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The Western MM vs. Asian BL discourse
Jan. 12th, 2026 05:44 pmRecently, due to the release of the Heated Rivalry TV show, there's been some online discourse either putting Asian BL down or defending it against Western MM. And I guess I have a few thoughts. Well, my first thought is bafflement that Heated Rivalry is blowing up; I read the novel ages ago and barely remember it, except mild annoyance because the book was entirely hate sex until the end.
But that aside, I've read both American-published MM romance and danmei novels from China. Both have issues, to be honest. Danmei does have strains of heteronormativity in terms of authors/fans referring to one guy as the "wife" and the other guy as the "husband" in a couple, and there's an unfortunate amount of non-con in the genre.
Overall, though, I prefer danmei to the American MM novels I've read. And trust me, I used to jump on nearly every new American MM novel. But I've stopped in recent years because they're just...bad. The romantic chemistry is often so poorly done that I'm perplexed by the fans for these novels. Either the romances are simply insta-lust, or the characters are bland and I don't know why they're romantically attracted to each other. For all the faults in danmei, I find that they do yearning and slow-burn so much better than American MM. Plus, unlike American romantasy, danmei is so much better at blending a compelling fantasy or historical plot with the romance.
Rant over, I guess.
But that aside, I've read both American-published MM romance and danmei novels from China. Both have issues, to be honest. Danmei does have strains of heteronormativity in terms of authors/fans referring to one guy as the "wife" and the other guy as the "husband" in a couple, and there's an unfortunate amount of non-con in the genre.
Overall, though, I prefer danmei to the American MM novels I've read. And trust me, I used to jump on nearly every new American MM novel. But I've stopped in recent years because they're just...bad. The romantic chemistry is often so poorly done that I'm perplexed by the fans for these novels. Either the romances are simply insta-lust, or the characters are bland and I don't know why they're romantically attracted to each other. For all the faults in danmei, I find that they do yearning and slow-burn so much better than American MM. Plus, unlike American romantasy, danmei is so much better at blending a compelling fantasy or historical plot with the romance.
Rant over, I guess.
