4
10
1
2
short experimental/dystopian movie
Overall: this is a 10 minute movie that has an artsy/experimental film vibe. Watched on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3539/kiss-2021What I Liked
- unique setting
- the end credits have additional glimpses into his life/world
- production value (lighting, cinematography)
Room For Improvement
- not really sure if it's a dream, real, there is no dialogue
- what are the ramifications of the protagonist's decision? wish the movie was slightly longer to more flesh out the world building
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decent continuation
Overall: though I really dislike this type of plot for a season 2, I think they did well with what they had. I'd love to see the actors in something else, especially the guy that played Pee. Aired on YouTube season 1 part 1 is here https://youtu.be/ZV00vfaAFZc?si=nE63OYDGG4vy1TYA and is about 12 minutes, part 2 is about 15 minutes.What I Liked
- the theme song is really cute
- breaking the 4th wall (where characters talk directly to the audience) is unique
- a few cute parts
- Pee was forthright
- Bam called Mike out
Room For Improvement
- the love rival plot for a season 2
- that Pee said even if Bam liked Mike that he wouldn't give up
- too much time spent at the beach, we needed more of Bam & Mike
- something that almost happened at the end but didn't
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an indie production that missed the mark
Overall: too much of the story took place off screen. I watched all episodes together in a now deleted video, here is the official playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlpSUv8-x1mCRDCXRB4T7gHLWJxelv2Gy&si=JZNSs5NuiPy2hhbNNote: around 15 minutes of ep 1? there is a very intense strobe lighting/effect
Content Warnings: manipulation, violence, held against will, stalking
What I Liked
- the premise
- beginning seemed spicy but that all vanished which is extra strange considering the setting
Room For Improvement
- we don't see relationships develop, just suddenly they are in a relationship
- no characterization other than their names and they wanted to make money
- rough subtitles hindered my understanding of what was happening (note: 'brother' doesn't mean biological brother, it means friend, I think the only people related were the woman, her brother/cousin? the club owner and someone's mom or aunt)
- that open ending/cliffhanger was bad when a 2nd season isn't guaranteed
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steamy second season with a lackluster plot
Overall: though I don't love part of the plot, the production value/acting is good (and it earns its R rating :). 6 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala, cut version on YouTube BL Pictures channelContent Warnings: grief
What I Liked
- the beginning hooked me in right away
- NSFW scenes were realistic though I wish they hadn't been quite so choppy/broken up and we heard some of their sounds
- grief scene was very well acted
- production value
Room For Improvement
- wish they'd come up with different plots for second seasons of BL
- excellent long take in episode 4
- her actions didn't really make sense to me
- background noise/music was too loud in the pool scene
- did not feel they were ready for what happened at the end of ep 6, they need to work on their communication
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very cute and very short (binge them all at once)
Overall: each episode is 1 minute long (14 minutes total), so I'd recommend watching them all in one sitting. Watched on Thai Mini Series YouTube channel.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- they have a bunch of cute/sweet moments
- Tutor and Yim have good chemistry
- good production value
Room For Improvement
- episodes don't really flow from one to the next, they are more like individual skits
- it would be helpful if the episodes were just a little longer, even 4 minutes per episode instead of the 1 minute
- there was something the characters should have done at the very end of the last episode but they ended it before we got to see it
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wish they would have made 3 separate movies for each of the 3 couples
This is a movie version (110 minutes runtime) of the original 6 episode series (220 minutes runtime https://mydramalist.com/680869-second-chance). There aren't any new scenes only half is cut out. I wish they would have made 3 separate movies, each one focused on a couple because this movie did not solve my two main issues.1. With three couples and not a long runtime, each of the couples' relationships feels rushed and it can feel choppy overall jumping back and forth between them
2. Two of the characters look very similar (they are brothers in real life, they aren't related in the series - one is a barista and the other learns muay thai). The characters don't appear in the same scene until the very end and it was really confusing (I thought 1 character had 3 love interests and actually screamed in the last episode when I realized they were different characters).
By separating the story lines out, I think these two issues would not have been a problem or as much of a problem. They could put some transition scenes (a city skyline with time lapse) to show that time has passed before the next scene is shown.
Content warnings: bullying/beaten up, homophobia
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Gentle Slice of Life Story
Overall: this is more of a slice of life short series. It's available officially on Hulu Japan.Content Warnings: voyeurism/harassment (not between m/m)
What I Liked
- caring moments
- that he stopped the mirror thing
- production value
Room For Improvement
- the whole 'just kidding' cliche
- choppy/jumped to him fixing his bike
- slow pacing/could have spent a bit more time with the guys and their relationship
- odd that they didn't talk more about their relationship changing
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try not to read too much before watching
Overall: what a wild ride this was. I enjoyed the twists and turns as we went and liked how it was difficult to predict the ending. It's best if you don't read too much about the plot beforehand and I'm going to keep my review on the more vague side (other than the content warnings). If AIS Play ever gives it a permanent official international release (instead of the 2 hour watch window), I'll bump it up to 9.Content Warnings: attempted murder, murder, attempted suicide, suicide, blood, violence, spying, manipulation
What I Liked
- good way to start a series and get the viewers' attention
- funny and cute moments along with the serious, mystery and action moments
- a new take on an existing sci fi idea
- Tan & Bun cameo
Room For Improvement
- some nonsense medical things, also the medical definitions went by too fast to read
- other nonsense things but I don't want to list and give things away
- the ending was rushed and confusing, they needed a bit more time to explain things in a logical way
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This review may contain spoilers
Overall: this was depressing and in the end also confusing. The same production company that made the series Cheat. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: illness, death?
What I Liked
- we have a student who is actually studying and looks realistically stressed/tired
- I liked the opening credits/code which (according to my expert) are pseudo xml and actual javascript that has the name spliced in the middle with invalid syntax; I also liked the ending credits as well
- the realistic response to the message
Room For Improvement
- I think the editing/camerawork was too much at times and it made me dizzy
- the kiss was a bad lip press
- really confused by the ending
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An average short comedy
Overall: a divorced couple goes to a bar in hopes of hooking up (not with each other), but will their plan work out? A 12 minute short film watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: homophobia*
What I Liked
- there were a few funny moments, like taking off the ring, the dating app
Room For Improvement
- *Sandy asks for god to send her a real man (she means not gay which is implying that gay men are not real men = homophobic)
- it was odd that Chris was interfering at the bar
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It's definitely fanatical love (minor spoilers)
Overall: The title gives you a clue that this isn't going to be some fluffy love story, but luckily it isn't unnecessarily tragic like so much other stuff from China. Watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: attempted murder, kidnapping, manipulation, non con that turns consensual, violence
What I Liked
- the flashbacks to high school were very clear thanks to the different hairstyles/clothing
- there were a couple of funny moments
- I enjoyed the sci fi aspect even if I was super confused about how it worked
Room For Improvement
- the plot, especially in the beginning, is very confusing thanks to multiple flashbacks/forwards/dreams/maybe dreams?/cutting quickly to other characters/choppy editing.
- the audience is supposed to be happy with the ending but I'm kind of not based on what we've seen
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Road trip story with four guys
Overall: Three friends (and one potential hook up) go on a road trip. I'm grading this on a curve as it's from 2008, low budget and addressed a couple important topics. Watched on gagaoolala.Content warnings: homophobia (internal & external), a transphobic comment
What I Liked
- that they addressed the topics of HIV, jobs/poverty and homophobia
- the intro song which is played throughout was fun to listen to
- favorite line "change is the most permanent thing in this world"
Room For Improvement
- it appears that Michael got closure but the way he went about it was bad
- I think they could have cut some scenes out or made them shorter and then developed the characters and their relationships with one another more
- the subs had some errors/I didn't understand a few things
- the night scenes were too dark and it was difficult to see
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Timeline is a bit confusing, but an overall sweet short film
Overall: This 15 minute short film from Malaysia explores a major challenge to an established m/m relationship. Watched on gagaoolala.Content Warnings: homophobia
What I Liked
- starts with an established couple
- that they communicate about what they are going to do instead of 1 person just ghosting the other
- cute scenes like at the beach
- the mom's growth
Room For Improvement
- the frequent time skips backwards and forwards made it difficult to know the sequence of events and made it feel disjointed. When the subtitles said Tokyo, Japan they could have also said X weeks, months or years later
- quite a lot of background road noise in a scene towards the end
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This review may contain spoilers
A family centered story
Overall: this centers on Artemisia, a woman with a queer son, a daughter studying/living abroad who then returns with a surprise and a bigoted, penny-pinching motherContent Warnings: the grandma is very bigoted but it is not shown in a positive way
What I Liked
- the m/m had an actual realistic conversation about thoughts on planning a trip together and whether or not to come out
- the kiddo is super cute
- showing challenges and working through them (Artemisia)
- the mom hanging up that underwear to dry was hilarious
Room For Improvement
- the boyfriend coming over unannounced felt like an ambush and was forcing the son to do something he wasn't yet ready for
- the ending feels a bit abrupt or too open ended, though you can infer what is happening with the son and his boyfriend and I liked the tai chi (I think that's what it is)
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A Quirky Short Film
Content Warnings: noneOverall: a cute short film (30min) with an art house film quirky vibe
What I Liked
- the set design is really nice
- the camerawork and lighting made it have an art film/quirky/unique tone
- I could see this being a whole series and I don't think I've seen a fortune teller reading tea leaves in BL yet...
Room For Improvement
- I think I know what happened at the end but I'm not really sure...which generally isn't how I like to feel after watching something
- the goofy sound effects were okay, I liked that they toned them/got rid of them later on
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