Idk what I just Watched..

I think a lot of people might've liked this cause of the Japanese version, or maybe they're big fans of the Love Stage Manga. Maybe it's because the show stayed pretty authentic to the book, or maybe because they are deeply connected down to the roots of these characters after following them for so long. But for me, someone who hasn't done any of the former, this was chaos thrown into a blender to create a cohesive series, but they left out the most important part of the drink, and now we're left with a terrible aftertaste that we can't get rid of.

Let's Dive In.

This was...something. I went into this pretty exciting cause I had seen some pretty good reviews and comments, again, could be that those were the ones that just love Love Stage for what it is, but anyway, I went into this with some pretty high expectations. All of them besides a few were let down. Love Stage is the story of Anda who was forced to play a girl at a young age for a commercial and meets Ryou, his castmate. Years passed, and for whatever reason, Ryou just can't get that "girl" out of his head. Until he finds out that little girl was actually a dude, and goes through a mid-life crisis. Some shit happens and then it's happily ever, bonus is the brother and his secret love with their family manager.

Now we'll skip the authenticity sake of this series cause I've never read the mangas and I have no plans to. This was just a wild manga to adapt into a series if they were staying true to the original story. It could've one-hundred percent worked for the book, but here, it's just insane. The fact that Ryou, a now-grown adult who has been through the hoops of fame and fortune, is still hung up on a one-time encounter when he was a child is ridiculous. I can't even name to you the kids in my elementary school, much less the people I had crushes on at that age (and I'm only 19). The entire main plot is foolish, and once I was able to look past that, I shrugged and moved on. Then some more idiotic things occur, some of them cute, and others just plain boring, and I pretty much just wanted to skip to see the brother and the manager, the saving grace of this series.

Anda and Ryou felt stupidly rushed. one minute Ryou hates that Anda's a man and hates the fact that he has feelings for him, and then with the flick of the wrist, he's flirting and pretending like he didn't just assault Anda in a bathroom that left his tooth chipped and manhood exposed (that scene...?? was incomprehensible..?? Definitely had to be from the manga cause there's no way they put that into the series and thought, "Oh yeah, this is it!"). Then they had no time to really develop (the one thing that was getting me through the series. I love watching the build-up to the relationship), but then they go and rush for them to be in a relationship, and after their sufficient in that, they just become insufferable and the plot becomes too predictable, and I mean tooooo predictable. To the point that I skipped episode 9 and just went straight to the ending, and look at that! Exactly what I thought would happen happened!

The acting is just not all that great besides Turbo and the brother, everyone else could use some work. Kaownah was okay at times, and then it just wasn't clicking anymore. The friends were straight trash and the fake laugh that Bank give somewhere in the first episodes completely turned me off, and I actually wanted to like him. The manager was okay too, nothing great, but at least he was more appealing to look at. The parents were fine, Lala was bearable, and I skipped that lady manager cause she was perverted and screeched each second she had the time to.

I absolutely loved the brother's and the manager's story. I think the way they implemented it to where the viewer starved for more, and for just a second when we thought we weren't going to get a canon, boom, they reveal their secret relationship. I love a good secret, especially when it comes in six-packs and tattoos. I loved Thee's charismatic side and the way he played the protective older brother. While trying to secure his brother's happiness, he also had to go looking for his own, which he found in his manager. Man, I really liked this duo, they fell flat a few times, but their trip on the beach was the best part.

Great bed scenes, great kisses, something I will always applaud to. But even that got a little stale after a while, and Anda having the body of a 12-year-old didn't help much either. I'm tired of touching on non-con in BL, so it is what it is, and I'm moving on for the sake of my own sanity.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5: The beginning was a bit fun, I could play into the laughable plot for a bit, and then I wasn't really feeling it. Once they get together (which is heavily rushed) things get boring and predictable, and then I doze off and forget I'm even watching. I skipped an entire episode cause I could care less about the main couple and it just got so boring that I thought I would drop this at one point. The brother's story was cute. Anda makes for a beautiful bride, and evil Bank honestly counts as a highlight.

Acting: 7: Ehh, Turbo was their best bet, everyone else needed more workshops. The parents were okay I guess, and the brother and manager had a cute enough story that I wasn't all that much bothered with their acting, although the brother was actually good. Anda's friends were talking robots the entire time, and tried too hard to be funny, it came off forced and unwatchable.

Music: 7.5 - there was one song that played during their sequence at the beach that I absolutely loved. I watched this on YT where for some reason, during a few episodes, the music is cut out, so after that, I didn't bother remembering to listen. It was decent I guess, the brother couldn't sing to save his life, but whatever.

Rewatch value: 1 - highly unlikely unless I want to watch Thee pop out of the pool in slow motion again on a loop.

Watch this if you want, I wouldn't recommend it, but at least if you watch, the actors weren't afraid to touch one another and weren't afraid to get down and dirty. The story is a mess and not one that I'm particularly a fan of. Another BL that will be long forgetful in like 6 months.

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Non Deserved Better

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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

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Underwhelming

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Better than the Original

I did like Make it Right, but there was something that shifted in Make It Right 2 that made me fall more in love with the characters than the first one ever did for me.

I want to love Book and Frame so badly, but the way they had gotten together in MIT was disgusting. Although, I liked their pairing a lot more this season since they were given an actual plot. The situation between Book and his former partner was so devastating, and Toey did an amazing job at portraying this depressed character. I broke down so hard when Frame found Book and the pills on the floor. Both actors did an incredible job and definitely deserved a pat on the back (especially for making me cry since I NEVER cry). As much as I loved them this season, I can't forget how poorly the writers treated them last season, and I still can't get behind their toxic relationship.

Mo and Yok had to be my favorite couple this season. They had such a fun comedic feel that made the series feel so much lighter. CONSENT IS SEXY. I'll never stop saying it. Yok and Mo did an incredible job at showing what actual consent before and during sex looks like. I appreciate these actors and hope to see them in future dramas.

Fuse and Tee were okay this season, nothing bad, but nothing amazing either. Fuse finally broke up with his girlfriend, so his relationship with Tee actually felt real. The confession at the beach was pure magic. I only cry during two occasions: one, coming-out scenes, and two, emotional confession scenes. I was entirely balling my eyes out again. It was impeccable, and Peak's did an awesome performance.

Overall the series was good. The situation between Wit and Yok's mom was not it. I skipped it all. Rodtang and Nine were finally given a story, but it still felt incomplete. Not that I cared, because I'm still not a fan of Beam's acting. It was a fun watch, and it kept me entertained, so I'm not disappointed at all.

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Can't Get Into It

It's been about a month since the series ended and I still can't get myself to watch the last two episodes, and I think I'm done trying. I really sat my ass through this series because I really do hate dropping, but also forcing myself to watch something I don't like rather than to sit and watch something I do like is torture to myself. Never Let Me Go fails in a lot of spots for me, except for how gorgeous these actors are.

Let's Dive In.

One reason that the series was so hard for me to get into was that the initial plot just doesn't make sense. Why hire a fisherman who's amateur at being a bodyguard to protect a highly important person? Especially after the fisherman's father failed to protect the important boy's dad? Just why? I think this would've worked out better had Palm just been on a scholarship to attend the same school as Nuengdiao and they became friends to then become lovers. Maybe then I could've finished this. But I can't because nothing about this situation adds up. Either that or Palm should've been an older gentleman who was a bodyguard in his past coming back into the job to help out his dad.

I've said this in FUTS, and I'm saying it here too: something about Pond's acting never settles right with me. I will say he was at least slightly better here than in FUTS, but I can never believe his acting. It sounds like he's reading the lines off the paper instead of acting them. Someone on Reddit said his acting reminds them of a last-minute put-together high school play and I couldn't have said it better myself. And I'll probably get crap for this too, but for some reason, I can't play into Pond's chemistry with Phuwin. It's just not there, at all. They do being physical very well, but besides that, I don't feel the chemistry between them in their acting. Pond gives off "I'm straight" vibes like crazy, and while I'm not trying to assume his sexuality or anything, that's just how it comes off.

I would've stayed for Chimon and Perth, cause I was decently enjoying their side story, but it's still not enough. I'll just wait to see them in their series once it airs. The fighting sequences made me squeal with laughter, because what in the everloving fuck was that. The make-up department at least did the bruising and cuts well.

Ratings;

Story: 5/10 - Chimon and Perth's story is entertaining. Some parts of Neungdiao's story is intriguing (like his uncle trying to kill him), but I can't get over that his mother thought it was a good idea to hire a fisherman with no bodyguard experience to protect her highly targeted child, which is why this series will never do it for me. I think they even teased it in one episode, which I'm glad they acknowledged that it was dumb, but still.

Acting: 7.5/10 - I'm mostly giving this score to Perth, Chimon, and Phuwin. I think there are some parts Phuwin lacked a bit for me, but it still wasn't bad. Pond's acting is once again, mediocre if not worse than that.

Music: 5/10 - Didn't pay attention to it. So it wasn't distracting. Good.

Recommendation value: 4/10 - As I said, it might've just been me that felt this way, but there are much better stories out there to watch than this one.

Just a little bit of a rant, but I don't think Pond and Phuwin were the right pair for this series in general. I think having switched up some important plot points would've made it better, but in order to have made this series as good as it could've been with just the original story, they should've found a pairing that was older, or at least a person a lot older to play Palm's role. Someone like Joss or Earth or White or Pod or Gawin or Tul (even though he's not with GMMTV, just trying to throw out some actors that would've done this role well), anyone who seems a lot more mature than Pond was able to portray. Phuwin is fine in Nuengdiao's role, but I'm thinking Khaotung or Pawin, someone who might've been able to handle a more dramatic role.

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Good? no. Consensual? YES!

Please don't get me wrong, this series SERIOUSLY had its faults, but it had something that I'm not used to seeing in BL, and that's consent! Everything else? Yeah, she needed some work.

Let's Dive In.

The acting was probably the worst part about this BL. The main characters did really bad, but Win's (Gun) acting was definitely the worst. It got a bit better by the end, but most of the time it felt robotic and stiff, and like he had a hard time expressing different emotions. While I do NOT believe in bashing the looks of Win (like some of you harshly do, as if ya'll look any better), I will say that he was an average looking dude, and them trying to play him off as the hottest guy on campus felt forced. The weirdest part is that they didn't need to play this trope at all, it wasn't like him being the hottest on campus drove the plot or anything, so it's pretty irrelevant. Most of the time I hate this trope because the cast in BL series are equally attractive, and none are overly-cuter or hotter than the rest. Just like Pha in 2moons2 and Sarawat in 2gether, they are played as the hottest on campus, but all cast members are attractive, so it makes no difference.

The one reason this couple is rated higher than the other En of Loves is because of one reason: CONSENT. I loved that even though Bar didn’t like Gun at first, Gun wasn’t forcing himself onto Bar and instead was just being there when he could. We have to speak about their first time because it was everything. We need more of this in BL!!! Bar made it clear that Gun needed his consent, and when it was given, Gun still was being patient and cautious. Even when they were kissing and Bar told him to wait, he immediately stopped and made sure he was okay and still comfortable. I LOVED IT. That scene is what really sold it for me. Had consent not been so broad in this series, then it would definitely be rated at a 5. But, because we weirdly don't see much consent in BL, this gave me a burst of hope that others will fall behind.

Besides that WONDERFUL moment, this series was stupidly rushed. Like, ridiculously rushed. Bar fell for Gun too quickly after saying he didn't like him. I get it, we only have 4 episodes, but it was way too rushed. Don't get me started on the whole "Moon" competition. Cringiest thing in humanity, I skipped all of it. I can't with literally any part of it.

A cringe series that was honestly one of those shows that you love because it's not good. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to see something with clear consent, but this would definitely be the last thing I'd recommend someone starting out in BL.

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Irritating Title

While the title is not that important (don't judge a book by its cover) I still can't get over the incorrect grammar. Even if this is a Thailand series and grammar could be entirely different, someone could have still told them to add an 'a' in there. Whatever. Moving on, this was my second favorite En of Love series, mostly due to the patience and duality of Nuea and the warmth and youthfulness of Praram.

Let's Dive In.

Although I liked this series, it could’ve been a lot better, but then again, could have every other En of Love too. Once again, it went by WAY too fast. I liked how caring Neua was, but sometimes I got aggravated by his possessiveness when he hadn’t even known Praram all that well and all that long.

I wanted to see more of the story, but instead, half of each of the episodes were Neua posting and going through comments. Besides that, I really liked their confession. I liked that Neua was patient and sweet. It worried me at first because Praram was just in high school being crushed on by a college dude, but the creators and writers did well with the script and how it played out. I wasn’t going to be happy if they had had them hook up or even have done any type of sexual entities, but instead, they kept it appropriate for a relationship between a high schooler and a college student. The cute kisses on the cheek and neck were to DIE FOR. Once again, this series does such a good job of showing healthy and consensual conversations. Nuea saying that he didn’t want to do anything more than a cheek kiss with Praram showed that he was willing to be patient and considerate. That’s what upped this show to an 8.

Overall it was a cute 3 episodes. Benz is the cutest kid ever, and I applaud the wardrobe team with his clothes cause it was very refreshing and chic. Out of all the En of Love's, I would only recommend this part. It was light, it was fluffy, it was consensual, and it was cute.

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It Wasn't Entirebly Terrible..?

I've already written this entire thing, but my laptop decided it had other ideas, so now I don't feel like repeating what I've said (and I also don't remember all of it), so I'll just reiterate some of the things I wrote. For one, I definitely remember saying that I wished I would've watched this series while it aired since it just felt so hard to keep up with in the beginning. This series had beautiful actors, half-a-million-dollar sets, and some perfectly sculpted heat scenes, but it still wasn't enough for me to leave feeling satisfied.

Let's Dive In,

Cutie Pie is a nontraditional Thai style setup (at least that's how it felt to me) about Kuea, an undercover rebel who acts as an angel around his arranged finance since childhood, Hia Lian. Hia Lian is a workaholic whose primary focus in life is his business and keeping the promise he made to Kuea's Grandfather. Through some misunderstands, poor communication, and a couple of heated kisses, it's happily ever after, with two other couples following the same problems. My initial feelings on why I think it would've been better to watch while it aired is so that I could have time to really understand what was going on. Instead, I just went on to the next episode, hella confused and just going with the flow.

In some cases, it felt like things were happening too late, like how I went through half of the series thinking that Hia Yi and Diao were also in an arranged marriage. Instead, Hi Yi just wanted to take care of him after some childhood accident made him forget his memory (even though Hia Yi bosses Diao around. shouldn't it be vice-versa?). Same with Nuea who has an apparent crush or maybe is weirdly overprotective of Kuea at the beginning, but then it's never explained why. He's then in la-la land with Syn and you just, again, have to go with the flow.

Now let's talk about Hia Lian and Kuea who I still don't know if I loved or hated. For one, I think the actors did a phenomenal job or at least did as well as they could with the material they were given. I also liked that Kuea needed to learn how to be his whole self around Hia Lian, and that Hia Lian needed to learn how to show his emotions and love and embrace his feelings for Kuea. But what I didn't like was the constant back and forth, Lian would have to reassure Kuea every other episode that he did love him, but by the time we get to the end and Lian proposes and Kuea shuts him down, it's frustrating, especially since his reason is the same shit that Lian had reassured him about on multiple occasions. And it's yell-worthy just for them to go back to the house and everything be okay. By this point, 2x speed was used. That also goes for the misunderstanding (or bad communication) with Lian's plan to help Kuea's family, something that was added at the last minute, and left me annoyed. And sure, their heated scenes were done very nicely, and the consent was perfectly sculpted, but it's still not enough for me. They tried to explain the whole marriage thing since it's pointless to be engaged in a country that doesn't support same-sex marriage, but it's so filler that I just roll my eyes. I think this show started to rely on the heated scenes and just gave up on telling a comprehensible story. I'm still indecisive about these two, but I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm satisfied enough, but if the showrunners had focused more on their story then they really could've been the 'IT' couple. Instead, they told Zee and New to do some kissy kissy time to get away with their poor writing.

I'm also indecisive about Hia Yi and Diao who I loved, but their story is rather a dumb one. The lost childhood memory is fine, but what specifically did he forget? and did I miss it? How come Hia Yi is bossy and mean and then all of the sudden he's just super nice? I won't even get into the whole fiasco of the weird dog-eating storyline. Anyways, the same goes for them, they had great heated scenes, but something crucial is missing. I can't pinpoint it with my finger, but it's something big, and it aggravates me to the fullest. It was probably the lack of character development out of Diao who is seemingly the same person he was at the beginning to the end, or how he's just written to be pretty much perfect with none of his own problems other than getting caught in lies and not keeping things to himself. Hia Yi has a crack of character development, maybe being a bit more lenient and not so harsh to Diao, but it's nothing much, or rather to-your-face-noticeable. My critique stays the same for these two, a better story, a better build-up to their relationship, and they could've also done well with some more screentime.

Syn and Nuea are cute, but nothing more. They had great build-up, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between the actors. Again, nothing wrong in the kissing department, but it comes out of the blue that it feels more comical than realistic. Also, Nuea is not my favorite character, just because the writers didn't give him much of a story, if one at all, and we know next to nothing about him. They barely have any screentime after the public display of affection in which they start to fall off the wagon for me. I think this could've been a fun couple, but with little screentime and poor development, it just feels like they were thrown in at the last minute, and instead of telling their story, the writers could've focused more on the other two that could've used more work.

I'll leave this off on a good note and talk about some things I did really enjoy: I loved Foei, and he might've been my favorite character. I'm kind of upset the writers didn't utilize him more, and I would've rather seen his story than the third couple. Jay was also a good supporting role, but more so just because I love Perth and there's no way I couldn't love any character Perth plays.

The friendship between Diao and Kuea is nicely done, with them being there for one another no matter what, and it's good to show a healthy male-male friendship like this that is still intimate and meaningful without crossing into romantic.

I want to see this company's receipts because the houses they used are MASSIVE. And yes, BLs tend to use huge houses, but Yi's house? with the multiple expensive cars in the back? They did not disappoint in this department, and I am pleasantly surprised.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - There's a story, but it feels rather vague, and with the hype around this show only being because of the love scenes, it's hard to focus on this aspect when nobody else is. However, I won't knock it all down, there were a few things that I liked and it was enough to keep me watching so, I guess it wasn't all that bad.

Acting: 8.5 - I think most of the actors were good, but Nat was probably not the strongest performer, and you're only as strong as your weakest link. I've never been a huge fan of Nat's acting, but he did rather well in Y-Destiny, but here, I just feel that disconnect again. He's kind of awkward (in a good way) and it shows in his acting.

Music: 6.5 - Fine I guess, didn't really pay all that much attention.

Rewatch Value: 1.5: eh, very less likely.

I don't think this series is bad, but I do grade more harshly on things that are widely popular or hyped because I feel the need to see what others see, and 6 times out of 10, I don't. But if you are looking for some decent NC scenes, then you've got it here. If that's not really you're mojo, then this can be a series you watch later or as slow as you want. No need to rush.

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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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Brillant Story

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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

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Cute Korean BL

Out of the recent Korean BL's I've tried to sit through (Peach of Time, My Sweet Dear), which caused me extreme boredom, and slight chronic insomnia, you couldn't imagine my reaction when this series popped up next on my watch list. it's the mix of Korean BL's being hysterically short, and disrespectfully rushed that draws me out of their stories, but finally, a BL that I can give at least some type of credit to. Not for being anything different than a regular K-BL, but at least for keeping me entertained. The Tasty Florida was a simplistic plot with beautiful-looking characters and chemistry that I can support.

Let's Dive In.

The Tasty Florida was another extremely short Korean BL, that follows a similar path of My Sweet Dear, but less dull, and characters that I can actually enjoy. It starts off with the new dude falling in the arms of another dude, giving us the perfect love at first sight trope, and from there were introduced to new people, a very weak love triangle, and a rushed ending. However, this series was super laid-back and beautiful -- starting from the restaurant, to the actors themselves. But again, this series suffers from the same matters that other Korean BLs do -- which is sad to say, cause this one had such great potential to be one of the best K-BLs, but instead it falls right under being just good enough.

The things I enjoyed about TTF: Let's give credit where credit is due -- all of the actors are gorgeous. Yoohwan and Kanghyuk have sharp features and blinding smiles, not to mention their incredible build. Seungjun has such an entertaining hairstyle, that fits perfectly with his lean stature, and mesmerizing facial structure. Woomin is adorable, with a childlike aspect in his face, and windswept hair, but Zeze hits different. he's like a God. He looks so ethereal and majestic that he can't be true. so unbelievable that I had to pause the screen for a moment and just gawk at his beauty. And to add on, they all put on a really nice performance. I liked Yoohwan's the most, with Kanghyuk playing a close second. But either way, they all did a really good job. I'd say the lowest acting-wise was Zeze, but even then, he's done better than others I've watched.

I also really did enjoy the chemistry between Seo Hae Won and Baek Eun Kyu. I'm a sucker for the "realizing-I'm-falling-in-love" trope, and just watching two people gain connection and build up chemistry until it reaches its peak and it has to climax. and these two are great examples of that. I wish that it could've been developed a little longer, but then again, that would mean we'd need a longer series, but for what we got, I was satisfied. I think these two did an amazing job at showing their chemistry through eye contact and simple gestures. I absolutely loved them.

I'd have to add on that the production was really nice. I loved the scenery of the restaurant. The colorful vibes and the cool warm pastels accentuated the mood of the series. I liked the overall cinematography of it all.

Some things that needed improving: Cha Ji Soo was treated horribly. I was actually very much interested in this character and very much so rooting for him and Seo Hae Won for half a second. But sadly, the love triangle this show tries to have is so weak that it's barely even there. Of course, we already know who the lead will end up with in the beginning, but if they're going to go for a love triangle then I think they should've gone full force. Have Seo Hae Won also develop feelings for Ji Soo. Have them maybe end up kissing, or have a conversation about it. Love triangles are because the lead is in love with both choices, not just one. Also, how Ji Soo decided that he would be okay with watching the guy he likes and his best friend dating every single day at work is beyond me.

The dojo thing was very pointless. It didn't drive any plot, it didn't raise any conflicts -- it was just there. Sure, the scene with them rustling and rolling around on the mat was cute, but what other justice did it serve? Nothing! That time could've been used to add more plot, to build more connections. I would rather see more Zeze being godly than a dojo.

The ending was rushed, and the year time jump through me completely off guard. Not to mention, that there wasn't any type of character change in regards to features or just relationships over a period of time. I hate time jumps when they don't show a change of growth in characters. Them crying in each other's arms was cute, but I think just 5 or 6 months with him away would've been fine.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - From what we got in this short series, the story was good. I'll take off a star for the weird time jump, and the rushed ending.

Acting: 8.5 - Everyone did a really good job. There were some hiccups here and there, and some acting choices should've been different, but overall, it was good.

OST: 5 - I don't remember it which means it wasn't a distraction but was also not anything to recollect.

Rewatch Value: 1 - I might actually go back to watch certain parts of this series, like Sao Hae Won cuddling a drunk Eun Kyu.

I recommend this series for anyone wanting a quick and pretty lighthearted watch.

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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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