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kayveeng · 2 years

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A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows

The guide includes show’s basic summary; main genres/tropes/themes and the official streaming link! You can find some content warnings in the notes of this post. Shows are listed by countries, numbered by the order I recommend watching in, not by rating. The list will get updated regularly (last update 22/08/22).

Thailand 🇹🇭

1. KinnPorsche

mafia boss/bodyguard; action; dark-ish

Kinn, a son of a prominent mafia head, is ambushed by an enemy and meets Porsche, a bartender who comes to his rescue for a price, thus beginning their reluctant relationship as boss and bodyguard, which soon turns into something more.

iQIYI

2. You’re My Sky

sports; university setting; coming of age

Thorn, a young basketball player follows his senior Fah to university as a result of the promise they’d made — to become national basketball champions. However, to his dismay, he finds that Tupfah has already given up on basketball. — Aai has to work in pairs throughout the semester with San, 1 year footballer; in order to receive a scholarship to study in Japan, Ai must be willing to do everything to get an A grade. — Track running requires the compatibility of the team members to be very high. Vee, who became the new racquet 4, has to speed up training to fit in with the team as quickly as possible, especially with Dome, spending extra time together to train. Is love actually a major obstacle on the path of being an athlete?

Viki

3. Cutie Pie

arranged marriage; secret identity

The sons of two companies, Lian and Kuea, have been engaged to each other since childhood. One decides he doesn’t want the arranged marriage anymore while the other decides to win him over.

YouTube

4. Until We Meet Again (+ Between Us)

soulmates; forbidden love; reincarnation; university setting

Two boys who couldn’t be together in one life find each other again in another.

YouTube (UWMA) & YouTube (Between Us: Special)

5. I Told Sunset About You (+ Last Twilight in Phuket, I Promised You the Moon)

coming of age; childhood friends to lovers; high school setting

Two childhood best friends-turned-rivals meet again, awakening an old rivalry and old feelings. They now have to navigate their lives together and the growing attraction toward each other.

No official international streaming available at the moment to my knowledge, you can watch on Dramacool.

6. Something In My Room

ghost/human; horror-ish; mystery

Looking to start a new life in a new house with his mother, Phat feels something uncanny in his room, which turns out to be the ghost of Phob. Phob wants Phat’s help in solving the mystery of his death before everything is too late.

YouTube but I recommend to watch the extended version on Dramacool

7. Manner of Death

crime; mystery; dark

Bunn, a forensic pathologist is threatened to identify a manner of one victim’s death as suicide— something that is not true according to the autopsy performed. The prime suspect seems to be a man named Tan who denies all involvement. They team up together to find the real murderer.

WeTV

8. Triage

time loop; hospital setting; crime; mystery; dark

As a resident in the emergency room, one should be indifferent when not saving a patient’s life. But Tin got the chance to reverse a random patient’s death for the second, third, and countless times. To help Tol and save his life.

AIS PLAY

9. Secret Crush On You

“nerd”/popular guy; queer friend group; university setting

Discover the secret of a nerdy young man, Toh, who fell in love with a popular third-year senior. Because his dream is so far from reach, observing is the only thing he could do. But what happens when one auspicious day the world devises an opportunity for Toh to make himself known to his crush Nuea?

YouTube

10. Love Mechanics

cheating; university setting

A love story that starts one night in a club — between Mark, who is drunk and carrying the painful burden of his one-sided love, and the boy who he bumps into and mistakes as the object of his affection. They spend a night together and gradually Mark falls for Vee although he knows Vee has a beloved girlfriend. Will the love between them make it? WeTV

11. Don’t Say No

best friends to lovers; relationship exploration; university setting

Leo and Fiat, two childhood best-friends who love each other, begin to date; but they are both insecure and end up having a turbulent relationship with many obstacles.

Viki

12. Unforgotten Night

trash watch; mafia

Heartbroken Kim is in need of someone to embrace his body for just one night and sleeps with a stranger he meets at a bar. Kamol, a mafia boss, is a man with special B-D-S-M needs in bed who actively switches partners as no one is able to satisfy his desires in its entirety. Kim makes Kamol realize that he’s finally found the one who’s able to perfectly fit his needs.

YouTube & extended bed scenes on GagaOOLala

GMMTV Thailand 🇹🇭

1. Bad Buddy (+ Zero Photography)

enemies to lovers; forbidden romance; university setting

Fueled by their parents animosity, Pat and Pran have competed with each other in nearly everything in life. In public, they are rivals, but behind closed doors the pair are open to being friends… maybe more.

Bad Buddy (YouTube) & Zero Photography (YouTube)

2. Not Me

revolution; freedom fighters; secret twins

When his twin Black is viciously attacked and subsequently left hospitalised in unconsciousness, White is unable to endure the harm done to his brother in silence. He learns Black was a part of a gang of anti-capitalist freedom fighters, and it was one of them who betrayed him. White disguises himself as Black to discover who betrayed him and put him in a coma.

YouTube

3. Enchanté

childhood friends to lovers; university setting

After living in France, Theo comes back to Thailand and he meets his childhood friend, Akk. Theo finds a book with a message welcoming him and signed as Enchanté, he becomes curious about who this guy is. Will Theo successfully guess who is the Enchanté in the university?

YouTube

4. Theory of Love

unrequited love; best friends to lovers

Third year film student Third has been harboring feelings for his friend Khai. After three years of painful unrequited love, Third decides to stop, no matter how difficult it may be. But when Third decides to stop, Khai decides to start.

YouTube

5. He’s Coming to Me

ghost/human, mystery

After his death, Met is a ghost that is consumed by loneliness. That is until he meets a strange boy that can see him. The two bond in a state of happiness and joy as they develop into friends. But what happens when Met falls for the boy who is alive?

YouTube

6. 3 Will Be Free

polyamorous triad; on the run; mafia

After an unexpected event that involves sex work and mafia gangs, three individuals find themselves on-the-run together as they attempt to escape death.

YouTube

7. A Tale of Thousand Stars (1000Stars)

a second chance in life; village setting

After a volunteer teacher dies in a tragic accident, her heart is transplanted into Tian. He learns about his donor’s life through her diary and decides to follow in her footsteps. Now a new village volunteer teacher himself, Tian meets Phupha and as the two slowly grow closer, Tian notices his new heart beats quickly whenever he’s near the man. Much like the heart’s previous owner, Tian cannot help but fall for Phupha.

YouTube

8. 2gether (+ Still 2gether)

pretend relationship; university setting

When Tine is chased by Green, who he does not reciprocate feelings for — he ends up begging Sarawat, the campus’ most popular guy, to fake date with him in order to chase Green away.

YouTube (2gether) & YouTube (Still 2gether)

9. Cupid’s Last Wish

best friends to lovers; body swap; road trip

Korn and Win are childhood best friends. Conflicts arise when Win’s father includes Korn in his will, granting him part of the family’s farm’s stocks and breaking up their friendship. Win gets into a car accident with his sister Lin, and wakes up to find his soul in her body. To return to his original body, Win sets off on a road trip to collect holy water across the country with Korn as his companion. Can this adventure get their relationship back?

YouTube

10. Dark Blue Kiss (pre-story in Kiss Me Again)

established relationship; university setting

(Taking off from the Kiss Me Again series) Pete and Kao have grown closer to each other in their relationship. Kao takes on part-time tutoring for high school students. With one of the students fueling Pete’s jealousy, his relationship with Kao gets tested in several occasions. Meanwhile, the love story between Sun and Mork begins.

YouTube (Kiss Me Again) & YouTube (Dark Blue Kiss)

11. Vice Versa

parallel universes; body swap

Talay and Puen find themselves in the bodies of strangers in a parallel universe. Talay wakes up in the body of a man named Tess. Puen is a famous actor who is now in the body of Tun. Both of them have to live their lives in a new universe that is not their home. The only way to put a stop to this chaos is to discover portkeys that will take them back to where they came from. Love and friendship grow with them in the new universe.

YouTube

12. The Eclipse

Akk is a head student prefect in country’s leading all-boys school. Rumour has it that there is a curse that will punish students who disobey the school rules, a curse that grows stronger as the solar eclipse nears. Akk has to keep an eye on a mysterious new student Ayan, who regularly challenges the school’s norms.

YouTube

Japan 🇯🇵

1. Cherry Magic!

mind reading; office setting

By still being a vіrgin at 30, Adachi Kiyoshi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people’s minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s not proving to be helpful to him. But that all changes when he accidentally touches Kurosawa Yuichi, who he learns has romantic feelings for him.

WeTV

2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!)

misunderstanding; high school setting

Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she’s written the name of another boy — Ida — on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!

Viki

3. Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss!

lucky guy/unlucky guy; university setting

College student Fukuhara Kouta has bad luck that causes problems everywhere he goes. One day, Shinomiya, a student with super good luck, helps him out. Now, in order to divide the luck between them, Fukuhara needs to be with Shinomiya all the time.

Viki

4. Old Fashion Cupcake!

age gap; boss/assistant; self-discovery; office setting

At 39, Nozue realizes that by letting himself be carried away by his daily life, he ended up locking himself into his routine. It is Togawa, his 29-year-old subordinate, who shakes up his habits by offering him one day to go snack on pastries in an establishment particularly popular with girls. From one snack to the next, Nozue feels rejuvenated… But is it really the effect of these delicacies or rather that of emerging feelings?

Viki

5. A Man Who Defies the World of BL

breaking the 4th wall; comedy; university setting

It suddenly dawns on Mob that he lives in a BL world! So he must turn down any hot guys who approach him.

Viki (S1) & Viki (S2)

6. Two People Who Can’t Fall in Love (Koisenu Futari)

aromantism; asexuality; self-exploration

Sakuko finds it difficult to live in a society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi and ends up living with him under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.

No international streaming available, watching instructions on this Tumblr

China 🇨🇳

Chinese shows are adapted from explicitly queer novels, the shows are undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part is censured.

1. The Untamed

period drama; fantasy

An epic fantasy with a romance at its center, led by a problem child who comes back from the dead 16 years later in order to fix the broken world he left behind — and finally unite with his true love.

YouTube

2. Word of Honor

period drama; fantasy

The leader of assassin organisation Zhou Zishu quits his position in pursuit of freedom with drastic measures. In his travels, he meets Wen Kexing, the leader of Ghost Valley who wants nothing but revenge. The two become entangled in various machinations within the martial arts world, and eventually become soulmates instrumental in each other’s redemption.

YouTube & Special Episode

3. Couple of Mirrors

period drama; socialite/assassin

You Yi is a young, innocent, and kind-hearted socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei, a lonely female kill-er disguised as the owner of a photo studio.

YouTube

South Korea 🇰🇷

1. Semantic Error

enemies to lovers; university setting

A serious programmer and a rebellious artist clash over a school project. Their animosity keeps escalating to new extremes, defined by petty pranks and feisty arguments.

Viki

2. Light On Me

love triangle; high school setting

One day Tae Kyung, a high school loner, starts questioning his own judgment and gets advise from a teacher to join the school’s student council. He meets the Vice President of the council, Shin Woo, who is somewhat cold toward him. However, he also meets the super-attractive President of the council: Da On, who appears to take an instant shine to him. The beginnings of a romance appear to be in the cards for Da On and Tae Kyung, but Shin Woo does not seem to approve.

Viki

3. Tinted With You

period drama; time travel; hinted at polyamory

A high school student gets magically transported to the feudal period. Confused by his surroundings, he encounters a banished prince and his devoted bodyguard. The three characters live together and fall in love.

Viki

4. Blueming

coming of age; university setting

Cha Siwon, a college freshman majoring in film studies, does a lot to maintain his image because of his past life of unpopularity. He meets Hyeong Dawoon, a classmate of his with perfect looks, good grades, and everything at his fingertips. Siwon’s feelings of wariness for his classmate soon change into something else.

iQIYI

5. Mr. Heart

sports; university setting

Jin Won is a university freshman who has a talent for running marathons. Sang Ha maintains a smile despite his difficult environment. A romance drama about the love and friendship between a rising marathon star and a pacemaker.

Viki

6. Kissable Lips

vampire/human; university setting; bittersweet

A campus romance between Jun Ho, a vampire who is walking the path of extinction, and Min Hyun, a human with pure blood.

Viki

7. Cherry Blossoms After Winter

secret crush; high school setting

Ever since his parents passed away, Haebom has been living in Taesung’s house. And now, being a 12th grader, he enters the same class as Taesung, which makes the whole situation way more awkward. Living together 24/7, Taesung and Haebom’s relationship is bound to change.

Viki

8. Ocean Likes Me

restaurant setting

A healing food romance between Han Ba Da, a young entrepreneur who dreams of starting an udon restaurant with a beach in the background but finds serving customers difficult. Ba Da then meets Tommy, a failed musician who returns to his hometown after wandering and has a new dream. Together, both of them step towards their dreams.

Viki

9. You Make Me Dance

dancing

The story of Song Shi On who is an aspiring contemporary dancer with a broken heart because he is not receiving love from his family and of Jin HongSeok, once a keen pianist, who has given up on his dreams to pursue a lucrative but unfulfilling career of a loan shark. But spending time with Shi On changes his perspective on life, and the duo forms a close bond that eventually turns romantic.

Viki

10. WISH YOU: Your Melody In My Heart

music

A talented singer-songwriter and a keyboard player add love and harmony to each other’s lives as chase their dreams together.

Viki

11. Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding

period drama; cross-dressing

When a bride runs away on the eve of an arranged marriage, her brother steps in under the guise of a woman to wed the groom in a secret-filled union.

WeTV

12. To My Star

celebrity/ordinary person

Actor Kang Seo Joon was once one of South Korea’s biggest and most popular stars, but after he’s rocked by a public scandal he goes into hiding. In his hideout, he gets acquainted with his new roommate, a young chef who leads a modest, unassuming life. Despite having wildly different personalities, the two begin on a relationship.

Viki (S1) & Viki (S2 which I don’t recommend unless you like painful content)

Taiwan 🇹🇼

1. History3: Trapped

mafia boss/policeman

The story of a police officer who becomes trapped in the underworld, as he develops feelings for a gang leader.

YouTube or Viki

2. History2: Crossing the Line

sports; high school setting

When an injury sidelines a high school senior from the volleyball team, he develops feelings for a recruit.

YouTube or Viki

3. Be Loved in House: I Do

workplace romance

When the new boss arrives at the company, he immediately clashes with a headstrong, hot-blooded employee over a controversial workplace policy. Although their relationship starts off combatively, the two of them develop a bond as they work and live together.

Viki

4. We Best Love: No. 1 For You, We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd

enemies to lovers; secret crush; university setting

Zhou Shu Yi has spent his entire life as second best thanks to Gao Shi De, whether it be academics, arts or sports, Gao Shi De always managed to beat Shu Yi. Many years later, Shu Yi can finally breathe a sigh of relief when he and his nemesis part ways for university. However, as fate would have it, Shu Yi finds himself defeated once again when Shi De transfers to Shu Yi’s college for his final year. Could the reason that Shi De is seemingly following Shu Yi be something other than to torment him?

WeTV (S1) & WeTV (S2)

5. Plus & Minus

best friends to lovers; lawyers; secret crush

Zheng Ze Shou and Fu Li Gong have been best friends for over twenty years. Now, they work as divorce attorneys in the same law firm. Despite their close brotherly bond, this friendship never escalated affectionately until now.

Viki

You can watch many shows for free on YouTube, and watch others on streaming websites by setting VPN to one of the countries in the list. In other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality) or Dramacool (better variety). Enjoy! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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