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The best Boy Love dramas to binge right now

As people finish watching all 50 episodes the popular Chinese BL drama, The Untamed, many are going right back to the beginning and starting over again. However, completely taken by the genre, many are also frantically searching for other shows that have similar content and themes. Fortunately, there is a lot of great content to be consumed. 

The term BL, or ‘boys love’, originated in Japan. In recent years the genre has spread like wildfire throughout all of Asia. Taiwan & Thailand, in particular, are doing a great job of creating provocative content that explores a variety of LGBTQ themes and relationships. 

It’s a good time to be a BL drama stan. As the genre gains more popularity around the world, budgets for these type of shows are increasing & therefore the quality of the content is also rapidly improving. There are many shows available for viewing on a variety of different platforms for people not in Asian countries. 

Come with us as we unpack 5 of the most popular BL dramas people are binging right now. 

Addicted

This series debuted in China in January of 2016. Three episodes were released each week until Chinese authorities banned it because of its LGBTQ content. The show was removed from all streaming services in China just three episodes from the finale. 

Upon its release, the show was an instant hit. In China alone, the show got approximately 10 million views within the first 48 hours. However, after removing it from all Chinese streaming services, the second season has been permanently canceled & the two lead actors have been banned from appearing together on screen in the future. 

So what’s all the fuss about? When Bai Lou Yin (Xu Weizhou) turns sixteen years old, his mother marries a high ranking military officer and they move into his home. Enter Gu Hai (Huang Jingyu). Also a teen & happens to be in the same class as Bai Lou Yin at school, Gu Hai has a bad attitude and a grudge against his father. 

While it takes some time, and some help from their classmates, the boys grow closer and feelings ensue. Although they are not blood related, it is a little on the nose as they are step brothers. Since they didn’t grow up together though, it seems that this is a non-issue for the millions of fans of this show. 

While mainland China still has no access to the show, everyone else around the world can view all the episodes on Viki here

Dark Blue and Moonlight

Young & successful marketing director, Yan Fei (Ting Yun Wang) has a heated encounter with art student Hai Qing (Aric Chen) in the bathroom of the local swimming pool. Before departing, Yan Fei puts his number into Hai Qing’s phone, but in a freak accident the phone ends up in the pool & his number is lost. 

There is quite a passage of time before they happen to run into each other again. By then, both men are in relationships with other people. Yan Fei actually lives with his long term boyfriend, Jimmy (Charles Lin), while Hai Qing is happily exploring a new relationship with Chen Ping Jun (Ting Xuan Huang). 

As soon as they find each other again, Yan Fei and Hai Qing start dating, but neither of them makes any immediate attempts to break up with their respective boyfriends. Hai Qing struggles with himself quite a bit because he has feelings for both men. Eventually though, a choice is made. 

Apart from the chemistry between the two leads, the duality of Yan Fei’s character is what makes this show so interesting. He is both cocky & arrogant, yet incredibly loving & protective of Hai Qing. His complexity will draw you in. 

Like many of the Taiwanese BL dramas, the ending of Dark Blue and Moonlight will leave your jaw hanging wide open, wanting more. 

All episodes are subtitled and can be found on youtube here

History 2: Crossing the line

In this Taiwanese drama, there are two storylines playing out concurrently. First, Wang Zen Wen (Nick Yang) has a crush on his older step brother, Wang Zhen Wu (Patrick Shih). Although not related by blood, it’s socially unacceptable for two individuals in their situation to become romantically involved. Thus, their arc revolves around the repression of their feelings for one another. 

Qiu Zi Xuan (Zach Lu) is a very talented volleyball player. Plagued by injuries, he had to abandon his dreams to play professionally, but he still involves himself with volleyball related things at school. At training one day, he meets Hsia Yu Hao (Fandy Fan), who is hot tempered and easily angered. Regardless of his temper Qiu Zi Xuan sees something in Hsia Yu Hao and wants to help him grow and succeed. 

This show has been praised for its rich plotlines. While fans are certainly showing up for the romance factor, they’re staying for the complex & funny characters. The chemistry between all the actors is totally on point and there are no moments of on screen awkwardness that seems to appear in many other BL dramas. 

You can watch all episodes of HIStory 2: Crossing the Line subtitled on youtube here.

History 3: Trapped

In yet another Taiwanese drama, dedicated police officer Meng Shao Fei (Jake Hsu) has spent the last four years investigating a gang related shooting that left a police officer and prominent gang leader dead. His focus is Tang Yi (Chris Wu), who is the sole survivor of the shooting and heir to the throne of the gang. 

Meng Shao Fei knows that Tang Yi is involved somehow but he can’t prove a thing. Meng Shao Fei’s relentless investigation of Tang Yi causes their paths to cross frequently. After some time, Meng Shao Fei realizes that his obsession with Tang Yi might not just be about solving the case. 

It’s a slow burn, and it takes 7 out of 12 episodes to get this relationship off the ground. They’re completely surrounded by complications because of their police officer/gangster dynamic but they are completely unable to stay away from each other. 

Their relationship is healthy: they communicate, they support each other, and they encourage the other to be better and do the right thing. The ending, like with so many of the Taiwanese BL dramas, will leave you hoping the creators of this show are planning a second season. 

You can stream all 12 episodes for free with English subtitles here.

TharnType: The Series

This is a Thai BL drama based off a popular book series written by Mame. Type (Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong) and Tharn (Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat) are both college freshmen who happen to be sharing a dorm room together. Tharn is openly gay and when Type finds out, he completely freaks out.

Type spews his homophobia all over Tharn for a couple of episodes before breaking down and telling Tharn the reason for his hatred: when he was younger, he was molested by a man. This confession seems to break down Type’s wall & he reigns in the hostility towards Tharn. In fact, although he’s fighting it, it’s clear that Type actually has feelings for Tharn

The development of their relationship is both lovely and problematic at the same time. Type is very hot-headed and aggressive. Type hits Tharn a couple of times throughout the series and he is constantly laying hands on him, grabbing at Tharn’s shirt collar frequently. Tharn, fraught with abandonment issues, allows it to happen. 

Yet, as Type works out his internalized homophobia, the bond the boys develop & the attachment they have to each other is beautiful. Tharn is completely in love with Type & waits patiently while Type works through his issues. 

The last episode of the series is scheduled to air in Thailand on January 6. The official TharnType twitter account will upload episode 12 with English subtitles the moment the episode finishes airing in Thailand. The links to all previous episodes can be found here.

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Want to find out even more about boy love drama favorite TharnType: The Series? Here’s our article on why you should watch this addictive series.

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Comments
  • I’m probably the only one who really didn’t like TharnType lol

    March 12, 2020
    • me as well tbh i started it but never finished it

      April 3, 2020
      • noooo you have to finish it, is one of the most amazing bl drama i ever seen, waiting for the second season!!!!

        June 21, 2020
      • You are missing a treat!!!

        June 22, 2020
      • Then you are definitely missing out…best love story ever, gay or straight. Yes, it’s THAT good if you stick with it.

        June 24, 2020
      • I liked aspects of the series and the twist in the story and how it was resolved in the last episode. I don’t particularly like Tharn, though.

        July 21, 2020
      • what the name if the drama thats on the headline?

        October 23, 2020
    • No you’re not …I thought it was okay, but far from being my favourite … lol

      April 6, 2020
    • I agree. It did not really align with some of the things I want in a bl series.

      May 5, 2020
    • Lol, your not the one tho .. i dont like the top actor , but the other guy he is good

      May 24, 2020
      • Wait, you don’t like the actual actor himself (Mew Suppasit) or you just don’t like his character in the series? Cause Mew’s an actual angel irl, but I can understand how his character is a bit controversial, the other guy as well (type)

        August 7, 2020
    • Thank you, finally. They made all that fuss.

      May 31, 2020
    • i didn’t like it too…it was so sexual and the story was kind of messed up also it was cringe watching some scenes

      July 7, 2020
      • The story was touching realistic Problems people go through and fave it wasn’t messed up

        July 14, 2020
    • Best thing about tharntype was the actors chemistry and fan service outside the show , the fanserivce in the show was good too but also not worth it for me seeing as how frustrated I was watching. The storyline was great but they didnt really focus on it the way I expected them too. I don’t know if id reccomend it but because I love the actors I plan to watch season two

      July 22, 2020
      • The series itself is not worth it. I suggested it to some of my friends, since they have already watched all the series i liked but all of them didn’t finish watching it. Boring, lousy acting.

        Top series for me yet, addictive, together with me – especially next chapter(superb acting by max), and dark blue kiss.

        September 26, 2020
    • Not alone, I tried to watch it but there’s absolutely nothing about the series o liked.

      August 26, 2020
    • I actually didn’t really like tharntype at first just because of the language that type used because i’m apart of the lgbtq+ community. I also just heard about the MewArt situation as I just started watching tharntype and I know it happened a couple years ago and people make mistakes but i’m already over it lol I wasn’t mad or anything it just sorta made me uncomfortable because I just started the series. I ended up only watching the first 2 episodes but recently I was drawn back to it and finished the first season. I really loved the ending and definately waiting for the second episode of season 2 to come out this week.

      November 11, 2020
      • I honestly though tharntype was pure trash. Didnt like it at all. My type of Bls are cherry magic, a tale of a thousand stars, lovely writer, I told the sunset about you, love by chance, 2 gether

        June 1, 2021
    • no youre not the only one :’D I thought like this to

      January 9, 2021
    • Nah. I don’t like it either. 0% interest.

      March 1, 2021
  • Yep you are xD

    April 5, 2020
    • Ooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmggg

      May 21, 2020
  • Tharntype is having a season 2 :)

    April 17, 2020
    • Omgggg

      May 13, 2020
  • What do you do when u have watched them all !! I have watched all bl dramas out there and I’m running out of things to watch

    May 7, 2020
    • me too. i watched them all and all the other BL shows out there such as Dark Blue Kiss, 2gether, Why RU, Love by Chance and so much more! now i am into reading BL novels…

      July 2, 2020
    • Haha love it, can u tell me any ?

      July 16, 2020
  • can’t wait to see mew gulf on screen again. if only they were together in reality. maybe they are… who knows 555

    May 8, 2020
  • I’m more into Together with me, it’s the only bl that I live next to Addicted. I guess I really like the best friend to lovers concept and the handsome guys with muscles.

    May 15, 2020
    • Me too I really loved 2gether series it’s amazing both the leads were super good-looking and handsome both with good bodies I am falling for the both …

      August 6, 2020
  • Aah, I’m gonna watch all of these since it’s summer and in quarantine 💕

    June 14, 2020
  • Tharntype are together irl lmao

    June 19, 2020
  • TharnType is so far above the other series (not to even mention MewGulf’s offscreen chemistry) that it’s not even a fair comparison. If all you want is high school fluff, then you aren’t ready for TharnType.

    June 24, 2020
  • Finished watching Tharntype, I actually liked it ☺️

    June 27, 2020
  • You should include 2gether the series…Its the best BL I’ve ever watched. This series portray how it feels like to be in love and its soo cute. It has more fluff and the chemistry,the storyline,the actors everything is perfect. Dont except to see a lot of sexual scenes but in a realationship,they concentrate more on making every day the best with the loved one and all the problems they had to face.THE BEST BL EVER 10/10

    July 7, 2020
  • Does anyone know which drama is featured in the kiss above this article’s headline?

    July 9, 2020
    • They are from History3: trapped ☺️

      August 29, 2020
  • A mi me encanto esta super buena ,algunas escenas están crudas y fuertes pero en realidad eso le puso un poco de color a la serie…felicidades ❤❤❤

    August 27, 2020
  • OMG! TharnType is a must see. Granted there are some controversial issues, Type’s violence towards Than and Tharn’s initial ‘boundary crossing’ with Type neither of which I approve off but when you get past that they series is really good and the actors did an awesome job of portraying the characters. I am eagerly looking forward to TTS2.

    September 14, 2020
  • The best bl drama for me is tharntype i feel sorry for those who didnt watched it was definitely a very nice and touching story i keep on rewatching it you should watch it u wont regret it

    September 16, 2020
  • So far, my top series:

    Addictive, together with me – next chapter, dark blue kiss.
    Story wise, acting, chemistry between lead actors in the series.

    Just my own. Tharntype is overrated. Lousy acting by both lead actors. Messy storyline. The only saving thing is techno’s character. Without him, i could have not finished watching it in a span of 2 months this pandemic. Unlike the 3 mentioned bl series above, i finished them in one sitting. The fan service factor, oh come on, that’s already not part of the series. Don’t attribute it to the series. If x-y has chemistry off screen, so be it, but that should not be attributed to the series itself.

    September 26, 2020
  • Has anyone seen the untamed ?? Is it good. Addicted is the best series but it’s shame that they stopped it half way 😐

    October 5, 2020
    • The untamed is a must watch 10/10.. I’m not freaking kidding. Once you get into the plot line, there’s no going back. You could also check reviews to see how good it really is.

      October 9, 2020
  • If anyone has a problem with the different issues brought up in most BL series they’re missing the point. Most all intentionally have hard issues in the stories to bring light to these very real events that happen (aggression/anger, rape, fighting, street gangs, suicide and more). Bringing attention to the very real issues in society is one way to heal. These stories also show much of the healing and love (gender and non- gender) that this world could use more of, which may be be a very real reason for their popularity in spite of the walls that try to block them.

    October 8, 2020
  • The best BL series in the history of BL is I Told Sunset About You
    A 10/10 must watch, don’t say I did not tell you about it.

    January 15, 2021
  • None can beat Word of Honor. Beautiful friendship with clean love.

    July 7, 2021

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