This had no business being this good....

I went in with a chip on my shoulder, as the short vertical BL's I've watched in the past have been bland at best. It also wasn't an auspicious start, Top Reels dropped 5 for free, then the rest you needed to watch ads to get the coins, or just outright by the coins to finish. I ended up doing the ads for the free watch for about 5 days, then finally folded and paid to watch the last episodes last night.

No regrets.

For anyone who watches vertical cdramas with janky subs, you will be pleasantly surprised with the coherency of the subs, as well as the production value in the series (they had multiple sets of clothing!)

This had absolutely no business being as cute as it was, and having a plot? What was that? It had a coherent narrative, was not expecting that at all. It would have been better if they hadn't telegraphed the twist so eairly, but for what it was and what it did I'm honestly impressed with the production value, and the acting.

I wish it'd had a full release on a platform, I think the format and the labour/cost of watching will deter a lot of viewers.

Read More

I somwhat predictable entry to the post-apocolyptic subgenre

As an avid horror enthusiast, I enjoyed this overall. I think it is worth a watch, and I'm going to explain why by drawing a parallel here to the Romero zombieverse, because I think in essence there is a homage here to the post-apocalyptic subgenre.

I was a huge fan of season 1, it has a low-budget, indie feel, featuring the trapped with a monster trope, and a small band of survivors, very much like the original Dawn of the Dead. Even the ending was similar with the breach of the apartments, and the military coming in. With the season ending as it did, as well as the larger budget for the new season, it was pretty predictable where they would take this one; world-building and survival horror.

This season, is very much like Day of the Dead, military vs. survivors coming into conflict, even the mad doctor doing experiments. I was expecting it, as well as the evolution of the 'curse' and its effects on the monsters. We are in season 2 and this is how post-apocalyptic horror works, once the premise is established survival is next.

I did think the focus of the survivors in the bunker was a rinse-wash repeat from season 1 with less likable characters. And I do agree the more engaging characters should have had more screen time. The creature design for Hyun Soo is so striking, and we had only a few glimpses which is a shame. The military commander was a great foil this go around drawing on Hyun Soo's character arc in the first season and the internal struggle.

I wish they would have leaned more into the monsters, the first season had some fantastic designs that I missed in this one (yes I have a fondness for the claymation in season 1) there wasn't anything really of note in this one.
I did like the sanity slippage in the more commanding characters, the juxtaposition there is always compelling plots and that was more interesting.

The morality of human vs monster was leaned on heavily here, and the diatribe was a little trite and overly predictable would have been nice to see somthing different but it wasn't and it hit all the beats of the standard subgenre and that's ok too. You know what to expect, and there is predictability in it.

This honestly felt like somewhat of a filler season, I am hoping it's teeing up for the next installment and I'm on board, with the expectation it will be balls out.

Read More

Underated

I'm surprised this has such a low rating on here, it's worth the watch.

I'm going the preface this review by saying I am a big fan of horror, watched a ton of them, and this has a solid B horror feel to it. I'm a softie for a love story in a horror and I think they actually did a fairly good job sticking a balance. Was it anything out of the box? No. But it wasn't an engineering BL in uni, so it should get some recognition for that alone. It was a little tropie but it hit all the beats, the acting was decent, and the leads likable. The gratuitous use of slow-motion though was a little painful in places but it's only 8 episodes so they didn't really get a chance to fully explore the story. Honestly, they could have leaned into the horror more, but it's pretty on par with other Asian horror I've watched.

The ending was a little odd for lack of a better word, without spoiling anything, but again it was a short series so they need to wrap things up. Would recommend, and we need some more horror BL.

Read More

Absolutely worth the watch but know what you're going for.

Firs the big question; is this a BL?

No it's really not. BUT I like this because it is so unique. The author was upfront about that, the novella is a character study for Sunshine. It is a Faustian tale, where the lead happens to have a boyfriend but it really has no bearing on the rest of the plot, it could have been female or male it makes no difference.

This was an art-house piece, it's a stage play in a series, and I absolutely applaud the whole team and their work, especially Atom and Jet, this whole production hinged on them and they put in a solid performance. Adapting this particular novella was ambitious, but I think the director was looking for the challenge, I appreciate that they aren't selling it on fan service, with pointless makeout scenes with overly loud music. There is intent here, and more said in a longing looks than anything else and it's one of the big selling points.

This is not going to be for everyone, and the ending is an open/ambiguous one, but if you're like me and a fan of the off-beat and outside the norm, this will for sure be right up your alley and absolutely worth the time to watch it through, and give the novella a read as well, it's not a big commitment.

Read More

Worth the Watch

My only true complaint about this is the length. The story is so interesting, a new twist on a popular take in the fan fiction world of the ‘soul mate’ trope, it opened up so many possibilities for the story....but it was just way to short. The acting was so well done, and the chemistry between the leads undeniable, it kept you watching until the end. It leaves you with questions though, as well as wanting more.

Without spoiling anything there are several major plot points that are just sort of left hanging, it would have great if it had explored more of the underlying storylines. I’m really hoping this was maybe just to test the waters and they will do a full season but that’s probably dreaming big. It seems like a missed opportunity for a more complex storyline.

The leads are so sweet and the relationship doesn’t feel forced, the progress natural. There is an interesting backstory behind both that is never full realized, more then likely due to time constraints, but again so much potential there.

Overall I throughly recommend watching, it won’t take long to binge through it. It’s new, interesting, and hopefully a taste of the evolving BL dramas we are starting to see.

Read More

Horror Anthologies are hard....

Horror anthologies are popular, and I've seen too many horror ones to count, on a whole Horror Delivery Service isn't anything groundbreaking, it is surprisingly well made. Production value is high, and while the segments are short...really short, the wrap-around is one of the better ones I've seen in an anthology. It feels like the stories take place in the same universe, and there is little callbacks in each instalment.

The narrative is somewhat vague, but with a run time of 45 min all told it dosen't lend itself to much aside from some creeping dread and jump scares.

Overall it worth a watch if you're looking for something to kill some time and you enjoy a horror.

Read More

Conceptually Interesting

The premise is interesting, voice over of 'real life' scary stories, while the story is acted. Short stories via YouTube which lends its self to the more conceptual format. There aren't many though, would be better if stories could keep getting added to it, maybe they will? The description seems to lean towards this being an ongoing project where people call in with their stories and they get made.

Not a huge time commitment, watch them in less than hour, they aren't overly scary, but surprisingly have a high production value.

Not the worst thing I've watched on YouTube, but I was more interested in how it was presented, they could do a lot more with the concept if they really leaned into it.

Read More

My First

This one will always have a special place in my heart because it's the first BL I ever watched (surprised I watched more after lol). I highly recommend it, this series is so well done, and while there are a few gaps in the characterization, it's so soft and sweet you can forgive it.

The intimate scenes omg...blush, but worth it.

The side couple I did like, it's a nice contrast to the main couple.

My advice however is not to read the comments as you watch (spoilers abound) but so good. I will rewatch when I get up the courage too, and while I won't spoil anything for you, prepare your heart for this one.

Read More