different personalities blended beautifully in one room

Overall: I never thought I would fall for a sassy angel and a gloomy guy like I did. One Room Angel is based on the manga (same title) by Harada which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own. 6 episodes about 24 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala except Japan and South Korea, also aired on Viki.

Content Warnings: (there are some major content warnings mostly done in flashbacks, I've put them in a comment under a spoiler)

What I Liked
- good balance of seriousness/humor/sweetness
- mystery, we learned more and more about the characters as the series continued
- the mom
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the wings were a bit cheesy but they weren't terrible
- unrealistic that a person would be punched in the face several times and talk normally/not be bloodied or unconscious
- ending was confusing/too open ended

Read More

skip episodes 3 and 4

Overall: the first two episodes were cute and promising but it went downhill in the 3rd and 4th episodes and it just couldn't recover. They combined 5 of the TikTok episodes into each longer YouTube episode. Aired 7 episodes about 30 minutes each on the Puregold YouTube channel (from what I gather Puregold is a grocery store chain in the Philippines)

Content Warnings: non con video recording and posting, past death

What I Liked
- a few central characters
- the dad (initially)
- that they explained the word Plantito towards the beginning (a guy who likes plants/gardening)
- cockroach scene
- eventually explained about Mico's sister
- Mico's abs

Room For Improvement
- they needed to show why Mico and Charlie liked one another, more bonding moments and less Bianca time
- before my rant, I need to say that video recording someone against their will and publicly posting it could get a survivor of intimate partner violence killed
- disliked several characters in eps 3 and 4, I was enjoying Charlie's dad but then his answer to Charlie's illegal actions was 'don't worry if you get sued I'll get you a good lawyer' like WTH?!? Charlie was obsessed with making money but we didn't have any real indication that they are poor until episode 6 so he came across as very self-centered/materialistic. Bianca gave awful advice but Charlie was a grown adult and could make his own decisions. And after being rightfully yelled at, Charlie didn't even do what was instructed (he hid them instead of deleting them which are not the same thing). Then he wallowed in self pity. He didn't seem sad about missing a chance to date Mico, more that he wouldn't be popular/make money with his vlog
- kind of a dig with the comment that his neighbor seemed too big to be a trans man in episode 1
- hiring Charlie as a social media manager made zero sense
- rushed ending

Read More

cute micro series, just too short

Overall: this is a micro micro series at 1-3 minutes per episode. Recommend watching on the GagaOOLala YouTube channel as a few episodes on Artop Media Hit Drama channel were missing subtitles.

Content Warnings: non con photo taking, not sure if I would label that as non con at the end of the 1st episode as there was no indication of interest prior to it

What I Liked
- the general premise as shown after the 1st episode
- cute moments
- a f/f couple

Room For Improvement
- the run time was just too short with 3 separate couples, they should have just had the focus be 1 couple
- choppy, we'd end up somewhere and start somewhere totally different in the next episode
- that the f/f couple didn't get a kiss
- several of the kisses were camera blocked
- music was too loud over dialogue at times

Read More

short and sweet BL series

Overall: this is a small production with some rough subs, but definitely worth a watch. Watched on YouTube https://youtu.be/2DDL0oXS9Us

Content Warnings: manipulation, maybe colorism (he says 'dark bastard' in ep 1 but the translations aren't great so maybe it wasn't translated correctly)

What I Liked
- the OST is really good and they have a MV of the two leads singing it
- funny and cute moments
- that puppy was adorable
- good continuity with injury, i.e. he wasn't healed the next scene or day
- the setting/cinematography at the end with them sitting on the rock was really nice

Room For Improvement
- there are some non logical things, like not untangling keychains right then or the cliche thing in the final episode
- too many comedy sound effects
- the subs are pretty rough/missing, but it's enough so you know what's happening and I appreciate that they did add subs

Read More

not a fluffy series like the trailer indicated

Overall: I had to adjust my mindset when the first episode took a dark turn towards the end. Although the series had promise, it had too many characters/plot points with not enough run time. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: (not between m/m ship) stalking, non con taking photos, violence, manhandling, teacher/student relationship between side characters

What I Liked
- some cute moments
- the opera music on their date
- the release schedule of 1 episode a day for 6 days, makes it easy to binge if wanted
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the idiocy of not telling the police right away (also that they all relax and think it's solved when it's not...)
- why does Ro-A like Ji-Woo, we don't even see a "love at first sight" scene (we finally see one in episode 5, I'm still not satisfied)
- love triangle/s
- weird plot with the other female classmate and the professor
- super cliche ending makes me want them not to be together

Read More

30% Eating, 70% Traveling, 85% Win Being An Immature Jerk (YouTube version)

Overall: this is yet another plot where a 1 minute conversation would have cleared up poor communication. It is especially infuriating because the two people involved have been lifelong best friends... Watched on YouTube (the re-edited by director Aof)

Content Warnings: off screen side character death in flashback, manhandling, punch/kick, non con touching (sleeping), non con? touch/kiss (using another body)

What I Liked
- the intro animation/sequence
- the cute moments
- the funny moments
- Korn did 1 smart thing regarding the water

Room For Improvement
- Win is a jerk and unfortunately did not have character growth. Grieving does not give you the right to scream at people and drag them around.
- the misogyny of constantly portraying Lin's body as weak (she can't even drive a car?!) If they had explained that she had a chronic illness then this would have been fine, but instead, her body is continually referred to as weak. Also, I didn't like how the pms was portrayed, it feeds into stereotypes that all women become very emotional when having their period (which apparently lasts 1 day lol). While some people do become more emotional, for many women you don't even know they are having their period... They could have just stuck with the painful cramps.
- the cliche miscommunication/lack of communication, and saying "you know how I feel" is NOT the same as actually saying how you feel
- non logical things (there is no one else on the farm that knows how to do that procedure??? The doctor couldn't find a short video on youtube and do that???)
- stupid decisions by several characters
- mom's instant forgiveness
- this truly awful line/sentiment "you have to listen to the older generation and when they are gone you can do what you want" (but younger generations have to live with the consequences of the older generations decisions, ugh)

Read More

confusing with cliche plot points

Overall: this is a lower budget production that once again would have benefited from a narrower plot (i.e. no love triangle) due to its short runtime. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: smack on the head, blackmail

What I Liked
- the intro animation sequence that went into the live action
- I like the original focus on Judo (but that vanished unfortunately)

Room For Improvement
- confusing/choppy, especially in the first episode scenes just cut to something else and I was confused who the characters were
- too broad of a plot, they should have just focused on two judo players
- cliche things that I hate: love triangle, miscommunication/lack of communication, long time gap (6 years!), open ending, gay for you trope
- camera trick to not show the kiss well

Read More

What did I just watch?

Overall: Even reading the summary doesn't help me to understand what it was that I just watched. And I have zero desire to re-watch it and see if I can figure out what was going on. It appears that this was related to the first Find You In The Crowd, but don't ask me exactly how. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings (I'm not sure what was reality and what wasn't with these): murder, attempted suicide (graphic), manipulation/lying?, suicide?

What I Liked
- there was some nice music
- acting was fine

Room For Improvement
- the plot was incomprehensible, multiple flashbacks/forwards/dreams/maybe dreams?/cutting quickly to other scenes/choppy editing

Read More

short and sweet

Overall: A soft 25 minute story about a college tutor and his high school tutee. You can find this on YouTube.

Content Warning: under 18 (assuming, but he could have been 18) and an over 18 year old. Personally, this didn't bother me as their age gap is two or three years and the younger one made the first move. 

What I Liked
- the montage to show that time had passed and they became friends
- I didn't like how it came about, but I actually liked the direction this went and was fine with the ending
- that Tone was clear about his sexual orientation (though the word wasn't subbed, I can guess what it said), but sad he showed internalized homophobia
- Pun doesn't say a lot at the end, but when you think carefully about how he was struggling with school, how he must have worked hard and then selected that college, it says quite a bit

Room For Improvement
- although I kind of understand the sister's reaction, I wish she would have been honest with her brother. Instead, she flat out lies to him when he asks her if she said anything to Tone. She didn't want to be the "bad guy" and made it so it looked like Tone was the jerk. Thankfully, Pun wasn't a moron and saw through things. 
- the subtitles have errors but you can understand what is going on, from 15:20-16 the subtitles are missing, turn on auto translate from the Korean subs to English and it works or check the comments

Read More

intimacy done right, a very enjoyable BL

Overall: all the feelings (hurt, hope, shyness, giddiness, happiness) feel natural in this series. 8 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: workplace bullying

What I Liked
- what happened at the end of episode 5 was well done and included some of the original sounds!
- ongoing affection/playfulness (hand holding, hugs, quick kisses, etc)
- that communication issues didn't drag on in the present and were addressed fairly quickly
- integration of computer/gaming animation, including the ending sequences
- according to my expert, the computer stuff was mostly realistic, especially the stuff in episode 5
- end of episode 4 was very well done
- workplace dynamics and that they were actually working/busy
- production value

Room For Improvement
- I struggled with this premise but things took a turn for the better the end of episode 4 once I understood that a character was hurt/upset
- strange that the beginning of episode 5 didn't start at where the story was at the end of episode 4
- wanted a bit more transparency but I'll pretend they had a serious conversation about the decision off screen
- was really happy at the end of episode 8 but it was awkward their hands were both at their sides instead of on back of neck, back, arms or chest and also the distance between their bodies was strange

Read More

To My Angst

Overall: season 1 was a romance so I was hoping in season 2 to learn more about the backgrounds of the two leads, have some character growth (specifically Ji Woo getting better at communicating), some fluff and some realistic drama (i.e. the public finding out about their romance and fallout from that). Instead we got...angst and character regression instead of growth. If someone wants to avoid 9 episodes of angst, then I'd suggest just watching episode 10. I really dislike when one character is a huge jerk to the other character for a long time because then I'm not happy if they are together at the end due to all the pain that was caused. Once you break a glass, even if you put it back together, it will never be the same. Watched on Viki (also Gagaoolala)

Content Warnings: gaslighting, grief

What I Liked
- the cute scenes
- episode 10 (except for the very last two lines), enjoyed the callbacks to the first season
- acting
- music (wish we had vocals for the intro though)
- the supporting characters from season 1 that returned in season 2 (and wish they had had more screen time/depth for their characters)
- talking about Ho Min's decision was funny (I looked up the actor)

Room For Improvement
- Ji Woo, I am so disappointed that instead of character growth we got character regression. Breaking up via a sticky note and ghosting someone (on their birthday no less) after a year of dating is inexcusable. Then Ji Woo has the gall to name his restaurant "I'm Waiting For You". Ji Woo lies to Seo Joon and is extra cruel by telling Seo Joon that it's Seo Joon's fault their relationship doesn't work before eventually admitting it was Ji Woo's fault/insecurities. No amount of grief or introvertedness excuses his actions (I know people who are extremely introverted and they all manage to communicate with their significant others)
- Seo Joon needs to learn about respecting boundaries - I realize this was supposed to be romantic but it felt like harassment to me
- non logical/realistic plot things/responses - is a celebrity having a fear of loud noises a huge scandal??? I don't understand this at all. Another is, what a terrible detective. It took 1 year to figure out that Ji Woo was in the town where he grew up/where his parents used to live, wouldn't that be the first place to look??? Also what was the motivation for who posted that story about Seo Joon?
- the cliche ex, this added nothing for me
- the kid, if they were shown babysitting a friend/relative's kid and talking about how they wanted their family to be in the future that would have been awesome, but this character seemed tossed in to add additional drama
- the frequent time jumps back and forth made it feel disjointed and confusing, wish they had told this in a linear fashion
- the explanation for Seo Joon's phobia was underwhelming
- I wish they had had a short recap of season 1 at the beginning of episode 1
- the intro with season 1 short scenes and instrumental music wasn't my favorite intro

Read More

coming of age story set in the 90s

Overall: though parts of this were difficult to watch, it did hit on some realistic aspects of growing up in the 90s (and still today). 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. No official international platform. See my spoiler comment for the ending.

Content Warnings: past death, bullying, held against will, homophobia, sexual harassment, manhandling/non-con touching, vomiting, peeping, grooming, child abuse/violence, sexual assault, kidnapping/held against will, punch

What I Liked
- the two supportive moms
- characters weren't what they first seemed
- one of the few redemption arcs that worked for me
- non cliched female classmate (wish they had a bit more closure for her though)
- I couldn't tell how the story would end which is different from most of what I watch
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the comedy didn't mesh well at times with the realism
- was not needed to have a second scene with a group peeping for a 2nd time on the couple in the truck, could have spent that time elsewhere
- the awful scene with the teacher in the car was too cartoony villain

Read More

worth a watch

Overall: an overall decent KBL. 8 episodes around 16 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

What I Liked
- sweet/cute moments
- that it centered on the two leads without a whole bunch of other characters
- supportive friends
- we got more than 1 kiss and they were a little better than dead fish lip presses
- production value

Room For Improvement
- I wish they had been more clear about what the issue was in the past/shown it earlier and that the issue didn't hinge on poor communication that a 5 minute conversation would clear up
- could have had stronger world building
- the last episode felt more like vignettes instead of an overarching ending episode and if they are planning a spin off/season 2 then that possible couple should have been shown at the very end or even post credits

Read More

a heartfelt reality dating series

Overall: my goal for reality dating series is always for them to make friends and have minimal heartbreak, any couples are icing on the cake. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: ep 1 briefly mentioned a partner's death

What I Liked
- the friendships
- guys were genuine
- dinner conversation starters where they all answered (such as hobbies) but they also were free to ask their own questions (such as how one guy asked how many exes everyone had although I personally think that's an irrelevant/not good question to ask in the very beginning)
- how they had a date that was both kind of their choice but kind of up to fate
- 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
- the country/mountain setting
- the episode with the guest
- episode 9 was very heartfelt
- production value

Room For Improvement
- felt very similar to His Man (with the phone calls) and I would have liked if they had forged their own path
- dragged out the whole eliminating someone for too many episodes

Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. Boy Romance (Taiwan, currently airing)
2. His Man seasons 1 & 2 (South Korea). Excellent production value though a bit repetitive with the number of phone calls.
3. 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.
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.

Read More