Eliot_Rulez

slow burn with emotial conflict and a cliffhanger

Why I do love slow burns, I am not a fan of mutliple couples, especially of the grown up sort on the side.
Two teachers are in the same boat as our MLs, but they know each other for more than 10 years and have not found the time to confess their feelings much much much earlier. This is a big downer of the whole show.
First I (and many others) assumend that both teachers where together, but much later on, we learn, that's not the case. That's also the reason why the female teacher has so much screen time.

Tians conflict is not really revealed. If you don't know the book, you don't know that he is a homophobe. The flashback in episode 11 shoulkd teach us that, but (!) it does not... yes he is disturbed what he has seen, but I would never have the conclusion that it makes him a homophobe. He also does not react as such in the two kissing scenes. So something is either lost from the book or lost in the script.

Other than that both characters are what you expect in a BL. One introvert, the other one an extrovert. Both with emotional damage. The character building was nicely done, You see that they are caring for each other and they are growing togehter. But they don't make the step to confess even when both feel the same. So the cliffhanger for Season 1 was done in the nicest way possible for the MLs, but the teachers were a disappointment.

So I personally have to disagree with "best BL 2024", I think that "Unknown" was better. It's a good show, with good acting, very good cinematography but the story is nothing we did not see already. It also has "Addicted Heroin" vibes but they resolve such a story in an other way. We get an unsatisfying ending because it looks like it was designed to have two seasons. Now we have to wait and see if we really get a second season, which is not a given.

Read More

An unusual dark chinese series...

When I first watched I could not distinguish between the actors of this series and "Deep In". If you would swap the actors the story could have been told exactly the same, because the couples look sooooo similar. While every episode is only 30 to 35 minutes long, it does not feel rushed and it avoids the boring idle time of many series.

We have a story of two disfunctional families. And then we also have a couple which borrowed an imho typical japanese theme of "miscommunication". While we have a cold and a docil character both have hidden traits. And both do not communicate at all. Because this is a very dark story, watching it may make you uncomfortable which is of course intended. We have character growth through the series. Rich families daddy is a honorable man doing his utter most to protect his family and their names because the higher on the social ladder you are the more it matters. Poor family mom wants of course climb the social ladder, but realizes all her wrongs. At least she does not fall into the pit of greed as her husband and other son.

It's also a story of two families circumstances bond together. One to save their names and one to climb said social ladder. As it is with every fairy tale, greed will be your doom. Our docile guy has a plan to ruin his lover which he loves and hates at the same time. His lover on the other hand acted mostly cold except when his desire overwhelmed him, but in the end he can't escape him, because his love for him is so much stronger than every hurt he did receive.

A special shoutout for the set designers who did find all the stuff from the 90ties which needed to work, be it CRT TVs, discmans, dvd players, cars and tons of old PCs. There is so much detail in every scene, I have never seen that in a series without a huge budget. I can't of course not know how much budget they had, but I doubt it can compete with Hollywood at all. This is also a reason why my rating is higher compared to the story rating. Also the costumes matched the times and in the short scenes where you see a lot of people going to work for example, they did style all of the people accordingly.

The actors/actresses did an outstanding job imho. Not only the MC but everyone involved did a really good job. I can't complain at all. This was superb. I'm happy that the MC already has filmed another series which will be hopefully released this year and they did deserve that.

While dark, this is not an ordinary series. It's a story about family, greed and miscommunication. And because it's a fairy tale we get the punishment for the guilty parties and an happy end we always expect. This series is of course not fluffy at all, it's partly painful to watch but it's for sure not the common stuff you see everyday. The final scene of course is part of the fairy tale, because that would not have happened IRL (at that time). Also they did mix up Portugal with Spain, either in the script or the translation which was a bit weird. At least as european you can distinguish between spanish and portugese languages. But besides this minor lapse, I like it and recommand it. You should give it a chance.

Read More

Two BLs in one...

While many 12 episodes BLs are a chore, this series gives you two stories in one. We already had fictional BLs in a BL, but not done in such a way, that both stories influence each other on such a level.

As it's cliché both start out as men with a girlfriend, but watching it you feel there is something off. Ollies character is aggressive towards Shu Yuans character from the get go, he exploits Shu Yuans character when drunk which will have it's consequences. But what was just desire turns into something else.

The lines between the "actor" characters and the fictional movie characters blur. Of course there's a lot of drama, because of the girlfriends and the fact that in China being gay is quite unpopular in the entertainment industry. There are a LOT of nc-scenes too, they drive the story forward. This role was the first for both and both are very young, their chemistry is impacable. The whole team put the nc-scenes in a tasteful way, they never felt akward or cringe. Of course this is an emotional rollercoaster, it's not for the fainted hearted either.

While the production quality was superb, the dubbing was not. What may be felt as "wooden" is the dubs fault, they are not lip-synced perfectly at times, the raw emotions could not be transported as well. That's my biggest critisim of this series. Otherwise a chinese production is showing Thailand how it's done. The stories are interesting, the script is not silly and nc-scenes are not considered just "fanservice". Overall a recommendation from me!

Read More

A completely different vibe from Season 1...

Sometimes MDL drives me crazy. When you have a 24 episode Season 2 it would have been nicer to decide first if you want to split the three arcs in three seperate pages or not. If I had not seen this page by chance I would never ever had an idea I should do a review here too. (And if you say you wrote the same in the other review, of course I did, this stresses me out!)

When "New Sijaw" is not directing the childification of any series disappears (even when he showed he can do differently too) which elevates this series in a huge way. But of course they could not pass on stupid soundeffects to make it a drama only, they always need some comedic relief.

The negative point of this story arc is the 2D villain father which comes straight from a trash detective novel. On the other hand we have a reunification with Phoons mom, which was a very nice touch.

After two years of being "together" I expected them to work out well and they did. Especially Tonliews ability to cry by a press of a button (I mean of course the call to "action") is incredible (if you see some of the BTS you see him laughing in one moment, then comes the scene and he looks like a very sad puppy crying his eyes out).

Central to the story is of course Phoons friendgroup, especially Ter and North pushing Phoon into the arms of Fah. Yes we would like to have such a friendgroup as well with undenying support always. The only sad point is that we don't see the 5th couple in this arc, after they very quite prominent in arcs one and two.

Production quality was top notch, except when they had to use on-body microphones which made it sound a bit muffeled in certain scenes. I only think this would be even better when they also went with 21:9 movie format.

Overall this was very nice to watch and so much better than most crap shows coming from Thailand this year. 24/25 we had Fourever You, Part 1 vs Your Sky and both were underwhelming equally, but this year, Fourever You, Part 2 vs Duang with You and the clear winner is Fourever You!

Read More

A slow burn to an happy end!

This series is on a very low budget and they made it a simple story with just two characters.

We have an extrovert and an introvert - so far nothing new - and they get closer just by talking and little bits of action. The two boys are not the cutest ones of a series, but they also look more real compared to most other actors we see in BLs. And I guess that's the charm of this series. It's simple, straightforward and it just does what a BL should do. No extra drama even when there are some conflicts and miscommunication. Also no overdramatized acting.

This series is best consumed when you had a stressful day, it calms you down and you will get an happy end. It's a short series with only about 8-10 minutes per episode with 8 episodes total. So, what is there not to like?

Read More

Too short to make it believable....

To tell a story of a man who has relation issues and compensates that with lot of sex with anyone he fancies can't be told in four ~8-9 minute episodes in my book. While we get an happy end, I'm not convinced that this releationship is stable. To create a fake profile online to check on a potential BF leaves a bitter taste. It would have been much better if Mr. Blonde one has talked about his issues before. It's only mentioned in a short scene in the middle of the final episode.

I did rewatch this short series again to find out if I missed something, but there was nothing. Production quality was surprisingly good and even the acting was not bad at all. So overall I think it's a nice watch but it misses some deeper story elements. But in 2025 we have to be glad, that we get at least some decent shows even when they are a bit too short for my taste.

Read More

many clichés, great acting

I only saw the prequel movie of this series some years ago and this series went along without I'm noticing it. Luckily I got to see it now.... So before you watch this series, you should watch the movie "The Boy Foretold By The Stars" first.

I'm a bit split with this series, because I really hate all the clichés they put into the series, and especially the bitchy mother. Also the more comedic bits with the fortune teller I could life without. On the other hand the relationsship development was well thought out, the acting was great and believable. While there are always some fluffy sequences there always comes the punch in your stomach which will give you pause and the couple faces a bigger problem. It's really an emotional rollercoaster.

While this series is not perfect, the important parts of the storyline are always there. I guess philipino BLs are glanced over easily which they should not. Compared to the crap nowadays (2025) especially from Thailand, this series has many redeeming qualities. So I would recommand to give it a try. Because this is a continuation of the movie, I would urge you to watch that first to get more context. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Read More

One giant plothole....

Excuse me? Where is the story?
We know, they were together in the past, but we have NO idea whatsoever why they split up...
And then, bam, they are together again, but we - the viewers - still don't know what happenend in the past. We only know he had a shitty father and that bastard died in the end.

I don't get such productions... It's extremly short... they did change actors inbetween even if it was short, than there was a girl who was petty as usual and beside some cute scenes there is nothing.

What a waste of time. Even when there are scenes in the youtube membership section not visible for the normal folks, I am not interested in, because the story did not exist, the plot-hole was so deep, I was distracted the whole series of what happend with them in the past. (Yes that girl had something with it to do, but why did they not talk about it, how did they misunderstood each other... that is all not explored and so, ruins the story completly.)

Read More

Sad, funny, wholesome and great

What a nice series. First a story of two brothers were one of them struggles because he is on the autistic spectrum and then the struggles with the estranged sister and her little son. It's a journey of growing and understanding.

The standout of the show was the acting of Bando Ryota who plays Michito. He was so amazing, with all his expressions that it felt extremly realistic. With his painting background he was a perfect choice for this role. Also the other cast did a great job. Cinematography and production value was high, the script was very good.

This series was sometimes very sad, it was sometimes very funny and it had a great balance. I can recommand this series, even when it was sometimes hard to watch.

Read More

More fan-service than anything else...

OMG that story was painful to watch. While I like fantasy and scifi this was so badly written, I could not imagine how bad.
If you see your lover dying and go to the other world to save him, you will not fall in love with someone else out of nowhere. That was incredible unbelievable. You have a sickness while somewhere on the ass of the world (means a small town somewhere in the jungle) and there is one book which describes where to find a cure. Of course there are berries nearby in the jungle and they could not find a stick long enough to collect more than one berry. But two berries heal you anyways, incredible.

This show is soooooo overrated because they had a lot of nc scenes which was fan-service at his best. They could have expanded on the story of the side-couple which was much more believable but of course they didn't.

So while the production value was high, the fan-service over the top, the story was really terrible. And everyone who says you should watch it, they lie.

Read More

When a chinese company takes over...

we get a really crappy script, over-driven comedy which glides into infantile territory. I don't get it when girls/women get into this shit. This feels just as an advertisment for a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game plus the typical ads for a drink.

The only positive I can say is Bas looking the cutest in this series. But that's all the positive there is. Background music is recycled, we already heard it in other shows (not the songs). Emotionally it's quite flat, everything is dumbed down for some reason. As an adult I can't handle this crap at all. Most of the time it's just cringe. Production was also lazy because streaming does not work like they showed... It's completely unbelievable. As a gamer affine person this is an affront to me. But I guess it does not matter, most women have no clue, and they just like their ship together and everything is fine. Otherwise I can't explain the high rating of this show. Only the skip button saved me to go through this. Some good scenes can't fix this series at all.

For me it was an utter disappointment... This series is a waste of time.

Read More

neither fish nor fowl...

Hmmm.... Six episodes á 9 minutes is not enough to tell a comprehensive story. While the first 5 episodes are not that bad, the finale felt extremely rushed. I have no idea how the main couple fell in love. The chemistry between them was not convincing me even when their kissing and nc-scene were well done.

I have not much to say, because while it was ok to watch, I never felt involved in that story. The "little" reaper was of course the only professional actor and he did a good job, Lee Hyeon Jun was more or less the same person we know from "His Man" - quite stoic, not giving any vibes that he was interested in his partner. Kim Yung Hee is an extrovert person, so he could deliver his character much better and with some training he could become a "real" actor.

In summary, the script was not fleshed out, six short episodes is not enough to build up a comprehensive story. At least it was not stupid or cringe, so you can binge watch 45 minutes without much fuzz. Such a show should have much more depth especially so the viewer can understand what the attraction between the couple is, besides visual appeal. You can watch this if you like, you will get some nice visuals and will not waste time watching a fully fledged series which could be even worse.

Read More

OMG, why are most JBLs/JGLs/JQLs sooo fn dark?

Most shows in the queer spectrum from Japan have a dark undertone and this one is much darker then most.
How to articulate all the feelings I have in a not rambling way?

After watching this I'm still a bit overwhelmed. What starts as a coincidal meeting of two young women, where one of them takes the other home, gets weird after just 8 minutes into the show. I won't spoil anything to you here, because the show will only work, if you don't get spoiled imho.

Kotoha has a dark secret and bets that Megumi can't guess her real name. Because her name is curse or fate or both. This is a novel concept and makes life for Megumi difficult. She has to explore here true feelings and she needs to confront Kotoha.

The only little downer I had in the finale episode, it was a bit dull in the end and I expected more. But overall the arc was interesting, the acting was very good and the cinematography more artsy as in many other shows and it captures the angst, the love and all feelings inbetween perfectly.

I did not expect much from the show and I stumbled over it by chance, but alone the title intrigued me.
So, if you have no fear to go to dark places this show is for you. But don't expect fluffy scenerios but there is some light in the dark places. And this show is truly outstanding.

Read More

condensed story meets bland and chemistry free MLs

This is one of the disappointing JBLs in 2024.

What was the most lacking is the chemistry between the couples and that for me "Kai" does not work as a freshman. "Kai" looks much too old for his role. Besides that, they only had the "bad stuff" culminating at the same time compared to original and they do bike races instead of cars. Other than that, they cut out a lot of fluff and some persons like the silblings of "Fuma".

The chemistry is so lacking they can't convince anybody about their feelings. "Fuma" beating up the "bad guys" alone was also unbelievable, they cut the friendship part between Arashi and Fuma in such an important scene. Also in the original series the organizers had a much bigger role which made the setting much more believable. So they cut too much and they did not invest in any fluff between the couples. Cutting out the scene where "Fuma" calls his mom to ask about how to take care of a sick person is also crucial to the story.

Overall the worst JBLs in 2024, with no creativity or spin on the original story, lacking chemistry , no fluff at all and feeling very sterile. So if you haven't seen it, forgo it and watch the "original" which has more punch to the story, is believable and doesn't miss the fluff of a BL which you would expect in such story.

Update: Ep 9 and 10 are "special" episodes. If you think it will get better, you are wrong, it went worse. Don't waste your time with it.

Read More

heavy stuff with stuff breaking immersion...

When I heard of this show, I expected greatness, but sadly it did disappoint somewhat.

Positive: No dubbing for the most part, you get the original voices. Very artsy art direction, color grading, costumes. Everything has a reason and is done very well. Except the "acceptance speech" in the final episode, that felt very artificial. Great acting and stunning cinematography.

Negative: Three stories where the 2nd couple feels like a contaminant. It breaks the flow of the main story and they don't really have a deep connection. Their story is not a focus and it shows, it's like a 08/15 BL which entered an artsy production. There are many tragedies in this story and there is no 3rd couple, because forcing drama seemed more important. They could have adapted the story to save the little brother and let him be happy, and remove the 2nd couple. Also some silly comedy and sound effects break the immersion from the main story. I did not like that at all.

I will not go into depth with my review, because first I'm quite late due to reasons and many people already wrote a lot and just pointing out my pros/cons is enough. It's a show worth watching, but I'm not satisfied with the whole series. Considering all the crap we get to watch this show is a marvel, but it did not meet my expectations. Story wise it lacked but it over-compensated with everything else. But killing of the little brother is a reason that this series will not land on my recommended list.

Read More