Japanese BL (Boys’ Love) series offer calmer and clearer stories. For this reason, they are easier to watch. Deeper, internal youth dramas are truly worth watching. Sometimes, exaggerated and filtered faces do disrupt the naturalness, though. Still, J-BL has a style unique to itself. Especially manga adaptations offer better stories, I can say.
Here, I have recommendations that can be considered an introduction to the BL genre for viewers who are just starting out with Japanese BL series. I love deep stories that are more internal and give importance to character psychology. I have shared the best dramas that contain not only romance but also a cinematographic aesthetic and social messages—in short, the ones I have watched and selected from among hundreds of series.
This Japanese BL Starter Guide I prepared includes series from that critical 2020–2022 period that enabled the genre to make a global boom. There are wonderful series, ranging from the naivety of Cherry Magic to the obsessive aesthetic of My Beautiful Man; from the office maturity of Old Fashion Cupcake to the musical melancholy of Given. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I said this list contains the essential building blocks you must watch to understand the J-BL universe. If you are ready to enter that unique, elegant, and striking world of Japanese series, here are the top 10 recommendations.
🎁 More recommendations: Japanese BL Series #2: The Best Picks for Beginners
Japanese BL Series Recommendations and Plots: From Manga Adaptations to Modern Classics
The selection below is a study in which I gathered the brightest stars of the last three years (2020–2022), one of the most productive and high-quality periods of the Japanese BL industry. Most of the productions on the list are adapted from popular manga works, and they earned a right to enter my list with their scripts remaining faithful to the original and their top-tier acting performances. I know saying “earned a right” sounds a bit ambitious, but I believe I made good choices.
Whether you look for an innocent love taking place on high school benches or a mature relationship blossoming in the chaos of business life; on this 10-item cult list, you will find that magical atmosphere of Japan and the most beautiful dramas of J-BL.
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! – 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい (2020)
The manga-adapted Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! is among the Japanese series of the 2020 production. The 6-episode mini-series adopts a simple and minimalist Japanese style. The movie version (the movie) of this legendary series is a 2022 production.
Adachi Kiyoshi is 30 years old. He is a dedicated, self-sacrificing employee at his company; however, he has still not experienced a romantic relationship and has remained a virgin. The legend colloquially expressed in a humorous way in Japan as “if you stay a virgin until 30, you become a wizard” reflects on Adachi’s life as a transformation. When he reaches this age, he gains a magical ability: the power to read people’s thoughts.
With this new ability, Adachi discovers that his coworker and at the same time his supervisor, Kurosawa Yuichi, has feelings for him. This quietly developing friendship transforms into an emotional intimacy over time, and the duo becomes a couple. However, this newly developing relationship will go through a test with Adachi’s relocation to another city.
Adachi is sent to a rural town for eight months, and during the time he spends there, his relationship with Kurosawa tries to resist both distance and difficulties. A small accident experienced by Adachi causes Kurosawa to rush to his side. This event is a breaking point showing how deep their relationship is.
In the progressive scenes of the series, the couple decides to confront not only their own feelings but also society. They disclose their relationship first to their families, and then to their coworkers. Their families will support them; their children being happy is more important than anything. At this point, the BL series treats not only romance but also themes like social acceptance and belonging. It is a Japanese BL drama with a psychological and social narrative, just as I said in the introductory paragraph.
👉 Details: MyDramaList
My Beautiful Man – 美しい彼 シーズン1 (2021)
Utsukushii Kare is a Japanese BL series that tells the one-sided love of sociophobic Hira and his relationship extending into adulthood. It is a Japanese BL drama classic with its minimalist narrative and realistic style focusing on character psychology.
Silent and introverted Hira falls in love with the newcomer Kiyoi and worships him. Kiyoi also likes Hira, but Hira’s admiration for him makes him uncomfortable. When their paths cross again at the university, Kiyoi wants Hira to see him as his lover, not as an idol, and Hira begins to understand that true love lies in equality.
Hira and Kiyoi’s relationship is shaped by power balances and emotional inequalities in a journey from high school to adulthood. Hira’s obsession with Kiyoi, Kiyoi’s need for approval, and Hira’s silence form the complex dynamics between them. When they reunite years later, Hira’s self-confidence and Kiyoi’s openness put their relationship on a more balanced foundation. We recommend this boys’ love drama, which should be on your watch list.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
My Love Mix-Up! – 消えた初恋 (2021)
Mixed Feelings and Illusions of Love
My Love Mix-Up! is a 2021 production Japanese BL series. The series, which takes place in the romantic comedy genre, consists of 12 episodes, and each episode is approximately 23 minutes. Targeting the young audience, this mini-series offers moments that are both entertaining and touching to the heart. Especially for those who love school-themed series, I can say it is a perfect fit.
A First Love Starting with a Misunderstanding
Aoki is fond of Hashimoto, who sits in the same class. One day, they encounter a sudden exam, and Aoki asks for an eraser from Hashimoto in the next row. Hashimoto hands over the eraser, but “Ida” is written on top of the eraser; right next to it, there is also a heart sign! The eraser falls to the ground, and right at that moment, their classmate Ida sees the eraser. He assumes this situation is a declaration of Aoki’s love for himself.
However, the event consists of just a letter mistake. Hashimoto actually wanted to write “Aida” on the eraser, but when the letter “A” was rubbed off, everything spun out of control. This misunderstanding opens a door to an unexpected drawing closer. The friendship born between Aoki and Ida transforms into mutual liking over time. While Aoki begins to question his own identity, Ida also chases after his feelings. Yet, a sweet uneasiness, indecision, and the anxiety of “what if we are marginalized” arise between them.
Actually, the most beautiful side of the series is this: It imagines a world where sexual orientation is not frowned upon, but on the contrary, supported by the friend circle. Yes, it is a bit utopian, but why not? BL series make us watch these sweet utopias and take perhaps the first step toward turning them into reality. Because ultimately, love is everyone’s right. It is not important with whom we live love, but how we live it. The story of Ida and Aoki tells precisely this. Just watch the series and let it go!
👉 Details: MyDramaList
Given – ギヴン (2021)
Given is a 2021 production Japanese mini-series, blending the themes of music and youth with the BL (Boys’ Love) genre. This six-episode production, adapted from the 2019 anime series of the same name, offers a strong emotional depth despite its short duration. The series, with each episode lasting approximately 24 minutes, has a simple but impressive narrative that pulls you in from the very first minute, I can say. I liked the series.
A BL drama with themes of music and healing, finding each other through music, it is a drama that must be watched. Especially instead of watching dozens of boys’ love stories that are repetitions of one another with musical themes, you can watch this production.
High school student Uenoyama Ritsuka, while wanting to go up to the school rooftop and rest one day, encounters a student quietly crying with a guitar in his hand: Sato Mafuyu. Mafuyu’s broken guitar string is the first contact connecting the paths of these two youths. Uenoyama, who repairs the guitar, slowly gets involved in Mafuyu’s life. There is a desire Mafuyu cannot suppress inside him: to play the guitar and to turn the melodies echoing in his head into a song. However, a deep tragedy lies behind this desire.
Mafuyu’s lover committed suicide. To cope with the remaining loneliness, regret, and longing, he wants to write a song for him using his lover’s guitar. In this process, although he tries to suppress his feelings, he gradually begins to get attached to Uenoyama. Uenoyama also begins to harbor intense emotions toward this fragile but passionate boy.
They start making music together. Mafuyu’s melodies and lyrics become the cornerstone of the band. While the duo draws closer to each other both musically and emotionally, their bandmates also become a part of this deep bond. Music becomes the language of love and mourning.
Given is not just a love story, but at the same time a touching tale about coping with loss, expressing oneself, and the courage to love again. If BL series, emotional dramas, and especially music-themed productions are within your field of interest, this series is definitely among those that must be looked into.
Centering the question “Can people love each other independent of gender?”, the series gives an emotional, realistic, and sensitive response to this question. The song Mafuyu wants to write for his former lover becomes not only a lament but also a door opening to himself and a new love.
👉 Details: MyDramaList
Minato Shouji Coin Laundry – みなと商事コインランドリー (2022)
A Japanese BL series that invites the viewer to the quiet corners of daily life. A story of loneliness, starting over, and slowly blooming love.
While Minato, the 30-year-old laundry owner, leads an introverted life, he meets high school student Shintaro. Shintaro’s energetic personality adds color to Minato’s life and a friendship begins between them. Shintaro falls in love with Minato and explains his feelings, but Minato stands distant due to the age difference and past traumas.
The series offers a simple and sincere story taking place in a laundry environment. The relationship between Minato and Shin is told as a romantic and human development process, far from clichés.
👉 Details, cast, and characters
Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! – 不幸くんはキスするしかない (2022)
The 2022 production Japanese mini BL series Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! (不幸くんはキスするしかない) has a plot that is as absurd as its name, but just as sweet. Adapted from Yoshimi Sato’s manga of the same name, it has a short duration and is an entertaining production. The series, consisting of eight episodes with each episode lasting only 24 minutes, is literally a snack-like production.
Is Misfortune Destiny, or Can It Change with a Kiss?
Our main character Fukuhara Kota has been unfortunate for as long as he can remember. He is not close to anyone in class, he doesn’t have a lover, and bad luck follows him even in the simplest things. In fact, this situation has now reached the level of a “curse.” He himself complains about this loneliness and misfortune, but nothing can be done.
Until one day, he meets the shining star of the class, Shinomiya Naoya. Naoya is the exact opposite; his life is on track, everyone wants to be friends with him, he is a guy who wrote the book on popularity. Kota notices that his luck changes as he stands by him. In fact, the luck factor is so strong that bad things no longer happen. And from this point on, things spin out of control.
Kota wants to benefit from Naoya’s luck for a longer time. He offers him an innocent proposal like “let’s always be together,” but Naoya interprets this proposal… as a romantic dating proposal. Kota looks and finds a kiss on his lips, and now they are officially a couple. In other words, things develop a bit… fast.
Unable to digest what has happened at first, Kota over time sees how other people in Naoya’s life use him and how they gain benefits from him. And this awareness affects him deeply. He feels guilt toward his friend, whom he initially saw just as a “door of luck.” Later, this feeling evolves into something else: love.
At this point, while the series treats a theme of “romance starting with a misunderstanding” in a classic BL vibe, it also narrates the person’s confrontation with their own inner values in its subtext. Kota learns to fall in love not just with Naoya, but also with himself.
👉 Detail: MyDramaList
Old Fashion Cupcake – オールドファッションカップケーキ (2022)
The 2022 production Japanese BL series Old Fashion Cupcake is a mini-series that can be easily watched with its mere 5 episodes and an average of 25-minute durations. As a manga adaptation, the production centers a small romantic rebellion against age difference, emotional loneliness, and the monotony of life.
Comedy touches wrap this story with a romantic core, making it both sweet and sincere. In the Asian BL universe frequently filled with high school love stories, it is a high-quality drama worth watching with its narrative of a mature relationship taking place in an office setting.
Nozue is a 39-year-old, organized, and polite company manager. He is a man known as someone liked in his job, who doesn’t interfere with anyone, and who is gentle around his circle. But his life is excessively monotonous; he has neither a friend nor a lover. He is someone who has accepted his life squeezed between home and work, even living in the vibe of “what would change after this hour anyway?”. He is attached to the past and his comfort zone enough to reject executive promotions.
However, everything begins to change with the bond he builds with Togawa, his employee who is 10 years younger in the company. Togawa is someone who respects his manager but at the same time harbors a love slowly growing inside him toward him. He is not very pleased with Nozue entering this introverted, “I am old now” mode. He wants to take him out, make him try new tastes, show him new places, and in short, reconnect him to life. Actually, what he does is simple: making Nozue feel young again.
The series focuses only on the relationship of the two. Supporting characters are almost non-existent; events are small, but emotions are intense. Nozue’s keeping his distance from technology, his resistance to change, and his constant definition of himself as “old” occasionally cause conflicts with Togawa. Yet, it is clear that both like each other and enjoy spending time together.
This friendship starting at work transforms into an intimacy spilling outside the office in a short time. This small emotional dance passing between Togawa’s effort to show his love and his trying to break Nozue’s shell touches the viewer’s heart quietly.
Old Fashion Cupcake treats themes such as “becoming lonely with age” and “fearing change” in a quite simple but effective language. This short series, where emotions are narrated without being suppressed but also without being amplified like a mountain, is a perfect fit for those who want to watch a more mature relationship in the BL genre. Neither too ambitious nor too ordinary—a story just in the right consistency.
👉 Detail: MyDramaList
Takara-kun to Amagi-kun – 高良くんと天城くん (2022)
A sweet BL story where youth, friendship, and small emotional discoveries are intertwined.
Popular student Takara established an unexpected bond with introverted Amagi. Their relationship remains secret outside of school, which bothers Amagi, but when Takara expresses his feelings, the relationship deepens. Finally, the duo accepts each other as friends and potential lovers.
Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (2022) is a Japanese BL series about Takara’s struggle with heteronormative expectations and his relationship with Amagi. While the series realistically handles internal conflicts and the high school atmosphere, it offers a light and sweet romantic comedy atmosphere.
👉 Details, cast, and characters
Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! – 先輩、断じて恋では！(2022)
The admiration felt by an intern toward a cool-headed designer transforms into mutual love over time. A sincere office romance standing out with its soft humor and heartfelt character development.
A Love Story Starting with Becoming “Buddies”
Kaneda Yuki is an idealistic and somewhat rookie youth receiving training in three-dimensional character design. He starts interning at the same company with the famous designer Yanase Jun, whom he admires. The relationship starting with admiration gains sincerity with Yanase becoming his “buddy,” meaning mentoring him. While Yuki learns the intricacies of the job, he also finds it difficult to suppress the interest he feels toward Jun with each passing day.
Jun’s professional approach blurs the line between them over time. Tiny touches, long gazes, drawings closer, and shy pullbacks form the basic emotional rhythm of the series. And in each episode, Yuki clashing with his own feelings through his inner voice builds a bond with the viewer.
As the finale approaches, Yuki’s internship period ends, and he begins to work together with Jun on a big animation project. Well, can this business partnership transform into a real relationship now? Will Yuki develop not just as a designer but as a self-confident individual in this process and be able to express his feelings openly?
Is the Series Worth Watching?
Of course, the story is not very deep or extraordinary. But that is not what it promises anyway: tiny happinesses, sweet tensions, and a slowly developing bond. And all of these are presented quite masterfully in episodes of approximately 25 minutes each. The response to the question in the title will be: yes, it is worth watching.
Candy Color Paradox – 飴色パラドックス (2022)
Two completely different reporters meet with the most unexpected form of love during a mandatory business partnership. A warm love story born in the shadow of competition.
Kaburagi and Onoe are two journalists working for a tabloid magazine. Initially clashing due to their opposite characters, the two are drawn to each other over time and their relationship spreads from the workplace to the emotional field. While difficult tasks and increasing emotions test their relationship, it finally turns into a union based on honesty and trust.
Candy Color Paradox is a BL series with the theme of rivalry and slowly developing love, set in an office environment. Onoe and Kaburagi’s opposite characters form the main dynamics of the series.
👉 Details, cast, and characters
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