Not My Bro (2025)

A generic BL with a weak story and no highlights.

To say this is a short series is an exaggeration because every episode is around 50 minutes and drags on like a chewing gum. There is not much of a story and the acting is medicore, so it feels more like an ad with some BL mixed into it. While they did try to make it a cute story, I did not feel any spark. The characters are trivial, they are very 2D and it feels just boring.

So maybe this was an outing for new actors but with a weak script there is nothing they could do. There is no drama, there are only some clichés. When I see some people rating this show as high as "The Proper Way to Write Love" I don't get it. It's a far cry from the other series and offers nothing of value. So, watching this, is a waste of time.

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start it halfway thru (watch suggestions)

Overall: the first half of the series was a mess (not just the subtitles). I enjoyed the last couple episodes quite a bit more than the beginning ones. Based on the book “What’s the Nong?” by I’m Mynt. I haven't read the book and reviewed the series based on its own merits. 6 episodes about 45 min each (uncut, episode 1 cut was 36 minutes but I'm not sure what the missing 9 minutes was). Aired on iQIYI uncut https://www.iq.com/album/dogbro-2025-rpuy7moou5?lang=en_us and episode 1 on YouTube (worldwide) cut https://youtu.be/0TOqjvji-aQ?si=37NWzGrBuFDkjy25 and later released starting at episode 2 on Mentkorn YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wgVfR_PAAs

Content Warnings: manhandling, fight, trauma

Watch Suggestions (for uncut iQIYI version)
- episode 3 watch 29:10-end
- episode 4 watch 15:30-19:15, 33:50-37 and 41:30-end
- episode 5 watch beginning to 16:45, 24-28 and 31-end
- watch episode 6

What I Liked
- cute dog
- once the characters got together they showed mutual want and ongoing intimacy
- showing a condom box/condom wrapper on the floor was nice to see

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump to start
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- characters were hot and cold
- love triangle
- cliche ex girlfriend and that thread of flea powder down her throat was not funny
- (neutral) the YouTube subs and iQIYI were difficult to understand
- (neutral) the dog having a voice

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