BL Compilations

strong visuals, weak plot/production value (watch suggestions)

Overall: I'm hoping they get a better script in Doctor's Mine. 30 episodes about 8 minutes each (not including the intro/end credits). Aired on Kongthup's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-3lmw1GIQMkzjvvXYxvOC0yN5ih5-OeB&si=qXXf3GlWE0mGTY8M

Content Warnings: suicide in episode 1, start at 3:45 to skip it, non con touching, voyeurism, past: drugging, murder, blood

Watch Suggestions (focus on sweet/steamy romance moments)
- start at 3:45 in episode 1
- skip ep 2
- episode 3 watch 6:30-end
- skip ep 4
- episode 5 watch 8-end
- episode 6 watch 7-end
- episode 7 watch 2:30-end
- watch episode 8
- episode 9 end at 4:40
- episode 10 watch 2:45-end
- episode 11 skip 4:30-7:05
- watch episode 12
- episode 13 skip 6-end
- skip ep 14
- episode 15 watch 4-5
- episode 16 watch 4:20-8:05
- skip eps 17 & 18
- episode 19 start at 4:45
- watch episodes 20 & 21
- end episode 22 at 8 min
- watch episode 23
- skip episode 24
- watch episode 25
- skip episodes 26-29
- watch episode 30 6:50-end

What I Like
- the actors
- clear premise
- the first shower scene lol
- supportive friends
- intimacy

Room For Improvement
- 1 minute intro and 1 minute credits were too long for such a short series (also repetitive flashbacks and overly long recaps, episode 5 had 4 minutes of recap!)
- spent too long on the first scene in episode 1, overall the plot dragged/was repetitive, the story could have easily been told in half the runtime
- totally nonsense approach from the ML, he could have had a 2 minute conversation at the very beginning instead of being creepy, he later said he wasn't allowed to say anything and then shortly thereafter explained things
- several scenes were too dark and it was difficult to see the actor, it was very blurry I keep trying to change it to 1080 only to realize it was on 1080
- sound effects
- moping for multiple episodes
- more angst for several episodes
- production value (several scenes at night were way too dark, it was frequently blurry, I liked the song but it played over and over and over again)

Read More

violent underworld

Overall: appreciate that this was a grittier/less frequently told story, felt a bit Romeo and Juliet with warring families/factions. 12 episodes about 55 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala worldwide (except Thailand) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5273/the-bangkok-boy-2025-e01 and WeTV - uncut https://wetv.vip/en/play/4ckwvmilrazmpan/w410108n8as-EP01%3A_The_Bangkok_boy_Series_(Uncut_Ver.) and cut version (free to watch) https://wetv.vip/en/play/eu6iplbsnlhyh0u/d4101iaz1gu-EP01A%3A_The_Bangkok_boy_Series Later aired on Munwork Mediafilm YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Sl68FYmlrNeeUVKcRnJtZ8MUWFRMb1W&si=UwDa3MCYpQyx2jBU

Content Warnings: past and current murders/death, gang rape, sexual assault, suicidal thoughts/near suicide attempt, blood, violence, beaten up, torture, child abuse, police brutality, drugging, kidnapping/held against will, con con picture taking/sharing, manipulation, blackmail, non con kissing turned consensual

Watch Suggestions (to remove most content warnings and focus on romance but you will miss a lot of plot, uncut timings)
- episode 3 watch 22-24:45
- episode 4 24:45-28:15, 47:45-53:45
- episode 5 watch 43:30-45 (start of GL)
- episode 6 watch 14:40-22:20, 43:15-44:30
- episode 7 watch 6:40-7:15 and 40:50-44:05
- episode 8 watch 14-15:15, 16-17:50, 24:30-25:45, 25:20-34:20 GL, 39-45, 48:50-54:10
- episode 9 watch 5-7:05 and 9:10-14 for GL; watch 20-24:30, 35-37:50 and 41:50-42:40
- episode 10 watch 15-18:20
- episode 11 watch 7:55-22
- episode 12 watch 57:45-1hr 1min

What I Liked
- different plot/aesthetics
- fight scenes seemed well done
- visuals
- showed how things changed in episode 3
- Mei's character felt realistic
- in episode 7 a character quickly resolved a misunderstanding
- twisty*

Room For Improvement
- started in the present and then moved into a flashback which wasn't super clear at first
- what sounded like AI English dubbing in early episodes
- a lot of characters, they could have removed a few/some side plots
- coffee shop guy was smiling while saying it's a shame in episode 3
- two accidental falls in episode 4
- nonsense stuff including the cliche 'you wouldn't understand if I told you', nonsense lighting and zero security cameras
- *though it at times felt too twisty
- in the finale, a character death had zero weight, they didn't show reactions to it at all
- (neutral) wished a character had been out of the hospital before a relationship started
- (neutral) cliffhanger ending, if they end up doing a season 2 I may bump up my rating to a 9

Read More

depiction of mental health struggles (watch suggestions)

Overall: the heart of this series was in the right place, but it took way too much effort to figure out the plot/characters/timeline in this series. 10 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on JC Show YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLalG2smk62xFJiyPLSsGxIW_4Znk24W_j&si=J4IbxX_npVilW4Rf

Watch Suggestions (to focus on the main couple)
- watch episode 1, watch episode 2 stop at 14 min
- episode 3 watch 6-10:40
- skip episode 4
- watch episode 5 beginning to 10:30
- skip episode 6
- watch episode 7 3:45-16:20
- watch episode 8 for the first 6 minutes to clearly explain the plot/what is happening
- watch episode 9 7-end
- can watch all of episode 10 or start at 5:20 to focus on the guys' relationship

Content Warnings: manhandling, mental health struggles, self harm, discussion of bullying, past death

What I Liked
- that they tried for a different type of plot
- sweet/caring moments
- visuals
- good music
- behind the scenes (though it was almost as long as the episodes)

Room For Improvement
- conversation with the doctor in episode 1 took too long
- I realize they were going for more an artsy/experimental vibe but they could have made timeline jumps back and forth more clear and what was a next episode preview, also if they had removed the exes that would have made things more clear (finally clearly explained in episode 8 what the situation was)
- in ep 10, it was a well intended discussion about the important of talking to a doctor, but then the character talked about slowly reducing the medicine if stopping and it made it feel that the goal should be ending medication when some medication is life long and life saving and there should be zero stigma taking it long-term
- should have moved the 15 minute behind the scenes footage to separate videos

Read More

goodish for what it was

Overall: this had only 14 minutes of total run time with a fairly confusing plot. However, I gave it a rating boost as they were open to feedback and it looked like a very indie production (plus they might have to deal with censorship rules). PPeach YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8QwMuXkPNuYrJwq3_Gh6rw4HxMkGaIZy&si=OQx5ByyeKA5DG8D9 (episodes 4-9 need channel Membership for $2.99USD (yellow peach or higher))

Content Warnings: kidnapping/held against will, violence, manipulation

What I Liked
- clear premise at the beginning
- tension
- production value for what I assume was a very indie production
- listened to feedback such as adding subtitles in more languages, re-dubbed some episodes

Room For Improvement
- the episodes are extremely short, would have preferred a 15 minute short movie
- continuity error at the beginning of episode 2 with wearing a different outfit
- perhaps a translation error but he isn't a bodyguard he's a housekeeper
- confused about what the reveal in episode 4 meant, were they related? why were the guys trying to hurt him or where there 2 different set of guys wearing black?
- amnesia trope
- their relationship progression seemed very sudden, particularly with that ending, needed more build up to that and showing why they liked each other

Read More

fans of Cutie Pie will like Cutie Pie 2 You

Overall: I think that fans of the first season will enjoy this second season/special (4 episodes about 50 minutes each). Aired on YouTube. My review of Cutie Pie is here https://kisskh.at/profile/blcompilations/reviews/193979/

Content Warning: non con touching

What I Liked
- supportive friendships between characters especially Kuea and Nuer
- Lian's assistant Foei
- consent issues brought up*
- the intimate scenes, no dead fish lip presses during them
- sweet moments
- production value
- neutral, there are some comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- *this franchise does like 50% of consent really well and 50% poorly, Lian telling Kuea he wouldn't go further due to Kuea being drunk was good (though Kuea didn't look drunk until afterwards and it felt a bit like taking away his agency) but did Lian forget what he did in the first season? Also, why did Kuea have to apologize to his harasser, wth???
- all three couples (Kuea and Lian the most) do not feel like they've been in romantic relationships for a year, they feel like middle schoolers who just started dating, why do you need to ask a long term partner to kiss them, because it was in public? Wouldn't they know their partner's PDA preferences by then??? I feel that they never actually talk to their romantic partners.
- Kuea's repeated reluctance with Lian
- still has the dynamic with two couples of a controlling parental-type and shy/obedient child rather than an equal partner dynamic
- annoyed they went for comedy during Nuer/Syn's scene, that could have been a really lovely intimate scene
- some scenes jumped a bit or were not clear
- the obvious product placement in the final episode
- not a fan of the flash forward at the beginning and then going back to show what happened leading up to it, also annoyed that Lian would do that a second time, doing that in public can actually be kind of manipulative because a person might feel pressured to answer a certain way

Read More

romance with representation

Overall: I enjoyed the leads' dynamic and the representation, but it felt disjointed at times and could have picked up the pace/removed cliched plot points. 13 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (not Taiwan, Korea or Japan) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4835/see-you-love-2024-e01 ; Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40788c-see-your-love ; iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/see-your-love-episode-1-dznrqstnns?lang=en_us ; WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/rigkbvj5a6vdcj1 - make sure to watch the post credit scenes in episode 13 (the finale)

Content Warnings: attempted murder, discrimination, fight, stalking, sexual assault, fight, non con touching, punch, harassment, violence, manhandling

Watch Suggestions (gets rid of cliched plot and nonsense antagonist stuff)
- watch episodes 1-4
- in episode 5 skip 1:15-13:40 (moping)
- episode 6 watch beginning to 3:30 and 14:10 to the end
- watch episode 7
- episode 8 watch 6:30-11
- episode 9 watch 6:45-8:45 and 10-19
- episode 10 watch 5-9:40 and 11:30-end
- episode 11 watch beginning to 3, 9-10:20, 11:05-17 and 20:20-end
- episode 12 watch 3:50-20:50
- episode 13 watch 10:30-14:30, 16-end and watch post credit scenes at 31 minutes

What I Liked
- the lead characters and their dynamic
- supportive family & friend
- representation (I'm not an expert, however it felt realistic)
- sweet/caring moments
- good intimacy in episodes 11 and 13 in particular
- comedy moments (subverted tropes, the parents and what they did in their home, though not sure the purpose unless it was just a prank)
- Plus & Minus cameo (the bartender)
- realistic that the 1 dad didn't do a 180
- wrapped up the characters well in the finale (though the whole beginning part/that plot was unnecessary in my opinion)

Room For Improvement
- the comedy tone didn't always blend well with the serious parts and was not a fan of the frequent comedy sound effects
- pacing could have been tighter (airing 2 episodes per week would have helped with this)
- I couldn't support the side couple based on something and then they waited way too long to reveal a key piece of information (post credits in episode 13)
- the villains thinking/actions made no sense, felt 'because the writer said so'
- inconsistent world building, how did a character not know something in episode 3 during a video call
- too much moping in episode 5
- episode 6 felt disjointed with the two plots
- nonsense stuff (it was broad daylight and suddenly total darkness/night)
- business stuff/meetings I cared nothing about
- too many flashbacks
- too many near kisses/long stares
- too many voiceovers
- cliche female characters actions though there was character growth
- started episode 13 with a recap and then a flashforward

Read More

enjoyable romance series

Overall: it was enjoyable but a few things make it not a 10/10 for me

Content Warnings: fixation on being thin, past bullying

What I Liked
- that the leads had nice skinship not just 1 kiss right at the end
- they did have some good communication and conversations (until they didn't but at least there wasn't a long time gap)
- funny parts like how they were in the same group all of the time
- cute parts like holding hands
- I appreciate that they both apologized for mistakes made
- avoided the drunken kiss dub con scenario
- avoided dead fish lip press
- the hint of f/f romance
- production value

Room For Improvement
- I didn't get why either one fell for the other one, especially Daun for Siwon who was super prickly
- some choppy parts, how did Siwon get Daun's number? For the bookstore if Siwon had just given 1 line because I was so confused at what he was doing until he explained it all later.
- the last episode especially I was pretty confused about what was real/not real
- I don't understand why the male friend expressed a romantic interest in the female artist, they could have just omitted that part and focused on the GL part

Read More

good premise with flawed execution

Overall: I'm rating it a bit higher though because of the unique premise and that I couldn't tell how this was going to end unlike pretty much every other BL I've seen. Watching on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: multiple deaths, blood, dub con kissing and sex? (drunk), stalking, past domestic abuse

What I Like
- some cute moments, especially towards the end
- some funny moments
- sick people actually looked sick (i.e. didn't have flawless make up and hair)
- showed how doctors/medical staff do get sad/stressed
- good communication between Tua and Prakan in the final episode
- the ending before the final time jump
- (neutral) the accidental fall/tropes, it's cringey but I still like them

Room For Improvement
- immature and stupid characters, also some really bad communication skills
- nonsense medical things (pretty sure you don't operate on your family members)
- at one point we end up in an endless loop rehashing the same plot points over and over again
- major plot holes, some of which could have been explained with a short dialogue
- Metha was annoying almost the entire series
- poor communication with the m/m side couple but seemed like it only lasted a day or two
- three couples all had rushed romantic endings, at least one should have developed earlier on
- the awful camera angles during kissing scenes
- slow pacing most of the time, watched on a faster speed
- the ending, too many time jumps = poor writing and that very end part was not my thing at all

Read More

adorable adaptation

Overall: the first episodes really wowed me with honoring the source material/Japanese series but putting its own Thai touch on it. There were a few items I wish had been done differently but a solid romcom that I enjoyed. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Airing on VIU with English subtitles (you need a VPN first set to Thailand and then click on the link) https://www.viu.com/ott/th/en/vod/2281332/Cherry-Magic-30-ยังซิง

Content Warnings: harassment, manhandling, body shaming, non con recording, vomiting, homophobia

What I Liked
- good reference to the manga
- sweet/cute moments
- funny parts
- good kissing/intimacy
- Achi and Karan had some solid communication and cleared up misunderstandings relatively quickly
- Achi's parents
- Karan's sister talking to their parents
- production value

Room For Improvement
- though I looked forward to the increased runtime, it ended up dragging a little at certain points
- happy they avoided the episode 11 curse but that was a stupid "plan"
- similar to the manga (but dissimilar to the Japanese live action) Karan was too grabby a few times with Achi
- space sound they sometimes had when Achi heard inner thoughts
- cat looked very well fed/taken care of for a stray cat
- did the dancer's hair change color at times? (continuity error?)
- disappointed with Pai's character, she gave an awesome empowerment speech towards the beginning of the series and then they had her go a very familiar route
- the m/m couple needed more screentime/development shown
- overt product placement is a negative as compared to the Japanese series but I didn't take off points for product placements as it funds series
- GMMTV should have released that statement right when they removed the first 2 episodes from YouTube at the end of December instead of 3 months later admitting that it was their fault for the lack of international release (did not take off points from my review)

(updated April 6th 2024 after GMMTV's official statement) https://twitter.com/GMMTV/status/1776414522393391494
International Release: on December 20th 2023 after 2 episodes aired on YouTube internationally, GMMTV stated that it could no longer air Cherry Magic internationally. It then aired on VIU to those in Thailand (had English subtitles). Finally 3 months later GMMTV release an official statement saying that due to their mistake with the contract they cannot air the series outside of Thailand and are working on copyright and licensing for every country. Let this be a lesson to all production companies to clearly state in your contract international streaming rights.

Read More

a travel ad with a sweet couple hidden inside, read my comment with spoiler for the ending

Overall: I'm not a fan of love triangles and they botched the ending in the uncut version, but it had some natural and sweet moments with a beautiful setting. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on WeTV uncut (ep 1 had a steamy dream sequence) https://wetv.vip/en/play/5fq35scvkivzb61/f4101ahdlpc-EP01%3A_I_Promise_l_Will_Comeback_(Uncut_ver.) and cut https://wetv.vip/en/play/xtdec2zi85eqk1e/l4101wa8qde-EP01A%3A_I_Promise_I_Will_Comeback ; later aired the cut version on YouTube for free https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlEgr3uWfHDkOyqsePjtntPJCvBDl9qxo&si=folb1DJzW3LLZbp7 and the uncut version on YouTube for channel members

Content Warnings: blood, held against will (major content warning, read my comment)

Watch Suggestions (to remove the love triangles and focus on the m/m couple, these are the cut timings)
- skip episode 1 (though uncut has a steamy dream around 37 minutes)
- episode 2 watch part A 7:10-12:30, part B beginning-9:40, part C beginning-2 and 6:15-end (2 minutes less in cut version, seemed to have shortened the shower scene at the end which was fine because it dragged on too long in the uncut)
- episode 3 watch part B 2:25-4:50 and 6:10-9 if you like singing, part C 3:10-5:30 (episode 3 seemed to be the same length)
- episode 4 could watch part A 5:40-6, all of part B, part C beginning-4:30, 13:30-15:50 (uncut watch 5:40-7:20 which was shortened in the cut version)
- episode 5 watch part A 7:40-end, part B 4:10-9:20 and all of part C (uncut watch 24-28:05 which was shortened in the cut version)
- episode 6 watch part A 6:20-8:45, part B beginning-5 and 10-end, part C 2-13:40 (and stop here unless you want to use a box of tissues)

What I Liked
- scenery
- matching each other's goofiness
- sweet and caring moments
- realistic conversations/flirting
- best dream in EP 1 uncut around 37 min
- the uncle and mom
- consent in episode 5
- that the friend confessed and then was respectful
- production value (one of the lead actors Tontae pitched this to 9NAA who rejected it and he went on to produce it himself)

Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward montage
- multiple love triangles
- the stuff with dog poop
- two bloody noses in episode 2
- continuity errors like tissue in nose and then it vanished in episode 2
- the 3rd wheel woman in episode 3
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- replaying 4 minutes of the end of the last episode at the beginning of the next episode is way too long
- too many flashback montages
- they really messed up the ending in the uncut version, it was just too much to be believable

Read More

quirky romcom with some darker aspects

Overall: I enjoyed the fantasy aspect and the dynamics ,but too much time was spent on the villains. 10 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4962/caged-again-2024-e01 and WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/b3s2uqh9es211rf

Content Warnings: fight, manipulation, kidnapping, held against will/injury, bullying, trauma, illegal activities, attempted murder, violence, blood, grief

What I Liked
- dynamic between the MLs
- an inexperienced character who was intelligent and stood up for himself (that walk in that orange top was amazing)
- sweet/caring moments
- the ghost/goddess character
- I laughed several times
- some mystery
- Porsch & Arm
- had a realistic fight followed by apologies
- episode 10 wrapped up well

Room For Improvement
- a bit choppy at times, started with a flash forward and then went back and forth on the timeline especially in the beginning of episode 2, some scenes jumped from one to the next a bit abruptly
- wish they had kept 1 aspect more secret
- odd, why wouldn't he just want to go to the other pole where they do live
- cliche thing that happened in the beginning of episode 2
- that was not enough consequences at the end of episode 2 or later
- (neutral) comedy sound effects, mostly fine except I didn't like the gulp noises
- nonsense/because the writer said so stuff: why was the truck be parked there and how did no teacher/staff notice what was going on, why weren't the police been contacted on multiple occasions, odd reasoning for not going to the hospital
- too much time spent on the villains, could have tightened up pacing in places
- the first time gap was too long without communication

Read More

could have been amazing

Overall: this had a slice of life vibe with two realistically flawed life long friends. Unfortunately, it fell into the trap of many KBLs before it, too broad of a plot and not enough runtime. 8 episodes about 20 minutes each, aired on iQIYI and GagaOOLala (depending on your country).

Content Warnings: hit/slap

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- sweet moments
- few funny moments like arguing over who pays
- realistic home lives and stress
- showed students studying for entrance exams
- avoided a cliche plot point towards the end but it was weird they didn't show the confrontation at all

Room For Improvement
- this is one of the few romances where I did not want the leads to end up together, did he kiss him only because he wanted to keep him in his life? Did he actually romantically love him at all? I wish they had had a conversation about this. Instead they are suddenly dating for 62 then 100 days. And that ending reminded me of 2gether...
- like many KBL, this suffered from a lack of runtime, scenes jumped from one to another and the flashbacks didn't help, some scenes were too short and were not well connected
- that awful camera blocked kiss
- needed to differentiate flashbacks more, they really should have gotten rid of them and just told the story in a linear fashion
- the cliche wannabe girlfriend but also that he gave her very mixed signals though he even says he rejected her (he didn't really...), later on he says that's how he is (so kind of a jerk), which is fine but now I'm nervous he'll be a jerk to his boyfriend in the future because they didn't show any character growth
- wanted the star struck to be explained sooner than episode 4

Read More

slice of life with pacing issue

Overall: I enjoyed the slice of life feel but the beginning dragged and then the ending felt rushed. Aired on iQIYI and on YouTube (varies by country)

Content Warnings: a slap/punch not between the 2 leads, manhandling, vomiting, and something else at the end that is a major spoiler

What I Liked
- opposite personalities, a slacker/carefree extrovert and a studious introvert
- shows the power of representation, how Eiw thought he couldn't be happy because of the movie he saw whereas Cake had seen guys happy and figured he could have that too
- cool that they released it on August 12th and that was the day circled on the calendar in the intro animation and the 12 is in the title
- cute and funny moments
- the friend relationships, sibling relationships
- avoiding a certain cliche trope in the 2nd the last episode
- displays of consent
- color grading

Room For Improvement
- it was too slow and felt repetitive but then at the end felt really rushed
- Cake's extreme possessiveness and jealousy wasn't cute, telling Eiw he had to change clothes and couldn't talk to Cake's friends was not fun to watch
- Cake not checking/discussing with Eiw about some really important things that involved them both
- Kung, time and place dude, time and place
- the PSA in the last two episodes was heavy handed (and also you can't say that with total certainty)
- everyone pressuring Eiw in the final episode, let him be

Read More

conflicted on this series

Overall: I'm fairly conflicted on the series as there are parts I really liked and parts I really did not like. Just know going in that this isn't a light and fluffy series (although it does have some of those moments) I'll bump it up to 7.5 if it gets an official international release.

Content Warnings: physical and emotional abuse, punches, manhandling, homophobia, attempted murder, murder, trauma, grief, mental illness, past character deaths, manipulation, body shaming, bullying, stalking, drugging, violence, voyeurism

What I Liked
- addressing serious issues like homophobia, there are some truly excellent conversations that occur
- I think the series is almost a cautionary tale of what happens when you don't accept your children for who they are, Nut was such a sweetie but then continued the cycle of abuse that he endured
- I was into the soap opera feel, I actually wanted more twists (Nueng isn't actually dead dun dun dun, Sib and his brother switched spots dun dun dun)
- I think the actors did a good job
- the cute/fluffy moments
- Gen's parents were great
- although the furniture animation was creepy, the talking furniture grew on me (and finally we found the Mrs. Left Slipper!!!)
- Song's dad character growth/apology
- the GL at the very end, though I wish it would have started sooner

Room For Improvement
- no amount of past trauma excuses Nut's behavior and few apologies don't make everything alright. Nut does the following: screams at his mom and Tofu several times, runs Tofu down, punches Tofu on more than 1 occasion, pulls both his mom and Tofu by the arm, kicks Tofu, kicks Tofu out of the house, treats Tofu like a servant, embarrasses Tofu in front of Nut's friend and friend's parents, drives like a maniac and makes Tofu throw up, uses Tofu to get back at his mom. Nut needs to go to therapy and anger management classes asap and not be in any romantic relationship. Oh, and Nut also sabotages his friend Gen's kind of relationship - because Nut wasn't a big enough a**hole already. In the final episode it says he is seeing a doctor for "emotional fatigue" is that a code word for "anger management problems", he was still yelling to the end and I didn't see character growth from him in this area.
- the side couple also annoyed me. It took Gen waaaayyyy too long to open up to Song.
- I was confused when they switched to the other plot line with Tarn in the beginning, I thought it was the script that Nut had written
- multiple cliche evil women who refuse to leave men alone who clearly don't love them
- several characters making truly dumb decisions
- it was odd that Nut and Tofu didn't actually have much physical affection shown once they were together, there were countless near kisses, I'd have been fine with occasional pecks on the cheek
- sudden/odd teacher redemption arc (did her son come out as gay and she changed her opinion from a few weeks/months ago?? ) This was too sudden/unexplained for me
- the mom made it sound like she caused her own mental illness and was blaming herself
- lack of consequences for several characters who did terrible things
- I don't know that I liked Nut's mom telling him everything, it felt like she was doing it to ease her guilty conscious instead of being helpful for Nut
- the whole ending with Tofu feels icky, I wasn't blindsided like another well known series, but he can see/hear everything and Nut doesn't know that...
- I was bored sometimes and mostly watched it at a faster speed

Read More

My new favorite Korean BL

Overall: I read part of the manhwa and novel that the series is based on and I think they did a really wonderful adaptation. This is a good example of narrowing the focus to fewer characters/romantic relationships to fit it in a shorter runtime. Watched on Viki, also aired on Gagaoolala in some regions. (minor spoilers)

Content Warnings: bullying/harassment, non con/dub con kiss (sleeping)

What I Liked
- the character aesthetics/styling
- good side characters like Yu Na (also that reference to her being bi was awesome), we avoided the evil woman cliche
- I really liked that Jae Young‬ actually left Sang Woo‬ alone a couple of times instead of the aggressive pursuit/stalking that is frequently romanticized
- the music fit well
- the whimsical editing in the beginning linked it to the manhwa
- funny parts like all the plaid shirts and some sassy responses
- the color symbology (going to have to re-watch again and pay attention)
- good production value (and English subs were added quickly)

Room For Improvement
- more lip ring was needed
- it felt a bit choppy in areas like we ended at once place and then the next scene is a different location/time, also not sure how much time has passed in between certain scenes and it would have been nice to know
- I wish Jae Young had actually followed Sang Woo's physical touch boundaries for more than 1 episode or they had had a discussion to adjust the boundaries in a later episode

Read More