By In 2022 alone, Asia produced a whopping 197 BL (Boys Love) titles. That’s roughly 16 BL dramas coming out of Asia every single month!
With so many BL dramas available, it can be challenging to determine which ones are worth pursuing. To help with this, we turned to ChatGPT to analyse the top BL dramas and rank them based on various factors such as ratings, popularity and critical reception.
The Best BL Dramas Of All Time
Dear Straight People,
In this article, we present the top 10 best BL dramas of all time, as determined by our new best friend – ChatGPT.
So whether you’re a long-time fan of the BL genre or new to it, this list will give you a great place to start exploring some of the best BL dramas of all time.
10. TharnType: The Series (2019)
Based on a popular web novel, TharnType: The Series chronicles the tension filled romance between a homophobic freshman and his charismatic and openly gay rommate.
TharnType: The Series became a massive hit immediately upon release. The show propelled its leads into global superstardom and the series itself went on to win a slew of awards including ‘Best Gay Series‘ at the Thai Crazy Awards 2020.
9. Hello Stranger (2020)
Directed by Petersen Vargas, Hello Stranger was a 2020 Philippine web series set during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This charming YouTube series starring Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara became a surprise hit, going on to become the most watched Filipino BL series of all time. The success of the web series led to the production of a full feature film, which similarly received acclaim from both fans and critics alike.
8. Together With Me: The Next Chapter (2018)
Together With Me: The Next Chapter delves into the difficulties faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in traditional and conservative cultures.
The series follows two main characters, Korn and Knock, whose relationship is going through a rocky situation because of Korn’s reluctance to come out. Upset by his partner’s need for secrecy, Knock makes one bad decision after another that puts his relationship in danger.
7. Kinnporsche (2022)
Get ready to rev your engines with Kinn Porsche, the adrenaline-fueled BL drama that will leave you on the edge of your seat! This fast-paced and exhilarating series follows Kinn and Porsche as they fight off enemies and tiptoe around lustful situations while navigating the seedy underground world of mafias.
Often referred to as the Euphoria of the BL world due to its dark and explicit nature, Kinn Porsche garnered massive ratings and launched its two leads into international superstardom.
6. I Told Sunset about You
I Told Sunset about You is a BL drama that follows childhood best friends Teh and Oh Aew, who reunite after parting ways for years because of a misunderstanding. They meet again at the brink of manhood at a Chinese language school where Teh is a tutor, and Oh Aew is learning the language to prepare for college admission.
While I Told Sunset about You relies on the childhood best friend trope, the series became a massive hit thanks to its emotionally affecting writing and beautiful cinematography.
5. 2gether The Series (2020)
Kicking off our top 5 is none other than 2gether The Series.
This 2020 Thai BL series follows the story of two college boys who go from being in a fake romantic relationship to developing into a real couple.
Widely regarded as a BL classic, 2gether: The Series was an instant hit, topping ratings chart on both LINE TV and YouTube. The success of the series led to both a sequel and a movie!
4. Addicted aka Heroin (2016)
This wildly popular 2016 BL series follows the relationship between stepbrothers; Luo Yin (Xu Wei Zhou), a poor and brilliant student and Gu Hai, who is rich and brash.
Based on the classic “Enemies to Lovers” trope, Addicted was such a big hit that it got on the receiving end of the Chinese government’s ire, making it one of the many censored films in China.
Read our review of this BL classic here.
3. Bad Buddy (2021)
If you are looking for an engaging BL drama series that will make you squirm with excitement and shake with laughter in every episode, Bad Buddy is our pick.
This popular Thai BL series follows Pran and Pat, who have an intense rivalry because of the animosity between their families. Starring Korapat Kirdpan (Nanon) as Pran and Pawat Chittsawangdee (Ohm) as Pat, Pran and Pat are fierce rivals competing against each other in sports and academics.
Arguably one of the most entertaining BL dramas ever produced, you will laugh, cry, and occasionally get the urge to want to strangle your favorite character. But at the end of the day, you will definitely press repeat.
2. Love Sick: The Series (2014)
The oldest BL series on this list, Love Sick: The Series is widely credited for kicking off the BL boom in Thailand.
Love Sick: The Series follows the story of two friends, Phun and Noh. Phun and Noh are high school students who start off as friends, but eventually develop romantic feelings for each other. While Noh is confident and outgoing, Phun is the opposite.
Love Sick: The Series perfectly captures the angst and optimism in falling for your best friend admist a homophobic society. A timeless classic, Love Sick: The Series boasts a beautiful love story that will make you want to meet your forever person.
1. The Untamed (2019)
Topping this list is one of the most popular BL dramas of all time.
The Untamed is a fantasy BL series that follows the journey of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, as they fight demons, fall in love and defy death to reunite with each other.
From its captivating love story to its world class production values, The Untamed is a modern masterpiece that is widely regarded as one of the best Chinese BL dramas of all time.
What Other BL Dramas Do You Recommend?
As helpful as ChatGPT has been, we are well aware of the fact that ‘best’ is incredibly subjective, and an AI program may not be the best arbiter of which BL dramas are the best of all time.
If there are other BL dramas that you would strongly recommend, let us know in the comments below!
Written by Steven Mukoya
Watch Straight Best Friend; New Singapore Gay BL Web Series
Since we are on the topic of gay BL dramas, here is a shoutout to our latest BL (Boys Love) production ‘‘Straight Best Friend’.
Boasting an openly queer cast, watch the first episode for free below.
WATCH STRAIGHT BEST FRIEND HERE
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AI obliviously hasn’t watched the selections it picked. I’ll go with numbers 10, 5, 4, 2, 1 and replace Together With Me Series 2 with Together With Me Series 1. Where is the record breaking Make it Right Series 1 and 2? They were hitting 50 million views per episode when they were on YouTube. ChatGPT also missed SOTUS the series that set the story line for BL.
In my opinion The Untammed is definitely at no.1 position followed by Kinnporche at no.2 in terms of acting, leading couples, bgm, storyline, cinematography, action stunts etc. In short every single thing is awesome in both the series. Best series I have watched till date.
I have watched nr.7 is really good go watch it.I wanna watch bad bunny
“Love in the Air” is also an amazing series. Awesome chemistry between the characters and a great story line.
Love In The Air is my all time favorite so far and I watch again probabably once a month. I really hope they make a season 2. I love those guys and the story.
Pls, where can I download Love in the Air apart from YouTube? I want to watch the uncut
HiTV it’s an app
Love in the air also fabulous my favourite bl drama . Would love to see those characters more
Untamed and cutiepie
I agree with every single one of these except that you left out 1000 stars. The chemistry, plot, cinematography etc is just too notch. One of the best. The problem is, I don’t know which bl to remove from the list because I love them all and agree with your list 😂😂 maybe we could create an 11th category 😂😂
SOTUS The Series should be included
Gameboys. That was literally my first bl on Netflix. It was entirely shot using iPhones. Even has a movie and a season 2, plus a spin off. Unfortunately, the movie lost some of what made season 1 special due to being able to be shot regularly. I’ve not watched season 2 yet.I then went back and watched the YT version. I love both and have repeatedly watched them. I’ve seen 2gether and The Untamed, and Untamed definitely deserves the no. 1 spot it’s in.
Compelling list, but I had to check it twice looking for The Eighth Sense. Series certain to be a classic BL worthy of anyone’s watch.
Gameboys really hits my heart differently its no. 1 for me, 2nd is Bad buddy, 3rd one is I forgot the title of the chinese series that was banned but its really good too, 4th cherry magìc 5th cherry blossom after the winter,6th history 3 and 4, 7th Light on Me,8th is I told sunset About you, 9th Semantic Error, 10th the pornographer dangerous drugs these are japanese BL and I can say that these are Dark BL’s
Hm I am surprised To My Star 2 was not on the list. Episode 8 had some of the best acting I have seen. And I have watched the majority of them
I love Classic BLs so I absolutely agree with the Untamed as number 1, the actors Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan as Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are the perfect embodiment of their book version. Number 2 for me is Killer and Healer. It isn’t included in the list, but it always has special place in my heart, because it has such a beautiful and sad story with very good chemistry between 2 lead actors, Yue Lou and Yu Zhi. Number 3 is Guardian. Although they change the story from the story about grim-reaper and God to human and alien, I still love it, so it is number 3. I will give number 4 to 2gether and 2gether the Series, Tine – Sarawat are so cute together. Then number 5 is Sotus and number 6 is Word of Honor. I have watched Tharntype, KinnPorsche, Bad Buddy but they are sadly not my cup of tea.