BL: What Western media refuses to do

[@mariagillette7310]

To add to all of this, western masculinity is often extremely oppressive, NARROW and exhausting to everyone. Bls show an incredible variety of what being a man can look and feel like. It's something insanely refreshing and beautiful to see and I hope that it doesn't get erased or "shifted west" as the genre gains more international footing.

[@embreis2257]

_Young Royals_ or _Heartstopper_ should be fine examples of western BL without 'oppressive masculinity', right?

[@derekb4977]

​@@embreis2257 I don't consider them BL just western especially heartstopper Cant stand that so many fake labels

[@The1AboveAlll]

Do you honestly believe that BLs show a different kind of masculinity? There’s not way you can say that

[@mariagillette7310]

@@The1AboveAlll I really, genuinely do. Granted I am a newer fan and have mostly been watching more modern ones and can't speak for older series in the genre. But I stand by my opinion :)

[@The1AboveAlll]

@ I appreciate you standing by your opinion. But what type of BLs do you watch that lead you to believe that they portray radically different forms of masculinity compared to western media?

[@amarinegripond1915]

70 years old, mother of four, straight, and ....autistic: It isn't the beautiful men that draw me to BL: With very few exceptions they are the age to be my grandchildren. Although beauty of any sort is a pleasure to the eyes, it is definitely the relationships, how they grow, and the work that goes into them that keeps me coming back. The delicacy, and anxiety, of progressively throwing out feelers, and trusting someone else, initially a stranger, completely.... echoes my slow understanding of human interaction from my strange autistic point of view. Most neurotypical, and straight, people just go way too fast and relationships have so many unsaid, unelaborated, shortcuts that remain obstacles to complete trust.... So these BL series and films are pure comfort: to meet these people willing to take the time for those they love.

[@somethingels9869]

Oooowww, how I LOVE your explanation! And I completely resonate with everything you said... thank you for sharing this in such a beautiful way! :-)

[@amarinegripond1915]

@@somethingels9869 💙

[@anyueda]

Oh my gosh, you just made me realize that my autism could most definitely be part of it haha I'm autistic, queer and on the ace spectrum. Love is INSANELY complicated to me and takes such a long time if I even feel it at all. I get a very intense interest for people, but that isn't rooted in romance typically. Things like instant attraction are quite foreign to me unless it's just about an aesthetic attraction that's just too shallow to build anything on. Western media goes with that as a basis just way too much and their connections stay just as shallow - at least to my understanding of what I'm seeing. Even hardships don't feel as emotionally complex when it's about their relationship. I also noticed before that asian culture sometimes is easier for me to grasp cause there are clearer structures when it comes to social interactions... Like how to address people, how there's a clear distinction reflected in the way you call people when you get closer, how skinship works etc etc. It is sometimes easier to understand things as a viewer from how I see it. Anyway, thank you so much for making me see yet another layer of that!

[@amarinegripond1915]

@@anyueda 💙

[@amarinegripond1915]

@@anyueda Both loves of my life have taken almost a year of every day contact to come to consciousness...

[@kittykatjagirl]

Simply put, after reading just fanfics and years of college theatre classes telling me shows, plays, and movies should be perfect, I needed a break from the strictness of it all. BLs lightened up on everything I’d known. They had a bubbly air about them, the plots are experimental, the actors are always testing themselves with different character types, and the cinematography surprises me in unexpected moments. It’s just a breath of fresh air.

[@Fuzzybear7680]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm watching from the midwest of the USA (near Chicago), and BL has been my savior over the past few weeks as I watch the culture in my country teeter on the brink. The current uncertainty here has been buffered for me by the BL series currently on my screen. I've been watching BL since my lockdown time during the pandemic in 2020, when I discovered the Philippine series "Hello Stranger" and "Gameboys". After that I started finding the Thai BL scene, and was completely captivated by Earth/Mix in "1000 Stars" and "Cupid's Last Wish". Since then I have fallen in love with so many BL stars from all over southeast Asia and increasingly around the globe. I proudly follow their successes both on and off screen. From the "older" guard (Tay/New, Off/Gun, Krist/Singto, etc.) to the new(er) comers (Gemini/Fourth, Sea/Keen, Almond/Process, etc.) and everyone in between, they all feel like my extended family, even tho they will never know who I am. As an older gay man, I have been able to actually live my youth over again (as a child of the 60s and 70s, when same-sex attraction was completely taboo), and experience many feelings I missed out on back then. I have gotten so addicted to BL dramas that I can no longer appreciate "straight" romance, and I even find myself dreaming in BL! You cover so many interesting points in this (and other) discussion(s) that I can totally agree and identify with. I always love your thoughtful and impactful commentary here. Keep up the great work!

[@derekb4977]

Bl would be ruined in the western world with stupid words and pronouns ect don't let the west DESTROY BL.

[@TerryCioni]

There is a tiny scene in Not Me, that spoke a million words about Sean and White's relationship. Sean knowing that White was coming into the abandoned building where they would scout their mission from, put a bench under a window which White had to jump through - it was a thoughtful , loving act, of a tough guy who had fallen in love with his man overcoming all of his life issues. It was fleeting and no words were spoken but yet it was as intimate a scene as any full blown NC in many BL dramas. There is a kiss at the end of the final episode that leaves no doubt about the acting skills of Off and Gun. Frankly some of the BL dramas are reaching well into the western domination of TV and movie making. BL is all about relationships and the reason I watch them. If you doubt that watch the Korean Indy series 8th Sense.

[@TrineMortensen]

Oh yes I also love the bench scene in not me.. Not Me is just an amazing show in general 🥰

[@TerryCioni]

@@TrineMortensen One of the best, but unfortunately I think an underrated BL with OFF/GUN. IMHO it remains one of the best out there even though it is 2 years old.

[@TrineMortensen]

@@TerryCioni Oh it's definitely their best work by a mile.. A lot of people love it, it's just not as talked about anymore sadly.. But one of my top 5 thai bl's.. I like BL's that focuses on the characters and storylines more than drama/mess and nc scenes 😊

[@SidMaron]

Not Me was one of my first thai shows and is still my favorite up until now. My favorite scene is when Sean and White lock eyes under the giant flag. The are not only looking at each other, but they recognize each other for who they truely are.

[@tecc]

In western media, there is a massive gap in the market that expands beyond just queer media. For a long time now, it hasn’t been considered “good cinema” to market something as a romance. In addition, the focus on multi-season shows that need plots that can be extended indefinitely with no knowledge of when it’s ending and an overappreciation of gritty/sexy storylines is not conducive to a good romantic plot line. They want a franchise, not a story. When romantic plots are in TV shows, it’s for the drama above the romance (leaving the future of any pairing uncertain) and always takes a back burner to other events happening in the story without much focus on aiming for a happy ending. I think we are seeing a recent shift toward recognizing the marketability of the genre with popular productions like Bridgerton, Heartstopper, Red White and Royal Blue, and other unapologetic romances coming out that capitalize off of booktok trends. but the west is needing to learn/relearn how to do the genre justice. Alternatively, short-form romance and relationship centered dramas have always been front and center in Asian media, so they have perfected the craft. We see this with how popular Kdramas are in the west as well. This gets reflected in their BL, which is often a romance first and queer narrative second whereas western stories are queer narratives first and romances second. This small distinction can feel incredibly refreshing when you’re looking for stories about queer joy. Or stories involving queer characters where the drama/angst don’t revolve around their sexuality and their trauma dosent meaningfully involve homophobia. I don’t think these are the only reasons, but I do think they are important. Consuming media from different cultures gives you access to narrative styles and visual languages you wouldn’t otherwise have access to and can really open you up to the possibilities of what can exist and ways to expand and improve a genre. That cultural exchange then, in turn, being taken to evolve the next generation of content can be incredibly powerful.

[@reckonerwheel5336]

Wow, great comment!! Just wanted to add -- American media generally has a "go big or go home" business model, even when the audience isn't going to be a wide one. Think of teen shows -- they're made for a smaller audience like BL is, but they still choose narrative concepts that can spread over multiple seasons. The American industry does have their niche stuff though. It knew that enough Western women were out there who would eat up cheaply produced romances, so the Hallmark channel came to be. I think what might be deterring American studios is that BL viewers are younger and already know how to access BL, so a Western show has competition already.

[@IdrisFenn537]

Not a scene but I love it when a character says they want to be beside someone. I love this phrase and have heard it so often. It is so gentle and powerful all at the same time.

[@sandyt8981]

I’m watching from Los Angeles, California. My first BL was “TharnType” in 2020. I didn’t really get into watching BLs until this year, though. My favorite is “My Personal Weatherman” because there is so much love between them even though they’re terrible at communicating! That’s the show I rewatch when I’m tired or stressed. I also love the glimpses into different cultures (“Oh, that’s what a Thai funeral is like!”) And it’s a very organic way to learn. I also had no idea that so many young men in Thailand would choose to be ordained as monks and that being a monk doesn’t necessarily last forever.

[@emilysicking5613]

My first BL was 4 Minutes, and I looked at other series some of the actors were in, and it led me to another, then another, etc. 4 Minutes was recommend by a chat group I’m in with other KPop fan girls. Thank you for mentioning the sniff kiss! I wondered if this was something unique to BL dramas or Thailand specifically. I had never seen it before watching BLs. It’s a cute gesture of affection! I also love seeing consent at the forefront of the love scenes. Not proceeding if their love interest is drunk, or if they aren’t comfortable, asking before kissing, etc. ❤

[@luunara7065]

I came across a video with multiple edits of cute couples and hot guys and there was one blonde guy with wings tattooed on his back... I needed to know who he was and that led me to the series "Between Us". And now I'm 300 shows deep into the Bl rabbit hole and found new friends around the world.

[@kathleenaberley8752]

SAME! I saw a picture of Boun, did some research 😉 and discovered BL!!!

[@szeyingong7379]

Did you watch its precedent Until We Meet Again??

[@luunara7065]

@@szeyingong7379 I tried, but never got past the first episode. There is too much staring ...

[@riittasaarinen7288]

@@luunara7065 welcome to our ever expanding fold 😊

[@luunara7065]

@@szeyingong7379 I tried, but never got past the first episode...

[@lizzien5846]

I’m a mom in the US. My daughter came to visit in 2020 and forced me to watch The Untamed. I’ve been hooked ever since!❤

[@amarinegripond1915]

My first was word of honor, followed closely by the untamed, both of which I have watched many times. but I didn't consider them BL... but bromance... until I understood chinese censorship better. When the chiness do BL, and when they don't censor it, it is really awesome: (thinking about Stand by me, Blue canvas of youthful days, and mermaid's jade) The first watch I considered BL was Love in the Air. The thaï produce so much... good along with not so good 🙂 The japanese, and taiwanese, make the best according to my taste.

[@riittasaarinen7288]

@@lizzien5846 I feel you! The Untamed is very difficult to shake, so far I am still very much hooked on that particular series 🥰

[@LadyTDMV]

​​@amarinegripond1915 couldn't have said it better As of today currently on my 4th rewatch of the untamed

[@yegra]

The head patting makes me SCREAM. So adorable and heartwarming

[@russdeniston840]

I’m a western BL fan, a massive one! 😂Started with SOTUS sometime in 2020, and it’s pretty much snowballed since then…..not sure if I’d have survived the Pandemic without these shows 😅Can’t think of any one scene that first really impacted me, because now there’s been way too many; I’m sure I’ve watched well over a hundred series, and it might be multiples of a hundred. I hardly know anyone else who watches them, and when the topic comes up (which it does because I’m always trying to encourage others to give the genre a shot!) I always have to explain what the stories are about. For me, it’s about the energy, life, and innocence (usually 😉) of these young men, and the lengths that they go to to fight through the obstacles to their love. BL’d are both heartwarming and encouraging, and sooooo easy on the eyes 😊It’s just escapism I know, but these stories tick just so many boxes for me.

[@bmg_cobb6919]

The way history 3 make our days count had me bawling crying for like a week after

[@jennylg6582]

YES

[@indecisiverain]

Right! I’m still not over it

[@dyllankey]

Hits you like a train because you’ve been on a journey with the characters the whole time. The first 5 minutes of “Until We Meet Again”: 😂

[@queenrose8529]

OH MY GOD, YES... i didn't know what was happening and they just start killing themselves, i was a sobbing mess. It really through me off guard.

[@angelika_joanna]

The amount of times I had to check whether I was actually watching the first episode cause it felt so unreal 😅

[@ACWhoCares2]

True that defintiley was not "expected" and is the reason I to this day have not rewatched the whole installment. As far sas Thai BL goes that as graphic and I already was 1-2 years to late 😂 😂

[@rabbitgodofbl]

Until We Meet Again was the first Bl I ever saw and I've been hooked ever since

[@sonrog8877]

You & some of the comments hit the nail on the head so I will not repeat them. For me, a 70 year old American Buddhist woman, I really love the scenes showing Buddhist holy places & rituals. I appreciate many BL stories that include the extended family such as grand parents & siblings & the deep love between them. I rarely watch western movies anymore.

[@emlynjessen2957]

I agree. Have you seen the fan video when Saint to Zee home and took us to some beautiful Buddhist temples on the way? One temple has beautiful silver work, the other has relics of Buddha!

[@sonrog8877]

@ I have not. How do I find it?

[@inotaishu1]

One reason why BL is a genre that I prefer over western "queer" media, is the lack of social preaching that seems to be there in western sources whenever gay or bisexual men are the main characters. To give an example, last month I saw a movie that sold itself as drag queens vs vampires, which looked good at first, but then in the last 30 minutes, there was so much social commentary and preaching that not only ruined the movie but made me think the makers of the film were both heterophobic and homophobic at the same time.

[@irissu02]

I think bl is just something that gives me what i've always crave for since i was very little. Romance. I've always always loved romance, i never actually feel in love myself yet but i found romance to be the most fascinating feeling. I want to see people be in love and bls don't shy away from give us just that. Of course i love a well ploted bl but even when there is a bigger plot overall the serie stills center on romance. That story would not be told without that part of the story and that's what makes it beautiful. Bl put feelings in the center of them

[@riittasaarinen7288]

The very first bl I watched was Bad buddy some years ago and it has been downhill since then 😂. Don't know how many I have watched so far but it's a lot, some have been absolutely stellar and some have been not so good and some I've dropped after an episode or two. All in all I just love this genre so much, watch those shows every day 😊 The Japanese bls are my favorites but there are many Korean, Taiwanese and Thai bls that I have enjoyed immensely. Thanks for the video 👍and greetings from Finland!

[@yanderepuzzler]

This video is great! You make a lot of very real and valid points. I recently wrote a paper about the relationship between Thai BLs and the legalization of marriage over there, I’m so glad more attention is being given to BLs, I just hope they keep their wonderful Eastern influences!

[@Shinzukiki]

Dude “My beautiful man” destroyed me 😭

[@junglecat_rant]

Yes, same here.

[@LanZhanAndWeiYingWalking]

Waaaah. Yes. ❤

[@mikew9999]

I stumbled upon Grey Rainbow on KZbin, and after watching that, in the recommendations, were the Love Sick series videos, and in the recommendations for that I came across Make It Right and then Hormones. After that, the recommendations just kept coming and I started to get more acquainted with the studios and actors, and began to actively search for content, expanding my viewing to pay-for platforms like IQ, Viki, and Gaga. Now there is so much out there, that I am able to be selective about which series I choose to watch, and which I think may be boring or repetitive. I often find myself engaged in 10-12 different series all at one time. I enjoy that in the world created within these dramas, it is totally natural for two guys to like each other, and their friends are all like "way to go" and the friends even pair up such that there is a whole world that exists where this is totally normal and there will be four or five different BL couples within the world of one single series, and no one blinks an eye about that fact. The guys are all pairing up with other guys and that's ok within that universe.

[@tuija21]

I just found the world of BL this summer and boy am I hooked! In general I love the light-heartedness and humor of Thai and Korean series and the yearning and slower pacing in Japanese and Taiwanese ones. At least in the series I’ve watched so far. I loved the Swedish ”Young Royals” because of its amazingly beautiful storytelling and since then the ”Hollywood mold” has felt sooo bland and boring. In my own country, Finland, it seems that that’s all we see on TV nowadays… I think ”I cannot reach you” was the first actual BL I ever saw, even though I had no idea that such a genre existed at that time - it was so sweet and different from all of the other stuff streaming. But I just love finding out new shows that bring me joy and let me learn about new cultures. And I’m here for the ride!

[@asia_7775]

Thank you for your deep and interesting ananlysis. I'm from Poland started watching BL dramas about a half year ago and they became my every day pleasure and rutine. I must say I became addicted to them... 😍 In my case it all started by chance, I subscribed Viki because I liked K-dramas and I was searching for something interesting, couldn't find any K-drama, but found Japaneese BL (I didn't know what it was then 😁) it was "Tokio in April is..." This series was so much different and I liked it very much, so I dived into BL content and started watching Korean and Japaneese dramas, but I don't know why, didn't want to watch Thai BL, because I thought "they are lower quality, the actors don't play well and that in general they are on a lower level... And.... I was VERY MUCH WRONG. Now I prefer Thai BL and I watched a lot of them either old ones and the new ones, I think they become better and better, especially GMMTV does a GREAT work lately - "Jack&Jocker", "Heart Killers", "ThamePo" - are great, even two of them are not finished yet, but even on that stage I find them fantastic. I must say that it is not only BL also K-dramas with wich I started my journey through Asian movie, about a year and a half ago, are great, interesting and for me much different from Western movies which I can't watch any more. I'm bored of Western movies, even if I start watching I can't finish, I don't know why... probably I got bored of the same western scheme... or the lack of this BEAUTY in each aspects, which I can find a lot in Asian productions... So I am a big fan of the Asian movie (especially BL), but not only also a big fan of Asian music (K-pop, T-pop, even Chineese music). I'm very happy that I can watch all of that through streaming platforms like Viki, IQIYI, Gaga, though sometimes some content is not available in my region, but I can use VPN. I hope we'll have many great BL dramas in 2025. 🥰

[@reemakh6811]

Mine has to be the kissing scene at the bar from Sematic Error. I had to pause after SangWoo ran away

[@krazykay17]

As a straight female living in the ‘bible belt’ part of the US, I thought something was wrong with me when I just couldn’t get into straight western shows and leaned more towards gay stories. Nobody I know watches BLs, btw. So any show with a gay couple, I watched for the crumbs because that’s all that was given. Then I found fanfic and read like crazy! Then I came across an edit of Tharntype in December 2020 and that was it. The pandemic rocked me, and BL gave me the culture shock in the best way. The sniff kisses, head pats, feeding each other…my folks don’t do that lol! I can’t watch western shows anymore. I’m almost 200 shows in and I love it here.😊

[@masahirokuronaga1072]

What drawn me into BL was the very well crafted and relatable stories. There are times where I am on BL hiatus because when I watch one, it really cracks my heart open. Another is the very well executed production and the amazing music. I made a playlist of the OSTs of these bl dramas and whenever I play them at home or in the car, it refreshes me all the emotions I felt when I initially watched the series.

[@masahirokuronaga1072]

My first BL-related content was Hormones Season One. And my first BL as the lead characters was Love Sick way back 2013-ish.

[@Nelly-44]

Scene the wercked me Babe screaming " Charlie...." when he thought Charlie died and when Xiang Hao after Yu Xi died

[@ginnymoon2710]

Holy cow how could i have forgotten that one! I was a mess for hours after watching that part.

[@Nelly-44]

Listen when he said i don't want my senses back.... I died again

[@angelo3971]

I discovered BL about six months ago. I live in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since then I have never watched any Western fiction (I don't even go on Netflix anymore). Although I have several criticisms of the genre, BL is the only type of entertainment that represents me. This is because, in Western productions of the mainstream media, gay people like me have to settle for crumbs within a larger content, in addition to the unbearable clichés about homosexuals.

[@junglecat_rant]

But I hope you watched Heartstopper. I enjoyed every aspect of the story so much.

[@JenJenJenny1216]

I've recently come across your channel and the few videos I've watched I'm very impressed with. I'm from a small Caribbean island called St. Kitts, in my early thirties and I'm the only person i know thats into bl and so i love my internet bl community. I honestly don't rememebr what my first bl was but it has to be one of those early sesnations, tharntype, sotus or together, but I've been reading yaoi for years prior, probably since high school. These days I'm more into bl than manga as I'm generally more into watching than readings 😅 but ive recently read a danmei and i could seriously get into that. In the furture i would to see you do a video ok why bl so appeals to women mostly or that its primary made by women for women. I know I'm a fujoshi but i dont understand what draws me to bl especially since its something thats kinda shunned on in my culture. But either way loved your video love my bl and i will continue to enjoy

[@emlynjessen2957]

Wow, St Kitts! I know people in my church in Toronto from your island. Like so many who have become addicted to BL, I am now bored by Western dramas. BTW, nobody is mentioning the fantastic music in these dramas!!!

[@loekverheijden2499]

"The end of the world with you" has left me shattered till this day. The way they addressed confronting yourself with past trauma and mental health issues just wrecked me. I'm autistic, and even though BL never mentions a character being autistic, I see my personality reflected in BL characters way often then in western media. That's what you get from showing experiences, rather then ticking identity-boxes

[@martakavaliauskaite4566]

Thank you i love in asian bl series the hugs / the sniff kiss / petting of the hair / sharing food / that characters help eatch other true hard times and help solve their problems / how charactures change and mature true the series / the friendship in bl series that friends stay true to eatch other / respect to traditions / hand holding / flowers /communication / second chances / plot / characters /bl series just has magic / i am verry addicted to bl series /

[@scott609]

SOTUS was the first BL I ever stumbled upon. then I saw KinnPorsche and was blown away. Since then the quality of most BL's (especially from Thailand) has been uneven. The only BL that really tore my heart out (and still does) was History 3: Make Our Days Count from Taiwan. Then once I came across Bad Buddy I was totally hooked. Western gay stories are all about dealing with some problem or other. Happiness and love were never easy to find, unless you suffered first of course. The only (Western) fantasy story that broke the usual Western mold was Red, White and Royal Blue. Western audiences were swept away by it too. After that became a hit on Amazon Prime I thought that KP or BB would soon be shown on Netflix or Amazon. But nooooo. Instead we got Man Suang, a Thai historical epic of no interest to anyone outside Thailand. Why BOC sold that one to Netflix when they could have sold a smash hit with KP we may never know.

[@LanZhanAndWeiYingWalking]

For a long time, when I was still watching a lot of western shows (I am Asian by the way), I often wondered why I couldn’t find many western men handsome. I thought something was wrong with me. Until I stumbled upon kpop, kdrama, BL….and I was gobsmacked with all the cute and handsome men. The sort of looks that made my heart do cartwheels and my toes curl. I realized that was my standard for beauty. I also realized that there was so little Asian representation in the shows I watched growing up…it made my own culture seem so alien. I’m glad that Asian BL showcases many endearing parts of Asian culture that weren’t so mainstream before.

[@catherine3514]

One scene that absolutely wrecked me? Definitely from KinnPorsche. That one scene Porsche absolutely breaks down in the bathroom did things to me that makes me cry every time I rewatch the series.

[@athenaruby6091]

My first BL was Secret Crush On You.😭But the one scene that completely broke me is the scene in Kinnporche when they're in the forest and they just got out of the ditch they fell in. When Kinn says that he can go, that he can leave, that he can fulfill his dream. And so Porche walks away but stops. Then he turns and runs back to kiss him. That kiss broke me.

[@tjdevon0092]

I'm completely hooked on BL dramas, especially Thai. Your video is spot on why people love these stories and characters, you feel so immersed in the story and treasure the viewing experience it brings. I'm a middle-aged mum from the UK, 😅 and I adore these shows. My attitude and views have definitely changed since watching, which I feel eternally grateful for....Love is Love 🤟❤️🏳️‍🌈 My Top favourite shows sofar: Between Us, Until we meet again, Love is a Poison and Cutie Pie ☺️

[@leaz.5255]

I'm from Germany and first I read yaoi what intrigued me. My first BL show was "My love mix-up" (the japanese one) and it was just cute, light and funny. They never shared a kiss here, but the story was just about teenage romance, no matter which gender. For me western dramas are always dark, heavy and melodramatic, even if the shows didn't start like that. But I love romance and I love a happy ending. I totally fell in love with BL shows when I watched "Love by chance" and couldn't stop till now. The shy glimpses, the soft kiss on the forhead, the possessive grip around the waist and the yearning kisses - everything of the shows scream love. And I totally agree that the main point plot of the shows are about romance and true love, not about the gender or sexuality. It is just the best after a long day to giggle along with the shy main character or to cry after a (hopefully temporary) breakup. I really hope as most of you, that the west don't ruin this genre and implement their ideas here (as I have the feeling I see more of it in Kdramas). And yes, the hot boys are the cherries on top! 😍

[@n.a.m.1621]

Relating to the appeal of cultural moments, I think the fact that people in Asia and other Eastern locations are less expressive in intimacy and place a large weight on mannerisms contributes to the impact when they perform these acts. Like using N' or P' can be used to add a nickname to a partner's name or even as the opposite. Removing it so the conversation sounds more informal and familiar. In Japan, using first names is more special as you would normally use last names unless a close relationship. The Untamed sort of had this as well as the characters had different titles depending on context and familiarity. Phyiscal affection is also seen as more intimate in the East as it's more common and used even between strangers in the West. Honorifics and etiquette add to the value of the actions displayed on screen and we get even more invested, because we understand this is not something that would be happening between two random people.

[@nabilahalshari7880]

So I listen to Chinese BL audio dramas and it's not uncommon to have 20 episode (1hr per episode) long audio dramas focusing just on 2 dudes romancing each other (and they get together either halfway or 2/3 into the story). What this means is that by the end you've gotten to know these characters, you've learned their personalities, their hopes, their insecurities, their emotional hangups etc. Ditto for novels. They're also usually guaranteed to be endgame and live happily ever after. A lot of Western shows with queer relationships either a) don't have a set ending or b) don't have a set payoff of whether Character A is queer or will end up with Character B of a preferred ship. Also BL is a huge subculture now. There's a lot of variety. I've read light fluffy stories with healthy relationships and heavy dark stories with toxic relationships of varying writing quality and of different genres. That means I would like to think my palette is pretty colourful. There's probably something for everyone if you know where to look.

[@raikantopeni1195]

This combination of BL and analysis makes me so happy.... I don't know what to do with myself Also thank you for making THIS because I really needed to see it said in this way

[@z.allora4266]

First: New to you & I ADORE you! Thank you for your time & efforts. Not many people do deep dives on BL. I have studied BLs/Y-series/Yaoi & the country it originated from since 2016. I remember the furious Western audience railing against the stories not being "real" & how the representation was terrible... because they didn't put it in context of the country & where they are at the moment of production. (Now this isn't to say abuse or rape isn't abuse or rape regardless of the language > being harmful doesn't get a cultural pass and we have seen an evolution.) You hit the nail on the head sometimes we want an escape. I spent the whole of the pandemic watching every BL/Y-series/Asian Drama available on all the platforms because you have to read, watch, catch the subtle connections and looks, and then you have to research to put the series/character's action in perspective. I actually charted each countries progress in their fight for LGBTQIA+ equality through the series. When you watch everything out of a country (along with some straight dramas) you can find themes. As you pointed out each series can give you a peek into another culture, traditions, and beliefs. I lived in Asia on & off for the last 20 yrs. so I've traveled to many of the places & have experiences that allows me some sort of a framework to do the research. I'm an American & as my country is going backwards & heading into terrifying places > I'll be giving myself over to BLs & depending on them for my mental stability. (A lot of pressure for these production houses. LOL) (Your question on how I started with BLs? I write LGBTQIA+ romance. Yamane Arayo was the gateway I slipped into cause Asami & Fei Long... how could you not get into Yaois > 2014 was the start of Y-Series with Love Sick draw me in... and it's been a slippery slope ever since!) Again thank you. Many hugs, Z. Allora

[@HCK_Cat_]

I love BL and discovered the genre this year actually💯I’ve already watched a huge amount of BL’s from South Korea, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan🤍(the guys are so hot and I really enjoy the storylines, languages, romance++) So happy I discovered this world (and Asian dramas, culture, music etc. in general😍) My first BL was «Bad Buddy». I’m a straight girl from Norway btw 🇳🇴It’s so refreshing to watch something different!

[@benjaminberg9736]

From Last twilight, when Mhok tells Day he is here as a matchmaker - that was hitting deep….

[@jadeyes12]

im not from the west but growing up as a lesbian in a conservative and religious country, i never saw queer representation around me. i didnt even know i was not the only one until my older sister introduced me to queer media. over the years i grew to hate myself more and more for my sexuality until one day, i stumbled upon thai bl, the eclipse more specifically. i got into more and more series quickly after that, and it slowly made me come to terms with my own sexuality. whenever i felt like an outcast because i liked women, i watched these series. seeing same sex relationships on my screen with good plot and interesting characters quickly became a comfort. ive finally accepted my sexuality fully and live the life i want, and i owe a part of it to bl.

[@Niup0071]

10:07 love how you said 'chopsticks' and not 'food' like the chopsticks are more intimate than sharing the food 😂😂

[@papawcollins8911]

Stay with me,!!!! The ending wrecked me, WHY??????WHY?????????? spent the series building them up just to dash our nerves at the end??? I need a part 2 with a happy ending.

[@sugarstruck07]

My first bl was “together the series”.one fine midnight while I was searching something to watch on Netflix I saw a poster with two handsome men I was like omg these two are incredibly good looking then I went on to watch the trailer and that’s it there is no looking back for me till today😂😂 The thing I like the most about bl is the organic way of showing two people falling in love and those two people happened to be boys.I strongly agree with your statement just exchange a male actor with female actor it doesn’t affect the plot.

[@fishstixx9737]

The title earned you a new subscriber 😂

[@LIXTISBL]

3:15 That one scene from the bl History 3: trapped, when one of the male leads was going to shoot someone for revenge and the other male lead who’s a officer took the bullet for the enemy and the other male lead realizes he just shot the man he loved😭🙏

[@itsgoingdown_im_yelling_timber]

Yeppp. Tang-yi was devastated when he realised. But hey … atleast we got the scene at the hospital where he gets pranked, a little giggle through the snotties is always appreciated 😅

[@luvneojen]

oh my god yes to all of this but glad you mentioned the culturally different expressions of love such as sniff kiss, sharing food etc.. it's so interesting to me coming from a culture pretty different from that. i mean i would say i've never seen food as an intimate gesture like that until watching asian dramas where whenever someone puts food on someone elses plate that isn't like their family or close friend and everyone's eyes all look around like are they flirting??? haha

[@iamanuntamedatinyandarmy6554]

The scene that emotionally wrecked me in Bl is from none other then last twilight...the scene when day lost his sight completely..like the emotions, music, acting, chemistry,and direction was everything...I was a wreck for a week after that epi😂

[@BLblush24]

omg yes. I cry MORE each time I watch it. You'd think I'd get used to it since I know it's coming. But no 😭😂

[@kiramakishima7836]

@@BLblush24 Even the director/writer of the script P'Aof and Sea when they were reacting to that scene began to cry/tear up. If you haven't seen that you should totally see it.

[@iamanuntamedatinyandarmy6554]

@@BLblush24 ikr!!! I have watched it again and again but it still hurts the same...I even went ahead and watch all the reaction videos of that epi..and cried with every reactor 😭😭😭👍🏻I am emotionally attached to that scene 😂

[@steveblevins8793]

I cried through every episode of Last Twilight, and I've never had that reaction to a BL drama.

[@likhithan7825]

Let me tell u my story : - It was 2020 November, Corona lockdown time and i was 14 , i discovered a fan made video about tharntype and together the series, and i was hooked cause i have never seen anything like that before and from then on i have been in this journey of thai bl , Taiwanese bl , japanese bl , korean bl , chinese bl and ect Thankyou ❤ Edit : - and i am from India

[@brianmichael6107]

I found bls over 3 1/2 years ago and have watched 100's of them. For me, the fact that none of the bls I've seen from Asian countries is about politics, racism or anything that separates and puts down any group of people like a lot of gay series in western countries. Most of the stories in bls are about the couple and their small group of friends and families not trying to fit in with whatever woke bs is popular at the moment.

[@derekb4977]

🎉 yes I can't stand the woke abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz of never ending made up labels, LGB have had enough of that and BL is brilliant because it has no labels. I do worry about gender ideology DESTROYING BL in the future let's hope this doesn't happen I don't want to see a girl pretending to be a boy.

[@derekb4977]

@@brianmichael6107 yeah so many fake made up terms and letters it has to stop, LGB don't like the fake made up letters and BL is better without labels.

[@derekb4977]

@@brianmichael6107 YT keep hiding my comments I agree with you so I will use one L.e.t.t.e.r to try and get this posted to you, the W mob make up so many letters the L G B have had enough of it and have already got rid of the rest of the L ET T ERS, and BL have nothing to do with that thankfully so far it has keep away from GE &#^ER Ideology.

[@ryn2844]

I'm a western fan. I agree with a bunch of those comments you showed. It's the happy endings and soft-ness. Western qu33r media contains so much tragedy. Asian BL (and GL) is highly romanticized, and sometimes you just want that escapism. If the straights can have a bajillion unrealistic sappy rom-coms, why does every qu33r story need to remind us that our lives are sh!tty and always will be? Sometimes it feels like we (qu33r people) are not even the target audience, we're just used as a teachable moment for the intended straight audience. Interestingly, I'd say 'Let's Talk About Chu', 'The N!pple Talk' and 'Love in the Big City' follow the tradition of western qu33r media, rather than BL. Conversely, the western 'Heartstopper', 'Red White Royal Blue' and maybe also 'The Way He Looks' are much more like Asian BL than like other western qu33r media. They're romanticized and fluffy. I highly recommend all three by the way. And 'Only Friends' seems to be the only show that successfully put itself right in the middle between BL and western qu33r media. Western shows/movies that aren't BL but are qu33r silly campy fun with happy endings are: 'Our Flag Means Death', 'The Owl House', 'Nimona' and a KZbin miniseries called 'Touch' by Mon & Han. Those are all excellent.

[@derekb4977]

Only Asian can have BL those western shows you mentioned are not BL and never will be BL.

[@ryn2844]

@@derekb4977 Why?

[@derekb4977]

@@ryn2844 because BL is Asian culture made from manga and anime Japanese originally western shows do not and should never be trying to steal BL, and heartstopper is not a BL and it's also got gender ideology in it, LGB do not like the rest of the made up labels, what BL does best is it has no labels in it.

[@ryn2844]

@@derekb4977 You wrote this comment 1 minute ago, and it has 1 upvote. Your other comment also immediately had 1 upvote. It's kind of pathetic to give yourself likes.

[@derekb4977]

@@ryn2844 that's got nothing to do with the fact I'm gay and have had enough of western woke labels agenda that have hijacked LGB rights, BL cannot be western shows, BL is Asian culture and should never be stolen by the woke western world.

[@darthtaiter]

There are so many things I love about asian media, BL media in general, the relationships feel so much more honest than in most western media. I agree about the observation of trauma seeming to be a necessity in western queer stories rather than just letting themseem like normal people. Not every single queer person is put through hell accepting themselves.

[@donaldm9286]

8:52 The comedic flair you have is amazing 😻

[@moonlightpaw5868]

Thai BL hit different. Everything about it feel fresh and cheerful. It makes you smile and heart flutter. I guess i just don't want reality shove in my face and Thai BL just done that.

[@ark90ELF]

Last Twilight end of episode 9 when they are on the mountain. If you know you know. That really got me, and the acting was so good! ❤‍🩹

[@Nelly-44]

First asian BL was LITA... I was like damn its just about people falling inlove.. It was not about coming out... Or trauma.... It was just a great fun story where the leads happen to be males..... I also love that Asian BL's.... Showed queer relationships in a way that was not .. Seedy and dark and all about seggs... The charaters were lawyers, doctors... Rich.. Poor.... Teens... Some stories were of innocent love.. All stroies didnt start with someone being assault ed when they were young... They were just stories where the characters happen to be queer vs queer stories.. Where the focus was on the fact that they are queer

[@Jamk-i5k]

no trauma?????

[@Nelly-44]

@Jamk-i5k i know Sky had trauma.... But the story was not centered around it.. And it was not a sad ending.... The trauma didn't suck the fun, joy and love out of the story... The trauma explained sky's reluctance to get involved with Pai but was not at all the focus of their story

[@The1AboveAlll]

They definitely aren’t queer stories, they’re BLs - it’s an industry at the end of the day

[@derekb4977]

@@Nelly-44 stop saying Q.

[@derekb4977]

@@The1AboveAlll BL is BL and should stay that way, I was disappointed when I heard that Wandee had fake labels in it not happy with that as someone from LGB Alliance.

[@raekline763]

for one most Asian drama have completed series with only one season while most western shows go on for as long as they can milk it then cancel it!!!!!!! Not to mention the feels!!!! Also allowing people to be themselves Brewing love though not a bl said a quote that really embodied this "Everyone is different, and that's normal" We get to be who we want and live out our fantasy's from the comfort of home whether we want to be the main character or that girl in the corner scream because she saw her ship kissing lol. I don't think i have ever been able to be the most me apart from when i am watching these bl though the cursed episode 11 seems to have been lifted and series are getting even longer and it is so exciting!!! I was amazed at the line up this year but when i saw next years i was blown away i hope it continues every year after!

[@kimtodd61]

My favourite sayings:- `Do it already!!!!!!’ (Kiss). `Say Something!!!!!!!’ `Why didn’t you tell them?????!!!!!!’

[@jimbroen]

Here are some additional factors for consideration: 1) Production costs. Disney will spend more that $200 million US dollars to make an 8 episode series whereas a BL will have a production budget that is some tiny fraction of that. There are BL fans around the world however the audience can be much smaller and show will still make a profit. It amazes me how many BLs are produced. 2) Hollywood is currently broken. They would take a story that the fandom loves and decide that for the sake of diversity they need to swap the main characters from smoking hot asian men to obese lesbians. They would then insert lectures about how the patriarchy is evil and other such hectoring screeds. BL fans would refuse to watch the resulting abomination. Even when Hollywood tries to make a BL like Heartstopper or Young Royals, by the second season they can't help themselves and take the story to some dark places and lose some of the cheery optimism that fans so love about a good BL. 3) BLs aren't gay. They are created to appeal to the fantasies of straight women. Take a conventional romantic story and simply replace the women from the primary couple with a man (a hot man. Always a hot man.) The main characters in a BL are a representation of a straight women's concept of the perfect man. Gay men do not behave like the characters in BLs. Straight men don't even live up to the ideals represented by these characters. I'm a gay man and I'm no fan of queer cinema. It's usually much too dark and pessimistic for my taste. BLs however are bright, optimistic fantasies that I can't get enough of.

[@TagMurphy]

Really perceptive observations, thank you. Without meaning to quibble, I think you might have noted the origins in Japan of the form -- it's not the first time (think the explosive impact on Western painting of Japan's ukiyo-e -- we wouldn't have Impressionism without it -- or the way Japanese cuisine has transformed dining worldwide) nor will it be the last. The Japanese seem dazed when neighboring countries figure out how to how to scale things up -- think what the Koreans did with the boy band and now what the Thais are doing with BL. My favorite -- and first -- BL is Cherry Magic (sorry you didn't include any clips from the original Japanese version); I lived in Japan for many years, was trapped outside by Covid and the show just overwhelmed me with floods of nostalgia - in part because it was so quintessentially Japanese. The single great scene for me was at the end of Episode 7 when Adachi confesses his love for Kurosawa -- both universal (not easy to tell someone you love them) and very, very Japanese (a culture both reticent and unbelievably sentimental.).

[@riittasaarinen7288]

@@TagMurphy Cherry magic is one of my favorite bls, both the series and the movie. Eiji Akaso and Keita Machida were just beyond adorable in their respective roles 🥰

[@TagMurphy]

@@riittasaarinen7288 The great scene in the movie happens in the wake of Adachi's accident -- turns out not to be all that serious, but Kurosawa didn't know that. Finally brings about the sexual and emotional consummation of their relationship (and Adachi's loss of the read-the-minds power.). The two actors appeared again together in a conventional TV series; it wasn't great. I've seen suggestions that Machida may star soon in another BL-esque drama, but not paired with Akaso who has gone on to have a respectable career as an actor.

[@riittasaarinen7288]

@TagMurphy so you mean that acting in a bl series is not respectable? Isn't acting just acting no matter what the role? Actors act, it's their job. How is that not respectable??

[@TagMurphy]

@@riittasaarinen7288 Sorry -- I didn't mean to imply that I personally thought acting in BL isn't respectable -- I think it's wonderful and several of my favorite actors are Thai and Japanese BL stars. I should have used the word "conventional" to describe Akashi's post-CM career (that he's done well shows that his appearance in CM far from hurting him probably enhanced his career; 20 years ago, I doubt any actor with mainstream ambitions in Japan would have agreed to star in a BL drama.) He has appeared in NHK's daily Renzoku Terebi Shosetsu ("continuous television novel') which is about as conventional/respectable as it gets and will be starring (as a straight young man) in a new "zombie apocalypse" black comedy. The rumor mill has it that the reason there is no real kiss in either the CM series or the movie (the camera pans away as what is obviously going to be real kiss in the movie starts) is that either Machida's or Akaso's agency insisted on a "no kissing" clause. Nishijima HIdetoshi, arguably now the number one male actor in Japan -- he starred in the award-winning Drive My Car -- also featured in the wildly popular TV series Kinoo Nani Tabeta? (What Did You Eat Yesterday?) about an older gay couple -- didn't hurt his reputation one bit; just the reverse. So perhaps the world is changing -- I sure hope so.

[@isamarestrada1220]

Thank you so much for making this video I often get asked why I watch so many bl’s and this video gives me reasons ! Haha but I totally agree with most of these like the sniff kiss I thought it was a little weird and I even giggled the first time I saw it but then I later caught myself giving sniff kisses to my dog 😅 anyways I definitely related to these reasons, so thank you and have a great day 💕

[@cherise1863]

Slow burn couple for me has to be PhuphaTian from ATOTS

[@ineedachachabeat1886]

Bad buddy absolutely killed me

[@ginasy6764]

i’ve watched lots of bl dramas through the years but this is my first year of trying thai bl dramas and what surprises me the most is that coming out as gay or bi in any thai series is almost without any hardship. i fell in love with how friends or family shrugged off coming out. and that being gay sometimes dont matter at all. “fell in love with the same sex, sure…just not that particular person” never fail to crack me up. yup, you can be gay but dont fall in love with the son of our enemy or the troublemaker in school 😂😂 dont get me wrong, coming out is HUGE. i just love that thai bls are so laid back about it 😁😁

[@LanZhanAndWeiYingWalking]

I love how Thai culture embraces and doesn’t make a fuss about being gay. Being gay isn’t this some big thing, it just is. And people are just free to fall in love. In fact, it’s so normal that it can seem as if all characters in the show are gay one way or the other and you ask, “Yo, where the straight people at?” 😂😂😂

[@larondarexford6289]

ive been such a fan since Love sick the series way back 2015 so i have watched the whole BL world grow and i couldnt be happier i love BL anime as well but the make our days count scene left me cryin an screaming NOOOOO

[@hortenciabeltran4666]

Why BL? I can be young and falling in love vicariously. Plus, these young men are gorgeously beautiful.

[@johncooper2397]

I'm a 77 year old male, & I love BL. I have been watching since 2019 "Until We Meet Again". Boun Noppanut Guntachai & Warut Chawalitrujiwong.

[@weirdalien55534]

Mi primer BL series fue pal tiempo que history 1 y Love sick was airing aunque ya estaba un poquito introducida al tema con el manga Bl y Yaoi soooo después de haberme visto anime Bl creo que fui introducida a las series por You Tube y desde ahí 😅 no eh podido salir del género en series, películas y shortflims. Unas de las cosas que al estar viendo BL me gusta, la sensación de fantasía y historias de romance en diferentes maneras sea género o preferencias. El BL de hoy en día es más que a principio y unas de las razones por las que me gusta el género que lo mencionaste en el video es por que puedo escapar de la realidad del mundo que me rodea es un escape para mi ❤ aunque también uno le gusta disfrutar, entretenerse y aprender con shortflim, películas y etc de la realidad de la comunidad lgbt en la vida real y estando viendo este género por mucho tiempo aprendí muchas cosas y lo disfruto en cualquier fase que este 🫶🏽(de ante mano me disculpo si no se entendió bien mi mensaje pero quería dejar esto aquí )✌🏽

[@kenyadana9104]

OK everyone I feel that as a person that’s in the US that we should stop trying to regulate everything. We shouldn’t try to compare what we do over here in the western world to what they do over in Asian countries, they have made some very interesting entertaining television programs that really draw in a audience no matter where they’re from and to try to compare what we do over here in the United States to them is ridiculous. It’s a totally different society and a way of life just like we always want to compare something to something else. This young lady her platform is really good I like it. I watch all I’ve heard videos but this video to me is in the way because we enjoy BL programs we don’t want to change them. We don’t want to make them like the US because if they were, we wouldn’t watch them we like them the way they are and we don’t want to make them like us that’s why we watch them. We enjoy them and we’re gonna keep enjoying them and we need to stop trying to say they are just like this or we need to see them give more of that just enjoy the program. It’s wonderful, entertaining to see young people, enjoying their love and not putting stipulations on it.

[@Multibiatcheyy]

Tbh I think BL fills in for the dead genre of RomComs. Til the early 2000s we had such iconic romcoms and they are getting brought back by Prime and Netflix but its very much the quality of Hallmark films. I've noticed fans go to Kdramas first and then to BLs or Kpop to BLs. And it's really the fact that the same cliche story can be told but as long as its boys it just makes it all fresher. Theres just such a wholesome vibe to a lot of these shows that you can't find in the west because they don't really have shows just about a couples story.

[@Nelly-44]

The wait, the level of care, thr level of care... The level of care....

[@changos1.]

all I can say is that thanks to these bl s..there will be more love and understanding of a different life style

[@GreenEyedBee]

Seven Days Japanese BL was my first and I still watch it on KZbin. Next was Untamed. Just a nice way to unwind and see relationships that are uncomplicated by gender issues and on a level playing field.

[@stepmaster9988]

Great video! Welcome to Fujoshi Heaven ❤

[@elizabethseravello2058]

scene that wrecked me was super recent, basically the entire second episode of the Namping/X story in Every You, Every Me. I was crying all the way through the last like 25-30 minutes.

[@ErinaBleu]

when I first stumbled upon BLs I was amazed because I found a gold mine of queer stories (granted, this was in like 2017 and there was much less than there is now, and it was all gay or bi men, but even then I was shocked) and I started devouring everything I could. I still watch them all the time, because it's just so nice to watch queer characters just.... exist!! I agree with everything in this video. We do have queer dramas in the west, but honestly??? not as many as you'd think. and what we do have almost ALWAYS revolves around homophobia/internal homophobia and trauma.

[@jeffreyjohnson1874]

First was Not Me on Netflix. I think ran across the Until We Meet Again

[@Jamk-i5k]

omg two of my favourite shows. not me is probably still in my top 3 even though i’ve probably watched like 50 different shows. have you watched between us too?

[@ValerieMain-os2ov]

In some western cultures it is impolite to touch someone on the head, particularly children. It's an invasion. So you don't see that here. It still jars me as I worked in public health care. The sniff kiss is lovely. It adds a different sense to intimacy. We wear cologne to make ourselves smell better. But scent masks pheromones, which can be a huge turn on. .

[@RksEbooksandquotes]

I have been watching sin e 2018 and I just love them . Two drama's about which I want to share my experience are the last twilight and my only 12% The moment when day went all blind left me heart broken for day I cried so much. And the moment when cake confessed his feeling for eiw in English I was awestruck I just love thai couples bls and everything related to bl verse

[@ADDButterfly]

Most of the Western queer shows back in the day only aired on HBO or Showtime. It was like a badly kept secret.

[@LanZhanAndWeiYingWalking]

This. And for whatever reason, they were so dark and sad. I like the warm fuzzy feelings I get from BL. I know some people find that shallow, but in this crazy world where we are so often battered and bruised, I take comfort in these shows.

[@Zainy000]

3:44 its so true!! I remember first watching asian bl which was 2gather and i asked myself why do i love it so much and i realised that its bcz they showed LGBT characters as normal ppl and they arent being trolled

[@michealross8563]

This was an excellent documentation of the difference between BL and regular LGBTQ content.

[@jansenlacaden1801]

The difference between the western and eastern media in totally is that reality. Western media is more or less real or closer to reality. Eastern media is more on fiction. Although both focus on the realism of being inlove and what goes in to it the escapism from reality is the difference. And at times that reality is the game changer also and that escapism or fiction also promotes change but on the other hand also creates their own world outside of what reality they have. It is both yes and no in terms of whether it helps or not. Also we cant escape what reality is. There is no escaping reality. After all of watching this bl shows you are to deal with reality after. Sure we wanted to have that escpae but lets be real there is no escaping it. Unless you make that fiction into a reality there is no escape to it. That is the challenge to all of us. Representation should not be limited to media but also should be in society as well. Not everyone wanted the stress to fight for rights and representation, unless you're set and happy on your own world then i guess making the fiction a reality should be your end goal. Movies are made to reflect the reality and make people to create that reality. So the hope is that we are not all stuck in fiction but be let go in reality.

[@hopelessblromantic8069]

First, my first BL was a Thai BL sometime around 2017 or 2018. And then the Pandemic hit and I binged because there wasn't much else to do. I have watched 100's of BLs, and I can't really say which is my favourite - I have too many. My favourite couples are often not the big names, but some of the newer less known actors. Also, part of my motivation was that my partner lives in the Philippines. I think what you presented makes perfect sense but you may have missed a couple of points, or at least reasons that I feel from my vantage point (Canada) why they are so popular. 1. The pandemic left us with little to do from home every night. So.... BL binging is what I did. 2. There simply aren't enough western shows out there - and as you said, too many are either activism in disguise OR too real-to-life. I've said to many of my gay friends that too many gay movies simply betray the same things WE are living, and therefore are depressing. And I really do think that the shear number of BL's from countries like Thailand make it all the more enticing to watch them - and then you're hooked. I will add that watching so many Thai and Taiwanese BLs makes me feel like the west is not my original home - like I was once Asian in another life. Who knows. But perhaps it's simply because the BLs make you REALLY feel like you are represented - but it's the cultural stuff that makes ME feel like I'm out of place here in Canada most of the time. Thanks for your video. You definitely made some points I hadn't thought about.

[@vuyokazinkunjana2921]

I'm drawn to bls because they have a storyline outside of coming out. They have romance, drama, comedy, action, everything. The focus doesn't tend to be the sexuality of the characters.

[@tsbio]

The video mentions learning about different cultures, which is true. Although there are differences, I was surprised at how similar their cultures are to mine in the US.

[@paulabenvinda]

I began reading yaoi mangas in YT back in 2007, more or less, and I think a BL was in the sugested videos and that was my first. I think it was Bishonen, Hong Kong, 1998: sad end, very hansome policeman. By then I was just addicted to that new sweet happy ended world of BL and continued with the mangas and animes and years passed and the thailandese BL's happened and the rest is history.

[@ACWhoCares2]

We're just little flys in their well thought out spider webs ♥ ♥ 🎯 🎯

[@nneichan9353]

UWMA killed me. I cried.

[@ACWhoCares2]

I actually love it if they show cultures , especially the Buddhism side of Thailand for example since I'm so not used to it as a German in Germany 😂 😂 Even though personally I don't necessarily belive in any specific Religion albeit being Christian on paper I remember asking and being happy if I see them go to tempels or do some sort of prayers in these shows. Like these intersection do tell you something new eventually, ocassionally.

[@hotpocket3688]

I think I need help, I named every actor and show in the video 😅 😭

[@imnothere135]

I've seen others below comment the same thing I'm going to, but I'd like to say it all the same: BL's are stories of romance. They're rom-coms, and we really do not see those anymore. At least good ones, anyway. Shows like "We Are," for example, make me feel the same way that the og romcoms did. We're getting the Notebook, or 10 things I hate about you, or You've Got Mail. We're getting a nice, slow, buildup with two characters falling in love with each other. Western dramas nowadays are: politics, politics, death, seriousness, politics, sex, and oh would you look at that, more politics. Western dramas also typically put such a stress on the male persona, or the lack thereof. Like, newsflash, you can be masculine and gay. You don't have to change everything about who you are in order to conform with your sexuality. You don't have to step so far out of the box if you don't want to. You can just feel comfortable with yourself and love who you want. And this is where Thai and other Asian BL's succeed as well, which is another point I've seen in the video and in the comments below: they show people. They don't put so much emphasis on gender or politics, they just show the story of people being people and doing people things. But, then you take a show like "Not Me" that centers around politics, and that takes away that argument, but somehow it's still absolutely phenomenal and not like any terrible Western show. Why? What makes this one different? Well, the same thing. It might be based around politics, but the politics aren't the plot. The people are the plot. This twin trying to find out what happened to his brother and this guy in a 'gang' per say, that wants to bring justice to his father, fall in love. That's the plot! Yes, there's cultural nuances and political wars, but overall, it's still about two people falling in love. That's what Western media is missing. They make it about the world, whereas Asian BLs make it about people in the world, and how two people can make their own world, ignore everything else that's outside of it. It's so depressing nowadays to be a part of the world. To look on at what's happening around us and just be bombarded by horror and chaos and everyone is so focused on it that they're making everything worse. Sometimes you just need to be reminded that all you need is one person and love for things to be okay. Most BLs at some point come to this conclusion: everything is so much better with the one you love. That doesn't mean life isn't hard and that there aren't problems. But rather, that you'd rather face those problems together than alone. BLs make us feel less lonely, more hopeful, and they give us some good laughs and cries to boot. They bring us beautiful love stories that we desperately crave in a world of loneliness. They reintroduce the concept of soul mates, and how you can love someone so wholeheartedly that it has the power to break you, but instead it heals you. All this to say that Western media sucks, and I hate 99% of it. They need to watch old 90s/early 2000s romcoms to get some new inspo, and maybe throw in some Thai BLs while they're at it. Oh, and realize that intimacy doesn't mean sex. And pretty men help, but I feel like they know that one. Overall, they need some f*cking joy and hope in their lives that doesn't center around politics or labels. Just love. Just focus on love.

[@bbabow2626]

@BLblush24 Love your analysis! I think there's another layer in Asian BLs... There's a personal transformation that happens for many of the characters, and that transformation occurs within either the relationship or within the context of the group of close friends. Some examples are TharnType (MewGulf), P'Uno (Mew) in Love is Like a Cat, and the side couple bully in Jazz for Two. What do you think?

[@owlette5395]

Top 5 BLs? For me, it’s: 1. Not Me 2. Bad Buddy 3. The 8th Sense 4. To My Star 2 5. Semantic Error

[@dyllankey]

A lot of BLs have for sure made me cry

[@Charles-fm7yi]

The lack of BL content in the west, and the fact that the actors are so fine might have a little to do with it!