#leonpob

SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT WHILE HE SHOUDL HAVE BEEN TRYNA REMEMBER THE PASSWORD TO HIS DAMN EMAIL ACCOUNT, HE WAS OFF PARTYING???

I am loving the pairing of a young seme and an older uke. other than Minato's Coin Laundry and the History 3 side couple, what other BLs have this pairing?

Not only do I gotcha covered, I am more than pleased to do this post. Power flipped hyung romances = one of my ABSOLUTE favorites! (I sort of did it here, Younger Gay Identifying Elder Gay as MINE, but I’ll do it again properly!) 

Age Gap BLs where the Seme is YOUNGER   

This was super common in early yaoi, like SUPER common. Japan loves an age gap + power play, and making the younger character the aggressor is the definition of power play. Guess who else likes it a lot? Why yes, Taiwan. 

In no particular order, this is just a list. 

Minato’s Laundromat

Japan 2022 GaGa 

AKA Minato Coin Laundry AKA Wash My Heart! AKA Minato Shouji Koin Randorii AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Younger seme older uke, 10 year age gap. I love this show so much. This is by far the best long running example that really dwells on this trope, Shin is very much the aggressor also very much still a high school kid. Minato is very much NOT. 

Old Fashion Cupcake 

Japan 2022 Viki & GaGa 

Also from Japan, another 10 year gap, and a flipping genius version. This time both parties are older, so there’s less of a stigma around the age gap, but there is stigma about the one being the other’s boss. 

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits for episode one. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said man with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness... and it’s beautiful. Full review. 

Seven Days

Japan 2015 grey 

AKA Seven Days: Monday-Thursday AND Seven Days: Friday-Sunday Japan

Seryou kinda counts as the pursuer, but the dynamic is very very weak in this one. Still the way he asks to use Yuzuru’s first name (so CHEEKY) and the way he says “senpai” in SUCH a cute way makes me so happy.

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses. 

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

Taiwan 2018 Viki 

Seme uke is VERY weak with this one but the younger character is certainly the pursuer. It’s SO GOOD. 

Lin Pei Yu directs this is a sports romance (volleyball) with a good boy/bad boy pairing, and mu favorite of the HIStory franchise. There is no clear seme/uke. Ostensibly it's high school set but Taiwan doesn't care about age appropriate actors. It's a very soft sweet romance with some ridiculously easily overcome conflict. There's great kisses but it's medium heat. The side dishes are the stepbrother trope but they’re very tame, and there’s no other triggers. It's not just my favorite of the franchise, it’s one of my favorite BLs with a perfect happy ending.

SOTUS

Thailand 2016 YouTube 

Guess who started this trope in Thailand? Yeah, sometimes I forget too. But they are not just classic sunshine/tsunder but classic younger/older. 

This is the BL that launched a hundred BLs. No literally, it was SOTUS’s international success that pretty much built the Thai BL industry into the juggernaut it is today. People have baggage around SOTUS, I have nostalgia. Trigger warning on bully hazing. Review here. 

Oxygen

Thailand 2020 YouTube 

Thailand’s first real stab at this dynamic as a main couple and it so worked for me. There are many who find this BL too slow and wooden, but I loved it so much. 

I think of that as the paragon of Thailand’s BL style, since Oxygen uses every BL trope in the playbook for one of the gentlest lowest angst BLs ever made. This one showcases how far Thailand is moving BL from its yaoi roots, and is a prime example of the sweet “new BL” model for which Thailand is the main advocate (Korea is liking it a lot these days too, tho). My first watch along. 

Lovely Writer

Thailand 2021 YouTube 

Again Sib is quite a bit younger than Gene and the pursuer, man I love this dynamic. Since Gene is out of university and established in his career, I'm calling this one for age gap.

Thailand criticizes itself and the BL industry while simultaneously giving us classic seme/uke with great chemistry in a one-two punch of “we love it, but are we supposed to? and must we think this hard, yet enjoy it SO MUCH?” This show won’t appeal or make sense to those who don’t already have at least some Thai BL watching experience. What Lovely Writer does, at heart, is reexamine Thai BL has done to queerness, but in a very gentle way that has more to do with Thai BL growing up than any actual queer authenticity. It’s not parody or pastiche, but it is self reflective and trying to correct for some chronic mistakes. Whether it is ultimately successful in this matter is going to depend on the watcher’s relationship to BL and queer identity. But that’s what makes this show beautiful, interesting, and thought provoking. And I, for one, applaud the effort even if I didn’t personally connect to the characters.

Manner of Death 

Thailand 2021 WeTV

It’s not really relevant to the story, but Tan is younger. Not only that, he’s Bun’s friends younger brother. 

I like MoD a lot but I’m conflicted over it being actual BL. It’s a great gay romantic suspense, although the mystery element is its weakness. MaxTul, the Kings of chemistry, are, of course, perfect and perfectly cast, but their romance thread is more a distraction than an addition. Still, I could watch them make-out the phonebook. Watch along here. 

En of Love: Tossera 

Thailand 2020 YouTube 

Younger boy wants to court older boy and does and… that’s it. No really that’s the WHOLE STORY. There is actually no angst, drama, or, indeed plot. But are they the softest bois ever to BL as a main couple? Yes they are.

Private Lessons

Korea 2020 GaGa 

Another BL short from Strongberry that I love and given it is age gap and teacher/student (catnip) it should rate super high. The chemistry is slightly off though, but stil I do love this one for the dynamic. Certainly world watching especially if this is your trope. 

MingKit MarkKit

2 Moons (VERY side dish) YouTube 2 Moons 2 YouTube (major side dish) Gen Y (leads) Gen Y 2 (sides again in LTR) 

Thailand’s premier version of this dynamic I just lumped them all into one category. Only in 2 Moons 2 are they played by different actors, otherwise it is all KimCop, and who can complain about that? If you want to watch specifically for this dynamic than go for Gen Y. Trash watch here. 

SIDE DISHES with this dynamic! 

HIStory 3: the BL that shall not be named (BoXiang & ZhiGang)

Also HIStory 4: Close to You

The side characters in H3:MODC (and cameos in H4) BoXiang & ZhiGang have a huge age gap, 12 years, and it is a big deal for their relationship. When they start out BoXiang is a desperate himbo high school kid and ZhiGang is a small business owner. BoXiang’s friends tease him more for his lust over such a much older man than for being gay. 

HIStory 4: Close to You (YongJie & XingSi) 

YongJie is quite a bit younger than XingSi, not sure on the specifics but he's in middle school when XingSi is in high school and still in college when XingSi has his own business. Also the stepbrother trope. This couple is VERY problematic, but I like them anyway, probubly because I love this trope so much, and I am trash for trash. 

Brothers (KhunKaow) 

This is not a good show, but side couple Khun & Kaow are great in it and this is my favorite version of an age gap: younger seme + older uke. Khun is in university and Kaow has a baking business.

Don’t Say No (LeonPob) 

Leon and Pob qualify. That’s all I have to say about that. 

You’re My Sky (SanAei)

SanAei are a classic uni age gap pairing. San is a bit of a spoiled rich kid jock who identifies the older nerd character as HIS and is just like, MINE. That’s MY elder gay. 

Top Secret Together and Love By Chance both have sub plots of high school boys pursuing college ones, but TST one didn’t go anywhere and LBC went very very bad, so yeah... no. LBC’s is my favorite version too, best friend’s older bother, sigh. I would LOVE to see this done better. 

Others that kinda qualify

Pornographer series

So this is a dirty gaslighting crazy piece of Japan being SO Japan about this trope. But it sure is age gap. Established novelist with an intention to corrupt, bullies college kid into writing his porn for him with the intent to seduce, but his is the bottom (not a submissive) so it’s intentionally playing with the seme/uke dynamic. It’s an ugly dirty series, but also hot. 

He’s Coming to Me 

Mes is much older than Thun, and Thus is (in the end) the pursuer, but it’s kinda complicated by the fact that Mes is, ya know, a ghost. 

Plus and Minus

The side pairing is an age gap with the younger as pursuer but it’s not really relevant to the story.

Tasty Florida

I think you could argue the younger character is more intersted in the relationship, but it;s also pretty clear the older boy will be in charge. 

HIStory My Hero

It’s body swap and necessary pursuit for reasons of paranormal, so I’m not sure I’d count it. 

My Ride

It’s not relevant but I believe Mork is younger. 

Love Stage!! (sides)

The Thai version sides, TheeJet, are age gap and in the comic Thee is the pursuer. In this series, they are in a secret LTR so who chased whom isn’t relevant. 

My Engineer (sides)

I make no case for it but possibly RamKing? 

Not Me (sides)

DanYok is said that way, but Yok is certainly the pursuer at the beginning, and he’s younger. 

Similar: 

BLs With Age Gaps - Hyung Romances - these is just when there is a big age gap, not necessarily a power flip. 

I also love noona romances for this same reason, the abnormal power dynamic (older woman, younger man) gives agency to the female character in an Asian romance drama = very rare. 

Thai Pronouns & Honorifics when Seme/Uke is Flipped 

Aggressive & Autonomous Ukes in BL Uke Forced to Undertake the Seme Role 

Updated Aug 2022, not responsible for this dynamic turning up after that. Although YOU BETTER FLIPPING TELL ME ABOUT IT. 

More after 2022 here:

I’m talking…

Prapai & Sky

Vegas & Pete

Sky & Jao

Yi & Khondiao (yes tech Kuea & Lian are engaged but these 2 💯 will be eloping tomorrow)

Sho Zhe Yu & Pei Shou Yi

Leon & Pob (whenever their series gets here you know they’ll be married before Leo & Fiat)

Edit: Tor & Fighter (bc if PrapaiSky are on this list, they can be too!)