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absolutebl · 2 months

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Recs for Uni or HS BLs where studying impacts plot

My ask box is bonkers, sometimes I get a message in email saying someone asked a question and then when I check on the hellsite itself, it's gone... (What does this MEAN?)

Anygay...

@sagi-kari asked a question:

Do you have any recs for Uni or HS BLs where the main focus is studying or study related (they have to actually do the thing). Like LITA with Rain's studies being a caveat to their relationship or Big Dragon with Mangkorn's New York internship/job idr.

Basically, the study needs to be an important thing to the narrative.

This is a doozie and I'm only gonna rec stuff I rated over 8/10

University & HS BL Revolving Around Study

Semantic Error - class conflict is the inciting event, and this is one of my favorite BLs of all time. So yeah, it tops the list. I am assuming you have watched it because EVERYONE must watch this little pice of perfect. Full review here.

Blueming - the school project is the source of the conflict, this is a complicated chewy very thoughtful BL, longer than normal for Korea. If you enjoy things like The 8th Sense you might like this. Full review here.

Love Class - the whole show is about a manufactured relationship as part of a social science class experiment. Full review here.

You Make Me Dance - I mean it's a dance major so no actual book study but yeah, it's there he has to win a dance scholarship as a main part of the plot. I've never done a full review of this, and frankly that's an oversite. Time for a rewatch?

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong - it's about a teacher student relationship so...

Addicted: Heroin - especially the first half, I know what you're thinking, but also, THINK about it. It's all within a class from environment for most of the first 6 eps. I believe it counts. This is, without question, the best BL China has ever produced. FIGHT ME.

Destiny Seeker - an under appreciated pulp that is basically predicated on the university sorting hat. I have great affection for this hot mess, including all the sides. Mostly takes place within and around the complexities of dorm life. Full review here.

Kiss Me Again series (BL cut) + Dark Blue Kiss (AKA the PeteKao series staring TayNew) - it's not necessarily a driver but engineering and study is actual integral in a setting as character kind of way. And there is a lot of "make-out while studying." Plus we in the TayNew renauances and I have great affection for their original series. Everyoen shoudl watch it. Here's the watch guide.

HS BL - not exactly study, but sorta & they really good

Light On Me - Another one of my absolute favorite BLs, but it's about the school government club, not actual study. Full review here.

Love Sick - if you count club activities. I just got a full load up of this series with new subs, so I was going to do a watch along in honor of 2024 (its 10th anniversary). I am still considering it.

My School President - also, if you count extra-curricular & club activities. Another BL that i absolutely adore. No full review but I did have a long discussion on how this plays into Thailand's new norm in BL here.

Takara & Amagi - ugh I love this show so much but it's more about popularity and social acceptance in HS than studing, full review here.

About Youth - if you count external parental pressure to over achieve, another underappreciated gem, this time for Taiwan. Full review here.

I dithered...

Bad Buddy - maybe, I mean departmental conflict is a large part of the story, plus high school back story club activities, but there is very little study. Full review here.

Please feel free to add more on a RP or in comments, but remember my codicil was I have to have personally rated it over 8/10 so your baby might not be on here because it wasn't to my personal taste.

(source)

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panncakes · 3 months

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the most cruel thing about having to wait for a 23.5 the series trailer is that they have me actively impatient for a school series which is going to be filled with all the dumb tropes and despite me never enjoying that in bl i just know i'm going to eat it up when it's milklove and its so stupid but it doesn't stop me from needing the trailer yesterday

#23.5 the series #not a slight to those who like the school/uni setting #i just have never really enjoyed those bls and am so grateful that i started getting into bls when the more mature ones came out #but now im just clawing at my skin waiting for that silly little show #i am just a small joke in a big cruel universe

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ebi-hime · 5 months

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I'm bullying Yuel again hehehe It's fun for the whole family \o/ Uh yes, I'm working on (another!!!) VN about my best boys, Yuel and Tavi, because I love them and writing about them is always a lot of fun! This one is fully written and most of the art is finished so ummm idk... Release some time next year I guess? \o/ Yuel Suffers an extra amount in this story as he deserves; it's pretty bleak! It's OK though, Yuel and Tavi still kiss, and I think that's wonderful!!!

#visual novel #yaoi game #yaoi #yaoi visual novel #bl vn #bl visual novel #bxb #mlm #the yuelverse #yuel is really cute #tavi is cute too #i still haven't thought of a title for this one #but it's set in ashes universe #so it's a bit grimmer than unluckily in love and havehold #i write a lot about my boys i apologise #i just love them so much

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caedi · 2 years

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love mechanics: episode 9 mark + happiness

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aprilblossomgirl · 2 years

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I've been quietly watching and enjoying Love in the Air for the past four weeks. While it's not the show I regularly comment on, episode 4 urges me to make this post to appreciate how highly accurate the show is in portraying the first-year architecture student's life. I think showing it with this level of detail is quite important as it's part of Rain's character development. I am not here to comment on Phayu and Rain's relationship or their characters. I am here solely to gush about that portrayal.

(1) The most critical advice I wish I had heard during my first year as an architecture student: "Before you design a house, you need to design your life first." This is a sensible and mature approach from Phayu to Rain, considering he already graduated, and he understands the stage Rain is going through and what he needs to do and focus on right now. And I am glad Rain listened to him. It's easy to slip off your focus during these times, so it's good to have someone who could remind you of that.

(2) The studio! Oh, so much accuracy! The table setting, the artwork shelves, the pin-ups. I think it's a shared studio class with the art department, judging from all the stuff displayed on the shelves.

(3) Sky is the best friend and emotional support that you need, especially during the clash between your end of semester assigments deadlines and your love life. I wish we could also see his love storyline along with Rain's.

(4) Checking model and giving notes for improvement and notes of encouragement: this is a love language. Period.

(5) This is what you usually see when an architecture student is wrapping up their assignment. The last part is usually to work on the model. Again, I love the details: the scattered references, the printed part of the assignment, the messy table, the tools (that cutter and cutting board), and the paper remains.

(6) Checking the assignment's output: model, checked; presentation boards, checked. Well, usually, it also includes a bundle of drawings. But, from what I see, the drawings were included as part of the presentation boards. So that's it.

(7) Finished before deadlines? It's a miracle! Truly!

(8) That happiness called my bed. Very much relatable.

(9) The presentation details - I love this thoughtful title of the project: "Home Co-Housing for Future" (a bit of typo there, I see, but that's fine, really). Rain totally nailed his project. The outputs are well-made, neat, and effective.

(10) The presentation session. Rain did great and finally earned praise from the strict professor! Great job, Rain!

I can't say enough how much I LOVE seeing all these details. As a drama/series viewer, I love my shows to have a good plot and great writing of the characters. But I love it more if they also equally focus on the setting, property details, and music. This one just catches my eye right away.

#love in the air #thai drama #thai bl series #university setting: architecture major #just thoughts 📝

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pharawee · 2 years

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Tong Thanayut Thakoonauttaya as Tankhun in KinnPorsche, Episode 13

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #tong thanayut #kpedit #kinnporscheedit #thai bl #tdrama #thai drama #bl drama #my edits.#lextag #usermone #heyjazz #tolunalina #get khun into the vice versa universe #he'd be super famous #but anyway i only made this set for khun's outfit and the lighting

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gillianthecat · 1 year

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Part 1: That University

that's in literally half of all Thai BLs

Big Dragon and Love In the Air share at least two major locations - the university and the mansion (Payu and Yai's house). And they were shooting around the same time, presumably, because they're airing at the same time. So this is all making me want my imaginary GL drama When Schedules Clash... Love Wins even more. Imagine: two production assistants for competing BL sets. Conflict! Humor! Enemies-to-lovers! (Ok, it still needs a better title/tagline; any ideas?) Come on Thai drama industry: read my mind and make this happen.

Here are some of the shared locations I noticed; there may be more. (And I haven't watched LITA since episode 9, so I've missed anything after that.)

Divided into two parts because... tumblr. Part 2: "That Fucking House 2.0"

The Art & Architecture Studio

The Big Dragon Architecture Club meeting: (in my imagination Sig won that 10,000 baht prize)

For LITA I have to use a screenshot with Sig of course:

That University Bathroom

a place for confused subs to commune with the floor and pretend they are not falling in love

in which Yai attempts to stalk Mangkorn:

and Payu succeeds in seducing Rain:

And of course there are the iconic love declaration stairs from Bad Buddy, along with many other places in the university that have been seen in many different BLs. But they weren't been shot at the same time so they don't count for the purposes of When Schedules Clash... Love Wins.

#when schedules clash... love wins #gl dramas that should exist but don't #imaginary shows #big dragon #love in the air #reusing sets in thai bl shows #payu's house #the mansion the mystery the glasswalled staircase of death #sorry yai but payu's show aired first so he gets the tag #THAT university #thai bl industry #love in the air the series #big dragon the series #bad buddy

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khaothanawat · 6 months

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i’ve been sort of unintentionally sitting on most of my only friends opinions but really they largely just amount to ‘thank you, she was perfect, if you get it you get it, if you don’t you don’t.’

#one day i’ll get bored and just write an entire thesis called ‘in ardent defence of only friends’ and it will be my magnum opus #and/or just me rambling about the immense attention to detail and deliberateness in all the decisions and the way the show set everything #up piece by piece like an interesting and fun little puzzle #that it’s not supposed to be a manifesto it’s just supposed to be a 12 episode snapshot into four insane months in this group of young #people’s lives. and that viewing the characters and relationships as early 20-somethings through the eyes of a slightly older and more #experienced lens (like once you’re out of your 20s and removed enough away from that time) feels like a big part of #why i found the experience as a whole so gratifying #it’s like looking back at your youth and saying wow we really lived like this #idk it’s not gonna hit the same for everyone and that’s ok but #to me it was by far the most interesting use of a university setting in a bl imo imo imo #show: only friends #only friends the series

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hirakiyois · 16 days

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to this day, i don't think any character has quite demisexualed like leo from don't say no

#don't say no #leofiat #tharntype cinematic universe go stupid go crazy rahhhh #like he set impossible standards not only for boyfriend rep but for demi rep #close second is gao shi de if im being honest #and obviously also sam from gap #a pretty neat club #thai bl

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theflagscene · 2 years

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Wait! There’s going to be a Manner of Death sequel, with a possible Triage tie in, staring MaxTul about black market organ harvesting in Bangkok!?

#manner of death #triage the series #Transplant the series #maxtul #I’m so excited for this #yes I need all of this #move the BL content out of the damn university setting #give me adult characters with adult storylines #omg!!!#I can’t wait for more info to come out about it

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dangerliesbeforeyou · 9 months

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ok so i'm watching step by step (i'll admit that it was mainly cos i kept seeing gifsets of the guy who played jeng and i was like hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 👀 lol) and honest to god the funniest part so far is when pat wakes up in jeng's house and finds his laptop conveniently open on a search of 'micromanagement', aka the exact thing pat had accused him of in his assessment lol

#i cant explain why i laughed so much at that scene or why i'm STILL laughing about it #it just tickled me lol #step by step #step by step the series #so far i am rly enjoying it!#the humour in it is rly great plus it's refreshing to have a bl series with a non-university setting lol #also yes the guy who plays jeng is VERY attractive help

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madeinchinataiwanhk-blbambeyond · 10 months

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MCF: MADE IN TAIWAN

YANG I HSUAN

[aka: ISSAC YANG]

HONG WEI ZHE

#MCF MAN CRUSH FANDOM #MADE IN TAIWAN #From My Main Blog: BL-BAM-BEYOND #My GIFS #TAIWANESE BL SERIES #STAY BY MY SIDE #ENEMIES (OF SORTS) TO LOVERS #ROOMMATES #NEW ROOMMATES #UNIVERSITY SETTING #SUPERNATURAL #MYGIFSET

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stormyoceans · 2 years

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youtube decided to suddenly recommend the first episode of 2gether to me so im taking it as a sign that i should start watching this

#things i know about this show:#1) it has an university setting #2) they play music #so like 85% of all other BLs out there #that's as far as my knowledge goes #because funny enough (even if it's a pretty popular one) i don't think i've ever seen anything about it on my dash?#so it's gonna be fun going in without knowing anything #to delete

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gaiaxygang · 5 months

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i dont mind bls set in high school or university if they utilise that setting well tbh. not many do though

#gaiaxyposting #nlmg being a high school bl couldve worked but god damn they did NOT do a good job #also not many people know this but kp novel is set in university and the characters DO ASSIGNMENTS its so funny

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daisynik7 · 7 months

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hello it's me again not sure if it's alright to request one more (literally just ignore this if not) and its also not y2k but i'd like to request work song by hozier for nanami especially "no grave can hold my body down, i'd crawl home to her" angst with a happy ending during/post shibuya (no dying please) and reader is also a healer like shoko

thank you so much and congrats again 🫶🏼

Work Song

No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Word Count: ~1.6k

cw: mentions of d*ath, bl*od, burn injuries, canon-divergent, set in the canon-universe during the Shibuya Incident Arc, MAJOR spoilers up to Shibuya Arc, angst, hurt/comfort, established relationship, happy ending

Summary: You’re a healer working with Shoko inside the medical tent at Shibuya Station while Nanami, your boyfriend, is in the line of fire for the battle ahead. After an especially life-threatening attack, Nanami, on the brink, runs into an old friend, who helps guide him back home.

Author’s Note: @75songs thank you so much for sending in another request for the y2k karaoke party, always appreciate your love and support! I ADORE this song and have honestly always thought it was perfect for Nanami. I am an anime only and am not caught up with season 2 yet, so I didn’t want to read too much into what exactly happens during this arc, so some of the details may be inaccurate, just a heads up. This one got me in my feelings. I will forever hold a grudge against Gege for what they did to Nanami. Anyways, likes, reblogs, and/or comments are always appreciated! Thanks so much for reading! Divider by @/saradika.

October 31st. Maybe in another timeline, another reality, you and Nanami would be celebrating Halloween tonight, passing colorful candies and decadent chocolates to kids going door-to-door across the neighborhood. You’d force him to dress up in a silly costume, one that matches yours, despite his reluctance at first. Deep down, you know he likes this; domestic bliss, especially with you. The idea that the two of you could live a peaceful life together, away from the dangerous world of curses and Jujutsu sorcery. You discuss it constantly, dream about it, strive for it. A few more years, he says, and he’ll retire. There’s still more work to be done, people to be saved.

You’re inside the medical tent beside Shoko, helping her set up the cots, anticipating injured sorcerers to arrive soon with the battle underway. Masamichi Yaga, Jujutsu High’s principal, stands guard outside, determined to keep the medical team, especially Shoko, safe from any posing threats. There’s no way to know what’s happening until people start arriving, in need of medical attention. You’re a healer too, but not nearly as skilled as Shoko, your mentor. Still, she encourages you to join them tonight, needing all the help they can get.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asks, setting up the last bed. Observant as ever, she notices your quiet demeanor.

You nod, giving her a weak, unconvincing smile. “Yeah.”

“Nanami is going to be fine,” she assures you, sensing the root of your anxiety. “When this is all done, the two of you should take a vacation together.”

Relaxing a bit, you reply, “We already have our trip to Malaysia planned in a few months.”

She smiles kindly. “There you go. Something to look forward to.”

Her words ease some of the tension, but there’s dread settling in the pit of your stomach, and it won’t go away until you see Nanami again in one piece.

The waiting game finally ends as soon as the first wounded sorcerer shows up in the tent, initiating nonstop chaos. You assist Shoko diligently, making sure everything is prepared for her to perform her Reverse Cursed Technique for those who need it, and patching up those who don’t, with less severe injuries. You’re constantly on the lookout to see a familiar face, trying to get an update on what’s happening out there. None comes, until you see Kiyotaka Ijichi limping towards the entrance, blood spread across his shirt. You and Shoko rush towards him, carrying him over your shoulders, leading him to an empty cot, gently laying him down.

Shoko, showing panic on her face for the first time all night, inspects him carefully. “Ijichi, can you hear me?” She’s always had a soft spot for him, often telling you how endearing she finds him, always a nervous wreck in front of her. Seeing him like this is surely jarring, even for her, who’s as tough as nails.

He nods weakly, mumbling something incoherent, blood sputtering from his mouth. You remove the shattered glasses from his eyes, wiping his lips with gauze. Shoko starts to work on him, directing you to check on the other patients. Before you can follow orders, you feel his weak grip on your wrist. You turn to face him, focused on his lips as he quietly utters, “Nanami.”

Your ears perk up at the mention of your boyfriend’s name, leaning in closer to hear the rest of what he has to say, taking his time through labored breaths. “He…saved…me…”

You do your best to keep your composure, nodding at him silently, blinking away the tears welling in your eyes. Unsure how to respond, you leave them, going to the other side of the tent to check on the remaining sorcerers.

With everyone else in stable condition, you take a minute outside the tent to sob into your hands, praying that Nanami is still alive. Unaware of your surroundings, you’re startled when Yaga approaches, his large figure sitting beside you. “You alright?”

You wipe away your sniffles on your sleeve. “Just…nervous.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, sighing. “Yeah, I get it. But Nanami is one of our strongest sorcerers. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Again, more words of comfort, but not enough to ease the nervous flutter in your belly. Yaga recognizes this and adds, “Nanami would fight through the fires of hell instead of letting himself die. Not because he wants to live for himself. But because he wants to live for you.”

You face him now, processing his statement. He chuckles, lifting his sunglasses to meet your gaze. “That man has never been so smitten in his life. He’d crawl out his grave just to be with you, I guarantee it.”

~~~

The last thing Nanami remembers is desperately wishing he was in Malaysia with you instead of at Shibuya Station right now. He wakes up, sitting in one of the seats on the platform. It’s eerily quiet with no one in sight. The distinct sounds of trains on the rails or the hustle and bustle of people moving along is strangely absent, and it occurs to Nanami that this may be a dream.

He's sure of it when he feels a nudge to his side, turning to face Yu Haibara sitting next to him. There’s a warm smile on his boyish face, dressed in his Jujutsu High uniform, exactly as he was many years ago when Nanami last saw him, alive and well. The same bright, earnest eyes he remembers vividly of his best friend. He swallows hard, an uneasy feeling surrounding him. Is he seeing a ghost? Or is this the afterlife?

Haibara laughs, and Nanami is snapped out of his reverie and taken immediately back to 2006, when he first met his friend during orientation. He can’t help but grin, happy to see him still so lively. “Well, aren’t you going to greet your old friend, Nanami?”

Nanami does, hugging him, astonished to feel him in his arms almost like a real person. Almost. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to visit you, that’s all.”

Nanami lets him go, studying him carefully, looking for any signs of decay. When he spots none, he asks him, “Am I dead?”

Haibara shakes his head. “Not quite. But you’re pretty damn close.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. So you better hurry and get home quick.” Haibara points towards the railings, now illuminated at one end by a blinding flash of light. “Yuji’s waiting for you.”

“Itadori? How do you know – “

Haibara then says your name with a big smile. “Yeah, I know her too. They’re all waiting for you, Nanami. You don’t want to keep them waiting any longer, do you?”

It takes a while for Nanami to get up, and when he does, he’s off balance, legs wobbly, body unsteady. Haibara helps him, offering his shoulder, the two of them walking slowly towards the light. “I really like her, you know. Your girlfriend.”

“You do?” Nanami asks, hobbling beside him.

“Yeah. She’s really nice, really pretty, and she eats a lot, especially with you,” he chuckles. “You know how much I like that.”

“Yeah I do.”

“And I’m a good judge of character, so I think she’s perfect for you. If that means anything,” he says, proudly.

“It does. It means a lot.” They’re near the edge of the platform now and Nanami will have to hop down to reach the end of the tunnel.

“Are you going to marry her soon?” Haibara asks, pausing just before the edge.

Nanami nods, grinning. “I’m planning to propose during our vacation in Malaysia.”

“Good. Good.”

He’s tempted to stay longer, wanting a few more moments with his friend, but he knows that time is ticking. He hugs him again, squeezing him tight. “Take care, Haibara.”

“You too, Nanami. I’ll be looking out for you.”

His chest constricts, jumping off the platform, landing roughly on the railings, blinking away the tears in his eyes. It’s sweltering now, the light emitting an intense heat from within. He gives Haibara one last glance, cherishing the happy expression on his face as he waves goodbye to him before walking into the light.

Seconds later, Nanami wakes up with a gasp of breath, vision blurred, a droning pounding beating against his ear drums. It soon fades and only Yuji’s panicked voice yelling from behind him is heard. He’s being dragged by the armpits, away from the battle. Smoke radiates from his entire form, and he can barely move. In fact, he can barely feel anything at all.

They reach the medical tent, Itadori yelling for help the whole way. Yaga is the first to reach them, his usual calm demeanor wavering at the sight of Nanami, body half-burned from the explosion. They carrying him delicately inside, resting him on the only empty cot left. He wants to close his eyes; he’s so exhausted, and sleep is the only thing to bring him peace right now. That, or you.

As if his prayers were heard, you appear at his side, truly a vision, even while you sob for him, holding his mangled hand in yours, begging for him to stay with you. He can die happy now, seeing your face, knowing that you’re here, alive, heart beating, surviving. Can he do the same? Can he survive this? All he knows is that he’s trying with every fiber he has left in his being. He won’t leave you, not like this. Not without experiencing life on the outside with you.

It’s in this moment that he vows to endure. Even if he has to crawl out of his grave to do it, he’s determined to be with you again.

~~~

November 1st. Maybe in another timeline, another reality, Nanami is gone. Not in this one, though. Instead, you sit beside him, healed and in one piece thanks to Shoko, fingers laced with his, careful not to squeeze too tightly. Yuji and Ino are at his other side, talking animatedly about how amazing Nanami was the entire fight, and all he can do is lay there, smiling. Happy to be alive. Happy to be with you.

#nanami kento #kento nanami #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x you #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami x you #nanami x reader #nanami x you #nanami fluff #nanami kento fluff #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jujutsu kaisen x reader #y2k karaoke event #milestone event

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absolutebl · 4 months

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TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

This is just me with my analysis hat on.

1. 2023 = the year EVERYONE went outside their lanes

Everything went topsy-turvy this year in BL.

For example, Korea gave us agonized yearning and outright queerness (The 8th Sense, The New Employee) while Japan served up soft office workers and tender family (Our Dining Table).

The BL world went askew for a while, especially in the spring of 2023.

Not that we still didn’t still get Korea’s soft angsty bubbles or Japan’s “what are you doing and why does it hurt?” kink-fests. But there were quite a few BLs that made us chronic watchers sit up in confusion and wonder if Korea was dabbling in Taiwan’s territory or Japan in Thailand’s. Then they fudged the kisses and we were like... okay, back in familiar territory.

In contrast, Thailand stayed course-correcting for the damage they’ve done in the past with tropes (2022) and self referential meta criticism (2021), but also almost aggressively returned to their BL roots after last year’s series of shockers. Certainly, they are reexamining those roots, transplanting some, aerating others. But they really went back to classic Thai university and high school BL and pulps in a big way in 2023.

Taiwan is always difficult to gage because they produce so few but they seem to have stuck with what they do best with no deviation while producing more this year than they have in ages. I’m happy for that, why change a good thing? But there is a tiny part of me that really wants them to hit it out of the part with a quality piece soon. For me, We Best Love still reigns supreme, but I would really like the HIStory franchise to give us that level but longer - like a happy version of Your Name Engraved Herein. I think Taiwan has the chops to give us something as good as The 8th Sense or Old Fashion Cupcake but in their style, and I would like to see them exercise their talent for good rather than just profit.

I know, what a very odd thing for me to say. But if any BL is going to break into the mainstream American market, I genuinely think it’s most likely come from Taiwan.

Vietnam and the Philippines are falling behind, in general. They just didn’t bring out very many shows in 2023, and what the brought out tended to fub the endings. This is forgivable in Japan (because of their style and quality) but not what watchers want in the lower production value propositions. In other words, if you do a pulp, you can’t mess up the ending (by romance standards). that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.

2. The Office Romance Dominated

After years of Thailand serving us an endless (and slightly bland) buffet of university (and a few high school) BLs, this year Korea was basically like...

Ofiice. We like the Office. It’s cheap to film we can use grown up actors, acting (mostly) their actual age.

And yeah... it totally worked.

To be fair, Japan has always given us office live action yaoi from the beginning (they had the source material) but this year everyone else, including Thailand, seriously started playing in this setting.

3. Boys Danced with Boys

The darling @heretherebedork was a big fan of this one, and I rather like it myself. Prior to this boys dancing together was very very rare in BL, but this year we got way more than our fair share. It was lovely.

Never Let me Go

My School President

Bed Friend

The Day I Loved You

Step by Step

Be Mine Superstar

Tie the Not

Dangerous Romance

I think there were a few more. These are the ones I remembered to write down.

4. Getting (even more) Meta With Tropes

BL has been getting more and more meta over the past few years but this year they really focused in on tropes specifically. Calling out their own biggest and most favorite tropes in a massive way, especially Thailand and especially GMMTV.

Like they tunneled in on damaging tropes with Bad Buddy and the like over the past 2 years, and now they are just having fun with us.

I mean they just started the dancing trope and already they are calling it out? That’s like rapid-fire regurgitated meta there, GMMTV.

5. Cameos are the norm now

Taiwan has always loved cameos but in the past the other countries have been show and steady with only one or two a year. (Unless Japan does a parody.)

This year Korea got in on the game.

Korea rarely starts trends but they do adopt smaller and lesser known existing ones and make them super popular.

This year they did that with cameo couple appearances, even borrowing a few of Thailand’s pairs (TutorYim and MaxNat traveled north). They did it so much I stopped tracking. Love Class 2, Why R U?, and Jun & Jun were the heaviest hitters.

Taiwan, of course, came back swinging. Kiseki was the gum-ball machine of pair cameos. (In Taiwan mafia = gay.)

6. We are entering the cross pollination age

The number of remakes picked up or started this year was startling, not just countries revisiting their own content (Thailand, Japan) but countries revisiting OTHER countries stuff.

Lemme explain...

Korea has started remaking Thai content (Why R U?) alongside cameo'ing Thai pairs.

Thailand is doing Korean IP (My Dear Gagster Oppa) and has 2 Chinese ones slated for next year.

GMMTV acquired a lot of Japanese IP (Cherry Magic, Ossen, and My Love Mix Up) - and then had problems distributing it.

This is probably the most surprising trend for me. Especially the Japanese stuff. I would have thought these properties well outside of Thailand's price range (even GMMTV's) not to mention Japan’s legendary IP issues (I swear I typed this pout before the pulled TayNew’s excellent Cherry Magic).

Also why not option some of the older popular manga instead? Bet that's much cheeper. (I did see a NEW Thai translation of Finder into Thai, which is 90s yaoi, so I have my fingers crossed on that front.)

I shouldn't be too surprised.

Thailand is running out of y-novel content. Their publication industry is just not robust enough (I was just talking to a friend about this at length recently). But I didn't think they had the funds to option, especially from Japan.

Perhaps the option deals are for peanuts?

7. Korea got cheeky

I’m not sure quite how else to put this.

After finally figuring out boys can kiss, Korea started to do not just higher heat but playful higher heat, with more aggressive word play and linguistic innuendo, like they are entering their racy rom-com teenage years (Why R U? Love Class 2 and Jun & Jun in particular.)

I guess: Welcome to your BL teens, Korea?

It’s cute of them. I am very much enjoying it.

And now that comedy is warming them up, we get to see them play with actual queer burgeoning physicality in shows like The 8th Sense.

It’s nice. I like seeing Korea stretch its wings. They still stick to their bubble, but that bubble seems to be expanding.

8. The Amnesia Trope is back

And I, for one, would prefer to forget about it.

9. BL got trendy

I’m not quite sure how to articulate this category but basically we started seeing a lot of “modern” romance trends out of the west (like a/b/o) show up in our BL. Not a ton and sometimes quite small, but there has a been a steady rise of things like: no seme/uke, femme gay, out gay, condom use, messy gay.

We also got an increasing range of sub genre frameworks (like mafia, office setting) that’s moved BL pretty firmly (even in Thailand) out of school and into the workplace, whether actual working is involved or not.

It’s not to the point where it feels like we get more non-school BL than school BL (if I include all countries in this assessment).

Japan, in classic Japanese fashion, quietly started moving in the opposite direction. It’s what they do.

10. The Vampires are coming

This is an announcement trend, which I don’t usually report on but it’s so CLEAR.

So last year we had a spate of announcements of possible Omegaverse (2 from China, 1 from Japan, 1 from Thailand - the only one that’s happened).

This year we got 5 Vampire (or vampire-esk) Thai BLs announced including one from GMMTV.

Whether all 5 will actually get made is unlikely, but having had (basically) none prior to this (Kissable Lips), I’m pretty confident that we will get at least 2 of them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one other country made one as well. (Side eyes Taiwan with interest.)

Final thoughts

It feels like we are also seeing a decline in BL (both by quantity and quality) from Vietnam and the Philippines. As you all know, I don’t track or really watch either of these two very closely. But it feels like, now, no one else is either.

I think we have likely seen the BL heyday already in both places and their industries are now on the decline.

We might be witnessing a thinning in the players in the BL field.

FYI we had approximately

136 BLs in 2023

Previous Years

2022: 117

2021: 95

2020: 62

2019: 40

2018: 30

2017: 44 (China’s last gasp)

2016: 27

2015: 17 (50% micro)

2014: 17 (50% micro)

And that’s it! Let me know in the comments if you’ve spotted any additional trends you want to call out.