And This is Where it Should Die

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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

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Bad Buddy Shows That GMMTV Can Do Better

From the beginning of my watch to now, I think there is a completely different view on this series than I originally had. In the beginning, when this was first announced at the GMMTV 2021 lineup, this was on the very bottom of my list. It looked like a typical Uni BL that, of course, I was going to watch, but I wasn't going to think anything of it. But from then to now, I feel like that has changed for sure. Bad Buddy was again, a very successful and pleasing BL that a lot of people can find entertainment in. However, Bad Buddy did have its little slice of irreverence and irksome characters.

Let's Dive In.

Production was decent, just the same old it always is. The rooftop was very nice though, and probably the best to come out of production. I did like the montages of them going to each other's door and hanging items. Pat sneaking in with his blanket was by far my favorite. Way too many ad placements. Usual for GMMTV, but I've seen smaller companies do way less at advertising (Have you ever watched Arm Share? or Earth-Mix Space? I can't remember the exact variety show, but they literally spent 15 minutes talking about KFC... I don't recommend any of their variety shows unless you want to sit through them speaking forever on an ad you could care less about). I know this is how they get their money, but damn, there has to be something else than this. It's literally GMMTV, one of the biggest companies for BL, they have to be making enough bank to cut at least a few ads, geez. Other than that everything was decent.

Onto the plot. Nothing special. which is why I give this show a lot of credit. While the series was nothing new, original, or impressive, it made its way to being something great because of the actors and their amazing performances. This show wouldn't have worked had it been with any other actors, especially Ohm and Nanon. The plot was as basic as it could get, but with these two, they turned it into something more than that.

Anyways, back onto the actual plot. I give it a 50/50. In terms of Pat and Pran, I loved it. In terms of some of the scenes presented, they were irrelevant and dumb. for instance, the shooting and police situation. Dumb. Very dumb. And so out-of-the-ordinary for the series. it was a serious "what-the-f**k" moment for sure. There were plenty of different ways they could've had Pran run into Pat's parents. Many. I'm not a fan of filler, but with this series, it worked really well, especially for when Ohm and Nanon were kind of doing their own thing and just making the series feel more realistic.

The situation with the parents was okay until it just became annoying. Pran's mom was upset with Pat's dad about the scholarship thing, but they both live in the exact same style of house, in the same neighborhood, in the same town, so it wasn't like he was doing much better than her family. Again, that part made sense until it didn't. I also would've liked it if, by the end, Pat and Pran's parents would've eventually gotten over the feud entirely and allowed their children to be happy. For them to be grown adults and still have to hide their relationship has to be aggravating (especially after 5 years).

Moving onto the characters. I loved Pran and Pat. Ohm and Nanon did a phenomenal job at playing these characters. Their chemistry was through the roof, which is so surprising for me, cause at the beginning I was on the bandwagon that it wasn't going to be good at all. But Ohm could make chemistry with a tree if he wanted to, so I shouldn't have thought for a second it wouldn't be good. They both brought about some awesome performances, and Pran and Pat were pretty much perfect in this series, with enough flaws for me to enjoy them even more. Although, the last few episodes were feeling very much fanservice-y and not telling a story at all. A little less of that, and I think I would've enjoyed them even more.

Ink and Pa were just the cherries on top. I don't think this series did enough with the two of them. Granted, we did get a GL couple, but they were barely on screen. Had they been treated like the other side BL couples, we would've gotten a much more drawn-out indication of their relationship. I'm satisfied with what we got, but I wish we would've gotten more.

With the few times we did get to see Drake's character, I enjoyed him (when he wasn't being a bully). Korn was really silly and extroverted, and Drake played that character wonderfully. He had barely any screentime on this show, with the exception of the last few episodes. I will continue to advocate for Drake and the reason why he deserves another series of his own (but that's for another discussion). Wai was by far my least favorite character. Maybe not because of him personally, but maybe how the writer's disregarded how he outed Pat and Pran to the entire school. A huge situation that was just dusted off (I don't even think it was brought up at all). I think this series did a good job at being progressive (making fun of the 'I'm only gay for you' trope), but in a situation like this, it was serious and deserved to at least be discussed. Then Wai just bothered me with the entirety of the episodes that he was mad at Pran. Mad because Pat didn't tell him? A really weird excuse for him to have a surge of rage. It took Pat getting almost shot for him to be like, "Okay, I'm fine with your guy's relationship"..? They tried to redeem him in the end, but by then, I was just not feeling it. Jimmy is adorable and did a really good job, but his character is a nuisance. The rest of the cast did really well. I also want to give kudos to Pran's mom and her amazing scene with Pat's dad. Beautiful.

Rating:

Story: 8.5 - Nothing new, nothing special. But because of the acting, the plot/story felt fresh and enjoyable. Some irrelevant plots, and annoying circumstances, but other than that, I was entertained.

Acting: 9.5 - Phenomenal. Everyone did an amazing job. Ohm and Nanon made this series work for a plethora of reasons, but their performances were one of the larger ones.

OST: 6 - I don't remember much of the music, and quite honestly, I skipped over the parts of them singing, cause I just wasn't feeling it. But since it wasn't anything noticeably annoying or distracting, I'll give it a 6.

Rewatch Value: 1 - I have more series to watch. This series was nice, but I have no need to rewatch anything. Maybe come back for certain parts, but probably not even then.

I'm nit-picky with GMMTV series because I expect more from them than anything. They have the money, the actors, the resources, and the power to do so. While Bad Buddy was indeed one of GMMTV's best BL series, I know we can still reach further, and do better. I want to see something different than the typical uni BL. Sadly, it seems like the only series to gain popularity out of GMMTV are the uni BLs, so they're never going away, but I'm on the side of wanting something more than this. More than a bunch of engineer dudes falling in love. Especially, again, from GMMTV. Of course, I recommend this show, especially for viewers just getting into BL.

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Decent Enough

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting.

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

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Mid as F**k

So Wedding Plan isn't the worst Mame's series that she's created (cough couch Tharntype), but because she's the screenwriter AND director, I can see why this still doesn't work for me. One of the many problems I have with this series is the overwhelming amount of miscommunication; it's so bad that if you told me a 10-year-old girl wrote the plot, I'd believe you.

Let's Dive In.

So Wedding Plan is about a wedding coordinator falling for one of his clients even though that client is supposedly getting married. But of course, and just like Mame, the client is secretly in love with the coordinator after one measly little encounter (actually, did they even talk to one another at Sky and Prapai's wedding?).

You can tell from the get-go that Lom and Yiwa's "wedding" seems pretty fake, and then we get that confirmation sometime soon after that. Okay great, Lom and Yiwa are only getting married to please their families and instead are delving into their own relationships outside of the fake one they've created. Good. But why the fuck did we wait until nearly the last episode to notify Nuea of the plan? Here he is having these internal battles with thinking that he's fallen in love with an about-to-be-married man, crying and going through a depressive period when all Lom had to do was open his mouth and tell him it was fake. This plot aggravated me to a point of no return. And then when Lom does tell Nuea, there's simply no repercussions of the whirlwind he's created. He's damaged the relationship between Yiwa and her girlfriend, he's caused Nuea a multitude of sadness and misery that he didn't have to go through, along with the countless other characters that had to reap what he sowed. It's so tiring and so dull to watch that I can't wrap myself around the fact that there are people out there who would rate this a 10 out of 10.

Out first Mame GL couple! Not bad, but not good. Mame has a tendency to make female characters the worst possible people in the entire world, so this was definitely an upgrade. But then she goes and makes Yiwa look like a terrible person for ditching her own wedding, but you know, a female can't always be good. Of course, you go throughout the series feeling absolutely terrible for Marine whose having to put up with this dreadful scheme. If I were Yiwa and I saw how depressive my actions were making the love of my life feel, then I would've cut that shit off immediately. But I wouldn't have gone with the plan in the first place, so *shrugs*. Overall, I thought they were pretty cute. I like that in the end they run off to London to get married. I'll be honest though, the kissing was really cringey to watch. It was like Yiwa was giving it her all and Marine was just there.

Another reason I'm not a huge fan is because of the chemistry between our main leads. It gets to a point where it building and building and I'm enjoying the ride, until it's just ruined by a non-consensual kiss. Not that it wasn't lowkey ruined before that when you think about the fact that a soon-to-be-married man is hardcore flirting with somebody who's not his soon-to-be-wife. But there's a certain point in the series, and I'm not sure at which point, but somewhere in the mix of it, you can feel their chemistry just deteriorate. The only scene between them that I really liked (disregarding the beginning when they meet cause I also liked that) was the bed scene when Lom is crying in Nuea's arms because he loves him that much. I really did like that. And of course, they had no problem in the kissing and NC department, which is one of Mame's only benefits, so I'll give them that.

By the end of the series, it feels like we did a whole 360 to where we began. There wasn't a feeling of a true ending, and so many things went unsaid and undone. Like Lom needs to sit down with his mother and actually tell her about Nuea and not her just accept that he'll find somebody else. Definitely a sit down with Yiwa and her mother. Just so many things. I know there's a special episode, but there's no way I have the patience to even sit through it.

Ratings:

Story: 5.5/10 - Elongated the telling of Nuea for no reason. Difficulty in finding the reason why. The main leads are okay, but they won't be memorable after this review. For most of my watch, I was speeding through -- so.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Good. Pak (Nuea) did the best, Sunny (Lom) ehh, not so much besides that one scene I really liked (and he looks incredible with his shirt off, so I'll raise the score a little). Everyone else was decent.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it so that is also good. Not distracting.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - SO many better BL series out. So many better ones that I can't even count them all. But for a pretty lighthearted watch and some, I'll be honest, great NC scenes, sure, knock yourself out.

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So freaking Cute

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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Not My Cup of Tea

I've never been the type to enjoy ghost love stories, but I feel like this one isn't necessarily the same thing, however, it still wasn't my cup of tea. I think the romance side of the story was way too fast-paced. The building-up was going well, and then they just went straight to it, and once you've passed the intimate stage, I usually lose interest because there's nothing else to be excited about. And that's exactly what happen and I just had no interest at all. I pretty much skipped a few episodes after episodes 4-5 and watched the last one fully. I think the ghost plot itself was nice, but as I said, it doesn't intrigue me very much. Seenam and Prim's story was very tragic, yet beautiful, but still wasn't enough to keep me interested. There were a few nice plot twists, and I think Seefoon is the cutest.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5/10 - the ghost story is nice, but the romance happened too quickly for me. Nothing was enough to keep me very inspired though.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! The cast all did a good job. A few "eh"s here and there but it was decent.

Music: 5/10 - don't remember but it wasn't distracting so that's good.

Rewatch value: 1/10 - No.

I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this. The main leads had very good chemistry, I just think it happened too quickly for me to be interested in the entire series. I wouldn't mind seeing them again. I personally don't recommend it, but if supernatural plots intrigue you, go for it.

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Credible Piece of K-BL

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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

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Completed-ish

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Ratings:

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

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

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

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

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

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Wow, just Wow

I decided that I would go head first into this series without other people's judgments, and wow, was I pleasantly surprised. I wasn't Love Mechanics' biggest fan, (for many reasons) so I went into this with little to no expectations, but, again, I was shocked at how many emotions this itty-bitty series brought out of me. The Best Story was a tragically magical astonishment with its way of telling this sympathetic first love story, and all the shit that comes with it.

Let's Dive In.

Let's start with production. I have to cut at least one star for how unstable the subtitles were. The grammar was sometimes really hard to comprehend or just worded very incorrectly, along with scenes passing by with no subtitles (thankfully someone was nice enough to sub them in the comments). Again, I realize this series wasn't intended for an English audience in the first place, but knowing that BL is big internationally, it's something to for sure look out for. Other than that, the production was decent, along with the OST (I really enjoyed Best's song).

My initial thought during episode 1, that this was going to be a cheesy high school story. Technically, yes it was, but with some good screenwriting, and a perfect performance by the actors, this turn into something more than that. War again stole the show. His acting is so subpar that it scares me. Even Yin did better this time around. At first, I was cringing at the thought of this series, but by the second episode, I don't understand how they did it, but a switch went off in me. Best being just so giddy and anxious and nervous around Dew was just so natural and expected from someone in high school. The best part was his friends. They really created such a healthy dynamic of boys just being boys, but supportive and caring, I couldn't contain the tears when Best cried on their shoulders.

I could see Yern outing Best from a mile away. It's overplayed, it's hurtful, and it sucks; but it happens, and I applaud this series for teaching the audience about how dangerous outing can be, and how it can really cause big changes if the outcome is severe. Yern outing best to Dew's homophobic mother caused her to up and move Dew to another town, hoping that it would somehow fix her son's gayness, or stop it before it happened. It was incredibly difficult to watch, to just see how hurt Best is to see how conflicted Dew was. I wanted Best to say something, to confess his feelings, but that is honestly not an easy thing, especially being in high school. They're still so young, and feelings can be scary, so I completely understand Best keeping his crush a secret (well, not really cause Dew knew, but you get my point) the ending is just HEARTBREAKING. Be warned, it might say Best, but this is far from a happy ending. Dew finally reading the notebook and crying broke me, Best seeing him post the notebook broke me even more. Again, an amazing performance from these brilliant actors. I'm really hopeful for a season two after Dew comes back from his studies, it just makes sense for the perfect ending to their story.

Overall, I highly recommend this series. No, there's no physical intimacy, but the way these actors were able to portray their characters' feelings for one another through expressions and emotions will tear you to pieces. A lovely watch, a sad one albeit, but a good one.

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Not Confused but Disoriented

I read the comments to get an overall audience view of this series, in which most of them were negative, but I was still willing to give this a chance. I need to start paying more attention to these opinions, cause I really sat through 5 episodes of complete garbage (and I say that in the nicest way possible.) Deal Lover had to be some of the crappiest acting I've seen in a while, with an unlikeable Het couple and straight-as-all-get-out BL pairing.

Let's Dive In.

I was actually pretty intrigued by the synopsis. I didn't hate the first episode; sure, it carried on longer than need be, the first 15 minutes are boring as hell, and the acting is already atrocious, but I looked past all that so that I could really dip my toes into the characters, and I actually wasn't too disappointed. Except it continues to get worst with every episode.

First is the plot. So different, something I was enthralled about before even watching, but sadly the execution is sad -- embarrassing even. I wanted them to do more with the grandma than they did. They kind of just made her look like a crazy old woman than a person dealing with Alzheimer's. They should've dove deeper into this disease and put parts of its attributed into the series. The grandma was passed as just goofy and forgetful, and it really did hurt. More with the plot, they had such a unique concept and didn't use it like they were supposed to. So boring, I mean EXTREMELY boring. I don't care to watch Milan vlog, or do anything, to be honest. Most of the het shit is them feuding and then not. I started skipping their parts mid-third episode. (They got married.... after 7 days...??)

That's another poor decision of this series. You can't take any of these relationships seriously cause they've all started in the span of three days, two nights. No one's relationship was nice to watch knowing that they just met only a few hours before. Both couples are rushed fast as hell and try to seem so in love, but it passes as delusional and lowkey obsessive.

Onto the BL pairing. I really have no words. Both actors look catastrophically uncomfortable around each other and like they were held at gunpoint to be in this. They had a good amount of BL tropes, but all were very poorly acted, and again, cringe as hell. I'll give props to Tam's actor though -- his acting wasn't all that great, but it was inferior compared to Tokyo's who looked like his dad dragged him there. So bad. So bad that I don't know how anyone else wasn't casted. Their relationship was rushed, all their lines were so bland and boring, and their acting was just the rotten cherry on top. The only part I found seemingly cute was when Tam grabbed Tokyo's face and THAT'S IT.

Production is last cause I have to scream about this. I've seen lower-quality budget films do 100x better than whatever the freak this was. Yes, this series was also low-budget, but that does not give this series an excuse for the poor editing and terrible amount of continuity errors. this series is really something else. Usually, production is decent, but with this series, it felt lower than mediocre. Sad, just really sad.

Some other things that might just be me: did anyone feel like they cut the camera to add tears to Tam's face?? Like his tears looked fake, I can't explain it, I really can't. Din does not pass as a chef at freaking all, more like a kid in a costume. Milan being a high-key homophobic?

Overall, I don't recommend this show. Had I also realized this was a side BL, I would've never tuned in in the first place. I love seeing small series like this with new faces, especially in Thailand when they have other series to go up against like ones from Studio Wabi-Sabi and GMMTV. I usually root for the underdogs, but this was just a complete disappointment. This series needed to have done some regrouping before this shit, Lord have Mercy.

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Too Short and Too Choppy

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

Let's Dive In.

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

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

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

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A 5 for 1 Deal!

This series was definitely something different! I don't think I've seen a BL with this many couples in a fat minute (The last I can recall is Why R U?). But, one thing that I didn't hate about this series is the plot flood surprisingly well with the amount of characters we were introduced to. Top Secret Together (only having 2 (maybe 3..?) out of 5 couples actually get together..) has been a really good collaboration of old and new BL actors, and creates something that is great and not at the same time!

Let's Dive In.

Let's start with production. I think this series get one star for just the behind the scenes. Not many Bl series do this, and I really enjoyed watching those parts more than the actual episodes. You got to see how close the crew and the actors were and it put you in this comfort zone that I never wanted to leave. I actually loved this group so much that I'm sad that it ended. Maybe they'll be ale to see them in future projects. On with actual production, it was decent, same old same really. The wardrobe was really nice, especially for Lukmo and Simai. Ad placements weren't bad either, quick and simple. Plot flowed really nicely, Surprisingly, with 5 couples, the story didn't feel jumbled up and screen time felt very well proportioned out. I really loved how they managed time, they definitely deserve a pat on the back for that. There was only this one really annoying part where there was this constant clicking sound that I thought that was my headphones at first, but no, it was just the series. Other than that, production gets a thumbs up from me.

Moving onto the couples, I'm going in order of my favorite to least favorite (plot wise since not all of them ended up together):

1. Simai and Lukmo

Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed the main main couple. I liked how their personalities bounced off each others, but most importantly, I loved Simai. He was so bubbly and willingly to be there for Lukmo even when he was acting brooding and lonely. Most of there interaction was the best for me, i just wanted them to get together so bad -- until they're revealed to be brothers. Why are they first then? I literally can't stand incest in BL, but the dad thankfully tell Lukmo the truth (but not Simai? which will inevitably hurt him more in the future but ok), that they aren't blood related, so that let the stress off of me a little bit. I don't understand the ending? I'm guessing they end up together since Simai comes back, but it was left ambiguous so idk. The actors did a fantabulous job. All emotional scenes were done so well and they actually cried real tears and looked sad; I loved it so much (Lukmo breaking down at his mom's grave hurt tho). I really hope that we continue to see these actors in future projects, and seeing as this is their first series, they did an absolute terrific job.

2. Both and NewYear

I mean, this couple had to be next. Them being together in real life obviously helped with creating this really nice and natural feeling when they were on screen, but they acted as the fairy gayfathers to all the couples, and I loved it. They get into some turmoil with a new employee, which was really nicely plotted out, but other than that, this couple was just perfect. They owned a cafe, they gave healthy advice to the others, and their engagement was beyond cute. Again, them being a couple in real life helped, (especially those kisses -- damn) but I just loved them so much. another thing I sort of like was when they addressed something as if they knew that we were watching. It threw me off a little, but at least they didn't break 4th wall, that's all I'm happy about. This wasn't NewYear's first BL, but this was Both's so for that, I give him a big round of applauds.

3. Phob and MaiEak

Granted, this pairing had the most drama, but I really pined for them to get together, so I'm most sad that we don't see them actually end up together. The only thing this series did wrong was not have them end up together. MaiEak finally realizes his feelings for Phob when it's too late. His little turmoil with Namo was honestly nice, seeing him have some competition. The only thing I guess I will give them acknowledgement for is not following most BLs. In others, they would always choose the first option, but instead Phob (ambiguously?) ends up with Namo. But good for him though, what was he suppose to do, wait until MaiEak was ready? Love his last moment though when he's writing on his diary thing, hopefully in the near future, things get better. I was so excited to see Aof again, especially since we hadn't seen him since Make It Right. it was nice to see him, I hope we continue to. Sunny also did a superb job, he really just reminded me of Ohm Pawat, and I absolutely love Ohm.

4. Nampu and Copy

Not going to lie, I jumped on their boat a bit late. I was immediately turned off when I saw that Copy was an engineering student. But also, Nampu was just kind of creepy and a bit annoying. I didn't really start liking them until their date at the cafe. There one of the only couples to actually get together, but both actors had really good chemistry. Copy's conversation with his dad also did it for me, I love it so much. They were just all around cute when they finally got together.

5. Plawaan and Suea

why oh why were they even a part of the series? They aren't even introduced until maybe episode 4 or 5, and they just don't play any important role at all. They do do a but of flirting, but there's no connection and no chemistry. I think the only thing I can appreciate about this couple is that they actually played basketball hows its suppose to be played. Also, Plawaan's hair at Both and NewYear's party was a crime against humanity. Was it a wig? Did they just not part his hair well enough? I don't know, but it distracted me the entire time. Their relationship felt pretty irrelevant. If they were cut form the script, there would be no change in plot. These actors are pretty brand new, but their acting was probably the worst. I'm sure with more screen time, they'll get better.

Overall, this series wasn't that bad at all, I got through it pretty quick (seeing as they have 15 episodes that run about 30-40 minutes each). It was a comfort watch more than anything, it wasn't the most progressive BL or unique, but sometimes that's just what BL needs to be, a bunch of cliches and cute fluff.

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Beautiful Depiction of the BL Industry

Right off the bat, Lovely Writer did an incredible job at drawing light into the toxic world of BL. I loved how I was able to enjoy this series while also able to learn and grow in my knowledge of what these actors have to go through, Kao and Up created a magical on-screen chemistry accompanied by an awesome supporting cast and an amazing production team.

Let's Dive In.

Let's talk about the complexity that is the characters. The writers' room was filled with geniuses, I swear to god. The character development that EACH person has was brilliant. Up's personality was the most noticeable, along with Beu's. I liked that these weren't just one-dimensional characters, or that they were set up to have no story whatsoever. A huge pat on the back to the writers of this series. Next to the wardrobe. Perfection. Each character had such a set style and it was a beautiful mix of colors designs, and patterns. By far Hin was dressed the best. Onto the plot. It was beautiful. It depicts such a truthful story to what it's like for BL actors when it comes to real-life relationships and fans. I just hope that this was enough to teach the overzealous BL fangirls that what is on screen is for entertainment and entertainment only. Nothing is for real, and no BL actor should have to put their love life on hold to please their fans.

The acting was immaculate. This was Up's first main leading role, and he did an amazing job. Episode 9 and 10 was by-far the best episode of this series, and that's all due to him. I literally cannot wait to see him in future series. Kao was so precious here. He played a completely different character here than on UWMA, so it was a great way to see how versatile he is in his acting. Him and Up had great on-screen chemistry, the Viagra plot was hilarious (also kind of bad, but good thing it was just a joke) and led to a beautiful intimate scene that was so sensual and romantic ( also super consentual. CONSENT IS SEXY). Aoey, Tum, and Tiffy were excellent supporting roles. I found myself drawn to Tum and Tiffy's story more than I ever had on any other straight couple in BL. I genuinely loved their relationship, and yearned to see them more. Bruce (Aoey) did an incredible job. While his character needed some serious therapy, Bruce was able to bring about these emotions that I've only ever seen a few BL actors be able to pull off. I expect to see some much more from him in the future, and hopefully soon. With that being said, my favorite character was Hin. He was adorable, he was charismatic, and I loved that the series gave him his own little mini plot and we get to seem more of him in the end. His actor's performance was perfection, and I want to so badly see more of him.

While I did love Sib, he felt a bit clingy at times. I just wanted him to give Gene some space, especially at the beginning of the series when he was acting strange and obsessed with Gene, even when they weren't that close. I think it was a poor desision to have Gene forget who Sib was. In the flashbacks, Gene looked way old enough to remember, unless he went through some traumatic head trauma and forgot. Talking about the flashback, just how old is Gene compared to Sib? While the actors playing them young did a good job, the age difference was a bit startling. Sib was literally no older than 7 while Gene looked like he was about to start high school. While I can understand the age gap as an adult, it looked strange and off when they were kids. I would've loved it had they changed Sib to be a bit older or for Gene to be a bit younger. Episode 12 felt really off, as in, it didn't feel like it belonged in the series. While it wasn't bad persay, it still just didn't fit in my opinion. Them breaking the 4th wall was definitely the worst part of it all. Could have done without that awkward look my way for sure. Whatever happens to Aoey? Whatever happens to Mork? What was the underlying relationship between Gene and Sib's brothers? What when on with Gene and Sib's dads? Where does Tum and Tiffy's relationship stand? So many plot holes left open, so hopefully those go away in the special episode, or maybe even a second season.

Overall, I loved this series. The way they called out so many problematic subjects in BL was legendary. This series needs to be watched by every single person just for the sake of keeping the humanity of the actors and the fans. A definte recommend.

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Drake's Eyebrows get Bushier Every Episode

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

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

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

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

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