PPBongi

A Complete Miss

I desperately, and I mean desperately, wanted to like this ‘reality’ show about 10 gay guys from Hong Kong getting together for what was posted as a gay dating show. The production company seemed at least to me to be pushing issues where there were none and also contriving things that were not. Their interference either in the dating process or the control of the conversations was inappropriate, leading, and judgmental. This show also did not allow for the possibility that maybe just maybe none of them would want to date anyone on the show. If you are ‘selling’ gayness, then show it. Show these guys are real people not in some contrived or make-believe world that to some degree was unrelatable with an emphasis on what is wrong with them. They had a lot to say even if they did not say it. How? By being in it. That spoke volumes.

That is what you should have shown. You can read my full review at BLBliss.com.

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FourEver Bad!

Honestly, is it not time for a revolt against BL series wasting time on drivel? This is one of the most mindless, childish, dumb, cliché-driven, and trope-filled stories I have ever seen. In addition to being one of the more rancidly acted series, mainly because it exposed an incapacity to display the protagonists (as well as other major characters) adroit at growing, thriving, maturing, or even becoming an adult let alone being able to face any type of trauma or drama without completely falling apart or reverting to child-like behaviors. Most acted emotionally as if they were somewhere between 5-to-15-year-olds in bodies that are supposed to be young men. And do not get me started on how infantile, pre-pubescent and frankly non-existent they treated the whole concept of gay relationships.

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My Destiny - Indeed It Is!

I loved this adaptation of virtually the same premise of the Thai story completed last year, which I disliked with enmity. The current version has so much more richness, depth, and dimension to it than the presentation from last year. It is an exceptionally good remake. Normally, I detest remakes as they are either unoriginal copies or perhaps only use the title for a completely new story. While keeping the basics, this version made the story so much more tenable and relatable. More importantly, it did not try and ‘fake’ us into thinking it was one thing but only to twist it into another, like the original Thai did. Yet this rendition did present just enough of a metaphysical twist to make me believe there could be indeed a parallel universe. Or, at the very least, believe in the possibility that one exists. Why perhaps I did not make this a higher rating is because the kissing, especially at the end, slipped into the usual Japanese mode of a dead-fish kiss. While not as bad as some Japanese BLs, it was still pathetic. Look, you had such a great passionate series, and you could not put the finishing touches on this series by making their kisses, particularly at the end, ones of passion and sensuousness. Shame and disappointment.

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The Series Begins Beautifully And Then Crashes....

The story flowed just so aptly, up to a point and then it – just crashed and burned to the ground. As a gay man and despite how it is marketed, it is a GAY story! We must demand more from production companies, directors, and ACTORS! Stop doing trickery. You took an astonishing brilliant premise and made a sham love story out of it because apparently the two actors were unwilling to represent they were in love with even a modicum of intimacy. I, for one, am tired of watching this over-and-over and making excuses for it. It is time for this to be called out for what it is. A ruse. This would have been an exceptionally good series, but it is again another insulting sham. And it has nothing to do with cultural sensitivities or norms. These are all conscious efforts to present half-stories to look whole, and I am tired of this trickery.

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Too 2 Many Heads

This series got so close to the mountain top but then it slid down to the plain of mediocrity only to periodically rise back up and meet the sunrise to a shining light of creativity. Truthfully, I have such a love/hate relationship with this series and its protagonists. Sometimes they ascended to solid acting only to then fall into a pre-pubescent cesspool of triteness. Honestly, it is not their fault. It was a bad script and even worse directing. Parts of this series were enchanting; while others fell from grace. Although the intent of this series was entertaining and offered some novelty, I found the way the leads got there, wanton. So, what was the point of this BL? For entertainment only? Then okay, this was entertaining. If you are trying to convey a BL story among the protagonists, then you failed. Ironically, you told a great authentic story with the side couple that is way more heartfelt and real and, at least for me, more captivating.

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The Love Did Set

Indeed, there is much to unpack in this series. Unfortunately, rather than trying to deal with it with any cornerstone to reality, they choose to deal with it in the make-believe world of BL. One can guess what the direction is going to be and indeed you would be correct. It is your standard use of tropey storylines. The story tries too hard to cover too much and fails in almost all of it. Through all of this, redemption does happen. While there are certainly redemptive arcs in the storyline, to get there requires twisted logic and implausible plot twists. Plus, the angry rich father who then ‘sees the light’ and/or rejected mother who begs for forgiveness routines are getting way over used and are now officially trite. Each one of those redemption arcs required and should have had a whole episode in and of itself. Regrettably, there is also no serious screen chemistry between the protagonists although they ‘look’ good together. One cannot act out sincerity; it must be felt. It needs to come out of the screen and grab you. Unfortunately, those two lacked a passion in their relationship. They only went through courting motions.

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Thoughtful, Abusive, Sadomasochistic

The is an astonishingly well-thought-out series. A bit weird, however, in its cryptic approach but entertaining from the beginning to its end. I felt manipulated but in a good way and interestingly I was not sure where the story was taking me. Therefore, I also found so much of it intellectually stimulating with a hint of kinkiness. It is hard to dislike this series, really. My only concern about it was its odd obtuseness; it felt at times flirting with abusiveness – like both protagonists were playing games with each other’s emotions, which heightened their veiled sadomasochistic tendencies toward each other. While I have nothing against algolagnia being explored in sexual behaviors as long as both parties agree to its rules and both are equal partners, in a few instances within this story, I was just not sure full consent was the case. The story became a gray zone of morality.
You can read my full review of this interesting series at BLBliss.com.

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Outlived Its Humor

While this franchise started out on an innovative note, it ended on a bromidic tone. It got stale, redundant and formulaic. However, its worst sin is its travesty became unfunny because none of it was visionary anymore. The format, style, and execution had been done ad nauseum previously, so the expectations were the same. It also became rather evident from a physical standpoint that the actors were getting too ‘old’ to play young college students or high school students. Some of them are now in their 30’s. They looked too spurious and heavily made-up. To be sure, this story is a lot more of the same. A few more BL tropey ‘flags’ that trigger Bl developments were introduced. Just like he did in all the other seasons. This time, honestly, I did not find any of it even funny or humorous. It felt old and came across as the usual modus operandi. Even his parents seemed relegated to a more tertiary role. And his brother was, well, just his brother. It was all more-of-the-same. Everyone looked – tired and ready to move on.

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Me and Chanuk and Tailah!

This series tries just a bit too hard and, in that process, expanded the story way beyond credibility. Too bad because its sentiment was good, even if it was not feasible or realistic. While it is another in a long line of soul swapping sagas, the machination got confounding and unnecessarily convoluted. I wish just for once the story went for rich to poor rather than the usual poor to rich. Nonetheless, we are forced to enter yet again into a world that most of us only dream/fantasize about. A world that is opulent and full of issues only the wealthy can relate to. But perhaps that is the purpose and fantasy of BLs. There is nothing wrong with this series, honestly. It is entertaining to be sure. On the other hand, there is nothing much right about it either. The love story is unrelatable to most people who watch this series. The story itself is implausible. It is a comedy for sure with some funny parts but is so overdrawn. What made this series jump out and be noticed is the outstanding performances that Pan Bhumintr as Chanuk and Jeng Chotipat as Tailah did not just in acting but also stealing the interest of the series main theme.

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Almost That Summer

This is a series where you must believe that everything that could go right, does. It is filled with fairy-tale Edenic bliss. Surprisingly, a lot of it works and if they had tightened up the story and made it more plausible, it would have been a great melodrama. Instead, it simply ended up just another good drama, but merely becoming an addition to a long-line of throw-away BLs that have a cookie-cutter premise having a wildly Pollyanna ending. It is not bad; just disappointing. One must really suspend one’s perspectives with this story. The story itself was surprisingly strong most of the time. It is hard to sustain an ‘amnesia’ theme, and this tended to get a bit long-in-the-tooth, as the expression goes. This story was presented way too simplistically and hurriedly to be fully believable or acceptable. Yet, it did make for a cute story. It is an entertaining series to be sure with a stronger than usual BL component than your run-of-the-mill trite Thai BL story.

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:The Story Of Flatness

This is such a cute, entertaining series which is hard to dislike. While it is pleasant, it ought to be more than that. Forlornly, it just is not. My issue and problem with these series is that nothing new is introduced. The characters are endlessly boring and stereotypical. Just once, I just wish something fresh, creative, or original would happen with these stories. While the mythos did make an attempt to change it up a bit by creating a conflict between ‘goblins’ and ‘foxes’, I honestly did not know what the conflict was in the first place and why it needed to continue to the present day. So, the tension-factor was missing. Perhaps it was just me, but I got lost in the story. I know nothing about goblin/fox folklore and so my references to any connecting points between them were nil. I am just not familiar with the myths. Overall, this is simply another ‘canned’ BL no different than the last standard trite one I saw. Now, if I can just remember the name of that one.

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A Mess & Not a Hot One

Confusion. I just did not get this series. Perhaps had I known this was composed of snippets of movies/series, I might have appreciated it more. I assumed it was a stand-alone series. Not having seen any of the previous references, I was at a loss as to the subtle references. Frankly, trying to make an anthology out of several movies/series is a fool’s errand and those of us trying to watch this are engaging in a fool’s task. Having said that, the account as presented does have some merit, and I found several subplots it was trying to emphasize, noteworthy. The rest of it merely became fluff and was perfunctory. Frankly, I am just not sure why these ‘Bls’ continue to be made. Give it a rest. Just make the stories doramas. The substories were surprisingly interesting from what I could glean. You destroyed the messages by not making them meaningful to the content for which the story was intended to display. Shame. Shame. Shame. You can read the full review of this at BLBliss.com.

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A Bunch Of Endearing Human Warmth!

It has charm, wit, sweetness in all the right spots, and a bunch of endearing human warmth. While not overly saccharine, it is also not traumatizing. Curiously pensive and reflective, it has all the elements of a most believable love story told in soft, subtle gentle tones that simply make you feel good all over. There are two love stories, actually. Both are surprisingly compelling. While the various protagonists are interconnected, their individual love stories take very different paths to fruition. Both end up being (well, more-or-less) plausible and credible sequences. Summarily, this is an excellent production, and I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It blended a lot of great beliefs into an amazing narrative – humor, pathos, honesty, passion, joy, disappointment, redemption, covered with a heaping supply of love, and then smothered all of it even more with an undiminished commitment to one another.

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Is it magical?

Fantasy BLs are a difficult genre to make believable. Not just because one must feign being in love with someone with whom one is not but must also convince us that some sort of magic or fantasy is part of the scheme. Additionally, it must be a major part of the theme, short of overwhelming the storyline, without also making the whole premise look ridiculous. Overall, this series does a very good job of making the story not just conceivable but also relatable. There are some very strong acting performances by the main leads that help pull this story together rather well. I do wish the story had stuck to the development of human interactions rather than trying to introduce an element of a murder mystery into the storyline. For me, this story tried to cover too much within their relationship in a choppy fashion, intertwined into an awful murder mystery theme. You can read my full review at BLBliss.com.

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