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labcat
This review may contain spoilers
Some episodes are quite sweet but the quality is inconsistent
I'm tempted to say that this collection of short episodes (like short films) shamelessly bank on the fame of BL actor pairings without really offering anything much. Each episode is a standalone story, so it is hard for much development in terms of story, and we can't possibly expect much where this is concerned. Nevertheless, some of the episodes manage to depict a relationship and be thought-provoking while the others appear to be just a BL-actor vehicle.
In the first episode, Ohm and Fluke of Until We Meet Again act as a couple again, but may just spoil the Dean/Pharm pairing for fans of Until We Meet Again. Arguably the episode that is the most out of place, Episode 1 is frustrating in how self-contradictory the depiction of the couple is. In a way, it is more adventurous than the other episodes, but let's just accept it that there are some adventures in which people get into awful accidents.
Episode 2 features the most good looking actors in the five episodes, but it is really about the relationship between a man and his cat. It's not BL though you can be forgiven if you find it disturbing, thinking that it's a romantic relationship. After all, one of the two actors have to act as the cat and the actors' roles in TharnType 2 (plus the marketing of Close Friend as BL) will likely give one the wrong idea. But it's quite clear that the cat owner treats the cat as a pet he does dote on, not a lover. The scenes of intimacy are more like a cat snuggling with its owner and asking for treats though you can imagine what it looks like when you get a human actor to play the cat.
Episode 3: I would say it's just some forgettable schoolboy situation.
Episode 4: One man tries to help the other regain his love after he is jilted by his girlfriend. They end up together. OK, but nothing too impressive.
Episode 5: A sweet throwback to the 1990s, this episode is about two pen pals back in the era without ubiquitous mobile phones and social media.
Episode 6: After the throwback to the 1990s, the series ends with a futuristic(?) world in which people can communicate with personalities they idolize through VR machines. There's a suggestion that the virtual world (perhaps also a metaphor for today's cyberspace and social media) may present an idealized and version of things that may seem very real, but the reality of the offline world, for all its imperfections, is what really matters. When Ray meets the real-life Jedi he has been seeing on VR, Jedi is nowhere like the VR version that is always eager to please. The real-life Jedi may lose his temper, but the way he interacts with Ray is more genuine.
Some of the episodes in this series are better than others, but I guess none of them will waste too much of your time.
In the first episode, Ohm and Fluke of Until We Meet Again act as a couple again, but may just spoil the Dean/Pharm pairing for fans of Until We Meet Again. Arguably the episode that is the most out of place, Episode 1 is frustrating in how self-contradictory the depiction of the couple is. In a way, it is more adventurous than the other episodes, but let's just accept it that there are some adventures in which people get into awful accidents.
Episode 2 features the most good looking actors in the five episodes, but it is really about the relationship between a man and his cat. It's not BL though you can be forgiven if you find it disturbing, thinking that it's a romantic relationship. After all, one of the two actors have to act as the cat and the actors' roles in TharnType 2 (plus the marketing of Close Friend as BL) will likely give one the wrong idea. But it's quite clear that the cat owner treats the cat as a pet he does dote on, not a lover. The scenes of intimacy are more like a cat snuggling with its owner and asking for treats though you can imagine what it looks like when you get a human actor to play the cat.
Episode 3: I would say it's just some forgettable schoolboy situation.
Episode 4: One man tries to help the other regain his love after he is jilted by his girlfriend. They end up together. OK, but nothing too impressive.
Episode 5: A sweet throwback to the 1990s, this episode is about two pen pals back in the era without ubiquitous mobile phones and social media.
Episode 6: After the throwback to the 1990s, the series ends with a futuristic(?) world in which people can communicate with personalities they idolize through VR machines. There's a suggestion that the virtual world (perhaps also a metaphor for today's cyberspace and social media) may present an idealized and version of things that may seem very real, but the reality of the offline world, for all its imperfections, is what really matters. When Ray meets the real-life Jedi he has been seeing on VR, Jedi is nowhere like the VR version that is always eager to please. The real-life Jedi may lose his temper, but the way he interacts with Ray is more genuine.
Some of the episodes in this series are better than others, but I guess none of them will waste too much of your time.
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