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rifki16 · 20 days

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Love is Better the Second Time Around the Finale

Picture credit : Love is Better the Second Time Around Promotional Twitter account | https://x.com/koi_nido/status/1777532279985668281?s=46

I think I want to have a new tradition in adding a tagline or summary of my analysis immediately underneath the title, for this one is a rushed hollow sweet cake finale.

Of course, spoilers ahead!

During the 5th episode, @respectthepetty told me that some of Tumblr BL watchers deemed the episode was too rush, and filled with unnecessary plotlines. Well, if they were disappointed by the pace of the last episode, I bet you my bottom dollar that they will be less amused by the finale. Although, I still think that the episode is sweet – of course that’s my emotional part of the brain talking, not the rational one.

In terms of the plotline, I have several huge plot holes which you, my dear reader(s) might maybe find an answer which can help me love this episode even more.

Okay, Hiro and Takashi broke up. Then, Takashi sent flowers to Hiro’s workplace. Sure, still heard of, not that out-of-character for Takashi. Hiro became buried deep in his own “sad boy house” dirt. You know what, as I have written in the analysis of episode 5, great plotline, I have never seen it in a Japanese BL work before. But then, after Shiraishi “slipped” his tongue, during a conversation which I really could not foresee happening between love enemies, and told Hiro that Takashi was at his family’s place. Huh? My confusion is wouldn’t Takashi family’s place be the first place that Hiro would go or check on after they broke up and Hiro found out that Takashi already emptied out his place? Takashi and Hiro broke up right after Takashi’s sister came to Takashi’s place with Hiro present and told them both that Takashi was needed at his family’s place – an event which Hiro was made like such an outsider. This is not The Pornographer: the Film (2021), in which Rio left his place with no explanations and left Kuzumi without any explanations and Kuzumi was practically going door to door with his suitcase trying to find that s.o.b. Takashi is from a very well-off family. He wouldn’t go to a brothel-café-Karaoke joint to just avoid Hiro or recuperate from his breakup. You know what I forgive – give the writers some leaps into faith on the events preceding Shiraishi telling Hiro that Takashi at his family place: the fact that somehow Hiro broke his depression – sad cycle and actually took an initiative and went to Takashi’s place, that then pushed him to take even riskier steps which was contacting Shiraishi or, even the fact that Shiraishi somehow entertained the question that Hiro asked not only through some faceless email, but actually having a meeting with Hiro and ended up having the slip of the tongue moment. I mean I know that Shiraishi has the cut-throat personality inside him, the fact that he did not tell Takashi about the deadline in episode 3. Sure, let’s take another leap right, maybe, the fact that Shiraishi said during the meeting with Hiro that he has conceded his loss to Hiro, maybe he wouldn’t just do something shady like sending Hiro into a wild goose chase or something but still. It’s just that we didn’t know more of Shiraishi’s motivations. Okay, we know that he fell for Takashi, one-sidedly, but is he then a type of the ex-unrequited lover who will support his lover no matter what or not? Okay now I’m dwelling into something that I have promised I would take a leap for.

Okay sure, Takashi finally confronted his mother about being abandoned. Takashi’s colours are now more understood right? He needed to conceal himself from the world because once when he did, his mother shunned him off, hence why he “did not soak his pillow in his tears” when Hiro and himself broke up, hence why every time Takashi did some grand gestures or even said some sappy lovey-dovey thing to Hiro, Hiro always felt like he was in the uncanny valley: something was not right. Takashi might say or do the right things, but Hiro always had, in mine opinion, gut feeling that Takashi-san was not sincere, which was why Hiro-kun kept questioning his love to him. Sure, I accept the line of logic, and the late dot connections which made me kept questioning what was wrong with Takashi’s actions that made Hiro kept pressing Takashi on his sincerity. But then, Takashi had the confrontational conversation with Kyosuke and they conversed well about how Kyosuke leaked a picture of Takashi or was it Hiro – I do not dare to take a look at that scene at all. Props to the writers for emphasizing what Kyosuke did was a criminal act, regardless of the intention. Takashi then explained why he bet on Hiro for not coming. Takashi’s words were: “I didn’t think that our relationship would have worked”. My confusion is this why on god’s phallic dick did Kyosuke conclude that statement by calling Hiro and telling him that Takashi loved him? Huh? Was Kyosuke just being a rascal? Again, Kyosuke CALLED Hiro! Not the other way around. Maybe it was just the way that Takashi delivered the line? That Kyosuke knew it was just a broken guy [Takashi] telling himself what he thought he needed to hear to just feel a little bit better. Maybe the call was to indicate how close Kyosuke was to Takashi, that he knew when Takashi was lying to himself – even when he didn’t know that he was doing it. You see how many leaps into faith which I took to make those rationalizations?

Before moving to the other confusion – plot hole, let me gloat. I WAS NOT WRONG BIATCHHH. Hiro did not know the bet from some overhearing unseen scene. It was Kyosuke ACTIVELY undermining his own relative’s relationship. My brain itch was justified. Also, huge side note, where is the queer struggle pov in Kyosuke’s pov? I mean, okay, what was exactly Kyosuke’s motivation in not making Takashi left by agitating – blackmailing Hiro? Kyosuke liked Takashi, okay. But why outed Takashi? Wouldn’t it be better to just poison’s Takashi’s perspective on Hiro so that you could have Takashi all for yourself without making him be disowned and ergo making him far away from you? Sure, let us assume that Kyosuke never intended to out Takashi and that it was just a huge negative externality that he never wanted. Still tho, there are other BETTER ways in making Takashi all for yourself. Let’s move away from this pivot, because I have a bigger bunion that I want to excise.

Okay, Hiro went to Takashi’s family place. Okay, I accept that Hiro’s determinism in meeting his lover was the thing that made Takashi changed his mind from “… wouldn’t have worked” to confessing and telling his mother that he wanted to spend his entire life with him. I tweeted that this mental leap of Takashi was confusing – but now I accept that maybe it was Hiro’s daring and just mind-boggling action that made the mental leap. Sure, okay I accept it. This may be a cultural confusion Why didn’t Takashi just leave his family’s place? His first conversation, in the episode, with his mother was just not connecting at all – as I tweeted: all she needed was to accept that Takashi has a husband she might actually have a business successor – why did he stay then? Was the basement scene just a scene of Takashi preparing to go home? Are we not allowed to leave the hostess’ place if we have not been dismissed by her? Or was it just a plot device in making Takashi and Hiro actually met at the family’s place so that Hiro could say all of those brave things in front of Takashi’s mother? Yabai.

Side note: I have also tweeted about how I hated that Cherry Magic the Anime didn’t have the Kurosawa and Adachi’s meeting each other parents’ scene. However, seeing my Hiro, my precious Hiro, saying all of those sentences – not about being the troublemaker, like bro, it was not your fault – in front of Takashi’s mother, AS WELL AS, the lake mouth scene which really had numerous resemblances with Kurosawa-Adachi’s exchange of the rings during the beach live-action film scene, I think it really compensated my disappointment. 😊

With all the rationalization left, all that’s left is how proud I am of these two characters. I’m so proud that Takashi now can lift his mask and actually be true to his husband, yes I’m calling them husbands despite the absence of a wedding scene. I’m so happy that my Hiro was so brave in making steps so that Takashi doesn’t see him as an “outsider” anymore. I will miss this couple so much.

Japanese media companies now have a responsibility of not tangling us, fudanshi – fujoshi and all BL fans, with a meager 6-episode run. Heck we have proven again and again to be a huge driving force for a show’s popularity. How many times have this show, this show alone, become the most popular show on certain platforms, like come on!. This 6-episode trick is really taking and sucking all of the qualities away. I mean, I will meet these media execs halfway, I can accept a 12-episode run, but they might not be ready to make a 24-episode run like American media used to make in the past, or even a 10-episode run with one hour each episode format like Turn to Me Mukai-Kun. Come on, I’m so fed up seeing the quality of my beloved BL work(s) being tarnished and seeing the great couple blossoming before my eyes taken away too soon.

#gay #japan bl #bl live action #love is better the second time around #koi wo suru nara nidome ga joto #the novelist #Cherry magic the film #Cherry magic the manga #Cherry Magic #The pornographer film: Playback

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absolutebl · 1 month

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Top 10 Great BLs That Are REALLY hard to find (but worth tracking down)

But you may want to go hunting anyway!

Seven Days

Seven Days: Monday-Thursday

Seven Days: Friday-Sunday

Japan 2015

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses.

Cherry Magic AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii

Japan 2020

The sweetest fluffiest magical realism BL, packaged as a pinning office romance, very low heat (practically chaste) but the cutest. It’s truly great.

Cherry Magic Thailand

Thai 2024

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth, with no-fuss execution from a consummate team and an OG lead pair proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up. Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it still stands. I personally like it slightly better than the Japanese live action, but I think that’s because I just really like Thai BL and I LOVE TayNew. Also all the kissing was both present and better than any other iteration. As it should be from Thailand.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Thai 2023

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

All about the ecstasy and the agony here.

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Japan 2020

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning.

Given

Japan 2021

Boy joins band, falls in love with other boy. The singing is terrible, fast forward through that but with the possible exception of the hair styles, this BL could have been made in 2015 and no one would be surprised. As such, it wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t disappoint either.

Make a Wish

Thai 2023

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and all the swagger. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

2 Moons The Ambassador AKA 2 Moons 3

Thai 2022

A Thai pulp that felt like it came out 5 yrs ago with many of the flaws inherent to that time and studio system, including manufactured angst and convoluted plot, but an ultimately sweet main couple that (as a pairing) feels a bit more modern and satisfying to watch than they started out. This will probably go down in history as one of the few BLs where I genuinely didn’t care about any of the side couples. All that said I find this show oddly appealing and rewatchable and I have no excuses for that.

I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

Japan 2022

This is a beautiful, well acted piece of cinema, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. Gifted and serious Sakura pines after outgoing eccentric manic pixie dream boy, Yuma. It is very pretty and this is the kind of atmospheric elegantly performed BL that only really comes from Japan (complete with dead fish kisses - what you though Korea invented them? oh no).

Triage

Thai 2022

BL does Groundhog Day featuring a doctor stuck in a time loop who must save a poor little rich boy from death by seducing the stuffing out of him, then PLOT TWIST, poor little rich boy must do the same for doctor! Unfortunately... stuffing keeps leaking. I thought the plot was engaging if a little redundant and occasionally exhausting. The pairs were all well done, low heat but with decent chemistry and the support characters were likeable (or unlikeable, as required). If anything, the romance arc detracted and distracted from the main plot, but that doesn't stop this from being a genuinely good show.

HONORABLE MENTION

Great Men Academy

Thai 2019

Bodyswap involving unicorns making a teenage girl into a boy makes this questionable as a BL (because, ya know, gender). But the fact remains that James is killer in the lead, and I (who do not like bodyswap) loved this damn show. Look, there is actual plot, hotties at boarding school, "bully the one you love" trope, some weird VR shit, very bad CGI, and yes, the boys end up together... whether they boys or not, so to speak.

Some of these shows may appear on a smaller streaming service, like WeTV, or they may be on a legal platform in your territory. I hope it goes without saying you should check there first.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that went missing (or was added to a platform) after that date.

It's it last in a series the rest of which are:

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thecasualfkfan · 2 months

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#asian bl series #thaibl #korean bl #taiwanese bl #japanese bl #2gether the series #bad buddy #old fashion cupcake #my beautiful man #cherry magic #semantic error #history 3: trapped #history 2: crossing the line #plus and minus #we best love #your name engraved herein #tumblr polls #any type of aisan bl #yaoi-manga-manhwa-live action-anything

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shijiujun · 3 months

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TRAILER FOR 大哥 | 關於未知的我们 | UNKNOWN THE SERIES IS OUT!!!! SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

Some notes:

Yes it's by a Taiwanese media company Result Entertainment so it IS uncensored

12 episodes

It's airing on Youku International, not on the main Youku and VPN will be needed if users wanna cross from main Youku to Youku International

International fans should have more options than Youku International let's see

Happy with this but also like Result Ent. dramas always have this cloudy layer over in terms of footage editing and it's kinda hard to edit LMAO

#dage #danmei #danmei la #danmei live action #priest #大哥 #關於未知的我们 #unknown the series #unknown #SCREAMING #omg my fave tropes #asianlgbtqdramas #bl drama #taiwan bl #tw mlm

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gus-dix · 1 month

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normal show about normal dudes who have absolutely nothing wrong going on with them <3

watched it alone then screamed about it to a friend to force them to watch it with me so we could scream together. this is love <3

do not erase the caption, use or rePOST my art (reblog ok)

#my art #fan art #Utsukushii Kare #live action #japanese bl #it's 2 seasons and a movie #my friend watching: WHAT #me: this is nothing yet #(repeat twice an episode)

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do-you-know-this-queer-character · 19 hours

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Do you know this queer character?

Neo is Bisexual and Polyamorous, and uses he/him pronouns!

#neo 3 will be free #3 will be free #tumblr polls #fandom polls #poll #bisexual #polyamorous #he/him #live action #thai bl #lgbtqia #do you know this queer character

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theelast-straw · 5 months

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"this show was a mistake" this, "this show can't be real" that... I for one choose to accept the omegaverse car racing show for what it is. I think it's funny, actually.

#seeing as it has breached containment #as insane as i think this concept is for an actual live action show #i also think it's hella funny #pit babe #pit babe the series #thai bl

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apocurves · 1 year

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CHERRY MAGIC x KIETA HATSUKOI parallels

#cherry magic #kieta hatsukoi #my love mix up #cherry magic thirty years of virginity can make you a wizard #japanese bl #japanese drama #jdrama #manga #live action #i miss them sm theyre so cute #get you someone that looks at you the way ida and kurosawa looks at aoki and adachi #apocurvesgifs

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danmeigirl · 7 months

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Patiently waiting for this to air 🥲

#hua cheng #xie lian #eternal faith #heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #zhang ling he #zhai xiaowen #live action #wuxia #bl drama

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heretherebedork · 1 year

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If I wasn't already a pile of goo this would have melted me. And Hozumi is just the tiniest, most sweet man and the way he rings his hands together every time he's reminded of his family... destroyed. Utterly destroyed by the boy who's never felt comfortable eating in front of people and the tiny family that is gonna take him in and teach him to love himself and to share food. @absolutebl I instantly see why you love this and I am here for it.

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rifki16 · 1 month

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Love is Better the Second Time Around ep 4

Photo Credit : Love is Better the Second Time Around Promotional Account on Twitter | https://x.com/koi_nido/status/1772596502365356096?s=46

Gosh, this episode really made me so happy. It really compensated the massive emotional blue balls which I had because of Cherry Magic the Anime episode 11

SHORT REVIEW HERE WE GO ! SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!! DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED BY THE PLOT

The biggest thing that popped up to me from the episode is the Sukida vs Aishiteru difference in Japanese. Before watching the episode, I had this understanding that, okay, Japanese people prefer to just use Sukida as the stand-in for "I Love You" rather than using the actual phrase of Aishiteru. Even when Hitro described how much he always loves crab cream croquette, he used the word Sukida - chuto sukidasteo -, instead of Aishiteru, granted that he was describing how he loves an inanimate object, not a person. In the cold open, Hiro used the noun form of love, which is "Koi". OH and the nighttime postdate pier confrontation. I really would love to understand which words Takashi actually used. "まずはさ僕と恋をしてみようよ" - Takashi actually used the noun form of love - koi -, the second time in the show. "のに君が思ってる以上に僕もずいぶん君にはまってるよ" was what Takashi said before the date, here he used the word "into you" or more literally "addicted to you". But then, during the sex scene, while Hiro was riding Takashi I MUST ADD, I was so shocked that Takashi actually said "Aishiteru". The notion of Japanese people being too afraid of standing out by saying "I Love You" really just blew out of my mind immediately. Of course, the context of the scene might actually describe the intensity of their love that crosses the mass mentality of conformity and hence, the utterance of "I Love You". And also, it happened very privately. Not in some streets where other people might judge you more, ergo lowering the bar of whether to say "I Love You" or not. This case of saying I Love You or not is very interesting for me, I really want to understand more Japanese speakers preferred dictions.

The second biggest thing that I noticed from the show is their way of saying Sex. My understanding is that in BL Japanese works, they will just flat out say "Sex" rather than coding it, like what happened in Tokyo in April is..., Straight J-Dramas, on the other hand, just used the word "it". In one of the episodes of Turn to Me Mukai-Kun, the only straight J-Drama that I've watched Mukai-kun talked with one of his previous sex partners, they used the word "it" to describe their no-strings-attached sex. Of course, it's just an observation, I have not watched that many straight J-dramas. However, it turns out, in this series, they much prefer to use the word "it" as well. In episode 3, when Hiro said, before leaving the onsen, "Just because we have done it, doesn't mean we're dating". I really thought it was just due to Hiro's disbelief that he had sex with his ex-boyfriend, hence the implicit shame in admitting, and uttering that he had "sex". But now, in episode 4, during Haru masturbation scene, he says "そもそも好きだししちゃったし", again, the use of "it" Even though, I think the context has shifted, Haru was slowly admitting his love and feelings to Takashi; hence, he may not see the sex as something to be ashamed of anymore. But again, this might come from a very amateur observer of Japanese linguistic culture, I mean, the use of "it" might actually signify the idea that Haru doesn't see what he does with Takashi as "Sex" maybe they see it as "making love" lol, I know, such a corny phrase. However, maybe, Haru is just not at the point of saying that they are making love yet, but not calling it something as casual as "sex", (I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears playing in the background). But that hypothesis doesn't really stand as Hiro actually said the word "sex" as they were having sex. What exactly are the connotations of the word "sex" for Japanese speakers?

I really love the consent feature of this episode. Hiro was too drunk to give consent, so Takashi just entertained him in his house, and they went out after Hiro became sober. Weird that they didn't use the trope of being too drunk and being needed to be carried by your love interest lol.

I also love that they used Uke taking care of Seme trope. it happened in My Personal Weatherman, Sasaki to Miyano [not definitive], If It's with You [not definitive], to say the least. I know it's not good in equating all of these heteronormative gender roles to a gay couple, but I think it's a nice trope to show that Ukes have dignity and play such a crucial role in gay relationships. I think it's much better for Japanese viewers to understand the out-of-the-box ness of queer couples by showing more on how Semes can also take care of Ukes - like in The End of the World with You.

ALSO. My brain itch still stands!!!! HIRO REJECTED TAKASHI. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Gosh, the unequal love trope was called back in this episode. Is this a new trend amongst Japanese BL works?

FURTHERMORE. How can Takashi be that rich? Are university lecturers in Japan paid that well? the apartment, the stuff? HE HAS HIS OWN OFFICE, like what?

P.S. I really love how just mid-wild the sex scene in the end is. It's so typical of this show to be crazily in the middle.

After Takashi proposed and they all got lovey-dovey, omg they look so cute in acting like newlyweds.

Of course, they're gonna break up before reuniting in the finale, wouldn't be a bl if it didn't have one. Gosh, I'm gonna cry so hard in the next episode.

#koi wo suru nara nidome ga joto #japan bl #bl live action #japanese language #linguistics #love is better the second time around

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nieves-de-sugui · 11 months

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The Story of Live Action BL in Japan

This is an extra post to accompany the history of BL post I did earlier.

Japan has had live action BL long before Thailand entered the picture. It was however mostly melancolic stories or manga adaptations, until their own particular boom happened. I make a difference between what I would call LGBTQ+ representation and BL Live Action, because even though they have existed parallely they are fundamentally different in their conception. Here is an interview with the curator of an exhibition that was held in Japan about the history of Japanese Queer Cinema.

The evolution of Japanese BL Live Action has been very slow, and mostly influenced by manga. It is still not a big market, but it has improved a lot in the most recent years. This is my attempt to put it into phases:

The indie like movies and bad manga adaptations

Let’s start with Boys Love (a movie), shall we?

It is the year 2006 and up to this point there has been a small boom of gay stories in the 1990′s (the first Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival was held in 1992 me thinks this might have sprung the yaoi debates). In the 2000's, we're at the start of a new little boom on BL type movies being made. Many of which would be directly released in DVD, with a constant melancholic and tragic approach to love stories between young men.

Homosexual love is only attarctive to the mainstream if it’s painful. Like typical japanese imposible loves that are explored because of the passion and innevitable tragedy (it’s a japanese trope of almost any kind of romance movie, up to these days). its the intensity of feelings and the poetry of it all. In Boys Love we see those elements that are now very common in BL manga. Straight men falling in love with beautiful young boys and loving them until their tragic end. The movie was released in theatres and was successful enough to get a sequel. Here is a very good review of the movie, to know more about it.

A number of similar movies (with happier endings) follow through. Then enters the Takumi kun series. Based off one of the most popular yaoi novel (and potentially the first live action novel/manga adaptation of BL), it has all the June tropes: Traumatized feminine Takumi, raped by his older brother when he was young, has developped an abberation to human touch which prevents him from making friends. He goes to a boarding school for rich kids where he shares a dorm room with Gii, the most popular kid on the premises, who has fallen in love with him. And it is through that love that Takumi gets over his illness and heals from his past. It was such a success in the BLsphere that it got 4 more movies. I believe it is the bane of @absolutebl existence.

After the first Takumi-kun movie, the production of BL type movies, or adaptations of manga gets a boost. We go from no more than 3 movies a year to 8 in 2008, ie:

Kindan no Koi Ai no Kotodama Taiikukan Baby

And so it continues. When a manga is popular enough it either gets a Live Action, a drama CD (voice actors record the manga dialogues) or/and a series of OVAs (Original Video Animation). Because that’s how they do marketing in Japan. I believe most, if not all, of these movies go straight to DVD. It��s a treat for the fans.

The beginning of the shift

As the manga source starts to evolve, so does the live actions. Japanese society starts being more aware of the LGBT (as the term is used for business startegy purposes). As it’s all about what is going to sell, slowly, a slight neutral realism starts to be felt. Melancoly starts to be replaced with happier moods.

The first adaptation I genienly enjoyed at the time was Seven Days, 2015. A 2 part movie, adapted from the manga, with a very simple story (still no characters properly defined as gay, but maybe they could count as bi?)

While more LGBTQ+ movies get made, the BL Live Action movies remain in the same vein. Adpating what is popular and sticking to the tropes of the time. For example, in 2017 we get simultaneously:

BL - Hidamari ga Kikoeru. A loud and energetic college student becomes friends with a hearing impared classmate, as he helps him take notes for class.

LGBT - Close Knit. An 11 year old girl gets tossed aside by her mother and goes to live with her uncle, who is dating a transgender woman.

The Middle Aged Man Phenomenon

Have you wondered why office settings are so popular in japanese BL? Well, it is mostly Ossan’s Love fault in my opinion.

Besides office romances being a staple of japanese tv dramas, in 2016 two major mainstream actors (Tanaka Kei and Yoshida Kotaro) participate in a small short film about a salaryman who discovers his boss is in love with him. A simple comedy filled with misunderstandings and funny shenanigans. As the response to it was very positive, they decided to turn it into a full flegged series. And so, Ossan’s Love comes out on prime television (TV Asahi) for all to see. It is the first time we see a story like this being shown in a mainstream channel, for all and anyone to see.

A year later after the success of Ossan’s Love we get the wonderful Kinou Nani Tabeta/What Di you Eat Yesterday? (2019), which would not have been possible without Ossan’s Love. There was confidence that there was a market for such a story. Followed by the OL movie: Ossan’s Love: Love or Dead. Which was later followed by a horrible horrible second season that nobody wanted. On this year too, Mood Indigo comes out. A sequel to The Novelist/Pornographer, which would secure it’s popularity. It later got a second season.

We are now in a second boom of interest in queer stories. And the number of movies and tv shows grow. Some of the most known:

Novel adaptation - Fujoshi Ukkari gay ni kokoru LGBT Movies - His Dramas - Life: Senjou no Bokura

Queer voices have been increasingly loud and, in 2015, two municipalities put in place a partnership to acknowledge same sex relationships (not recognized outside of those municipalities unfortunately).

And so, start mixing the homophobia free idealized stories, with more diverse queer content, with the harsh realities of LGBTQ+ people, and the cinematic interest of the filmmakers/directors.

The rise of the salaryman and the thai breakthrought

Thanks to the appeal of middle aged men, Japan now knows there’s a market to be had in producing BLs, so the adaptations sprout like mushrooms. The ground is ready to bear fruit, and so enters thailand with the big success of 2gether at the beginning of 2020.

Japan got to have the movie screened in their theatres. Thailand has broken the Japanese market barrier, as soon as the borders open after the pandemic, fanmeetings are held there one after the other.

And then, we get Cherry Magic in late 2020, which continues to cement that the current japanese BL boom is still going strong.

The Aftermath

The production of BL shows and movies reaches its peak and we get 26 (shows and movies) in 2022. Movies, specials and second seasons are being made.

From Utsukushii Kare 2021 to Strange 2023. Old and new manga gets an adapation and more queer representation grows in media overall.

The story of LGBT representation in shows in Japan

As an extra, I want to put here a few examples of how queer characters, and stories have entered the mainstream of japanese tv dramas. Many mainstream actors have also taken upon portraying such characters.

Pretty Proofreader (2016) - featured a gay side character, not relevant to the plot. My Brother’s Husband (2018) mini series - adaptation of Gengoroh Tagame’s manga about a man overcoming his homophobia through getting to know his bother’s husband Life As A Girl (2018) mini series - the life of a lesbian trans woman Ie Uru Onna S2 (2019) - one episode features different types of LGBT people who want to buy a house and the difficulties they face. Also had some type of side gay stoyline (a little queerbaity)? Ore no Sukato, doko Itta? (2019) - a gay man who dresses as a woman becomes a teacher at a highschool and helps with his is student’s problems.

Special mention to Residential Complex (2018).

A drama that featured 4 families living in the same residential unit, each with their own fundamental problems. The father in the traditional japanese family was unemployed, the man engaged to a younger second wife who wanted no children ends up having to take care of his son from his previous marriage, the young newlyweds that are eager to have kids can’t concieve and the single architect is actually living with his boyfriend. It was a show that had worked with an LGBT organization to make a faithful protrayal of LGBT realities.

Final Thoughts

Here is a list of all Japanese BL and Queer media, Japanese BL list. I recommend to check it out to see the variety of adaptations being made today. It is intersting to see the differences in plot in the shows that are adapting current manga (Our Dining Table) and those adapting older manga (Candy Color Paradox). There is also a lot of queer movies and shows worth checking out. Here are my recommendations:

Kamisama no Ekohiiki (series)

Both Me and Him are the Grooms (movie)

I think it is great that Japan is intergrating queer stories and voices to their BLs, as well as adapting more content to the screen. It is a very exciting moment to be living through, but it still feels like it might go away just as fast as it came. Japan is a very conservative country, that embraces change so very slowly. Queer vocies are making noise, but they have yet to manage to make their government listen. Japan is very setback in this sense.

I do no think Japan will be able to have a BL market similar to Thailand for its live action adaptations any time soon. They stick to what they know, which sometimes can be very good and others, bad.

I do hope for BL to keep on doing what it does best for society: subtly normalizing queer lives so that conservative people start welcoming the idea that they're just regular people (who deserve rights, come on Japan).

Hopefully we’re headed there.

#history of bl #bl history #history of japanese bl live action #this was the quicker one to make #the yaoi debates require more research #but it will be the next post in this series #I hope you had a fun read #I hope I did a good job #I don't know as much on this subject but I did want to make a post to give some context to why japanese bl is as it is

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absolutebl · 2 months

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Top 10 Best BLs on Gagaoolala

My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare

Japan 2021

One of the most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade, as weird and as messed up as any 2000s yaoi: emo af and hella warped, entirely true to itself with no attempt made to modify its POV for modern sensibilities or current BL fandom. It used seriously old school problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly uncompromising piece that also manages to hit up themes of communication, consent, and self acceptance. It’s a wonderful BL but uniquely dirty and harsh, in the best possible way - Japanese cinema, uncompromising.

I lost my ever loving mind over the ending. This show won the Grand Prix “My Best TV Award” at the 16th Galaxy Awards.

Minato's Laundromat AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Japan 2022

A classic age gap romance where a high school student pursues the man of his dreams (who runs a laundromat). This BL is so steeped in yaoi nostalgia, not to mention a classic romance arc, that it will overload some, but those of us who love this genre for its DNA will adore it. It made me very happy because it did everything I want a BL to do - there’s not much more I could ask of a show than this. It’s the closest Japan has come to perfect live action yaoi since Seven Days (and I never make that comparison lightly).

Squee watch-along here.

My Ride

Thai 2022

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest, and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple.

Takara & Amagi AKA Takara-kun to Amagi-kun

Japan 2022 I gnawed on my knuckles and squealed a lot with this BL. Reserved cool kid who must learn to communicate to keep the tiny disaster nugget he’s madly in love with. It is beyond charming: soft and gentle, packed with cuteness and high school angst, thirst, & yearning. Was there plot? Not really. Was it emotionally tense and paced well enough for me not to notice? Absolutely. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Oh yes.

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Taiwan 2023

The plot is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged, but that’s normal for Taiwan. It involves all the tropes under a very casual framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love. Absolutely every character is queer. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs, and a KILLER side couple. As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL. Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

Japan 2023

This style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that part is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking. It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

Japan 2023

A lonely salaryman and talented cook gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. I was always gonna love this show if they stuck to the manga (which is very dear to my heart). And they did, paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me as the best of what Japan can do with softness (like Restart After Come Back Home). It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, but that's OK with me. This is a very safe show for anyone to watch.

Step By Step

Thai 2023

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This office romance between a stern boss and sweet subordinate felt more authentic to cubical work than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. That authenticity added tension to the narrative and its characters development (how novel). I also really enjoyed the charming side characters and the brothers' relationship to each other (although I could have done without that brother's side BL).

Long Time No See

Korea (Strongberry) 2017

Catfishing assassins on either side of a turf war who fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Suspenseful plot, good fight sequences, mature characters, hot sexitimes and even hotter beating the shit out of each other and kissing while covered in blog (this came from KOREA?), plus an HEA. One of the hidden gems of the BL genre.

About Youth

Taiwan 2022

A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst and an earnest depth. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. A weak seme/uke dynamic but tons of BL tropes (both rare in a high school setting but common for Taiwan) makes this one feel both sweet and colored by real world authenticity and grit.

Some of these shows ALSO appeared on Viki or iQIYI, but these BLs will appear only once on these round up posts (here for Gaga), not on the other platforms top 10.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that aired on Gaga (or was taken off the platform) after that date.

This is part of a series more here:

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