How One Producer Promotes Change With Boys Love Drama ‘Semantic Error’
SJ “Sinxity” Shin knows firsthand the power that entertainment has in affecting positive change. For 10 years the CEO of AXIS CCP worked as a creative director at YG Entertainment, the launching pad for major k-pop acts such as BigBang, BlackPink, 2NE1, Winner, and Ikon. During his YG tenure, Shin helped introduce a global audience to the wonders of k-pop. Some of the best memories from his YG years involve artists whose work he helped produce and promote.
“The debut performances of the artist's Winner, BlackPink, Ikon, Akdong Musicians, and Lee Hi,” said Shin. “They are personally very fine moments for me.”
With his new company, Shin’s creative endeavors have expanded to include other forms of entertainment like the popular Boys Love drama Semantic Error. As executive producer, he was instrumental in adapting the popular Manta webtoon into a drama that stars singer-actor Park Seo-ham and DKZ’s Park Jae-chan. The drama aired on the Korean OTT platform Watcha, becoming the most popular OTT content across all platforms in Korea during the second week of March 2022.
For those who have never seen a Boys Love or BL drama, they are simply very romantic same-sex love stories. It’s a storytelling tradition that dates back to the Japanese manga niche known as Yaoi, but since the 70s the genre has acquired a worldwide following. While BL dramas focus on male relationships, they are often written by women and have many female fans. According to Shin, one reason for the popularity of BL dramas is that they satisfy the demand for fresh, diverse storytelling.
“We already have so many hetero romance movies and dramas,” said Shin. “I believe audiences need new content—a new point of view and new stories. I believe these dramas about boys’ relationships are really fresh to them.”
Thailand and Taiwan produce dozens of BL dramas every year. While a few mainstream Korean dramas, such as Itaewon Class and Reply 1997, explored LGBTQ issues, the 2020 drama Your Eyes Linger is considered by many to be South Korea’s first BL series. Light On Me followed in 2021 and Semantic Error in 2022. Shin stresses that BL dramas are a genre of their own, distinct from other gay romance stories.