GUILTY PLEASURES

These are my Guilty Pleasures from every year I have been doing this. They are not necessarily always the top-rated or most highly rated series or movies (by others) and perhaps not even the best acted. But they are exceptional to me. A few may be weirdly unique and/or simply creatively stood out personally. Yet, in some way, they have changed the concept of what a BL is or had a significant impact on the direction of where the entire genre is going. Still others feel as if they will stand the test of time and become classics or masterpieces as there is something so special about them that they stand out, even among the more widely accepted and revered BL series or movies. Universally, each has solicited a sense of awe, wonderment, or an emotional response that goes beyond what I have felt simply in the moment. They left me with a lasting impression, sometimes painful ones.

Since these are highly subjective, no one needs to agree with this list. It is meant to be a starting point for those who might want to begin their journey through the BL world. To be sure, I have missed some in the year they actually came out, so when I watch each, I place them in the year that each was initially shown. Therefore, this list remains fluid.  As I continue to review, I shall add each to its respective year it came out. The bottom line is that this list will not obviously decrease but only increase as ‘new’ definitive series or movies emerge.

So enjoy at your leisure. 

My Choices for 2025

1. Ha Noi (I love You) | Vietnam – With Vietnamese BLs, so many epiphanies are dealt with in natural frameworks. We see a protagonist hurt by betrayal yet succumbing to temptation by the betrayer. We see the unconditional love of a brother for his sister to the point he gave up his future for hers. We see a man deeply in love with his partner that he is willing and nearly did sacrifice his life for him. We also see simple kindness in friends helping each other out without asking them to do so. It all just becomes part of the human drama and the flow of life.
2. Gelboys | Thailand – It is comforting to know that egocentrically and emotionally little has changed. If this is representative of today’s generation, then the reality is we have always been generational gelboys. What this series does is show how these four young men maneuver their feelings, express their sexual tensions, and display how hard can they thump their chests as part of the mating ritual to attract others. What you will see is each of them trying to get recognized without wanting to take a risk of rejection but wanting all the rewards. This is a worthy production as well.
3. Checkered Shirt | South Korea – The series is an astonishingly reflective narrative of the convoluted mind of the South Korean culture towards not only sex in general but homosexuality specifically. It is obviously a taboo subject but one that they simply cannot stop perseverating on. What this series makes you see is the insular thinking of a rather closed and rigid society when it comes to its acceptance of sexual expressions. It still holds to some strict standards of appropriateness and tolerability, perhaps pressured by family and unspoken societal norms only, but nonetheless they are there. And gayness is just not quite acceptable yet.
4. My Sweet Brother-in Law | Vietnam – It is a prodigious tale as well. Initially, the way it was presented felt as if it might be a light, even comedic tongue-in-cheek story. Full of fun. But true to the nature of Vietnamese BLs, it emerges into realness. The human drama becomes honest, sincere, and relatable especially because of what happens when we simply are unable to truly be ourselves. It is a story of gayness and the inability to be free and open about who you are and for the person you love. The Vietnamese have mastered the perfection of being able to portray these emotions with such intensity.
5. The Sparkle in Your Eye | China – A surprisingly effective series that is deeply rooted in the realms of movie making and BL specifically. The more light that is shed on who represents characters in movies, specifically in the BL genre, hopefully fans will gain a better appreciation not only of the work that is involved in the making of a movie but also understand the complexities of the underlying production to a movie. And a lot of it is ugly. I do think the story is a relevant one to tell because it represents the ills that go on in this industry. It can be a brutal, impersonal, and cut-throat industry and make no mistake, it is an industry.
6. Love At First Spike | Philippines – This story is a tale of their redemption along a journey involving major growing adjustment pangs between the two of them. However, it also created a path to learn about each other through the eyes of the other members of the team. Because no matter how much you might want to deny it, we influence others sometimes in ways we least expect it. So, it is not just a story of restoration, it becomes a story of acceptance also. This is a deeply personal series to watch because we notice how others see them and frankly how they view themselves.
7. The Promise of The Soul | Taiwan – There is something so mesmerizing about the concept of two souls being bound forever via an invisible red string. The story is filled with strong characters, several of whom are not likeable in the sense of amiability. In an ironic twist, the two ‘main’ protagonists are initially unpleasant individuals. The dynamics and intricacies are fascinating and are interwoven to make the story entertaining and intriguing. The overall production and screenplay of this series for the most part was pretty good.
8. Trapped In Osaka | China – I found this to be full of dark humor with a good sprinkling of sadness to puncture its levity. It is a story about two astonishingly handsome yet despondent young men. Full of life yet both having given up on it as well. Although this series is short, it portrays an acutely innermost story between two men that were never meant to meet, yet did. Forced circumstances allowed them to fall in love. Although they were not supposed to; they did anyway.
9. Dating Game | Thailand/Japan – It has charm, wit, sweetness in all the right spots, and a bunch of endearing human warmth. While not overly saccharine, it is also not traumatizing. Curiously pensive and reflective, it has all the elements of a most believable love story told in soft, subtle gentle tones that simply make you feel good all over. There are two love stories, actually. Both are surprisingly compelling. While the various protagonists are interconnected, their individual love stories take very different paths to fruition. Both end up being (well, more-or-less) plausible and credible sequences.
10. A Nice Indian Boy | United States – What an enchanting and funny movie this is! In addition to being so relatable to everyone even though it is centered around an Indian family. The issues that arise may seem unique to the Indian culture but candidly, they are not. Predicaments with parents and family dynamics are universal and are culturally neutral. That is what made this movie so captivating. It can be universally understood (except by the homophobes, of course) and they gave us a splash of Bollywood at the end!
11. Love In The Moonlight | Thailand – This is not so much a BL as it is a Lakorn and honestly, an exceptionally good one at that. I found myself completely engaged in these characters and what was happening. The production of this series is some of the best I have seen. It is entertaining, thought-provoking, and full of moral quandaries that cannot easily be judged. Some central characters are clearly nefarious while others are immorally complicit and still others are sad products of the times in which they lived. All are managed or affected by greed in some way, shape, or form. This story is equally as much about greed as it is about love.
12. Pluto Sharon | China – Just plain incomprehensible. Yet completely absorbing from the beginning and never let go. Although the story itself is notably out of reach, the characters were so compelling; I wanted more. Initially, I thought perhaps it was due to me not understanding the makeup and composition of the story because it was based upon Chinese lore or myth or an esoteric fable. But then as the story merged from crossing into a parallel universe with Chinese legendry, I dismissed that notion. There was a corporal transference during a unique lunar eclipse that simply went beyond my level of perception.

My Choices for 2024

1. The Secret Of The River | Mexico – This is a deeply poignant story full of emotive discord and significant traumas. The milieu is a sub-culture within a perennial culture, with the subculture being both accepted yet simultaneously reviled. It is also a ‘love’ story between two young boys that again transcends our definition of love. It is not necessarily romantic but clearly goes beyond the level of being platonic.
2. Ending Friend | Cambodia – This small independent production was a resplendent treasure. The sincerity in this BL series is to be commended. No bogus drama. There is nothing artificial in the way the main protagonists thought, acted, or responded. What a rare fulfillment.
3. Love Sea, The Series | Thailand – It starts out as your typical BL series with a character who seems superficial, spoiled pampered, and arrogant with a ginormous ego. The story takes a while to develop and really does not fully unfold until the end with only snippets of information provided along the way but by the end, it is extraordinary.
4. People Come Later | Vietnam  – A down to earth BL series set in the rural country side where the realization to stop the pain, a self-sacrifice had to be made which is the price of love. It is a deeply moving series full of moral fiber and character with no happy ending.
5. Marahuyo Project | Philippines – The beauty of a series like this, especially coming from the Philippines, is that it not only evokes a story with intensity, the saga blends and melds  into the background history of the island itself and more importantly reflects on why. The story is a disquisition about trying to set the LGBTQIA+ students on an island free, with the island nudgingly and grudging going along as well. It is a unique and sublimely told story. 
6. Love For Love’s Sake | South Korea – This series uses a combination of allegory, fantasy, and twists in realities to present an Avant-Garde look at life and love. It uses all the principles of video-gaming to creatively view love in all its dimensions.  We find that fate and destiny are not the same.
7. Night Dream | Thailand – A beautifully told tale of love almost lost because of the agony of acceptance of being gay. It also shows the pain and acceptance of a jilted love as well as the heartache of stepping aside in an unrequited love that will never be. The title whispers more than just the name of the two protagonists. It reflects in essence who they are.
8. Dead Boy Detectives | USA/England – A smart creative fantasy with cute overtures towards the world of BLs. A story of lost souls who are still looking for love even after death. It is very creative, funny, sad at times, but always imaginative world of mysticism and supernatural fantasy. They had a way of showing intimacy in a unique way even after death; that somehow it still remains strong and powerful. This series was a joint venture from the United States and the United Kingdom. 
9. Deep Night | Thailand – Admittedly, an unexpected erotically-themed love story tackling issues usually left to the periphery of other stories. Some of the solutions to their dilemmas were not only creative but broke moral and ethical glass ceilings. This story leans into the ribald world and is not your traditional BL series but more in line with the LGBTQIA+ genre.  A surprisingly strong adult story.
10. Grey Shelter | South Korea – It is contradictory, oxymoronic, yet completely genuine in its absurdity. If you want answers to questions, any questions from and about this series, you will not find them. Simply, it is a brilliant avant-garde series and is pure artistry. Yes, there is love but it is shown cryptically and in pieces.
11. Blossom Campus | South Korea – While both unconventional protagonists want love, they are frightened of its prospects because they are terrified of losing it once gained. This series is an odd, quirky epiphany to love filled with wonderfully relatable individuals.  This rare whimsical BL is deeply intense and draws you into these sympathetic characters. It is worth a ‘look-see’ because of its mundaneness.
12. Dead Friend Forever | Thailand – This story is a classic one of haves against have-nots. The privileged against the disadvantaged. Everything about this series is dark. Although BL is not the major focus of this series, it still nonetheless what ties the story together. One may well question one’s own sense of reality after watching this series. 
13. Boys Be Brave | South Korea – This is a monumentally touching series that intensely affects you in ways long after you have finished the series. When you watch it, you know you are being moved but its extent does not fully grasp your inner thoughts until you have had a chance to contemplate what the story is fully about.