This review may contain spoilers
Started off troubling but finished strong
As far as episodes 1 to 4 was concerned, Kiyoi appeared arrogant, narcissistic and unkind, while Hira was needlessly reverent. How could a healthy relationship possibly result from such a dynamic? I thought. But I was completely won over by the end as the final episodes offered revelations from Kiyoi’s perspective.The beauty of Utsukushii Kare is in how it demonstrates the communication quirks in conservative Asian societies. Reading between the lines is required to grasp subtler expressions of love.
When Kiyoi uses the term “stalker”, he really means “thank you for coming to me”. When he says “disgusting”, albeit in harsher tones, it’s because he just doesn’t know how else to express what he’s feeling.
“How did I fall in love with someone as disgusting as you?” Taken out of context, his sentence might sound terribly unkind. But in the particular context where it was said, Kiyoi doesn’t actually think that Hira is to be abhorred, but instead, he wants to say, “how did I find someone as special as you?”
Read my full review: here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2021/12/26/utsukushii-kare-my-beautiful-man-2021/
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OffGun is backkkkk!
It’s been awhile since GMMTV has launched such a slow burning BL. Did this creative gamble pay off? Absolutely.There’s no dramatic moment where they meet for the first time and sparks immediately fly. The relationship really takes its time. But I’m not complaining. This was really good stuff.
Coming off the back of Cooking Crush (a silly story that turned out to be really cringey and in my humble opinion, a complete waste of Off and Gun’s talents), The Trainee has proven that Off and Gun can shine – when given the right storyline and director.
The Trainee is entertaining beyond the developing romance between the main leads. While it’s a major plot point, the other characters in the show are also given interesting character development arcs. This is significant and refreshing because they don’t exist merely to facilitate the relationship between the main leads.
There was little fanfare about the series and you don’t get the same level of hype and promotion unlike some other BL couples. But I’m utterly obsessed with this show.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/09/22/the-trainee-2024-bl-review-offgun/
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Started off strong but failed to keep it together
Sick of tried and tested BL tropes? Want something *fresh* and *original*? Great. But don’t get your hopes too high up.This parallel universe thing is mindbendingly confusing but makes for such an intriguing premise. For the most part, you won’t have the full picture of what’s going on. Does it all make sense later on? Sadly, I don’t think so. The writing is a little haphazard and lacks proper flow. Most upsettingly, Cir’s character turned out to be supremely problematic and downright creepy. (In my humble opinion of course.)
The conclusion ends up being overly simplified and unsatisfactory. Central to the story is Cir’s big secret and his valiant attempt at escaping from the trappings of his life. The final episode tries to tackle this in a hurried fashion, and largely doesn’t succeed in providing a reasonable conclusion.
But the chemistry between Boss and Noeul is epic as usual. It's serving like it should. You can look forward to that.
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