BL / Gay - New Movies and Dramas 2020-2021

Based on one of the best BL/gay-themed mangas ever written.
(Two volumes, by mangaka Mizushiro Setona--which recently were released in English by Seven Seas. And immediately landed in my book shelf. I had to wait 10 years for that...) 

I was equal parts thrilled--and nervous--before watching it. But I was pretty sure that even if it might turn out crappy, it's still an adaptation of a phenomenally good comic--so I would probably love it no matter what.

So... how'd it end up, then...?

I loved it. 

Not just because I'm happy every time I get live action adaptations of my favourites--but because it's GOOD. I have absolutely no idea why some people disliked it, and the ratings are fairly low. It caught the manga very well, and the direction and acting was pretty great.

I'll definitely update with an elaborated mini-review when I find the time...

Previously stated to be released 2020 but the info has since been removed. 

Umm...

Upcoming drama with the much beloved pairing of Jimmy and Tommy ("Why RU?")...

I'm not thrilled... I do like the guys, and they do have nice chemistry as actors--but their physical interaction is soooooooo bad that I can barely watch them in those kinds of scenes :S
Perhaps it could work if they do some advanced make-out-workshop or something... lol... 

No releasedate available as of now. 

Mini-drama.

Sequel to mini-drama "The Moment". 

Oh boy. 

I'm hesitating between 5,5 and 6. And to be honest--that score would be lower if it weren't for the decent production. 

I'm a die-hard fan of Yamashita Tomoko, the mangaka behind the original work. It's not one of her best, but I do love it and own every volume. So it hurts to be this ruthless :S

This was bad... A bad adaptation of the manga--but also a bad movie in itself. Probably even worse for someone who hasn't read the comic... 

Bad casting choices (actors are okay but their interpretations are way off from the original characters), stupid changes in story and script, a very important character is wiped out entirely, focus is almost exclusively on visuals (which are nice, including decent SFX) and the fluidity and continuum of the story is just ignored completely... It's one hot, choppy, jumbled mess... 

The writing is the biggest issue--the movie has no coherency, no depth or exploration of either story nor relationships--which makes both shallow, unconvincing and random. The characters in the manga are fairly well fleshed out but above all, their relationships are thoroughly cemented. Here they were, like... "Huh? How? When?" From "hello" to "destined" in zero time, without an explanation. The manga is a slow story, here it's crammed into an hour forty. Doesn't work out...

And it was a huuuuuge mistake to erase the comedy and try to make it "creepy". The result becomes ridiculous instead :S The original work is nutty, insane and over-the-top, but it's self-aware and has a lot of humour.

Oh, about the romance/bromance? Almost gone. Mainstreamed.
Sure, it's vague in the manga, but it is there--mostly through innuendoes and slight stuff that gives a very slow development from "inexplicable attraction" into bromance into romance. (I'd be very surprised if Yamashita Tomoko doesn't make the outcome romantic.)

Sequel movie for the drama "Pornographer". 

No release date available as of right now.

Not BL, per se, and seems to revolve around BL fandom and includes female-male body-swap, but also has "gay character/relationship" listed, so probably a bit of both.
Either way, the themes qualify it for the list... (And it has Ohm. That in itself, is enough.)

Sequel season for drama "So Much in Love". 

No releasedate available as of now.

Special episode for drama "Theory of Love".

Movie version of the drama "To My Star".

Short.

Upcoming May 2021. (Probably.)

Short.

No release date available as of now.

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii", following the side couple Tsuge and Minato.  

Pointless, stupid and forgettable. But specials usually are...

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii" (damn, that title's always a bitch to write...)  

Upcoming sequel season for "Wake Up Ladies". (Not BL but the MC is gay.)

Sequel season to drama "We Best Love: No 1 For You". 

I was annoyed at the stupid plot ending to S1 and the time jump to S2--I fricking hate time jumps, they're ridiculous and unbelievable--but I actually find myself really liking the setting and maturity of the guys' characters in S2. 

And... OMG, their chemistry... Absolutely epic in this season.
Not only do they showcase great acting (especially Sam Lin impressed in episode 2)--but their interaction is electric. One of the best connections between actors in any BL. Ever.
If you aren't interested for any other reason--watch it if only for that reason alone... It's worth it.

I can't believe I almost missed out on this one, just because of something so stupid as an annoying title...

One of my absolute favs for this year and probably will end up on my all-time-fav list.

Mini-drama. 

A very pleasant surprise! 

I'm usually hesitant to most of these short dramas, since the descriptions--and often the titles (as in this case) sound "bleh" to me, but when I get to actually watching them--every now and then, I find something I like. 

It's light weight, silly and not exactly heavy impact BL--but it's really entertaining and the acting is great. Especially Yu as Zhou Shu Yi, just OWNS the scene whenever he's on screen. I love him, he's so charismatic that he's absolutely irresistible.
The chemistry between these two guys is absolutely awesome. In S2... WOW.
Worth watching even for just that.

A simple, straight-forward story and production, with a lot of humour and heart, that's really likable--despite a ridiculous conclusion to S1 and an incredible time-jump to S2. 

Me like. A lot.

Special episode for the first season of "We Best Love".

"Kinou Nani Tabeta?" movie. 

Was supposedly scheduled for release in 2021, dunno' what happened, the info is removed from MDL.

Mini-mini-drama.

Movie version of the mini-drama "Where Your Eyes Linger"--slightly altered in this alternate format. Both have their pros and cons, and both are worth watching. I prefer the movie version for the different vibe that the (very slight) changes brought.

I reluctantly love this...

Okay, this isn't that GOOD, per se--it's messy and far from perfect in execution, but it's more like... a parade of BL, BL, BL.
I can't resist this shameless poking fun at the BL fandom. Here you have ALL the tropes,  ALL the stereotypes, all which is ridiculous about BL, fanservice and insane Fangirls/Boys. Served with a huge portion of sarcasm and self-awareness--it's just pretty much hilarious. 

I'm a Fangirl, but still, I despise a lot about the BL fandom. I see real and troubling issues in many of the tendencies surrounding shipping and delusional fantasies. At the same time, I can't help but laugh my ass off at the insanity. Because it IS funny. 

So to make a drama that highlights the stupidity--is entertaining. Though, this one does it lovingly, not nearly as venomously as I do :P 

So, you are served; A shitload of couples (too many) of different types, in every single super-trope scenario/coupling you can think of--generously sprinkled with intense kissing, a bit of groping, silly crotch-shots and jokes, sweaty/freshly-out-of-the-shower male bodies, slip-and-catches, running-in-the-rain, accidental "kisses", piggy-back rides, bed-baths, an army of engineer boys, guys-with-guitars and soccer players, gratuitous-but-oh-so-rewarding cameos by iconic BL couples, super-cheesy dialogues and sugar-sweet moments, crude sexual innuendoes and everything else.

Huge plus for some of the hottest scenes in any Thai BL to date. I will never be able to wrap my head around how Saint, with his innocent baby-face looks, can look so lethal when he turns the switch. (And his crazy versatility. I mean... from Pete in LBC, to this?)

I love it.

NOTE; Watch the special episode before you watch the drama. It will make everything easier to follow.

Watch this before you watch the drama. 

It'll make things a hell of a lot clearer, since the first episode of the drama leaves you kind of "huh, wait, what, umm, what was that supposed to.,..?, say what?" until the picture becomes clearer in following episodes.

I wasn't very impressed with the latest Korean BL mini-dramas, but this was by far better than the higher rated "To My Star". 

The synopsis made me suspicious, since i expected something shallow "idoly", but it wasn't like that at all. A simple and straight-forward little love story that was quite adorable. 

It's lacking in depth, and that's definitely because of the short runtime, but it makes up for it decently, with a beautiful score and OST, good acting and a nice production with many beautiful scenes and atmosphere. 

Nothing I'll remember for a long time--but definitely not a waste of time.

Movie version of the drama "Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart".

Upcoming 2021. (Probably?)

Upcoming 2021.

Mini-drama.

Hmm. For some reason, I didn't like this. I enjoyed the other recent Korean mini dramas more, even though they were less qualitative... I'll give a decent rating because it's pretty well produced and there's nothing WRONG with it--it just didn't hit home with me. I get annoyed with unrealistic plot/relationship developments--and here, it's too much for me. Sure,when talking about BL--realistic stories are rare. But as long as it's built up and elaborated from the haphazard meeting/hook-up, it's fine. Especially if it's the sillier kind of BL. 

But this isn't silly--so it becomes awkward. And the relationship dynamics are fuzzy and somehow... the characters keep their feelings and thoughts to themselves. There is no need to write it on the nose, but some kind of outreach, explanation, voicing out what takes place in their minds and hearts--is kind of crucial to make us believe what happens on the screen.
This doesn't. 

It's cute and all that... but it's flat. The characters are flat and the story is told in that shallow and "let's show a little bit of this and a little bit of that, screw the fluidity" kind of way.
Which is a pity, since the plot premise was kind of unique. 

Acting was fair, but not in any way exceptional. 

Random cred; The far-from-acceptable dancing by the MC, was edited quite cleverly and smoothly and almost pulled off fooling an experienced and critical eye.
Tech work was quite nice with some extra lovely shots. 

And above all; Cred to South Korea for developing their BL, and managing to dig out a path of their own, with a distinct flavour that differs from the Japanese and Taiwanese productions, even though they have similarities.

It was good. But it could have been even better with some script changes. 

I'll get to reviewing it when I feel up to it...

Upcoming 2020? (Release date yet to be announced.)

No release date available.

Special episodes for drama "YYY". 

Special for drama "YYY".

This is fricking hilarious.  
I laughed my ass off--and I'm not a person that's all that easily swayed past the level of occasional giggles. (But if you aren't one for sarcastic humor, you might not be quite as amused as I am.)

I'm immensely entertained by everything that makes fun of BL, since no matter how much of a fangirl I am--I'm also a cynic... (And too old and hardened to wear rose colored glasses 24/7...) 

We've seen a bit of it lately--with Thai dramas "Why RU?" and "Lovely Writer" (haven't watched the latter, though), but this is different. It really, REALLY shows off all the nonsensical things with BL--outright and literally, not just with a wink. And it's great.
Here--one is allowed to laugh one's ass off at pathetic situations, predictable plots and cheesy stuff :D We're meant to.

It's not mean, not condescending and not judgemental--just sarcastic hightlighting of the stuff in BL that would make anyone roll their eyes if they weren't so caught up in a BL-high. All seen through the eyes of a dude that rivals even me in terms of having a sarcastic view of the world.

It's unique in its storytelling and definitely one of my favs for this year. It becomes a little bit haphazard towards the end, so it doesn't quite hold all the way--but all in all, it's a little gem of a different flavour. Love it.