BL genre, also known as the Boys’ Love genre, has a wide variety of anime featuring characters with dynamic personalities and intriguing plotlines. Moving forward from the inherently problematic portrayal of the queer community, we have come a long way to see wholesome, healthy relationships between two male leads.
The niche genre has been getting a lot more popular, breaking through old stigmas, and now features one of the most well-loved anime under its belt. Here’s a list of the top 10 must-watch BL anime that you are missing out on:
After getting his spot as the ‘Most Huggable No.1’ taken from him by a novice actor, Azumaya, Takato is offended. However, Azumaya catches Takato in a compromising state and blackmails him in exchange for letting him embrace Takato. Takato is confused but still finds himself giving in to Azumaya’s disarming smile.
Featuring two celebrities and their secret romance, Dakaichi already makes up for an intriguing plot. What starts as a relationship built on blackmail becomes an honest portrayal of love and care. With a mix of cute, spicy, and suspenseful moments, Dakaichi is a must-watch.
Masochist yakuza boss Yashiro is closed off to the idea of a proper relationship because he is still hung up on his childhood friend. However, things change when his new bodyguard, Doumeki, catches his eye. After proactively chasing Doumeiki, Yashiro finally finds out why he is being kept at arm’s length.
With an overly complicated relationship budding between Yashiro and Doumeki, Twittering Birds Never Fly deals with many complex issues. Both of them deal with past issues and repressed trauma, the power struggles of the yakuza world, and their own feelings, making for an intense, engaging watch.
Intrigued by the sad boy sitting by the beach, Shun approaches Mio only to be brutally shut out. However, Mio eventually warms up to him but leaves after an abrupt goodbye. Mio returns three years later and claims to be in love with Shun, who needs time to make sense of everything.
A story that deals with the grief that comes with the death of loved ones, the struggle of letting other people into your life, and learning to let yourself love and be loved, Stranger by the Shore portrays this in a beautifully animated short film. Watching the characters as they learn and grow together is a cathartic experience packed in a bundle of funny and intense dramatic moments.
Polar opposite, honor student Sajo and popular among the ladies, band-guitarist Hikaru, weren’t supposed to cross paths. Still, as fate would have it, their lives get tangled when they practice for the school’s chorus festival together.
With minimalistic animation, Doukyuusei displays a realistic, youthful romance. The characters overcome their differences and battle the issues they have in their own lives outside of each other, giving them more depth. With little to no overly complicated troubles, the story has a simplistic charm that will warm your heart.
Shy and cautious, Miyano has a secret he needs to keep in an all-boys school. However, after a chance run-in with his senior, Miyano has become the center of his attention at every given moment. Their strange new friendship leads to Miyano letting Sasaki in on his secret, opening the door to a new dynamic.
The definition of wholesome, will-make-you-giggle-and-kick-your-feet, Sasaki to Miyano, features an adorable high-school romance with a solid buildup and wonderfully executed climax. With a twist to all the cliché tropes, Sasaki to Miyano has an antithesis to all overdone romance character types, making for a new delightful experience.
Beloved Xie Lian ascended to heaven at a very young age, but bad luck struck, and he was banished to the moral realm. Eight hundred years later, ascending for the third time, Xie Lian is now the punchline of a joke for the deities. On his first job as a third-time ascended deity, he meets a feared demon who has had his eyes on him for a long time.
Following a disgraced god and a demon posing as a normal human with a crush on him, the story unfolds into a chaotic turn of events. Xie Lian’s resilience is one of his most winning points, and his budding relationship with San Lang is just as endearing and warm to watch.
On his way to his designated nap spot, Uenoyama runs into Mafuyu, a boy holding a guitar with broken strings like his lifeline. Unable to leave him alone, he fixes Mafuyu’s guitar for him, who requests him for guitar lessons. What he initially thought was a hassle leads Uenoyama to discover a newfound passion for music after Mafuyu sings for him.
Another complex plotline that deals with heavy topics such as suicide and depression and the people who get left behind, Given is about how a boy gets saved by music. Dealing with trauma and repressed emotions realistically, Given gives all the characters a depth that makes you keep returning for more.
Suffering from burnout after losing the Grand Prix Final, Yuri Katsuki realizes he is losing his passion for figure skating. While on a career break back home, a video of him practicing famous figure skater Victor Nikiforov’s routine goes viral. Victor reaches out to Yuri, offers to become his coach, and they grow together.
Another beautifully executed storyline featuring characters with dynamic personalities, Yuri!!! On Ice has it all, from sports to romance to drama. The anime properly tackles realistic issues but might raise your standards to an unrealistic level when it comes to a cute whirlwind romance.
Set in a world where “cultivators” pursue the state of immortality through cultivation, Wei Wuxian creates demonic cultivation, which everyone fears. Resurrected thirteen years after his death, he finds a dismembered arm wreaking havoc. Wei Wuxian decides to unravel the mystery of the arm that caused the deaths of hundreds, including himself, and runs into a ghost from his past.
The portrayal of their dynamic is beautifully executed with a complex and easily misunderstood protagonist and his cold and inflexible counterpart. If you like contrasting personalities and the ‘grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one’ trope, this is for you.
Amidst trying to figure out the ‘banana fish’ conspiracy, a drug that brainwashes its users, street gang leader Ash Lynx meets Eiji Okumura, a photographer from Japan. Set in 1980s New York, the story features Ash and his road to redemption and his evolving bond with Eiji as he fights against the demons of his past.
Dealing with heavy themes such as the gang system, interracial relations, queer community, and sexual abuse, Banana Fish does an excellent job of doing them justice. With fully fleshed-out characters, an intense plot, and a stunning climax, Banana Fish is definitely worth watching.
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