BL Compilations

episode 9 made my score plummet

Overall: I thought it was a good start to a series with a unique premise but slow pacing and both characters doing something awful lowered my score. Note this review contains words that might be triggering. 16 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on: Viki https://www.viki.com/videos/1262518v-desire-the-series-episode-1 ; GagaOOLala (not available in Japan or Korea) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5570/desire-2025 and Heavenly (South Korea) https://heavenly.tv/en/detail/955 Was originally also on iQIYI, WeTV, Youku and YouTube but was removed mid-airing.

Content Warnings: two rapes both shown, past intimate partner abuse, intimate partner abuse, non con kisses, non con touching, manipulation, sexual harassment, fights, blood, kidnapping, attempted murder, gaslighting, lovebombing, non con kissing turned consensual, self harm

What I Liked
- unique premise for a live action series
- visuals
- how Hua Yong stayed consistent in his characterization
- an extremely wide release, might be the most platforms I've seen so far for a BL series

Room For Improvement
- in both couples one character raped the other character and both were shot in a romantic way and of course we know how this ends, I don't give af about fictional biology that made at least 1 allegedly not have a choice, both characters were jerks and abusive and I don't want them in a romantic relationship with anyone.
- I can enjoy a player getting played but the problem here is we never really see the player being a player and he is so manipulated that his biology got changed without his consent and he had pain/problems from the master manipulator who supposedly loved him. For me the manipulator treated a person like an object to own and it was about power and control which is abuse and not love.
- slow pacing in with both couples, felt like they went in circles for a long time
- the exposition dump/world building dump in ep 1; however, I realize that many people aren't familiar with the setting so it was a fast way to give everyone the basics
- Hua Yong's backstory was given too late
- the narration/mysterious voice in episode 15
- extremely rushed finale with a multi year time skip, that it was the dad that told him, how Shen Wen Lang was a jerk almost until the very end and then did not have nearly enough groveling and their story didn't really have a satisfying resolution

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had me until episode 4

(potential trigger warnings in my review, talking about abuse and intimate partner violence)

Overall: with a few tweaks this could have been a 9.5 series but I actively did not want the main leads together especially when 3 years later one of them was still a narcissist. It's sad but not surprising that people were victim blaming and calling Joe stupid. He wasn't stupid, he was an abuse victim (more below). Very similar aesthetics to KinnPorsche which made sense because it shared a director and screenwriter. It was adapted from the novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng which I didn't read and I based the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about an hour each. Aired uncut on iQIYI. First episode link: https://www.iq.com/play/my-stand-in-uncut-episode-1-1iwuiu9rlww?lang=en_us The production company also produced I Feel You Linger In The Air. This review is of the uncut which was the first version on MDL and I'm not sure if there even is a cut version currently.

Content Warnings: death, grief, non con kissing, punch/violence, intimate partner abuse, held against will, gaslighting, manipulation, coercion, past suicide?, manhandling, vomiting, parental abuse, kidnapped, homophobia

What I Liked
- the premise
- showed a condom and discussed sexual position preferences
- had a good conversation at the beginning of episode 2
- wanting/ongoing physical affection in the beginning episodes
- sweet moments in the beginning episodes
- supportive sister
- production value (some really nice camera shots, use of mirrors, switching focus on foreground to background etc.)

Room For Improvement
- I can't root for their relationship as explained below
- Ming was stupid, he could have easily shown his dad evidence first before telling him the other part, he could have shored up his financial situation first as well
- Joe's lack of agency, he had a bunch of awful things and felt cornered into doing things instead of it being his choice
- multiple failed redemption arcs
- trash characters have no consequences, just instant forgiveness for terrible things they did
- multiple romances introduced in the last 30 minutes of the last episode
- voice overs with exposition dumps
- some of the music didn't fit the tone (that fight in episode 4 was made comical instead of dramatic)
- wish a character hadn't been shown as extremely drunk at the end of episode 1
- love triangle, Sol overstepped and took away agency from Joe especially in episode 9
- nonsense stuff i.e. Ming just happened to have something at his house in episode 4??? Joe didn't have any bruises/blood on his face/head in episode 4, Joe happened to overhear key conversations, 1 person being extremely drunk and a stunt person not being able to get away

Thoughts on Grey Characters/Their Romantic Relationships
Sometimes these characters and their dynamic work for me and other times they don't. Here are the factors that I think about:
1. was there a realistic reason why the character/s acted the way they did in the past (sort of, but not to the level that Ming was at)
2. how bad was/is the treatment (extremely abusive and violent, Ming could have accidentally killed Joe in episode 4, 3 years later and Ming stays a narcissist he says "I always get what I want" and he actively ignores what would make Joe happy)
3. were both characters grey or was one squeaky clean (Joe was mostly squeaky clean but unbelievably dense in not believing that Ming wanted him and Ming was abusive and a narcissist and stayed a narcissist/manipulative and also stupid to not know why Joe didn't tell him something)
4. was there some kind of apology/amend making (verbal apologies, promised to treat him better/give him job opportunities, was sweet with him but to me it was just the make up phase of an abuse cycle)
5. was there character growth (no, 3 years later and Ming was still a narcissist which was reinforced in episode 9, he made decisions involving Joe without asking what Joe wanted because Ming did whatever Ming wanted)
6. do I believe that the characters will stay together in a happy romantic relationship (no, because for Ming it was about power/control and not love)
final verdict: I didn't want them in a romantic relationship together

Joe wasn't stupid, he was the victim of intimate partner violence
- Joe was the victim of physical, financial, emotional/mental and sexual abuse
- Ming didn't love Joe, he wanted to control him to get what he wanted
- abuse survivors can have a very difficult time escaping the abuse because abusers can be extremely excellent manipulators "if you hadn't done abc then I wouldn't have had to say/do xyz", also there are periods of nice times that trick the survivor into thinking the abuser does love them (the make up phase in the cycle of abuse), in the real world intimate partner violence is deadly and widespread, it is estimated that 10-40% of law enforcement officers are abusers and they are frequently the first people to respond, it's all very terrible and not at all romantic

If you or someone you love needs help, here is a resource in the U.S. https://www.rainn.org/

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gorgeous setting & cinematography

Overall: solid tension/chemistry with the leads. Note that the series and my review may have some triggering words/content. Aired on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-CWu74qAe0wQvZOICK6wayQpEdIBkFWl and GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/7815/a-winter-sun-wakes-the-wind-in-spring-hills-dream-2026-e01 (not available in Japan or Korea) Some episodes had extra content after the end credits which I watched and there was also Small Theater scenes that were separate which I did not watch.

Content Warnings: vomiting ep 1 around 2:10, non con picture taking/sharing, dub con kissing, suicidal thoughts, deaths, grief, punch, mental health struggles, manipulation, past & current homophobia, non con picture taking/sharing/outing, blackmail, suicide?, violence

Watch Suggestions (to remove most content warnings and focus mostly on the lead pair's relationship development and sweet moments)
- watch episodes 1
- episode 2 watch beginning-2:40, 8:45-11:40, 13:45-21, 33-37
- watch all of episode 3 and 3's post credit scene
- episode 4 watch beginning-15:30, 35:15-end and post credit scene
- episode 5 watch beginning-1:20, 3:30-17:55, 24:30-29:30, 38-40:45 5
- episode 6 watch 42-47
- episode 7 watch beginning-40:10, 44:15-end, post credit scene
- episode 8 watch beginning-25, 37:45-40:30
- episode 9 watch 12 -16:15, 27:45-31:45, 37:50-end and post credit scene
- episode 10 watch 3:30-8:40, 18:50-20:05
- episode 11 watch 1-5:50, 17-19, 47-end and post credit scene
- episode 12 watch beginning-2min, 12:10-28
- episode 13 watch beginning-6, 23:35-29:25
- episode 14 watch beginning-2:40
- episode 15 watch beginning-6:25, 8:15-13:55, 18-20:30, 25:50-end credits and watch post credit scene 34:07-end
- episode 16 watch 1-2:50, 21:30-24, 34:30-end

What I Liked
- production value, oranges and blues how in episode 1 there were 2 different locations but characters walked thru a door and then the scene with the other characters continued, not sure how to describe this
- tension/chemistry with the lead couple
- countryside vistas
- grandma
- tragedies happened in a realistic manner in that they were foreshadowed and didn't pop out of nowhere (though 3 was too many)
- the ending with main couple

Room For Improvement
- the tone was odd, there were really heavy parts and then there were silly comedy sound effects
- the sister who I think was in her early 20s was infantilized and made into a villain character
- too many antogonists/tragedies so it started to feel unrealistic
- confused with the characters and plot (I didn't take a ton off as some of this was not the production's fault)
a. saying and subtitling brother and sister which included both non related and related characters which made it difficult to know who was who
b. sometimes scenes jumped suddenly
c. not translating text messages or giving context (what is Ranger School)
d. time jumps
e. dreams vs reality
- did not care for the second couple
- leads did not communicate their plans (also the noble idiot trope)
- the leads had barely any screen time together in the finale

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dark and messy soap opera style series with cute side m/m couple

Overall: this isn't the type of plot (dark/murder mystery) that I enjoy, but I think they did a good job with it. Wish the side m/m couple would have had more screen time. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: pretty much every single one, this could be really triggering for people so please take care if you watch the whole thing

Timings for the side m/m couple (in case you'd like to just see their scenes, I think I got most of them). The best are episode 5 part 4 and episode 6 part 1.
ep 2 4/4, 3m30s
ep 3 2/4, 1:30
ep 5 3/4, 4
ep 5 4/4, beginning
ep 6 1/4, 9
ep 8 3/4, beginning
ep 14 2/4, 4
ep 16 3/4, 13 and 16
ep 17 2/4, 1m10s
ep 18 4/4 4m30s

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poorly done slice of life

Overall: I would advise starting it at ep 5 34 minutes and you'll avoid a whole bunch of random child characters. This is from the same production company that made: Ai Long Nhai, Coffee Melody, With Love and Second Chance. 10 episodes about 40 minutes long aired on GagaOOLala and iQIYI.

Content Warnings: past death/grief, blood, bullying, hit/kick/punch, transphobia mentioned, intimate partner violence, drug addiction

What I Liked
- Khana and Pao (who had almost no screen time)
- how Barbie called out those bullies in ep 1
- good discussion of how if you are queer you are held to a higher perfection standard, you have to represent all queer people and can't make mistakes/learn like non-queer people*
- supportive friends
- Tin told his mom off

Room For Improvement
- boring, nothing really happened, scenes dragged on for too long they felt randomly thrown together at times
- Tin is maybe supposed to be in university but acts like he's in middle school, comes across as whiny and immature and he didn't know what a boner was???
- too many characters including children, lack of development with main characters specifically Kana and Pao
- *the trope of a hypersexual trans woman
- not into the Park/Tin dynamic, the cold/angry/reluctant guy hitting the peppy/persistent/harassing character, in ep 2 also Park randomly was flirty at one point which was an odd shift, Park later had a personality transplant in the second half of the series and was super flirty which was better
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny, I didn't laugh once
- ep 1 started with a voice over/exposition dump
- why doesn't anyone called an ambulance, they just stand around shouting and that cpr technique was terrible

Question - what does Tin Tem Jai mean,? Tin is a character's name, internet searching says 'tem' is 'to do' or 'to make' and 'jai' is 'heart'.

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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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so much potential

Overall: this series could have been a 9.5 for me with the amount of potential but the writing didn't deliver. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each, 2 episodes per week. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40439c-boys-be-brave and on GagaOOLala (in Macau, Hong Kong & Taiwan) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4231/boys-be-brave-2024-e01

Content Warnings: harassment, punch/fight

Watch Suggestions (takes out love triangle and focuses on cute parts)
- watch the beginning of ep 5 to 3:30 (when Jung Ki Sub was a little kid and explained why he acted like he did when people asked him out)
- watch episode 8 25:30-end (for when they first met)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- episode 3 skip 23:20-24:30
- episode 4 watch 5:30-9:30 and 10-15
- episode 5 watch 4:20-15
- episode 6 watch 6:30-16:30, 24:20-end
- episode 7 watch 3:30-5:40, 17-27:30
- episode 8 watch 6:30-9, 21-25:25

What I Liked
- the friend relationship
- direct communication when it happened
- funny moments
- switching perspectives
- character growth with main couple
- end of episode 3
- one of the best hugs ever

Room For Improvement
- what we saw at the beginning of episode 5 needed to be shown much sooner so I could have rooted for the main couple's relationship, it felt like the 1 guy was playing games
- needed to get rid of the mostly cliched female character and family drama to focus more on the two couples
- the second couple had wasted screen time, also 1 character was cruel in the past and in the present and the other was content to be a doormat, needed a better explanation in the past and more/faster character growth in the present, then an unsatisfying ending
- 'because the writer said so' stuff, why would a character be so open to a woman he just met when his characterization up to that point has been more closed/prickly, why does a character go from punches/hate to being a simp
- most of episode 7 was wasted on family drama, episode 8 had a ton of wasted screen time too
- beginning of episode 8 was extremely choppy with a multitude of flash backs/forwards, characters in different locations

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gave me a headache every time

Overall: the plot did not plot. Watched uncut on GagaOOLala. Also aired cut/uncut on WeTV and cut on YouTube (they cut the NSFW scenes). 10 episodes about 40 minutes each. MFlow Entertainment also produced: Beyond the Star, Ai Long Nhai, Coffee Melody, Second Chance and With Love.

Watch Suggestion: instead of watching the series, watch the Behind The NC Scenes (note the thumbnails have nothing to do with the scenes) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3965/time-the-series-behind-the-nc-scenes-2024-e01 These are actually fully edited with music though they occasionally have someone giving directions.

Content Warnings: murder, sexual assault/attempted rape, dub/non con? (not sure what exactly that was around 30 minutes in episode 1), sexual harassment, beaten up, drugging, manipulation, slaps/fight, blood, mental health struggles, non con that turns consensual, breaking & entering, kidnapping, non con video recording/sharing

What I Liked
- the intro didn't make much sense but it did set up high stakes
- at least the manager eventually followed him to his room in episode 1
- the kissing/NSFW were decent (but felt directed instead of organic at times)

Room For Improvement
- not sure what the plot was supposed to be, we had fast jumps to characters that are not introduced well/I didn't really know who they were (especially bad in episode 5), it was also boring ie 7 minutes of guys flirting with women in episode 3
- everything felt odd, the dialogues, the lack of realistic reactions to things, no one acted like a human
- the timeline became especially choppy in episode 7, was not sure how much time passed between scenes
- way too much screen time in episode 1 with the stereotypical/cliche fighting/yelling trans women and evil wannabe girlfriend (reminded me of Be Mine Superstar, not in a good way), luckily the yelling went away
- the set up for the NSFW in episode 1 was awful
- the two leads needed to be styled differently, they looked kind of like brothers
- comedy sound effects that weren't funny
- episode 2 had a very long/odd flashback/dream
- nonsense stuff, that jump drive map in episode 5 being just one of a ton of examples
- cliche evil women
- cliche drunk trope (very fictional mouth says no but body says yes), cliche saw someone talking with a woman and then refused to communicate
- the twist at the end

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love triangle with a side of supernatural

Overall: they needed to narrow the plot focus/cut out the love triangle. 6 episodes about 9 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/7808/fix-the-error-2026-e01 and the Shortime app. My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.

Content Warnings: past murders off screen, past suicidal thoughts, manipulation

What I Liked
- visuals
- unique premise

Room For Improvement
- they had too many characters for a short run time, needed to cut out the love triangle, a lot went un or under explained
- needed more romantic/relationship development

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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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good production value and acting, but not a fan of the main character

Overall: the production value and acting was great but I actively disliked Mamoru's character and might be judging more harshly than normal as I was in this type of relationship (low self esteem/affect/morose and happy go lucky) and it was terrible. Aired on Viki.

Content Warnings: manhandling, non con photo taking/posting, unwanted outing, homophobia, punch

What I Liked
- funny moments like after Mamoru and his friend/fan ate
- the editing/animation references its manga origin
- Mamoru was set up well
- Issei's backstory for the constant smiling
- Mamoru's female friend/fan
- production value*

Room For Improvement
- really terrible communication especially from Mamoru, but Issei definitely should have talked to Mamoru before he said what he said on the stage
- never saw a reason for Mamoru's moroseness (and drawing nsfw stuff in high school and being (understandably) made fun of for it does not count), and there was a lack of character growth
- non reason in episode 7 and then sudden switch in episode 8
- the false idea that love can cure mental health struggles (been there, tried that, it was awful)
- Issei was at the end of the line, then vanished but later had the book???
- stereotypical character at the convention
-*too much spinning camera work end

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want the actors in something with a better script

Overall: I really want to rate this higher (and I think I'm being gracious with a 7), but the writing/plot is nonsensical and jumpy. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- the OST/music
- the kiss
- a few cute moments
- Tommy's outfits

Room For Improvement
- the plot was really lacking, there were too many characters and plot threads that didn't tie together. Scenes sometimes jumped randomly and did not feel well connected to one another. Episode 7 had a major event that happened off screen?! Cliche plot point in the 7th episode, bleh! A 1 year time jump in the final episode?!
- did not feel chemistry between the leads or a good development of their romantic relationship
- really dumb rescue breathing, he didn't check to see if he wasn't breathing (i.e. was rescue breathing required???) or a pulse first, this seemed like a stupid plot device and there are many other fun ways that the two could have met
- the worst business plan ever, Ba Da makes really awful/stupid decisions all the way to the end of the series
- I like more realistic make up, but the actors needed some eyeliner and lip color, they looked ill
- too many drone shots

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tried to do too much

Overall: there were way too many characters/plot for 4 hours as well as multiple timelines which made it confusing. A protagonist also had a giant flaw, which made me not support the romance. This is based on the web novel of the same title by Hwacha. 8 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on WeTV

Content Warnings (SPOILERS): past (stalking, murder, blood), present (attempted murder, blood, manipulation, blackmail, non con kiss)

What I Liked
- initial premise (even though it's not realistic, it is a bit different)
- physical intimacy
- sweet moments
- characters who did terrible things did have consequences

Room For Improvement
- too many characters/plot, we had: past stalking/murder, current stalking/attempted murder, amnesia, lost dream, job troubles, love rivals, as well as plot that took place in high school, the years in between and in the present
- not all flashbacks were clear and added to the confusion of when/what was happening
- I am very upset with Yeo Sae Byeok if I understand correctly (and I might not because it was confusing)
- in the past he didn't tell Ha Neul about the stalking/threatening letters or go to the police which led his dad to be killed and then Ha Neul to blame himself
- in the near present he didn't tell Ha Neul about the threatening letters or go to the police which led to his boyfriend almost being murdered and missing a large part of his life which I would imagine would be extremely traumatic
- in the present lying by omission and still not cooperating with the police could have easily led to his boyfriend being actually murdered

- super stupid plan in high school with the poor communication trope
- did not feel the emotional intimacy between them, part of it was their past relationship was developed in a 6 minute montage
- there was a ton of writing nonsense, a few examples: no medical professional checked on him for a long time after he woke up, the police were fine not interviewing the victim and taking someone else's word for it, a person in jail was able to obtain a ton of red envelopes and mail them out of jail and they weren't even sealed

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well done micro series

Overall: I enjoyed the back and forth with the leads/their dynamic. 63 episodes between 1-2 minutes each aired on Vigloo app which also has (You Want Some, Rule #1 No Dating Rule, Love in the Apocalypse). Later aired as 6 longer episodes on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6056/match-play-2025 (not available in Japan or Korea)

What I Liked
- idol and trainer/stunt person
- how both were equally sassy
- caring moments
- non dead fish lip press kiss

Room For Improvement
- background music was too loud at times


How to Watch for Free (episodes are 50 coins each, you can't skip episodes but once unlocked they stay unlocked forever, there are additional tasks to get more coins like following the company on social media)

Day 1
- watch episodes 1-6 (free on the app)
- can watch 10 episodes free with ads, I unchecked the auto unlock, clicked off of that box and another box popped up saying "view ads to watch for free 0/10" (I did that for eps 7-16)
- watch 15 ads per day for 30 coins each on the rewards page and do the daily check in (eps 17-25)

Days 2 & 3
- watch the 10 episodes, do the daily checking, watch the 15 ads per day (should take about 3 days in total to watch for free)

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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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