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  • Last Online: 9 hours ago
  • Location: swimming in the BL vortex
  • Contribution Points: 23 LV1
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  • Join Date: July 6, 2021
  • Awards Received: Finger Heart Award1 Flower Award3

BL Compilations

swimming in the BL vortex

BL Compilations

swimming in the BL vortex
Completed
Queer Movie 20
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 1, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 4.0
Overall: The story takes place in the present with flashbacks. The viewer really has to work to put the story together (which isn't a good thing). Purchased on Vimeo. The premium one has extras including a director's cut that has a slightly longer NSFW scene but it's shorter overall, it's combined with the commentary.

Content Warnings: bullying, non con touching (when asleep), pretty explicit NSFW

What I Liked
- I thought the acting was decent
- good music
- I liked the cinematography with the mirror in the bathtub scene

Room For Improvement
- I wish we heard Cheolsoo speak more about his thoughts/feelings
- the ending was too open as to what exactly happened, I thought one thing happened but then reading the comments on Vimeo someone from the movie responded and it was something else
- and the last sentence "it's all in the past now" doesn't really give closure
- it would have been cool if the runtime had been 20 minutes to match the title since it was only 1 minute away in the non director's cut

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Completed
Jack & Jill
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 24, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Had potential and then a poor ending (minor spoilers)

Overall: I thought this low budget production was doing a pretty good job but I was disappointed in the last episode (perhaps there will be a 2nd season but ???) It's a quick watch though so you could give it a try especially if you are into tattoos :P

Content Warnings: a slap, non con/dub con*

What I Liked
- I thought the acting/chemistry was pretty good between the two leads
- though the production value is lower, there was a few nice surprises like the scene when it cuts from one location to another with the same action in episode 4
- nice music
- some really sweet scenes like the car wash scene

Room For Improvement
- *non con/dub con, similar to Check Out: Special Episode there is a situation where the pursuee is extremely drunk and the pursuer is either sober or only a little drunk. There are also a few words that are unsubbed and I'd really like to know what was said at that point. But yeah, someone who is very drunk cannot give consent and he was definitely showing resistance...
- what was with the personality transplant in the final episode? And I'm not a fan of cliffhanger endings.
- no matter how angry you are, slapping/punching someone is not okay unless in self defense (which this was not)
- production things like a few blurry shots, too loud background noise, some of the night scenes don't have enough lighting
- fyi vegan brownies don't have eggs lol

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Completed
My Mate Match
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2021
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Funny and fluffy with a little angst

Overall: at only 5 episodes, it's a pretty fast watch if you just want to turn your brain off and be entertained. It has several tropes in it which didn't bother me but this is not anything ground breaking. Has a mix of comedy, fluff with some angst.

Content Warnings: a non-con/dub-con kiss*

What I Liked
- has a combo of humor, fluffy and some angst
- there are several product placements per episode but they don't bother me like some do
- overall production value is good
- it has those comedy sound effects which are mostly good (except for the 1 belch), didn't notice as many sound effects later on

Room For Improvement
- *it starts as an accident and the other person seems to enjoy it, but since it started as kissing someone sleeping, I think it's a non-con/dub-con kiss
- I think there are jokes that are not being conveyed. For example, in episode 1 part 2 he said the word onion a few times and from My Engineer I remember that 'kiss' and 'onion' in Thai sound similar or are the same word. So there are likely other jokes that we aren't understanding.
- Match's video comments aren't subbed but from context clues you can guess what they say
- some scenes feel a bit drawn out

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Completed
Hometown's Embrace
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 23, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Both Sweet & Violent Story Set in the Countryside

Content Warnings: violence, tragedy (not between m/m)

It begins as a fairly typical BL series, but does have some pretty dark twists. The first 3 episodes are kind of stand alone as each focuses on 2 guys, but starting in the 4th episode they start to connect more.
 
What I Liked
- the more rural setting
- talking about some of the issues like corruption, education issues, poverty
- the actors are very attractive and their acting is fine
- the cute moments

What I Didn't Like
- the violence was a bit too explicit at points in my opinion, it felt like whiplash
- maybe check if someone is okay with being your fake boyfriend before you go down that path
- the promotion of skin lightening soap, I understand that they need to get funding but skin lightening soap feeds into colorism...

Hope they are able to do a season two or the actors can star in more series

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Completed
Taikan Yoho
12 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

struggled with Segaski

Overall: I loved everything about this except Segaski. 8 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki. 

Content Warnings: intimate partner abuse (see my explanation at the end), stalking, manhandling, non con bondage

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- NSFW well done
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Segaski is an abuser and a jerk (get your own soy sauce), this went beyond miscommunication
- lack of growth from Segaski, he actually got worse as the series went on, in episode 7 he apologized for believing Yoh can be an independent adult/trusting him which was definitely not the apology I was looking for, towards the end there was a hint of growth but then he backslid again
- why was Segaski so stupid, Yoh told him that he wanted someone who was nice/caring and smiled at him, but Segaski was forbidding him from seeing his friends, pulled him around and threatened to confine him to their apartment?!?
- the NSFW fizzled out, though there was a little in ep 8
- cliche getting sick after being in the rain but at least it was before and not after they had sex

I really hope people realize this is fiction and not a model for a healthy relationship because Segaski is an abuser
1. financial abuse - it is apparent that Yoh is very aware he is financially dependent on Segaski, they don't show us that he has anywhere else to go, I think it was either ep 3 or 4 Segaski reminds Yoh that he provides everything for him
2. Segaski forbids Yoh from seeing his friend in episode 4, Yoh is a grown adult and should be to go or see his friends when he wants to, Segaski in episode 7 again is angry hoping Yoh doesn't visit his friend
3. stalking - Segaski stalked Yoh, he never apologized for this but Yoh apologized for seeing his friend/coworker, those who are abused will say the problem is their fault when it was actually the abuser's action/fault (i.e. Segaski shouldn't have stalked Yoh or forbade him from seeing his friend)
4. physical abuse - pulling someone by the wrist is abusive unless there is an emergency and a person is yanking another person out of danger, in episode 7 Yoh was uncomfortable when Segaski tied his hands together and said he couldn't be trusted to be on his own although we know Yoh can be an unreliable narrator and then later it seemed like he might like it but it didn't start out as consensual bondage

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Completed
Laws of Attraction
9 people found this review helpful
Jul 18, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

something different that partially worked (spoilers in the content warnings)

Overall: I absolutely loved Jiu/Tian in To Sir With Love, but Charn/Tinn's dynamic didn't really work for me in Laws of Attraction. Aired 8 episodes on One31's YouTube channel (not in the U.S.) and on iQIYI subbed in some countries including the U.S.

Note: this is a lakorn style (soap opera) so things are meant to be over the top (like that jump flying kick in ep 1)

Content Warnings (pretty much all of them and there are some really disturbing ones): murders, attempted murder, fights/beaten up/violence, blood, manipulation, blackmail, corruption, non con touching, parental abuse, torture, bullying, animal death, arson

What I Liked
- the secondary m/m couple, wish they had more scenes and showed things instead of alluding to them (I heard One31 is a more conservative channel so that could be why we don't see steamy scenes)
- mystery elements with what has happened in the past, what exactly happened in episode 1, characters' motivations
- flirty Charn
- absolutely loved the ex and his shirt allergy
- soap opera vibe, loved that flying kick
- sweet family moments, that grandma was awesome
- marriage equality advocacy

Room For Improvement
- Charn/Tinn's romantic dynamic didn't work for me because
1. it seemed to be a few days or couple of weeks after something that is sooooo awful and we have Charn hitting on Tinn, I couldn't enjoy their romance with that plot point in the background
2. why/when did Tinn trust Charn?
3. Charn is a flawed character which is fine but what he did to innocent people in the past is beyond redemption, I'd be okay if he was with another deeply flawed character but they put him with a squeaky clean character and it didn't work for me

- plot holes/contradictions/because the writer said so stuff (how on earth would that law office do that, we see a character injured in the back but then bleeding from their head, etc)
- needed more screentime to flesh out the plot and characters, felt rushed
- the final episode was very jarring, we'd see something extremely violent and then instant cut to pure fluff
- dead fish lip presses between two adult characters (somehow murder/blood is fine but the company couldn't do more than the presses?)
- upbeat music when a character was talking about something extremely serious in episode 2
- the special effects were low budget but I didn't take off points for that

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Completed
House of Stars
9 people found this review helpful
May 10, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.5
This review may contain spoilers

watched for Wayu & Wayha

Overall: it was a mess but not an entertaining mess. Watched ep 1-4 and 9-12. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: murder, non con turned consensual, voyeurism, non con recording, blood, stalking/non con picture taking, manhandling, perhaps more content warnings

What I Liked
- Wayu/Wayha (wish their names were less similar though)
- that it tried something different from the regular romcom
- some of the guys being supportive of one another
- I think the first time a character asked about preferred position
- good NSFW/kissing
- fyi there is another clip after the next episode preview

Episode 9 was okay overall, episode 10 watch at 28 min, episode 11 watch at 24-30min, episode 12 watch at 22-28min and 31-33min (or to the end to solve the mystery introduced at the end of ep 9)

Room For Improvement
- very confusing start and timeline jumps
- too many characters, was not invested in any of the characters/couples (except for Wayu/Wayha)
- boring
- nonsense, why wouldn't she have worked on that actor's accent right away, she can hear it right?
- that vent room looked super unrealistic

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Ongoing 7/12
Wandee Goodday
14 people found this review helpful
May 4, 2024
7 of 12 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

slightly spicier romcom

Overall: I'm enjoying this romcom with a bit more spice, though there were some nonsense character actions in episode 7 that frustrated me. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Airing on GMMTV's YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: manhandling, punches, drugging?

What I Liked
- intro got my attention, though not a fan of flash forwards/backs in general to start a series
- did laugh a few times
- asexual representation (as of episode 5 not much has been shown about it though)
- established couple*
- sweet moments
- excellent grandma, supportive friend & supportive brother
- ongoing physical affection/interest and discussing preferences
- HPV public service announcement/skit
- easter eggs of The Eclipse, room 609 (for 609 Bedtime Story) and 666 which revers to the devil
- mentioning that seeing a psychologist was normal

Room For Improvement
- the slapstick comedy sound effects detracted from the humor a few times
- the very fictional so drunk a person is passed out and then a few minutes later appeared not drunk at all
- friend left him extremely drunk, he should have said he had a hospital emergency and called a taxi which Wandee then didn't get into
- in episode 2 a character says stop and the other character didn't though it can be inferred the 'stop' was not an actual 'stop'
- nonsense medical stuff like gossiping in front of patients
- the worry Yak brought up in episode 3 suddenly didn't seem to matter
- *in episode 5 Cher was acting immature which is not what I wanted to see (more steam would be great/realistic from an established couple)
- corny/too stylized like the neon lights or spray painting 'friends with benefits' on the window
- switching between 2 couples' NSFW scenes in episode 6
- in episode 7 several characters did 'because the writer said so' nonsense stuff

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Completed
Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb!
5 people found this review helpful
Mar 13, 2024
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

wanted more chaotic fun (and BL)

Overall: it had a very similar premise to The Hangover, but I didn't find it as entertaining. This season had totally different actors/characters/plot than the previous 2 series so you can watch this on its own; however unlike the last 2 seasons there was no mutual m/m romance. 6 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: vomiting, held against will, drugging, punch

M/M Kisses (note, there was not a BL couple in this series): a brief flashback at the beginning of episode 2 and episode 5 2:30 and then 20 minutes

What I Liked
- clear premise
- introduced the characters well
- made me laugh a few times
- the twist/subverted trope in episode 4
- liked the mom reveal
- production value (especially the music)

Room For Improvement
- needed to be even more chaotic, I was bored
- nonsense stuff (the police didn't say/do anything about the handcuffs, they guys would have pain on their backs, their total lack of negative reaction to what was on their backs, the CEO was just cool with everything they did)
- neutral, comedy sound effects

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Completed
Utsukushii Kare
10 people found this review helpful
Nov 18, 2021
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

His Beautiful Jerk

Overall: Although I heard that the characters were more developed/had character growth in the manga, I am only reviewing what I saw in the 6 episodes. If this had been an explicit dom/sub and/or sadist/masochist relationship with discussion about rules and boundaries, then I would have enjoyed it more. Watched on Gagaoolala, it's also on Viki.

Content Warnings: manhandling, repeatedly name calling (disgusting, gross, stalker), there are two scenes in episode three where I began to think that Hira is a sociopath

What I Liked:
- the intro animation sequence was really cool and it set up the story well
- overall good production value
- good acting

Room For Improvement:
- the intro sequence and music sets this up as a silly and upbeat show and the vibe is much darker
- the accordion music was an odd choice for the intro animation, seemed to be the wrong vibe
- Hira is obsessive and does stalker behaviors. I was hoping to see character growth when he went to college, but saw none.
- I was hoping Kiyoi would have character growth but he continues the name calling, kicks and pushes Hira to the ground.
- I didn't like all of the "you are gross/disgusting/stalker", it sounds like it may have been a translation issue but the number of times it was said was a turn off
- did not like the master/servant dynamic without discussion of dom/sub

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Completed
Utsukushii Kare Season 2
4 people found this review helpful
Feb 7, 2023
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

a different kind of love story

Overall: fans of season 1 will enjoy season 2 as it has the same vibe (it's not a fluffy romcom). 4 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki.

Content Warnings: shove/kick/hit, suicidal thoughts, manhandling

What I Liked:
- recap at the beginning
- the intro/song
- domestic bliss moments
- acting
- character styling
- really liked the last episode and wish we would have seen more of this earlier
- relationship between Kiyoi and the actress
- the parallel with photography/that conversation with the photographer was nicely done in the final episode
- production value

Room For Improvement:
- the descriptions of this series and the series itself position that it happens over a year from where we left off in season 1. However, Hira and Kiyoi's interactions don't feel like two people who are an established couple. It very much feels like we left off at the end of season 1.
- I struggle with their character flaws/this plot isn't really my thing but I think the acting is very good and it is nice to see flawed characters

note: I struggle with Kiyoi calling Hira gross and disgusting. I've heard that that word in Japanese can be translated as several different words including creepy. So I wonder if it's more like Kiyoi calling a weirdo, but kind of more in an affectionate way and not in a negative way...

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Dropped 12/14
Remember Me
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 9, 2022
12 of 14 episodes seen
Dropped 2
Overall 6.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

I've forgotten why I liked this series...

Overall: although I love some of the realistic slice of life parts, it's just too slow. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: manipulation, something else that is spoilery for a side character and I'll put it in a comment after this is done airing

What I Liked
- those kids were super adorable in ep 1 and did a great job
- set the time well with SARS (2003), although VHS tapes weren't new technology, it should have been a DVD player unless I understood this incorrectly
- differently abled representation with two characters
- the transition with the photo taking helped me figure out who was who in ep 1
- some realistic parts like having school pen pals, how you feel when you first start university and are on your own
- that hair made me laugh and the grandpa and friends reactions were hilarious*
- supportive friends with the pen pal thing
- production value

Room For Improvement
- too many time jumps and some not clearly marked, this reminds me of when I used to write stories and came to a less interesting part I'd just skip over it and jump to the next section
- I watch at double speed and it still feels slow, they should have cut this down to 6 or 8 episodes instead of 14
- in general I didn't care about any of the romantic relationships, I felt nothing about them
- Champ's character's plot could have been folded into another character
- that's an oddly aggressive pursuit from Nan, I guess it's supposed to be romantic but it felt unrealistic and unwarranted
- the whole thing with the Name's secret online friend was annoying and I would have been waaaaayyy more angry but I guess with the other circumstances he didn't care
- the lack of communication/being honest dragged out way too long
- need more than 1 song played on repeat every other minute (it's a nice song but I've come to loathe it)
- the constant references to the time period are unnecessary
- in episode 1, it seemed unrealistic that a parent or teacher wouldn't have talked to the other students about Name (update, confusing if he was homeschooled at that point because he was wearing a school uniform)
- the awful wigs* why oh why were there sooooo many bad wigs for so much screentime

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Completed
After Sundown
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 15, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

entertaining historical romance with thriller elements

Overall: I thought it was a good blend of a historical setting, romance and scary parts, though it definitely could have used a little bit more runtime (1hr 40 minutes before the credits) to flesh the story and characters out more. If you aren't a thriller/horror person, it's not that bad, just watch it at a faster speed and turn down the sound. Originally aired in theaters in Thailand. Aired on Netflix Thailand (need a Netflix subscription and a vpn to Thailand).

Content Warnings: past death, attempted murder, violence, blood, jump scares, manhandling

What I Liked
- historical setting, I was so immersed I didn't realize it was a historical setting for awhile (thought he just liked vintage cars lol)
- integrating thriller/horror with romance
- sweet moments
- good kissing/both into it

Room For Improvement
- needed more runtime to better show/explain things like instead of the monk saying a character lost something we could have had a short scene of him looking for it/that other guy getting rid of it, why was he not in the hospital towards the end did he imagine that part? who exactly was that one dude at the beginning, was the before aged 25 made up by him, why? instead of a 'getting to know you' montage we could have had more scenes actually shown, they didn't have time to really develop those two male side characters
- choppy parts, were inside during the day then she says to get food then suddenly they are together and it's nighttime
- a few 'because the writer said so' like a character taking something off before he sleeps even though he knows he shouldn't

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Completed
My Biker
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 27, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

confusing short movie

Overall: I really wanted to like this movie but I did not like one of the lead characters and was confused by the timeline/plot. 35 minutes, aired on Wayufilm's YouTube channel.

What I Liked
- production value
- the actors did a good job
- the ending scene was sweet

Room For Improvement
- the timeline was confusing, the friends met up and Motor had a scar, they went on a ride but then their clothes changed (I think this was a continuity error though), then Motor hung out with his girlfriend and the other guy got unreasonably angry, then there was a flashback to a year ago where the same girlfriend he was dating in the present cheated on him and Motor got into an accident, then in the present (a year later) Motor decided to break up with his girlfriend???
the above would have made sense if that was a different girlfriend but I re-watched and it definitely seems to be the same actress, why didn't Motor break up with her for a year after that incident? or was she not actually cheating and he was just sad that she cancelled plans but they kept dating? but his friend didn't know he was dating for a year???

- didn't like how Gentle got angry at Motor when he spent time with his girlfriend, then Gentle doing the silent treatment and basically threatening to end the friendship, it would have made more sense if we had seen a montage of Motor constantly cancelling plans with Gentle last minute
- some of the scenes dragged a bit and could have been cut for faster pacing
- they seemed to establish both of them as straight with the girlfriend stuff and then talking about never holding a guy's waist before, felt like a 'gay for you' trope

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Completed
Our Skyy 2
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 10, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

fans of the series will enjoy these follow ups

Overall: I think that fans will enjoy this anthology series which showcases 8 couples from 8 recent GMMTV series. Airing on GMMTVs YouTube Channel, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI4h6zMFEdD2alNmOI4c9TBN

Content Warnings: violence, homophobia (Never Let Me Go)

My Favorites
- Bad Buddy and 1000 Stars, especially that ending part of 1000 Stars was extremely touching/beautiful

Biggest Miss
- I wanted to see further development with My School President not a re-hash with the actors playing the opposite character

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