I hope it's okay to keep commenting on this post (no obligation to reply, obviously) because I keep thinking of new things:
- Non-US productions: As far as my experience with K-dramas goes, those barely feature sex scenes. It took a really long time until I saw an erection being addressed and that was mainly played for laughs to the embarrassment of the aroused person in question. I also recently, and for the first time, saw a scene in which a character was interrupted during masturbation. Again, non-graphic and played for laughs. (For scale: I have been watching K-dramas for about 9,5 years.)
As for Germany: For a while, over a decade ago, things were quite spicy in some of our daily soaps. I remember one really juicy M/M shower scene that some homophobic "Think of the children!" people were concerned about. Unfortunately, after the copyright holders wiped YouTube clean of practically any DeRo clips, I now barely see them being mentioned in fandom circles despite having a sizable international following at the time. I still think of that one shower scene as being quite revolutionary, in retrospect, particularly due to the fact that the queer representation on this specific soap has been pretty abysmal over the last ten years.
- Other shows I have remembered for their sex scenes: American Gods, Jinn/Salim. Neil Gaiman recently posted a link to this Buzzfeed article about the scene in question: How "American Gods" Pulled Off That Explicit Gay Sex Scene. I think that having Bryan Fuller onboard helped tremendously.
Catastrophe. An honest, raw, and hilariously filthy comedy. Sure, I would have enjoyed it without the sex scenes but that would've been an entirely different experience that clearly wasn't intended by the show creators. It, obviously, is not a show about ~just sex but it is a show about a relationship in which sex -- and talking about it -- is important from the very beginning.
Probably the raciest title I can offer: Pornographer, a Japanese BL manga adaption. (Disclaimer: I do not recommend it for its story or the sex scenes, I simply think that both complement each other well.)
The story, in very basic terms, centers around a young man (Kuzumi) who falls for an older porn novelist while he helps him transcribe his books. Kuzumi caused Novelist to break his right arm, so, obviously, that's the morally appropriate thing to do. During these transcription sessions, Kuzumi begins to imagine the porn scenarios in Novelist's books. Soon, he and Novelist take their place in some of those. (Note: Novelist writes F/M, so they are merely a starting point for Kuzumi to discover his interest in men.)
no subject
- Non-US productions:
As far as my experience with K-dramas goes, those barely feature sex scenes. It took a really long time until I saw an erection being addressed and that was mainly played for laughs to the embarrassment of the aroused person in question. I also recently, and for the first time, saw a scene in which a character was interrupted during masturbation. Again, non-graphic and played for laughs. (For scale: I have been watching K-dramas for about 9,5 years.)
As for Germany:
For a while, over a decade ago, things were quite spicy in some of our daily soaps. I remember one really juicy M/M shower scene that some homophobic "Think of the children!" people were concerned about. Unfortunately, after the copyright holders wiped YouTube clean of practically any DeRo clips, I now barely see them being mentioned in fandom circles despite having a sizable international following at the time. I still think of that one shower scene as being quite revolutionary, in retrospect, particularly due to the fact that the queer representation on this specific soap has been pretty abysmal over the last ten years.
In 2021, a pretty steamy show was released over here that was advertised with buzzwords like "female gaze" and "full-frontal nudity". I watched it with two friends because the entire thing screamed trash from the get-go and we are avid trash watchers. Verdict: We barely lasted one episode because it was so terribly boring, heteronormative, and cliché. Even if the sex scenes had been interesting (which they weren't), it wouldn't have kept us glued to the screen, not even for the trashiness. Never heard anything good about it and, as far as I'm aware, it was never renewed for a second season.
- Other shows I have remembered for their sex scenes:
American Gods, Jinn/Salim. Neil Gaiman recently posted a link to this Buzzfeed article about the scene in question: How "American Gods" Pulled Off That Explicit Gay Sex Scene. I think that having Bryan Fuller onboard helped tremendously.
Catastrophe. An honest, raw, and hilariously filthy comedy. Sure, I would have enjoyed it without the sex scenes but that would've been an entirely different experience that clearly wasn't intended by the show creators. It, obviously, is not a show about ~just sex but it is a show about a relationship in which sex -- and talking about it -- is important from the very beginning.
Probably the raciest title I can offer: Pornographer, a Japanese BL manga adaption. (Disclaimer: I do not recommend it for its story or the sex scenes, I simply think that both complement each other well.)
The story, in very basic terms, centers around a young man (Kuzumi) who falls for an older porn novelist while he helps him transcribe his books. Kuzumi caused Novelist to break his right arm, so, obviously, that's the morally appropriate thing to do. During these transcription sessions, Kuzumi begins to imagine the porn scenarios in Novelist's books. Soon, he and Novelist take their place in some of those. (Note: Novelist writes F/M, so they are merely a starting point for Kuzumi to discover his interest in men.)
The thing is: Those sex scenes are not particularly nuanced or romantic -- and they are not supposed to be. They represent fantasy, desire, and transgression. I think they work pretty well in the context of Kuzumi discovering himself and coming to terms with his attraction. For what it is -- a BL manga adaption with all the clichés and issues that typically come with BL mangas (I cannot emphasize this point enough, iykyk!) -- it is pretty atmospheric and well done.