In the best BL dramas of 2024, there’s nothing like the fizzing chemistry between two BL leads. From YinWar to TayNew, the couples in our favorite BLs this year pulled off undeniable chemistry and heart-racing drama.
With an increasingly saturated market that makes it virtually impossible to watch every single release, the best BL dramas of the year brought romance and representation to the screen. And a weirdly common theme: bad dads. This year, we had a terrible father who owns a taekwondo gym, a terrible father who causes his son to move in with a family friend, and a terrible father who plays the piano.
We also had love, in big ways and small, as many of the countries that produce BL sought to build upon the excellent series we’ve loved over the years. The world’s best MLM stories are still the ones coming to us from all over Asia, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
Below, in no particular order, find a list of the best BL dramas from several countries that aired their final episode in 2024 — shows that were hotly anticipated, some that are Thai adaptations of Japanese manga, others that told bold, new stories, perfect for seasoned BL fans and newcomers alike.
Cherry Magic
“Thirty and flirty and thriving…” is not a way to describe the daily life of ordinary company man Achi, who turns the big three-oh with an unpopped cherry and subsequently gains telepathic powers. Basically, he's a magic virgin. When Achi reads the mind of Karan, a beloved employee with a kind aura, he discovers that Karan is falling for him, and so begins the Thai adaptation of the original Cherry Magic! manga.
GMMTV pulled out the big guns — Tay Tawan Vihokratana and New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun, known lovingly by fans as TayNew — to bring Karan and Achi to life, respectively. Theirs is a tried and true chemistry, as swoony as ever with a real softness to their intimacy and desire. Those familiar with the hallowed Japanese series and film (one of our Best BL Dramas of 2022 picks) should still find something exciting here. (Thailand)
My Love Mix-Up!
It’s been a banner year for Thai adaptations of Japanese works, this one based on the same manga that inspired our Best BLs of 2021 pick, Kieta Hatsukoi. Atom (Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul) has a crush on his classmate, Mudmee. He’s disheartened when he borrows her eraser, only to find the name of her crush, Kongthap (Gemini Norawit Titicharoenrak) written on it. And when Atom drops the eraser in front of Kongthap, he pretends that it’s his eraser to save face.
Fourth shines in many shades here, his comedy bordering on camp. But as we know, it’s his eyes that steal the scene whenever the script requires a shred of depth. Gemini brings a stoicism to Kongthap, but also a quiet nuance as he grows closer to Atom. Anyone expecting a Gemini and Fourth experience like My School President and Moonlight Chicken should temper expectations a little, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had. (YouTube, Thailand)
Love in the Big City
Based on the bestselling novel by Park Sangyoung (with English translation by Anton Hur), this series may be considered as more LGBT+ K-drama than hard and fast BL, but not including it on this list felt like an egregious sin, so here we are.
Go Young (Nam Yoonsu) is navigating love and his place in the world throughout the seasons of his life from Korea to Thailand, alongside his bestie Mi Ae, and later with various love interests. This show thrives in its confronting discomfort, making us sit with Go Young in his joy and his pain, but there’s a beautiful magic that sparks when Gyu Ho (Jin Hoeun) joins the fold — oh to love and be loved in return. Here’s to a big, beautiful and complex life in the big city. (Viki, South Korea)
Love for Love’s Sake
Feeling like an NPC in your own life and just wanting to feel something? This 8-part series from South Korea transports us right into the action when Myungha (Lee Taevin) arrives in the world of a virtual game, one that comes with on-screen prompts for new missions and tasks. These tasks involve high schooler Yeowoon (Cha Joowan), who’s been doing it tough as of late, and who Myungha pulls back from a ledge.
Using his ability to track Affinity Level (imagine it being that easy) and maintaining distance from Yeowoon as that affinity changes, Myungha is set with a new mission. He has 300 days to make Yeowoon happy. And the penalty for failing to complete his mission? Death. Roll credits. (iQIYI & GagaOOLala, South Korea)
The Time of Fever
Explore the riveting backstory of the Unintentional Love Story side couple, Hotae (Won Taemin) and Donghee (Do Woo), in this Korean prequel series. Hotae relocates with his mother back to their hometown after his father dies, reuniting him with Donghee, who seems to be winning at life with good grades and big dreams. Except his father is abusive, so he moves in with Hotae.
And so the push and pull of burgeoning feelings takes over, as Hotae finds it hard to call Donghee his hyung, pushing us towards the dynamic we remember from Unintentional Love Story. Kudos to the cinematographer for the show’s stunning visuals — paired with an enchanting story and palpable chemistry, it’s a fevered, fervorous watch. (iQIYI, South Korea)
Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo
Hwang Da-seul has done it again! Like our previous Best BL picks To My Star and the unrivaled Blueming, the famed storyteller has worked her magic and cast a spell on this Korean drama. High school student Dohoe (Kim Nu-rim) takes on extra responsibility at his abusive father’s rural taekwondo gym when Juyeong (Lee Seon), an ambitious taekwondo athlete, boards at his house while undertaking his training.
There’s enough sweetness to go around, and expect to pile on another helping of loveliness as their youthful romance builds. Be prepared for a hefty time jump that turns the show’s dynamics on their head. In recognition of Dohoe’s awful father, I pledge to learn taekwondo and then I’m gonna reach through the screen and kick his dad’s ass. Feel free to join in. (iQIYI & GagaOOLala, South Korea)
The On1y One
Taiwanese director Liu Kuang Hu, the man behind the intense and heart-wrenching Your Name Engraved Herein, brings this addictive series to the screen with his usual flair. Sheng Wang (Liu Dong Qin) and Jiang Tian (Benjamin Tsang) are forced into cohabitation as step brothers thanks to their parents’ marriage.
Together they must navigate their new situation, while softening their exterior to make way for new feelings. It boasts gorgeous, almost lyrical dialogue at times (credit to the translators for making it sound so pretty in English) and incredible performances — get ready to be a willing third participant in their blooming connection. If you live for the beauty of those moments where someone opens up, lowering their guard even just an inch, to let the other person in, then this is for you. (Viki, iQIYI & GagaOOLala, Taiwan)
I Hear the Sunspot
At his university, Kohei (Nakazawa Motoki) navigates his hearing disability and finds it difficult to join campus life. But when he meets the bubbly and peppy Taichi (Kobayashi Toranosuke), he’s comforted and learns that his differences are not his fault.
This is a slice of life drama that lends itself more to genuine friendship than romance, as Taichi’s care for Kohei bulldozes right through the walls he keeps up. It’s the kind of connection that marks you forever, and both actors commit beautifully to its execution. Being seen is a wonderful thing that can open the world to you, or rather, can stir you to let others into yours. You don’t need to be in love to feel that joy. (iQIYI & GagaOOLala, Japan)
Jack and Joker: U Steal My Heart!
YinWar, welcome home! Here’s the gist: Jack (Yin Anan Wong) takes up a new gig as a *drum roll* shady debt collector, and rich boy Joker (War Wanarat Ratsameerat) presses forward with his plan to steal from the rich and give to the poor — how very Sherwood Forest of him. But when their paths cross, they forge a love-hate relationship that is so compelling to watch.
It’s always a treat to get a gritty, action-filled drama like this. What’s more is that War put down his ceramics for five seconds to give his everything to this project, and Yin turns in one of his most electric performances to date. The result is a 12-episode romp with a romance that’s bubbling just below the surface, if you’re into that. (iQIYI, Thailand)
Ossan’s Love Returns
What an absolute treat it is to see the Ossan’s Love cast reunited several years later for the latest entry in the venerated Japanese series. It has welcome shades of the original show while still shifting the characters in a new direction as they meet a different stage of life. Haruta (Kei Tanaka) and Maki (Kento Hayashi) are living together after distance and time apart, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Adulting is real, and both find themselves neglectful of chores, quality time and the ingredients that make their relationship sing — and then tensions rise once again when their old boss (who had a crush on Haruta) becomes their housekeeper. It’s great fun, with the familiar charm and comedy that’s become part and parcel of the Ossan’s Love universe. (Viki & GagaOOLala, Japan)
Century of Love
Now this one is exciting. San (Daou Pittaya Saechua) is in love and has waited his entire life for the reincarnation of his long lost love Wat, who died a century ago. The story goes that if San doesn’t find Wat within the century, he’ll die a tragic death, separated from his love for all eternity.
Just when the sands of time seem to play against him, he meets Vee (Offroad Kantapon Jindataweephol), described by the show’s synopsis as an “adonis” — they’re not wrong — who is somehow connected to his life. At first unaware of Vee’s true nature, it’s clear that this man is San’s long lost Wat. If you loved last year’s I Feel You Linger in the Air, you might find something here worth diving into. (GagaOOLala, Thailand)
We Are
If you’re looking for high-octane, elevated stakes — you’ve come to the wrong place. We Are, from GMMTV, is a slice of life series in every sense of the word, though at 16 episodes it feels like several slices.
It’s a show about people; characters that you take into your heart and follow through the (sometimes mundane) motions of their lives. Boasting a stacked cast including Pond and Phuwin, as well as Winny and Satang, this one is smooth sailing and straight on ‘til morning. You’ll despise this show if you want a heavy plot, but hot people being hot and sometimes doing absolutely nothing at all? Sign me up! (YouTube & iQIYI, Thailand)
The Boyfriend
I know what you’re thinking. Netflix’s The Boyfriend is an MLM reality dating show, not a BL. That’s true, but it’s earned a place on the list by virtue of its widespread acclaim. Nine men, aged 22 to 36, descend upon a seaside Tateyama beach house in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, where they spend one month living together and working shifts at a coffee truck to earn their keep.
Along the way, they build connections, and each of them leaves the house a little more open to love or happiness than they were before. I wrote about the profound way it inspired me to open myself up to love, too. Everyone watched this series in 2024 (and then went on a following spree of the cast on IG), and if you didn’t — you should! (Netflix, Japan)
