BL Compilations

Watch for the main couple

Overall: I was excited by the premise but I'm a bit disappointed in the execution. I have read part of the book and I dislike pretty much every change they made in the live action adaptation. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: slap, blackmail/manipulation, fight scene

What I Liked
- the lead pair is adorable* (and those dimples!)
- actually showing (realistically) that a doctor is busy (though pretty sure you'd die if you didn't sleep in 70 hours)
- Tawan's friend Nadia is really supportive of him but I didn't like her character otherwise (and in the book she was a he)
- there is a (unfortunately very minor) trans woman character who nicely is not a comedic character

Room For Improvement
- *I really wish Tawan would know what the audience knows in episode 3 and then we'd go from there, he didn't know until really late and Mork trying to prevent Tawan from knowing was so bizarre
- multiple fake outs
- the side m/m have no chemistry and I hate the way their relationship started (this couple was not in the book)
- the m/f couple, her actions make zero sense (this was a m/m couple in the book)
- that the uncle just gave money to his pregnant girlfriend (was not in the book)
- had the poor communication/ghosting at the end trope
- I expect better kissing skills for two guys who have both been in relationships before
- too much time spent on some side characters/scenes, like the motorcycle guys at that festival

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Part Cutie and Part Manipulation Pie

Overall: I was really excited after seeing the trailers and the plot premise. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the lack of agency, manipulation, lying and stupidity. I wish we had seen Kuea telling the truth much earlier and spending the rest of the series learning about the other person's real personality. It did have some fun, cute and advocacy moments. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: non con kiss (very drunk), manipulation, stalking

What I Liked
- the original premise
- the consent displayed in episode 8 part 1, and some other parts as well
- the moments that made me laugh (like Kuea rocking out in ep 1)
- the 3rd couple, although they didn't get much screentime
- talking about marriage equality in the bath tub and later in the series
- great that Hia Lian rejected the terrible pitch using stereotypes*
- the overall aesthetic of the music, editing, etc
- Lian's assistant character was hilarious
- the intimate moments

Room For Improvement
- the main issue I have is that Kuea (and Diao to a lesser degree) don't have agency. Their love interests make decisions for them as if they are the parent and Kuea and Diao are the child instead of them being equal partners. For example Lian saying "I hope that my plan to straighten him out will work." There is a lot of lying (mostly by omission but it's still lying) and manipulation throughout the series. Kuea's mom also outright lies to him. We finally get communication in the last episode! That should have happened around episode 4. Lian even manipulated Kuea until the very end. They had agreed that Kuea would propose and Lian would not let him do it and kept sabotaging him.
- the non con drunk kiss was unnecessary, Kuea didn't even recognize Lian. I've been very drunk before and I still recognized friends so this was non con in my opinion.
- stupidity/non logic, several characters make stupid decisions. Why would Kuea think that Lian didn't know he was Kirin when Kuea publicly announced it at a show at Lian's rival business (so he likely keeps close tabs on it). And then Lian just happens to have a music room with Kuea's favorite instrument??? I really wanted (preferably Kuea) to do some huge reveal around ep 5, break off the engagement and then they needed to learn about the real personalities of the other person and fall in love
- the side couple felt abusive. Having to report his schedule, having to check in every night at midnight etc. They never had an explicit conversation about a consensual dom/sub relationship. Also I was very confused especially in the beginning with what relationship they had and why. We gained insight into their history but, too late in my opinion.
- *colorism, the grandma says she's happy her grandson is "good looking and fair, just like his noble family"

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disappointed with the writing (start at ep 7)

Overall: I was hoping for continued character growth from Minato and Shin but unfortunately the first 6 episodes went back to square one but also circled around and around the very tired poor communication cliche. It pains me to rate this under an 8 but a 29 year old is somehow more immature than a 5 year old. 12 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala except for Japan, South Korea or Taiwan. This is my review of the first season https://kisskh.at/profile/blcompilations/reviews/217311/

Watch advice: start at episode 7, end at episode 9 towards the end when Shu is on the stairs, maybe pick it up in episode 11 though Minato frustrates me again in that episode (Shu/Asuka have a cute interaction around 8 minutes), definitely pick it up in episode 12 around 9 minutes with the letter.

Content Warnings: manipulation, 18 year old and 29 year old (they way the story unfolds the age gap does not bother me), Shin is a bit aggressive maybe dub con though they are in an established relationship

What I Liked
- good recap at the beginning
- cute intro/OST
- callbacks to the first season
- some sweet/funny moments
- Shin seeks communication and listed reasons of why he likes Minato
- Asuka and Shu grew on me more and more as the series went on and how they talked with each other and figured out what their partner wanted/needed and tried to meet those needs
- production value

Room For Improvement
- disappointed how Minato constantly refuses verbal or physical affection, was hoping to see that he was working on this/had become more comfortable after 3 months, wish they had made him still nervous in front of other people but affectionate when it was just the two of them and then this season he worked on PDA (public displays of affection), in season 1 I excused Minato's behavior due to internal/external homophobia and societal pressure but in season 2 it really seems that he's not ready to be in a romantic relationship with a man (or really anyone due to his awful communication skills and unwillingness to work on what his partner wants in a relationship), even at the very end they show Minato as being reluctant or joking with Shin related to physical/verbal affection
- the cliche plot points, it felt like a poorly written fanfic story, I did some research and it is almost medically impossible for that to happen to Shin in the way that they portrayed it as happening, totally lazy writing

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pretty typical Thai romcom (watch suggestions)

Overall: I struggled with the beginning episodes. Luckily, episode 4 kicked things into high gear but cliched plot points made me fast forward a lot. The series is based on a book which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/this-love-doesn-t-have-long-beans-episode-1-zp9b0sxbr0?lang=en_us and Change2561 YouTube channel (not in U.S.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfLYXbzgBBo (keep watching after the behind the scenes of ep 1, I think those scenes are from the entire series, not just episode 2)

Content Warnings: manhandling, stalking, past deaths, manipulation, hit, unwanted outing, non con turned consensual

Watch Suggestions (focuses on the 2 couples, takes out some cooking/love rivals)
- read the synopsis and skip episode 1
- episode 2 watch 16:10-20:30, 30:10-32:30, 41:40-43
- episode 3 watch the beginning to 5, 22:15-25, 27:20-36, 40 to the end
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 2, 19:15-22:10, 44 to the end (steamy scene at the end of ep 4)
- episode 5 watch the beginning to 2, 5-12:20, 21:15-23, 25:10-26:15, 34:15-35:25 (steamy scene cutting out the beginning non con part), 54-58:40
- episode 6 watch 9-14:40, 17-19:20, 23:20-30, 38:20-41:05
- episode 7 could watch the whole episode
- episode 8 (to take out some angst) watch beginning-10:50, 33:10-39:38 and 44 to the end

What I Liked
- supportive/realistic friendship
- visuals (except the bowl haircut)
- tension
- intimacy and ongoing mutual attraction/interest
- the behind the scenes at the end of the episodes are fun

Room For Improvement
- took awhile to vibe with the leads
- love triangles, time could have better been spent on developing the second leads
- goofy music/comedy sound effects
- nonsense/'because the writer said so' stuff i.e. both "plans" have obvious loopholes, not telling her something important about her dad
- frequent flashbacks
- a friend gave information he shouldn't have
- the non con, the rest of the scene was great though
- ending felt rushed

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a slapstick comedy that ended abruptly

Overall: this has the slapstick comedy feel of YYY along with the enemies dynamic of TharnType (but waayyy less kissing/steaminess, it's a slow burn). Unfortunately the series was cancelled and the ending is pretty abrupt (watch past the credits of episode 15). Watched on One31's YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: manipulation

What I Liked
- I'd like to see the two lead actors in something else, either together or apart
- overall production value is good
- I liked the mirror and the bubbles at the end of the first episode, it was neat
- ep 8 and onward there is more sexual tension which I enjoyed
- I did laugh a few times

Room For Improvement
- I think some jokes didn't translate well, but this isn't my style of humor and I didn't laugh that much. I really disliked the laugh track (it also has A LOT of comedy sound effects)
- the main character Diao is super immature and it annoys me instead of making me laugh, he is the immature/prickly character while Rak is the calm/patient character
- wasn't a fan of Rak's manipulation with Diao and the probation thing in episode 10
- (neutral), there is a trans woman (not sure how they identify)/effeminate male character but I wouldn't say that the comedy is making fun of that person. The other colleague character is a woman and she is also comedic.

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Gentle movie about biological and found family (minor spoilers)

Overall: this reminds me of God's Own Country with its countryside setting and sparse dialogue. Things are subtle (maybe a bit too subtle at times); I wish I could hear a director's commentary as I'm sure I missed many things. Watched on Amazon Prime Video, also on Gagaoolala in some regions.

Content Warnings: homophobia, side character death

What I Liked
- the foreshadowing, double meanings, subtle hints, for example when the grandma was mixing and said to watch it and wait it out, and also that pregnant sheep
- the countryside setting
- production value was good overall
- realistic flawed characters who made mistakes and apologized/tried to change

Room For Improvement
- maybe a few things were a bit too subtle and we could have used a little more dialogue to tell the audience what the characters were thinking
- it was odd when that female friend was yelling around the house that the guys wouldn't have woken up

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Quirky Vampire Short Movie

Overall: this 14 minute short movie has an artsy film vibe. It's about 4 vampires, one of whom wants to die and the other three agree to help. I wouldn't categorize it as BL, but adjacent with two of the vampires (we aren't super clear as to their relationship in the past/present). Purchased on Vimeo, also on Gagaoolala

(minor spoilers)
Content Warning: discussion of death, attempted murder/suicide

What I Liked
- the color scheme and production value (costuming was done well too)
- the juxtaposition of a serious topic and humor

Room For Improvement
- wish this was a whole series that delved more into their dynamics, we need a m/m vampire romance that doesn't end tragically, pretty please????

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Like bubbles, beautiful but empty

Overall: this short fantasy historical series wasted screen time with a love triangle and close up shots. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: violence, a punch (not between m/m ship)

What I Liked
- the production value was good including the cgi of the barrier
- the premise was set up fairly well
- I liked the guard and the future guy's characters
- a few funny moments

Room For Improvement
- I didn't feel chemistry between the m/m ship, also dead fish lip kisses
- many examples of non-logic or stupid things (did a queen have more power than a king in that time period???)
- it was not obvious that it was a flashback in the final episode and also made zero sense with what was going to happen with the guard vs. what he was supposed to do
- I disliked the extreme closeups
- some shaky camerawork
- I don't think most people would react at 7min 30sec if they were to come upon a scene like that in episode 1
- don't really like the title "Tinted With You." Tinted is a verb, it just seems odd in the title.

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Funny and sweet (we need season 2)

Overall: This high school BL has a mixture of realistic, sweet, cringey and funny moments. I have not read the manga so I can't comment on similarities/differences there. Watched on Viki (My Love Mix-Up)

Content Warnings: two slaps not between m/m, homophobia

What I Liked
- subverted tropes, surprising moments (I won't go into details and ruin things but I rarely get pleasantly surprised watching BL and I was when watching this)
- Ida being honest and considerate, thinking about things seriously
- the look on the high schoolers faces when the military guy talks to them is priceless and universal
- supportive friends on both Ida's and Aoki's side, also that Ida's friends weren't stupid
- communication (yes there was also miscommunication, but there were several instances of good communication)
- characters apologizing for mistakes made
- I'm totally fine with the ending but we need a season 2 to see the continuation
- even some really minor side characters were fun to watch

Room For Improvement
- (neutral) Aoki is very energetic/exaggerated which I've noticed in quite a few manga adaptations, luckily the other protagonist is chill so it balances it out. Aoki does have some pretty funny moments.
- the slaps were not needed
- "gay for you" adjacent
- that first volleyball teacher side plot, though I was happy how he handled it
- I almost vomited when that tutor/student teacher asked things those invasive personal questions, no teacher is asking their student those questions

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I had no choice but to laugh

Overall: a very enjoyable comedy with some serious parts that provides a good contrast. I read the manga, but I'm rating this on its own, not how good of an adaptation I think it was. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content warnings: punches, slap, non con kiss (sleeping), manipulation, held against will

What I Liked
- the duality of Fukuhara, and that we learn more about his motivation thru childhood flashbacks
- the funny moments (I laughed out loud many times)
- the ending of the first episode which was a pleasant surprise
- how thoughtful and caring Shinomiya was
- Shinomiya's friends and Fukuhara's friends
- the breadcrumb of GL (but wish it was more overt)
- domestic bliss moments
- production value, including some very beautiful shots like the one in the final episode that also appears in the intro

Room For Improvement
- the counting thing in ep 3, ignoring when a person looks obviously uncomfortable
- a few things felt too serious/jarring - I wish the first punch had been a shove instead and the ending of episode 7 was not my thing
- that they went with the unwilling/nervous character, I wanted to Fukuhara to take some initiative
- the final episode had too many flashbacks/filler, also they tried to pass the beginning part off as comedy and that did not work for me as Fukuhara was understandably very upset during it
- disappointed that even after the professor talked about it there was a non con kiss
- too much blur, they looked like ghosts sometimes
- (neutral) Fukuhara has that kind of overacting comedy shtick that some viewers might not like, I've gotten used to it now and it doesn't bother me

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all over the place (watch suggestions)

Overall: the series swung from comedy (most of which I didn't find funny), to slice of life, to random steamy parts, to melodrama and ended up not being a cohesive series. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired cut on Glory Day Ent Official YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE_mMXNJViWUKaXdkT7ZgBEaTk35wYbZg&si=tB7zzhUJmFIHnvuD and uncut (longer steamy scenes) on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/sangmin-dinneaw-episode-1-xmk7546rfw

Content Warnings: past death, non con/dub con, violence, blood, manipulation, non con touching played off as comedy, slap played as comedy, past child abuse (shown), depression, sexual harassment, slaps, attempted murder, murder?

Watch Suggestions (focus on sweet/steamy moments, note: the uncut version has longer steamy moments)
- watch episode 1
- episode 2 skip part 2 8:30-end
- episode 3 watch part 1 6:50-11:15, part 2 beginning-end, part 3 8:50-10
- episode 4 watch part 1 3:30-8:10, 10:35-12:40, 14-end, part 2 9-end, part 3 5:20-end
- episode 5 watch part 1 beginning-3, 10:40-12:25, part 2 beginning-3:10
- episode 6 watch part 2 5:10-6:20, 13:30-end, part 3 6:20-10:35
- episode 7 watch part 2 14:25-end (watch the uncut for the 2nd couple's steamy scene)
- episode 8 watch part 1 11-12:25 (cut the kissing shorter), part 3 3-4:10 and 9:30-end

What I Liked
- countryside setting
- visuals
- the dream massage
- the mom talked to her son and then the apology in ep 1 and the mom overall
- sweet/caring moments
- an established couple
- the language aspect felt realistic, every character didn't magically understand the other person's language like we've seen before
- the traditional outfits were beautiful
- non cliche female friend
- good consent in episode 5

Room For Improvement
- did a character just murder someone?!!!! he could have gathered evidence and brought it to the police
- the near constant comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- episode 2 had the fictional so drunk didn't recognize a person but still able to be an active participant in sex
- episode 3 and the manager was cringey instead of funny
- nonsense plan in episode 5/cliche plot point
- exposition dump in episode 6
- two more random characters in episode 6
- a character acted like a toddler in episode 7
- western/cowboy music and white underwear
- the leads only had 4 minutes together in the finale
- nonsense plot stuff: never really explained the reason for not communicating at all even when he was an adult,why didn't he do something first and then reconnect with the alleged love of his life (the order he went in in the series made him look extremely selfish)

Cut (is always 46 min) vs. Uncut
- episode 1 uncut was 50 minutes, I couldn't tell what 4 minutes they cut out.
- episode 2 uncut was 52 minutes, they cut out a bit of the steamy scene with the side couple
- episode 3 uncut was 52 minutes, they shortened/didn't show the steamy scenes of the established couple
- I did not want to continue comparing but overall the cut version took out steamy scenes

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it's a ride (watch suggestions)

Overall: I was mostly entertained but the huge total shifts were not for me. I gave this a rating bump because they did attempt something different with the plot even though it was filled with nonsense. 12 episodes about 1 hour each (uncut). Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/2elmpcfm17c?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 ; aired uncut on GagaOOLala in Germany, UK & Australia - US starting Dec 21st https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4985/the-heart-killers-2024 ; airing uncut? on GMMTV's YouTube channel not in the US, Canada or Japan https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI6Bo6a1yZ8iqQTM_A7AiYxQ&si=R4ODeKuWn7AV-SQh (I will use a VPN to check if YT is the cut or uncut version, episode 1 on iQIYI was 1hr4m27s) Later re-aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40924c-the-heart-killers This review is for the uncut version which was the only MDL entry at the time.

Content Warnings: murders, blood, manipulation, non con picture taking, blackmail/coercion, non con kissing, harassment, homophobia, bullying, teacher/student relationship/grooming/pedophilia, stalking, beaten up, blood, intimate partner abuse, kidnapping, attempted murder, past murders, vomiting

Watch Suggestions (focuses more on sweet moments with the main couples)
- watch episodes 1-5 (likely won't go back for timings though I overall enjoyed the first several episodes)
- episode 6 stop at 1hr1min30s
- skip episode 7
- episode 8 watch 54-end
- episode 9 watch beginning to 16 and 30 to the end
- episode 10 watch 19-40 and 51-end
- episode 11 watch all or can skip 11:30-18:15
- watch ep 12

What I Liked
- an engaging start
- unique premise (non school setting and actors get to play characters closer to their real age)
- flirting/physical intimacy
- sweet moments
- how characters weren't blushing maidens
- styling
- glad they turned the teacher in and there were consequences for that
- that they subverted a very common trope in ep 12
- director cameo in ep 12
- overall wrapped up well

Room For Improvement
- the huge tonal shifts between sweet cinnamon rolls to cold blooded killers (the graphic dream murdering was too much), did not enjoy the amount of times characters pointed a loaded gun at their love interest and it made it difficult for me to root for the couples
- I've never seen a mechanic with that much grease on their face/body before, felt like a fictional way to say "this person is an auto mechanic"
- some of the sound effects/background music
- a couple of odd mouth/face close up shots
- crashed a grief support group and made a mockery of it on multiple occasions
- too much accordion music
- not a fan of the level of harassment, luckily it ended in episode 4
- random couple in episode 8 when they could have spent more time developing a third couple
- ep 12 poor communication lead to more hurt than if he had just said what his plan was
- a ton of nonsense plot stuff that pulled me out of the story also cliched things such as saying "let me explain" over and over again but not explaining, a character saying "trust me" and another character trusting them because of it

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enjoyed the first 4 episodes

Overall: I was really enjoying the chemistry in the first 4 episodes but the last 2 didn't work for me. 6 episodes about 35 minutes each. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/x9f8tbtrynespbk-Memory%20in%20the%20letter%20(Uncut%20Ver.)/x0048wdyxbh-EP1%3A%20Memory%20in%20the%20letter%20(Uncut%20Ver.) A spoiler comment with additional thoughts.

Content Warnings: punch/parental abuse, stalking

What I Liked
- unique premise
- mystery aspect
- sweet moments
- chemistry

Room For Improvement
- though I'm normally not a fan of montages to show time passing, I think they needed one because it seemed a bit rushed for what happened at the end of episode 1 to happen
- love rival (this kept me from fully investing in the couple)
- Christmas music
- the dad's redemption arc was poorly done
- never explained exactly what happened to the mom, was it an accident, how did that happen???
- unrealistic things i.e. lugging something up to the roof and leaning on it without worrying about it tipping over, something taking only 5 years which for that kind of case would be a person with much more training/experience, no one really concerned over something, etc.
- awkward kiss in episode 6

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slow moving countryside Thai BL (minor spoilers)

Overall: this is a spin off to Star In My Mind and you don't need to watch Star In My Mind first. I enjoyed the countryside setting but it moved too slowly and the 7th episode nonsense/non logical writing and then more cliches in the finale bumped it down to a 7. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: manipulation, stalking, animal blood/death off screen

What I Liked
- I laughed a few times
- cute moments including some oldie but goody tropes like 'there's something in your hair' and 'protect mode.'
- countryside setting
- episode 6 poor communication was cleared up right away
- Prince's mom
- neutral (it has comedy sound effects)

Room For Improvement
- I wish they had had the flashback/explanation in part 3 of episode 1 at the very start. It was odd when last week was a cliffhanger and then they are just in a small village...
- sloooowwww pacing
- not into the reluctant pursuee trope
- nonsense/non logical things (especially in ep 7, only 2 cars? all of Fah's 3 cell phones suddenly don't work? not how you diagnose that, etc)
- more cliche stuff in the finale, making decisions about someone else instead of talking to them and asking what they want, lack of apology, no communication about something that could actually cause friction in their relationship
- annoying that Fah was dictating his younger brother's relationship regarding physical affection, speaking of,
- the G rated Kluen/Daonuea scenes added nothing, they felt more middle school couple than university couple
- side characters didn't really do much
- useless love triangles
- not a fan of the intro drawing style

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the mutual magnetic pull was mesmerizing

Overall: this is one of the rare series that I didn't watch at a faster speed because all of the pauses and silences carried weight. I was going to give it a 10/10 but I think the finale could have been better along with a few other things. The series was based on a Korean webtoon "Our Youth" which I read, but tried to review the series on its own merits. 10 episodes plus a special about 23 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4914/our-youth-2024

Content Warnings: child abuse, beaten up, alcoholism, non/dub con kisses, death, theft

What I Liked
- tension and chemistry
- caring moments
- centered on the leads
- the intimacy in episode 7
- metaphor of water (waves bring things to you and take them away, water is ever-changing and difficult to hold onto, water is refreshing etc)
- production value (cinematography)

Room For Improvement
- ominous intro scenes/voice overs and then flashbacks to tell the story
- an open window led to something cliche in ep 4
- a character ignored when another character looked uncomfortable
- that the re-telling took half of episode 5
- some lackluster kissing (I forgave the earlier ones but episode 10 was a let-down, felt there should have been more passion)
- episode 10 tried to cover too much ground/time, it felt rushed and anticlimactic

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