Taiwan’s Golden-Bell Winning Lesbian GL Series "Fragrance of the First Flower" Expands Sapphic Representation with a Second Season on GagaOOLala and Netflix Asia

GagaOOLalaOriginalsFragrance of the First Flower Season 2
Written By Akash Rajbhandari

"Will this time be any different? A second chance at first love."  – Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2

Taipei, Taiwan – February 12, 2025 – At a press conference held at Hana Space, Taipei, Taiwan on Wednesday, , GagaOOLala, the global LGBTQ+, Boys’ Love (BL) and Girls’ Love (GL) focused streamer, announced the second season of its award-winning original lesbian GL series, Fragrance of the First Flower, that is set to premiere simultaneously on GagaOOLala (worldwide) and Netflix Asia on February 18, 2025. The milestone marks GagaOOLala’s first-ever original production to be licensed by Netflix for streaming across Asia, following the availability of the series’ first season on the platform on February 8, 2025.

Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2, GagaOOLala Originals.

The Critically Acclaimed Sapphic Love Story Continues

With its multiple wins (Best Writing, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film) at the 57th Golden Bell Awards, entry into several prestigious film festivals (Series Mania, Tokyo International Film Festival, Seriencamp, BFI Flare and Frameline) as well as its selection as one of Variety’s “Top International Shows of 2021,” the first season of the Fragrance of the First Flower explored the real-life struggles of queer love, self-identity and societal pressures in the wake of Taiwan’s landmark 2019 legalization of same-sex marriage—the first in Asia—through the story of its lead characters, Yi-Ming (ZaiZai Lin) and Ting-Ting (Lyan Chen).

Building on Yi-Ming and Ting-Ting’s tumultuous journey, Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2 delves into the aftermath of their love story, addressing crucial themes of divorce, single parenthood, work life struggles, new relationships, and ultimately, the courage to embrace one’s true self, post marriage legalization. A year after parting ways at the end of Season 1, Yi-Ming (ZaiZai Lin) is navigating life as a divorced single mother, facing pressures at her workplace as well as the challenges of raising a child diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Ting-Ting, meanwhile, begins pursuing her musical passion in a band and forms a close bond with a newly introduced character, the charismatic musician, Xiao-Ning (played by Yao). When Yi-Ming and Ting-Ting's paths cross again, they must confront their feelings and decide if their love can truly overcome the obstacles in their way. 

Speaking at the press conference, Lin stated, “With Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2, we invite audiences to witness a deeply moving sapphic love story—one that challenges conventional societal norms, celebrates resilience, and amplifies the voices and experiences of queer women in Taiwan and beyond. Through Yi-Ming and Ting-Ting’s triumphs and adversities, we hope audiences find the courage to face their personal struggles, embrace their true selves and rediscover love on their own terms” 

From Left to Right: Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin & Yao

From Left to Right: ZaiZai Lin & Lyan Chen

The second season of Fragrance of the First Flower expands upon its predecessor with an increased episode count (12 episodes, 30 minutes each compared to 8 episodes, 20 minutes in Season 1) and introduces a new creative direction under director, Yi Ling Wang (Do Not Go Gentle in Taipei), infusing fresh perspectives to the series’ storyline while maintaining the heartfelt tone set by original creator Angel I-Han Teng (Bao Bao, A Balloon’s Landing). Reflecting on her experience filming the second season, Yang shared, “As a devoted admirer of Angel’s directorial vision for the first season, I must acknowledge that stepping into her role and taking over the creative helm was no simple task. For Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2, we spent a significant time studying each character, as well as the meaningful objects and symbols from season one, to ensure seamless continuity in both filming and scriptwriting of the series. While we expanded on many of these elements, it was crucial to maintain their alignment with the original character foundations. This, for me, was one of the more intricate and demanding challenges. With this new season, my sincere hope is to honor and build upon the foundation of the first while introducing fresh and exciting surprises for the viewers and devoted fans of the series.” 

From Left to Right: Director Yi Ling Wang, Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin, Yi Lee & Yao

Expanding Sapphic Representation Amid Asia’s LGBTQ+, BL and GL Content Boom

With a decline in LGBTQ+ representation across U.S. broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms with cancellations hitting queer female representation particularly hard (GLAAD), Asia is gradually emerging as a beacon for queer content. The region, in the past half decade, has witnessed the explosive popularity of BL dramas from the key hubs of Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan and is now seeing a gradual growth of GL content. The Siam Commercial Bank Economic Intelligence Center (SBC EIC) forecasts that Thailand’s BL series market will surpass 4.9 billion Thai baht (approximately 145.53 million USD) by 2025, with an annual growth rate of 17% while as per MyDramaList, the total number of GL titles aired increased from 60 in 2023 to about 98 in 2024. While GL content remains in its early stages, its potential is undeniable, with successful projects like Thailand’s first mainstream GL series, Gap: The Series (2022) that surpassed 600 million views on YouTube within one year of its release (Thailand Foundation) and Taiwan’s critically acclaimed, award-winning Fragrance of the First Flower. Building on this momentum, the second season of Fragrance of the First Flower seeks to set a new benchmark in the female-female romance genre by blending nuanced sapphic storytelling with authentic character dynamics, in a push for female-centric stories in the Asian LGBTQ+, BL and GL content landscape.

Bringing Lesbian & GL Stories to the Mainstream: Netflix Asia & GagaOOLala

Aligned with its founding mission to “bring LGBTQ+ stories into the mainstream,” GagaOOLala has successfully secured a distribution deal with Netflix Asia for Fragrance of the First Flower, significantly expanding the reach of the lesbian GL series to a broader, mainstream audience. This milestone agreement marks the very-first time a GagaOOLala original production has been licensed by Netflix for streaming across Asia, with Season 1 available on the platform from February 8, 2025, and the second season set to premiere on February 18, 2025. To this, Mr. Jay Lin, founder and CEO of GagaOOLala and Portico Media, expressed, “At GagaOOLala, our mission has always been to bridge the gap between niche and mainstream, and this milestone is a testament to that vision, albeit not an easy one to decide as we are both a production house (GOL Studios) as well as a streaming service (GagaOOLala). As a proud gay-owned and operated company competing on the global stage—and as we navigate the fast-changing landscape of digital and short-form content—we’re constantly innovating to ensure that these important stories are heard. Let’s continue to break barriers and celebrate diversity together!”

Executive Producer Jay Lin

Timely Release Amidst Thailand’s Same-Sex Marriage Legalization

With Thailand's historic legalization of same-sex marriage on 23 January 2025, the second season of Fragrance of the First Flower arrives at the perfect moment to resonate with the Thai and Asian audiences, making the series more relevant than ever. Taiwan, as the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, provides a meaningful backdrop for the story behind Fragrance of the First Flower, with the the second season of the series reflecting the real-life triumphs and struggles of queer communities and exploring real-life LGBTQ+ themes, including same-sex relationships, parenting, divorce, and rainbow families, all portrayed with cinematic and emotional depth.

The production of Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2 has received partial funding from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, as well as the Hakka Affairs Council. Additionally, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) has supported the series' early-stage script development through its Creative Content Development Program (CCDP).

From Left to Right: Executive Producer Derjk Wu, Director Yi Ling Wang, Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin & Executive Producer Jay Lin

The first and second episodes of Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2 will be available to stream globally on GagaOOLala and Netflix Asia on February 18, 2025 with two new episodes every week. The first episode of the series will be made available for free on GagaOOLala with manual English, Mandarin, Thai, Japanese, Bahasa, and Spanish subtitles and AI supported subtitles in French, German, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese and Vietnamese

Official Synopsis: After breaking up on the overpass, Yi-Ming (ZaiZai Lin) and Ting-Ting (Lyan Chen) have started their own lives. Yi-Ming returns to the workplace, and while Ting-Ting resumes her interest in playing music, Yi-Ming quietly follows the band's performances. Through playing music, Ting-Ting meets singer Xiao-Ning (Yao) and a unique understanding develops between the two. While Xiao-Ning is brave enough to pursue love, will Yi-Ming be able to let go of the shackles of the past and be brave enough to chase after love this time? Will this relationship that has been delayed for 15 years be as beautiful as she once wished for?

Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2, GagaOOLala Originals.

Fragrance of the First Flower Season 2 (2025)
Director: Yi Ling Wang
Production Companies: GOL Studios and Portico Media
Executive Producers: Jay Lin, Derjk Wu
Director of Photography: Ai Chung
Cast: ZaiZai Lin, Lyan Chen, Yi Lee, Yao, Chun Han Hung

Akash Rajbhandari
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