Mixed

I didn't hate it, didn't love it. Honestly, I'm mixed about what score to give this because overall, it was good, but there is a giant glaring problem, and that's that it gets pretty meh during the last two episodes, which isn't good considering that there's only 6 episodes, 20 minutes long.

Let's Dive In.

My initial take on this series was good, I enjoyed the plot, the build-up, the difference of seeing them as teenagers compared to adults and their getting back to knowing one another. I understand Miyata's past trauma with Takashi, but boy oh boy was it annoying to see him constantly being pushed away. I think this would've worked better had the episode been a bit longer, but for what we had, there just wasn't time for the back and forth. On top of that, the breakup and the getting back together all happen within the span of the last two episodes, which is where it starts to fall for me. But I loved their dynamic, I loved that their intimate scenes were handled so graciously, and enjoyed the majority of what I watched.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - It was good. Meh at some parts, but mostly good.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! There wasn't much room for super-heavy scenes, so most of the acting was mediocre.

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

Recommendation Value: 6.5/10 - Ehh, I've seen better J-BLs, but again, I didn't hate it. I still would say to give it a shot if you have time.

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How Can You Not Love This?

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

Let's Dive In.

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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OffGun Does Cute Well ... Obviously

There was no doubt in my mind when starting the first episode that Off and Gun were going to give exactly what I wanted: sweet, sexy, and silly -- all of the Ss! What a cute little series, packed with some great comedy and some lovely characters. However, for me, something doesn't entirely click.

Let's Dive In.

For starters, this series felt entirely like Off and Gun instead of their characters. So much to the point where I don't even remember their characters' names outside of their nicknames. If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere how this was a series Off and Gun created themselves, which is maybe why it feel so offputting. The acting isn't bad per say -- because they can act, obviously, and there are scenes that they do great emotionally in, but something in their acting didn't reach for me. It might be because they're so comfortable with one another that they start acting like themselves instead of how their characters would act. Either way, this is kind of my only argument, that it feels disingenious somewhere in the middle. However, that doesn't mean I don't love seeing these vets do their thing on screen, and of course, I was still smiling all big and happy.

So going frrm there, I'll try leaning into the relationship of Doc and Chef outside of the actors. The first few episodes sold me. I was absolutely in love with the concept of this, something not original, but such a spin with having a culinary student and another working on becoming a doctor instead of the typical majors BL supplies us with. Chef is very endearing, going for a goal that isn't all that easy to reach while still providing for his family. This is how he gets into this situation in the first place, with needing Doc's money to help his sister out. Doc is silly, he has an edge to him when it comes to his father and stepmother, but yet we see such a precious side around his friends and Chef. Their build-up is great, and their executions in other scenes set their tone perfectly, except, I was bewildered by some of the bad kissing. I'm going to assume this is more of a director's choice, but their first kiss and a few more throughout the series were just -- really bad. Others were great, just like how you'd imagine OffGun to kiss. Closer to the end, their relationship kind of plateaus for me. it's no longer exciting in the sense of Chef and Doc, and more so, again, just Off and Gun. Their individual stories capture how they come about now as adults, but there are some scenes that seem nonsensical, like Doc's dad having a nurse that was identical to his mom, which they could've played more on like being his mom's twin sister, or maybe his dad is crazy and cloned her or something. That just felt very too circumstantial. Another was Doc punching the celebrity chef guy, which yes, he deserved, but in such an environment like that one, pulling Chef away and giving a stern talking to would've been enough too. There are some others, but overall, they are good stories.

Moving onto the secondary couple, Firefly and Dynamite. So in love with their dynamic. Dynamite has this major crush on Firefly who saved him in a bullying accident, doing whatever he can to get this cute guy to notice him. In the beginning, it's a little zany how much Dynamite goes after him, especially without a backstory, which I think they should've shown earlier in the series so I didn't just think Dynamite was kooky for thinking someone is so handsome to the point where he liked them so much. Near the middle, it's when they get a lot closer, and a lot cuter. I like this aspect of their characters that pick and tease at one another and then can become so cheesy and in love the next. Their chemistry and build-up take a little bit to get there, but when it does, it's strong and very tensional. Firefly's whole problem is that he's too loyal to his strict mom, doing everything he can to please her even if it means he ignores his own feelings. This is given a resolution by the end, with Firefly's mom walking away, but then they give her a terrible redemption arc in the last episode, and it's like, okay whatever. Overall, I liked them in the beginning more than I did in the end, only because they didn't do physical very well, even with the couple of hugs and cheek kisses they gave one another. It threw off their connection to me when they did, and them not getting an actual kiss felt weird, but whatever. Aungpao did great for his very first GMMTV series. I liked his dynamic more with the trio, which is where part of this series does it for me.

Talking about the trio, they were golden. I loved when friend groups feel genuine, and you can see the different personality each of them bring to carry this heartful friendship. I loved Samsi, quite literally my favorite character to see. Such a loving guy, who just loved being around his friends, that felt heartbroken with their secrets, but in the end, knowing that they were always going to be there for him no matter what. He does comedy better than any of the other's did, except, there were some weight jokes thrown in there, which is normal for Thai BLs to do with bigger characters, but nonetheless, still pinching a nerve somewhere inside of me. I'm glad he gets his own partner, but my only argument with that is that he and Metha had built such a great enemies-to-lovers trope, so why not just have them get together?

The production value was great, with a bit too many production placements, but I'll digress. The food looked amazing, I liked that each episode starts off with showing a menu item.

Rating:

Story: 7.5/10 - Great! it flowed rather nicely, with a few hiccups, but nothing not watch-worthy.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Everyone did good, with Dome (Samsi) playing his character the best IMO. OffGun felt too much like OffGun, but they can still act. Neo did a great job, but he always does well with comedic roles. Aungpao did amazing for his first time, especially with such an already-established cast.

Music: 6/10 - I didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - this is cute in lots of aspects. Even with my little critics of this series, I still recommend it. it's lighthearted (for the most part), pretty funny, and an easy watch.

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What a Gem of a Show

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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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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Tedious

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

Music: 5.5 - Decent,

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

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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Super Duper Short

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

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

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

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Best HIStory By Far

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

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

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

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

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I Am Confusion

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

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

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

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Dissapointing

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

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

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

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

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

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