#i want to see only you

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Great BLs That Are REALLY hard to find (but worth tracking down)

But you may want to go hunting anyway!

Seven Days

Seven Days: Monday-Thursday

Seven Days: Friday-Sunday

Japan 2015

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses.

Cherry Magic AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii

Japan 2020

The sweetest fluffiest magical realism BL, packaged as a pinning office romance, very low heat (practically chaste) but the cutest. It’s truly great.

Cherry Magic Thailand

Thai 2024

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth, with no-fuss execution from a consummate team and an OG lead pair proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up. Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it still stands. I personally like it slightly better than the Japanese live action, but I think that’s because I just really like Thai BL and I LOVE TayNew. Also all the kissing was both present and better than any other iteration. As it should be from Thailand.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Thai 2023

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

All about the ecstasy and the agony here.

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Japan 2020

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning.

Given

Japan 2021

Boy joins band, falls in love with other boy. The singing is terrible, fast forward through that but with the possible exception of the hair styles, this BL could have been made in 2015 and no one would be surprised. As such, it wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t disappoint either.

Make a Wish

Thai 2023

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and all the swagger. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

2 Moons The Ambassador AKA 2 Moons 3

Thai 2022

A Thai pulp that felt like it came out 5 yrs ago with many of the flaws inherent to that time and studio system, including manufactured angst and convoluted plot, but an ultimately sweet main couple that (as a pairing) feels a bit more modern and satisfying to watch than they started out. This will probably go down in history as one of the few BLs where I genuinely didn’t care about any of the side couples. All that said I find this show oddly appealing and rewatchable and I have no excuses for that.

I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

Japan 2022

This is a beautiful, well acted piece of cinema, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. Gifted and serious Sakura pines after outgoing eccentric manic pixie dream boy, Yuma. It is very pretty and this is the kind of atmospheric elegantly performed BL that only really comes from Japan (complete with dead fish kisses - what you though Korea invented them? oh no).

Triage

Thai 2022

BL does Groundhog Day featuring a doctor stuck in a time loop who must save a poor little rich boy from death by seducing the stuffing out of him, then PLOT TWIST, poor little rich boy must do the same for doctor! Unfortunately... stuffing keeps leaking. I thought the plot was engaging if a little redundant and occasionally exhausting. The pairs were all well done, low heat but with decent chemistry and the support characters were likeable (or unlikeable, as required). If anything, the romance arc detracted and distracted from the main plot, but that doesn't stop this from being a genuinely good show.

HONORABLE MENTION

Great Men Academy

Thai 2019

Bodyswap involving unicorns making a teenage girl into a boy makes this questionable as a BL (because, ya know, gender). But the fact remains that James is killer in the lead, and I (who do not like bodyswap) loved this damn show. Look, there is actual plot, hotties at boarding school, "bully the one you love" trope, some weird VR shit, very bad CGI, and yes, the boys end up together... whether they boys or not, so to speak.

Some of these shows may appear on a smaller streaming service, like WeTV, or they may be on a legal platform in your territory. I hope it goes without saying you should check there first.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that went missing (or was added to a platform) after that date.

It's it last in a series the rest of which are:

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai | I Want to See Only You Episode 3

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

ICYMI: There are so many Japanese qls airing weekly, so I’m going to start posting this little round up at the end of each week. Most of these shows are on Gaga and I highly recommend watching!

Chaser Game W

We've reached the stage with this one where I'm just gonna say we should keep watching for the ratings and enjoy the pretty gifs.

Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna 2

I got to watch episodes 5-8 of the new season this week, and I promptly lost my mind over how good this show is. It somehow got even better between seasons; the creators have some things to say about the experiences of women under heterosexual patriarchy. I already wrote about Kasuga's family trauma storyline and how much it meant to me, but these episodes also gave us Nomoto's ongoing queer awakening and journey to define her sexuality, the introduction of a new queer bestie in Yako, a better understanding of Nagumo and the careful and steady deepening of her relationship with the gals, a new confidant for Kasgua in Fujita, and Nomoto and Kasuga inching ever closer to defining what they are to each other. The world of the show and the support network around our leads continues to expand, and I am loving every moment. This drama is excellent and I cannot implore you enough to go to @furritsubs and catch up.

My Strawberry Film

Kicking off the last Drama Shower show of the season! This is a high school story featuring a classic trio—the Pining Gay, the Chaos Bisexual, and the Budding Lesbian. Obviously, I love them. I like the mood of this one—it's quite a tonal shift from the last show in this series—and the color grading is blue, blue, blue. And there's a mystery afoot as they try to track down the beautiful girl captured on film. Looking forward to more!

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

I continue to love this show, though I am not entirely sure how I feel about the turn things took with Mizuki this week. I did not really want this to go the full blown love triangle route; I am more interested in a version of this story where Sakae and Soga try to figure out these adult complications from the foundation of being in a relationship, not with the constant interference of a third party. So few dramas are willing to get the couple together early and let them face things together rather than constantly playing the will they, won't they game, and I was hoping Sukidoya was going to be one of them. That said, I like that Mizuki is sticking around in the story because he's an interesting character, and I like the conflict with Soga's job (we have a preponderance of Japanese shows about unreasonable work conditions airing atm) and the temporary nature of his time in Osaka. That he's worried about eventually leaving tells you all you need to know about how much he likes and respects Sakae. If he felt casual about him he would not be worried about complications that far down the timeline. Let's see where they take this love triangle thing next week; I'm hoping it will be brief.

Perfect Propose

Great episode this week, and I love the way they continue to deepen the backstory for these two. Hiro being the first person to need Kai rather than pity him makes so much sense for their dynamic and why Kai would be so attached to him. And of course, when Kai returns the situation is the same; Hiro definitely still needs him. I love that they took a source of shame for Hiro and turned it into a reason why he and Kai are so compatible. Kai wants to take care of him—and he's not the only one! Loved seeing Hiro's coworkers express concern for his well-being and recognize how this job is grinding him down and breaking his spirit. It was so validating to hear from another high performer that the job is miserable and he should quit. It has nothing to do with failure; as Kaneko said, it's about seeking the life he truly wants. He sees Hiro's talent and knows he will not be able to flourish in this hellish work environment, and I thought it was so kind and compassionate of him to try to help Hiro see that. Also shoutout to Hiyori for sitting her ass back down and missing the last train when she realized prime gossip was about to arrive to her table, she's just like me fr.

Ossan's Love Returns

We are clearly in the drama spiral for the season now, and this show seems to be coming for my beloved Kurosawa. Thanks, I hate it! But the show found its humor again this week even as the sad plotlines for the side characters continued, and I was very happy to see it back in top form. I loved this story with Maki and Haruta caring for Goro for the week, and how it affirmed for them that they are actually not interested in having children. I told @bengiyo and @twig-tea when we saw last week's preview that Maki seemed like the type who wouldn't like children, and I was glad to see that affirmed by the show, and crucially, that he didn't change his mind via the power of Goro's cuteness. Not all people want to be parents, and it's so nice and refreshing to see a loving couple decide they just want to focus on each other, and that you can like kids and spend time with them without needing to have one of your own. I loved, too, that we got some focus on Chizu's struggles as a single mom, and her family rallied around her and made it clear she has support. Takegawa's sudden not-at-all-selfishly-motivated interest in polyamory was hilarious, as was Chief's journey to figure out what was causing his stress—until it wasn't, of course. I was glad Chuoko was with him when he got the news. And I am really hoping that rooftop kiss was Kiku's goodbye, and we will be seeing him move on from Izumi soon.

Bonus: Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai 

Shoutout to @my-rose-tinted-glasses for giffing this show and reminding me I still hadn't seen it! It was not accessible to me back when it came out and it fell off my radar for awhile. I watched today and thought it was just delightful. A short, sweet, warm hug of a friends to lovers high school bl with two very lovable leads. I highly recommend checking it out.

[blmpff]

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (2022) 1x3

[guzhufuren]

ah, my soul is warm. I Want To See Only You is such a sweet piece of queer television. the lead boys are the most teen boys to ever teen boy. and all this preciousness is only 1.5 hours long. a wonderful show

[alistairlowes]

I think... everything is destroyed now.

[khunkinn]

I thought, I don't want to ever forget feeling this way. Because we'll end up forgetting it. Including today's sparklers, or even the fact that the meat we ate was so good! This scenery, and this smell. We'll forget all that. But I thought, I really don't want to forget at all. Because I don't want to forget it.

[loveallserveall]

kimi no koto dake mite itai icons

like or reblog if you save :)

[magicwhodreamer]

#that's so iconic of him #the only man I trust and love

[anyafroing]

Kura Yuki for "with" (October 2023)

Photo - Yuki Ohashi

Hair & Make Up - NOBUKIYO

Styling - Kawase136

credit link 1 > credit link 2

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Let's all keep cherishing those that we treasure in life.

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai | I Want to See Only You Episode 4

[save-the-data]

i want to see only you | s01e02

EP 1 2 3 4

[junkobato]

From the first time I met you, I have always loved you.

[guzhufuren]

i'm really rolling with japanese qls right now so i'm starting I Want To See Only You now.. gotta tell you its real weird to go from hardcore master/slave ds slash weatherman who conditioned his househusband to get boners whenever rain is over to you know. soft high schoolers

[khunvegas]

Compilation of Bad Kisses in BLs (Part 2)

BY POPULAR DEMAND (like 2 people and @gunsatthaphan) I WILL CONTINUE THIS PAINFUL JOURNEY TO DISSECT THE WORST OF WORST KISSES I’VE SEEN IN THESE SHOWS.

LET’S GET IT!

1. The Tasty Florida

it’s giving “i don’t know how to kiss” energy and at this point, i’m not even surprised. disappointed but not surprised. not only there was no real substance in this one, the tension was WASTED because how can you explain this horror? it makes no sense. the scene where eunkyu is helping haewon to put on the apron was scrumptious but they just gave me NOTHING with that kiss. next.

2. Given

the thing with japan is that it’s always gonna give you good plots, you can’t go wrong with them but if there’s a kiss, it’s always gonna be bad. that’s why i think they choose NOT to add one because look. what is that. can you even call that a kiss? and it’s just sad because the anime version was GOOD (according to a lot of people) but this one didn’t live up to the expectations.

3. My Sweet Dear

see because this one had the potential. hell, it it even had the chemistry (that scene when they first met with the apron and shit? GOOD FOOD) but you know how it is in korea: no money for workshops. the show was good, it really was but man, why can’t they deliver a good kiss? it’s like watching two walls kissing. it’s not fair.

4. Dear Doctor, I’m coming for soul (KheetaNathee)

this happened in ep 10 and the series has 12 episodes, so can you really call them a couple? their first kiss was a spur of the moment thing when one of them was drunk and the second kiss was censored, at this time and age. so this is it. the show in general was interesting, a little overdramatic but watchable. however, them? they really didn’t add much to the mix.

5. Tinted with you.

can you really ask that much from a show that has 8 episodes with a 10min run time, $5 and a dream? not really. however, this cemented the idea that we do like period dramas in bls and that we also like kpop idols starring in them. so, yeah, the kiss was shit and the plot could have been expanded but i loved junhee and i really fell in love with his acting, so a round of applause for him. hopefully you can kiss better in your next show, bestie.

6. Paint with love (NuengTharn)

i wanna tell yoon he’s such a bad kisser. that he has to give it up. not only that but he’s always paired with people that don’t help his cause either. either that or he doesn’t know how to choose his roles. it’s sad.

7. Star in my mind (KluenNuea)

i have several bones to pick from this show and the kiss(es) are one of those. not only this was directed by new and felt like a studio wabi sabi production, it felt more of the same stuff we’ve seen so far. there’s nothing remarkable about this show (if you girlies like it, you do you). what triggers me is that joong did excellent in the kissing department in 2 moons 2 and then here, that experience just disappeared. this is what happens when you pair a moderately experienced actor with a rookie. 

8. Ocean likes me

i will open a gofundme that will be dedicated to find and hire acting coaches that are not afraid of success and will train these actors on their intimate scenes. this can’t keep going on, korea, we need to do better than this. good show tho.

9. Our days

this show was 12 episodes of absolutely nothing, the plot was all over the place. boring and slow, hella slow. one of the leads had more chemistry with another actor than with his on screen partner. that’s how bad it was. this was on the very last episode, 5min before it ended. yes, they had sex. out of nowhere. like this show. next.

10. Senpai this can’t be love

it’s like i said. japan always brings the most amazing plots out there, the comedy is out of this world and the quality is good enough to watch. they could have the number 1 spot for their bls. problem is, most of their shows have shitty kisses. like this one.

this silly little series was good, i liked it. there are never enough office romances. it had age gap and power imbalance that could have gone sideways. but now, it was handled good. but this kiss felt very underwhelming. that’s where it went kaput for me.

11. Fish upon the sky (both couples)

i’m gonna be real with you here. the dialogues in this show were smart in the sense that the show itself was calling out a lot of bullshit we have seen in previous bls (the shippers, for example). it had its issues ofc; i’m not gonna talk about them because that’s not the point of this post. the point is the godawful kisses we got, especially with neolouis. this is gonna haunt me forever (i would say they got better in the eclipse but i will talk about that later). 

honestly, this show was a classic in the sense that had all the classic tropes some of us are starting to hate (the use of the character going to the bathroom and saying they are pooping is getting on my nerves and i’m glad the later shows stopped this madness). the story? 6.5/7. the kisses? -10/10.

12. I want to see only you.

like i said before. japan knows how to their plots right, they just don’t know how to deliver a kiss. which is kind of sad because it takes impact from the show. like i really want to enjoy all of it but if the kiss it’s ugly or looks like the actors are not even into it, it’s very disappointing. show itself was a 10/10 tho.

13. Once again

i’m once again asking korea to please PLEASE invest in some workshops because this is ridiculous. i get that the budget is low but come on. give me something more than this. like it had time travel ffs (and a very open ending). they got the materials but the execution was abysmal.

14. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun

like i said: japan knows how to do plot but on the kissing department they are lacking. idk, i mean, i guess that it was kind of the point of this show. two high schoolers that get together and everything is awkward around each other and so, it’s not a surprise that the kisses are weird too. but it’s not just this one, it’s the majority of the bls produced in japan. good plots but almost nothing in the intimacy department.

15. The Eclipse (both couples)

ofc i have to slander the biggest show right now. i have to be fair and like the truth is these kisses were fishy. one was supposed to be a sleeping kiss and the other idk because that was the moment where akk and aye finally agreed to be a couple so you would think their kiss would be slightly better (but akk was living in a constant state of panic up until this point, so yeah). still, they have to be here

they do get better after this tho (especially neolouis, i thought this was all that i was going to get). 

in all seriousness, this doesn’t take away how AMAZING this series was. yes, there were some loose ends here and there, ep 11 was kind of weirdly edited and it did deserve at least two more episodes but overall, it was such a good show with amazing actors, a good script, the music was great, it had everything to be that bitch right now and the most important part is that no one died at the end like the trailer suggested. nothing but praises, honestly.

Compilation of Bad Kisses in BLs (Part 1)

[yuinova]

"I wonder what color these feelings are"