4
4
Content Warnings: bullying, homophobia, slap, choke, fight, non con video recording, blackmail
What I Liked
- great to see Holland and the cameo with Hong Seok-Cheon
- attempt at sex education though it felt a bit preachy
- non dead fish lip press kisses (though there was some camera blocks)
Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward and voice over
- they tried to have too many characters/cover too much and so the main pair felt underdeveloped, not totally sold on the redemption arc
- lack of satisfying consequences for the main bully
- there was an extra scene after the end credits which I did not understand
- subtitles were pretty rough but I understood the overall gist (did not take off points)
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Thai romcom
Overall: this is the epitome of a Thai romcom. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel, playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI72NwYDLdpMM17t-B-9BvTB&si=1Jdv5bf4kpg-sShr ; later re-aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40694c-only-booContent Warnings: held against will, harassment, past death, non con video taking/sharing/unwanted public outing, manipulation
What I Liked
- clear premise
- a few central characters
- cute moments
- supportive friends
- Kang's supportive mom and that Moo's mom was smart and saw thru him (not a fan of how Moo's mom later though)
- briefly addressed a downside of shipping culture
Room For Improvement
- wish Kang had shown Moo some interest instead of showing distaste and then turning his back to show the viewer that he enjoyed Moo's flirting for the first 5 episodes
- after a clear rejection in an episode, I wanted Kang to be the one to approach Moo but unfortunately it was once again Moo
- comedy sound effects were excessive and detracted from the comedy
- cliche/not needed angst towards the end (to avoid this you can stop watching at episode 10 part 2, 10 minutes and start it again at episode 12 part 2 at 4 minutes
- a CEO suddenly changed his mind felt like 'because the writer said so'
- the time jump and then a voice over exposition dump at the end of the series
- could have condensed the series for faster pacing
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worth a watch
Overall: an overall decent KBL. 8 episodes around 16 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.What I Liked
- sweet/cute moments
- that it centered on the two leads without a whole bunch of other characters
- supportive friends
- we got more than 1 kiss and they were a little better than dead fish lip presses
- production value
Room For Improvement
- I wish they had been more clear about what the issue was in the past/shown it earlier and that the issue didn't hinge on poor communication that a 5 minute conversation would clear up
- could have had stronger world building
- the last episode felt more like vignettes instead of an overarching ending episode and if they are planning a spin off/season 2 then that possible couple should have been shown at the very end or even post credits
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swam in circles
Overall: this is a kind of sequel/retelling of Until We Meet Again with a shift in the main couple focus from Dean/Pharm to Win/Team. People will enjoy Between Us more if they've seen Until We Meet Again first. Note that when Team says 'brother' it means his cousin, not his biological brother. Aired on Wabi Sabi's YouTube membership channel and iQIYI.Content Warnings: non con touching/kissing, manhandling, slap, past death, grief/trauma, homophobia (another huge content warning in a comment under a spoiler)
What I Liked
- seeing some familiar faces/characters from the first series reprise their roles
- new and extended scenes of Win and Team (return of the broccoli!)
- Win checking on Team's intoxication level
- sweet moments
- some funny moments
- the discussion about homophobia
- Win's older brother/gaming couple
- friendship between Pharm, Manow and Team
- Win and his siblings' relationships (especially Win and his younger brother)
- how Win didn't push Team to tell him about his past
Room For Improvement
- my main issue was that they went around and around, this story could have been told in 6 episodes instead of 12
- 5 couples was too many couples
- I don't understand Win's character, if they had given some background about a bad breakup or something then his actions would make sense, but they haven't shown us as an audience and so he just seems really hot and cold
- Team was oddly reluctant at times and also oddly hot and cold (mostly cold), how was Team more reluctant than Pharm (Pharm!!!) in the final episode?!?
- terrible communication between Team and Win
- for people who did not see UWMA I think this would be a bit confusing, I did want to see when Team, Pharm and Manow first met because all of a sudden they are talking as friends
- Win feels more of a jerk (what on earth was that dialogue during the hurt/care scene in ep 1) and Team is more vulnerable/less sassy and I didn't like the change
- the non con part before they went to the hotel room in ep 1
- Win's shifting hair roots (didn't take off review points for this though)
- camera blocking shots in the kissing scene in ep 1
- the conversation between Bee and Prince in ep 9 was odd, university students in Thailand don't know about bi/pan as a possibility?
- using almost the exact same music (even background music) from UWMA one of which goes with a really tragic scene in UWMA
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La Méchante Femme
Overall: I was hoping to see a sweet rom com with cute guys and cooking, but after the first few episodes this took an unwanted dark/serious turn. It spent waayyy too much time on an overused cliche instead of developing romantic relationships. Watching on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: attempted murder, severely beaten up, slapped, cyberbullying, harassment, body shaming, manhandling, non con kiss (sleeping), non con taking pictures/posting, threatening with a gun
What I Liked
- the intro/title sequence was fun
- I liked Lukchup's and Ram's friend groups
- the cute and funny moments
- the food looked delicious
Room For Improvement
- the cliche evil wannabe girlfriend dragged on waaaayyyyy too long, 10 full minutes of crying in the final episode. She did get some consequences but nearly enough for what she did.
- Lukchup's lack of agency - he couldn't go see Ram in the hospital when he wanted, everyone was constantly meeting and making plans without him, he felt too childlike
- non logical things like Lukchup and Ram's family having a bunch of money but they didn't think to hire security for Lukchup? Why didn't both Ram and Lukchup run back to the building? Why did they need to collect sooooo much evidence before contacting the police, that's what the police investigation does... The police just have a nice tea while the criminal could be running away and/or destroying evidence???
- didn't like the social media fan page of a regular college student and people lining up to take pictures with him, it creeps me out
- the ending where multiple relationships were just shoved together at the last minute. Also the second time jump felt like lazy writing. I wish they had spent the time on the relationships and not on Namning.
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Standard Korean BL Series
Overall: the general comments below applies to a whole bunch of Korean BL. I'd say overall it's fine, but suffers from the same issues as other series. Watched on Viki (minor spoilers)Content Warnings: murders (off screen), suicide, dub con kiss (sleeping)
What I Liked
- good production value
- the flashbacks were obvious
- I thought Yeon Seok's personality (with his confidence/big ego) was funny in the beginning
- the cat magical creature pretty much declares she is asexual, I appreciate the representation and I wish this character was more fully developed
- that both Sin Bi and Ha Yeon called Yeon Seok for being a jerk because he was a jerk
Room For Improvement
- choppy/rushed, I didn't really understand/buy into the sudden shift with Yeon Seok's feelings
- cliche poor communication at the end and Ha Yeon being angry at Yeon Seok when Yeon Seok is doing exactly what Ha Yeon asked him to do (eyeroll)
- pointless love triangle, that screen time could have gone to developing the m/m romance and/or fleshing out the cat goddess character
- the kissing was okay but not great
- why did Ha Yeon get killed the second time, we just never know???
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Plot Rushed
Overall: They tried to make the plot too complex for a short runtime and I don't even think I'd call this BL. Because they did a 'Yoo Han is kidnapped' plot, Yeon Woo is not available to pair with anyone else romantically. Watched on Viki.Content Warnings: bullying, side character deaths, fight scenes
What I Liked:
- good production value
- good acting
Room For Improvement
- very confusing/rushed/overly complicated plot - there's a secret bar, tea, pills, vantablack, fake candy factory, grayscale, probe surgery, a bunch of new characters introduced
- I really enjoyed season 1s vibe that was kind of dangerous/obsessive, this does not have that same vibe
- that kiss was mostly camera angle tricks and it was in a dream
- what idiot characters take drinks or pills from very shady characters, at least one could have faked taking the pill
- odd/non logical things such as: Yeon Woo just happens to leave around his very important notebook, also his aunt leaves something really important in a place that Yeon Woo can easily find (when has keeping secrets ever worked out well btw), if telling her bullies about her brother would stop her from being bullied why wouldn't she do that?, she suddenly dies (I'm sure there's a plot twist in that but it felt so random), the grandpa would know the truth wouldn't he tell the classmate? better to say nothing at all then a totally unhelpful "run away", the brother knew his sister was being bullied wouldn't he intervene?, no way the mom's headband would look brand new after years in the water, what exactly even happened with the mom? why would they do that elaborate candy factory thing when they could just go and kidnap monos?
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Enjoyable short movie
Overall: it has funny, sweet and serious parts. Watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked (very minor spoilers)
- many sweet moments like bike riding, sharing earbuds, dancing around
- funny moments like pretending to be a ghost
- the kiss was pretty well done
Room For Improvement
- we have the cliched evil female character with no consequences for her actions
- a few shaky camera parts
- wouldn't he have a cell phone? If there was parental interference, I wish there was a line about it
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wish they had modified the plot/protagonist slightly
Overall: Fumiya is one of my least favorite protagonists ever which is unfortunate because the other parts of this series were well done. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki.Content Warnings: manipulation, gaslighting
What I Liked
- cute moments
- acting
- production value
Room For Improvement
- Fumiya, I disliked him right away because breaking up with someone on their birthday is an a**hole move. The flashback in episode 5 didn't redeem Fumiya. Because we haven't seen Ritsu forgetting a whole bunch of events and Fumiya never communicates, Fumiya is an unsympathetic character. Then instead of character growth he continues with terrible communication skills by lying and gaslighting Ritsu over a long period of time. In episode 5, Fumiya snoops and then eavesdrops on Ritsu's conversation with his friend, again no character growth.
- what a terrible brother for going along with that and then a terrible friend for telling Ritsu he should hear Fumiya out. Ritsu had every right to be angry and sit with his feelings for awhile. Fumiya should have texted an apology/explanation and then left Ritsu alone.
- plot holes/unrealistic things such as would a hospital really discharge a patient with a head injury that quickly? It seemed less than 12 hours, wouldn't Ritsu look back at his old photos/texts, talk to his friends/family, he just accepts that odd living situation???
- the subpar kissing for two grown men who are in an established relationship
- cliche 'they met when they were younger'
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The Hidden/Slow Plot (uncut version)
Overall: the first episode made me intrigued but it devolved into a non thrilling/confusing mess. Aired 10 episodes about 45 minutes each on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/17g7rz51mczkxkf-The%20Hidden%20Moon/a4100mvcw5u-EP01A%3A%20The%20Hidden%20Moon (uncut episodes were about 10 minutes longer)Content Warnings: death, attempted suicide, sexual assault/rape?, self harm, scary images, violence, blood, mental health struggles, choking
Watch Suggestions (suggest watching the cut version except where noted, this focuses on sweet moments between the leads)
- watch episode 1
- episode 3 watch part 2 beginning-3; part 3 beginning-1:15, all of part 4
- episode 4 watch all of part 1; part 2 start at 7:12; part 3 beginning-4 and all of part 4
- watch episode 5 part 1 4:30-end
- watch all of episode 6 uncut, they cut out kissing/implied sex
- episode 7 watch part 1 16-end, part 3 3:40-end and can watch all of part 4
- episode 8 watch part 1 before the credits for a quick kiss (uncut version has a longer kiss but it's more of a dead fish lip press) and 12:20-13:15
- skip episode 9
- watch episode 10 uncut from 40:20-43
What I Liked
- intriguing premise with mystery/horror/supernatural elements
- at least they asked why the ghost sensitive one wasn't seeing them
- sweet moments especially in episode 6
- supportive mom
- some of the production value* (the off key music at the end and then the music at the end was especially fitting)
Room For Improvement
- *choppy at times (even in the uncut version it felt a little choppy)
- confusing and slow plot
- Khen and a friend had several moments that made me ship them which was especially bad because the other ML wasn't introduced until the very end of ep 1 (this was less an issue in the cut version)
- odd that a character went from trying to kill another character to suddenly liking him and then back to hating him, did not feel chemistry between the leads
- did not care at all about the drama in the past and it was confusing because a character made it sound like she didn't want something but then she seemed to want that when she talked to her friend later
- I was going to give this a 7 but the very confusing/rushed finale/dead fish lip press dropped it to a 5 (the uncut adds 9 minutes at the end but it basically shows Mas and Khen almost meeting and how Khen was recruited to join the rest of the group and go to that house, they aren't together)
- the idea that Mas would watch reincarnated Khen grow up and then get together with him when he was 40 and Khen was 20 was icky (this is how the cut version ended)
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mix of silliness and seriousness
Overall: I enjoyed the intentional/self aware humor and the series ended well. However I was disappointed with the way they handled something that is a crime in episode 9. Aired on YouTube. Note: the m/f couple had the most screen time but there are two m/m couples and for once I actually enjoy the m/f leads.Content Warnings: non con picture/video taking, stalking
What I Liked
- the self aware/intentional humor including some subverted tropes (though there were actual tropes as well)
- the cute moments
- calling out sasang as bad BL fans who invade privacy/go too far*
- they used actual musicians for close ups instead of fake playing
- friendship and sibling dynamics
- production value
Room For Improvement
- *wth terrible excuse from that character for doing something dangerous and illegal, I took off a full point for this, the message should have been 'stalking people is wrong, illegal and hurtful and there are major consequences for those who stalk others - DON'T STALK PEOPLE!' I was okay with how that plot ended up but I think this whole plot thread could have been executed better.
- never a fan of love triangles
- the 1 romantic pair that wasn't a slow burn did not get enough screen time and too much of their relationship development happened off screen
- gay for you trope (they could have set this up differently but it came across as gay for you trope)
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Ennuyeux
Overall: I would call this a traditional Thai university BL (many tropes, poor communication, cute moments). However, with the evolution of BL, this felt boring to me and I didn't like the character Theo. Watched on YouTubeContent Warnings: manipulation, manhandling, vomiting, dub con kiss (half asleep?), punches, student/teacher relationship?
What I Liked
- Akk's mom & sister were great
- the side characters' French was good (likely native speakers)
- Akk was pretty adorable, especially quickly cleaning up his room and being the Flash
- cute moments like the kitchen spoon fight
- the consent before their kiss in ep 8
- that they were physically affectionate with one another after ep 8
Room For Improvement
- the main issue I have is Theo is pretty unlikable. He gets angry at others for treating him like a child but he has the maturity of a child (which was even shown in the last episode with his parents, there was zero character growth).
- the lead actors have a similar look, they should have styled/colored their hair more differently. I was confused when the story shifted location/perspective because I thought it was Theo at first. And the other leads also need more differentiation (i.e glasses, jewelry, hair color, etc).
- do not write in library books, especially "I'm bored", replacing a book also is a bad idea because it isn't processed and can't be checked out (ie no barcode, spine label, etc)
- Theo spoke Thai until 6th grade likely spoke it for the 7 years when he was abroad (with his parents/grandmother) but the one word he couldn't remember was "lost", this just seems odd
- Theo's French was bad for someone who lived 7 years in the country
- the blur filter on Theo was too much, some shaky camerawork and night scenes were too dim especially in ep 10
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Lost its way
Overall: I had some issues with the beginning episodes but things really went downhill at episode 8 with a cliche plot point at the end of episode 7. Watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: suicidal ideation?, non con/dub con drunk surprise kisses, two punches, slap, comments about weight
What I Liked
- the crack comedy moments like the ukulele randomly appearing during their road trip
- there was an apology for the drunk/surprise kiss which was nice
- they stopped their friend from driving his motorcycle while drunk
- Saint (I hope the actor gets a lead in another production soon)
- some good spitting truth lines like "if you don't respect my decision, then don't be my friend" and "whether you win or lose doesn't matter, as long as you are doing something that you love"
- (neutral) it has some comedy sound effects
Room For Improvement
- overall the plot felt disjointed. Characters would appear and then disappear. As I predicted, 14 guys were just too many (and how did we not have a second m/m ship that developed???) The basketball was a thing, then it vanished, then it returned. The random play for one full episode.
- Soh's nonsense lying, then nonsense getting Mon back and a (once again) pointless love triangle where I wanted the second lead to end up with the ML
- neither Soh nor Mon could give reasons why they liked each other
- Amy liking the basketball coach, ummm no
- Mickey being really immature for that whole episode totally sank his ship
- odd things, it was weird Mon started out with that sucker in his mouth and then had it his whole trip? (we learn more about the sucker in a later episode but it was odd not knowing the reasoning for it). Who sleeps at a dining table and wouldn't go to sleep on the couch?
- the one friend basically said he was going to stay with his girlfriend because he loved her even if that meant he couldn't hang out with his friends
- choppy, it went from "tell me how you got here" to Mon being at college then jumped back to the apartment with Soh and his friend
- slow pacing, I watched most of it at double or more speed
- the finale was disappointing (there is an after credits scene, but we don't know if it's a dream or not)
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it got there eventually (watch suggestions)
Overall: this is a premise we've seen several times already (Night Dream, The Promise, Venus in the Sky) and I haven't been impressed with the execution of any of them. In this case they revealed the reason way too late and the pacing was quite slow. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on Netflix in 11 countries in Southeast Asia including Thailand. Later added subtitles on their YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDIqVRSvaz9Ii4mniqowFEaRS2Mfel8DT&si=dnuP2dj0o_fVAyGjContent Warnings: blood, death off screen, grief, non con kiss, punches, parental abuse
Watch Suggestions (unless you enjoy very slow pacing/love rivals)
- read the synopsis
- watch episode 4 at the beginning to 17 minutes, then 34:30 to the end
- watch the flashback in episode 5 30-34:25
- watch episode 6, skip 31-36 unless you want to hate Ji's dad
- you can start episode 7 at 7:20 or watch the whole thing
- watch episode 8
What I Liked
- sweet moments
- adorable puppy
- intimacy/tension in episode 7 and 8
- Ji's supportive friend (need Poppy in a lead BL role)
- visuals
- ended the series well
Room For Improvement
- I understand wanting some mystery, but they didn't clearly reveal why Ji was so angry at Achi until episode 7, I couldn't really support their relationship until I understood exactly what happened
- Achi saying he had a girlfriend in episode 2 right before he did what he did made no sense, another bad "plan"
- the tone started very serious followed by scenes with comedy sound effects and then another serious scene, the changing tone felt jarring
- at times it wasn't immediately clear what was in flashback vs. present
- nonsense stuff (i.e. fake-looking blood, a doctor saying they can do a surgery without seeing anything in person, diagnosing something from just an x-ray)
- what the dad did in episode 6
- one side couple had no resolution
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a thin plot with some cute moments
Overall: this is what I would call a standard or traditional university Thai BL. Despite a thin plot built on poor communication that could have been remedied with a 1 minute conversation, I was prepared to rate this an 8/10. However, the first 3 things in my Room For Improvement section and the fact that this is a large production company and it's not a few years ago knocks this down to a 7/10. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: non con kissing, non con touching, domestic violence discussed (injury shown), punches, non con photos
What I Liked
- Daonuea's supportive/joking friends
- it was fun to see Sammy & Yacht
- the cute moments
- the funny moments (fyi the series does have comedy sound effects which are neutral for me)
- Khabkhluen's mom
- an example of good consent "can I kiss your cheek" in the finale
- good that they were physically affectionate, it wasn't just 1 kiss for an established couple
Room For Improvement
- the non con touching and kissing (on more than 1 occasion!) was totally not needed and was disappointing to see
- the very serious (sometimes deadly), common and world wide social problem of intimate partner violence was thrown in for some last minute drama. I was horrified watching that scene and again very disappointed that the writers used this topic in this way. The writers could have easily gone with something else like illness.
- the lack of the next video at the end of a video and the lack of subs for the finale premiere (would not bother me for a small company but this is not a small company)
- the full flashback scene was disappointing. Khabkhluen can't use social media? Can't contact Daonuea's friends to contact Daonuea?
- Khabkhluen's atrocious communication skills. I know very introverted people and they communicate with their romantic interests/partners. It took over 1 year to solve a problem that would have taken a 1 minute conversation to fix.
- there were too many characters and yet we didn't get a side plot or couple...
- why were 4 people attracted to Daonuea???
- Danouea has 1 conversation and sees 1 Instagram post and does a 180, it felt very sudden
- the finale was okay if a bit anticlimactic but that scene at the end was jarring and not needed
- that Daonuea didn't even suggest taking a cab to his possibly drunk brother who was going to drive a car
- I didn't like the intro sequence drawing/animation style, especially the lack of faces
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