PPBongi
California, USA
Love by Chance Season 2: A Chance to Love
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No Real Growth or Development
This series is also known as “A CHANCE TO LOVE.” (It is all so confusing but apparently it is supposed to be a stand-alone series). This series is just a hot mess for me. Maybe I needed to watch the other series to get the gist of this one but honestly as a stand-alone series, this fell flat. This series tried to do too much, and its screenplay was all over the place with no real sense of direction. I honestly did not understand the relationships or why they were even together. Very few of these characters are relatable or that you honestly care about them. Ironically, the only story that was dealt with in any kind of understanding was between Tul and Gonhin. That would have been a very good story because these actors did show emotion and commitment to their roles and had chemistry. Unfortunately, the rest seemed to be just ‘there’.Was this review helpful to you?
Mixed Bag
I am so ambivalent about this series. For me, it just does not rise to the top. Remember in the old days when you had to put a key in the ignition, and you would hear the grinding before the engine started? Well this series is that. It grinds but never quite turns over. It just grinds on and on. One keeps hoping for something to happen but it does not. It is a little too sleepy for me and there is so much wasted time on silly things. . It just is not enough to have ‘cute’ characters; they have to be relatable and so far, only a few of them are.Was this review helpful to you?
A Beautiful Love Story
A profound series. There are only 8 episodes, consisting of about 15 minutes each. It is amazing what great story telling can do in a short period of time. How could one not fall in love with this series? Its pace is swift, intense, and utterly believable. There are no wasted scenes here or fillers. Just raw drama and an intensity of feelings that develops. Also, the chemistry between these two (very handsome) actors is a thing of beauty. This is truly a must series and I hope people watch it. (There are not many of these from Korea, so enjoy!) Each episode has an aptly named title and you will get the message clearly. I very much want to see more of their story because in the end, love is really what matters no matter how you define it.Was this review helpful to you?
A Feel-Good Series
This is a lovely simple story of almost instant attraction leading to love. It is different from other Korean BL series (of which there are not many) in that there are no fatalistic or painful roadblocks to hinder the fruition of love. And they made it a part of the normal makeup of living. And the added addendum to making this series so good was that these two can actually SING. They are professional singers and it showed. Their singing and the songs in this series were quite good. If you want to review my complete review of this charming BL series, please go to ppbongi.medium.com. Feel free to comment. Thanks.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Surprisingly Charming
This is actually a pretty good series. It was charming, sensitive, and had some very good characters in them. I loved the unusual story line about the married man and his companion. That was quite interesting and they made it plausible. It is a sweet love story that culminates in family acceptance as well. You can't get any better than that. Thanks for the English translation. I just love these off-the-wall series with no real big budget but great story lines. They were also not afraid to show some everyday scenarios between gay couples that I really liked (sneaking a peek of his friend naked body; the guy invading the shower space surprising him doing something creative). It is entertaining but could have done without the over-the-top male gay character in the story. A bit much. I also found using 'Fatty' to describe/call one of the female store clerks cringeworthy. This may be a translation issue but those terms are just not appropriate and should not be used. I have posted my complete review of this cute little BL on my (free) blog at ppbongi.medium.com if you are interested in reading it. Hope you enjoy!Was this review helpful to you?
Surprisingly well written!
Surprisingly, this is a smartly written, well defined adult-themed BL that unfolds from an infatuation to quite literally life partners. I was impressed with how well this series evolved and told a full and complete story. Sure, it had a lot of bumps along the way, and tended to be too much of a Soap Opera in places, but it had heart and grit and frankly never lost its way. It is one of the most solid BLs from Thailand to come along in quite a while. In the end, however, the story did something rarely seen in BLs and almost never in Thai ones. It had a graceful ending eluding to the notion that they were and remain a couple still deeply in love and still happy to be so. They are life partners, if not soulmates in every sense of that term.You can read my full review of this pretty good series at BLBliss.com.
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More Horror than BL but Fabulous!
To be sure, this series was far from perfect, but it so grabbed my attention from the beginning and never lost it. Of course, the story got a little wonky, way too unnecessarily complicated, and so deep into the weeds in detail that I thought I would love my mind trying to figure out who was doing what to whom. But overall, what a ride! This story is a classic story of haves against have-nots. The privileged against the disadvantaged. It is a story about a group of ‘friends’ who take advantage of one particular individual whose skills are something they lack but want. They bully, cajole, and manipulate him into thinking he could become one of ‘them’; but, of course, he never will. The ending is stunningly creative and unexpected and had a feel that we were watching a version of a Grand Guignol theater. Perhaps, that is why I loved it so much. This is well-crafted, remarkably well-acted, with a bit too much detail in places, exceptionally dark perhaps too much so, yet overall so fascinating, gripping and captivating. One of the best BLs for 2024 with a frightfully deep doleful story.If you want to read my full review, please go to BLBliss.com. I have other reviews there as well.
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Adult AND Smart
This is a surprisingly and shockingly smart, articulate, and very well-done BL with loads of moral precepts that I was not expecting. In other words, I loved this series through and through. It is very adult-like and tackles some sensitive issues in a vailed way that you have to peel away like an onion. The screenplay is very impressive. Sure, it has its weak moments, but they are few and far between and do not deflect from its core message. I cannot say that the characters were all happy in this series, but they made their circumstances work. In other words, they took lemons and made lemonade out of it. This is indeed a very adult series and not your typical BL Pablum fed premise. It presents its story squarely to you. Still a bit sanitized but nonetheless more realistic and honest than a lot of other BLs out there.Was this review helpful to you?
Close To Perfection
This is a stunning and brilliant romance story between two men in the most obtuse way imaginable. Yet, it accomplished what it set out to do. And that was to tell a story of two men in the world of Martial Arts during the time of Imperial China, that love is possible and that soulmates are real. It is a breathtaking journey of intrigue, love, and power sprinkled with the wonderment of martial arts skills within the splendor of the natural beauty of China. I was so engrossed in this story that I felt like I was also flying through the trees! Yes, it is long and a bit convulsed but none of that matters. It is a story of two men destined to be together and by each other. They indeed complimented and supplemented each other as well as completed one another. There frankly is nothing more romantic than that.Read my full review of this epic series at BLBliss.com.
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A Gritty BL Story of Lust
This story is a gritty, raw, no-nonsense life about a novelist who has hit rock bottom and is living on past laurels. It is profoundly depressing yet incredibly intoxicating to watch. It delves into the more animalistic nature of sexuality with littlie to no pretense of actual love. It is a story of sexual hunger and to taste what the forbid fruit was like in the Garden of Eden. It is neither good or bad but simply just there. In all its sensuousness. Please read my full review of this story at BLBliss.com.Was this review helpful to you?
Stunning BL Series Near Perfection
You must suspend your concept of what BL is supposed to be and simply allow yourself to be drawn into this amazing story of love and an intense connection. In some ways, this is a very difficult series to describe and categorize. It is deep yet we are never without understanding them. It is sad without being maudlin. It is fatalistic without being fatal. For me, it shows the truest form of love. They accept each other’s flaws, yet their flaws are what keeps them together and forms the deepest of loves. Perhaps the aphorismus of the characters were not for everyone but the melodic and sensual nature in which they are played draws you in and hooks you (or at least it did for me). Honestly, I did not care about the subplot of the mother as it will be a long and lingering question that may never have resolution. I simply cared about the two protagonists. The softness they brought to their roles and their natural beauty made this short but effective series just a joy to watch. It is a must-see. I have posted my full review of this awesome series on my free blog site at ppbongi.medium.com if you care to comment.Was this review helpful to you?
Incomprehensible AND Offensive
Bluntly, this story is an incomprehensible mess and a waste of talented actors. This is a nonsensical horror series that spun its wheels around and presented an awful message. I thought the acting in this series was rather flat and repetitive. I honestly saw none of them being challenged to do anything beyond some basic acting skills, which was a waste of enormous talent especially for Singto and Fluke. This was cookie-cutter material and seemed unchallenging for them and nothing but a lot of repetitive scenes. I found the acting rather boring. While I have no great love for the Catholic Church, I must take exception in how Brother Anurak decided to ‘guide’ Dan back to life. Although I dare not speak for the Church, what was presented as a solution is a complete antithesis of what is a solution to guiding Dan back to his reality. If you present a religious solution to something, at least have a modicum of understanding of its concepts before you present one of its precepts. I KNOW this is just a story but to suggest what he did is a complete antithesis of what ANY religion would have one do, or should do. I found that offensive and a cheap shot and an easy way to get out of a story line. I am not even a practicing Catholic and I found it offensive!Was this review helpful to you?
Well Acted With No Depth To It
This is the gay love story of Mr. Spock had he been raised on Earth. Unemotional. Logical. Individuals unable to see what is literally right in front of them. It is a sad story really with only glacial growth of the characters, often too late. It is a very well acted series filled with adorably cute guys and as Spock himself would say, "Fascinating but illogical." It is the first love story that is scripted from a purely logical point of view. It is not that I did not like this series. I did (not a lot) but it had little impact on me and I thought wasted the talents of some gifted actors and actresses.Was this review helpful to you?
