DorianGrey101

By the way I'm also a voracious bookworm and I've a read a few of Judith Mcnaught's novels and I tend to stick to period/historical romance novels especially the Victorian Era.

I see that a lot of Thai Lakorns are also adapted from novels from Thai Authors,especially the old toxic ones. I would love to read some of them, because I always think books are better than films. I have read a few bad BL novels but some of them are not so good.

To be fair, I only watched about 4 episodes and I guess that might not be enough to give a critical assessment of the whole series. The parts I watched were not that captivating to me as I often watch many series at the same time and often finish the one's that I can't put down first. I promise to give it another go. You know how sometimes you are in a better space to appreciate something than other times.So watch this space, I will update you once I watch it. Welcome & happy watching.

I watched part of it and it reminded me more of Payu Sai rather than Bad Romeo. I didn't like the manipulative and sort of abusive behaviour of the ML. It has a whole different premise and more side stories than Bad Romeo. I also liked the different locations in Bad Romeo, I loved when they filmed in Chiang Mai/ countryside. It just made it sweeter ,cute and dreamy.

I watched part of it, and found the manipulation and cruelty of the ML a little bit too much at times. The dynamic is very different from Bad Romeo since there is more family drama and just more side characters. I still found Bad Romeo more appealing because of other factors like the different locations. I also found their romance sweeter, while the love proposal is a different premise altogether. It's still a good watch.

Most welcome, thank you for your hard work.

subie06 via nyaa & d-addicts

I agree, I would rather have a good plot that will stay in my mind rather than handsome or good looking actors because at the end when I think about a film/drama I rarely think of the actors but rather the characters and what impression the film left on me. It's an added bonus to have an actor that you can attach to a character. Maybe because I'm also a bookworm. But I get why people don't like Japanese dramas.

So true, I agree. Nothing happens in 2gether, the ML are handsome but that's the only thing the story is so boring and even more childish than Make it Right (which has a lower score, but was at least interesting).

The other one that they all tricked me to watch & I'm still upset about til today is the tepid and unimaginative Vice Versa ( becoz they love Jimmy) but the story meh. All they did was eat KFC and do endorsements like cleaning your face with Nivea on the supper table.

While I agree that preferences are also involved in what people end up liking. The fact that good films are often recognized and awarded shows that despite taste/preferences there are generally films that are just good.This transcends personal tastes.

Personally, I like a good story, that binds all the elements together from the cinematography to character development. Basically good story telling techniques that draw me in and it becomes an immersive experience (senses, emotions, and attention, creating a feeling of being deeply involved).

Obviously, not every BL that I watch gives me that feeling and not every JBL that I watch gives me that feeling, but the expectations are always there. There is a huge difference that I notice between all the different countries BLs and I could write a whole book on my observations.

When it comes to plot/storytelling JBL tell the best stories, they just know how to adapt and be able to present a solid,compact story in few episodes. They concentrate on the story not on some secondary scenarios or characters to create drama. Their dramas are character driven, it's not about being rich or sexy but mostly about life & character growth. They are the most genuine to me.

-Thai BL has so much potential but they seem to make dramas for making the numbers and sometimes rely too much on ships/couples to
drive sales.They will produce anything even stupid stories and put their ship couples and package it. Mind you I have watched more Thai BL than any of the others.
-Be My Favourite is one of the few Thai dramas that actually has some philosophical elements about life,love and choices that you mostly get in Japanese Dramas. It's not just a silly love story about High School kids like most ThaiBL. The author really took time to ask some important questions about self discovery.
-When I watched it I also really thought Gawin & Krist was such a horrible combination but when watching I just realized how they complimented each other in the show. It's not the most sweetest or cutest pairing but it works. Mind you, I really didn't like Krist since Sotus but I totaly felt like he did justice to the character.
So at the end of the day I felt like it was one of the few well-written and executed Thai BL series.

- I mean I've watched some crazy ThaiBL stories because I love some ships/couples. Don't get me wrong, I have pairs who I like and think they always look good together even though the script might be terrible. For example I watched Be Mine Superstar/ Hidden Agenda because I have enjoyed the couples before even though the scripts were bad.

- I still need to learn to like KBL because honestly, nothing happens to me when watching. I recently watched Jun&Jun and the only thing I liked was how Ki Hyun Woo looks like a real manhwa character. Even his hairstyle was perfect. But even watching it at x2 speed was not fast enough for me to finish it. I like KBL manhwa though, so to me it's more about the storytelling. In manhwa/webtoon they do a good job, can be cliche but I don't hate them.Currently reading Campus Trap novel (yes, I read weird, weird omegaverse yaoi /manga/manhwa)

I can talk about Japanese cinema /JBL for the whole day and how much I like how they can mix so many elements to create moving and beautiful stories. I mean they gave us an apocalyptic BL drama and I'm still waiting for the others to show me theirs. Bottom line, JBL can be about food and be about BL at the same time and they will bring those elements together and even leave you thinking about the meaning of life when you thought you were just watching a BL show.
-Not to mention what I call the three levels of JBL they can dial it up from cute to OMG what did I just watch and that range makes me think they are the best.

I stayed for the kisses because Joong and Dunk have sweet kisses, but that's it.
The story was just all over the place; by the end of the series, you'll be scratching your head because the story changes so much. Nothing much was happening. It's also too similar to the Star in My Mind drama they did together, so it's like watching the same drama.

I think for me, it's all about storylines and how much the drama tries to pull me into it. For example I love the anime Sasaki to Miyano because
it works hard on your feelings and kind of just pulls you in, even though it's a high school BL love story. There's just something beautiful about it.

Dark Blue Kiss is because of the themes they explored: being in the closet and not wanting parents to know, being afraid of judgement, and false rape accusations. So even though it was a college relationship, it has interesting themes that are not always spoken about.

I watched 3 episodes of "Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend" , I stopped because I felt emotionally unprepared for it. I will pick it up again sometime. I hated the love triangle and the dynamics of the relationship. But it plays exactly into the jdrama weird themes. My heart was sore after More Than Words, so I wasn't ready for a love triangle, and persistent female characters in BL are always trouble.

Some Thai BL are based on novels which are good source materials. I don't know why they fail to make them compact and solid by removing unnecessary stuff. JBLs are also live action adaptations but they can remove & trim down a story that it still makes sense. I really like Tokyo in April is..., it was even more beautiful than the manga for me.

I have watched Not Me, it was okay because at least the storyline is fresh and somewhat "dystopian" Which is a deviation from most Thai shows, they rarely do political or protest stories or talk about social issues. It's almost like Eclipse in how they are trying to fight for rights.

I've watched alot of Thai BLs but Dark Blue Kiss and TharnType are some of the memorable ones for me. But most are just popcorn watches so you forget as soon as you're finished.

Yeah, JBLs do so much in a few scenes and episodes while Thai do far less with a whole lot of time. Not to mention product placements (haha). But they are there and you do get a gem once in a while. The one that I've liked so far in 2023 is Be My Favorite. (Thai).

I consistently enjoy Japanese BL, followed by Taiwanese, then Thailand and Korean. I watch a lot of Thai though since they spam the BL market. I try to watch many, different countries so that I at least dilute my bias. But Japan always comes on top for me even without so many BL dramas.
- All-time favourite BL movie – Dear Tenant
-All- time favourite series - I have many, but I think I like a good, solid story.

I also read yaoi manga/mahwa so that probably influences my perspective on things.

Not at all, I've watched a lot of some very long soap opera types kdramas, I even did a few reviews of them. I liked parts of the drama, but overall it left me feeling angry for some reason. It just didn't leave me feeling good. Actually, I was angry by the time I finished watching it. The main couple was okay, but the people around them managed to rub me the wrong way. Her ex-hubby and ex-friend, his mother-in-law who treated him like a proxy husband,the kids at the end I just didn't find it heart-warming.

The only truthful review, for sure.

Maybe KBL is just not for me because this was just cringe for me. There was no point where I thought, wow 8/10. It was an irritating watch. I liked the manhwa better, at least some things made sense there.

This was bad, but not so bad. I really liked the story at the beginning, if that had been the whole story it was going to be an entertaining drama. The crazy ex, plus the stalker friend, & the new boyfriend would have made a better drama.
Dino/Pepper & Chalam are all sexy and I hope he gets more work in BL dramas. Good Scripts please.

I would have had a totally different reaction if he had gone to find Jihyun without him Jihyun sending him the song. It feels like it's Jihyun that holds the relationship together and plays the saviour trope/white knight till the end. I don't see Jaewon fighting for anything on his own. If I had written the show, I would have made him run all the way to Jihyun and act crazy and confess that he has finally realized his mistake or something. Instead, he went to eat, took a walk and there was no urgency for his love for Jihyeun while Jihyun takes risks for him. Stood up for him when he needed the most and still sent him daily messages (white knighting all the time). This is how people in these types of relationships burn out. If he was feeling better, then he should have called his BF not radio silence. It just doesn't seem like a very healthy relationship to me.

I respectfully disagree with you and feel that the drama was not unique in the way it dealt with trauma as a plot device. I call this the trauma plot/saviour complex scenario. My biggest pet-peeve with such plots is how love is somehow supposed to have healed/saved them, and how somehow the boyfriend is the extension of his trauma counsellor/saviour. Same with how romance novels are all about “saving a bad guy” for the FL. He went straight back to his boyfriend after listening to the song, but neither spoke about what happened like it didn't happen. Jaewon ignored Jihyun so many times and how quickly Jihyun forgave him was just not it for me, it's unhealthy and like I said that's not how couples act. Especially after he almost died, I get his trauma, but I would have loved to see a conversation at least The song solved everything like a magic wand (really).

I really didn't see much growth in Jaewon because his choice to return was not something that he did consciously himself, Jihyun is the one that finds him. I just never saw him fighting for anything, his choices are all about brooding and protecting himself. He even asked his therapist for more meds. I just didn't see him making any effort to change, still lacks boundaries and keeps the toxic people in his life (i.e. his jealous friend) His character was so much better during the first half of the show.

While Mental Health doesn't have a quick fix, let's also be realistic and admit that love doesn't fix Mental Health. No matter how much you love someone, they need to fight for their own mental health. It is crucial for me that dramas depict trauma and its aftermath in a realistic and respectful manner, highlighting the importance of professional help, consent, and healthy coping mechanisms. Jaewon lacks healthy coping mechanisms.