BL Compilations

promising start that fizzled (watch suggestions)

Overall: I was excited after watching the first episode, but the thin plot swam in circles. 10 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4205/at-2500-in-akasaka-2024-e01

Watch Suggestions
- watch episode 1
- watch episode 7 until 21:50 or the whole thing (this explained why a character liked another character)
- watch episode 2 at 17 to the end if you enjoy dating scenes/montages
- can skip episode 3, there is a short cuddle around 15 min
- can watch ep 4 at 6:30 for a sensual gnocchi making scene and 21:30 for a brief kiss
- can watch ep 5 around 10 minutes for a hot bod and 19:20-20:40 for meh kisses
- watch ep 6 beginning to 10 minutes
- skip episode 8
- watch episode 9 at 3:30-5 and 10:20-12
- watch episode 10 (can end at 14 minutes or watch to the end)

What I Liked
- premise was set up well, the end of episode 1 was awesome
- the kneading dough scene was sensual (needed more scenes like that)
- managers cared about their actors
- that they looked realistically sweaty in episode 10 during the NSFW scene

Room For Improvement
- voice over for plot set up and voice overs in general
- slow pacing
- waited until episode 7 to show why one character was extremely attracted to the other character, this was much too late
- in episode 6 nearly doing something when the other person was sleeping
- cliche overheard something, made a stupid assumption, then ghosted/refused to communicate (communicated halfway thru episode 10 which was too late)
- a character said he had no idea how to reach the other character....I don't know maybe try....talking... #sarcasm
- some lackluster kisses
- odd wide shots during intimate scenes made me feel detached, I couldn't feel the characters' emotions
- episode 10 had a natural stopping point and then the ending half felt anti-climactic with the behind the scenes part, them acting in the series, them watching the series, then suddenly a different scene.

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Happy Modern Day Romeo & Juliet

Overall: they did many things right but there were still some flaws/things I wish had been different. (minor spoilers below) Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/39522c-bad-buddy

Content Warnings: fights, slap (not between m/m ship)

What I Liked
- Ohm and Nanon's acting, amazing, great chemistry well done kiss scenes
- the tropes that were subverted such as cute food sharing, the "gay for you" trope
- the protagonists actually communicated with each other, they apologize to one another, care for each other, the great examples of consent, really a wonderful relationship to watch
- there is a mix of seriousness with humor (Pat's flirt skills were top notch)
- we got the backstory/set up right away, it was clear when there were flashbacks
- the director's cameo
- avoiding a super cliched/stupid ending
- some pretty well done product placements

Room For Improvement
- I think there were maybe too many flashbacks/songs in the final episode, I wanted a good scene with each of the parents.
- Wai's redemption arc was so stupid. He should have been groveling but Pran apologizes to him?? He does the bare minimum for being a decent human and all is forgiven, I disliked this whole episode. For me, what Wai did is pretty close to unforgivable.
- the four parents lied to their children and put them thru so much distress. They owe Pat and Pran huge apologies and none of them apologized to their children. Also, they appear to know their children are in a romantic relationship at the end but then don't tell them so they have to keep sneaking around, wth???!!! Grow up (to the parents, especially Pat's dad, go an apologize to Pran's mom)
- there is never a reason to slap your child, never a reason to slap anyone unless in self defense
- the plot/editing was pretty choppy from episode to episode a few times. I thought 'did I miss something when we were in a different location possibly different day?'
- time passing wasn't clear and felt rushed. I remember once I saw a "Sophomore Year" at the beginning of an episode, weren't they Freshmen, so a year plus had passed? This should have been 2 seasons or more, 1 in high school and 1-2 in college/beyond. 
- they were fixated on the husband and wife terms which seemed unnecessary, can't two guys be husband and husband???
- that Pat's sister was doing Pat's laundry, do your own laundry
- technical issues or delayed subs with the YouTube premiere (I'm super excited that it's on YouTube, but at this point GMMTV should have the staff/knowledge how to make a glitch-free premiere with the English subs on)
- the title "Bad Buddy", something with Rival like "Next Door Rival" would have been a better title

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Thai romcom with a ton of product placement

Overall: it's a fairly standard Thai romcom except it lost me around the halfway mark. I have not read the manga this is based on and I tried to review this adaptation on its own merits instead of comparing it to the Japanese live action adaptation of the same name. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later re-aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40921c-my-love-mix-up

Content Warning: slap

What I Liked
- clear premise
- lighthearted romcom
- sweet moments
- the bike riding scene
- that Kongthap gave it serious thought in ep 1
- made something clear at the end of episode 2 instead of dragging it out
- My School President Easter egg in episode 3
- good established m/m couple
- a character wanted physical affection
- the Chinzilla band cameo in ep 11

Room For Improvement
- the intro scene and then the voice over that re-told what we already knew
- the overused comedy sound effects detracted from the comedy
- felt draggy
- camera blocked kisses (I realize the towel was from the manga but they didn't have to follow the manga exactly and then even the het couple had a camera blocked kiss)
- nonsense stuff, they didn't even show the props that they decorated
- I still hated the slap but at least there was an apology
- a teacher asking a student about their love life
- running after a car was not cute
- this might have the most product placements that I've ever seen, but I didn't really take off points because series like this allow GMMTV to make series like Not Me

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fire chemistry, lackluster plot (watch suggestions)

Overall: the plot was a mess, but the leads' chemistry was good. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each (episode 1 was 45:51). Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-boy-next-world-episode-1-1dszq3d8c3o?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: blood, violence off screen, non con touching, manipulation, coercion, child abuse, past harassment, past cyber bullying, past suicide, past death, non/dub con kiss, punch, slap, non con picture taking

Watch Suggestions (focus on sweet/steamy parts)
- episode 1 skip 5:30-18:45
- episode 2 watch 8:30-11 and 13-40, 44:30-end
- episode 3 skip 18:45-31:30, 27:30-32 and 40-42:45
- episode 4 skip 20:50-44:20
- episode 5 skip 23-30:30, 31:40-39 and 47-end
- episode 6 watch 20-25, (can go to 27 if you enjoy singing), 35:40-38 and 43-52:30
- episode 7 watch beginning-52:05
- skip episode 8
- episode 9 watch beginning-9, peck at 28:50
- episode 10 watch 13:30-18:10, 42:45-43:15, 50-53, 57-end

What I Liked
- intro got my attention
- excellent chemistry/intimacy
- sweet moments
- in episode 3 the blue vs orange lighting for their apartments

Room For Improvement
- Cir was extremely manipulative and never told the truth, the other lead found out at the end of episode 9
- Phu acted like a child (who calls their university friends to complain about not finding their underwear), update, this wasn't as bad in future episodes and Phu questions why Cir likes him/brings up valid points but his room is filled with stuffed animals and he still has a child-like persona
- extremely disappointed in the world building, (random superpower appeared in ep 4), exposition dump in episode 8 to explain the world building
- in episode 2 the friends argued way too long
- the mom character/drama, can't believe that was how they resolved things with her
- nonsense: someone who is very ill who would want to do that, he's an adult and does not need to maintain his "deal" with his mom
- cliche, 'I need to tell you something important', 'I don't want to hear it now' (plenty of time to say was it was)
- cliche evil wannabe wife
- cringey singing in the apology video
- (neutral) there were some comedy sound effects but at least they weren't the entire time

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Thame & Po were the draw for me (watch suggestions)

Overall: because the title had the two lead characters' names in it, I had assumed that the focus would be on them. Unfortunately, a lot of time was spent on love rival/business drama. For example, in the finale, Thame & Po had about 16 minutes of screentime together (some of which was in a group setting) out of 50 minutes. 13 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI6eWPdbwhJyylqwlR63KrTz&si=cyrNicpZBAKiWPWl as well as Netflix

Content Warning: punch, manipulation, cyberbullying

Watch Suggestions (to focus on Thame and Po)
- watch episodes 1-3
- episode 4 part 2 watch 4:30-6, and watch part 4
- episode 5 part 1 watch to 10:30 (or can watch all), part 4 skip 4:30-10 unless you enjoy group singing and more group time
- episode 6 part 1 watch beginning to 6, part 2 watch 5-end, part 4 watch 7:30-end
- episode 7 watch all of part 1, part 3 watch 3:20-5:20 and 8-10, part 4 watch 8-end
- episode 8 watch part 1 beginning to 3:45 and part 4 5:40-end
- watch episode 9
- episode 10 watch part 1 beginning-5:40 and 13:30-end, part 2 watch 5:10-7:35, part 4 watch 11:40-end
- episode 11 watch part 1 2:30-10:15, part 2 2-6:30 (and then skip the rest unless you enjoy angst)
- episode 12 part 4 watch 8:25-end (unless you enjoy angst/making plans)
- episode 13 watch part 2 0-1:10 (unless you enjoy making plans/performances), part 3 6:20-end and all of part 4

What I Liked
- the set up was woven in well (with the interview and information about the band) instead of a blatant exposition dump
- Po's supportive friend
- how both Po's and Thame's past experiences shaped their current views of the situation
- liked getting to know one another in episode 4 over the phone
- how Nano put the tent together really easily and his facial expressions/reactions
- caring moments
- intimacy
- showing the stresses of being a celebrity
- some of the kisses were not dead fish lip presses
- production value/music (the lack of "comedy" sound effects is nice)

Room For Improvement
- the love rival had way too much screentime which could have gone to sweet Thame & Po moments
- too much with the other bandmates, wanted more interaction with Thame & Po
- the "I can explain" but doesn't explain/other person doesn't wait for an explanation
- gulp sound effect
- the interruption and then felt a bit sudden when they entered Po's apartment
- that Po didn't get rid of that stuff until he was forced to
- nonsense stuff i.e. phone battery lasting 10+ hours, not being on the down low in public (not wearing a mask and holding hands in public), a character was an antagonist and then in the finale had a sudden change of heart
- two dead fish lip presses and the angles/drawn out time made it worse
- the ex was wasted screentime, overall this could have been tight 8 episodes focused on Thame and Po

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historical masterpiece

Overall: I applaud the writers for giving us this series. I read the book but reviewed the series on its own merits. The cut version is 45 minutes and uncut episodes were over an hour. Aired on YouKu app, GagaOOLala (uncut), YYDS YT channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoqdmwJPCU35AqHWHKLdr5RWqQhBiVl61 (depending on your country) Check out these 2 official movie cuts which center on Yai & Jom
Part 1 of Jom & Yai’s Epic Love Story https://youtu.be/Tt5-Wa5z3RE
Part 2 of Jom & Yai’s Epic Love Story https://youtu.be/vT-HG57Nt7w

Content Warnings: (there were major content warnings that I put under a spoiler)

What I Liked
- sweet moments and excellent chemistry
- finally we had well written female characters instead of cliche stereotypes, these women acted/felt/reacted how real women would
- strong messages without being corny, they showed the unfairness of wealth disparities, they addressed something that happened in episode 3 as traumatic and not romantic, we almost never see this between a married couple in fiction though it sadly happens in real life and then they showed the trauma of what can result from that circumstance
- unique premise
- that Jom had agency
- intimate scenes were done extremely well
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Jom was a bit frustrating in the first half though he really went thru a lot, I blame the editing for unnecessary long pauses
- the ending was extremely rushed and not really clear of what exactly happened, they could have condensed some of the side plots/scenes in the first half of the series to more fully show the ending
- that mustache was awful and not needed in ep 1
- Jom should have said quietly what the year was when he learned who that ruler was as international fans don't know the date (but it's in the series summary)

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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

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good chemistry (watch suggestions)

Overall: gorgeous visuals and good chemistry but the plot wasn't for me. This was based on a book "Love Sea" written by MAME which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 10 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/love-sea-episode-1-214nh5b3jss?lang=en_us and Me Mind Y's YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFnFjT24wVPVSz08c1vwf6_uNZbuR5chv&si=SqVu_g5ljGLNiQ1Y (worldwide except Japan). There is an extra scene after the initial credits in episodes and at the very end of the last episode. Me Mind Y also produced: Wedding Plan, Love In The Air, Don't Say No & TharnType.

Content Warnings: past child abuse and intimate partner violence, blood, manhandling, trauma/mental health struggles, colorism, non con touching turned consensual, punch, coercion

Watch Suggestions (focuses on the main couple and cuts out a lot of villains/angst)
- watch episodes 1-3
- watch episode 4, 13:45-20, 43:30-47, 52:30 to the end
- watch episode 5, could skip 23:30-46:25 which was some of the GL and an annoying character
- watch episode 6, beginning to 15:20, 19:20-24, 49:15-end
- watch episode 7, beginning to 13, cameo at 36 min and 39-43
- start episode 8 at 8, brief hug at 17, watch 28:50-31:12, 35-45:30, 58 to the end
- start episode 9 at 15:20
- watch episode 10, beginning to 10 and then to skip a lot of moping angst start at 1hr4min and watch until the end (extra scene at the very end)

What I Liked
- scuba diving intro/scenery
- visuals
- supportive brother/wingman and Vie was also supportive
- chemistry/intimate scenes
- sweet moments
- indicated condom usage
- a public service announcement about the importance of coral reefs
- good that Tongrak stands up for Mahasamut in episode 5
- easter egg of the Love Sea book
- cameo in episode 7
- child actor did a good job
- Mahasamut was intelligent, had pretty solid communication but also had self-respect

Room For Improvement
- had a bit of whiplash/reactions in first episodes
- comedy sound effects like a baby crying detracted from the comedy
- an evil character got punched but then there was the 'we'll contact the police if he does terrible stuff again' nonsense
- 'because the writer said so stuff' i.e. Vie's "plan", a character acted unrealistically whiny

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unique premise with a great start

Overall: I appreciated the premise and production value; however, I thought there could have been improvements with the plots/characters. Adapted from the book Euthanasia: Spare Me Your Mercy by Sammon which I haven't read and I reviewed this series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/spare-me-your-mercy-episode-1-1e3q3w4ts14?lang=en_us and cut on One31 YouTube channel (not in Japan, Korea, Taiwan or Thailand) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXopbKxiivxrgJk-EvQLFVdakJlFviiix&si=aaqj7i0CX2sAeIVP - the first episode cut version was about 1 minute shorter than the uncut version. Later aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41050c-spare-me-your-mercy

Content Warnings: there were several major ones in the first episode and in subsequent episodes, but I kept this review spoiler free

What I Liked
- unique premise
- mystery element
- countryside setting
- discussed the ethics of someone making choices about their life, including at the end of their life
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the first scene as a character set up/voice over exposition dump, subsequent exposition dumps
- stupid characters/actions that felt "because the writer said so"
- reveals happened too early
- chemistry felt hot/cold, wasn't sold on the romance aspect
- the open ending

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start at episode 56

Overall: this has one of my most hated characters, a character who is a total jerk to the supposed love of his life (and this time he sexually assaults him). Start at episode 56. 81 episodes about 1.5 minutes each. You can watch episodes 1-12 on their YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO-UMZQa-AK62FVuT4bTbaGya2tKvk9k-&si=URrj_dF5OPwK6hFH I initially watched on their website https://portal.qustory.online/ - the rest are behind a paywall. QuStory also has an Android app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bean.qunovel and seems to have mainly books.

Content Warnings: past murder, attempted murder, sexual assault, ptsd/trauma, manipulation, blood, non con kiss, fight, child abuse, unwanted outing, homophobia, drugging?

What I Liked
- story premise was understandable
- accidental fall and catch
- visuals
- kisses
- production value

Room For Improvement
- a character being Mr. Hyde outwardly but Dr. Jekyll internally, the sexual assault was awful and ruined their relationship for me
- didn't understand if the mom had a plan or what that whole thing was with the room
- what happened in episode 12
- cliche zero communication skills
- cliche overheard part of conversation and ran away
- four years apart after already having been apart for 3 years
- dodged physical affection after reuniting at the airport/in the car

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slow frequency

Overall: a promising start was bogged down by slow pacing, nonsense plot things and a lack of chemistry. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on Kantana Kol YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, violence, coercion, manipulation, vomiting, drug dealing, non con picture taking

What I Liked
- Thames' manager and Mon's friend?/sister? was a good wingwoman
- Thames bought lube at that convenience store
- good reveal in ep 7
- ep 8 glad they didn't go a cliche plot route at the beginning
- negative consequences for the evil doer
- production value, natural light towards the end of ep 4

Room For Improvement
- the series moved really slowly at times
- because they didn't show right away why Thames liked Mon I couldn't enjoy their sweet moments (and even then that's a pretty weak reason to like someone that much)
- the first scene was horror/serious which then didn't fit with the fluffy intro, eventually we do learn what happened in the past
- not much world building/convenient world building (can't taste food, then randomly can taste food)
- nonsense plot things (terrible unbodyguards, why did the other ghosts look like zombies?, why is a stroke victim getting an mri and then appears to be totally fine a couple days later? why are they at docks but there is zero boats/water?)
- flashback transitions needed to be more clear
- very choppy, they'd be somewhere and then suddenly somewhere else
- dead fish lip presses

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mostly quirky fun

Overall: though I enjoyed the funny/sweet parts, they needed to reduce the episode count to really make it quirky awesomeness. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/89w1vvkv6zpo6wf and GagaOOLala everywhere except Japan, https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4297/knock-knock-boys-2024-e01

Content Warnings: non con touching/voyeurism, dub/non con kiss, non con video taking/sharing, unwanted public outing, beginning/attempted sexual assault, punches, past death/grief

What I Liked
- finally we had a character who was inexperienced and also very interested in romance/sex
- supportive friends
- showing instead of telling i.e. they showed a character was rich and naive instead of just saying it right away
- laughed several times
- characters established as queer, pansexuality was explained
- good dreams
- sweet moments
- glad they talked about consent but not sure why they needed actual toys at the club meeting (and fyi petroleum jelly degrades toys)
- calling out invasion of privacy/posting pictures online and there were actual consequences
- Thanwa's friend/boss had great advice
- good apologies
- good consent with Latte stopping on 2 different occasions
- Almond's mom
- lack of episode 11 curse
- well done final episode
- 2 characters from Monster Next Door had cameos in ep 12
- production value (some nice camera shots like with the wall in episode 6)

Room For Improvement
- need to reduce the episode count as things felt dragged out, I was tempted to write out to skip episode 11 but this does really explain a character's previous actions (or inactions)
- how they started the episodes with a flash forward and then moved to the present so the episode didn't pick up where it left off from the previous week
- a character told his female friend something that he had no right to tell her
- I couldn't root for a character to be in a romantic relationship until they cleared up what happened in the past, they mostly cleared it up but wanted this information sooner
- Peak and Jane could have easily explained things to Thanwa much earlier, definitely 'because the writer said so' stuff
- not a fan of what Almond did at the end of episode 2 and then again later
- too many near kisses
- toilet humor
- drunk driving after a party
- that the playboy character who was pansexual didn't believe in love due to his past, this played into stereotypes
- didn't make sense that neither Almond or Latte suggested trying something different, waiting until the final episode definitely felt like 'because the writer said so'

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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

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AMAZING NSFW scene in ep 10

Overall: although I struggled with parts of this series, there were things that I really liked specifically the intimacy was fantastic. Wish it had a wider release. Aired on WeTV, likely need a vpn to Thailand and WeTV subscription to watch officially.

Content Warnings: beginning sexual assault, non con kiss, kidnapping, violence/fight, vomiting, non con picture taking, unwanted outing

What I Liked
- the NSFW scenes/kissing looked like people who actually wanted to kiss (starts in ep 6), also the communication during/after was good, that ep 10 (around 5min) scene was mind-blowingly good, props to the actors and whoever staged that scene
- ongoing physical affection
- cute/sweet/caring moments
- supportive friendships, supportive mom
- at the very end of the last episode, that was adorable and rarely seen, I know it's difficult to have that in some countries but it is possible and happy to see it represented
- calling out drunk driving (eventually)

Room For Improvement
- what in the world was that weird frat hazing mixed in with dorm/sorting hat stuff? They could have just had 2 dorms that had a long history of rivalry and spent that screen time elsewhere
- several stupid "plans", why spend 5 minutes talking to someone when you can do nothing/have a "plan" for 3 years #sarcasm
- multiple couples and the side couples could have used more time/development
- confused with the relationships between all the characters
- should have removed the comedy sound effects and silly music, I did not find most things funny
- overused tropes like getting a fever from being out in the rain, gay for you trope
- I was bored with the school parts though it's good they show students actually doing schoolwork
- can we please be done with the non con kisses, kiss someone when you are sure they are awake

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Sweet but nonsensical/annoying plot devices

Overall: this is a 33 minute short movie that has some sweet moments but I was really irritated by several plot holes/nonsense plot things.

Content Warnings: non con kiss (eyes were closed and was not expecting it)

What I Liked
- the sweet moments
- the color grading
- the shipper friends were cute but why start now*
- a few nice flirts and a nice comeback
- the second kiss scene was fairly well done

Room For Improvement (spoilers)
- *the main issue is why on earth would you wait three years to reveal your identity to someone that you like and take secret pictures of them? The writer/s should have made this a shorter time frame like 3 months or given an explanation (such as the other guy had to leave the country for school or something)
- there is no context in the beginning of where they are, what they are doing there and what the 2 main protagonists' relationship is with each other (school acquaintances?)
- odd that he says he almost drowned there, then says just kidding, then immediately explained how he almost drowned there
- who leaves someone who almost died before medical professionals arrive?
- how does someone who is barely conscious take a ring off of someone's finger?
- I hate when people/characters "test" a relationship especially in that way
- he read his diary and that's supposed to be romantic instead of a violation of privacy
- he secretly took pictures of him for 3 years and that's supposed to be romantic instead of stalker behavior

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