4
10
1
2
This review may contain spoilers
interesting start with a disappointing ep 3
Overall: I was intrigued by the first two episodes, but things that happened in episode 3 made my rating go down. Based on a manga of the same title by ENJO, which I haven't read and I am reviewing the series based on its own merits. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala everywhere except Korea and Japan https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5465/depth-of-field-2025-e01Content Warning: past bullying, sexual assault/non con touching/non con kissing, punch, past manipulation
Watch Suggestions (to avoid repeated sexual assault)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- episode 3 watch 4:45-12 for backstory and stop at 19
- skip episode 4
- watch episode 5
- episode 6 watch 8-8:20 and 21-end
What I Liked
- I think the actors did a good job with the script that they had
- enjoyed them in university more
- production value
Room For Improvement
- one of the main characters was unlikable in high school and I didn't root for him in a romantic relationship with anyone, I can really enjoy flawed characters but I didn't feel that the past made sense for his current actions in high school and after apologizing (so he knew his was wrong) for sexually assaulting the other main character he sexually assaulted him again!!!
- potential love rival
- common pitfall of dragging poor communication out and then a rushed ending
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Oh! That Was a Thing...
Overall: This is based on the manhwa so I started to read it and they changed the main characters for the worse in the live action adaption. Watched on Viki.Content Warnings: attempted violence, non con touch (sleeping)
What I Liked
- an interesting premise
- I laughed a few times
- the burglar (except for who he chose to go after first, come on!), I actually wish the burglar had been a housemate the whole time
- good production value*
Room For Improvement
- odd things, why was the main character kneeling when calling his mom because his video wasn't turned on? But then at the end of the call the video was on; who goes to their room instead of the kitchen to bake and who goes into someone else's room and eats their cake? who lets a super drunk best friend go home by themselves?
- the main character is creepy/desperate and ignoring boundaries at the beginning, it's odd
- the other main character was a big jerk to a woman in episode 4, I don't like either main character, I don't understand his sudden shift either
- the kissing was not good
- pointless love triangle (this was in the source material)
- wasn't into the m/f couple (this was in the source material)
- the actions of the characters doesn't feel realistic
- there is no intro
- *some shaky camerawork
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a little bit dangerous and a lot romcom cliches
Overall: the trailer promised a grittier/darker series but it's like the directors/screenwriters never talked to each other. The first two episodes were what I was expecting, then it went full romcom (i.e. multiple accidental fall/stares), then some danger towards the end that didn't make sense. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel.Content Warnings: bullying, punches, violence/beaten up, non con kiss, non con video recording, cyberbullying, manhandling, attempted murder, drugging, attempted sexual assault
What I Liked
- that Sailom was book and a bit street smart as well in the beginning
- Sailom's friend group
- Kang's grandma was amazing
- sweet moments
- a couple funny moments
- production value
Room For Improvement
- too many romance tropes like the accidental fall and catch/stare (there were at least 3 in the first 7 episodes)
- odd pacing/plot, enemies part was too short and then rushed into becoming boyfriends
- the writers made Sailom too reluctant once they started dating/too many near kisses, made it feel more like a bromance, several kisses were uncomfortable to watch
- the comedy sound effects should have been left out, they didn't fit well
- Kang did not have a good enough villain origin story (not that any reason makes it okay to physically injure another human being)
- didn't root for the second couple because of the bullying at the beginning
- Kang's character was very inconsistent, I didn't want him in a romantic relationship because I felt like he'd bail again at the first sign of trouble
- Saifah was too stupid, there could have been a really interesting side plot/character there but his character was poorly written
- nonsense/because the writer said so stuff (some examples, that gang boss's "plan" in episode 11 made zero sense, what that police officer said, there was no reason given for Saifah trusting Name so much)
- not sure what was being hinted at with the student/teacher but they mostly disappeared
- some scenes were too dimly lit
- too many flashbacks especially in episode 6 and 11
- jumped to the past/present repeatedly in episode 7 part 1
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well done age gap
Overall: might be my favorite BL age gap story. 10 episodes about 13 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/8151/are-the-sexy-buttocks-not-good-2026-e01 (not available in Taiwan, Japan or Korea)Content Warning: groping (not between the MLs), past death, grief
What I Liked
- age gap/experience gap
- intimacy*
- caring moments
- the parents in the finale
- the younger guy took the lead
- ending
Room For Improvement
- borderline victim blaming when he told him not to be on the dating app on the train
- they styled the older guy in a way that made him feel creepy at times even though he wasn't
- (neutral) one character had an overacting style that I've seen in several Japanese series
- too many flashbacks
- voiced inner thoughts
- could have cut the nephew and spent more time on the relationship
- *the younger guy frequently had an uncomfortable look on his face and there were some dead fish lip presses
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This review may contain spoilers
Tide of Grunts (hope the actors get a better script next time)
Overall: I didn't expect them to do a safe, sane, consensual BDSM series (which would be amazing to finally see), but I was hoping to at least be entertained (I wasn't). 10 episodes about 10 minutes each. Aired on the app Shortime (my invite link is https://playground.shortime.app/en/invite/NKNIWI - the code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i) and it should get you a bonus); GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5972/tide-of-love-2025 (not in Korea) and SEEKmeda for channel members https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwfmKArt9EtWOQm5LiWg9mKzvMpkpPCHe&si=ZRyYUHDRbQjrlHHh and iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/tide-of-love-episode-1-24f4ukbxh0g?lang=en_usWhat I Liked
- visuals
Room For Improvement
- started with a voice over exposition dump (continued voicing of inner thoughts)
- it wasn't enjoyable to watch 1 person being scared/reluctant in the "BDSM" scenes
- it made no sense in episode 2 that a character had plenty of money but continue when he doesn't seem to enjoy it, what was his motivation for staying? and then in episode 3 he was suddenly in love but disgusted during their NC scenes???
- I normally give indie productions a pass with editing/production value but SEEKMedia had extra time after they sold it to streaming platforms and needed to work on the editing which was terrible (sounds didn't match visuals, bad transitions, continuity errors like buttons that magically re-buttoned themselves)
- the grunting was bad (but almost so bad it was funny)
- did the writers not understand why BDSM can be sexy?, nearly waterboarding multiple times was not sexy, having a person write the other person's name multiple times was not sexy
- their kissing energy didn't match at all, one guy was sucking the other guy's face off whereas that guy didn't want to open his mouth or move any part of his face
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exploring the joys and challenges of a poly relationship
Overall: I gave this a rating boost because there aren't many series/movies that give a realistic look at a modern day poly relationship and I think this series did a pretty good job with the topic. 11 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/82025606Content Warnings: pet death, grief
What I Liked
- showed two women getting married in episode 1
- explored the enjoyable parts and the challenges of having a three person romantic relationship
- how they talked with each other
- the moms and the brother
- chuckled a few times
Room For Improvement
- the child-like voice overs
- needed to cut the woman with glasses out and focus more on the relationship development between the three leads (episode 9 was skippable, could watch at 18 min to the end)
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Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!
8 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
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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confronting what you want
Overall: it was a nice story of reuniting. Aired on the Bump app.Content Warnings: past and present panic attacks, internalized homophobia
What I Liked
- supportive boss
- non cliche female character (her reaction was realistic)
- busting out of the stacks of books
Room For Improvement
- cliche running scene
- at the end he could have said there would be waterproof books, he shouldn't need to give up his love of reading
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This review may contain spoilers
step brother vertical series
Overall: it was fine. Note that they become step brothers as adults. 50 short episodes under 2 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI and WeTV. Later aired on GagaOOLala.Content Warnings: punch, drugging, homophobia, non con kiss, violence, blood, manipulation, held against will
What I Liked
- visuals
- good kissing
Room For Improvement
- the non con kiss
- "I could never like a man"
- nonsense there was no back up
- cliffhanger ending
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Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart! Special Episode
4 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
writing/marketing miss (watch suggestions)
Overall: they screwed over fans with their misleading marketing (I'll talk more below). Almost 2 hours runtime, make sure to watch the very important scene after the end credits. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/1qz7s34vza0?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4Content Warnings: attempted murder, violence/fights, blood, kidnapping/held against will, grief
Watch Suggestions (focus on cute moments)
- watch 12-19:45, 24:15-33:50, 35:45-36:20, 39, 1hr9-1hr10m30s, 1hr31m20s-1hr34m
What I Liked
- the actors
- grandma is MVP (most valuable player)
- sweet moments
- kisses
- the dad asked who was the bride and who was the groom and the kid said we don't ask, that's their business
- they at least had one back up plan this time
Room For Improvement
- the marketing was that there was a marriage/sweet moments, but there wasn't an actual marriage and there's been no season 2 announcement, if they had marketed this accurately (angsty/action/comedy with a few sweet moments), actually had a marriage and had a season 2 announcement then my rating would have been higher
- more stupid actions: do police not exist in this universe? bullet proof vests??? how on earth would someone who was shot in the stomach twice survive without major medical intervention????
- the cliffhanger scene after the final credits with no mention of another special or season 2 announcement
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way too many characters and uninteresting plot points
Overall: on brand with nice music, innuendos and way too many characters/plot that I cared nothing about and intended comedy that didn't work. 13 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcQaxIPsTWdN8c6czpNNhuciPMIkpAIH6&si=m9MlfDD-TDMRK8aN Oxin also produced: My Day, Rainbow Prince, My Story, Our Story, Tie the Not, Sky ValleyContent Warnings: sex trafficking/coercion, manipulation, dub con kiss, non con recording, mention of past abuse, hit
What I Liked
- visuals
- easy to understand premise
- chuckled a few times with the innuendo
- supportive sister/sibling relationship
- flirty moments, good being interested in more intimacy
- music
- the line "your lips got tired and laid on her lips?!"
- Xion Lim's cameos and not wearing shirts under his suit jackets
Room For Improvement
- flash forward with voice over start
- too many characters, cared nothing for the creepy manager/plot
- did not find most jokes funny
- 5/3 did not need to see a conversation while one guy was sitting on the toilet (and more toilet humor in the finale)
- camera blocked kissing in 6/4
- liked one pair but then a guy was a jerk in the second part of ep 7/1
- liked the makeup artist but then he tried to guilt his friend into a romantic relationship
- the finale had zero kisses!!!, we got a near kiss and a hug, meh
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acting based vertical series
Overall: they needed to narrow the focus to the main leads/their relationship development. 35 episodes 1-2 minutes each, episodes 1-5 are free on the Shortime app and you can watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnoGS9rLwwY on Shortime app which also has: Please Teach Me, Falling For My Boss, The Secrets of Male Students, Accent, Influencer Love and Buddy Boy. App information is below. My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.Content Warnings: past bullying, abuse, mental health struggles
What I Liked
- caring moments
- good kissing
Room For Improvement
- love triangle/needed to narrow the scope to be on the two leads
- a few unclear flashbacks
- cliche power of love healed trauma
- should have cut the love triangle or the past trauma
- bad redemption arc for a character
My Watch For Free Plan (updated Feb 2025), should take about 3 days
My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.
On the Rewards (popcorn bag icon page)
- check in = 5 (increases over 7 days up to 25)
- turn on notifications = 30 (1 time bonus)
- create a login = 20? (I did create a login because otherwise you only get 1 Always Win box instead of 3 per day, I think this was 20 popcorn)
- do the 3 random popcorn from the daily Always Win box = 30 (I'd normally get 5-15, around 30 in total)
- Watch Ads, watch all 10 ads each day, have to wait 30 seconds in between ads = 110
When you run out of popcorn while watching, you can watch 5 episodes each day with ads
Note that there are other 1 time bonuses like following on social media
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poor communication cliche
Overall: it was difficult to root for the couple when they kept hinting at something. Episodes were about 8 minutes each. Aired on Lovememory YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwW9ZsuS2FnYYgDhkvkW1AB3NfnyzYckm Lovememory also produced Twosome BoysWhat I Liked
- good kissing
- an established couple
Room For Improvement
- didn't feel chemistry between the leads
- the bad communication trope, just talk for 5 minutes and clear things up!
- maybe there were some language things that weren't translated, but it wasn't clear at the beginning if the two characters were boyfriends or best friends
- most of episode 6 was flashback
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This review may contain spoilers
supernatural indie BL
Overall: 4 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on DFJ Entertainment YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkUDyVkT_XranODtshU1r7qE5sOkW-0Nt&si=05L9CVhQcGvkj-EB I suggest for episode 3 to watch 17:30-end and the rest was product placement/flashback.Content Warnings: hit, past suicide shown (it's complicated)
What I Liked
- supernatural element
- caring moments
- the ending
Room For Improvement
- world building exposition dumps
- spent too much time in flashback on the third episode, could have used that screentime with the main couple in the present
- (neutral) there were comedy sound effects, but didn't feel overwhelming
- (neutral) the subtitles were confusing. I gave them points for adding them, but I think they made the plot more confusing than it was supposed to be. For example in episode 2, why did he invite his friend over just to scare him? There is an extra scene at the end, however, it still didn't make sense.
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a fun comedy vertical series
Overall: note that the focus is more on the contentious relationship of the actors than the romance with the guardian spirits. 30 episodes about a minute each. Watched on the Vigloo app - the first few episodes can be watched here https://www.vigloo.com/video/15000105?season=15000105&episode=1 Vigloo also has: You Want Some, Match Play, Rule #1 No Dating Rule, Love in the ApocalypseWhat I Liked
- the guardian spirits and their story
- it made me laugh a few times
- the group hug
Room For Improvement
- too much screaming
- kind of ambiguous with the actors' relationship
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
- watched episodes 1-8 (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 9-18)
- watched 15 ads per day for 30 coins each on the rewards page and did the daily check in (eps 19-27)
Days 2 & 3
- watched 3 more ads for the last 3 episodes
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