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| ▲ This file photo shows the press conference of Korean-Thai BL series. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Mar. 6 (Yonhap) -- With K-drama blazing a trail around the world, the Korean-Thai BL (Boys' Love) series projects aiming at the global market has been unveiled in Thailand.
"BL," the acronym for "Boys' Love," is a genre consisting of male-male romance fictions that has garnered attention for a while as manga and novel series but only recently has been recognized as a genre by expanding to anime, television series, films, and even video games.
During the press conference “Y-Evolution” held at the Central World SF Cinema in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, the Korean producer Hanyang Production showcased four BL dramas jointly produced by Korea and Thailand.
Thailand has been one of the countries that are pouring hearts into the genre, which is also dubbed the “Y-Series,” as it won the hearts of Thai female viewers.
Starring mega-hit Thai singer and actor Mew Suppasit, “Love Is Like a Cat” follows the story of a widely recognized Thai star who has a traumatic experience with dogs but ends up appearing in a reality show set in a pet cafe in Korea.
Next up is a BL romantic thriller “Eccentric Romance,” starring Thai actor Save Saisawat. The first two works completed filming in Korea last year and are scheduled to be released in Thai and other global markets this year.
Meanwhile, “Wuju Bakery” and “The First Love Manual” will kick off shooting this year: “Wuju Bakery” will tell the story of an alien who crash-laded into a Korean bakery. In addition to Thai and Korean actors, Jason and Alpha, members of the Philippine boy band First One, are also slated to appear.
“The First Love Manual” will feature the story of a child actor, also dubbed the nation’s first love, trying to return to the small screens after an unfortunate accident with the help of his manager.
The press conference was filled with the cheers of not only Thai but also Korean fans who filled up about 1,000 seats. After joining hands to co-produce “Peach of Time,” which hit 11 Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, in 2021, Hanyang Production has been officially slated to co-produce these Korean-Thai BL dramas.
“We hope that more diverse BL dramas will be produced and showcased around the world and that the global market would expand for BL dramas via this cooperation between Korea and Thailand,” said Kim Han-yang, the CEO of Hanyang Production. “There are more than 10 works that we are planning to produce, including those that are scheduled to be filmed in Thailand.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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