Boys Love Series ‘First Note of Love’ Taipei Fan Meet Set as First Leg of Asia Tour
The Boys Love (‘BL’) genre is getting bigger. Big enough for producers to organize fan meets similar to those for Asia’s mainstream TV shows or pop music stars.
In an event organized at Westar, Taipei, the Taiwan-based LGBTQI-streaming platform GagaOOLala hosted its first fan meet for its original BL musical series “First Note of Love” on Saturday. The event drew a crowd of some 500 and marked the first leg of a planned tour that will include Seoul, Hong Kong, Macau and Bangkok in 2025.
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The event saw lead actors Charles Tu, Michael Chang, Tim Liu and Thai star ‘Jame’ Kasama Kranjanawattana showcase their artistic talents, perform popular tracks from the series, choreographed dances, and fan-favorite duets. They provided more than ten entertaining acts over the course of the event.
Directed by Chien Hung Lien, the underlying series “First Note of Love” centers on the story of Neil (Tu), the frontman of the band Magnet, who withdraws from the spotlight, upon the tragic death of his brother and bandmate. Six years later, a former fan Sea (Chang), and who has become a reclusive yet talented music whiz, is unexpectedly invited to work with his childhood idol. Together, the two embark on a journey of musical healing.
Produced by GagaOOLala and GOL Studios, “First Note of Love” runs to 12 episodes of 25 minutes each. It is available to stream globally on GagaOOLala (excluding Japan) along with Video Market and Rakuten TV in Japan, LINE TV and friDAY in Taiwan, Heavenly in South Korea and Rakuten Viki in multiple territories. The series is available on GagaOOLala with English, Mandarin, Thai, Spanish and Bahasa subtitles.
The series attempts to involve inputs from Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, the three main hubs of the BL Genre. The series also counted artistic and musical inputs from Warner Music Taiwan and Warner Music Thailand, talents from Star Hunter Entertainment Thailand, investments from the Kaohsiung Film Fund, Video Market and Rakuten TV Japan and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), as well as subsidy from the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development of the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture.
Once considered a niche, the BL genre has gained mainstream popularity, attracting a large audience and devoted fandom in Asia and beyond. Although the lead characters are usually males and homosexual, the key audiences for BL are likely to be heterosexual women. A girls’ love (GL) market is smaller, but also developing.
In 2021, Japan’s BL market was valued at approximately JPY21.2 billion ($192 million) according to Yano Research Institute. The same year, Thailand’s BL streaming rights generated THB360 million ($10.2 million) in foreign investment, with its export value exceeding THB1.5 billion ($42.6 million) in 2022, according to Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion.
In 2023 alone, a total of around 217 BL titles aired, according to MyDramaList. The promotion of pro-LGBTQ+ stories in East Asia brings visibility and may have contributed to real-world change for the community, such as Taiwan’s historic legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019 and Thailand’s similar step in June 2024.
“As BL gains international traction, GagaOOLala aims to expand its reach and foster cross-cultural dialogues that celebrate diversity and love. Our commitment to the BL genre is more than just a creative venture—it’s an opportunity to foster collaboration among key Asian markets like Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan,” said Jay Lin, founder and CEO of GagaOOLala and Portico Media. “The success of our Taipei fan meet is only the beginning of a journey to create new spaces for fans to engage, celebrate, and be inspired.”
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