DorianGrey101

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.

So true, and the highest rated are only that high because people ship the couple, not because it's a good script or plot. I mean, look at the atrocious and monstrous Boss & Babe.

Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I don't even think this show is worth more than a 7.5. It's okay, but so melodramatic and most of the issues don't even get resolved. Yes, they love each other, but lack of communication will destroy the relationship. Being broody and being emotional is not saying anything, is not communication and not a good foundation for a relationship. Is he going to act like that when they have the next crisis in their relationship? Did he tell his boyfriend that he is on meds?

It wouldn't have hurt the producers to not show us those scenes. It seems like in some cultures (Korean/Thai dramas) it's mandatory to forgive each other and talk about it. In a Jdrama or Jmovie they just move on without ever talking about it. Maybe it's the style of story telling and the number of episodes. Perhaps that's why I like Japanese dramas less fake scenarios and time-wasting scenes. I mean, why would you call him a prize, he's a person that just doesn't love you anymore, plus his friend was fake and rude and always brought out his wealth all the time. He didn't even know that he didn't like talking about it but calls himself a friend. So fake.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one, I was doubting myself again.

At first, I was like what is this, but then it got better and even a little too cheesy.

I was afraid they were going to hurt each other, they could have at least helped them make it feel more natural.

Haha, what an HR nightmare this would be in real life. The ML's funny expressions didn't help matters in this drama and the other ML acted so dumb to be a CEO. I couldn't tell if he was trying to be a tsundere character because he never quite succeeds in doing so.

This drama deserves a higher rating. Seriously one of the better BLs that I have watched and I'm a harsh critic. I laughed and smiled so much. Neo was so hilarious in this one. Liked the Mork/Pi combination in this one more than in Never Let Me Go (it's sexier but the story is weak). This story was just perfect and not annoying like most school BL dramas.

I hate myself for having watched this garbage drama. I hate the way the women were tools for the man. I understand it's a sign of the times but doesn't make me feel better.

Maybe there is no need for you, we watch movies/shows for different reasons. The way we consume media is different as well. I mentally compare each and every thing I watch especially if I have high expectations of it and there is something similar to it.Each to his own.