Unpopularopinionbydemand

Excellent Execution of a K-BL

Gosh, so many Korean BLs are surprising me this year with their quality, their production value, their longevity, and their importance. I won't say all of them have, but the majority of them that I've enjoyed have, and this one is not shy of it. The Eighth Sense is gorgeous, it's truly a beautiful piece of art from the bucket of K-BLs we've gotten this year, and I'm proud of the story it committed to telling and the clear and concise ending to a perfect drama.

Let's Dive In.

Now, because I saw that this series had so much hype and popularity around it, including that it's much more dense and intricate than others, I will be very nit-picky, just an FYI. But I'll start with what I really liked.

The setup of everything was just absolute perfection. What I love most is such a natural introduction of the characters in their natural habitat that doesn't feel awkward or forced. And the chemistry, urgh, the chemistry is breathtaking. I love slow burn, I love tension, I love strangers to friends to lovers. Now this was probably the fastest slow burn I've seen (and a complicated one), but nonetheless, I yearned for them to be together and I got that and that's all I wanted.

I can say without a doubt that all the side characters played an important role in this series and weren't just added-in characters to take up screen time. They helped move the story along, get our leads together, and did so also having their own personal character growth. Aeri, Joonpyo, Yoonwon, and even smaller characters like Bitna were so involved with the overall objective of the show that it all flowed smoothly.

Urgh, again, just so much good chemistry, so much good physical contact, so many beautiful moments. The writers did an incredible job showing the details of their relationship, but did an even better job at diving below surface levels to give our mains actual motives and objectives and obstacles and development. My favorite of them obviously being Jaewon who's so friendly yet facading all of it with hidden trauma that we see him actively working through with the therapist. I immediately loved his portrayal of being the shoulder his friends can lean on and that the surf club can trust, to seeing him in therapy and his eyes weaken and even his posture exhausted. Jihyun is the only one who's able to see through it when they get closer, and you can see Jaewon change and grow with the way he smiles as they interact or make eye contact. And I loved all of it. Down to the very end, actually, especially the end because I definitely needed power bottom Jiyun's energy and he gave just that. (the writers are HELL for giving us that "let's-put-on-our-surfing-suits" scene! the sensuality of it all, like I was literally biting my nails it was so fucking good)

Conan gray music?????? 1000000/10 already. And even besides that, I love the soundtrack in TES. It was hippy and happy-go-lucky and feel-good music, not the typical ballads I'm used to hearing in K-BLs and I loved it.

Okay, so moving on to what I'm choosing to be nit-picky about. Eunji. I get it. She was here to play the evil ex-girlfriend who wants her boyfriend back and will do anything to get him back no matter who she hurts. Okay cool. Except, I didn't hate her, I only felt sorry for her. But my problem with this character is not her actions, but that none of her actions had a genuine motive other than the repetitive ones I'm used to seeing. This K-BL is deep, it's complex, is complicated, and yet they only scrape the surface of her character and I hate it. Really? The only reason she's bitchy is because she wants Jaewon back? It's just too simple for me. I almost wish that Jaewon maybe did something to her, or maybe we see her backstory as to why she tried so hard to get him back, family matters maybe, or something deeper than that. It just looks lazy and tacky to me for her not to have some more complexity to her overall objective. And then try to throw a redemption arc on us? No, thank you.

While I love Jihyun and Jaewon, there is so much from their relationship that showcases it won't last very long and I mean communication. It all starts at the beginning when Jaewon kisses Jihyun on the beach, and then from there on we don't get an explanation as to why or Jihyun never asks, and it's aggravating. They move past it and go through a little conflict, then almost kiss, go through some more complicated feelings, then get intimate on a beach, some more deeper conflict, and boom , it's fixed with a kiss. I wish we heard more from Jaewon, cause we see so much of Jihyun trying, but for Jaweon it is up to him and it's his decision on whether or not to avoid Jihyun or just one day decide he wants Jihyun and runs to him. To me, that's not fair to Jihyun that communication is only gifted through Jaewon's decision. Then they get together and all of the conversations they desperately needed to have were pushed aside for lovey-dovey dialogue. Jihyun doesn't know that Jaewon suffers from depression, which I'm sure he gathered, but I would've loved a conversation with Jaewon explaining it to him. Just the little things that you can detect in a relationship and know that it'll potentially be the couple's downfall.

Something really nit-picky, but in episode 2 or 3, Jaewon and Yoonwon go to a bar and there's a non-Korean bartender who asks Yoonwon her order in English and she answers in Korean, and he looks confused and says, "Sorry?" in which Jaewon had to order for them in English (great English btw). But my problem is that if you're going to work in Korea, especially in a bar/restaurant, then knowing enough to get by seems important. I just hate how confused he looked at someone speaking Korean to him when he works in a Korean bar in Korea.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Amazing. Truly. I was entertained episode by episode, and didn't want to miss a single line of dialogue. some nit-picky things that don't give the overall score of the series higher than an 8 for me, but nonetheless, really really good.

Acting: 9/10 - Really great acting. Some great character depth from Jisub (Jaewon). Jihyun was a tad lackluster going against Jaweon, but still really good.

Music: 10/10 - Conan freaking Gray!! nothing else to say!

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - the only reason the score is not high is that this series does have a sense of sadness to it even though it's not a tragedy, so I personally wouldn't recommend it to everybody unless they want something deep and complex and kind of sad. but it's highly recommended for anyone wanting something intricate as it is!

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Cute Wittle K-BL

I enjoyed that this series brought me one of two things: easy binge and Omega-X. I've become a fan of them in recent months (After hearing their music all over Korea during my time there) and I ended up becoming a wee bit of a fan. However, I never watched any of their band content or bothered to learn any of the members' names specifically because I remembered that two of them would be premiering in this series, and I live for a surprise. All in all though, I enjoyed this little series, it had a perfect duration time, a great cast, and a pretty decent plot.

Let's Dive In.

Now the leads aren't perfect, but for what it's worth, they did a really fantastic job. I was actually close to dropping this series during the first two episodes because it was giving "My Beautiful Man" and if anyone knows me, they know I loath that series. I'm already not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, but I'm okay with rivalries and competitors and opposing teams, but an actual bully (someone who makes a person's life miserable and quite literally is a genuine bully) to lover concept is hard for me, seeing as I can never understand how someone could fall in love with the person that gives them living hell. But by episode three, it picks up a bit more, it becomes lighthearted teasing, and eventually they become best friends before the lovers part. Actually, I thought episode three was one of the best episodes, and it only picks up from there.

Now on to the actual romance -- I think it dragged in a lot of places, but it was believable enough, so I'm not mad. No kiss which is a tad bit aggravating, but I've been told that there is also no kiss in the Manwha, so I'll leave my feelings out of it. I absolutely loved the last episode, I liked that it was fun and cute and adorable and domestic. It felt very organic and natural and I loved it.

The time jump wasn't very fun, and realistically thinking about it, no one would still be hung up on a crush two years later. but this is fictional, so I'll fuck with it.

Rating:

Story: 8/10 - Followed a steady path from point A to point B. I was actually really intrigued with the whole archery thing, including his rivalry with the other guy. Really nice back-flash storytelling, probably one of my favorite parts. Others were meh, and the friend group was meh, but I think Yeboem (Hogyun) is the cutest thing in the world.

Acting: 9/10 - Really good. Some meh parts, but it was pretty good!

Music: 8.5/10 - I liked it! Obviously, because Omega X was singing their OSTs lol.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - It's really freaking cute, and I think anyone can easily enjoy this. It's not perfect, but it's an easy binge and you get to see some pretty adorable guys act in love.

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Another Filler Thai BL Series

I think I've found a title for Thai BL Series that follows a very plain and ordinary plot with mediocre/bad acting and an appealing, yet idiotic romance: Filler Bls. Yep. It's yet another one to add to the collection of the "Did we really need this?" pile. But truthfully, what was this show's purpose in existence? Why did someone fill the need to tell this story? But I won't nag too much, because if it was so awful, then why not just drop it? And yet, I still can't find the answer, because, indeed, this is a filler BL, but indeed, I will still tune in to watch the clownery unfold. La Cuisine was a thriller ride that started off as, "I think I'm enjoying this" to wondering if I should've started it in the first place.

Let's Dive In.

La Cuisine is another food BL that stars Lukchub as this very shy and giddy chef who meets the rich and popular college student Ram. Basically, nothing happens in-between them getting together, and then all chaos ensues with a girl that brings about so much drama for absolutely zero reasons.

I won't lie, during the beginning of LC, I was intrigued. for a moment, I really did like LukChub's shyness and how Ram had to do the bare minimum to make him blush. I thought their build-up was okay, The date episode was where I think I finally caved in and thought they were pretty sweet. However, I couldn't really understand why or how Ram came about liking LukChub (outside of his food) because his personality is very unappealing. He hides his face anytime he can, he looks to the floor when speaking to him, was way too damn naive, and sometimes he has to have his friends talk for him to Ram. Maybe Ram is into submissive men? It was cute for a minute, and then after a while, it was disturbing that a grown man can't talk to his crush accordingly or without looking like he's going to crap himself. And it only gets worse when they get together. For one, they get no canon kiss outside of the last few minutes of the last episode that was more so a daydream-type scene. Yes, because two grown men who have been dating have zero desire to kiss..? I'm usually fine without kiss scenes, in most series I can understand the reason why not, but there was no reason here, and we got something or other in the end, so why not just put it in the series where a kiss would make sense? Like them becoming boyfriends? Or when they're out on the date? Anyways, the chemistry was very faint, half the time we got some awkward staring and uncomfortable silence. The height difference was pretty cute, the only thread holding me onto this series.

Now, onto the plot. We get some very annoying not-even-an-ex-girlfriend who tries to sabotage the main leads' relationship for, again, no real reason. She think Ram is cute? Cool, so does the entire school. They try to give us her sob story and even after seeing this, again, there are still zero reasons for her psychopathic actions. Even for Ram to keep up with her after all she did to him and LukChub is such a red flag in my eyes, as well as Lukchub just being extremely gullible and naive with not wanting to press charges or anything. I skipped most of her scene during the last few episodes, because who cares? In fact, after episode 8, I put this entire series into fast-forward mode because none of it was necessary. But what really took the cake was the damn fan page for Ram. Who walks around day and night trying to continuously let others know about his life? And how come Ram hasn't tried getting a restraining order or suing them? Thai series have got to drop this trope of having fan pages and crazy fan girls/boys. And while there at it, stop trying to put in a random jealous female character to add on conflict just because they're isn't any without her. It's so redundant and annoying.

The side characters were okay, but I more so liked Pang and Kitty. All the other characters were unnecessary or just there to be there. Paitong was a mess, either admit you like Luckchub or move on. Super was nuisance, and so were Ram's friends. They get everyone together in the last episode, which I could get around to if they gave these side characters the time of day. And the fact that Paitong and Sky made out before Ram and Lukchub? How does that make logical sense?

Rating:

Story: 6.5 - The beginning of the series was more enjoyable than the last, where they throw in some very out-of-the-blue drama. the crazy jealous girl plot is so fucking irritating, the romance of the main leads is just not there, and the plot is pretty much nonexistent without Namning.

Acting: 7.5 - Decent, and mediocre at best. Namning (although I hated her), Kitty, and Pang were the better ones. Someone should've rewritten the script so they could accommodate the fact that Mick can't cry, and it's embarrassing when it's implied he was supposed to be. Pop is more such just a cute face, but his acting is dead, and so was Boom's. The rest of them were just okay.

Music: 6 - Catchy. The only thing that wasn't off about this series.

Rewatch value: 1 - no

This series seriously had potential, especially in the beginning. But the acting, or more so the script, is really what puts this series off. I don't recommend it unless anyone is looking for something pretty light to watch (in some aspects). This will for sure be forgotten about soon.

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Decent!

I loved it and I hated it, there is simply no in-between. I'm never one to be drawn in by only the first episode, but I genuinely enjoyed this one, with the simplistic set-up and the flow of the story moving steadily. That's how most of the series felt for me, with some things lacking, but overall, a steady plot flow. Love Class is a very short K-BL that stands out due to the cast's beauty and reused trope, except, for this series, it works out perfectly.

Let's Dive In.

Love Class uses an ordinary plot with an interesting touch on a literal love class; learning about relationships and connection while simultaneously pairing up with someone in the class to learn more closely about it. When there are no girls left for Jiwoo (who so badly wanted to pair with his in-class crush Yoona), he's stuck with the tall and brooding Ro-A. They interact more closely as a fake couple until throughout, they realize their feelings for one another. Oh, and also a weirdly thrown-in professor/student relationship. the end.

No, but seriously, the professor and student relationship doesn't work for me only because it's so dramatically irrelevant to the plot that it's comical. Yes, both actors are beautiful, but it was highly unnecessary.

The connection between Jiwoo and Ro-A lacked a lot in the beginning. It was more so me trying to figure out why Ro-A had an established crush on Jiwoo for no apparent reason. Only one measly conversation (one not even in their right mind) isn't enough for seomting like feelings to spark. At least in my opinion. So Ro-A flirts with Jiwoo, calling him adorable and cute and giving him longing stares. While it's never stated that Ro-A has a crush, it's evident through the actor's acting. Then the build-up starts to appear mid-series after a disturbing stalker plot and Ro-A fractures his arm. Then I feel their chemistry and their connection. However, with a short timeframe and only 6 episodes, it's inevitably rushed. Then Jiwoo loses feelings for the beautiful Yoona and even turns her down for Ro-A who then turns him down for the most inexplicable reason known to man. It was dumb and added in unnecessary conflict to a plot that didn't need it. However, they do meet again with a very chaste kiss and then the end. Their story needed more time to build stronger tension between them and also unadd some very underwhelming scenes. But we do get the best hug of 2022 cause Ro-A is 7 feet tall and Jiwoo is a small baby who cuddles perfectly into the body of him, and I rewatched that scene an unhealthy amount of times. If the romance didn't do it for me, then the height difference did.

Yoona's plot was a heavy one, and one I didn't see coming, She has a very hard time trusting men, which is never explained why, and yes, the stalker can be a reason, but she had the problem before then. It was quite disturbing to see someone so invasive of someone's privacy like that, but it happens, and it's very awful. Good thing she gets out of it, and at one point, I think I developed a liking for the thought of Yoona and Jiwoo since they built a closer connection than the leads had at some point.

Overall, a decently enjoyable series, though, it will be very easily forgotten as I move on to the next.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - steady and rhythmic. No repeated tropes or conflicts (although, some were irrelevant and unnecessary). Most characters are likable (oh yeah! I forgot about Ro-A's friend Namjun who had an unhealthy obsession with Ro-A and was abusive to Jiwoo for no reason! I don't feel bad for him in the slightest (although, the back rubs are very sensual and highly enjoyable to watch)). Some plots lacked coherence and others felt not needed.

Acting: 9 - Good, not too many problems. Hyunjin (Jiwoo) did as perfectly as he could, Taewhan (Ro-A) was a bit stale at times but decent. The others were okay, not anything bad, but nothing standout-ish other.

Music: 6 - decent.

Rewatch value: 3 - I will rewatch Ro-A hug Jiwoo to my heart's content. Other than that, probably not.

A doable cast and a decent plot. I'd recommend for anyone wanting another K-BL to add on their list. Wouldn't mind seeing these two paired again but in a stronger story (with a decent run time).

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Predictable, but Super Cute

What can I say, this series was honestly just full of BL cliches and cuteness, but that's okay, because I loved it. Does it surpass Mr. Heart? Mmmmmmmm, no, not really. Both fall in the same category of being full of fluffiness and a sprinkle of sadness, but I think Mr. Heart still has a special place in MY heart. Anyways, Light On Me was an overall successful Korean BL that brought on the feels, the fluff, the tears, and the cringe.

Let's Dive In.

Production was nice. I can't remember if there were a bunch of ad placements, but from what I can remember, there were none that were just screaming at you, so a bonus point for me. Production was overall the usual way Korean shows are produced, so nothing special, but I thought the OST was really good.

Onto the plot. While predictable to the T, it was still the type of predictable that you don't mind. Did I know that Shin Woo would be the one Tae would pick? Yes, I saw it as soon as the dildo fell on the floor. (also, why weren't we given a good explanation as to way Shin Woo was caring around a bunch of weiners???? I'm thinking it might have been for health class or something, but an explanation still would've been very nice). Even with the very obvious plot, it was still nice to see a love triangle (which I'm a sucker for). But I actually want to see one where the main character tries out their options with both parties. (actually dating both parties (separately), kissing both of them, stuff like that). Yes this one was a love triangle, but it didn't feel like it, especially after Da on and Tae were exposed. After that, the Da on slope just went down and up went Shin Woo. But there was a hot second in which I thought that could've possibly end up together, but it was shot down quickly.

If you can't tell, I was on the Da On boat until we sank lower than the titanic. I think I started to appreciate Shin Woo at about the last couple of episodes, but before then, I was hoping their was going to be some kind of plot twist, but nope. While Shin Woo is super sweet and he went through his own trauma with trying to be open, there was no reason for him to act they way he did towards Tae at the beginning. Telling Tae he hated him, not wanting him in the student council for no good reason, like it was so unnecessary. He could've been just some quiet shy guy and that would've sufficed. I get it, he was secretly in love with Tae at first sight, and you're mean to the ones you like (a thing I never will ever understand), but Shin Woo did too damn much. Da On had his struggles too, with being too nice and letting people walk all over him. Even though him and Tae don't get together, I am glad that he learned to say no. Both actors did a really good job, this is the first I'm seeing of them, so hopefully we'll see them in future projects.

Onto Tae. I don't love how they played out his character, to be this stoic loner, but oh well. I don't like to diagnose anyone cause who the freak am I, but I'm pretty sure Tae had some kind of high-functioning autism. He was always very truthful, he didn't want to have friends at first, and he's just pretty social awkward and different. He struggle with communicating with people and has this very neutral face that might've been his actor's choice, but it was noticeable. It would've been nice had they dwelled a little into his home life and his mentality. The actor did an okay job, some times he was good, other times he was to stale and stiff with his words. Onto Nam Goong who gets all my love. Hands down the best performance out of all of them. He was charismatic, he was funny, he was talented, he was a perfect gift wrapped in a little bow. This series would've been nothing without him. They were trying to set him up with So Hee, but after she sent out the photo to everyone, she was irredeemable for me. I don't care that she apologized and tried to make things right, I started skipping over her parts cause she was just making me mad. She was manipulative, she was clingy, she was a pick-me girl -- ugh, it just really upsets me.

Some other nit-picky things. That one scene when So Hee is with her friends and they see Tae and Da On was the stupidest shit ever. "What are two guys doing hanging out on the weekend? that's not normal." Babe what, that was the sloppiest writing ever, we could've done something better, I know we could've. Again, the writing kind of threw me off. I'm glad Tae realized his feelings for Shin Woo, but you can't be over Da On that fast, especially since he spent all his time with Shin Woo mostly just whining and crying over Da On. There needed to be a better transition for that moment.

Overall, this was a nice watch, It took me only a day to finish since it's just 16 20-30 minute long episodes. I literally stayed up till 6 in the morning watching, but it was worth it. Yes, I bicker about this series a lot in this review, but it was a really nice watch that left me laughing, and feeling bad, and feeling good, and everything in between. This is a highly recommended series, Korea once again delivered a beautiful BL love story, and this one gained a lot of praise, so hopefully this is the series that leads to there being multiple in the future. We kind of had a bit of a cliffhanger, some guy came to see the very handsome teacher, but we don't see his face, so that might've been teasing a 2nd season. Let's hope!

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Unfinished Plots

One thing I hate about any show/series I'm watching is if there are plot holes or unfinished endings to ongoing scenarios, and oh boy did this show have them aplenty. While I'm in love with the concept of Color Rush and the world-building that went into it, it still felt undone and rushed by the end.

Let's Dive In.

The way this show starts off with world-building is EXCELLENT. I loved everything about the introduction of Monos and their Probes. They set up this amazing story on how Monos finding their probes makes them go crazy, and other interesting plots that caught my attention almost immediately. We figure out that Choi Yeon Woo's mother was a Mono who had to find her probe, but she mysteriously vanishes and it's his aunt's lifetime goal to find her. For some reason, this plot lasts all about three episodes (three SHORT episodes mind you) until the disappearance of his mother is pushed to the side and never talked about again. What the fuck? The best parts about the series was her disappearance and I wish we could've seen so much more.

I LOVED Go Yoo Han. I loved their introduction to one another, and I even more appreciated how he wanted to get closer to Choi. While I found him wearing that mask to be a ridiculous aspect of the story, I will say that it's pretty humorous in the fact that we all now have to wear masks. Go Yoo teaching him the colors and goes to a color exhibit that was beautiful. My heart was fluttering so much when Choi was seeing in color and we can see how happy Go Yoo was for him. That excitement alone left me wanting them to get together so badly.

I didn't care for Go Yoo's friends. While they served somewhat a purpose for the storyline for Go Yoo and Choi, they also felt like a nuisance with these weird abilities. Jung Joo had more so a disfunction per se, in which he couldn't see people's faces. It felt so odd to the plot, even with it already be pretty much unrealistic, just how can you not see people's faces? it would've been more believable if he couldn't physically touch people, or maybe even better if he could automatically tell who can see color and who can't. The same goes for Kim Min Jae who was barely in the series in the first place. He had the ability to (I'm guessing here) see dead people? Or communicate with the dead? I don't know, but it wasn't needed if it wasn't going to be addressed or explained. Same goes for Choi's mom who we never find or heard about again.

Overall, I'm being tougher on this series because I can feel the potential that it has. It has the potential to be one of the best Korean BLs or even one of the best BLs period. However, there are some areas that it falls too short in, or too weak on. If we are to get a season two, I want to see more of the mom's plot, and more seriousness going into the Monos and Probes situation. Still, I would recommend this series because what we do see is beautiful and sentimental.

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Stereotypical BL Series

While I did give this series a good rating, I won't lie that it's pretty generic, and a stereotypical BL. It wasn't bad or anything, I did enjoy myself, but noting stood out either. I had to rewatch a few episodes just to remember what had happened.

Let's Dive In.

Solo and Gui were a pretty forgettable couple. Nothing to major stood out with them that made me want more of them. Their pairing was okay, I did really like how tall Nut is and how he just towered of Petch, although, Nut's acting was questionable. He held this gaze that was super annoying and I just wanted him to change expressions at least once. Gui was fine I guess, he wasn't bad but he didn't stand out either. Like I said, I can barely even remember what went on with this couple.

The reason I gave this drama the rating it got was because of Phu and Kao. Absolutely adored them. Characters that come to meet that have completely opposite personalities is the best to me. Kao helped Phu get out of his comfort zone, and helped him to be more spontanteus. I wished we could've gotten to see them get together, so if there is a season 2, then I hope most of the focus is on them.

The third couple is confusing. Khem and Dr. Perth feel too odd for me to count them as a couple. I didn't ship them not one bit, and wish that Dr. Petch would've been the one to reciprocate perth's feelings. This leads me into Khim. Her character was annoying, dreadful, a stalker, and we could've done without her in the series. For the majority of the series she is trying to convince Dr. Petch that he's gay and in love with Dr. Perth. It wasn't entertaining at all, and made me highly uncomfortable. Also, her following Solo and Gui around like they were her property or something. Nothing good came form her. With her character being apart of the show, you can kind of tell this was made for female fans before it was made for males. Upsetting, but the simple truth with most Thai BLs.

Some other problematic stuff happened in this series that I can't really remember, but all I know is that this isn't the worse series ever, did have its cute moments. Wouldn't be the first series I recommend, but it wouldn't be the last either, so that a good sign.

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A Nice Watch

Another COVID Philippines show. By now, I thought I wouldn't get over this plot being used, but nope, I still love it. A plot where there's danger outside so you have to stay inside with the person you like? Yes, please. I had fun watching this series, it did have its bad moments, but for the most part, I liked it.

Let's Dive In.

My favorite character would have to be Judah. I loved his little sassy attitude that he had, and his character was just really funny without trying to be. The only part that I didn't appreciate is the way he was so calm and cute with Rocky, and then the next day he becomes obsessed with Rocky and starts to court him. It felt like a completely different person. There was no need for him to become a weird creepy person, could if I was Rocky, I would be freaked out too. But, it did get better by the end. Judah had said this quote that I loved (but, sadly cannot remember) and it was about why people started liking him when it was too late. It was a beautiful moment, and it is literally sewn into my brain.

Overall, this was a decent series, and I do recommend a watch.

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Super Duper Short

Finally, as series about brothers, but PLOT TWIST, they're not in love?? I was full heartily going into this, thinking these brothers were going to fall for each other. Why? Because incest is so prevalent in the BL community, so what was stopping my thoughts from going to *that* place? anyways, I really enjoyed this watch, except, it is stupidly short, and ridiculously rushed.

Let's Dive In.

For one, Because of You should've just been a movie, I finished the entire series in one sitting, and in less than two hours. Because of this, there was not enough time for each brother to get a decent amount of screen time. Instead, it was mostly focused on the main brother, while the others had just enough time to only flesh out the main points of their story, and no details. My favorite couple would definitely go to Yuan Jun Cheng and Lin Xun, but the only reason being that we saw them the most. Even with them being my favorite, they still were really rushed. hey were dropping L-bombs and moving in so quickly. I needed that moment when it felt they had dated for a while, we needed to have seen that time pass by, but we never do. As for the other brothers, I just needed more. Nothing felt realistic, and nothing felt connected. I think out of all the brothers, I would've like to see Dao more. I felt like I had been asleep those entire two hours when he and Yang Xiang got together. It literally came out of nowhere. Besides the rush plot, I still enjoyed the concept of the series. It was something that we hadn't seen before, and it was refreshing, to say the least.

Overall, this is a quick and fun watch. I could've easily been a 10 had they been able to make it longer than 10 minutes each episode. Would love to see these pairings in other BLs, and would enjoy seeing them reprise these roles if a sequel is to happen (hopefully longer than this one).

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Confused

It's been a PHAT minute since I've last seen this, so forgive me if my response is pretty small, but I really don't remember much. I remember being highly confused and lost in the entire story, The one thing I did remember is the rape that occurred. Once again with romanticizing rape and sexual assault. Did not enjoy the part of him literally getting forced into a tent (a wide-open tent at that). The acting wasn’t the best, which is why it’s at a 6, but it's probably the best one out of all the first Histories. It's the only one with a story and the only one that drew me in until the awful occurrence of rape and sexual assult.

I don't recommend this series, nor do I really recommend any of the first three history series.

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I Am Confusion

I was pretty confused with everything going on, especially at the beginning. Everything was so fast-paced and busy that it was hard to keep up with what was happening. When I did finally grasp the concept, I was kind of in-between.

Let's Dive In.

I thought the concept of the episode was unique, (a girl stuck inside of a male body) but I also think that it was a little weird and tried to throw off the idea of him being gay, and more of just him being in love with a guy cause his past love was stuck in him. (Does that make sense?) Or maybe it was teaching us that love is not a gender and except is just a person. However anyone decided to interpret it, that’s how I did.

But in my honest opinion, I believe that the guy that the girl was using as her host (sorry, I'm having a hard time remembering names with faces) was originally gay and liked her boyfriend in the first place, so after the kiss, the girl left his body, and he was just actually in love with the guy in the end. (Once again, is this making sense???). I gave this a four cause I was confused the entire time cause of the pacing. I also feel like I missed most of the plot because I was too busy trying to figure out who everybody was. I didn't like the acting much either, but Aaron Lai is set to be in another series that I'm actually so stoked about, so hopefully, we'll see him in a better light there.

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Dissapointing

This series was sadly so disappointing. I loved the concept of it mainly revolving around the swim team and them going through their trial and tribulations. It was new, it was different, but, the execution of the characters and the story fell short.

I was 100% behind Waii and Apo, and I don't even like enemies to lovers, but New and Earth are incredible actors and they played the tension off so well. I immediately lost interest after the s*xual as*ult happened. It was uncalled for, it was purposeless, and ruined any hope that I had for them. BLs have to learn that consent is sexy and romanticizing anything outside of consent is ugly as fuck. After those events, I was so close to dropping this series, but I then came Kluay and Achi and I stayed. I loved the dynamic of these two, but sadly we barely got to see anything go on between them. I would've much rather watched these two than anything else that happened in this series.

I guess this is more of a side BL in a regular drama since we had to deal with the drama of the actual main couples. Quite frankly, the leading females were dramatic and unbearable. I would like these shows to stop treating their female characters with basic stereotypes and actually give them real traits. Also didn't like how they played out Pan to be a lesbian and then just do a 180 and end up with Fah. Would've loved to see her story with her female love interest.

There was also some weird stuff that went on between the coach and one of the players. Kind of awkward, and felt forced.

Overall, this show had good acting and a good production team. I loved the friendships that we saw and the new concept that was tried out. I love New and Earth, but this was not it. I don't think they had good chemistry, especially after the unfortunate events. So glad they found other partners to work with that they can create good on-screen chemistry with.

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S-Saint? Is that you?

This is one of those series in which people chose sides when it came to who was the better couple. It was kind of like Edward vs Jacob but in the sense of their couples and not feral beasts. I had heard the tragic news about Saint not being in LBC season 2 (maybe that was a good choice cause season 2 was a hot mess) and after my watch, I wanted so badly to see him again. So, I turned on Why R U the next day and dropped it almost immediately after. It took me MONTHS before I could pick it up again.

I stopped this series at episode 3 once I started understanding the plot and realized that Zon's sister was writing erotic fan-fiction about her brother and his enemy. Who woke up one morning and thought that this was okay? Right off the bat I was uncomfortable and felt like I was being backed up into a wall and forced to enjoy their morally wrong reality. I loved Zon so much, and I was excited to see his relationship grow with Safiah, but it was already so chaotic with fangirls that their relationship was annoying. I was so confused because of the literal 30 characters in this show, all with their own plot, and relationships, and problems and I couldn't keep up WHATSOEVER.

Once I picked it back up again, I was shocked at how versatile Saint is in his acting. I loved Tutor so much, and I loved how confident Saint played this character. even though I loved him, I wasn't much of a fan of him and Fighter. The only thing I really cared for was the plot with Fighter's dad, and how well Saint executed Tutor in having to pretend to not like Fighter. They had lots of intimate moments that were excellent and didn't fall awkward or stiff. That's kind of the only thing this couple had going for them in my opinion. The sexual tension was real.

On the other hand, I absolutely adored Zon and Safiah. Once the fangirls somewhat calmed down, Zon and Safiah had time to really dial down and actually have some real chemistry. The guitar lessons, the dates, the sleepover, and really just everything with this couple were fun and comedic. When it came to their intimate moments, they played off perfect at being sentimental and romantic. I love Tommy and Jimmy and hope to see them in future dramas.

Other aspects I didn’t enjoy were how many side couples there were. There was Japan and Tanthai, and then Zon’s sister and Natee, Hwahwa and Day, and then those three guys on the soccer team. I actually enjoyed Japan a lot, except we didn't get to see much of him and Tanthai at all, so it left their story pointless and unfinished. The love triangle was exciting, I feel like we don't have very many love triangles in which both contestants have an actual chance, but it's obvious that these two did. Due to the pandemic, their plot was rushed and not organized at all. It was a mess, and confusing to keep up with.

This series was fluffy and comedic with the added sad parts, but overall, it was a good series. Zon's sister is still so in the wrong, and there were some other really off situations to happen, but for the most part, everything was just light and heartwarming. This is a good watch for anyone looking for something pretty unrealistic and fun.

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Mourning Once Again...

I wasn't at all happy to hear about there being a new cast after seeing 2moons and falling in love with Wayo (Bas to be more specific), but I won't lie, this cast swept me off my feet as well, maybe even more than the first. All actors did an amazing job and the story was further built upon (we got to see Forth and Beam, how exciting is that??!), but, the team behind the 2moons franchise failed these dudes ONCE AGAIN.
I loved Earth as Wayo. He did an excellent job at acting impeccable, cute, and just a ball of sugar. I loved the decisions that he and Ben did with their characters and I loved watching them on screen together. Although I won't lie, I loved Ming and Kit so much in this series. I was so mesmerized by Ming the entire time. He had these eyebrows that captured my attention so quickly and I love Joong so much. Nine and him had the best chemistry out of all the couples. Forth and Beam were perfect as well. We finally get to see their story, and man was it SPICY. Dome is adorable, and Pavel is downright gorgeous, they played a flawless couple.
Even though the story was the exact same, these actors actually added so much to the plots and the characters. I loved the different dynamics of each couple; Wayo and Pha were loveable and sentimental, Ming and Kit were comedic and sunny, and Forth and Beam were sexy and sensuous. Each had a narrative that could appeal to so many different types of people which is what made this story so perfect.
Once again, the plot was still nothing special, except we got to see more and ForthBeam actually had a story. Other than that, it was still a light and fluffy series and a nice watch just to get in a joyful mood.
Outside of the show, the team and whoever is behind the 2moons franchise has hurt these boys just like they had the first cast. If you didn't know, they are once again recasting each main character for 2moons3. At this point, a 2moons3 is pointless and seems so far-fetch that they should just cancel it. Mello Thailand is a problematic company that has done so much wrong to the boys, especially Earth, that I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to audion for the third season. If anything, I try to stay away from any Mello Thailand series since they don't know how to treat their employees. I will once again be mourning the death of this amazing cast and praying for the new ones once they take over.

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What The Hell is This...

Sigh, Oh JoongDunk, when will there be a series of yours that I can enjoy and/or not drop? We still haven’t crossed that threshold, and Dare You to Death has done absolutely nothing to help. Instead, we get inept cops doing a spectacularly terrible job at preventing a group of college students from dying in a murderous game of Truth or Dare, paired with some of the weakest chemistry I’ve ever seen between JD.

Let's Dive In.

Dare You to Death was my least anticipated GMMTV series of 2025, and... oh look at that, I was right!

Contrary to popular belief (or at least based on any JD series I’ve rated or dropped), I actually really enjoy both of these actors in real life. I think a big part of their appeal comes from their personalities individually and the dynamic they share off-screen. I haven’t always been sold on them as an on-screen pairing, and unfortunately this series hasn’t changed that for me. What has grown over the years is my respect for them as performers and their call-outs to some of the most annoying, crazed fans in the BL fandom. What hasn’t changed is my frustration with the roles and stories they’re consistently given. Maybe their upcoming 2026 series, "How to Survive My CEO," will finally be the one that clicks for me. As of now though, none of their projects have really delivered anything that resonates, and honestly, I hate that for them.

Moving on to the story: Surprise! I didn’t like it. Ironically, I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed the beginning. The murder mystery had potential, and I found myself intrigued by the dynamic between Jade and Kamin. Jade being completely head-over-heels from the start was fun, and Kamin clearly enjoyed the attention even while pretending he didn’t. So what went wrong? The writing.They throw in a sudden mutual kiss in episode three, and it completely derails the cat and mouse tension they had been building so well. From that point forward, this series just plummets.

Alike a lot of others, I don't appreciate the rush of their relationship. I was hoping the show would lean more toward something like Manner of Death, where the romance sits comfortably as a subplot to the larger mystery. It feels oddly corny watching these characters investigate a brutal murder spree while simultaneously flirting, teasing, and kissing every few scenes. And the chemistry just… isn’t there. Even though I’m not the biggest JD fan, I usually think their chemistry is one of the strongest aspects of their shows. Here, something is missing. It’s like I'm eating a slice of cake and realize I somehow forgot to add the sugar. Everything works on a physical level, as it usually does with them, but emotionally there’s a disconnect that makes their relationship hard to invest in.

As for the “whodunit” murder mystery, it ends up being incredibly anticlimactic. For a while, the mystery was the only thing keeping me watching, but the reveal feels obvious and underwhelming. I also really dislike the trope where the victim turns out to be the killer. It’s rarely satisfying, and it definitely wasn’t here.

Positive aspects: Fluke looked gorgeous in this, please give him someone to kiss, and soon. Pahn !! urgh, I love her. It was also nice seeing Aou and Boom, but beyond that there isn’t much else to highlight.

Rating:

Story: 5/10 - It starts off with some promise but quickly loses momentum. The romance fails to carry the show, and the truth ot dare killer mystery becomes disappointing by the end.

Acting: 7/10 - Fine. Nothing to write home about it.

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - Not worth it unless you're a diehard JD fan. Otherwise, just move on!

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