Flying across the world was worth it

Ok so first I don’t speak Japanese and the movie didn’t have subtitles. I haven’t read the novels or listened to the audio cd’s.

I came across Utsukare last year and was beyond impressed by the acting and story. So getting news of a second season and movie with a theatrical release felt very special and I decided to go to Japan for the experience.


When I made that decision, I intentionally didn’t want to read the novel or synopsis until after seeing s2 and the movie because I came into the world of Utsukare based on the show/visual medium and I wanted to continue my journey unspoiled without overly knowing the written material.


So opening night, I get some merch, get a ginger ale, and sit and let the movie show me a story.

Absolutely true a lot of the nuance and context of what was happening was beyond me.
Here is my tumblr recap - https://www.tumblr.com/anotherblblog/713949084636119040/ok-so-i-came-to-japan-to-watch-utsukushii-kare

Some are taking criticism at my recap because I don’t speak Japanese.

I went to Japan to watch this on the big screen because I wanted to see Utsukare big and bright and I got that experience.

With 2 seasons of HiraKiyo, I felt the movie picked up and continued their relationship well. Hira is more direct and involved and even with his insecurities still is there for Kiyoi and not yearning in place beneath him.
The mentors are really solid in their lives. The music is mostly new but with some familiar elements.


What I wanted for this experience was for it to feel like a movie. Big cinematic set pieces but I didn’t wanna lose the feeling of Utsukare.

I think the movie delivered on both.

The movie took set pieces and vignettes from the television series - HiraKiyo sleeping together and elevated it for the big screen. More tulle. Longer runtime. More heat. There are 2 high heat scenes and a handful of domestic fondness. They’re a couple. They feel like a couple. When they look at each other. When they touch. And it’s continuing a lot of the emotional tension in season 2 with Kiyoi wanting more. And Hira gives it to him. And Hira even gives it to him in a bathtub.

Where in season 1 Hira ran alone through the school a lot, in the movie he runs leading Kiyoi through a slo-mo cinematic fantasy run through the school but also through their past that they didn’t quite have in season 1. But seeing them again in their full school uniform and their casual wear felt real for me because it felt real for them.

The 10 episodes of seasons 1 and 2 led to this experience and I was very happy to have seen it, now three times.

I will love going back with subtitles and seeing how it’s translated for the international audience. But I’m content and impressed by what I’ve seen.

10/10.

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The script needed a red apple

Honestly for me, the only (and most) enjoyable part of this series was ragging on it in the comments with the other fans/prisoners of this show.

Like I think they had pieces there to make a good series for me. But it just didn't happen. I'm totally fine with slow burn and build up and tension building, but this series was ridiculous. It was so repetitive but also literally nothing happened. A lot of cryptic comments and stares and standoffs. It was an ugly love dodecagon of people pining over people who were obviously uninterested in them because the liked someone else.

Then at some point, we get one of the most one dimensional villains ever who was campy and almost fun but for the low ceiling of this series. Her motivations were non-existent. Her plans were kill her way to the top and then rule with an iron fist, except she had 3 goons who couldn't find 2 people living in pretty much the most obvious place to search for them.

This series was just.... a mess.

Peterpan and Noh were stealing the show but then the "plot" came for them and they separated and this slow af series got even slower. I really want to see them in another show.

The fencers were frustrating as they both were chasing each other sorta, and other people sorta, and one was so mean for no well defined reason to the other one. Then they end up banging outside a house party.

Sun and his MANY cardiac events and red apples and fainting and grimacing. Like dude.
Also at some point, I swear, they gave Kim psychic powers or something like that. Like literally? Maybe? It was very unclear. But it seemed like he had powers. Maybe that's why his brain was bleeding and he was losing memories later.

I don't know.

I still think Snow White was behind it all. That would have honestly made this series make sense.

Please Peterpan take another role in a different series.
Kan too.

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#NotMe #NotYou #NotGramBlack

So I waited until the week episode 11 premiered to begin Not Me. Once it started, I could see why it was so popular, even without OffGun, I really enjoyed the humor, the mystery elements, the politics and class consciousness and queerness of the series, and what I thought would be this big reckoning when Black woke up/White figured out who hurt him.

I feel like the first half of Not Me was doing a lot of set up and tension building and creating all these possibilities and the last arc, for me, just didn't meet those expectations they set. The Tawi plot is not resolved/offscreened. The gang spends most of the series operating outside the system and then offscreen surrenders themselves to the system. And I'm still wondering what the point of the GramBlack scenes/hints were if it was also leading to nothing.

I think the plot on paper and the strength of Gun's acting for Black and White is what has kept this series relatively high for me. I like that it's more mature and that it has a political/class conscious POV. I feel like it the back half could have landed the plane better Not Me could have been a top series for me. But I don't think it will have a lot of rewatch value outside of Black's scenes because the plot set up of the first episodes is not concluded well.

I like this series, I thought I would love this series, but the last arc was a bit of a letdown, outside of Gun's phenomenal portrayal as Black.

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A Beautiful Experience

So I am an interfan from USA with no ability to speak or understand Japanese, so I went for the vibes and merch.

I think it’s great when I can see something on a big screen and I haven’t seen a bl on a movie screen since Gameboys the movie in 2021.

Loved hearing the soundtrack on the big screen. Kiyoi’s theme is absolutely one of my favorite bl tracks and each time I heard it on the surround sound was magic.

The special edit - all 6 episodes of season 1 were put into one going. The intro only played in the episode 1 spot. There was no outros and a lot/most of the intro/outro dialogue was removed.

The “new” scenes were some extended scenes. The two most noticeable ones for me were in episode 3/the contest episode - we see Hira bring Kiyoi ginger ale during the house prep session and we see Kiyoi turn to look back down the hallways after he loses the contest and we see him walk away.

Some of the scenes played a little differently and I think the dialogue was different but I can’t confirm that. There was more water sounds and some of the music was different at time. When Hira and Kiyoi re-meet after the Koyama birthday show, they don’t play the outro music.

A few season 1 scenes were omitted or moved. We don’t see Kiyoi practicing saying “I like you” at the stream bank and we don’t see the flashback of Kiyoi seeing Hira taking the picture of captain duck.

The montage/flashbacks felt different/longer.

There was a send off from Riku and Yusei after the movie and a new scene teaser from Utsukushii Kare Eternal. I begged/bribed a friend to come with me to see the special edit and asked him to translate/give me the gist of the movie trailer and he said - Kiyoi comes home and Hira has cooked a lot of food and Kiyoi asks why Hira made so much and Hira was evasive. They have a playful fight and Kiyoi accuses Hira of cheating on him and pounces on him and pulls back to punch him while Hira continues being cagey.



I have seen the special edit twice, once alone and the second time with my friend for assisting with translating the movie scene. I love seeing projects I like on a big screen with great sound system and seeing Utsukushii Kare was no exception.

I have no idea if MBS will ever make the special edit available commercially or internationally so I might try and see it one more time before the week is over so to melt in the sounds and sights in full movie theater glory.

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Na, na-na-naaaaaaaaa

Listen, not every show is going to be prestige prime time drama, and that’s ok.
Sometimes, I just want to watch a show with actors I support and I hope it’s not awful.
I wanted to see how KaownahTurbo would fare as leads and I was pretty pleased.
I haven’t seen any source material or other versions of Love Stage so I know absolutely nothing about the original series and can’t say how great or not of an adaptation this version is, but from the trailer and music video, I felt like I had an idea of what this show would be about.
It’s campy, it’s juvenile, it sometimes approaches serious dramedy, but overall is a pretty light and fluffy show.
Some scenes, I fast forwarded through. Some scenes I genuinely enjoyed.

Pros:
The beach/double hook up episode was easily the high point of the series for me.
It’s cheesy fun and silly
I think Film/Tee was a scene stealer/best of the series
Sometimes the B couple was better to watch than the main couple.
The main female character, Aigo, was pretty solid
Theme song is catchy af

Cons:
Definitely a lot of scenes got fast forwarded through
A big cast for so little development or usage of most of them
I defy you to tell me a difference between Oat and Book or Nick and Big (and one of them I had to look up their name)
A tad disjointed/poorly paced but also meandering at times
Subplots would appear and disappear with a quickness

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My Beautiful Review

What a series.
I started this series not knowing any of the "controversy" surrounding it and when I finished I was so impressed that I was a bit shocked that there was anything negative to say about this series.

I found this series to be so wonderful and enthralling. The rewatch value is high and the music is a dream.

The acting is sharp and the intense introspection of the two protagonists makes for a a very good clash.
"What if the person you liked liked you back but you didn't think it was reciprocal."

The last 3 episodes are some of my all time bl favorites. It's just a great series that captivated me.

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My first and favorite BL series

I never intended to watch Gameboys. I was bored and decided to rewatch a gay movie on Netflix and settled on Edge of Seventeen. When that movie ended, Netflix suggested Gameboys and I was too lazy in that moment to look for anything else. I could not imagine how much that would change the course of my year.

As I started watching Gameboys, I could feel how hard my eyes were rolling, how much I was smiling, and how much I was shaking my head and tut tutting at their antics, (Cai). Gameboys is so cheesy and light and saccharine (Gav), I wondered if this was intentional or the genre or Filipino culture. Then around episode 3 (Secret Snippets), I found myself at the precipice moment of "if I continue this, I'm going to be really hooked." And I continued, I binged the rest of the series, and I immediately restarted it again and in some ways it feels like I haven't stopped rewatching or at least thinking about Gameboys.

Gameboys is absolutely a masterpiece and I have recommended, coerced, watched it with most of my friends, annoyed the others with how much I've watched and talked about it, and it reintroduced me to BLs.

What I initially liked about Gameboys (and what I still like about Gameboys after watching many more series), is that Gameboys is honest and unashamed of its themes and characters. It is a cheesy, sweet story about two guys who fall for each other over video calls during a pandemic. Gav really is that earnest and sincere and flirty. And Cai--- Cai is a demon twink villain protagonist who I want to sit down and give a stern lecture to and also just hug and tell him it's ok and he's ok.

As I rewatch Gameboys (and also watch it alongside my friends for their first time), I get to come back to this world that seems so real and so much own our world. It is a pandemic story and it's also filmed as video calls and zoom hangouts and timeline statuses and posts but the strength of Gameboys is the strength of Elijah's and Kokoy's acting and their chemisty. When I first watched this series, I wondered if these were strong actors or if the material was within their wheelhouse. I think the answer is both. Then as I learned about how the show was made and that they didn't physically interact or practice or workshop directly together, I was amazed at how strong both of their performances are. You could have told me they had a set made with both their rooms and were looking at each other and was camera trickery that made this series and I would have believed it. So learning that they were actually in their rooms staring at themselves or their sibling holding the camera, I was really impressed that they could give such a clear performance. Watching Gameboys feels like you are facetiming with them and watching their live zoom hangouts. It's a really immersive series. And watching Cai defrost over the course of the series is a treat.

Gameboys is without question centered around Cai and Elijah is a phenom in this role. Nearly every episode and sometimes it feels like every scene he's in, Cai just evokes such strong feelings within me. Like I want to yell at the screen, "bitch, get over yourself" or "girl, calm tf down" yet I never (really) turn against Cai even though I feel he is definitely his own worst enemy. Elijah is able to convey internal conflict and insecurity and pride and sheepishness and lust and regret and anger and pain and that's all within the first couple of episodes. Watching Gameboys with my friends, we're laughing at Cai for his antics while understanding that this dude is just kinda wound tight like that. Cai can and does read as unpleasant or at least highly disgruntled at times yet Elijah always has this way of making me want to hug this dude and help him get past his demon twink ways. It's probably the tears. Like these dudes are the best damn criers and it seems like Elijah always has that one perfectly fat slow moving tear just ready to fire off. And when he smiles, it's just game over. Elijah is able to show a character who has such an inner light and beauty while also having such a strong bitch face and scowl.

Baby. Ok baby, now let's talk baby, baby. Oh Gav. So Gav is definitely the supporting protagonist in Gameboys, yet Kokoy is just as strong in his acting and his understanding of his character. Just within this season, I felt like we can get a good sense of Gav and his character. But also I feel like there's confusion about being confident and flirty versus being a playboy or fuckboy. Like Gav is just so damn sincere and clear with his intentions to court and date and prove his affections for Cai, I feel it is truly a misunderstanding of the term play/fuckboy if one thinks it applies to Gav. Dude is just committed and focused and also again, he's upfront. Like I /get/ it, because I was also very taken aback by Gav my first time watching Gameboys because dude is making major declarations like 5 minutes into episode one. Gav is a romantic bolt of lightning. But unlike lightning, Gav maintains that level of devotion and impact the entire series. Like lowkey, Cai sometimes hella does not seem worth the effort Gav puts in to maintain and carry their relationship but Gav truly means to win Cai's heart and honestly, work bitch. Because Cai does not make it easy and over the series, we see Gav both acknowledge how hard it is for him to both win Cai over and maintain that level of energy and devotion. For me what is a standout about Gameboys as a series is that Gav also acknowledges that Cai is difficult and is not helping or supportive. From the first impression, it could seem like Gav is just a stock romantic archetype but Kokoy is able to really humanize Gav and bring him to life. Gav is just as rich of a character as Cai and while Kokoy doesn't get as much to do within this series as Elijah, Kokoy absolutely delivers a world class performance. Good job baby.

Overall, Gameboys remains my favorite BL series. Other series can deliver more with regards to production value or skinship/high heat or series length but so far nothing has made me happier as a fan/audience member/habitual rewatcher as Gameboys has. Gameboys is just fun. It's fun to watch. It's fun to cry along with. It's fun to get frustrated at the characters. Gameboys is an amazing experience. I love the songs and the sound board. The 8bit remixes to their original songs is so effective and cute and fun. And there are several songs and moments where the music really brings in the feeling of classic evocative drama and sorrow. And something I definitely underappreciated when Gameboys was the only BL series I've seen but now that I've definitely broadened my horizons, it stands out so much is that Gameboys doesn't play out any of their songs/score/music cues. Isang Laro and Pass or Play? are definitely the thematic songs/score of the series but they play just enough in my opinion to be effective without being used every time Cai and Gav look at each other. Pag-Asa, Ikaw At Ako, and Ngayon are always used at just the right moment and they land so well because aside from Ngayon, they're just used once. Gameboys is a series that is so indulgent and overflowing with feelings, yet there is restraint and, more importantly, intentionality with this series. There are call backs and parallelisms and they are used precisely to show that while Cai and Gav do differ so much on the surface, they are so compatible and similar.

I can't imagine being a bl fan and not giving Gameboys a shot. It really is that good and worth all the many, many, many awards they are getting.

To TIFC and EliKoy - thank you and baby, ggwp

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Bad Buddy - Worth the hype

When I first started seeing Bad Buddy take over my bl friend's TLs, I was definitely curious. Seeing that many different people liking the same thing caught my eye but I hadn't watched a series as it aired yet. I didn't wanna do weekly waits, so I waited until the week episode 12 was going to air to start watching.

After ep 12 aired, I watched a few other series and now just completed my first rewatch of Bad Buddy. Of all the GMMTV series I've seen, Bad Buddy is my favorite and I think their best and a great example of where modern BLs should be.

The characters of Pat and Pran are rich and complex and I did love the constant conflict between their own tensions/desire for each other always contrasted against the backdrops of other people's feuds - their faculties and their families. I like that the "will they, won't they" was pretty much resolved by the first arc but them realizing their mutual feelings isn't the same as being able to actualize their relationship because of the rest of the world. A really good and very queer plot and framework.

Ohm and Nanon both got to showcase their talents through this series and it felt comfortable watching no matter who the POV was. The side characters were ok. Outside of Pa, most just supported the main story/conflict.
I am not the biggest fan of the heavy sound effects, or triple cuts, or very staged and posed shots, so that lowers my rewatch and overall score a bit.

I do think overall this was a solid series and Bad Buddy is presently my 5th top BL.

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I was like baby, baby, baby ohhhhhhhhh

Gameboys Season 2. Easily my most anticipated series of the year. Gameboys S1 is my number 1 and I loved the movie and was looking forward to seeing how s2 would add to that story. I was not disappointed (by Cai and Gav).

Now I personally never cared for Wesley and Terrence so their additions didn't do much for me but Terrence did provide some angst and jealousy and opportunity for Cai to not be a demon twink, so I did appreciate that.

Admittedly, as an interfan, the wait and the vpn's and the difficulty of accessing season 2 was a bummer but each episode I was so happy to be back in Gav's house and the world of Gameboys.

I think season 2 was very strong overall and I can feel my emotions well up if I think about the ending scenes of the season.
TIFC and EliKoy are magic and the lightning in the bottle is still there for me.

The waits might be torturously long but watching Gav and Cai always are the perfect balm.

Gameboys was and still remains my number 1 series.

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MaxTul at their best

A solid series. Easily my favorite MaxTul project thus far.

This series is not strictly a BL or a romance series. I don't think that takes away from the enjoyment of Manner of Death at all. I very much enjoy MaxTul both being able to exercise some acting chops in a more serious/adult project.

Their chemistry is legendary for a reason and even with less heat/skinship than their prior series, they bring that high heat when they need and the rest of the series and the overall murder mystery plot is enjoyable.

I would enjoy more series like this and I am hopeful for more MaxTul projects in the future.

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I can't remember - did I leave a review already?

With the amnesia/lying being the main plot, I thought the flashbacks were used well to show how their past relationship was and what Fumiya was hoping to return to.
I did feel they packed a good amount of emotions and depth into the first 5 episodes. I think ep 6 could have been 10 minutes longer to make the resolution more satisfying for me but I still saw what they were going for and I think they achieved what they wanted to with the memories come back scene and then confession.
Not a perfect series but I think it's pretty high up there for how the series kept the emotional stakes high even with relatively not a big action oriented plot. A birthday party goes awry and then it's a weird slice of life second chance romance.

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A masterpiece

Just rewatched the ITSAYverse to remind myself of how great this series is and I remain beyond impressed.
This series is thoroughly great. Any and everything I can point to stands head and shoulders above other series.
The story is simple but effective. And there are brief deeply queer subplots about gender and homophobia which really bring extra depth to the characters and this story.
The acting is fantastic. Yes, the crying is melodramatic and for me it reminds me of being Xteen and melodramatic and ugly crying about whoever was causing me torment.
The music is beautiful and used and remixed and instrumentalized very well and effectively. And rewatching the series, you can pick up so many good background details or focus on the other protagonist.
All in all, this is a top tier series and I'm honestly glad that something like this exists and is such a great queer story.

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Now I'm ready to freefall

I knew nothing about the novel, didn't see the first trailer, only saw the second one and when I saw the pool scene in the trailer, I was so surprised that there would be an explicit onscreen sex scene like that. It felt like an amazing flex of sexiness, luxury, and audacity. I was definitely wanting to give this series a watch and as it started, I felt like "sexiness, luxury, and audacity" must have been the series' mission statement and I think on those terms KinnPorsche was an absolute success.

During the first half of series, I found myself liking this series and this world more and more. Then learning about the production story and all the starts and stops, I could better appreciate them for rallying and delivering this series. I don't think it's perfect by any means and the plot and pacing and which characters get focus and which didn't often left me wanting more. I feel like another few passes in the writer's room could have helped because sometimes the script/plot felt like it was getting hard carried by the actors and the brazen chemistry of Mile and Apo.

VegasPete, KimChay, TimeTay all were really under utilized in this season, honestly I was very surprised to see Porchay again around episode 3 then I was confused because it seemed like he and Kim were supposed to be the 3rd couple but Porchay and Kim had such little screen time. I think they did really make the best of their screen time and Barcode I think was my biggest acting surprise this season, sometimes the cutesy uwu genki characters are best animated and are very annoying when done in live action but I think Barcode made Porchay a real character and not a caricature and I was really impressed by his acting. I became aware of VegasPete through fans and the hype and when it finally started happening in the season, I wished it started a couple of episodes earlier so I could care and feel not rushed and always thinking "3 episodes left, 2 episodes, last episode coming up" during their scenes, similar to KimChay but they did start earlier but disappeared more. And TimeTay... I mean they were there like every 4/5 episodes and then would also disappear.

Also, it was very weird that Kim was never in a scene with Kinn until the last episode. That always struck me as odd.
But anyway, those are mild quibbles at best.

I did look forward to every episode of KinnPorsche and I think the season peaked around episodes 6/7 but the hype, the fan community, and the sexiness kept me engaged and happy as a show watcher. I am very much looking forward to the next season. I think the KinnPorsche actors have picked up the torch from MaxTul for highest heat and I am glad that ceiling is getting raised.

KinnPorsche was raunchy, sexy, funny, absurd, and just enjoyable. Not perfect but I mostly didn't care.
Also the theme songs are bangers and I love the different instrumental remixes of them.

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Bold choices in a bold story. Still beautiful.

So I'm extremely glad I watched these series before learning how divisive IPYTM is. And honestly I get it. From ITSAY and LTIP, our protagonists are heading to their future hand in hand and the first episode has some amazing high points. The underwater kiss redux is even more beautiful and Sui's ep 1 goodbye to Teh is so beautiful and a wonderful conclusion to Teh's family plots from ITSAY.
Then comes IPYTM and the university/divergent paths of Teh and Oh. It is tough, watching Teh drift from Oh and also not accept them both changing. But it's honestly very realistic and gorgeously done. The same problems Teh and Oh had as 7th graders and 12th graders, they have similar problems in their 20s. And Oh does really try to hold them together and it's heartbreaking to watch it fall around him but life be like that sometimes.
It's not the story I wanted but it's story that was told to me and as much as it hurt watching, it was beautiful watching it.
It didn't "have to happen like that" but it did and we watched both Teh and Oh pick up the pieces and choose how they move forward with them and me as an audience member, I choose to do the same.
I Promised You The Moon is every bit as intentional and elevated as I Told Sunset About You and while the story might not be as well loved in the latter half, I very much argue that it's still as poignant and beautiful as the former.

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