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A mesmerizing and electrifying thriller
The romance ends up being left aside but on the other hand, we have one of the best Thai BLs of 2024. The intensity, the suspense, the character development and above all, the production of this series is impeccable.The actors deliver memorable performances, the story is bold and is not afraid to explore the characters' mistakes and dilemmas, the photography is super stylish and the editing manages to maintain the suspense and create an electrifying climate of suspicion.
Some decisions that the characters make in the series are a bit stupid. Like the Boss killing everyone even with the police after him or him killing Somsak to exonerate Kan and then immediately killing again.
I think other points are poorly developed. Somsak and the forensic doctor knowing that Kan killed Phirot doesn't make much sense and the series never explores how they found out. Did Somsak simply see a photo and assume it was Kan?!!!
But there's no denying that Spare Me Your Mercy is the best Thai BL of 2024. The romance between the protagonists is weak and doesn't get much attention, but the actors deliver incredible chemistry and the script manages to overcome this problem.
The confrontation between Dr. and Thiu at the end is a bit rushed and I think it could have happened earlier. But nothing beats the beauty, subtlety and symbolism of the final scene where Thiu leaves a flower in Kan's handcuffed hand. A flower that symbolizes forgiveness.
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Queer excellence
More than just a BL series, Marahuyo Project is queer excellence in its purest form.For a low-budget series, the level of quality delivered here is astonishing. The cinematography is beautiful, the performances are impactful and full of nuance and emotion and the script delivers a story full of depth and realism despite the limitations and short length of the episodes.
It's a short series, but it manages to develop and introduce each of its characters and their stories. And what fantastic stories they are.
The representation here is not forced or unnatural, the series knows how to beautifully present and introduce each of its characters and their dreams and fears.
A much-needed series, full of symbolism and that addresses important issues for the LGBTQIA+ community. It's a series that has heart, that delivers moving scenes and dialogues, that shows the anxieties and fears of queer people, that explores love, friendship, respect and even prejudice and pain.
Congratulations to the creators of the series and the Philippines for once again delivering an exciting series, very well directed and that is not afraid to show its colors and positions.
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Cute but a waste of potential
I really didn't expect anything from this series and after the first episode I was ready to drop it, but Only Boo was a pleasant surprise.The series is not a masterpiece and unfortunately, I feel like it's one of those series that you forget exists a few weeks after watching it.
But for a series composed almost entirely of new actors and being clearly a low-budget project, Only Boo manages to deliver a solid and very likeable plot.
Technically speaking, there's nothing very interesting here. The photography is too bright, the blur and brightness filter is exaggerated, the performances are very limited and the script is very safe, but the actors have enough charisma to hold the narrative together.
If the series had focused more on Moo's transition to becoming an idol and used his time at school and the beginning of his relationship with Kang as flashbacks, the story would have been much more interesting.
It's in the final episodes that the series really grows and has a very interesting plot, but it ends up being a bit rushed due to the lack of time to develop this part of the story. The script lacks balance, which makes the beginning weak and the ending rushed.
Kang is a character that I feel is very poorly explored here. His relationship with his father and his studies could be better developed and there was room to explore the character better. The secondary couple has excellent chemistry, but also suffers from the same simplistic and shallow development.
It's a series that's a bit too silly for my taste, the chemistry between the actors isn't the best and the series misses a great opportunity to tell the story of an idol's impossible love and ends up focusing more on a somewhat boring narrative but even so it's still a cute, light-hearted BL that's very enjoyable to watch.
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Confusa, mas apaixonante
Boys Be Brave tem todos os elementos de um bom BL. Uma direção competente, uma história caótica e apaixonante e personagens cheios de química e carisma. Eu gosto muito da proposta da série, apesar da execução ser um tanto corrida e confusa.O casal principal funciona muito bem e eles tem uma dinâmica completamente caótica e de personalidade opostas que eu adorei acompanhar. Entretanto, eu sinto que o desenvolvimento entre eles é um tanto confuso. Toda a "amizade" que eles tiveram no passado e a forma como o Jung Ki Sub decide se mudar para a casa do Kim Jin Woo são pontos que realmente forçam a credibilidade da narrativa.
Outro ponto que acabou me decepcionando é o casal secundário. Eles tem uma narrativa bem picotada e mal recebem tempo de tela. O final entre eles é incompleto e eu realmente espero que eles lancem uma segunda temporada que desenvolva melhor o casal (já que a trama entre eles é de longe a melhor coisa da série).
No geral, é uma série divertida, com boas atuações, cenas engraçadas e uma boa química do elenco. A história não avança tanto e eu sinto que é um pouco comum e segura demais, mas o carisma dos atores e os momentos entre eles compensa. Uma excelente série para assistir sem muitas pretensões e outro excelente BL da Coreia lançado esse ano.
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Excelentes atores, mas uma trama carregada.
Não é uma série ruim e a curta duração de episódios ajuda bastante a não tornar a série cansativa, mas apesar dos excelentes atores aqui, o roteiro ainda falha em apresentar os mesmos problemas e as mesmas narrativas que vemos em todo BL.Poderia ser facilmente uma série leve, romantica e focada na construção do relacionamento entre o Shin e o Peach, mas a série insiste em colocar personagens, dramas e intrigas que realmente não acrescentam nada e só tornam a história cansativa.
Ohm, o ator que faz Shin, é provavelmente quem tem o pior desempenho aqui. Mais uma vez ele interpreta o mesmo personagem calado, apático e frio. Os erros e o comportamento do personagem são tão agressivos que chega ao ponto de você sequer torcer para que eles terminem juntos no final da série.
Se focasse menos em brigas e intrigas e colocasse esse esforço em criar um drama leve sobre o Peach conquistando seu sonho de ser um confeiteiro certamente a série seria muito melhor.
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This is how you do a perfect BL
Without a doubt, the second best BL series of 2024 (behind only Happy of the End) and one of the BL series with the best cinematography I've ever seen.The story grabs you from the first episode and builds a captivating, painful, melancholic but hopeful narrative. I found myself hooked on each episode, completely immersed in Minase and Hirukawa's story.
They give an amazing performance here and it's captivating to follow Hirukawa's transformation and the way he finds love and security in Minase, who at the same time breaks down his barriers and opens up to explore new perspectives with Haruki.
It's a simple series but with an impeccable execution. The subtlety, the violence, the construction of their love, the adversities, everything is done masterfully.
The direction is assertive and the cinematography delivers a beautiful work that manages to express the pain, love and nuances of each character brilliantly.
I confess that I missed them coming out to their friends and families at the end but the criticism about the ban on same-sex marriage in Japan is courageous and absolutely necessary.
Without a doubt a captivating story, a talented cast, a sharp production and an exceptional script. The perfect recipe for one of the best BLs of 2024.
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Great physical comedy but terrible characters choices
It's a breath of fresh air in the midst of a year of weak releases with obvious stories, childish characters and mediocre productions by gmm-tv.Is the series a masterpiece? No, and it has many flaws, but it still manages to deliver a slice of life series with excellent physical comedy and hilarious timing that is elevated by the exquisite editing work.
It's impressive how everything that was wrong with My Love Mix-Up works here. The refined coloring, the intelligent cuts that only add more humor to the scene, the extremely catchy soundtrack, the very well-used sound effects and, of course, the cinematography also deserves to be highlighted with beautiful takes, frames full of references and style and a direction that knew how to develop and use each of the characters very well.
Is it a BL series? I would say no. It's more of a series about five interns trying to survive their internship and prove themselves worthy of their fields while facing life's problems than it is about a romance between a clumsy intern and a cold assistant director.
And honestly, that's not a problem for me. The series is fun, the characters are captivating and the crazy things they get up to in each episode are engaging enough to give the series a dynamic and interesting pace.
But if there's one thing the series failed at, it was in the development of the protagonists. Ryan is by far one of the most boring characters in this series. I like the development that all the characters have and the series really highlights this growth in them, but Ryan was created in such a way that it's simply hard to connect with the character.
He has no attitude, his whole sweet and innocent personality is a bit too cartoonish, he never stands up for himself, he has no charisma, he acts like a child who doesn't know anything about life or even how to perform basic functions at the beginning of the series and this really sinks the character and makes the main couple end up disappearing in the middle of the series.
And that's the problem. The main couple doesn't stand out at all and they simply disappear in the series, especially when all the drama with Bah-mee, Tae and Judy happens.
And this is another point that bothers me about the series. I particularly hated Bah-mae in the beginning and she was indeed annoying, spoiled and immature. The character has a very interesting growth and I love her chemistry with Judy.
I don't mind the betrayal plot because I like characters who are flawed and make mistakes, but it was a shot in the foot to put her in this plot only to have her get back together with Tae and act in the same annoying way as before.
They simply destroyed the character and made viewers hate her for nothing. It's a plot that takes up too much screen time and has such a weak and lukewarm resolution.
The friendship between them is the strong point of the plot because the romance is completely overshadowed by the narrative. The theft of the music video and the time jump of 5 years apart are two decisions that I can't understand why they were included in the series.
And this is another point that needs to end in GMM-TV's BLs. The time jumps with the characters separated because apparently they go back to the Ice Age when they move countries so they can't send a message or make a video call.
It's not the best, but certainly the most interesting BL they released in this weak year.
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It was difficult to get to the end
I confess that I wasn't expecting much from this series because coming from Star Hunter we know that nothing good is going to happen.But it amazes me how a series that apparently has a high budget, decent actors and a fairly competent production is capable of delivering such a dull and lifeless story.
It's not a bad series and it's not the worst BL of the year, but it's hard to find anything to praise here. It's all so cliché, so mediocre, so boring.
Mos and Bank honestly aren't good in this BL. I don't think either of them really fit the role. Sun is a character who doesn't have much to offer and is nothing more than a rich man in expensive suits. Salin kinda has a story, but it's completely disconnected from the narrative. The plot involving Naga and his soul is a blatant copy of The Sign that seems like an afterthought. They try to make him a cute but sexy character at the same time and this creates a conflict.
But overall the plot between them is so boring. They speak softly, have shallow conversations and the whole romance between them doesn't have a hint of excitement. The NC scenes are good because they really give it their all there, but they're so cheesy that it's painful to watch.
The series has 4 couples, but honestly it wouldn't make the slightest difference if they weren't in the plot. Sam and Yotha have good chemistry, but they practically have crumbs of screen time and end up being completely wasted.
Pim and Prim happen towards the end and they have zero chemistry. It's a relationship that comes out of nowhere and has no relevance whatsoever. Chan and Juldis are the comic relief and nothing more.
Overall it's a beautiful series, with excellent locations, but it wastes everything on a story that doesn't know what it wants to be and tries to be a little bit of everything. And nothing works.
The characters are shallow and at no point do you care about them. The costumes are exaggerated and completely disconnected from the characters (which has been a problem in Thai BLs, this habit of putting the characters dressed as idols on a red carpet). The fantasy elements are poorly constructed and lead nowhere.
It could easily have been an 8-episode series and focused more on the jewelry and built a more interesting plot. If Salin had infiltrated the company to steal a jewel that belonged to his family and in the process he fell in love with Sun, something simple but fun like that, the story would have been great.
But what we have are great NC scenes and 12 episodes of questionable acting, shallow dialogue, poorly directed scenes and a plot that goes from zero to nothing.
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Roteiro vazio e uma história fraca
é uma série de personagens cativantes, a química do Force e Book é incrível e no geral é uma série leve e bobinha, mas o maior problema para mim é a falta de história.os personagens são extremamente rasos, não há evolução ou construção do romance entre eles, o casal secundário está ali apenas de enfeite e a trama joga inúmeras questões que possuem ZERO impacto na narrativa.
a série começa mostrando o Gun como esse cara mau humorado, frio e rude, mas logo no primeiro ep. ele já está de joelhos pelo Cher e é isso. não existe construção do relacionamento deles ou desenvolvimento e isso torna a série entediante.
Cher inclusive é um personagem que eu adoro, mas que é tão caricato, tão bobo que soa absurdamente infantil e irrealista em muitos momentos.
o que temos é uma série que parece um compilado de cenas que não se adicionam. é toda a briga do Gun com o Time, os problemas com o Thup, o roubo do jogo, a mãe do Gun interferir na relação deles, a depressão do Jack, a morte da Thian. tudo isso é jogado na série, discutido em uma cena e logo em seguida esquecido.
inclusive a série perde muito quando decide jogar um plot que Thian se suicidou por ter engravidado do pai após anos sendo estuprada. é algo tão pesado, tão sinistro e eles só jogam isso e no episódio seguinte essa trama sequer é lembrada.
é uma série fofa, mas extremamente mau construída e rasa. e nem adianta inventar desculpas porque Our Dating Sim e Our Dinning Table são duas séries fofas que estão ai e tem uma construção impecável.
infelizmente não foi dessa vez que o Force e Book receberam uma série decente..
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Feels like a summer dream
That Summer is a mix of a light and unpretentious script, beautiful cinematography that manages to capture the island's beauty exceptionally well, and a couple with great chemistry and fluid development.I didn't expect this series to be so good, and it was a great surprise. The story manages to balance well without becoming repetitive or too childish.
It's not a profound script, but the direction and photography really elevate the series to a level where everything becomes poetic and like a summer dream.
The secondary couple, despite their rapid development, works very well. However, the entire plot involving the coup in Arantha is absurdly poorly developed.
In addition, the final conflict, besides being rushed, is very cliché. Again, GMM-TV resorts to the same pattern of series finales with a time jump and a forced wedding.
However, this doesn't spoil the greatness of this series. It's an easy series to watch and has so many interesting moments that you simply fall in love with it.
A great success and without a doubt, one of the best cinematographies that gmm-tv has ever delivered in a BL.
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It's good but could be great if GMM-TV had some nerve
It's excellent to see Great and Sarin in a series that truly showcases their talents. Memoir of Rati is a series that truly deserves more recognition. It's a very interesting story but unfortunately something is missing.I love the chemistry between Great and Sarin and they're excellent actors, but the characters are very shallow here.
For a story with the depth and impact of a romance between two men from different nations in an era where such a relationship would be scandalous, to say the least, the script never manages to create the tension or the feeling of a forbidden romance.
The characters lack personality; they're there but they barely add any impact to the plot. They begin and end the series the same way. Rati could be a spoiled and arrogant boy sent to Siam as punishment by his father. Thee could be a man full of charm and dreams that conflict with his image and what his grandmother wants him to be.
But what we have here is a very subtle romance, a very peaceful narrative and characters who simply accept their status quo. Thee has an interesting arc and I like the conflict between him and his grandmother but there's no interesting development there.
The supporting couple works well and while they don't have any big moments, it's great to see Aou and Boom get more screen time and decent development.
It's a fun series, it's light, it has great moments but it lacks emotion. It's all very dull and I miss a greater depth. It lacks conflicts that take the characters out of their comfort zones, it lacks more elaborate cinematography that captures the beauty built there, it lacks courageous direction that can bring out more expressive performances that embody emotion.
Rati's departure for France and his return five years later is an example of this. This should be an impactful and moving scene but it's so boring and predictable with weak dialogue that doesn't convey any feeling.
And I'm really tired of GMM-TV's pattern of adding time jumps at the end of its series and its lack of courage to tackle more serious topics or create more impactful stories.
It's certainly much better and superior to Wandee Goodday and is far from being a bad series but unfortunately, it's a series that borders on forgettable and lackluster.
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More mature than I expected
I had no intention of watching this series. The plot, the poster, everything gave me an extremely childish idea and I already expected that this series would be another low-budget production with a terrible script.And it was a huge surprise to realize that this series is actually very good. The production is really interesting and has beautiful photography. The story, despite the plot holes, is captivating. And the actors are excellent and have great comic timing.
It is a simple story, but very well executed. The highlight here is Junior. At times he seems like an animation come to life. He is an expressive, funny actor who managed to do very well in the more dramatic scenes.
The story could be better. There are many arcs that are abandoned or that could be better worked on. Nam's bullying, Junior's brother, Sun's past, the aunt's son who died.
At times the story gets too stuck within its own narrative and doesn't expand these arcs into other paths. The secondary couple, without a doubt, is one of the biggest disappointments. They just tease, but they don't get anywhere with them.
The final conflict is a bit messy and the direction and editing really struggle to create a cohesive scene. They leave a lot of points open - the fate of the animal traffickers and why Sun took so long to return.
It's not the best Thai BL of 2024, but it's undoubtedly a competent and dedicated production that delivers a different story with a cast that exudes chemistry.
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To My Star (Taekwondo Version)
Hwang Da Seul is undoubtedly one of the best directors of BL series. And here is yet another proof of her competence and talent in creating such captivating stories with impeccable production, acting and cinematography.However, I feel that this is a series that ends up repeating many of the arcs and narratives used in To My Star (also directed by her). It is the story of a witty, lively man who refuses to succumb to his problems and ends up moving in with a serious, bad-tempered and cold man. Little by little, he manages to break down the walls of this cold man and they fall in love. Until this man disappears without much explanation and years later they meet again because the cheerful man never forgot or stopped loving the cold man who begins to treat him in an indifferent and cruel way.
And that is where the problem lies. I feel like the first 3 episodes are perfect and contain such a unique and well-constructed narrative about two abandoned, lonely, and pain-filled boys who build a friendship and love that can withstand the pain and give hope about a better future.
That's the best part of the series. But they decide to do a 12-year time jump and the reason why it happens is the worst possible. I would understand if Ju Yeong had killed DoHoe's father and spent that time in prison. Or if they had met in college and the story focused on DoHoe trying to get into college and having to maintain a lie so that Ju Yeong wouldn't feel guilty.
But the story of their adult life is so weak and even boring. The dialogues are excellent, the acting is very good, but all this drama and DoHoe's distant and cruel behavior simply hurts the narrative much more.
I understand that the series tries to create this more complex, adult and conflict-filled plot, but the reality is that none of these conflicts really work. The whole issue of DoHoe forging his diploma or the problem with his mother who mistreated her son has little impact on the story.
The ending fixes a lot of things and manages to bring a resolution that warms the heart. But the series is too confined in the same space, repeating the same fights and this ends up greatly impacting what could be one of the best BL series of 2024.
It's an excellent series and gives a show in the technical aspects, but I really wish they had kept and explored the story of these characters' adolescence. The formula for a perfect story was all there.
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Tecnicamente excelente, mas um tanto arrastada
Algo que não pode ser negado é a imensa qualidade que esse BL tem. A cinematografia é impecável, a trilha sonora é perfeita, as atuações são excelentes e a direção realmente consegue trazer esse toque de delicadeza, timidez e o despertar de uma relação cheia de desentendimentos e sentimentos não ditos.O problema é que esse BL acabou sendo lançado alguns meses depois de I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama, outro BL japonês que foi lançado no final do ano passado e que tem literalmente o mesmo plot. É a mesma história de um ator tímido e retraído que nunca teve sucesso e precisa fazer um BL com um ator famoso que ele teve contato no passado e que é secretamente apaixonado por ele.
E o problema é que o ritmo flui muito melhor lá do que aqui. Os dois maiores problemas que eu tive aqui foram o Yuki, um personagem um tanto sem graça e entediante e a forma como o roteiro decidiu enrolar até o último episódio para que os personagens finalmente conversassem.
E isso infelizmente acaba afetando muito o ritmo da série a ponto da narrativa se tornar repetitiva em alguns momentos.
Entretanto, não deixa de ser um BL incrível e muito bem produzido. Apenas faltou coragem e criatividade em criar um desenvolvimento mais ousado e diferente para os personagens.
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Great drama, terrible horror
It took me forever to start this series simply because I couldn't get past the first episode.The problem with Dead Friend Forever is that the horror element here is extremely poorly constructed and executed. At times it felt like the series was going down a path like Nightmare on Elm Street, at other times it felt like Scream and Halloween and sometimes it felt like Bodies Bodies Bodies.
But the reality is that the horror here is from a low-budget school project. The deaths, the makeup, the killer and the mask are all so weak, so silly.
The drama present in episodes 5 to 8 and in episode 11 is simply the best part of the series. And I really wish they had explored this side more and really built a more elaborate suspense and worked the horror in a more psychological way.
Because all the scenes in the country house are terrible and weaken the plot a lot. These scenes can be summed up by the characters screaming and crying and screaming some more (which is done in excess here and is totally annoying). The construction of tension, fear and distrust is poorly executed and is based on the conveniences of the script and a "magic drug" that makes everyone hallucinate about Non.
The two-year time jump is something that cools the plot and I hate it. It makes no sense for Por, Top and Fluke to keep apologizing for hurting Non while they are hallucinating. At no point do they feel any sympathy for him and no drug can force that.
If Phee and Tan had discovered the truth about what happened and revealed it to the group, it would create a much more interesting dynamic.
Because the essential thing in a slasher horror is the suspicion of who the killer is. And that doesn't happen here.
If developed, they would all have motivations. Jin because of the guilt of what he did and because his friends' lie made Non get to that point. Por because Top broke his camera and made him be reprimanded by his father and end up in this mess. Fluke because his friends' lie risked tarnishing his reputation as a future doctor. Phee and Tan for the obvious reasons.
And in the end, all of them in the cabin being hunted by a killer would be amazing. But the deaths are weak (especially Por and Top), the confrontation is simply the characters screaming a lot and there is no tension. The series relies on the drug that Tan created and everything becomes too fantastical.
There really is something very interesting here. I love the middle of the series and Barcode simply shines in an impeccable performance. But it lacks nuance and the foundations of a good horror, it lacks a sharper direction that knew how to develop the plot instead of having the characters yelling all the time and it lacked a cleaner script that really removed all the unnecessary parts and created a bloody revenge drama.
Because that's what this story is. A revenge drama.
But the series mixes countless elements here - slasher horror, psychological horror, supernatural horror and syfy horror and ends up delivering anything. The last episode is a mess and the open end is a big no.
Great performances and an impeccable drama, but it needs a more elegant and precise editing, direction and script to be a good horror series.
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