The sudden outpour of Chinese dramas (both certified BL & Bromances) might come as a surprise to most. There are many who are still questioning the extent of censorship; even a slight change in schedule makes them panic. Chinese censorship is notoriously infamous for cutting down good dramas solely because homosexuality is criminalized offense in that country. But in recent days, producers and directors have found a new way to produce these dramas- shooting them abroad & streaming them on international platforms. Since it surpasses the regional boundaries, these dramas are safe!

Revenged Love

Probably the most popular Chinese BL in recent times and the most addictive one too. Starring Tian Xu Ning & Zi Yu in lead roles, the show focuses on a make believe relationship that turns true. Zi Yu stars as the eccentric, chaotic Wu Suo Wei. Born into a humble family with little financial success, he is lackluster and dumped by his girlfriend. He reinvents himself to seek revenge on her by seducing her now wealthy boyfriend, Chi Cheng (Tian). It is a merry-go-round from there, with Chi Cheng & Wu Suo Wei constantly playing mind games. Even though Chi Cheng realizes that Suo Wei is fooling him, he goes along with the charade, while silently fulfilling his wishes. Soon, Suo Wei’s love rival changes from Chi Cheng to Yue Yue as he starts questioning his feelings for him. Tian Xu Ning & Zi Yu have a fabulous chemistry, they have an awesome camaraderie (quite visible in the BTS videos). If you are still hung over “Addicted Heroin”, head over to “Revenged Love” for your Chinese BL fix!

ABO Desire

The first Omegaverse BL in the industry, I have only ever read about this genre in novels. Derived from the folk culture related to werewolves, this universe converges on humans who are categorized as alphas, betas & omegas. Alphas are the superior of the lot and can impregnate anyone, irrespective of their gender. Similarly, Omegas are fertile and can get pregnant, irrespective of their gender. Betas fall in the middle category and mostly serve as helpers to Alphas. Starring Huang Xing, Qiu Ding Jie, Li Pei En & Jiang Heng in lead roles, the drama focuses on two different couples. Hua Yong is an extremely powerful enigma, one of his kind, rich and arrogant. He set his sights on Sheng Shao You, a S-Tier Alpha who mistakes him for an Omega. Hua Yong uses all tricks in his book to seduce Shao You who slowly starts falling for Hua Yong, without realising his true identity. Hua Yong’s business partner and accomplice, Shen Wen Lang is in the same business as Shao You and they are constantly at odds. Wen Lang’s personal assistant, Gao Tu is an Omega who disguises himself as a Beta. Wen Lang hates Omegas and as such, Gao Tu always disguises his smell. Both couples have a compelling chemistry and the show is indeed entertaining!

A Prime Minister’s Disguise

A thinly veiled attempt at producing a BL adaptation, “A Prime Minister’s Disguise” stars Wang Rui Chang as Emperor Huo Jing Heng & Roy Xie as Prime Minister Yue Chi. Yes, the show has a female protagonist inserted between the male leads to get past censorship (but fret not, she spends an awful amount of time trying to get them together). Even the Emperor prefers his own Prime Minister more than his concubine. The show focuses on the early days of the newly established Ning Dynasty, where the new emperor, Huo Jing Heng, chooses a consort. He summons Yue Ling Er, the sister of the former prime minister of the previous dynasty, Yue Chi, who had been missing for two years, to serve in the palace. Yue Chi, deeply protective of his sister & suspicious of Huo Jing Heng’s intentions, protect his sister, Yue Chi decides to enter the palace in disguise to investigate the situation. Yue Chi doesn’t realize that his sister in actually in cahoots with Huo Jing Heng who wants to join his Imperial Court. Wang Rui Chang & Roy Xie have a natural chemistry; if censorship didn’t exist, we could have got some awesome romance between their characters!

Returned Master

Even though this show has been branded as a Bromance, the trailer makes it quite obvious that this short drama was shot in the BL format. Dong Zi Fan & Li Kai Wen star as descendants of two families who are sworn enemies. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the entire household of the retired General Li is brutally slaughtered by a mysterious assailant. The youngest son, Li Jian Wei, survives by a stroke of luck. Assuming a new identity, he infiltrates Ghost Valley, determined to exact revenge on those who destroyed his family. The valley’s young heir, Chen Xiao Xi, is mischievous and unpredictable, yet gradually grows close to Li Jian Wei, who tries every trick in the book to win his trust. Dong Zi Fan & Li Kai Wen have an undeniably good chemistry, the pilot episodes hinge on their “Friends to Lover’s” camaraderie. It is entertaining, because Li Jian Wei is hellbent on seeking revenge while Chen Xiao Xi is unaware of his true intentions.

Under the Skin Season Two

Possibly the most successful thriller in recent times, Under The Skin has managed what most Chinese BLs couldn’t. It has managed to survive and get renewed. Starring Tan Jian Ci & Jin Shi Jia as Shen Yi & Du Cheng, the show focuses on understanding the complexity of human nature through the outline of the portrait. The second season was solely focused on Shen Yi’s inner struggles as he focuses on the finer details of the case while trying hard to not empathize with the victims. As he stands on the edge, his partner Du Cheng keeps him under a firm control. By the end of the season, their bromance has reached a new level and it could be very much dubbed as a budding romance instead. Shen Yi himself accepts that Du Cheng might very well be the center of his universe. Everything will stop spinning if Du Cheng doesn’t exist. The finale ends on a cliffhanger and I’m looking forward to watching Season Three in 2026!

We will back with a new feature, next weekend!