These shows have amassed a following in Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
In 2019 alone, more than 20 of these shows were produced in Thailand. Its popularity influenced filmmakers, writers, and TV networks to produce their own BL content. Yaoi content from Japan became popular in Thailand (there called y or wai) during the early 2000s. The genre, also known as yaoi, originated in Japan in the late 1970s. “2gether: The Series” is a Boys’ Love show, a kind of fictional media that depicts homoerotic relationships between men. “2gether: The Series” is not new - not in Thailand, where these shows are part of mainstream television, and not in the Philippines.
A fashion publication has called it “unapologetically gay.” A news outfit has called it “a testament to how far we’ve come in terms of acceptance.” These reasons are not wrong, but they’re also not accurate. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) - The popularity of the “2gether: The Series” has prompted local media to explain and theorize why, all of a sudden, the Filipino audience is crazy over a show about two college students falling in love with each other after pretending to be in a relationship.Ī local blog has described the show as “new.” “We need to face our new reality,” it said.