The guide includes show’s basic
summary; main genres/tropes/themes and the official streaming link! You can find some
content warnings in the notes of this post. Shows are listed by countries, numbered by the order I recommend watching in, not by rating. The list will get updated regularly (last update 22/08/22).
Thailand
🇹🇭
1. KinnPorsche
mafia
boss/bodyguard; action; dark-ish
Kinn, a son of a prominent mafia head, is
ambushed by an enemy and meets Porsche, a bartender who comes to his rescue for
a price, thus beginning their reluctant relationship as boss and bodyguard,
which soon turns into something more.
iQIYI
2. You’re My Sky
sports; university setting; coming of
age
Thorn, a young basketball player follows his
senior Fah to university as a result of the promise they’d made — to become
national basketball champions. However, to his dismay, he finds that Tupfah has
already given up on basketball. — Aai has to work in pairs throughout the
semester with San, 1 year footballer; in order to receive a scholarship to
study in Japan, Ai must be willing to do everything to get an A grade. — Track
running requires the compatibility of the team members to be very high. Vee,
who became the new racquet 4, has to speed up training to fit in with the team
as quickly as possible, especially with Dome, spending extra time together to
train. Is love actually a major obstacle on the path of being an athlete?
Viki
3. Cutie Pie
arranged marriage;
secret identity
The sons of two companies, Lian and Kuea, have
been engaged to each other since childhood. One decides he doesn’t want the
arranged marriage anymore while the other decides to win him over.
YouTube
4. Until We Meet Again (+ Between Us)
soulmates; forbidden
love; reincarnation; university setting
Two boys who couldn’t be
together in one life find each other again in another.
YouTube (UWMA) & YouTube (Between Us: Special)
5. I Told Sunset About You (+ Last
Twilight in Phuket, I Promised You the Moon)
coming of age; childhood friends to lovers;
high school setting
Two
childhood best friends-turned-rivals meet again, awakening an old rivalry and
old feelings. They now have to navigate their lives together and the growing
attraction toward each other.
No
official international streaming available at the moment to my knowledge, you can watch on
Dramacool.
6. Something In My Room
ghost/human; horror-ish;
mystery
Looking to start a new life
in a new house with his mother, Phat feels something uncanny in his room,
which turns out to be the ghost of Phob. Phob wants Phat’s help in solving
the mystery of his death before everything is too late.
YouTube but I recommend to watch the
extended version on Dramacool
7. Manner of Death
crime; mystery; dark
Bunn, a forensic
pathologist is threatened to identify a manner of one victim’s death as
suicide— something that is not true according to the autopsy performed. The
prime suspect seems to be a man named Tan who denies all involvement. They team
up together to find the real murderer.
WeTV
8. Triage
time loop; hospital
setting; crime; mystery; dark
As a resident in the emergency room, one
should be indifferent when not saving a patient’s life. But Tin got the chance
to reverse a random patient’s death for the second, third, and countless times.
To help Tol and save his life.
AIS PLAY
9. Secret Crush On You
“nerd”/popular guy; queer friend group; university setting
Discover the secret of a
nerdy young man, Toh, who fell in love with a popular third-year senior. Because his
dream is so far from reach, observing is the only thing he could do. But what
happens when one auspicious day the world devises an opportunity for Toh to
make himself known to his crush Nuea?
YouTube
10. Love Mechanics
cheating; university setting
A love story that starts one night in a club
— between Mark, who is drunk and carrying the painful burden of his one-sided
love, and the boy who he bumps into and mistakes as the object of his
affection. They spend a night together and gradually Mark falls for Vee although
he knows Vee has a beloved girlfriend. Will the love between them make it?
WeTV
11. Don’t Say No
best friends to
lovers; relationship exploration; university setting
Leo and Fiat, two childhood best-friends who
love each other, begin to date; but they are both insecure and end up having a
turbulent relationship with many obstacles.
Viki
12. Unforgotten Night
trash watch; mafia
Heartbroken Kim is in need of someone to
embrace his body for just one night and sleeps with a stranger he meets at a
bar. Kamol, a mafia boss, is a man with special B-D-S-M needs in bed who
actively switches partners as no one is able to satisfy his desires in its
entirety. Kim makes Kamol realize that he’s finally found the one who’s able to
perfectly fit his needs.
YouTube & extended bed scenes on GagaOOLala
GMMTV Thailand
🇹🇭
1. Bad Buddy (+ Zero Photography)
enemies to lovers; forbidden
romance; university setting
Fueled by their parents animosity, Pat and Pran
have competed with each other in nearly everything in life. In public, they are
rivals, but behind closed doors the pair are open to being friends… maybe more.
Bad Buddy (YouTube) & Zero Photography (YouTube)
2. Not Me
revolution; freedom
fighters; secret twins
When his twin Black is
viciously attacked and subsequently left hospitalised in unconsciousness, White
is unable to endure the harm done to his brother in silence. He learns Black
was a part of a gang of anti-capitalist freedom fighters, and it was one of them
who betrayed him. White disguises himself as Black to discover who betrayed him
and put him in a coma.
YouTube
3. Enchanté
childhood friends to
lovers; university setting
After living in France, Theo
comes back to Thailand and he meets his childhood friend, Akk. Theo finds a
book with a message welcoming him and signed as Enchanté,
he becomes curious about who this guy is. Will
Theo successfully guess who is the Enchanté in the university?
YouTube
4. Theory of Love
unrequited love;
best friends to lovers
Third year film student Third has been harboring
feelings for his friend Khai. After three years of painful unrequited love,
Third decides to stop, no matter how difficult it may be. But when Third
decides to stop, Khai decides to start.
YouTube
5. He’s Coming to Me
ghost/human, mystery
After his death, Met is a
ghost that is consumed by loneliness. That is until he meets a strange boy that
can see him. The two bond in a state of happiness and joy as they develop into
friends. But what happens when Met falls for the boy who is alive?
YouTube
6. 3 Will Be Free
polyamorous triad;
on the run; mafia
After an unexpected event
that involves sex work and mafia gangs, three individuals find themselves
on-the-run together as they attempt to escape death.
YouTube
7. A Tale of Thousand Stars (1000Stars)
a second chance in
life; village setting
After a volunteer teacher
dies in a tragic accident, her heart is transplanted into Tian. He learns about
his donor’s life through her diary and decides to follow in her footsteps. Now
a new village volunteer teacher himself, Tian meets Phupha and as the two slowly grow closer, Tian notices his new
heart beats quickly whenever he’s near the man. Much like the heart’s previous
owner, Tian cannot help but fall for Phupha.
YouTube
8. 2gether (+ Still 2gether)
pretend
relationship; university setting
When Tine is chased by
Green, who he does not reciprocate feelings for — he ends up begging Sarawat, the
campus’ most popular guy, to fake date with him in order to chase Green away.
YouTube (2gether) &
YouTube (Still 2gether)
9. Cupid’s Last Wish
best friends to
lovers; body swap; road trip
Korn and Win are childhood best friends.
Conflicts arise when Win’s father includes Korn in his will, granting him part
of the family’s farm’s stocks and breaking up their friendship. Win gets into a
car accident with his sister Lin, and wakes up to find his soul in her body. To
return to his original body, Win sets off on a road trip to collect holy water
across the country with Korn as his companion. Can this adventure get their
relationship back?
YouTube
10. Dark Blue Kiss
(pre-story in Kiss Me Again)
established
relationship; university setting
(Taking off from the Kiss Me Again series)
Pete and Kao have grown closer to each other in their relationship. Kao takes
on part-time tutoring for high school students. With one of the students
fueling Pete’s jealousy, his relationship with Kao gets tested in several
occasions. Meanwhile, the love story between Sun and Mork begins.
YouTube (Kiss Me Again) & YouTube (Dark Blue Kiss)
11. Vice Versa
parallel universes;
body swap
Talay and Puen find themselves in the bodies
of strangers in a parallel universe. Talay wakes up in the body of a man named
Tess. Puen is a famous actor who is now in the body of Tun. Both of them have
to live their lives in a new universe that is not their home. The only way to
put a stop to this chaos is to discover portkeys that will take them back to
where they came from. Love and friendship grow with them in the new universe.
YouTube
12. The Eclipse
Akk is a head student prefect in country’s leading all-boys school. Rumour has it that there is a curse that will punish students who disobey the school rules, a curse that grows stronger as the solar eclipse nears. Akk has to keep an eye on a mysterious new student Ayan, who regularly challenges the school’s norms.
YouTube
Japan
🇯🇵
1. Cherry Magic!
mind reading; office
setting
By still being a vіrgin at
30, Adachi Kiyoshi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people’s
minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s
not proving to be helpful to him. But that all changes when he accidentally
touches Kurosawa Yuichi, who he learns has romantic feelings for him.
WeTV
2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!)
misunderstanding;
high school setting
Aoki has a crush on
Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he
borrows her eraser and sees she’s written the name of another boy — Ida — on
it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and
thinks Aoki has a crush on him!
Viki
3. Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss!
lucky guy/unlucky
guy; university setting
College student Fukuhara
Kouta has bad luck that causes problems everywhere he goes. One day, Shinomiya,
a student with super good luck, helps him out. Now, in order to divide the luck
between them, Fukuhara needs to be with Shinomiya all the time.
Viki
4. Old Fashion Cupcake!
age gap;
boss/assistant; self-discovery; office setting
At 39, Nozue realizes that by letting himself be carried away by his daily
life, he ended up locking himself into his routine. It is Togawa, his
29-year-old subordinate, who shakes up his habits by offering him one day to go
snack on pastries in an establishment particularly popular with girls. From one
snack to the next, Nozue feels rejuvenated… But is it really the effect of
these delicacies or rather that of emerging feelings?
Viki
5. A Man Who Defies the World of BL
breaking the 4th wall; comedy; university setting
It suddenly dawns on Mob
that he lives in a BL world! So he must turn down any hot guys who approach
him.
Viki (S1) & Viki (S2)
6. Two People Who Can’t Fall in Love (Koisenu
Futari)
aromantism; asexuality; self-exploration
Sakuko finds it difficult to live in a
society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with
each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi and ends up living with
him under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.
No international streaming available, watching instructions on this Tumblr
China
🇨🇳
Chinese shows are adapted from
explicitly queer novels, the shows are undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part
is censured.
1. The Untamed
period drama;
fantasy
An epic fantasy with a
romance at its center, led by a problem child who comes back from the dead 16
years later in order to fix the broken world he left behind — and finally unite
with his true love.
YouTube
2. Word of Honor
period drama;
fantasy
The leader of assassin
organisation Zhou Zishu quits his position in pursuit of freedom with drastic
measures. In his travels, he meets Wen Kexing, the leader of Ghost Valley who
wants nothing but revenge. The two become entangled in various machinations
within the martial arts world, and eventually become soulmates instrumental in
each other’s redemption.
YouTube & Special Episode
3. Couple of Mirrors
period drama; socialite/assassin
You Yi is a young, innocent, and kind-hearted
socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when
she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no
one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei,
a lonely female kill-er disguised as the owner of a photo studio.
YouTube
South Korea
🇰🇷
1. Semantic Error
enemies to lovers;
university setting
A serious programmer and a
rebellious artist clash over a school project. Their animosity keeps escalating
to new extremes, defined by petty pranks and feisty arguments.
Viki
2. Light On Me
love triangle; high
school setting
One day Tae Kyung, a high school loner,
starts questioning his own judgment and gets advise from a teacher to join the
school’s student council. He meets the Vice President of the council, Shin Woo,
who is somewhat cold toward him. However, he also meets the super-attractive
President of the council: Da On, who appears to take an instant shine to him.
The beginnings of a romance appear to be in the cards for Da On and Tae Kyung,
but Shin Woo does not seem to approve.
Viki
3. Tinted With You
period drama; time
travel; hinted at polyamory
A high school student gets magically
transported to the feudal period. Confused by his surroundings, he encounters a
banished prince and his devoted bodyguard. The three characters live together
and fall in love.
Viki
4. Blueming
coming of age; university setting
Cha Siwon, a college freshman majoring in
film studies, does a lot to maintain his image because of his past life of
unpopularity. He meets Hyeong Dawoon, a classmate of his with perfect looks,
good grades, and everything at his fingertips. Siwon’s feelings of wariness for
his classmate soon change into something else.
iQIYI
5. Mr. Heart
sports; university
setting
Jin Won is a university freshman who has a
talent for running marathons. Sang Ha maintains a smile despite his difficult
environment. A romance drama about the love and friendship between a rising
marathon star and a pacemaker.
Viki
6. Kissable Lips
vampire/human;
university setting; bittersweet
A campus romance between Jun Ho, a vampire who is
walking the path of extinction, and Min Hyun, a human with pure blood.
Viki
7. Cherry Blossoms After Winter
secret crush; high
school setting
Ever since his parents passed away, Haebom
has been living in Taesung’s house. And now, being a 12th grader, he enters the
same class as Taesung, which makes the whole situation way more awkward. Living
together 24/7, Taesung and Haebom’s relationship is bound to change.
Viki
8. Ocean Likes Me
restaurant setting
A healing food romance between Han Ba Da, a
young entrepreneur who dreams of starting an udon restaurant with a beach in
the background but finds serving customers difficult. Ba Da then meets Tommy, a
failed musician who returns to his hometown after wandering and has a new
dream. Together, both of them step towards their dreams.
Viki
9. You Make Me Dance
dancing
The story of Song Shi On who is an aspiring
contemporary dancer with a broken heart because he is not receiving love from
his family and of Jin HongSeok, once a keen pianist, who has given up on his
dreams to pursue a lucrative but unfulfilling career of a loan shark. But
spending time with Shi On changes his perspective on life, and the duo forms a
close bond that eventually turns romantic.
Viki
10. WISH YOU: Your Melody In My Heart
music
A talented singer-songwriter and a keyboard
player add love and harmony to each other’s lives as chase their dreams
together.
Viki
11. Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding
period drama; cross-dressing
When a bride runs away on the eve of an
arranged marriage, her brother steps in under the guise of a woman to wed the
groom in a secret-filled union.
WeTV
12. To My Star
celebrity/ordinary person
Actor Kang Seo Joon was once one of South
Korea’s biggest and most popular stars, but after he’s rocked by a public
scandal he goes into hiding. In his hideout, he gets acquainted with his new
roommate, a young chef who leads a modest, unassuming life. Despite having
wildly different personalities, the two begin on a relationship.
Viki (S1) & Viki (S2 which I don’t recommend unless you like painful content)
Taiwan
🇹🇼
1. History3: Trapped
mafia boss/policeman
The story of a police
officer who becomes trapped in the underworld, as he develops feelings for a
gang leader.
YouTube or Viki
2. History2: Crossing the
Line
sports; high school
setting
When an injury sidelines a high school senior
from the volleyball team, he develops feelings for a recruit.
YouTube or Viki
3. Be Loved in House: I Do
workplace romance
When the new boss arrives at the company, he
immediately clashes with a headstrong, hot-blooded employee over a
controversial workplace policy. Although their relationship starts off
combatively, the two of them develop a bond as they work and live together.
Viki
4. We Best Love: No. 1 For You, We Best Love:
Fighting Mr. 2nd
enemies to lovers;
secret crush; university setting
Zhou Shu Yi has spent his entire life as
second best thanks to Gao Shi De, whether it be academics, arts or sports, Gao
Shi De always managed to beat Shu Yi. Many years later, Shu Yi
can finally breathe a sigh of relief when he and his nemesis part ways for
university. However, as fate would have it, Shu Yi finds himself defeated once
again when Shi De transfers to Shu Yi’s college for his final year. Could the
reason that Shi De is seemingly following Shu Yi be something other than to
torment him?
WeTV (S1) & WeTV (S2)
5. Plus & Minus
best friends to
lovers; lawyers; secret crush
Zheng Ze Shou and Fu Li Gong have been best
friends for over twenty years. Now, they work as divorce attorneys in the same
law firm. Despite their close brotherly bond, this friendship never escalated
affectionately until now.
Viki
You can watch many shows for free on YouTube, and watch others on streaming websites by setting VPN to one of the countries in the list. In other cases
I recommend paying for subscriptions to show
appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the
future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality) or Dramacool (better
variety). Enjoy!
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️