Unpopularopinionbydemand

Little GMMTV Gem

Can't say that this series disappointed, and like others, I'm pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of the story, the romance, and the overall production of this series. Be My Favorite, while still having trouble finding the meaning behind the title, I found the meaning of the series which is that of, "past or present, love always wins".

Let's Dive In.

This series did amazing with the portrayal of time traveling and trying to change the future. My biggest worry was that this was going to be pretty cliche, and while it was (in the BL aspect of the story), it still threw in some plot twist that I wasn't expecting. For one, I was for sure that Kawi was going to be able to prevent his dad from passing, but in each timeline, he does. It goes to show that -- even though there's no way for us to physically change the past -- what happens in our lives is unavoidable, no matter how many ropes we climb or battles we face; the past is the past. There were just other things in this that I really loved, including Kawi's different futures and the becomings of them.

Onto the romance, I really enjoyed it! Going into this, Krist and Gawin were the most random pairing that they paired, but in the end, it worked well. Mostly because both actors can act and Gawin is amazing at pretending to be in love (which is why GMMTV keeps giving him every partner in the company), so the chemistry obviously works. Now from time to time, I was hooked on the romance, and other times not so much, but for the most part, it worked and it worked great. I also really like that Gmmtv is allowing Gawin multiple screen partners so that they can enhance his acting ability and on-screen chemistry. It's great! His acting has also been so fucking good since Not Me aired, I'm so proud of him.

Also, this series is VERY LGBTQ+ represented and it shows tremendously. From Pisaeng accepting himself for being gay, visiting a gay bar, conversations with Max, confessions to his mom -- to having an entire speech and rally included in an episode fighting for lgbtq+ rights and that of sex workers and women. Great, great great! Also, I love Max and his little emo pink highlights lol.

I loved how they also dedicated most of the 10th episode to Kawi being nervous about sex to even having discussions about it with Max to showing a very organic, very sensual NC scene. Very well done, and very well executed.

Now some nit-picky things: Honestly, this series is only getting an 8/10 because I genuinely believe there only needed to be maybe 8-10 episodes. A lot of what we watched felt dragged out. Very nicely done, but I can't deny that I was finding myself to be a bit bored at times. Also not the biggest fan of Pisaeng having to go back to the past to help save Kawi, just felt like they were reaching for something else to put on screen when they realized it was pretty much happily ever after after episode 10.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - The Time-travel storyline was so good. it flowed nicely, it made sense, and it was enjoyable. There were some other things that were a bit tedious, but it doesn't take over the pleasure of watching this series. The romance is nice, all the side characters have their own stories which are also planned out accordingly, and in the end, it was great.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh gosh, Gawin did great since having seen him Dark Blue Kiss. He just gets better and better by the year. But honestly, for me, Aye (Pearmai) stole the show. Loved her acting, loved how versatile she was, and thank the heavens the writers made her bearable and friendly, and accepting. Everyone else did a great job, with Krist also shining through.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay attention to it, so it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - this series has surprisingly low views on YouTube, and I'm going to guess that has something to do with the odd pairing, or maybe Krist who not everybody is very fond of. Either way, please help support the wonderful talent that created this little gem of a series, it truly is amazing with lots of LGBTQ+ representation and lots and lots of fluffiness that just makes a BL series what it is.

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Decent Enough

There's nothing wrong with this really down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky series about love life and laughter. I think in general it did its job, kept me entertained and for the most part not bored, but it also had a lot of just nothing to it.

Let's Dive In.

Bon Appetit is the romance story of the overworked office employee and his old college mate who happens to move into the apartment beside his -- and cooks. I thought it to be pretty weird that he moved into the room beside his old crush purposefully, but for fictional purposes, I'll look over this. Anyway, most of the story takes place with Doyoon and his very annoying co-workers so I skipped all the scenes with them in it after like episode 1. And since they take up most of the screen time, I will say that I can't give this the most proper score, but also know that it was just a bunch of office jargon and going back and forth about nothing that was going to move the plot along.

Onto the romance: I thought it was pretty cute. I like that we didn't dwell much on the fact that Yoonsoo was gay or that Doyoon suddenly just started liking guys. It just happened and there wasn't any sad backstory or dark plot to pair with it. They were just gay and in love. Perfect. I honestly could've done without Sangwoo's character cause it just felt like a large waste of time.

Loved Seobin's guest role! It was so nice to see him again!

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - the office jargon was so fucking boring that I skipped literally all of it. And since more than half of the story takes place at the office, this is the best score I can give. Other than that, I liked the romance and Seobin's role.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! Pretty mediocre, but nothing bad about that, it just doesn't really stand out like the acting in other series.

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 7/10 - Sure, if you want another k-BL to watch, and both actors do get shirtless eventually and that's nice too. Otherwise, this might be okay to skip seeing as I'll probably forget I watched it in like a week.

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So freaking Cute

I went into this not knowing the plot, not knowing the characters' names, and not even understanding at all absolutely anything about the series. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised. An original story, one I've never heard of, played by two beautiful men and told in the best way. I loved it!

Let's Dive In.

So, I for one have never seen are watched anything dealing with an amnesia storyline. I think it's an interesting syndrome and personally, one that I've always feared. Imagine just one day waking up and not remembering the most important parts of your life. Scary. So off the bat, I'm very intrigued with everything going on.

I'm glad they showed us their past relationship interloping with their in-present experience. Watching Fumiya hold back and not love on Ritsu like he would've liked to was hard, but he's the reason for that, so I guess I don't feel too bad. Fumiya definitely shouldn't have kept such a big secret from Ritsu when he was trying his hardest to remember the most important parts of his life, which was definitely Fumiya. I wished he would've told him as soon as he got out of the hospital, and tried to somewhat rebuild what they used to have until Ritsu got his memories back and then it could've been happily ever after. But then again, where's the conflict in that?

Their romance was cute but I think their connection was better before they became a couple. After that, It loses some of its spark, but it's still good, just not the best. Decent kiss scenes, very soft and sensual NC scenes, it was all nicely done.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Such a fun story! So original and so new, so super fun to watch. I loved the main characters, even though their relationship wasn't as strong as I would've liked it to be.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Great! The emotions out of the leads were amazing. I hope to see them again for sure.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it so, it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 7.5/10 - A high recommendation! Super fun to watch, the story flows pretty nicely (especially for a series with only 6 episodes) and I really enjoyed myself. So definitely give this one a watch.

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More Cohesive Than Season 1

Going into this, I was a little taken back that they only decided to continue the story of 2 out of the 6 couples they told in season 1. But by doing so, the plot was held together nicely, and they developed a decent story that followed along an easier path. Close Friend Season 2 has definitely outshone its prior season, and I'm quite pleased to say I'm looking forward to season 3.

Let's Dive In.

They took the story of Piece/Typhoon and Jedi/Ray and combined the two, where both of their stories overlap with one another. Phoon and Ray have been friends for a while, with Phoon helping Ray with his obsession with Jedi and being a good friend that gives him great advice. And Pierce is the songwriter who writes music for Jedi. So throughout, they all have interactions with one another while simultaneously dealing with their own conflicts. In the end, it all gets better.

Their choice of only continuing the lives of only two of their couples was a great idea. It worked because the storyline isn't jumbled up, and theirs no time for filler or unnecessary situations, and it all flows steadily on a thoroughly planned out plot. Even though I would LOVE to see more of Jimmy and Tommy's story (the 1990s couple) I was still please with what we did get. Max and Nat's story wasn't all that memorable, so it probably would be difficult to fit them in somehow. Lay and Yoon's story was decent, but nothing I craved to see more of. And of course, the cat story HAD to go. Anyways, the choices in this department worked out perfectly, and I enjoyed what I got to watch.

I remembered not liking Peirce and Typhoon's story all that much last season, but they redeemed themselves here. Pierce has that incredible fear of coming out to his parents, and Phoon is patient, but since they've been dating for so long, it's getting old for him. Phoon also gets a job at the same company as Pierce which causes some office turmoil, but I like that this part of their conflict was resolved pretty quickly and didn't linger on much more than needed. Eventually, Peirce comes out to his parents, and everything is wonderful and rainbows. I'm satisfied with what we got, but their story could've definitely been a lot stronger.

Jedi and Ray were why this works so well for me. I'm not usually a big fan of the idol/normal person stories that follow the same plot: the public finds out about idol's boyfriend, idol is told to break up with boyfriend but he refuses, idol then goes public with his boyfriend, it all works out because they both gain more fame from it. It's very much so blah blah blah, but, because it was Kimmon and Copter, it just worked. Copter is fucking adorable in this with his little pouts, panics, and whatnot. Once again, their dynamic is spot on. Chemistry is strong, and I can't wait to watch their other projects together.

Something I don't normally speak on, but I liked that the actors had on barely-there makeup, and we actually see their skin and they look imperfect because that's how everyone looks. It's a very different change in the usually caked-on, filter-heavy shit that's usually plastered onto the faces of these actors. Good job!

I sometimes take time to watch the BTS of series, but this show gave us the honor to watch it by putting it into the outro of each episode, and it was a delight to watch. It shows you that these actors are close in real life and just had fun playing their roles. It makes the story feel more real in a sense.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Decent. A lot better than their stories in season 1. It follows a straight path from point A to point B and doesn't have anything unnecessary happen. Jedi and Ray's story is a lot more endearing than Peirce and Phoons's, but still, a very good job.

Acting: 9 - Good! Everyone did decently, and nothing was off! Some hiccups here and there, but overall, it was fine.

Music: 8 - I enjoyed the intro song a lot. Also, the songs Jedi sings weren't that bad either.

Rewatch value: 4.5 - Ehh, probably not. Not because it was bad, but just because it wasn't so good that I just need to rewatch it.

In the last few minutes, they bring in the adorable Bas and his partner Dun (from Gen Y) and show us that they've been living in Korea as Bas' character lives out his dream until they find out about Jedi and Ray and decide to move back to Thailand. I'm kind of excited to see how season 3 will take place, knowing these two will be added into the chaos. Overall, a decent watch, I recommend it, and you don't have to watch season 1 to be able to watch this.

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Credible Piece of K-BL

I won't spend much time on this since there are plenty of other reviews, but I do have a few things to say. It's nice to see for once a K-BL that has a decent run-time. No quick romances, no rushed plots, and some very nice character development. While this was just another ordinary college love story, Semantic Error did one heck of a job at getting it right.

Let's Dive In.

Semantic Error is a Korean college-based love story about a stoic uke and his bubbly seme (a dynamic I always love). They end up meeting on not-so-good terms, but through some trials and tribulations, their relationship starts to bloom. The plot is as basic as it can get; throw in a little enemies to lovers, and you've got yourself the formula for a simple BL drama. However, with a great cast and a crew that had a good clue about what they were doing, SE came out to be way better than I expected. With something that gains a lot of hype, I tend not to be able to watch it for what it is, and instead for what others want me to see it as. While I really did like SE, it was very far from perfect.

For one, I'm not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, so the first few episodes were quite annoying with Jae Young going around and intruding into Sang Woo's personal space after he's explained multiple times to leave him alone. Same can kind of go with Sang Woo with his tendency to be just a little too stoic at times, and dismissing Jae Young's feelings about not being able to go on his trip. Once we hit the middle mark, things start to get better. Their build-up was fantastic. My favorite part of a BL is watching their feelings for one another blossom, which this series does a perfect job at. However, there was a nonconsent kiss that was thrown in, and it's so left-field. You would never guess that something like that would happen when the plot was running so gracefully, but as soon as that happen, I was pretty much confused. Jae Young would've been so willing to kiss Sang Woo if he were awake, why do it when he's asleep? The ending was pretty good, and I wouldn't have expected anything different.

One thing that for sure caught my eye was the beautiful height difference. I'm so weak for that shit. So when Sang Woo gets on his tiptoes to kiss Jae Young, yep, that was the moment.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - as basic as it could get, but it still was entertaining and enjoyable. With a good cast and a decent script, this simplicity and overused story arc worked. The main pairing also had a really good build-up that was the highlight of my watch.

Acting: 8.5 - Everyone's acting was really good. I think there were times when Jae Chan (Sang Woo) should've put on a stronger performance, or not just have one facial expression for the first four episodes, but that might've been more of a director's choice. Everyone else was decent, including the supporting characters.

Music: 6 - Again, I don't really pay attention to that type of stuff, but it wasn't disturbing to the series, so I'll give it a 6.

Rewatch value: 1 - I did really like it, but this is very far from my taste of rewatching material.

I do recommend this BL for anyone just entering the BL scene. It was pretty lighthearted for the most part, it could be funny at times when it wanted to be, and if the simple plot doesn't do it for you, then the beauty of the leads will.

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Completed-ish

I remember when I saw the trailer for this and was genuinely excited, so excited that I decided to wait until it finished airing so I could sit and binge-watch, something that takes me less than a week to do (depending on how many episodes and run time). But I feel like I've been trapped in an uncomfortable position through this watch. There were times I liked it, there were some hidden gems that kept me going, but then it felt like I was watching paint dry, and I can't explain to you how soullessly boring that is.

Let's Dive In.

The story of Physical Therapy was a concept we had rarely seen before, which is why I was so excited about it. Our main lead ends up hurting himself and because of that, a doctor decides to go home with him and take care of him. Some other things happen that are way left-field, and quite frankly I was confused the entire time. Mind you, I watch thoroughly through the first 9 episodes but skipped over the scenes that tired me out 10-12. By episode 9, shouldn't I have a clue what's going on? Is it only me that felt like I couldn't keep up? So much was happening so fast that the series didn't give me a chance to digest what they were feeding me? I don't know what it was about this series, but I really felt like I couldn't keep up, and that's never happened before. With a decent production team and a mediocre cast, Physical Therapy gave us nothing whilst still giving us a bit of something that motivated me to finish.

Let's start off with what I didn't like to lead us out of what I did like: Again, this was like watching cows eat grass. There were times I caught myself reading the subtitles but not actually catching anything it was saying. And that usually leads me to hysteria and having to continuously go back to re-read, but here, I just didn't care. There were so many side-plots introduced, and I couldn't tell you a single thing about them. Even the main plot was difficult to comprehend. Thre's a part where Pun apparently has known Milk before they met for the first time, and I'm still lost on that part. I don't get Milk's position at his workplace, I don't understand how a certified doctor felt the need to go home with a patient and do not an ounce of physical therapy. How was anything allowed to happen in this series? Seriously, my interpretation of this must've been completely different. There were too many concepts on top of already complicated concepts, and it throws you out of the story completed. Characters weren't full characters, they felt more like last-minute add-ins, moreover, there were way too many of them. I remember two names, Milk and Pun, that's it. You couldn't ask me anything about the rest of them cause I don't even know. I passed over the hetero relationship after I saw in the previews he weirdly grabs her, and I wasn't about to sit through that. The other doctor's story was my little hidden gem until it wasn't. All of the office people were one too many. This suffers badly from poor writing, tiresome plots, and unenjoyable characters.

I rarely ever genuinely cringe, but there were some times in this that I couldn't even look at the screen. These long pauses led to some insufferable squirm, even some moments that were supposed to be intimate and romantic were too bad to watch. While Milk and Pun did have a really good kiss, their chemistry was trash. There were times when it looked like they didn't even want to be touching one another. And chemistry is everything in a BL, if you don't have that, then you have nothing. There were just some other things that were shot so oddly, there were lines said that I could see the look in the actors' eyes like they were suffering through their role. God, it was so bad.

Petch is not a good actor. I'm sorry, I usually say something on nicer terms, but he was just really bad. He had this hideous stare-thing that made him look like a creep more than a guy in love. He said his lines so monotonously, his face had one expression, he delivered no type of motivation in his acting. They took a tall handsome guy off the street and asked if he could be in this. That's how I feel. Of course, there's room for improvement, and lord knows he needs it before he's cast in any other role. This could've been more because of the role he was given or maybe the director had no drive to tell him to do anything else but be tall and handsome. Gosh, if I ever see him again, he better come through with a strong performance, cause this was just absolute garbage.

Okay, anyways, what I liked: I loved Milk, Son specifically. Out of everyone, Son was the best actor. The best I've seen? No, he still needed some room to grow, but he played into the personality of his character, and he did a really good job compared to the rest of them.

The production was really nice. I genuinely enjoyed the music, and I don't remember any ad placements, so that's another bonus.

The height difference was the only thing that motivated me to finish. I'm no stronger than the next person. I see uneven heights and I fall into a void. And Milk was so small and tiny, and Pun just towered him.

Ratings:

Story: 4.5 - I was confused more than half the time I was watching. Again, I didn't truthfully watch the last 3 episodes, which is my own fault but still, I shouldn't be confused on episode 9. I did like the other doctor's story, which I'm giving two stars for, and the height difference gets the other 2.5.

Acting: 6: Petch was just bad. Son was hands down their strongest actor. The rest of the cast was mediocre. I actually really enjoyed it anytime the twins were on screen. I'll give 3 towards Milk, 2 towards the twins, and 1 because I feel bad.

Music: 8: decent. I quite liked it. It was the show's strong suit.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Hell would have to freeze over.

I hate being so harsh on this series because I really did want to like this, but I just couldn't. I had to skip all the behind-the-scenes cause I knew if I watched them, I would immediately feel empathy for the cast and the crew, and my emotions would clog how I genuinely felt towards this series. It needs so much real work. I think this really could've been such a good series, but with a lack of good acting, overly complicated plots, and a dead main relationship, this was mediocre at best.

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Team Non (even though I shouldn't be....)

Surprisingly, I was more enraptured in part 2 than part 1. I know, I shocked myself too, but I found myself overwhelming excited to move on to the next episode. I won't lie, however, the first few were kind of tedious. We take a spin back into the first season, for no apparent reason, and we're also introduced to a potential new pairing (literally the duplicate of Valen, Kaitoon, and Non, just in smaller font) that felt very half-assed as we don't see very much of them. There are some inconsistencies and a few bits that can be labeled aggravating for sure, but overall, it was a good watch.

Let's Dive In.

Love Area Part 2 is the continuation of the first. Valen and Kaitoon continue their little quarrel until Valen finally grows some balls and confesses to Kaitoon, with a lovely kiss. They go through their own trials and tribulations (most of those being aggravating) and again, Non is like the sad little puppy nobody pays attention to on adoption day. King and Peat's story is just utterly sad and raw. I think they're why I enjoyed the series so much. We're introduced to a new couple, June, Bill (forgive me if it's actually Win, but I forgot names and lowkey faces, so I'm just gonna go with Bill), and Toy. As I said, the literal duplicate of the main leads in which Toy pines for June but June is so oblivious and in love with Bill that Toy just has to roll with the punches. I didn't care for them all too much, on top of the fact that their story was given very little development or attention. All of this combined into one little 8 episode series was a lot, and yet, so much was left unsaid.

Getting into what I like. Ohm. Period. Ohm blew me away in episode (whatever episode Peat cheats with Jeff's character). The emotions in his voice, his face, his posture, urgh, it was amazing. I found myself sitting there and weeping with him when in the beginning of Part 1, I could've cared less for him or Peat. But I was invested for sure. I liked how they portrayed a love so unhealthy, yet there's something so compelling that they believe getting back together would work. And we see their faults. We see the way Peat is with Ice and how secretive he acts. We see King have a hard time differentiating if what he's feeling for Peat is love or lust at this point. For it all to come tumbling down (and Jeff is *chef's kiss* a bad person, but so good at it). That turning point in his dynamic is when we see him stop caring, and we see that in the way his apartment is covered in filth and the way he loses motivation in doing anything. I think they treated this couple with the most realistic outcome. Yes, there were some nit-picky things, but they really outdid themselves this season. I also like how Ice wasn't used as King's rebound and felt more like a really good friend. A big step from season one when they made me highly uncomfortable with how they were portraying his character. Granted, this could all change if we get a part 3, but as long as King and Ice's relationship isn't explicit or rushed and shown to be slow and patient, then I think at some point I could come to terms with it.

Again, I fucking loved Non. He still was treated dirty, but I think (..?) I'm satisfied with where he is right now. I was at least happy that they kind of sort of gave us a little look into what a relationship between them would look like, but of course, when you look at it for what it truly is, you see that Non is the only one in it, and Kaitoon is just hurting. There were some weird pauses and some awkward staring in some parts that threw me off of the KaitoonNon love train. It just made them feel like strangers, and it's obvious the connection between the actors is not as strong as it is between Kaitoon and Valen. I really hoped for something different this season, but, oh well. We got a very sweet kiss, a cute little vacation, and some really nice Non-caring-for-Kaitoon scenes, so I'm okay. Hopefully if there is a part 3, Non can be given his own love interest who's actually interested in him.

All the intimate scenes are down so nicely. I was scared that they'd be weak, chaste, forced, but they're natural, and you can feel in the way they stare at one another right before they kiss that they wanted it really bad. Valen and Kaitoon for sure came to show out. So lovely, so patient, so intimate, and so enjoyable.

Lastly, the music was superb. I didn't pay any attention to their music in part 1, but in this, I feel like I thrived in it. The ballad during their tough moments, or even their romantic ones added so much more to the scenes. Toy's actor apparently sang one of the songs, and he does an excellent job.

Onto what needed fixing: Kaitoon and Valen's relationship was good until it wasn't. Again, miscommunication and stubborn characters led to the ever-so-tiring breakup. With just an ounce of communication, all the misunderstandings could've been solved. But then again, Kaitoon did nothing wrong..? He was sitting there minding his own while Peat and Jeff's character decided to get rowdy, I don't see how that's his fault, or even why Valen would get so upset at him the way he does. It's very annoying, and you just can't stop but get even more annoyed as it continues on and you shout to your scream, "let him talk," at the top of your lungs. He also showcases some pretty possessive behavior at the beginning of their relationship. Red flag! They're left open-ended, and I think I liked this better than a last-minute redemption arc for Valen or their relationship.

They introduce this potential new pairing for them to just really give us nothing. Not much to talk about on them since I sadly didn't care much for them. I feel sad for Toy who seems to be a fucking angel, and I don't feel like repeating that sadness yet again. I think this is my first encounter of a trans character's relationship actually being portrayed as real and not some silly, maybe a bit stalkerish thing. Applaud for this series for taking it seriously.

The inconsistency with Kaitoon's haircut is distracting and highly confusing. I kept thinking we were seeing flashbacks, but they are really just the unfortunate timing of Kaitoon's actor getting a haircut. Something that can't really be fixed after it happens, but god, was it infuriating.


Ratings:

Story: 8 - In love with King's story which gets the bulk of the scoring. Valen and Kaitoon are good until they aren't. However, I do think their beginning story is very nicely done. I'll take two stars off for the inconsistency, the bad communication, and the poor writing.

Acting: 9 - King's actor did amazing. Kaitoon is right behind him. Most of the cast did a good job. I think Non is honestly the weakest, but it's not so distracting that it's unwatchable. I'll take a star off for that.

Music: 9 - The highest I think I've rated music, but I really loved it. the ballad is so breathtaking, I listen to it on repeat for hours. However, music is sadly not the saving grace for a series, and a part of me feels sad because of it.

Rewatch value: 1 - I might come back to watch some of those very skilled intimate scenes, but other than that, not a chance I'll actually rewatch. definitely going to relisten to the OST for sure!

I do recommend this. I don't usually think sequels are good, but this and IPYTM are exceptions. I see that a lot of people didn't like this as much as I did, which is understandable, but the pure fact that King's actor did such a fantastic job, raises the bar so much for me. Let's hope for a part 3, cause so much was left unsaid.

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Too Short and Too Choppy

This saddens me to even say that I didn't enjoy this series as much as I would've loved to. You had one of my all-time favorite Korean actor (Lee Se Jin) and a plot not similar to that of the usual BLs, so I was stoked, but this series lacked in many parts. Nobleman Ryu's Wedding was a heap of disconnection with the main characters and plot.

Let's Dive In.

I'm keeping this short cause there's not much to say other than this series felt choppy and full of holes. For one, the main characters didn't have much chemistry, if any at all. There was no point in the story that we see them slowly falling in love or developing feelings. It felt so out-of-place when Ryu was asking Ki Wan about what was between them. Nothing, cause nothing was set up anywhere in the plot for there to be any development, which is a huge thing missing considering this is a love story. Eui Soo's (WYEL) character felt so unnecessary. I wasn't even really able to understand why he was there. He fell in love with Wa Jin? Why? What was so special about "her" that made him fall in the matter of half a day? Very Irrelevant. By the end, there were a lot of questions that weren't answered. What did Ryu's mom do when he found out that he was with "Wa Jin"? what did she do when she found out she was a man? Did she ever find out? How about the sister? Does she know? and how does she feel?

The only thing I truly loved about this series was the fact that they were able to have a BL love story take place during traditional times and in traditional clothing. It was even nice to see how the culture was and how there way of living worked. Again, seeing Se Jin never hurts, and if anything, this series just showed that he is beautiful, male or female. The acting was decent, but there wasn't much to work with to show off anything phenomenal.

Overall, there are way better Korean BLs out there. I liked what this one was trying to do, but it didn't really pass the vibe check. One, because it was way too short. They might've well just made this a movie. Two, some of the characters weren't very mesmerizing to watch, like the sister. I would recommend this series, just because it was a cute watch and there is a kiss (a stale one but it still counts) and I don't think this would be wasting anyones time.

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Absolute Perfection in its Depictions

Wow, This was not an easy watch AT ALL. That might have been why I waited almost a year now to watch it. But more than anything, this series was beautiful and disturbing, the exact mix that the audience should've felt when watching this. I will warn that it touches on heavy subjects, such as rape, PTSD, self-harm, and other things, so this really is not the series for everybody. However, for the people that are willing and able to watch this: YOU MUST. The actors James and Oat put on a marvelous performance in playing these very impactful characters in a drama that I will continue to appreciate for its truthfulness and accurate depictions of these heavy subjects.

Let's Dive in.

I wasn't too sure where we were headed at the beginning of the first episode, but it really was just a start-up of us meeting the characters and the situations that are bound to happen. The episodes to follow were where the heavier subjects are brought up, and that's when it starts to get real.

Production was something on the same level as other BL series, but it did feel different and in a good way. Some of the camera angles that were shot added so much realness to the situation happening, and the added-on effects were really nice too. the OST was beautiful, and one that I haven't really enjoyed in a while. A huge applaud goes out to the production team.

let's move onto the plot. While it's super heavy and a lot to try and soak in, it was the most accurate portrayal I've ever seen. But the subject that I want to really highlight and applaud on is the way they handled sexual assault and the aftermath.

Let's first analyze the following series that have also depicted this subject: Book and Frame from Make It Right, Techno and Kengkla from Love By Chance, and the step-brothers in HIStory 4 (there are plenty of others, but these are the ones I want to touch on). The thing that these series have in common is how they swept under the rug the importance and the impact that rape has on the victim. Especially from MIR and LBC that end up romanticizing it and turning it into something happy and comedic when it shouldn't have been taken lightly. I applaud this series for how they showed it happening (because watching it go down helps the audience to understand its severity, and leave them disturbed which is what needed to happen), and how they also dealt with the aftermath. Shin was taken to the hospital, he missed school for weeks, he was on medication, and his family was dealing with the legal side of it all. Beautiful, Perfect, and honest. This wasn't a love story. Shin and Keng don't end up falling in love and living happily ever after. Instead, Keng is put in his place, and they never end up together. Thank you, god!

The aftermath was excellent too. something as real and as vulgar as this comes with terrible side effects, such as PTSD, depression, self-harm, and etcetera. I absolutely loved the way they depicted Shin afterward. Yes, it was hard to watch, especially his self-harming and him wanting to die, but it needed to be seen and it was done in the best way it could've been.

Moving onto Bright and Pramote, who were the best friends ever. I loved the way they stuck to Shin's side, and I loved the way they explained to him how he will get better and that they will continue to be with him through this and after this. There was not a single moment that I wasn't excited to see them on screen, and I'm glad that we get a hint of something between them and the last moments when it's revealed that they end up together. Yacht and Top did an excellent job.

The acting of James and Oat is what I want to give a bigger applaud on, It's not easy playing a victim, nor is it easy playing the predator. That very tough scene to shoot between them couldn't have been easy, and I'm proud that they were able to execute it in its realness.

The only real negative thing I can say about this series is the open ending that I wasn't too mad about, but still, I questioned the reasoning behind it. This show aired two years ago, so I'm not crossing my fingers for a second season, seeing as it would've been out by now, but it would've been nice to see who was hit by the car and if they even actually died or not. In my opinion, I do believe that Shin was the one hit, only because him being hit would cause more of an emotional impact than if Keng got hit, and creators are all about getting emotions out of people. Also, I believe that Shin only thinks that Keng is there, and he's not actually. Deep down, Shin is still dealing with the hardships of his situation, and I believe that his being alone like that brought back some of that turmoil. Part of me wishes that we would've seen who was hit, but honestly, at the end of the day, I'm glad we didn't. Now it's just up to the audience and what they thought.

Overall, I guess I wouldn't really label this a BL series, just because it feels wrong to say that this was boys-love when it was something totally of the opposite. However, I do believe that any person mentally and emotionally able to watch this series should.

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Different from the Rest

I loved a lot of this and mainly for one reason: it wasn't like any Thai BL series I have ever seen before. The cinematography, the sets, even the costumes weren't necessarily how most Thai BLs are, and I had an absolute delight watching this series and being able to enjoy all that it had to offer.

Let's Dive In,

First off, kudos to the production team. This was the first-ever Thai BL series that I didn't watch and feel like I was stuck in an alternate universe where all Thai Bls took place. It was beautifully produced, there was not a point missed, and I hope other Bls will follow suit in continuing the beauty that was Grey Rainbow. While I really did enjoy this series, I hate tragedies, and this one's DEFINITELY on that list. It was such an unexpected ending, and a bit confusing. It was for sure added there as a shock factor, but it felt so out of the blue, which I guess was the point. But, the real shock factor is the fact that this was produced in 2016. If we look at other series produced in 2016 (Make It Right, Sotus, My Bromance...) These series shoot ALL of them out the water. I don't know what type of budget each show had, but Grey Rainbow was obviously given a bigger wage than the others. I just hope we can continue viewing them like this.

The other thing I was a bit puzzled about was the numbers. Now looking back, I know it was counting down the amount of time Porche had with Nuer, but the implications were a bit wonky, and all over the place. If anything, I would've like that part of the concept to be a bit more cleaned up. I think the only plot twist I liked was Ice being Porshe's imaginary friend. Now, that was something I seriously didn't see coming,

Overall, this was an excellent watch with a beautiful production crew and amazing cast. Besides the death, this series had a very different tone than the other Thailand BL series. This one was a hundred percent more gloomy, but the lightning and music and camera work and overall presence were so different than most Thai bl series. I really enjoyed the change, I think it added some flavor to this series that we don’t see with the others. I feel like this is such an underrated bl series, but I would recommend it to anyone wanting to watch something pretty tough and sad.

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Drake's Eyebrows get Bushier Every Episode

What can I say? I truly loved this series with everything in me. It had such a good balance between being humorous and still teaching important life lessons. Mork and Tee had one of the most realistic depictions of teens falling in love because of how awkward, and confusing, and a complicated mess their journey was. I loved how we got to see their relationship slowly progress into something more, with a cute date, and the small gestures that they both made; it all just came together so well in the end, I truly can't forget about it.

Almost immediately fell in love with Morn, and fell even deeper when Gord came into the picture. They were still in middle school, so I was glad that nothing was rushed, and the development between them was so flawless. Even though they didn't get together, they still made such an impact on me personally. The innocence of them, the clumsiness, the reactions to certain things, I just love young love with all my heart. By far, my favorite scene in the entire series is when they're in bed watching Sotus and Kong and Archit kiss and they both get flustered. It was so precious that I literally watched it over and over again. I would've loved to see even more of them in this series, or maybe even another one when they're older. I know both of them are in A Fish Upon The Sky, but from what I can tell, they are not going to be partners and instead just best friends. Sad.

Au and Ton were a really good touch to the series. I absolutely adore the twins and think that they deserve main roles. The same goes for Khaotung, I love the way he played his character specifically. Nui who played Mork's dad did an amazing job, and I loved the way he developed throughout the series.

I have nothing bad to say about this show. I know a lot of others thought the pacing was slow, which I can agree that in certain spots it did feel a bit dragged on, but for the most part, I was captured by all of the stories. This was a fun watch and I recommend it for anyone wanting a true depiction of a new relationship.

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Something's a Little Off

So seeing that this has a pretty high rating and nothing but positive comments, I feel a little bad going into this review. For whatever reason, I didn't really like it. Didn't hate it, thought it was a cutesy little series, but something was off, and I'm not sure how to explain it.

Let's Dive In.

So during my watch of the first episode, I was pretty elated with this series. The lead is fucking adorable, the setup of his origin story is cruel yet intriguing to see how it'll go. And the more we get into the series, the more my interest just slowly starts to fade. By the end, I was just skimming through the last few episodes to see what happens. I don't know why my enjoyment deescalated, to be honest. I don't want to say it was boring cause I don't think it was that, so my conclusion for now is that it's just one of those series that just wasn't for me.

Now, one thing I can point out that annoyed me (and this is all based on my taste), is so much fucking singing. And I get it, it's literally in the title, but some scenes were like minutes long of just singing. Beautiful voice, but urgh, I don't know, show it don't sing it.

But the leads were really cute. They had some great connection and their kisses were even more than decent. But Baram's back and forth was absolute insanity and I wanted to pull my hair out. It's obvious that Hantae likes him, even says it straight to his face, albeit drunk but still, Baram can't believe that Hantae could like him. And then once Baram confesses to Hantae and he acts all shocked and confused as if he hasn't been all over Baram like a dog on a bone *rolls eyes*. Back and forth just aggravated me and we could've focused more on their relationship than them running around in circles.

Other than that, I loved the side characters, I loved the plagiarism aspect of the series and its resolution, I liked seeing Baram stand up against Sangmin, and again, Baram and Hantae's moments were so fucking cute.

Ratings;

Story: 7/10 - Some aspects don't resonate with me all too well. Some parts are a bit dragged out and I don't like the back-and-forth between Hantae and Baram. Other than that, the plagiarism plot was well thought out and the scenes with the main leads were always nice.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh they can ACT, for sure! Doyoon (Baram) was amazing in this role, I do hope to see him again.

Music: 7/10 - he had a good voice for sure!

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Like I said, this wasn't the series for me. Too much singing, lots of cat and mouse chasing, and some other weird stuff. But it's not terrible and this is definitely the series for somebody.

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Proficient K-BL That Get's it Half Right

CBAW is an unexpectedly decent K-BL, and it could even be labeled better than that. I've noticed with K-BLs to keep my expectations below surface level so by doing so, I won't lose any hope I had. Even with CBAW, I read the manga (my first one ever) and I still watched the live adaptation and thought it was on point from its book form (kinda). CBAW took me only a day to watch, it piqued my interest, and kept hold of it throughout the episodes.

Let's Dive In.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter is a live adaptation of the manga following the same name. The basic synopsis is that Haebom lost his parents, so his mom's best friend takes him in as her own where he would live with Taesung, his best friend who indicates that he doesn't want Haebom to be his brother. Years passed and they're now seniors in high school navigating their strange feelings for one another. It's obviously a lot easier to tell a story full of detail in a book than it is in a dama, but in my honest opinion, I believe they did an impressive job at following along with the manga, even having the same lines said from the book. Add that on top of perfectly casted actors and you've got yourself an A+ K-BL.

What needed some work: I'm the type of person who usually doesn't read original work before watching the live adaptation, however, I wanted to give it a go here, and now I've unlocked a new hobby (great, something else to take up the time I don't have). But for the people watching without having read the manga, there are a few things that would seem very off and weren't given enough time for a thorough explanation. Like why Haebom just lets these bullies abuse him (and why they just vanish all of a sudden), or why Taesung is so standoffish and the reason Haebom thought he hated him. There are some other smaller implications, but those were the larger ones that needed more of a story behind them. If I wouldn't have read the manga, I would be partially confused throughout the series. Just a few fixer-uppers would've done the job.

I had to get used to the cinematography of this series that I've never (at least can't remember) seen in any other K-BL, let alone any BL. For a while, it looked like I was watching a vlog on Youtube and it kept throwing me off my wagon. Some of the scenes shot are a little shaky, I'm sure that's how they wanted to interpret the moment being shown, but if it's not fluent throughout the series, then those small moments when they do happen, it's a huge eye-catcher, and a bit of a bothersome. While the sets and the scenery were absolutely breathtaking, the color-grading and editing could use a lot of work. There were so many scenes that just got cut off in the midst, and it happens quite often, causing a stir of annoyance. There were a few very subtle ad placements that I appreciated for their subtleness, but by now, I can tell an ad from an actual motivated action.

Onto what I loved: The casting for CBAW was probably as accurate as I could imagine. Jinuk did an incredible job as Haebom, playing almost perfectly into his shyness, bubbliness, and everything in-between. I just wanted to pack him in my pocket and protect him for the rest of his life. Hui did an excellent job as well playing into Taesung's character. I'm also glad they decided to not make his character as stoic as the one in the manga, and this Taesung actually has some personality. Yonghee is hands down the best-casted character, and Gun did a fantastic job. Everyone else was really good too, even down to the guest roles.

The plot is handled very well and follows the exact same story. Obviously, some things are different (like Haebom working in a flower shop, or the friends all going on a camping trip) but their implications helped to move the plot along, and they were good anyways. Again, the story is about as accurate as they could've gotten it to the book, and it was fun catching all these different moments that I remembered from my read. The time jumps can be easily missed for someone not truthfully watching, but I think even those were done pretty well. The writers do a superb job at connecting the feelings and emotions of the characters in the story, which boosted its ability to give me the feels for everyone involved.

The chemistry wasn't as strong as it could've been between the main leads, but they still were able to give us a real relationship that wasn't full of forced touching and kissing. From the cuddles scenes all the way up to their more intimate scenes, both actors did a great job at making it look natural. I felt more of a connection closer to the end, but in the midst, it felt a bit lacking.

Not very important, but the height difference gets to me. Taesung was a whole ass head taller than Haebom. When he bent down to hug or even when Taebom reached up to hug, it was a-fucking-dorable. God, I can't explain to you how much height differences mean to me.

Ratings:

Story: 8 - Loved the story, also loved how accurate it was to the book. All the characters were genuine, everything flowed nicely, and I wasn't dissatisfied with any of it. I'll take off one star for some of the jumpy cuts and another for some of the weaker storylines.

Acting - 9.5 - Superb acting. everyone did an excellent job, but Jinuk was the best. Gun also put on a very strong performance that outshined the others.

Music - 5 - didn't pay much attention to it, meaning it wasn't distracting. Good.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Could come back and watch certain scenes.

Definitely recommend this K-BL. It's super cute, and if the story doesn't do it for you, the height difference will.

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Typical BL, but Not???

Yes, I won't try to act like this wasn't the typical engineering BL, but for some reason this felt way better than the others ones?? Nititman made this overused BL style feel more authentic and proficient. It brought along the cliché BL tropes, and some repetitive plot devices, but it was also a really nice love story that felt like you had seen it before, but with a few differences.

Let's Dive In.

This was a Thailand BL for you, the most thrown in plot devices you can think of mixed with a few side character problems and singing. Nititman felt like a mix of UMWA (y'know, without the suicide and stuff) and what My Gear and Your Gown wanted to be. It was pretty much just cuteness overload with the little slice of naughty cake and a scoop of comedy and angst to go with it. The only thing this series missed out on was character development. There was no change in anyone except feelings and that was it. Not saying that most engineering BLs do this on the regular, but it would've been a nice touch for this one.

As for production, it was decent. There were time when the lighting was nicely done and colors were used to show subtle moods and I loved it. This was another BL where I didn't see many ad placements, if any at all. The songs were actually really good and I found myself not skipping, so there's a bonus.

But no BL is perfect and this once can attest to that. Let's start with this whole "trying to get Jin and Bbomb to f*ck" situation first. I don't need to go on and on about how terrible this was, cause, you know, don't drug your friends?? At least Bbomb didn't act on those feelings much, and when Jin said no he listened, but something that Thailand BLs do and do only is take serious matters and make it laughable. Not funny?? at all??? At least U had enough sense to see that what they were doing wasn't okay, but of course, he was the anomaly in this situation so his feelings didn't matter. Moving on, The receptiveness of plot devices was astronomically pestering. How many times did Jin need to "break" his foot? How many times did someone need to be jealous of another? How many times did they need to be drunk? I mean, this list goes on, but my golly, I can't do it. I felt like I was watching the same episodes over and over again. There's no need for the repetition of these things, once is enough, and maybe had they done that, Ball and Keam could've gotten at least two more minutes of screen time.

Surprisingly, I didn't have too much of a problem with the overly-obsessive BL fans except for them posting it online. Find a life, I beg of you. And STOP WITH THIS GOD-AWFUL TROPE. It's okay, we can have a mlm love story without outsiders pinning for them. I think I didn't mind it that much cause I LOVED Aruy. He was HILARIOUS and I don't think this series would've been the same without him. (found out the same director here did Oxygen in which was even worse with Yaois, Lawd)

Onto Jin and Bbomb. While their start up was a little iffy, their execution was pretty nice. The one thing they did so good on was actually looking like they liked each other. Even with the way they laid in bed together, how Bbomb spooned Jin and even how he caressed Jin's hair when he was laying on his chest. It was the small things like that that attached me to this couple. Jom did a pretty good job, he was able to actually cry during sad scenes and his smile didn't hurt either. This was Noh's acting debut, so I'll forgive some of his very stale acting and one-and-only facial expression in the hopes that he'll do better in future projects. (But his character didn't have much of a personality other than liking Jin and being good at everything).

Let's move onto the biggest problem of the series, KEAM AND BALL. Ball was a ray of sunshine, and Keam was literally running away because he was too fucking cute. THEY NEEDED WAY MORE SCREEN TIME THAN THEY DESERVED. Ball was on maybe 4 or 5 episodes, and it felt like we were getting somewhere until nothing happens? We got a two-minute something at the very end of the final episode, but that was NOTHING. We need a second season, precisely for Keam and Ball to do literally anything.

They teased at Jay and Song a lot, and I loved their dynamic, so Imma need some more of them if we get a next season. U and Ultra seemed like they could've had something, even Singh and Jack had a little smidge of maybe something that could of happened, but they both had their own girl problems, so probably not. If anything, they had a great on-screen friendship that I really liked. Their comedic touch lightened the already lightened plot.

Overall, I honestly loved this series. Yes it was typical, yes it was cliche, but I loved every single minute of it. This is the BL that BL is all about. No actual act of importance, stupid lovey-dovey tropes, and singing. what more could I ask for? I do recommend for anyone trying to get into BL, it's an easy watch and entertaining one too.

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And This is Where it Should Die

This series is already way overdone, and even if they tried doing a decent third season, they completely obliterated it with less-than-mediocre acting, and an extremely dumb plot. It goes to show that this series should've never been made, and should've died along with the second round of cast members. Here's to hoping it is the last and final round of torture that Motive Village puts us and these innocent actors in!

Let's Dive In.

Motive village introduces a new main couple to the storyline, Looknam and Tatch, to kind of disrupt the repeated storyline of the other three. They're exactly like Ming and Kit's dynamic, with Looknam mimicking Kit by being the stern uke, and Tatch mimicking Ming as the charming and in-love seme. Except, with this couple, there is literally no explanation, no reason, and zero clarification of what Tatch sees in Looknam, and vice-versa. They go from hating each other, to then randomly acting so in love. Their story is ridiculous, going off of the typical "moon contest", which is fine, but there's no actual conflict between them, Like none. They go back to back bickering about nothing, then to falling in love over nothing, to ending up together with nothing reasonable for the cause. The chemistry felt off-balanced. It was giving, "we are here for a bag, see how in love we act". The only things they had was decent kissing and NC scenes. A bit awkward but not bad enough to stop watching.

The other three couples felt very out of place. They try so hard to be like the old characters in the other series, but it's completely off and I got secondhand embarrassment cause you can see how blatantly awkward it is with the cast. They also had no plot to lean on, it was pretty much just random jealousy, frivolous conflicts, and too much unnecessary commentary.

I kept watching bc for some reason my inability to drop a series mid-way through kicked in and I was determined to finish. By episode 6 I skipped a lot, I speed through a lot, and I slept through some too. This cast was probably some of the worst acting I've seen in a while. They're all rookies, so I'll give them some leeway, but Looknam was the only decent one.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - There wasn't any real conflict. by about the 7-8th episode, it becomes more so just very 'eh' NC scenes playing on bc they themselves realized there is no plot. I'm being generous with the 4.

Acting: 6/10 - again, being generous with the score. Looknam was their best, but everyone else was terrible. Not a lick of acting skills, just pretty men in front of the camera. At least they all looked good shirtless. There's my reasoning for the 6/10.

Music: 5/10 - It's not distracting for the most part, but the fact that they would play this loud ass music during the NC scenes was annoying. I want to hear them enjoying themselves, not distracting ballad music.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - There's no reason to watch this unless you're a fan of the 2 Moons franchise. Otherwise, this was a waste of a watch, so please save yourself the time.

This better be the last of this tedious and destroyed series. Motive village needs to burn to the ground, but this series needs to rot in hell. I hope for the actor's sake, they're getting treated better than the others in the past. If we're to see them again, they'll have to be in a different series. And maybe an acting class or two. Otherwise, I hope they can find their passion in a different career.

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