4
10
1
2
too much of an unlikable character
Overall: I'm generally more lenient on indie productions; however, Wayufilm has been making short movies for several years and they have had some that I enjoyed so I know what they are capable of. However, in this "The Star" they spent the first 20 minutes with a character who was such a jerk to another character that was a complete doormat. Then in the second part, there was a very fast mostly off screen redemption arc. We didn't get to really see their relationship develop/sweet moments. I did appreciate their frank conversation and the condom in the second part. And I understand why the NSFW scenes needed to be cut on YouTube though it made the second part feel choppy.Aired in 2 parts for a total of about 45 minutes on Wayufilm's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOA6_oQmuXGBm-k0qjRmKX3mZLev2M7do&si=ldSLP6IMp8PTcYJf
Content Warnings: bullying, manhandling, threats
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fashion industry romance with a side m/m couple
Overall: I enjoyed the fashion industry setting, but it became very soap opera like in parts and dragged at times. 10 episodes broken into 2 parts for 50 minutes per episode total. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/honrgjq1uhtv8gn-Intern%20In%20My%20HeartInformation for the age gap: first met when he was 8 and she was 21ish, in the present he is 20 and she is 33, based on how this played out I didn't include it as a content warning
Content Warnings: near suicide, non con touching, bullying, non con picture taking/sharing
BL Relevant Scenes
1a 9:45-11
2b 17:15-end
3a 5:15-6 & 19:30-21
4a 14-16:30
4b 6:30-7:40 & 14:10-15
5a 12:30-14:15 & 18-20
5b beginning-2:15 & 13-18:10
6a 5-6:10, 8:40-10 & 18-19:30
6b 8:50-10:30, & 12:10-13:40
8a 21:30-23 & 32-end
8b beginning to 3 & 8-13:30
9a beginning-6:30, 8:20-12, 20:30-23:30, 26-end
9b 21-26
10b 18-18:40 & 20-21
What I Liked
- sweet moments
- friendships (though he shouldn't have touched the guy when the guy didn't want him to)
- character growth
Room For Improvement
- exposition dump
- comedy sound effects
- cliche see something and don't clarify what it is
- stupid decisions/unrealistic actions
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better than the series
Overall: this 30 minute special occurs after the events in the series. I found it a bit better though I would have rated it higher if they had avoided the annoying and overused poor communication plot point. Aired on iQIYI.What I Liked
- around 9 minutes was a combination of comedy, spice and confusion
- pretty well done NSFW scene around 28 minutes
Room For Improvement
- cliche bad communication/ghosting
- what kind of sibling interrupts/stays to watch that?!?
- felt draggy with Venus/Sky until the end part
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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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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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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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This review may contain spoilers
It was rocky
Overall/FYI: I was hoping for a bit of fluff (at least in the beginning) but it starts off angsty and we have poor communication and lack of character growth with the cliche ex girlfriend causing problems. I'm torn between 6.5 & 7. I paid $7 USD to watch on Upstream.Content Warnings: side character death off screen
What I Liked:
- nice to see Beshie again and the BL references (pillow, his shirt at the end, posters on his wall)
- it was good that Beshie had some public service announcements/education things but it felt preachy at times
- good throwback to the massage scene in season 1 and they had a cute moment
- I was glad they communicated in episode 1 but how long did they go before having that conversation? Too long I bet.
- there were some good scenes such as when they have honest conversations and the winter scene
Room For Improvement:
- this was basically a re-do of season 1 but much less enjoyable and a worse ending
- they should have put a condensed version of season 1's ending at the very beginning to remind the viewer how things ended. Then at a minimum shown some fluffy montage moments at Lolly's house so we get a sense that time has passed (ideally I would have liked 1 or 2 mostly fluffy episodes at Lolly's house. I could also see some friction/drama happen at Lolly's house too). The way they started this season was so confusing, there's an angsty scene and then who knows how much time has passed until the next scene. The conversation with Beshie was just telling the plot instead of showing what all happened.
- that odd love triangle, they could have made it a poly relationship but didn't
- many non logical/odd things, I don't have the energy to list them all
- I really disliked some of the camerawork, especially the 360 shot towards the beginning
- they did not act like two people who love one another. What an odd greeting (covid is not an excuse). Who doesn't look at the other person at all when having a serious conversation?
- did not appreciate the two minute horror movie trailer at the start and how the episodes don't start until around 6 minutes
- the episode 1 ending was probably supposed to be a cliffhanger but I had no idea what was happening so it had zero effect on me
- I had to contact Upstream because it said the last 2 episodes were expired even though I never watched either of them, luckily Upstream fixed it in a couple of days
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Content Warnings: bullying, non con touching (when asleep)
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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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 :PContent 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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This review may contain spoilers
A short story about confessing to a crush
Overall: a short (10 minutes) story about a webtoon writer and his crush. You can watch it on gagaoolala.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- Yoo-seong's shirt "keep cool, don't run..."
- the chicken costume was cute
- I liked the boss's character
Room For Improvement
- we aren't given any background on how or why Yoo-seong developed the crush on Tae-woo
- it's an open ending, sometimes I don't mind them but normally I wish there was more resolution. We really have no idea how things turn out at the end of this.
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mesmerizing, need a sequel movie and/or a full series
Overall: kudos to everyone involved in this because, wow, just wow. Aired on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/watch/81759550Content Warnings: past PTSD, non/dub con kissing/touching, internalized homophobia
What I Liked
- tension, chemistry, kissing
- acting
- I can't even imagine how challenging the dance training was, they all looked great (not a pro, I had dance training)
- how supportive the women were (I'd love to see a future movie/series with the characters training and dancing m/m and f/f as well as m/f and m/f, it's my head cannon at least)
Room For Improvement
- started with the present then went to a one-year flashback
- the 2 guys that gave exposition dumps multiple times
- several scenes were too dark and more light was needed on faces
- the voice saying 10Dance at the beginning and end
- the ending was abrupt, definitely need a second movie or a series to flesh things out
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thinking about an ideal self
Overall: intriguing to think of how we treat others changes how they treat us and vice versa as well how this changes our view of the world. Based on "If no Sekai de Koi ga Hajimaru" by Umino Sachi which I didn't read and I reviewed the series based on its own merits. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6042/love-begins-in-the-world-of-if-2025-e01 (everywhere except Japan and Korea) and Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41300c-love-begins-in-the-world-of-ifWhat I Liked
- thinking about how changes to oneself affect others,
- production value (use of color to denote the mood and location)
- a character had realizations and communications was sought after
Room For Improvement
- I was just about to note good consent but then a character said stop and the other character said they couldn't wait any longer and went ahead anyway
- a dead fish lip press
- didn't actually show the chocolate sharing
- that very end part was odd, were they hinting at a sequel
- needed more relationship development
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nice vibes
Overall: I found the story to be confusing (and I think the subs were partially at fault for that), but the vibes were good. I gave it an indie rating bump. 3 episodes about 4 minutes each. Aired on SEEKMedia's YouTube channel (this playlist has the episodes and bts content https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwfmKArt9EtUjcEELgXyPVuiyV4sk1MKk)What I Liked
- visuals
- Korean & Japanese collaboration
- dream and kissing
Room For Improvement
- confusing, felt as if a lot of the plot was told off screen
- the loud breathing in episode 3
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Funny and sweet (we need season 2)
Overall: This high school BL has a mixture of realistic, sweet, cringey and funny moments. I have not read the manga so I can't comment on similarities/differences there. Watched on Viki (My Love Mix-Up)Content Warnings: two slaps not between m/m, homophobia
What I Liked
- subverted tropes, surprising moments (I won't go into details and ruin things but I rarely get pleasantly surprised watching BL and I was when watching this)
- Ida being honest and considerate, thinking about things seriously
- the look on the high schoolers faces when the military guy talks to them is priceless and universal
- supportive friends on both Ida's and Aoki's side, also that Ida's friends weren't stupid
- communication (yes there was also miscommunication, but there were several instances of good communication)
- characters apologizing for mistakes made
- I'm totally fine with the ending but we need a season 2 to see the continuation
- even some really minor side characters were fun to watch
Room For Improvement
- (neutral) Aoki is very energetic/exaggerated which I've noticed in quite a few manga adaptations, luckily the other protagonist is chill so it balances it out. Aoki does have some pretty funny moments.
- the slaps were not needed
- "gay for you" adjacent
- that first volleyball teacher side plot, though I was happy how he handled it
- I almost vomited when that tutor/student teacher asked things those invasive personal questions, no teacher is asking their student those questions
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This review may contain spoilers
look elsewhere for a fluffy/steamy merman romance
Overall: I did not enjoy the aggressive pursuit/reluctant pursuee trope that happened nor the love triangles. Based on a web novel which I haven't read and I am reviewing the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5806/lover-merman-2025-e01 (not in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Oceania, India, Japan and South Korea); uncut on Viki https://www.viki.com/videos/1263454v and cut on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb6_2JamS9iNQ_fRO37dRCtHX-QWgsQjE (available in some African countries, Southeast Asia, Japan & South Korea).Content Warnings: sexual harassment, held against will, beaten up, past (murders/blood, child abuse), manipulation, murder, suicide/sacrifice, prejudice
What I Liked
- visuals
- merman premise
Room for Improvement
- started with an exposition/world building dump
- flashback to a recent scene
- long pauses between talking
- love rivals/love triangles
- a ton of characters for 8 episodes and then 3 new characters introduced in episode 4 who left shortly thereafter (also a step brother romance tossed in)
- our supposed hero gave serial killer vibes while the other lead was wishy-washy and stupid
- terrible mom redemption arc, I can't believe the character apologized to her
- nonsense stuff, a character had no security, another character believed someone who had every reason to lie
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