BL Compilations

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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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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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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The Pain (Almost) Never Ends (watch suggestions)

Overall: note that this series and my review may have triggering content. 13 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-love-never-sets-episode-1-2edr2dc2xxw?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: past (rape shown 27-30 ep 1 and 29-34 episode 2 , grooming, drugging, non con video taking/sharing, miscarriage, blood, manipulation, intimate partner abuse/violence, near suicide, child abuse/violence), current (beaten up/fight, held against will, slaps/punches, grooming, trauma/PTSD, intimate partner abuse, manipulation, sexual assault multiple times, drugging, multiple past suicides mentioned)

Watch Suggestions (to focus on sweet/happy)
- episode 2 watch 16:15-26:20 for cute backstory, 37:30-46:05 GL
- episode 3 watch 21-27:35 cute backstory
- episode 4 watch 23:10-26:10 maybe side couple, 32-38:20 GL, 55-58:45
- episode 5 watch 21:45-24:30 and 44:30-46:15
- episode 6 watch 19:30-25:20
- episode 7 watch 22:30-39and 58:45-59:05
- episode 8 watch 9:30-12:30 and 50:25-52:20
- episode 9 watch beginning to 36:30 and 38:40-40:10
- episode 10 watch 18-19:15 and 34-end
- episode 11 watch beginning-2:30, 5:30-10:05, 13:30-20:25
- episode 12 watch 29-end
- episode 13 watch beginning-18:30, 34:30-39 (or continue if you enjoy singing), 45:20-end

What I Liked
- visuals
- sweet moments in the past/present
- the past miscommunication was a bit more realistic than similar situations in other series
- that Ice at times stood up for himself like when he told Saint that he was two-faced
- the GL escalated very quickly, but I enjoyed them quite a bit
- someone went to jail in episode 8

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump in ep 1
- it seemed that Saint knew what happened to Ice before reading the diary so him restraining Ice like that in episode 1 was awful (and then a later conversation about not needing consent was terrible too, I don't think the production talked to any survivors)
- the bullies felt very cookie cutter
- multiple poorly done redemption arcs
- the friend knew what happened to Ice yet put him in a situation she should have known would be triggering
- cheating
- stupid drinking duel in episode 7
- kissing someone when they were drugged
- in episode 8 a character could have easily had a mutual friend explain what was going on
- bunch of nonsense stuff: staff didn't notice higher rates sooner/had a student access data, instant pepper spray recovery, police took forever to get somewhere, deleted evidence, into a coma from being stabbed, singing woke a person from a coma

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jarring and nonsense plot elements (watch suggestions)

Overall: the writer/s spent too much time on a love rival and the very serious side plot didn't work for me. 12 episodes about 15 minutes each. Sometimes there was an extra scene during the end credits. Aired 2 episodes per week on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/39807c-eccentric-romance and GagaOOLala (Southeast Asia) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4853/eccentric-romance-2024 This production company also produced Love is Like a Cat and Peach of Time.

Content Warnings: past murder, attempted murder, blood, kidnapping, blackmail, manipulation, fight

Watch Suggestion for the last 4 episodes (I don't have the energy/desire to go back thru beginning episodes and write suggested timings, these suggestions focus on sweet moments with the MLs)
- episode 1 start at 1:40
- episode 2 skip 10:30-12:25, stop at 14:40
- episode 3 watch 3:20-8
- episode 4 watch the beginning to the intro
- episode 5 watch the beginning to 6:30
- watch episode 6
- skip episode 7
- episode 8 watch 13:45-end
- episode 9 watch the very beginning and 4-6:30
- episode 10 watch 2:40-3 and 7:40-10:15
- episode 12 watch 14:30-end

What I Liked
- dynamic between the leads
- sweet moments
- non cliche female character
- visuals
- language was realistic as people are generally more comfortable listening vs speaking, update: it was a bit unrealistic that all the side characters understood Thai but they did give explanations at least
- a bit better than dead fish lip presses

Room For Improvement
- the opening scene was confusing, it was actually a flashback not a flash forward as I originally thought
- exposition dump introductions for the characters, villain exposition dump, exposition dump at the end
- seemed to be a made up class (let me know if that's actually a class available in South Korea and I'll remove this)
- too much time spent on the love rival
- cliche drunk and didn't remember the night before and also drunk kiss
- should have put the scene at the end of 2 at the end of episode
- a lot of nonsense stuff, ie the hug was awkward with the trainer, why weren't police called sooner, the serial killer joke, the villain "plan" at the end etc
- the title didn't make sense but I didn't take off points for it (eccentric doesn't have a negative connotation)

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actors deserved a better script (watch suggestions)

Overall: with a better script/editing, I know that Mos & Bank would have been on fire, instead it was mostly failed comedy and cringe. The series was based on "Sunsetxvibes" by Rosesarin_ which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits (though I've heard the book is mainly smut). 12 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI uncut https://www.iq.com/play/s2n3mgmw3x?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 Later aired a cut version on the Star Hunter YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/H3HXsoNTltE?si=DeEZa915DK2L-njf (episode 1 was about 1 minute shorter than the uncut)

Content Warnings: thought there was one towards the end of ep 1 but then it wasn't (tried not to spoil things), past parental abuse, punch, coercion, blackmail, non con video recording/sharing/outing, sexual molestation, fight, blood, past death

Watch Suggestions (prioritizes intimacy, the side m/m couple and the side f/f couple once I jived with them)
- episode 1 you could start it at 10min-13min, 22-29, 32:40-36, 39:45-45, this is a dream 46:30-48
(I don't have the energy to go back thru eps 2-3)
- episode 4 watch 18-19:30, 33:30-42, maybe 55:30 to the end
- episode 5 watch 7-10:30, 14-18:15, 31-end
- episode 6 watch 16:15-21, 25-28, 39
- episode 7 watch 4:30-5:20, 13:40-16:40, 19:30-24, 37:30-39, 41:30-44, 46:30-48
- episode 8 watch 2:15-2:45, 15:20-16:20
- episode 9 watch 18-21, 27:10-30:50, 32:40-35:40, 38:10-45
- episode 10 watch 12-25, 51 to the end
- episode 11 watch 9:30-17:40 (excellent side couple steamy scene), 47:40-49:50 (didn't really feel the paint but the main couple steamy scene)
- episode 12 watch the whole episode

What I Liked
- the m/m side couple
- there was an established m/m couple
- the intro (and cinematography/styling)
- visuals
- GL rep (not a fan of the dynamic until later episodes though)
- supportive sibling, friends & mom
- a funny moment of a character talking about if it was a movie and then it went into a flashback scene
- good consent in episode 4 with asking for a kiss
- that a main character wasn't totally helpless in episode 4
- a subversion of a common characteristic with the pursuee
- mutual want

Room For Improvement
- the pervasive comedy sound effects that did not make things funny
- the fantasy element was not well explained or incorporated
- his friends were annoying at times
- did not care about the business scenes or backbiting coworkers
- a ton of nonsense/'because the writer said so stuff', i.e. the beginning scenarios were set up to be steamy but then oddly g rated, a very odd location for a first date and posing at the door, people who've never kissed someone do not try to kiss like that (and it wasn't funny), who goes into a person's dungeon looking basement like that?, remembering something very traumatic and then designing a necklace, transporting something super expensive at night by himself
- that the offender in episode 4 was darker skinned and the 'I won't press charges, tell him not to do it again' bs
- the styling didn't work because of the bowl haircut and how a main character acted so childlike (pinky swearing with his dad as an example)
- very cringey 'Khun Dad', their relationship felt like a child and a parent at times which was cringey
- a female character oddly had a boyfriend
- the poor communication cliche/run away plot

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So much potential, but the lack of character growth was disappointing

Content Warnings (not between m/m couple): physical abuse/assault, kidnapping, blackmail, having several previous partners shaming, drugging, manipulation

Overall: I really disliked Fiat (especially) and Leo from TTs2, but I was hooked after watching episode 1 of Don't Say No. Unfortunately the lack of character growth and the dreaded 11th episode plus a stupid ending for the side couple made it not reach its potential. Don't watch episode zero as there is some really messed up stuff that happens in that. All you need to know is Leo & Fiat are life long friends who recently became romantic with one another.

What I Liked
- communication*, Fiat & Leo actually communicate about their issues and work to resolve them. They even communicate during and after "fun" time, which I rarely see. However, episode 11 was a huge disappointment.
- the 2 main female characters are supportive friends and bonus the step mom is nice. I'm torn on Leo's mom who is supportive but almost in a manipulative/too invasive way.
- pacing was okay for the most part
- explanation for character motivation/faults, we get to see why characters are doing things (at times via flashbacks), and how different people interpret the same actions
- subverted/modified tropes with the side couple (hurt/care, sharing umbrella)

Room For Improvement
- *was really sad to see the lack of character growth especially from Fiat. That whole 11th episode was so dumb and unnecessary and they never even showed them actually communicate what happened with those events to each other!
- they should have made the family past trauma the final 4-6 episode arc and then show Fiat have some character growth
- the main couple (Leo/Fiat) don't look comfortable with kissing each other/being intimate, you can't be established boyfriends and not at least pucker your mouth for a kiss... these scenes were hit and miss for me.
- the side m/m couple: Pob should have been written as nervous/inexperienced, but instead he comes across as a jerk who thinks about himself only and plays games with Leon (like in episode 8 when he smirks after talking with Leon). And their ending was super stupid. I started out not liking them, liked them briefly and then ended up not liking them together.
- the overused cliche evil wannabe girlfriend
- Fiat's dad has about one brain cell, his actions were so toxic and stupid
- the comedy sound effects, they just aren't my thing but at least there isn't that horrendous gulping noise

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overall not funny but with a few cute moments

Overall: although this is supposed to be a comedy, it didn't even get into the "so bad it's good" category. See my watch suggestion timing below for some cute parts. 6 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: manipulation, manhandling, punch/fight/violence, drugging

Note: the depiction of a person with disabilities in episode 4-6 was not funny. Humor can be used to dehumanize people, I think people should be very careful when making fun of groups of people who historically and currently face discrimination and dehumanization. Ryan O'Connell (who has cerebral palsy) wrote and acted in the Netflix series Special which was well done and funny.

Watch Suggestion, if you want to give this a go and see a few cute moments with the two leads I suggest:
ep 1, 28-29 and 33-36
ep 2, 13-25 and 28-37
ep 3, 16-24
ep 4, 7-18, 23-25
ep 5, 31-33
ep 6, start at 37 thru to the end (could watch earlier if you want more plot explanation and fight scene with terrible sound effects)

What I Liked:
- Luv's supportive friends
- Frank's abs and Long Lee's smirk
- that the two leads were mutually attracted to one another
- a few cute moments
- BTS at the end of ep 1 (though not subbed)

Room For Improvement
- some of the plot nonsense was intentional but explaining everything at the very end didn't work for me
- the depiction of someone with a disability was not funny to me at all
- didn't think most of it was funny (except the Muay Thai was fun and maybe a couple other bits like the slow accidental fall and catch at the very end)
- 3 minute intro was too long
- the voice dubbing (I think this was done for comedy but I really disliked it), and then the internal voices were odd to

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sudden character shifts

Overall: note that this review and the series might be triggering regarding intimate partner abuse. My main issue was how multiple characters flip flopped and I couldn't trust them with one in particular who was abusive one minute and then super sweet the next. This is based on the web novel "Thundercloud Rainstorm" by Caesim, which I haven't read and I reviewed the series based on its own merits. 8 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/thundercloud-rainstorm-episode-1-1n404dlzgcg?lang=en_us ; GagaOOLala (available in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia and Europe (excluding Spain, Portugal, and United Kingdom)) and on Heavenly in South Korea.

Content Warnings: non con kiss, punch/beaten up, manhandling, coercion, intimate partner abuse, victim blaming, blackmail

Watch Suggestions (to focus on steamy & sweet)
- episode 1 watch 24:15-end
- episode 2 watch 9:40-10:30, 16:10-16:30, 25-end
- episode 3 watch beginning-15
- episode 4 watch beginning-15
- episode 5 watch beginning-9:15, 28-30
- skip episodes 6 and 7
- episode 8 watch 3:30-end which gives an overview and shows how the series ended

What I Liked
- chemistry (in the beginning, it fizzled a bit in my opinion)
- visuals
- that one character wasn't completely child-like (the kick in ep 3 was good, wish we saw more agency from him)
- one character had consequences off screen

Room For Improvement
- some choppiness especially in the beginning with time jumps
- a character's action in the beginning of episode 1 made no sense if I understood the timeline correctly, also they said he should have been in a ton of pain??
- the drunk and forget cliche
- Il Jo needed more agency
- inconsistent characterization, a character was cruel and the next second was in love, then abusive, then a sweet puppy and so on (it made it so I couldn't trust their nice side because the other side was always lurking around the corner)
- a character knew something terrible could have happened and then sat around for awhile towards the end of episode 4
- some night scenes were too dark, needed more light on the actors' faces
- noble idiot trope
- a character stayed trash thru the end and had zero consequences

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too many sound effects, not enough plot

Overall: thought this was a romcom but episode 3 took quite a turn. I also really disliked the "comedy" sound effects. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired cut on UltimateTroop Official YouTube channel and uncut on iQIYI (eps 9 and 10 for premium members). Ultimate Troop also produced "Remember Me" and "The Yearbook".

Content Warnings: sexual assault/attempted rape (episode 3 part 2), self harm/attempted suicide (episode 3 part 2), manhandling, mental health struggles, beaten up, violence/punches, bullying, stalking

What I Liked
- Dino's singing and guitar playing sounded realistic
- awesome dance moves
- how the friend pointed out the difficulty of finding someone on a large campus
- happy Rak did something in episode 2 and did stand up for himself
- Mean's cameo in episode 2 with the angelic music was funny
- that they mentioned their series "The Yearbook"
- the idea of filling that jar to give Rak some time to recover (though this idea didn't work out)
- at least there weren't dead fish lip presses*
- Chalam and his eggs/pet snake

Room For Improvement
- that there were no consequences for the absolute despicable thing Mek did in episode 3
- the "comedy" sound effects actually make me NOT laugh, not a fan of toilet humor/conversations
- some scenes dragged on for too long like the scene in episode 3 part 2 and the terrible attempt at a redemption arc with Mek's sister
- strongly disagreed with Mek's sister saying an apology can fix everything, an apology can most definitely NOT fix everything and Mek is now beyond redeemable after episode 3
- Rak went from out of the frying pan and into the fire because Dino did not understand boundaries, "don't take too long to open your heart because I won't wait" and after Rak says for him not to touch him he....touches him...
- it's odd how the show depicted the stalker as bad but Dino did the exact same things (ignored boundaries, aggressive pursuit, extremely possessive)
- *in episode 8 the loud slurping noises not in sync with the movements was bad, plus I like some tongue but it was just too much tongue and licking
- Rak was reluctant even in the last two episodes, wish they had shown him with more agency/initiating physical stuff
- effeminate guy stereotype as hypersexualized
- at times the music was mismatched, there was a more serious scene and it had lighthearted music (hospital scene was a good example of this)
- ep 1 voice over exposition dump
- nonsense things: Rak's friends let him leave the club with some rando, say it's loud at the football field but it's quiet, lights on when sleeping, why did Rak stop running when there was an open doorway there in episode 3, etc.
- last 2 episodes were almost all filler and felt very unnecessary (and a new toxic character "you can't tell me to stop" bleh)

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coming of age romance that needed a part 3

Overall: I wish they had just focused on the two protagonists like A First Love Story (South Korea, 2021). Originally aired in 2 parts on Cul Drama YouTube Channel playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTzMpGBkGlIYOyVq-m3cPEdl4LBIh5hjX&si=ap-8RLV2rRZ0eFNA (watch the 8 minute one first and then the 9 minute one)

Content Warning: unwanted outing

What I Liked
- glad he didn't finish what he started at the beginning of episode 1
- sweet moment/tickle fight
- pretty good production value though too much blur filter

Room For Improvement
- cliche female character introduced in part 1
- felt bad for the female character introduced in part 2 as she felt like collateral damage
- the ending of part 2 was still fairly open, they needed 1 more video to wrap everything up
- I didn't take off points but the subtitles are a bit rough, I understood what was happening though

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