PPBongi
California, USA
Bad Boys Trying to Look Good
There is an axiom about individuals being drawn to ‘bad boy’ imagery and this is the classic case of that. The story became so convoluted and twisted in its outcome that when I finished the series, I did not care. It was all so contrived. This series tried too hard to make these characters ‘likeable’. They are not. They are rotten to the core, looking at life rather cynically and fatalistically. They would lie, cheat, steal, murder, and torture, to gain power, control, and wealth. They are despots guised as human, smiling as they look at life cheaply. I did not understand nor appreciate this series. It left me feeling confused by all its hype.You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com
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Sensual and Raw
This is an astonishing very short movie (24 minutes) that captures more in that short period of time than most other BLs do in 12 episodes. It is crisp, exact, intense, erotic, and has a clear message. There is no endless bantering to get to a story. It is there in your face almost immediately. It is not pretentious nor contrived. A major caveat is the stumbling block to a solid relationship. The acting is raw and genuine with a story that feels true and real.See my full review at BLBliss.com
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Sound Message with An Awful Story
Just because the story was awful does not equate it with bad acting. It was a very sell acted and tight production. What was awful about it was its justification of emotional abuse to get its point across. This was one of the most abusive stories I have ever witnessed. Sure, you can euphemistically claim it was for their 'own good'. This is the reasoning for abuse and the excuse for using it. Worse yet, is the abusers think they deserve this. This was a hard series to watch and I wanted to dropped it several times but stuck with it because of its quintessence.See my full review of this series at BLBliss.com
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Entertaining but not memorable
I am sorry to say but this series is ok and entertaining but pretty standard stuff. And it is full of tropes and the romance borders on being boring to watch. But there really is so little of it to watch. The acting in this series is very good and the singing is passable if not good in a few songs. But the musical production numbers simply suck. They are not good and do no present these guys at its best. Frankly, in about 2 weeks I shall not remember much about this series as it is pretty forgettable. The only thing that is noteworthy is the connection and comradery of the band group. This is really a romp through nostalgia.I have my full review of this series at BLBiss.com.
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Awful
Honestly, you would be better off watching paint dry than subject yourself to this tedious, drab, lackluster, and boring series. So far, this is one of the worst I have seen this year (2023). Everything, and I mean everything about this series is insipid. I thought Cutie Pie 1 was so toxic with this one not much further behind. I found this series just too dysfunctional to enjoy, too boring, and absolutely pointless. The actors looked bored, depressed and very underwhelming performances. The love scene, if you want to call it that, in this series I had to fast forward through because it was just too painfully unimaginative to watch. How can you make love boring? Skip it if you can.Was this review helpful to you?
Trite, Tropey, Cliché-ridden
What can you say about another trite, tropey, cliché-ridden Thai series centering around a cooking theme that has not already been said? The story could have been an interesting one as it certainly did start out on an entertaining note. This series was disappointing. It could have been good but instead went down the usual path without any risk to storytelling to play it safe. I suppose many will find this enjoyable; I did not. The story moves too rapidly and unnecessarily bitterly to make any real sense; hardly any believable romance; a tease to a relationship that I would love to have seen extensively developed; and only spurious time for a character that deserved his own story as his conflict with himself as to what he wanted to do with his life and how to extradite himself from his controlling mother is worthy of a story. He was relatable at least.Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointingly bad
To be truthful, it is one of the worst BL series I have ever seen. Disastrous screenplay that made no sense. Bad acting. No chemistry. Disjointed story. In other words, just plain awful. It went around using the same trope, cliché-filled lines, and themes that I literally got bored out of my mind. This series was disappointingly bad, incoherent, insulting to its audience, loveless, and one of the least romantic BLs in a long time. Yet it also had a figure who was genuinely repentive of what he did, constantly tried to make up for his errors and mistakes, yet, still seemed to be projected as a villain. You have a rich rather indecisive individual who is gay and will never meet his father’s expectations yet still too timid to stand up to him (or his family) with any kind of real fortitude and a partner who quick-tempered, impulsive, and righteous and rather judgmental before knowing all the facts, and, in my opinion, might be prone to having a drinking problem. A cautious tale indeed.Was this review helpful to you?
Enough of the nonsense
The story was an endless loop of misunderstandings, misinterpretations, miscommunications, or deliberately no communications. For those of you who are familiar with the movie GROUNDHOG DAY, this same theme repeated itself over and over again throughout 10 episodes. Just when one thought the message between the two would become clear some trope, or cliché or misunderstanding or no communication would thwart the message, or the other person would storm off in a huff and be mad or take offense. It became so exasperating to watch episode after episode of these same behaviors occur repeatedly. And the withholding of information almost drove me to drop this series. The prequel to this was so good. This was just plain awful. They are just so scared to show real gay love.See my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.
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This series has no future
Honesty, this series was doomed from the beginning. While the premise was promising, they just did not know what to do with it. They provided no direction for its actors. From a production standpoint, this series falls completely flat. Much of the dialogue is just plain amateurish and came across as if it was not even rehearsed. The sound in several parts was uneven and faded in and out. For the most part, the performers were unchallenged, and it seemed like the performers were told to act drunk even if they were not drunk or drinking.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best!
This is an astonishing and brilliant BL series that is touching with its simplicity and grace. It is a solid love story from beginning to end with us seeing the foibles of two people in love. Not because they question their love for each other but more so as to what it might do to their friendship intimacy. If there was ever a definition of soulmates, these two young men are its examples. It was simply beautiful in its simplicity. They were predestined to be together.The other couple were destined to be together because they complimented each other to make a whole.
This is a phenomenally soft spoken series that is reflective and a picture of joy.
You can read my full review of this at blbliss.com.
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Brilliant!
This series is unfortunately under-the-radar and overlooked. That is sad as this is one of the better (BL) series out there. I hesitate to call it a BL because that is only one component of this remarkably complex but easy to follow story. The acting in this series is near perfection because of its set-up. I was so mesmerized by this story that I binged watch this series which I rarely do. It is a bit uneven in places and a bit too much time was spent on one particular character, but that does not distract from this series. The 'song' is distracting and at times it was torturous to listen to it being sung again and again. But overall, this series is one of the best for this year that I have seen.Was this review helpful to you?
Awful
Having loved the first season, I looked forward to seeing this one. Unfortunately, it is a mess and was incoherent. It is essentially filled with a bunch of self-indulgent individuals who think the world revolves only around them. They lost their personalities in this series and turned into one self-indulgent, narcissistic pity parties. Some of it was actually quite cringy and difficult to even watch. This should not have been made, There was no chemistry between the main characters and almost zero connections. In other words, this for me was awful.Was this review helpful to you?
Mesmerizing
Honestly, I was mesmerized by this short series. It captivated me from the beginning. Perhaps it was the way it was portrayed. In a real sense, there is a very sad augury about these characters that hangs over them like a shroud. Yet, an opening for a hopeful ending is bestowed if the task can be completed.If you take it simply as a cute fairytale of love, it really does work. What one must keep in mind is that this series is never meant to be in-depth.
If you want to read my full review of this interesting BL, please do so by going to BLBliss.com.
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LIGHT is a Rare Gift
LIGHT is a rare gift that shines brilliantly in a sphere of emptiness. It has all the elements of a tragic story. It is dark, brooding, sad, and depressing. It visualizes graphically the level of pain an individual will endure until a point is reached that breaks his will. This is a short movie and defies the description of powerful. This is simply an outstanding movie, short as it is. It will no doubt be on my Ten Best of 21. It moved me deeply and immensely.My full review is on my blog site at BLBliss.com.
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Heartbreaking, Breathtaking, and Emotionally Stunning
This is what this series is. It is not a BL series in the classic or traditional sense but a ‘coming out’ series that shows the pain and heartbreak of acceptance. It is a story about a friendship between two boys. I must depart for just a second to commend the director for his absolute commitment to nuisances, mannerisms, and details that were captured by the young actors that carried over to the older ones. It is not easy to carry the personalities and idiosyncrasies of a person without looking like you are mimicking them, but he did it with these two young actors. They are superb and studied their older characters to display their same characteristics. It is a thing of beauty to watch. Their friendship developed fast and intense as children. I cannot say enough about the acting of the two main characters. The intensity of connection to one another is simply palpable. This is very close to being a BL masterpiece. For my full review, please read it at ppgongi.medium.com. Any comment would be appreciated.Was this review helpful to you?
