Unpopularopinionbydemand

One For the Books

I can't explain how much I was moved by the series to the point where I stayed up at the ass crack of dawn to binge-watch. Then to be told that episode 8 would be another few hours hurt to hear, but I waited and waited, and finally, it came out, and my heart is overjoyed with something that I haven't felt for many Japanese BLs. Mr.Unlucky is an extraordinary series full of happiness, speculating luck, and a heartwarming romance.

Let's Dive In.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss is the story of Kota, a boy born unlucky who has unfortunate circumstances happen to him every day, from falling ceilings to stepping in dog shit, he has to endure it 24/7. Until he meets Naoya, a boy born lucky, who has the best things happen to him anytime he wants them. When Kota finds himself around Naoya, he sees how his bad luck fades away, and he can have a good time. Through a misunderstanding, they both become boyfriends and their lives are forever changed. What initially drew me in was this wacky synopsis that I was curious to see play out on screen. I was a little skeptical at first, going into this with only the synopsis and that's it, but this was a gem. A bright bright gem that I'm so thankful I ventured to. While most of this series was everything I needed and more, there was a key aspect that dimmed my overall joy, but for the most part, this series was as close to perfect as perfect can get.

One thing that Japanese series can do is either be extremely vulgar or super clean and from my understanding, there is no in-between. Even looking at Cherry Magic, a story based around a virgin, was as innocent as ever, and so was Kieta Hatsukoi, with neither shows even showing a kiss between leads, and yet, I still loved them to my fullest potential. Mr. Unlucky happens to fall in the super clean category. Part of me doesn't mind that intimacy doesn't play a big role here, because they were still able to evoke strong feelings out of me without that aspect, but gosh, does it suck not to see the climax of something the writers did so well at building up. Kota and Naoya have built such incredible sensual tension that it's almost infuriating with every passing second Kota avoids kissing Naoya or doing anything else. This series is so prude in itself that it draws back its own ability to be even greater than before, and it sucks. I wish there would've been a moment where Kota finally felt ready to kiss Naoya, and instead, we never get that. Besides a very chaste kiss in the beginning, we the audience are left to fend for our own and make up the rest of their story as it ends.

And while I do complain that intimacy should've played a bigger role here, I can't help but applaud how respectful and patient Naoya was. He kissed Kota in the beginning because that's what his past girlfriends had liked, but he realized Kota was different and was willing to wait to kiss him again until he was ready. Although that moment never happens, it's heartwarming to watch Naoya be so sensual and yet hold himself back for the one that matters to him the most. Consent was superb here, and I will deathly miss it.

Now, getting into their romance, of course, because of it being a misunderstanding, the connection isn't as strong in the beginning as it is in the end. But we get to watch with every passing moment it build and build until we're desperate for more. Getting to watch Kota be happy and do things that he normally keeps himself away from because of his bad luck is another level of rewarding. His smile, the way his eyes light up, his skips and jumps and cheers, it's all very gratifying to see. To see that Naoya is able to bring him something he hasn't had in years. Anytime they were together, my heart was aghast to watch them grow in chemistry and understanding. I was sure that Naoya would have a similar situation as Kota: using him so that his good luck isn't always there and people can stop relying on him. But nope, that's not the case. Naoya just loved Kota from the very second he saw him, and it only grew from there. That is fucking precious. I will miss seeing these two on my screen, only if it were for a day.

Onto the side characters, who were a lot less memorable, but they played helpful roles in getting the leads to where they needed to be. The two best friends were valuable attributes to Naoya who saw them as his real friends and not people needing him for his luck. I was more so intrigued with Miki's story who seemed as positive as ever about love, and Anna, who seemed very negative about love. I have my speculations that the bracelet Miki was wearing somehow stopped her from forming relationships instead of being in one, and once it broke, she seemingly started to realize her feelings for Anna, and it's quite an adventure to take part in. I wish they had more screen time after Miki subtly (but not so subtly) admits her feelings to Anna.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - It's the strongest aspect of the series. It was able to keep me entertained throughout without any skips or FF. The romance is well done, and so is the explanation and the play out of luck and sharing it. I'll only take a star off since I think the romance could've taken that one step further, and instead, the writers hold us back.

Acting: 9.5 - Great! Literally! Sota (Kota) does a fascinating job, playing up the extraness and expressional person that his character was. Sato I learned is a Japanese idol, and in some parts of his acting, it's not as strong as it could be, but still, he does a good job at getting the message of his character across. All the side characters did excellent as well.

Music: 7 - the theme song was good to me! Other than that, I didn't really pay too much attention to it.

Rewatch value: 6 - I could see myself rewatching this whenever I need my heart to flutter for whatever reason.

I don't usually ask for second seasons, cause it's unnecessary and not needed, but I severely hope this gets a second season to wrap up that endearing part of Kota and Noaya that we don't see. I still think there is a story there to tell, and I need it immediately. This had shot up to being my new all-time favorite Japanese BL, and not too far from making an appearance as my top 10 favorite BLs. I will cherish this for as long as I can. I heavily recommend this for anyone interested. If you can take yourself out of the real world and watch this fantastical series that will make you feel every emotion in the book, then give this one a shot.

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Not Really BL

I feel like the majority of what I watched was an action-packed thriller, mystery thing that just happened to take place with characters of the same-sex falling in love. Most stories are suppose to be the complete opposite, with it being majority BL, with the action-pack stuff being there for plot purposes, but the romance the overall goal and objective. I didn't get that with 4 minutes though.

Let's Dive In.

So, 4 Minutes in a nutshell is basically about this rich college guy that (SPOILERS!!) in his moments of dying, gets to go back during these traumatic moments and look 4 minutes into the future to fix his mistakes. One of those mistakes happen to be with a gorgeous surgeon, who also has his own life problem's with Great's family business. Then there's also a side couple who is just as rambunctious and cutthroat with all of their own problems as well.

What I got from the majority of the plot is: they put a lot of money and effort into the characters, story, special effects, etc., but by the 6th episode, I was honestly kind of over everything. I feel like this is the type of series you have to pay attention to, and pay attention to every single little detail, down to the time on the clock, to the writing on the wall. I think I'm just not that kind a person, to get super-duper invested in a series where I'm paying that much attention to the small, what-feels-minuscule moments to then have then be flipped, twisted, and reverse. Had I not watched this with a friend, I'd be in utter shambles trying to figure out with the hell was going on. Which brings me to my point of why this doesn't feel like a BL series. Kind of like Manner of Death, kinda sorta Triage, and other series that deal with this time-warp, time-traveling shenanigans; what they all have in common is that the main goal is for them to figure out what's going on, not within their relationship, but within these weird, mystical powers they've gain the ability to have.

Moving onto the plot twist and whatnot; I think things were handle as well as they could be with such a complex plot, but there were definitely ways I wish they would've done things better. For instance, while Great and Tyme were stuck in Great's hallucinations, we were also seeing Korn and Tonkla's story, but still set in the actual reality. Which is where a lot of the plot gets weird, confusing, and obnoxiously aggravating trying to figure out what is real and what is not. I think most people find it fun to theorize and analyze, but for me, I was just wanting answers immediately, just cause that's how I am. Again, if you're not big on paying very VERY good attention, then you will be just as lost as I was. I understood enough to get me through, but I had to read a breakdown of each episode to figure out what actually happened.

Again, since this isn't really a BL, I feel like I never really got attached to any of the couples, including the main. I think they also didn't receive a good initial start-up for us to even really enjoy the time we get with them. It's literally sex and lust immediately, quite literally on their first interactions. I feel like I didn't get "We're in love" vibes from them at all, not even at the end when they are actually happy together. I think with Tonkla, it wasn't about the relationships at all, it was literally about getting revenge for his brother, no matter who he had to sleep with to get there. I think it was genuine with Korn in the beginning, which they had a really intimate, really beautiful first time NC scene that was done so well, but after that, and with the trauma Tonkla had gone through, it just all turns to shit. His relationship with the police officer was just very hot, and that was kind of it.

This series received so much hype, obviously because of the very explicit NC scenes, which man, did they go all the way, and I mean alllllll the way. I think overall it's a good story, but I think it was one of those things where people only hyped the sex and not the story, so the cast and the crew that put forth the effort of actually trying to tell a decent story gets but on the back-burner because hot-men-naked-and-having-sex-very-explicitly was happening. Kinda sad, but that's just the reality of a series like this.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - I feel like I got lost a couple times, but overall, you can tell what's happening, you can understand how things are working, and I feel like I enjoyed it enough to want to understand it all by the end. The romance didn't romance enough for me, but I still didn't hate it.

Acting: 9/10 - The best aspect about this series. All the actors did such a fantastic job, and it also didn't hurt that they were all fine as hell. I'm actually very surprised (and worried??) that Tonkla's character was played by such a young and upcoming actor, cause he probably did the best out of everyone imo. Which feels a little weird cause I feel like his scene were the most explicit ones, but... okay.

Music: 7/10 - intro music was nice, I love a little instrumental moment. Other than that, didn't pay it any mind.

Recommendation Value: 6./10 - Eh. I think if you're wanting to jump on the bandwagon and watch specifically because they have great NC scenes, than you wouldn't be alone. The plot itself is heavy, it's complex and it's raw, which a lot of people might not be in the mood for, so it's really a BL that you watch when you're in the mood, period.

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Best GMMTV Series To Date

A Tale of (a) Thousand Stars was the best BL that GMMTV has ever produced. Period. From the quality of production, acting, setting, and story, TOTS will forever remain a stellar series that has pushed the agenda for BLs to come.

Let's Dive In.

I'll keep my review pretty precise since there are plenty others to read from, but this series really brought me to tears, which isn't easy. Tian's character development was some of the best I have ever seen, and it was done with such subtleness and delicateness that was shown through his trials and tribulations with wanting to belong amongst the villagers and his students. For this to be Mix's (Tian) first-ever acting gig, he did a phenomenal job, and I hope to see him in many more series to come. Earth was finally given a decent role! the last I had seen of Earth was when he played a rude swimmer, but in this series, he served as the stern officer, who became gentle when around Tian. Phupa was a delight and I really enjoyed all that he brought. The chemistry between the two was off the charts. When you can present a connection that is so strong to the audience without the need for physical affection or intimacy, then you know it's good. A huge pat on the back for Mix and Earth.

The plot was phenomenal, nothing more is needed to be said. Everything connected in one way or another, and I NEED to see more well-thought-out and detailed plots like this with GMMTV. No toxic ex-girlfriend, no homophobic characters, and no plot holes. Perfection is the only word needed to exclaim this plot.

When looking at the behind-the-scenes, it was obvious how much effort and hard work was put into producing this series, and that right there deserves a ten for itself. I've seen Backoaf's (director) other work, but this one was the best one he has done yet. Seeing at how difficult it was to make this series, I doubt that we'll get a season two, but where we left off was perfect and a really good ending.

Yod was by far my favorite character. He was the comedic relief to this series (as well as Rang), and it was some of the best I had seen. I hope to see Champ in future projects because he was pure bliss to see on screen. Khaotung did a fantabulous job here, and I liked him way more than his other character in Tonhon Chonalatee. I liked how he served as kind of this discreet hint of jealously that Phu had because it just spiced up the plot even more. We don't see too much of Torfun in this, but her actress was fantastic and had such a bubbly and happy personality with the kids. Speaking of the kids, I am so impressed with all of their acting. While it was not the best ever, it was still a lot better than some other child actors I've seen on these series. My favorite would have to be between Ayi and Khao. Tul was the friend that everyone deserved. He was accepting and kind right off the bat, cheering on Tian the whole way. Now that's a best friend.

Overall, this series did a phenomenal job at basically everything. Some of the low rating reviews I've read complained about nit-picky stuff, or the fact that Tian and Phu didn't have enough physical affection. While I agree that Phu did come off as a bit too stern at times (especially towards the end), he did what he thought was the right thing to do, and even though pushing away Tian wasn't the right decision at all, he believed so out of the depth of his heart. With the whole intimacy thing, yes it was nothing big or flamboyant, but it matched perfectly with this couple, and quite frankly if them kissing and shangidy-shang-bang-banging is all that you're worried about and not the actual falling in love part, then the few of you need to do some soul-searching.

This series is definitely going on my top 10, and I highly recommend it, especially to people starting out in BL (this was supposed to be a short review, but I love this series so much, so oh well).

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More Weiw Please!

After waiting for 3 years for Between Us, I'm glad that this came out to be a good series, which was entertaining and complex in the plot. I was worried we were going to have a Love By Chance 2 or any other terrible sequel to an already perfect series. But this outdid itself.

Let's Die In.

This takes place at the very beginning of UWMA, but from Win and Team's perspective. They still intertwined some moments between Dean and Pharm, which I absolutely loved. Their story was good, it kept me entertained, it only falters a bit due to some poor communication that I feel like at Win and Team's big age they shouldn't have, but other than that, it's good. Prem is seriously an incredible actor. The pool scene was done so perfectly that I got teary-eyed (which rarely happens). I'm glad that we get to see both of them shine here. Their chemistry is amazing, they have such a dynamic that it's so clear through the screen.

Then we get more into Win's family situation while Team is going through his own problems with the death of his friend (cousin?) from when he was young. Waan was an okay character. His story with Yacht's character was really intriguing, but they literally drag it out so much that they don't get together until the end of the series, which was a bit annoying. They were giving me superman vibed because how could Waan not hear that the voice on the phone was obviously Tul's? Anyways, I'm in love with Weiw and I wish that he had his own pairing.

I really enjoyed the ABC group surprisingly. Bee and Prince's story felt a little out of place, but Benz was so cute, so I don't mind. Kind of sort of the same with Pluek and Manow, I didn't care for them but she's so adorable and hilarious that I don't mind it.

I really appreciated how there wasn't any heavy makeup or bright filters placed over the actors. We could actually see their skin and even some actors' acne, but it just adds on to the reality of all this. I want more barely there makeup, it looks so good.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - It's good! Some spots falter because it's just back-and-forth miscommunication. Other than that, it's a great plot!

Acting: 10/10 - I never usually give a 10/10 to the acting, but there's literally not a singular person who didn't do a good job. Prem being the best, and it just follows after that.

Music: 8/10 - They brought back some of my favorites from UWMA!! Yay!

Recommndation Value: 7.5/10 - Highly recommend. Especially if you were a UWMA person. I still think UWMA is better, but this series does it justice, and it really is an enjoyable watch. I didn't skip over anything, I didn't hate watching one couple than the other, it was really great.

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What Did I Just Watch...?

I feel like the last two days that I've been watching this show didn't happen. I feel like I lived in a simulation in which I thought I was watching this, but I would just end up waking up to it being all a dream. But nope, I really watched this. I heard nothing but amazing news about this series -- "It's perfect", "It's the best BL in a long time". I genuinely think we were all watching something different. No, I'm convinced there is another My Beautiful Man out there that is what everyone was talking about because this can seriously not be it. Utsukushii Kare is a perfect setting with the absolute worst story possible.

Let's Dive In.

The basics of this story is that Hira is a nobody and everyone treats him like trash, even including the guy he deems the beautiful-est human ever, Kiyoi, who is the high school's most handsome, and treated like a god among the others. A great premise, and sure, we've heard similar ones, but Japan has a way of telling a story that you can just never get bored with it, and I think this really could've been a good series -- heck, a great series. However, it crumbles under its own hold by having terrible characters, a god-awful plot twist, and a lackluster ending.

Let's start with what I liked: I liked Koyama more than anything else. He falls under the Second Lead Syndrome for sure. He was the definition of the perfect boyfriend: cute, funny, charismatic, thoughtful, caring, there to help Hira with his stutter, there to be his friend, someone he could talk to -- and Hira can't seem to see any of that..? It's okay, Hira doesn't deserve a Koyama, I do. I will take Koyama, because, who wouldn't?

Again, I think production was nice. The bike scenes were really nicely shot. I liked the sceneries and the lighting the most. There is a way Japanese series are shot that I just fall in love instantly, so this was a big bonus of watching.

The acting was really good, especially Hagiwara. Even if they really did his character wrong, he still played it to the best of his ability, and it comes off really nice. The rest of the cast did an excellent job too, even the bullies were good.

Alright, now into the terrible: Both Hira and Kiyoi were just horribly-written. Hira can't seem to stand on his own two legs, which is fine, some people are super shy, and stuttering's not even the problem -- it's the fact that he let everyone walk all over him, including the guy he liked. He would automatically do anything they asked, without hesitation, and it made me sick to my stomach. It was so hard watching him on the screen, I just couldn't stand him in any way. And Kiyoi was just the worst. I was thinking at some point, Kiyoi was going to be like, "Ha! I was only being mean to you so that you could finally grow some balls and stand your ground," nope, instead, he bosses Hira around like the rest, calls him disgusting, gross, a stalker, kicks him, pushes him down, and Hira still manages to fall for him for god-knows-what reason. Looks can only get a person so far. Instead, Kiyoi's big plot twist is that he also liked Hira, he just didn't know how to tell him. This plot twist is just pitiful. Why harm Hira then? Why call him names, have him do things for you? Nope, it still doesn't make up the fact that in the entire series, Hira is bullied to death by his own love interest. There's no turn in Kioyi's behavior until the very last episode. It's disgusting. And what makes it worst is that the ending is so lackluster. How could I care about them after all this time? I sat and watched Hira be used like a ragdoll, and you want me to sing Kumbaya..? No, just no. I think this behavior is dangerous in a BL, especially with me seeing so many people praising their relationship, and for what?

Ratings:

Story: 5 - How could I give two craps about the story when for the entire series is was Hira being picked on? I'll give it 5 stars for Koyama, and Koyama only.

Acting: 9 - I think the acting was the only good thing about this series.

Music: 5.5 - I don't remember it, meaning it wasn't a distraction. Great.

Retwtch Value: 1 - No.

Overall, this is one of the worst, if not the worst, series I've seen in a while. I can't comprehend what people like about this, and quite honestly, I don't care to know. It's sick. A BL like this is dangerous, it shows that a toxic relationship like their's is revivable, that it's okay when it's absolutely not! If this were real life, Kiyoi would've been cut off immediately, or he would've put a restraining order on Hira, cause I know I would. Not recommended in the slightest.

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So Stinky Cute That I Can Look Over Sea's Acting...

What started off rough for me ended up being a very entertaining watch that I'm glad I gave a chance to. This series is not perfect, nor will it be one of the more memorable GMMTV series, but, I enjoyed it while watching, and that's all that matters.

Let's Dive In.

Starting off, the story is this interesting concept of a country boy who loves art falling for a city boy who loves music. His dream is to become an idol, but while doing so, he falls for the country boy, and of course, the rule is that they can't date. The story/plot is so intriguing and cute that you can't not just love it. Keen plays the incredibly extroverted Moo who's adamant on showing his love for Kang. Kang is super helpful and stoic, but he gets around to being open eventually. Again, the story is so adorable and there are so many precious moments that I was able to look over some of the glaring problems in this, like Sea's acting.

Sea's acting in this was extremely rough. People in the comments tried telling me, "It gets better the more you watch" but it's the exact same until the end. I understand he's a new actor, but geez, I don't think I've seen this much below-mediocre acting from someone in a GMMTV series in a minute. If this series wasn't so stinking cute, and Keen's acting wasn't so good, I would've dropped a long time ago. He had his good moments, but most of them were bad. He doesn't know how to show expression on his face, so it's just a blank stare for the majority of his scenes. He needs so much work before he moves on to the next series, and I mean a lot. Keen carried their ship until the end (also, wouldn't mind seeing him paired with someone else..) But speaking in terms of Moo and Kang's relationship, I think it was adorable. They had so many scenes where they were just being passionate and open, and they really delivered some beautiful moments. I like the subtle things they did while Moo was an idol (blank letters, Kang dressing as a mascot, private messages, etc..), and I'm not a "ride on my motorcycle and hold me" trope fan, but these two made it extremely endearing, I loved it. Overall, their relationship was cute, they had decent enough kisses, and by the end, I appreciated their romance.

Moving onto the side couple, honestly, I went in being so obsessed with them, but left feeling anti-climatic, Their relationship is a perfect build-up: best friends, dance partners, subtle hints that they have feelings for one another. Just so many reasons that I absolutely adored them, but they have minimal setup after Yos confesses. It's like the writers wanted to keep the angst and not do anything about it until the very last episode. Overall though, they were perfect in the beginning, but their ending could've played out a lot better (dating earlier, Tae realizing his feelings earlier, etc...).

Some of the casting felt a little...weird? What was stopping them from casting Shone and Peth closer to Sea, Keen, Aun and Ashi's age? Something just felt out of sorts with Shone's character having feelings for Kang. I realize they're supposed to be the same age in college, but it just doesn't work. You can obviously tell they are two very different ages, so it's hard to believe the story. Same with Kang supposedly being two years older than Moo's character (I thought he had dropped out of high school until the 6th episode).

Obviously, this is a series about trainees becoming idols, but oh gosh, the dancing was probably the hardest to sit through. It's not that bad, but so many mistakes and not-in-sync moments that made me cringe. Also, a little annoying that when Moo sang (and I actually cared to listen and not skip over it) his live voice sounded completely different than the OST that would play immediately after (assuming that he also sang that as well).

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - really entertaining, extremely cute. So good that I'm able to look over some of the glaring mistakes/problems with it.

Acting: 7/10 - Sea's need so much improvement before I decide to watch a SeaKeen series again. It's only tolerable to sit through because this series is literal fluff, but if they were to have a more heavy-hitting drama, there's no way I could've sat through his acting. I hope he gets better in the future. Besides that, Keen did an excellent job and he played his character incredibly well. Aun needs more recognition in GMMTV and he did really well in this, same as Ashi.

Music: 6.5/10 - when I wasn't skipping over it, it sounded decent enough.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - super light-hearted, a giant puddle of fluff. It's hard not to enjoy this one, it's literally so sweet. It's a good starter BL for people getting into the genre.

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I Loved This Until I Didn't

Burnout Syndrome follows the same, formulaic sequence that all GMMTV series have: I love it (episode 1-5), okay, something is dipping (6-8) what am I watching for (9-10). Burnout Syndrome felt like this series that could be GMMTV's anomaly, and yet, it unfortunately was not. Some of the best performances I have seen out of all of these established actors, so it sucks that the story cannot say the same thing.

Let's Dive In.

Let's get one thing straight; this is the best work I've seen out of Off and Gun. I was worried with Off's portrayal as the lonely and stoic Koh, but we see the very intricate details he placed into his character, and by the end, we see a dramatic disposition turned truly beautiful from him. Gun is Gun. Gun could literally never do anything bad. His performance as Jira is heartbreaking and poignant and I loved it dearly. Dew as a new comer (for me) surprised the hell out of me. I did not think I was going to go into this loving him and his character as much as I did. I was expecting him to be treated as a throw-off second love interest, and instead, they might've told his story the best.

The problem? This series ends with zero morals. Jira throughout this series rejects and criticizes Koh's utilization of AI. Even after his art is used like some lab rat for Koh's new technology, he still ends up with him. What. the. fuck. So what is the moral of the story? Deal with it? Deal with what's going on? Oh well?

If BL Thailand didn't have some stringent rules of pairings and couples, Jira and Pheem would've ended up together, no questions asked. While Pheem has his own list of problems, he's agitated with how much he cares for Jira, and is even more upset with himself that he let himself get so attached. He tries his best at helping Jira, and nothing works, less because of Jira, and more because Koh is the walking, living, breathing devil.

This worked so well because it felt so different than another other series, cinematography-wise, pacing, the story, the way intimacy through nudity and art is shown. And then they completely fumbled the ball in the end, which is just such a let down.

If I was rating the first half of this, I would've told you 10s across the board. I cannot believe that I didn't end up loving this like I was so sure that I would.

Rating:

Story: 7.5/10 - Excellent story, a new, intimate story we haven't seen out of GMMTV yet, but they completely ruined it by the end. The audio was also some of the worst that I've heard it be in a while.

Acting: 9/10 - Every one does beautiful, even Emi, even AJ.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay much attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - I think the first half of this deserves every audience it can get. The second half, I have no words.

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Too Short but Super Cute

The Love of Winter was a too-quick watch that took me less than an hour to finish. There was so much good about this little mini-series, and I hate that it ended right when it just began. Beautiful scenery, gorgeous looking leads, and a plot basic enough to fit into 2 20-minute episodes; The Love of Winter is a simply sweet and lighthearted BL that gives you enough feels to not mind that you blink and it's over.

Let's Dive In.

The plot is again, rather simple. A city guy comes to the countryside to take a break from the big city when he meets a local and they hit it off instantly. We also meet these two girls that add some comedy to the show. Although their roles were not as important, they were likable enough to watch since they helped Thitnuea get with Kinn and supported him throughout. I believe the company behind this series is brand-new and just trying to create a platform for themselves, which they do decently with, and why I wasn't all that mad at this being a very short series. if this is the content that we can continue to see from them in the near future, then I'm not upset. This BL was super cute, and just something nice to watch that doesn't have any complicated parts, or anything off-topic. It goes straight to the point, and I loved it.

What I liked: The acting was pretty good. I think Kinn's actor could've done a bit better. He has this stare thing that makes it look like he doesn't want to be there (and imagine the irony in that), but overall, it wasn't so bad that it was unwatchable. Everyone else's acting was satisfactory.

The moments between Thitnuea and Kinn were super cute. Again, they didn't have much time to cross out of the story into something else, but it just leads to some fantastic moments that were super endearing. My favorite was probably them at the tint and the almost-kiss.

Production is way better than expected from a brand-new company, It was giving "1000 Stars" feels and I will take that anytime I can. The scenery was gorgeous, the wardrobe on the actors was excellent, and the cinematography of it all was just so beautifully done. The only argument I have is that the subtitles get pretty wacky in the midst of the first episode. It's not so bad that's unwatchable, but just a little annoying.

What I didn't like: In the last few minutes of the second episode, we see Kinn struggling with his seem to be ex-boyfriend. It was pathetic to put something so out-of-the-blue into the last 6-5 minutes of the series. There was no need for any type of conflict in a series like this where it's so short, and it served to be irrelevant as Thitnuea basically forgives him at the drop of a hat. I hate when plots like these are introduced, especially when a series is almost over. It feels like lazy writing, which I'm sure it was. Again, I hated how short it was. I can imagine this being a 12 episode 40-minute series that could add so many little details and bigger characters to make this even better.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - The story was as simple as it could be, but with the time that this series had, it was okay.

Acting: 8.5 - Again, the acting is satisfactory, Kinn's actor could use more work.

Music: 5 - decent, nothing spectacular, but it wasn't distracting.

Rewatch Value: 1 - this series is really short, so there's no point in rewatching it.

I recommend this show. simple? Yes. Short? Yes. But it's a cute and lighthearted watch that can take you out of whatever bad time you're having to dive into the lives of these characters.

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One of the Most Disappointing GMMTV 2025 BL So Far

Sigh. This series gave me everything… and then completely fell on its face. Head 2 Head was my third most anticipated BL from the 2025 GMMTV lineup, and it has quickly become one of the most disappointing shows I’ve watched.

Let’s dive in.

This series was rushed. Rushed to the gods. Not only did they air it while it was still filming, but they also seemed incapable of coming up with anything new for the leads to do besides repeating the same conflict over and over again. There’s an episode where the leads go to the hospital not once, not twice, but three separate times for entirely different reasons. That’s not drama, that’s diabolical.

What started as something I was genuinely enjoying quickly turned sour. Sea delivers a much stronger performance here than he did in Only Boo!, which actually gives me hope that he’s growing as an actor. I’m now even more excited to see him in my most anticipated 2026 series, Weirdo 101. Unfortunately, his character here is absolutely beaten to death by the dream mechanic. I understood that Jerome could see the future, but I did not realize he was apparently seeing a decade ahead. The show makes no effort to age the characters convincingly. We’re meant to believe they’re in their 30s, yet they look exactly the same, not ten years older, not even ten days older.

The story becomes a constant loop: Jerome dreams something, debates whether to interpret it, decides whether or not to tell Jinn, then it either happens or doesn’t. Rinse. Repeat. By episodes eight or nine, it becomes painfully repetitive and earns nothing more than an eye roll.

The side couples start off as a nice addition before becoming unbearable themselves. Surf and Java land comfortably in my “oh, I like these two” category, which makes me more excited for Roommate Chaos. Van, however, is awful. The series makes no real attempt to redeem him beyond “my parents are dead, feel bad for me,” while he continues being a lousy sleazebag dragging Farm along. The only interesting thing about his arc was the idea that he might have only loved Farm as a friend and felt obligated to feel more because of what Farm had done for him. That could’ve been compelling. But this is GMMTV, where happy endings are almost always mandatory.

The show does work on a comedic level at times, and I enjoyed the dynamics between the leads and their moms. SeaKeen in the physical romance department is… weary. Not terrible, but undeniably awkward. SurfJava do fine. Overall, though, this is a rushed, sloppy series that’s boring in most moments and ridiculous in others. And please, for the love of everything, stop casting the twins as the lonely comedic friend. It’s tired. It’s repetitive. Let it rest.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - Fun at the start, but like many GMMTV series, it completely collapses by the end.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Sea has improved immensely. He still has room to grow, but the progress is obvious. Standouts were Keen and Java.

Music: 5/10 - didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - skippable. Unless you really liked the actors, this does not warrant a watch. Save your time.

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Lovely Time Travel Love Story

I'm not going to say anything differently than what has already been said, but of course, I will say something anyway. I Feel You Linger in The Air was a beautiful time-traveling love story with the addition of the harsh lives of women and gay people, told through a spectacular lens and with such deep-rooted characters and their dynamics. I would say that this is the best historical Thai BL I've ever seen, but it also acts as my first historical Thai BL, so it's automatically the best.

Let's Dive In.

I Feel You Linger in The Air tells the budding romance of Jom and Yai, a man from the future who inevitably falls for a man from the past. Furthermore, we also get to see the lives of Yai's family, friends, and servants who all play a passionate role in the changing of the past and the implications it will have on the future.

I'll start by saying this: I liked the plot/story a lot more than I liked the romance. Now hear me out, nothing was inherently wrong with the romance (they were super cute, super domestic, and everything that came out of Yai's mouth was just heart-wrenchingly beautiful), but the complexity of the story overall was much more entertaining for me. I think it's because I love slow-burns and while this wasn't necessarily fast, it felt like they got together pretty quickly. Yes, they don't get together until about halfway through the series, but by then, it feels like they rushed them to get together. It was building perfectly until, bam, Yai asked him to be his lover. Super romantic, but not 100 percent believable just yet, especially when Yai says things like "I'll love you forever" and they just got together. If anything, I would've liked them to wait longer, maybe after Yai's engagement ceremony when he realized he was to be wed to Busabong (I think that's how you spell it, she's not listed on MDL). When he felt that urgency and that yearning to be with Jom. Still, regardless, I liked the chemistry and they did well when their intimate scenes so I'm not all that pressed.

But now onto this spectacular story. One thing I hate about time travel is when the character is thrown into the future or past and immediately someone from that time is telling them what year it is, who they are, and what they are to the main character. But in IFYLITA, Jom was truly thrown into the 1900s and didn't figure out what time and year it was until he did some exploring on his own and found out -- because nobody in the 1900s thinks that someone of his age wouldn't be sure of what's going on. It was perfect. Also just the little details: The currency being different, the way they dressed, their everyday activities, the food they ate, the way they spoke, the accuracy of how women and LGBT+ people were treated, surprise that Jom was able to speak English, when Jom said more modern terms like cool or yo, the creation of Bangkok having not happened yet. It's obvious that they took their time with the structure and details of this story and it's very much appreciated.

Now usually I could care less about the lives of the side characters, but I was almost a little more interested in their story than the main couple. Like UeangPhueng and Meay for example -- loved them for real. Same with Fong Kaew and her trying to find out what happened and getting Mr. Robert to finally get arrested for his actions. Same with James and Ming whose stories weren't as developed, but I just loved seeing them on my screen. It's very rare when I'm interested in everything going on in a BL series excluding the actual BL couple.

The only part I'm having trouble figuring out is when Jom makes his way back to the present. So Yai shows up; does that mean Yai was reincarnated? Put into a bottle to be released once Jom comes back? Is Jom just seeing things? Seeing a ghost? Is Yai going to go through the same thing that Jom did, just this time in the present? And after the credits, we see the other Yai who was a lot more stern and obviously from a different period -- If there's to be a second season, will Jom be falling for another Yai? Will there be two Jom's? So many questions, I hope eventually these get answered.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Magnificent. I'll only not give it another star because it is a little bit open-ended and the first episode was a tad bit slow. But overall, the story was perfect. These were hour-long episodes and to my surprise, I didn't once check to see how far along we were, the story is just that good that it keeps you captivated throughout.

Acting: 9/10 - Bravo! Everyone did such a good job. Jom and Yai could cry when need be, and the actors just did so perfectly at portraying their characters. I loved Nonkul's (Jom) acting the best and definitely Guide's (Ming) next.

Music: 6.5/10 - I paid attention to it a little bit, but what I heard was good, however, there were definitely times when the music was too loud and made it hard to hear the characters talking.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - Overall, such a good series. But it is long, even when you're not thinking about its longevity, but it still took me about two weeks to finish, so probably not the BL to watch if you just aren't patient and don't want to sit through the hour-long episodes. I will say that I almost didn't watch this because of the very slow pace of the first episode, but trust me, it gets so much better after that. I highly recommend it for the story alone -- so much time has gone into this and it's worthwhile for sure.

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Cute, but Short

To My Star was a precious BL that knocked off the few hours I had left in my day. I have the same argument here that I do the other Korean BL's; how come this is so short?

Let's Dive In.

One key problem with this drama is that it's way too short. While it had a decent story and good acting, it still just not enough time to tell this story in full throttle. I wanted to learn more about Kang Seo Joon and Han Ji Woo. How come Han Jo Woo is so brooding like he is? What about him made Kang Seo Joon fall in love? Lot's of unanswered questions that definitely needed an ending.

The main leads had great chemistry. The only problem I had was the fact that Kang Seo Joon randomly kissed Han Jo Woo out of the blue. Even if he asked, Han Jo still never consented, and it led to a huge scandal that could've easily been avoided.

Overall, this was a cute watch. It's not long at all, it literally took me a few hours to finish. I do recommend this for a watch, especially if someone wants something mostly cute and quick to watch.

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MDL Ratings is WAY Too High

This had such a high rating that I was excited to jump in and see what MMP was all about. This was 13th on my list of the most anticipated GMMTV series of 2025, out of 17 series (BL-oriented only). While not bad, this is also not 8.7 rating good. Like most GMMTV plots, the beginning is immaculate while the rest falls into the same cruel and repetitive arcs. The only saving factor is the fact that Jimmy and Sea do have incredible chemistry.

Let's Dive In.

This is definitely a story that was genuine and unique in nature. A fortune teller/psychic can see the coming death of his best friend's brother and predicts that someone is out to kill him. Because of it, they are forced into close proximity (one of my favorite tropes) until the threat is seized. Meanwhile, you have a cop trying to investigate the sudden crimes happening at the hospital, who ends up rekindling his complicated relationship with an old best friend. It sounds good. It was good up until a certain point. Usually for me, that's at about episode 6 or 7. This definitely could've been shortened into 8 episodes if they took out half of the cheap writing of a minor miscommunication and whatever the fuck that side couple was suppose to give us.

I only tolerated this because of Jimmy and Sea. They seriously have such a fun and energetic way of telling their stories. But even with that, I was bored once they have pretty much sufficed their relationship. One thing they have in the bag is being physical, and they do that very well (Sea, the man you are when shirtless, my goodness). I loved the dynamic they played in this, I love how natural and organic their dialogue is, and just to see how much they've grown since Vice Versa. They are also both very good actors, and can cry !! How nice is that !

The side couple was so bad. I don't think I've seen a side couple in a GMMTV series that I've just not liked even a little bit. They had zero chemistry, they quite literally gave us nothing. Please don't ever put Save and Franc on my screen again until they've gone to at least 20 more workshops, my goodness.

The whole story around "who is trying to kill Thap?" was so anticlimactic and predictable, I was laughing my ass off when they revealed it was First's character, like no fucking durp. I would've loved a little twist, something we didn't see coming.

I love me a good village love story, and Khaohom was the cutest thing. I also learned a lot about tarot cards and how readings work as someone who is pretty skeptical about that type of thing, so I think that was cool too.

Probably my favorite scene out of the entire series is the last 5 or so minutes of the final episode. It was just them being genuine and adorable, and they really are just great friends that get to kiss for a living.

I think what's screwing up the MDL rating is the concept of virality and trending. I've learned in recent days that in order for a series to perform well in the eyes of the higher ups in BL companies, there must be a certain percentage or number of how much a couple is talked about to based their probability of getting another series. That is mostly for social media, but I would also think that MDL plays a big role too, internationally. But let's be honest, the MDL ratings have never been very accurate of a series, but I feel like it for real isn't accurate anymore. This is no hate to people that genuinely loved this, this is no hate to JimmySea or the people behind this series, but this should be a 7.8-8.2 at best. What happens is that you have fans that will rate a series 10 out of 10 for every aspect, and if enough people do that, it raises the importance and hype around it. Well, I have learned my lesson, i need to stay away from MDL ratings, period, lol.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5/10 - Good at the beginning, then completely dwindles in the end. The side couple was complete trash and really ruins the story score for me.

Acting: 8.5/10 - JimmySea ate, and their growth as actors has been so nice to see. I didn't hate Save and Franc's acting, but they definitely have a long way to go.

Music: 6/10 - Sea can sing ! Still skipped it, but like, I noticed it.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - I think this is the perfect BL to start out with for first time watchers. It's cute, the stakes are high, yet still pretty low, and it ends happily ever after. Also, Sea is shirtless enough times in this for me to think about a rewatch, for sure.

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Understandable, but Not Excusable

I didn't intend on writing a review for this show seeing as there are plenty of reviews to read (this one will most likely be caught in the web of not being seen), but after leaving comments on a few reviews, I decided to go ahead and write one for my own benefit.

before diving in, I do want to but a disclaimer that I put this show on my WNF list (Will Not Finish) and stopped watching after episode 6 because I was a little bored and also fed up with the bullsh*t that were the plot holes.

Now let's dive in.

Production: 5/10 - Nothing bad, but nothing spectacular either. Tharntype was the very first BL that I have ever seen, as well as the first tv series from Asia that I'd ever watched, so there are very noticeable differences in the use of sound, lighting, effects, and ads.

Story: 4/10 - The plot was generic and basic, nothing special once again. Your average university students plot, except this one hates the gays more than the average uni student.

Acting: 8/10 - As much as I didn't like most any of the plots, the acting was superb in this series. The chemistry between the leads were good, and all other characters played their roles exactly right that adding to the world-building.

Others - If Tharntype is the best BL that you have ever seen in the history of BLs then there is one thing that you haven't done:

1. Seen literally any other BL

If this was your first BL ever like it was mine, then fine, I get it. And I even get it if you had seen Hotel Stars or WaterBoyy next, but you HAVEN'T seen anything good if you still consider this the best BL ever. There are so many other series that literally take the cake and eat all of it and then go back and get more cake, like seriously. The ones on my top five are - 1000 Stars, Gameboys, HIStory 3: MODC, I Told Sunset About You and Mr. Heart. I promise Tharntype will become the least of your worries once you have seen these series, I swear to GOD. Okay, moving on,

I'm going to skip the part in which I talk about each individual couple since I only really saw Tharn and Type. Their chemistry didn't really reach a good point until after they had sex, anything before that felt angsty, gross, perverted, and boring. Gulf and Mew are amazing actors and I hope to see them in future projects that aren't as problematic as Tharntype was. I could give a lengthy review on why Tharntype is so toxic and not good, but there are plenty of reviews that do so, so I'll keep it brief. I think it's perfectly okay to like this series, as there are good parts, but some reviews try to excuse their behavior to fit their narrative and that is not okay. We all have our guilty pleasures, there are shows we probably shouldn't like, but we do. And that's completely fine, but don't ignore the bad just to only highlight the good.

Type:

Although Type was very ignorant and rude, his behavior is somewhat acceptable seeing as he has gone through past trauma, and the worst he did was just throw around Tharns things, and be annoying on purpose to have Tharn move out. I don't think it's an excuse for his anger issues, but rather an understanding.

Tharn:

Tharn sexually assaulted Type by groping and kissing him while Type was under the influence. Type literally wakes up the next morning covered in hickeys. That was one out of the many problems with Tharn. I personally liked Tharn more than Type, just because Type was pretty arrogant, and arrogant characters are not my forte. If we look past the disgust that was his behavior, he was sweet and did genuinely build up feelings for Type (that could've been executed more consensually, but oh well).

RECOMMEND? No, it would be the LAST series I recommend to someone new to BL. Maybe someone that has seen a umteenth number of BLs, but by then they probably have already seen TT.

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Thai BL's HeartStopper

So, SO many mixed emotions about this series. I want to say that my overall feeling about Boys in Love is that it's an average show with great depictions of actual teenagers going through normal teenage problems, but enviably, it falls into the usual GMMTV spiral of a series; Amazing, then good, then okay, then, when will this be over?

Let's Dive In.

Boys in Love was number two on my list of my most anticipated GMMTV series when the line up came out. A bunch a teenagers falling in love for the first time + their incredibly adorable teachers finding love too? I was hooked. I started this as soon as it aired and it became my norm to watch on Sunday nights.

I want to start off with this: this series doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's perfectly fine. This is a very lighthearted and just an easy watch, especially if everything else you watch is hard-hitting and dramatic, this can ease that pain immediately. But that doesn't stop me from critiquing it like usual, as I do tend to have harsher judgment on GMMTV series cause they have the money to do better, always.

Like most BLs, this show starts of amazing. No notes, everything is chef's kisses and rainbows. Until something shifts and it gets to be extremely tedious to get through. Instead of the usual formula of BLs, BIL was more episodic than anything I've seen. Each episode brought on a new problem in which it was then solved by the end and a new conflict arose in the next, and that went on and on. Not bad in hindsight, but the writers didn't know what else to have conflict over cause KitShane and KimMon's conflict always repeated itself in each episode. With Kit and Shane, it was mostly about how comfortable Shane was with being with Kit or how he was trying to find himself within the college world. With Kim and Mon, it was usually lots of communication problems and self-pity. These problems would've been so fine to have as the conflict throughout the series, but when the problem is resolved in the same episode it happens, so you can see how redundant it is to bring up that same conflict again in the next episode and then in the next episode after that. Yes, these are teenagers so maybe there's some truth to their madness, but oh my gosh, how annoying to continue to repeat the same problems.

Looking further into the couples, I never thought that by the end of this, my favorite couple would be Kit and Shane, but those two stole the show (their show yes, but main couples don't usually get as much love from me as the sides do). There were too many episode to count how many moments they had that were too precious for me to handle. They were the sweetest. They had a few rough patches, but the way in which they resolved them was so healthy that it really shocked me at times, truly. Shane as a character is like the cherry on top of this series for me. He is so complex on the inside with very little details that he slowly allowing to be shown on the outside, and it's everything. Kit is a ray of sunshine. He is a lot more comfortable in their relationship before Kit gets there, and he guides him through that process with such tenderness that I was a puddle of goo after their scenes. Utterly shocked at how fast their relationship progressed, as we had received a kiss in episode 2 and a relationship by like episode 4 or 5. I liked that the majority of the series was us seeing them as a couple going through typical teenage love problems and being perfect for one another by the end. My KitShane, I will miss you.

Now moving onto the biggest disappointment of this series; Kim and Mon. I can't believe that the closer we got to the end, the more I wanted them to just break up. Kim is extremely insecure in a lot of aspects, but most importantly, insecure about how much Mon likes him. Kim goes through hoops to impress Mon, then more imaginary hoops to keep him. When there was conflict, most of it was resolved by Mon speaking and Kim nodding. They say in one episode that they promise to have better communication with one another, and then, in the next, there is miscommunication which is entirely Kim's fault, but Mon will take the fall. I can tell you this for sure, Kim and Mon do not make it in college. Mon will get busy with classes and his life and won't have enough time to reassure Kim every three seconds that everything is fine. I absolutely hate that my feelings for this couple has changed since the beginning, because they were one of the reasons I started this series in the first place. Aston's dimples, me wanting to see Chokun again since MLMU, the library scene, all of it was so perfectly set up, like a little present left on my doorstep. I can't believe I open the gift and end up hating it. Also, Mon's mom was a menace. I hate that they never dive into that aspect of their son and mother relationship, I hate that they give her some kind of redemption arc when all she did was try and break them apart. I hate that they make her some supportive ally when she was calling Kim, "just a friend to Mon".

I loved Per and Tar. I was in-between on whether I would've liked them to explore a relationship with one another or just stay friends, but I think it's so much more complicated than that. They were everything to me, I loved that they had moments of just pure love and then in the next, I was laughing my ass off. I wouldn't mind even for a split second to have a second season but one that followed them more closely as they go to college together.

Moving onto the second most biggest disappointment: Tan and Nut. They start off so strong. We get everything you could've asked from a teacher relationship, but once they get together, the forget to give them screen-time. We see them go on dates, flirt in the office, even move in together, and still... no kiss. Whatever, honestly, I feel like this was a test series to see if an audience would be interested in an older BL pairing, so I'm hopeful that this means Pappang and Podd get their own series in 2026 (single dad trope pretty please).

Rating:

Story: 7.5/10 - Some of the episodes are so tedious to sit through, like the sport's day episode, just skip that entire episode, my goodness. But some episode were amazing, like the episode with the house party, with Kit trying to stay the night at Shane's, with Kim following Mon around when he discovers that Mon's ex is a girl. Some of the romantic development is a little heartbreaking, but you know what, whatever.

Acting: 9/10 - Nothing bad in this department. Everyone did great.

Music: 6/10 - Distracted me a little cause some of the songs sound so disney-esque that it took me out of the episode.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - even with all I have to complain about, this series is cute. If you watched Heartstopper and enjoyed that, then you'll really like this. I think that's where a lot of the creative expressions come from is that show. But its adorable, no dead-fish kisses (surprisingly), and Aston's dimples.

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Earth and Mix Do It Again!

While ATOTS is still my by far favorite MixEarth series, they seriously delivered here. They both pulled through with the acting and their ability to be hopelessly in love with one another. This was my most anticipated series in 2022 when it was announced. It didn't come through all the way, but for what I got, I'm more than satisfied.

Let's Dive In.

This was some of Earth and Mix's most complex story yet, focusing on the collateral damage of past relationships and how age and growth play into it. Jim and Wen are some very complex characters that both actors portrayed beautifully. Their relationship doesn't completely hit me in the heart like I wanted it to, but it was still entertaining. I think one reason is that they drag on them being in a relationship and not being in a relationship and it feels very cat and mouse like. Also, they try to push Earth to be 40 years old and since his age plays no factor in anything that's happened in the past or present, it doesn't make sense why he needs to be that age. He could've been his same age and the story would've played out the exact same. Either way, I liked them a lot, especially in the end when they're looking at their future home and building their business together.

Moving onto Heart and Li Ming who are the real reason why I loved this series. Gemini and Fourth do it again, they manage to lock me in a chokehold and I can't ever get out (not that I want to either). They were so perfect in this series -- so gentle with one another and being such an important part of each other's lives. Li Ming is so incredibly patient with Heart, learning the language, being comfortable with other forms of communication -- it's literally so perfect. They felt pretty similar to Tinn and Gun from MSP, which I'm okay with, but it would've also been nice to see a slight difference in their dynamic. However, from MSP to this series, Fourth's acting has improved greatly. He performs the more dramatic moments very nicely. Without any lines, Gemini has to lean on his other skills, and while they aren't as strong as Fourth's performance, he still does an excellent job. I'll be nit-picky here and say the only thing I hated was that they faked their kiss in episode 6 which is very uncalled for, and not something I saw coming in a GMMTV series.

Khaotung. What more can I say? Even with him playing a less-than-important role here, he still hits it out of the park. Just the pure emotion of being excited to tell Jim about his crush to then being let down, and you can see it all in his expression, his eyes. God, this dude is so perfect, like it's surreal. The same goes for First, he does a great job in this. I kind of wished they would've introduced his character in the first episode since the first two episodes were kind of a drag, but his entry was still very clever and very intriguing. I would honestly like to see how things end with those two, so maybe a special episode? or a spinoff?

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - it drags in the first two episodes and then starts getting interesting after that. I would've liked it better had First's character been introduced in the first episode. Other than that, the story is very good and very intriguing.

Acting: 9/10 - Everyone did a phenomenal job, but who really makes the top of my list is Khaotung. That man can act his ass off, my goodness.

Music; 6/10 - didn't pay much attention to it other than the song Kaipa plays for his mom at her funeral.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - very intriguing, very interesting, and I highly recommend it.

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