#dear ex

Post 6 (and only 6) gifs/pics of the QLs you personally consider essential viewing for fans of the genre—emphasis on “personally.” These are your feels, so no need to pick series you don’t like just because they seem ’important.’ Feel free to explain your choices or not.

Then tag 6 friends for their 6 (tagged by @ginnymoonbeam)

1. Doukyusei/Classmates (2016) - Japan

Set the bar for me for coming of age romance stories. There’s a quiet tenderness in the way Sajo and Kusakabe look after one another. I’m always moved by stories where two people, complete opposites at surface level glance, make the choice to love one another and then keep making that choice over and over and over again. It felt like a gift to get to watch them grow into themselves and their feelings for each other. The film only adapts the first out of nine manga volumes, and I’m always hoping one day it’ll get picked back up for a live action or continued animated adaptation. Spoilers here for the manga, but truly no scene has impacted me quite like Kusakabe shaving his head in an attempt to smooth things over and stave off Sajo’s disapproving father, so that he could attend Sajo’s mother’s funeral and be there for him.

2. Dear Ex (2018) - Taiwan

What does it mean to choose to live your life in the closet, and how do the people you love deal with the fallout of your coming out and subsequent death? I’ve thought a lot about how to put into words why I think this film is so important, but I don’t think there’s anything I could say that would land better than just sitting and watching it for oneself. A beautiful exploration of love and grief and the burdens and anxieties we can pass along to the people we care about the most without even knowing it. Everyone in this story is so messy and human and trying their best.

3. Love By Chance (2018) - Thailand

This one will always hold a special place in my heart as the first Thai BL I ever watched. I feel like its importance in the early days of Thai BL often goes understated. So many creatives both on and off the screen got their early starts with Love By Chance, and it’s interesting to think about the long-term impact it’s had on the genre as a whole.

4. I Told Sunset About You/I Promised You The Moon (2020) - Thailand

What is there to be said that hasn’t been said before. A foundational work that shifted my perspective on what kind of stories could be told within the BL framework. I think many shows have tried to imitate it since, but none have quite been able to capture its magic. They could never make me hate you Teh.

5. A Tale of A Thousand Stars (2021) - Thailand

The first BL I watched and thought, OH these shows can be for and about adults too. Earth and Mix offer a masterclass in maintaining tension.

6. Love In The Big City (2024) - South Korea

I loved this novel and the show really did it justice. Watching this was the closest I’ve ever come to that feeling I got in my chest when I was a teenager finding Queer As Folk for the first time. Just unabashedly queer from start to finish.

REWATCHED IN 2024:

⟪誰先愛上他的⟫ (2018), aka Dear Ex, dir. Mag Hsu

ROY CHIU as JAY SPARK CHEN as SONG ZHENG YUAN