beachy vibe with lackluster plot

Overall: reminds me of Even Sun with a weak plot, attractive guys and a nice beach location. Something to just watch and shut your brain off. Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: manipulation, attempted drugging, non con touching, non con kiss (sleeping), threatened violence

What I Liked
- I smiled at a few parts
- realistic that there was a room at the same place they were staying and then an actual logical reason for there only being one bed in that room
- a character actually washed his hands (and Yoshi is cute)
- some sweet moments
- that a character actually noticed the suspicious guy and they had a plan in episode 6
- Tonliew did a good job and hope to see him in another series

Room For Improvement
- maybe it was mistranslated, Putter is supposed to be a super famous celebrity, but he travels without anyone? Some random dude becomes his manager?
- not a fan of the power imbalance/manipulation
- poor communication between the m/m leads
- lack of chemistry
- yet another terrible "plan" (from Putter)
- the effeminate guy is positioned to be a villain
- low budget/experience production, an example is during the bridal carry there were only close up shots instead of a much needed full body shot
- the wound of the foot changed location
- the lack of consequences and cliche 'they learned their lesson' nonsense

Read More

slice of life with pacing issue

Overall: I enjoyed the slice of life feel but the beginning dragged and then the ending felt rushed. Aired on iQIYI and on YouTube (varies by country)

Content Warnings: a slap/punch not between the 2 leads, manhandling, vomiting, and something else at the end that is a major spoiler

What I Liked
- opposite personalities, a slacker/carefree extrovert and a studious introvert
- shows the power of representation, how Eiw thought he couldn't be happy because of the movie he saw whereas Cake had seen guys happy and figured he could have that too
- cool that they released it on August 12th and that was the day circled on the calendar in the intro animation and the 12 is in the title
- cute and funny moments
- the friend relationships, sibling relationships
- avoiding a certain cliche trope in the 2nd the last episode
- displays of consent
- color grading

Room For Improvement
- it was too slow and felt repetitive but then at the end felt really rushed
- Cake's extreme possessiveness and jealousy wasn't cute, telling Eiw he had to change clothes and couldn't talk to Cake's friends was not fun to watch
- Cake not checking/discussing with Eiw about some really important things that involved them both
- Kung, time and place dude, time and place
- the PSA in the last two episodes was heavy handed (and also you can't say that with total certainty)
- everyone pressuring Eiw in the final episode, let him be

Read More

challenging the idea of normal and does it matter

Overall: This series has realistically flawed characters who are trying to figure out how to make each other and themselves happy. They are challenging the idea of normal and does normal even matter to them and their happiness. If you're looking for a steamy poly relationship or a fluffy romcom, then look elsewhere. 10 episodes, 24 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: non con photo taking, harassment, homophobia, sexism, non con kissing/touching maybe turned consensual, teacher/former student, and there is something and I've put it on a comment

What I Liked
- challenging norms/ideas such as monogamy, how putting others' happiness before your own can actually be a burden to that person, addressing that just because someone wants to be in a poly relationship (and also that they are bi/pan) does not mean that they are attracted to every person
- diversity (polyamory, gay, bi/pan, lesbian)
- Misaki and Yuuki standing up for one another and against the father
- Misaki was smart and figured out who was taking the pictures
- Misaki seeking communication and carefully thinking/changing
- sweet moments
- production value

Room For Improvement
- sub par kissing, 1 kissing partner did not move his lips and it looked strange
- some plot conveniences/wish they had more time to delve into some parts more deeply
- Yuuki's "plan" was terrible in episode 8
- reinforced negative stereotypes about poly relationships (we see so few representations in media, so I was hoping this would play out a bit differently)
- the open ending, it really could go in a number of different directions

Read More

turning unhappiness into happiness

Overall: the focus was on two characters who weren't happy with their current situation in life and how they figured out how to change things. I haven't read the source material and am basing my review on the live action series only. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: non con touching/hand job maybe turned consensual?, workplace harassment/bullying

What I Liked
- a forthright character
- sweet moments
- supportive colleagues
- realistic how it is difficult to get away from a toxic work environment, even when a person knows it's unhealthy
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the dub/non con was not needed and could have been handled differently
- had the aggressive pursuer/reluctant pursuee (and by reluctant I mean unwilling, he verbally stated his boundaries only to have them steamrolled over)
- too much time spent in the office setting/that jerk boss
- the intro vibe was super fluffy but that was not the overall tone of the series, we also never see any of those fluffy scenes which was a bit disappointing

Age Info (I didn't put an age gap content warning because I don't think it's needed, but here's the age info thanks to a commentator :)
- in the past, their ages were around 11 and 17
- in the present, their ages are 21 and 27

Read More

absolutely needed better writing (watch suggestions)

Overall: I enjoy a series with a different premise, but unfortunately the writing/world building/pacing did not work for me. 12 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on Studio Wabi Sabi YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: past death/grief, dub/non con touching, 10 year age gap with a highschooler*, manipulation

Watch suggestions: unless you enjoy very slow pacing, characters doing nonsense things, a bunch of crying and untold flashbacks here is my suggestion
1. Watch episode 1, at the end tell yourself that Ongsa died
2. pretend that Suansoon goes back in time and tries different things like having Ongsa avoid that location/day/time but none of them work, so then he tells Ongsa to not meet him at the movie theater
3. Ongsa ignores him, watch episode 7 (basically a retelling of episode 1 from Ongsa's perspective)
4. watch episode 8 where Ongsa learns the only thing to do is for them never to meet when in high school
5. Ongsa time jumps to the present, start watching episode 11 at 19 minutes (although there is a cute high school moment at the very beginning of episode 11)
6. Watch episode 12

What I Liked
- mysterious vibe/present
- how what happened in the first episode related to later episodes
- sweet moments
- Karn (Dear Doctor I'm Coming For Soul) in ep 12

Room For Improvement
- character actions didn't make sense, if Ongsa had actually died and then Suansoon went back and told Ongsa not to drive that day and he didn't but still died and we see Ongsa repeatedly going back trying to change things that would be interesting (like The Butterfly Effect) however Ongsa wasn't even dead and instead of being by his partner's side Suansoon started a romantic relationship with high school Ongsa in the past...
- *age gaps generally don't bother me but the adult Suansoon actor is 36 and he looked like it, past Ongsa is in high school (actor is 25 but looks much younger), it was very uncomfortable to see the adult Suansoon in a romantic relationship with a teenaged Ongsa (who didn't even know that they end up together for quite some time), and Suansoon touching Ongsa when he was sleeping was not romantic but came across as creepy, in general they should have shortened this time and focused more on young Ongsa/Suansoon and older Ongsa/Suansoon
- nonsense stuff, how did no one say anything about a highschooler romancing an almost 30 year old??? why wouldn't in the present Suansoon call Onga's parents/go to their house/look on social media/talk to mutual friends/do an internet search/hire a private investigator/hang up fliers/go to their old hangouts....he just cried
- slow pacing, there was a lot of hanging out in a coffee shop and crying
- a bunch of flashbacks
- really poor world building and a ton of "because the writer said so"

Read More

historical masterpiece

Overall: I applaud the writers for giving us this series. I read the book but reviewed the series on its own merits. The cut version is 45 minutes and uncut episodes were over an hour. Aired on YouKu app, GagaOOLala (uncut), YYDS YT channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoqdmwJPCU35AqHWHKLdr5RWqQhBiVl61 (depending on your country) Check out these 2 official movie cuts which center on Yai & Jom
Part 1 of Jom & Yai’s Epic Love Story https://youtu.be/Tt5-Wa5z3RE
Part 2 of Jom & Yai’s Epic Love Story https://youtu.be/vT-HG57Nt7w

Content Warnings: (there were major content warnings that I put under a spoiler)

What I Liked
- sweet moments and excellent chemistry
- finally we had well written female characters instead of cliche stereotypes, these women acted/felt/reacted how real women would
- strong messages without being corny, they showed the unfairness of wealth disparities, they addressed something that happened in episode 3 as traumatic and not romantic, we almost never see this between a married couple in fiction though it sadly happens in real life and then they showed the trauma of what can result from that circumstance
- unique premise
- that Jom had agency
- intimate scenes were done extremely well
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Jom was a bit frustrating in the first half though he really went thru a lot, I blame the editing for unnecessary long pauses
- the ending was extremely rushed and not really clear of what exactly happened, they could have condensed some of the side plots/scenes in the first half of the series to more fully show the ending
- that mustache was awful and not needed in ep 1
- Jom should have said quietly what the year was when he learned who that ruler was as international fans don't know the date (but it's in the series summary)

Read More

My new favorite Korean BL

Overall: I read part of the manhwa and novel that the series is based on and I think they did a really wonderful adaptation. This is a good example of narrowing the focus to fewer characters/romantic relationships to fit it in a shorter runtime. Watched on Viki, also aired on Gagaoolala in some regions. (minor spoilers)

Content Warnings: bullying/harassment, non con/dub con kiss (sleeping)

What I Liked
- the character aesthetics/styling
- good side characters like Yu Na (also that reference to her being bi was awesome), we avoided the evil woman cliche
- I really liked that Jae Young‬ actually left Sang Woo‬ alone a couple of times instead of the aggressive pursuit/stalking that is frequently romanticized
- the music fit well
- the whimsical editing in the beginning linked it to the manhwa
- funny parts like all the plaid shirts and some sassy responses
- the color symbology (going to have to re-watch again and pay attention)
- good production value (and English subs were added quickly)

Room For Improvement
- more lip ring was needed
- it felt a bit choppy in areas like we ended at once place and then the next scene is a different location/time, also not sure how much time has passed in between certain scenes and it would have been nice to know
- I wish Jae Young had actually followed Sang Woo's physical touch boundaries for more than 1 episode or they had had a discussion to adjust the boundaries in a later episode

Read More

slice of life mini series

Overall: this is a 20 minute short movie that was originally released in 2022 and was broken up into 3 mini episodes (first episode was 5 minutes without the credits). Aired on Strongberry's YouTube channel over 3 weeks (1 episode per week)

What I Liked
- fighting over the diary
- realistic vibe
- production value

Room For Improvement
- beginning didn't hook me, and how I couldn't see the main character's face
- released such short episodes at 1 episode per week instead of all together
- the ending was open to interpretation with contradictory clues/evidence for each ending
- the title (just do an internet search on "happy ending slang" if you don't know what it means) but I didn't take off points
- the subtitles needed to stay a little longer on the screen as people read slower than when they are just listening (didn't take off points)

Read More

Sweet but nonsensical/annoying plot devices

Overall: this is a 33 minute short movie that has some sweet moments but I was really irritated by several plot holes/nonsense plot things.

Content Warnings: non con kiss (eyes were closed and was not expecting it)

What I Liked
- the sweet moments
- the color grading
- the shipper friends were cute but why start now*
- a few nice flirts and a nice comeback
- the second kiss scene was fairly well done

Room For Improvement (spoilers)
- *the main issue is why on earth would you wait three years to reveal your identity to someone that you like and take secret pictures of them? The writer/s should have made this a shorter time frame like 3 months or given an explanation (such as the other guy had to leave the country for school or something)
- there is no context in the beginning of where they are, what they are doing there and what the 2 main protagonists' relationship is with each other (school acquaintances?)
- odd that he says he almost drowned there, then says just kidding, then immediately explained how he almost drowned there
- who leaves someone who almost died before medical professionals arrive?
- how does someone who is barely conscious take a ring off of someone's finger?
- I hate when people/characters "test" a relationship especially in that way
- he read his diary and that's supposed to be romantic instead of a violation of privacy
- he secretly took pictures of him for 3 years and that's supposed to be romantic instead of stalker behavior

Read More

theatrical series that needed tighter pacing especially in the beginning-middle

Overall: although I liked the unique premise, it felt like the director or writer was also the editor and couldn't bear to remove/edit down any of the scenes that they filmed. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: deaths off screen, suicide, self-harm, manipulation, mental health struggles, grief

What I Liked
- unique premise
- production value (lighting, felt very theatrical)
- styling choices (especially that first scene)
- incorporating symbolism/metaphors
- discussion social justice issues such as same sex marriage
- in episode 4 they argued realistically by talking over one another
- bathtub scenes
- they ended the series 7 days before Valentine's Day

Room For Improvement
- a ton narration i.e. telling vs showing, the pacing felt very slow even watching at a faster speed, this story would have done much better as 6-8 episodes, this slow pacing (and it airing over 12 weeks) actually made my point below worse
- Sunshine started as unlikable which is okay, but the audience needed to see character growth before the last minute, finally in episode 8 he seemed to have a little character growth but then his wish undid it, then we saw a little more but by then it felt too little too late
- the mystery/world building wasn't engaging, it was confusing (I think there was a lot of symbolism/metaphors that I didn't grasp), they needed to explain things just a little bit more/more clearly

Read More

got better as it went on

There are some solid reviews on the movie so I'll just add a few thoughts.

Overall: this got better and better as it went on with an ending that was extremely well done. In the beginning, I really struggled with the homophobic, self centered, jerk protagonist. But he actually has character growth which was great. I need a sequel to this movie. Somehow he gets reincarnated as an adult and they solve another mystery together (and also showing explicit romantic feelings would be a bonus)

BL? Bromance? I think they definitely loved each other, whether that was platonically or romantically is not clearly defined, I think it can be a bit up to the viewer's interpretation.

Content Warnings: death, grief, manipulation, violence, held against will

Read More

fans of Cutie Pie will like Cutie Pie 2 You

Overall: I think that fans of the first season will enjoy this second season/special (4 episodes about 50 minutes each). Aired on YouTube. My review of Cutie Pie is here https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/193979/

Content Warning: non con touching

What I Liked
- supportive friendships between characters especially Kuea and Nuer
- Lian's assistant Foei
- consent issues brought up*
- the intimate scenes, no dead fish lip presses during them
- sweet moments
- production value
- neutral, there are some comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- *this franchise does like 50% of consent really well and 50% poorly, Lian telling Kuea he wouldn't go further due to Kuea being drunk was good (though Kuea didn't look drunk until afterwards and it felt a bit like taking away his agency) but did Lian forget what he did in the first season? Also, why did Kuea have to apologize to his harasser, wth???
- all three couples (Kuea and Lian the most) do not feel like they've been in romantic relationships for a year, they feel like middle schoolers who just started dating, why do you need to ask a long term partner to kiss them, because it was in public? Wouldn't they know their partner's PDA preferences by then??? I feel that they never actually talk to their romantic partners.
- Kuea's repeated reluctance with Lian
- still has the dynamic with two couples of a controlling parental-type and shy/obedient child rather than an equal partner dynamic
- annoyed they went for comedy during Nuer/Syn's scene, that could have been a really lovely intimate scene
- some scenes jumped a bit or were not clear
- the obvious product placement in the final episode
- not a fan of the flash forward at the beginning and then going back to show what happened leading up to it, also annoyed that Lian would do that a second time, doing that in public can actually be kind of manipulative because a person might feel pressured to answer a certain way

Read More

better than the series

Overall: this is a re-edit of Burger/King's scenes from Burger's perspective (it has basically the exact same plot as a Japanese BL). First released as 11 short episodes and then in a movie format https://youtu.be/M-13TVFe9g8?si=GvAElSlfmAtFen4j It solved a lot of the problems that I had with Hit Bite Love, though I think they could have improved even more with the footage they had. My review of Hit Bite Love https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/254503/ Aired on Jinloe's YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: hit, kick, coercion, manipulation, non con touching

What I Liked
- sweet/cute moments
- a few funny parts
- how King was up front about what he wanted

Room For Improvement
- a voice over/exposition dump to start it but I didn't take off points
- the stereotype of a yelling trans woman
- in episodes 8 and 9 there were brief flashbacks to scenes that they didn't include in this version, I think they could have edited a bit better
- Burger is too reluctant for too long and King is a bit too aggressive, they could have also edited this to tone it down a bit
- Burger used that resume against King though it was toned down
- we needed 1 additional scene for the ending because it felt incomplete, even if they had shown us texts they had written to one another where Burger asks King to go on a romantic date

Read More

a more realistic countryside BL

Overall: this is a shorter movie (first part was 30 minutes) in two parts from a small production company Wayufilm. Their stuff is kind of hit or miss for me, I did enjoy Country Boy (both parts) and Country Boy 2 (second part). This ended up on my 'hit' list. I graded a bit on a curve because this is a small budget production. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: fight, vomiting, past tragedy

What I Liked
- the actress for the mom did a great job and I appreciate how a mom character doesn't look like the moms we typically see in series/movies. Was also really happy with her response at the end.
- I think they acted realistically drunk (though not sure about sobering up that fast for the one character)
- a nice 'getting to know each other' montage
- the color grading
- the countryside setting and music (one of the actors sings the OST)
- the behind the scenes clips (though they were unsubbed)

Room For Improvement
- I am not a fan of toilet humor
- it felt a bit close to "I don't like men, I just like you" trope but that line was never specifically said

Read More

A Fun Bromance

Overall: although it would have been better as an actual BL, this was enjoyable overall

Content Warnings: side character death, fight scenes, near death

What I Liked
- the chemistry and dynamic between the 2 male leads was great (hence why I think it would have been better as a BL)
- the intro animation sequence was good
- the funny moments
- the merman as an adorable thug (did not think I'd put those two words together, but just look at his dimples!)
- a montage scene that I actually liked

Room For Improvement
- I know it had source material but I think they should have made this actual m/m romance because the two male leads had such great chemistry. Many things have been straightwashed so I think they should have gaywashed this one.
- lack of consequences for both that high school guy and the 2 adults and that things were just totally good between the son and his dad
- there was a continuity error in the first episode
- cliche family stuff at the beginning

Read More