3
The Same Game
Honestly, what can one say about a series that has so little going for it? The plot is dizzyingly twisted. Frankly, it has no socially redeeming values about it at all and there is no point pretending it does. The principal characters are all sycophantic, disreputable, and unprincipled. There is essentially no love story to speak of and what little effort that was put into a love connection, was feigned, contrived, and absolutely based on insincerity. Frankly, I am not sure how I sat through this trashy soap opera. We have seen this theme so many times before. These Bls with their cookie-cutter, cliché-driven, insincere, (poorly done) overdramatic action plots have simply got to stop. Along with the egregious, initially inauthentic love connection – one with not a shred of chemistry or sincerity about it. Honestly, you must have a brain filled with rocks to believe that the main protagonists were in love let alone believe they were in an impassioned sexual relationship. If you do not believe me, then rewatch the last episode with your eyes wide open and tell me that I am wrong. For sure, everyone looks ‘good’ but that is not enough to carry the story across the finish line.Was this review helpful to you?
This Series Has No Life To It!
Perhaps with a little more oomph, this series might have been great. As presented, I rather enjoyed some, but not all of it. This is another vampire series in what has now become a redundancy of them. Each, I am guessing, trying to be unique but none honestly supplanting the original concept. This one also tried but was only partially successful. It all still felt so ‘tired’ to me. While there were some parts to this vampire tale that were unique, there is not enough to make it outstanding and the holes-in-logic throughout are just ginormous. The story begins with a rather interesting nucleus despite the intricacies to its subplot tending to get a bit wonky for me. Nevertheless, I kind of enjoyed the development; I just wish they would put some ‘life’ into the characters.Was this review helpful to you?
Breaks The Cliche Mold!
There is something seriously wrong with you if you do not find this series entertaining at the very least. I thoroughly enjoyed this silly series from the beginning to its end. It is cute, funny, enchanting, and so tongue-in-cheek. It is satirical and yet at times so sincerely poignant. And, to a surprising extent, shatters the stereotypical BL world in a f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s way! It introduces a no-holds-barred flamboyant, over-the-top, out and proud LGBTQIA+ character with an extra emphasis on the plus. A first that I can recall where the protagonist is truly not afraid, ashamed, or inhibited in what he wants to be. Or should I say, ‘she’ wants to be! Does this production have issues? Of course it does! The story itself is ridiculously corny and sanitized. The ending is so saccharine sweet one could die of diabetes. The villains were about as believable as the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz. And the fight scenes were laughable. Yet none of that mattered. I did not care. The whole series is just so funny and entertaining. And I laughed.You can read my full review of this funny gem at BLBliss.com.
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Magnum Opus & A Masterpiece!
I believe this is a series that might be flying under the radar which is unfortunate. Rarely do I ‘binge-watch’ dramas, but this is one that I simply could not break away from. Without sounding flippant or disingenuous, this is THE best Thai series that has graced us this year and perhaps for a very long time indeed. Simply put, it is a preeminent and impassioned diary of human drama and emotions. It is original. One cannot watch this series passively. It will not allow you to do so. In toto, it is an experience. One could write volumes about this series and still not be able to adequately describe its effect or impression on you. It is that powerful. Maybe the best way to define this saga is to tell you what it is not. With great effort and prudence, it keeps clear from being your typical, tropey, cliché-driven BL. Yet there is a love story. Several romances, actually. Fervent. Intense. Erotic. Freeing. Fleeting. All deeply moving. Done in the moment – only for and in the here and now. Yet, will remain with each paramour for the remainder of their days. You will understand their extent once the full depth of this series is felt by you.The real, unfeigned story - the whole story - is about the era known as the 60’s. A point of history where the attitudes and way of life clashed and conflicted proactively with the customary social norms. This story is reflective of the kinds of individuals who were present during that counter-culture revolution. Take the story at its face value and watch it from the perspective of the individuals who were participating in the human experiment of wanting to change ‘the system’. All the characters are deeply rooted in the times.
You must watch this series at all costs. It is unmistakenly on my Apotheosis List and is a very serious contender for Top Series for this year. This is a Magnum Opus. A masterpiece! You can read the full review of this fantastic series at BLBliss.com.
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Closed The Closet Door Again!
While I have not read the manhwa this is based off, this series failed to deliver as a BL. It did not tell a story; only presented circumstances. Ironically, we got the full picture of the straight couple(s), including a superfluous musical interlude and a tennis match. This is a straight story with two gay guys thrown in to try and make it be a BL. However, there was no intrinsic development of a gay relationship or even a foundation of a strong connection between them until the absolute end. What little we did see about their evevolment, was shown to be dark leading to uncertainty with misunderstanding assumptions and presented mostly despondently. Frankly, this series was a bitter disappointment . Oh, it is well acted, and the cinematography is breathtaking and perhaps that is what hides its flaws so masterfully. But its poor content is couched and guised in pretty words at times and nice surroundings. Take that away, and what you are exposed to is anxiety, fear, guilt, and the shame of queerness that is so prevalent in Korean culture and thinking. This series merely highlights their disquietudes about someone being gay in the worst possible way, I might add. Gayness became shameful, something that you could not share even with friends or family and would in essence be deadly if anyone found out about it. Only talked about it in the dead of night and in whispers. They did everything to put gay people back into the closet except not put a lock on the closet door. This did NOTHING to enhance, enlighten, or encourage acceptance of individuals who are gay. If anything, it merely showed how sad, pathetic, weak, unaccepting, shameful, scared, frightened, intimidating, and unaccepting it all is. Know your place. How much agony it will cause you. Meanwhile, the straight couple gets to foster a warm cozy relationship with everyone accepting of that as being normal. And they get to have a happy ending or live out a dreamWas this review helpful to you?
Epic
Epic. Clear and simple, this is in a class all by itself. Granted, it might not be for everyone, and I certainly had a hard time following the complexities of the story itself. Being a lover of period pieces, I was enthralled with this fantasy series. Is it a BL? Nope. Is it romantic. Yes, and no. Certainly, it has impassionate connections between characters but to say they were romantic is a matter of interpretation. As a Westerner, I know next to nothing about Chinese culture, customs, religious practices, or history. So, I became intrigued by this story. It is difficult for me to separate fact from fiction here in a sense that these characters seem so relatable with human strengths and foibles, yet their circumstances were beyond my reference points of understanding. In addition, I find the Chinese language almost hypnotic and sounding like imagery poetry. I adored this series and felt a deeper connection to these characters, ironically. This is a long, long series and you invest a significant amount of time watching and therefore you become weirdly attached to them. Perhaps some more than others but all in general. Why? Because they all remind us of ourselves – be they mortals or demons. Watching this series becomes an experience. To some degree, it is representative of our own world.Was this review helpful to you?
Worth Watching for the Kissing!
This is best described as an anecdote BL. For me it was a bit cryptic and hard to follow. The screenplay might have made sense in Korean. Maybe it was due to translation issues or merely not understanding Korean culture very well, but I did not understand the nuances of the plot. The overall story, however, is a familiar, tried and true, standard one. Tropey. Cliché. Stereotypical. Parts of it did intrigue me and I kind of liked it, despite not fully grasping where it wanted to go. The connection between the two protagonists is surprisingly strong, more so in the beginning. I give them props also for not making this series too polished. It does show the grittier side of Korean society and the not-so-easy aspect of living the life of an aspiring idol trainee. What was really done exceptionally well in this part of the series was the kissing. There was a warmth and a sincerity to those scenes that felt organic and unpretentious and very, very genuine. It was quite refreshing to see kissing, especially in Korean Bls (honestly in all BLs as of late), to be so authentic and straightforward. No silhouettes, stuffed animals, or pillows to hide behind and the shots were clear and close-up. It felt real and surprisingly unrehearsed.Was this review helpful to you?
Pain! Pain! Pain!
This is a story of pain. Sometime unimaginable and incalculable pain. Pain that for both these protagonists centered and defined their lives. Additionally, it presents, whether we like it or not, the ugly side of culture. The side of culture we accept as parenting, even though it is abusive, reprehensible, and evil. No one starts out to be such but acceptance of the nonsensical notion of making your children fit to some type of conformity is so strong that reasoning and common sense and standards of decency are thrown out the window. All to make your kid stronger; only in the end to make them weaker internally and vulnerable to doubt as to who they are. This is a story of lost souls. Astonishingly sad and told in muted tones filmed in dark hues as if to signify the total depression of the two of them. There are magical scenes in this series that will make you weep. Not from sadness but from remembrance. Remembrances of the happier times they had together.Was this review helpful to you?
Grab You Then Loses You
This series was astonishingly hooking at the beginning. I was completely mesmerized by its fascinating story and intriguing premise. And I love period pieces and stories that reflect the culture, customs, and religions of other societies. To want to live so for someday he could reunite with his reincarnated love was just magical and so romantic. And I believed it. I wanted this story to be true. Perhaps that is the sentimentalist in me. I became starry-eyed and wanted to see true love be never ending. While this series is entertaining, it lost its magic when it got so deep into its own story. The convoluted twists and turns were simply too much and throughout it became harder and harder to find the characters likeable. Overall, this series is mildly entertaining. It certainly started out strong but then as it progressed, it seemed to flounder in what exactly it wanted to say and how to say it. I never quite bought the love story.Was this review helpful to you?
Titanically fun series to watch
I love history-period pieces, especially Asian ones since I know so little about Asian cultures and customs in general. For me, I romanticize the story even more and thus, it becomes pure escapism. I confess that I got completely lost in the complexities of the story and with the names and who is kindred to whom. I had a hard time following the lineage of who is related to whom and therefore the story for me got a shade complicated. However, I got the gist of the story and all I was interested in really were the main characters. They were not just entertaining. They were tantalizing. For some reason, decidedly handsome men in exotic period costumes add a greater dimension to the level of the portrayals of their characters they are playing. While at first the story seemed a bit juvenile, once it starts to evolve, it becomes an epic love saga, albeit a painful one. While this series has a swashbuckling feel about it, it is deeper than what it is given credit for. To be sure, there are some inane moments, and superficial scenes, but it never loses its mythos about the power of love.Was this review helpful to you?
Just another 'Basketball' BL
While parts of it are well crafted, well written, and even occasionally well-acted, all that gets lost in the completely mundane storyline replete with the usual trite, cliché set-ups and standard screenplay. It is just another one in a long-line of other ‘basketball’ BLs that are similar. This one, seriously, had nothing even creative or original about it. As usual, it writes itself. It is simply another 'basketball' BL and not a very good one at that. The minor characters of Shogun and Que made this series, and I do not think I have ever stated that about supporting characters in a series before. If it were not for these two very interesting and dynamic characters, this series would have been an abysmal failure. Overall, there was just nothing here to sustain my interest or even be entertaining. These two gave it life and a connection to empathy.You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.
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Brilliantly Redefines the Meaning of Love
Overall, this is a raw, gritty series that presents itself more like a documentary movie than a BL series. It is dark, brooding, and exceedingly realistic. The characters are real people with real problems in real life actualities. I felt drained after watching this series. And categorically it is one of the most intelligently thought-out and refined BLs I have ever seen. It started out dark and remained dark even though its essence is not dark. The presentation of this series is very dark and certainly contemplative. It feels perilous and is filmed in a rather hazy dim fashion. Perhaps reflective of life for many people whose lives are more represented by this series. Pedestrian. Overlooked. Where life is difficult. Full of struggles. Lots of pain. Many unfulfilled dreams and desires. Yet, the foundation for continuing is still family, love, and commitment.Was this review helpful to you?
Cinematic Magic!
In a sense, this story is deeper than in season one. While still about Haruta, the story circumvents him to encompass more individuals around him and does so in a deeply, introspective, and immensely emotional fashion. To be sure, the keystone remains parallel to season one. The Captain, an older distinguished-looking man, falls in love with Haruta, a much younger and energetic man. Yet, in the end there is such a surprising twist that it caught me off guard. I honestly did not know what to make of it. Was it real or a profound cry out of a desperately lonely man? I cried at either prospect as Haruta, for the first time, truly seemed adrift. This is effulgent and, along with the previous “Ossan’s Love” productions, are worthy of our reverence. This is a jewel of virtuosity and therefore I would consider it a ‘Masterpiece’. They may be archival but should not be forgotten. Treat yourself to pure joy!Was this review helpful to you?
A Masterpiece and One Of The Best! Magnum Opus!
Undoubtedly, this is one of those series that will either be loved or panned, mainly because of the esoteric and metaphysical nature of its theme and its presentation as a Greek tragedy. It is allegorical with metaphorical representations of life presented in temperaments of profound introspection surrounded by an almost overwhelming sense of loss, guilt, and shame. It tackles all the hidden and unexplored and often times buried emotions of humans we do not want to face or find impossible to bear. It strips away for us to see and quite literally experience and feel. We see it through the eyes of a protagonist and an antagonist at the same time; with each character being both. This series is a thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating elegy that uses the language of words to embody love. If you want to see lust, or romps in a bed, or contrived love scenes, or soft rituals of love, this is not for you. If you want to see a deep, meditative, and, at times, profoundly poignant perspective of human nature augmented by the process of finding what the meaning of love is all about, then this is for you. There is nothing ‘cute’ about this transmigration at all. It is deeply solipsistic, pensive, and intensely mystifying. There is also nothing ‘clear’ about this series. It is symbolic with symbolisms of all kinds bombarding you. At times they overwhelm you. Everything has meaning. Even the smallest of details. Blink and you might miss it. You have to decipher their meanings. Much happens mostly through words but also through deep reflections in expressions of the faces, manners, and body language of the main two characters, as well as all the other characters in this series.The rest of my review of this phenomenal series is posted at BLBliss.com.
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Gore, Guts, Gays!
Wow! What a ride this movie is! You must be warned, however. This movie is a ‘hack-and-slash’ gory romp of blood and guts. So, if this is not your thing, I suggest you do not watch it. I loved it even though I generally dislike these types of movies. Despite what you might imagine, it is a gay-themed movie but certainly not BL by any stretch of the imagination. However, there is no romance here; it is just eroticism. This movie is based on a real lifestyle of gruesome theater that was popular in France in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. While it was characterized by the ‘grotesque” drama, it stresses horror and sensationalism and explored the darker aspects of human attributes. This movie takes that to a whole new level.Was this review helpful to you?
