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)
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My Fav Korean Manhwa Recommendation List
For the last few days, I've been reading Korean manhwa/webtoon series non-stop and man, they're just so great!!! 😍😍😍
These are some of my fav manhwa I've read so far... All the stories are of modern setting btw... (I may do a separate recommendation list for historical/magical/isekai genre manhwa later on...)
Something About Us - (Childhood best friends turned lovers)
Status: Completed.
Positively Yours - (Strangers met for one night stand to lovers)
Status: Completed.
Seasons Of Blossom - (High school friends to lovers)
Status: Completed.
Please Take Care Of Me In This Life As Well - (Childhood friends to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Fly Me To The Moon - (Strangers met through unusual circumstances to lovers)
Status: On-going.
The Reason I Wanted To Die - (High school sweethearts to Exes to again lovers)
Status: On-going.
Revelation Of Youth - (High school friends to lovers)
Status: On-going.
The Odd One Next Door - (Frenemy neighbors to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Free In Dreams - (Strangers met through lucid dreams to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Operation Name Pure Love - (High school friends to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Just Twilight - (High school classmates to lovers)
Status: On-going.
King The Land - (Childhood friends to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Confession Attack - (Childhood best friends to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Our Secret Alliance - (Childhood best friends to lovers)
Status: Completed.
Ooh La La!! - (Complete strangers to sudden lovers)
Status: Completed.
Match Made In Heaven By Chance - (Childhood friends to sudden married couple)
Status: On-going.
Love Class - (Former high school Teacher X Former high school Student love story)
Status: On-going.
The Man's Games - (Childhood frenemies to lovers)
Status: Completed.
My Introverted Boy - (Introverted boy X introverted girl love story)
Status: On-going.
The Dilettante - (Enemies to lovers)
Status: On-going.
Olgami - (Enemies to toxic lovers)
Status: On-going.
The Law Of Being Friends With A Male - (Classmates to friends to lovers)
Status: On-going.
My Three Annoying Brothers - (Separate love stories of 4 beautiful yet chaotic siblings)
Status: On-going.
Divorce Is Easy, But Love Is Hard - (College Senpai-kouhai to office colleagues in love)
Status: On-going.
Marry My Husband - (Office senpai-kouhai to lovers)
Status: Completed.
The Boss's Proposal - (Office senpai-kouhai to lovers)
Status: On-going.
When You're Targeted By The Bully - (Enemies to friends to lovers)
Status: Completed.
The ones I haven't read yet, but intend to read them later in the future...
Love Of Mine.
A Guide To Proper Dating.
Act Like You Love Me!
The Couple Breaker.
There Must Be Happy Endings/Surely a Happy Ending.
Love For Hire.
Daytime Star.
First Love, Lasting Hate.
Extroversion Of An Immortal.
True Beauty.
Wedding Delusion.
Even If It's Not.
Only Hope.
Meet In The Middle.
Situationship.
My Sweet Dark Hero.
Dating My Best Friend's Sister.
Undercover! Chaebol High School.
Dear First Love.
Melt Me With Your Voice.
Yeon Woo’s Innocence.
My Messy Marriage.
As If Love Doesn’t Exist.
Let’s Meet After Work.
Please Teach Me, Senior.
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Romance Manhwa You All Should Read...
So there are a few Korean manhwa that I have been reading recently. Some are new manhwa which I just picked up to read while the others are old ones that I read before and now I'm re-reading them again. All of them are of modern-setting with the premise of high school or college romance. 🥰🥰🥰
The new ones that I'm reading for the first time -
My First Love Hate
Seasons Of Blossom
Our Secret Alliance
Just Twilight
I Don't Hate Us
Cheese In The Trap
Revelation Of Youth
Operation Name: Pure Love
The Law Of Being Friends With A Male
My Introverted Boy
See You in My 19th Life
The old ones that I've read before and now re-reading them again -
Something About Us
Positively Yours
Marked By King BS
The ones that I haven't read yet but want to get into it -
Romance 101
My Younger Brother's Friends
Rewriting Our Love Story
1 Plus 1
Villain With A Crush
This Must Be Love
Now I wanna talk about some of the Manhwa series that I recently read in the last couple of days...
Our Secret Alliance
Manhwa Status: Completed
Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers.
THE NO. 1 BEST FUCKING "CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TURNED LOVERS" TROUPE MANHWA OUT THERE💘!! PERIOD😤!!!
No, seriously. I really enjoyed reading this series, and OMG !!! Female lead Se-i Yun and male lead Jaeha Kim are so fucking adorable!!! Se-i is a cutie, for sure, and seeing Jaeha as a boyfriend in this story raised my "boyfriend" expectations to an unrealistic height...
Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful male lead here... so beware!!!
Seasons Of Blossom
Manhwa Status: Completed
This story has four different parts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. And damn, the stories are so good, y'all!!
(This is gonna be a LONG rant here btw...)
I really loved the 1st part of the series "Bomi's Flower" which is the season of Spring. The sweet female lead (Bomi Yun), one of the most popular and studious girls in school, has a little crush on the 2nd male lead (Jaemin Lee), another popular kid in school, but later finds out that her best friend/2nd female lead (Seonhui Kang) also has a crush on Jaemin. But the thing is everyone in their school ships Bomi and Jaemin together as a romantic couple. Seonhui also shows her genuine support to Bomi as a good friend if she ever tries to get together with Jaemin, but Bomi knows that deep down inside her heart Seonhui is hurting by the fact that Jaemin likes Bomi and everyone ships them, meaning her love towards Jaemin is unrequited. So to save her friendship with Seonhui and also to save Seonhui from a potential heartbreak, Bomi gets into a fake relationship with the male lead (Jinyeong Choi), so that Seonhui and Jaemin get the chance to be together... But the thing is Jinyeong is the complete opposite of Bomi. Unlike Bomi, Jinyeong is blunt, ruthless with his words, always has a straight bored look on his face, and has an "I don't give a fuck" kinda attitude. He doesn't fuck around and hates those typical high school dramas and bullshit. Even though he's a gaming otaku and only has two male friends, he's quite famous among the students; guys want to be friends with him because of his game recommendations and girls think he's really cute. Also despite the fact that he's shorter than Bomi in height, my man has balls for sure when it comes to speaking up about his mind or taking action for anything.
This story talks about how opposites attract one another, how to discover and learn new yet unexpected things, how to fall in love for the first time in life and that sweet feeling like falling in love in your youth, and how to break out of your own shell and discover a new side of yourself. This 1st part of the series will give you nothing but fluff, sweetness, and butterflies.
And then later comes the 2nd part of the series, the season of Summer aka Hamin's Flower...
Okay, this one was really tough to get through. Not because the story sucked or anything. It's because of how painful, angsty, and heartbreaking it is. In the 1st part (Bomi's Flower aka Spring), we get to know that the 2nd male lead Jaemin Lee had an older brother named Hamin Lee (the golden child of the family) who died 6 years ago by committing suicide. We don't get much info about Hamin Lee in the 1st part (other than the fact that he's Jaemin's brother) until it comes to an end and the 2nd part begins. The 2nd part opens up with Jaemin Lee and the gang bumps into a 24-year-old art college student named Somang Han who happens to be Hamin's girlfriend from high school. Through Somang's narration and flashbacks, we get to know what kind of person Hamin Lee was, how she and Hamin met and fell in love, and how he spiraled into depression which resulted in him ending his own life. And also through Jaemin, we get to know more about Hamin as a son and a brother and how their parents' rough parenting pushed him to darkness and depression. At first, when Hamin was first mentioned in the 1st part, I didn't think much about him and only felt empathy for Jaemin for losing his older brother. But after getting introduced to Hamin in the 2nd part and learning more about him through Somang and Jaemin's POV and narrations, I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out for him in every single chapter. It got even worse for me since I already knew where the story was going and what was going to happen to Hamin in the end (it was more like the Shinichiro Sano effect from Tokyo Revengers like you know who Shinichiro is and what happened to him but that doesn't stop you from falling in love with him despite him being dead throughout the whole series). RIP Hamin Lee; my heart will always go out to you, forever, always.
The 2nd part Hamin's Flower aka Summer talks about some heavy topics/subjects like - dysfunctional families, rough parenting going wrong, dealing with societal burdens and depression, losing your loved ones and dealing with the aftermath, your first tragic love story, handling regrets and dealing with your traumas, how to overcome those traumas, and finally how to let go of your past and move on with life.
Hamin's Flower left me in such a numb and gloomy state that I couldn't read the other two parts (Autumn and Winter), but I'll try to get back and read them sooner or later. Even though I haven't read the complete series yet, I'll still give out a biased statement - I really, really loved Bomi's Flower and Hamin's Flower, and these two parts will always gonna be my favs from this series (doesn't matter to me if Autumn and Winter are better than these two).
Cheese In The Trap
Manhwa Status: Completed
The oldest series in this list...
This story... this story... Oh God, where should I begin?!?! I can't believe that I didn't read this until now!! This is a truly mature love story. If you read this wanting a simple light college romance, this is not for you. While there are very cute interactions between the main character and her love interests, it is a very well-thought-out and complex manga - definitely the most realistic I have read thus far. The character development is out of this world and adds a sense of tangibility to the characters that you really don't see in fiction normally. To explain, the important main and side characters in any story are always bound by rules of development to identify them as cogs in a narrative; we have underlying expectations about what the characters might do, or how they might subvert those expectations. But, this webtoon is the study of social relationships and the nature of people. You get to see that there will always be some sort of social hierarchy, that there are meanings and repercussions beyond what you expect to happen in life, and that we all have some degree of victim and perpetrator in us. We all cope and process in different ways, while also continuing and evolving in life the way we know how. Unlike anything I have ever read before.
Also, this story is under the tag of "Psychological Drama" and it's all because of the male lead named Jung Yu. God, I've such a love-hate relationship with him, y'all!! Like I love him but also hate him at the same time. He's mysterious, charming, alluring yet so damn confusing. Also, the fact that he's a sociopath with a bit of a Yandere-ish tendency in him and that he's also obsessed with the female lead (Seol Hong) in a very twisted way??? He's a walking red flag for sure, but then again not... In short, Jung Yu is a complex character and my simple brain just can't comprehend him. I also love the female lead (Seol Hong), the 2nd male lead (Inho Baek), and Seol's two best friends (Bora Jang and Euntaek Kwon). The only important side character I despise is Inho's twin sister Inha Baek (don't ask why; just go and read it for yourself and you'll know why... also I hate those bully characters too btw, just so you know...).
I Don't Hate Us
Manhwa Status: Completed
Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers.
Another series with "childhood best friends turned lovers" troupe done right!!
The female lead (Wonsu Ha) and the male lead (Jaesu Sang) have been childhood best friends since their middle school days. They had been best friends through high school and college until one day Wonsu got herself a boyfriend. Jaesu has romantic feelings for Wonsu, but she only sees him as a friend and has platonic love for him. Wonsu then breaks up with her boyfriend, not because the guy is a cheater but because they aren't that compatible with each other, so they mutually break up and separate. Wonsu also gets separated from Jaesu because his romantic feelings for her were getting in the way of their friendship at the time, and also her relationship with her ex-boyfriend took a toll on her mentally and emotionally, so she cut off all her connection and simply focused on her studies and graduating from university. Years later, now working in a small yet growing company, Wonsu reconnects with an adult and more mature Jaesu, who now works in a multinational corporation, and that's when sparks and butterflies start to fly left, right, and center. Almost all the characters are likable, the story and the plot are realistic, and overall it was an enjoyable read for me truly.
Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful male lead here... so beware!!! I mean, the fact that despite the bad boy looks and everything, he's so cute like a puppy is fucking adorable, yo!!!
My First Love Hate
Manhwa Status: On-going
Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers
This one came out this year and so far I'm really enjoying it. Just like the previously mentioned series above, the female lead (Eunha Kang) is relatable, funny, smart, studious, strong-willed, and whatnot. The male lead (Seungmin Ha) is Eunha's childhood best friend since elementary school but they stopped hanging out with one another ever since he became a delinquent back in high school despite the fact that they went to the same school and were in the same classroom. Years later, Eunha got into a prestigious university in Seoul and later learned that Seungmin was also at that university!! Not only that, he also stopped being a delinquent for good and suddenly started dressing up like a nerdy college boy. When Eunha asked what he was trying to do, Seungmin simply replied that he was returning back to his old self again and wanted to reconnect with Eunha... But things got a bit spicy all of a sudden when a tattoo-bodied 2nd male lead named Ryu Seonhoo walked into the scene and Eunha had to tutor him for the GED test on a regular basis...
Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful, puppy-like male lead AND 2nd male lead here... so beware!!!
Just Twilight
Mahwa Status: Ongoing
Troupe: Strangers to friends to lovers
I won't say anything about it... JUST FUCKING READ THIS SHIT ALREADY!!!
If you're a fan of another famous manhwa series called "Positively Yours", then you'll also love this series since it's written by the same author. The female lead (Junyoung Yun) is literally my spirit animal and the male lead (Beomjin Kwon) is such a husbando material, y'all... like, just look at him!!!
That's all for now... I'll make more Korean manhwa recommendation posts again very soon!!!
My manhwa recommendation list posts - Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3.
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2023 drama roundup
Unchained Love: I still hum the unhinged flute intro on a regular basis, easily my fave intro of 2023! I didn't actually finish the show due to dwindling interest, but for the first 14 episodes or so I took a keen pleasure in it (and it made me go on a eunuch webnovel spree, expertly curated by @mercipourleslivres). I love it when heroines are allowed to be truly funny, rather than just quirky or ditzy. Also appreciate the goofy Lamp Prince turning into a brutal incel tyrant the moment he got power.
Six Flying Dragons: I don't think I can write anything succinct enough for the roundup format so I direct you to my "my sfd tag" if you want to access my enthused livetweeting. Show of all times, lives were changed.
Tree with Deep Roots: I literally can't think of a better topic for a tv show than Sejong the Great constructing hangul together with his band of nerds, one of whom he has a weirdly intense, vaguely erotic relationship with. Han Suk-kyu carried this entire show on his trembling shoulders. What an actor! What range!!! It was such a treat to watch him smugly debate his ministers, roleplay a farmer, and hiss half-mad soliloquies to himself in the dark. It took nuance and depth to portray the kind of inner conflicts and generational trauma that Sejong battles in the background of this drama. To be honest I didn't always enjoy the Milbon subplot which I felt got repetitive, and often found myself wanting to fast-forward the wuxia scenes. In a better world the show would have centered the whip-smart palace maids and their alphabet workshops. But I will definitely rewatch this soon. And maybe also write a fix-it where Sejong and Soo-yi fuck idk.
Quartet: Cute little murder mystery about a found family of freaks, liked it a lot.
My Country: The New Age: As entertaining as ever. Very fun to rewatch this back to back with Tree with Deep Roots, since Jang Hyuk plays diametrically opposite characters with the same vigor and commitment.
Gone with the Rain: Sometimes you watch something which you understand is technically a masterpiece but it doesn't do anything for you, and sometimes you watch a piece of campy silly fun and it makes you tingle with joy. This was the latter category for me. I liked the first and middle parts enough to make up for the lukewarm fizzle of an ending.
The Autumn Ballad: Has some fucked up elements that are difficult to stomach, but the parts that are good are really good.
Not Others: Bingeable! But imo they could have cut out the stalker/murder cases and just focused on the excellent family drama.
The Matchmakers: This surprisingly swooped in towards the end of the year as my favorite comedy of 2023, all thanks to a rec by @haraxvati. I adore Cho Yi-hyun in this role!!! She is so hot as a shrewd matchmaker with a fake mole and a twinkle in her eye. Love the virgin prince with his yearning-induced panic attacks (Rowoon didn't work for me in The King's Affection in a quite similar role, but he's so much weirder and lamer here, which is something I like in a man). I am obsessed with the side plot of the crossdressing romance novelist and the solemn police officer who is trying to capture her and ends up giving her free home renovations and smouldering looks instead. Also, Park Ji-Young and Lee Hae-Young are two of my favorite villain actors on their own, and here they are married!! Still have a few episodes to go, but I intend to binge them as soon as I post this.
Dramas I dropped or paused:
Our Blossoming Youth: I shipped the heroine and her cute maidservant a little too much to bear the dull prince they stuck her with. But I might rewatch it some day bc I want to write a Sherlock Holmes fic for the girls.
Little Women: A real disappointment, because I love Louisa May Alcott and I love Jeong Seo-kyeong. Once again, letting the women kiss might have solved much of it.
Island: Casting Kim Nam-gil as an expressionless cool-guy action hero offends me personally. (Yes Song of the Bandits I'm giving you the stinky eye also.) But Lee Da-hee and Cha Eun-woo were delightful!
See you in my 19th life: I couldn't, even for my most darling Shin Hye-sun, go beyond episode 1. There's something about a kid dating another kid even though she's a literal adult inside her brain that I can't really vibe with.
My Dearest: I do intend to finish this, but I lost the thread after the first half. It got a little too dark for me I think.
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