Taiwan BL series (TW-BL) actually hold a distinct place in the boys’ love world. They offer a more serious tone, superior cinematography, and better storytelling. They sit somewhere between Thai and South Korean BL productions, often exploring themes like family bonds, social acceptance, and heteronormative pressures.
Taiwanese BL dramas aren’t just “watch and forget” types; they tend to be more lasting. I believe they offer great stories for beginners or those who are bored with Thai narratives.
Taiwan BL Series Recommendations: The Best Picks
Thai BL drama has become repetitive and has lost its originality. As a BL viewer, it’s high time to turn toward alternatives.
This selection starts with cult classics like Red Balloon (2017), considered a turning point in Taiwan’s BL history. Let’s focus on real series without looking at “fan service” comments or ratings on places like MDL. In this list, you will find Taiwan’s unique, warm, and impactful atmosphere. Shall we move on to the series? Don’t forget to leave a comment and share your own recommendations.
Which ones are my top favorites in the Taiwan BL series list? Red Balloon is at the top. I don’t care about ratings or comments on sites like MyDramaList. I don’t watch series for handsome actors or the ‘pink dream’ worlds they offer, either. For me, the flow of the story, the visuals, and the subtext are what matter.
My other favorite is DNA Says Love You; this series has an excellent subtext regarding sexual identities. My Tooth Your Love is a minimalist and effortless story of trust and growth filled with traumas—I loved the story when I first watched it; it’s a bit cliché, but still good. Secret Lover might also be very cliché, but it breaks the molds of love and commitment. And of course, one must not forget the HIStory BL series; they have very warm and important stories for the BL genre. What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments.
Red Balloon – 紅色氣球 (2017)
Red Balloon offers a soul-stirring Taiwan BL story carrying the pains of the past and the traces of first love. It is a deep and melancholic mini-series whose impact lasts long despite its short duration.
Red Balloon (2017) is an 8-episode Taiwan BL series. It handles themes such as youth love, homosexuality, homophobia, and violence. The series focuses on the relationship between Li Xiang Wan and Xia Zhi Chen and the homophobic bullying they face. It tells the story of two lovers meeting in their youth and then again as adults years later. Symbolically explaining freedom and love through the metaphor of a red balloon, the series is a successful and cult drama.
Additionally, this mini-series is a short Taiwan BL production dealing with themes of high school love and reunion under the shadow of social pressures and the past.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Be Loved in House: I Do – 約・定～I do (2021)
The “no office romance” rule set by the disciplined manager Jin Yu Zhen is tested by Shi Lei’s unexpected interest. The friction starting with the encounter of opposite characters turns into a deep emotional healing and closeness over time. This drama in mini-series format is on our recommendation list.
Shi Lei loses his job and moves into the same house as the new manager, Jin Yu Zhen. Jin is in love with Shi and introduces a celibacy rule to the company. With his mother’s support, Shi confesses his love, while Yi Zi Tong reveals the company’s secrets.
This mini-series emphasizes the message that “love has no gender” and offers realistic character dynamics. The relationship between Yu Zhen and Shi Lei transforms from an authority-rebellion conflict into mutual understanding and a deep bond. Being one of the most loved and watched Taiwan BL series, Be Loved in House will be a great choice for those new to the boys’ love genre and those wanting to start with Taiwan BL dramas.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
About Youth – 默默的我，不默默的我們 (2022)
In this mini-series, amidst the complex emotions of youth, the silently blossoming love of two young people changes the direction of their lives. This story, where we hear the whispers of the heart, delicately tells the innocence of growing up, courage, and first love.
“About Youth” offers a warm and soul-stirring youth story that brings together the pains of growing up and the excitement of first love. Ye Guang and Qi Zhang, coming from different worlds, try to understand both their identities and their emotions as they gradually discover each other as safe havens.
Built on friendship, courage, and heartfelt commitment, this story tells youth romance with a sincere, plain, and heartfelt tone. We recommend watching it. It is an ideal series for those new to the BL genre and those who love the plain and minimalist structure of Taiwan BL dramas.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
DNA Says Love You (2022)
DNA Says Love You is a BL series that handles identity, the past, and the power of love through the romance of Pu Le Jian and Amber.
Amber’s silent secrets and Le Jian’s big dreams become forces that both bring them closer and test them. The side characters’ own relationships create both maturity and a realistic emotional ground for the main story. The series makes one feel that love is not just a romantic bond but also a way for a person to rebuild themselves.
The small moments of the characters open doors to big transformations. The entire story progresses in a warm Taiwan atmosphere with a calm but impressive narrative. If you want an uncomplicated, plain, and natural story, this series is for you. You should add it to your watch list.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
My Tooth Your Love (2022)
My Tooth Your Love is a Taiwan BL series. Set in a dental clinic and a bar environment, the story tells the relationship of two men with emotional depth.
The series carries the calm, mature, and emotional tone of the Taiwan BL genre; it is built on past traumas, fear of physical contact, and a slowly developing romantic bond. The story centers on an unexpected closeness between an introverted club owner and a dentist experiencing a phobia of being touched after a trauma.
While both characters carry their own past wounds, we witness the reconstruction of trust and affection in each other’s lives. Between the kitchen, clinic, and nightlife atmosphere, the series offers a warm narrative both visually and emotionally. It provides a calm romance experience showing the healing power of love in small moments. With its calm and plain story, it is a drama we would call a complete Taiwan BL series—one of the simplest, easiest to watch, and most impactful productions of the boys’ love genre. We recommend the series; you must watch it.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Plus & Minus – 正負之間 (2022)
It tells the story of childhood friends Zheng Ze Shou and Fu Li Gong, whose friendship turns into love over time and the conflicts they experience during this process. This Taiwan drama, offering a high-quality BL story with its plain and sincere narrative, is our recommendation.
Plus & Minus is a BL story that tells the gradual transformation of childhood friendship into love years later in a warm, calm, and emotional tone. Within the routine pace of a law office, it offers a romantic growth journey where hidden feelings finally find a place.
A co-production between Taiwan and Japan, Fu Li Gong and Zheng Ze Shou have been best friends since childhood and work together at a law firm. Their deep bond evolves from friendship to a romantic relationship thanks to an unexpected accident and hidden feelings. Simultaneously, the story of a bartender named X and Jian Ying Ze, who runs a laundry alone, is handled in parallel.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Kiseki: Dear to Me – 奇蹟 (2023)
“Kiseki: Dear to Me” is a story of emotional healing about two wounded young people realizing that they are not a coincidence in each other’s lives, but a turning point. This journey where love, fears, and fate intertwine offers the viewer both a romantic and heartfelt bond. We recommend watching this beloved Taiwan BL series.
Bai Zong Yi and Ze Rui’s fragile bond, which starts with Ze Rui protecting Zong Yi when he gets caught in a dangerous event, soon turns into deep trust. The series handles healing, loyalty, and the fact that love can call a person back to life at the most unexpected moment with a calm but striking language. The Taiwan BL genre always offers minimalist and unexaggerated stories that succeed in building a heartfelt bond with the viewer. This series is one of them. It’s on our recommendation list as a curator.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Stay by My Side – 免疫屏蔽 (2023)
When the only person who can silence Gu Bu Xia’s strange “voices” turns out to be his roommate Jiang Chi, an unexpected closeness arises between the two. Combining romantic tension with sweet comedy, the series will be an ideal choice for those who love slow-burn relationships.
“Stay by My Side” is a warm campus BL story centering on the tension-romance balance Bu Xia experiences with his new roommate Jiang Chi while dealing with paranormal senses. The series offers a plain but impressive romantic line to the viewer by blending emotional moments softened with touches of comedy with the gradually opening inner worlds of the characters. Friendship, trust, acceptance, and the theme of “real feelings behind the voices” define the atmosphere of the series. It’s a series you should watch.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
First Note of Love – 彈一場完美戀愛 (2024)
The heart-throbbing journey of two men trying to heal their wounds with music… First Note of Love offers admiration, healing, and the most melodic form of love. This drama, which deals with an easy-to-watch and sincere romance, will be a good option for those looking for music-themed stories. You will love the minimalist narrative of the Taiwan boys’ love genre.
First Note of Love is an emotional BL series that uses music not just as a theme but also as a healing tool for the characters. Trauma, loss, stage fright, admiration, and the development of a romantic bond are handled in a very sincere tone. The relationship Neil and Sea slowly build offers a sentiment-focused story with its calm rhythm and internal conflicts. This Taiwan–Thailand co-production holds a special touch for music lovers and “healing BL” fans.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
The On1y One – 某某 (2024)
The On1y One stands out with its easy-to-watch, fluent pace and a structure far from complex stories. It tells the story of Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian, who come together as stepbrothers, offering a romantic experience through this novel adaptation. Since the series handles both love and family themes in a balanced way while providing a warm and sincere viewing experience, you can add it to your watch list; as a curator, we recommend watching this drama.
Initially encountering each other as opposite characters, the duo starts to get to know each other through the necessities of daily life. Over time, a romantic relationship blossoms on the foundations of friendship, empathy, and trust. Family pressure, social judgments, and personal conflicts mature the duo while testing their relationship. Eventually, they choose to be honest with each other instead of suppressing their feelings, accepting both their love and their new family order.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Anti Reset – 恆久定律 (2024)
Anti Reset is a dystopian Taiwan BL series where memories are organized by the system and emotions are suppressed. The story handles identity, remembrance, free will, and the resistance of love against technology. The sci-fi texture combines with the romantic structure to offer both an emotional and intellectual narrative. If you are tired of classic BL series and looking for something new, this series is for you.
Combining sci-fi and romance, the series questions the emotional consequences of memory-erasing technology. Chu Yi Ping’s life, which he has to start anew, intersects with the human-like AI presence of Ever 9, creating both an emotional and philosophical story. The series, which examines the role of modern technology in relationships, balances romance with sci-fi tension, offering the viewer a both heart- and mind-focused experience. It is a high-quality boys’ love drama with a philosophical subtext for viewers who love artificial intelligence and humanoid robot subjects.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Eternal Butler – 全面管控 (2024)
Pushing the limits of technology and emotions, Eternal Butler delicately examines the question “Can an AI really feel?” through the characters’ relationships. It has a structure that is both deep and easy to follow. If you are tired of standard BL dramas, we recommend watching this series that will offer you a technological love and romance.
It offers a romantic-dramatic story questioning how much AI can penetrate human life. In this atmosphere where a robot programmed as a servant and a human with emotional wounds intersect, the cold face of technology and the warmth of the human heart come face to face strikingly. The series offers both an emotional and philosophical journey that redraws the definition of relationships. For this reason, it stands out from classic BL dramas. We hope you like it.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Secret Lover (2025)
Secret Lover is a 2024 Taiwan romantic drama series. Two childhood friends who perform on stage together at university find their growing closeness—which starts as part of a “relationship rehearsal”—turns into real love. The series handles themes of secret love, identity, and social pressure in a minimalist, unexaggerated, and natural way. We recommend watching this Taiwan BL series consisting of plain and short episodes.
The story tells the internal journey of characters walking on the line between the wounds opened by a secret relationship and the feelings it heals. Silent commitment, suppressed feelings, and the fragile nature of intimacy create a strong atmosphere. In terms of character harmony and actor chemistry, the production will satisfy its audience.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Fight for You – 對立而已 (2025)
An encounter starting in the middle of a dangerous mission moves the lives of two young men to a point of no return. This bond born out of necessity turns into a love that touches the heart over time. It’s a simple but enjoyable Taiwan BL drama.
Fight for You tells a character-centered story combining crime and romance. The series focuses on how an acquaintance starting in the tension-filled atmosphere of secret operations turns into an emotional relationship of trust over time. Hei Yu Bo’s economic struggle and Bai Zhou Qi’s effort to clear his own past place the characters’ journey on a gripping dramatic ground.
The story handles themes of betrayal, honesty, the instinct for protection, and love blossoming despite danger in a layered way. Especially the duo’s emotional wounds and their healing as they touch each other strengthen the tone of the series. It’s a production that must be watched for those wanting a different boys’ love story and looking for a change.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
Exclusive Love – 獨佔接班人 (2025)
Starting in the shadow of funeral ceremonies and the light of weddings, Exclusive Love is a story of hope for those who face their fears and choose love on the thin line between mourning and celebration.
This 2025 Taiwan drama/romance series focuses on the unexpected closeness between a young man who is the heir to a family funeral services business and is afraid of ghosts, and a disciplined, cold-blooded “ace” funeral director working at the same company.
At the same time, the wedding planning and internal conflicts of side characters progress parallel to the main story—thus themes of love, life, and belonging are handled through metaphors of “death versus marriage/beginning.” If you are looking for something new and standard BL dramas no longer feel attractive, you can watch this series.
👉 Details, cast, and characters on MyDramaList
The HIStory Series
It is impossible to talk about Taiwan BL series without mentioning the HIStory (His Story) anthology, which started the modern era of this genre. If you liked the series on this list, you must definitely add this series—which laid the foundations of Taiwan BL (especially cult seasons like HIStory3: Trapped and HIStory2: Crossing the Line)—to your watch list in a separate category. They are the school of this business. Additionally: HIStory4: Close to You (2021) and HIStory5: Love in the Future (2022-2023) are other parts of the anthology series. The BL world breaks all our prejudices.
