Imagine you finally found your one true love, but you didn’t read the fine print: they aren’t human. Whoops!
Pair ordinary men with vampires, mermen, or time‑jumpers, and you’ve undoubtedly got yourself an interesting premise for a story. It usually means a fight against curses, magic, and time, but hey—love is a formidable opponent.
These five supernatural BLs give an otherworldly twist to romance:
1. “Lover Merman”
In “Lover Merman,” Phu (Hasun Feros Khan Chaemchoi), a businessman from the city, moves to an island to work as a partner at a beachside bar called Full & A Half.
On his first day ashore, he meets popular bartender Nava (Poon Akkharaphat Sutiteannarong) and immediately becomes smitten. But Nava has a secret: he’s a merman.
There are only a few humans left on the island who know about the resident mermaids that have called it home. To ensure their safety, their paramount rule is to keep their identity hidden, especially to newcomers like Phu.
Flirty Phu has no idea what is going on behind the scenes and is determined to win Nava over, but he’s got quite a few opponents, including Nava’s childhood friend and fellow merman, Prapai (Film Jirayu Aungvanich). Meanwhile, rumors about Merfolk hunters and missing mermaids have been circling.
Why it’s worth the watch:
A story about a star-crossed love between a human and a merman might be the first of its kind in the world of BL. The island setting and cool beach bar also make it feel a bit like a vacation without leaving home.
Start watching “Lover Merman” now:
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2. “One Room Angel”
In Japanese BL “One Room Angel,” Tomoda Kouki (Uesugi Shuhei), an unlucky single man, has a near-death experience and winds up with an angel (Nishimura Takuya) as a temporary roommate.
Kouki is rightfully gloomy. He has a bare-bones apartment and works part-time at a convenience store where he has to deal with rude customers. It’s during this job that he has a run-in with a pair of violent customers and gets badly hurt.
After having what he thought was a dream of an angel, he returns home after recovering to see the angel sitting in his apartment. For some reason, the angel can’t remember why he was sent to Kouki, and he’s too weak to fly back to heaven.
The angel realizes their emotions are linked, and his inability to fly has to do with Kouki’s dejected mood. He realizes that to regain strength and return to heaven, he has an impossible task: to make Kouki happy.
Why it’s worth the watch:
Forced to be roommates with only one bed is a familiar BL cliché, but with a human and an angel? That’s totally new. It has the quirky cheesiness that many Japanese BLs are known for, but it also has a surprisingly heavier underbelly about struggling in life and being alone.
Start watching “One Room Angel” now:
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3. “My Secret Vampire”
If you loved vampire Korean BL “Kissable Lips,” a fresh vampire love story has recently joined the club: “My Secret Vampire.”
Han Dong Ha (Park Dong Ju) is a country boy who happily moves into a guesthouse in the city with housemates Lee Ju Won (Yu Sin), Cha Eun Ho (Lee Ju Young), Kang Seon Jae (Lee Tae Hyung), and Jung Gyu Min (Lee Dong Yeol). While he assumes they are average guys, they’re actually all modern-day vampires.
Looking for a fresh neck to sink their teeth into, the housemates are delighted by their first human occupant, save for the half-breed Ju Won, who doesn’t like interacting with non-vampires.
But they can’t just go and bite Dong Ha. No, no. There are rules in this world of bloodsuckers.
While they survive mainly on a fake substitute blood, they can drink human blood only if they don’t reveal their identity as a vampire, don’t harm the human, and the human is at a certain body weight.
Unfortunately for them, they find out their new housemate is below the weight threshold, but they’ve already started dreaming of his blood. The fake stuff just doesn’t hit the same way.
So, the housemates scheme a plan to fatten him up, Hansel and Gretel style, except one grumpy vampire isn’t willing to play along.
Why it’s worth the watch:
It’s a lighthearted take on vampires trying to coexist peacefully with humans. Though the initial plan is to suck Dong Ha’s blood for a tasty treat, they all accidentally fall into a domestic family routine at home, so it’s quite funny. Episodes are shorter, so it’s easier to watch on limited time, but they don’t feel lacking because of the length.
Watch “Kissable Lips” too for more vampire fun:
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4. “HIStory 5: Love in the Future”
“HIStory” is a Taiwanese BL anthology series you may be familiar with if you’ve been watching BL for a while. In “Love in the Future,” a hardworking young man named Tai Che Ni (Sean Chang) accidentally time-travels on New Year’s Day from 2000 to 2022.
Now 22 years into the future, he lands in an unfamiliar world facing a pandemic that hasn’t yet happened in his timeline.
Che Ni has no idea what has happened, but he somehow finds a house and a job when he meets Hai Yi (Linus Wang), a very wealthy (and very gorgeous) man who is in the midst of a bad breakup.
After meeting Che Ni by chance, Hai Yi initially hires him to help with his relationship woes. In exchange for a place to stay, Che Ni transitions to a jack of all trades for Hai Yi.
While Che Ni tries to figure out how to return to his original life, he makes new friends and grows unexpectedly close to his benefactor. The longer he remains in the future, the more reasons he finds to stay, but there are still important people waiting for him in the past.
Tying into the times of COVID-19 (which isn’t overplayed or relentlessly referenced, don’t worry), the relationship between Che Ni and Hai Yi starts entirely over the phone, and the first in-person meeting they have is 100 percent worth the wait.
Why it’s worth the watch:
It’s about time travel, but somehow it keeps the story believable and relatable. The chemistry between the silly Che Ni and cool Hai Yi is also just perfect. Plus, a second romance happens in the future between a soft-spoken office worker and his seemingly calm and collected boss.
Start watching “HIStory 5: Love in the Future” now:
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5. “Century of Love”
For a love story that feels epic, “Century of Love” is it.
Almost a century ago, San’s (Daou Pittaya Saechua) life was saved by Wat (Cookie Yada Suwanpattana) by using a fragment of a magical stone that is said to have once saved the world. San and Wat quickly fall in love, but their time together is cut short. Tragedy strikes, and Wat’s life ends too soon.
Unable to move on, San gets help from the man who saved his life. Using the magical stone once again, he binds San’s life with Wat’s so that they’ll meet again in another lifetime.
The ritual preserves San’s life for 100 years in exchange for his having to suffer terrible pain each night. In those 100 years, San must succeed in finding Wat’s reincarnation to break the curse and live the life he never got to live with her.
Now nearing very close to his 100-year deadline, San finally finds someone who seems to be Wat’s reincarnation, but it turns out to be a man (Offroad Kantapon Jindataweephol).
San thinks it must be a mistake and tries to keep his distance, but he can’t help being interested in him.
Why it’s worth the watch:
This supernatural BL has a vibe that feels similar to Thai BLs like “I Feel You Linger in the Air” or the recently finished “Khemjira.” It’s a refreshingly complex love story that feels absorbing, and the cinematography and set details make it top-tier.
Asya’s a BL-biased Soompi writer with a love of K-pop and all types of Asian dramas. Some of her favorite shows are “Psychopath Diary,” “Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!,” “Light On Me,” “The Untamed,” “Go Go Squid!,” and “Cherry Magic!”
Currently watching: “Love Me, Love My Voice,” “Do You Like Brahms?,” “Goddess Bless You From Death,” and “Love Carved in the Moonlight.”
Looking forward to: “Magic Lover,” “Mr. Fanboy,” “Me and Thee,” “The Love Matter,” and “Papa and Daddy’s Home Cooking.”
