What Is a BL Drama?
A BL drama is a “boys’ love” drama, or a TV drama with two male characters who have a romantic and/or sexual relationship. Contrary to popular belief, BL stretches beyond just manga or anime. Live action movies and shows with a male same-sex romance can also be considered BL. While it’s often associated with works made for women to read or watch, BL can really be for anyone. Also, although the term originated in Japan, BL is popular in the West, as well as all over the world.
Although BL can actually refer to a wide variety of media, today we’ll be focusing on BL dramas from Japan. We’ll review ten of our favorite BL dramas, give them a rating, and let you decide which one to dive into next!
How Did BL Dramas Become Popular?
BL dramas became popular for many reasons, and it’s hard to exactly pinpoint the main cause. One of the many reasons is that LGBTQ+ people love to watch TV shows that they feel represented in. So, queer viewers both in Japan and abroad gravitate towards Japanese BL dramas.
In addition, social media has made us all increasingly more connected. This means that BL fans can recommend new dramas to others more easily and frequently than they could before, even to people in other countries.
Another reason for an increase in BL’s popularity is that LGBTQ+ representation is becoming more common in media as a whole. This increase brings further demand for queer romantic dramas such as BL dramas, and a financial incentive for broadcasting companies to create more of them.
Must-Watch BL Dramas in Japan
Popular BL Dramas in Japan
1. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19632738/mediaindex/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&ref_=mv_close
Synopsis
A BL series with a unique plot, Cherry Magic! centers around Kiyoshi, a 30-year-old virgin who gains psychic powers due to his prolonged virginity. He receives the ability to read people’s minds by touching them. But when he accidentally bumps into Yuichi, the office hottie, he’s surprised to learn that Yuichi (another guy) is secretly in love with him!
Cherry Magic! also has a live action movie as a sequel, which deals with even more complications of the two men’s relationship. So check this out if you liked the show.
Our Rating
10/10
Cherry Magic! received positive reviews from audience members, as well as from the JGG team. It’s a fun boys’ love comedy with a unique premise, so give it a watch if you want something a little different!
2. Although I Love You, and You?
source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19632738/mediaindex/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&ref_=mv_close
Synopsis
This drama follows Sakae, a gay Japanese man living in Osaka who runs a restaurant that he inherited from his mother. He’s a good cook and has the ability to charm customers with not only his cooking, but also his looks.
One day, Soga, a male office worker, relocates to Osaka from Tokyo, and becomes a regular at the restaurant. Sakae immediately falls for Soga, but is too nervous to tell him how he feels. The show is not only a cute BL drama, but also explores the relationship and rivalry between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka. So, if you want to learn more about that, definitely watch this drama!
Our Rating
7/10
While Although I Love You, and You? is a sweet and entertaining BL drama, reviewers said that the show’s acting is a bit lackluster, and that there isn’t the best chemistry between the male leads.
3. Ossan’s Love
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ossans_Love.png
Synopsis
Ossan’s Love isn’t just a single BL drama but multiple drama series and a film all featuring the same characters. In this way, it’s a whole BL saga!
Soichi is an office worker who’s unlucky in love and lives with his mom. He relies on his mom for basic life skills such as cooking and cleaning. When she abruptly abandons him, he decides to move in with his friend Ryota who’s good at housekeeping. What ensues is a gay love triangle between Soichi, Ryota, and his boss Musashi.
Ossan’s Love is one of the most well-known and beloved BL drama series. So definitely check it out if you want to watch an absolute classic!
Our Rating
9/10
Ossan’s Love is a classic BL drama with many sequels and spin-off series. For this reason, it’s beloved by fans and they keep coming back to watch. Reviewers describe it as being both hilarious and sweet at the same time.
4. At 25:00, in Akasaka
source: https://asianwiki.com/At_25:00_in_Akasaka
Synopsis
If you’re looking for a BL drama that’s a little bit meta, this might be just the one for you! Yuki, a fledgeling actor, lands a role as one of the male leads in a BL drama series. Since he’s inexperienced in the gay scene, he goes to a local gay hangout in the area to learn more.
To his surprise, he meets the other male lead, popular actor Hayama, when he arrives. They actually end up kissing that night, which leads to various challenges as they have to pretend to be in a relationship on screen.
Our Rating
8/10
At 25:00 in Akasaka received positive reviews from audiences. Since it’s a BL drama about acting in a BL drama, it’s a fun way of learning more about the drama industry while also following a cute romance.
5. My Personal Weatherman
source: https://drama.fandom.com/wiki/My_Personal_Weatherman
Synopsis
Although Segasaki is a charming and handsome weatherman on screen, at home he’s a total tyrant. This can be backed up by Yoh, an erotic manga artist who happens to live with him. Yoh cooks and cleans for Segasaki, and in return for free food, he must “obey everything that Segasaki says”.
While this BL relationship may not be the healthiest, it sure has the potential to be entertaining!
Our Rating
8/10
This drama received good reviews from audiences , and is definitely a fun watch for those into relationships with uneven power dynamics.
6. Naked Dining ~Love, Life and Liberation~
source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27237297/
Synopsis
Souta is an office worker who clocks long hours. To relieve stress, he likes to eat his meals naked when at home. Souta visits his late grandmother’s house and eats naked there, but Mahiro, a local produce seller who used to give Souta’s grandma cooking lessons, walks in on him eating. Continuing on from this strange encounter, how will the two men’s relationship develop?
Our Rating
7/10
Naked Dining received mixed reviews from audience members. While lauded for its unique premise, one viewer said that “the novelty runs out quickly”, and that the romance itself is pretty standard.
7. Wash My Heart
source: https://asianwiki.com/Wash_My_Heart
Synopsis
Akira quits his thankless office job in Tokyo in order to work at his late grandfather’s laundromat in his hometown. The laundromat is a place that a lot of local people like to meet. One day, high school senior Shintaro enters the laundromat and gets to know Akira. The two get to know each other, but Shintaro doesn’t yet know that Akira is gay.
Our Rating
8/10
Reviews of Wash My Heart were generally positive. Some reviewers were weirded out by the characters’ age gap, but also said that the way the pair conveyed their emotions was really refreshing.
8. Sugar Dog Life
source: https://mydramalist.com/771915-sugar-dog-life
Synopsis
Due to his baby face and short height, university student Isumi is mistaken by police officer Koyusuke for a minor, and is almost arrested for returning home drunk from a party. However, Isumi shows Koyusuke his ID to clear up the misunderstanding.
Later, Koyusuke runs into Isumi working at the local convenience store, and over time becomes a regular, asking for midnight snack recommendations. Eventually, Isumi, who’s a great cook, becomes worried about Koyusuke’s eating habits and offers to come over to his house to cook for him.
Our Rating
8/10
Reviews of this drama were generally positive. Although, reviewers said not to expect too heavy or complicated of a plot, but to just enjoy the story for what it is, which is a cute, lighthearted, boys’ love drama.
9. Cosmetic Playlover
source: https://mydramalist.com/772865-cosmetic-playlover
Synopsis
Sahashi and Natsume are both cosmetics consultants and top employees at their beauty company. However, junior employee Sahashi consistently gets on Natsume’s nerves, and even finds out that he’s gay but still in the closet. Sahashi threatens to reveal this information in order to manipulate him.
The characters’ relationship is described by one reviewer as being “hot and cold”, so this isn’t a drama where the main couple is lovey-dovey all the time.
Our Rating
8/10
Audience reviews for this series were positive, citing how every action by the characters seemed intentional, and how entertaining it was to see two strong personalities clash, while also having feelings for each other.
10. I Hear the Sunspot
source: https://mydramalist.com/770941-hidamari-ga-kikoeru
Synopsis
Kohei is a deaf university student who keeps to himself due to being made fun of for his disability. However, he then meets Taichi, who takes notes of his lectures for him in exchange for food. Taichi’s an outgoing student who’s always kind to Kohei, despite others not being so. The two slowly become friends and eventually develop a romance.
Our Rating
9/10
I Hear the Sunspot received good reviews from audience members, with some reviews especially praising the two male leads’ acting ability.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it! These are the top ten BL dramas that we recommend! Of course, not every drama will have the same theme, setting, or relationship dynamic. But, we hope that you can choose one that sounds the most interesting to you from this list and start watching!
If you’d like to learn more about the LGBTQ+ manga and anime that we’ve reviewed, check out the articles down below!
