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10
1
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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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short and cute tourism promo with BL actors
Overall: 12 BL actors showcased parts of Thailand thru 6 short episodes. Each episode was about 8 minutes. Aired 2 per week on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6jUaCqlEcp3ROAMOSYvXJ2ij5mxjCkzy&si=zEc7KOdeB5fTzvI4 Note: several of the episodes were not clearly BL but open to interpretationWhat I Liked
- it was a cute short story/tourism commercial
- favorite story was probably ep 2 with Mai & Win
- so happy to see Frank without a wig
- happy they aired 2 per week and it was free to watch on YouTube
Room For Improvement
- they needed to subtitle the locations that the characters were at, although the information does appear in the video description
- each episode was very short and several were open endings
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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=PLszepnkojZI4h6zMFEdD2alNmOI4c9TBNContent 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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a fluffy follow up
Overall: if you are looking for a fluffy slice of life special episode/s then look no further. Aired on GMMTVs YouTube channel.What I Liked
- sweet moments
- flipped a common trope around
- great communication, character growth from their series
- (neutral) there was lip movement with kissing but it didn't rise to the level of excellent kissing
Room For Improvement
- oddly reluctant PDA/physical affection for an established couple, also unrealistic that was their first time in a year?!?
- could have had more plot for side characters
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Swing and a Miss
Overall: there was a good idea a the core, how a boy might struggle at school with two gay dads, but it had a poor executionContent Warnings: held against will, looked up skirt - pulled down pants, pervy guy
What I Liked
- the trumpet playing
- the boy said that they should apologize to the girl
Room For Improvement
- the trumpet player was more immature than the child! Who just leaves their child at a dock? Pulling down his pants was terrible. The dad felt stereotypical and I wish they would haven't gone that direction. He could have worn lipstick/nails and been an awesome parent of a child who is struggling at school due to bullying. Instead they made him look immature and silly.
- the first sexual assault to that girl was bad but then they threw in another attempted one??? To show that the boy was now a hero? It was an odd way to show character development.
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a lesser known Pinoy BL that is worth a watch
Overall: This series deserves more views and recognition. If you like enemies to lovers and/or something that deals with real world issues, then check this one out.Content Warnings: cyberbullying
What I Liked
- discussing real world problems such as: cancel (or as I call it consequence) culture*, plight of farmers, and sexual position shaming
- the production value was pretty good for what I'm assuming was a smaller budget production
- the visuals and I thought their acting was decent for (again I'm assuming) new actors
- showing a f/f relationship which is pretty rare
- the very supportive parental response from Ram's parents
Room For Improvement
- The incredibly stupid plot point regarding Cholo's plan. I doubt any human on the planet would have come up with that plan. Like, Migo is your friend and he has a pride flag hanging at his place, pretty sure he's open to talking about his sexual orientation if asked and won't ban you as a friend or anything when he finds out Cholo's sexual orientation
- three couples with three love triangles (I really dislike love triangles and there are 3 of them!!!)
- because there were so many romantic relationships in only 8 episodes, we didn't get to delve deeply into any of them
- Why doesn't Ram just talk to Migo about Cholo's plan and then explain what happened? What person just lets the other person walk away crying?
- *Though I appreciated the discussion of cancel (consequence) culture, it is much more nuanced than it being totally bad. It has to do with trying to hold people accountable for their bad actions/decisions because the law is unable to do so. Consequence culture definitely has major problems though.
- Migo's anger/acting was actually too much at the beginning, it would have been better if he had toned it down
- they only have English, Spanish & Indonesian subs. If they had put out a call for people to translate/sub (like I think Gameboys did), I bet they would have had many more languages
- the special episode does not have any subs
- the first episode "comedic" sound effects were waaaaayyyy too much, but they did tone it down
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loss, revenge and love
Overall: unique premise with solid chemistry. Note: this series and review have several very disturbing images/scenes. I noted timings to take out the most severe ones. The series was based on a manhwa/webtoon of the same name. I read the source material, but I reviewed the series based on it's own merits. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/payback-uncut-episode-1-1h8pgey90dg?lang=en_usContent Warnings: past (murder, suicide, manipulation, coercion, blood, death, beaten up, severe bullying); present (punches, near sexual assault, non/dub con turned consensual/it's complicated*, mental health struggles, coerced oral sex/sex trafficking, kidnapping, beaten up, drugging, murders, torture, self harm, rape, gang rape)
Skip Suggestions (to take out the most severe content warnings, I might have missed some flashbacks with his brother)
- episode 1: 7:10-7:40, 23:20-24
- episode 6: 43:30-43:45
- episode 7: 12:15-12:45, 42:50-44:05, 50:55-51:20, 55-56:30
- episode 8: beginning-3:40, 49:50-51:510 (part of a movie they are filming)
- episode 9: 2:15-2:30, 36:30-42:05, 1hr-end is a violent fight scene
- episode 10: 26:25-27, 45:30-46 or continue to 48:30 though 1 character gets his cummepence), 1hr1min40-1hr1min55, 1hr5min30-1hr6min40s
What I Liked
- unique, gritty vibe
- supportive friend and manager
- acting (normally low affect is tricky, but the actor has done a great job and I understand why the character was that way)
- chemistry
- the uncle was funny
- that the manager suggested a therapist
- evildoers got their cummepence
Room For Improvement
- I was a little confused in the beginning due to multiple timeline jumps and characters who changed hair color (update: note that the source material does this as well so it is a faithful adaptation in that regard)
- music too loud at times or doesn't completely match the vibe of the scene
- the leads needed more screen time, they could have reduced some side characters/plot to better explain the plot
- exposition dumps
*my take on the physical intimacy with the leads - It didn't feel non-consensual to me.
Sun - he says he is guilty for what happened (others had a role hence the revenge). I don't think he thinks he deserves to feel, especially happiness/pleasure. From his dream, the viewer sees there is attraction. So the non con didn't feel as much as non con to me. In the past with the crying while being intimate, one part was emotional sadness and another may have been physical pain; however, he wanted physical pain, he did not think he deserved a pleasurable experience.
Jay - I believe it started as a game to get Sun to feel things and then changed to genuine love/caring especially after he learned something. Jay's interest in Sun crying makes me think that Jay has not cried (ever/in a long time) and was fascinated by it in the past and wants to see Sun having feelings again, including happiness and pleasure.
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fire chemistry
Overall: excellent chemistry/acting from Smart & Boom and I hope to see them in more series. This series is based on the Japanese manga "Dakaichi: I'm Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year" which was later an anime. I haven't read/watched them and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 11 episodes about 40 minutes each. Note there is an additional scene after the initial end of the episodes. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/d1z6o64bu16ncf3Content Warnings: sexual assault, non con kiss, non con touching, non con video recording, vomiting, gaslighting, non con picture taking/sharing, stalking, cyber bullying, blackmail, coercion, death, grief
Watch Suggestions (to remove angst and focus on their sweet/steamy parts)
- watch episodes 1-5
- episode 6 stop at 12 minutes
- start episode 7 at 21 minutes
- episode 8 watch 6:45-17:45 and 40:20-end (but not the additional end scene after the initial end)
- episode 9 watch beginning to 5:45, can watch 19:35-24:30 and then 51:30-end
- episode 10 watch beginning to 4:40, 45:10-46:15, 48:15-end
- episode 11 watch 20:10-end
What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- clear premise
- styling*
- laughed a few times
- ongoing intimacy
- role playing in episode 8
- that family in episode 9 and the advice
- supportive manager (except the pinning thing)
Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward montage
- the non con kiss
- *the hair was covering Jin's eyes too much in some scenes
- comedy sound effects did not enhance the comedy
- camera was too shaky at some points
- deducted half a point after episode 6, they never addressed the victim blaming and I wasn't sure that if it had actually happened a character would have been okay with that/been supportive, also the villain did not have any real consequences as if they wanted the viewer to forgive him because he's attractive (which likely some viewers did but I'm not one of them), I also couldn't ship him with his hinted romantic partner
- bad how he just forgave his stalker and she had zero consequences
- they had too many angsty parts and were not able to fully explore them
- noble idiot trope/lack of communication where they caused more pain to each other than if they had been honest and worked together through their challenges
- the nonsense CEO villain
- (neutral) confused by the wings, apparently that is something from the manga
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unfinished
Overall: I gave this an indie rating bump. Aired 8 episodes about 6 minutes each plus a special episode about 11 minutes long. Aired on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLntTK4N-Qw93GF8vageNABiU2xjXfSzLm (you need to pay $9.99USD for episode 7 and 8 which I did and I'll say what happened below).What I Liked
- unique premise
- a character's hair color made it clear which universe they are in
Room For Improvement
- episode 5 and 6 should have been in chronological plot order because I was very confused starting episode 5
- there wasn't really a relationship in either universe to root for
- did not really end/felt unfinished
- voiced inner thoughts
- the special episode was maybe a prequel???
Episodes 7 & 8
In our current world, pink haired guy (with omegaverse soul) goes to the hospital to get a prenatal check up and the nurses are understandably confused. They call a doctor who happens to be his roommate. Mid scene modern soul comes back to his original body. He goes to his apartment and his aunt calls wanting him to mail her an omegaverse book for her friend (why on earth does he have it???). The doctor arrives and tries to take the book. Pink haired guy takes a shower and decides that when he opened the book he was sucked into it and vows to never open it. Mid shower he is transported back to omegaverse with him pushing the doctor down on a bed. The end.
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it's not funny, it's offensive
Overall: this was a remake of a 2015 series (on YouTube unsubbed). It felt like it was stuck in the past (or even farther back than 2015) with its colorism, body shaming, effeminate male/trans women stereotypes and sexual assault played as comedy. 16 episodes about 35 minutes each. Aired on WeTV.Content Warnings: colorism, trans women/effeminate men stereotypes, body shaming, bullying, cyberbullying, sexual assault played as comedy, sexual harassment, sex shaming, transphobia, held against will, non con picture/video taking and sharing
What I Liked
- Jet/New until the end of episode 6 which is what made me drop the series even though I wanted to give this a complete watch/review
- one of the teachers (the one who didn't sexually harass/assault a fellow teacher and didn't bully a student)
- it was good attempt with the message about being able to wear a uniform to match your gender identity, but then that character wore something out of a Japanese manga, would have been much more powerful if that character had worn the Thai school uniform for women
- episode 2 had good sex ed with using condoms correctly
Room For Improvement
- sexual assault played as comedy, it went on for so long and was not funny
- the two teachers who bullied a student and sexually harassed a fellow teacher
- the stereotypical male guys had love interests while the effeminate male characters were constantly fighting with each other and bullying a trans student
- way too much catfighting and bullying
- too many characters (there are 21 on the poster) and I couldn't figure out their names/who they all were
- comedy sound effects
- cliche overheard something and didn't talk
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covid/unversity setting romance, watch the cut version (watch suggestions)
Overall: I was going to rate the series higher, but the finale was awful. The uncut version gets 3.5, the cut version gets 5 and since it doens't have an MDL entry I gave it a 4 for this review. 5 episodes. Uncut is about an hour to 1hr 30min each; cut is 47min. Airing uncut on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4689/live-in-love-2024-e01 ; uncut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/0i9b5l3c9l95149-Live%20In%20Love%20the%20series%20(Uncut%20Ver.) ; cut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/i947av13118qaoy-Live%20In%20Love%20the%20series ; cut on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0tRjHmbcbQLx8pLeSxkmMqrOsXiVyWX7&si=VJeqs7s6Y4MgU-Fc Later aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41065c-live-in-loveContent Warning: manhandling, held against will, stalking, drugging, planned gang rape
Watch Suggestions (read the plot synopsis)
- watch the very end of episode 1 (1hr 3min for uncut and 7m 45s in part 4 cut) to the end
- in episode 2 uncut watch 9-14, 17:45-19:20, 34:50-35:30, 40:40-42:20, 48-51:20, 53:25 (shirtless push-ups), 1hr 24 -1hr 25m17s (kissing) ; I'm not re-watching all of episode 2 cut version but beginning of part 3 and then part 4 7min to 8m 12s (the uncut of this scene is better)
- youtube cut version watch episode 3 part 1 beginning to 3 and 11-end; part 2 watch 8:45-end, part 3 watch 4:25-5:45, part 4 watch 3-3:45 and 4:30-6:15 and if you wanted you could watch the uncut version of episode 3 58:40 to 1hr0m30s and 1hr36m30s to 1hr38m30s for a longer kissing scene than the cut version
- YouTube cut version watch episode 4 part 1 4-6 and 9:20-10:50; part 2 watch 6-9:40 (35 min in uncut the kiss is longer), part 3 beginning to 3:15, part 4 5:23-6:15
- uncut version (I might update when the cut version airs), watch episode 5 1hr 8min-1hr 14m 30s and 1hr 27min 50sec-end (so basically 10 minutes of an hour and a half episode)
What I Liked
- supportive friends/family
- production value was fine other than jumpy flashbacks/to present, good transition images
- good consent in episode 3
Room For Improvement
- main character was infantilized (wore a teddy bear sweater, other people made decisions for him and he oddly didn't seem to care, reminded me of La Cuisine)
- spent way too much time in the finale retelling past actions
- a ton of characters were introduced in episode 1 and there was no reason why I should have cared about them or want them in a relationship with each other
- the main couple did not have a scene together until 1hr 3 minutes of episode 1 which was much too late
- love rivals
- confusing time jumps/timeline in episode 1
- episode 2 uncut was very repetitive
- cliched female characters
- the covid setting/format was odd/unappealing, characters repeatedly talked on the phone or texted in episode 2 which was boring/did not produce good chemistry and then suddenly covid stuff disappears
- where did the side couple go in episode 3?
- the reason for the interruption at the end of episode 3 was stupid
- cartoonish antagonist and multiple terribly done redemption arcs
- the awful "we won't contact police for the very illegal/terrible things this character has done, they'll learn their lesson"
- nonsense, someone fell into the water but then magically was really far away from where they fell in (episode 4)
- "comedy" sound effects
- talking about extending the room rental in episode 5 was distasteful, unrealistic and not funny
- the very end scene in episode 5 was anticlimactic, I think they could have paced it better or had it actually end with them kissing or the crew break the 4th wall and say thanks but as it was a strange way to end a series with the way they did that scene
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didn't live up to its promise...
Overall: unfortunately they must have changed writers from the prequels (https://youtu.be/PsGI1LJn-7Q and https://youtu.be/estp_6mHi1s) and we got unfunny parts and nonsense stuff instead of a realistic angsty series. Airing on WeTV and YouTube (according to the company YouTube will be 3 hours later).Content Warnings: bullying, death (past), grief, vomiting
What I Liked
- the child actors did a great job
- cute/sweet moments
- countryside setting in episode 1
- wish the realistic reaction at the end of episode 5 had happened when they first re-met
- production value
Room For Improvement
- Phu's actions (to me) aren't romantic, they are immature, selfish and extremely hurtful over the course of a looong (10 years) period of time, there is no apology he can make for ghosting his best friend for a decade, I find Phu unlikable and don't want them to end up together (but I'm sure they will)
- because of time jumps/flashbacks it felt choppy in beginning episodes
- I think people who haven't watched the prequels would be confused especially the university part
- I didn't find that workplace humor stuff funny including the caricature characters
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Lost to Too Many Couples (watch suggestions)
Overall: the humor didn't work for me, but there were some very nice sweet and steamy moments. 5 episodes are about 1 hour long each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/lost-to-light-uncut-episode-1-1ghmctbnkjg?lang=en_usContent Warning: near suicide scene played as comedy in episode 1
Watch Suggestions (to focus on sweet/steamy)
- episode 1 watch 51min-end
- episode 2 watch 9:20-11:45, 22:45-26:35, 31-41
- episode 3 watch beginning-5:25, 11:20-14:50, 25:30-30:30, 46:30-49:25
- episode 4 watch beginning-7:25, 14:45-42:40
- episode 5 watch 3:15-8:05, 30-31, 51:10-end
What I Liked
- sweet moments
- steamy moments
- supportive characters
- some good communication*
Room For Improvement
- the comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- trans women stereotypes
- too many relationships, needed fewer and more relationship development
- *was a bit disappointed but it was 2 weeks and not 2 years (or more) like we normally see
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much better in the second half
Overall: the first half is a character being a jerk/abusive, I recommend watching episode 1 and then skip to episode 28 to get past that. The second half was significantly better with fun nonsense stuff. 50 episodes about 2 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI app. First few episodes are here https://youtu.be/TgcZwUo5tg0?si=g56BMS1HWuorK-YpContent Warnings: drugging, chocking, slap, sexual assault (in a dream ep 27), unwanted outing, bullying, homophobia, violence, punch, blood
What I Liked
- the parents' relationship with each other and their sons
- second half was much better
- character stood up for himself and his mom
- some of the nonsense was funny like removing someone injured from a hospital to care for them in a bath tub at home
- a character apologized
- meeting with the boss
- some villains had actual consequences
Room For Improvement
- bullying/abuse in the first half
- love triangle
- some nonsense was annoying like when would a beautiful woman need to drug a guy to have sex
- supposedly clothing was wet and next second they were completely dry
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a quirky character and his grounded love interest
Overall: enjoyed the sweet moments. 10 episodes about 1 hour each. Based on a book "Me and Thee" by laWilathat which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/me-and-thee-episode-1-14dekvm74mw?lang=en_us and GMMTV's YouTube channel (not in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Canada, U.S.)Content Warnings: violence/beaten up, past sexual abuse, past child abuse/violence (in episode 4, 53:30-end), manipulation, attempted murder, manhandling, unwanted outing
What I Liked
- styling/set design
- easy to understand premise
- I did chuckle a few times*
- a trash character had consequences
- caring moments
Room For Improvement
- *the comedy sound effects didn't make things funny and detracted from the humor
- would have liked in episode 5 for Thee to wait for a yes or a nod (he did this additional times, asked and then just went ahead)
- I didn't add love bombing and ignoring boundaries, but I almost did. I didn't like that aspect of Thee's approach though I understand he is not doing it from a place of maliciousness. However, he didn't communicate with Peach when making decisions that directly involved him. I didn't see much character growth.
- did not care at all about the model couple, wanted more of the bodyguard and his romantic interest
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