BL Drama Lovers Club

 AmericanFan:

Call me weird, but I thought Secret Crush On You (by the same director), was awesome in it's total and complete wackiness, and somehow it worked for me.

I also really liked "Secret Crush". I'm glad I'm not the only one! I remember when I first watched it that I was skeptical at first (cringy, silly, lightweight) but quickly warmed up to it after an episode or two - and then wound up binge-watching the entire series. Yes, silly, lightweight and at  times cringy - but cute and sweet!

 AmericanFan:

This weekend I decided to watch SaifahZon Story and then noticed I should watch Why R U?

Although "Why R U?" (Thai) had its flaws - in large part because filming was interrupted by the pandemic - I also really liked it. However, while Tommy and Jimmy were great (especially Jimmy as an absolute first-time actor), I thought the "SaifahZon Story" sequel (presumably intended as a recovery attempt from the pandemic interruption?) didn't add much and was at a far lower standard - not only the garbled story but also because the stuff that was filmed later really looks like it was filmed later.

In both cases (and excluding the inferior "SaifahZon Story"): Light, fluffy Thai BL rom-com that works, despite the silliness and some flaws. And if we're talking about director Cheewin Thanamin's track record before "Middleman's Love", even the immediately preceding "Bed Friend" was reasonably good - which makes the current "Middleman's Love" train wreck (at least through Episode 2) all the more inexplicable. 

Sorry for posting so much lately.

I'm trying to figure out exactly what "NC" means in the drama world. I googled it and I'm still confused. Does it mean "non-consent" or "not for children" or something else? 

While searching for an answer this MDL list came up. 18+ BLS (Have NC scenes). I don't go out of my way to look for NC (whatever it is, lol) but there are a few of my fav dramas on this list and some I had never heard of. 

It made me check my profile BL list and a title not on that list, No Regret came up, but haven't heard it mentioned in BL circles.  Maybe because it's much older and it's a movie, not a series? And it's not a fluffy watch, it's actually quite gritty, which I normally can't tolerant too much of, however it had a hold on me from the start to the end. 

Another title I don't hear much of, but I don't think would be rated 18+, is Innocent.  It might be  controversial due to the relationship, but it's also a compelling story from start to finish. 

Both of these shows have a lower than deserved rating, but were a 9 and 10 for me. Both are worth mentioning in case others haven't heard of them. 

Not having been part of this discussion thread for long,  I don't know the convo history, so excuse my posting if this has already been talked about.  :-)

 p43425:

That's what this blog is here for!

In this context, yes, it's "not for children".

I already have "Innocent" on my Viki watchlist, where it's been sitting  for quite a long time - but I've not heard of "No Regret" before. I wasn't so interested by the blurb alone, but some of the reviews are very enthusiastic, so I'll have to take a closer look. Thanks for the tip.

Thank you for clearing up my confusion. 

I hope both shows meet or exceed any expectations! 

Two updates to share:

First episode of "Bake Me Please" (just released on Gaga) seems promising: high production quality, cute guys, serious food porn, and a perfect role for Ohm (Thithiwat). Keeping my fingers crossed that the story will be good. So far, I like it (despite the elements of extravagent wealth that I dislike in so many Thai series).

I'm a third of the way through "My Only 12%" (2022, iQiyi) - and so far, it's much better than I thought, possibly the best childhood-friends-to-lovers BL I've seen. The main reason I started on it was curiosity as to why Santa/Earth have been so popular in BL fandom - and now I understand why: Their chemistry is really uniquely nice! It's a gentle school BL with a lot of slice-of-life authenticity which develops slowly over many episodes, so for some it might be too slow - but so far, I really like it. Until now, I've not been such a fan of Earth (Katsamonnat), or rather of the roles he's played - but his role in this series fits him perfectly.

I finished watching I feel you linger in the air and it was a beautiful emotional ride and I can't wait for the special, my new favourite BL.

 RiqueXinw:

OMG you are watching one of my all time favourite series, Why R U is one of my 10 star rated series, damn that series stays with me forever. Tell me what it was like for you when you finish it.

I enjoyed Why R U? very much!

Why R U? was a little longer than many BLs, but I enjoyed it very much, especially the second half. Less sister and side characters involved, with more focus on the two couples. Lots of warm and sweet moments with great lines. Not too much angst and misunderstandings didn't take too long to get resolved. By the end I liked the Saifah/Zon couple so much for their cuteness and what seems like first love, which was a nice contrast to Fighter/Tutor's more mature relationship. It felt like both lead couples were comfortable with each other so the love scenes seemed natural and easy.  They are some of the sweetest intimate love moments in BL, which I wasn't expecting going with my initial impression of the show. I especially loved how Tutor gave as good as he got from Fighter!

I'm curious what the Korean version will be like.

 Chun Mo Rionnag:

Not interested in the omegaverse stuff to be honest,

Just watched the first episode of "Pit Babe" - and gah, now I understand where your "omegaverse" comment is coming from. Although I'm not a fan of race cars, I guess I'll force myself to watch it anyways, mainly because of my beloved Supanut as well as some of the other eye candy.

I haven't yet started on "Twins" or "Gangster Oppa", but I hope they're not quite as heavy handed with the omegaverse clichés.