2024 Essentials

Perfect Propose

I still feel a bit emotional thinking about this show, because of how deeply it hit on my own personal experience with mental health and burnout in the workplace. I'm still recovering from the after effects of being in a toxic work environment for a decade, and still trying to convince myself that I'm not a failure for being unable to conform any longer to what society considers respectable in a career. This series made me feel so seen.

Our Youth (Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu)

There are a lot of really well done school age QLs out there, especially from Japan, but there is something about this story of two broken boys making each other whole that was perfection from start to finish. It didn't shy away from their trauma, but it also didn't hold back on showing their love and devotion.

Unknown

Is it truly Taiwan if we don't get some brother-lovin'? But seriously, this show was incredible, insert Lady Gaga meme here. I can't even really put it all into words, because so much of this experience was how it made me feel. I literally had to stop watching week to week because I was feeling everything so intensely it was causing me damage. This is peak acting, peak emotion, peak why we watch dramas in the first place.

See Your Love

There's a reason I have such a Taiwan bias, though the overall number of shows we get is so much smaller. Because when Taiwan hits, they hit. See Your Love is a must-see, not just for the incredible love story between a gentle giant and a spoiled brat, but also the amazing disability representation.

Love for Love's Sake

I didn't manage to watch this one live as it aired, but you can be sure I noticed how much of my dash was going utterly wild for it. In our current time of QL bounty, I depend on my mutuals, many of whom I know have impeccable taste. And this very quickly pinged as a must-watch.

We Are

For people coming just in now, they would likely be surprised to know how divisive this series was. There was a lot of negativity about it. But I fall on the side of seeing it as a gem. I wrote a post back then about how the series was taking traditional university BL tropes and playing with/subverting/altering them for a more authentic queer experience. But what I mostly love about it is that it is so unabashedly a love letter to queer friendship. The romance is there, yes, but the core is queer community and what we bring to one another.

Caged Again

I feel like this one didn't get nearly enough attention at the time, but there's a reason any time you see someone refer to it, there's a note of delight. There's a reason Ben and Jay are still called our panther & penguin duo, no matter what else they appear in. This is the perfect example of how you can sell the silliest of premises, as long as you add sincerity and heart.

4 Minutes

We're starting to see QLs take bigger risks in terms of creative storytelling and 4 Minutes is a fantastic example of what it looks like when risk pays off. We're given a very complicated story, complex protagonists, and some mind-bendy concepts, but it all coheres into a deeply compelling experience.

Spare Me Your Mercy

Part of what I deeply love about QLs is that they are not Western, and I get to immerse myself in other cultures and perspectives. I live in a U.S. state where assisted death is legal now, but I remember the controversies that sprung up when I was a teenager and it was a national debate here. I'm not picking Spare Me Your Mercy just because it's a serious BL, but because it's a serious BL that handles its core subject with such incredible love and sensitivity.

Petrichor

I fully admit I haven't watched nearly enough GLs, but Petrichor is high on the list of all thriller QLs for me. It was such a standout because it's 1) a really good and compelling thriller, 2) has some absolutely outstanding performances, and 3) has such strong criticism of both the police and patriarchal bullshit in general.

2025 Essentials

Clairebell

The all time best GL I've seen so far, hands down. The director used to do music videos, and did a stunning job translating his work into a full series with incredible visuals, along with stellar acting and a powerful story.

The Bangkok Boy

Severely underwatched. It's a really, really good crime thriller, probably the best I've seen come out of the BL world so far.

Ballboy Tactics

Beyond the delightful ability of the romantic lead to happily accept his newfound bisexuality, this is a gem for the interplay of the characters, and the way their relationship opens up new possibilities for both of them.

Burnout Syndrome

P'Nuchy is one of the most interesting QL directors for me - Not Me still reigns supreme as my favorite. Burnout Syndrome isn't nearly as high on the list for me, but, like Not Me, it's doing something we almost never get to see in other QLs. She's not afraid of complicated protagonists or acknowledging that there are issues too big for love to solve.

Desire

This is an apt example of China roaring back in full form, riveting us to our screens, and giving us characters who are going to be in the community consciousness for a long time.

Khemjira

I really enjoy DMD actors, but I have struggled with a lot of DMD series in the past. I frequently ran into feelings of style over substance with them. Khemjira proved they were major players on the QL stage, and could create and produce something that would standout among the vast number of offerings on the Thai landscape. And they've since repeated their success, showing that there is a commitment there to put in the work.

The Promise of the Soul

Taiwan didn't have a lot happening in 2025, but we did manage to get this little treasure. I know a lot of people stayed away because of the premise of this one, but I maintain that keeping an open mind will bring you unexpected gifts.

Rearrange

Words cannot express how much I loved this series. Very few people, at least in the interfan community, seemed to check it out, but it's one of the best time travel/go back and fix what was broken stories I've seen.

The Proper Way to Write Love

There were plenty of good offerings from Japan in 2025, but not a ton of standouts for me. And this one started out in a similar vein. It was an intriguing story, but an unexpectedly subdued one, and I wasn't sure where we were going. But the final episode showed how a series can be beautifully brought together by a final verse. (Final-ish since it's now getting a season 2).

2026 Essentials (with the caveat there will be additions and may be a few changes depending on what airs in the later half of the year)

Fake Fact Lips

It feels like Japan is branching out a touch more these days, and it's quite lovely to see. There was a gorgeous maturity and depth to this story of two competitive and immature men figuring out how to love one another openly.

Life in Smokey Blue

A gorgeous slice-of-life with mature characters and a very realistic lens about making our way through the world at an age where we are expected to have all the answers, but never do.

Love You Teacher

Another one where people stayed away due to the premise, and missed out on an incredibly powerful and touching story about the way love is an every day choice, and none of us can do it alone.

Ticket to Heaven

I was always aware that this series was not made for me, as an agnostic, but that's also what I appreciated about it. This was an invitation to look at the world from the perspective of someone who has a much different experience with faith than I do, and it was a very welcoming and loving one. It also led to so much beautiful meta from a wide range of perspectives, all of which had something valuable to say.

There's plenty more I've enjoyed this year, but I still need to let things gel a bit before deciding if they feel truly essential to me.