Niniane

This is how you do a remake!

This was so much fun!! From the first notes of the theme song on the first episode (this EPIC theme song) you know this will be a Ride (capital R).

The story is not too deep, but with plenty of twists and turns to either lol or yell at the screen in frustration. How dense can a person be? Heng is utterly clueless about, well, everything. His Boss is the perfect 2ML. Sweet, caring, forgiving. I felt so bad for him and wish he'll meet his prince someday. Mo is a treasure forgiving Heng and not eating his shoes in anger. Their love is sweet and our EarthMixx dreamteam is overflowing with chemistry.
Comical BL is not my favorite BL subgenre but if they're this well made, with well dosed puns, situations and acting, I'm absolutely sold.
The OST is fantastic, I got a smile on my face and swayed along as soon as Earth started yelling. This is ultimate feelgood!

Read More

No plot. Good kisses

First ep I was a little apprehensive, not sure where this was going. A typical college BL maybe? It's certainly a 'love at first sight' thing, at least for one of the main leads.
Ep. 2 Story got a little clearer, I kinda cringed at the oops I had drunk sex with a guy thing, And what the hell was with these stuffed socks?? I felt relieved when Nhai confesses he actually liked it and that he was the one feeling guilty towards Ai. Ai is so in love he likes everything Nhai does but I think Nhai is not as great as he looks and might be chaotic af. Ai better brace himself. Curious to see where this goes.
Ep.3. I´m really not sure about this tbh. Although there are many things I like, there are at least as much things I dislike. Ai puts an unfair amount of pressure on Nhai, and although he has asked for time, Ai is trying to kiss him not 2 seconds later. Nhai is all over the place and says he is confused, but he seems anything but. I am really hoping for the dialogue to be more consistent and the subs being as bad as they are is not helping...
Ep 4-8 I am getting more and more worried about this drama and frustrated that the writing is not what it could be. Scenes and even full episodes seem to be made just for screenfilling and visual. There is no development. In fact, just exactly in the scene where you think something happens.... The episode is over. The next episode starts with that promising scene, but does not fulfill the promise. Characters remain flat, without any depth or real emotion. We see Nhai get jealous but who knows why. No motives, just nothing. All thats left is the fluff and the chemistry. But that falls totally flat when the rest is so severely lacking. This hurts and I do not see it getting better. Rating dropped to 6.
Ep. 9. Every time the end credits start running, I'm like: what? But nothing happened yet!. It is sooo boring! Ai's birth mother is the worst evil mom I've ever seen. She can't even get the expressions right. Also.. Usually with 'bad' bl's we can get at least some solace from the side couple. But there is none here! We are being robbed. The award for saving the ep. goes to Arm for doing the only good acting. Thank you Arm!
Ep. 10. Birth mom got slayed by Nhai. That was the best thing to watch. Rest of the ep was boring
Ep 11 and 12. Meeting the parents, being cute at night, going on a camping trip, bei g cute again, getting sick, getting orange peeling tips, getting better, being cute and promise forever. The end.

There was never any plot. Here and there are sparks of story but all of them bled out and died silently. This was Ai and Nhai being cute for 12 eps straight. Could have been half that. Got really boring in the end despite good kissing. There was no more tension, no real passion, no obstacles to overcome. No ingredients to make a good series.

Read More

Underrated gem

I have been putting off watching Into The Woods for a long time, since I was told it did not have a happy ending and there's hardly any skinship. While the latter is true, i don't agree with the first.

The actors playing Fifa and Hem/Third have both been around for quite a while but this is their first BL. They have amazing skills and chemistry together and although this is a very slow burn, it is a burn nonetheless. I am very impressed with the portrayal of the high school graduate coming of age vs the love stunted and jaded 30-something and how they slowly come to understand each other and fall in love only to have to part just when they're finally accepting their own feelings. The ending to me meant a promise to meet again and explore more. Not that i need an s2, i think the story is well rounded as is, but on my mind they go on to be happily living together in Pokpa. Fifa took over from grandma and Hem is still his fierce lion protector. Call me stupid romantic, but i know that's how it went.

Read More

Good storytelling and tension arc

This second season is proof that consistency in storytelling between multiple seasons is possible in BL. The character development picks right up where it left off and the tense moments of the first season are being rivalled by those in this sequel. Great watch, never a dull moment. The only disappointment is in the development of the couples besides CharlieBabe and UncleJeff. PeteKriss falls flat at a certain point where it was sizzling just a moment before. KimKenta is not really explored and NorthSonic... Well maybe they're keeping these stories for next seasons.

Read More

Raw, Rushed and Rare BL

This is not a typical BL. The focus is not on the romance, but on the drama. The romance seems to have been written in after the fact. Not that it was bad, the chemistry between Sun and Peace is definitely there, but it could have been better. There was very little communication about stuff that really needed addressing (like when one beat the other to as pulp). We all understand why things happened how they did, but it needs to be said out loud sometimes. As BL watchers we are used to seeing tropes. I think we got the worst one in this drama, the accidental fall-and-kiss, and that was it. no other typical BL tropes. That's refreshing, of course, but also left me wanting. There is one NC scene, which is really more NC-scenes rolled into one. I would have preferred all that being evenly distributed instead of in one episode.
The crime story takes the lead in this drama. And it's a good one. many plot twists that we never see coming. The villains are well written, with just enough added depth. I'm still confused on what a lobbyist is, however. And what the hell was that last scene? This absolute baffling cliffhanger begs for a S2. Let's see if we get it so we can get a well rounded story.

Read More

Standard but sweet

Another 10 min/8ep K-BL. Do we really need another? No. Do I like them? Yes, kind of. It's sweet, uncomplicated and soft. Good to binge and not toxic. What more do you want? Well, sometimes I want a LOT more than this, but other times this is just what the doctor ordered. Story is 100% standard: boy meets boy accidentally, they can't forget each other somehow and have shared life ingredients that brings them back together and they fall for each other in lightning speed. There are 2 or 3 hickups we see coming from miles away, and of course they forget that communication helps solving insecurities. The hickups arrive, leaving heartache in their wake but after a nice mandatory time jump everything works out. We've seen it dozens of times before. No surprises, just pretty faces, nice music, a little butterfly action (3/5), solid acting, happily ever after. Done.

Read More

PROVISIONALLY rated depending on future development

What do you expect from a person when they have been treated like an asset, a robot, and not allowed to live their own life for even a minute? What do you expect them to do when they fall in love (at first sight) with the first person that speaks kindly of them? What standard of person should they be in the short period of time they are allowed to live on their own before returning to the discipline and slavery at their "mother's"?

It's a miracle Cirrus didm't turn out to be a serial killer or at least violent bully. Instead he became a stalker. One that admires his beloved from afar and secretly does what he can to make their life easier. Leave an umbrella here, deliver some flowers there, prevent a car theft... All very innocent. Until he gets the chance to actually meet and court the object of his desire. After getting into a car accident he dreams up a world where he and his love Phukan are together. When he wakes up, it takes him a while to realize this was a dream and in the meantime he meets Phu and tries to convince him they're together in another world.

Motivations aside, this main part of the story is already crazy. But we know crazy comes from Mame, so we bare with it. but then we get introduced to a boy who can read minds. until he falls in love with someone, then he can't read their mind anymore.

So, we had a supernatural thing (parallel worlds) that was fake. And now we have a supernatural thing (mindreading) that is real? Are you confused yet? because I am.

But it gets worse (or better, depending on your view). The parallel world thing seems to be real after all! at least, that's been hinted at. We never get a definite answer. Just like we don't get a answer why Cirrus'brother suddenly decides to step in for him (they have had a minimum of interaction before that). Why Cirrus'mom is like that (a divorce is not a good enough reason for this level of psycho). Why Phu is upset about the lying but not the stalking and many more strange and peculiar choices.

That being said, Boss and Noeull are on their best performance. The cinematography is phenomenal. The music amazing and Boss and Noeull are the best kissers in the industry. If this is all we will get to see of Cirrus and Phukan I will be hella mad and I will adjust my rating to the 6,5 it deserves on it's own. it's just that I have the feeling we have been looking at a very elaborate trailer or pilot for one or more series to come next in this universe that could be created from this. DO NOT SKIP THIS OPPORTUNITY DEAR MAME!!

Read More

Extremely cute, but....

Disclsimer first: I did watch the original series years ago, and re-watched it several times. It gave me a feeling of true teenage angst, anguish of firts love and jealousy and really hit me in the feels. I never read the book

So, now that we have that out of the way, let's get into this. As far as remakes go, this one was a very good one. It stayed very close to the original series in terms of character porttrayal and atmosphere. However, this remake feels much, much lighter than the original. There is still a lot of jealousy, but it is brought with a sense of humor that the original lacked. It is stil angsty, but much less intense. This lightheasrtedness benefits the story greatly. Situations and relations are clearer, characters more balanced and teenage-like. We are watching a coming of age that is both cute and scary.

I do have some points of critique, though. The biggest one being that the only kiss (if you can even call it that) is from a ghost ship. In the last scenes, it is hinted at that Noh and Phun have done "much more", but we never get to see any of that. While I understand the age of the actors has something to do with that, why did we get that ghost kiss but not the real thing? That being said, the last take with the glass door is ever so sweet.

I'm scoring this an 8. woukld have been higher if we had a tiny bit more (age-appropriate) skinship.

Read More

This was friggin beautiful

This story and the way the actors portray their characters pulls on my every heart string.

Seldom was a couple this level of made for each other. In all their trauma, poverty and toxicity they manage to complement and fulfill each other while being healed (well, sort of).

This is by no means a fluffy cute BL. It's a story of abuse, friendship and love against all odds, while dealing with an almost unhealable trauma.

The actors (all of them!) portray their roles so perfectly they seem like they've been doing this forever. From the smallest looks, gestures to grand and grotesk, it's all equally awesome.

I binged the series in one night. Admittedly a bit much, but this also allowed for being completely submerged in their world and processes. It was a ride. One of the best of this year for sure!

Read More

Ultimate feelgood!

As soon as the theme song starts, my brain switches to 'happyfeels'. This is the most feelgood BL I've ever seen. Everything comes together. The main couple is incredibly sweet, but they manage to just stay on the right side of cringe. They balance each other out perfectly, both in the story as in their acting. The dramatic element is brought by balancing the difference between extroverted and introverted, an overly protective mom and the side couple, who had just enough screen time and had a very interesting story arc themselves.
The show makes you feel like love is possible for everyone, as long as you allow for each other's differences and be open to each other. Love can enrich your life in ways you never imagined. This show goes on my re-watch list!

Read More

Beautiful but lacking substance

Our MaxNat have returned and take on a fantasy time jump theme. This line would make any serious BL-fan salivate and so it did. And it's a good watch. Max and Nat are improving their acting every next show, and there's not a lot to criticize, apart from the mannerisms of mostly Nat. What I do criticize is acting of the supporting cast (awful) and the lack of screentime for the second couple. I would've liked to see them interact more after that night in the cabin, but alas. The main lovestory is meant to be an epic one spanning dimensions. Unfortunately, while the love is certainly there, the whole epic-ness is underwhelming. This is mainly due to sloppy writing. The story is second to almost everything else. I was more impressed with some of the scenery (beautiful trees and caves).
This means that although acting, background and theme are great, it falls a bit flat because it lacks the substance of a real epic tale that fits all that.

Special note for the NC scenes. These are amazing. I would even say epic. And also note the kissing.. Especially TaiKram and how that's different from PhuphaKram.

Read More

Good overall, but Barcode award worthy performance

For this drama, the title alone would compell me to watch it. The fact that it comes from BOC, the company who gave us KinnPorsche and ManSuang, makes it a mandatory watch. And it was a good watch, but was it up to standard? Well, yes and no. The theme (revenge thriller) is an original choice in BL-land. and for this kind of theme I expect a solid story, taking me to a climax and having me root for one or more characters on the way.

The story is solid enough, theres a clear line, even with the flashbacks and - forwards. But i could not root for any of the characters. They were either too shitty or too obscure to identify with. In the friend group there are a few identifiably archetypical characters, but not all of them are written in to be a real part of the plot. The ones that are essential to the plot are lacking in detail so we're left wondering about motives and patterns, What made Tan/New go so insane? What about Jin makes Phee fall for him?

The only character I could "feel" was Non. Barcode seemlessly goes from sweet and innocent to dramatic and psycho and then to mysterious and sad. It was a thrilling experience that he can do that t such a young age with so little experience. Can't wait to see more of him.

There were some annoying plotholes. What happened to the opening scene? This scene is not in the movie they made and is never mentioned since, What happened to Tee's father? and the most important question: who killed mr. Keng? Since Jin keeps seeing him in the hallucinations, could it be him? And speaking of hallucinations, what kind of stuff is this? And it has an antidote? And it works with just a whiff of it in your nose? But not if you're wearing half a mask? Like I said: annoying and sometimes distracting from the story.

I'm left feeling that if Barcode did not do as well as he did, I might not have enjoyed this series half as much. Go Barcode!

Read More

Everything I love in 1 show!

This long awaited series did not disappoint. It has so many elements to love, that the only thing that keeps it from being rated a 10/10 is the fact that it did not have double the amount of episodes, so some scenes could have been elaborated on an the last episode did not feel a bit rushed. So sad it ended!

Elements to love in this show: BL (obviously), chemistry, amazing storyline, supernatural, SFX, crime/mystery, good comedy, beautiful NC scenes, great cinematography, well outlined side characters, amazing score/ost.

Elements that could be better: ending felt a bit rushed, underexposed side couples, not enough episodes.

Read More

Epic love in just 6 eps!?

Please make sure you watch "The Boy Foretold By The Stars" movie before you dive into this series. The movie tells you the start of the romance between Dominic and Luke.

The series is a very welcome and well executed addition/elaboration to the movie. I watched it all in one sitting on YouTube. Every time I watch a Philippine BL I remind myself to watch more of these, but because they are not widely available I don't get around to watching them often enough, which is a shame shame shame.

This one is another example of how good these can be in their simplicity. No distracting side-stories, just the main couple and their love story. But it's evactly that storytelling that is so good. We get swept in their world and we live every moment with them. The love, the fear, the parents, the teachers, the friends... perfect. So real.

HIGHLY recommend!

Read More

Fluffy and light feelgood

This movie is a great watch. It's well-paced, with humorous notes and some emotional scenes at exactly the right timing. The chemistry between the two leads is very present, and you can really feel their falling in love through the screen.
Representation is usually done well in Phillipine BL, and this one is no different. It's scenery is a typical high school environment, where competition, bullying and teen-angst are omnipresent. Furthermre, this is a catholic high school, with actual clergymen as teachers and headmaster. It's a delight to see that there is no condemnation from the faculty towards the openly gay community in the school, they are even welcomed as organisers of some kind of bible-camp where the students learn about the love of Chist.

The feel of this movie is very fresh and light, with some more serious notes here and there. Above all, it's a movie about falling in love for the first time and what that does to a person.

Highly recommend that if you watch this movie, you watch "Love Beneath The Stars" the series right after, where the story between Dominic and Luke is explored more deeply.

Read More