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One of the earlier South Korean BLs that I would still rewatch in 2022
Runners often have a special relationship with their pacers. The relationship between a runner and his pacer is one that is built on trust, respect and consistency because runners know that their pacer can be counted on to run that perfect pace. And usually, many runners end up becoming very close with their pacers, even off the track, because of all the time they’ve spent together.I would have wanted to see more of Jinwon & Sangha’s training process, but Mr. Heart doesn’t really delve too deeply into this aspect. It chooses to focus more on the backstory between Jinwon and Sangha in high school, their blooming relationship in college, as well as Sangha’s financial woes.
Jinwon can be a bit of an asshole at times so if you require absolutely perfect men as BL leads, he’s definitely not it. I would argue, though, that these little flaws add to the charm of his personality, and make any form of character development all the more rewarding.
On that note, my biggest complaint is that you don’t actually get much emotional depth or character development from this series. The special relationship between an athlete and his pacer could have been the perfect opportunity to build intimacy between athletes and explore the emotional side of sports when it comes to competition and training.
One series that touched on this really well was You’re My Sky, a sports BL from Thailand. The delicate relationships between athletes and how it influenced them as sportsmen was captured beautifully — something that wasn’t quite highlighted in Mr. Heart.
Nevertheless, for a pretty short series that can be binged in just 87 minutes, it’s a great filler for when you’re craving a quick fix.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/05/09/mr-heart-korean-bl-review/
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This made me feel a range of emotions from lives I have not lived
Going purely by the synopsis, you might expect a fluffy – possibly even humorous – show with a stereotypical erotica plot. But I’m here to tell you that it is none of these things.Moody, intimate and intense, Mood Indigo’s brilliance is in exploring the anguish that comes with desire. Desire to be with someone and inside them (literally). The blurring boundaries between love and lust. The vulnerabilities that come with opening up.
Being with Kijima is maddeningly arousing and sensual – nothing like he has ever experienced with other lovers – and he constantly struggles with the pull of Kijima’s magnetism. While he does harbour genuine affections for his friend, he can’t bring himself to be with a man.
This becomes the source of Kijima’s anguish. Not from emotions that have stirred within him, but from Kido’s selfishness of wanting him without choosing him.
Do they end up together eventually? In Mood Indigo’s universe, this is irrelevant.
The underlying message is that some people will never be forgotten. A flickering flame always remains, never to be extinguished even with the passage of time.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/mood-indigo-bl-review/
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This review may contain spoilers
Love Area has a decent premise but doesn’t execute it as well it could have
The premise of a spoiled and immature man being increasingly drawn to his precocious, hardworking co-worker is a pretty sweet sell. But Love Area squanders this opportunity with a storyline that is mostly uninteresting (let alone surprising) and the less-than-ideal chemistry between its actors.It is a shame that Valen had very few memorable moments showing why audiences should be invested in him at all. I’m not asking for the male leads to be straitlaced saints, but there was literally nothing relatable about his flaws.
The second couple, King and Peat, have a fiery romance going on, but introducing a potential antagonist, in the form of a 14-year-old (I kid you not, the actor is 14) just makes things extremely messy and bizarre.
Please give this one a miss unless you really have some time to kill. But will I still give Season 2 a chance? Yes, because I’ve already invested my time in Part 1 and now need to know if Valen will finally become likeable.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/love-area-the-series-2021/
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I'm a sucker for bodyguard shows so I watched this anyway
Golden Blood features your typical bodyguard romance plot, which isn’t original but one that I’m honestly a sucker for. Unfortunately, the show falls flat with weak acting and uninteresting characters.Gun, while a more familiar face in the BL scene, fails to deliver in a main role. When showcasing depth of emotion and heartache, however, Gun’s acting lacked refinement despite his relative experience in previous BLs. It’s clear that Boat, who played Sun, is the stronger actor in the Sun-Sky pairing, as he conveyed so much more with less.
The highlight for me was actually the side couple: Bank, Sky’s best friend, and Pitch. Their relationship was so soft and pure, evolving wholesomely with hardly any unnecessary drama. They also provided some moments of comic relief, which were welcome in tense scenes.
The intensifying rivalry between competing mafia groups also keeps the storyline sufficiently exciting, but isn't enough to carry the entire show.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2021/11/22/golden-blood-2021/
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Big on chemistry, sullied by questionable moments
Love In The Air is roughly split into two parts, each focusing on a different couple. And if you ask me which is the better half, I’d have trouble giving you an answer. The chemistry is pretty good and the flirting will keep you hooked.However, I wish the storyline made a little more sense – it would have helped if the characters’ personalities were more consistent and even better if their backgrounds were fleshed out a little more. The rating would also be higher if the characters didn’t have all these problematic moments that made me go Ehhhhh…?
Doesn’t make it a bad show, imo, just lacks thoughtful writing and actual depth.
You may have come across some criticism regarding Phayu’s problematic behaviour in the initial episodes. Personally, I thought this was quite out of character for Phayu as he is shown to be quite thoughtful and non-toxic in the later episodes, and the story does get better and a lot more wholesome, so I don’t know what was going on in the earlier parts.
Now on to the second couple - at the start, Phai has all the signs of a walking red flag. Shamelessly full of self confidence, glib tongued, and basically too hot and too rich to take anybody seriously. But I’m here to tell you it gets better. In fact, Phai turns out to be a total green flag, and they’re just so unbelievably cute together I have to stop myself from screaming every time I watch an episode.
Verdict? Watch it and maybe you’ll get hooked too.
Full review here: asianblreviews.wordpress.com
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The most painfully realistic BL GMMTV has ever made
Only Friends is the sauciest BL GMMTV has ever made to date (definitely as adult as adult gets for GMMTV), and this should raise some initial alarm bells. So many BLs have gone down this route, in a desperate hope that extended, cringey scenes of two handsome guys going at it would make up for the lack of an actual storyline.But no. No, thankfully, this isn’t that kind of BL.
While you can expect a storyline full of action (....!), you can also expect some marvelous twists and turns in the narrative, woven together with stunning visuals. Thanks to the stellar acting of a stacked cast, the show delivers on emotions when it’s most needed.
There’s just so much going on here. But FINALLY, GMMTV has given us a BL with realistic characters and complex motivations.
The narrative sloshes around the lives of a group of friends, each messed up in their own way. Yes, there’s really no other way to describe it except for “slosh”, partly because the relationships are so messy and entangled, and also because they’re sloshed (drunk) half the time.
I liked this show so much because the relationships were so intricately thought out.
The characters in Only Friends illustrate different aspects of self-destruction and how the utter lack of self control can lead to awful consequences.
It also hints at redemption - maybe, just maybe, even those capable of the most f***ed up behaviour are capable of change.
Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/01/only-friends-2023-bl-review/
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I’ve seen way worse with way better ratings
For those seeing all the chatter on Unforgotten Night and wondering whether or not to watch it, here’s my take – it was actually not as bad as I expected. A possessive mafia boss falling in love with a stubborn, hot-headed stranger, and essentially becoming a different person when he’s with him? SIGN ME UP.Apart from Kim and Kamol, the second couple in the series – Baiboon and Khom - was such a pleasant surprise! The storyline featuring a bodyguard and the nephew of a housekeeper totally deserves a spin-off of their own – it was regrettable that their story was pretty much overlooked.
With plenty of other BLs out there, it’s tough to justify why dramas these days still have weird cuts and transitions that stand in the way of smooth storytelling. But I could still follow the story for the most part even though not everything made 100% sense. The actors are also fairly inexperienced, perhaps with the exception of Yoon (I am kinda happy to see him), so be prepared for the quality of acting to be lower.
Lastly, I just wanna say that this rating of 18+ is seriously justified. It’s not just the violence and BDSM but also a shocking (imo) scene involving some of the bodyguards that didn't get very much screen time... but exists nonetheless. ;)
Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/09/08/unforgotten-night-bl-review/
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Ending not great, but watch it for Theo & Ak's relationship anyway
Enchante’s storyline may not have been revolutionary, but I think there was a solid effort put into crafting an interesting story beyond the typical college BL plot. They could have just slapped together a bunch of good-looking guys, hoping that the eye candy (aka Gawin and Force) would sell the series, but they didn’t.But the mystery of "who is Enchante???" was not what I stayed for.
As a friends-turned-lovers kind of story, the series devoted serious screentime to a blooming romance between friends. And for me, the relationship between Theo and Ak was everything.
Scenes with sexual tension were executed effortlessly – with Force and Book’s effortless on-screen dynamic, their relationship came off as both playful and genuine. Banter aside, they also captured the beauty of falling in love with a friend: Tender gazes that lingered, the breath catching in their throat after one person moves too close, the fear of taking a step closer.
Constantly worried about inconveniencing Theo or making him uncomfortable with his affection, Ak put Theo first even when it pained him to step back. He gave unconditionally and selflessly, even when Theo couldn’t do the same.
Some comments have railed against the ending, demanding to know why Theo stayed hopelessly immature without any character development. But I think this shows not the ugliness of Theo, but rather, with a character like Ak, how there is no way any (necessarily flawed) human being could ever deserve someone like him.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/enchante-2022-review-above-all-a-story-about-friends-turned-lovers/
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One of the most overrated South Korean BLs
There's the promise of a good premise: handsome yet moody chef with an unhappy past meets a bright-eyed college student who comes to work during the holidays.Beautiful set design, check. Interesting premise involving a rooftop restaurant, aloof head chef and handsome staff? Check, check and check.
So why did it fail so miserably? In a show filled with flat characters, only Eunkyu had a vaguely interesting character arc. However, his story was so underbaked, leaving me to wonder why they bothered with it at all. The conflicts and tensions in the series (love triangle + the souring of a 15-year friendship) were also poorly chosen, bordering on illogical.
It’s as though they gave up on good writing and went, "hey let’s just put a lot of good-looking guys and make two of them kiss, this series is gonna sell for sure!!"
South Korean BLs are often not meant to have in-depth plot development due to the short runtime. But that’s no excuse for poor writing. If you only have 8 episodes, you better make it count with purposeful storytelling and a narrative that doesn’t have overly complex demands.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/28/tasty-florida-2021/
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The uncomfortable question of why we can't love our brother
“What else can we be, if not brothers?” Unknown is a deeply affecting story about the intersections between family and romance.Based on the novel “大哥“, which simply translates to “older brother” in Chinese, the series unearths some unsettling questions about why it’s wrong to have romantic feelings for someone we call “family”. But what if the family member is not blood-related?
The show is self-aware.
This taboo is the major obstacle standing in the way of the protagonists’ romance, and is also the biggest reason why Qian experiences so much confusion regarding his affections for Yuan. Does he care for him so much because he single-handedly raised this boy, or does he love him like a life partner?
By the 12th episode, was I fully persuaded by Qian and Yuan’s relationship? I'm not sure, but they were so sweet I couldn’t help but find myself rooting for them.
Perhaps the actual question Unknown explores is what it means to belong to a family. In all its varied forms.
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Someone to remind us that a dull life can be worth living
Perfect Propose is a short Japanese BL with just six episodes – it neither feels too short nor does it try to cram too much into its storyline, making it a perfect light-hearted watch.For Kai, taking care of the person he loves is enough — he doesn’t expect anything in return. When Hiro promises to take him to a festival but ends up being late due to work, Kai doesn’t get angry. He doesn’t even get disappointed.
It is for this reason — the fact that Kai’s presence is a quiet comfort without imposing any undue pressure — that Hiro finds himself increasingly attached to Kai.
Until Hiro met Kai, his life was nothing short of dull and meaningless. Bogged down by a heavy workload and a nasty boss who makes his life as a salaryman downright unebarable, Hiro only understands what it means to have a life worth living when he would much rather go home to Kai than spend another minute tapping away at his work computer.
What used to be the sole purpose for his life has slowly shifted its centre as the importance of work begins to slink away.
Perfect Propose is a short, sweet story about the little things that make life lovely – having a meal with someone at the end of a long day, looking forward to hearing their voice, and sharing the little things in life with another person.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/04/03/perfect-propose-2024-bl-review/
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A fun watch but the story is sooo scattered
Ahh, how do I describe this show? It is a hodgepodge of genres. (A word of warning: If you’re afraid of horrifying images and somewhat eerie sequences, this one might frighten you a bit.)The good:
GMMTV fans would love Midnight Museum for its stunning array of familiar faces. (My favourite side story was Bright and then followed by Nanon!!) Without spoiling the entire storyline, Midnight Museum was really ambitious and unique in terms of its plot. This was a commendable attempt by GMMTV to do something different, and I look forward to non-conventional storylines like this in the future.
The bad:
While some parts were so much fun to watch, the show has been criticised for its messiness, occasional plot loopholes, and a horribly rushed and bungled ending. The criticisms are not unfair. The initial episodes seemed like standalone stories, which was good fun to watch. But ultimately, this diluted the focus of the entire story and wider plot, which was really about the mysterious identity of Dome.
With an entire universe of cursed artefacts, otherworldly beings and the incomprehensible nature of spacetime, it got hard to keep up. By the time their journey reached its end, the conclusion didn’t feel as meaningful or satisfying as I would have liked.
Nevertheless! I enjoyed watching this. For the most part.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/05/07/midnight-museum-2023/
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Honestly not that great but I still finished it
Bed Friend felt over the top and frankly, unnecessarily so at times. While there was an abundance of spicy love scenes, some intimate sequences felt out of place and had awkward transitions. All this made the show slightly cringey and hard to fully appreciate as a realistic romance.Uea's character was disappointing. It sometimes seemed like he was constantly trying to prove how cold he is. I appreciate his backstory, but I think the writing/Uea's character was poorly executed.
But did I finish it? Yes, I did. Now, I even have a huge crush on Net’s smouldering gaze. No idea how he does it but am I living for it? Also yes.
All in all, if you’re coming here for superb writing and storytelling - don’t. If you’re here for the steamy sex scenes and lots of toe-curling flirting, yes, this might just be what you need.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/05/02/bed-friend-2023-bl-review/
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I seriously enjoyed this BL
I don’t know why BNMNS isn’t getting more hype but this series is honestly the most fantastic Japanese BL I’ve watched so far in 2023.This is not a typical end-of-the-world story featuring cliched conflict resolution or unrealistic redemption arcs. I share the same sentiments as those who felt that Ritsu was a deeply unlikeable person who didn’t deserve Masumi’s forgiveness. But that’s not relevant to the point that BHMNS is trying to make. The end of the world doesn’t magically turn cruel family members into saints, nor does it bring closure for those mourning the dead.
People still cannot fully rid themselves of their selfish habits, even in their final days. But perhaps, miraculously, love works the best only after you get a glimpse of death.
Only with an end in sight can there be clarity to the mistakes that affect us profoundly, even if we refuse to admit it. If you could start over, what would be the first thing you would undo? That will most likely turn out to be the biggest regret of your life if you don't fix it now.
True to the apocalypse theme, this is a story about all the things that haunt you for the last time before everything goes up in flames. Loneliness and a yearning for connection. Family members you will never reconcile with. All of life’s regrets, with the knowledge that there probably won’t be enough time for redemption.
Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/03/21/bokura-no-micro-na-shuumatsu-review-bl/
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Wow I couldn't decide which couple I liked better??
In general, I wasn’t expecting the series to be this entertaining, but gosh, I really enjoyed myself.This series of misunderstandings and overthinking was presented in a quirky, light-hearted manner. The show also doesn’t devolve into the standard “i-don’t-like-men-it’s-only-muyeong” trope, nor does it create lots of drama in the entire process of discovering one’s sexuality.
But wait. There's also a love triangle! This could have been the premise of a different show or spinoff, so it would have been great if Oh! My Assistant had more episodes to flesh this out.
I’m glad Junseok as a character wasn’t made to be a total asshole for the sake of having an antagonist. I quite liked Junseok tbh, and I could see Muyeong being with either the goofy Seonho or the intense Junseok. Actually, by the last episode, I couldn’t decide if I was rooting for him or the male lead more.
Verdict: Needs 16 episodes instead
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/12/25/oh-my-assistant-2022-review-i-cant-decide-which-couple-i-prefer/
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