Which Asian Country Produces The Best Boys’ Love Series?
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Almost half a year had gone by and there had been so much noise in the BL industry. BL short films, web series, dramas and movies are on the rise and they had took the world by storm. So much is going on and I just can’t sit quiet because the inner fujoshi in me is restless and excited. Now, that BL genre has become one of the popular and rapidly growing global industry, it is time that we evaluate Asian countries that produce them and learn what the audiences want, understand our current position and come up with solutions for producing better BLs.
For this evaluation, we are using factors like story, cast, chemistry, music, re-watch value, fanbase and fan-service. The countries competing in this battle are Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Now you might ask why I am not including Philippines, China and Vietnam or other Asian countries — but these countries are still progressing when I analyzed their shows with the above factors. I am only taking into consideration the countries that are most often debated among BL fans. Maybe in future, there might be other Asian countries producing greater BL content and at that time, we can do a new assessment.
For each factor, stars are given to each country ranging from 1(Poor) to 5(Excellent). The country that scores the maximum stars is the winner. Let me remind you that this assessment is done as per my content taste — your preferences and choices may vary. I suggest that you also evaluate the countries and give them stars accordingly, and do comment who wins as per your evaluation. Let’s see who is on the majority in the comments. Enough of chit-chat — let’s get on with our important task: Which Asian country produces the best BLs?
STORY: When I say story, I mean the uniqueness and the pacing. I have seen many shows with the usual plots and tropes(will make a separate post on those common tropes), so I wish to evaluate stories that are intriguing with distinct characters. Pacing is also very important — a series might be interesting but when it gets dragged a lot, we audience lose interest and might drop the show. Let’s see how each country fares on this aspect.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thailand produces many BLs with distinct characters and captivating stories. But, there are some Thai BL series that don’t have a definite story nor a steady pacing. I have dropped a couple of Thai BL shows just for that reason. In my opinion, story is like a backbone to a BL and without it, the entire thing would collapse. Also, Thailand isn’t afraid of risks and that’s why they delve into topics that are often ignored, spreading social awareness.
South Korea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
As much as I love Korean BLs, we must admit that there is a shortage of unique plots. Often Korean BLs have their primary backdrop as school or college. Only a handful of Korean BLs have a workplace background. And almost all of them have love triangles or past traumas involved as a part of the plot. And if we talk about story pace, Korean BLs try to rush the story in the last few episodes because most of them have only eight episodes.
Japan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Japan is much like South Korea. Though we could see certain unique BLs now and then, but those shows don’t gain much popularity and often gets ignored. But, the pacing seems right. And everything about the story gets wrapped up eventually unless there’s another season for a show. So, they are good at giving closures to the characters involved. Japanese BLs also involve the common tropes to spice up the story.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️
Most of the Taiwanese BL shows has university or workplace backdrop and they are produced in different genres. Depending on the plot, BLs from this country can be either a bit slow or a little too fast. I have watched a few Taiwanese BLs with poor plot execution — some characters are forgotten towards the end of the show without giving them a proper ending.
CAST: No, I don’t mean the actors to be handsome. I prioritize their acting rather than their beauty. If they can perfect the acting, then I would give a big thumbs-up to the actors.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have seen sloppy acting in Thai BLs, particularly in the low-budget shows which is understandable. But, sometimes, even pro actors don’t fit in the series they are cast. Maybe because the story didn’t suit them or they might have had a bad chemistry with their on-screen partner, which might have affected their acting. Though there are many commendable BL actors, I still feel there is something lacking.
South Korea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
When it comes to acting, Korea does a good job. Often K-pop artists or models are the cast of the shows, with little to no acting experience. Yet they manage to portray their respective characters smoothly. Too pity that we can’t see more of their acting since Korean BLs are limited to eight to ten episodes.
Japan: ⭐️⭐️
I might get bashed for saying this but what I have analyzed from watching a bunch of Japanese BLs is that often the acting is a bit bland — it doesn’t induce emotions in me. Certain BLs tend to have main roles whose traits are comedic, but the actors overdo it and in the end, those characters become overly dramatic and annoying. Sorry to say, but those are my views on Japanese BLs.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️⭐
Actors playing in Taiwanese BLs are all good. I had even seen some newbie actors making the best out of the character. But, I have also seen many actors who have failed to deliver their roles and this too mostly happens in BLs that do not have high budget.
CHEMISTRY: Chemistry is equally important as story, especially since BL also focuses on romance. Many BLs failed because the main characters had minimal to zero chemistry. And chemistry doesn’t mean loaded with NC scenes, at least not for me. Something between the actors’ interaction should fire me up and make me blush, that’s what chemistry means in my dictionary.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thailand is well known for its BL ships universally. The chemistry between the actors are so strong that they continue to be partners in multiple series, a rarity among other BL producing nations. Moreover, the chemistry is quite natural between the actors and so they can perform intimate scenes with much ease. Maybe that’s the reason behind a spike in Thai BLs with more NC scenes.
South Korea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
The chemistry between actors in Korean BLs tends to hit differently. Though there is a scarcity of intimate scenes in KBLs, the sexual tension between the actors just staring at each other or holding hands is enough to make everyone’s heart skip a beat. This year, Korean BLs are setting a new record by providing fiery kisses instead of the usual dead fish kisses, thereby serving us more intimacy.
Japan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Am I biased towards Japan? No. I just feel that the sparks between the actors is missing in Japanese BLs. I agree that there are shows with too much intimacy on beds, but I couldn’t connect with the main characters in such scenes. It seems a bit forced, a bit odd, a bit distant, a bit uninteresting and a bit forgetful. Though I must say that I enjoyed the chemistry in a couple of shows.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taiwan is as equal to Thailand when it comes to chemistry imparted through intimate scenes. But even without the intimacy, I had seen several shows that made me kick my legs in the air at midnight.
MUSIC: The OSTs in BLs adds more flavor to the shows. It could be just an instrumental or an indie song, but music changes everything, trust me. There are shows that are known for their music and people even remember the background scores of their favorite scenes in BLs.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The music in Thai BLs have been so popular and it still remains as such. There is also a new trend of including Western indie music in the shows, and it gives a new perspective and meaning to a particular scene. Often, the OSTs are sung by the actors themselves and in some cases, we get to see professional singers or idols contributing to the songs for the BLs. In the recent times, we even get to see English OSTs that are exclusive to the show.
South Korea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Korea isn’t behind either — the music is mostly done by K-pop bands or artists. So, without doubt, the music is groovy and tends to make us move. In the recent times, even KBLs have started using some Western music in some of the scenes.
Japan: ⭐️⭐️
Honestly, I only remember only one BL show whose OST I loved. And it had been the only OST in which the actors have sung themselves too. The rest of the Japanese BLs didn’t capture my heart with their music. And I don’t recall listening Western music in the BLs too.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The music culture in Taiwanese BLs is similar to Thailand and South Korea. In most cases, the actors sings the OSTs, but there is a fair amount of professional singers singing the OSTs too. Personally, only few of the songs that appeared in the shows made its way to my favorite playlist.
RE-WATCH VALUE: If you are new to the term ‘re-watch’, it basically means to watch a show again even if you have already watched. Re-watch value is used to determine how much watchable a show is — how many times an average person can watch a certain show. A low re-watch value means the show could be watched only one time, and a high re-watch value means it can be watched multiple times.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The most number of times I watched my favorite Thai BL would be just twice. Most shows are just one-time entertainment for me. This could be for various reasons, but mostly its because of the story. If the story and the chemistry captivates me, I would be re-watching that show certainly.
South Korea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You don’t know the insane amount of times I re-watched my favorite KBLs. There is something about them that drives you crazy, to the point that you keep re-watching them, and that applies to mainstream Korean dramas too.
Japan: ⭐️
So far, I have only watched a handful of Japanese BLs compared to the BLs from other countries. And sad to say, I have never watched a Japanese BL that compelled me to watch it again.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I remember re-watching only three or four Taiwanese BLs. Most of the BL shows from Taiwan are one-time watch in my opinion.
FANBASE: The fans of a particular BL ship. Some BL pairs are very popular while some BL pairs have gained a large number of loyal fans because of many years of acting only with their on-screen BL partners. I must admit that there is toxic fan culture in BL industry just like in any other industry, but let’s just focus on the positive things.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A huge number of Thai BL fanbase consists of international fans. In fact, Thai BLs gained popularity because of their fans. Each well-known BL ship fandom has a name, just like fans of BTS are called ARMY. The huge fandom is a byproduct of fan meetings, world tours and other activities done by the actors and the crew of the series, thus paving way to a deeper connection with their fans.
South Korea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Korean BLs are gaining exposure nowadays but the fanbase is still relatively small. No BL ships continue to sail, since the actors often work in different projects instead of acting alongside their on-screen partners.
Japan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Japanese BLs might not be my cup of tea, but I have seen an active and ever-growing fanbase who love the shows.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taiwanese BL actors might not do repetitive projects together, but the fan-meetings and other promotional activities heavily influence the audience, thus gaining fans worldwide. Since Taiwanese shows tend to have a tint of Western culture in them, it has fans from all over the world.
FAN-SERVICE: Fan-service is a promotional activity carried out by a the crew of a BL drama or series to gain exposure among fans as well as to thank fans for their support when the show was aired. During fan-service, the BL pairs could re-enact scenes from their show, play some fun games, interact with their fans and so on. The fan-service also tends to increase the intimacy between the actors and fans squeal when they see their favorite BL ship closely interacting.
Thailand: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thailand goes all the way while offering fan-service to the BL fans. Intimate dance shows and re-enacting popular scenes makes the audience go crazy. Some lucky fans get to be in the close proximity of their BL ship on stage and the actors even act intimate with their fans. And the icing on the cake, in most cases, the actors are comfortable to do fan-service in front of the public.
South Korea: ⭐️
Till date, Korean BLs don’t focus on the fan-service at all. The actors might do promotional activities like participating in variety shows, but that’s the end of it. Since the main focus tends to be on the mainstream Korean shows, KBLs gets brushed under the carpet.
Japan: ⭐️
Like Korea, Japan too doesn’t focus on fan-service. You can look it up…there won’t be any fan-servicing videos or reels about Japanese BLs.
Taiwan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taiwan wins the cup for offering fan-service in the wildest ways. This is because even without the fans’ request, the actors go out of their way to create intimate scenes in order to satisfy the fans. They are very comfortable doing it and it feels so natural and realistic. Don’t trust me? Just type in YouTube ‘Taiwan BL fan edits’ and you will be flooded with videos of fan-service.
THE RESULT: It’s time to count the stars. Use a calculator if you are weak in mental calculation. Hehe!
Thailand: 27 ⭐️
South Korea: 24 ⭐️
Japan: 16 ⭐️
Taiwan: 24 ⭐️
AND THE WINNER IS…
A FAN’S ADVICE: Now, that we have evaluated, I would like to give my two cents to each country, on what they should do to improve the BL content from their country. I hope no country or fans hailing from a country take offence. This is only for educational and informational purposes only.
Thailand:
Please focus less on NC scenes and more on plot and pacing. Fans will keep coming back for more if you keep them excited through the chemistry of the actors. There should be a certain character development for the main roles for fans to root for. These things should definitely increase the re-watch value of the shows.
South Korea:
There are many unique plots in Korean webtoons and manga. More KBLs should be produced from adapting such content. Try getting into more bolder and undisclosed topics. To increase the number of fans, do more promotional activities. If the budget is low, one can use YouTube for marketing. Try to adopt fan-service as a way of promoting the shows.
Japan:
Japan has a lot of work to do. First, adapt more diverse stories from Wattpad or manga or webtoons. Second, more acting workshops needs to be arranged for the actors so that they can perfect their roles. Third, make sure the music is enchanting and be a feather on the success of the show. Lastly, make the actors fan-service online with their fans to promote their dramas and also to increase the fanbase.
Taiwan:
Let’s explore genres like supernatural, gangster, mystery, thriller, sci-fi, etc. Take your time on choosing music that matches well with the storyline or a particular scene. Do more promotional activities like fan-meetings and variety shows to gain more fans. If a drama becomes a global success, conduct concerts either online or offline in certain places.
THE FINAL VERDICT:
I wish in future more BLs should be produced that reflects the realistic life of LGBTQIA+ community. I also hope we get to see more diverse characters who would stay in our hearts for years to come. BL actors should be respected in every decision they make and we must keep supporting them and destroy the toxic fan culture. We should focus more on marketing through social media so that even non-BL fans try to watch BLs. We also need to make sure that we don’t hurt anyone from LGBTQIA+ community by falsely projecting their lives on media.
And that’s the end of the assessment. Do let me know in the comments who won the title of Best BL Producing Asian Nation according to your evaluation. Also, share your insights and solutions to improve BL content.
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Thanks for reading my article. Please share this post with your friends and let’s discuss about which country wins the among BL fans in the comments. Thank you for valuable support. Once again, Happy Pride Month! I wish all the happiness and love to my beloved friends from LGBTQIA+ community. See you in another post soon. Peace!