Why queer romance shows are booming across Asia - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service

LGBT+ dramas are booming across Asia, but does that mean there’s growing tolerance of same-sex relationships? Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM What started as a niche genre in Japan known as Boys’ Love has grown into a huge industry spanning TV dramas, streaming hits and reality shows across the region. While those Japanese stories focused on romantic relationships between men, in recent years countries like Thailand have expanded the genre to new Girls’ Love series, focusing on relationships between women. Streaming platforms have helped push the trend even further. Shows like The Boyfriend and Heated Rivalry have drawn international audiences and sparked conversations about representation and LGBTQ visibility. In this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi speaks with Derek Cai and Nongnapat Patcham about the origins of the genre in Japan, how Thailand built a thriving queer romance industry, and what it all says about LGBTQ rights and social change across the region. 00:00 Introduction 01:16 What is Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love content? 02:34 Netflix reality show The Boyfriend gains huge popularity globally 03:18 Executive producer of The Boyfriend says overseas popularity was “unexpected” 04:01 Why The Boyfriend gained so much popularity in Thailand 06:08 How the Thai public perceives Girls’ Love drama 07:30 How Girls’ Love dramas gain popularity outside of Thailand 07:55 How Boys’ Love content is doing in China 08:38 Difference between Japanese and Thai queer romance content 10:06 Criticism of queer romance TV shows in Asia 12:00 Is appearance an important factor in queer romance shows? 14:00 Will this popularity pave the way for greater LGBT acceptance in Asia? 15:04 Have streaming services made it easier for queer content to become widely popular? Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4c3njIxB0KHuO8SS2mBMtUc Instagram: @bbcworldservice Email: [email protected] Presenter: Mariko Oi Producer and Video journalist: Derek Cai, Abhiram Subramaniam Camera: Fahmi Jamal, Rosalehin Bin Rosli, Khairul Danish Bin Mohd Roslee Editor: Bill Birtles ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽 https://www.instagram.com/bbcworldservice Twitter 👉🏽 https://twitter.com/bbcworldservice Facebook 👉🏽 https://facebook.com/bbcworldservice BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #queer #lgbt #thaigl #MilkLove