VIETNAMES BL 14: Music edition

"Tu Tam" Confidence (says google translate!)
"Canh Ba" or "Tu Tam2"                                                                                                                                                                                     "Reborn"
Nguyen Tran Tung Quan &  Denis Dang (who wrote, produced and starred in these MVs)


A series of short movie music videos! Breath taking!
Again written, directed by  and starring Denis Dang (the white haired guy!)

There is everything in here: love, hate, death, zombies, passion and boundless chemistry.....a complete package!

Out of this world!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GuR_g75ufY (Reflection)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d6IiLmjQYg (Tu Tam 2)                                                                                                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z7B-lNpecs (Reborn)

Go and watch this now if you have not yet!

VIETNAMESE BL 15


FOOLs (2021. 4 x 20min)

Three boys decide to skip the last day of school and spend it together on the beach. Memories and regrets and secrets come out...
 
A beautifully told story, another bittersweet bl gem. The atmosphere is a bit like 180 Degrees, heavy with secrets in a stunning setting!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiCzYlH2jABXrGp6zsJHOS6E_N92FkdDX 

VIETNAMES BL 16

My Monster-in-Law
Season 1 (31x12min) 2017.
Season 2 (12x15min) 2021.

In this sitcom, a son after studying in the USA, comes back to Vietnam married. His controlling mother has a surprise of her life when the wife turns out to be a man! She is not happy, to say the least, and decides to put the spanner in the works of her adored and adoring son!
In the second season which takes place 3 years later, the couple had moved into their own house and adopted a little girl. The mother-in-law has a few things to say again!

Some people consider the short movie Enemy, I Love You! as a prequel (i.e. how they met) but even though the actors are the same, the characters and the events have nothing to do with this sitcom!

While the first season felt surprisingly fresh and was fun, the second one was a toil to go through and is unfinished (the last episode ends midsentence!). One thing I found jarring throughout the sitcom is addressing the partner as "wife": that felt so old and cliché! But the sister is the best!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeukGbJaEyFAPCMZMbFpSqrWcrZtcbpYY 


VIETNAMESE BL17 (GL1)

School's Out, Let's Date Now (S1, 2021. 5x25min)

Cat Tien, a rebellious dancer; transfers to a new school and, guided by a power couple, she discovers who is who there. Cat is fascinated by two girls Jolie a fashionista and Mai Ly, a shy writer. There is a side BL story. Another issue touched upon is bullying in school told through a story of two baby thugs used partly as a comic relief.

The series is unfinished though the majority of stories have an implied ending. The production is the crew's passion project and they were looking for further funding. The lack of money is evident (as is often the case in VBL) but that is more than balanced out by an original story! The soundtrack has some really sweet songs I need to research....

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMAMvhG6ez-hodiSHfSpum9der6W6RJPV 


VIETNAMESE BL 18

Forever Love (2017. 4x14min)

A boy from Saigon comes to Dalat to stay with his aunt for a month. A chance meeting with a local boy will bring joy and sadness in both their lives.

I am still amazed by the way that the VBLs manage to talk about serious subjects(in this case prostitution and debt) and talk well about it in spite of the minimal budget!  This webdrama is raw, rough, clunky and pretty. The production did not have any budget to speak of but they put their hearts into it and it shows! The difficult life is underlined by the music: sweeping and weeping violins are tear inducing!

You can find the links to all episodes here:
https://world-of-bl.com/index.php/Vietnam/ForeverLove

    

VIETNAMESE BL 19

Memory (2022. 14x20min though every episode is actually 12min long: the intro and outro are soooooo long!)

Khanh Dang lost his memory after a serious accident. He could only remember that he was in a relationship with To Linh, and when asked, To Linh said that the two of them were lovers. Because he had nothing else to go on, Khanh Dang believes her, but somehow doesn't feel committed to this relationship, especially to Linh who is constantly harsh to him. Suffering from constant headaches, Khanh Dang begins to have dreams that he and a strange boy had loving gestures towards each other, which raises many questions for his psychiatrist. Time is not on his side however, as Khanh Dang, so tired, and depressed of his life decides to commit suicide in three months time, but does not expect this decision to become a bet of the gods... Will Khanh Dang commit suicide, or will he discover the secrets buried in the depths of his soul?

Frankly, I do not know what to think of this one! It comes from the producers of A Love Song For My Beloved so I did not expect much. But still, it is rather messy going from fantasy to comedy to drama to whatever! It touched on  mental health but it was very superficial! The music was overwhelming and too loud!

Try it, you never know, you might like it!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvVQnqlzVjqnsG8aLLLQn6avTMUjqSxr 


VIETNAMES BL 20


My Sky (2017. 5x15min)

An idol singer gets into a slight car accident and ends up drinking and spending the night with the victim. They meet again two months later.

Another web drama which is different because of its cast: one of the boys is short and chubby while the other is idol handsome (a Strongberry short movie Hold Me has a similar looking cast!). This drama, just like a lot of viet bls, touches on to serious subjects (here it is the abuse within the family and in the work place) but never really solves anything. For a short web drama there are too many misfortunes befalling our main couple.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkco0yWZez0xWKPCySv5UM9unx5LIiGPf 


VIETNAMESE BL21


Stage of Love (2020. 6+2 extra x 20min)

Nguyen, a university senior and a former theatre club star, is asked to help out with the new production of Romeo and Juliet. He reluctantly accepts and meets Bao, a freshman and a new member of the club. Duc, another club senior is in love with Khanh, the club's president who is secretly dating Hy, a basketball star!

SOL is a typical, university romance so much so I had to check the language because I thought I was watching a thai production! And plotwise, it looked a lot like them. But there are differences that make this series a cut above the usual uni dramas. It only deals with two couples, there are no annoying female characters or trans comic relief ones, comedy sound effects are absent as well. The soundtrack is really good. And two extra episodes give the background stories to the important support characters and are an icing on a cake with a cherry on top for this series!

All in all a good watch and, though there may be a few draggy moments and the sound is badly recorded and the subs could be better, it is worth the time spent!

 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYYyUhZKiEj7uVlIjt7j_OpJQq6tZwb8l 


VIETNAMESE BL 22

Love Bill (2023, 10x40min)

Nghia is a rich and cocky 18yr old who gets kicked out of the house by his father after the latest gambling debt. Abandoned by his friends and with his bank account frozen, he goes to DaLat to get the money from the only person owing him. When he gets there, he finds out that that man is dead and his son Thien refuses to pay him back. Nghia decides to move in with him and wait to be reimbursed.

The best Vietnamese bl actor, Ba Vinh who looks so young here and plays a 22yr old, is working with an actor looking older than him but playing a teenager! This drama begins as a cohabitation comedy (novelty: 2xspeed scenes included so no need to fast forward! To be avoided in future, please producers!), to a triangle romance drama full of red flags to end up as a huge melodrama! The story in itself is not very original but so far O2 production managed to come up with really good webdramas in spite of limited budget! Not the case here: it is a huge mess!

Here is the playlist link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf_mCRbXsMcC7jQEdA8AMdcTDgE3Qy3Y4

Enjoy! 


VIETNAMESE BL 23

My Lascivious Boss (2021. 10x15min or 2h movie version)

In order to pay for his mothers medical bills, Minh Hoang works two jobs: days he is a server in a cafe, nights he cross dresses with a friend and films TikTok videos! One night, dressed as a woman, he bumps into his cafe boss, who had been drowning his sorrows in alcohol and one-night stands and they spend the night together.

Again, a VBL dealing with serious issues (crossdressing, abusive relationship) through a semblance of humour!  This is your classical bl comedy (sound effects galore!) that should not have been trying hard to be funny! It is not really! Badly recorded sound does not halp!

I have to give it to VBLs, they do not shy from talking about serious issues. Unfortunately, this is too short to deal with them correctly since a lot of questions remain unanswered. Well, they did announce a second season, don't know when, though!

By the way, have you noticed two pieces of instrumental background music that feature in practically every Vietnamese BL?

Here's the link for the movie version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7MJHPJp_zY&list=PLSb-FqUHbbz4pMmOqoPhTMUg21MsSApI2&index=12 


VIETNAMESE BL 24

The Star Always Follow You (2023. 9x20min)

Dang, a spoilt lazy rich kid is taken to the countryside to stay with his grandmother and prepare for the university entrance exam. While trying to adapt to the country life, he falls for his tutor Son.

I think there is an 's' missing somewhere in this title which is really pretty. The intro music is also dreamy and a bit sad, so I naturally expected something serious. Well, not really! There are three love stories or maybe even four. Some of the characters are new for a bl: there is a deaf girl and  an elderly couple.

Recent VBLs are getting to be more and more vanilla: where the skinship was so natural in older VBLs, they are completely forsaken in the recent ones and when contact there is, it is obviously uncomfortable! I wonder what happened to the producers? The more people talk about the VBLs, the more they restrain themselves?

This webdrama is by the producers and cast of Stupid Boys, Stupid Love!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8vHP9TU8ecWyXFwmdtMDA8Cet3fnWLsv 


The Star Always Follow You: Stormy Honeymoon (2023. 33min. special episode)

This short special episode continues the original story, following Dang and Son as they return to living in the city. They have recently gotten married. Yet, the newlyweds cannot enjoy their marital bliss. They struggle with their jealousy, self-doubt, and communication barriers. And confide in their respective best friends, who are the cutest couple ever!

Worlds different from the serious series, this special packs a cute, easygoing plot into a lighthearted half-hour episode. The narrative is carried by cheerful jokes, playful flirting, and enthusiastic performances. The satisfying ending promotes positive messages about healthy relationships. And stresses the importance of communication. The side couple steals the show! So cute!

It can be watched as a short movie, their relationship is explained so you do not need to watch the series. There are a few cringy moments involving immature jealousy but the only thing that I really did not like was Dang calling Son his "wife". I thought we'd gone past that!

Watch it on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivZ0jCLO7NA 

VIETNAMESE BL 25 (GL 2)

My Little Sister (2020. 6x15min)

Yam unwillingly goes to stay with her mother who got remarried recently. There she meets her stepfather's kids. Her new sister's kindness manages to break Yam's resistance but when her mother discovers the growing affection between the girls, she is panicked and sends Yam back to her ailing father.

A short, sweet GL and a side couple BL  school drama. It is tagged as a sitcom, but it is not really one unless you count an exaggerated feminine gay side character as funny. I don't. The music is nice but the sound editing is appalling. A nice short watch though nothing earthshattering! Another thing, which is rather uncommon for a VBL, is a total lack of skinship: not a single kiss!

You can find the movie version/edit here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO0geuZS71E 

VIETNAMESE BL 26

My Best Boyfriend (2020. 17x15min i.e. 8min of drama and the rest are credits!)

Tri and Tue are two high school kids and this is their story!

It is a school bl, divided in three chapters and still unfinished!
Chapter 1 (2ep!) tells the full story of Tri and Tues: simple and straightforward!
Chapter 2 expands upon the previous one and is a sitcom: canned laughter, funny sound and special video effects. Weird and unnecessary! Not funny either!
Chapter 3 follows up with a ghost story, out of nowhere!
Chapter 4 was supposed to give us more details about the love story! It has not been filmed yet.

This is obviously a very, very low budget production so it needs to be taken into account. The actors playing Tue and Tri are excellent, talented and really expressive! The music is nice! There are some artsy shots of moon, night sky and trees.... What comes through is the passion behind the filming.

An interesting watch. I wish they'd make the announced sequel....
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYYyUhZKiEj53_A2rrNdPwNdkF4cZrnXh 

VIETNAMESE BL 27

Activeboys (2018, 12x15min)

Two high-school clubs (music and basketball) compete with each other for the funding of their activities. The respective clubs' heads clash and then ...don't!

This is a classic enemies-to-lovers school bl, a mix of a sitcom and a drama. There are two other couples: a noona romance and a forbidden one (a teacher hitting on a student: really creepy!)The conflicts are sort of resolved in the end though the last episodes states it is the ending of the season1. Couldn't find the season two anywhere! But that is frequent in VBLs!

This is an early O2 production featuring Duy Lam, the star of My Monster In Law.

You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy5w5Zsc63sINBcJKUOXYVPF-IGuOktML
Attention episodes 9 & 11 have no eng subs though you can use, on ep.11, the auto translate feature of youtube since vietnamese subs are provided (translate vietnamese to english!)

For those speaking French, there is an excellent fansubbed version:
http://rosetraduction.eklablog.com/active-boy-s-12-12-vostfr-a147938296 (Active Boys 12/12DDL) 


VIETNAMESE BL 28

Hey, Dude I Love You (2022, 20min short film)

Quan, Trang and Long have been best friends since childhood. After the latest love deception, his friends suggest that Quan try to look for love inside an online game. He finds a soulmate there but when he proposes they meet in real life, things get complicated.

This short film is actually a long ad for an online game but if I had not read it somewhere I would not have noticed. The actors have great chemistry and the story is really sweet and cute. The cinematography is gorgeous: night sights of Saigon are stunning! Production values are solid and high.

You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbjzm6xV4w