asianblreviews
Has the era of solid Taiwanese BLs passed?
At 12 episodes long, I can’t help but feel that the show could have been condensed in fewer episodes with less unnecessary drama as fillers for the story arc (i.e. repeated reappearance of the ex, family resistance) such that the storyline became completely diluted.My Tooth Your Love has all the classic romance (BL?) tropes. Main character with a past trauma thinks he doesn’t deserve to be loved. Tsundere main character 2 who is the archetypal ‘Perfect Man’. An ex that returns mid-series.
The series started off promising with above-average chemistry between a frightened patient and an insistent (and very handsome) dentist). Bailang comes with baggage and Xunan is always around to help him through it.
The main couple was pretty cute together, but I can’t quite figure out if the show was going for a fluffy patient-meets-tsundere-dentist romance story… or a story about two people working through their past baggage together? It seems like the latter but so much time was spent on other details, which is a pity.
One of the side couples had an interesting story that deserved a series on its own BUT I just couldn’t ship them. Perhaps it’s because he’s still in high school, or was it because his character was just so childish? Whatever it is, I just wasn’t feeling this couple. Sorry.
Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/my-tooth-your-love-2022-bl-review/
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A reminder of how you will never be 18 again
I expected the show to focus a lot more on the campaigning process, but instead, the show was just packed with fluffy moments involving the two going on meal/study dates and staying over (not complaining tbh).Told through the stories of different youths, About Youth is about living, breathing all the hopes and anxieties of being a high schooler.
It’s about friendship and first loves. Worrying about how your dreams align with your family’s expectations of who you should become. And keeping your grades up through the turbulence. About Youth is a reminder of how you will never be 18 again, rushing headfirst into the same myriad of dizzying experiences.
What was most memorable was the relationship between Yeguang and his overly domineering father, who struggles to display care for his son in a way that is understood. Yeguang desperately tries to reconcile the two sides of himself: an obedient son who will do anything to accomplish his father’s dreams, and his true self – a boy who yearns for some time to himself.
I would have liked to see more of Yeguang's evolving relationship with his parents, as well as how he would navigate his relationship with Qizhang. So yes, if anything, the show would have benefitted from having at least 10-12 episodes.
Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/09/24/about-youth-2022-review/
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Everybody has somebody they can't forget
What starts out as an unlikely friendship at the neighbourhood laundromat transforms into an unsteady tension when Minato discovers Katsuki’s feelings for him. Is his affection that of an older brother who wants to watch over Katsuki as he grows older, or something romantic? In his confusion, he resists his initial attraction toward Katsuki, a task that only gets tougher in the face of Katuski’s relentlessly earnest pursuits.The relationship dances in circles for most of the series but their chemistry is unmistakable. Apart from looking wonderfully compatible despite the age gap, both characters were also well-balanced, each alternating between childlike playfulness and maturity.
Minato Shouji is about feelings that don’t go away, despite the passage of time – for both Katuski and also Asuka, another highschooler who has fallen for an eccentric man far older than he is.
As their story unfolds in a lazy seaside town where everybody knows everybody, it turns out that everyone has somebody they can’t forget.
My full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/09/15/minato-shouji-coin-laundry-review/
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I can’t believe I liked it but I really did
I’m usually not a fan of cheating storylines because they make the characters super unlikeable. Drunken sex storylines are also iffy since the consent is questionable. But gosh, I have to say, Love Mechanics might be an exception so far. I just can’t hate this show.The characters are not meant to be squeaky clean, but even in their worst moments, they’re vulnerable, honest portrayals of what it means to be a painfully flawed and confused human being.
If you’re the kind who gets annoyed by messy breakups and BL couples having to go through 18935 obstacles before finally getting into a relationship, Love Mechanics is probably not for you.
Mark and Vee’s interactions are littered with tense, flirtatious interactions and non-answers, making it clear that their relationship is not nothing. But the best thing is that Love Mechanics doesn’t try too hard to fill in the gaps or explicitly articulate what characters are feeling in each scene. Audiences are left to infer and pick up on subtle emotional nuances through the characters’ behaviour. These gestures are clues pointing to the truth, even if the characters themselves aren’t completely self-aware of their emotions.
As Mark and Vee hold their breath to make a wish while riding across the White Bridge, Love Mechanics perfectly illustrates the irrational nature of a man in love, searching for whatever it takes to be with the one their heart desires.
My full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/08/14/love-mechanics-2022-review/
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What a pity
It’s certainly an innovative concept BUT DOES IT WORK??? Sadly, no ?Sun and Athit’s strange debtor-collector relationship (and how it inverses subsequently) doesn’t really do much for the story, imo. The show positions itself as a light-hearted romance comedy, but the humour fails to entertain. Even the supposedly fluffier BL scenes weren’t enough to keep me interested.
BounPrem fans should also be prepared for Even Sun to waste a bit of time with a bunch of other couples (and for no good reason too).
While I’m glad to see BounPrem again, their story had nothing that kept me coming back for more. The only reason why I didn’t drop this is because I have a special spot for BounPrem .
Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/08/05/even-sun-2022-review-bl/
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A thousand ways to show you love someone without saying it
Word of Honor checks all the boxes for a typical martial arts series – sectarian rivalry, revenge plots and a delightful relationship between a disciple and his teachers – proving to be a perfectly compelling and well-paced story.But what makes it so enjoyable is that it’s far more profound than an empty clash of swords. The rivalry between the Ghost Valley and other seemingly ‘upright’ sects appears to be an allegory on the clash between Good and Evil, but Word Of Honor upends this by revealing the corruption amongst ‘heroes’. As sects go on a crusade to eradicate sin, they neglect to see that the rot has already wormed its way into their hearts.
The seeming incompatibility between the ghostly and mortal realm makes for an unlikely union between ZZS and WKX. And yet, it somehow works because they understand what it’s like to live troubled lives with cruel fates. For ZZS, who was ready to waste away and disappear into the twilight, the mere fact that he eventually allowed himself to be saved proved that the only person who could change his mind about life was WKX. And for WKX, who has walked a path doomed to unholiness, all he needed was something to pull him back to the world of humans and humanity.
So, is it a BL? Technically no. But I would say that the depth of ZZS and WKX’s relationship far transcends effortless banter and flirty conversations. The audience gets a sense that their unspoken bond runs far deeper than these superficial interactions. At the heart of their story is a quest to protect the only thing that matters to them – each other.
My full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/06/15/word-of-honor-2022-review/
My compilation of the romantic scenes: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/06/15/word-of-honor-bl-romance/
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Solid 8/10 if I pretend that there’s nothing weird about their relationship at all
It’s easy to see why CBAW is so popular. No time is wasted on dumb bullsh*t like messy sideplots. This is all about Haebom and Taesung, and man, I have to say, they have a really cute relationship (and height difference).The characters have really good chemistry (which makes the show worth watching), but while their insanely cute romance develops, a tiny voice in my head can’t help but yell: But wait! They’re still adopted brothers!!
The vibe of Haebom and Taesung is closer to childhood-friends-turned-lovers rather than siblings, even though they grew up in the same household. Haebom even addresses Taesung’s mother as “ma’am” rather than “mum”.
But something about their relationship still unsettles me. Haebom and Taesung’s love story, in all its warm, sappy, goodness, would make for an even more delightful watch if not for this uncomfortable detail.
If anything, this show makes me interrogate my beliefs on relationships that I can or cannot accept. Blood relations are out of the question. Adopted siblings or stepsiblings? Hmm, probably weird if they grew up together (exactly what happened in CBAW). How about discovering a long-lost half-sibling during adulthood? It gets iffier man, I don’t know.
My full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/04/27/cherry-blossoms-after-winter-2022-review-adopted-brother-bl-plot-makes-it-weird/
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This review may contain spoilers
The last 10 minutes hit me like a ton of bricks
While the “scary”-looking ghosts are kept to a minimum, the series still has so many elements of classic Thai horror. I’m an occasional horror fan, but if you are someone who absolutely cannot deal with horror setups, you might want to give this show a miss.Now, whether to watch the uncut version or not: The shorter versions on YouTube should still give you the details you absolutely need to know, but you may miss out on the background info surrounding the side characters. Personally, I think it’s fine if you just want to watch the cut version, but I couldn’t because I’m just that fomo.
With 70-minute episodes, I expected a well-developed, nuanced story that explored various character arcs. Unfortunately, the narrative surrounding Phob and his family lost steam towards the end. I somewhat appreciated Nuan and Da (Phob’s mother) as complex characters, but found some characters and their motivations to be poorly developed and executed.
Maybe it was a case of trying to do too much and diluting what mattered most.
To me, the real meat of the show was this: What’s going to happen after Phob leaves this world? How can there be a future for both of them?
Unlike He's Coming To Me, which turned out somewhat sappy and light-hearted, SIMR’s final 5 to 10 minutes left me with nothing but sorrow. The lingering dread from living yet not being alive without the person you love. And getting through each day despite it all.
Maybe only in death will there finally be relief. And perhaps that's where the horror truly lies.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/03/27/something-in-my-room-2022-review-bl-with-thai-horror-vibes/
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You can give this one a miss if you've seen the series
Hey, I love Sarawat and Tine. But the fact is that there’s really not much new or groundbreaking material in the movie edition.Much of the “movie” footage is a recap of what happened in 2gether and Still 2gether, coupled with narration. This is supposed to give the viewer a glimpse into Tine and Sarawat’s mind and what they were thinking at certain junctures. While it’s nice in theory, it falls flat in practice because there was nothing new or surprising that was revealed. Perhaps there simply isn’t very much left to expand on given the 2nd series.
While it promises a “complete edition” with extra scenes, these don’t really amount to much – maybe 20 minutes of new footage out of a 110 minute movie. This means that the extra scenes could really be a special episode at best, but frankly it could also have been a music video.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/02/23/review-2gether-the-movie-2021-is-better-off-as-a-special-episode/
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Not Singto's best
PWL is at best a trashy guilty pleasure, and at worst, a trope-filled series with somewhat cringey acting.Singto is great when portraying nuanced emotions, as usual – sadness, disappointment, frustration and hurt, but I can’t help but feel that he was just not the best person for the role. As for Phab, played by Tae, he unfortunately does not have the same acting talents as Singto – his face is often frozen in strange, awkward expressions with his mouth slightly ajar. This really messes with the vibe during emotional or intimate scenes.
Story-wise, much of the writing didn't make sense to me, especially the central conflict of the show being Maze’s relationship with his step-brother and how it affected other relationships.
If anything, perhaps PWL is a cautionary tale on how workplace romances can get messy and infuriating. Every little petty squabble, unfortunately, gets amplified in work settings. Especially when you have two childish (and rather petty) people who tend to leap to conclusions at the slightest suggestion and let misunderstandings drag on without proper resolution.
But hey, if you go in with no expectations looking for something to kill time, why not? I certainly was entertained enough to finish the series.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/02/15/paint-with-love-2021-review/
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The idea is better than the execution
A talented fashion designer in search for the perfect model, one whom his clothes were made for, finds who he has been looking for. And ends up finding love too.This sounds wonderfully romantic, but the idea is better than the execution when it comes to Behind Cut.
Behind Cut starts to lose its way somewhere in the middle, with poorly-done scene transitions that really started to affect the flow of the story. Also, too many ideas were crammed into an 8-episode miniseries as it ends up not really spending enough time on most.
What saved Behind Cut was the above average chemistry between Kijin and Yeongwoo, with their heart-to-heart talks over udon or beer about their hopes and dreams for the future. I really liked the final kiss scene but it was, unfortunately, still not enough to salvage the entire series.
Read my full review here (mild spoilers): https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/02/02/behind-cut-review-2021/
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Everything you could ask for in a mature, crime-themed BL
Max and Tul are back and they have more than delivered. I want to describe this series as a BL romance dressed in noir, but that would be overly reductive. In fact, an important point to note is that the series still holds its own even if Tan and Bun weren’t romantically involved – I’m glad they were, though, because their palpable sexual chemistry just made it all the better.The series starts off with a murdered girl. A whodunnit premise drives the narrative, but this soon evolves to something far more complex.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the characters inhabit a sinister reality where nobody can be trusted fully. Sometimes, they are also forced to straddle legally and ethically grey boundaries. All these factors, plus cliff-hangers and twists, provide for surprisingly propulsive episodes that keep you wanting more.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2021/11/29/manner-of-death-2020%ef%bf%bc/
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Call Me By Your Name x Thai BL
With its stunning visuals, ITSAY is easily the most beautifully-produced BL I’ve encountered. The BL delivers both aesthetics and substance. However, the intensity of emotions revolving around a turbulent sexual awakening makes it difficult to binge watch or rewatch frequently.Burgeoning young love aside, what really makes this series stand out is not so much the plot, but a strong undercurrent of sexual tension that consistently propels the narrative.
The pacing is also unlike most BLs as it moves a lot slower. Some scenes are long drawn out, dramatizing the effect of waiting restlessly in loneliness. In several instances, the deliberate lack of dialogue becomes purposeful, with actors relying on their eyes to convey wordless desire through the gaze. It’s sequences like these that arguably make ITSAY so unique and so memorable.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2021/12/18/i-told-sunset-about-you-2020/
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Interesting universe swap concept with unfulfilled potential
Vice Versa is one of the more aesthetically pleasing shows produced by GMMTV. And although it may be a body switch BL, thankfully, you don’t actually need to do any mental gymnastics to figure out who’s who. (GMMTV is kind enough to use the actual characters in most scenes even though they’re really in someone else’s body.)Science fiction lovers, however, may be a little disappointed to know that the show flounders a little when it comes to the science and logic of its story – in short, there are obvious plot holes. Personally, I thought this was a shame. Vice Versa presented a fantastic opportunity for GMMTV to explore new genres and push the boundaries of storytelling.
Most of the episodes are filled with fluffy scenes of Jimmy and Sea spending time with each other, or their gang going about their lives trying to produce a movie. It's a great JimmySea debut given that their chemistry is excellent. However, the show would have been far more holistic if it also showed the other side of the swap – what happened to Tess and Tun in the other universe, and how are they holding up in their portkey search? Much of the science fiction is backloaded in the final episodes, when I would have liked to see it throughout the series.
Still a great BL with pretty solid acting, though.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/vice-versa-2022-review/
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Like A Tale of Thousand Stars but …better? :O
I thought this would be a tired remake of A Tale Of Thousand Stars but I was wrong. I actually liked it better than ATOTS! (Fight me ahahahha.)You will notice many similar elements, which may be initially off-putting. There’s the rural mountainous setting, a cute volunteer teacher, rich urbanites who can’t get used to the village lifestyle and a sad backstory involving a traffic accident. It’s almost as though someone in GMMTV gave up brainstorming and said, “ayyy, let’s just recycle those ideas”.
As the second part to Star And Sky, SIYH doesn’t try to do too much in 8 episodes. While this means that the story compromises on the depth that you would expect from a full-fledged series, it makes up for it with compelling characters and tight writing. Most importantly, the chemistry between Kuafah and Prince is great.
Unlike ATOTS, which I found slightly complex plot-wise, Sky In Your Heart is a warm and fuzzy pick-me-up at the end of a dreadful day.
The only thing I didn't like was how their misunderstanding and concerns were glossed over pretty quickly in the final episode (prob due to to time constraints) so the couple is not shown working through their problems together. If you can overlook this detail, you'll be blown away by how Kuafah and Prince make for an unbelievably cute pair. I had doubts seeing them individually, but together, they’re really something else. Seriously, my cheeks hurt from all the smiling.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/07/23/sky-in-your-heart-2022-bl-review/
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