Danmei or boys love donghua had been rising in popularity in recent years despite the strong censorship in China. It surely thrives and had become one of the main introductory series for donghua fans outside of China as its fanbase had been growing through the years.
We all know that some of the most popular Chinese anime are danmei or those stories that revolve around an intimate friendship between male characters such as Scumbag System, Legend of Exorcism, and Heaven Official’s Blessing to name a few. While there are other titles too that may only show subtle hints about such a relationship and that is what we shall be tackling in this post.
Soft bromance and mild boys love donghua are usually the ones that bring multiple meanings to the surface about the actions of the characters and this is a good ride for those viewers who may not be into BL but still can tolerate a few bromance affairs. Hence, I have listed here 10 donghua with bromance and mild BL antics that you might want to check.
10 Donghua with Bromance and Mild BL Elements
The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure
First on the list is The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure, a prequel to the Great Journey of Teenagers donghua which was adapted from a novel by Zhou Munan and part of the Song of Adolescence series. It follows the youthful adventure of Su Baili and all the people he met along the way, both new friends, allies, and foes. One thing this donghua excels at is having gorgeous animation and beautiful character designs, especially those good-looking young men.
The Land of Miracles
From the author of Soul Land, Land of Miracles follows the story of two young men from different races but with a destiny to fulfill. Their path is bound to be met and when they do, an exciting and robust bromance took place and a bit of everything any rivals could have, bickering against each other.
Link Click
One of the best donghua of 2021, Link Click follows the adventure of Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, both have the powers to alter the past and the present, thus, leading to new possibilities. But when things don’t go according to their plan, it became a race against time itself to fix the mess they did as it creates paradoxes that give birth to some evil entity. With the announcement of Link Click Season 2, we can only get excited to learn more about the connection between the two main characters and the bonds that connects them.
The Founder of Diabolism
The original danmei donghua that spread the BL fever in 2018 like a wildfire, The Founder of Diabolism or also known as the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, hides that intimate bond between the MC through an investigative approach and hilarious humor, and absolutely stunning fight scenes in the lower-fantasy cultivation world.
Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire
A righteous emperor who got corrupted and a descendant of a hidden bloodline of a divine beast, Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire brings an urban fantasy story with such a fragile yet intimate connection between the two main characters. It is adapted from a novel by Priest, who’s famous for writing BL novels in China.
The Defective
Here comes another donghua adapted from a work of Priest. The Defective unlike its other sisters like Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire, and Liu Yao, took place in a futuristic setting, giving off sci-fi vibes.
All Saints Street
This adorable and short donghua is a furball of sunshine to those who enjoy light stories in a slice-of-life narrative. So we have different supernatural creatures in this donghua living together in one apartment. Despite their differences, they live in harmony albeit they all have their respective motives and in the process, they build a connection of inclusivity.
Antidote
A personal favorite of mine, imagine being a gangster type of person meeting a runaway rich kid, living together, and forming a deep friendship. Such typical BL antics, right? However, there’s more to Antidote than that. It explores several social issues, and in the process brings these two men together where they find solace in the presence of one another, which helps them face their fear and defeat their inner demons. They sure are the antidote to one another.
Those Years I Opened a Zoo
A hilarious yet fantastic donghua that features an MC who inherits a zoo but in the verge of bankruptcy. Now, it is up to him to save it and make it back to business once again, joining him in the process are peculiar entities with which he’ll share special bonds.
The Chronologist
Also known as Chinese Almanac Master, this mysterious and heartwarming story explores supernatural antics and a glimpse of the moral standard of humanity. It explores various human connections with the new master of the almanac who can summon gods to do his bidding, but what will he do with a summoned god who seems to have his own ideas to do things aside from what his master wants to do?
These are only some of the best donghua with mild BL elements that you guys might want to check out. If you had seen any of them, please let us know what you think about them and if you have any additions to this list, leave them in the comment section below so we can check them out too.
