short sweet/bittersweet romance, need a season 2

Overall: this could have easily been a 9.5 or 10 from me except how they handled the ending (information in my comment under a spoiler, I'll bump it up to 9.5 if they have a season 2 and explain things more clearly). Aired on YouTube. Watch the extra scene after the credits.

Content Warnings: threatened violence, past pet death, stalking, mental health struggles, kick

What I Liked
- cute and funny moments
- some subverted tropes*
- Jung Woo's very realistic reaction to the situation
- the actors did an amazing job
- excellent production value (feels very Kdrama with blurred backgrounds, close ups), the music was very well done
- cameo from Long Time No See actor

Room For Improvement
- the explanation for how it all happened is in a separate video and it would have been better to incorporate it into the series itself
- they spent some of their valuable screen time in unnecessary plot threads like the blind date
- *the ending was a letdown and I'll say more in my comment under a spoiler

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slow moving countryside Thai BL (minor spoilers)

Overall: this is a spin off to Star In My Mind and you don't need to watch Star In My Mind first. I enjoyed the countryside setting but it moved too slowly and the 7th episode nonsense/non logical writing and then more cliches in the finale bumped it down to a 7. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: manipulation, stalking, animal blood/death off screen

What I Liked
- I laughed a few times
- cute moments including some oldie but goody tropes like 'there's something in your hair' and 'protect mode.'
- countryside setting
- episode 6 poor communication was cleared up right away
- Prince's mom
- neutral (it has comedy sound effects)

Room For Improvement
- I wish they had had the flashback/explanation in part 3 of episode 1 at the very start. It was odd when last week was a cliffhanger and then they are just in a small village...
- sloooowwww pacing
- not into the reluctant pursuee trope
- nonsense/non logical things (especially in ep 7, only 2 cars? all of Fah's 3 cell phones suddenly don't work? not how you diagnose that, etc)
- more cliche stuff in the finale, making decisions about someone else instead of talking to them and asking what they want, lack of apology, no communication about something that could actually cause friction in their relationship
- annoying that Fah was dictating his younger brother's relationship regarding physical affection, speaking of,
- the G rated Kluen/Daonuea scenes added nothing, they felt more middle school couple than university couple
- side characters didn't really do much
- useless love triangles
- not a fan of the intro drawing style

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a pleasant surprise

Overall: I enjoyed the duality of one of the leads, the aerial silks and more. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: manhandling, blackmail/coercion, past death, non con kissing, non con video recording/sharing

What I Liked
- clear premise
- sweet moments
- intimate scenes, mutual affection
- something I really wanted actually happened in the final episode, wish we could have seen a bit more of the relationship developments (maybe a special episode will happen???)
- Wela was smart and already knew something, he had agency
- aerial silks/pole
- the idea that people can act very different in different circumstances
- that Khem didn't want to do stuff when Wela was drunk (but drunk people will frequently say they are not drunk so I would have preferred they altered the scene slightly)
- GL representation
- a realistic point of tension with the main relationship
- mesh shirts
- apologizing and pretty good communication
- supportive parents
- (neutral) comedy sound effects (didn't seem to have as many or maybe I tuned them out)
- (neutral) there were a lot of characters introduced but the name tags many of them wore were helpful before I figured everyone out

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of, 'I won't tell your secret if I get to kiss you' type of stuff, luckily Wela held his own
- the shrieking in the first episode
- continuity error towards the end of ep 1, they were wearing different outfits when eating, perhaps they changed but it wasn't mentioned or shown
- nonsense stuff/convenient writing: 2 characters happened to have each others' phone numbers, drinking 1 shot wouldn't make a person so drunk that they wouldn't wake up and if it did they should go to the hospital, showing someone super drunk then not drunk and then not remembering things well the next morning (which a person would need to have been extremely drunk to have happen), the mom being worried about telling her son something
- the subtitles had several errors but I didn't take off points for it

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promising premise and beginning, disappointed with the execution

Overall: I enjoyed the unique premise but had major issues with the plot. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki.

Content Warnings: violence/blood (in the first scene), murder, trauma, grief, attempted kidnapping, non con kiss (sleeping)

What I Liked
- the premise was unique and rarely seen in BL
- production value
- retelling of the first episode from a different perspective

Room For Improvement
- I wish that Jae Woo and Ji Woon's parents were friends and Jae Woo had just moved into the same city, because... it felt odd befriending a kid like that/having a 10 year old sleep over in a dorm room, it was a bit squicky to me and speaking of...
- Jae Woo was very childlike and stupid for a 25 year old, it made the relationship dynamic even more strange
- their total lack of communication about something suuuppppppeeeerrrr important, like come on
- nonsense things besides the initial premise, a 10 year old regularly walks around at night alone when there is violence in the area? money? ID? same outfit every day?
- why do they like each other, love at first sight? but it was initially an uncle/nephew like relationship, when/why did it change?
- the non con kiss and also this line "I'm going to do something I know you don't like" (and he kisses him, wth?)
- what in the sisyphean hell was that ending?

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slice of life highschool BL (need a Tanaka/Katori spin off)

Overall: this is a slice of life series that floats on vibes rather than plot. Aired on Gagaoolala/Viki (depends on your country)

Content Warnings: manhandling

What I Liked
- Amagi being honest during the gardening
- the perspective shift in episode 1
- their conversation in episode 3 was wonderful*
- supportive friend, specifically Katori (I need him to be a lead in a BL, nerdy guy with player guy - sign me up)
- that they held hands a few times, cute moments
- the OST
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the multiple time skips back and forth in the first episode made it feel choppy, also in episode 4 and 5
- each episode feels more like a contained story rather than there being an overarching plot
- finally explained in episode 4 why Takara liked Amagi, wish this had been shown sooner
- there were times they were somewhere and suddenly the next scene is elsewhere
- not a fan of the dynamic of a low affect/unusual affect guy and the happy go lucky guy with low self esteem
- *unhappy with the very ending as Amagi gave a clear signal of not wanting to do that
- their haircuts and blurry face/lips (but I didn't take off points for this)

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angsty BL with excellent lead actors/chemistry

Overall: Although I struggled with the angst/flawed characters and especially how the series started, I think it was well done. Make sure to watch past the first credits of the final episode, more like that please! Note: this is a remake/extended version of En of Love: Love Mechanics which aired in 2020 and was about 2 hours runtime, you don't need to watch the shorter version first. Watched on WeTV.

Content Warnings: dub/non con kiss, non con sex (very drunk), briefly held against will, past suicide attempt?, manhandling, homophobia, vomiting, violence/beaten up, punch/slap, domestic violence, victim self blaming

What I Liked
- acting of Yin & War and their chemistry
- cute moments
- funny moments
- for once I didn't hate an ex (Mark's)
- they address wealth differences and homophobia
- production value

Room For Improvement
- very disappointed in the sex scene. In many places being mentally incapacitated means you cannot give consent and clearly Mark was mentally incapacitated as he thought Vee was a different person. Although we see 3 beer bottles in the garbage, Vee does not appear to be at an equal level of drunkenness. I don't care at all that Mark was the initial aggressor, Vee should not have had sex with Mark. I would say this was non con no matter what sexual position Mark was. If they wanted to go the drunk sex route then Vee should have also been totally wasted and saying that Mark was his girlfriend and both been freaked out in the morning. (this would also make me hate Vee less as he just casually cheated on his girlfriend)
- hearing vomiting sounds is not my ideal way to start a series
- Vee said something in episode 6 to Mark that I think would end many relationships, sometimes apologies are not enough
- cliche plot point in episode 7
- Vee has some bad friends, they should have at least talked to him to hear his side
- poor communication
- side couples starting out in the final episode
- lack of intro credits/OST and basic closing credits

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realistic and well done

Overall: if the premise/summary isn't your thing, I encourage you to watch at least thru episode 4 because this story is like an onion with layers. 8 episodes total about 45 minutes each, 2 aired per week on GMMTV's YouTube Channel (also Disney+Hotstar in some countries).

Content Warnings: manhandling, homophobia, death, grief

What I Liked
- Li Ming and Heart were the cutest cinnamon rolls
- Wen was direct and communicated what he wants
- felt realistic which matches the setting/story (i.e. the actors faces have visible sweat and aren't airbrushed/filtered to oblivion)
- touched on power/class differences, poverty, marriage inequality/legal inequality
- step parent shown to be caring and supportive
- Gaipa's mom
- hints about future plot elements
- realistic response with Li Ming and his mom
- avoided a cliche plot point towards the end, characters had good communication
- production value* (music, cinematography - that long take/no cut shot at the beginning of episode 1 part 1 was cool)

Room For Improvement
- several scenes were a little too dim* and the camera is too shaky sometimes
- not a fan of some of the music choices, at one point there was an accordion
- how Uncle Jim himself and other characters talk about him being old when the actor Earth is 28 (and most definitely does not look old)
- each episode appears to skip a month however because we don't see montages or dates it doesn't always feel like that much time has passed
- wish it had been Gaipa that initiated things after the time jump
- I understand them not subtitling what Heart was saying in the beginning to show how Li Ming didn't understand but it was frustrating when they continued to not subtitle everything he was saying later on
- it was not Jim's place to tell the mom about Li Ming, it should have been Li Ming's choice
- I don't agree that "deaf people are the loneliest people" which is a line a character said
- good that actual consequences were shown for drunk driving
- the series title "Moonlight Chicken"

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Cute Moments Between Team & Win 

Overall: Cute, short episodes (between 4-6 minutes) with two or three skits per episode.

Content Warnings: body shaming, kicking a person off of a bed

What I Liked:
- the "warning" is really funny at the beginning of each episode
- many of the skits are cute
- the product placements were pretty well done (that baby powder one lol)
- the second skit of the 5th episode was awesome

Room For Improvement: (minor spoilers)
- even those these aren't meant to have a continuous plot, if they had put the last skit in the first episode as the first one, it would have made more sense
- I really disliked the 1st skit in the 3rd episode, Win continues to poke at Team's belly after Team asks him to stop multiple times. This skit was major cringe in a bad way, leave Team and his belly alone!
- disliked Win kicking Team off of the bed
- the comedic song for the final skit in the fourth episode didn't fit the vibe of that skit
- I wish Team was more into things, didn't like him wiping off the kiss in ep 5
- it is definitely lower budget camera/camerawork, I'm sure it was done with a very small crew

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too many sound effects, not enough plot

Overall: thought this was a romcom but episode 3 took quite a turn. I also really disliked the "comedy" sound effects. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired cut on UltimateTroop Official YouTube channel and uncut on iQIYI (eps 9 and 10 for premium members). Ultimate Troop also produced "Remember Me" and "The Yearbook".

Content Warnings: sexual assault/attempted rape (episode 3 part 2), self harm/attempted suicide (episode 3 part 2), manhandling, mental health struggles, beaten up, violence/punches, bullying, stalking

What I Liked
- Dino's singing and guitar playing sounded realistic
- awesome dance moves
- how the friend pointed out the difficulty of finding someone on a large campus
- happy Rak did something in episode 2 and did stand up for himself
- Mean's cameo in episode 2 with the angelic music was funny
- that they mentioned their series "The Yearbook"
- the idea of filling that jar to give Rak some time to recover (though this idea didn't work out)
- at least there weren't dead fish lip presses*
- Chalam and his eggs/pet snake

Room For Improvement
- that there were no consequences for the absolute despicable thing Mek did in episode 3
- the "comedy" sound effects actually make me NOT laugh, not a fan of toilet humor/conversations
- some scenes dragged on for too long like the scene in episode 3 part 2 and the terrible attempt at a redemption arc with Mek's sister
- strongly disagreed with Mek's sister saying an apology can fix everything, an apology can most definitely NOT fix everything and Mek is now beyond redeemable after episode 3
- Rak went from out of the frying pan and into the fire because Dino did not understand boundaries, "don't take too long to open your heart because I won't wait" and after Rak says for him not to touch him he....touches him...
- it's odd how the show depicted the stalker as bad but Dino did the exact same things (ignored boundaries, aggressive pursuit, extremely possessive)
- *in episode 8 the loud slurping noises not in sync with the movements was bad, plus I like some tongue but it was just too much tongue and licking
- Rak was reluctant even in the last two episodes, wish they had shown him with more agency/initiating physical stuff
- effeminate guy stereotype as hypersexualized
- at times the music was mismatched, there was a more serious scene and it had lighthearted music (hospital scene was a good example of this)
- ep 1 voice over exposition dump
- nonsense things: Rak's friends let him leave the club with some rando, say it's loud at the football field but it's quiet, lights on when sleeping, why did Rak stop running when there was an open doorway there in episode 3, etc.
- last 2 episodes were almost all filler and felt very unnecessary (and a new toxic character "you can't tell me to stop" bleh)

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want to see actors in something else (watch suggestions)

Overall: this is an old school Thai romcom/drama that should have been left in the past. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each aired in Thailand. I watched the WeTV version that had 10 episodes but most of episode 10 was the actors talking about the series. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/e36k7s4okwtoesy-A%20secretly%20love%20(Uncut%20Ver.)

Watch Suggestions (this avoids a lot of a guy harassing his ex-girlfriend, hazing and second lead syndrome)
- watch episode 1 from 5-19:20 (flashback to them in high school)
- start episode 4 at 37:40
- watch episode 5
- watch episode 6 from 23 to 34:20
- watch episode 7 from the beginning to 6, then GL at 16-17, watch 23-29 or continue to the end if you want to see a lot of music practice/performance
- watch episode 8 from 4-18:40 and then 41-42 has a nice message about funding rural schools
- watch episode 9 from 18:30-23, 26-29:40 and 34-39 (or can watch to the end)
- either start episode 10 at 6 minutes or you can watch the whole first 12 minutes (the rest is behind the scene stuff)

Content Warnings: slaps, manhandling, blood, beaten up, stalking, harassing, hazing, slaps played as comedy, non con touching

What I Liked
- clear premise
- supportive friends (the twins)
- the GL after they communicated/were honest with each other
- episode 8 message of the importance of funding rural schools

Room For Improvement
- for the majority of the series viewers saw an utterly unlikable character, he's harassed his ex, was immature, acted like a jerk, there were almost no redeeming qualities so I did not want him in a romantic relationship with anyone
- cliche (more than once) saw something and didn't communicate
- comedy sound effects that didn't make it funny, nor was the toilet humor in episode 9 funny
- was not a fun way to start a series (and I hope unrealistic)
- confusing parts, based on the summary and what was shown they first met in high school when Khon was a Freshman and Pluem a Sophomore, in the present they were a Sophomore and Senior in university, Khon didn't interact with Pluem for 2 years at the same university? he's just started the hazing/initiation stuff with Pluem?
- kind of a 'gay for you' trope
- episode 5 had a flashback montage of what we just saw in the episode
- very confusing subtitles (didn't take off points although it did negatively affect the ability to understand what was happening, Necklace was the ex-girlfriend)
- the title should have been "I Secretly Love You" or "A Secret Love" (didn't take off points)

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want the actors in something else (skip ep 5)

Overall: there was potential with an angstier story but the writing got progressively worse as the series continued. Skip episode 5 and start episode 6 at 43 minutes. 6 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on Youku's YouTube channel, first episode link https://youtu.be/B36ryCeKxUw Rookie Thailand has also produced: 21 Days Theory, Future and The Best Story

Content Warnings: past death, grief, homophobia, bullying, punches, parental verbal abuse

What I Liked
- some sweet moments
- they explained what happened 5 years ago so the time gap made some sense (but 5 years was too long)
- funny with the friends hiding behind plants
- glad she finally stood up for herself though she should have told Night he needed to figure his stuff out asap before someone else started dating Dream
- Dream seeking communication at the beginning of episode 5
- Namwan in the second half of the series (though I didn't hate her in the first half)
- production value was good for what I assume is a low budget series (except for the too loud background music at times)

Room For Improvement
- time skip needed to be 2 years instead of 5 to feel more realistic
- cliched writing, unnecessary love triangles, drunk kissing, etc
- not clear when flashbacks started/ended/were flashbacks
- the multitude of flashbacks made the episodes feel choppy, would rather they had shown everything in the past and done 1 time skip to the present (similar to ITSAY), there were even flashbacks to scenes we had just watched like with the professor (also what on earth is you fail a university class if you can't write an amazing novel? does that really happen???)
- nonsense stuff (who doesn't know their best friend has a sibling, they've never met in person or seen a picture? they could have made this a step sibling during the time gap to make sense)
- failed redemption arcs for the dad and brother
- unclear of how much time passed in the last episode
- hardcoded English subtitles were a little difficult to read (didn't take off points for this)

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The Best M/M Reality Dating Series So Far

Overall: This is my favorite "reality"dating series I've seen, understanding that "reality" can include producers telling the guys what to do/say and that editing can be extremely misleading (not showing things, change the order, etc). My goals were that the guys have some fun and being on the show helps (or at least doesn't hurt them) in their personal and professional lives. Note to Eun Chan and Chan Kyu - don't change yourselves, you are amazing as you are! Series aired on both Gagaoolala & iQIYI.

Content Warnings: discussion of homophobia

What I Liked
- the interviews and them discussing more serious things in episode 7 was excellent
- I like how they actually started with a date. The 30 second phone thing/letter writing was a good idea but only once.
- mix of choice vs no choice things
- smart decision to not let them say their age or occupation right away. I think people get fixated on those things when in reality personality, values and goals are much more important compatibility-wise.
- production value such as nice music, set design, editing, etc

Room For Improvement
- they needed more group dates or getting to know you games (Never Have I Ever would have been fun)
- the second phone call was repetitive and boring, it took almost all of episode 5
- the varying lengths of episodes (37 minutes to over an hour) was bad because then viewers thought some episodes were being censored. In the future they should keep episodes a consistent length.
- either there was a rule for no skinship or they edited it out, because 8 guys lived together for 1 week...
- the illegible subs on Gagaoolala because Korean subs were hardcoded on the video

Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. Bromance (Thailand) is also on Gagaoolala. This is the typical Bachelor/Bachelorette set up with a bunch of people competing against one another to be with the 1 bachelor. I didn't like this because they could have all been hitting on each other and we have multiple couples! I got kind of bored and skipped a bunch.
2. Love House seasons 1 & 2 (Vietnam) on YouTube (most have English subs, this is ep 1 of season 2 no subs though https://youtu.be/TKzT_nHfVTA ). I liked this set up more than Bromance because the guys could all pursue one another. I didn't like the "secret couple" aspect and dividing them up based on sexual position seemed odd (can't they discuss that in private???) Season 1 was also the most brutal "rose ceremony" I've ever seen in any dating reality show. Season 2 was better.

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had potential, but cliched/nonsense writing ruined it

Overall: the weak script hurt what could have been a unique premise. It has twenty 25 min episodes on GagaOOLala and ten 50 min episodes Viki. I'll be referring to the longer Viki episodes in my review.

Content Warnings: bullying, fight, attempted murder, fight, death, grief, dub/non con kiss

What I Liked
- the intro/music
- clear about when this takes place at the start and after the jump
- that magic dude (who vanished for a large chunk of time)
- the friendships between characters
- sweet/caring moments
- the final episode was better than several episodes previous to it and the NSFW scenes were done fairly well

Room For Improvement
- my main complaint is the weak script, characters are doing things "because the writer said so" not because they would actually do them in real life, I don't want to list all of the nonsense things out but there are a bunch like what kind of warehouse has a kitchen (and a bathroom?!?)
- several characters are too unlikable/hot and cold
- cliches abound including the flamboyant guy as a villain and the evil ex girlfriend cliche
- the boss/employee dynamic had a bit of a grooming aspect to it and it was difficult for me to see past it, wish they hadn't been boss/employee
- the total nonsense with the freezer and lack of consequences
- awful communication
- I like cameos but was not into the stepbrother cameo
- a lot of filler/slow pacing

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good premise with flawed execution

Overall: I'm rating it a bit higher though because of the unique premise and that I couldn't tell how this was going to end unlike pretty much every other BL I've seen. Watching on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: multiple deaths, blood, dub con kissing and sex? (drunk), stalking, past domestic abuse

What I Like
- some cute moments, especially towards the end
- some funny moments
- sick people actually looked sick (i.e. didn't have flawless make up and hair)
- showed how doctors/medical staff do get sad/stressed
- good communication between Tua and Prakan in the final episode
- the ending before the final time jump
- (neutral) the accidental fall/tropes, it's cringey but I still like them

Room For Improvement
- immature and stupid characters, also some really bad communication skills
- nonsense medical things (pretty sure you don't operate on your family members)
- at one point we end up in an endless loop rehashing the same plot points over and over again
- major plot holes, some of which could have been explained with a short dialogue
- Metha was annoying almost the entire series
- poor communication with the m/m side couple but seemed like it only lasted a day or two
- three couples all had rushed romantic endings, at least one should have developed earlier on
- the awful camera angles during kissing scenes
- slow pacing most of the time, watched on a faster speed
- the ending, too many time jumps = poor writing and that very end part was not my thing at all

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unique premise with convenient writing (watch suggestions)

Overall: although I enjoyed the premise the multitude of "because the writer said so" stuff is took me out of the fantasy. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: murders, attempted murder, suicide, child abuse, drugging, blood, violence, torture, manipulation, manhandling, kidnapping

Watch Suggestions (this avoids some nonsense stuff and a love triangle)
episode 4 watch 9:50-11:20 for fun side couple bickering
episode 6 watch the whole episode
episode 7 watch beginning to 16:30 and 44 to the end
episode 8 watch 8:30-23:30 and then 32:30 to the end
episode 9 watch 24:20-37:20
episode 10 watch 44 minutes to the end

What I Liked
- unique premise
- mystery element
- Khram's female friend
- the side m/m couple
- intimacy/NSFW
- sweet moments

Room For Improvement
- my main struggle was that the characters keep acting completely unrealistically and it pulled me out of the story, a few examples included
* in episode 1 the whole "he won't do it again", the later not having a weapon or not having a bodyguard when a character knew he is in danger and then meeting in a sketchy location
* the medical scenario in episode 2 (should have gone with AB negative or rhnull but wouldn't the universal donor still work?)
* a character tortured another character, then one "I was a little harsh" and all was forgiven, similar thing happened in episode 10
* why didn't a character just tell another character the truth, there wasn't any world building that there would be consequences for this
* people on the run got out of a car in broad daylight
* not contacting police
* not immediately killing characters
* the dad received confirmation that what he wanted would never happen so doing what he did/said at the end of episode 5 made zero sense
* nonsense weapons being used including a butter knife and a sword
* nonsense doing that when extremely injured also his friend didn't seem to care that he left him there/didn't send help

- there were several times where the time jumps/flashbacks felt sudden or were confusing with which characters were in the scene, choppy editing
- the first few episodes had a lot of telling/montages instead of showing, I'd say they didn't have enough screen time but then some scenes could have been cut shorter
- in episode 5 they should have established that a character was evil because just being someone's son doesn't mean you deserve that
- a very cliche plot element in episode 9
- I saw 1 character as 2 different people so most of episode 10 felt like cheating
- unsatisfactory open ending

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