a quirky dystopian series (side BL couple)

Overall: bright colors, comedy and a dating game somehow blend well with a dystopian world and sinister underpinnings. 6 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81517158

Content Warnings: death off screen, held against will, manipulation, likely more I'm forgetting

BL Scenes
episode 2: 52-54 (set up)
episode 4: 14:15-19:25, 34:15-34:45, 37:45-40, 49-55:30
episode 5: beginning-1
episode 6: 57-1hr2, 1hr9:15-1hr10:45

What I Liked
- het, GL & BL representation
- it made me laugh a few times
- tension/chemistry
- family relationships
- commentary on freedom/rights

Room For Improvement
- the ending was good but it teased a 2nd season which hasn't been announced

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a short series about two men who reconnect years after highschool

Overall: I gave this series an indie rating boost as I'm sure they had no or little budget. 6 episodes about 10 minutes each. Aired on Our Golden Times YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFufJwmJC3ikoLWALvn4UXSAlCbJ3H1cg&si=Nx_xG51lWFPakGgD

Content Warnings: manhandling, held against will, non con kiss

What I Liked
- sweet/caring moments
- the fiancee wasn't a completely cliched character

Room For Improvement
- not enough time spent with the main leads/their relationship development
- episode 6 drama with the brother felt tossed in/underdeveloped
- coworkers didn't feel realistic to me

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good chemistry

Overall: it was a simple premise with good chemistry/kissing. 30 episodes in total with each episode about 1 minute each. It took me 3 days to watch the series for free. Aired on the Shortime app by Code Crayon (my invite code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i)) Shortime also has Falling for My Boss.

What I Liked
- the premise
- excellent dreams
- good kissing (no dead fish lip presses)

Room For Improvement
- love rival (would rather have that spent time on the couple)
- whimsical background music didn't fit at times
- wish episodes were a little longer, even 2 or 3 minutes each

Shortimes App Information - Each episode costs 20 popcorn, 4 episodes are free and 26 need to be unlocked, need 520 popcorn to watch the whole series, you can't skip locked episodes and they will re-lock

My Watch For Free Plan
(on the popcorn rewards page) check in = 5 (increases over 7 days up to 25)
(on the popcorn rewards page, go to the very bottom of the page) = 80, watch all 7 ads each day, have to wait 30 seconds in between ads
(on the popcorn rewards page) turn on notifications = 30 (1 time bonus)
1 friend referral code = 20 (1 time bonus) My invite code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i)
3 random popcorn from the daily random box = 35 (I got 10, 10 and 15, normally it was around 30)
watch 5 episodes each day with ads
- there are other 1 time bonuses like following on social media or making an account so you might be able to finish in 2 days instead of 3 if you did more of the bonuses

Day 1 watch 1-4 (free), 5-16; Day 2 watch 17-27; Day 3 watch 28-30

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morality tale of pranks/cyberbulling

Overall: it was a decent morality tale though it could have been less soap opera style and more realistic. 8 episodes about 30 minutes each https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwPOcpjobYWXlLOVMc845oyIYC4i31tda&si=RpHtrwDD000GLBvQ

Content Warnings: murders, suicide, blood, cyberbullying, harassment

BL Couple Timings
episode 1 part 1 at 9:45, part 2 at 2 min
episode 2 part 1 at 5 min, part 2 beginning
episode 3 part 1 at 9 min, part 2 beginning and 6 min
episode 5 part 1 at 4 min
episode 8 part 2 at 3:15-5:50 min

What I Liked
- avoided a cliche with the queer couple
- cinematography/island setting

Room For Improvement
- a doctor drank water and then said it's clean
- too many deaths/soap opera stuff
- a character still doing pranks at the end

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more of the same

Overall: I found this 23 minute lacking in showing relationship progression between the two protagonists. It was at least 6 months to a year into dating and that was a lackluster response to having a boyfriend return from a long trip. They felt more like roommates to me. The addition of the stalkery woman writer was cringey. If you want to watch it I'd suggest 6:50-9:42, 12:10-15:28, 16:45 to the end. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4520/takaras-treasure-2024-e11 Here is my review of the series https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/review/371693

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pandemic slice of life/BL

Overall: this is one of the slew of BL series (I.e. Gameboys, Quaranthings, See You After Quarantine, Boys' Lockdown) set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to others, it has an angstier more realistic vibe. First watched with an iWantTFC subscription and re-watched when it released on GagaOOLala in 2024 https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4287/my-lockdown-romance-2020

What I Liked
- the supportive friend who was not a cliche female character
- supportive parents and how the dad said to not promise him grandkids but that the lead character would be safe and happy
- tech integrated fairly well

Room For Improvement
- why did he do the sales pitch, his character actions confused me at times
- odd that he didn't delete the post right away
- maybe because the actors weren't in person with each other, but the ending felt anti climactic

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artsy/realistic vibe

Overall: watched this 20 minute short movie on YouTube https://youtu.be/6wj77bybP_Y?si=IDX9OzVAx1rqmYmh According to MDL it was inspired by the song Rerun, the music video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfaBrj275co&ab_channel=PPKritEntertainment

What I Liked
- hooked me with the beginning conversation
- how the painting was titled open-ended
- the vibe

Room For Improvement
- the timeline of the first 2 scenes after the voice over in the intro wasn't clear until later
- the romance was an undercurrent/spoken but not really shown
- open endings aren't my favorite

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messy characters (watch suggestions for BL)

Overall: although I think they did a good job telling the story they wanted to tell, that story was not interesting to me with the amount of cheating and terrible decision-making. Note that every 4 episodes the story re-sets from other characters' perspectives (the middle 4 were my favorite episodes and I did like some plot lines in the ending 4). 12 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on Viu.

Content Warnings: near rape, sexual assault, minor?/non-minor, pregnancy loss, blood, manipulation, blackmail, addiction, vomiting, gaslighting

Watch Suggestions for BL Scenes
- episode 5, 24:40-25:40 & 32-33:40
- episode 6, 22:15-22:30 & 38:55-41
- episode 7, 28:10-33:05

What I Liked
- a trans character that felt like a real person instead of a stereotype
- diversity in sexual orientation
- I hated the beginning of episode 8 but I did like that they showed a 'freeze' response because most people just think of 'fight' or 'flight'
- showcased complicated emotions around pregnancy and pregnancy loss
- touched on struggles of being trans and also being in a relationship with a trans person
- production value (music, start was in gray scale, ending credits changed)

Room For Improvement
- there were 22 characters and it was impossible to remember who was married to who, exes with who, cheating with who, related to who, etc.
- I had no interest in a whole bunch of characters/their plots

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the one that started it all

Overall: there are parts that I liked more and parts that I liked less from the Ossan's Love 2018 series. 47 minute special/pilot. Watched on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3892/ossans-love-2016

Content Warning: non con touching

What I Liked
- his female friend was more supportive and less of a love rival in the pilot
- that a character was already divorced
- some funny parts like outside the shower scene

Room For Improvement
- the fight scene wasn't as epic/hilarious as some of the other ones
- that confession left a lot to be desired
- the almost non con kiss and the non con touching
- missed Maki's sass

Ossan's Love Franchise
Ossan's Love special/pilot, Japan, 2016 - don't really need to watch as the 2018 series is the same story
Ossan's Love, Japan, 2018 - full series
Ossan's Love, Hong Kong, 2021 - a remake of the 2018 series
Ossan's Love: In The Sky, Japan, 2019 - this has some of the same characters and kind of a similar overall plot, an alternate setting
Ossan's Love: In The Sky special, Japan, 2019 - goes along with In The Sky series
Ossan's Love: Love or Dead movie, Japan, 2019 - follows the 2018 Japanese series
Ossan's Love Return's, Japan, 2024 - follows the movie
Ossan's Love Returns Telasa Spin Off: Forbidden Gout/Temps Nouveau, Japan, 2024 - these are additional scenes that go along with the 2024 series
Ossan's Love Returns Spin-off Drama: Haruta to Maki no Shinkon Shoya, Japan, 2024 - this is a scene that goes along with the 2024 series
Ossan's Love, Thailand, 2024 - a remake of the 2018 series

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delightful characters but not delightful plot

Overall: we've seen this plot device in numerous specials but I enjoyed seeing the characters again. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3342/our-dining-table-spin-off-2023 My review of the series https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/268835

What I Liked
- the supportive dad and that he gave them space in the hot spring
- Tane
- a couple sweet moments

Room For Improvement
- the premise/poor communication is a tired cliche in special episodes, wanted to see them growing more as a couple and a bunch of fluff

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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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