lgbtqfiction

[lgbtqfiction]

A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows

The guide includes a show’s basic summary; main genres/tropes/themes and official streaming links (additional info on how to watch at the end of this post)! You can find some content warnings in the reply section of this post. Shows are listed by countries, numbered by the order I recommend watching in, not by rating. All shows have happy endings unless specified otherwise. The list will hopefully be updated regularly (last updated on 28/03/2024).

Most shows are about mlm, I specify with coloured notes those that are focused on wlw, polyamory, aromantism/asexuality, etc.

Tumblr does not allow large texts or more than 30 images per post at the moment, so you can click on every country’s list to expand them and view them fully it in a separate post with gifs for each show attached. You can access this guide in a google doc here.

Thailand 🇹🇭 (full list here)

1. KinnPorsche mafia boss/bodyguard; action; kidnapper/kidnapee side couple

Kinn, a son of a prominent mafia head, is ambushed by an enemy, and meets Porsche, a bartender who comes to his rescue for a price, thus beginning their reluctant relationship as boss and bodyguard, which soon turns into something more.

iQIYI

2. Bed Friend friends with benefits; office setting; trauma

King and Uea work in the same office. After a company outing ends in a drunken hook-up between them, Uea and King agree to keep seeing each other on a strictly physical basis. With no strings attached, will these two be able to keep things between them simple and carefree or will their emotions eventually get the better of them?

Uncut 18+ on iQIYI or GagaOOLala or cut on YouTube

3. The Sign reincarnated lovers; fantasy; thai mythology; police

The story of the love between Phaya and Tharn who used to be mythological creatures Naga and Garuda in their past lives, and were forced apart. But fate intervened, and two men were reincarnated in new bodies. Now, they work together as partners in the Special Investigations Unit to uncover violent crimes and supernatural mysteries while their love is tested by mystical forces and past enemies.

YouTube

4. I Feel You Linger In The Air period drama; time travel; bittersweet

Jom, an architect overseeing the renovation of a rundown villa, continuously dreams of a man he's never met. When a twist of fate transports Jom to Chiang Mai in the 1920s, he assumes the role of a servant to the affluent young master Yai, the mysterious man from his dreams.

GagaOOLala or YouTube

5. You're My Sky sports; university setting; coming of age

Thorn, a young basketball player follows his senior Fah to university as a result of the promise they’d made — to become national basketball champions. However, to his dismay, he finds that Fah has already given up on basketball. --- Aai has to work in pairs throughout the semester with San, 1 year footballer; in order to receive a scholarship to study in Japan, Ai must be willing to do everything to get an A grade. --- Track running requires the compatibility of the team members to be very high. Vee, who became the new racquet 4, has to speed up training to fit in with the team as quickly as possible, especially with Dome, spending extra time together to train. Is love actually a major obstacle on the path of being an athlete?

Viki

GMMTV Thailand 🇹🇭 (full list here)

1. My School President high school setting; secret crush; school president/rebel musician

Gun is the head of his high school music club. Tinn is a school president and Gun's long-term rival. The Principal wants to disband some of the school’s “useless” after-school clubs, especially the music club. Per school rules, the student council president is the one who has the power to dissolve clubs. Gun is now at Tinn’s mercy, so he attempts to do whatever he can to persuade his rival not to cancel the music club. Little does he know, Tinn actually has a secret crush on him. Could romance brew as Gun makes a desperate attempt to secure the future of his band?

Viki (MSP) & YouTube (Our Skyy special 33-40) & YouTube (special)

2. Moonlight Chicken adult romance; age gap; deaf character

Jim is an ordinary guy running a chicken rice diner. One night, he meets Wen when he stays past closing drunk. Brought together by fate that night, intangible feelings arise. Neither can stop thinking about the other despite Jim's efforts to remain unattached. Jim also takes care of his nephew Li Ming, who is falling in love with Heart, a deaf teenager who is practically kept under house arrest by his affluent parents.

YouTube

3. Not Me revolution; freedom fighters; secret twins

When his twin Black is viciously attacked and subsequently left hospitalised in unconsciousness, White is unable to endure the harm done to his brother in silence. He learns Black was a part of a gang of anti-capitalist freedom fighters, and it was one of them who betrayed him. White disguises himself as Black to discover which one of them betrayed him and put him in a coma.

YouTube

4. 23.5 wlw; high school setting; secret admirer

Ongsa moves to a new school and meets Sun, a cute popular girl who she immediately falls for. However, she decides to approach Sun in instagram dms under the pseudonym Earth, leading Sun to believe she's talking to a guy. But Ongsa does not want to lose the opportunity to talk to Sun, so she decides to keep the fact that she is a girl a secret and continue talking as Earth.

YouTube

Japan 🇯🇵 (full list here)

1. Cherry Magic!   mind reading; secret crush; office setting

By still being a vіrgin at 30, Adachi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people's minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s not proving to be helpful to him. But that all changes when he accidentally touches their office’s most perfect guy Kurosawa, who he learns has romantic feelings for him.

WeTV (Cherry Magic) & no international streaming of Cherry Magic The Movie is available to my knowledge, so watch on bilibili or KissKH

2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!)   misunderstanding; high school setting

Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she's written the name of another boy — Ida — on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!

Viki

3. Our Dining Table food; child character

Salaryman Yutaka finds it difficult to share meals with other people. However, his life starts to change when one day, his cooking attracts the attention of a young boy named Tane and his older brother Minoru. The two brothers are impressed by Yutaka's cooking skill and invite him to their house to cook together. Yutaka's dreary life begins to change, and soon he finds himself looking forward to the meals he shares with the Ueda siblings together, as well as developing a taste for romantic feelings.

GagaOOLala

4. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat wlw; neighbours; self-discovery; food

Nomoto loves to cook, but tends to make too much food and has no one to share it with. Luckily for her, turns out her neighbor Kasuga has a big enough appetite for the both of them.

No international streaming available, translated to english by Furritsubs, S1 & S2, watching instructions provided, please support translator on kofi.

5. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun high school setting; relationship exploration

Takara is a good-looking popular guy in class, while Amagi is a simple but bright and pure fellow classmate. The two begin to date in secret after Amagi's blurted out confession.

Viki or GagaOOLala

China 🇨🇳 (full list here)

Most chinese shows are adapted from explicitly queer novels, the shows are undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part is censured. The only exception is number 4 on the list, it is not censored.

1. The Untamed period drama; fantasy

An epic fantasy led by a problem child who comes back from the dead 16 years later in order to fix the broken world he left behind — and finally unite with his soulmate.

YouTube

2. Word of Honor period drama; fantasy

The leader of assassin organisation Zhou Zishu quits his position in pursuit of freedom with drastic measures. In his travels, he meets Wen Kexing, the leader of Ghost Valley who wants nothing but revenge. The two become entangled in various machinations within the martial arts world, and eventually become soulmates instrumental in each other's redemption.

YouTube & Special Episode on Tumblr or DailyMotion

3. Couple of Mirrors wlw; period drama; socialite/assassin

You Yi is a kind-hearted socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei, a lonely female killer disguised as the owner of a photo studio.

YouTube. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 12 timestamp 28:02.

4. Stay With Me enemies to lovers; high school setting; unconventional families; slow burn

Su Yu is a high school student who lives with his single poor father. Su Yu gets a new classmate Wu Bi. The two clash right from the start, and after getting off on the wrong foot, their explosive relationship takes a turn.

YouTube or GagaOOLala. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 24 timestamp 05:00. OR watch the full thing and look at this post after

5. The Spirealm inside of a video game; mystery; fantasy; horror-ish

A game designer Lin Qiushi is transported inside of a game he recently played, and now he must go through 12 horrifying survivor game doors to survive in the real world. Inside his first door he meets Ruan Nanzhu, a mysterious man who offers him to team up.

The show was taken down from streaming, download files here and subtitles here.

Various WLW mini web-dramas here.

Various WLW short films here.

South Korea 🇰🇷 (full list here)

1. Love for Love's Sake inside of a video game; high school setting; healing

At the age of 29 Tae Myungha finds himself transported into a fictional video game, and now 19 years old, he meets Cha Yeowoon, who is in the darkest moment of his life. And a translucent window appears where he receives a mission — to make Cha Yeowoon happy.

iQIYI (better subtitles) or GagaOOLala

2. Semantic Error enemies to lovers; university setting

A serious programmer and a rebellious artist clash over a school project. Their animosity keeps escalating to new extremes, defined by petty pranks and feisty arguments.

Viki

3. Love Tractor farm setting; farmer/city musician

Sunyeol, a city man with zero ability to survive in the countryside, comes to his grandfather's rural home. In front of him appears Yechan, a passionate and kind young farmer. While learning about rural life and assisting with farming tasks, Sunyeol gradually finds himself drawn to Yechan's warm and straightforward nature, while Yechan helplessly falls for Sunyeol.

iQIYI

4. Our Dating Sim high school friends to lovers; office setting

After 7 years, Lee Wan meets his first love, Shin Kitae, in a gaming company. When they were best friends in high school, Lee Wan was in love with Kitae. But he ran away and disappeared after confessing his feelings to Kitae after graduation. When the two of them begin working on a new dating simulation game and get more immersed in the project, old feelings are rekindled.

Viki or GagaOOLala

5. She Makes My Heart Flutter wlw; bar setting; niece and aunt dynamic

The extroverted Gang Seol is hired by her aunt Jung at her only-women bar. Even though they are both lesbians, they seem to be worlds apart and have very different love stories.

YouTube

Taiwan 🇹🇼 (full list here)

1. History3: Trapped mafia boss/policeman

The story of a police officer who becomes trapped in the underworld, as he develops feelings for a gang leader.

YouTube or Viki

2. Kiseki: Dear to Me mafia; age gap

Bai Zongyi, an exemplary high school student with dreams of becoming a doctor, is one day unexpectedly drawn into the world of a charismatic and mischievous gangster Fan Zerui, who blackmails him into taking him in and treating his wounds. Just as their love story begins to unfold, Fan Ze Rui's criminal life catches up with him. On the other hand, Chen Yi and Ai Di are two orphans who grew up in the gang together. Ai Di has always loved Chen Yi, but Chen Yi only notices their boss.

Viki or GagaOOLala or YouTube

3. My Tooth Your Love dentist/chef; trauma healing

Bai Lang is a successful bistro owner with an severe fear of visiting the dentist... until a toothache forces him to come face to face with the handsome yet cold dentist Jin Xunan.

Viki

4. Anti Reset android/human

When Chu Yi Ping, an emotionless man, dislocates his hand in an accident at school, his uncle gives him Ever 9 as a caretaker, an experimental intelligent robot that his company is secretly testing.

Viki or iQIYI or GagaOOLala

5. History2: Crossing the Line sports; high school setting

When an injury sidelines a high school senior from the volleyball team, he develops feelings for a recruit.

YouTube or Viki

Philippines 🇵🇭

1. Sleep With Me wlw; radio; disabled character in a wheelchair

A science textbook writer with a sleep disorder meets a wheelchair-using radio host who runs the midnight shift. This chance encounter at the radio station quickly sparks their interest in each other.

GagaOOLala

---

You can watch many shows for free on YouTube, and watch others on the streaming websites by setting VPN to one of the countries in the list. In other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality), Dramacool or get files from MkvDrama. Enjoy!  🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[lgbtqfiction]

this blog only has 43 posts and no activity and for that i’m sorry. i’ll probably binge queue a lot of stuff when i get home but its also bc this is supposed to be somewhere where lots of people submit media they like! i’ll work to get more of an audience for this blog but once that happens & as its happening yall should submit stuff!

#housekeeping

[lgbtqfiction]

Hey Tumblr, there's a new historical/period comedy series on Netflix which you will love! It's called 1670! It's about Polish nobility and their peasant-thralls. However, Netflix is not promoting it to international audiences, bc it's Polish, even though there are subtitles available in so many languages!

It has:

Great Humour

Amazing Polish Folk Music

Historical Costumes that are not Western!

CANON LESBIANS

One of the said lesbians is a repressed lesbian w religious trauma & the subplot lasts longer than one episode

Priest Jakub

A really good combination of making historical and ahistorical jokes

And much more!

Seriously, give it a watch bc I'd hate to see only my Polish mutuals watch it, it's new, it's fresh, it's witty, not another remake, and it shows another culture & history! (aren't you tired of watching yet another show on the English monarchy, then 1670 is there for ya)

#unofficial rec

[lgbtqfiction]

Submission Rules:

Character must be canonically queer. This includes ALL lgbtqia+ identities, no exclusion here.

Queerness does not have to have been confirmed in-media, word of god also counts (i.e. Wendy from Gravity Falls)

If you think there’s debate on a character (i.e. a character regularly flirts with members of the same gender but sexually hasn’t been confirmed) send them in anyway and I’ll take a look!

This is a blog for characters, NOT real people.

I reserve the right to not include any submission for any reason.

Please check if I’ve already posted a character before submitting them!

Characters can be submitted through the Google form pinned on this blog. Please do not submit characters in my ask box, you will be ignored!

#similar blog

[lgbtqfiction]

Activation Degradation

author (if relevant): Marina Lostetter

format: US novel

premise: Autonomous Maintenance System Unit Four has to face an alien attack in Jovian space.

tone & rating: strange (unreliable narrator)

setting/genre: science fiction (space)

representation (optional): There’s intersex non-binary representation.

#book #sci-fi #nonbinary #intersex

[lgbtqfiction]

The Speed of Slow Changes

author (if relevant): Sander Santiago

format: US novel

premise: Al and Lucas, both already married and with kids, meet at a polyamory party.

tone & rating: light

setting/genre: contemporary romance (not erotica)

representation (optional): f/m/m/f in a W rather than a square

#book #contemporary #bisexual #polyamorous

[lgbtqfiction]

The Unraveling

author (if relevant): Benjamin Rosenbaum

format: US novel

premise: In the distant future, Fift ends up in the middle of a gender revolution.

tone & rating: strange (people have several bodies with only one mind)

setting/genre: science fiction (space)

representation (optional): This world has two genders: Staid (ze/zir) and Vail (ve/vem). They are not assigned based on the baby's genitals, but on the baby's personality through a few simple tests.

#book #sci-fi #nonbinary #gender analysis #<- i’ll use tags like that for left hand of darkness and stuff

[lgbtqfiction]

One Verse Multi

author (if relevant): Sander Santiago

format: US novel

premise: Martin works for the Multi-verse Protection Corporation. Things are getting worrying as the number of rifts to close starts increasing at a faster pace.

tone & rating: sometimes serious, sometimes fun

setting/genre: science fiction (parallel universes)

representation (optional): m/m/m, the protagonist is a Black trans man

#book #sci-fi #gay #transgender #multiverse

[lgbtqfiction]

The Daughters of Izdihar

author: Hadeer Elsbai

format: US novel

premise: Two women, a waterweaver and an earthweaver, join The Daughters of Izdihar to fight for women's rights.

tone & rating: serious, but not dark

setting/genre: Egyptian-inspired fantasy

representation (optional): f/f

#book #fantasy #lesbian #wlw

[lgbtqfiction]

I Think Our Son is Gay

Author: Okura

Format: Manga

Premise: Mother Tomoko has realized her eldest son Hiroki is (very poorly) hiding a secret: he's gay. The manga follows the ways Hiroki, a very bad liar, slips up & how the mother attempts to be supportive of him and combat her own biases.

Tone & Rating: light, Comedy

Setting/Genre: Modern, Slice of Life

Representation: Hiroki and a man at Tomoko's work are shown to like men.

Other representation: N/A

Disclaimers - in-world homophobia, sexism/patriarchal views, & derogatory language

#boys' love #contemporary #gay #comedy #slice of life #manga

[lgbtqfiction]

I Want to Be a Wall

Author: Honami Shirono

Format: Manga

Premise: Yuriko and Gakurouta are newlyweds who married for the sake of their families but deeply respect and care for one another. Yuriko is an asexual women who enjoys reading BL while Gakurouta is a gay man with an unrequited crush on his childhood friend.

Tone & Rating - light

Setting/Genre - Modern, Slice of Life

Representation - Yuriko is presented as an asexual woman who also seems to have no interest in romance (Likely aromantic as well, but I don’t think it's clarified). Gakurouta, as stated, is gay.

#gay #asexual #aromantic #contemporary #manga #slice of life #oo i’ve heard of this one

[lgbtqfiction]

Female General and Eldest Princess

Author: 请君莫笑 / Please Don't Laugh

Format: Webnovel, Baihe/GL, Webnovel (adapted to manhua & drama CD)

Premise: After the Huns kill her village, a 16-year-old Lin Wanyue enlists in the army under the identity of her twin brother Lin Feixing for revenge. After the death her mother, the young Crown Princess must fight to keep her brother and herself alive while her extended family vies for the throne.

Tone & Rating: dark but with a happy ending

Setting/Genre: Ancient China

Representation: the web novel is a love story between two women (eventual General Lin Wanyue/Feixing and Crown Princess Li Xian)

Other representation - N/A

Disclaimers - war, death, gore

#book #webnovel #baihe #lesbian #historical #manhua

[lgbtqfiction]

Wedding Plan

author (if relevant): MAME

format: BL + GL Thai drama

premise: Lom and Yiwa go to J'Im and Nuea's agency to plan their wedding.

tone & rating: rom-com, 16+ (cut version on YouTube, uncut version on iQiyi)

setting/genre: contemporary

representation (optional): 1 major BL couple, 1 major GL couple, 1 minor BL couple + cameos from the 2 BL couples from Love in the Air

#tv show #asian drama #boys' love #contemporary #lesbian #gay #romcom #thai drama #girls’ love

[lgbtqfiction]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain

author: feng yue nie

format: webnovel

premise: after transmigrating into a book, the formerly chronically ill doctor song qingshi feels himself tasked with saving the protagonist from a tragic fate. the world is a harsh one where most mortals are living out a tragic fate, many as sex slaves of immortal cultivators; from that group, instead of the correct protagonist, he picks yue wuhuan, a bird in a cage past his prime who qingshi instinctively feels a connection to; and someone with a darker side than the original protagonist would've ever been allowed to express.

tone & rating: hurt/comfort, with both an intense angst side and a comedic side.

setting/genre: cultivation fantasy

disclaimers: as you can probably tell from the description, rape is heavily discussed

#webnovel #danmei #gay #cultivation #fantasy

[lgbtqfiction]

In Other Lands

author: sarah rees brennan

format: novel

premise: a portal fantasy satire that follows the protagonist's coming-of-age journey over several years!

The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and—best of all as far as Elliot is concerned—mermaids. Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands. It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.

tone & rating: comedy with a bittersweet edge; i'd say 16+, but i read it at 13

setting/genre: portal fantasy

representation: elliot is bisexual, and other characters are also queer

disclaimers: at one point, there is a relationship with a large age gap; the gap is heavily focused on, discussed, and portrayed as negative

#idk abt the copy pasting summary thing... its bc im queueing a bunch at once and it takes less time and is better written than my summary #thoughts? #bisexual #novel #fantasy #portal fantasy

[lgbtqfiction]

thank you @profiterole-reads and @weepingfireflies for all the submissions! they are now queued!

#chitra.txt #not a submission

[lgbtqfiction]

I FORGOT SHE RA @profiterole-reads I WILL ALSO SUBMIT SHE RA

i am a man who likes men and i read a lot of BL, so if anyone knows a lot of wlw media please submit that to balance out the scales! there are a few wlw things i have read and just haven’t queued yet, but in general i might need some help on this 🙏

#i really liked it when i was like 14 jdkandn