A collection of my personal reviews and insights about boy love series and films from across the world.
How BL Bliss Started
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
– Moulin Rouge
Welcome to my reviews of BL (Boys’ Love) Series. You might be wondering what BL means since it can be misinterpreted or misunderstood. OK, let me explain to you what BL is and how I discovered it. The term is originally from Japan (Yaoi might be a more familiar term) which was created many, many years ago. They were a classification of stories between beautiful boys and young men who fell in love with each other.
They were mainly established for female audiences, because men were more able to freely express creative liberties. More recently, however, this genre has morphed into other media formats besides print and the format and the making of them have become much more expressive and intense. Generally, these stories are between ‘givers’ and receivers’ but with masculine overtones. Other countries besides Japan, mainly Asian, have exploded in the development of series about young men with considerably more overt and covert LBGT overtones.
Let me explain what they are NOT. They are not pornographic (none whatsoever — in fact not even implied). Also, they are not graphic in any sense of the word. There is what I like to call — BUILDUP. Yes, there is hugging, kissing, and (very) intense eye contact but, as you watch, the rest is imaginative. In my mind, the buildup is the romance, leaving the eroticism to your own mind. You will find that you do not need to see it on screen; you just know it is there.
These series (and there are many, many of them) are unique at least for the American culture. We are simply not used to its message or format. Please think of them as mini-gay soap operas. Which they are! Not only are they intensely entertaining (like most soap operas are), but they are also intensely message driven. Look for it!
I discovered them quite by accident. I was in You Tube and wanted to watch something different in the gay genre. (Yes, I am GAY so that is not a stretch}. I came across something that said the ’10 best BL series of 2020. I had NO IDEA what BL was. I googled it. I sat down. Watched. And now it is an obsession. (Common, on! There are worst things in this world to obsess on!)
The first one that I watched, honestly, hooked me. Hooked me deeply and profoundly! I watched ‘2gether’ and its follow-up ‘Still Together’. My review of these series will follow. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered. It was something that made me feel good again about being human and took me back to when I was a beautiful young man (indeed I once was). We have ALL felt what they felt in some capacity, no matter what your sexual orientation is. These series are in every sense of the word ‘love’ stories that happens to be between males.
I do not want to give you the impression that all is blissful, and this is the panacea of serial anthologies. It is not. They are fun and entertaining with most of them having some message to them. As I get further into watching these, a few can be labeled as Magnum Opus and if they were on American networks undoubtedly some would have been nominated for Emmy’s in storytelling, acting, or production. Remember, these are foreign series where English is NOT the primary language.
While there are some moving dialogues and intensely beautiful language expressed, the translations are, to be blunt, either way off base or just plain awful. So sometimes, you feel left out or even empty. Do not despair! You can get through it. Please watch for the story and get the gist of that. When you get to the intense scenes, you will know what the message is. Sometimes, (actually a lot of the time) the transitions and flow of the story lines are choppy or non-sequitur or even make no sense. But stick with it, please. Some series are better translated than others of course and because these are becoming popular and known here in the United States, translations are generally getting better. Obviously some productions are better in some countries than others but do not let that dissuade you from watching. Watch the entirety of it not its components.
Obviously, you will not like all of them, but I can guarantee that there is NOTHING like this on American tv (nor are we even close to having this on American tv, given our parochial and conservative attitudes). The story lines are formulaic and familiar, but the characters are not. Each brings something unique and intense to the small screen. Not all acting is even. Not because it is bad acting. It is, I think, mainly due to poor direction, poor screenplay, and cultural differences. How one acts in Thailand is not necessarily how one would act in Hollywood. Please, please do NOT misunderstand. I am not knocking other cultures. I am intrigued by them. Each culture has its own unique way of showing love, compassion, anger, hatred and all the other emotions that we humans share. America is NOT the center of the universe and does not have a monopoly on stories or storytelling. We mostly want to get to the ‘punchline’ so to speak rather than (to coin another euphemism), ‘to take time to stop and smell the coffee’. I just want viewers to be aware of the differences and embrace them. Keep an open mind. Just stop and take in the STORY! I have YET to stop watching one of these because of bad acting or screenplay. I simply love each’s uniqueness and contribution to the art of filmmaking. They are not all masterpieces (but a few are), and some are way better than others. But they are fun and tell stories and above all are entertaining.
Full disclosure here, I am an older while guy and I am sure some of you are thinking that watching incredibly good-looking young guys is warped. Maybe so, but honestly, to deny beauty in any of its form seems more unnatural to me. Beauty exists in all different forms and it appreciate its impact on you is a thing of beauty in and of itself. Just watch for yourself and see. These series have taken me back to my younger days and helped me to bring back so many lost memories of former loves, most of which went unrequited. I grew up in a time and place where you could not even acknowledge what you were feeling, even if you could put it into words. To some degree, I am reliving and re-experiencing my past through new eyes and a new perspective. They are beautifully visualizing what my own fantasies were when I was younger. Not my real reality but in my deepest thoughts they were. I feel somehow better knowing that I was and indeed not alone. These series can make you laugh, yes cry at times, feel pain, and most of all, give you a sense of universal longing and belonging.
This is a gift to the gay community of the United States (and other countries) that most are unaware of. It can also be a great learning tool for others unfamiliar with the gay community or lifestyle to see that what we are experiencing is also relatable to them. Kudos to Thailand, Philippines, South Korea Vietnam, Japan, and other Asian countries for doing something so beautiful and intense with a message of hope, acceptance, and equality. This is storytelling at its best!
Rating System
My rating system is based upon a Five-Star Rating System
This is based on the following personal criteria: Realizing of course, these are all very subjective and are not meant in any way for you to define your own review of the series or movie. It merely represents the impact the series/movie had on me. In the end, it is all up to the individual who is watching the series to determine the impact the series or movie has on you. Mine tends to be defined by an emotional basis over the tenure of having a long life full of many ups and downs. I want to see if I can see myself in anyone of these characters, even remotely. Or perhaps be even a bit envious of one or more of them or of their experiences. So, it is obvious my experience will be different from yours. Honestly, I cannot even think how I could give any of these series an F, however, as they have the guts, courage, and fortitude to do these. That is worth something!
★★★★★ Masterpiece | Tour de Force | Opus Magnum. Comes as close to perfection as possible and/or is profoundly and significantly impactful.
★★★★+ Unparalleled | Well-Crafted Work of Art. Comes so close to perfection but perhaps has one problem (or several very minor ones) holding it back from being phenomenal.
★★★★ Exceptional | Memorable Achievement. Amazing and exceptionally entertaining but flaws are noticeable and evident and have just too many issues to make it exceptional.
★★★+ Very Good| Appealing | Captivating. Reasonably entertaining and has mostly good qualities to it with something that makes it special and unique. It reaches the category of being a guilty pleasure. In other words, highly personal in likeability but others can see major flaws in it.
★★★ Good | Interesting Concept or Execution | Eye-Opening. Issues are clearly apparent such as production or story issues. Perhaps considered being an ‘average’ production. The story is not complete or too full of cliché or tropes.
★★+ Mixed Feelings | Flawed but Worthy | Moderately Insightful. Not quite average but not really poor. Certain aspects may be of poor quality, yet something catches your attention. Clichés and tropes overwhelm its story to the point it becomes too standard.
★★ Mediocre | Disappointing | Uninteresting. Forgettable with major flaws but something in the story still grabs you. Overall, the story is still tolerable.
★+ Regrettable | Notably Flawed and Frustrating | Just inferior. Simply inherently bad for a lot of reasons or very poor production issues or the story from an emotional perspective missed its mark or perspective.
★ Shameful | Enraging | Wholly Deficient. Basically, a pile of trash with perhaps a few good scenes.
F – Failure | Offensive | Toxic/Atrocious. Should not have been made.
S. T. O. L. E.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the Series or Movie?
This feature is for the actor or actress who went beyond what the role was and outperformed others or made a memorable or lasting impression on me. It may not always be a major character as the expectation is those roles will be distinctive. On occasion, one may go beyond the expectation and earn this covet. More often than not, it is for the performer whose role might be that of a ‘throw-away’ character, but the individual elevates the role to a higher level by making it ‘his or hers’.
S.T.O.L.E. stands for:
S – superlative — sterling performance, sensational, a breakout, impressive
T – talented — something new was brought to the role, exceptional, unique, prodigious
O – outstanding — distinguished, magnificent, luminous, predominant
L – lasting — memorable, transcends the role, unforgettable, enduring
E – extraordinary— remarkable, surprising, atypical, unexpected
Some actors/actresses have a knack of affecting the audience in most unusual ways. They seem to have the ‘it’ factor and literally carry the series or their individual role to lasting remembrance. More often than not, we remember these characters as they touched us in some fashion, more so than we expected. So, for me, a few may bring a new perspective to the role that is unexpected and subsequently enhances or even elevates the series and makes it unique and therefore stands out more. That person should be recognized, no matter how big or how small the role is. Of course, I do not expect complete agreement with my choice for this distinction. These are highly personal and are only my reflections. The role does not necessarily have to be a positive one in a series or movie; just one that makes me think and reflect. Perhaps there might be a series or movie that does not have one and that is copesetic too. Or, maybe, just maybe, there could be more than one person. Create your own S.T.O.L.E!