gay/bl shows that arent set in high school/university

cw:  this is a gang drama  so there's death, violence and all that jazz. attempted rape in episode 14 (or likely 7 if you're watching on viki), unhealthy age difference between the one heterosexual couple

scores

story: 9/10
characters: 10/10
pairings: 9.5/10
anger scale: 4/10

cw:  transphobia, death of a (minor) trans character, suicide, casual homophobia, casual biphobia, gang violence, rape, attempted rape,  domestic abuse, murder, nsfw, cheating, nudity

made me cry?  yes

scores:

story: 9/10
characters: 10/10
pairings: 8/10
anger scale: 4/10

this is the best show about polyamory ever made. while i cant recommend it to everyone (it gets pretty heavy) i think if you can deal with the cws above i think you will love this show.
the transphobia, rape, homophobia, domestic abuse, etc. are portrayed as appropriately despicable.
this show has a main character who is a trans woman played by a trans woman! lots of feminist and lgbt+ positive messages.. and its also sex work positive!! which is so rare and really refreshing

cw: death, so much blood, suicide, hanging, death of a family member (or many, many family members), ghosts, zombies (essentially)

made me cry? i haven't stopped crying since, actually

scores

story: 9/10
characters: 10/10
pairings: 7.5/10
anger scale: 5/10

you've probably heard of this show/the novel it's based on (mo dao zu shi), or the web manhua, or the donghua, if you've been on the internet before. the rumors are true! it's about as good as you imagine based on the hype and maybe more so.
yes they censored the canon gay element but the subtext is so obvious youd have to be like, Really straight to not pick up on it
you can tell that they love each other, even if they dont kiss onscreen or get married for real

and the appeal of the show doesn't end at the relationship between the leads. no, it's an intriguing story about family (including found family), murder mysteries, morality, what it means to be good or evil, and marxism

cw:  murder, homophobia, homophobic bullying, gang violence

made me cry?  yes

scores

story: 8/10
characters: 9/10
pairing: 10/10
anger scale: 3/10

an assassin who falls in love with his target.... And it has a happy ending! now that's just really sexy

cw: death, discussions of death,  terminal illness
ok so. mes (the ghost) meets than when than is just a little child (and mes is a 21 year old. and a ghost) and then they dont meet again until than is around 18. and than takes mes home with him when hes like 20.  honestly it's a bit uncomfortable but.. on the other hand they don't fall in love until after than takes mes with him. and the progression didnt make me feel uncomfortable
unfortunately theres an uncomfortable bit at the very end where than asks mes if he already thought of his kid self as cute / implying attraction.. which was Really bad. doesn't help that hamburger magazine did a cmbyn inspired photo shoot with the main actors
but that's really as bad as it gets. if you ignore those things it Never feels like mes was attracted to than's child self... so yeah
SPOILER: also it turns out that mes used to date than's mom when he was still alive but i think its handled appropriately (also they broke up because he realized hes gay)

made me cry?  a lot

scores

story: 9.5/10 (really unique!)
characters: 6/10 (bit weak unfortunately)
pairings: 7/10
anger scale: 4/10

ok so TECHNICALLY this one is set in university as in 4/5 of the main cast are university students but most of the story takes place outside of it and its an intriguing mystery drama you should definitely watch

cw: attempted rape (not between any of the couples), death of a family member

spoilers but.... this is NOT incest. theyre not related. dont worry

god i like this show so much. its way too short! but oh my god! its so short and yet so so good, i admire that so much.

i want more bl with leads from two different countries. please

one of the couples is in high school but its not the main focus

cw: internalised homophobia, nonconsensual kiss

really good show about a popular actor who gets into a scandal and has to live with a cute chef to hide from journalists and they fall in love and stuff. great characters great acting all in all just really good

cw: sexual harassment (from the chief) shown in a comedic light, nonconsensual kissing

made me cry?  no

scores

story: 7/10
characters: 9.5/10  0.5 points deducted because of chief
pairings: makiharu/10
anger scale: 7/10

this show kind of made history. it became huge in japan, even outside of the lgbt community! it won a bunch of awards! and apparently it helped make the country take a step further towards gay acceptance which is huge - and it opened up the possibility for future gay tv shows and movies (which are being made!) and all that in itself is already incredible.
there are some chunks of the show that i really dont like (namely almost everything involving chief and his crush for haruta) but the rest is really good and wholesome and funny. i appreciate it
season 2 can die

cw: homophobia

the long awaited sequel to friendzone 1. delivers on what it set out to do AND theres a lesbian couple :D

cw: cheating, attempted rape

cw: some nsfw, internalized homophobia

takujae are just really cute and iconic

cw: attempted rape, drugging, violence

if this wasnt based on a bl novel i probably wouldnt even put it here but it IS and thus, here we are. this was basically stripped of anything that made it gay, with vague subtext at best. so it doesnt do its job as well as the untamed or guardian but hey! this show has women who are their own people with agency and that is what ultimately sold me on it. while the corporate drama gets a bit dry, there is enough gratuitous violence to keep you entertained if youre into that

i think to get anything out of it in a gay way you really have to be into the dynamic between the two leads which i wasnt 

i dont know man. this show is good but its barely gay. so dont watch it if thats what youre looking for.

cw: homophobia, internalized homophobia, forced kisses, sexual harassment

well, this show is unfinished of course. season 2 never got made and probably never will. so you have to go in expecting a. unsatisfying cliffhanger ending
other than that this show is alright, its a bit ridiculous, hang hang is insecure and lashes out because of it which creates....drama, that feels a bit ridiculous in places. some stuff doesnt really make sense. but hey when its cute its cute and when its funny its funny!

cw: fake attempted suicide

this series is fine. it may feel disorienting at times and is a bit overly dramatic for my taste but its nothing Offensive (outside of that fake suicide attempt)
managed to convey a surprising amount of depth in just 4 short episodes

cw:  transphobia, homophobia, stalking, assault, animal death (a chicken), attempted surgery without consent (they tie him up and everything, and then its played for laughs a bit), probably the most misogynist show ive seen in a while

ok so this show..... has it's sweet moments... sometimes? and it has a certain aesthetic going that i support but other than that this show is.... pretty bad. and the novel is even worse

cw: a little bit transphobic

cw: pretty explicit nsfw (haha), teacher/student porn (as in. that's a pornographic story within the show. not referring to the two leads theyre both adults)

this has a kiss with tongue in it and i think for that alone its kind of legendary

i havent seen this one but its the prequel to pornographer so. nsfw definitely

cw: death, being stranded, injury...more death, probably

i havent gotten past ep 1 because it hit me too hard. this is a misery fest

hey but it has lesbians too!

technically the initial setting is a high school or uni or sth but thats..Not the premise of the show. as you can probably tell

havent finished this one... the production value is so low but what can we expect

havent seen it

cw: heart failure/heart condition, car crash

having seen half of this i can say its.. pretty good. its not really the sort of show i enjoy but if the basic premise speaks to you you will definitely love it. its very dramatic but also sweet

havent seen it but i hear its really good

cw: selfharm, murder, death, hanging, suicide

Really good so far!!!! ive been watching it on yt so im behind but yknow.  its a chinese show so all the gay is hidden in subtext *i cough loudly* VERY obvious subtext... is calling each other soulmates even subtext anymore

pretty cute :)

hmm... a loan shark who moves in with the guy who owes him money because his dancing moved him to tears so he decides to support him in his endeavors  to win a dance audition.. under the pretense of wanting him to get the money to pay him back asap lol. they fall in love and its all really cute. loan shark is a male wife

the ending is a biiit melodramatic and rushed but its still really adorable

cw: acted sexual assault (in the show within the show)

didnt expect this one to be anywhere near as good as it is so far. love the shade it throws at the bl industry and community 

this one is gonna be about horny mafia men lol

ok this one is set in university but the sequel isnt and also its like, pretty good

cw for sexual assault/basically rape, nonconsensual kissing