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Sex in this series is the theme, pure and simple
Erotic, sensual, and steamy. This breaks the mold of every other BL series out there by a mile! It is astonishingly different with twists and turns I did not expect and deeply appreciated the production efforts. This really is an astounding series that needs to be seen to be believed. Undoubtedly, this will not be for everyone and some may not appreciate its darkness or its delve into the occult. While others might not have liked the acting here, I thought it was brilliant, entertaining, and on point. There is a lot of sex in this series. It is one of the most erotic BL series I have seen, and it is not afraid or ashamed to display it. It is raw, lustful, and manipulative in most cases interspersed with a softer, gentler aspect, on occasion. You can review my full review of this very good series (just too short) at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
A nothing burger served on a slab of soggy bun
Honestly, this is a well acted series but a bad, bad story. It takes a self-indulgent, arrogant, delicate flower and tries to make him a self-indulgent, arrogant delicate flower. Sure, there are moments of real drama and abuse in his life and kudos for dealing with issues. But they are done so with such superficialities and everything else is presented from a one-sided perspective. This relationship is completely one sided - one gives and the other takes. That may be fine in the beginning that will get old fast. The overall story is confusing, disjointed, and is chaotic. And the lovemaking scenes are some of the worst. I fast forwarded through them. They are gratuitous and so rehearsed that they are phony and show no chemistry at all.Was this review helpful to you?
Just an awful series!
To be honest, this was one of the most exasperating series I have ever watched. In a few instances I found myself getting so angry with Minato that if I were literally his friend in real life, I would have told him that his behavior towards Shin is tantamount to emotional abuse if not neglect. He is an awful character and frankly does not deserve the adulation that Shin heaps on him daily. Shin is the worst kind of fool as he cannot ‘see’ (does not want to see) how toxic Minato really is. One day, he will wake up and realize that he is. That will be a sad day. There is no point in rehashing the story. Very little has changed from Season One. Although Minato and Shin are in a ‘relationship’, perhaps on an intellectual basis, there is little on an emotional one and nothing on a physical level. To have one on an emotional one, you NEED two people and a willingness to commit. Ditto for a physical one.I hated this series and detested what messages they leave behind, trying somehow to make toxicity entertaining. I simply did not find this series even remotely amusing.
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Bad Boys Trying to Look Good
There is an axiom about individuals being drawn to ‘bad boy’ imagery and this is the classic case of that. The story became so convoluted and twisted in its outcome that when I finished the series, I did not care. It was all so contrived. This series tried too hard to make these characters ‘likeable’. They are not. They are rotten to the core, looking at life rather cynically and fatalistically. They would lie, cheat, steal, murder, and torture, to gain power, control, and wealth. They are despots guised as human, smiling as they look at life cheaply. I did not understand nor appreciate this series. It left me feeling confused by all its hype.You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com
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Beautiful Coming-of-age Story
I love coming-of-age stories and this is a very good one. An unlikely pair of young men begin to spend time together and in an instant, they have this connection, this bond, that almost seems unshakable. Yet, we know that life has many twists and turns to it. The story is not maudlin but it feels real. They each offered something that the other one lacked. A beautiful picture of completion when they were together. Life is just so beautiful at that age. There is always something special about your first real crush. It is also beautifully filmed.Read my full review at BLBliss.com.
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Looks Good But Is Not
There is an American expression that is so apt for this series. It goes something like this: “To snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”. That seems to be so apropos to Bls as of late, especially for Japanese ones. They start out so promising and slowly slide downhill into mundaness and then burst into a flurry at the end as if everything is and can be exculpated. This time, it just does not work. The story is flat, the characters are flat, and the production is even flatter. It all feels so lazy. This series had potential but squandered it away by telling a story that went nowhere and came to life only at the end. Why do we have to wait until the end to get good drama?Was this review helpful to you?
Incredibly Interesting and Quite Different
I am usually not at a loss for words for a series but this one truly stumped me. Beyond words can describe this series. It is one of the most thought-provoking series I have ever seen. In addition, it is an amazing and an astounding story of life in its most esoteric form. If I tried to describe this series, it would be an almost impossible task as it traverses common reference points and twists life into knots. While the title implies this has something to do with vampires, it does not. But it does have some elements of what the outcome of being a vampire. There is some stunning dialogue in here about life that makes it so worth watching. On the other hand, there is some of the worst acting (not by any of the major stars, however) I have ever seen for the English speaking parts. But, honestly, this was a guilty pleasure of mine that overall, I liked. This barely qualifies as a BL series but the relationship is just so charming and full of hope. If you want to review my full review of this what I thought is an interesting series, please go to ppbongi.medium.com. It is free to review and you can leave your comments.Was this review helpful to you?
4 Minutes That Seemed Like 8
Essentially, you must buy into the premise that our physical brain will cease to function after 4 minutes without oxygen. This of course, is a truism. But what this series then does is push forward a premise that during those 4 minutes without oxygen, people who are experiencing that trauma, relive ‘life’ in various manners within that 4-minute window period. For some, they can perceive events that will occur 4 minutes in the future. Why this series is so confusing is that it attempts to project too much story with too many people. Admittedly, I am old, and I have a difficult time following a train of thought for one individual and I am pushing it for two people. But when you have multiple people affected by the advancement of 4 minutes in the future with a number of different alternatives for each, my mind begins to jellify. Logic becomes inoperative here. Everything makes sense because nothing actually does. It depends upon the time frame you are currently in. Therefore, there is no logic. Consequently, I am lost.I am bemused by criticism of this series from people who state there are too many NC scenes. I did not see any, so I am not sure what they are talking about. For those who read this, this IS an adult series with an adult theme. There is nothing pornographic or even sexually offensive. If you find it so, then stop watching. Do not impose your standards on others for that will become a dangerous precedent There are way more obscene subject matters such as infidelity, murder, suicide, illegal gambling, bullying, abuse, and yet we are concerned about a few scenes of two guys laying in bed semi-naked? Incongruent, silly, and cretinous thinking.
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Enough of the nonsense
The story was an endless loop of misunderstandings, misinterpretations, miscommunications, or deliberately no communications. For those of you who are familiar with the movie GROUNDHOG DAY, this same theme repeated itself over and over again throughout 10 episodes. Just when one thought the message between the two would become clear some trope, or cliché or misunderstanding or no communication would thwart the message, or the other person would storm off in a huff and be mad or take offense. It became so exasperating to watch episode after episode of these same behaviors occur repeatedly. And the withholding of information almost drove me to drop this series. The prequel to this was so good. This was just plain awful. They are just so scared to show real gay love.See my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.
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A Sad Story But Remarkably Real
This is a great case study of unrequited love on both sides with neither one having the courage to say what they really mean. It is profoundly sad and so much time was wasted on misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and LACK of communication. But oh the tenacity to right the wrong is beautifully portrayed and full of sentimentally. The acting is well done, more so in Phupha episode with the Nanfah seemingly a bit belabored. Yet, it has such profoundly moving scenes in it that I was profoundly moved. These two are very sort but accomplish a lot of emotions in a very short period of time. Just a remarkable human story. Sometimes told with subtly; and sometimes with symbolism. But all so meaningful.Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet and Cute
It will take almost as long to write this review as it will to watch this short video. It is a coming-of-age story between a student and his tutor. It reminds us all of our first crush and how excited and sweet that moment was. There is not much you can say about this gem except that it is over almost as quick as it begins. It hits the highlights of our emotions in our first crush. Desire, lust, frustration, anger, and finally bliss. It will make you feel good and you can revel in reminiscing about your first crush. And for me that was a long time ago.Was this review helpful to you?
A Genuine Surprise!
This series tricks you. It lulls you into thinking it is going in one direction, only for that to be a ‘red herring’. Or maybe not? That is what made this series so immensely enjoyable and entertaining to watch. This is honestly a beautiful series to absorb because it takes you from the expected to the unexpected. More importantly, you feel these characters.This is ground-breaking in a sense that it tackles a fairly common condition with dignity and gives it a plausible ending. This is often a misunderstood medical condition and hopefully this series will shed some light on something that often brings pain, aguish, guilt, and confusion to an induvial no matter what direction the person has chosen to lead.
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LIGHT is a Rare Gift
LIGHT is a rare gift that shines brilliantly in a sphere of emptiness. It has all the elements of a tragic story. It is dark, brooding, sad, and depressing. It visualizes graphically the level of pain an individual will endure until a point is reached that breaks his will. This is a short movie and defies the description of powerful. This is simply an outstanding movie, short as it is. It will no doubt be on my Ten Best of 21. It moved me deeply and immensely.My full review is on my blog site at BLBliss.com.
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A Masterpiece
This is a masterpiece of cinematic genius, brilliant writing, and profound acting. I BELIEVED each one of these scenarios. I simply cannot say enough good things about this BL series. While most of it will make you feel good, there are a few, and one in particular, that will make you cry and leave you with a hole in your heart the size of the universe. These snippets of everyday (gay) life is so true to reality and so profoundly well done that this has to be labeled a masterpiece. I was deeply moved by all of them. Suspend yourself and allow your thoughts to just get into the stories. I just wish they had English translations of the interviews of the actors during the credits. I write a (free) blog and this will definitely be one of my all time favorite BL series. I shall post my review shortly but check out my other reviews if you so desire. ppbongi.medium.com. Please watch this gem. It is nothing short of perfection.Was this review helpful to you?
It Has Style!
There is only one reason to watch this series. And that is because this story has Style. Style gave this series distinction. He IS the series and the only reason I finished this rather mundane and pedestrian story. Principally, the story is ridiculously silly. The whole story was so superficial and unoriginal. The ending was completely laughable. What I also detested about this series was the trickery of the plot into making it look like these guys were saints when fundamentally, they were sinners. You had murderers fall in love with two guys, who were scam artists and fast talkers and ‘sold them out’ as the expression poetically goes. They betrayed their trust. We tend to not want to see that as part of the story, but it is. Frankly it is all of that and more, which makes the story ugly and twisted. Hence, this plot and theme became so disconcerting. The story is lifeless, trite, cliché, unrealistic, and a version or a form of a storyline that has been done in the past. Only exaggerated to an unbelievability level. Dunk as Style gave this series just the push it needed to keep my interest. Otherwise, I would have dropped this series.Was this review helpful to you?
