could have been a 10/10

Overall: there was potential to tell a story well that we never see; however, the title, trailer and plot synopsis all misled viewers into what this series would be about. Bed Friend is not a steamy series about friends with benefits and more about coping with trauma. I am basing this review by the series itself and not based on the novel as I believe series should stand on their own. 10 episodes about 40 minutes. Aired on GagaOOLala (cut version, 1 30 second deleted scene per episode is listed separately up to ep 6), iQIYI (uncut version) and YouTube (cut version). Later aired on Viki (uncut?)

Content Warnings: *dub con kissing/touching/sex (I'll put more in a comment marked with a spoiler), attempted/beginning sexual assault, trauma, past: parental abuse, grooming, molestation; homophobia, victim blaming, manhandling, punch, sexual harassment, stalking

What I Liked
- frenemies to lovers premise (though they needed to show more why Uea hated King so much)
- child actor did an excellent job
- supportive friendship although Jade didn't make me laugh
- caring/sweet moments
- styling
- NSFW scenes (although they are a bit too choppy for me, the actors actually kiss each other and do a good job during them), liked the consensual kitty play
- episode 3, setting clear rules/boundaries, people might not agree/like some of the rules but I appreciate being upfront about what is acceptable and what is not (though I think they both later violated at least 1 of the rules)
- 1 terrible character had consequences
- showed them going together to get checked for STDs
- referenced therapy and medication*
- some good camerawork/cinematography like at the beach

Room For Improvement
- choppy/difficult to gauge how much time has passed, it's never a good sign when a series changes the number of episodes mid airing, scenes would jump quickly, in episode 10 they were in the car and then immediately in different outfits in the office, also what cheapskate stunt was that, don't combine those two events!
- King is not all green flags, starting at ep 1 around 25 minutes, but it continues with him pressuring Uea to move to his condo, victim blaming Uea, also him doing that "plan" without consulting Uea first (though he checked on his second plan)
- Uea's lack of agency, I really wish Uea had initiated some of the plans, it felt that stuff was constantly happening to him or people were doing things on his behalf
- *still felt a very unrealistic "love cures all trauma" message, especially with episode 10 and the scene about turning off the lights
- I realize this is based off a novel but it's just too much trauma, it's trauma after trauma after trauma, I wish they would have focused on 1 aspect and fleshed that out really well
- why did they make every male character in love with Uea???
- the NSFW scenes were too short/not enough/too artistic for a series called Bed Friend and with the premise of friends with benefits, that glass in episode 10 came off as weird instead of sexy
- several terrible characters had no or little consequences, also they didn't clearly show that the half sister didn't know because if she suspected or knew and still pressured Uea to return home, then she can disappear along with his mom
- the office humor and the comedy sound effects were not funny and the tonal shifts were jarring as well
- King's approach/plan in the beginning felt like a very fictional way to go about things, I couldn't tell if his feelings changed or if they were that way from the start
- ep 1 not a fan of an exposition dump for an intro
- both violated the "rules" they set up
- nonsense stuff, he didn't know there was a camera in his office, who put the camera there??? nonsense computer code/screen
- production value issues including odd camerawork, poor editing

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needed more runtime to better develop the plot and characters

Overall: I liked the unique premise but it felt rushed. I think they should have cut out Dennis' character if they didn't have the budget for a longer runtime. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: attempted violence/murder, murder*, bullying, shove, dub/non con touching, past violence, past death, mental health struggles, power imbalance with boss/employee dynamic

What I Liked
- made me laugh several times like trying to drink but not holding anything
- I appreciate how different that first scene was from pretty much every other BL
- chemistry between the leads
- cute moments
- interesting premise
- was happy it was m/m in the past

Room For Improvement
- there just wasn't enough screen time to fully explain the plot, an example is why/when did Min Yu Dam's feelings change? or in the past, a line says they've been meeting at a certain spot but the audience has only seen them just meet, what exactly was/is the relationship between Min Yu Dam and Dennis (in the past and present)?
- Min Yu Dam has had that much time and he comes up with that stupid approach?!? why wouldn't he meet him as a friendly university classmate, there's never any explanation and it doesn't make sense
- the dead fish lip press kisses and even the 1 that wasn't still wasn't a good kiss
- in episode 2 they should have continued the flashing lights/noise thru that scene to show it was an ongoing problem and then put things back to normal once Min Yu Dam did what he did
- a 2 minute recap is too long for episodes that are under 15 minutes
- *this is a kind of murder but I won't be too spoilery

The Ending
- I actually didn't mind it as I didn't love that he forced him to be his secretary and go on dates with him however, this needed to be 16 episodes 1 hour each and what we saw took up the first 6-8 episodes and then they continued the story for the second half, otherwise it kind of ruins everything else before it

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when hurt people hurt and love each other (we need a season 2)

Overall: an angsty series with good tension, but a few too many unanswered questions for my taste. 5 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI, first episode link https://www.iq.com/play/gray-shelter-episode-1-1yzhwhotbkc?lang=en_us

Note: see a comment with spoiler for my thoughts on the ending

Content Warnings: parental abuse

Timeline Notes (the flashbacks weren't very clear)
- episode 1 starts in the present and then at 6:05 the rest is flash back
- episode 2 starts in flashback, goes to present at 10:30, flash back 19:25-20 and then returns to the present (the package is from his bio dad at the beginning, not step dad)

What I Liked
- a more serious vibe
- tension
- good for the girlfriend for not putting up with that
- acting
- production value

Room For Improvement
- there were 2 main issues that were alluded to but never directly explained that I wanted the answers
- that friend was a huge a**hole for ratting him out to his dad, can't believe the main character apologized to him
- could have shown things a bit more directly, I thought that beep was his phone going off, didn't realize someone was leaving the apartment which gave important context and showed 1 character was slightly less of a jerk than I thought he was
- they needed to make the flashbacks/present differ more, it made things needlessly confusing in the beginning
- pacing was slow at times and then the end felt rushed/incomplete

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a thriller/horror turned into an examination of how awful people can be

Overall: I struggled with how to rate this as there were parts that really worked for me and others that didn't. I was also disappointed but not surprised when some viewers victim blamed the character Non. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI. Production company is Be On Cloud which also produced KinnPorsche.

Content Warnings: murders/death, blood/gore, decapitation, animal death, vomiting, bullying, manipulation, coercion, mental health struggles, suicides, attempted suicide, parental abuse, beaten up, grooming, teacher/student, non con sex, non con recording/sharing, cyberbullying, drugging

Thoughts on Victim Blaming Non
- consent is multifaceted, one part is non-coerced and Non was definitely coerced, he was groomed by someone he had respected and felt he owed that person, Non did not deserve the terrible things that happened to him
- for people who said "why didn't he just switch schools", we don't know the cost/transportation difficulty with doing that, also I think Non was an abuse cycle with the friend group, Jin was the little bit of sweetness that made Non hope for things to get better and then when they were terrible it was difficult to break free, viewers also forgot that Non had been lied to/manipulated and believed the first thing was his fault and that he was mainly responsible for all of the awfulness happening to him (update in episode 11 around 7 minutes Non says "if you didn't see me as a friend I could have moved to another school" which confirms for me that Non would have left if all of them had been terrible all the time but Non had glimpses of kindness an that kept him at his current school)

Watch Notes
- if you like horror/thriller (and don't want to see a ton of bullying/people being awful), watch episodes 1-4, then watch the beginning recaps of episodes 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 which are all flashback, watch episode 10 thru the end
- if you like sweetness, watch the first 5 minutes of episode 7 and watch episode 11 33-41:25
- if you like spiciness, watch the scene at 26 minutes of episode 9

What I Liked
- mystery aspect
- the NSFW/intimate scenes in the first episode and episode 9 were well done
- character actions sometimes felt realistic
- that they talk about not splitting up like in a horror movie
- sweet moments beginning of episode 7
- fleshing some characters' backstories out
- flawed characters

Room For Improvement
- slowly paced for being a thriller, flashback episodes 5-9 provided important context but they also interrupted the thrilling part of the series, they could have condensed them or interspersed with the thriller part in the present
- there were 9 main characters and it took me quite some time to figure out who they all were and their relationships to one another
- Jin got off the hook way too easy for something absolutely terrible that he did, it felt unrealistic and was disappointing
- episode 10 was an exposition dump/reveal with some scenes (wandering around the woods) that dragged
- one character did not deserve what he got (wish there had been some kind of twist with this character)
- ending felt rushed and too much fantasy (no way would hallucinations have been exactly like that), wanted more/different twists and then the 31 minutes onward didn't work for me

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sweet seaside romance

Overall: a refreshing seaside romance series. 5 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: maybe something at the beginning with a side character but it didn't bother me at all

What I Liked
- the characters felt realistic instead of caricatures, how both of them were confident in some ways but guarded in other ways
- flashback that hinted about why Amane was jaded about love and then the reason was shown in episode 2
- caring/sweet moments
- how Ryuji sought communication
- that Amane took risks to stay true to himself/what he wanted
- production value

Room For Improvement
- don't think physics would agree with what happened around 10 minutes in episode 1 lol
- it was only 5 episodes we definitely could have used more

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standard Thai romcom elevated by Off & Gun

Overall: this is a pretty standard Thai romcom, it was nice to see Off & Gun again. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTVs YouTube channel cut and WeTV uncut.

Content Warnings: past death, grief, mental health struggles, stalking/harassment, bullying, dead body covered, slap, homophobia, unwanted outing, punch, non con video recording/sharing, cyberbullying

What I Liked
- reverse personalities/dynamic from their previous characters
- laughed a few times
- sweet moments
- dream sequences
- motivations/responses of the main leads make sense
- how Prem checked in about Ten's boundaries
- Prem/Ten's mutual and ongoing affection, being supportive of one another
- supportive grandma, Unky's parents and the stepmom
- Ten apologizing for what happened in ep 10

Room For Improvement
- started with an inner voice exposition dump
- not a fan of an aggressive pursuer/reluctant pursuee for the side couple (liked them more starting in episode 7), and then there were some unwanted relationship games in ep 8
- quite a lot of the intended humor was a miss for me
- choppy at times, heard the uncut is less choppy
- the long press and hold kiss with zero lip movement, need more energy in their kissing
- comedy sound effects made things less funny
- could have condensed into 8 episodes, felt slow
- ep 8 the friend going as the in between felt very immature instead of funny
- was disappointed about the Unky arc/telling others without first checking in with the person
- punch was unneeded and then the scene after was jarring with the different tone
- a dad who slaps his son then lecturing him about using physical violence made me roll my eyes
- episode 12 time jump

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I loved the second couple

Overall: I absolutely adored Ai Di and ended up enjoying their dynamic/story more. Aired 13 episodes about 25 minutes each on iQIYI, GagaOOLala (not in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, or SEA), Viki & WeTV. Later aired on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk2gvyPpHLRfpyBmdMhePR2ntRNk3GqGs&si=hjJj5M5ZwqmJN7Rm Watch the post credit scene in episode 13.

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, blood, violence, past parental abuse, trauma, non con kiss, dub con sex*, blackmail, manhandling, held against will, 17 year old/22-25? year old** (also teacher/student), stalking, manipulation

What I Liked
- more unique premise
- clear timeline (first scene starts in the present then the rest is 4 years before)
- sweet/caring moments
- styling, especially Ai Di
- secondary couple's dynamic
- cameos of HIStory actors, Be Loved In House actors and Plus & Minus actors
- Bai Zong Yi's family, and liked how they knew about most things regarding his decision/actions
- intimacy/nsfw

Room For Improvement
- overall it felt rushed, this covered a long time span but didn't feel that long, they could have removed some parts like the cliche wannabe girlfriend and spent that time explaining things more/showing time passing
- the ending felt especially rushed with cliche plot points tossed in and one plot point left open ended
- comedy sound effects in the beginning didn't fit with the very serious scenes/tone
- villain should have been smoking a cigarette not sucking on a lollipop (it's explained in episode 9 which was too late for me)
- evil wannabe girlfriend cliche
- I got pretty lost with the the gang plot stuff but I also fast forwarded a bit
- not a fan of manipulation/stupid "plan" between romantic partners
- *with the main couple, one was super drunk/on sleeping pills but it was the fictional scenario where he was an active participant and then seemed sober
- **I really wanted them to have aged up Bai Zong Yi but it actually was important to the plot that he was 17 and I do think 17 year olds can be mature enough to enter into relationships with those over the age of 18 so in this instance it didn't bother me and I didn't take off points, though they could have removed the teacher/student element

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well done countryside K-BL

Overall: although I wish it had more episodes to more fully flesh out the plot/characters, they did a good job in 8 episodes. Aired 2 episodes per week about 20 minutes each on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: colorism, blood, vomiting, manipulation

What I Liked
- intro/OST
- bubbly guy Ye Chan and more serious guy Yul weren't unrealistic caricatures (though Ye Chan was maybe a bit too dense for my taste as a 20 year old)
- cute & funny moments
- the writers efficiently gave us important information about Sun Yeol without using a voice over or an exposition dump
- horror music/tone at the beginning was funny
- supporting characters (including the ex who wasn't a 1 dimensional villain)
- how Yul sought out communication in episode 6 and also they avoided something cliche towards the end
- decent kiss
- sound effects/music

Room For Improvement
- needed more screentime to fully develop the plot and the characters, could have made it more clear about what happened in high school with his dad and music
- the colorism remarks, I know this happens a lot in real life but that doesn't mean I want to see it in my fiction, both guys are gorgeous
- why did he throw the water? seemed to be a 'because the writer said so', they could have explained this a bit (there is more information in a comment so this could happen in real life)
- unrealistic, Yul didn't notice that harmonium on the ground immediately and comment on it???

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Overall: a more accurate/understandable title would be "My Wish" (just replace when they say 'blessing' with 'wish'. I gave it a .5 boost because this is apparently a student project and it's better than a whole bunch of other things not written by students. Watched on WeTV.

Content Warnings: kick, maybe kind of something at the end?

What I Liked
- the friendship
- some of the humor was funny like the failed flirting with that girl
- cute moments
- that poor communication didn't drag on
- good kissing
- music, especially the rap song at the end

Room For Improvement
- the relationship/romance felt rushed, I think they could have cut out some other scenes and fleshed out more how/why they developed feelings with each other
- the ending is a bit open/wish they had gone a different direction with it
- how wearing glasses was considered less attractive

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enjoyed the second half more

Overall: I'd really like to see these actors with better writing. If I were to start this at episode 4 and think they had just started dating, then the terrible communication and reluctance would make sense. But their characters' ages were 25 and 32, they were dating for 5? years (engaged for 3), they had known each other for 18 years (age 7 and 14). Their relationship dynamic didn't make sense to me even with a traumatic past event. This is based on a book which I didn't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on YouTube and iQIYI (uncut). Mandee also produced: Bed Friend, Cutie Pie 2, Cutie Pie and Why R U

Content Warnings: past death/gore, attempted murder, maybe held against will, dub/non con kiss, manipulation, manhandling, trauma/mental health struggles, stalking

What I Liked
- Kuea & Diao's friendship (and Diao and his friend group)
- Lian & Kuea's scenes
- Lian & Yi dream sequences/their dynamic
- cameos from characters in Cutie Pie
- couple funny parts like that dog's costume in ep 3
- sweet moments
- mystery aspect
- good kissing/intimacy (note, this is cut down in the YouTube version)
- Diao's evasive skills in ep 8
- Max's real mom played Yi's mom
- the ending of episode 8 was absolutely adorable
- production value (everything looks beautiful except too much blur filter, the actors, the sets, the cars, etc)

Room For Improvement
- I struggled with the characters and the relationship dynamic, we had an attractive, taller, stern, controlling character paired with a cute, shorter, avoiding physical affection character. The relationship felt more parent/child than equal partners, though thankfully this did start to change a bit. However, Yi said that Diao couldn't go to his own sister's party in episode 4 which was not cool. Also in episode 1 it appeared that there were security guards in their home to keep tabs on Diao/prevent him from leaving and security cameras inside the house for the same reason. And then the writers could have had Diao (an expert in martial arts) fight off those dudes but he got like 1 hit/punch in and then was a damsel in distress. Also him getting around on his bicycle further infantilized him.
- the manipulation/lying to Diao starting in episode 2
- poor communication, they didn't have sex in over a year? they've known each other for over 18 years and can't say what is bothering them, what they need from a relationship, problem solve together how to fix their problems? (I did like that one scene when asking about their honeymoon and future family plans), in later episodes they both say the importance of better communication but then don't communicate well
- the writers didn't make it clear that they had collaborated on their plan
- should have cut out the whole love rival side plot and explained character motivations more
- how Diao frequently avoided physical affection from his boyfriend
- too many time jumps in the first episode
- fart joke humor (and they've known each other for 18 years so what Yi said never happens in front of people was a total lie)
- comedy noises including the goat bleating
- cliche plot point at the end of episode 1
- maybe it was supposed to be funny how the dad prefers Diao because I found it really sad, Yi's dad was awesome in some ways but he was overly harsh to Yi at times
- terrible tiger cgi
- nonsense plot things: in 18 years, Diao didn't know that Yi has sisters (even if the marriage was recent that is something you would know about), Diao had never met Yi's mother in the 18 years that he knew him?, assuming someone is cheating because they smile/hug the opposite sex

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Toyko In April Is...a good start with a weak ending

Overall: I would categorize this series as more slice of life/realistic with angst but also sweet moments too. The beginning was very promising but it kind of fell apart a bit with too many flashbacks, plot cliches and a rushed ending. I give it a slight rating boost because it did try to tackle some social issues. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki. 8 episodes about 23 minutes each.

Content Warnings: workplace bullying and several major content warnings which I've added in a spoiler comment

Note: the characters in the past are 15 years old

What I Liked
- tackled more serious issues
- there are hints to certain story elements and as we go on we get more explanation
- younger actors did a good job, I thought it was good they kept it PG in the flashback in episode 3
- good consent in episode 3's flashback
- good morning after, avoided the cliche
- there is miscommunication/poor communication but it's mostly understandable
- sweet moments
- consequences shown for 1 trash character
- production value (use of colors, light)

Room For Improvement
- too many flashbacks including scenes we just watched in the recent present, it made the series feel choppy
- ending felt rushed
- instant reconciliation for that mom, she didn't even apologize for the huge amount of pain she directly caused, ugh
- in episode 3 I wish they had just left it at Ren saying sorry because it was odd/unrealistic that Kazuma did not correct him
- being in the rain and the other thing that happened in episode 3 do not cause a fever/illness but because of the timing that is what the viewer is led to believe
- gay for you trope
- (end of ep 7) people can have a freeze response but I think if they had made Sanada's actor a taller person it would have made more sense
- Yagami makes no sense to me at all
- the pretty single tear down the center of the cheek crying doesn't work for me
- several running cliche scenes

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heartwarming slice of life series

Overall: this series really gets you in the feels. Aired on GagaOOLala, 10 episodes total about 20 minutes per episode. Has a 1 episode spin off. It is based on a manga which I purchased on Amazon and read (and it stayed pretty close to the source material).

Content Warnings: past bullying, trauma

What I Liked
- the intro/outro songs
- sweet moments
- the cooking
- slice of life vibe
- that kid is adorable and the dad is super supportive
- Minoru seeking out communication
- production value

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of some of the exaggerated expressions, many series based on manga have a character like this but it doesn't feel right in the live action adaptation
- too many flashbacks
- wish we got some/more romantic attraction signals from Yutaka
- went too quickly from daytime to nighttime in episode 8 during a short story

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What If It Had An Actual Ending!?

Overall: I initially rated this short and sweet series an 8.5 and could have even rated it higher, but what was that non-ending??? Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- young actors did a good job
- the transition/time jump was clear and well done at the end of the first episode
- cute and sweet moments
- I like that the hyper/younger one is more studious
- the subverted trope in ep 2 when they were celebrating and alcohol was present
- outro song (there isn't an intro)

Room For Improvement
- wish they didn't play other music when the guys are learning/playing guitar so we could hear the original sound on those scenes
- for the short run time they spent their time poorly, that whole jealousy thing could have been cut out and they could have actually had Peach confess/do something non-platonic...
- Peach and his friends are idiots, they really didn't know who that song was about???
- this almost seemed like an acting workshop instead of a series
- it's odd that the production company released this at the same time as My Only 12% as they have very similar plots

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a mystery/thriller series that tried something different

Overall: I appreciate that this series had a unique premise. This is more mystery/thriller instead of horror/gore, there are some very heavy topics and things shown. Aired 14 episodes about 45 minutes each on GagaOOLala. Make sure to watch the entire post credits scene in episode 14.

BL content: I'll put this in a spoiler comment

Content Warnings: there are some really heavy topics, see my comment with a spoiler for the full list

What I Liked
- unique premise
- blended different elements well
- acting
- liked in episode 2 how Dan sought communication from Nai
- a few sweet moments (including the friend cuddle)
- production value

Room For Improvement
- unless I missed it, 2 characters should have been shown being arrested by police but the writing seemed to suggest that their own miserable lives were bad enough (but they should have been arrested)
- how much Josh & Nai believed Dan who they had recently befriended stretched credulity a bit
- where was the teacher at the pool???
- I dislike that the school priest tried to force forgiveness
- open ending

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runs on vibes instead of plot

Overall: I really enjoyed the beginning with a unique premise and the color themes, but similar to other GMMTV productions, it runs on vibes and poor communication instead of plot or realistic character actions. If you aren't a vibes person, then I suggest watching the first two episodes then skip to episode 8 part 4 and watch from there. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: beaten up, death (off screen), stalking, animal blood

What I Liked
- several cute and funny moments
- the color themes and prop integration
- supportive friend groups
- that this wasn't enemies to lovers but two guys figuring things out
- mentioning societal issues like marriage equality, expensive public transportation
'- several cameos/guest roles: Force, Book, Perth, Mix, Tay
- reference to 2gether/other BL series
- decent kissing in later episodes
- the two side characters and the vet stuff was cute (but they needed more time, had like a 5 second scene in the final episode)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- pacing was slow, characters went in circles (for 2 years!!!), I think they needed a fast burn side couple
- poor communication for grown men
- characters do not act realistically (the film crew in episode 11 was an example of this), characters do things because that's what the writer said not because it would make sense
- thin plot with a lot of product placement
- poor world building/plot holes
- that whole not name telling thing
- there were a few scenes that jumped a bit much, we were in one place and then suddenly somewhere else (the beach at the beginning was one)
- the cliche swimming issue in the beginning, wish they'd have come up with something else

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