Unpopularopinionbydemand

Phenomenal. Give Me 10 More

Love You Teacher was number 9 on my most anticipated series for the GMMTV 2025 line up. I kept it at a cautious ranking because, while the teaser genuinely intrigued me, I was hesitant to put all my hopes and faith into this. I have an extremely weary history with GMMTV and how they've handled sensitive topics (*cough* Last Twilight*cough*) so immediately, I was worried on how they'd go about this, particularly with a child’s emotional perspective and thought process playing such a major role in the story. This appears to be Dome, the screenwriter and director's first explicitly BL show, and he nailed it on the head. Good job Dome, give me 10 more of these please, Dome.

Let's Dive In.

Before even getting into the brilliance of the story itself, I have to give credit to whoever’s exceptional brain managed to perfectly communicate what this show was going to be through its wardrobe and set design alone. Not once did I stop admiring the tiny details stitched into every shot: Sodchuen’s cheese hair clip, Pobmek’s whimsical ties, Solar’s fun hoodies and sweatshirts. The entire aesthetic is so carefully crafted. The production team wanted it to look like a child's imagination exploded on the screen, and it worked out perfectly. I will also give a big round of applause to how mesmerizing the cinematography felt. The framing choices, the fluid camera work, and the dreamy color grading added this warm, storybook-like atmosphere that made every scene feel even brighter.

I'm not going to say anything here that hasn't already been spewed, but what's another fawning review on LYT?

It’s always bewildering to me how differently trauma can manifest from person to person. For Solar, it took the form of Sun, his seven-year-old self, almost forcing himself into hibernation so an alternate personality could exist to make life easier to survive. That’s where Santa’s performance becomes so remarkable. He captures the mannerisms of a child with almost unsettling precision. You can immediately tell when he shifts from Solar into Sun without the show needing to loudly announce it. Sun is bright, impulsive, and slightly brazen, carrying that fearless childlike honesty, especially around Uncle Kidnapper. Solar, meanwhile, feels like the quieter, older echo of that same child with how deeply empathetic, gentle, and constantly mindful he is of the people around him, especially Pobmek.

What I appreciated most was how carefully the series differentiated Pobmek’s relationship with Solar vs his relationship with Sun. Boundaries are established immediately, and thankfully, the writing never treats Sun in an infantilizing or inappropriate way for the sake of skinship or fan service. Of course, Sun is treated like a child, because that is what he is. But what makes the writing work so well is that it never crosses into uncomfortable territory or strange sexual innuendos. The series understands the important distinction here: this is not an adult pretending to be a child, but a child psychologically trapped inside the body of an adult. That difference completely changes the emotional lens of the story, and I really appreciated how mindful the show remained of that throughout its entire run. Both Perth and Santa embodied these characters wonderfully, and I’ll truly miss watching their performances in this series.

Kay, where have you been all my life. Truly enjoyed the energy portrayed within the friend group and how natural their chemistry felt on the screen. It was also nice to see Sammy back on my screen. She's such a talented actress, and I'm so proud she's still getting her flowers.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Thank God for GMMTV’s new 10-episode format, because I honestly think two extra episodes would’ve pushed this into dragged-out territory. The pacing in this was excellent. Everything happens for a reason and scenes feel thought-out and meaningful.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Santa is a stellar actor, and Perth parallels that energy perfectly. They’ve quickly become one of GMMTV’s strongest pairings, with Perth bringing the confidence and nuance of a veteran actor while Santa continues to prove himself as an incredibly well-rounded performer. Their chemistry felt effortless from the very beginning, and I loved that the story started with them already as an established couple yet still managed to give me that fluttery, giddy feeling watching them together.

Music: 6/10 - It wasn't distracting!

Recommendation Value: 8.5/10 - I realize this series might not be everyone’s cup of tea given the subject matter, but I genuinely believe that if there were twenty different directions this story could have taken, Dome chose the right one. The series handles its themes with a lot of care while still allowing itself to be playful, heartfelt, and genuinely entertaining.

Read More

DWY is a BL Gem

There's nothing different that I'll say here that hasn't already been said. Duang With You is the perfectly BL series that has the right mix of quite literally everything. There was a time that I could not wait until the next Saturday to watch. Something as simplistic as a uni love story shouldn't have brought me this much joy, but it did.

Let's Dive In.

TeeTee and Por were born for these roles. It's very rare that I conclude that only a certain pair of actors could plays certain roles, but it is so true in DWY. Teetee plays the perfectly hyper-bubbly neurodivergent lover Duang, and Por as his stoic, black-cat opposite. This is my type of dynamic to a T. Extroverted "seme" and introvert "uke". Oh, how I loved it so much.

There's nothing much to gripe about when it comes to DuangQin. Everything is stellar. The intimate scenes are stellar. This series took the time to have a real open and honest conversation about sex, and it was fantastic.

My slight nit-pick is the side couple and the god-awful English that they had no need to speak. We also receive a good amount of screen-time with them, but barely-there development.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - spectacular. small gripes here and there, but great.

Acting: 8.5/10 - TeeTee stole the show. He did an absolutely wonderful job. Por, with his character's personality, fell slightly short, but I still enjoyed his performance, nonetheless.

Music: 7/10 - Skipped all the dancing and singing. Sorry.

Recommendation Value: 8.5/10 - this is the perfect starter BL for those getting into the genre, but also, it was just so good.

Read More

Are We Serious?

Without a doubt, Secret Relationships is probably the best production that we've seen come out of Korea this year, in addition to 8 episodes with a decent runtime. But I cannot deny that this didn't resonate with me in the slightest bit (okay, maybe a bit, but not entirely). Secret Relationship? More like Brutal (Murderous) Love.

Let's Dive In.

This story attracts you immediately with its beautiful cinematography and four incredibly good-looking men to appease the eyes. At first glance, this seems like it'll be an adorable love square; who can win over Daon's heart? Will it be his longtime crush, Jaemin? The darling coworker from work? The aggressive "ex" of Jaemin from the past? It's makes you wonder, it keeps you on your toes, and them BAM! someone is trying to kill him.

The whiplash I got from this series, holy fuck. Everyone just needs therapy and anger management. Other's need just the death penalty, my goodness. At no point was Daon like, "Yeah, I think I should talk to someone about my maniac friend/crush who destroyed the lives of the people around me for his own benefits, and the fact that he tried to kill me." Like.... are we serious?

I know not all series are going to be bubbly and cutesy and have these characters waving green flags, but this was just not my cup of tea. Lots of people love toxic and I hate it. Maybe cause I'm too much of a realistic person. Daon and Seonghyeon won't last unless they go to couple's therapy. I'm being so deadass.

Everyone frustrated me, but no one ticked every nerve in my body like Daon did. I was hoping by the end, he would've grown a backbone and stood up for himself, but instead, he was the constant damsel in distress and never thought to just scream his head off when Suhyeon was being aggressive and gross, or when Jaemin was trying to molest/kill him. Then, instead of cursing him out like he should've, he just... apologizes? Jaemin reading his note in the hospital had me seeing red. What kind of message is that? Why not instead say, "Hey, once you get out of the hospital, you fucking lunatic, the police will be waiting for you. I hope you burn in hell." Like, how come that was never said?!

There's just so many other non-sensical tropes/devices that happen. Daon waited how long to tell Jaemin he liked him? And then coincidentally, Suhyeon shows up? What? And then you learn that Jaemin is a nutcase, and you think about it, and you're like, "You really committed to a no-dating contract that hard that in the time of Suhyeon leaving to go abroad and now, you never thought to finally make your move?" Like...what? Then you have Seonghyeon who is determined not to leave Daon's side even when Daon is telling him it'll never work out, but suddenly he sees a hickey, and he's done? The same Seonghyeon that has been willing to listen and observe this entire time doesn't wanna hear Daon's side anymore? Are we serious?

The only thing I can applaud about this series is the plot twist of Jaemin being absolutely crazy. I genuinely had no idea that was where the plot was headed. Suhyeon might've been fucked over by Jaemin, but he was no saint either. If anything, I still believe that he was the pure villain of this series, with an abominable redemption arc. "Oh Suhyeon, it's okay that you tried ruining my life and were propelling me into walls. At least you weren't trying to kill me!" Again, are we serious?

Soft, cutesy BL is my bread and butter, I cannot lie. If you loved this series, then I love that for you, but this was just a no-no. Then at the end they try and fix everything by throwing in a time-jump and the worst ending kiss I've ever seen, ever.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Won't deny that I was curious during each episode to see what the fuck was going on. Seonghyeon, my rainbow in the sky. Please run, I promise you Daon's not out of the clear, those men are crazy.

Acting: 9/10 - Stellar!

Music: 5/10 - Distracted me once, but otherwise, fine.

Recommendation Value: 6/10 - this is... brutal. I wouldn't recommend this to someone if they weren't ready for its contents. But, these actors are good, and it's a great Korean BL production, so... maybe?

Read More

Standing Ovation and I'm So Mad I'm Just Now Seeing This

It's so hard for me to voice just how much I loved this series that, out of all the reviews I've written, this has been the most difficult to really express just how much genuine love I have for this series. Never, and I mean never, did I think any other series would be capable of replicating the way I felt while watching ATOTS, and this series has proven that false. I cannot believe I'm saying this, But: Gelboys is officially my number one series of all time.

Let's Dive In.

This is a quick turnaround, and I thought that maybe I needed a second to really analyze if this really beat A Tale of Thousands Stars out of being my number one series of all time, but, without a doubt, it does. To anyone out there that is potentially paying attention to my account, you'll know that I've loved ATOTS since it aired, and nothing has beaten since in 4 years. Things have come close, things have definitely teetered the line, but when it came to going down the checklist, most series didn't have what I had with ATOTS; pure excitement and pure realistic emotions. Until Gelboys.

I realized that this series was going to mean a lot to me the minute episode one ended. I began to have dreams about it (haven't done that since ATOTS), I began to think about the series all day and night until I could get home to watch another episode, I CRIED (I quite literally never cry watching series, and even if I say I have, I'm exaggerating), like literal tears coming out of my eyes (also hasn't happened since Our Skyy 2 ATOTS episodes). I debated on waiting longer to finish the episodes cause there are only seven (the only time I wished for a longer Thai series, how crazy is that), and the craziest of all, I'm actually looking forward to season 2 (although it feels unnecessary, I don't care, I will be there, and I will be seated).

And on top of that, on top of all the crazy and wild emotions that I experienced while watching, this show is just so astonishing. And wonderful. And incredible. And phenomenal. And astounding. And remarkable. And breathtaking. And sensational, And staggering. And wondrous. And magnificent. And any other word that means the best BL I've ever seen.

Okay, so let me actually get into the review now. What makes this the best BL or me? Literally everything. I cannot tell you just one thing that captured my attention and kept it, because it was quite literally everything. The aesthetic, the settings, the vibes, the story, the acting, the cinematography, the modernism, the maximalism, the accurate depictions of teen-hood, the expressionism, the artisty, the music, even down to one of my biggest pet peeves, which is filming in public and watching the people in the background trying to avoid the camera or watching what's going on. All of it. And I mean ALL of it.

Never has a series made me want to just quit at everything and hop on the next flight out to Thailand. I wanted to experience so badly what these characters were experiencing, the city life, riding the train, shopping, making Tiktok videos, dancing in the street, getting my nails done, laughing with friends and basically disturbing everyone around, but it wouldn't matter cause we're young and dumb and having fun.

What a dedicated piece of art to characterize the life of youth in a big city. I was aghast to see that the actors themselves are much older than the characters they're depicting. I don't know how that managed to portray realistic teenagers, even down to the mannerism so fucking well, but they had me fooled.

Which moves me onto my next point: how well depictions of teenager was presented in this. This felt like it was written and directed by a teenager. This felt like a genuine teen experience, where everything you go through seems to be the end all and be all of your life. The silent looks, the awkward pauses, the moments trying to hold in tears, the moments you couldn't hold them in anymore. Ugh, they did such, SUCH a wonderful job when it comes to the acting, I literally have zero notes. And the dialogue, THE DIALOGUE, was so organic and so completely accurate to how actual teenagers speak to one another. It felt like the director gave them room to improvise and just go with how they felt, and it worked so well. The real teen experience is packed into this beautiful 7-eps series, really.

Social media plays an extremely big role in this, and they don't fake its realness, they don't create fake social media. No, they show how social media impacts teenagers more than it ever has, ever. Just the overall meaning of creating a Spotify playlist and how it effected Chian and Fou4mod so deeply was so important to the plot. Chian with his close friends on instagram, Bua with his Tiktok, Baa with his Line. They even use Zoom and ChatGPT, and it's just so astounding to see the real world played in a series so realistically.

Onto the characters. Fou4mod is probably the most complex character in this, because I can't pinpoint his reasoning for anything, or even who he truly is. Which is so very human for a teenager. He ends up latching onto certain hobbies or subjects based on his relationship with someone, like getting his nails done because of Chian, excitement to go to a Blackpink concert cause of Baa, etc. We don't see his true personality outside of playing the guitar and singing. His relationship with everyone is so, so fragile, and extremely complex. There are moments with Chian that I yearn for them, and others that I want to tell him to run away. There are things he does as a stupid teenager in love and then as a teenager hurting that makes me want to slap him across the face. By the end, I think he has more of a grasp on who and what it is that he wants, but it takes the entire series to get there.

Then we have Chian. Oh my gosh, I love and hate Chian. I loved him more in the beginning, and then he's so wishy-washy with his emotions and how he goes about his feelings that I literally couldn't stand him at times. But when he's sweet, he's sweet, when he's confused, he's confused, when he's hurting, he's hurting. It's very easy to read and understand him, just like an open book. His relationship with both Chian and Bua is so extremely pitiful, that I feel so sorry for him, in every which way. In season two, I hope they address this.

Bua, what an annoying and yet relatable character. He seeks validation not only in his real life, but also on social media. He bounds Chian to the ropes of tiktok popularity because it's what Bua seeks the most, and he wasn't even able to realize the effect it had on their relationship. I truly believe Bua had no clue what falling in love was like, and I think he experienced it with Chian without even realizing it. Everything was platonic until it wasn't and until he makes it entirely worse. His relationship with Baa is everything. Two hurting people from failed relationships seek solemn in each other. Beautiful. The only thing I wish that they did differently with him was show his difficulties growing up in a country where he doesn't look like everyone else. It's slightly mentioned, but never given a proper story, and I'd love to see it.

Baa. My sweet Baa. My favorite out of everyone. Baa is pitiful. He is literally the definition of sad boy. I cried like someone had died in episode 4 when he literally skipped out on the concert he had been looking forward to just to try and confess his feelings to Fou4mod. when he pulled out that phone and sent all of those voice messages....gone. Couldn't see the screen, that's how hard I was crying. Then when Fou4mod opens his phone and he had already delated the messages... more tears. His introvertedness has completely halted him from honesty and openness, and it so so SO relatable. So when he meets Bua and is finally able to express himself, through actions, words, physical touch, facial expressions... more tears. His relationship with Fou4mod is real and it's so toxic. Fou4mod acted as a bad friend on many occasions and it's never addressed because this is just how Baa is, okay with what's happening. Even when he finally expresses his feelings, it's not all accurate, and it's surface level. Crazy. I love him so much.

I was just telling my friend the other day how I'm so sick of BL series going from "let's kiss for the first time" to in the next scene "we're going to have full blown sex". Where's the second bases, the groping, the subtle touching of intimate parts, innocent touches that become turn ons, intense make outs, sexual activities outside of sex like blowjobs, handjobs, grinding, etc.? How come we never see that in BL, why is it straight to sex? and then I watched this. It. Was. All. So. Perfect. Chian and Fou4mod in the photo booth, Bua and Baa while Bua is doing skincare. THAT scene where they talk about hooking up and mimic sex positions. Clothes on. Beautiful. Brilliant. Glorious. The best non-sex-sex scene I've ever watched. I loved it. Also, the kisses were just perfect between each couple, and THANK GOD they didn't cover the sounds made with music. Let us hear them being in love, thank you!!

At one point I go: "Why do I love this series so much?" and realize Boss was the director (I told sunset about you, paradise of thorns), including Junior (You're My Sky). Cased closed. I will never, EVER skip a Boss/Junior series, I can promise you that. The cinematography in this was so similar to their brilliant work in the others. I can't believe that the majority of this series was shot on an iPhone, but it all just makes so much sense that it was.

And then the nails. the nails, the nails, the nails. The fonts, the stickers, the y2k early 200s vibes. Immaculate. Ate it all up. Even down to their bedrooms. Ate. No crumbs.

I see people's argument about the reason they didn't like this series being that the characters are annoying and do stupid stuff, and which case, at surface level, yes I can see that, but no, these characters acted HUMAN. Everyone involved on this project made sure that these characters acted like human teenagers that would do the exact same thing. And that, that is why this literally means so much to me.

Ratings:

Story: 9.5/10 - Hiccups here and there, mostly for me with Bua's storyline, but otherwise, perfect.

Acting: 10/10 - Perfect No notes. Even the supporting characters, even the regular civilians trying to get out of the shot in the background.

Music: 8.5/10 - They used REAL music. From REAL groups. Yes. Yes. YES. I got to hear my favorite NewJeans and Riize song, never thought I would hear that in a BL series. Crazy. Fou4mod's singing is absolute bullshit, but that's not the point of this series like others where it's just bad on accident.

Recommendation Value: 10/10 - If I could store this series higher, I would. Messy, Complicated, but beautiful please watch!!!!

Read More

BTS Was more Fun than the Series...

Me and one of my close friends literally dedicated two whole days to get through this, that's how much excitement we had behind this. Except, the problem was that it didn't deliver like I was anticipating, which might be entirely my own fault.

Let's Dive In.

My entire Instagram Reel was full of BTS of this series, which is what initially got both me and my friend excited. Immediately, me and her made plans to get together and binge the series. Now, what I did not know was that this was 24 episodes for 40 minutes each. Ouch. Honestly, if I could go back, I would've rather watched this while it was airing. 24 episodes is a lot to get through, and our binge day ended up being a two-day binge (a sleepover with my amazing, hilarious, and great friend, so I really didn't mind.)

Before this, I have never watched a Chinese BL or drama in general (technically Addicted, but I remember quite literally nothing besides kidnapping...yeah), so the language, traditional Chinese style editing, cinematography, and overall cheesiness was something I wasn't prepared for at all. Again, a "my fault' thing. The initial set up of the story is fun, if not entirely idiotic to get revenge on a man for a woman that literally hates your guts, but okay! Again, I had to kind of put myself in a "this is not serious, don't take this seriously" mood. It kind of felt like I was watching one of those little mini series they advertise on TikTok where you have to pay to watch each part and it's like a crazy set up... yeah, that's what it felt like.

It wasn't that this series had some crazy, "that can't happen fr" moments, but some stuff was just so good vs evil, wrong vs right coded that I couldn't help but snicker every few minutes. You know who is evil, you know who is good, and there is no in-between. This reminded me of Thai BL in mid/late 2010s: Evil woman, lead is only gay for other lead, top is toxic, every obstacle ever to break up the leads. But, even with saying that, I still kinda enjoyed it. I think you watch, you laugh, you say "huh?" a couple of times, and then you move on. I also learned a lot about snakes, how fun!

The editing is what really took me out. So many fade to black moments for no reason, and too many times it felt like they had cut entire scenes. I know this series was very censored after it's initial release, so maybe lots of stuff was cut due to it, but you can't expect me to think Cheng is going around saying the thing he's saying, smacking/jiggling Ba Dao's ass and they wouldn't show them actually getting it on. Whatever.

Which is my next point: the BTS was so much more thrilling than the actual series. So insanely crazy to say. After episode 14 (after already watching the series on 1.75x speed), me and my friend generously skimmed through the rest of this series. Lots of this and that, exes, snakes, fade to blacks, blah, blah, blah. I have a feeling this could've definitely been wrapped in 12 to 15 episodes if they threw out every single new obstacle that the leads and side leads had to go through for whatever reason.

Lastly, I think the side leads are adorable, but then they kiss and... again, "Huh?" It was like they were moving their heads, but their lips weren't moving...? Odd.

Okay, enough crapping on this. I didn't hate it, seriously I didn't, but I don't know if Chinese BLs are going to be my cup of tea. I'm willing to give others a try, and I'm always open for suggestions. Just maybe not one that's so..... comically cheesy?

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - The initial conflict and setup isn't bad, but it's all the other conflicts that come after and just the overall trashy vibes. The leads had good chemistry, I won't get too deep into "omg, Chi Cheng is the worse and is so hyper toxic that I would need another separate review just to talk about it." so I'll just say, I wasn't his biggest fan. Honestly, everyone was pretty toxic, but oh well.

Acting: 8/10 - Good. Nothing crazy, again I was getting use to the acting in Chinese dramas, so it's not the crazy best (imo), but I think Ba Dao handled his more emotional scenes to the T.

Music: 6/10 - Some random english song would start to play and throw me completely off. I did like whatever song was playing during Cheng Fu and Xiao Shuai's NC scene when the power went out.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - Eh. Watch it cause I think the hype around the series is fun. I also think this is opening more doors for Chinese BLs to happen, and that makes a lot of people happy which makes me really happy. But, honestly, I could've done without watching this series. By next week, I'll have forgotten everything besides snakes, Xu Ning shirtless, and a shot in the ass (LOVED that scene, lol).

Read More

Geez...

This is obviously a small production with an even smaller budget, but I was appalled at the actuality of the K-BL. On top of a whole mess of things (production, acting, plot) this series just made... no sense? I feel like I watched everything and nothing at all. Everything that happened felt too coincidental, and I really don't even know where to begin.

Let's Dive In.

So let's start off with this plot that's already extremely wonky. Minjae is a new transfer student who keeps coincidentally bumping into the bubbly Yoonchan, who happens to have no friends and immediately falls for Minjae for no apparent reason. Then they add the most irrelevant thrid-wheeler into this that has zero correlations to the characters and immediately shows signs of having feelings for Minjae, again, for no apparent reason. The ending doesn't even serve this series justice cause they end on a cliffhanger as if I'd be back to watch another season (no!!).

This is obviously a small-budgeted series, but it felt more like a student-made series than an entire company behind it. It's hard not to realize that there is literally nobody besides these few actors on screen. Nobody at the cafe, nobody in the library, no one around the school, and no one also taking taekwondo classes. Some of the conversations ran on for far too long, like any conversation with the singular professor who works at the school, or the only senior that Yoonchan had. This series is already rather short, but then they had these long-drawn-out conversations that I definitely zoned out on more than once.

To make matters worse, there's a scene where Yoonchan is confronted by his senior about his relationship with Minjae, which Minjae overhears, in which he tells him that they're "just friends" because, get this, they are just friends! But Minjae gets butt-hurt about it, mind you, the senior came off as extremely homophobic and they quite literally were only friends. So there's a whole episode where they go around mopping and it's hilarious because it's so bad.

Moving onto the relationship...eh. Honestly, I didn't hate it, and they did extremely well during the kissing scenes, however, I will say that they needed to cut the kissing scenes in half because they went on for far too long. Other than that, I think they were okay, but nothing special.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - Just not good at all.

Acting: 8/10 - not bad, a little mediocre, but it's okay.

Music: 5/10 - I don't remember.

Recommendation Value: 1/10 - Not a lot of K-BLs came out this year, so I'm sad to say that you can go ahead and skip this one.

Read More

How Can You Not Love This?

Oh, this was like the bread and butter on BL. I can't imagine someone watching this and not falling in love with this adorable makeshift family. I don't know why I haven't watched this before now, but oh boy, am I glad I came around to this wonderfully happy little BL.

Let's Dive In.

Wow, so this was the cutest little J-BL I've seen in a while. The stacks are pretty low, but the feels are incredibly high. Yutaka who has always eaten by himself due to past trauma finds a little dude and his incredibly hot brother to spend his long-awaited time with. It's so nice just to see people connect over food and feel warm and loved. I can't even say anything different than what others have said because it's all true: this was a really special BL.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Such a lovely story. We see so much domesticness go on between the three of them and it's the best thing ever. I also liked how we see Yutaka at work but it's not overbearing or with tedious office jargon. Their relationship is so precious while not having to be too physical, and it's perfect.

Acting: 9.5/10 - That kid stole the show. The way he was able to keep up with these adult actors was insane. I don't think I've seen a kid act that good in a while, and he's so incredibly young to be acting so good!! The leads did great as well.

Music: 6/10: It wasn't directing but not very memorable.

Recommendation Value: 8/10: this was just so precious, I highly recommend it if you're wanting a heartfelt watch. it does have some tough stuff about grief and death which could be a doozy, but for real, please watch this!

Read More

What a Gem of a Show

With only 3 episodes, each about 45 minutes long, IBTLIABLD hits hard in all aspects, specifically making me laugh my ass off, but also hitting you in the heart where it hurts. Both funny and a little tragic, this series has hit the nail on what's to come this year from Japan, and I'm so freaking excited!

Let's Dive In.

Right off the bat, I knew something was up with Yuichiro when we're first introduced to his character. Very charming yet something slightly off, avoiding even looking at Hajime, the adorable other lead cast in his childhood shadow as always been known as the Orange Juice Boy. we find out later on that Yuichiro was actually a giant stan of his, having memorabilia on top of memorabilia, and leading to some fantastically hilarious moments between the two of them. Overall, their story was beautiful. You can see so easily how fond Yuichiro is of Hajime, and exactly when that switches to liking him. It took a lot longer for Hajime to realize it, but once he does, it's just a guessing game on when they'll eventually announce (not in secrecy) to each other on their feelings. This dynamic is so heartwarming to me. The perfect height difference, the perfect balance of cheeky and cute, portraying moments that made me pause so I could laugh, or moments when I had to pause so that I could regain my composure and not cry. A truly lovely pairing, played by some really fantastic actors.

The side romance was a surprise to me, but not a bad one. Both managers of the boys end up together, trying to be secretive about it until it's noticeable, and then on top of that, trying to keep their talents at bay with their antics and worries. All other side characters did a job well done too, being the driving force of our leads to get together while not having much of a story of their own, but I'm really not too mad at it.

A couple of negatives I had about this series: I absolutely hate that they threw in a misunderstanding in the very last episode, considering that we only had 3. And then Yuichiro not explaining that it was a misunderstanding to Hajime was even more aggravating. It's cheap writing for a moment that was resolved in like the next 5 minutes. Another would be that we don't get to see them kiss outside of their "characters". A lot of people complained that the kiss was super bland, and while it was, if you're considering that they were practicing for their roles, I doubt they would've gone all in, especially if it was their first kiss. I would've rather seen them kiss again once they were together; in fact, on the bridge would've been a perfect moment for it to happen. And then we get a cut-off kiss in the very last scene which is urgh, but overall, even with my negatives, this series really did it for me, and I loved it.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - super funny, super relatable, super good. Flowed well for the 3 episodes it got, and honestly, I don't really think it needed more time. If you know how to structure a plot perfectly, then you have a good story to tell, regardless of the time.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Fantastic! these actors really know how to play their characters. Alan (Yuirchiro) played his character to a T, with some fantastic moments portraying the usual over-the-top Japanese intricacy that I've come to love. Also, is it just me or does he look a lot like Johnny from NCT?!

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember any of the music, but it wasn't distracting so there's that.

Recommendation Value: 10/10 - very rare I give 10s out, but this was seriously so good. It's pretty short so it doesn't take forever to watch, and it keeps you entertained through it all. The romance is great, the characters are adoring, and you should definitely give this gem of a series a watch!

Read More

Ehh

So, this was on my plan-to-watch list for some time now, and seeing as I have plenty of that, I decided to finally give it a watch. Final conclusion: ehh. The plot involving Yuma was more fun than the actual leads of the show, but Ritsu is very beautiful, so I'll forgive it. The end of The World With You that SPOILER!! doesn't actually end. And I think the part that I'm most upset about is that it doesn't end and we're given a happily ever-after ending when I honestly wish it could been the opposite.

Let's Dive In.

So Yuma's plot was fun, the leads weren't bad, it's just their relationship was very toxic, so for me, not so fun to watch. Of course, people can change in a decade, so maybe Ritsu will turn out to be a better person, and I can kind of see the growth at the end, but still, dealing with that type of trauma in Matsumi's perspective must've been hard. Good thing he's not stubborn like I am.

Hmm, no wonder this show got good hype, didn't realize I was going to be watching PORN. But on a more serious note, the NC scenes were good, albeit maybe a little much for this series in particular. I also liked that they didn't play music in the background during their intimate moments, and we actually got to hear the ecstasy and all that jazz.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Like I said, would've liked for the world to actually end, but that's a personal preference. I loved Yuma and I loved his story. I've read most of the theories on his character, and I believe all of them. Semi-god coming down to protect the earth, supernatural miracle boy -- all of it. And obviously, the NC scenes were good, again a little much, but good.

Acting: 9/10 - Great acting, especially from Toshiki (Matsumi) who did a fabulous job. Great growth between both leads and Sousyo (Yuma) was a freaking cutie.

Music: 7.5/10 - I liked the music that played at the end of each episode.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Didn't play out how I would've liked it to, so maybe not the first thing I'd recommend. Does have some pretty good NC scenes, so for someone looking to be horny, I'll recommend them this one.

Read More

Brillant Story

Triage wins the "best Plot" award of 2022, and I'm already writing that down for when I do my "Best and Worst of 2022" list later this year. Wow, what a freaking ride. From beginning to end, the audience is thrown into the life and loops of Dr. Tin, who fights to save the life of a man he deems irresponsible when they first meet. Triage is a deep and tear-jerking drama that deals with a complicated plot in the best way I think I've ever seen done in a BL series.

Let's Dive In.

Triage was directed and screen written by the same amazing man that make "Manner of Death" in 2020, with us even getting a few cameos with the leads from MOD's themselves (which at the end, it may imply a season 2 or a spinoff of both series combined). He did the same thing he did over there, which is to focus more on the storytelling and the overall appeal of the storyline than the actual BL of it all. And I think it works pretty well in this, except for the fact that Tin and Tol's romance isn't as strong as it could be. But no wonder why Triage is as heart-wrenching and as thrill-packed as was in MOD.

There is just no plot like this one. Tin has to continue going through loops until he can save Tol's life, on top of trying to see if he can save the other's lives around him. It's magnificent. At first, I was scared that with so many different conflicts going on in the series, it would leave plot holes or forget key details, but it never wavers. We get the complete story of Rit, Mai's mom, Dr. Sak, Dr. Doi, Fang, etc. And nothing felt rushed or last-minute, it was all told with very keen detail and in a timely manner. I think the best part is when you, as the audience, finally got enough detail to put two and two together and you can figure it out as Dr. Tin does. I also like that they switched things up and made Tol fight to save Tin's life. Everything was crisp and clean, fun and entertaining, and as perfect as it could be.

The character development in this is so good. Literally the best part. Tin is this very stoic man who hates drunk drivers after his accident with his sister, and he doesn't appreciate his life as he use to until he's put into this predicament where he has to learn the value of living and surviving and we see such growth in him that it's very obvious by the end. Tol is almost the same way, with him being very brooding and harsh, but through all of this he learns to be kinder. Growth is evident in each character, Mai, Heart, Rit, Gap, Sing, Fang, literally everyone. And even some not-so-good growth that we see with Dr. Doi when he goes crazy.

Moving on to the romances in the series, let's start with Tin and Tol. Now Tin has to continuously see Tol die in every loop that he goes through, and the only way to get Tol to not drive or "drink" is to get closer to him, and even come up with the conclusion that Tol needed to fall for Tin so that Tin could get him to not drive, or not do too much to his heart. It's the perfect setup for a deep romance - imagine falling for someone and having to have them fall in love with you all over again and again -- seems pretty harsh, but the premise of it all is genius. But I think it was probably the weakest in terms of plot. Their first kiss seemed a bit off-putting since we only see Tin trying to stop the incident from happening and not so much trying to get Tol to fall for him. I feel like there was only one real moment in which I could really feel the connection and the yearning to be with one another, other than that, it kind of fell flat for me. The ending is satisfying though, and I loved seeing Tae and Tee as a paring again.

Moving onto our other side couple, Gap and Sing. Due to the loops, Gap and Sing end up together during the last loop, so we get to see them being pretty cute and domestic. Before then, Gap just had a very minor crush on the doctor, and Sing was pretty much just a straight-up asshole who didn't know how to go about his feeling for Gap. In fact, I think it was a bit too harsh for me to wish for them to be together. If anything, I was rooting for Gap and Rit for a while since it seemed that Gap brought down his stern walls to really open himself up to Rit. But in the last loop, they were pretty cute, so I'll give them that.

All the supporting characters did so well, even down to the ones with very few lines. I loved Toi and his supportive and energetic aura, Jinta was by far one of my favorite characters, and he pulled the cynical, yet helpful angel role off perfectly. Dr. Doi is so evil that I practically loved him. He falls so much into his schemes with Dr. Sak that he goes insane. Perfect. Art was the cutest, and I really wish that they would girl Mild another leading role. For the characters that I didn't really care for, would maybe have to be Heart and Mai, or really Mai's story in general. Of course, without her, there wouldn't be any plot, but I couldn't understand why Tin was interested in saving her mother when it wasn't necessarily his responsibility. Save Tol and move on. I could say the same for Win and Lookprae.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - Very crisp and very detailed. Nothing was left out, everything was covered, and it moved in perfectly formatted waves. I think the romance of Tin and Tol (even Gap and Sing) could've been better, so I'll take a star off.

Acting - 8.5 - Everyone did great, but Morris (Jinta) and Tae (Tin) stood out the most. I think Gap's actor was a little weak at times, and so was Mai's. But overall, acting was one of the better parts of Triage.

Music: 7 - I didn't really pay attention to it, so it was there.

Rewatch Value: 3 - definitely something I could rewatch if a season 2 is to happen.

Overall, a very entertaining watch, and I look forward to a hopeful season 2. I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a complex plot or something action-packed.

Read More

Tedious

I could barely get through this (and I barely did). When it came down to the last few episodes, I skipped bits and pieces and just watched what I wanted to. This series isn't "bad" per se, just hella boring. Unless basketball games heightened your excitement, then Our Days might not be the series for you.

Let's Dive In.

The concept of this series was something we've seen before, it gave me a lot of "You're My Sky" vibes, with the basketball and the beautiful cinematography. Mon goes to school in the city and meets So who ends up kissing him on a drunken night and stirs feelings between the both of them for the rest of the series. Some more basketball bs and an old friend and then it's happily ever after (kind of?).

For me, this was just really boring. Most parts dragged on for too long, discussing things I was just highly not interested in. This series was able to grab my attention for like two seconds and then it disappeared. This is a sports BL, which I don't usually mind, but this was entirely too much basketball. Basketball this, basketball that, and I skipped pretty much every single game/practice sequence. Mon comes off to me as a sore loser who got his feelings hurt because he sits on the bench, sad sure, but not sad enough for them to play somber ballads in the back and for me to be sympathetic to.

Talking about Mon, I wasn't really feeling it with his relationship with So. To me, they look like two completely straight actors trying to play gay characters and it doesn't work at all. That's what most BLs are, but these two had no chemistry and looked like they'd rather be anywhere else than be stuck together and have to act in love. Most of the time I got "bro" vibes. Towards the end when they're banging on the kitchen counter, it's so sloppy and messy that it also doesn't work for me. These are rookie actors, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but I would've liked to see something better.

I was really intrigued with Mickey and Q but we don't go very far with them, which I can appreciate to some extent. Mickey is Mon's little brother and Q meets him through Mon. They end up becoming really close and hanging out. Mickey runs away and goes to Q where we get an awful kiss, and then something able "not having responsibilities" and then nothing else. I think I'm okay with that just because Mickey is young, so sure, he's still learning, but I would've liked a conversation to at least happen between the two of them (and not about the running away).

Pond was by far the best character and Poon was the best actor, I sure hope we see him again. Saint felt like a nuisance. He was weird to So in the beginning and because of that, I could never come around to liking him. I didn't care for his flashback story with Mon and I didn't care that he had feelings for him either.

The cinematography and the sets were beautiful; it's what really had me holding on (and Pond cause I loved him). I was so close to dropping this, but I held on. And again it wasn't bad, like plot or acting-wise, just boring.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5 - Didn't really intrigue me. It might be for someone else, but I was more bored than anything. The romance also didn't do it for me. I'll give three stars to Pond and 3 and a half stars to Mickey and Q.

Acting: 8.5 - Good enough. The main leads weren't the best, but it wasn't so bad either. Poon was the best out of everyone, I hope to see him again.

Music: 5.5 - Decent,

Rewatch value: 1 - No. Just no. I couldn't sit myself through this again,

This will be very forgotten about soon. I don't recommend it unless it's something that catches your eye. I tried watching this a few months back and put it on hold because it was so tedious, but I picked it back up and just pushed myself through it. I probably skipped over some important parts, but I simply just don't care. Watch if you want or don't.

Read More

Non Deserved Better

I had barely even heard of this series, but once I tuned in, I was hooked. Presumably so, I thought a completely different story was going to happen. I fall in love with one couple, only to be forced to move on? Love Area Part 1 was a great mini-series that kept me on my toes. While I continued to enjoy my watch, I grew angrier and angrier with each passing episode.

Let's Dive In.

Production was decent. Not much else to say on that. I don't remember there being that many ads if any at all. I thought the wardrobes were pretty nice (you know, when they weren't wearing uni clothes), and the makeup was done really well. Nothing to complain about. All in all. it was pretty good.

Onto the plot. I think it was pretty basic, except, I sometimes like basic, and in this context, I actually quite enjoyed myself. Can't go wrong with a cute restaurant love.

Onto the pairings. The one thing this show does is give us two pretty compelling characters to match with the main lead (Although, one is to for sure happen over the other). I was here for Non and Kaitoon before anything. Non is just the perfect guy. We see no problems in his character (which could drive him to be pretty one dimensional, but oh well), he genuinely feels for Kaitoon and goes out of his way to involve himself in Kaitoon's life by helping him mend his wounds, giving him good advice, and just being there. They did him so dirty closer to the end. Non did not serve to be stood up, especially not twice. They treated him with the utmost disrespect and he better be given a heartfelt apology (and hopefully another character introduced for him). Moving onto Valen and Kaitoon. I didn't like them at the beginning, and I mean who would? Valen ends up trying to rob Kaitoon which in turn gets Kaitoon punched and actually robbed. I don't know how anyone could fall for their robber, but this is BL, and anything can happen. I didn't really start feeling for them until about episode 5, but then Kaitoon kept forgetting about Non, and it just hurt even worse in the finale. King and Peat's story felt like a completely different series. I think their pairing is a bit irrelevant since neither of them really play an important role in the plot. However, I did feel for King. Nobody should be abandoned, especially without an explanation. King started gaining my respect until Ice came into the story. Ice looks like a fetus, so if they're trying to maybe make them a thing (possibly not since Peat moved back in with King) then please don't. Even King making him go shirtless was a bit uncomfortable for me. Overall, all the couples in this series were okay.

The acting was alright. I think that the script wasn't all too strong so the actors didn't have much to work with. The strongest actor was probably Got (Tang), even though he had a small role, he still knew how to deal with the cards he was dealt. I think all of the main roles could use a bit of work, but Pak (Kaitoon) was definitely the best out of all of them.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - Nothing special or noticeably different from the others. I think they did an alright job at building up the chemistry between the main leads, so I will give that to them (Also, I'm a sucker for slow-burns, so I'm excited to see what happens with them in season 2). For that, I'll give it an extra 1.5 stars on top of the 6 I was originally going to give it. (But that better do my son Non better!).

Acting: 7 - Again, it was decent, nothing special, nothing better than the rest. Got and Pak give this score an extra two stars. I hope to see some stronger acting choices in season two (and maybe a stronger script as well).

OST: 5.5 - Didn't really pay attention to it. Since it wasn't noticeable for being annoying then it was decent for me. (also, no one was singing, so that's an extra star!)

Rewatch value: 1 - Again, I have to move on to other things I have to watch, but I probably won't come back to this series. Especially since season two drops in just a couple of days.

Overall, this series was a decent one. I'd recommend this for sure. especially someone new to BL. It's pretty fluffy and heartfelt for the most part. I think something should've been different (like them not treating Non like he's a piece of trash).

Read More

Underwhelming

I could tell by the first episode that this was going to be cringe-filled. I'm more disappointed that I went into this with the intention that because Gameplay was in this, it would be good. That's not it at all. Love With Benefits is full of weird editing, mediocre supporting characters, and a plot that could've gone right had they actually put in some effort.

Let's Dive In.

Firstly, let's discuss this production. While seemingly low-budget, this series did a horrible job at editing. There were some scenes that just has these very inconsistent cuts that were strewn together that someone thought were okay to air. I sat there embarrassed for the actors for how terrible the editing team did them. Ad placements literally everywhere, those were probably the only moments that were decently scripted and put together well (got to make sure to get that coin!). The production team did a very sorrowful job, this series could've been better with a more decent crew.

I wasn't very fond of any of the supporting characters. The feminine gays were played up to be creepy, and annoying, and thirsty, so I skipped most of their scenes (when can we get an effeminized gay that's not supposed to be the touchy creep of a series???) The acting coach was decent I guess, but he was just kind of there. I did like Pluto though (and would've rather him and Play end up together).

The only thing that Play and First had was great heat scenes. The chemistry was weird, I don't like how they made Play out to be childish. It was aggravating. The relationship was ridiculously rushed since they "fell in love" within the span of about 10 days. The series was an obvious cash-grab than it was at trying to build an actual decent relationship.

I love Gameplay so freakin much, so I was left feeling a bit heartbroken that this was the series he was in. I don't want to sound insulting about the other actors, but Gameplay is better than this series. He deserves a main role that compliments his acting, and in this, it diminishes it. Give Gameplay a three-dimensional character with actual traits and a personality, and I swear he can do it. I was so looking forward to seeing him in Kinnporsche, and was absolutely devastated when he dropped out. He just deserves the attention and the role that I see others getting.

The acting was decent. This seems to be Folk's first acting gig, so I won't be too harsh, but I didn't like his performance at all. I would've rather them had switched his role with Best and then maybe this series could've been a bit better.

Overall, this was underwhelming. If you're looking for a few good heat scenes, then you got it, but if you're looking for an actual BL with meaningful moments and a storyline, than this is not the series for you.

Read More

Best HIStory By Far

My favorite HIStory so far. By the time I got to this series, I was thinking to myself, "is continuing the HIStory series really that important to me?" By this time I had already seen the first HIStories and Right or Wrong, all of which I gave less than 6 stars to. They weren't keeping my attention very well, I wasn't having much luck with liking the couple or the content, so should I really keep going? But, I'm so grateful that I did.

Let's Dive In.

Some soft high school students falling in love?? yeah I’ll take it. Once again, enemies to lovers are not my forte, but I loved this with my entire heart. The first thing that drew me in was Zach Lu's beauty. There is no denying that his presence was one of the best things about this film. He portrayed his character so perfectly, and in such a way that an actual teenager would act, and I'm in awe. Qui Zi Xuan was my favorite character. He had a meaningful story and a sad past that made me feel for him. Even with the enemies to lover trope, it was still a slow-burn. You could see Xia Yu Hao steadily falling more in love with him, which led to one of the best kisses in BL history. Literally a kiss between the net?? Pure magic.

I really liked the shower scene. It was hilarious! I haven’t really cried laugh like that while watching a series in a while. I wasn't sold on the side couple at all. Even looking past them being step-brothers (ewe, why?), they had no chemistry and barely any screen time. Had they not been stepbrothers, I might've actually tried harder at paying any attention to their plot.

I loved this series, point, blank perod. It has to be one of the best ones best that depict a real relationship and how harsh the beginning of feelings and attraction can be. I would completely recommend this to anyone willing to watch.

Read More

Here for PeteKao, stayed for SunMork

Kiss Me Again was a doozy to get through, but fortunately, I enjoyed everything about this series except Pete. He was a condescending, self-absorbed brat that was too wrapped up in his own reality to understand that his boyfriend is a human being and not his toy. Pete telling Kao not to tutor (the job he needed to help out his mom and sister) just because he was jealous of a CHILD is ridiculous. I don't care how stupidly hot Pete is, his actions were so unattractive.
I don't like how they went about developing Non. I really enjoyed him in the beginning; I actually shipped Non and Kao a lot more than I did Pete and Kao. Obviously, they weren't ever going to get together in any universal setting (cause everyone loves taynew), but still, I loved him until they turned Non into this overly-obsessed, vengeful-for-no-reason little brat. #justiceforNon2k21.
I'm not the type to cry at any series (no tears for UWMA or History: MODC. I'm weird.), but when it's a coming-out scene I will ALWAYS cry. Kao coming out to his mom was so breathtaking and so perfect and beautiful that I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. New and whoever played his mom did an amazing job.
Sun and Mork saved this series. Why do you think my overall score is so high? I don't know if it's because Pod is so shippable, or if it's because I'm in love with Gawin (most likely all of the above), but Sun and Mork are the best side BL couple EVER. It was fluffy, it was cute, it was captivating and I miss them. #bringbackgawinwherethefuckdidhego2k21.
The OST was a FUCKING BOP. I usually always skip the intro videos, but there was something so unskippable about this one. Loved it.

Read More