5 Animated BL Shows To Add To Your Watchlist
If you’ve already made your way through live-action BL dramas and are looking for something a little different, there are actually quite a few animated BLs that deserve a spot on your watchlist. From chaotic roommates and complicated love triangles to unexpected adventures and slow-burn romances, these animated series pack plenty of humor, mystery, and drama into bite-sized stories that are easy to binge in one sitting. Whether you’re in the mood for something light and hilarious or a story with a more emotional edge, there’s something here for every kind of BL fan.
Here are five animated BL shows that you should check out next!
“One-Room TA”
Based on Jibung’s comedy BL manhwa of the same name, “One-Room TA” revolves around one room, one TA, and, of course, the man in love with the TA, who ends up living in that one room with said TA. “One-Room TA” wastes no time getting the plot started. The first episode opens with our MC, Uyun, confessing his feelings to Jin Young, the introverted TA at his university. However, Uyun’s definition of “introvert” is soon challenged when the two start sharing a room, and he finally gets to see Jin Young’s true personality. One word to describe it? Unhinged!
One of the best things about “One-Room TA” is the relationship dynamic between Uyun and Jin Young. Uyun is one of those people who seems to be able to befriend just about anyone. He is also one of the most popular guys in his department, thanks to his idol-like looks. On the other hand, Jin Young barely talks to anyone unless he absolutely has to. But despite their polar-opposite personalities, the pair gets along surprisingly well. As a result, the main plot takes no time to shift from being about two very different guys trying to figure out how to live together to simply following the daily lives of two guys who somehow always find themselves at the center of something hilarious.
Start watching “One-Room TA”:
“Debug My Heart”
“Debug My Heart” gives an entirely new meaning to the term “polar opposites.” The story revolves around two people: a game developer and the villain from the game he created.
“Debug My Heart” begins in the conventional way that most isekai or transmigration stories do, with game developer Jiang Cheng being transported into the game he created. Once the initial shock of finding himself inside his own game wears off, he realizes that Su Ye, the villain who is supposed to be a non-playable character following a predetermined script, has gained consciousness. Even worse, Su Ye wants revenge against Jiang Cheng for all the misery he has endured.
The best thing about “Debug My Heart,” besides its interesting characters, is the mystery and adventure surrounding the main plot. When Jiang Cheng initially enters the game by accident, his first plan is to edit the source code, fix everything, and find a way out. However, the pair soon find themselves facing challenges of their own, and if they fail to solve them, the entire game world could fall apart, leading to their death.
What makes Jiang Cheng and Su Ye’s story so exciting to watch is just how obsessed Su Ye is with his creator, whom he calls “God.” Despite claiming that he intends to hurt Jiang Cheng, it soon becomes evident that his obsession is moving further and further away from revenge and becoming something much closer to falling in love with his “God.”
Start watching “Debug My Heart”:
“4-Week Lovers”
“4-Week Lovers” follows the tried-and-tested close-proximity trope that has helped countless fictional couples fall in love. Based on the webtoon of the same name by Maroron, the chaos begins when high-achieving student Jeong Do Jun starts college and is assigned a roommate in his dormitory: his former high school classmate, Song Jae Hee, whom he briefly dated and later ghosted.
To make matters worse, while trying to keep his distance from his ex-slash-roommate, Jeong Do Jun accidentally injures Song Jae Hee’s arm, leaving him in a cast. As a way of making it up to him, Song Jae Hee asks Jeong Do Jun to date him until his cast comes off—for four weeks.
The “4-Week Lovers” series follows two timelines: one in the present day, when they are college students and roommates and another from their high school days. Rather than simply focusing on their “make it up to me by dating me” situation, the story gradually unfolds to reveal why Jeong Do Jun broke up with Song Jae Hee in the first place.
Start watching “4-Week Lovers”:
“Quiet Please!”
The title of this animated BL should not be taken as something romantic. It is basically Yi Hyeok screaming at the top of his lungs and begging his neighbor, and future lover, to turn down the music.
“Quiet Please!” begins from Yi Hyeok’s perspective. Having recently moved into a new apartment, Yi Hyeok dreams of living a quiet life. However, those dreams are shattered literally when his neighbor, Min Eum, repeatedly blasts music from his speakers at all hours.
So, Yi Hyeok comes up with a plan: introduce himself to his neighbor and casually mention the loud music in the hopes that Min Eum will turn the volume down. However, things do not exactly go according to plan, and they somehow end up at a police station!
Despite their rocky start, the two eventually talk things out like adults and realize that they might actually have the potential to become friends. Little do they know that the status of their relationship is about to change.
Beyond Yi Hyeok and Min Eum’s sweet bond, what makes “Quiet Please!” a must-watch is the emotional depth woven into its storyline. Without giving away any spoilers, Min Eum does not play loud music simply because he is a delinquent who wants to annoy his neighbors. Nor does he avoid conversations because he is simply rude. There are layers to his character that make both him and his story feel much larger than they initially appear.
Start watching “Quiet Please!”:
“Seeing Double”
“Seeing Double,” based on Lily’s web comic of the same name, is a complicated love story between Ra Ohn, a student who avoids men because of past trauma, and twin brothers Jae Woo and Seo Woo. The three first meet in high school, where Seo Woo falls for Ra Ohn. However, because of his shyness, he asks his brother Jae Woo to pretend to be him and get closer to Ra Ohn. But somewhere along the way, Jae Woo also falls for Ra Ohn; and that’s where the story gets complicated.
One of the things that makes “Seeing Double” stand out is, once again, the mystery woven into its story. The first episode opens in the present day, with Ra Ohn working as a teacher and sitting in the teachers’ room. He notices the school’s sports teacher standing on the track field outside and reflects on how no one can predict how relationships will change over time. But this immediately raises a question: Who is the man? Is he Jae Woo or Seo Woo?
Start watching “Seeing Double”:
Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN.
Currently watching: “Four Hands, Two Sonatas,” “You Maniac,” “A Love Other Than Yours,” and “Dive into You”.
Looking forward to: “The Whimsical Return,” “Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,” and “Love in Disguise”.
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