Best 25 of BL 2025 - Quirky Awards
ONLY shows that ENDED their runs in 2025 are up for awards.
SHOCK & AWE AWARDS
1. Biggest BL surprise of 2025:
ABO Desire. How could I possibly pick anything else? I had to write a whole diatribe about the true miraculous insanity that was this show.
2. The “that country did WHAT?” award:
China making and the releasing Revenged Love (and THEN ABO Desire). We (justifiably) spent the whole time this show was airing waiting for it to be cancelled. We are all still shocked that it is still available. You should watch it if you haven't, no idea how long this can last.
And then to have Desire launch as well? It was a fever dream summer.
3. Biggest casting whoa! where did you come from? award:
Pond and Peterpan in Reset.
I don't know what genius chose this combination of seasoned BL actors, but they were so right about everything. I hereby grant them the superpower to break and re-pair any branded pair they want. Have at!
4. That studio did WHAT now? award:
GMMTV snapping up Ohm and then making him everyone's lost love/ex-bf.
5. I’m sad you were ignored award:
Another Side: At 25:00 in Akasaka Special AKA Hiru no Yume: Another Side (Gaga) was SO GOOD! Technically this is a spin-off short from At 25 Alasaka Season 1’s “BL within the BL” showcasing the side couple (as their characters). And it was lovely! Features a pining office worker + broken-hearted delivery boy. It has little bits of many classic JBL tropes in 20 short minutes. So sweet. So cute and good kisses (of course from these 2, given how they started). yay! I would have loved a full series. (you don't need to have watched anything else in this series)
It wasn't as ignored, but it didn't get a ton of hype so I always wanna shout out Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island from China. Which you can still catch on YouTube. And you should! It's BEAUTIFUL.
6. 2025 BL That Actually Made Me Lose My Mind Award?
I gotta be honest, it was ABO Desire. It didn't start out well but then It just got worse/better/amazing/insane from there.
This show was actually the craziest thing to happen to BL since KinnPorsche. I will rest my hat on that.
NARRATIVE AWARDS
7. Best story 2025:
Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan) Adapted from a Korean webtoon this was a story about two lonely boys from opposite sides of the track who fall madly in love in high school, despite the fact that one is neglected and the other physically abused. This has a rough premise BUT is an oddly lovely show and the story was tight and clean and well executed. I found it mesmerizing from beginning to end.
8. Best narrative structure 2025 award:
The Heart Killers. Look nobody claimed that we needed Taming of the Shrew only with gay hitmen brothers, but we really needed it. Yes there were dropped threads, forgotten characters, and unfinished plot lines even with a long run time - there is a reason it's not getting the "story" award. But the framework was there and... it worked unexpectedly well for me.
More BL does Shakespeare please.
And Austen for that matter.
9. Best 2025 dialogue (script) award:
Heesu in Class 2. It's no secret I wanted a lot more from this BL (to actually be a BL, for one) but that's the story's issue not the script's. The script was actually lovely, solid and well executed by the actors - snappy dialogue, insightful, touching, and never redundant. They did a great job with it.
10. Favorite scene 2025:
ThamePo. Po claiming the idol is his bf in front of his stan bestie and the whole bar at the reunion. So good.
11. The most rewatchable BL of 2025 award:
It's a genuine toss up between Secret Lover and Ball Boy Tactics. I suspect I have rewatched bits of Your Sky the most (it ended first) but not all of it.
I think Secret Lover probably has it by a nose on full rewatches. I watch both it and Ball Boy back to front when I watch, which is rare for me. (Usually is just skip around to may favorite bits.)
ACTORS & CHARACTERS AWARDS
12. You're my spirit animal now award:
The doctor in Revenged Love. I may have identified with him a little too much.
13. Best pining 2025:
Watarai in School Trip AKA Shugakuryoko de Nakayokunai Group ni Hairimashita. In Japan crushes be CRUSHING.
14. Best wingman 2024 (The Namgoong Award)
The "popular boys" friendship group in School Trip. Literally delivered their boy his crush into his lap.
Honorable mention to the klutz brothers in romantic arms from Revenged Love. Were they good at romance scamming? Not really. But they were very good friends to each other.
15. Biggest OMG I LOVE you boys together, YAY!
ThomasKong in Your Sky. Let's be honest, this wasn't exactly an exciting revelatory show, but these two were mesmerizing every time they were on screen together.
Honorable mention to the Kill to Love pair, who happily co-branded their little hearts out long after the show ended, despite it being a doomed love story and a Chinese BL. What now? What is actually happening?
16. Most unexpected return break of a BL pair? award:
GreatInn, sad to see they didn't last. I liked them a lot.
17. Well aren't you two just the prettiest? award:
Yeah I don't really have an option here it's Willam and Est from ThamePo. They are just so pretty together, and they kiss well. And they just seem to have fun together.
18. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
No award this year.
RANDOM PICKS
19. Favorite Linguistic Moment of 2025:
Memoir of Rati. Getting that Phi out of Nong Rati was the work of a lifetime. We salute you. (I"m gonna miss GreatInn.)
20. Biggest disappointment of 2025:
I'm the Most Beautiful Count. Easy pull this year. I really wanted to like it and I really didn't. So disappointing.
I'd be tempted to say Kill to Love but we all knew from the title and the source what was gonna happen.
21. Best Wardrobe/Prop Use 2025
Khemjira. In a year where we got multiple historical BLs with good wardrobe departments (esp Rati and Moonlight) I actually think Khemjira was the most visually pleasing and cohesive of all the prestige BLS. I did not expect this from a horror but it was a... beautiful horror.
22. Best Queer Rep 2024
I'm the Most Beautiful Count, I didn't like it, but I liked what it was trying to do.
23. Best Meta Trope call out (aka BL knows it's roots award)
This bit in Perfect 10 Liners. We see what you did there GMMTV.
Throwing some shade at Wabi Sabi are ya?
24. Well aren't you getting all Live Action Yaoi retro with your bad self?
Secret Relationships. Oh but you see I remember what 90s yaoi was really like. And this unhinged mess of a show from Korea, I think I read it 30 years ago black market from Japan.
25. Biggest I guess you did THAT moment:
The doughnut hot-rod saves the boy in Pit Babe 2.
Final question: which of the 25 questions was the hardest for me to answer?
11 The most rewatchable BL of 2025. I had at lot I've already rewatched several times including Secret Lover, Ball Boy Tactics, ThamePo, and Your Sky. School Trip will probubly get on the list but it only just ended.
2022's Version of the Quirkies
2023's Version of the Quirkies
2024's Version of the Quirkies
Remember I only pull from shows that were completely finished by the end of 2025.
(source)
