If you are an Asian drama fan, I am sure you’re aware of the popularity of BL dramas. It raised curiosity in my mind, and I wanted to know whether there are any great GL dramas?
In this search, I started watching every Girls Love drama that came by. Unfortunately, there are not many GL dramas made. Most of them are mini-series that end in less than an hour.
Nonetheless, here’s the list of 15 GL dramas that I liked. In the future, hopefully, Girls Love dramas will get the same appreciation as BL dramas, and we’ll have better women-centric romance stories.
15. Happy Together
- Logline: A story of six people living under the same roof.
- Year: 2015
- Country: Taiwan
- Type: Drama
You can finally rest knowing this movie exists because it is one of the most authentic stories surrounding GL themes. The plot is quite unique as it features a gay couple, a lesbian couple and a straight couple.
It is a story of three couples who are great friends with each other and live under the same roof. It is a story of their daily life adventures and the changing dynamics of their relationship.
14. Afraid Of
- Logline: Story about a closeted girl who constantly hides her sexuality until she meets a girl in her class who asks to meet up and hands out her number.
- Year: 2019
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Drama
GL dramas in South Korea are a big thing as the country does not support the LGBTQ+ community and this movie is very bold storytelling at best. It talks about all the small but important questions about love and sexuality that are often confused as being only heterosexual.
This story tells the constant fear and struggles of a closeted lesbian girl who starts harboring feelings for a girl in her class. The movie turns around when that girl gives her contact details to the main character. Now she must come out if she wants to confess.
13. Condo Barista Architect
- Logline: this drama is a tale of an architect who visits a barista every day for the charming owner who runs the café.
- Year: 2016
- Country: Thailand
- Type: Drama
This drama is essentially a mini-series, and it’s great because you can finish the story in some time only. The story features a lot of adult friendship scenarios and how society holds the male protagonist as the idealistic scenario.
However, the story shows a blossoming love story between a charming barista owner and an architect who visits her café every day just for her. There are adorable metaphorical scenes like a small plant and lots of coffee.
12. Chasing Sunsets
- Logline: the story revolves around two lesbians who love each other even though one is going through a mental illness; where the girl misses her boyfriend but is he real?
- Year: 2020
- Country: Philippines
- Type: Drama; Mini-series
This drama should be a revolutionary one as it portrays mental illness in the GL spectrum as a possibility. Usually, gay movies show absolute negligence and abuse to instant acceptance from society far from reality.
However, this drama speaks about two girls who have found each other and quite fancy each other’s existence even though one of them is still affected by her ex-boyfriend. However, as the story progresses, the mystery around the ex-boyfriend is cleared away. The movie also raises awareness of HIV.
11. My Dear Friend
- Logline: the tale of two girls’ best friend’s who fall in love with each other in high school.
- Year: 2019
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Drama; Mini-series
It is probably the most accurate depiction of GL love as the drama navigates through the story of two best friends who love each other unconditionally. However, they slowly realize that their feelings are more than just friendship.
The drama shows the best friend’s in a great relationship and how they work through it to break up eventually. However, would they end their year-long friendship over it? Do they miss each other as friends or as a lover? All of these questions get answered in the show.
10. Pearl Next Door
- Logline: Its time for Pearl to get over her heartbreak and find her better half.
- Year: 2020
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Mini-Series
Side characters often leave a deeper mark on memories than the main characters. One such beloved character from the popular bl drama “Gameboys”- Pearl gets a drama focused on her story.
Synopsis:
The story puts in light Pearl Gatdula, a recognizable face from a recent Thai drama. While her previous avatar was focused on issues of friendships, this time she is more focused on finding her true love.
9. Transit Girls
- Logline: Sayuri and Yui unexpectedly become stepsisters.
- Year: 2015
- Country: Japan
- Type: Drama
This one may come as a surprise for many drama viewers. We don’t see many Asian dramas except for Thailand and the Philippines that go into exploring less talked sexual beliefs. Transit Girls is the first girl love-themed drama that ever came out of Japan.
Synopsis:
Sayuri and Yui are two opposites who found themself caught up in a complicated situation of family relationships. Their single parents decide to marry each other, forcing Sayuri and Yui to become stepsisters.
8. Yuri Dano Kan Dano
- Logline: An accidental meet with a childhood classmate brings drastic changes to Yuri’s life.
- Year: 2019
- Country: Japan
- Type: Drama
Another made in Japan romantic girl’s love story drama that became a hit in Asia is Yuro Dano kan Dano. The story feels realistic and the chemistry between the characters is so good that it is hard to believe that they aren’t lesbians in real life.
Synopsis
The premise is centered around a University student Yuri. Upon learning that she is being chased by a stalker, she decides to move out of her place. In search for looking for a new place to live she accidentally reunites with her childhood classmate Ninomiya Uri.
7. Out of Breath
- Logline: Ha Eun finds it hard to get over a heatbreak.
- Year: 2019
- Country: Korea
- Type: Drama
Why watch an overly exaggerated show with 50+ episodes when there are short and amazing shows like Out of Breath. Most dramas that focus on LGBTQ are either drowned in hopelessness or bright colors of love. This show fits right between the two categories. It’s a sweet, realistic, and short gem that every drama lover needs to binge.
Synopsis
Ha Eun is in her early 20s. She had to go through heartbreak because her ex-girlfriend didn’t want anyone to know about their homosexuality. To get over this heartbreak her best friend forcer her to join a dating app to find herself a match. Luckily Ha Eun finds a match but will it be enough to forget her ex-girlfriend?
6. Dear Uranus
- Logline: An accidental meet with a childhood classmate brings drastic changes to Yuri’s life.
- Year: 2021
- Country: Taiwan
- Type: Short Drama
The latest drama on this list, Dear Uranus is a profound effort made to increase the number of GL dramas. Like most drama on the list, this one is too short drama packed in just 3 episodes. But this is not any reason to ignore this as the storyline is decent and justifies why only 3 episodes were required.
Synopsis
It is hard to give out a synopsis for a total of 32 min drama series. Therefore I decide not to give away anything and leave it a surprise for you to find out what’s great about this latest GL drama.
5. Lily Fever
- Logline: Met by coincidence or its fate?
- Year: 2015
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Mini-Series
Lily Fever is a GL Drama that had so much potential of becoming a proper series. But probably couldn’t get enough budget. Nonetheless, it’s a very sweet and humorous short mini-series that you’ll surely enjoy watching.
Synopsis
Kim Kyung Ju is a simple and sweet girl. One day while looking for her lost passport Kyung Ju reaches her friend’s house, where she meets Jang Se Rang, who is openly gay and highly energetic.
4. Am I The Only One With Butterflies?
- Logline: A girl falls for her female boss.
- Year: 2018
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Mini-Series
Usually, the problem with the GL dramas is that they don’t fully embrace their gay side, but this lesbian drama stayed true to its roots and presented a story that impressed me a lot.
Synopsis
Jung Ah is a young employee who develops a crush on her manager Lee Ji Won. The 3 episode mini-series shows the interaction between two women feeling the butterflies in their stomachs.
3. Legend of Yun Qian
- Logline: A story of a relationship between two women completely opposite to each other.
- Year: 2020
- Country: China
- Type: Mini-Series
Legend of Yun Qian is a Chinese mini-drama with a fantasy-historical theme. The drama is filled with sweet lesbian romantic scenes and an engaging story.
Synopsis
Xiaoqian is a bubbly girl who and Muyun is a dense girl. Both belong to the Lingchuan Sect that has guarded the Fans of Heaven for centuries. Fans of Heaven have the power to allow time travel, and Xiaoqian decides to use it out of boredom.
2. ≥75℃
- Logline: A sweet story revolving around tea making.
- Year: 2019
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Mini-Series
≥75℃ or ‘More than or Equal to 75 Degrees Celsius’ a GL mini-drama with the least bit of romance but the overall chemistry between the characters is so mesmerizing that you’ll still end up enjoying it.
Synopsis
Hong is the winner of the Winter Course Competition for tea making. But the head of the marketing team, Cha, disagrees with Hong winning. So the two decide to collaborate and create the perfect winter tea?
1. Really Lily?
- Logline: A story of a lesbian couple that doesn’t shy away from accepting their identity.
- Year: 2019
- Country: South Korea
- Type: Mini-Series
One thing that I’ll commend about this mini-series is that it shows us brave and strong lesbian characters that stand up for themselves and don’t take any bullshit. It is really refreshing to watch.
Synopsis
It is a story of two women fighting against the prejudices of society with full power. They love and respect each other and don’t shy away from who they really are and that anyone who objects can just go to hell.
