay male) fan-base, and agreed to star in BLs to boost their careers. (As long as you don't ask them to kiss. That's where the conservatism kicks in, you see.) Furthermore, I imagine, women writers in Korea (speaking purely demographically here) realised that they could get the same kick and profit from writing out their fantasies involving gay men -- so long as you don't use the word 'gay' itself -- that their Japanese, Chinese, or Thai counterparts did. Why confine yourself to AO3 when someone would make it a TV series?
The stage was set, and KBLs, as we know them today, were born. Then the KBL assemly line was set up, and they produce a show or two every month that follow a very rigid set of rules -- just like an IKEA instruction manual -- to the letter. (You may find some of these rules here: https://kisskh.at/profile/sasameyuki1950/review/397360). Since the factory was first built, KBL has seen very little need to tweak its formulae or its components -- as it has worked very well for the producers and the idols, and it rakes in the profits. Some of us spoil-sports grumble about the staleness of the product; but people still eat it up. It's like candy floss, you know it is nutritionally empty, but it is sweet, and you can't get enough of it.
Of course, one must remember that BL is a niche community, and within that niche, it is both popular and profitable. But if you try and appeal to the mainstream -- or worse, if you dare to actually use the word 'gay', dare to show men kissing or having sex, or dare to talk about what it is like to live as a gay man in Seoul, say -- you will feel the full brunt of Korea's virulent homophobia. (Look up what happened to Nam Yoon Su when the trailer for Love In The Big City was released.)
And there you have it: BL is a small, self-contained, and predominantly straight commodity, catering to a predominantly straight audience. And it is profitable.Just, you know, 'don't say gay'.
P. S. Yes, I am a gay man, yes, I am cynical, yes, my observations are tongue-in-cheek, and yes, you should take my comment with a big pinch of salt. I don't think I'm far off the mark, though.
So, we've got a demure softboy at the centre, with a wimp, a monster, and a kook all interested in him. Why... I cannot for the life of me imagine where this is going! Can you?
there will be an upcoming Taiwanese BL called Secret Relationship*https://kisskh.at/782422-secret-relationshipand…
And I hear that there's a Thai BL coming up called 'Relationship Secret', a JBL called 'Relationship Secrets', and, of course, a censored same-sex bromance called 'What Relationship'?
Prediction: Given that Da On and Seong Hyeon start out as "enemies", I'm willing to bet that they are endgame. The fact that SH is shown as maladroit and without fashion sense is, of course, not at all an unsubtle way of coding him as the good'un.
Tall hot people are evil. We're agreed on that, right?
I don't think that any new BL could ever excel Unforgotten Night. That was so bad, that it truly became entertaining…
You know, I agree. I still think about that bodyguard threesome sometimes... which came out of nowhere, and which was never followed up again. That's true gay representation.
I'll say it: this is the best thing that's happened to me all year. I love this series. It's awful. But the main…
Hmmm. I don't know what that first sentence says about you, or about this series. But... since it's rated so low, surely it has to be doing something right? I'm going to check it out.
10 
4 
3 
1 
KBL first started with very small productions and limited budget -- stuff like Long Time No See, mainly produced by and for gay people -- and then, when it became obvious that there was a large, straight, female audience around the world for love stories involving two (or more) men, certain pioneering producers of course wanted to go for that pink Won.
Then, young idols realised that this was a way to reach their female (and in some cases, gay male) fan-base, and agreed to star in BLs to boost their careers. (As long as you don't ask them to kiss. That's where the conservatism kicks in, you see.) Furthermore, I imagine, women writers in Korea (speaking purely demographically here) realised that they could get the same kick and profit from writing out their fantasies involving gay men -- so long as you don't use the word 'gay' itself -- that their Japanese, Chinese, or Thai counterparts did. Why confine yourself to AO3 when someone would make it a TV series?
The stage was set, and KBLs, as we know them today, were born. Then the KBL assemly line was set up, and they produce a show or two every month that follow a very rigid set of rules -- just like an IKEA instruction manual -- to the letter. (You may find some of these rules here: https://kisskh.at/profile/sasameyuki1950/review/397360). Since the factory was first built, KBL has seen very little need to tweak its formulae or its components -- as it has worked very well for the producers and the idols, and it rakes in the profits. Some of us spoil-sports grumble about the staleness of the product; but people still eat it up. It's like candy floss, you know it is nutritionally empty, but it is sweet, and you can't get enough of it.
Of course, one must remember that BL is a niche community, and within that niche, it is both popular and profitable. But if you try and appeal to the mainstream -- or worse, if you dare to actually use the word 'gay', dare to show men kissing or having sex, or dare to talk about what it is like to live as a gay man in Seoul, say -- you will feel the full brunt of Korea's virulent homophobia. (Look up what happened to Nam Yoon Su when the trailer for Love In The Big City was released.)
And there you have it: BL is a small, self-contained, and predominantly straight commodity, catering to a predominantly straight audience. And it is profitable.Just, you know, 'don't say gay'.
P. S. Yes, I am a gay man, yes, I am cynical, yes, my observations are tongue-in-cheek, and yes, you should take my comment with a big pinch of salt. I don't think I'm far off the mark, though.
https://kisskh.at/profile/sasameyuki1950/reviews/433544
Seong Hyeon is adorable though.
:)
Tall hot people are evil. We're agreed on that, right?
Su Hyeon will be the death of me.
That said, this might be one of the worst BLs to come out of Taiwan, ever.
https://kisskh.at/profile/sasameyuki1950/review/433544