Felipe

Simply a better series

Because it was obviously made with the criticism the first series got in mind, Still 2gether is a better show in every way. We catch up with Tine and Wat one the next year (as previewed in the last episode on the first series). That’s a smart move because it gives the show some leeway for making changes without jumping too far ahead.
That small jump specially benefits Mil and Phukong. I was not the biggest fan of their story progression in 2gether because it seemed to forced in the end. Jumping a few months ahead we can see them more comfortable without it being too unreadable for them to not have labeled their relationship or maybe have kissed (?) yet. On the other hand, Type and Man moved, literally, pretty fast. It was nice to finally see them being together and happy. I was surprised with the amount of Green and Dim we got, but I actually made me appreciate both of them a bit more.

Now, on Wat and Tine. I’m glad we got to see them having a nice and normal relationship. I was worried that we show would force conflict and fights when the clubs were are odds. But they managed to keep things separate between work and home life. I also think that Bright and Win are better as Wat and Tine, which made me believe more on the romance between their characters. But I still don’t really feel romantic chemistry. The last scene, between just the two of them, was the only real truly full on BL romantic scene we got from them.

The fact that a group of students managed to skip 2 whole weeks of classes proves that no one goes to that university to study.

Mike and Gunsmile together are the best scene partners in the show.

Read More

More than just the return of MaxTul

First of, it's so refreshing to finally see Max and Tul playing somewhat functioning adults. It’s a major development from eternally teenage acting Korn/Knock.

I usually complaint about the pacing in dramas, especially BLs, because half of the time the main characters are either fighting or trying to get back together. Manner or Death, on the other hand, is more of a slow burn on the romantic front and has compelling plots happening at the same time. All characters are interesting and fit into the overall narrative of the show. I like how we get introduced early on to characters that might not look important at first and then we start to see them in a new way episodes later. The acting on this show is amazing, everyone brought their A game.

I feel like this show explores the mystery aspect very well. There are many twists and the mystery is being developed throughout the series, and not just in the last 2 episodes. It’s a very complex situation, so I thing the viewers can’t easy start to predict what gonna happen too much ahead. Unfortunately, as it’s the case with mystery series, the rewatch value is diminished greatly the the nature of the plot.

I’d really appreciate a reasoning for Tan’s enormous house having a kitchen on the back porch and several empty rooms. In my head cannon that’s the secondary kitchen they use because it has the view of the woods.

It’s not related to the plot, but I have to say this: I hate the main promotional imagine for this show.

Read More

You'll laugh then you'll probably cry

I came into this drama not expecting much but it’s now it’s one my favorites. I had seen Suho’s work in How Are you Bread, so I knew he could act. The summary for Star of My Universe makes the show seem very “silly show with an idol protagonist” + a supernatural element.

But, in reality we got a fun and somewhat lighthearted show for 80% on the story. Then, once we got close to the ending, this show became deep and emotional. I was not expecting that turn.

The show about the ghost reaper that follows a pop idol made me cry a lot in the end, by actually being a show about consequences, choices and love.

Read More

Wrong Title and bland plot

Only Friends: Dream On has two main issues: being tied to Only Friends and having boring characters. While the series boasts a great selection of talented actors, the plot and the characters themselves are lackluster.
However, the biggest hurdle is simply existing in the world of Only Friends. OFDO would benefit so much from being called Romeo & Romeo and existing as a standalone story. The appearance of original Only Friends characters every couple of episodes (and specially Boston's involvement in the plot) didn’t add anything to the story; it only served to remind the audience of a more interesting set of characters. I’m not even the biggest Only Friends fan, but you can’t compare the two series when this one can’t even handle showing two characters kissing if they aren't in an established ship.
To top it off, the ending was boring. For a second, I thought the show would do something daring and split Dean and Jack up, but of course, they didn't. It’s a case of wasted potential and a wasted cast

Read More

Good actors but unfunny dumb characters

I understand that a lot of people really enjoyed this series. It’s clear since it correctly holds an 8.5 here on MDL. But I didn’t like it at all. At the core of the problem is the fact that the main characters are extremely annoying from start to finish. They really are fools. If the story had high schoolers as the main characters, everyone would be more mature and smart. It’s a big waste of talent, since the cast is made up of good actors.
The plot looked interesting and would be a good fit with less over-the-top, unfunny silliness. From the protagonist to the side characters and the villain, all the characters annoyed me. The forced romance with no chemistry at all managed to make it even less interesting by the end.

Read More

Chemistry is not enough

My Golden Blood is a great example of chemistry not being enough. Yes, Joss and Gawin were a good pairing, but this series doesn't give them a platform to show their best performances. It's worse for Gawin, since we've seen him in different BLs, and Be My Favorite was his best performance, in my opinion. Joss was overly robotic in this series, which I imagine was meant to portray what was expected from a vampire. Apart from the acting, the story, and especially the visual effects, bring the series down. There's literally no plot to make this show 12 episodes long. I went into the finale with very low expectations, but the Eiffel Tower scene managed to surprise me with how bad it looked. GMM shouldn’t do fantasy series if they don’t want to spend the money (which we know they have).

Read More

A fun show if you're mostly interested in seeing Earth and Mix

Cupid’s Last Wish was never a masterpiece. But the series had it’s moments. It’s undeniable that the chemistry between Earth and Mix is outstanding, and the series gives them a lot of moments to explore that. I'm sorry if this review ended up being a bit of a rant towards the end.

For those that were unhappy with the single kiss at the end of Tale of Thousand Stars, CLW delivers a lot more on that front. It also gives, in my opinion, very true EarthMix type of interactions, specially if you watch their show EMS, on Youtube. The content fighting and bickering is peak EarthMix behavior we see outside of the cameras. I also think that the casting of Mix and Jan as siblings was perfection. They look alike and Jan was great in the scenes where she had to behave as Win. Unfortunately, we didn’t see much of Mix playing Lin. But, at least, we got A LOT of moments of Mix playing sassy and bossy Win.

The journey to get the water across the country was nice. I think the show managed the use it well as a way of explaining the relationship between Win and Korn. It was also fun to watch very different locations, from forests to the beach.

My main issue with Cupid’s Last Wish is the “final twist” with the mom and, overall, the last episode as a whole. The mom is by far the worst character in the entire show. By the end of last episode I’m pretty sure she managed to get a spot int he worst BL moms list. She embodies a very rare combination of worst characteristics a character can have. She is: dumb, annoying, old-fashioned, homophobic and get’s in the way of the main couple. All of that while barely being on screen.

Her plan also doesn’t make sense. She manipulated her very sick husband to give 1/4 of the farm to someone outside of the family, so it would breakup Win and Korn, and allow her to marry Korn and Lin, so the family would control the farm again. To make it even worse, she kept the plan going even after BOTH OF HER CHILDREN ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF THAT PLAN! In my opinion, that means she was more worried with the couple being together than with her family controlling the farm. The icing on the cake is that she tells everybody what she did, and they just hug her like it’s not a big deal! Did they not hear the part where she took advantage of her dying husband or the fact that the farm was loosing money because Win was a mess after his fight with Korn? Or how that fight, which was part of her plan, almost killed her children?

Since all that reveal and development happened at the start of the episode, I couldn’t really get on board with the rest, Yeah, using the farm as a touristic attraction is a nice idea. Sure, I like that Lin and Non are together. I’m obviously happy that Win and Korn are together. But it’s all overshadowed by the mom. Also, cowboy Win and Korn arriving on their horses to greet the tourists was very cheesy.

Read More

Color Rush 2, a BL without the love and the color rush

Color Rush 2 is not bad. If this was a new series to even a side story I would have enjoyed the series quite a lot. The problem is: Color Rush 2 is a completely different show from Color Rush.

Season 1 is a teen BL romance with the extra spice of the mono/probe world, for that reason, the mom mystery not being solved in season 1 was not a problem for me. Season 2 already started with a big disadvantage when one of the protagonists chose not to come back. With that, at least 2 of the major aspects of the show were weakened. Without Yoo Han we don’t have the romance we spent 8 episodes developing on season 1 and we don’t have a Color Rush, since Yeon Woo doesn’t have probe anymore.

As far as the new stuff, I actually liked Sehyun, and Hyuk was great in the role. I was quite surprised with the dark tone the show took very early on. Despite the 1st episode starting with Yeon narrating how his boyfriend was kidnapped 6 months earlier, by episode 2 we have the death of a teenager by the hands of an evil organization. Yes, season 1 had presented us with several crimes related to the mono/probe relationships and a suicide attempt. But season 1 still had the, literally, colorful moments of the protagonists falling in love. Season 2 is a teen crime/investigation show, where people don’t go to school. That also means that we barely get Min Jae and Joo Haeng scenes.

Based on the post credit scene on episode 8, I’m intrigued with what they’re planning for Color Rush 3. I think it’s far to imagine that they’re recasting Yoo Han’s role, since I doubt the actor is coming back.

Read More

Don't worry, it's not sad 100% of the time

It took my a long time to finally watch ITSAY because I’ve heard time and time again how sad it was. It’s sad but I was not balling my eyes out, and that’s perfectly fine.

In a show with few characters and places, like this one, the main characters need to have chemistry. In terms of chemistry, the bar has been raised after ITSAY. Billkin and PP work together beautifully. Yeah, they’ve known each other for years and have worked together before, but have other actors and the result was not on that level. In some moments, I felt like Teh’s crying was a bit too much, but he’s a high school students going through difficult times. Was the story super surprising? No. As soon as we find out Oh is the first person in the waiting list, I knew Teh would give up his spot. I know that the second part only works as a immediate follow up to ITSAY, but this is a rare case where I’d be OK with a 1 year time jump, so Teh could go to this top pic university. I think it would still work out with the theme of living with your choices.

As part of the BKPP Project, the actual show was very well planned, and it shows. The merch is integrated in the scenes, without looking like an obvious push to sell stuff. The music is also an integral part of the story, and it perfectly complements the story, visual and acting. With the BKPP Project in mind, watching the documentary was important to understand a few elements.

Read More

A cute simple series

Since I’m not the biggest fan of high school-focused BLs, I initially didn’t think Boys in Love would be a series for me. But with the overwhelming response online, I decided to give the show a go — and I’m glad I did.

Boys in Love was a fun show, with a strong young cast and a variety of romantic dynamics. At first, I thought Kim and Mon would be my favorite storyline. The beginning of their romance — love at first sight — was really cute. But as the series went on, I started to realize that Mon is a bit of a toxic boyfriend. Kim spent a good part of the series afraid Mon would be mad at him about something — and that fear made sense, since Mon was angry in almost every situation. Still, in the end, they are a cute couple and deserved to end up together. Major kudos to Aston and Chokun — GMM really found a strong pairing there.

I don’t have much positive or negative to say about Kit and Shane. They weren’t bad by any means, just a bit bland. I didn’t see much chemistry between Luke and Mick either.

Podd and Papang as Nut and Tan were the perfect mix of chaotic and sweet — a fun, older couple dynamic. I really liked the vibe of their workplace romance. It’s a shame we didn’t get a kiss! I’d love to see them paired again in another series.

Now, Per and Tar were the biggest surprise for me when I look at the series as a whole. You could see from episode 1 that Per might have feelings for Tar, who was completely oblivious. But after the party and their kiss, things began to evolve, and you could tell — bit by bit — that they weren’t just the “single guys hanging out” anymore.

I loved the scene where Tar confirms he’s not mad about Per being his first kiss. But my favorite moment was the rose scene in the finale, where Per pretty much confirms he has feelings for Tar. I really hope GMM gives Ken and Paul another series soon.

Read More

Interesting story, great cast

I think the first point I need to highlight is how great the cast is! Young actors that are actually close to the age of the characters and delivering fantastic performances.

I wouldn’t say this is a BL or a series about exploring sexuality, this is a story about gender. Mishima started the series knowing he is gay and knowing that, although he likes to play with his hair and makeup, he doesn’t wanna be a girl. We also know he’s attracted to the coach and starts his relationship with Yumeno.

While with Kirino, we don’t really see him liking anyone or wanting anything with other boys. Kirino wants to live as a girl. I fully believe when he says that he thought he liked the coach because he actually wanted the coach to be his dad.

With all that, the story, in my opinion, is the journey of Mishima helping Kirino to live his dream, even if just for a semester.

I understand the ending is not necessarily happy, but it’s just one minute of Kirino’s adult life. I understand why he needed to be distant from Mishima. He can be both happy with his family and still wanting to explore the Pandora’s Box inside.

PS: Happy that we see Mishima and Yumeno still together in the end.

Read More

Amazing first half, just okay second half

The structure of the series is pretty much divided in the middle. So, we basically have 2 miniseries with 6 episodes each. One is a BL and the other a bromance. Like most BLs, the “first season” is great and the second has unnecessary dramas and new characters.
In the case of this series, the first half is an amazing sweet romance. But then comes episode 7 and basically everything is undone. The later half of the season is a continuous set of miscommunications and backpedaling. The main characters don’t talk, don’t see each other and act like acquaintances. It’s almost a bromance series by the end. The second half is also greatly impacted by how annoying Maya is for most of the time. The chemistry between the main actors shines in the first half, but gets waisted in the last few episodes.

Read More

Only worth if you can watch the uncut version

This series is not good, but it's a short show. The acting is OK in most moments. The protagonists have chemistry. The story makes zero sense, but it had potential. The main plot might have worked if it was scaled down, the evil company takes up too much time and the story goes nowhere. I can see it working out in a 15 minutes per episode, 8 episode series. Color Rush worked with a similar concept.

The main issue with this show is that you should only watch the uncut version. It’s not that it makes less sense with the cuts, but with the uncut version the central relationship works way better. Besides, the cuts are very obvious and you can kinda see that they simply chopped off the almost kisses and the final kiss in episode 12. It’s a Chinese BL with an actual kiss.

Read More

This fanfic story hangs by a weak thread

This series really confuses me. It honestly feels like I’m watching the serialized version of a BL fanfic. I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers just wrote a bunch of tropes in pieces of paper and developed a story around the one they pulled from a hat, at random. I’d guess they got: dead mom, late in the story secret girlfriend, protagonist traveling abroad in the last episode, family issues, evil stepmom, trauma, and misunderstood rich protagonist.

I honestly think that Chap and Green have chemistry, but the story simply doesn’t allow them to do much. The only truly good thing in The Tuxedo is the music, which is A+.

Read More

Fun to watch

This will be a VERY quick review. I’ll start at the ending and say that there’s no good reason for the epilogue not being the ending of episode 36. Not that I’d believe that Word of Honor would kill either of the protagonists, but still. Besides that, I feel like the last episode was very rushed. All the villains are wiped out or disappear after the avalanche and the world is at peace.

I think the first third of the show had a good pace. But, towards the middle point, things started to slow down on the main plot to focus a lot on the side stories. It’s not that I don like to see Xiang and Wei Ning, but it’s a lot of time on their plot and on Scorpion. Thankfully, towards the last 10 episodes the show took better again.

The cast was great and most of the characters were fun to watch. It’s my second BL with Gong Jun, after watching Advance Bravely. I think him and Zhang Zhe Han worked very well together. I understand the constant comparisons with The Untamed, but I think the shows feel very different from the start.

PS: It’s more of a commentary, since it’s neither a good or bad thing, but I feel like this show is very light handed on the double meanings and “suggestions” about the relationship between the two main characters. Of course, the show says multiple times that they’re soulmates and from the epilogue it’s clear that they’ll live together “forever” in the mountain. But I think they didn't wanna risk much censorship.

Read More