#abl rants

I’m bored and I have a little extra time this morning so it’s time for ABL to play with the spreadsheet of doom. 

Occasionally I get the question: 

If I were to subscribe to only one platform for BL which should I pick? 

This post is dated May 2023. 

First things first. I am going to be (somewhat) objective about this and not judge on quality of content. Because if KinnPorsche is all you love in life, obvs you need iQIYI, but if you are a HIStory franchise stan, than it’s all about Viki. Those are your life choices, I’m just here to play numbers games, okay? 

Secondly, some shows air on multiple platforms, particularly Viki & Gaga, but sometimes it’s Gaga & YouTube, occasionally it’s even iQIYI + others. This has only started happening in the last few years. Bed Friend was on 3 different platforms (GaGa, iQIYI, YT) - even though it was originally announced for Viki! I honestly don’t know how to track this, so I tend to log the spreadsheet with my preferred watching platform for that language, this will throw the numbers off for those platforms. 

Since I join everything my platform preference choice is based on:  

the quality of the subs/captions   

the quality of the user experience  

My subs experience tends to be: 

YT = best for Thai

Viki = best for Korean and sometimes Japanese, okay for Thai

Gaga = best for Chinese and sometimes Japanese but very weak Thai subs

My user interface preference is: 

YT, Viki, Gaga in that order then everyone else with iQIYI at the bottom. This is because I watch on mobile devices. 

ASplay, WeTV, former Line, Amarin TV, Netflix and the other smaller suppliers (and apps) will all be grouped together for this assessment. Since they have so few offerings, by default I would not recommend subbing those platforms unless you are a hard stan of all BL with disposable income. 

Super bad BLs that I watched back in the day on grey sites or YT (pre 2020 crack down) because there were no other options and I am a completest are still listed as grey. I would never suggest anyone watch these shows anyway, so I don’t care if they have now shown up on legitimate sites. If they are somewhere, it’s likely Gaga. Which means Gaga’s percentage of the market share is probably UNDER reported by my numbers. 

Movies and cinema-only releases that never got international distribution fall into the “grey” category. If I got it off an indie subber, since that too is technically illegal, it falls into the grey category as well. 

Final note: This is from a USA based IP, I don’t use a VPN, so platforms assessments are from that perspective. 

Spring 2023, current state of the spreadsheet. AKA 

Our BL Data Set 

Total # of BLs = 564

# of BLs ongoing (so finished runtime is best guess) = 18 

Just Answer the Damn Question 

Round Number of Actual BLs - % of market share

YouTube = 218 - 38.6%

Gaga = 148 - 26.2% 

Viki = 77 - 13.7% 

Grey = 53 - 9.4% 

BLs I’ve never been able to find on any platform (including grey): 36 - 6.4% 

iQIYI = 14 - 2.5% 

Other platforms = 12 - 2.2% 

Margin of error: +- 1% (look I’m just not driven to be that accurate here)

Subscription Platforms Breakdown  - % of market share

Eliminating YouTube, Grey, and missing BLs. Viki is included because I do not know which of theirs are behind the paywall and which are not. 

Total subscribe-only BLs: 257 

Gaga = 59%

Viki = 30%

iQIYI = 6%

Sml sites/apps = 5%

(rounded) 

Okay but how about actual runtime? 

Gaga = 360 hrs - 44% 

Viki = 311 hrs - 38% 

iQIYI = 98 hrs - 12% 

Sml sites = 50 hrs - 6%

Anyway you cut it... on pure BL standards...

GAGAOOLALA WINS 

Other consideration? In most places Gaga is ALSO the cheapest per month option. 

Final Thoughts

YouTube (America’s Alphabet) 

YT has the most pieces of content and longest overall runtime because of all the Thai stuff. ALSO bootlegs show up there, especially the early Chinese and Japanese stuff. They will often get taken down and you have to hunt for it again. YT takedowns come in waves, every 6 months or so.

However, GMMTV, some Star Hunter, some Studio Wabi Sabi, all the Vietnamese & Pinoy stuff (until now), and a few choice bits of Strongberry are YT content.

YT’s app is the best UX of a poor set (for me), but the web based YT at Premium level doesn’t work with Firefox. I use YT for work A LOT, so the fee for Premium ($13.99) and lack of ads + downloads (travel) is worth it for me, but I think it probubly isn’t if you’re on a budget. 

GaGaOOLaLa (Taiwan’s Portico Media) 

Of the pay to play platforms, GaGa dominates with the most BLs by all metrics. If you’re intersted in darker BL, GL and other queer content, very high heat, the history of the genre, or Japanese stuff - most of that is on GaGa. Also all of Strongberry and some of the newer queerer series (like My Ride).  

At $6.99 a month it’s ALSO one of the cheapest options. 

Gaga is based out of Taiwan, the only Asian country with marriage equality (as of 2022) AND it specializes in exclusively queer content so they need our support. If you can afford them, you should support them. GaGa is the only platform that will always have more BL, guaranteed (so long as Taiwan is autonomous). Ironically, you can follow their YT channel for previews and teasers to their latest series, short content, and acquisitions. 

Their app isn’t great, but their web-based interface is fine. That said: there’s no categories (way to organize), and the way they roll out new episodes is unintuitive. Their mobile app ALWAYS pauses not mater what you actually want it to do and the lack of the quick skip ahead is frustrating. 

Viki (Japan’s Rakutan)

Viki specializes in longer series, mostly Thai, Taiwanese, and a few of the Chinese bromances. It also now has a lot of KBLs. But in general only more recent stuff (2018 is as far back as they go).

At $4.99-$11.99 depending, it’s low to average cost. I’m not sure which one (if any) you actually need for BL. Most of my favorite new shows tend to air on Viki, and I like Rakutan as a parent company, so I don’t mind supporting them. 

They happen to have 5 of my top ten BLs, which is A LOT (since I hand out 10/10 so rarely). So for me they host the objective best BL content. 

They have the second best app (after YT, it’s kinda a combo of YT + Netflix) but the lack of a speed-up option is frustrating for many. Also the desktop version is super buggy. But they DO have categories you can name and control, which I love.

Other Platforms 

iQIYI - is Mainland China based (hello Baidu, you ugly fucker), so the platform getting/pimping BL for an international audience only is… how do I put this?… oh yeah: shitty. I will often rename it Icky, for this reason. It clearly wants to break the market, but… do we want it in the market at all? How long will they host BLs? When will they be shut down and censored? I would say it’s only worth it if you really also like Chinese dramas. And even so, Viki also has A LOT of those. Unfortunately for us, Wabi Sabi seems to have cut a distribution deal with Icky. And, of course, there is the KinnPorsche situation (so ironic that Icky hosts the highest heat). The interface is a nightmare. They have the WORST app, even when you pay, it serves ads, some of which alpha crash the platform. 

Netflix - here in the states it almost never has new BL content. Sometimes some old stuff. They tested the waters with SOTUS and Love Sick. I have a feeling they aren’t particularly intersted in this market. So if BL is what you watch, don’t bother. At last check they still had Gameboys and Your Name Engraved Herein and Wish You. 

WeTV - acts like LineTV used to, has Manner of Death and We Best Love and a few of the more obscure Thai pulps. But probably not worth it for anyone but a completest. 

Grey - Unknown or No Distributor 

Indie subbers: there’s some BLs that you can watch by supporting indie subbers who supply private links to their personal versions. This is not legal, but it is a slightly nicer way to get stuff you can’t find anywhere else. I’ve done this for some Thai and Japanese stuff.

I find the leads for these sources here on Tumblr. If someone is giffing and talking about a show and I don’t know how they are getting hold of it, I simply ask.

DramaCool (USA) & Dailymotion (France) & Bilibili (China) and others - AKA the grey space. You SHOULD feel guilty using these sites, you’re stealing, but it’s where many of us go for BL we can’t find anywhere else (in defiance of what few morals we have left). These are BLs that originally sold to very odd platforms or never got international distribution. Unfortunately, some of my favorites are in this category like Great Men Academy or Seven Days. It’s a nightmare. The ads are terrible and the virus/bug risk is high. They get taken down all the time. Or the leads are faked. I use an old computer to access and suggest you take all necessary precautions yourself.

P’ABL SOAP BOX TIME

Look I work tangential to the entertainment industry, so if you thought I wasn’t going to learn you a little on this subject, you got another think coming. 

HERE’S THE THING: 

You watch a show on one of the grey platforms, ESPECIALLY if it actually has distribution on Gaga or Viki - you better review that shit. You spread the word and advocate for that content here, on MDL, on social media, with fan art, I don’t care. You steal it, you find a way to pay back in your time and/or creativity. 

I get it if you’re poor, but don’t be a goddamn scab. Find a way to reward content creators with non-monetary support. If you had the time to watch the thing you stole, you have time to pay it forward in some substantial way. Do this even if you didn’t steal it but got it for free. Do this if you read fanfic. Do this with articles, blogs, books. Do this with podcasts. 

It isn’t hard to be a decent human and support creators. Don’t you dare just TAKE. If you’re that kind of person stop reading this blog immediately. I don’t want anything to do with you and you don’t deserve my words or my spreadsheet of Doom. 

/rant 

MORE ON THIS TOPIC WITH FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS

Original post on this subject that I adapted for this post. 

1. Is Ikea popular in Thailand? I saw a lot of their stuff in the show. Including a little drawer unit...with the drawers upside down.

2. Is wrist grabbing the Asian equivalent of hand grabbing? It seems intentionally less intimate, but then there's close up shots that make it seem like it IS supposed to make your heart flutter. But...characters also sometimes hold hands, so why not just do that?

3. Do Tin or Can have a lisp? I noticed a few times it sounded like they did, which normally I would assume was just, you know, a word in a language I don't understand, except that I never noticed it in any other characters.

4. Not a question, but as I rewatched I thought multiple times "wow, thank goodness the characters point out when someone's blushing, because everybody just looks pale AF" Except beautiful Ae and his "dark" skin. Again, glad I had people to point out how short, dark, and ugly he is supposed to be, and Pond to point out his own hotness, cos I don't see any of that.

5. Do you know of any websites that find where to buy items from shows? I tried looking into Ae's little tote that could, but all it seems anyone ever found was a brand name but not where to find it. I thought of this also because I really like Payu's thick thin cross necklace in live in the air and was thinking of making one, but while I can jewelry a little I can't sew.

6. Last thing. Sorry there's so much! AePete are OBVIOUSLY the world's Best Boys, but I also really like TinCan...it hurts a little bit how bad their kisses are, especially because in the book Can is EXTREMELY enthusiastic about sex and kissing once they get around to it. But anyway, @heretherebedork once did an amazing analysis of Can as autistic (powerpoint included!), what do you think of that interpretation?

I do it too, no worries. So many thing to watch... instead I rewatch an old favorite.

It's like ordering your favorite dish at that one place. I mean there are obviously other good dishes but... I LIKE THIS ONE.

1. Is Ikea popular in Thailand? 

Ikea is like noodles, everyone has a version, everyone likes it, everyone consumes more of it than we like to admit. 

2. Is wrist grabbing the Asian equivalent of hand grabbing? 

I think the western world equivalent would actually be the gentle friendship push/shove. Maybe the arm sling and drag (ah la Win). I’m sure there’s something in there about the difference between collectivistic culture (coaxing, pulling) versus individualistic (push forward alone and in front of you) but I’m not gonna speculate. 

3. Do Tin or Can have a lisp? 

I can’t remember and I refuse to rewatch. Sorry. I always skipped them even in LBC 1. 

4. Not a question, but as I rewatched I thought multiple times "wow, thank goodness the characters point out when someone's blushing, because everybody just looks pale AF" Except beautiful Ae and his "dark" skin. Again, glad I had people to point out how short, dark, and ugly he is supposed to be, and Pond to point out his own hotness, cos I don't see any of that.

Notice this in dramas more. Okay? Darker skinned characters are often referred to as “ugly” or simply depicted playing poor, criminal, rough, evil, and homeless characters. It’s extremely insidious and endemic in Asian dramas, yes all of them, but it is not restricted to Asian film industries.

It is a serious casting problem and criminally negligent on the part of casting directors. It makes me SO ANGRY. 

In many Cdramas and Kdramas you can pick which tall dude is gonna win the baby-girl but how white his flipping skin is. 

And we aren’t gonna talk about the treatment that some of the *slightly* more tan Kpop idols go through, let alone the ones from southern Asian countries.

Of course the Dutch, the Brits, the French, and the Americans are largely to blame (not to mention Christian proselytism), but never forget that China and Japan were also colonialist imperial empires with very decided standards of beauty. Conquerors love to define what is beautiful for the subjugated and usually it’s the opposite appearance to the bulk of the population. Because the the bulk of most populations are tanner or darker skinned (especially prior to industrial revolutions) because in nomadic, agrarian, pastoral, and agro-pastoral societies they are working outside. Hey, so it’s ALSO a class issue. AND since this kind of whiteness could only really be afforded by the wealthy, particularly it was a marker of being able to keep your females trapped inside 24/7. So guess what? It’s also a feminist issue. 

Should we talk about the South Thailand insurgency and how anti muslim and Malay sentiment is a contributing factor in Thailand in particular? What you thought the Thai military conscription program was for shits and giggles? 

All pop culture mediums (especially the visual ones) are political whether they like it our not. Whether we like it or not. Even our stupid little corner of romancelandia. 

5. Do you know of any websites that find where to buy items from shows?

Nope. I don’t collect crap. I can pack everything I own into a pickup truck and I like it that way. Might be a phobia. 

6. AePete are OBVIOUSLY the world's Best Boys, 

OBVIOUSLY 

but I also really like TinCan...it hurts a little bit how bad their kisses are, especially because in the book Can is EXTREMELY enthusiastic about sex and kissing once they get around to it. 

That’s nice to know, but yeah. Actor bad chemistry. I think it’s why I responded so poorly to them as a pair. 

But anyway, @heretherebedork once did an amazing analysis of Can as autistic (powerpoint included!), what do you think of that interpretation?

I like it. I like everything HTBD does. Not sure I would’ve interpreted him that way in LBC1 alone (I might go with ADD), but that doesn’t matter. The point of entertainment is how it makes you feel, so 50% (if not more) is the interpretation you bring to it based on your own life experiences. I don’t bring much of a neurodivergent perspective to my watching life. I need to have these kind of reps pointed out to me. But that doesn’t impact its validity as a read on what’s presented and HTBD knows what they are talking about. 

I thought they were always under different management? Wabi Sabi doesn't hold its talent under contract in a stable the way GMMTV does. That's why you see them pop up in other stuff. But I don't really pay attention that deep into the weeds.

GMMTV (and maybe Star Hunter?) seems to be a combined production studio + talent farm (agency) - the Korean model. I don't like it, gives me the willies. That's like a literary agent also being a publisher, big fat reg flag for conflict of interest. After all, who's negotiating on your behalf with the studio if you are repped by someone under its umbrella?

I don't wanna think about it.

You can look into the movie packaging and the 2019 lawsuits. We got us a BIG FAT conflict of fucking interest in which the talent, unsurprisingly, loses. Starting with the writers at the bottom.