Not a Robot

Lovely Interpretation of the Manga

I read the manga a few years ago, and I was not disappointed by this adaptation. I loved the story, and the acting, especially Sakurai, His facial expressions alone would carry me away. They had to censor the manga, but I think they did a great job in the adaptation. It stuck to the main points of the manga, and did not shy away from the heavy parts. The story includes child abuse, child abandonment, homophobia, drugging, raping, and sexual harassment (of women), and teen sexuality. All of these topics were handled in a sensitive, yet realistic manner. Children have no power, but once Kazuma reaches adulthood and graduates from university, he moves back to Japan, wanting to reunite with his first and only love Ren, As usual per BL world, Kazuma ends up being hired by the same company Ren works for, so they reunite right away.


This is the first Japanese BL where I felt actual sexual chemistry, I'm so used to the Ken doll, dead fish kisses. The Kazuma character expresses his love in ways that a real lover would. It charmed me. Except for Ep 6 (too many flashbacks), I enjoyed this series from start to finish.

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Fluff with Supernatural Elements

I loved this series! For the kiddos, there's no SA, there is consent, healthy communication, legal marriage, what is there to hate? The actors because people wanted Ohm and Nanon and got Sea and Jimmy. Then viewers spent the next 12 weeks pining for Ohm and Nanon. My theory is, if Ohm and Nanon starred in this series, people would have gone nuts over it. Rant over.

Jimmy and Sea did very well in this series. The acting was very good, and the parallels between the two universes are well done. The beauty of this story is, that Talay and Puen fell in love without even knowing the true face of their beloved. Talay could have been a 300 pound guy with pimples for all Puen knew. He didn't realize until after he loved Talay, that Talay was the person who gave him the bucket hat.

Another great part about this series were the friendships in this series. Even after Tess screwed up Talay's friendships, they still forgave him and moved forward. That's true friendship.

This is a great series if the viewer can not keep wishing for Ohm and Nanon. Jimmy and Sea were excellent in this series, and it's worth watching.

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Three Main Couples with One Side Couple

This was a fluffy piece of BL. There are 3 couples, one enemies to lovers, one secret fanboy and the creator, and one secret long-term couple. There are 2 friend groups that end up boyfriends. One group are the "bad boys" the other, the "good boys."
These groups come together when the university's chancellor requires them to make a BL ship couple.

The stories were different and all of them were interesting. Many people liked the side couple but they did not get the same amount of screen time as the 3 main couples. All of the actors did well in the series. I especially liked Fluke as Mek, because he has the ability to play a total jerk and a total love bomber. He even looks different when he wore his hair down, but was is handsome either way.

My only complaint is when Kimhan becomes a martyr for Mek, so that he doesn't give up the chance to study overseas. This couple had been pretty good about talking things out. A simple conversation could have still resulted in Mek going overseas to study, and having a LDR. Since they were still in love after they separated, they could have made it in an LDR and been happy for the 2 years they were apart.

Overall, this was a sweet series and I enjoyed watching every episode.

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Expand Length Version of My Engineer Love Mechanics

This expanded version of Love Mechanics was the expansion of Vee and Mark's story that we were all waiting for. The biggest flaw was spending too much time of the Ploy arc, which was not what happened in the book or the first version. They could have spent more time on other things, for example, they could have showed how sad Vee was after losing Mark, like they did in the original series.

The best changes are, the acting ability of War and Yin (especially Yin) has greatly improved in the last 2 years. War was always very good, and Yin must have worked hard to improve as much as he has.

The recasting of Bar and Kan was something that I never got used to. I had trouble recognizing Bar because I was so used to the other actor who played Bar in En of Love. Although I think the recast was fine, I feel that as a viewer, I did not have time to adjust to the new actors, so I didn't have face recognition.

I'm so glad the families were shown closely related to the book. I thought that Mark in the series had a little less fire toward his dad, but it worked out in the end.

I highly recommend this version of Love Mechanics. I liked both series, but appreciated the time this version allowed to get to know Mark, Vee and their friends.

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Short Story about Two Relatable Guys

This series aired in 3 short chapters per episode. At first glance, it looked like it was going to be a story that is a copy of Gameboys, but ended up being a story with its own message. Like in GB, Tono gets insultue by Boss for being carried by the team, so they do a one one one challenge, and yes, Boss win. Boss and Tono develop an online friendship, and Tono finds himself excluded by his gaming buddies, including a close friend Jade , because they think he is gaming for content, instead of seriously gaming.. Feeling left out and on his own, Boss, encourages Tono to develop his own content and style on his own, and their relationship grows. A major problem is, Boss always uses a filter when he video chats with Tono. This becomes a make or break moment between them. Will Boss come clean? Will Tono forgive Boss?

I know that some viewers have criticized the performance of Nine, who plays Tono. I disagree because in my opinion, Tono is one of the few characters I've watched who resembles like regular a guy in his late teens. He admits that he is not sexually experienced, although he functions in this area. He also acts a little awkward, compared to the more polished Boss. Yet, Tono is more mature in the aspects of forgiveness and encouraging the person he cares for to be himself. I recommend this series even if the plot isn't exactly ground breaking, nor will leave the viewer crying in their pillow from the angst. It was about two guys I could related to, Hope there will be a continuation of their story in the future.

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Story About a Struggling Chef

Was the plot orginal? Not really. Was the acting sometimes camp? Yes. Even so, I liked the series.

Pros:
1. I poor chef trying to support his younger brother after losing their parents, and he wasn't model hot. I like that the protagonist was poor, and that he had ups and downs due to his economic status. For example, his landlady.
2. Boss did a great job in this role. He was a jerk at times, he was vulnerable at times, and he was also a sweetheart at times.
3. The kitchen staff actors were the comic relief and I think they did a great job. Kab are Tung were regular guys who tried out for Superboy. I also liked Flluque too.
4. All of the enemies became friends once they got to know each other. Sometimes first impressions are not correct. I've experienced this first hand.

Cons:
1. The Amy character could have be entirely eliminated. Tay is stupid, but likeable.
2. Some of the over acting.

Hopefully StarHunter will continue to improve and stop with the talent showcase pieces they been produced in the past.

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Strong Start, Disappointing Ending

I felt this series started off positively. There's good writing and acting, and the bonds of friendship, teamwork, and roommates were the strong points. This series is also proof that the final episode could almost ruin the 11 episodes that came before it.

I appreciated that the normal looking guy won the heart of the ML over the hot, charismatic guy. On paper, Saint was the likely choice because due to my own bias, I place more emphasis on history, than I do other attributes. In other words, Mon has a long-standing, close friendship with Saint until internal jealousy and envy got in the way. They had a very trusting friendship, and great chemistry together, but Saint missed his opportunity, probably due to insecurity and immaturity that we feel in high school.

I really did not like the final episode. I don't like when as a viewer I feel jerked around. Mon and So go through this drama, admit mutual feelings, then So leaves for school. The final narration makes it seem like they drifted apart, then after the end credits, it makes it look like So came back to Thailand to be with Mon. Yet, it could have been symbolic.

I also didn't like that the ending showed the kind and sensitive Pond as a player, just because Amy ended up falling for the coach.

I fast forwarded through most of the basketball scenes, so there's that.

I recommend episodes 1-11, but skip episode 12, it brings down the whole series.

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A Mostly Overlooked Series with Flawed Characters

One of my favorite parts of this series was showing the backstory of the friendship between Fah and Torn. I know that some viewers do not like time changes, but I thought the child actors did a better job showing this relationship, than a monologue would. I think the visual of seeing a child locked inside and emotional abused, plus having the child actors unfold the story was way more powerful. I think this is why I couldn't stand Fah through many scenes, because he knew Torn's history, but still hurt him, then I would be mad at Torn for putting up with it.

Because of the acting, and chemistry between the actors, I really liked this series, even though I skipped Ep 11 because I figured it would only be angst, with no value added and I was right. I did not need to go back and watch it to figure out Ep. 12. I clicked on the director and screenwriter and learned that the screenwriter wrote I Told Sunset About You. I'm in the 1% who felt ITSAY was not a "masterpiece," just a good series. This screenwriter seems to like to create what in real life would be "toxic" people, such as Teh and Fah. They string along their partners while the partner has to constantly adjust and adapt to their whims. Please, find another archetype in your next series. This difference between Oh and Torn is, that Torn was a flawed character as well. His stubbornness over his letting his leg heal was frustrating. I think the relative idiocy of youth was captured here. When a person is young and has ambition, sometimes they don't realize that training too soon will cause irreparable harm that could permanently end a sports career, and/or lead to a lifetime of pain, before the age of 30.

While I loved the chemistry between Kris and Porsche, the only reason I don't want a series for Vee and Dome is that it will be Vee stringing Dome along for multiple episodes of angst. Even though Pan gave her blessing, Vee would just be too ripped up and I hate angst.

Over all, I would recommend watching this. The school spirit parts were a little long, but I could see getting into it if I were a student in that setting.

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Adorable Series about Falling in Love

Boys' Lockdown was my favorite series in 2020 about young people falling in love. Why? Because it reminded me of being young, and liking somebody from afar before ever meeting. This series made me nostalgic for high school, where you would see someone in the hall during passing period, you start to like them and watch them, but are too afraid to approach them. When you finally meet for the first time, it's awkward. The actors conveyed all of the emotions. The paper bag scene was the hot, and there was no physical contact! The drawing Key gave Chen was phenomenal too.

Story 10 - What I enjoyed was how Key and Chen fell for each other from a distance and there wasn't any confusion or anxiety about it. I really liked it when Chen told his sister he was meeting Key, and wasn't asking for permission, showing her that he is serious about Key. I thought that Martin was a great supporting character, especially how he was attending webinars to keep from going nuts during lockdown. There were a few minor dislikes that didn't affect my love for the series: I'm getting tired of the pandemic storyline. Too many gratuitous shirtless scenes. I also didn't care for the girl's volleyball captain not given a name, or being shown.

Acting/Cast 10 - They were all very talented and did a great job. The two male leads smile with their eyes and conveyed their feelings even with masks on. In the scene with the paper bag, you can feel the tension, happiness and excitement.
That takes skill. The support cast is also very talented, especially Teetin and Koloy.

Music 10 - I liked the lightheartedness of the music and score.

Rewatch Value 10 - I will definitely watch this again, especially if I want to feel nostalgic.

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Living your Story on your Terms

Gaya Sa Pelikula's OST is one of the best OSTs in a series or movie. All songs were subtitled so international viewers could understand the underlying emotions of the music.

What I like most about this story is that everybody's flaws and weakness are not judged in an accusatory way. It's like real people, everyone has their good and bad traits. Gaya Sa Pelikula doesn't demonize Karl who is still hanging on the closet door due to fear. Closeted people are still LGBTQ+ individuals and the writer is sensitive to this. Vlad is compassionate, but is out of the closet and is unwilling to live a closeted life and he is entitled to this.

This series is more complicated than it appears on the surface. Questions about coming out and being out, being the lead in your own story and family are given importance. Yes, Vlad's sister, Judit, oversteps and causes a huge problem by backing Karl into a corner. Karl has shown is that when he feels safe, he will tell the truth, like he did to his uncle. He just needs more time than a semester break. Although we heard Anna's story, we didn't hear Judit's. I hope we see what she went through in Season 2.

Hopefully Karl and Vlad will get their HEA in season 2 and they can face their futures together. They have Judit, Anna and Uncle Santi there to support them.

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Unexpected Love

Unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed the series, even the side couple, Xing Si and Yong Jie. Even though I do not condone Youn Jie's actions in real life, there are people who like dub-con (I'm not one of them) and eat those stories up. The Fu Yong Jie character prototype is not uncommon in Japanese BL manga and comics. Look at the Caste Game manga series, or many of the web toons are are so popular right now.

The Mu Ren and Li Cheng had such charisma and it was fun to watch them fall in love and become a couple. I enjoyed their banter and even Li Cheng's over the top behavior. I'm glad this show exposed the couple to public homophobia and set the tone that no matter what, they are not ashamed and will publicly be a couple, regardless what anyone thinks. I would love to see them again if there is another installment because they are just to refreshing as a couple.

The most annoying aspect were the fujoshi squad. I believe the scriptwriter is the same woman who wrote MODC, so I'm not sure why fujoshi were included. Such misrepresentation of women.

Also, I think this episode makes it clear that MODC is canon. The guys mention Hao Ting living abroad at the wedding and refer to sending photos to "him" (not them) a the wedding. The wedding was strange because Sun Bo's cousin wasn't there, neither was Zhi Gang's relative who was in Season 1.

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Great Communication Surrounded by Fluff!

I unashamedly love this warm, fluffy series. I love odd couples and fluff, so this show hits the sweet spot for me. What I loved most was how the main couple communicated most of the time. They both stated their feelings and limitations, and worked together to resolve their differences. The only conflict happened when they did not follow their usually communication style.

I did not like the band's song that they played throughout the series. I felt that it sounded like a song you would hear at an amusement part. Maybe it was the keyboards.

Bottom line, introverts are not always anti-social and extroverts do not always force or push introverts to step out of their comfort zone. This couple worked together using their strengths.

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Less BTS and More Story

The production wasted a capable cast with poor editing, storytelling and plot holes. All of the couples, including the MxF couples were engaging but the editing was horrible. I hate the new guy is a twin to the dead boyfriend, especially when this does not get resolved. In one scene the new guy Nail proclaims he s not a replacement for Blue, Him goes home all dejected, then. Him and Nail walk into Him's house holding hands. They didn't even show the reconciliation! So is Nail a replacement for Blue and he has accepted it, or did Him assure him that he sees him as Nail, a totally different person? Yet they had behind the scenes footage. Anyway, I do not recommend and it's a shame because the cast was very good.

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Disappointed Webtoon Reader

If I were rating this in comparison to the webtoon, it would be a 5 overall, but that would not be fair on this platform.

This production cut so much of the original story out for the 15 minute episodes, that I am disappointed in this series. They should have had 30-45 minute episodes to do the webtoon justice. The webtoon does not have graphic sex, and they do not make love (rated PG, no light sabers) until the very end, and there is very little skinship. So that wasn't the issue for butchering the story. Also, Yechan spent too much time with the foreigner (John? I forgot his name), who was not Yechan's sole confidant. Yechan of the webtoon was kind of like the town's child, since there were so many young people there. Everyone loves Yechan.

In the webtoon there was more conflict since Yul was ending a former relationship, and the resolution ended up with an amicable relationship between the ex and Yechan. Yul did not blow off his law studies, but by being with Yechan, decided to defy his father and pursue this dream. The webtoon takes place over several years, and we see how Yul defrosts and becomes himself with Yechan.

I am usually critical of many Korea BL, and poor storytelling is one of the reasons why. The actors were suited for the roles, did the kissing scene properly too. It's too bad they didn't get to present the whole story. If they are going to adapt a story, they should do it properly, not just make the main goal 15 minute episodes.

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