If you’ve seen your fair share of boys love series from around Asia, you might have noticed that BLs from different countries tend to have their own individual vibe, sense of humor, and so on, sort of like sub-genres within the BL world. It’s pretty cool to think about how far BL has come!
When thinking about Japanese BLs, you might expect longer titles, an overload of lovable cringe, and some of the best opening songs you’ll ever hear. Another characteristic is that J-BLs are often unapologetically bizarre in the most interesting and fun ways you can imagine. You can say they’re experts in the best kind of weird.
These five dramas are proof that Japanese BLs will always surprise you.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
“Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!”
Fukuhara Kota (Sota Ryosuke) looks like a bright, bubbly guy on the surface—he almost seems too happy—but actually, he suffers from never-ending bad luck from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep. In order to fit in and make friends at his university, Kota puts off an air of being carefree, but it isn’t easy to hide his inner gloom when he’s always running into troublesome situations.
Kota’s first chance at good luck comes when he meets another college student, Shinomiya Naoya (Sato Yusuke), who has the opposite problem. Shinomiya always wins, always gets first pick, and never runs into trouble. He’s basically good luck in human form. At first, Kota is annoyed about this ironic situation, that is, until he realizes his bad luck goes away when he’s near Shinomiya. That’s probably BL math right?
So, Kota finds a new goal: get close to Shinomiya so he can avoid his bad luck and have a chance at a normal college life. With that plan in mind, Kota asks Naoya to be his friend. Sounds pretty simple right? But nothing is ever simple or easy for Kota. Because of a poor choice of wording, Shinomiya thinks Kota is asking to be more than friends. So, somehow, they become a couple. Unable to let go of the possibility of a good college life, Kota agrees to be boyfriends with Naoya.
Why it’s worth watching: Kota’s unfortunate bad luck is comedic gold. The hidden goodness beyond this drama’s unique storyline is the comedy. Kota is wildly funny without trying to be. The unlucky situations that come his way are always so unexpected that you can’t help but laugh and feel bad for him at the same time. Right when he steps outside, a line of chaos waits in his path. Poor Kota is always forced to hide the fact he’s having a terrible day, and it’s hilariously relatable.
Start watching “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!” now:
“Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-Kun Desires to be Recognized”
If you don’t know, “doujinshi” is the Japanese term for self-published works, like novels, comics, and mangas. Nekoyashiki Mamoru (Matsuoka Koudai) is a BL doujin artist with an oddly specific specialty: gay muscle erotica mangas. Yes, you read that right. This is quite a contrast to his gloomy, dark appearance and indifferent, blunt personality. All Mamoru really wants is to gain recognition for his art and maintain a spot on the elusive “wall” at doujinshi conventions.
But things go south for Mamoru when Kazama Issei (Nakao Masaki), a childhood friend and old crush, pops back into his life. Issei is a member of the popular J-pop group Shiny Smile, and Mamoru wants nothing to do with him because he feels they are from two completely different worlds. Issei, however, doesn’t feel the same way. He supports Mamoru’s goals and is even a fan of his mangas, often showing up in disguise to support Mamoru at doujinshi conventions.
The humor in “Kabe Koji” is equally quirky and out-there as the storyline and characters. Right when you think you know what to expect, something totally left-field happens. The iconic side characters add even more humor to the show. It’s seriously an adventure to watch.
Why it’s worth watching: Mamoru’s a complex character. For such a goofy premise, you might not expect serious topics to be discussed, but Mamoru’s character struggles with things like depression, self-esteem, and more. On one end, he’s confident that he can surpass others in his field, but at the same time, he feels inferior to others, especially Issei. He seeks upfront and constant recognition for his work, or he feels like a failure. Even Issei, who is optimistic and always smiling, has his own hidden struggles too.
Start watching “Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-Kun Desires to be Recognized” now:
“A Man Who Defies the World of BL”
“A Man Who Defies the World of BL” is told from the perspective of Mob (Inukai Atsuhiro), whose name is a nudge toward the Japanese term pronounced “mobu,” meaning an extra (the equivalent of a John Doe or average person). In this world, Mob seems to be the only character aware that he is in a BL drama where classic love scenarios between guys are happening everywhere he looks.
In this unavoidable world where two guys just have to bump into each other to fall in love, Mob spends his days trying to save himself and his younger brother from succumbing to the romance cliches of BL, and this doesn’t come easy when the plot is already set in stone. As a preventative measure, Mob researches BL mangas so he can catch the telltale signs of a BL romance starting. He even ends up pairing other guys together to avoid someone falling in love with him. It’s the world of BL, and he’s just trying to survive in it.
Why it’s worth watching: This drama is a creative (and hysterically funny) introspective look at the BL genre. It’s pretty short, even for a Japanese BL, but it’s a great one to watch, especially for avid BL watchers with a ton of BLs under their belt. It’s fun to see BL tropes and exaggerated BL characters in an introspective way with Mob’s narration of what he’s seeing. You’ll get an ab workout from laughing so much when watching this one, so be prepared!
Start watching “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” now:
“Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!”
Everything about this drama is normal except for an itty-bitty detail: if you’re still a virgin when you turn 30, you turn into a wizard, which means you can read people’s minds by touching them. This becomes a reality for quiet office worker Adachi Kiyoshi (Akaso Eiji) when he turns 30.
These newfound powers immediately disrupt Adachi’s mundane life. Things get worse when he accidentally touches his coworker Kurosawa Yuichi (Machida Keita) in the office elevator. As Adachi unintentionally listens to Kurosawa’s inner thoughts, he finds out that Kurosawa has a crush on someone else in that elevator. Adachi actually has a little fun trying to guess who it might be based on the description in Kurosawa’s mind, but the fun turns to panic when he realizes that Kurosawa actually has a crush on him!
You’d think being able to read people’s minds would make things clearer, but it just confuses Adachi and complicates his life. Adachi can’t understand why the successful and handsome Kurosawa would have a crush on him, so he tries to avoid him. This plan pretty much fails as his powers inadvertently help him get to know Kurosawa as more than a coworker.
Why it’s worth watching: The mind-reading power has a real effect on Adachi’s self-esteem and life. Adachi starts out as an average guy who lives by a daily routine. Besides his one homebody friend, he seems to only spend time with himself. He lacks self-confidence at work and in himself, which is the big reason he has such a hard time believing Kurosawa’s feelings for him are real. But when he gets these powers, his whole life starts to change, and he’s able to see things differently, including himself.
If you enjoy watching this one, there’s a Thai remake and anime that has recently come out, but the first adaption is a good place to start.
Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita co-star in “SUPER RICH” too:
“Eternal Yesterday”
Oumi Mitsuru (Inoue Sora) is an anti-social and intelligent student who doesn’t speak much and always looks somber. Yamada Koichi (Komiya Rio) happens to be his total opposite: he’s a popular and cheerful student who plays sports and is always socializing. When the two catch each other’s eyes at school, it’s clear there is chemistry between them despite being so different.
After weeks of merely glancing at each other, Koichi takes the initiative, and they agree to quietly eat their lunches together for no particular reason. Next, they start having brief conversations, and like this, they slowly get closer.
On what started as an ordinary day, the two are walking together when Koichi gets hit by a speeding car. Oumi is in shock when he sees Koichi’s lifeless body in a nearby field. Unwilling to believe this has happened, Oumi calls out Koichi’s name, telling him to get up. Believe it or not, seconds later, Koichi casually gets up and puts his broken bones back into place, pretty much unfazed by the crash.
Without a pulse, Koichi becomes a “living corpse.” He no longer feels pain and doesn’t have an appetite. Koichi should be dead but is nonetheless walking around like he was yesterday. The two decide to tell their classmates what has happened and ask they keep it a secret while they try to figure out what is going on. As this weird situation brings Koichi and Oumi closer, Oumi struggles to hide his true feelings for Koichi while also grappling with the idea that Koichi might really be dead.
Why it’s worth watching: This show has an interesting take on grief and death. Beyond the unbelievable circumstances of Koichi being a living corpse, the story is about how we process and accept grief and what death of a loved one can do to us. It can really pull at your heartstrings to see Koichi spending time with Oumi and his happy family while knowing that he has already died and there may be no way for him to really live again. Make sure you have your tissues for this one.
Start watching “Eternal Yesterday” now:
Most of these Japanese BLs are based off of mangas, so if you like the drama, don’t forget to check out the original manga!
Which Japanese BLs are your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!”