goodish indie short movie

Overall: a decent way to spend 30 minutes. Aired on Wayufilm's YouTube channel https://youtu.be/zFifCdlf9e0?si=SlYCdQQSoMRJF4kV

Content Warnings: homophobia, vomiting, slap

What I Liked
- centered on the two leads with just 2 other characters
- sweet moments*
- good production value for an indie short movie

Room For Improvement
- *I wish their getting to know you/falling in love wasn't done in montages, they could have cut/reduced other scenes (including the time jump) and actually had these scenes with dialogue
- I didn't take off points but I don't think a homophobic parent would have queer movie posters on the wall of their workplace (pretty sure that set is the production's office, however, they could have removed the posters or covered them up)
- because it was a time jump it felt like a very fast/unrealistic turn around for the dad
- using alcohol as a catalyst to their spending time/relationship

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fun crack comedy short series

Overall: this is a fun webseries. Each episode is about 7 minutes long followed by behind the scenes stuff. Watched the cut version at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLalG2smk62xH9vj-eSvdz7UHexMlChZcf&si=9ek2Td5UmgHkHZVo (not sure what is in the uncut version but I suspect they actually show something in episode 10, looks like the least expensive membership gets you the uncut episodes)

Content Warnings: kick

What I Liked
- comedy
- cute moments
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- ep 1 sitting on the toilet
- didn't understand the insistence that a guy who had feelings for a guy is straight, that is the definition of not straight (maybe this was translated incorrectly/I misunderstood though)
- something that almost happened in episode 10 of the cut version (maybe was shown in the uncut version)

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enjoyed the movie version more than the series version

Overall: this is a condensed version of the series which was 12 episodes about 40 minutes each = 480 minutes. The movie version is 125 minutes long and I liked it more than the series version because it cut out boring side couple stuff and stuck with the focus of Ai and Nhai. You can read my full review of the series here https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/233757/ I'm going to point out some differences.

What I Liked
- left out the cute rooftop/coupon scene and there might have been other cute scenes they left out as well
- better ending with the stargazing instead of that random store/shoe tying scene
- had transitions between scenes to help make it feel more cohesive/time had passed (though it can feel a bit choppy)

Room For Improvement: if I had edited this I would have changed a few additional things and then I would have rated it an 8.5
- in the flashback (which I would have shortened) cut out the dads being awful to Ai, the dads lied to him and he has a right to be angry/confused
- added back some of their cute scenes

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very gentle BL/BL adjacent

Overall: I believe this was put on by a BL fan group to promote their store. If they had made things a bit more clear, I would have rated this higher. I would almost call this BL adjacent. Three short episodes on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiXQTcPRrd9SmsXxJ7-8AIwMI3PPKzQNW

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- sweet and cute moments
- working in a BL store is a different setting than we've seen in live action series
- it was interesting that the store owners wanted workers to call customers non gendered pronouns though I think it could have been integrated in a bit better

Room For Improvement
- I wanted the mutual attraction to be made more clear, the one guy might have just looked up to him and not in a romantic way, the plot felt incomplete

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Overall: this could have been a 9 or higher if they had made things more clear.

What I Liked
- the sci fi/future aesthetics
- the actors did a good job
- making viewers think about differences between gender, sex and sexual orientation, I find this graphic useful https://au.reachout.com/articles/the-difference-between-gender-sex-and-sexuality

Room For Improvement
- things were just a little too open/not clearly stated, for example, Yi An asks Zhou Yang Kai if he'd like Yi An to be a woman but Zhou Yang Kai doesn't actually respond clearly either way. The ending is fairly open as well, I guess we can infer Yi An's choice but showing Yi An making the selection would have been good so viewers were clear about the decision.

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loved Zeke & Fifth (hope we get an official cut of their scenes)

Overall: I loved the sweet/flirty dynamic and natural chemistry/relationship with Zeke & Fifth. I really hope the writers don't add in some stupid cheating/miscommunication trope in their next series. I want to see these two deal with conflict (mostly external), communicate, and grow together, plus fluff and well done NSFW scenes :) My Story is the sequel to My Day minus one of the protagonists. Aired on Oxin Films YouTube channel, 10 of episodes about 45 minutes each.

Content Warnings: bullying, trans women/effeminate male stereotypes, manhandling, slap, held against will, beaten up, abusive ex and something major at the end of ep 9

What I Liked
- Zeke and Fifth had an enjoyable and realistic dynamic, their flirty banter was great and also both being interested in skinship/sex
- chuckled a few times like it's not 2 inches, it's 8 inches (however the innuendo should not overpower the plot which it does several times)
- cute moments like the cuddling
- calling out toxic masculinity regarding Drake (unfortunately then they were lovey dovey shortly afterwards with no shown character growth from Drake)
- supportive parents and friends
- discussing how sun block is important to protect from the sun not because you don't want your skin darker

Room For Improvement
- the mentality of one take was good enough, sometimes it was cute but it definitely felt low budget
- stereotypes with trans women and effeminate male characters, this is really disappointing to see, the maid outfit, the hypersexualization, the clown humor, I didn't laugh at any of this "humor" and it was featured a lot
- I skipped the main characters' scenes and wasn't really sure why, they just didn't hold my attention
- in episode 1 there was just 1 line and not responding to emails to explain the breakup, wish they gave a better/more fully developed explanation (update, in episode 5 we almost had too much explanation/time spent on it)
- thin plot, I love Chuk Chuk but this is the main plot for 2+ episodes???? if they couldn't come up with an engaging/fleshed out plot then better to have a shorter series such as 6 episodes and make those episodes really awesome
- some relationships moved super fast in the final episode
- choppiness, Fifth had all of a sudden left the house and was walking on the street? a character was in one country in the last episode and then suddenly in a different country?
- non realistic/logical things, Zeke had to be the photographer but then he modeled, so who was the photographer/it obviously wasn't important that he was the photographer
- educators asking students about their sexual positions, no thanks
- the amount of actual commercials (episode 1 starts 4min20s or past the intro at 7min)

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good follow up with terrible audio

Overall: if you liked Love In The Air, then you'll like the special (can purchase on Vimeo). You can read my review of the series here https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/226713

Content Warnings: dub/non con touching, manhandling

What I Liked
- Rain and Sky's friendship returned and was adorable
- the NSFW scenes are once again well done (except they should have removed the music and just left in the natural sounds of kissing/breathing/moaning)
- clear flashbacks
- cute moments
- brief PSA about same sex marriage
- the cosplay was fun and Daddy stuff

Room For Improvement
- the sound/music: I took a half to full point off for the terrible audio including muffled noises due to lack of using boom mics, music being much too loud over dialogue, bizarre music chosen in some scenes, etc.
- I probably shouldn't have expected any character growth because there was none, Rain leaping to conclusions is on brand
- Rain's extreme jealousy was not attractive to me (i.e. blocking other people from looking)
- Pai apologizing for someone else's actions, he had nothing to apologize for

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instead of good messy it was bad messy

Overall: a slow moving series with unlikable main characters and even the side couples couldn't save it. Aired on GagaOOLala and also on YouTube.

Content Warnings: manipulation/lying, non con picture/video, vomiting, non con kiss (sleeping), coercion, manhandling, fight/slaps/punches

What I Liked
- that both main characters are flawed instead of one flawed and one squeaky clean character
- other than the confusing beginning/editing, I thought it had decent production value
- some sweet and funny moments
- at least they avoided something super cliche in the finale with the main couple

Room For Improvement
- characters felt tossed in but didn't have a real role to play, they also didn't feel like real people (i.e. Sher's sudden change of heart after 1 conversation, what does Fah see in Sher???)
- I didn't like either main character and I didn't want them to be together
- moved too slowly, boring plot points (what was with that play?)
- the scenes after the intro were very confusing, were they flash forwards, flashbacks, was that one guy the same person, did they know each other previously???
- too many characters were introduced in a short time frame and I had trouble figuring out who was who
- cliche wannabe girlfriend as the only main female character (turns into another cliche character)
- used wrong pronouns which was played as comedic
- stereotypical gay character was a villain
- the mashing of faces was not great kissing
- Ping is oddly obsessed with Fah's dating life
- nonsense things (random glass on a restaurant floor?)

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short and sweet

Overall: this is a cute food based series (and I would categorize it as BL/slice of life, I also have a more broad definition of what BL is). Watched on Youtube, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOHd2AnMfkDHd7XAEZKFt7iZ00IsC9uNl The videos have English subs.

Content Warnings: none? maybe spying on another person?

What I Liked
- the premise was cute
- enjoyed the baking/cooking (and they even include recipes at the end, but they are in Japanese)
- those dream moments and the sister interrupting were hilarious
- color grading and overall production value
- good outro/credits and the song (by Imase)

Room For Improvement
- wish it had been even 1 episode longer or that they would do a second season
- the subs frequently miss spaces between words, but I could still understand them pretty well

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a BL themed musical

Overall: this was an actual musical performed in front of a live audience and we are watching a recording of it. It had a slow start but I managed to make it through the first part and I enjoyed the second part more. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: suicide threat mentioned in song, manhandling, non con picture taking

What I Liked
- outfits/styling
- modifying the set
- music/choreo
- funny moments

Room For Improvement
- there were a lot of characters and it took me awhile to figure things out
- slow start, picked up halfway through the first part
- the stereotypical fujoshi character

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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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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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