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There Is Really Nothing to Say About This Series
Even if I wanted to summarize this series, I could not as it is incomprehensible and ridiculous. It drifts some some sort of a BL to ending up being a series of jumbled random thoughts of someone's bad dream. This could never be labeled as a Spoiler as there simply no coherent story here at all. If you are looking for a romantic BL, move on. This ain't it. If you are seeking a story of one-dimensional, wooden, characters, then this is your story. There is no plat, no coherent story, and worse than all of that, no romance. Frankly I do not know what this series is. One this is for sure. You will need physical therapy after watching this because your mind and undoubtedly your body will be twisted in unnatural positions trying to figure out what their message and story is.Was this review helpful to you?
Soft but very endearing
There is something so endearing about this series. It is short, sweet, and entertaining. I think others are turned off by its non-dynamic story of love. It is simply not an in your face saga but one with a slow burn and a flash of inevitability about it. I like it a lot and lets face it, it has some of the most beautiful ensemble of men starring in it on the planet. That is really not the story but it certainly enhances it. The message at the end is composed of true friendship over a possible momentary lustful encounter.You can read my full review of this quiet soft-spoken BL series at BLBliss.com.
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Too Formulaic
It had such potential but ended up being so formulaic and boring. There are some good parts to it but it drags on endlessly, I do not think this is a spoiler but they tried to make out one of the main characters as an 'ugly duckling', Oh please! He could not be ugly even if you wrapped him in a burlap sack and rolled him in mud! Why do they have to take up endless episodes to develop relationships? There are so much more to stories. These actors are good; they just do not have the material to work with. If you want to read my complete review, go to BLBliss.com.Was this review helpful to you?
A Masterpiece
Soulful, emotional, and brilliant. This is absolutely one of the best BL series I have seen. It is an epic love story more than a BL series. The acting is perfection and captured the essence of each of their characters flawlessly. For me, this is a masterpiece and is a cinematic gem. The screenplay of this series is nothing short of brilliant. This series left me emotionally drained and in a real sense feeling heartbroken. This series presented characters that are flawed, victims of others AND themselves, but also willing to sacrifice. Getting to love and giving love is not always straightforward or a series of rom-com events. The way this series presented love was imaginative, real, and profoundly moving. If you want to read my full review of this brilliant series, please go to my free blog site at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
4 Minutes That Seemed Like 8
Essentially, you must buy into the premise that our physical brain will cease to function after 4 minutes without oxygen. This of course, is a truism. But what this series then does is push forward a premise that during those 4 minutes without oxygen, people who are experiencing that trauma, relive ‘life’ in various manners within that 4-minute window period. For some, they can perceive events that will occur 4 minutes in the future. Why this series is so confusing is that it attempts to project too much story with too many people. Admittedly, I am old, and I have a difficult time following a train of thought for one individual and I am pushing it for two people. But when you have multiple people affected by the advancement of 4 minutes in the future with a number of different alternatives for each, my mind begins to jellify. Logic becomes inoperative here. Everything makes sense because nothing actually does. It depends upon the time frame you are currently in. Therefore, there is no logic. Consequently, I am lost.I am bemused by criticism of this series from people who state there are too many NC scenes. I did not see any, so I am not sure what they are talking about. For those who read this, this IS an adult series with an adult theme. There is nothing pornographic or even sexually offensive. If you find it so, then stop watching. Do not impose your standards on others for that will become a dangerous precedent There are way more obscene subject matters such as infidelity, murder, suicide, illegal gambling, bullying, abuse, and yet we are concerned about a few scenes of two guys laying in bed semi-naked? Incongruent, silly, and cretinous thinking.
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Does More Harm Than Good
This series attraction simply confounds me, honestly. To be sure, the acting is not the issue. But we have seen good acting before in mediocre series without any sort of recognition. Yet, this series seems to be inordinately ‘liked’ which to me makes absolutely no sense. Let me try and explain in reasons that both summarize the story as well as exhibit its massive flaws in the series overall – both in terms of its script and message. Let me emphasize that I have nothing against the acting, per se. It is satisfying but with no one really rising to the top to claim any accolade for outstanding performance. It all seemed rather predictable and pedestrian. You can read my full review of this BL, which for me does more harm than good, at BLBliss.com. It is filled with toxicity, abuse, and exploitation, and I find none of that 'loving'.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute but Toxic and Abusive!
Honestly, you have to suspend this series’ entertainment value from any sort of connection to reality because if you do not, your mind would be twisted into a pretzel of contradictions. It is a cute, entertaining BL at face value but if you dig deeper, it is a series that has so many incongruities in it and abuses, that it is hard to ignore those aspects of it. I know this is a BL and that portion was done in an entertaining way. While they made a cute couple, I never bought they were a couple, which of course did not happen until the last episode and then the screen was filled with moonbeams and hosannas. It was just a bit too Pollyanna and rushed.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best in 21
This is an astonishing BL series full of angst, pain, and heartache. It is hard to watch because love here is not a storybook fantasy but an obsession. Well, more like possession. It is raw, gritty, and unhealthy. Yet compelling. This is not romance; its abuse. Told astonishingly and acted brilliantly. One of the best for the year 2021. This kind of story needs to be told.It is a toxic love story that should not be romanticized. It does not make it less brilliant, but we should not try to fit a ‘square peg into a round hole’. It is haunting and will leave you feeling something. You must decide what to feel.
If you want to read my full review, go to my website at BLBliss.com/
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It Will Hook You....But
Unquestionably this story grabs you from the beginning. Hooks you in with its intrigue. Begins to drift in the middle in a meandering tropey and cliché fashion and then by the end, pretty much loses you. Regrettably, the ending is a disappointment and is a set-up for another season. That is all well and good, if there is one. I would have liked a bit more meat on the bone for this series, however. Nonetheless, it is entertaining because of the strong presence of the main protagonists. Even though they are tropey, they kicked their acting up a notch to make their characters so enticing to watch. To be sure, this is an entertaining series throughout. I dislike the use of humor in graphic or violent series as I think it diminishes the message and cheapens the presentation. Some things just do not lend themselves to humor. On occasion perhaps but this series relied too heavy on it, which reduces the seriousness of its message. Ugly messages need to be presented – ugly. Do not try to minimize that reality with cheap humor.Was this review helpful to you?
Great Story But Not So Great BL
To be honest, I was somewhat surprised by how much I really enjoyed this series. Not only was it entertaining, but it was also quite wholesome in the classic sense of that word. By the time you finish watching this series, you just feel good all over. It will bring a smile to your face. Ironically, I do not think it was a very strong BL; if I am being honest, I thought that was the weakest segment of this series. Equally, the characters who shine in this series are ALL the supporting players as they completely dominate both the acting and the story’s appeal. I found them to be so memorable. This story is all about fundamentals rather than messages. Am I worthy to carry on my mother’s legacy? How do I deal with death? Did my mother love me? Was I a product of love? How do I let go of the guilt and pain of not being there when she died? Can I ever live up to my mother’s legacy? Can I love? These are just some of the fundamentals that are gently and beautifully unfolded in this sweet story. It flows more like a shallow brook running along the rocks rather than a raging river. It is a nice, pleasant change from the usual cliché-driven tropey standard series. Likeable and agreeable and I shall remember more about the overall story than the BL portion. This is a very good series but not a great BL. It did not wow me at all but the story surrounding the cats certainly did.Was this review helpful to you?
Too 2 Many Heads
This series got so close to the mountain top but then it slid down to the plain of mediocrity only to periodically rise back up and meet the sunrise to a shining light of creativity. Truthfully, I have such a love/hate relationship with this series and its protagonists. Sometimes they ascended to solid acting only to then fall into a pre-pubescent cesspool of triteness. Honestly, it is not their fault. It was a bad script and even worse directing. Parts of this series were enchanting; while others fell from grace. Although the intent of this series was entertaining and offered some novelty, I found the way the leads got there, wanton. So, what was the point of this BL? For entertainment only? Then okay, this was entertaining. If you are trying to convey a BL story among the protagonists, then you failed. Ironically, you told a great authentic story with the side couple that is way more heartfelt and real and, at least for me, more captivating.Was this review helpful to you?
Game Therapy
This is an emotionally draining series that is so exacerbating in the way it was presented. It had such deeply poignant undertones to its characters – all of them. Yet, proceeded to present them so superficially and without any serious profundity to them. If you are going to present distressingly flawed individuals, you need to present them in such a way that we can feel their pain with more solemnity and intensely. Not just seeing it in snippets or revealed in discourses. That was not the only flaw in the story which began so enticingly but ended up being just another trite-filled half-empty pseudo-psychological case study filled with people who, I do not think, honestly, exist. At least not in real life. What is so bothersome about Japanese BLs as of late is that they play everything too safe. The story, the screenplay, the acting, the plot, and worst of all the lovemaking. This is a story full of intrinsic pain treated with superficiality and in glossy terms. They present individuals in highly idealized fashion that simply do not exist or as adolescent caricatures. Introducing change in an entrenched culture is difficult and the subtle hints about gay marriage in this series were not lost and are deeply appreciated. Art in all its forms, including BLs, is the perfect vehicle to introduce change to an audience that would be more receptive to it. Be bolder and take bolder steps to be more real in presenting gay life. Reflect the real world for a change.Was this review helpful to you?
School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To
2 people found this review helpful
Joy!
I have not felt so good about watching a ‘BL’ in a long time. I hesitate to call it that though. It feels more like a coming-of-age tale with a hint of adolescent romance that will remain with the two of them for the rest of their lives. You never forget your first love; and nothing is ever as impactful as your first love either. It stands unique among all your loves – whether he (or she) is the only one you love for the rest of your life or just one of many you fall in ‘love’ with throughout your life. The first always stands out. The characters in this story are so refreshingly cute and relatable that the time watching this series seemed to have flashed by. This series is impossible to dislike. It hits all the right notes and emotions. It gets close to being overly sweet and Pollyanna but never crosses into being overindulgent. It was ‘puppy-love’ not meant to be taken seriously. This is one of the best coming-of-age stories to come out of Japan in a long time. While I found the actors exceptional, the screenplay top-notch, it just feels too polished to be fully believed however.Was this review helpful to you?
OBSESSION
This series is a deeply pensive and reflective mind-twisting journey into OBSESSION. And not just of one individual either. It focuses on one young man’s adventure into a world of devotion, adoration, fixation, and absorption to another human being. This individual became his goal, his preoccupation, his desire, his passion in and for life. Meanwhile, the other young man starts out as being curious about the other but then slips into the abyss of falling in love without knowing why and falls prey to his own set of undefined impulses. I honestly cannot say I disliked this series. On the contrary, I thought it was well done for about three-fourths of the way. I knew then, the story was going to hurriedly end without a more reflective and challenging transition for both protagonists. It got so close. Then it fell flat. Seeing two men in a sexual gay sexual relationship in Japan has a long way to go before it reaches an affirmation. It still needs to grind through in an esoteric stage of acceptance.Was this review helpful to you?
A Bunch Of Endearing Human Warmth!
It has charm, wit, sweetness in all the right spots, and a bunch of endearing human warmth. While not overly saccharine, it is also not traumatizing. Curiously pensive and reflective, it has all the elements of a most believable love story told in soft, subtle gentle tones that simply make you feel good all over. There are two love stories, actually. Both are surprisingly compelling. While the various protagonists are interconnected, their individual love stories take very different paths to fruition. Both end up being (well, more-or-less) plausible and credible sequences. Summarily, this is an excellent production, and I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It blended a lot of great beliefs into an amazing narrative – humor, pathos, honesty, passion, joy, disappointment, redemption, covered with a heaping supply of love, and then smothered all of it even more with an undiminished commitment to one another.Was this review helpful to you?
