BL Compilations

historical masterpiece

Overall: I applaud the writers for giving us this series. I read the book but reviewed the series on its own merits. The cut version is 45 minutes and uncut episodes were over an hour. Aired on YouKu app, GagaOOLala (uncut), YYDS YT channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoqdmwJPCU35AqHWHKLdr5RWqQhBiVl61 (depending on your country) Check out these 2 official movie cuts which center on Yai & Jom
Part 1 of Jom & Yai’s Epic Love Story https://youtu.be/Tt5-Wa5z3RE
Part 2 of Jom & Yai’s Epic Love Story https://youtu.be/vT-HG57Nt7w

Content Warnings: (there were major content warnings that I put under a spoiler)

What I Liked
- sweet moments and excellent chemistry
- finally we had well written female characters instead of cliche stereotypes, these women acted/felt/reacted how real women would
- strong messages without being corny, they showed the unfairness of wealth disparities, they addressed something that happened in episode 3 as traumatic and not romantic, we almost never see this between a married couple in fiction though it sadly happens in real life and then they showed the trauma of what can result from that circumstance
- unique premise
- that Jom had agency
- intimate scenes were done extremely well
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Jom was a bit frustrating in the first half though he really went thru a lot, I blame the editing for unnecessary long pauses
- the ending was extremely rushed and not really clear of what exactly happened, they could have condensed some of the side plots/scenes in the first half of the series to more fully show the ending
- that mustache was awful and not needed in ep 1
- Jom should have said quietly what the year was when he learned who that ruler was as international fans don't know the date (but it's in the series summary)

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close but not quite

Overall: there were parts that I really enjoyed but other areas were lacking, it's between 7.5 and 8. It had 10 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI in U.S., Thailand and Indonesia.

Content Warnings: hit, harassment, non con kiss, manipulation, past physical abuse

What I Liked
- funny moments
- cute/caring moments
- the small town vibe where everyone knows everyone
- the cafe owner Kim Dong Hee and Go Ho Tae*
- that Ji Won Young stood up for himself with the ex and at the end that manager
- production value

Room For Improvement
- dead fish lip presses/fake shadow kiss
- *the side couple had way too little screen time, their story wasn't explained well enough, the hits were not needed and then it wasn't resolved well
- felt the drama towards the end dragged on too long but then the very ending felt rushed
- bad "plans" and poor communication
- continuity errors (ep 1 bird poop, left his credit card behind and it wasn't addressed, character punched but next day does not have any injuries)
- non realistic things (says he's super sick/was told to rest and then he's cleaning floors)
- felt more like a 'gay for you' trope rather than a gay awakening

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My new favorite Korean BL

Overall: I read part of the manhwa and novel that the series is based on and I think they did a really wonderful adaptation. This is a good example of narrowing the focus to fewer characters/romantic relationships to fit it in a shorter runtime. Watched on Viki, also aired on Gagaoolala in some regions. (minor spoilers)

Content Warnings: bullying/harassment, non con/dub con kiss (sleeping)

What I Liked
- the character aesthetics/styling
- good side characters like Yu Na (also that reference to her being bi was awesome), we avoided the evil woman cliche
- I really liked that Jae Young‬ actually left Sang Woo‬ alone a couple of times instead of the aggressive pursuit/stalking that is frequently romanticized
- the music fit well
- the whimsical editing in the beginning linked it to the manhwa
- funny parts like all the plaid shirts and some sassy responses
- the color symbology (going to have to re-watch again and pay attention)
- good production value (and English subs were added quickly)

Room For Improvement
- more lip ring was needed
- it felt a bit choppy in areas like we ended at once place and then the next scene is a different location/time, also not sure how much time has passed in between certain scenes and it would have been nice to know
- I wish Jae Young had actually followed Sang Woo's physical touch boundaries for more than 1 episode or they had had a discussion to adjust the boundaries in a later episode

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unique premise with a great start

Overall: I appreciated the premise and production value; however, I thought there could have been improvements with the plots/characters. Adapted from the book Euthanasia: Spare Me Your Mercy by Sammon which I haven't read and I reviewed this series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/spare-me-your-mercy-episode-1-1e3q3w4ts14?lang=en_us and cut on One31 YouTube channel (not in Japan, Korea, Taiwan or Thailand) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXopbKxiivxrgJk-EvQLFVdakJlFviiix&si=aaqj7i0CX2sAeIVP - the first episode cut version was about 1 minute shorter than the uncut version. Later aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41050c-spare-me-your-mercy

Content Warnings: there were several major ones in the first episode and in subsequent episodes, but I kept this review spoiler free

What I Liked
- unique premise
- mystery element
- countryside setting
- discussed the ethics of someone making choices about their life, including at the end of their life
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the first scene as a character set up/voice over exposition dump, subsequent exposition dumps
- stupid characters/actions that felt "because the writer said so"
- reveals happened too early
- chemistry felt hot/cold, wasn't sold on the romance aspect
- the open ending

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slow frequency

Overall: a promising start was bogged down by slow pacing, nonsense plot things and a lack of chemistry. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on Kantana Kol YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, violence, coercion, manipulation, vomiting, drug dealing, non con picture taking

What I Liked
- Thames' manager and Mon's friend?/sister? was a good wingwoman
- Thames bought lube at that convenience store
- good reveal in ep 7
- ep 8 glad they didn't go a cliche plot route at the beginning
- negative consequences for the evil doer
- production value, natural light towards the end of ep 4

Room For Improvement
- the series moved really slowly at times
- because they didn't show right away why Thames liked Mon I couldn't enjoy their sweet moments (and even then that's a pretty weak reason to like someone that much)
- the first scene was horror/serious which then didn't fit with the fluffy intro, eventually we do learn what happened in the past
- not much world building/convenient world building (can't taste food, then randomly can taste food)
- nonsense plot things (terrible unbodyguards, why did the other ghosts look like zombies?, why is a stroke victim getting an mri and then appears to be totally fine a couple days later? why are they at docks but there is zero boats/water?)
- flashback transitions needed to be more clear
- very choppy, they'd be somewhere and then suddenly somewhere else
- dead fish lip presses

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beachy vibe with lackluster plot

Overall: reminds me of Even Sun with a weak plot, attractive guys and a nice beach location. Something to just watch and shut your brain off. Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: manipulation, attempted drugging, non con touching, non con kiss (sleeping), threatened violence

What I Liked
- I smiled at a few parts
- realistic that there was a room at the same place they were staying and then an actual logical reason for there only being one bed in that room
- a character actually washed his hands (and Yoshi is cute)
- some sweet moments
- that a character actually noticed the suspicious guy and they had a plan in episode 6
- Tonliew did a good job and hope to see him in another series

Room For Improvement
- maybe it was mistranslated, Putter is supposed to be a super famous celebrity, but he travels without anyone? Some random dude becomes his manager?
- not a fan of the power imbalance/manipulation
- poor communication between the m/m leads
- lack of chemistry
- yet another terrible "plan" (from Putter)
- the effeminate guy is positioned to be a villain
- low budget/experience production, an example is during the bridal carry there were only close up shots instead of a much needed full body shot
- the wound of the foot changed location
- the lack of consequences and cliche 'they learned their lesson' nonsense

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gentle and sweet slice of life (need a third movie)

Overall: the sequel is very similar to its predecessor with the theme of friendship and infusion of cooking/food into the story. I was happy we saw progression but a third movie would really be the cherry on the top. First aired in Japan June 2024. Aired December 4th 2024 on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4988/lets-eat-together-aki-and-haru-more-please-2024 (not available in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong or Macau)

What I Liked
- sweet and caring moments
- the cooking/food
- realistic to practice interviewing
- non cliched female characters
- avoided a common plot element at the end (i.e. technology exists)

Room For Improvement
- the voice over recap of the first movie
- thought there had already been some realizations in the last movie, wish we had seen more progress earlier rather than the very end

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AMAZING NSFW scene in ep 10

Overall: although I struggled with parts of this series, there were things that I really liked specifically the intimacy was fantastic. Wish it had a wider release. Aired on WeTV, likely need a vpn to Thailand and WeTV subscription to watch officially.

Content Warnings: beginning sexual assault, non con kiss, kidnapping, violence/fight, vomiting, non con picture taking, unwanted outing

What I Liked
- the NSFW scenes/kissing looked like people who actually wanted to kiss (starts in ep 6), also the communication during/after was good, that ep 10 (around 5min) scene was mind-blowingly good, props to the actors and whoever staged that scene
- ongoing physical affection
- cute/sweet/caring moments
- supportive friendships, supportive mom
- at the very end of the last episode, that was adorable and rarely seen, I know it's difficult to have that in some countries but it is possible and happy to see it represented
- calling out drunk driving (eventually)

Room For Improvement
- what in the world was that weird frat hazing mixed in with dorm/sorting hat stuff? They could have just had 2 dorms that had a long history of rivalry and spent that screen time elsewhere
- several stupid "plans", why spend 5 minutes talking to someone when you can do nothing/have a "plan" for 3 years #sarcasm
- multiple couples and the side couples could have used more time/development
- confused with the relationships between all the characters
- should have removed the comedy sound effects and silly music, I did not find most things funny
- overused tropes like getting a fever from being out in the rain, gay for you trope
- I was bored with the school parts though it's good they show students actually doing schoolwork
- can we please be done with the non con kisses, kiss someone when you are sure they are awake

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Sweet but nonsensical/annoying plot devices

Overall: this is a 33 minute short movie that has some sweet moments but I was really irritated by several plot holes/nonsense plot things.

Content Warnings: non con kiss (eyes were closed and was not expecting it)

What I Liked
- the sweet moments
- the color grading
- the shipper friends were cute but why start now*
- a few nice flirts and a nice comeback
- the second kiss scene was fairly well done

Room For Improvement (spoilers)
- *the main issue is why on earth would you wait three years to reveal your identity to someone that you like and take secret pictures of them? The writer/s should have made this a shorter time frame like 3 months or given an explanation (such as the other guy had to leave the country for school or something)
- there is no context in the beginning of where they are, what they are doing there and what the 2 main protagonists' relationship is with each other (school acquaintances?)
- odd that he says he almost drowned there, then says just kidding, then immediately explained how he almost drowned there
- who leaves someone who almost died before medical professionals arrive?
- how does someone who is barely conscious take a ring off of someone's finger?
- I hate when people/characters "test" a relationship especially in that way
- he read his diary and that's supposed to be romantic instead of a violation of privacy
- he secretly took pictures of him for 3 years and that's supposed to be romantic instead of stalker behavior

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Thai romcom with a ton of product placement

Overall: it's a fairly standard Thai romcom except it lost me around the halfway mark. I have not read the manga this is based on and I tried to review this adaptation on its own merits instead of comparing it to the Japanese live action adaptation of the same name. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later re-aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40921c-my-love-mix-up

Content Warning: slap

What I Liked
- clear premise
- lighthearted romcom
- sweet moments
- the bike riding scene
- that Kongthap gave it serious thought in ep 1
- made something clear at the end of episode 2 instead of dragging it out
- My School President Easter egg in episode 3
- good established m/m couple
- a character wanted physical affection
- the Chinzilla band cameo in ep 11

Room For Improvement
- the intro scene and then the voice over that re-told what we already knew
- the overused comedy sound effects detracted from the comedy
- felt draggy
- camera blocked kisses (I realize the towel was from the manga but they didn't have to follow the manga exactly and then even the het couple had a camera blocked kiss)
- nonsense stuff, they didn't even show the props that they decorated
- I still hated the slap but at least there was an apology
- a teacher asking a student about their love life
- running after a car was not cute
- this might have the most product placements that I've ever seen, but I didn't really take off points because series like this allow GMMTV to make series like Not Me

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those blinking xmas lights were my brain cells dying while watching this

Overall: the first 2 episodes were so bad they were funny, but episode 3 was not enjoyable to watch at all nor was a lot of what happened after. 8 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/tide-of-love-2-episode-1-q7bb46xfuk?lang=en_us and GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6193/tide-of-love-2025-s02e01 (not available in the Americas, Spain, Portugal, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan or Korea) Here is my review of season 1 https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/review/512672

Content Warnings: drugging, sexual assault, intimate partner abuse, slap, manipulation, past intimate partner abuse, rape? (it did not look consensual at the time), violence, drugging

What I Liked
- unintentionally hilarious in the first 2 episodes, wth was that ankle bracelet thing
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- episode 3 was full on intimate partner abuse, preventing him from taking his class, taking his phone away (isolation is a classic abuser tactic), tracking him, chaining him without consent/refusing to let him leave the house, that slap, ugh, none of it was sexy or fun to watch
- mismatched kissing, one guy went all in and the other kept his lips shut (even during times when he allegedly enjoyed it)
- I don't normally take off points for production value for indie series, but this is egregiously low budget feeling with so many continuity errors
- practically had a mustache twirling villain (with super zoomed in close ups of his "alcoholic" beverage)
- love rival
- worst "punch" ever
- that drugging

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needed to narrow the focus

Overall: with a short runtime, they needed to tighten up the plot and focus on the romantic development. I gave this an indie bump. 6 episodes about 8 minutes each. Aired on Fangle Studio https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL43jpYftGbEFcuaz7dCQyQTwIJMji6dFk&si=SGJZf8gBd6DKXoIM and GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6249/fan-service-2026-e01

Content Warning: past kidnapping/trauma, blood, stalking, harassment, attempted murder

What I Liked
- visuals
- they addressed the downside of fame*

Room For Improvement
- love triangle
- romance seemed to come out of nowhere, needed more build up/chemistry
- odd card thing/voiceover
- hair covered one of the leads' eyes and it was difficult to feel his emotions in several scenes
- *nervous there won't be any consequences (there weren't)
- nonsense in episode 5 (surgery and then sent home a few hours later???!!!!), this plot point was never addressed or resolved
- 5 year time skip in the finale, rushed

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a writer and a fitness trainer

Overall: a short and sweet series. 6 episodes about 9 minutes each. Aired on Love Memory's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwW9ZsuS2Fna5bej9iBNNK4IQsM2rz3XR&si=so3Dh40QFEPEU5qT

Content Warning: homophobia

What I Liked
- the beginning
- a flirty protagonist
- a protagonist telling his friend off when he was rude
- pushed back against homophobic comments
- that poor communication was resolved quickly

Room For Improvement
- that a character didn't explain why he said what he did
- a hug with too much space and 2 dead fish lip presses

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more tension in season 3 of His Man (reality m/m dating series)

Overall: though it started with feeling similar as the past 2 seasons of His Man, it ended up with more tension and less friendship in my opinion which could be good or bad depending on viewers' preferences. 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/his-man-season-3-2024-1fl5vc0n6ap?lang=en_us Here is my review of season 2 https://mydramalist.com/743089-his-man-season-2/reviews

Reality Dating Series Note: When watching "reality" series, I always keep in mind that producers might tell the guys what to do/say and that editing can be extremely misleading (not showing things, change the order, etc). My goals are that the guys have some fun (maybe make a friend) and being on the show helps (or at least doesn't hurt them) in their personal and professional lives.

What I Liked
- I like how they started with a date and the twist gave a bit more drama
- the 30 second phone call thing was good (I personally think it's best if the guys say who they are and call someone they are romantically interested in to avoid mixed signals/increase the odds of a mutual match)
- production value such as nice music, set design, editing, etc

Room For Improvement
- too many phone calls, would like to see some larger group games/intro games
- I was going to say it was a good decision to not let them say their age or occupation right away because I think people get fixated on those things when in reality personality, values and goals are much more important compatibility-wise; however, some of the guys seemed extremely fixated on this and I think some guys are going to get hurt after their ages are known so maybe it would be best if ages were known from the beginning or to have all the contestants be within 5 years of each other
- I don't like that the producers did something (they must ask the dating histories of the guys, I can't think this was accidental), felt like the producers just wanted to create drama
- needed nametags or nametag necklaces at least for the first few episodes to get familiar with all of their names
- I didn't like episode 14, I think more of a follow up as a group would have been better they definitely shouldn't have shown 1 of the couples and then oddly did not show show a different couple...maybe that couple got smart and didn't want bad editing so refused to film it or something


Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. The Boyfriend (Japan) on Netflix. Guys run a coffee truck and live together for 1 month.
2. Sparks Camp (Philippines) on YouTube, currently on season 2. Anyone can date anyone. Great diversity with the guys. 
3. Boys Like Boys (Taiwan) on GagaOOLala, had a very similar aesthetic/vibe to His Man
4. Love House seasons 1 & 2 (Vietnam) on YouTube (most have English subs, this is ep 1 of season 2 no subs though https://youtu.be/TKzT_nHfVTA ). I liked this set up more than Bromance because the guys could all pursue one another. I didn't like the "secret couple" aspect and dividing them up based on sexual position seemed odd (can't they discuss that in private???) Season 1 was also the most brutal "rose ceremony" I've ever seen in any dating reality show. Season 2 was better.
5. Bromance (Thailand) is also on Gagaoolala. This is the typical Bachelor/Bachelorette set up with a bunch of people competing against one another to be with the 1 bachelor. I didn't like this because they could have all been hitting on each other and we have multiple couples! I got kind of bored and skipped a bunch.

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The Best M/M Reality Dating Series So Far

Overall: This is my favorite "reality"dating series I've seen, understanding that "reality" can include producers telling the guys what to do/say and that editing can be extremely misleading (not showing things, change the order, etc). My goals were that the guys have some fun and being on the show helps (or at least doesn't hurt them) in their personal and professional lives. Note to Eun Chan and Chan Kyu - don't change yourselves, you are amazing as you are! Series aired on both Gagaoolala & iQIYI.

Content Warnings: discussion of homophobia

What I Liked
- the interviews and them discussing more serious things in episode 7 was excellent
- I like how they actually started with a date. The 30 second phone thing/letter writing was a good idea but only once.
- mix of choice vs no choice things
- smart decision to not let them say their age or occupation right away. I think people get fixated on those things when in reality personality, values and goals are much more important compatibility-wise.
- production value such as nice music, set design, editing, etc

Room For Improvement
- they needed more group dates or getting to know you games (Never Have I Ever would have been fun)
- the second phone call was repetitive and boring, it took almost all of episode 5
- the varying lengths of episodes (37 minutes to over an hour) was bad because then viewers thought some episodes were being censored. In the future they should keep episodes a consistent length.
- either there was a rule for no skinship or they edited it out, because 8 guys lived together for 1 week...
- the illegible subs on Gagaoolala because Korean subs were hardcoded on the video

Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. Bromance (Thailand) is also on Gagaoolala. This is the typical Bachelor/Bachelorette set up with a bunch of people competing against one another to be with the 1 bachelor. I didn't like this because they could have all been hitting on each other and we have multiple couples! I got kind of bored and skipped a bunch.
2. Love House seasons 1 & 2 (Vietnam) on YouTube (most have English subs, this is ep 1 of season 2 no subs though https://youtu.be/TKzT_nHfVTA ). I liked this set up more than Bromance because the guys could all pursue one another. I didn't like the "secret couple" aspect and dividing them up based on sexual position seemed odd (can't they discuss that in private???) Season 1 was also the most brutal "rose ceremony" I've ever seen in any dating reality show. Season 2 was better.

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