#the 8th sense

[absolutebl]

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

This is just me with my analysis hat on. 

1. 2023 = the year EVERYONE went outside their lanes

Everything went topsy-turvy this year in BL. 

For example, Korea gave us agonized yearning and outright queerness (The 8th Sense, The New Employee) while Japan served up soft office workers and tender family (Our Dining Table). 

The BL world went askew for a while, especially in the spring of 2023. 

Not that we still didn’t still get Korea’s soft angsty bubbles or Japan’s “what are you doing and why does it hurt?” kink-fests. But there were quite a few BLs that made us chronic watchers sit up in confusion and wonder if Korea was dabbling in Taiwan’s territory or Japan in Thailand’s. Then they fudged the kisses and we were like... okay, back in familiar territory. 

In contrast, Thailand stayed course-correcting for the damage they’ve done in the past with tropes (2022) and self referential meta criticism (2021), but also almost aggressively returned to their BL roots after last year’s series of shockers. Certainly, they are reexamining those roots, transplanting some, aerating others. But they really went back to classic Thai university and high school BL and pulps in a big way in 2023. 

Taiwan is always difficult to gage because they produce so few but they seem to have stuck with what they do best with no deviation while producing more this year than they have in ages. I’m happy for that, why change a good thing? But there is a tiny part of me that really wants them to hit it out of the part with a quality piece soon. For me, We Best Love still reigns supreme, but I would really like the HIStory franchise to give us that level but longer - like a happy version of Your Name Engraved Herein. I think Taiwan has the chops to give us something as good as The 8th Sense or Old Fashion Cupcake but in their style, and I would like to see them exercise their talent for good rather than just profit. 

I know, what a very odd thing for me to say. But if any BL is going to break into the mainstream American market, I genuinely think it’s most likely come from Taiwan. 

Vietnam and the Philippines are falling behind, in general. They just didn’t bring out very many shows in 2023, and what the brought out tended to fub the endings. This is forgivable in Japan (because of their style and quality) but not what watchers want in the lower production value propositions. In other words, if you do a pulp, you can’t mess up the ending (by romance standards). that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. 

2. The Office Romance Dominated

After years of Thailand serving us an endless (and slightly bland) buffet of university (and a few high school) BLs, this year Korea was basically like...

Ofiice. We like the Office. It’s cheap to film we can use grown up actors, acting (mostly) their actual age. 

And yeah... it totally worked. 

To be fair, Japan has always given us office live action yaoi from the beginning (they had the source material) but this year everyone else, including Thailand, seriously started playing in this setting. 

3. Boys Danced with Boys

The darling @heretherebedork​ was a big fan of this one, and I rather like it myself. Prior to this boys dancing together was very very rare in BL, but this year we got way more than our fair share. It was lovely. 

Never Let me Go

My School President 

Bed Friend 

The Day I Loved You 

Step by Step

Be Mine Superstar

Tie the Not 

Dangerous Romance

I think there were a few more. These are the ones I remembered to write down. 

4. Getting (even more) Meta With Tropes 

BL has been getting more and more meta over the past few years but this year they really focused in on tropes specifically. Calling out their own biggest and most favorite tropes in a massive way, especially Thailand and especially GMMTV. 

Like they tunneled in on damaging tropes with Bad Buddy and the like over the past 2 years, and now they are just having fun with us. 

I mean they just started the dancing trope and already they are calling it out? That’s like rapid-fire regurgitated meta there, GMMTV. 

5. Cameos are the norm now 

Taiwan has always loved cameos but in the past the other countries have been show and steady with only one or two a year. (Unless Japan does a parody.) 

This year Korea got in on the game.

Korea rarely starts trends but they do adopt smaller and lesser known existing ones and make them super popular. 

This year they did that with cameo couple appearances, even borrowing a few of Thailand’s pairs (TutorYim and MaxNat traveled north). They did it so much I stopped tracking. Love Class 2, Why R U?, and Jun & Jun were the heaviest hitters. 

Taiwan, of course, came back swinging. Kiseki was the gum-ball machine of pair cameos. (In Taiwan mafia = gay.) 

6. We are entering the cross pollination age

The number of remakes picked up or started this year was startling, not just countries revisiting their own content (Thailand, Japan) but countries revisiting OTHER countries stuff.

Lemme explain...

Korea has started remaking Thai content (Why R U?) alongside cameo'ing Thai pairs.

Thailand is doing Korean IP (My Dear Gagster Oppa) and has 2 Chinese ones slated for next year. 

GMMTV acquired a lot of Japanese IP (Cherry Magic, Ossen, and My Love Mix Up) - and then had problems distributing it. 

This is probably the most surprising trend for me. Especially the Japanese stuff. I would have thought these properties well outside of Thailand's price range (even GMMTV's) not to mention Japan’s legendary IP issues (I swear I typed this pout before the pulled TayNew’s excellent Cherry Magic). 

Also why not option some of the older popular manga instead? Bet that's much cheeper. (I did see a NEW Thai translation of Finder into Thai, which is 90s yaoi, so I have my fingers crossed on that front.)

I shouldn't be too surprised. 

Thailand is running out of y-novel content. Their publication industry is just not robust enough (I was just talking to a friend about this at length recently). But I didn't think they had the funds to option, especially from Japan. 

Perhaps the option deals are for peanuts?

7. Korea got cheeky

I’m not sure quite how else to put this. 

After finally figuring out boys can kiss, Korea started to do not just higher heat but playful higher heat, with more aggressive word play and linguistic innuendo, like they are entering their racy rom-com teenage years (Why R U? Love Class 2 and Jun & Jun in particular.) 

I guess: Welcome to your BL teens, Korea? 

It’s cute of them. I am very much enjoying it. 

And now that comedy is warming them up, we get to see them play with actual queer burgeoning physicality in shows like The 8th Sense. 

It’s nice. I like seeing Korea stretch its wings. They still stick to their bubble, but that bubble seems to be expanding. 

8. The Amnesia Trope is back

And I, for one, would prefer to forget about it. 

9. BL got trendy 

I’m not quite sure how to articulate this category but basically we started seeing a lot of “modern” romance trends out of the west (like a/b/o) show up in our BL. Not a ton and sometimes quite small, but there has a been a steady rise of things like: no seme/uke, femme gay, out gay, condom use, messy gay. 

We also got an increasing range of sub genre frameworks (like mafia, office setting) that’s moved BL pretty firmly (even in Thailand) out of school and into the workplace, whether actual working is involved or not. 

It’s not to the point where it feels like we get more non-school BL than school BL (if I include all countries in this assessment).

Japan, in classic Japanese fashion, quietly started moving in the opposite direction. It’s what they do. 

10. The Vampires are coming 

This is an announcement trend, which I don’t usually report on but it’s so CLEAR. 

So last year we had a spate of announcements of possible Omegaverse (2 from China, 1 from Japan, 1 from Thailand - the only one that’s happened). 

This year we got 5 Vampire (or vampire-esk) Thai BLs announced including one from GMMTV. 

Whether all 5 will actually get made is unlikely, but having had (basically) none prior to this (Kissable Lips), I’m pretty confident that we will get at least 2 of them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one other country made one as well. (Side eyes Taiwan with interest.) 

Final thoughts

It feels like we are also seeing a decline in BL (both by quantity and quality) from Vietnam and the Philippines. As you all know, I don’t track or really watch either of these two very closely. But it feels like, now, no one else is either. 

I think we have likely seen the BL heyday already in both places and their industries are now on the decline. 

We might be witnessing a thinning in the players in the BL field. 

FYI we had approximately 

136 BLs in 2023

Previous Years

2022: 117

2021: 95

2020: 62

2019: 40

2018: 30 

2017: 44 (China’s last gasp)

2016: 27

2015: 17 (50% micro)

2014: 17 (50% micro)

And that’s it! Let me know in the comments if you’ve spotted any additional trends you want to call out.

Last year, 2022′s trend report

2021′s Trend report

Last Year’s Stats & Predictions

(source) 

#bl 2023 #bl trends 2023 #film trends 2023 #EVERYONE went outside their lanes #The 8th Sense #kroean bl #thai bl #The Office Romance Dominated #bed friend #Boys Danced with Boys #the day i loved you #Getting (even more) Meta With Tropes #hidden agenda #gmmtv #dinosaur love #love class 2 #jun and jun #We are entering the cross pollination age #why r U? #Korea Got Cheeky #The Amnesia Trope is back #BL got trendy #The Vampires are coming

[maxescheibechlinichacheli]

The way their faces light up when they see each other. And Jae Won's world is literally changing colours when he spots Ji Hyun.

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense the series #the 8th sense #korean bl #bl series #bl drama #jae won x ji hyun #ji hyun x jae won #maxine gifs

[sollucets]

tae hyung: [rude to jae won]

ae ri and ji hyun, immediately: i want to see the light leave his eyes

#the eighth sense #the 8th sense #jaewon x jihyun #seo ji an #the eighth sense ae ri #malepresentingleg suggested this gifset should exist in the tags of my yooni set #and you were right!! #this is peak petty combat. the sideeye is incredible #rowan gifs #t8s #this is the most competent at subtitles ive ever been i think :) #long post #(i did consider making them 268 but. no everyone needs to see those significant looks in full detail lmao)

[seandorothy]

All the things we said to each other, what we did to each other, and the emotion we felt. Are you sure it was all nothing?

#the eighth sense #theeighthsenseedit #the 8th sense #asianlgbtqdramas #jaewon x jihyun #kdrama #kdramadaily #kdramaedit #lgbtedit #korean bl #bl drama #mine

[bellepark]

IM JI SUB as Jae Won | THE EIGHTH SENSE (2023)

#im jisub #the eighth sense #the 8th sense #kdrama #kdramaedit #kdramasource #kdramadaily #korean bl #asiandramasource #asianlgbtqdramas #dailyasiandramas #esmetracks #lextag #userkimchi #userstorge #connorjesup #becauseigtf #belleparkgif #he's just soooooo good looking like i dont even know what to say more #also im not letting this show go just yet #pls i need a second season of this!!! or a special movie or ep anything!!! 😭😭😭

[heretherebedork]

One of the biggest and most interesting parts about JaeWon is that EunJi obviously knows he's attracted to JiHyun and everyone has already begun to assume their relationship and that their biggest problem with JaeWon's sexuality is that it reveals to them that he's wearing a mask around them. That so many of them, who assumed that he was straight and that they knew everything about him, are realizing that the JaeWon they know is a mask and how most of them cannot accept that and will fight at every turn to force the mask to stay on even as it cracks, even as it destroys him, because it makes them more comfortable.

JiHyun's friends take him coming out as him trusting them and as part of him while JaeWon's friends see any change to himself as a threat to their image of him.

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense the series #the 8th sense #jaewon x jihyun #ji hyun x jae won #bl drama #bl series #korean bl drama #korean drama #kdrama #korean series #koreanbl #korean bl #the eighth sense meta #the 8th sense meta #korean drama meta #like this hit me like a asteriod ahahaha

[myromancedramas]

THE EIGHTH SENSE (2023) - title screens

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense kdrama #the eighth sense bl #the 8th sense #ji hyun x jae won #jae won x ji hyun #jaewon x jihyun #jihyun x jaewon #im jisub #oh juntaek #im ji sub #oh jun taek #im jisub x oh juntaek #im ji sub x oh jun taek #oh juntaek x im jisub #oh jun taek x im ji sub #kdrama #romance kdrama #korean drama #kbl #korean bl #kdramas #kdrama screencaps #kdrama screenshots #kdrama stills

[starsickkk]

source

#the eighth sense #jaewon x jihyun #the 8th sense #t8s #t8s bts

[kaeyasthighs]

☆ 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚

☆ 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣

#the 8th sense kdrama #the eighth sense icons #the 8th sense #the eighth sense #the eighth sense ji hyun icons #the eighth sense jaewon icons #the eighth sense kdrama #the 8th sense tv show #the 8th sense icons #8th sense kdrama #8th sense #the eighth sense bl #the eighth sense bl icons #8th sense icons #lim jisub #im jisub #oh jun taek #lim jisub icons #im jisub icons #oh jun taek icons

[lutawolf]

The 8th Sense Ep 7

Everybody grab a drink and a smoke. We're going in.

Bring the pain. And boy, do they. Right off, we have Jae Won sitting on the beach by himself.

Man, I really hate those two. You can really tell the caring people in the surf group, and they aren't it. But bestie isn't having it. Go girl! I love Ae Ri. Please slap her Ae Ri, please.

Why are you even that nosy, dudes? How does it even affect you.

Oh, bless it. Jae Won looks like crap. We are for sure gonna get some trauma response. I need a shot. I can feel it. Geez, he is going to use this as a metaphor, isn't he. When it's this broke, of course it can't be fixed.

She's a good friend. Unlike someone we know! Dude, just look at your friend's face and leave him alone.

Her calling him oppa makes me want to puke.

Ohhh boy. You're trying to get hurt. Called it!!! Damn, Jae Won's eyes right before he jumped. You went to far Tae Hyung.

Me:

Damn, he sure is dealing with a lot for a love tap. 👀👀👀 Please tell me he wasn't going to apologize to that asshole.

I'm gonna puke if he is back together with her. I mean, I get it because sometimes self harm is sleeping with people we know harm us. You see this with SA survivors a lot, we go, fuck it. A bucket of boiling water isn't going to get me clean, so might as well. Not all self harm is visible for people to see or in a form of pills and drinks. Sometimes it's this shit right here.

Yeah, he was grossed out by that. Well, fair because me too.

Shit, he has been skipping his therapy and likely his meds. Damn boy. When you spiral, you don't do it half ass. Shhhhhhhit he gave a slight smiled when she asked if he had thought about extreme decisions. That's a yes. She knows it too, which is why she says, "It's a relief that you are here with us today."

I really love this therapist. There is nothing more powerful than walking someone off a ledge, and nothing more despairing than losing one. Ahhh, I would have liked to have known what she said! It's clear he is on a spiral.

Finally, the baby! Ji Hyun don't scare me like this.

Damn, but I love his bestie! He is hilarious. OMG! "Please come alone next time." 🤣🤣🤣

I adore the boss! "You favor handsome boys." "Why state the obvious." 🤣🤣🤣

Aww, Ji Hyun is so happy. Enjoy it while it lasts. Their friendship! I love it!

It's a trio!!! I knew he would be there! But damn. "It looked like he wanted to die instead of you." I bet it did.

"Was it that good?" 🤣🤣🤣 Love her.

OMG! I love this drinking scene so much. What type of vodka. Haven't we all been there. I don't know. Just make it good, please. You try it first. No you. Be my guest, please.

Oh, we got a metaphor going. When one side tilts, the other supports it. Vise Versa.

Oh, baby boy. You are killing me.

I am not okay.

#the 8th sense #luta talks the 8th sense #the eighth sense

[haechanglitch]

I can't believe korea finally got its skam remake and they did the right thing and focused on the season 3 plot only

#the eighth sense #the 8th sense #skam season 3 #the parallels slapped me in the face #i was IN skam fandom back in the day so this show kinda felt like coming home but also nostalgic with a pinch of salt

[absolutebl]

BL 2023 - Put Your Head on My Shoulder

(everyone but Thailand, in a different post)

The 8th Sense

Stay By My Side

My Personal Weatherman

I Cannot Reach You

Mr Cinderella 2

Shoulder to Cry On

Bump Up Business

Jun & Jun

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

Why R U?

Unintentional Love Story

(source)

#bl trope #trope du jour #head on shoulder #The 8th Sense #korean bl #Stay By My Side #My Personal Weatherman #Japanese BL #I Cannot Reach You #Mr Cinderella 2 #Vietnamese BL #Shoulder to Cry On #Bump Up Business #OnlyOneOf #The Director Who Buys Me Dinner #Unintentional Love Story #Why R U?

[maxescheibechlinichacheli]

Why did you kiss me? To get rid of your trauma.

Why did you kiss me? To cause you trauma.

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense the series #the 8th sense #korean bl #bl series #bl drama #jae won x ji hyun #ji hyun x jae won #the grip Jae Won has on Ji Hyun in the last two gifs #maxine gifs

[sollucets]

jihyun matching jaewon (again)

THE EIGHTH SENSE | EPISODE SIX

#the eighth sense #the 8th sense #jaewon x jihyun #i just find it super charming and cute #that it's not just that moment on the beach but that jihyunnie actually does this a lot #running ahead to catch up with him the body language matching #its me when i copy my other autistic friends' stims >< #i also just think this place is v pretty i had fun giffing it #rowan gifs #t8s

[seandorothy]

EP2 / EP5

#the eighth sense #theeighthsenseedit #asianlgbtqdramas #jaewon x jihyun #kdrama #kdramadaily #kdramaedit #korean bl #bl drama #mine #the 8th sense #lgbtedit

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Thinking about:

The two moments in ep 1 (6:08) and ep 2 (32:37) when Jihyun is seen in the background between Jaewon and Tae Hyung/Eun Ji respectively.

The way Jaewon's taller shadow engulfs Jihyun's smaller shadow as Jaewon walks towards Jihyun on the beach in ep 2.

Yoon Won singing on the beach.

Just how fantastic Yoon Won, Ae Ri, and Jihyun's boss are.

How it looks like Jaewon drew himself and his younger brother and maybe a young Jihyun in the landscape of the Han river in ep 4.

The way Jaewon tugs Jihyun into him after putting the rucksack on Jihyun in ep 4 (7:03).

The tale of the country mouse who ran back home (ep 4)...and me wondering if it's foreshadowing a separation and/or time skip in future eps.

Jihyun keeping Jaewon's art in case he becomes famous...and me wondering if that will come back if there's a time skip/separation at the end.

The fact that the therapist is always in the same top, which might indicate that the therapy scenes are all from the same session...maybe meaning everything else that's happening are flashbacks from the time of the session...which ends in ep 5. There are no scenes of the therapy session in ep 6.

The bust on the shelf in the therapists room, with hands over its eyes...

Jihyun's dream of going to the Hanson Tower with a lover and putting a lock up there...and me hoping he'll do that with Jaewon.

The "traffic won't stop for you" sign behind Jaewon as he gets drunk in ep 5 and talks about siblings. If it turns out his brother died because he ran into the road I will throw fists.

The way Jaewon's little brother is dressed in a light blue t-shirt with something cream over the top in the flashback and then Jihyun is also wearing light blue/grey under a cream jacket in the next scene.

Jaewon's "We are always living in other's frameworks in this world". And "Don't try to get out of the box".

The silence as the credits roll at the end of ep 6.

#the eighth sense #the 8th sense #t8s #I don't gif and viki prevents screenshots so all I can do is bounce them around in my brain like a washing machine #I'm not making predictions about ep 6... #well apart from after my second watch I think the beach scene IS real #but from the point of the overhead shot of them lying on the surfboards on the beach #until them surfing again feels like it's in one or both of their imaginations #that's the point where continuity fails for me #so I think they either talk about the possibility of spending the night together #or one of them (maybe jihyun) imagines/daydreams the bed scene #and then they go back into the water where jihyun almost drowns #I think he gets taken to hospital but he's fine #jaewon however will then distance himself from jihyun because he's scared he can't keep him safe #anyway... #I also wonder what trauma jihyun has suffered because he's hinted to it a couple of times #and I don't just mean the water hazing #but we'll see #I can't believe I have to wait SIX more days to find out 😭