Quite Bad But Love the OST Though...

First heard about this series through a Reddit post on the Boys Love subreddit and decided to check it out. There has been controversy surrounding the director of this series and many people decided to not watch due to this. However, I will judge this series on the work itself. I personally believe that works of art should be critiqued on their own merits regardless of the background of its creators. Anyways, this series is a low-budget BL. It feels like a student film so far, in terms of the flat acting, the low budget, the poor sound editing, the unflattering cinematographic choices, and the off-putting editing. Definitely not the work of a person who has done a successful feature film before. There is no chemistry between the leads. The dialogue is uninspiring. The group of four femmes critiquing men based on their looks was irritating. Another poor portrayal of femme gays for comic relief. Ugh. However, the story isn't bad (so far). Though rushed, it was able to lay the foundation for the relationship between the two leads and seems promising so far. Also, the OST is very good, particularly the song towards the end of Episode 1 and the title song! I will continue to follow this series to see if it will get better.

On a side note, the views that this series has been able to garner on YouTube (over 500,000 views in 5 days) is impressive though (it does help that it was released on a YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers though).

On a different side note, Gameboys, another filipino BL that is currently airing, is far superior and I highly recommend anyone interested in a different kind of BL or pinoy BL's to watch it!

Episode 2 was horrible. It was awkward, cringey, and completely unnecessary with its random singing competition. I’ve read that it does show pinoy school life but there are so many ways to show pinoy school life without resorting to a cheap, poorly-edited, Lady GaGa-inspired competition storyline which literally did nothing to progress its central love story. Only the ending showed a bit, but it was weird and awkward. When did the two leads become such good friends who helped one another to study? So far, this is without a doubt the worst BL I’ve seen. I doubt that it will get better but I’ll continue watching since it’s quite short anyways...

Episode 3 actually went back to focus on Christian and Zach so props for that. However, too much time has passed. Their relationship was too rushed! They have gone out with one another for 2 months and yet we have barely seen them interact so far as it is only the third episode! The editing was still quite bad, especially during their meal and when they asked their friends for advice. However, the portrayal of religion and homophobia in Wolf, Christian's childhood friend, was affecting. I'll continue watching to see where the series goes from here.

Episode 4 focused on Christian preparing to have sex with Zach. It was quite dull and uninspiring the entire episode until when Christian and Zach got together. The scenes of them acting like a couple, brushing their teeth together, playing in bed together and sleeping next to one another were actually quite touching and nicely shot. It made me yearn to be able to experience something similar with someone who I love and who also loved me. The ending in which Wolf, Christian's childhood friend who rejected Christian harshly with homophobic remarks, tried to reach out to Christian was also quite touching. It seems like Wolf has a crush on Christian and lashed out at him because he was jealous of Zach. I'm actually excited for the next episode!

Episode 5 was quite bad also. So many plot points and character actions that don't make sense at all! Zach kissing Wolf made absolutely no sense at all! I can understand Zach wanting to out Wolf to prove that Wolf had feelings for Christian, but it was still extremely out of character for Zach and didn't really serve anything. So you prove that Wolf is secretly gay and that he likes Christian? And... what? You can't stop Wolf from liking Christian anyways so what's the point in that outing? And so much yelling! Omg! Christian's mother who was being completely unreasonable that Christian hid his sexual orientation and the girl who is so annoying and shrill! I doubt that the series will get any better. I'll continue watching it as I hate dropping series midway through...

On a side note, what's up with the intro that had a title card that said "The Philippines' FIRST YouTube Trending BL Series"? I'm pretty sure that it's a cheap attack on GameBoys, which has been receiving much more acclaim and hype than Sakristan. Darryl Yap is so petty.

Episode 6 wasn't too bad. Christian reconciled with his father, who turned out to be a drag queen, and met with Zach (though whether or not Christian forgives Zach is to be determined). I did absolutely love the scene where Christian's father's employees gushed over Christian and his father was like, "That's my son!" Lol. The music is still top-notch though!

Episode 7 was quite bad and dull. Most of the episode was Christian's annoying female friend ranting to him while eating. The POV shots of Christian and the girl were kinda weird too. The ending was so cheesy. Why would you spend so much effort to paint your brother's boyfriend to have him symbolically cover it. What?! At least there's only one more episode of this mess...

Episode 8 wasn't too bad. It was a surprise to see Zach and Wolf dating. And the ending church scene was pretty good I must admit. Not sure what the point of Zach seeing his father was though as it didn't really serve any purpose. I kinda hoped that they would show Zach telling Christian that he was dating Wolf so that we could see his reaction. Overall, the series is quite bad though I must say that there is a certain indie charm to it that is endearing.

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Though Not Particularly Good, I Still Really Liked It...

I was really excited to watch this K-drama due to the hype that this series has been receiving on social media (especially the K-Drama subreddit thread). I've also heard a lot about Park Bo Gum and about how this is his last drama before his military draft. I was excited to see my first K-drama starring him. It's also pretty cool to see Park So Dam, from the Oscar-winning 'Parasite' as the FL. Though the episode was a bit slow, by the end, I was hooked! I am really liking this series so far! It is nice to see a K-drama focus on people struggling to achieve their dreams against their family's wishes or mean superiors which is definitely relatable for millions of people around the world. I also liked the cinematography, which was clean and soft.

On a side note, why is Hye-jun struggling to make money, working as a bodyguard, at Subway and as a busboy if he is a top model whose looks customers, other models and a top fashion designer fawn over? Also, why is Jung Ha's boss so b*tchy? Like she even interrupted Hye-jun who was trying to defend her? Like what?! I'm quite sure that she is allowed to do that since she is technically working for the models. I'm so ready to see her pummeled into the ground by Jung Ha's imminent success!

Watching the second episode, the pacing of the series seems to have established itself. This drama is slow. It's more like a slice-of-life drama but I'm really liking it! Park Bo Gum's character has immediately become my favourite and I found myself waiting for him to appear onscreen. I cannot wait to see him achieve success and make his naysayers, including his family, gape in disbelief!

On a side note, I love that there is LGBT representation in these newer K-dramas, first Itaewon Class and now, Record of Youth! Although the character in this drama is a fashion designer who lusts after and wants to exploit Hye-jun, it is nice seeing more people like me represented. Hopefully, they will be able to humanize him like Itaewon Class's Hyeon-yi though it doesn't seem like they will...

Episode 3 wasn't as strong as the previous episodes as not much actually happened. I do continue to find Park Bo Gum captivating and absolutely LOVE his scenes. I really feel like the drama hits its stride when it focuses on Hye-jun and his burgeoning career. I don't really care for the other characters to be honest, even the FL who I'm not really feeling the romance between the two leads. Probably because of how rushed, unrealistic and cheesy it is. The snappy dialogue between them feels unnatural too (as others have pointed out) (or at least the translation seems awkward) (not sure if it flows better in Korean though). Anyways, I'm getting the feeling that Hae Hyo is gonna backstab Hye-jun in the future. I feel like Hae Hyo is kind to Hye-jun specifically because he feels bad for him. He pities him. Having him around makes Hae Hyo feel more successful. However, when Hye-jun gets more famous and successful, Hae Hyo will try to backstab out of jealousy. He's already trying to see An Jeong behind Hye-jun's back. It seems like he likes her just because she doesn't like him, which makes him feel more attracted to her. The fact that An Jeong is a fan of Hye-jun and not him clearly irks Hae Hyo, so he wants to make her his fan. He sees her as a challenge. That's my thoughts on Hae Hyo so far. Hopefully, I'm wrong...

Episode 4 was quite slow as once again, not much happened and there were a lot of filler scenes which padded out the running time of the drama. There was a lot of Hye-jun and An Jeong moments which I didn't care for to be honest. Their relationship is way too rushed and to be frank, I'm tired of seeing straight couples. I actually ship Hye-jun with Hae Hyo lol. I did love the ending (which although a bit too rushed was satisfying) where Hye-jun gets to upstage the actor who was mean to him in the first episode though. On a side note, the fact that Hye-jun got the villain role in the film was quite big! I thought that he would just be like a friend. I don't get why Jin Joo hasn't been reported by any of the employees. There's no way that An Jeong was the first co-worker she bullied.

Watching Episode 5, my fears for this drama are starting to manifest. There was once again way too much filler scenes that focused on side characters who I still didn't care for. The family melodrama about the brother moving out was unnecessary and served no purpose. The snappy banter between the main couple still feels forced and unnatural. Still don't see any chemistry between Hye-Jun and Jeong An. That confession at the end was random and way too rushed. I still ship Hye-Jun with Hae-Hyo to be honest. The only part of the episode that shined was when it focused on Hye-Jun's career in the last 20 minutes where Hye-Jun's acting talent was displayed as he delved deep into his villain character. Hopefully, the drama focuses more on his career though I doubt that it will...

Episode 6 was much better than the previous episode though there are a number of plot points that didn't make sense. Like why is the old manager angry that Hye-jun left him when he was literally not paying him? Da fuq? How was he even able to get a high-paying job at a good company representing a top actor when his old agency was barely getting by, not being able to pay its clients? And why is Hye-jun's new manager not going to bat for him? Shouldn't she be tracking down that director and explain why Hye-jun left his old manager? And why would a director drop an actor just because he changed representation?

Family scenes continue to bore. I didn't care for the main romance, just Hye-jun and his career.
A gay relationship is scandalous while a straight relationship would have been praised. After the ground-breaking portrayal of a transgender character in Itaewon Class, this handling of an LGBT topic is just disappointing. What a horrible reporter! She doesn't even check her sources! It's so obvious that Lee Tae-su will try to slander Hye-jun for leaving the agency.

Though this drama wasn't particularly good, I still did enjoy it a lot and will greatly miss looking forward to watching it every Monday and Tuesday night when I get home from work :'( Record of Youth kind of exemplifies the charm and appeal of K-dramas for me. There's just this innocence, this purity and optimism that is just perfect for escapism, especially for someone like me who goes to school everyday studying something he hates, something that his parents pushed him to do. After long, exhausting days of school, and dreading the start of every week, it was a blessing to have something to look forward to every Monday and Tuesday night. Watching K-dramas, such as Record of Youth, calms me and gives me hope. Hope that I will be happy someday. And what more can we ask for...

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One of the first GL's (Girls Love) Thought Quite Dull...

I discovered this series on a post from a BL blog listing the BL's that are currently airing. Not only the first GL (Girls Love) series, but also the first BL-related series to portray mental illness, which is surprising as mental illness is often present in LGBTQ+ individuals! But of course, BL's usually show a fantasy world; a world where gay people and feelings are accepted so mental illness wouldn't be present. Within the span of two episodes, the series also talked about how being gay does not affect one's skills as a parent. Although it does touch on several deep topics, the story is often dull and slow at times though the mystery about whether Dominic, Lara's boyfriend, actually exists still lingers in the air...

By the end of the series, I was so bored. The story made sense, but it was dull and slow. The random shoe-horning of rape and HIV testing to make the series 'important' was distasteful. One of the worst BL/GL's series that I've seen thus far...

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Meh...

I was excited when I first heard about this series as it was from the company as Where Your Eyes Linger. Unfortunately, I was let down. It was very different from the grounded, serious Where Your Eyes Linger, and felt more like a typical K-drama with its cuteness, editing and music. The story though was a mess with plot points and character actions that didn't make any sense.

I don't get Sangha's reasoning for not wanting to sign the contract at all! It literally didn't make any sense. Because getting paid would take away from his love for running? What?! He can pay off his mother's debt and run alongside his crush. That's literally the perfect deal. And why do the debtors want Sangha to finish the marathon? Yes, he can win a lot of money, but wasn't his debt just $10,000 (which was what his pacemaker contract would have given him). And all of a sudden, Sangha was able to run long-distance (something that he was never able to do before) just because of the debtors. Yeah... okay. Makes perfect sense. And why would Sangha backstab Won Jin by beating him in the marathon? And if Sangha did need to win to pay off his mother's debt, couldn't he have told Won Jin beforehand? He at least owes him that.

In addition, it was quite jarring seeing debt collectors assaulting a kid in a series that is supposedly light-hearted and fun. And the love between Sangha and Won Jin at the end was random, unearned and rushed. Hopefully, we get better K-drama BL's soon as even Where Your Eyes Linger (which was very good) had some logic flaws...

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Very Good Though Overrated...

Review for first time watching: 4*: Engaging and funny though with a questionable character actions. The performances are all great! The production design and cinematography excellent! The story is razor-sharp until it gets revealed that the old housekeeper's husband is living in the house's bunker. From there, the actions of the characters became questionable, until the very end. Why didn't anyone take the phone away from the housekeeper when she was recording them in the bunker? Why didn't anything happen with Da-Song figuring out that someone was communicating to him in Morse code? Why did Ki-taek snap and kill Mr. Park when Mr. Park was disgusted with the smell of Geun-sae, who probably smelled bad because he hasn't actually showered in days and is covered in blood (thus, a different smell from Ki-taek and his family)? Also, I was kinda expecting/hoping for more in the final act. I was hoping that it would be more messed up. More f*cked up. More 'Parasite'-like persay. But, of course, I had to remind myself that Park Chan-wook wasn't the director, but still. The final act could've not been rushed and executed better. Other than that, a great film! I hope to see this film get some Oscar nominations! On a side note, this film has become my favorite of Bong Joon-Ho, with Mother and Snowpiercer being other favorites. Wasn't a fan of Okja or The Host though...

Review for second time watching: 3.5*: I've been wanting to rewatch Parasite ever since I first saw it in theaters when it first came out, but didn't until today (about one year later). I still have the same sentiments upon my second watch. The film was entertaining and engaging though very much overrated. I still felt that the film wasn't as deep or poignant as critics raved it to be. And I still don't like the climax which felt like a cheap cop-out gore fest where characters make decisions that don't make any sense, particularly Mr. Kim killing Mr. Park because Mr. Park was disgusted by the smell of Moon-Gwang's husband and yet he did nothing to the husband who stabbed his daughter. The fact that the husband smelt made sense as he probably hasn't showered in awhile since he was living underground. Mr. Kim's snap didn't make sense which made the climax and its consequences feel unearned. However, the film was still the best choice for the Best Picture Oscar of 2019 as it was my favourite film of 2019. On a side note, I cannot wait to see what Bong Joon-Ho cooks up next!

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Entertaining!

Saw a Facebook post about this film and it intrigued me with its trailer and eye candy :P

Though the story was simple and predictable, the film was entertaining and suspenseful! I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would to be honest. I liked how they depicted a manipulative relationship with exploitation and blackmailing. There were a questionable plot points though such as why did it take Miko and Ace so long for them to get ready to escape after the murder? The murder was probably like 4am or so, and sunlight doesn't come until like 6am. That's like a two hour gap! Also, after strangling Jerry, why didn't they take the car or at least make sure that Jerry was actually dead before running away? The ending was abrupt though and I felt that the film could have easily add another hour or so to show how Miko and Ace will live. Still, I was completely entertained!

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Brilliant & Heart-Breaking! Watching HCTM Felt Like Experiencing Life!

I am speechless! No words can express how I feel about this series. It's brilliant! It's perfect! I haven't seen anything as wonderful and so life-affirming as this series! My heart felt so fragile while watching this series; like it was about to shatter anytime, like it was about to burst!

I knew that this series was going to be good based on its premise, but I didn't expect it to be this good! A wondrous BL wrapped up in a riveting mystery whose premise was so utterly unique. Different than your standard Thai BL that is set in university, which makes it all the more special! It had a slow start but quickly picked up and its suspense has never let down once since. A story that is pitch-perfect in execution and that dealt with the struggles of coming out. I haven't a film or TV show that has dealt with coming out as tenderly and touching as this series (and that's a lot coming from a closeted gay individual who has watched a ton of LGBT content)! There was so much love from Thun's friends and mother, it felt like I was coming out of the closet myself and experiencing all this love myself. My heart welled up and I broke as I know deep down that my coming out will be vastly different, but at least it gives me hope... Imagine the impact that the coming out scenes can/will have on young Asian boys everywhere. Watching this series will give them hope. Hope that their lives will be better. That they will be accepted by their family and friends. That they will no longer have to hide themselves. I absolutely adore how this series dealt with sexuality and identity issues. Thun struggled with his sexuality; with his feelings for another guy. To see him accept these feelings broke me. I wished that I saw this when I was younger. I wouldn't have spent so much time praying and wishing to get rid of my 'abnormal' feelings for another boy, which did a number on my mind and self-esteem that still lasts to this very day. To show that gay people can find and forge deep, profound human connections with one another was a blessing. My heart broke and then got repaired. My heart felt so full; that it was about to burst from all the love between Mes and Thun. Watching Thun and Mes's relationship give me hope that I will love and be loved one day. The fact that their relationship is impossible (that Mase is a ghost whose time on Earth is limited) makes it all the more tragic and beautiful in a sense. More urgent than other standard BL relationships where the conflict is usually within oneself, not out of one's control. All the greatest love stories like Titanic and Romeo & Juliet display star-crossed lovers; lovers that cannot be. He's Coming to Me depicts a similar love. Although love can be ill-fated and you may not stay together, it is always better to make the most of it as life is short! We should try to be happy while we are still alive...

And their chemistry! Their chemistry was electric! I dare say that Singto's chemistry with Ohm is even better than with Krist! All the performances all around were strong! Ohm though was so impressive! I found him to be the most impressive actor in a Thai BL that I've seen thus far. He was so freaking good! I can see why Ohm won a LINE TV award for Best Dramatic Scene for this series! On a different note, Thun/Ohm was so cute! I cannot contain how cute he was, especially when he smiled! My heart melted! And Gigie, the actress who played Praifah is the cock blocker of the gays. LOL. 2gether and He's Coming To Me.

It is really unfortunate that it's a LINE TV exclusive and isn't on Youtube as it could've gotten and deserved to be so much more popular than other BL series like SOTUS and 2gether (which I still love but prefer He's Coming to Me more).

On a side note, I did not like the two rape jokes that were mentioned, which was distasteful and served no purpose whatever other than cheap laughs. And what's up with Thailand's fixation on equating beauty to Chinese appearances. It's kinda weird. I wonder if there's a basis for it... I did some research on Wikipedia and came across this sentence: "many of the wealthy Thais in Bangkok are of Chinese descent and have naturally lighter skin than the indigenous Thais from the countryside." It makes sense as Asia is very prejudiced with their penchant for lighter skin and Eurocentric beauty. It's unfortunate, but GMMTV should help shape and change people's views on beauty, especially since they have so many beautiful full-Thai artists under their banner.

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Getting Better With Each New Episode...

Watched the trailer a few weeks back and it didn't really interest me because it was not an actual BL, but rather a fake one with the body-switching plot. After seeing the bad reviews for the first episode, it only confirmed that not watching this series was okay. However, seeing all the positive reviews after the second episode and the raves for Ohm, who is the best BL actor at the moment (in my opinion) and my favourite BL actor (due to the stunning He's Coming To Me), I decided to give it a try.

Not bad at all. It's pretty ridiculous, but actually pretty interesting too so far. You wonder how the story will play out. It reminds me a bit of Your Name with its gender/body swapping storyline. I do find the character of Pan really annoying though, but maybe she'll grow on me. And I wonder what purpose the body-swapping will serve in the end? Will it allow Pan to really get to know Way and fall in love with him? Will it give her the opportunity to discover feelings for Khet? Does Khet know that Kim is actually Pan? I think he does and will use it as an opportunity to get close to her. Will the body-swapping end sometime? Will the God of Death know how to switch back the bodies? Does she actually know but pretend to not know to give Pan the opportunity to find love for herself? The God of Death does know everything about Kim (his classmates, etc), so shouldn't she know how to switch back bodies?

On a side note, I really like the cinematography. Very bright and colourful! And the high production value! Why can't a BL get this level of production value? Hopefully, with the huge success of 2gether and the explosion of the BL genre, GMMTV and other studios will put more money into BL productions.

On a different side note, Ohm is so attractive! He really ages like fine wine! Ugh! I hope that he will have more screen time in future episodes. Apparently, he was paired with Prigkhing before (in Blacklist) too. Hopefully, that pairing won't be permanent and he will get a BL pair in the future! He deserves all the fame and success of other established GMMTV BL couples!

Disappointed with Episode 3 after the fantastic episode 2. Felt like the episode dragged as nothing really happened until the end where Way's image was redeemed in Pan's eyes and a girlfriend for Kim was introduced. Ohm needs more screen time to be honest also.

Episode 4 was good. Not as good as Episode 2, but better than Episode 3 for sure. It was nice being the brotherly relationships between Kim and Khet develop, though Khet should know that Kim is actually Pan from all the clues and eavesdropping on the bathroom conversation. It's like he forgot about that. Anyways, I enjoyed the Ohm content in this week's episode. Hopefully, he will continue to have more screen time. On a side note, this series doesn't seem like a BL so far, which I am fine with as long as the story is good. However, the series was marketed as a BL though, so that's kinda low for GMMTV.

Episode 5 was meh. This series is losing steam fast as nothing in the episode amounted to anything, other than the end where it is revealed that Way has always liked Kim. On a side note, I'm not sure why the teacher has copies of all these exams and even copies of national exams. She should only have copies of her own exams for the classes that she teaches, unless she is like the vice-principal or principal, which she isn't. Anyways, it is nice to see that The Shipper is actually a BL (not just marketed as a BL). I am interested in seeing where the story goes from here though I am a bit bored of the body-switching plot. Can they just switch back and Way confess his feelings for Kim?

Episode 6 was quite good! The suspense has been amped up as Khet realizes that he has feelings for P'Kim and P'Kim confesses that he is actually Pan. I am actually quite excited for the next episode and to see where this new revelation takes the characters and their stories!

Episode 7 was also quite good as the story progresses and the possibilities of different ships sails. Loved the ending where Pan goes back to her real body and can't wait to see where the story takes us!

Episode 8 was meh. Even though Pan returned to her body, the story barely made any progress and the series opted for storylines that don't make sense like Off trying to injure Way with a knife or Phingphing asking Off to injure Kim.

Episode 9 was also quite uneventful, other than the ending where Way confesses his feelings for Kim. Finally, some actual BL content! Hopefully, Pan can stop being annoying and selfish & get the eff out of Kim's body so that we can have an actual BL relationship in the series. Like she had the audacity to tell Khet to step aside so that she can pursue a relationship with Way when she is literally in Kim's body. Ugh. On a side note, about the preview for the next episode, why would telling Way that Kim cheats do anything? Way gets in trouble a lot and he was in a gang. Why would be give a f*ck if Kim cheats?

Episode 10 was okay, but can Pan get the f*ck out of Kim's body? Yesh! I'm so annoyed with her trying to manipulate Kim and Way's relationship, something that she shouldn't even be doing in the first place. Like who does she think she is thinking that Way is too good for Kim and that Kim doesn't deserve Way. Ugh. Who gives a sh*t if Kim cheats? A LOT of people cheat. I'm sure that even people in medical school cheat. And the exams are all memorization anyways. They're a game. Not a true measure of intelligence or potential. I truly hope that in the next episode, that Pan and Kim will go back to their bodies. I'm so tired of Pan being in Kim's body. I just want Kim and Way to be together.

Episode 11! WTF! What a shocking, depressing twist. I was not expecting Kim's soul to die at all, especially since this series is so shiny, happy and colorful! What a slap in the face! I care really care less about Pan. Why couldn't Pan trade her life for Kim? The body-switching is already quite far-fetched. I doubt that sacrificing one life for another is impossible in this world. And there's only one episode left! :'( Doesn't seem like there'll be a happy ending for Way and Kim...

Episode 12 (the final episode) was kinda meh. It was nice to see Kim and Way have an actual farewell, but still annoyed that Kim died. I did not like how we were queer-baited when this series was clearly not a BL at all. Very miffed about that. The series did end with a cliffhanger though when a voice called out to Kim, who was in heaven, that there was a proposal for him (to possibly inhabit another body maybe or to reincarnate). Will there be a sequel? I do truly hope for one so that Kim and Way can actually end up together.

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Good Though Too Slow For Me....

Good though also quite slow and a few plot points that made me scratch my head. Like Why is Porsche trying to get Nuer's neighbor in trouble with the law instead of ignoring it? He doesn't even like law and only studied it because of his father yet he is trying to put it into practice. No one is getting hurt by the neighbor setting up a restaurant in the middle of the river. Nueng knows that he will only making it hard on himself, Nuer and Nuer's family by interfering as the neighbor will no doubt retaliate. To be honest, the neighbor subplot was random and completely unnecessary. It served no purpose at all! Same with that atrocious ending! Like why? There was literally no reason for Nuer to die AT ALL, but the series decided to give him a heart attack on his wedding night. Uh... What?! Anyways, the love that Nuer and Porsche had for one another was touching, though a bit rushed. The story was good and though pretty standard. A guy who has a girlfriend who then realizes his feelings for his best friend and they get together.

Surprising how long it took for elephants to appear in a BL considering how big they are in Thailand. It was nice seeing an elephant camp, a different setting for a BL.

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Too Slow For Me...

A quieter, smaller zombie film which harkens to today's COVID quarantine climate which although technically good was a bit too slow and sparse for my taste. For much of the running time, my mind drifted and I was slightly bored, but this film was only 1.5 hours so I stuck it out. Of course, comparison will be made with Train to Busan, which I found to be much better in terms of story, emotion and payoff. #Alive was a bit too anticlimatic for me. There were a few plot points that I wasn't sure about like why the FL would risk her life to join the ML or why they both want to reach the 'empty' 8th floor. If you really like zombie films, I would give this a try, but if not, you can skip it...

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Enjoyable & Sweet

Sweet and touching with its gay relationships. A bit slow with a story that is a bit ridiculous as it doesn't make much sense with plot holes and questionable plot points, but it was fun and cute. I didn't really cared for the revenge storyline, which was weak and not particularly interesting (until the end). I was only interested in the gay relationships to be honest. Jack and Zhao Zi. Tang Yi and Meng. The dance scene where they tried to make each other jealous was HOT! The seducing scene with slinky R&B music was even HOTTER and probably the most erotic scene in a BL that I've seen so far. I really liked the skinship that was shown. Not exploitative and not superficial either. Just the right amount. It's pretty cool seeing an older BL couple who are in their late 20's and early thirties. Like is those K-dramas. I personally liked History 3: Trapped better than History 2: Crossing the Line. I cannot wait to see Taiwan continue to produce BL content!

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Boring and Nonsensical!

Boring and nonsensical! Stupid social worker! I cannot with her! I'm pretty sure that what she is doing is illegal. And all her reasons that a child needs a mother are pathetic! There are a ton of single fathers whose children grow up happy and healthy. Same with children of same-sex couples.

Films like these are kinda dangerous. They perpetuate the idea that adopted children will choose their birth parents over the ones who raised them. They make adoption look unfavorable, which is why so many people don't want to adopt. Because they fear that their children will want to search for their birth parents and choose them when I'm pretty sure that all children just want parents, whether they be adopted or not.

And the idea that being raised by gay parents can make a child gay is absolutely absurd and ridiculous. The fact that the film portrays gay people with this fear is all the more comical. As gay people, they should know that being gay is not a choice.

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Should'n't Have Been Made...

I was really excited when this mini-series was announced! 2gether was my gateway drug into the world of BL and will always have a special place in my heart. My expectations for this series was high! However, a part of me felt that I was going to be disappointed, which after watching Episode 1, I unfortunately am. This is what I was worried about; that this mini-series won't be any good... And it wasn't (so far). It felt forced, unnatural and kinda dull to be honest. The charm, the klig, the magic of its predecessor series have disappeared. Even the last several episodes of 2gether were better than the first episode of Still 2gether in my opinion.

I'm not a fan of the desaturated look for this series, which is a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of 2gether, though it is understandable as it was filmed and released during the COVID crisis, which may have caused the production to be limited. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking. Hopefully, they didn't just skip the color grading just to rush-release this series.

The backtracking by providing answers to Sarawat's actions like why he didn't visit Tine in the hospital, or why he let Pam hug him or why he let Mil take Tine to the hospital, is understandable though kinda tasteless in my opinion. What's done is done. Like what Sarawat said in the first episode, "Let bygones be bygones. We shouldn't bring it up." The writers should just improve from there. There's no point backtracking, which seems like a cheap attempt to save face and cover their tracks, especially when the answers were half-assed.

It is directed by Backof, who directed Dark Blue Kiss and my favourite BL (thus far) He's Coming To Me, who is also gay too! However, so far his efforts with this series are lacking. The directing and editing seems a bit too janky and amateurish unfortunately. Probably due to them rushing through production and post-production to get this series out to the public as soon as possible.

The story also didn't make any sense. Tine and Sarawat has been in a relationship for a year yet Tine still gets shocked when he sees Sarawat naked or still refuses to let Sarawat touch his pecs. The other relationships also felt forced and I didn't care for them to be honest. The first episode had so much head-patting and awkward fan service but literally no tender, boyfriend-type affection at all. It actually felt like Tine and Sarawat's chemistry/relationship regressed from being friends in 2gether to being roommates. For some reason, they felt colder and more distant towards one another. On a related note, I wonder if there will be a kiss in this series as the high-five in the finale got SO MUCH HATE!

After the hugely disappointing first episode, Episode 2 was a nice breathe of fresh air that had some semblance of the kilig, charm and cuteness of the original series, 2gether, as Sarawat tries to serenade Tine as they work out the conflicts between their respective clubs. Whereas I could care less about the side couples in the first episode, I actually was quite interested in them in this episode, especially FrankMil. Though the intimacy scenes did still feel a bit forced (as if the series creator wanted to placate the fans), they weren't as blatant as those in the first episode and were quite nice, especially the snack game that a random P'Jennie initiated between WatTine. I'm excited for the next episode now!

Episode 3 was so dull and lifeless. Tine and Sarawat continue to act like roommates, not lovers. Tine being all emotional when Sarawat stayed at a friend's house for two weeks was awkward and cringey. The side couples though are good. The story doesn't make any sense. Why would a cheerleading club be practicing in a room anyways? Didn't they practice outside in season 1? Don't they cheer outside anyways, so what's the point of practicing inside. This series is adding NOTHING to 2gether. In actuality, it's tarnishing the charm of 2gether. Only the relationships of the side couples were interesting though still felt forced.

All in all, this series was kinda bad. It was completely unnecessary as it was boring and the story made no sense. It was nice seeing Sarawat and Tine being more intimate though.

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Meh...

I've heard how YYY has big crackhead energy but that it also has a lot of heart and explores deep themes, so I had to watch it!

It started off strong! It was different. I liked it! Unfortunately, the crackhead energy of the tenants' antics didn't translate to its central story. The series quickly became aimless and predictable though barely entertaining enough to keep my attention. The only story there really is is the budding relationship between Nott and Pun, which isn't shown often and thus, feels rushed (though it is just 6 episodes so it's understandable). I was also so bored by their relationship by the end and was itching for the last episode to be done. But rather the show concentrates on ridiculous subplots that don't make any sense and aren't funny (at times). A simple standard story about roommates falling in love each other. It does bring up some important truths though like being honest and the importance of communication.

Pretty cool seeing Lay again after My Engineer. And I also liked how they worshiped Why R U in this series. I wonder if there's a connection between the two shows. Same production company maybe?

To be honest, YYY is probably my least favourite BL series at the moment...

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Ridiculous & Hilarious!

Highly entertaining, funny and over-the-top. I liked it! I haven't seen a Thai BL with this kind of flavor (yet).

Haruta is a good guy, but he's clueless and oblivious, taking advantage of Maki who takes such good care of him. I wonder if he is actually bisexual or straight but confused. I hope that this isn't another BL where a straight ML becomes gay all of a sudden for plot development.

He's such a pushover, not wanting to upset anyone to the risk of his own happiness and life. He doesn't want a relationship, he just wants someone to take care of him.

All in all, this was a good time! I liked the characters and the story was well-devloped. The comedy was on point. Though the story was another straight-guy-becomes-gay-for-plot, it was still entertaining as hell. It was nice seeing gay people be treated with respect and star in a rom-com series. However, there wasn't much substance and was rather quite fluffy. In addition, it does get a bit annoying and irritating when the story drags out Haruta consistently unintentionally leading people on. Still a fun time though and I will be watching its sequel film right after.

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