Okay, so this is a guilty pleasure of mine - BL/yaoi/shounen-ai/whateveryouwannacallit. I suppose this stems from the fact that I've never really liked female characters (with only a few exceptions) - they always seem so unnecessary. So when I started getting into the Gundam Wing fandom around the age of 14/15, it dawned upon me, what with all the slashfics out there, that the female characters could simply be taken out of the equation...or at least, be removed from the spotlight.
After having discovered fanwork with BL themes, I began to branch out into series in which BL was canon. Actually, this only really started a couple of years ago when I found a pic of Kau (Togainu) in a thread on /y/. By the way boys and girls, never go to that place, it's full of unsavoury characters. xD So I guess you could say I'm something of a newb when it comes to BL?
Anyway, here are the few BL-related works I've seen/read/played for myself. No doubt this list will grow in time.
1. Togainu no Chi (Visual novel/manga/anime)
Ah, TnC. I think the reason why I didn't read/watch/play BL stuff for a while was because I thought it was all sappy love stories where the artist could've used a girl instead of the uke, but decided to use the uke because it's that much cooler. Then I played this. It was good - the plot was interesting but not so complex that I couldn't understand anything at all (since I don't understand much Japanese to begin with p:), although I laughed at the predictable 'everything invariably leads to sex' thing. But you know how you can tell if a BL plot is good or not? Take out the buttsex and see how it goes - they've turned it into a manga and anime, and even an alternate game, all without the BL in it, and it's still a good story. :3
Still, no matter what version I play/watch/read, Keisuke always scares the hell out of me.
2. Vassalord (Manga)
Although the Twilight saga has forever tainted the vampire genre, I still love vampires. Or the idea of them, at least. That's what got me curious to read Vassalord. I was a little put off by the Chrono Nanae's note at the beginning saying how she loved America and manly semes, and by the fact that Charley has a silly haircut, but all prejudices were cast aside once I started reading. I mean, what's not to like about a story of a cyborg vampire who works for the Vatican, and is in love(?) with his Master, who's the opposite of everything he stands for? Throw in the mafia, a rogue cop, a sadistic incubus and one-eyed shota, and it's everything you could ever want in a manga. Sort of.
Now, I don't think Vassalord is officially categorised as BL...but it has really, REALLY heavy undertones. Works for me.
3. Antique (Movie)
Antique Bakery is actually a manga that's been adapted into a Korean movie and a Japanese drama. Out of these, I've only seen the movie, simply called Antique. This version probably doesn't have as much boy-on-boy action in it c.f. the original manga, but it's definitely there and it's not at all awkward, which I applaud. The cast is also wonderful~
What I love most about this movie is that it's light-hearted but serious at the same time, and it's not a BL movie per se, but rather it's a movie with BL in it. And it's so normal that it's profound. It's also hilarious, is set in a bakery with lots of pretty cakes, and stars Kim Jae Wook. Need I say more?
4. Acid Town (Manga)
I literally read this today. Again, it's all about gangs and violence and the people who are just trying to get by. Somehow I am really drawn to this type of plot... =u= The fun thing is, if you take out one or two pages, you'd probably never guess that you're reading BL.
What I like is that although the story doesn't revolve around the yaoi, it's still necessary to the plot. The little conspiracies and plot-twists that happen along the way are all fantastic, too. It's also one of those series in which the antagonists are all human too, with hopes and dreams and people who are important to them. Gotta love those.
5. Junjou Romantica (Manga/anime)
I caved and decided to watch/read one of those shoujo-esque BLs with wide-eyed ukes and tall/dark/handsome semes. Nevertheless, it's a really heartwarming series. However, tbh I prefer the sub-plots, Junjou Egoist and Junjou Terrorist, to the main plot. Egoist always makes me cry (something to do with identifying with characters), and Terrorist is hilarious in that it's taboo on so many levels - I can't imagine who else'd be so brilliant to create a romance between a professor and a high school student who's male, 17 years younger, and the son of his boss who is also his ex-father-in-law. Another interesting thing was that in every plotline, at least one character doubtfully thinks '...but I'm a guy'. Although, like in TnC, everything invariably leads to sex... Really though the only thing that bugs me is that their proportions are a bit wacky.
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