Earth

The best Tropey BL drama in the recent times....this hurt so good...<3

Absofuckinglutely delicious!!! Do you dig cute-toxic-love tropes? Do you love suppressed love struggling to find its voice? Are you a degenerate BL-otaku who loves to be on the tenterhooks because the bois are obviously melting with hots for each other but are completely clueless to it at the same time? Do you love it when repressed gay men find each other and subsequently their voices to stand up for their love? Sawadee Khaap!!! you have come to the right place...this is the show for you!

BL-needle Score: 9. Very High BL-ness

This show just got better with each episode...and the way it portrays the lives of gay men in repressed societies, the pressure to get married to a woman, the threats from people closest to you who would much rather run over your life and happiness rather than stand up for you, all in the name of 'your own good', the pain, hurt and hopelessness, all of it felt so real. I am so satisfied and achy at the same time...this is plain BL-otaku gold mine.

If the storyline of a compromised prince forced to agree to a marriage with a girl but falling for her cousin brother instead is not tantalising enough for you, you should know that both Peak and Pearl are looking absolutely gorgeous and bang on with their roles....the chemistry is sizzling and the tension between them is burning the whole screen up...the production values are great...even though the art direction and costumes (particularly given that this is a period drama) could have used more research and attention to details, you would not feel like holding the show ransom to these flaws...because the chemistry and delivery is so damn good!! Also, the OST sounds lovely..IMA go looking for it on YT...

As it ended, I am still pissed that some of the biggest a**hol*s who made their lives a living hell were offered redemption...but our guys get to be happy, so I'll let it be I guess...but honest to heart truth, they really didn't need to go out of their way to redeem them POSs.

I'm so rooting for Pearl-Peak now....and it was really good to see just how much Peak has improved on his acting skills since I last saw him in Make It Right, from almost a decade ago!

Anyway..... what are you waiting for...GO WATCH!!!

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Typical OTT Thai BL with oodles of smut and full of delish RAD FLAGS :D

All the degenerate red flag lovers unite....lol...it doesn't get any more deliciously toxic, problematic, and filled with red-flags than this show ..or at least for a long time now....it has all the bad, toxic, and forbidden tropes that we are always told to scorn/hate...sure shot formulae for it to be liked, right?... I'm sure digging it, for all the wrong reasons...and not ashamed at all!! Oat as Jun, is just killing it...hands down...love love love him...but all the other couples in this show, are just so extra !!

BL-needle Score: 8.5 Very High BL-ness

With that 'jerky' opening, they sure had my attention :D......I thought, okay....the smut is good, and so are the leads...Sorn evidently seemed like he had his eyes, heart, hands and 'everything else' up and set to make Jun realise what and who he really likes....NGL, though I kinda liked it, I was a tad unsure if I would watch it regularly....the first episode did grab my attention, and set the expectations (smut, OTT, predatory love, I'm guessing) and gave us the hook to want to be back...and then I ignored it for sometime to finally catch up at one go now....ah...its such a toxic delight..:D

The tension between the leads, Sorn and Jun, was sizzling from the word go, and now it has become a full blown toxic relationship with sex that can't be resisted .....the chemistry between them is plain alluring....the result is a lot of very gratifying smut...and then all the hookey and bad-boi tropes - I love you, but will never admit it, I want you to respect me but can never say no to your d*ck and kisses, I must be pushed to my very limit before I say STOP...and now we have finally come to that juncture.....

I will be dying to see how Jun says no to Sorn and send the tensions skyrocketing....and we are all soooooooooooooooo waiting to see Jun find his voice now, aren't we?? LOL....so, yes, it has now got me hooked big time...and if you are a toxic-trope-lover degenerate like me, you will love it too.

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Deliciously toxic-scintillating show, but the end could have been better

Yes, Watch!! One of the best toxic-scintillating-tearjerker shows around right now, though with a tiny-winy tame ending. ...but Yun Qi (Fan Xiao) is plain yummmmmmmmmmmmmm 😍

BL-needle Score: 8. Reasonably high BL-ness

It rarely gets better than this if you love high-octane, emotional roller-coaster with a liberal dose of toxic. The script, production values, direction, all are quite good, but what really stuns in this show is the acting by the leads and particularly by Yun Qi. To say I have become an instant fan will be understatement. Don't g et me wrong the guy who plays Shulang is also very good, but pales in comparison to Fan Xiao, which off course is the author-backed role.

Initially the show might seem just about okay, but wait till you get to Ep 6-7 and then BOOM..it just explodes!!! Thereafter there is not one boring moment and they keep you completely hooked, the angst, the obsession, the deep-dark-unavoidable attraction...all of it is portrayed just so right. And then once it turns to being a emotional tearjerker towards the end, it so satisfying I tell you.

The ending is a tiny-winy tamer considering how good the pace and tension in the show was overall, which made me downgrade the overall score from 9 to 8.5 after the final episode

Go watch, you will not regret. You can watch it for just Yun Qi as well...he gets a direct entry into the Top 3 of my List of Crushes here on MDL 🥰

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Yin & War. Period

Disclaimer: Please don't ruin all the fun by trying to look for logic in this show

BL needle score: 8.5 - Very strong BL-ness

This starts and ends with - Yin-War :D...so, if you are not a fan of Yin-War or OTT Thai dramas that do not try to tax you with a lot of logic and deep intrigue, it is very likely that you will not like this...on the other hand, if you are, this is a treat. Also, the transformations (make-up, dresses, and body-language) by Joke (War) for each of his heists/thief acts are terrific...:D

Jack (Yin), a kind-hearted angel who wants to build a school for the children in his community meets Joke (War), who is a school drop-out and a notorious thief who gets away with innovative theft (ok, don't raise your expectations about the 'innovative' part), to take from the rich and give back to people a la Robinhood....Joke meets Jack and is taken by him...he wants to help Jack and gets him money by fraudulent ways....long story short, Joke confesses his crime to save Jack, lands in jail repenting heavily, and ends up abandoned by his family, while Jack has to works as the henchman of the local Boss to pay off his debt.....while pretending to watch out for boss's business, he saves poor debtors from Boss's army by paying on their behalf. From there on the story is about how Jack and Joke take back their power, and lives from Boss, aided by friends, family and the community.

This has action, drama, romance, and comedy- an all-round pot-boiler to keep you entertained.....and more importantly, a looooooooot of Yin-War....Yin-War fighting, Yin-War bantering, Yin-War watching out for each other, Yin-War fighting for each other, Yin-War romancing, and YES!! Yin-War KISSING...so if that's what you are here for, you are going to be very happy.

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A very satisfying tearjerker...has strong queer characters, but not really a BL

This is not a BL, but so damn good...the story is more about self-love, saying no to your bullies, and finding a home and safe space that you belong to, rather than a romance in the strictest sense.....the direction, acting, music, and production values are all top notch, even though the script does get a tad overtly dramatic and preachy at times.Even though I rarely watch anything other than BLs, I continued to watch this and don't regret it at all. Should you watch it? Yes

BL-needle score: 7. Moderate BL-ness

NGL, I do borderline resent that the girl gets the guy, and it has more of a cis-het romance that becomes the sort of the mainstay than a queer romance....but the story is frankly more about self-discovery, friendships, and bonds rather than romance....As opposed to a lot of people who said this was queerbaiting , I would disagree...I agree that it did raise expectations for it to be a BL, and I also started watching it with the hopes that we will get an Uno-Jared endgame which did not happen. Nevertheless, I loved how the storytelling progressed and ended on a very satisfactory note.

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Dark tale, with stellar acting, cinematography, and lots of unresolved angst...only if....

This is one beautiful movie....but if you are planning to watch this, be warned that the story will not let you sit easy even for a moment and there is very little in way of redemption, if at all....its dark, painful and bleak all through...if that's not your thing, don't start on it...Do I recommend it? YES

BL-needle score: Not applicable. This is not really a BL, even though gay men are some of the main protagonists.

Even though the storytelling could feel a tad overtly dramatic in places, it rings true on so many levels about the dark and stark reality of same-sex love and relationships....the insecurities given no social or legal sanctions, how easy it is to cheat and betray and yet, get away to live just as you wish, the lurking fear that the person never loved you at all, and was just after what you had to 'supply' to them, the trauma and helplessness when law helps greed and hatred win, the feeling that there is no justice ever, and you just need to suck it up and go on...or give up and perish.....the dreaded and numbing insecurities and triggers of a queer life....it has it ALL....

It made me feel livid, clench my fists and want to punch almost all of the characters ...yes, including even Thongkam at times, but leaving out Jingna, who seemed like about the only saving grace in all this madness......it was a difficult feat to sit through the manipulative and intensely infuriating behaviour of these hyper real characters...made me fret, fume and curse constantly.... and during rare occasions, desperately hope that may be, just may be.....only to end up feeling devastated and drained.....in the end, it hurt like hell....but could relate to a lot of it....in other words, just my thing

It has some really stellar performances, particularly by the actors who play Mo and Saeng (Sek's mother)...Jeff and Keng are good too, but the women plain steal the show....the direction, screenplay and cinematography are stellar too...and that song by Jeff - Rain Wedding...it's plain mesmerising....do check it out on YT!!

But even though all the darkness sits right with me, I wish they would have left some glimmer of hope, maybe at least let Jingna live ....so that Thongkam and Jingna could leave the orchard together for whatever the future had in store for them.....only if.......

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The adorably daft Hee Su - A heart-tugging tale of high school love

I loved the cute and delicious entanglement that this show was, while still managing to be deep and meaningful. I started watching this with really low expectations but ended up enjoying quite a bit....It could have been very well wrapped up in 8 episodes, but I guess the languid pace didn't really hurt this sweet tale after all. The plot focuses equally on the het-couple alongside the gay couple, even though the narration was done from Hee Su's perspective and in his voice. Though that didn't really make me as angry or disappointed as some others, I would have ideally liked to have more back story/screen time for Seung and his two moms.

Bl-needle score: 8.5 High BL-ness

Hee Su is in love with his best buddy and popular guy, Chan Young.....the class nerd, Seung Won is in love with him, and manages the school counselling club (along with Hee Su now), posting anonymously about his crush for Hee Su, probably in the hope that he will find out...Hee Su gives great love advice to everyone and always tells people to confess, while mortally scared of confessing himself and completely oblivious of Seung Won's crush on him....

Even with a feel-good setting and script, the show managed to retain a touch of real-life truths and philosophies. It portrayed the teenage state of mind really well, albeit through a rose-tinted glass...nevertheless, it all felt quite real, like how teenagers would behave ...Chan Young's strong desire to tell his best friend about the new love in his life while being clueless all the time that that friend is crushing on him, Ji Yu's excitement about being with Chan, and yet suppressing all of it for the time-being to help Seung Won buy some more time with Hee Su, Hee Su's over-preparations and excitement for the trip, though a lot of it for misplaced reasons, Seung Won's cold feet with confessing to Hee Su about unrequited crush, the epic fails in their plans for the trip, and the secret starting to finally unravel when each one of them were unprepared in their own ways......later when Chan just took-off on learning that He Su had a crush on him all this while, the awkwardness between them, even though short-lived, all of that teen confusion, misadventure, and heartache, was portrayed really well...

I must add that Ahn Ji Ho, who played Hee Su, was so damn good.....his funny faces, comic timing, and expressions were absolutely bang on

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What a fantastic live-action adaptaion!! And NO, you don't feel like comapring with the anime

This has to be one of the best live action adaptation I have seen in a long time...I'm so in love with Jin's cute angel wings that pop up when he's paying special attention to Akin :D

BL-needle Score: 9. Very High BL-ness

I'm loving it....Smart and Boom are both so good looking and damn cute together....as the leads, they are putting the screen on fire, and also doing a fantastic job in terms of the acting...

The usual compulsion to compare it with the anime was not really too high....but NGL, I did compare nonetheless, and didn't feel like I have to love this series any less than the anime...given how much I liked Dakaichi (the anime series), that is a big nod to how well they have adapted the story and made it their own...

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A stinking fluff-bomb of a show that you'll enjoy as a one-time watch if you love Jimmy-Sea

I couldn't have asked for a better show for one of my favourite pairs ever, Jimmy-Sea. This has got everything right so far, great looking cast, believable acting, intriguing story and great production values. What are you waiting for - go watch!!

BL-needle Score: 8.5. Very High BL-ness

I loved the first episode. The intriguing story with a hint of esoteric and occult, an engaging script, good support cast, Jimmy who looks he has actually grown younger and more handsome, and Sea who is as pretty as always, I couldn't have asked for more. Also being a tarot junkie adds to the fun.

In the end, though this was not good as the Last Twilight, it was very enjoyable as a one time watch. I would call this a stinking fluff bomb that you are bound to enjoy if you are a Jimmy-Sea fan.

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Aren't they the cutest vamp-gang ever....the best lighthearted KBL in a long time!!

I must say that I have become a tad weary of white-washed, no-plot, only cuteness, only diffused-light, perfect-skin KBLs, off late now...but this one, even though it does tick many of these boxes, appealed to me...I would say go watch, if you want a mood-lifter

BL-needle Score: 8.5 Very High BL-ness

All of the caste, and particularly the blood-sucking aspirant side characters, are way too adorable...also Jo Won's attraction to Dong Ha in the garb of a touch act is also adorable, even if cliched...also Kang Seon so reminds me of Jun from ThamePo..he's sharp, go getter, good looking and charming...but def seems headed to give up on the man he fancies....the two other vamps, Gyu Min and Yun Ho are just too cute with their 'please let us suck his blood', and 'we've never ever sucked any human blood ever in our lives'- imploring acts

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Intense and breathtakingly beautiful

What do you do if fate takes you back to the path you were always running from?

BL needle score: 6.5 - Moderate BL-ness, interspersed with serious themes

This intense, heartbreaking, and yet breathtakingly beautiful series, raises many difficult questions, and gives us hope that love ultimately finds us the courage to live as our authentic selves.

This is the story of Wang, his mother Sasiwimol and Wang's father's best friend Inthawut or In...as it opens, Sasiwimol comes across as a successful career woman and a darling mother who is trying her best to be there for her son Wang, who misses his dead father dearly...despite the fact that there were some unresolved challenges between her dead husband and her, apparently mostly owing to his alcoholism. By sheer coincidence Wang and Sasiwimol lands up at In's place in the middle of nowhere after having lost their way while trying to scope for locations of Sasiwimol's next Lakorn.....Sasiwimol is both surprised and delighted it seems to have finally found an old friend In, who suddenly went missing from her late husband's and her life...while Wang feels this intense desire to know someone that he knows was very close to his father, courtesy photos that he had of his late father and In.

As they spend time in In's stunning home, Wang starts to fall for In despite the age difference, part driven by his intense desire to know why In was so close to his father, and part because the sheer chemistry between them is undeniable....In tries to avoid it for obvious reasons, but the sexual tension between them is palpable as Wang tries everything to break through the walls that In has put all around him....Wang's efforts seem to work when Sasiwimol has to go out for 2 days leaving two of them at In's house, and In starts to open up to Wang ....but once Sasiwimol is back and Wang confesses his love for In, all hell break loose....the pent-up tensions and feigned camaraderie between In and Sasiwimol crumbles....as the trio struggle through their own and collective secrets and guilt, painful truth from the past starts resurfacing......the two adults want to recede back to their make-believe comfort zones, but Wang refuses....he bulldozes through the walls of secrets and raises difficult questions, so that everyone can face the long-repressed truth.....a truth that Sasiwimol wanted to deny at all costs, a truth that made In withdraw from the world and live in self-imposed seclusion, guilt and pain....but, a truth that Wang could see all too clearly!

The series beautifully and expertly explores difficult themes of homophobia, childhood trauma, grief, narcissism (to me Sasiwimol is a clear case of at least borderline narcissism), and how denial/repressing our truths lead us towards an endless pit of pain and loneliness. But even though the series is heartbreaking and triggering in many ways, it gives us hope that love ultimately finds us the courage to live as our authentic selves!

With stellar performances from all three leads, excellent storytelling, beautiful cinematography, and clever use of sets and props (walls, iron-grills, bridges, etc.) all through the episodes symbolising the nuances of the characters and their stories, this is one stunning series that you can not miss. I have been a fan of Pond ever since I watched this, and I bet that you will be one too, once you watch this. Would I watch it again? Absolutely YES, but it is very intense and can be quite triggering, so go prepared and fall in love!

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Spectacular!

Wow! What a spectacular journey this was!

BL needle score: 5 - Low and hidden BL-ness, with an unforgettable and endearing bond between MLs

If you have come here as a BL fan, let me tell you that this is in a different league altogether....nothing that I watched so far (and I have watched a lot, trust me), compares to the scale, depth and spectacle that The Untamed is....and be prepared that you will dearly miss it when you are done.....

Make no mistake that this is a BL, albeit with no overt show of that relationship given the censorship challenges from the origin country. But I absolutely loved how the love and romance was portrayed nonetheless....the tenderness, the concern and the unwavering commitment that we get to experience between Wei Wuxian and Lang Wangji, is other worldly...Kudos to the actors that they could convey the deep love without needing a lot of obvious show of it...I love me a tale that leaves room for imagination, and this one, though not by choice, does just that in terms of the romance and boy, do i love it!!

But beyond just the romance, the series has so much more to offer....the rich storyline, including all the sub-plots that contribute to the central theme, the incredible plot-twists, the wonderful character development, the nuanced politics and power struggles, the beautiful locales, the music, the cinematography, and above everything else, the epic cast that delivers spectacularly...it's a must watch.

At the end I miss them all...and particularly the beautiful and tender bond between Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan, and the adorable, cute, and loyal-to-a-fault Wen Ning...:(

When I finished this, I desperately searched for news/updates for another season or a proper spin-off... but as an afterthought, I realised that maybe its best this way...this bitter-sweet feeling of reminiscence and missing it dearly, is like a lovely ache that you come to cherish... it's so like the spirit of the series itself.

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A poignant and cathartic tale of flawed people, with some stellar acting

Why does no one ever have the courage untill it is too late! This is a heartbreaking and yet, beautiful tale of flawed people. Also, a stunning gay-themed show from Korea after a rather long time.

BL needle score: 7.5 - Reasonably strong BL-ness, interspersed with serious themes

The story meanders through Ko Yeong's life and struggles as he goes from one love interest to other, failing the first one, love-hating the second, and loosing the last one, which ultimately makes him find himself in ways....

If you are a gay man (or even a woman) growing up or living in a big city in Asia, you'd find so many characters that will seem familiar...the story, while depending on some of the usual cliches of gay-besties gang (girl gang) and that hallowed chosen family support, does deliver a rather realistic and relatable story of a sort-of-closeted gay man from a conservative family, weighed down by the pressures of being the good son, the fabulous gay man, and also living that 'I dont give a shit bitch-will have fun' big city life, while pining for love that feels like home....all at the same time.

Yeong abandons the first one that loves him dearly, Kim, the most dedicated and stable one, because he isn't cool enough...(haven't we seen that happen like every other day in the gay dating scene!!).....fast forward the next one he falls for, No Yeong is, no surprises, the emotionally unavailable one, deep into the closet, with several unresolved issues and baggage...which expectedly, can only end in a traumatic way, and it does (again, a story that we see happen all around)....fast forward.....Yeong grows some....and then comes Gyu Ho, the real deal, the one he loves and the one who loves him back, the way he is...and I thought Yeong's confession about his being HIV+ to Gyu Ho was plain beautiful....the vulnerability, emotions, and desperation is portrayed so beautifully....but off course feeling loved as your authentic self is the most difficult and scary thing there is, right? The fear of losing makes us leave them before they do....but here the story is slightly less predictable, Yeong and Gyu really understand how strong their love is, and really try to work things out...but the fear.....THE FEAR...never goes away.....and that makes Yeong almost force separate from Gyu Ho.....in other words, he runs away from that one love that made him feel like he's safe and home.

The story, delves deep into the layers and nuances of a queer life...there is the obvious references to homophobia, struggles of living with HIV, the trauma of enforced closets and dual lives, the lack of love, care, safety and often betrayal by family, the contempt from society, and how religious dogma can turn people into monsters,...and then the beauty of finding support and love from your chosen family and finding a space that you can belong to.....it takes you through many a familiar feeling that is validating in ways.....at the same time it flags the lack of courage to accept ourselves and all others around us, as their everyday, non-glamorous, non-thrilling selves that is ...it definitely touches upon the all-too-familiar pressures of having that perfect and fabulous relationship, reaching the pinnacles of unrealistic standards of 'romance-that stuns and outdoes everyone'......and how the everyday mundane comfort around each other, the snoring, the stains that stay, and the 'don't have mind-blowing sex most of the time' familiarity, end up being no match for that....that is, until you find the courage to be just yourself, warts and all, and find beauty and comfort in it....find the courage to allow yourself to love and be loved with all your flaws, failing, and shadows........but, by that time, it is usually too late...or is it??

The series has a bit of an open ending, which one can interpret the way they want ...with a passing allusion to the possibility of Gyu Ho coming back to Seoul, hope floats.....just may be, Yeong moves out of his old apartment and moves into a new one...it ends as fireworks light up the sky, with Yeong and his gay-gang, seemingly happy celebrating their own selves....

But the question lingers, why does no one ever have the courage until it is too late!

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The first and last episodes have most of the story, the rest is just Phrae tourism promotion

I liked the first episode and the potential of the story, but it just got increasingly annoying after that. It's like they put a good part of the story into Ep 1, and then the rest of the episodes were 'Top attractions and merchandise of Phrae', and then again came back at the end to somehow try to save the story again. It failed miserably

It's a pity because both the story and the actors, particularly Tontae and Best, had good potential, which was plain wasted. You can watch to drool at Nankrai (Best), who is plain yummy, otherwise safe to give it a miss.

BL-needle score- 8. Reasonably high BL-ness

I hope Best gets noticed and get caste in good lead roles, because I would definitely want to see 'more' of him :D

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A fresh storyline, good acting, and cinematography, with a happy but slightly abrupt ending

Ok, first things first, I love Hayakawa's pout, he has such kissable lips....and Konno is a dreamboat...if that doesn't convince you to watch this show already, it gets all the other things just right- script, cinematography, music, and acting. The ednding, even though very satisfying, feels just a tiny-winy abrupt. But nevertheless, a good show and safe to watch.

BL-needle score: 6 Moderate BL-ness so far

I am quite surprised by how much I am liking this show, since I had started on this majorly because there were not many JBLs in a long time. I love the nuanced portrayal by both the leads...Hayakawa with his troubled, repressed youth and Konno with his handsome, easy-going, I-can-take-anything in my stride attitude.....the awkwardness of youth, the peer pressure to be liked, using sex to feel validated...all of it has a strong stamp of reality of the growing up years...so the script is done quite well...and so is the cinematography and music...in other words, this is a great package.

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