#lan yu

[smittenskitten]

ASIAN QUEER MOVIES 🎬🌈

[3irons]

LAN YU dir. stanley kwan

[rongzhi]

蓝宇 || Lan Yu (2001)

dir. Stanley Kwan

[wintercorrybriea]

lan yu 2015

[theersatzcowboy]

Lan Yu / 藍宇 (2001)

Director: Stanley Kwan

Cinematographers: Tao Yang and Jian Zhang

Starring: Liu Ye and Hu Jun

[doublebilled]

East Palace, West Palace (1996) dir. Zhang Yuan

Lan Yu (2001) dir. Stanley Kwan

[loversveil]

Lan Yu (藍宇) (2001) dir. Stanley Kwan

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[gillianthecat]

Do you have recommendations similar to to my star 2 or love mechanics in term of angst? i like angst within the relationship but also angst that comes with a little toxicity (like lm)

BL Recommendations with Toxicity and/or Angst:

Hello Anon, thanks for this ask! 😊 I went through my list of all the BL and BL adjacent shows I've watched and these are the ones I've pulled out. I'll just list them here, and then discuss each one below the cut.

Higher Angst and Toxicity:

War of Y: War of Managers

War of Y: Next Ship

Lan Yu

Lovely Writer

Fahlanruk

The Devil Judge

Kinnporsche

Seems to have High Angst and/or Toxicity, (but I've only watched the beginning):

Word of Honor

Tharntype

Lower Angst and Toxicity:

Utsukushii Kare (My Beautiful Man)

Theory of Love

Why R U? (the FighterTutor cut)

Not Me

Semantic Error

High Angst but Low Toxicity

Guardian

Untamed

I Told Sunset About You

I Promised You the Moon

Where Your Eyes Linger

Once Again

The Eclipse

(I made a section for Toxicity with No Angst, but there was nothing in it)

You've probably seen at least some of these, but I'll write about them as if you haven't. I haven't posted about everything, but I tagged them all so you can search my blog to see what I have written. Most but not all of these have happy endings - feel free to ask for specifics. Or if you have any other questions about any of these shows!

War of Y: War of Managers Very toxic. Probably not actually a BL ( I still haven't seen the last episode.) I would have found it angsty if I cared about the characters more. I don't really recommend it, except as an object of bizarre fascination, or if you like extreme melodrama.

War of Y: Next Ship A much more coherent story, though still flawed. Higher angst, less toxic but still quite toxic. Like Love Mechanics they have amazing chemistry. Recommend if you're in the mood for dramatics.

Lan Yu (藍宇) A 2001 Chinese queer film, very difficult to find, but I highly recommend it to those who can handle the angst. I'll link the one secret YT version I found in a reblog. Very high angst (ask again if you want spoilers). Unhealthy relationship dynamics. I suppose it's toxic, except that I think of that word applying to shows with a more pulpy tone, so I wouldn't have called it that.

Lovely Writer Confession: I still haven't finished this one, I disliked Sib too much. Comedic in many ways, but with strong through-lines of angst and toxicity. Others probably found it less toxic than I did. Many people list it as a favorite, and I can see why.

Fahlanruk It's still mid series, but already lots of toxicity and from the trailer I'm predicting at least some angst. It's not good, but I've been enjoying it as a trash watch. Everyone here loves to hate on Fah.

The Devil Judge Not a BL. I loved it. I really liked the experience of watching it totally naive so I won't say more, but ask if you want more specifics.

Kinnporsche I'm sure you at least know about this even if you haven't seen it. Toxic and comedic and angsty in turns. I'm glad I watched it.

Word of Honor I've only watched a few episodes, but seems at the very least angsty and has the potential for being toxic. Looks very good, many people love it, I just didn't have the patience for complicated sect politics at the time.

Tharntype Too toxic for me, I noped out in the first episode. I get the impression there's angst, but couldn't tell you for sure.

Utsukushii Kare (My Beautiful Man) It didn't actually feel toxic to me, but it might hit some of those same toxicity buttons. Kinky boys falling in love and fumbling painfully through figuring out their kinks together. Medium angst, I would say. I loved it, highly recommend.

Theory of Love I adore many things about this and hate others. The beginning is rough - high angst and toxicity, plus moments of frat boy style comedy, and it's hard to root for the couple. Most of the second half I thought was amazing and the painful set-up pays off. My biggest irritation was with the use of misogyny in many of the "comedic" scenes, plus a few other flaws I won't get into here. I feel like reactions are so personal to this one, but I would recommend at least checking it out.

Why R U? (the FighterTutor cut) I wouldn't call it high in either angst or toxicity, but they're definitely there. Their chemistry is insane. Riveting. I fast forwarded through everything that wasn't related to Tutor and Fighter, which works as standalone story, so that's an option if like me you find all the other characters annoying. Recommended.

Not Me I feel like whenever I try to write anything about Not Me I don't know how to start. I definitely recommend watching it. There's angst and toxicity but they're not always related to the romances. Ask if you have more questions about it and I can come up with more specifics.

Semantic Error The lowest in either angst or toxicity on this list, it's mostly sweet. Toxicity depends I think on how much the bullying bothers you (it didn't bother me). Angst is the typical romance angst as characters are finding their way to each other. I highly recommend it in general though.

Angst but Low Toxicity:

Guardian Censored Chinese BL. Very high angst. The romance is amazing. The rest of the plot is kind of nonsense but fun (the show suffered from censorship on several fronts and a sudden huge budget cut halfway through preproduction.) I loved it. Amazing acting. Recommended, if you can tolerate censorship.

The Untamed Also censored Chinese BL. High angst - some as part of the romance, but mostly about other things. A much more coherent plot than Guardian. I loved it. And it's partly what got me into watching BL. Recommended, if you can tolerate censorship.

I Told Sunset About You (ITSAY) A queer romance and coming of age story. I loved it. Delicate angst, gorgeous cinematography (same DP as KinnPorsche, which is how I found it in the first place), really well acted. Highly recommend.

I Promised You the Moon (IPYTM) Sequel to ITSAY. I liked it a lot, many hated it. Not really a BL, more like a continuing of the ITSAY characters growing up. Lots of angst, but of a different tenor. Some might consider it toxic, but it didn't feel that way to me. It had some flaws for me, but I'm really glad I watched it. (Definitely a sequel, would probably not work on its own. Or even if it does, it's worth watching ITSAY first.)

Where Your Eyes Linger Hwang Da-seul's first BL, so you've probably seen this one at least. It's the least skillful of her work - you can really see how she's grown, but I still liked it a lot for its moody vibe. Angst from pining and from external constraints on the relationship. Recommend

Once Again Short Korean BL that just finished. Very high angst, but also many moments of humor and fluff. I can give more spoilers if you want. Very well acted. Many people loved it. I liked it a lot, but not quite as much as I wanted to. Recommend.

The Eclipse What can I say about The Eclipse? I'm sure you at least have heard of it even if you're not watching. I adore it. Plenty of angst, along with plenty of other stuff. I suppose it could fumble at the end, but so far I highly recommend it.

[lunaoksnes]

Lan Yu, 2001, Stanley Kwan

"I never forgot what you told me when we met. When two people get to know each other too well, it's time to separate. So I kept telling myself to love you a little less so that the end would hurt less."

most brutal breakup scene since Issız Adam lol? that blue hour, you can almost feel how cold the kitchen is, chen in his pjs like a child, telling him to take care of himself, lan yu w his jacket and jeans on, his weary face crying... hurts to remember as if its my own memory.

lan yu's face while listening to ryuichi sakamoto

last monologue and then this

“Is something wrong with me? How come I like you so much?”

[thegirlwithcollarbones]

Lan Yu (2001) Directed by Stanley Kwan

[rongzhi]

蓝宇 || Lan Yu (2001)

dir. Stanley Kwan

[bounsun]

蓝宇 | Lan Yu (2001) - Stanley Kwan

“how could i have let you go?”

[highendhoney]

Lan Yu, FW14

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[carolinasarchive]

Lan Yu fw 15/16