PPBongi

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!

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Life In Beautiful Blue

This unfolding of the story of two men will not move mountains but it will present a reality that for many is what is happening to them. It is a transition of them getting older and the realization that they are gay and are now coming to terms with it and learning to accept its reality. In a society that still does not accommodate it. Each must take their individual journey down a very lonely path. But the beauty of this legendry is that their paths once crossed when they were younger, intersected again when they are older. And their joint path may now be going down the same road together. Softly, gently. Each holds the hand of the other and along the way, they are inviting trusted friends and family members to join them in their peaceful journey to seeking a life of fulfillment together. This is a wonderfully rich story in exploring the beauty of living life together, taking pleasures with being with one another, and knowing that the other person is exactly where you are as well. You can read the full review at BLBliss.com.

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Gay West Side Story

If you are familiar with the classic movie, “WEST SIDE STORY”, or even its updated remake, then the current result, I like to describe, is the gay Japanese version of that classic without of course the musical/dancing scores. I may be reading too much into this production, but the film appears to pay homage to that archetype through its many parallels in its theme, setting, design, and overall atmosphere. And as the title implied, it really is a story of love. More central is the message that fighting, aggression, and rebellious behaviors do not resolve conflicts; they only magnify them and lead to further destruction and pain. While the title might seem oxymoronic, its meaning will be understood clearly and precisely by the end of the movie. Unquestionably, while this movie is highly captivating, it conveys a deep moral message presented with entertaining undertones. While there is gang violence, this movie makes significant arguments against that way-of-life. It advances and embraces detente not in a Pollyanna way, but in a straightforward, honest way to resolve aggression with SOMEONE courageous enough to lead the way with another person on the other side with equal courage to reciprocate. You can read the full review at BLBliss.com.

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The Toxic!

This is yet another one of those enticing BI series that initially pulls you in but then does nothing, and I do mean nothing, with the story. It drones on and on around the same topic. Toxicity. Yet, has the audacity to sugar-coat it with tear-jerking moments pretending to be examples of arcs to love. This series presents well as there is an arc to redemption. However, as is usual, the abuser tries his best to become the victim and the victim in essence becomes more like an abuser. These kinds of dichotomies must end. Abuse, bullying, and exploitation should have no value as being dominant in BLs. Yet here they are – living and thriving. Prettying them up and trying to make it acceptable and even throwing in heaps of absolution into the mix. It does not, however, even begin to diminish the pain that the real victim had to go through. This is yet another Chinese BL that projects gayness as full of toxicity, abuse, a milquetoast lackey always in need of some type of rescuing, and of course a lineage of tremendous pain and discomfort in order to receive the ultimate gift that the abuser will see the light and love you back. Plus, gays are obviously lousy kissers.

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Soul Crushing!

Overall, this is a series steep in the imagery of ferocity, harshness, and seemingly emotional intensity. But it is a ruse; a gimmick. You do not get to witness that fervent intensity until the VERY last scene when the very last line of the series is finally delivered. And even then, we never see our protagonists – our heroes, the emotional nonpareils – deliver the words: we only hear their words. I cried. I found that so profoundly sad. That, sullenly, I felt. We had to literally wait until the end to find out that they were deeply in love with one another. I cried because I wanted those words to be spoken much earlier. They never did. Or at least inferred. They never were, and thus they never were. The only emotion that this series gets undeniably correct is sadness. Unfathomable despondency. This is by far one of the saddest, if not the saddest, series I have ever seen on all appraisable levels. If you are wanting or expecting it to be emotionally passionate, you are going to be disappointed. Perhaps it might be better, ironically, to watch this series from its end to the beginning. Then the whole picture is made clearer. They got the editing all wrong. The saga tries too hard to convince us it is a story of intrinsic feelings. Sure, we are overwhelmed with ardencies, but we have no time to feel them. The story continuously takes us on along a journey into a world of hurt, leading into forks in the road that only lead to other levels of affliction. As if somehow, all this represents the only way life is for them. It does not. This odyssey became corpulent with deleterious effects and therefore hard, at least for me, to know what to sense and thus, I shut down. I saw and felt no real connection between the two of them. This is a soul-crushing series full of pain and sadness. Nothing more.

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Surprisingly 'Beautiful'

I loved this series! I know there are a ton of negative reviews/comments about this series and admittedly, despite the myriad of legitimate issues it does have, I still think this is one of the better series to take a look at. Why? Because it has heart and it disregards the traditional path of telling a BL cliché story. It takes a direction I did not expect it to take. With an ending, I am sure, perhaps no one else except me respected. I loved and enjoyed the unconventional and heteroclite conclusion. It made logical sense. This is not a pablum-fed saga but a serious story. It is a solid adult tale with an uninhibited solution to an insoluble dilemma. Take it or leave it. There is nothing pre-pubescent or tripe about this series and that alone makes it worth considering. If the director had taken the story more seriously and believed in its integrity, this could have been a more impactful series.

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Love Like On A Three-Wheeler

Summarily, this series intrigued me for its content and subject matter. There were several dynamic and powerful relevances going on all at once. Thus, this series tackled way too much with way too many for it to be efficacious. Its major significancy was deeply scarring and wounding. My issue with series that tackle such emotionally charged and psychologically damaging or traumatizing issues is that they never go far enough. Simply ‘glossing’ over the issues or only gingerly handling the sensitivity of the subject matter is really not doing it justice. And it tried too hard to take a cavalier and too lighthearted approach to three themes that are quite serious and daunting. So, I was not sure what it was trying to actually be. Each of these love sonnets could be a series and was a premise for a stand-alone story. For me as well, it was the secondary couple, in this case two others, that outshined the primary couple, yet again.

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Admittedly Choppy But Beautifully Poignant!

There are a lot of back-and-forth scenes that admittedly can be a bit hard to follow and could have been tightened up to make the story flow better. I still ardently enjoyed this series. Mainly due to the solid performances of the protagonists and the supporting roles. Plus, admittedly, the arc of the story is so entertaining. These actors took their roles and seasoned the characters, matured them, and gave them fervent personalities. That is quite an accomplishment. I was actually surprised as to how deep that sentiment was conveyed. I felt as if each fully intended to go through life without anyone else because they had lost the love of their lives 5 years earlier. That is remarkable to be able to get that strong of a sensation from a series that is frankly not all that intensely developed. Overall, this is an emotionally intense series and is as satisfying as Season One. Even more so because it now felt complete.

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Don't Meet Again

Regrettably, this is yet another BL love story where a somewhat successful but isolated individual in the present is still living in the past. Racked with guilt about something traumatic, he has obviously not dealt with its lasting effect. It seems to hang over him like a continuous voice that whispers into his ear – perhaps if I could go back to stop a tragic situation, maybe everything would be different. Although I had been lied to as to what those circumstances were, I still want to go back and change something else just to make sure the same predicament which I am not sure what that is, never happen. Confused? Well, you should be. The story frankly is bewildering from a logical point of view. Oddly enough, it also made little sense from a mythus frame of reference. Is this series enjoyable? Well, yes, it kind of is, only because of the acting of the main protagonists. Yet, the screenplay itself let the actors and the story down, I am afraid. Unless you find a way to travel back in time to be completely 17 again – fully, wholly, and unequivocally – then do not. You will always bring some part of you back with you that will inevitably change elements you did NOT want to change. That alone will digress the outcome you intended. Perhaps it might be best to leave the past – alone.

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Cringey, but...

Sereno literally means serene in Spanish (there is a lot of Spanish influence in the Philippines) which this series displays very little of. It is an attribute sorely missing in this series. Lately, there also seems to be a rash of BLs about mermen with none piquing an exotic imagery. Most were cringey. While this series initially offered an interesting premise, it ultimately focused on the lowest common denominator – mainly sensationalism and titillation. The saga of mermen is ironically only instrumental; not integral. Admittedly, however, the graphics for the introduction to each episode and the music score are the most serene moments of this aberrant series. Overall, this series is unfocused and unhinged. Perhaps, if it had stayed to one theme, maybe it would have been a better series. Initially, its attention to the theme of merman was promising, but it soon got bogged down in tangential trivialities and/or silliness. Frankly, I am not sure what the intent of this series was. There is a lot and I mean a lot of innuendo and down-right silliness in this series. But secretly I did find myself surprisingly entertained when it got campy and off-the-wall gay (call me crazy). If the production seriously went campy totally or concentrated on telling a risqué gay story with a sharper script told in a tongue-in-cheek style or off-the-wall method, you might just develop an outright cult following, as no one and I mean no one is doing that. Keep refining what you are doing. Honestly, focus on one thing and make it really, really campy, nuanced, and above all melodramatic. And allow the actors to show their talents besides their bodies; you then just might have a hit. This theme could have been it. The male performers were all certainly eye-poppingly handsome and many were decent actors. Next time, do not be so trashy.

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ReReReReReloved!

Sometimes story ideas come along that are so dumb and so mind-numbingly bad, you wonder how you sat through it without completely losing your own sense of reality. Honestly, this is one of the dumbest ideas for a plot I have seen and even adding adorably cute kids to the mix could not salvage this mess. You know you are also in trouble when throughout the series, flashbacks while the protagonists were in college 5 years previously looking the same as they do now. When a series that relies so heavily on days-gone-by without considering that they might have changed in 5 years, you know you have a weak story, and this is one of the most mediocre BLs I have ever seen. Regrettably, this is yet another saga of miscommunication—this time, at its very worst. The story carried this cross to such an extreme that I wanted to jump into the story personally and just scream in the very first episode, will the two of you simply sit down and talk to each other as adults! Sanely. Rationally. And stop with the artificial drama. If they had done so, the story then perhaps would have been forced to have a theme worth exploring. Instead, it droned on and on and on about missed windows of opportunities. All because basic, and I do mean simple basic questions from the beginning were not ASKED.

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More Touching Than Funny

This series started out in the traditional sense of most Thai BLs. Initially, I almost thought it was a spoof on Thai BLs because it seemed like the characters were more like parodies than representatives of real people. However, as I got into this series, I found it to be intriguing and fascinating, maybe unintentionally? While most perhaps found this series humorous with tongue-in-cheek situations, as it is billed as a ‘comedy’. However, I found it utterly sad and melancholic. It represents one of the dolefulest stories I have watched in a very long time. Admittedly, I cried more than laughed through most of this telling. Honestly, this series could have been an early contender for Top Ten for 2026 honors, but as usual it took the low road to simply making it cute rather than completing the story behind the story. ALL four of the protagonists are astonishingly sad characters whose lives have not been destined by their actions but by the antics of others. This was not a comedy but a serious study of very sad, stunted young men who miraculously found love with each couple, meriting all the happiness that a fairytale ending should give them. They deserve one. Their lives have not been necessarily easy ones. More importantly, they seemingly understand that but are willing to give back to society tenfold more than society gave them.

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Good Series; Really Lousy Script

The allegory behind this theme is fascinating. Its screenplay is where it fell flat. If they had followed the initiative of the story, the saga would have been a way more compelling BL. Instead, it became spasmodic. The receptivity behind this story is very good; the screenwriting is simply awful. Frankly despite its awful screenplay, this is well acted, and the actors and actresses did the best they could with a lousy script. This series is deeper than what it is given credit for. It gets lost in the endless and totally unnecessary cat-and-mouse, ‘enemies-to-lovers’ fiasco. Thai BLs absolutely need to get out of the rut of being formulaic. This series was a shameful waste. This was good; it just was not great. But it could have been.

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A Secret Pleasure of Mine

This is such a feel-good series particularly currently. Honestly, I should not have liked this, but I did. It is slow, predictable, filled with the usual suspects but so much fun. I could not help laughing at its silliness and cuteness at the same time. If it were not for these actors, this would have been a total disaster. They made this series so real, so comedic, and just a joy to watch. I did not care that it had no depth to it or great message. It was just entertaining. It is a thing of beauty to watch. The ending is as unrealistic as this entire plot but so in synch with the rest of this series. This was a comedy and indeed has a happy ending (well you know what I mean). Everyone wins in the end. Do not read too much into this series. This is not a slice of life; it is essentially asking you to suspend your reality and simply enjoy a feel-good series about love between guys. There are a lot of flaws in this series from ridiculous characters, such as Amp, to crazy plot lines, like a surrogate pregnancy. But for me, it worked. Why? Because I believed the characters.
However, there were some situations in this series that made me shudder. One is the overuse of ‘hubby-wifey’ connotations. Again, I am NOT Thai, and I do NOT even pretend to know the Thai culture or customs, but for me these terms are simply cringeworthy. I am hoping we can stop using these terms to define gay relationships. I know that they might help make them more relatable to societal norms, but these terms are simply outdated and literally have no and should not have meaning in the gay world. They make it sound as if these are your assigned roles and duties, thus perpetuating the stereotypical roles of each gender.
The words that Chon's mother is so apt here and we should all remember them, “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” If you would like to review my full review of this series, it is posted on my free blog site at ppbongi.medium.com. I have to caution you that I actually liked this series, despite its flaws.

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A Solid & Effective LGBTQ Story! Told Well!!

I was indeed pleasantly surprised and found this story to be exceptionally well done. It is not just entertaining, it is contemporary, relevant, and quite consequential. This story is a tale of their redemption along a journey involving major growing adjustment pangs between the two of them. However, it also created a path to learn about each other through the eyes of the other members of the team. Because no matter how much you might want to deny it, we influence others sometimes in ways we least expect it. So, it is not just a story of restoration, it becomes a story of acceptance also. This is above all also a story of misfits. If you are familiar with the Christmas tale about the island of misfit toys, then this story will make more sense. To some degree, it is even more relatable because each member of the volleyball team represents an oddity from a world of nonconformists. This is a deeply personal series to watch because we notice how others see them and frankly how they view themselves. It is painful and sometimes sad but always idiosyncratic particularly if you are a member of one of their sodalities.

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