Eliot_Rulez

standard 08/15 BL stuff...

After At 25:00 in Akasaka - Season 2 - this is the episode most of the girls will prefer. It's just 08/15 stuff, quite cute, not that deep and what's worse, it's the story of the fictional couple of the fictional BL.

How nice would it have been if they were not the fictional couple but the fictional actors having a story and of course much more than just one episode. That would have been much more interesting, but we can't have it all.

I can't write much because it's quite underwhelming compared to the series. We don't have any character development and just 22 minutes is not much time to add depth to a story. So it's just a nice watch and you can escape your troubles for 22 minutes :)

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"Watered down" BL, which is disappointing...

While the manwha was about four boys, this was "heterofied" for unknown reasons. They changed a lot and cut a lot which did not do the manwha justice. Because there are not four boys anymore they also changed the dynamic between the characters drastically.

While I get the teenager angst to confess, this was sometimes frustrating to watch.
Please, for god's sake just say it and be over it. But no, it dragged on for 9 episodes.

The rest of the show was not bad, the actors good and the cinematography top notch. But overall they invested too much into the hetero pairing imho. After the confessions, we did not even get a kiss 😭. So this is a bitter pill to swallow and kills the BL imho.

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Different, interesting but lackluster finale & kissing....

This series plays out in two worlds, one the reality and one the perfect version of the same reality. But as it is with perfect versions, it may seem perfect at first, but life is not interesting when all is perfect.

The main character realizes this when thrown in the perfect world, everything is too easy, there are no challenges and there is no room to grow. So he reflects on himself, breaks out of his box of thinking and recognizes his own faults and misinterpretations. Storywise the series is perfect. But the finale lacks in the intimate scenes considerable. There is no real kissing and also the longing of Kano is not delivered in the way I wish they had.

Both actors did a great job to play out the characters but failed when intimacy was required. The production quality is also top notch with very nice cinematography and variety in the vibes of the show through the lighting. Still a very good show even when it's sometimes a slow burn, but with a downer in the end. Because the story is unique it is still on my recommanded list. Too bad such a good story could not have been executed perfectly.

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It's raw, it's dark, it's light, it's depressive, it's happy, it's sad - it's the full spectrum.

As usual I went into this "blind" - I did not watch trailers or read about it, I just knew it's playing in a tumult time for Thailand. Of course this is a drama and it does not represent historical accuracy, but it depicted quite accurate what the gist was. There were protests, there was political killings and there was a revolution (a bit later). Thailands military still has more power over it's goverment than any democracy should have.

This series is partly hard to watch. Not because it's bad, because it's so acurate, because the acting is so good and of course because it's so sad - in a good way. The company said this is not a BL, it's a gay story - and it mostly is. They did not disappoint in their description. There is only some fluff but mostly it felt really realistic.

Tanwa (played by Mile) is a typical end of 1960ties free spirit (they would have said hippie at the time), but without a direction. Trin (played by Apo) is more or less the opposite, he knows what he wants and he knows what he stands for. This two worlds clashes and after the traumatic events where Victor (played by Peter Deriy) died, Tanwa find the courage to move on by his mothers unreleased book (given by his father he was at odds). Then we have a second couple, the colonel and the journalist - a poetic love which could not be fullfilled, because the colonel decided to protect his love and sacrifices himself for it. I have read comments that say Dhevi is the villain, but of course she is not. The colonel used her (and her family) to advance his career and he had to pay the price for his decision. This also saved the live of his love the journalist. Is it nice? Of course not, but such were and are (sometimes) the realities we live in. It was quid quo pro - he gained social status which made him go through the ranks of the military into a powerful position and she gained just the man she loved even knowing he has no feelings for her. And in contrast to most BLs: She got not furious and made no scene. It's just realistic.

All the cast were really amazing. When you know that Tencent in the form of WeTV financed this project it's absolutly stunning that they did all that what they can't do in China with such a controversial story. Of course this is a hurtful story, this is not the typical BL fluff you may expect. This is raw, brutal, repulsive, sad but also poetic, happy and beautiful.

For me this is a 10, because besides the realistic approach, a good story and the production quality, it's the right step for Thai's entertainment industry to not just cater to the fangirls. The story is the star of this show and not just some fan-favorite actors. So, if you have not seen it, it's a must watch for me!

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Not from the novel, rushed ending

If you thought it is an continuation of "Addicted" and have read the novels you will get disappointed. This version has nothing to do with the novels at all. It's a story of what might have happened. The story is a bit confusing and till the end there is no resolution especially with the woman who "drove Yoki to the ground".

Instead of wasting 6 minutes with a long intro and credits they should have invested more time in the actual story telling. Because they did, especially the last two episodes felt rushed, even when the finale got 11 extra minutes or so. I still have no idea what the contract was with the village chief because the translation was not clear enough. Also the subtitles had timing issues, so sometimes they subs where only shown for a second or two which is annoying because you have to stop the playback and go back and stop at the right moment.

The most positive about the show are the actors which did a really good job and the music. The negative is, that the show in a show did not feel like it... Normally you have tons of crew. multiple cameras, boom microphones and lights and nothing was present. I guess they had budget constraints, but they could have build in their own crew/stuff into the scenes to make it believable. Overall, this is an ok show, but nothing special.

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The best thing I can say: I'm happy it ended...

The biggest problem with this show it the main cast called "Win". He has the charisma of a wallpaper. He speaks more robotic then most and his facical expression was mostly not existent. Of course nobody told him, that his orangeblonde hair does not fit his type, but that's only my opinion. 🤣

As usual this series has a ridicilous story, but it can't reach Khemjira or Goddess Bless You from Death. It has nothing interesting in it. The ordinary BL stuff is there, yes, but it makes this series not interesting. Also the naked ghost with his rabbit mask was an eyesore, because when he took of his mask we know how handsome he really is. But at least he got an nonsense happy end.

The only interesting character of the show was Tong imho. He had emotional scenes and he was the best written. The rest of the script is trash, the direction was weak and overall this show is mostly boring af. The other characters did not make me feel anything, I couldn't have cared less. The finale did not resolve anything, because the writers had no clue what they wrote about. There is something positive: I don't hate it like others in this rating bracket. It's just bad, but it does not get my riled up of it's stupidity. So, if you have not watched yet, skip it, it's not worth your time.

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I am glad it ended.

What can you say about a show which does start with sexual harrasment and mentally abuse?
It's a trope nobody needs, a trope nobody asks for and a trope which was lame 10 years ago.

Besides the cinematography and the title song this shows has nothing really likable. The characters are plain, the story is awful and everything is so full of clichés. If you want to know more other reviewers will detail all the points which are bad, but I have no time to waste on this show anymore.

It's one of the dissapointments of 2024. Nice production quality meets aweful script, boring acting, some fan-service and nothing more. You should avoid it, if you haven't watched it yet.

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Something different, but not thought out all the way...

When the Director of "Not Me" is doing a new series with OffGun, it is not the normal stuff we expect from a BL. I can't even call this a BL, there is nothing fluffy in it, so I would categorize it more as a gay story. We have a red flag named Koh who uses humans as tools to get all what he desires but without achieving happyness at all. We have Jira, who is also more a red flag than not, while he is not bad per se, he is very self-centered. Then we have Pheem which is also a red flag, not because he is bad, because he let Koh control him and he has to clean up all the shit Koh is leaving in his wake for more money. The only positive persons are Mawin (or should it be Marvin, I never know with Thai nick names) Pheem's friend and Ing, not only a close friend to Jira but also his curator and confidant. There is also the "Burnout Bar" which had a nice atmosphere but is not that prominent and only plays a "role" in the beginning and the ending...

One of the questions the show is asking if AI is doing any good for humanity, but it does not answer the question. AI can do good for humanity, I'm sure of, but it can also be very bad for humanity and it's going this direction more visible. Voice-actors for Netflix in Germany are on strike because Netflix demanded to use their voices for AI which would cost them their jobs. AI can't create art, as AI does not understand language most of the time. Because language is not only about the spoken words, it's also about the intention of how you say something. An AI will never grasp that. So the meaning can be something completely different compared to the sentence alone. Social Networks are flooded with AI art (pictures, music even paintings), AI messages and so on and that can't be good for anyone. But the show does not have a discourse in depth. Maybe that's something the viewer should think about.

The finale: We all could say, they should not have got together in the end - but of course it's GMMTV and they always want an happy end. But I watched the finale two times and it's not that happy anyways. maybe you did not get the subtle hints... it begins with the flowers in Koh's home which are a similar to the painting... you missed that Pheem let Jira go.... and he is the first to have a redemption arc... so he changed in the end not going even more bitter than he was, but he is now more balanced with a new job and a new goal. Koh can't escape Jira that's why he slept 277 times infront of Jira's house (taking Ing's advice of being close to him but not crossing the line) and Jira can't paint without his muse even if his muse is not a human which he really likes, but as he said his heart refuses to have any other inspiration. And when they come together it's their desire and lust speaking out of them - they are dependent on each other, regaradless of all their flaws because both work only if they have each other. When Jira asks "Can we work out?", Koh says "I don't know" - so it does make sense for me. They still have their baggage to carry. Koh did not get his humanity he has lost due to his past and Jira is still as uncompromising as ever. And because we have only 10 episodes we don't see their future. Koh's home mirrors Jira painting with all the flowers.

What impresses most of this show is the very good acting of all the cast. Off went on diet to be as skinny as possible and it shows and because they are veteran actors they all can bring their character to life and you still don't like them in the end. I have more symphaties with Pheem then with the couple. But that is also something not often seen especially in thai productions. Camera, lighting, music were all perfect.

Because this is something different, something not seen often in thai productions, I rate it that high. Yes, they could have made the couple be seperated for all eternity, but overall it does make sense how it played out. The show had his flaws and flow, it's artsy, it kept me interested and it was mature without any cringe or childish parts. The best of all, the actors showed us what they can do after the last two shows which I did not like at all :)

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That was novel and cute...

For a change not the typical 08/15 BL we already know, a new concept which was interesting. Jiakai sees the "threads" connecting people, be it enemies, lovers, friends or undefined ones. The only thread he can't see is his own, because he does not have one - which is a bit strange, because he clearly loves his grandma and grandma loves him - so it makes no sense that he has none. But we will overlook this little "phopah" (faux pas) for the sake of the story.

Due to circumstances he meets the police officer Dawei who is hostile to him and accuses him to be a "perverted student". While this is a comedy, it also has it's depths. Both characters approach each other with a certain curiosity and certain distance. Jiakai has a very hard time to deal with Dawei, because he does not believe in any supernatural things at all.

The final episodes are especially heart-warming, but the finale does not feel like a finale because, drum roll: There will be a special episode which will hopefully give us the end the characters and we the viewers do deserve.

So all in all, this was a fun watch, it was interesting and it was not boring. The side character is more or less the comic relief but he is not even close to be annoying as so many thai characters I remember. If you wish for something light, something which will distract you from the shit happening on this world, that's the right series to watch!

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How social pressure makes you do the wrong things in life...

Wow, this short does not have a review... I reluctantly write reviews for "old" series/movies but in this case I have to.

This short is an excellent example how social pressure leads to an unhappy life in Japan where it is expected to follow social conformity. And with this is brings a lot of pain and heartbreak and it's depicted in detail and nuances in everyones face.

"please be happy" and "love someone but me" are the central points in this short. Azusa (speak Az'sa) is selfish, he broke up because he wanted to show his children to his grandma. But even when his Grandma dies and he can*t fullfill her wish he is confined in his personal construct to conform. Yusuke (speak: Yus'ke) is still in love and can't move on. It culmulates when Azusa selfishly asks Yusuke to make wedding photos. And that's where we see that both are not happy.

This short is really depressing but it's also important to show it, especially considering the comments where you read that it is a thing that some people can't escape the social pressure. And it shows, that a lot of people surpress their real selves, which is really really sad. So for me, this is a recommandation. You can watch it on youtube: https://youtu.be/md47vntaqwU

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What an underrated wholesome series....

Japanese BLs are always good for a surprise and this one is no exception. This series is about representation, not just gay people but also aromantic people which is not seen in any series as far I can remember.

The show starts with the couple Fumihara and Higashi already together and flashbacks explain how they got together. How they struggled with their feelings and especially how someone from a little town struggles to open up after being over 20 years in the closet. On the other hand we have a young Higashi who behaves indifferent to anyone till he met the "one". Also when Higashi is sure of himself and his feelings, he takes the lead and pulls Fumihara with him. The substantial age-gap is not really a point of friction. Of course there must be drama, because someone from Fumiharas past comes back in his life, trying to win him back. And of course there conversations and problem solving are happening in a mature way even when you can see the jelousy, both understand each other very well.

I can only say, when you have a chance to watch this, you should! It's not a stereotypical BL, it's more a coming of age story with two very different characters. This series is also educational, you may learn a thing or two about people who do not fall in the stereotypical categories. The story is told in a very sensible, gentle way. And of course the final episode is so heartwarming, you may need tissues like I did :))) Mom is the best (in this case). GagaOOLala picks up every crap, but did not pick up this important series, which is really disappointing. This series matters and is highly recommended!

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very well done production leaving the standard storyarcs of BL...

We all know the tropé of love as a teenager which will come to fruition may years later on. But in this series, they have done it in a mature dramafree way. The story progresses naturally and you may need to watch it twice to get all of it, but this was a very needed change of pace to normal series. I would consider this more a gay story than a BL, it feels more real then most.

The acting and chemistry was great, you can always feel some tension between them and even it feels like a slow pacing show, it's quite fast considering 3 episodes around 8 minutes and the finale with around 14 minutes. Production quality was also much better than any shows before even when I doubt they had a big budget. They just made the most of it. Yes there are some lapses with unlit monitors and cuts/countercuts not fitting exactly, but it does not take away from the storytelling.

So for me this is a little marvel outside of the normal bounds a "BL" has. It's a slowly, meticulously told story without any drama at all, it's mellow and relaxing and everything makes sense and they do not have a kiss just to cater to the fanbase. I recommand to watch this!

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mediocre at best...

What will this series tell us?
This BL did not even have a happy end which I would expect from a BL. They wasted more than half the series with the past... and when boyfriend 1 died I thought, maybe it's something like "Love for Love Sake" where he returns in another body and continues to be there for him. But no, the scene between life and death was only there, so he can get a chance to say goodbye. That was the first bummer. And then we get to see his old child-friend who had a crush on him for most of the time and never told him so... Now after BF1 is gone, he takes care of him and tries to pull im back into reality.

And that worked for the most part. He slowly turns back to himself, dedicates himself to music and is sucessful. The finale gave us nearly a stroke, because we see the same scene with him like it was with BF1. That would have been ok for me, both die, they reunite in the afterlife and that would be an happy end.

But no, he was not harmed, he has his big moment on stage and we listen to the song three times in this episode. That I call excessive and then, he leaves. BF2 should not be, I guess he went to study abroad but we don't get an explaination just "it's time to leave". Not to be BF2 cries and the credits roll. And no kiss be seen in the whole BL...

Acting was stiff for the MLs, I guess BF2 was the best of them. Production quality was good, music was very good, but story wise it did not convince me at all. Yes, it felt like a BL just to boost the status of the MLs but with such a story without an happy end I don't think they could do it. Not much more to say, watch it but don't expect it to be your standard BL.

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not a BL, thank you!

What a powerful story. While it may be confusing at times, everything will get clear the closer to the finale you get.
The acting and cinematography was top notch, the story could be a bit more clear for the viewers even when you will understand it at the end.

This is not a BL, it's a drama, with gay characters. One who denies his past and his pain and the other one who is trying to help his love even when that not always works out as intended. They deliver an emotinal rollercoaster which makes you shed some tears but also depicts how hard a relationsship can be because of all the baggage you have collected in your past and how to communicate to clear the air, to solve misunderstandings, to overcome your faults and your past and make it so you will truly understand each other.

After "Love in the Big City" and "Gray Shelter" we have the third Korean series not fitting in the BL catagory. While BLs can be fun, I personally like realistic, complicated, sometimes painful gay dramas a lot more because they also educate the viewers, that nothing is black and white but shades of gray and that relationsships are complicated and not easy to do especially when your emotional baggage is huge and the world was never kind to you.

This is a must watch for everyone who can cope with painful stories and is willing to give a real drama a chance.

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highly overrated

First, I don't like that every couple in a BL has to be BL couple... How stupid is that?
Second, the last two episodes are extremly rushed. While 8-parters are nice to binch-watch, they do nothing if the story does not fit.
I did not read the webtoon, so I can only review what I saw.
And the story is a mess and unbelievable. Only Ji Ho Geun and Kim Jung Ha made me believe in their characters. From bully to lover was unblievable as well in just one episode and to cast an idol for a main role was just a financial decision.
The last two episodes where rushed as f, for a better understanding at least four episodes have been needed,.

While the premise of the show started strong, the story falls of a cliff. The kisses shown were mostly just touching lips which is lame. "Song Joo Ha" could have kissed on the cheek to convey his feelings. A kiss on the lips would have not been needed, but maybe the director/writers thought the do need fan-service.. Also Han Tae Yi forcing himself was a stupid thing to do, especially when he does have feelings for Seo Do Yoon. While the first six episodes are ok, the last two are a total mess. Song Han Gyeom looks "gay" -(but which idol doesn't?), he does not fit his role at all. Sometimes you can feel he tries but his own personality is in stark contrast to his role and he does not manage to do it. With all the 10 ratings of several people I think they are fans of eyecandy but not thinking about the story which is maybe because our world gets more and more superficial. And to make all couples gay in a BL, is not what a good story needs. If they had only focused on only one couple the eight episodes might have fit. For me this series is disappointing especially because the first two episodes are the best and the last two are the worst.

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