4
10
1
1
This review may contain spoilers
Happy Modern Day Romeo & Juliet
Overall: they did many things right but there were still some flaws/things I wish had been different. (minor spoilers below) Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/39522c-bad-buddyContent Warnings: fights, slap (not between m/m ship)
What I Liked
- Ohm and Nanon's acting, amazing, great chemistry well done kiss scenes
- the tropes that were subverted such as cute food sharing, the "gay for you" trope
- the protagonists actually communicated with each other, they apologize to one another, care for each other, the great examples of consent, really a wonderful relationship to watch
- there is a mix of seriousness with humor (Pat's flirt skills were top notch)
- we got the backstory/set up right away, it was clear when there were flashbacks
- the director's cameo
- avoiding a super cliched/stupid ending
- some pretty well done product placements
Room For Improvement
- I think there were maybe too many flashbacks/songs in the final episode, I wanted a good scene with each of the parents.
- Wai's redemption arc was so stupid. He should have been groveling but Pran apologizes to him?? He does the bare minimum for being a decent human and all is forgiven, I disliked this whole episode. For me, what Wai did is pretty close to unforgivable.
- the four parents lied to their children and put them thru so much distress. They owe Pat and Pran huge apologies and none of them apologized to their children. Also, they appear to know their children are in a romantic relationship at the end but then don't tell them so they have to keep sneaking around, wth???!!! Grow up (to the parents, especially Pat's dad, go an apologize to Pran's mom)
- there is never a reason to slap your child, never a reason to slap anyone unless in self defense
- the plot/editing was pretty choppy from episode to episode a few times. I thought 'did I miss something when we were in a different location possibly different day?'
- time passing wasn't clear and felt rushed. I remember once I saw a "Sophomore Year" at the beginning of an episode, weren't they Freshmen, so a year plus had passed? This should have been 2 seasons or more, 1 in high school and 1-2 in college/beyond.
- they were fixated on the husband and wife terms which seemed unnecessary, can't two guys be husband and husband???
- that Pat's sister was doing Pat's laundry, do your own laundry
- technical issues or delayed subs with the YouTube premiere (I'm super excited that it's on YouTube, but at this point GMMTV should have the staff/knowledge how to make a glitch-free premiere with the English subs on)
- the title "Bad Buddy", something with Rival like "Next Door Rival" would have been a better title
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This review may contain spoilers
interesting to see cause and effect
Overall: good production value and the butterfly effect was well done in the beginning. Spoiler comment for the type of ending in a comment. Aired on GagaOOLala uncut (everywhere except Thailand) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5653/rearrange-2025-e01 ; FRT Entertainment uncut for channel members (everywhere except Thailand) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf0Ij-W39_Y ; FRT Entertainment cut (everywhere except Thailand) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzVKK8acXVw and TrueVisions Now for Thailand. Later aired uncut version on FRT Entertainment channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq3f25OcvY30IS9eB8sosoehrZRdIRu78&si=v43m1N2816JUuMXhContent Warnings: deaths, grief, suicidal thoughts
What I Liked
- how a character was more forthright the second time
- how they showed a character beaten down by life without a voice over (showed his expressions, what his apartment looked like, context clues)
- showed the butterfly effect
- side couple dynamic
- supportive parents (and even the antagonistic parent had his reasons)
- production value
Room For Improvement
- was a bit confused in the beginning with the timeline
- a main character was kind of stupid but I tried to empathize that he was likely really struggling and wanted another character to be happy
- some nonsense plot stuff, don't quite buy that something major changed due to the small changes that they listed
- neutral on the finale, wish they would have done a 20 year time jump
- neutral on the blocked kiss in the finale, an actor was 17 but then they either should have had no kiss or cast an older actor vs a blocked kiss
Note: I'm not sure how long they all knew each other, but it seemed under a year so it doesn't seem like a character knew something about another character's mom (it's generally not something people talk about), so I don't think buying her something was malicious
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incompatible people try to make it work
Overall: I had no issue with the blond guy's love life style as long as he was upfront with partners about it; however, even by the end, I wasn't convinced their relationship would work long term. 4 episodes about 8 minutes each. Aired on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7BSona1dmx5eiWUyxj-bvOfDnEZ7fTY4&si=TrsBkG51QPqIQlddContent Warning: dub con touching, drugging, manipulation, non con recording
What I Liked
- intimacy
- visuals
- sweet moments
- that they showed something on the floor in episode 2 (perhaps a record number)
Room For Improvement
- nonsense stuff: why is the one guy so obsessed with another guy that he just met, in episode 1 why did he put on gloves only to not use/have them, why is the other guy so attached in episode 2 to someone he just met
- that was way too much manipulation for someone he had just met
- not convinced they were compatible even at the end
- disagree with the title
- (didn't take off points) the English subtitles were not timed correctly
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This review may contain spoilers
a jumbled mess with unlikable protagonists
Overall: I think AI could have written a better/more coherent story. The 3 stars are for the actors who did a decent job with one of the worst scripts ever. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/sn15dzsy7fcd8nlContent Warnings: slap, mental health struggles, blood, beaten up, punch, past death/grief, threatened suicide, past murder
Watch Suggestions
- watch episode 1
- episode 2: part a watch 3:15-5:30 and 11-end (GL?)
- skip episode 3
- episode 4: part a watch 8-end, part b beginning-9:35, part c beginning-7
- episode 5: part b watch 5:55-6:15
- episode 6: part c watch 6:30-7:20
- episode 7: part c watch 13-15:50
- episode 8: part a watch 11:30-end
What I Liked
- initial premise was easy to understand
- it was random but what happened in the bathroom stall in 1B
- good that the sister didn't let a stranger in to the house
- supportive female friend
- that in the past the police were actually called and there were actual consequences (not the cliche, 'oh I think he learned his lesson') for the illegal office activity
Room For Improvement
- the slap made me not want a character to be in a romantic relationship
- the series was all over the place with many different vibes, plot threads and characters
- barely any relationship development with the main couple
- flashbacks were not always clear
- almost cartoony villain though the random thirst shots were nice
- why on earth did Ryu apologize in episode 7???
- the finale was awful, so Arm drove drunk, did a hit/murder and run and faced zero consequences other than being sad for a couple years that his barely lover broke up with him?!!!! not just 1 but 2 time skips and how nice for Arm that Ryu got amnesia and forgot that Arm killed his mom?!!!!!!!
- (neutral) comedy sound effects
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music based vertical series
Overall: I enjoyed the music aspect, but they needed to narrow the focus more on the main leads/their relationship development. 35 episodes 1-2 minutes each, episodes 1-5 are free on the Shortime app and you can watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/i4ve-gyjRR0?si=6sSwQwvm__DDlLI0 Aired on Shortime app which also has: Please Teach Me, Falling For My Boss, The Secrets of Male Students, Influencer Love and Buddy Boy. App information is below. My referral clink is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.Content Warnings: non con touching, professor/university student, grooming?, manipulation, self harm, blood, child abuse, trauma, mental health struggles
What I Liked
- started off in an exciting way (though I wasn't as happy when I learned who the characters were/their dynamic)
- caring moments
- good kissing
Room For Improvement
- the shift in feelings was a bit sudden
- should have cut the love triangle or the past trauma
- bad redemption arc for a character
My Watch For Free Plan (updated Feb 2025), should take about 3 days
My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.
On the Rewards (popcorn bag icon page)
- check in = 5 (increases over 7 days up to 25)
- turn on notifications = 30 (1 time bonus)
- create a login = 20? (I did create a login because otherwise you only get 1 Always Win box instead of 3 per day, I think this was 20 popcorn)
- do the 3 random popcorn from the daily Always Win box = 30 (I'd normally get 5-15, around 30 in total)
- Watch Ads, watch all 10 ads each day, have to wait 30 seconds in between ads = 110
When you run out of popcorn while watching, you can watch 5 episodes each day with ads
Note that there are other 1 time bonuses like following on social media
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A Short Horror BL Movie
Content Warnings: it's in the horror genre so there are a few jump scares/gory make up (as someone who doesn't like horror I found it okay to watch but not right before going to sleep)Overall: not my favorite short from Strongberry, but an interesting entry in the horror genre
What I Liked
- tried to do something different and incorporate the horror genre
- the acting and production value was fine
- a very nice nsfw scene
- cameo from the actor in Some More
Room For Improvement
- it was rushed/choppy especially with the ending, definitely could have used a longer run time
(fyi you can purchase this on their Vimeo channel)
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unique premise with engaging characters
Overall: I was hooked with the characters' dynamics and the unique world building, but it needed a few more episodes to more fully flesh out the plot. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI and GagaOOLala (country dependent).Content Warnings: there are several including some major ones, see my review comment for a list under a spoiler tag
What I Liked
- realistic parts, didn't shy away from things like homophobia
- that Myung Ha wanted Yeo Woon to be happy before the penalty was known
- world building (though some parts were rushed)
- sweet moments
- funny moments (that snack shop scene)
- the side character classmate
- being forthright in episode 5
- ongoing physical affection
Room For Improvement
- although the episodes were longer than normal Korean BL, there were many plot threads and some felt underdeveloped/rushed i.e. they didn't clearly explain why a character's personality did a 180, also they kept talking about modeling but didn't explain it until episode 6 and I thought there was a subtitle error (and they also had 2 other characters model and 2 characters' names were similar, which added to my confusion), overall this needed to be a 16 episode kdrama length and then would have been 10/10 (or reduce the number of side plots/characters)
- was a bit confused on who the villains all were at the beginning/their relationships to the characters
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cliched plot with cute moments
Overall: this series has a few cliches which I really struggle with hence my rating. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.Content Warnings: non con kiss, non con touching, stalking, vomiting, past death, grief
What I Liked
- cooking
- cute moments
- remembering the same event differently in ep 2
- being upfront in the past to that woman who liked him
- Yoon Seo Bin's cameo in ep 5 & 8
- (neutral) comedy sound effects
Room For Improvement
- the non con
- many cliches/nonsense things such as: the "plan"/approach, poor communication, that conflict in ep 7/8, a restaurant owner with a lot of free time, the "I can explain" but refusing an explanation
- the work scenes dragged
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This review may contain spoilers
too ambitious
Overall: the intention was good, but the execution was not. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on MFlow Entertainment's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAvXrP4tNODXIJa-6x-4pJbVOcu2EeFHg&si=GUVOH4IsrBIzbMaTContent Warnings: deaths/blood (in episode 6 but if you skip you'll miss a major plot point that explains things), episode 8 has flashing lights in the beginning to 2m10s and also has kidnapping
What I Liked
- sci-fi/fantasy aspect with the moon/necklace
- visuals
Room For Improvement
- was very confusing, even the end was confusing, it should not take until episode 6 of 8 for a story to kind of make sense
- Chen Shi was actually evil, he killed (according to the subtitles) millions of himself and then millions of the other guy
- never understood how the curse happened or how to break it
- a mystery god-like character refused to explain/answer questions until he suddenly did because the writers said so
- the finale was bizarre with a cartoonist antagonist
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strong start
Overall: the tension/chemistry led me to first rate this as a 9.5, but cliched writing and a rushed ending lowered my final rating. I gave this a slight rating bump because it's from China, had kisses, the ending could have been worse and the creators managed to get it to air 4 months after it was removed from iQIYI. 12 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired (not in Japan or Korea) on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4856/blue-canvas-of-youthful-days-2024-e01 ; YouTube (not in Japan or Korea) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTB73Ibi_X3HZZP24Z0cwpC1PhZUYKI1Q and Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40802c-blue-canvas-of-youthful-days?locale=enContent Warnings: murder?, death, past death, grief, physical child abuse (very violent and shown), beaten up, manhandling, manipulation, blackmail/coercion, non con picture taking/sharing/outing, mental health struggles, alcoholism
Watch Suggestions (to get some moping/nonsense stuff in the later episodes)
- end episode 5 at 22 min
- watch episode 6 25 min to the end
- watch episode 7 7:25-10
- watch episode 8 7-13
- watch episode 9 19:45-24:40
- watch episode 10 beginning-4, 12-12:45, 16-end
- watch episode 11 19-21:30, 24:10-end
- watch episode 12 beginning-4, 7-10 and 28:45-end
What I Liked
- characters and their dynamics
- sweet moments
- a hard of hearing character (though some things related to this didn't make sense to me)
- clear premise
- supportive grandpa
Room For Improvement
- some nonsense plot things
- not sure the ages of two characters
- a character should have first asked/talked to another character about what he wanted
- not a fan of a flash forward and then going back to the past to start a series
- too much blur effect in scenes
- in episode 6 a character veered into creepy stalker
- why didn't they make a character a boyfriend instead of a brother, that was weird
- lack of communication between the leads, lying by omission about some giant things
- angry about what they did with a character in ep 11
- 2 noble idiot cliches
- large time jump with a very non realistic reunion (watch past the initial end credits)
- rushed finale, choppy editing, gang that appeared out of nowhere practically, written out exposition dump
- lack of consequences for a trash character
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A cotton candy BL - sweet & fluffy with nothing substantial to it
Overall: if you want to see a ton of longing and jealous looks, gorgeous guys and like food, then this is the show for you. FYI the description on viki is not accurate as to how the plot plays out (you don't cook for someone that you hate). At only 8 episodes ~10 min each, it's very bingeable. I'm waffling between overall an 8 or 8.5.Content Warnings: 1 punch
What I Liked
- the visuals
- the production value was good
- there were several sweet moments
- the funny moments , my new favorite way to tell someone their cooking is awful "it tastes new" haha
- I actually don't mind the common tropes like accidental fall, hurt/comfort, apron tying, drunk scene, etc.
Room For Improvement
- this is a 'love at first sight' situation which though common, isn't my favorite
- how the two guys were fighting over the other guy like he was an object and didn't have any say in the matter
- odd how the cook left his recipes and baby photos in his old apartment
- though I think it played out pretty mildly, love triangles aren't my thing
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started strong and shirtless (watch suggestions)
Overall: the amount of nonsense in this plot was very high and the visuals only got me so far. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired 2 episodes per week on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4473/the-rebound-2024-e01 and Viu.Content Warnings: murders/deaths, past death, grief, trauma, blood, punches/fight/beaten up, bullying, alcoholism, kidnapping, non con kiss, dub con kisses (likely consensual but wish they had made it more clear)
Watch Suggestions (the first 7 episodes were fine though I watched most at a faster speed, starting at episode 8 I found myself not enjoying large chunks of needless drama, love triangles, etc)
- episode 8, 10:50-11:50 dub con kisses but pretty sure they were consensual then watch up to 14:30 self pleasure, watch 45 to the end for first aid/kissing
- episode 9, watch 9-10:40 for earbud sharing, 20-22:30 for a side couple first aid, 30-32:30 shirtlessness and hug, 36-37:30 kisses/tickle fight, 45 to the end for a shower scene
- episode 10, watch 45 to the end or could skip the episode
- episode 11, watch 15:30-16:55 for a side couple moment, 19-22:30 for Ryu & Zen, and watch 50-53
- episode 12, watch 18:25-20 and 29 to the end
What I Liked
- the Cafe For All cafe
- how several characters were realistically connected
- good tension/chemistry
- visuals, realistic amounts of skin showing (i.e. not having underwear on coming out of a bath)
- a character actually asked to post a picture on social media and tag another character
- the title as a metaphor for trying again
- supportive grandmother
- hot self pleasure scene in episode 8
- the easter egg that the high school was named after the director
- good that Ryu was proud of their relationship and didn't want to hide it
- good analogy of what a rebound was
- wasn't a fan of Zen evading Ryu's kisses but the last scene was great
- production value (cinematography, editing, ost)
Room For Improvement
- the intro was attention grabbing but generally not a fan of a flash forward/back to start a series
- a character was supposed to be sweet but came across as stalkery and I was super mad at the non con kiss in episode 11
- the teammates bullying their other teammate, there was 1 verbal apology but it still didn't sit right with me
- a character was infantilized, would have been cool if he had had his own romance
- love triangles (there were multiple which was extra annoying)
- nonsense plot stuff: the flashbacks were from 9th grade and they were currently in 10th/11th grade (so they were supposed to be 15/16), not calling the police in episode 4 and later, too tropey (multiple accidental falls in an episode, a lot of near kisses), wearing school uniforms during illegal activities, calling the police when that would get teammates in trouble, a mom's nonsense actions and then nonsense redemption arc, getting super upset when 1 character could easily fly to the other
- telling a significant other they couldn't smile at anyone else wasn't romantic
- the cafe owner and coworker betting on the love triangle/gossiping about it
- too many plot threads not well fleshed out
- comedy sound effects
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sweet MLs with nonsense plot elements
Overall: the two leads gave me fuzzy feelings, but there was a lot of nonsense plot stuff. 12 episodes about 23 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (Americas, Europe, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, India, Southeast Asia) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5191/fight-for-you-2025-e01 ; Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41043c-fight-for-you ; iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/fight-for-you-2025-1cgc4effwtd?lang=en_us ; Heavenly (South Korea)Content Warnings: manipulation, violence, past deaths
Watch Suggestions starting at ep 8 (to reduce angst/annoying stuff)
- episode 8 watch 3:30-6:05
- skip episode 9
- episode 10 watch 22:30-end
- episode 11 watch beginning to 5:30 and 22:15-end
- watch all of episode 12
What I Liked
- visuals/intimacy with the MLs
- cameo of Eternal Butler actors
- easy to understand premise
- caring/sweet moments
- clear communication in ep 7
- the grandma
- finale was pretty good though the sister stuff shouldn't have been resolved off screen
Room For Improvement
- starting the episodes with talking to the camera
- was initially confused because I thought they were friends in episode 1 only to learn that they just met each other
- unclear flashback in the middle of episode 1
- noble idiot trope
- the side couple had barely any screen time until the finale
- nonsense stuff like: sent the least capable person on a difficult job, a character with a major injury quickly left the hospital and was walking around at home, lying and then quickly telling the truth
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good ingredients with a subpar recipe
Overall: they had a lot of great elements but unfortunately messed up the writing. 6 episodes 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and re-aired on YouTube and later Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40695c-bake-me-pleaseWatch Suggestions:
- watch ep 1-3
- watch up to 28 minutes in episode 4 and then 39-42 minutes
- skip episode 5
- watch episode 6 starting at 24 minutes to the end (although 11-15 minutes was good too)
Content Warnings: manipulation, shoves
What I Liked
- supportive grandma
- Atom (also the brother's relationship)
- Peach pushed back against Shin at times
- production value (cinematography)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects, they weren't overpowering
Room For Improvement
- too many love triangles for a short run time, needed to really build up 1 main couple
- I don't like either of Peach's love interests as they are both throwing red flags right and left (no you don't get to ban your significant other from hanging out with their friend, no you don't lie about dating and use a person as if they were a trophy)
- why did no one apologize to Peach, maybe Shin did off screen but we didn't see it?!?
- too little character growth too late, there seemed to be a little bit but Shin backslide too far
- rushed pacing and then wasted screentime on a bunch of angst, some choppiness as well
- cliche plot points: got sick after getting wet trope, saw something and made an assumption, failure to communicate clearly
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This review may contain spoilers
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-e01Content 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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