The following are my absolute favorites BLs that came out in the year 2023. The first 6 received a BLISS Rating score A + + + + while the remaining 4 were the best of the best receiving scores of A + + +. They cover the full gamut from Romance to Fantasy. I ranked them according to my liking.
· Stay With Me*: Yes, it is pure artistry, but it also has a magical quality about it in the sense that it makes these characters come to life. Every single one of them. You feel them. You sense them. You ARE them. This is a Magnum Opus and deserves to be labeled the best in 2023. I am not such a purist to quibble over whether this is defined as a BL. It is. There is more love between these characters than in almost all other series combined. There is a deepness to their emotional connection that is so strong that defies any physical description.
· The Eighth Sense: This series is so much more than a BL or a love story. It is a story of sensing and knowing what is going on with the one you love and feeling them and knowing them as well. It is as if their ‘eighth senses’ are intertwined. Even in its darkest time, it never seemed lost or hopeless as their kas had once been touched and they were bound together - inexorably.
· Til The World Ends: This gem deeply affected me with its simple love story with a cast of characters who are relatable and loving. While others represented evilness. But even some of their qualities were motivated by love. Nothing is so black and white. I was so moved by this series.
· The Star Always Follows You: This is an astonishing and brilliant story of love from three different perspectives. All done with serenity and perspective of ordinary people living in ordinary places. The theme is love and the fragility of it in ordinary life. Never take it for granted.
· Our Dining Table: This story does not need a lot of explanation. It is simple and basic. Two young men found each other, fell in love, and in such a beautifully soft and easy fashion broke out of their shells and chipped away at their barrier walls that separated them from their own fears and anxieties.
· Candy Color Paradox: There is a moxie about this series that draws you into their story and their lives. The acting is simply superb. They underplay the roles yet bring such an underlying tone of sincerity to them. Both are misfits. Both are passionate, sincere, honorable, and dedicated.
· Bus Stop: This is a three-fold love story. One gay, one straight, and one never to be. It takes ordinary people and turns them into extraordinary characters. This series is a representation of humanity and is brilliant and as close to a masterpiece as you can get.
· Be My Favorite: This story is one of the most remarkable BLs in redefining the concept of what love, is or at lease perceived, especially how we see it between men. It re-conceptualizes its beauty, enhances its endurance, redefines intimacy, and solidifies the virtue of a relationship.
· My Beautiful Man 2 & Eternal: While this series is short, it is so profound and a brilliant piece of art. It truly is in a class all by itself. It is like taking a walk through the mind of toxicity and coming out somehow enlightened by the experience. This love should not be, yet here it is. This is the end of the trilogy story of what appears to be a toxic relationship but perhaps it is and always has been a relationship beyond even the definition of soulmates. It is intense, inseparable, unending and incapable of being apart.
· The Day I loved You: The story does a very good job of ‘fooling’ us into thinking he perhaps he is just a nerd, or a do-gooder. But in reality, he is laser focused for a reason known only to a few. On an emotional level It touched me. Not for pity’s sake but for helping me to see life more fully and positively. It showed love changing attitudes, direction, and action that perhaps without it, these events might never have been taken.
Here is where the Honorable Mentions must be given their due. All of these received a BLISS Rating of A + + + and are worthy of the status of being on the Top Ten List as well.
· Love In Translation: I was so impressed with its thoughtfulness, its attention to detail, its complete devotion to one another, and the gut feeling that this was almost like a marriage proposal, or at the very least a commitment to a long-term relationship. Another rarity for Thai BLs to think of a relationship lasting.
· Stay: This is not your typical BL series. Perhaps it is slice of life about an encounter between two men who happen to find each other at the right place at the wrong time. Perhaps it is an elegy about relationships in modern cities, like the City of Angeles. Yet, it is still hopeful despite its sadness.
· Never Let Me Go: It is a journey for the two protagonists to try and find peace, love, and time to foster their relationship. It is really a beautiful story, and it is told very well with both storylines and great acting. I was impressed with how engrossed I became in their quest and in the lives of the two main characters.
· Mr. Cinderella 2: A phenomenal story of how you can lose what appears to be a relationship of soulmates by the simple misdeed of not trusting. More importantly, not believing unquestionably your soulmate is your partner. No happy ending to a fairytale here.
· Stay Still: This series is phenomenally unique and truly a work of art. It is an Avant-Garde tale told through the eyes of a straight couple who are struggling with their own demons. It is a remarkably offbeat BL.
· Sing My Crush: This series dealt with the whole issue of miscommunication head on and made the rest of the series all about that. And secondly, it presented, finally, a loving gay couple who felt comfortable in their own skins being a gay couple and in love.
· Our Dating Sim: Sheer perfection about an unrequited love in high school exposed at the wrong time. It took 7 years and a lot of internal pain to make it right again. But their journey to reconnect is so beautiful and tender that it makes you believe in love all over again
· The Memories: This is a simple, precise, no frills, no clichés, or tropey BL. It is to the point focused on one individual who finds another individual at vulnerable times in each other’s lives. Unfortunately, their paths are not destined to intersect; only run parallel to each other.
If you have not seen these series, I highly recommend viewing these before they get lost to history. Sometimes, it is good to just stop and take a breath and see what is already out there before we tackle new ones. These 18 are the best of the best in 2023!
The following are my absolute favorites BLs that came out in the year 2022 in rank order:
1. 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us Thailand Drama
2. Love At The End of The World Philippines Fantasy
3. Not Me Thailand Action
4. Bad Buddy Thailand Romance
5. About Youth Taiwan Romance
6. Rainbow Lagoon Thailand Romance
7. Country Boy 2 Thailand Romance
8. Plus and Minus Taiwan Romance
9. Heartstopper England Romance
10. The Promise Vietnam Romance
11. In Your Heart China Romance
12. Badhaai Do India Comedy
13. Rainbow Prince Philippines Romance
14. To Sir, With Love Thailand Drama
15. Male Entertainer Thailand Drama
· 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us: This is one of the best screenplays I have ever seen along with some of the finest acting in any series from any country. It is simply brilliant and the closest thing to the definition of a Masterpiece. It is simply breathtaking to watch. Its cinematic excellence in presenting the actors in the most sensually visualized fashion is pure genius. I have compared this to watching “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” as a study on how to dissect a human by intellectual surgery.
· Love At The End of the World: This almost made it to the number one spot because of its brilliance in Avant Garde symmetry, eroticism, and intensity It is like nothing you will ever see.
· Not Me: This is a political-social message told through the eyes of love between unlikely individuals. It tackles social injustice with individuals trying to find love in a world that seems destined to be against them.
· Bad Buddy: It is a sweet story of a love between two friends who are supposed to be family enemies. Sure, there are a few bumps along the road, but it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is. It made a ‘gay relationship’ feel nice and normal.
· About Youth: This is the best coming-of-age series I have ever seen, be it straight or gay. It is a saga of love between two young couples feeling and experiencing love for the first time.
· Rainbow Lagoon: This short series is a soft, gentle love story displaying a deeper connection with each other because they essentially take the time to put aside differences and see the other. Its beauty is in its simplicity.
· Country Boy 2: This gem is more of a ‘feelings’ series than a visual one. You can feel the love between the two main characters with one of the characters living in a world, perhaps his own, that is a Utopian one. He finds complete joy in living and is grateful for the even the shortest time with the person he loves. Living in his world will be nothing but love for the remainder of their lives.
· Plus and Minus: Two love stories are told simultaneously. One is a pre-destined love story that is initially rejected but is brought together by a symbol while the other is developed through a slow process of seeing love nurture because of the things that connect them to each other.
· Heartstopper: It tells its story with grit, brutality, and above all, veracity. These characters are relatable, feel like real people, and display the characteristics of their personality from the beginning.
· The Promise: A saga that is an astonishing and brilliant concatenation of a love story between two stepbrothers told by deep reflection as if in the past yet remaining hopeful for the future.
· In Your Heart: This story is a journey of understanding who they are to each other and what they mean to each other. They have been and shall always be in love with each other. They are soulmates even if they do not fully understand that yet or fully comprehend its power.
· Badhaai Do: This is a complex story of an Indian man and woman who hide their true identities in plain sight but end up failing miserably at trying to escape the prying eyes of their families. It gives new meaning to the color lavender.
· Rainbow Prince: While panned by others, this series is an exercise in freedom from the shackles of what a BL should be. It took a BL and turned it into a make-believe enchantment that was fun, entertaining, and made you feel good. It is the first musical fantasy BL that little boys can now romanticize about as a fairytale.
· To Sir, With Love: This is a lakorn of Biblical proportions. It is so much fun to watch and encompasses a love story, subtle in presentation, but profound in meaning. Its message can be summed up in one word – RESPECT.
· Male Entertainer: This sees and presents the uglier side of the sex industry in Thailand and is presented in docudrama format. It is simply brilliant and profoundly moving as it presents the life of sex workers as nothing more than tools to be used.
Indeed, this is an eclectic list mostly based on personal impact. All of these had deep connections with others but not always in positive ways. Watching these should mean something and you should feel its message. And I did with all of these.
If you have not seen these series, I highly recommend viewing these before they get lost to history. Sometimes, it is good to just stop and take a breath and see what is already out there before we tackle new ones. These 15 are the best of the best in 2022!!
1. Country Boy Thailand A + + + +
2. Utsukushii Kare Japan A + + + +
3. Happiness Flies Far Away Vietnam A + + + +
4. Word of Honor China A + + + +
5. Fools-The Friends Vietnam A + + + +
6. Restart After Coming Back Home Japan A + + + +
7. Follow My Sunshine Vietnam A + + + +
8. Call It What You Want 2 Thailand A + + + +
9. Light Taiwan A +++ (+)
10. Call It What You Want 1 Thailand A + + +
11. Sea Him Vietnam A + + +
12. Y - Destiny Thailand A + + +
While there have been other exceptional BLs in 2021 and a number of them could be on a “Honorable Mention” List, these are my favorite, in ranked order. Perhaps number 1 is a bit of a surprise. It should not be. This by a ‘country-mile’ is THE best. It is not pretentious. It is so beautiful in its simplicity and its basic message of involvement. Sure, there are no passionate romances here, but it is not needed. Love is expressed in many ways and sometimes it is expressed quietly, softly and in whispered tones but oh so heart-rendering. This is one of those rare gems that told a story of goodness and kindness and human drama in a most unimposing way. I simply loved it.
This indeed is an eclectic list mostly based on personal impact. All of these had deep connections with others but not always positive ones. I know my last pick is another surprise, as it has been panned by so many. It is a misunderstood series that sometimes got lost in its weight of so many stories. But they portrayed love in complex ways in complex situations culminated and manifested in one of the best final scenes of a series I have ever seen.
If you have not seen these series, I highly recommend viewing them before they get lost to history. Sometimes, it is good to just stop and take a breath and see what is already out there before we tackle new ones. These 12 are the best of the best!
The following are BL series I think should be on everyone’s list to absolutely see. They are not necessarily always the top-rated or most highly rated series or maybe even the best acted. But in some way, they have changed the direction of the concept of BL or had a significant impact on where these series are going. They have stood the test of time or in some way had a classic or masterpiece feel about them that just makes them so special that they stand out. They have solicited in me a sense of awe, wonderment, or an emotional response that go beyond what is felt in the moment. They left me with a lasting impression. Since these are highly subjective, no one needs to agree with this list. It is meant to be a starting point.
The bottom line is that this list will not decrease but only increase as new ‘classic’ series or movies emerge.
Yours to enjoy!
Recommended from the year 2020:
My additions from the year 2021:
My additions from the year 2022. Note that all of these recommendations had a BLISS Rating of A +++:
My Additions from the year 2023. All of these had exceptional ratings or are oddly different in that they deserve to be noted. Some came out before 2023 and I missed them, but you should not. They are exceptional. Others may be just weirdly unique and/or simply stood out personally for me. Take a look at these before they too get lost to history:
Copyright © 2021 BL Bliss by Peter Bongiovanni - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.