Mini guide for how to spot the Male Lead, to prevent people from setting themselves up for disappointment when reading other BLs:
1. The Male Lead is USUALLY the first romantic love interest the story introduces. He'll definitely be introduced early and not at the end of e.g. the 1st season. 2. The Male Lead is USUALLY the first person the uke sleeps with in the story. A few exceptions exist, e.g. if the uke is introduced as promiscuous rather than romantic, or already in a (usually abusive) relationship prior to the start of the story. 3. The Male Lead will have his own arc/story going on, either in the foreground or background of the story. And it'll usually be introduced or hinted at from the get-go. If a character doesn't have that, they're probably a secondary character. 4. The uke will make it pretty obvious who the Male Lead is. Whoever the uke is most obsessed with/can't stop thinking about even when they're with someone else, that's usually the Male Lead. Doesn't have to be romantic thoughts, just whoever is most on their mind. 5. On the cover, the uke will usually be looking at the Male Lead. So pay attention to his eyes. (Thank you to the sharp-eyes commenters for noticing this!)
Mini guide for how to spot the Male Lead, to prevent people from setting themselves up for disappointment when reading other BLs:
1. The Male Lead is USUALLY the first romantic love interest the story introduces. He'll definitely be introduced early and not at the end of e.g. the 1st season.
2. The Male Lead is USUALLY the first person the uke sleeps with in the story. A few exceptions exist, e.g. if the uke is introduced as promiscuous rather than romantic, or already in a (usually abusive) relationship prior to the start of the story.
3. The Male Lead will have his own arc/story going on, either in the foreground or background of the story. And it'll usually be introduced or hinted at from the get-go. If a character doesn't have that, they're probably a secondary character.
4. The uke will make it pretty obvious who the Male Lead is. Whoever the uke is most obsessed with/can't stop thinking about even when they're with someone else, that's usually the Male Lead. Doesn't have to be romantic thoughts, just whoever is most on their mind.
5. On the cover, the uke will usually be looking at the Male Lead. So pay attention to his eyes. (Thank you to the sharp-eyes commenters for noticing this!)
Anything else?