BL Compilations

beginning was slow, ending was rushed (watch suggestions)

Overall: the initial premise was good but the execution was lacking. 12 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (country dependent).

Watch Suggestions: (if you want to see the lead interactions and avoid a bunch of drama)
- read the synopsis
- watch episodes 6, 7 and 8
- skip episodes 9 & 10
- watch ep 11 5:35 to the end
- watch ep 12 13:30 to the end (or can watch all of it for a ton of drama that was quickly resolved)

Content Warnings: coercion/blackmail, non con picture/video taking and sharing, slap, 2 more but I'm keeping this spoiler free, one involves an animal

What I Liked
- the beginning was funny and I laughed at 1 fight scene
- visuals
- a few sweet moments
- production value*

Room For Improvement
- the leads don't really start interacting until episode 6 and halfway thru is waaayyyy too late, they had a few seconds in episode 2 and then towards the end of ep 5 but by then I was shipping the one lead with 2 other characters, I didn't really care about all the other stuff that they put in, there just wasn't enough time to do the romance well and with the additions of a love rival, family drama, work struggles etc.
- 6 antagonists was too many for just 3 hours of run time, also most/all antagonists did not have adequate consequences for their actions
- it is totally realistic that someone understands more in a language than what they can speak; however, it was not realistic that every single Korean character could understand Thai in the first few episodes, he should have spoken a few words in Korean to side characters but had his assistant, manager and dad understand Thai, also why was he wearing the translation device when they established that he understands Korean??? (also a character used the translation device to understand him but then later didn't and magically knew Thai, and that taping was live but no one translated into Korean what was said in Thai, how would the audience know what the character said?)
- *it was choppy at times, episode 1 ends with talking to a director and then the beginning of episode 2 is a character in a totally different place/time, two guys in a van talk to a character and then suddenly he is driving a motorcycle, in episode 7 it's complete daylight then the next second it's total darkness, etc.
- comedy sound effects, silly background music
- convenient writing (with the phones in ep 8), someone is injured then magically healed, cliche of overhearing something but ghosting/not communicating
- ending was extremely rushed, things were said but earlier never shown, everything tied sloppily with a bow
- with the series title, they should have had the setting be a cat cafe

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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-e01

Content 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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refreshing to see two guys hot for each other

Overall: it's really nice (and rare) to see two guys who are equally into the other person intimacy-wise, though I am aware the series had flaws. 10 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on IQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/peach-lover-2026-1x86zyfuj9x?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: past suicide, manipulation, kidnapping, beaten up, violence, attempted rape

Watch Suggestions
- start episode 1 at 4 minutes
- start episode 2 at 5 minutes (did not need a 4 minute recap)
- watch episodes 3 & 4
- start episode 5 at 19:30
- watch episode 6
- episode 7 stop at 50:30
- episode 8 stop at 7:30
- episode 9 watch 42:40-end
- start episode 10 at 5:30

What I Liked
- Sasom was upfront about what he wanted
- Po was into it and not a blushing virgin
- sensual scenes done well (though wish there was a safe sign/word in episode 3)
- it seemed that Sasom did not tell what Po to do in episode 4 which I appreciated
- a character punched his dad who deserved it and there wasn't a crappy redemption arc done
- a character talked with what appeared to be a therapist in episode 10

Room For Improvement
- the AI generated art at the beginning and the end of episode 1 and throughout the series which was ironic given that the main character's job (drawing book covers) is being rendered obsolete by AI (can start at 4 minutes to skip it for the beginning of ep 1)
- voiced inner thoughts (so much telling instead of showing), narration dumps
- side couple was just there, I didn't know what purpose they served
- episode 4 was a bit disjointed, suddenly they had a fight, this choppiness happened a few more times
- the break up was nonsense
- comedy sound effects did not make things funny

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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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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_us

What 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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high school series with highs and lows

Overall: I struggled with the entitlement and immaturing (I did give them leeway for being high schoolers) in episode 1. Then things improved only to have it all crash down in episodes 6 and 7. Yet the writers stuck the landing. 8 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/82761927 and https://www.oned.net/video/6399147712112 (Thailand only)

Content Warning: held against will (by their friends), non con picture taking/sharing/outing/speculation

Watch Suggestion
- read the synopsis
- episode 2 watch 33-43:10, 50-end
- episode 3 watch 10:30-36, 47-end
- episode 4 watch 5:40-7:50, 19-end
- episode 5 watch beginning-24:15, 32:15-end
- skip episode 6
- episode 7 watch 26-28:15
- episode 8 watch 8:45-21 and 26-end

What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- cute moments
- supportive friends and family

Room For Improvement
- a club of teenage guys with zero oversight was a bit dubious but that whiteboard with the teen girl and the guys figuring out how to get her to be the one guy's girlfriend was gross
- the temper tantrum at not getting his own condo
- the "be a jerk to the person I like" trope
- the point of the club was to find love, so that rule felt homophobic
- multiple kiss interruptions
- shipping stuff was gross but glad there was an apology
- a guy on the toilet while gaming
- 8 episodes was not enough to have 2 full episodes (6 and 7) of that stuff

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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=4

Content 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 Valley

Content 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 Boys

What 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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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 Apocalypse

What 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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