BL guide: the best Boys Love series (and where to watch them in community)

BL (Boys Love) is the genre of series, films, anime and manga centered on love stories between men. Born in Japanese manga (*yaoi*), Thailand turned it into a global industry over the last decade, and today it's one of the biggest, most passionate fandoms on the planet — Buenos Aires chapter included.

What exactly is BL?

Episodic series, leading couples with millimetric chemistry and plots ranging from school romance to mafia thriller. The Thai industry (GMMTV and company) produces dozens of series a year with actors who fill stadiums; Korea contributes impeccable miniseries and Japan the original manga lineage. The fandom is transversal: all ages, all identities.

Where to start: the key titles

• 2gether (Thailand, 2020) — the BL that broke into the mainstream mid-pandemic: fake university dating, zero heavy drama.
• Bad Buddy (Thailand, 2021) — feuding families, rival neighbors, a perfectly round script: for many, the best Thai BL.
• KinnPorsche (Thailand, 2022) — mafia, bodyguards and a film budget: BL as blockbuster.
• Semantic Error (Korea, 2022) — the perfect BL k-drama: a rigid programmer and a chaotic designer. Eight impeccable episodes.
• Cherry Magic (Japan, 2020) — magical premise, infinite tenderness: turn 30 without debuting and you gain mind-reading powers by touch.
• Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan, 2022) — adult, office-set, contained and elegant. For when you want something mature.
• Heartstopper (UK, 2022) — the Western cousin: Alice Oseman's adaptation that took queer school romance worldwide.

Watching in community

Watching BL in a group is a sport: the whole room screaming at the same almost-kiss, theories at the break and new people who love what you love. At FEL!ZA (Av. Córdoba 3271, Buenos Aires) watch parties screen on a big screen with debate and games afterwards — keep an eye on the agenda for the next one.