GagaOOLala, the global LGBTQ+, boys’ love (BL) and girls’ love (GL) focused streamer, announced on Feb. 12 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 Feb. 18.
It made the announcement at the press conference for the series held at Hana Space in Taipei, Taiwan.
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 Feb. 8.
“Fragrance of the First Flower” season 2 (GagaOOLala)
Love story continues
The first season of “Fragrance of the First Flower” won best writing, best actress and best supporting actress in a miniseries or television film at the 57th Golden Bell Awards.
It was also entered in film festivals including Series Mania, Tokyo International Film Festival, Seriencamp, BFI Flare and Frameline. The series was also selected as one of Variety’s “Top International Shows of 2021.”
The first season 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.
“Fragrance of the First Flower” season 2 (GagaOOLala)
A year after parting ways at the end of season 1, Yi-Ming 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.
At the press conference, Lin said, “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”
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 eight 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, Wang 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,” the director added.
ZaiZai Lin (left) and Lyan Chen at the press conference on Feb. 12 (GagaOOLala)
(From left) Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin and Yi Lee at the press conference on Feb. 12 (GagaOOLala)
(From left) Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin and Yao at the press conference on Feb. 12 (GagaOOLala) 
(From left) Director Li Ying Wang, Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin, Yi Lee and Yao at the press conference on Feb. 12 (GagaOOLala)
(From left) Executive producer Derjk Wu, director Yi Ling Wang, Lyan Chen, ZaiZai Lin and executive producer Jay Lin (GagaOOLala) 
Executive producer Jay Lin (GagaOOLala)
Expanding representation
With a decline in LGBTQ+ representation across U. broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms with cancellations hitting queer female representation particularly hard, according to 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 (about $145.53 million) by 2025, with an annual growth rate of 17 percent 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, according to Thailand Foundation. and Taiwan’s critically acclaimed, award-winning “Fragrance of the First Flower.”
Building on this momentum, “Fragrance of the First Flower” season 2 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
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.
Jay Lin, founder and CEO of GagaOOLala and Portico Media, said, “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!”
The production of “Fragrance of the First Flower” season 2 received partial funding from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, as well as the Hakka Affairs Council.
In addition, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) has supported the series' early-stage script development through its Creative Content Development Program (CCDP).
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 Feb. 18 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.
“Fragrance of the First Flower” season 2 (GagaOOLala)