Eliot_Rulez

dark, disturbing, disgusting, but beautiful

Such a story makes speechless. It's a story of two man who suffered a lot, especially one character has a deep trauma because he was sold as a child to a sick man who sold him out to other sick people who sexually abused him. It's a story of two people changing each other and heal each other, first in baby steps but later their bond grows strong.

I can't describe what feelings go through you when watching this, It's the whole bandwidth from disturbing, disgusting, aghast, angst to beautiful when you see both getting closer together. Due to the theme it's not a fluffy, funny show, you normally expect a BL to be. This is not really a BL but a drama where two man happend to be gay and finaly love each other.

When you can stormach such heavy stuff, this is a must see. If you are too sensitive seeing abusive scenes, you may watch with friends and help each other process the episodes one by one, If you are suffering from depression or other mental problems, you should not watch it at all. It was extremly brave for the team to take on such heavy non mass compatible material. The actors did an incredible job, cinematography is top notch and we get an intro which does not spoil the whole series which is so common in many series. My respect goes out to all involved in this project delivering such a unique show.

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Not a typical BL, coming of age and discovering yourself

While many of us not understanding japanese have gripes with some of the subtitles, the second negative was the wig. It was a distraction in the whole series. It's not such projects are done overnight, so after casting they could have told him to grow his hair and use extensions.

The third negative is the ending for one of the characters, keeping in the closet, being at least gay and denying himself to be truly happy but getting married for the "family".

The ending for Mishima could be closer to the manga where you see him living with Fujimoto together as a happy couple.

Other than that, the team removed some of the harshest scenes from the manga and tuned it down for normal viewers in contrast to "Happy of the End" which was raw. Other than that, the story was very close to the manga, the acting and cinematography was really good.

Mishima grows after enduring mental and sexual abuse, also with help of his understanding mother. The change of Fujimoto from bully to lover was also nicely done.

Overall a depiction of the harsh reality in a rural area in the 1990ties which is still common nowadways where especially boys who do not conform to expectations of society are still bullied without reason and due to bad parenting. There should be licence to be a parent imho, because it's a lot harder than driving a car.

When you find a service which offers good subtitles, you should watch it, but don't expect a BL, because it's a gay series which is a trend I wholeheartedly approve of.

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A story about loneliness and the struggles of everyday life...

Many viewers won't like this series much, because first it's not a BL, secondly there is no real drama but many heartwarming/heartbreaking moments in this story. It's a slice of life where two people drawn together, fight their past baggage and come together in the end.

It depicts the struggles especially in Japan where social pressure and expecations are a real burden. The last episode Azuma describes that best: "I feel like I've just been running in circles. I kept telling myself I'd take a real break when things settle down. But "settling down"... if you don't force yourself to take the time, it feels like it'll never happen."

We see the disconnect of families like Kuji and his brother, who takes the house Kuji is living in, not just because he inherited but despite his hate for his father. He does not really need that house but he kicks Kuji out of it regardless. Azumas mom is struggeling with loneliness because many eldery people left alone because their spouses already left and their children are struggeling themselves not investing the time to be there for them.

This is slow pacing, some may say boring, but life itself is not an action movie. It's running in circles and to break out of that circle is the real challenge both of them faces. And in the end, they manage to do it.

These are veteran actors not needing a queer role to stay relevant. Of course Takeda Kouhei is best known to us for his role in "Oldfashion Cupcake" while for Shibuya Kento it's his first stop at such an series as a main role (he was a guest in Ossans Love). Both did an amazing job and overall the cast was strong. Production quality and cinematography was on point with slow movements and great pictures to punctuate the actors characters and performance.

If you are tired of the 100th school BL this is something completely different, a mature look of two people struggeling and a sensitive composition of how two people can find to each other without the usual drama and silly scripts. I can't do no other as highly recommand you to watch this. But this is not for escapists, this is for people who want to improve their understanding.

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No bullshit BL...

I don't know if we can describe this mini-series as BL. It's more in the realm of a queer mini series. Besides that, MDL says it has only three episodes and say's the second part is a side-story - which it's not! It is a continuation of this series.

A young man has a breakup because his girl friend just tells him, he's "bad" in bed and does all the things wrong. She recommands that he should take lessons. He made a post somewhere to search for a tutor and he found one. But he does not know that his tutor is also male - that's the story in this three episodes.

This is not fluff, this is not a love story (not yet, anyways), but the teacher does just teach. This is a really unique concept to take all the bullshit of any BL out and just make it about learning how to respond to your sex partner, how to make him hot and how to do "stuff".

While this mini-series has not much story (yet), the actors are really naked, no BL make-out under the blanket or just the foreplay. It's also about penetration and how to do it right and you may think it's p0rn but it's not. I find this concept refreshing and something completly different to nearly every other show. The next three episodes will get more story and I can only hope they will continue the story because the story itself has potential. And I bet some people could learn from it!

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The first real omegaverse series, strong beginning, flat in the end...

While Pit Babe tried to be omegaverse it was without explaination and without a real omegaverse story. This series explained most of it in the beginning and you think you will get a typical storyline, but you won't. This is more a psycho-thriller with BL elements than a BL with psycho-thriller vibes.

I won't go too much in details, because there are many reviews out there which will depict the series. When "Sheng" said "you little maniac" to his partner, he is exactly that. A ruthless, manipulative tyrant in most cases but with Mr. Sheng he is the cutest omega-like being on the planet. Mr. Sheng is also not a "child of sadness". While having a soft core he did also questionable things considering all his ex-lovers he had, a wolf in sheeps clothes so to speak.

Then we have a second couple which had a good dynamic in the beginning but got less and less screentime as the story progressed. While Shen is an alpha, he has too much hate for omegas in him to see the true nature of Gao and it ends in a disappointing finale (for me). There is hope, we will get a special to have their story to be completed but now it's open ended. At least for me it felt unfinished.

There is the critics who say there was rape, but in the omegaverse there are just animal instincts taking over when in "heat". It's not a rape per se, because both partner have the same desire. And everyone else who said "but we could see it clearly", yes that was because the director choose to show us even when in the story the room was dark.

Production budget seemed huge and in typical BL manner there is a lot of subtle bluring going on especially in the more romantic scenes and close-ups. The lip sync is also not perfect, especially with the child, the acting felt sometimes a bit stiff (due to the lib sync) and it often sounded subdued for the scenes we were seeing. Because this was a chinese production for the foreign market I wonder why they had to do this, because everyone besides chinese people would not know of the different chinese dialects and it took away some of the intensity of the scenes. Other then that, production quality was top notch.

While it is a groundbreaking series, it is far from a 10 for me, because a) I'm sound sensitive b) Shen seemed a bit too two-dimensional without the growth I expected and c) the finale. It's a very good show overall when you like the psycho-thriller approach.

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Exceptional queer movie with realistic approach

Hi, I am late to the party, but I should write a review, because this is one of the exceptionell queer movies of 2024.
If you do expect a BL you will be disappointed, it's a queer movie and the romance of a BL is not the focus of this movie.

It's a story of gay man who struggles with the society he lives in and a girl who also had go through some hardships. They both meet at university and the grow closer together, overcome hardships together and accept each other for what they are. Both discover who they are and what they want.

Cinematography, direction, acting are also exceptionell.

This is one of the best queer movies ever made which does not focus on the gay aspect per se. It's part of the story but the main part is the development of a deep friendship between a gay man and a straight woman. Regardless if you are straight, bi, gay or inbetween or nothing of that, regardless which gender identity you have, it's a powerful story and a wonderful movie and you should watch it!

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again cuteness overload...

That was a nice conclusion, but I'm a bit pissed they said two episodes and not two half episodes...

Also the steamy hot scene was in the first half and the second half lacked that. So while it was nice to watch the pacing was reversed. They should have done the serious talk first and then the hot steamy scene last.

So I feel they tuned it down and after the "first" episode I would have expected more. But overall this is a small disappointment but the overall vibe and seriousness was a highlight. It gave the whole special more meaning compared to so many other specials which only serve as fanservice.

Overall it's not perfect, so it gets some deduction, but compared to most special episodes this is a very good one.

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strong start, rushed end...

As typical of a JBL we get an interesting premise, we get an serene atmosphere and quite a slow pacing. I just feel the end is rushed, another episode should have extended the end which was overly fast and breaks with the overall pace of the show. Especially they introduced the "Konno goes abroad" thing which is not in the original manga and which did not make much sense especially when they were limited on episodes anyways. To introduce drama is not always a good choice, this series could have done without it.

The cinematography was top notch, the actors did a good job, except with kissing. What's the point of close ups "kissing" when the lips are only touching for a "endless" time. Besides that, I have nothing to complain about. So overall a good BL which started much stronger (the first two episodes were just perfect) and gave us a weaker ending. The series is extremly short, only about 24 minutes per episode (except the finale which is about 30 minutes), so you can easily binge-watch this and have a better flow and not a week long suspense.

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Why do non-BLs always have to be sad and tragic?

This is not a BL, it's a queer series. It's slices of live spanning over around 8 years or so. The beginning is a bit strange because there are too many coincidences in the first episode. And of course while we know they are gay, there is no explicit scene about confessing and of course no kissing at all. I don't need any nc-scenes at all, but their relationsship is not defined. We can asume they are together because they love each other but it would not have hurt to give as at least one fluffy moment.

On the other hand this slices of life are mostly a series of negatives. For me it was very emotional because every negative stroke of fate just happens. Ryo gets confessed to but he can't handle it. The confessor get outed and jumps (we do not know from how high), but survives, Ryo runs away to Germany of all places and gets nearly killed in a church were another gay persons throws molowtov-cocktails at the altar and is saved by a man who just before listenes to his guilt-confession.

And the list goes on... Is there a happy end? Kind of, but not really. Of course there are also happy moments but anything happy will be destroyed by a tragic event. Is it really necessary to make queer series where everything is tragic? Do we get only stupid, crappy BLs for happyness? I don't mind if there are tragic elements in a story, but this was too much.

I can't fault the actors, they did their best, but watching this series is very taxing. I can only fault the script & direction. I wish we get realistic gay stories which do not end always badly, or where at least the good and bad balance each other out. So, I'm a bit disappointed that they choose not do so. It's very emotional and I needed some tissues. I can't even say it was "bad". Yes the script had it's flaws, the story-arc is not what I wished for, some scenes are too slow for my taste, but it was done mostly in a good way. If you crave for something tragic, this series is for you, if you want something happy, this is definitively not for you.

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A fairy tale with a bit of confusion...

As usual the love-story started with a misunderstanding, which is of course nothing new. But how they went with it, was new for me... In the right circumstances a wish from a shooting star can become true. At least I did not expect going that way, because "He Xiangyong" wished to be forgotten. And that had massive consequences with his dad, friends and when he met his highschool sweet heart again. Only his childhood friend recognizes him and he fascilitates the second couple by kicking his friends butt, so to speak, something he could not manage in highschool himself.

The scenery is quite rural and is supporting the story. We got quite some nice scenery, especially the underwater footage in the finale. All the actors did a good job, especially the young versions of the MLs. The second couple had a dead fish kiss in the finale which makes me wonder, if they filmed the finale first, because of course the dumb intro did spoil the end - which I hate.

In the middle of the second half of the show, it gets a bit confusing, because "He Xiangyong" wakes up and something changed. First I thought it's not only his wish, but many wishes intersecting from people around him. But that's not the case, it's just confusing. But at least the God and his helper turn up to save the day. The background music is often offputting and makes no sense, especially when it has a comedic touch but the scene is serious or when a song is playing while a serious conversation is taking place. Of course I understand why they only went with one actor playing "He Xiangyong" and "Zhong Xiaoyou" but for me it would have been better if he really looked different for more immersion and that "Chen Haowei" fall for the second version because of his soul and character. At least it would have been more impactful. Also the "art" was left something to be desired, not good enough to be believable that "He" choosed this as his profession.

So overall a taiwanese production which was good and had some depth and a wonderful story also about two childhood friends. Compared to all the thai crap now airing, this was a refreshing story. Even with all the downsides I mentioned, it is still a good series.

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That was disappointing...

First, there is a "dog" cafe without dogs... that's strange as hell.
There is ONE dog in the whole show.
All Koreans understand Thai for some reason without translation devices or so it seems.
The story was soooo slow going in the beginning and then the ending was rushed. What did they wait for? Most of the inbetweens scenes did not much for the love story. The "traitor" was still in the final shot - I only thought WTF? There was a chance for an emotional outbreak for what he did, but nothing happend.
The production value was high, but for such a subpar story it was wasted.
The chemistry between the two leads was ok-ish, I guess a language barrier is not so easy to overcome. They still lacked passion and longing for each other.
All in all I could have skipped it and not miss a thing.

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Weak start, getting better with every episode...

While we are flooded with short KBL mini-series, this is a serious TV production. And it shows. The main actors are already established and even the best friend is a character we have seen in other series as supporting role.

I like scifi and time travel always but I would lie if I would say the script does not have it's flaws. Sadly it has. Especially the color-blindness was not explained at all. Especially WHEN does he have it, is it just an after-effect due to his time travelling or did he had it all the time or did it develop gradually. It has such a prominent role in the story that I don't know WHY it was there. So it irks me still, why it wasn't explained at all. Also the fight between Woojin and his best friend was overly fast resolved without the proper appology. Teajun had the vibe of jealousy which was not done right. It gave me first the impression he is also interested in Woojin in a romantic way but that was just a fleeting moment and imho not necessary.

The cinematography was top notch giving the past and the "now" a different vibe - which it should. Also they did an amazing OST. The only gripe is the overly blurness of their first kiss in the beginning, this was a bit over the top. I disagree with some reviews here saying the did not have chemistry, I think they did. The glances and micro expressions did it for me, without the face to face aural confessions we are so used to. They don't need words to convey their feelings. In the finale Woojin said his smile had a sadness to it and yes, that's what was intended. This was a much more mature storyline compared to most school/university BLs we get to see nowadays which I appreciated.

Regardless of the flaws of the script, I enjoyed the series. It took almost a year after "Ball Boy Tactics" to get a proper KBL on the screen and I appreciated it. So while not perfect, it's worth the watch.

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dreadful and frustrating, but brilliant!

When many people say BLs are fiction, that is not entirely correct. The premise of the show of a sexless marriage is a common problem in Japan. The latest study in 2024 found that 48.3% of married couples are sexless, which is nearly double as many as in most other countires. If one of the partners "don't won't the hassle" and the other do need it, it puts a lot of strain on the mental health. This show depicts this reality brilliantly and I felt how dreadful that must be. I also felt heavy and frustrated as Hagiwara with his girlfriend. Kaori does not like to be intimate with him any more.

On the other side we have another sexless gay couple which are a couple for the wrong reasons. I'm not happy with the finale explaining Fujisawa reasons for his behaviour - it does not explain the refusal to be intimate. Guilt is always a bad motivator to be in a relationsship. Of course Sei is not innocent in this too. He let Fujisawa isolate him, he did not force the issue much much earlier and wasted years with a love which could never fulfil him.

After a wrongly sent email Hagiwara & Sei kept in contact per mail and discuss their lives even in sexual matters. As it must happen, they did not know they were co-workers. For reasons they discover that by chance and have a laugh. After another refusal of Kaori Hagiwara felt so deep in a hole, he contacts Sei and they meet and they have one of the most sensual scenes in a BL. I don't mean the touching and kissing, I mean the feelings they convey... I felt how they urge for the touch, to be close, to be one.

Of course their sexual affair did not get unnoticed from Kaori and both of them got in a chaotic situation. While Kaori did scrutinze Hagiwara's phone, Fujisawa went into a jealous rage, raping Sei which was not shown directly but he had the marks afterwards. Sei seems to think it was a deserved punishment which sounds insane for most viewers and left me speechless. While Kaori does not seem to be a bad person per se, she is not able to communicate her desires and problems with her partner. Kaori's talk with Hagiwara ended with the expected breakup because she is unable to comprehend what she has done and how Hagiwara felt. Sadly Sei also pushes Hagiwara away.

At least there is happy end and I'm not happy that we did not get another episode.

Cinematography, direction were on point, the cast acted their roles to perfection, making this drama very special. If you think, they all should have communicated better, don't forget, Japan is different from most countries. Feelings are kept hidden more, problems are often ignored especially in relationships and due to the work mentality - which is insane for every other country - they often don't have time to do so.

This is for sure a show to binge-watch and I can't tell you how highly I recommand you to do so!

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raw, emotional and with a cliffhanger....

While some episodes where not as interesting as others and had some "logic holes", the outstanding feature of this show are the characters and the actors playing them. Even the action scenes were, for a thai BL, quite good (in contrast to Jack & Joker). It's rare for any thai BLs to leave "badies on the field" after the final episode, something we have not seen yet. But the bitter pill we also have to swallow is an open end, which means they are gearing for a season 2.

This show is not for everyone. While there is eye candy and sensual scenes, this show is mostly raw and brutal. That begins in the prison with all the abuse you may associate with it and ends in the finale which is one action sequences after another ending in a blood bath. Also the thai/korean co-production did not feel akward compared to other shows, even when the K-Dad was not really Korean at all, but we will forgive that.

Overall it was something fresh for a thai BL, something different and something not seen yet and for that courage alone we should praise this show. Of course, it was not perfect, the storyline could have been better, but some twist were also well thought out and not as predicable compared to many other shows.

So, if you can stomach the raw and brutal scenes or don't like the overly fluffy stuff, it's a show worth watching.

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