#Chinese BL Series

[bl-bam-beyond]

A LOOK BACK AT GU HAI & BAI LUO YIN (YIN ZI)

ADDICTED or ADDICTED HEROIN (2016, CHINA)

A lot of BL's recently ended.

My School President

The New Employee

Hit Bite Love

My Beautiful Man Season 2 (UTSUKUSHII KARE)

Never Let Me Go

The Warp Effect (Not Exactly BL but...)

Moonlight Chicken (Ends Tomorrow Though I'm Waiting To Binge so haven't seen any episodes yet.)

So here I'm going back to where my BL journey began with the story (unfinished in my opinion but it never will be) of step brothers Gu Hai & Bai Luo Yin (JOHNNY HUANG & TIMMY XU)

[povblog-reflections-of]

ADDICTED (2016, CHINA)

Episode 4

An Irate Student (That Came Out Of Nowhere) with an ax to grind bring the stepbrothers closers...

After Gu Hai (JOHNNY HUANG) drugs Bai Luo Yin's (TIMMY XU) water, not knowing Bai Luo Yin took expired cold medicine. Bai Luo Yin passes out. Gu Hai quickly rushes him to the infirmary.

Gu Hai basically admits at this point (once Luo Yin regains consciousness) that he's hot for Luo Yin but smart as he a dense Bai Luo Yin doesn't get it.

Later in the classroom the students receive their school rankings/grades.

Out of no where an irate student enters the classroom and begins hurling insults at Luo Yin about being abandoned by his mother who is "A Lady Of The Night"

Gu Hai offended for Bai Luo Yin or just pissed off someone is coming for his man. He punches the irate student and continues the assault until teachers end the brouhaha.

This action seem to make Luo Yin closer to the irritating Gu Hai.

[madeinchinataiwanhk-blbambeyond]

MAN CRUSH FANDOM• MADE IN CHINA

JOHNNY HUANG

[HUANG JING YU]

TIMMY XU

[XU WEI ZHOU]

[cjblthoughts]

BL series available on GagaOOLala Part 1

About Youth

high school setting, friends to lovers, opposites attract, cute & fluffy

Current MDL rating: 8/10

8 episodes, Taiwanese, released in 2022

War of Y

anthology, multiple couples, work place romance, entertainment industry

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

20 episodes, Thai, released 2022

Takara-kun &(/to) Amagi-kun

high school setting, opposites attract, secret relationship

Current MDL rating: 7.9/10

8 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Minato's Laundromat

age difference, high school student hitting on adult, persistent character

Current MDL rating: 7.9/10

12 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Unforgotten Night

mafia, one night stand, age gap, bdsm

Current MDL rating: 6.8/10

12 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Senpai, This Can't be Love!

workplace romance, awkwardness

Current MDL rating: 7.3/10

8 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Love Class

university setting, senior/junior relationship, forced to work together

Current MDL rating: 7.5/10

6 episodes, South Korean, released in 2022

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss

university setting, unlucky/lucky character

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

8 episodes, Japanese, released in 2022

Meow Ears Up!

cat hybrid, cohabitation, meet again, close sibling relationship

Current MDL rating: 7.2/10

8 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Plus & Minus

secret crush, friends to lovers

Current MDL rating: 7.9/10

12 episodes, Taiwanese, released in 2022

A Man Who Defies the World of BL

comedy, parody, university setting

Current MDL rating: 8.1/10

4 episodes, Japanese, released in 2021

The Love of Winter

vacation romance, sweet and simple

Current MDL rating: 7.2/10

2 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

DNA Says Love You

friends to lovers, meet again, mystery

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

12 episodes, Taiwanese, released in 2022

La Cuisine

university setting, chef/picky eater, crush

Current MDL rating: 7.1/10

13 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

My Ride

slow burn, cute romance, stragers to friends to lovers

Current MDL rating: 7.8/10

10 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Our Days

university setting, drunk kiss, love triangle

Current MDL rating: 7.2/10

12 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

Don't Say No

friends to lovers, blackmail, obsession

Current MDL rating: 7.7/10

12 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

The Tuxedo

enemies to lovers, childhood trauma, short and sweet

Current MDL rating: 7/10 (re-edit 7.7/10)

8 episodes, Thai, released in 2022

In Your Heart

secret crush, friends to lovers

Current MDL rating: 6.4/10

8 episodes, Chinese, released in 2022

Every Moment That I Think of You

high school setting, pen pals, opposites attract

Current MDL rating: 7.3/10

2 episodes, Chinese, released in 2021

Part 2 coming soon!

[what-about-your-friends-family]

ADDICTED (2016, CHINA)

Bai Luo Yin 's Besties

Bai Luo Yin (TIMMY XU) was a target for his step brother Gu Hai. As Gu Hai suddenly developed fast feelings for Bai Luo Yin.

Bai Luo Yin, of course had his friends Yang Meng (CHEN WEN) and You Qi (LIN FENG SONG) who often made possessive Gu Hai jealous.

[happypotato48]

This Is A Gay Asian Rant About BL Comments Made By Some Queer Westerners I See Sometimes.

So you know of those gays (usually white) that made dumb tiktok dancing to list of countries that legalized same sex marriage and list of countries that discriminate against LGBTQIA+ poeple as a way to say something racist. yeah i kinda got the same vibes from some comments regard how asian BL is homophobic just cause they don't live up to queer western standard. look, i'm not saying that some BLs and their creators don't deserve criticism regard how they capitalized/exploited queerness for an easy cash grab.

But people need to understand that Asian countries despite recent progress are still very much culturally conservatives. so when people says that thai bl is homophobic and all the characters looks like bunch of straight guys, which is true for some olders thai BLs i'm not gonna denied that. but after all this time and newer BLs generally being very queer and most of creators being out queer themself and poeple still making these comments, i'm annoyed.

And don't get me start on the actors. you don't know them! why are you making assumption and calling them queerbaiter just cause they acts in bl. like maybe they're straight, maybe they're not but what they're definitely doing is making queer content for you know, queer people here. so when you made halfass comments about their sexuality what do you think that made other queer people who still in the closet feels. and when you add the nationality to that, "these thai bl pair are this and that, this korean actor is so ungrateful for his bl past", etc. when our societies are still very much still in progress regard LGBTQIA+ acceptance. it make us living here feels fucking awful like somehow we're lesser queer than people in the west just cause we don't have citibank at pride or some shit.

And the shittiest in my humbled opinion are comments regard censored chinese bls. people do know like, that the creators making these bls are risking their livelihoods for this. that these shows getting make at all are miracles. yes it sucked that they're censored but they're still very much queer shows making by queer people who want to express thier queerness despite the chinese government being the chinese government. when people dimissing these shows as not belonging in queer media, you're also dimissing their creators and audiences as not belonging in the community.

Look what i want to say is that we're trying our best over here, and maybe our best are not up to your liking. the ways we talk and express our queerness maybe still can be perceived as problematic by western queer standard. but these media are our house and you're the guests. for people aren't shitty we appreciated that you're here engaging and loving our media, this is your home too and you're welcome in it. i can speak for myself that i very much love being here on tumblr and interacting with people from all over the world who love BL. but for people who are being shitty sometimes about asian bl.

YOU'RE THE GUESTS, BEHAVE!

[just-naemi]

Reply with the best line you heard in BL 😁 (let's have fun )

[dyed-indigo]

started reading these books because a friend of mine likes them and i am hooked please for the love of god help me. anyway i'm reading book 5 and this scene immediately made me think of this meme so. sorry.

[guzhufuren]

Upcoming uncensored chinese* wuxia BL Meet You At The Blossom is adapted from the novel "Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow" that was written by Shui Qian Cheng, who also wrote the novel "Professional Body Double" that My Stand-In is adapted from

*MYATB was filmed in China and actors are from China, produced by Thailand, director from Taiwan

thank you @clairedaring for sharing this info <3

[dykealloy]

this man is. embarrassingly transparent

[bl-bam-beyond]

A LOOK BACK

BL- BOYS' LOVE:

Series: ADDICTED (2016, CHINA)

As Bai Luo Yin (TIMMY XU) complains to Gu Hai (JOHNNY HUANG) about Gu Hai's handouts to Bai Luo Yin's father. Gu Hai brandished a brush as if to strike Bai Luo Yin.

However Bai Luo Yin doesn't flinch because by this time even if he isn't fully admitting it to himself he know Gu Hai has special feelings for him and vice versa.

[povblog-reflections-of]

ADDICTED (2016, CHINA)

Episode 7

Gu Hai Infiltrates Bai Luo Yin's Home

During a another meal with Bai Luo Yin and his dad, Gu Hai feigns drunkness and falls asleep in Bai Luo Yin's (TIMMY XU) bed.

Gu Hai (JOHNNY HUANG) becomes a regular at Casa Bai.

On August 15 (Chinese Day of Celebration)

Gu Hai brings Bai Luo Yin some moon pie that they share after Gu Hai essentially force feeds Bai Luo Yin.

That evening in bed Gu Hai gets slightly physical with Bai Luo Yin by touching him. Bai Luo Yin moves Gu Hai's hand and moves pass it. But as Gu Hai falls harder for Bai Luo Yin his advances increase.

AUGUST 15: FOR FANS WHO ARE UNAWARE, THIS DAY IS MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL (MOON FESTIVAL OR MOONCAKE FESTIVAL)

It is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Held on the 15th Day of the 8th Month of the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar. The Chinese Believe That Moon is the BRIGHTEST AND FULLEST SIZE...This coincides with harvest time in mid autumn.

[madeinchinataiwanhk-blbambeyond]

MAN CRUSH FANDOM • MADE IN CHINA

TIMMY XU

[Chinese Name: XU WEI ZHOU]

JOHNNY HUANG

[Chinese Name: HUANG JING YU]

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Little Pecks 🥰

[absolutebl]

What are some BL couples who you DO think could actually have a long haul perfect ending and not burn out two months after the show ends?

(Also if possible, could you drop the show titles aswell? Thanks)

20 BL Couples I Love & Think Would Actually Make it In the Long Run

Ha, yeah I intentionally didn't include the titles in that last post because I was being negative. Since these are positive... here you go!

Advance Bravely

I know right? One from China. But yeah I think they're very opposites attract but still well balanced and suited to each other. Plus "stern but indulgent Daddy + spoiled brat" is a favorite dynamic of mine.

Guardian

He waited 10,000 gd years. It has to work out. Despite censorship.

Old Fashion Cupcake

They both mature enough to be very motivated.

Tokyo in April Is

They suffered for that love. It's an enduring eternal kinda thing.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

Taesung is NEVER letting him go. Never.

Long Time No See

Not only are they staying together, can you imagine anyone trying to separate them?

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

I just think they gonna live in obscurity in the middle of the woods with their books forever.

Our Dating Sim

Of course they're gonna last, that was the whole point of the show.

Oh Boarding House

I think they both had to come around to each other with a lot of self-examination as to what it meant for them, their identities, and their lives. That kind of thoughtfulness bodes well for longevity.

(This is an under-appreciated gem. IMHO)

Be Loved In House I Do

Yeah they just so into each other but also adoring but understand each other's quirks. There's no meanness or pettiness to either of them. Double down on affection + chemistry is a good recipe for longevity.

DNA Says Love You

They came back for, and waited for, each other.

HIStory Obsessed

It's in the title. This level of mutually obsessed disfunction only ends in death.

HIStory 4: Close to You

Problematic side couple. Dito the above.

Thousand Stars

It's high romance of the eternal forever kind.

2 Moons Ambassador

They are *that* couple. "I married my college sweetheart and am incandescently happy forever in a disgustingly sappy way" that shouldn't work but does.

My Only 12%

Again, they suffered too much not to make it work. They are basically each other's half, it codependent, but that's the point.

Ingredients

They define domesticity. The true key to most couple longevity is the ability to actually live together.

Oh My Sunshine Night

File these two under the "once he had a taste, its' forever." The seme is too bossy and too possessive for anyone but the one he picked. This one lasts because Rain would MAKE IT last.

Oxygen

Dito the above, only softer.

Until We Meet Again

Of course. I mean, OF COURSE OF COURSE. That's the point. Dean's entire existence would be a failure if they broke up.

Despite my love of the genre I didn't pick any high school BL couples. Even if I think they may have a chance I'm not sure how I feel about that kind of pairing.

I didn't pick ones we know lasted because they showed it to us: e.g. Unintentional Love Story, His, Dear Doctor, My Ride.

There are a few I left off because I think they could last as a couple but the circumstances of their lives and surrounding, means I'm not sure if they would be allowed to, like Not Me, Never Let Me Go, Manner of Death.

(source)

[ineffable-opinions]

Danmei tropes in My Stand-In

This is a quick introduction to some popular BL tropes that are fairly new to live-action BL:

wife chasing crematorium

substitute lover

transmigration

(Contains spoilers)

All corrections and critiques are welcome.

As you probably know My Stand-In is based on the danmei novel Professional Body Double. Specifically, it belongs to 188男团 (“188 group” where 188 cm is the height of every gong (seme) in the novel series). It is a shared universe of novels with characters from one featuring in another and almost all gong are very scummy (or “red-flag” so to speak) initially.

Trope #1: wife chasing crematorium

What 188 group novels all have in common is the trope popularly known among English-speaking fandom as “wife chasing crematorium”. This is a super-popular trope, not only in danmei.

origin 追妻火葬场 (zhuī qī huǒzàng chǎng; chasing his wife’s crematorium) derived from the longer phrase 傲娇一时爽，追妻火葬场 (àojiāo yīshí shuǎng, zhuī qī huǒzàng chǎng; Tsundere was on his high horse for a while, now chasing his wife’s crematorium.) Alternative form: 追夫火葬场 (zhuī fū huǒzàng chǎng; chasing husband’s crematorium) – usually involves scum shou (uke) chasing after his gong (seme) after initially abusing gong’s love.

The trope involves the love interest being initially cold or even cruel to the protagonist who is in love. This continues until all of that love gone. By then, the love interest would have come to his senses, eager to seek forgiveness and chase after the protagonist. In some cases, the love is already lost irrevocably, especially when the protagonist is dead – hence, literal crematorium. There are also works where the love interest is discarded all together and protagonist moves on to someone else. Rarely, there are works where the protagonist is the scum.   

In 188 group novels, this is how the basic structure of wife chasing crematorium:

Shou loves gong. Gong treats shou terribly.

Gong goes too far. Shou is fed-up and leaves gong, one way or other. Gong realises that he has been in love all along.

Gong regrets his action and chases after shou. Grovelling ensues.

Gong and shou gets back together. Gong dotes on shou and the couple face other challenges (family, villains) together, if any. Happy ending.

Fans are in it for the melodrama. They want to watch scummy gong to go too far, the relationship to break down and for the gong to grovel and make amends through various selfless deeds, until they reestablish the relationship and trust (as much as possible). Every one of those stories end with a happy ending with the gong endlessly doting on shou and the relationship having turned wholesome.

Trope #2: substitute lover

Other than the previous trope Professional Body Double and its adaptation My Stand-In involves the “substitute lover” trope.

Substitute lover trope involves, usually the gong, having a 白月光 (white moonlight): a person whom he loves a lot but can’t reach/touch. This is usually his first love and has a profound impact on him.

Aside: White moonlight in itself is a common trope. Both Vip Only and Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun used white moonlight trope to in a typical kishōtenketsu narrative structure.  

Since white moonlight is unattainable, gong finds a substitute lover.

The relationship between gong and substitute lover is usually just physical. This is because gong doesn’t plan to move on from white moonlight, instead stubbornly carries the torch. Gong doesn’t plan on betraying the pure feeling he have for his white moonlight by giving any of his love to anyone else. So, he tries to ensure that no love leaks out of the dam he has built to store his love for the white moonlight. This is, from gong’s POV, a kind of emotional fidelity which he extends to his white moonlight. A tribute of gong’s unshakable love for his white moonlight.

The substitute lover sometimes resembles white moonlight in some way –

in body – first ever live action BL (shonen-ai actually) adaptation Summer Vacation 1999 (1988) based of Hagio Moto’s The Heart of Thomas plays around with this trope, a lot. More recently, Playboyy sorta lampshaded it with the twins premise.

in spirit – a recent example is Love is Better the Second Time Around wherein prof. Takashi sleeps with his assistant Shiraishi Yuto because the assistant (or his desperation at least) reminded him of his white moonlight Miyata Akihiro.

Aside: There is only one live-action BL that actively subverted this trope: HIStory3: Make Our Days Count. The series introduced a doppelgänger of Yu XiGu (Xiang HaoTing’s white moonlight), a perfect candidate for substitute lover trope. But instead of pursuing it, they subverted the trope.

There are usually two outcomes to the substitute lover trope:

gong falls for substitute lover. In some cases, this involves white moonlight turning into rival or villain.

gong and his white moonlight get together. In this case, substitute lover turn into rival or get a lover of his own.

Itsuka no Kimi e, first ever live-action adaptation of a yaoi manga, employed substitute lover trope in one of its best executions. It is so brilliantly done that I can’t think of anything topping that, unless 4th volume (particularly the case-solving plot involving the photography club) of Takumi-kun series gets live action adaptation.

Trope #3: transmigration  

Basic premise of Professional Body Double and its adaptation My Stand-In revolves around transmigration of soul.

This too is a popular trope in BL. One of the most popular danmei Mo Dao Zu Shi and its adaptation The Untamed involves this trope.

Maybe I should say set-up instead of trope for this one. Transmigration involves soul of a character getting transferred to a body different from his own at the time of triggering event.

Own body, different time – either past or future. When past is involved, it is likely a do-over story where the protagonist gets to redo their life, change their love interest, make different life choices, take different course of action, etc.

Reincarnation – completely different lifetime but with retained memories of past-life/lives. Until We Meet Again; Choco Milk Shake (different lifetime for the pets)

Different body, present (near-present) time – character’s soul enters a different person’s body. The character gets involved in his previous circumstances but now in a different capacity. Revive (2016), that danmei adaptation no one ever talks about, went to town with this set-up.

Different body, different life – soul enters character in a book, game, simulation, etc. and would be primarily tasked to thrive there. One Room Angel (2023) explored a type of badro with this set-up.

With transmigration set-up, it is common to have one of these two:

Transmigrator retaining some connection to previous life.

Transmigrator’s previous life doesn’t matter anymore.

These Tropes in My Stand-In

These tropes are explored to varying degrees and with different levels of efficiency in Professional Body Double. In its live-action adaptation, there are a bunch of limitations. Primary one being the cultural difference – audience of a danmei novel are already familiar with these tropes to some extend but the live-action audience is one which has been primarily consuming sweet BL from Thailand that are inherently deficient in BL literacies.

Another is the khujin problem. Branded pairs are very important to Thai BL industry, so they cannot have two different actors playing before and after transmigration. (Actually, this was not impossible but there hasn’t been any precedent. Also, The Untamed enjoyed success by having Xiao Zhan play pre- and post-transmigration Wei WuXian. I wish they tried two khujin (UpPoom & UpWinner) one couple, since they chose to introduce Winner as pre-transmigration Joe. I don’t know, maybe that’s asking for fan wars and pitting actors against each other.)

Third limitation is one that comes from medium – you can’t have long monologues in live-action. This deprives audience of the inner workings of character’s minds. Most of the motives, especially Ming’s trouble with warring desires of his heart, is inaccessible to the audience. @clairedaring have posted a deep-dive by Liltsu into some of that here.

Aside: Another interesting trope is giving watch (a taboo gift) – Chinese superstition rising from 送钟 (gifting watch) and 送终 (to bury the dead/attend funeral) being homophones. Taboo gift trope - white lilies associated with death and funerals - have appeared in Summer Vacation 1999 (1988) and Forbidden Love; both of these have substitute lover and death.

Ming’s characterization as a young master, coming from money and prestige that breeds arrogance and deficient in empathy (this post by @tungtung-thanawat is particularly enlightening) is a highlight of his cruelty as a 188 group gong.

While redemption of scum gong is what 188 group offers its audience, it is not necessarily what live-action audience would be wanting from the set-up. It is likely that a part of the audience was in fact looking for revenge plot.

As @lurkingshan highlighted in this post there is no exploration of identity (tied to Joe’s body pre- and post-transmigration) forth-coming precisely because this isn’t that kind of story and body is only treated as a temporary shelter for the soul for most part when transmigration trope is involved. Moreover, the novel is steeped in Confucian values. So, most of the resolution to what it means for Joe to have a mother now is dealt through his selfless gratitude and the filial piety he offers her.

The same is the case with his old body – a proper funeral for that body is what he owes his own parents for having given flesh and blood to the body which housed his soul previously. Remarkably, his own house figures prominently as an inheritance and as an enduring connection to his own parents – a bond more precious to that him than the bond he had to his old body. I am unsure how much of those core Confucian values they will retain in the live-action adaptation, given the cultural difference.

As @befuddledcinnamonroll discusses here, it is tied to cultural ideas of self, religious beliefs, etc.

@bengiyo has pointed out a weakness in execution of the transmigration trope over the substitute lover trope: the latter is a recurring and inverted trope in this series while the former plays out straight. Even though it is clear that coma!Joe is basically friendless and his career already dead (or that he has no career to speak of), it might have been better to hint at a lack of resolution and impending doom, and build anticipation by leaving clues about the troubles that coma!Joe has left behind. That way when the substitute lover trope peaks again, audience would feel as trapped as Joe.

This is where I think Revive (2016) did a better job with friends, colleagues, past-lovers and rivals especially with such similar set-ups: entertainment industry, classism, scum gong, and intersecting lives pre- and post-transmigration.