Thailand brings 'boys' love' back to Japan with homegrown dramas
yaoi” that refers to works featuring homoerotic relationships between male characters — these homegrown dramas have been on the rise following the success of the 2016 Thai BL series “Sotus.” But it wasn’t until the release of “2gether,” a 13-episode series about two handsome college boys who go from being in a fake relationship to falling in love, that the flame for a boom in Japan was well and truly ignited.The show, produced by Thai television production studio GMMTV Co., debuted in February 2020 and soon became a hit overseas due to the “stay-at-home” lifestyle brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.“One of the greatest draws (of the show) is that viewers can learn about a culture different to that of Japan, such as food and fashion,” says a spokesperson for Contents Seven Co., a video licensing company that promptly acquired the Japanese distribution rights for “2gether.”While the Tokyo-based company had previously imported BL dramas from China and Taiwan, it decided to pick up its first Thai one when it saw potential in “2gether” even before it had aired. Through January, the series, which first streamed in Japan on Rakuten TV in July 2020, has been released on 13 domestic streaming platforms and aired on 10 TV stations.Yui, a Japanese fan living in Bangkok, says she began watching Thai BL last May after hearing about its popularity in Japan.
