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It Missed One BIG Step To Being A Classic!
With a bit of an effort, this series would have been phenomenal and nothing short of a masterpiece. But it honestly did not believe in itself enough to make it memorable. Instead, it relied too heavily on the tried-and-true tropes of the day. Believe it or not, this WAS a good premise. As the expression goes, they snatched defeated from the jaws of victory. The cinematography of this series is nothing short of stunning. It is beautifully filmed at an obvious elephant park sanctuary with all its rich and varied background. They used that to the advantage of this series. Unfortunately, the script was just a so-so one. It was so full of cliché setups, it was hard to get fully vested into the characters. Not that the acting was bad. It really was not. They did the best they could with the underwhelming script. The issue, as always and typical with Thai BLs, is the very, very slow burn to any romance. Even the elephants could not help move this along. It got trite and repetitive. It missed out on one final step that I think would have made this unique and unto itself. You can read what that is in my site at blbliss.com.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute Tale But Not Memorable
To be honest, I know absolutely nothing about soccer (football) and the content and meaning of this story went right over my head. Being an American, I have never learned to appreciate this sport, nor its components, and am bewildered with its fascination. The zealousness of the phenomenon completely escapes me. Fortunately, the story is really about the interactions of its players rather than the sport itself. Looking back on this series, none of it should have worked. It is filled with so many unlikely individuals thrown in together that on the surface, should have made for a disaster. Yet, I found myself being mildly entertained by what was happening underneath the surface. So many gay men harbor unrequited loves that they simply cannot, or perhaps will not, bring to the surface. In this story, we manage to see that happen, gingerly. Sometimes, comically but steadily, nonetheless. If viewed in terms of developmental stages of love growth, it becomes slightly more engaging.Was this review helpful to you?
Hidden Message (Gay Bad)?
The story is a ‘good’ story, but its underlying message is questionable. Are they relaying the message that gayness is ‘bad’? Or that the inevitable end of a relationship between two men will always lead to one’s ‘death’? Better still, will simply staying away from anyone that you love that happens to be of your own gender be best for all? While it certainly is a love story, this is not a BL. It never reaches any level of a serious degree of romance or deep sense of passion. And in fact, since it is Chinese, its underlying message might be of a subtle tale that whispers this type of relationship is, as it is stated, cursed and therefore wrong. It certainly is presented with dramatic deftness and tugs at your heartstrings to be sure, but I was uncomfortable in how this all seemed a bit too contrivedWas this review helpful to you?
Refreshingly cute and fluffy
Refreshingly cute and fluffy. Words I never thought I would use in a written review of a BL/GL, yet here they are. Additionally, everything is fake – the whole set up, fake. And that is what made it so enjoyable. It is a story of two close male friends and two close female friends who by happenstance were forced to confront a whole new reality for themselves as ‘couples’. This is an astonishingly short series with the whole watching time being about 45 minutes. So, it obviously does not go deep nor is there a lot of character development or depth to the story or people. But it is amusing and goes for shallowness of the situations that they are in with humor. I found it funny in a tickle-my-funny-bone sort of way. You cannot take this series in any way seriously. It is obviously tongue-in-cheek. They knew it was fake. I knew it was fake and as the saying goes, “no harm, no foul.” Do not overanalyze something when it is clearly meant to convey irony and be facetious. Lighten up and simply enjoy. Sure, the acting could have been better and perhaps deeper, but the story is and was meant to be cute and fluffy. On that, they delivered.Was this review helpful to you?
A good story; just not a great one
This is a particularly intricate and well-acted movie. Its cinematography is exceptional. Sometimes, using muted and pastel tones to reflect the mood of the scenes. The screenplay is also sophisticated, which allowed the actors to become immersed in their roles to the point that the audience could relate and feel what they were experiencing. Since so much of it was subtle, that took real acting challenges to pull off. The first half of the movie is intensely character driven while the second half, unfortunately, becomes an esoteric mess.Was this review helpful to you?
It Feel Like Home
This is such a wonderfully refreshing series to watch. Just sit back and enjoy. No need to think. Just relax. Yet, it tells a story of such fortitude that is so subtle that it might be missed. But it is there, nonetheless. It is also not in any way a BL. Nor is it even a bromance. By contrast, it is a story of friendship and family. It is a nice change of pace to watch a series where it is just pure fun to watch. There is no hint of any romance in this series except in a playful manner and bantering about. All of the series connections were with the ‘ghosts’. So go ahead, sit down and treat yourself to being completely entertained and laugh more than once with and at these characters. It is that kind of a series!Was this review helpful to you?
Oh THAT Kiss!!!
This short but unsullied movie, broken into 7 episodes, is surprisingly effective and very entertaining. While a few cringeworthy scenarios brought it down a few notches, there is one big framework that catapults it back up into the stratosphere, making it exceptionally rare for a KBL. This is an obviously low-budget production that has essentially two main characters and only a smattering of other characters. Thus, it is character driven. This series will not move mountains. But it will entertain you. Plus, the kissing (oh that kiss!) at the end is undoubtedly one of the best in a Korean BL you will see. It just feels so right. It is a fun series to watch!Was this review helpful to you?
I Saw You in My Dream: You & I in Our Dream
1 people found this review helpful
Wasted Potential!
Wasted potential. That is what this BL was. Which is such a shame as the premise was initially entertaining. Then it slipped into banality and triteness. Overall, it simply was not all that funny. Sure, it had funny moments, but this is a significant love story between two men that ended up being serious at the conclusion. I wish these childish banal stories would just get serious occasionally. What is truly sad about this series is that all the main actors are very good but who looked like they were forced to tone-down their acting abilities to be one-dimensional, with little character growth. These actors were able to showcase some good acting skills and occasionally got deep into their characters when they were allowed to. At those points, their characters became interesting and something to watch. But it is just so easy to slip into standard formulaic behavioral patterns of pretense of gay behaviors that never happen in real life and only happen in BL scripts.Was this review helpful to you?
Club Friday Hot Love Issue: Domestic Incident
1 people found this review helpful
Great Story; Lousy Connection
I was thunderstruck by the theme of this series. It is one story in an anthology labeled Club Friday. Its content is one I have never seen before and certainly involves a very controversial topic. If they had been more adult about its fruition and handled it like a ruminative production, this would and could have been up there as the Best BL for 2024. However, in my opinion, they lacked the courage to push the envelope here to make it more consequential. While the story is of great significance, I just wish it would have gone deeper, uglier, rawer, darker, and more profoundly emotional – as real life would have been. Nonetheless, I applaud this series for telling and bringing to the forefront a unique story. Kudos for a subject matter rarely if ever posited. The stepdad obviously did not want to be in this series. Would not kiss.Was this review helpful to you?
Both Esoteric and Bittersweet
Certainly, the story is not unique. It is the story of two high school boys who fell in love then, but circumstances did not permit them to follow-up with their relationship then. Time did not diminish the feelings but only created a valley of forgetting one another. The series is so short that it does not allow for any type of character development and frankly this type of story is getting ‘old’ and worn out. The series is so short that it does not allow for any type of character development and frankly this type of story is getting ‘old’ and worn out. Overall, this is a good series. Well-acted and sincere. Screenplay needed tightening up as I found the relationship when they reconnect not dynamic enough and a bit perplexing. But it is an entertaining series. It is simply enjoyable and refreshing to watch. Overall, this is a good series. Well-acted and sincere. Screenplay needed tightening up as I found the relationship when they reconnect not dynamic enough and a bit perplexing. But it is an entertaining series. It is simply enjoyable and refreshing to watch. Overall, this is a good series. Well-acted and sincere. Screenplay needed tightening up as I found the relationship when they reconnect not dynamic enough and a bit perplexing. But it is an entertaining series. It is simply enjoyable and refreshing to watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Perfection!
This story is a classic one as it reflects an age-old tale of a ‘mid-life’ crisis. While season one is 5 years and the sequel movie is 4 years ago, both ‘hold up’ today as being relevant, funny, and still charming. Beyond that, both are wondrously entertaining. It is funny. Very funny – throughout. And it completely held my attention. That is hard to do. To sustain a level of humor and constantly recreating realities that are funny is not easy to do, but this series and movie does so with great skill. The comedic timing is sheer perfection, and the physical comedy is outstanding especially for Tanaka Kei as Haruta Sochi. Many others also displayed great comedic timing as well. That is a reflection not only of good acting talent but also of exemplary directing. Both the series and movie have their slow moments, but they are few and far between.Was this review helpful to you?
A Meditative Intensity Story
I could not sleep early on a Saturday morning, and this movie’s review came up in YouTube out of nowhere. So, on a whim, I decided to watch it. Before you know it, I had finished it and had become so engrossed in its plot and story, I found myself caring about these characters with a certain sense of affection. I found myself teary eyed and gently sobbing for them. It is an intensely gut-wrenching film that is deeper than it is given credit for. I was shocked and dismayed at how poor the reviews were for this movie. I do not understand. I loved it. To be sure, it does not move mountains, but it is not meant to do so. It is a story about two misfit loners who happen to find each other in exactly the right space at exactly the right moment in their lives that connected them in a feeling of fruition. They found each other’s cherished one.Was this review helpful to you?
A Good Popcorn Movie
Indeed, this is a visually stunning movie that is certainly entertaining. With a big bag of popcorn (or snack of your choice) and a relaxing chair, you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. Filled with handsome men, a relatively interesting but a bit slow-plodding plot at times, elegant chorography, breathtaking cinematography, and beautiful costumes, you are in for a treat. Is it memorable? Well, no, not really, but it sure is fun to watch. The plot is manifestly implausible, slow in the middle, yet it worked in the end as entertainment. The ending is to be expected. There are no hidden meanings, and the story does not go deep. To coin a trite phrase, admittedly, it is what it is. Do not read more into it. This is a beautiful, compelling, and colorful story. The costumes, choreography, cinematography, and set designs are all exquisite. So, grab some popcorn or your favorite snack and watch this very enchanting movie and then go to bed. It is that kind of movie. Fun but forgettable.Was this review helpful to you?
Nearly Perfect Propose
This series is a phenomenally gentle story of two individuals who by happenstance meet as boys in childhood with one becoming his savior and then 10 or so years later, they meet again where in the end the other becomes his savior. The story goes full circle. This is an exceptionally well-acted series, given its short duration. So much had to be accomplished and shown in such a short period of time. Even the supporting performances were so spot on. However, who really steals this series are the two young boys who play the younger versions. Surprisingly, for a Japanese BL, they did a good job of showing a connection and were unafraid to kiss with a certain commitment. It seemed honest, genuine, and realistic.Was this review helpful to you?
One word: Eschew
This story is profoundly complex, made elementary. Yet, it should not. It presents itself in a superficial manner with a lot of voyeuristic sex scenes to help us with our escapism from its true reality. And its true reality is that it is a very sad story filled with toxic people doing awful things to innocent people. I found the story to be a rather ugly tale peppered with unnecessary eroticism. This series has a lot of diversion in it. Many hot, steamy love scenes, that felt very voyeuristic to me and sometimes laughable. Sure, these guys are sensual, cute, and sexy. To see them romping around in bed making love with their pants on is just plain ludicrous and silly. It was just not the main couple either. How about under the covers with simulation so we can use our imagination? Sometimes imagination is better. To show us making love in bed (or having sex) with pants on seemed extraordinarily contrived and silly. And completely and totally unrealistic. And I might add, insulting to gay people everywhere.Was this review helpful to you?
