BL Compilations

sweet seaside romance

Overall: a refreshing seaside romance series. 5 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: maybe something at the beginning with a side character but it didn't bother me at all, past death

What I Liked
- the characters felt realistic instead of caricatures, how both of them were confident in some ways but guarded in other ways
- flashback that hinted about why Amane was jaded about love and then the reason was shown in episode 2
- caring/sweet moments
- how Ryuji sought communication
- that Amane took risks to stay true to himself/what he wanted
- production value

Room For Improvement
- don't think physics would agree with what happened around 10 minutes in episode 1 lol
- it was only 5 episodes we definitely could have used more

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needed more runtime to better develop the plot and characters

Overall: I liked the unique premise but it felt rushed. I think they should have cut out Dennis' character if they didn't have the budget for a longer runtime. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: attempted violence/murder, murder*, bullying, shove, dub/non con touching, past violence, past death, mental health struggles, power imbalance with boss/employee dynamic

What I Liked
- made me laugh several times like trying to drink but not holding anything
- I appreciate how different that first scene was from pretty much every other BL
- chemistry between the leads
- cute moments
- interesting premise
- was happy it was m/m in the past

Room For Improvement
- there just wasn't enough screen time to fully explain the plot, an example is why/when did Min Yu Dam's feelings change? or in the past, a line says they've been meeting at a certain spot but the audience has only seen them just meet, what exactly was/is the relationship between Min Yu Dam and Dennis (in the past and present)?
- Min Yu Dam has had that much time and he comes up with that stupid approach?!? why wouldn't he meet him as a friendly university classmate, there's never any explanation and it doesn't make sense
- the dead fish lip press kisses and even the 1 that wasn't still wasn't a good kiss
- in episode 2 they should have continued the flashing lights/noise thru that scene to show it was an ongoing problem and then put things back to normal once Min Yu Dam did what he did
- a 2 minute recap is too long for episodes that are under 15 minutes
- *this is a kind of murder but I won't be too spoilery

The Ending
- I actually didn't mind it as I didn't love that he forced him to be his secretary and go on dates with him however, this needed to be 16 episodes 1 hour each and what we saw took up the first 6-8 episodes and then they continued the story for the second half, otherwise it kind of ruins everything else before it

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Love In The Air (aka a bodice ripper set in current times)

Overall/Note: This series is based on a novel by MAME (TharnType author) who writes "bodice rippers", i.e. a wealthy, handsome and aggressive pursuer goes after a naive and/or reluctant pursuee where non/dub con is involved and they end up happily ever after. This series has the very FICTIONAL 'mouth says no, but body says yes' idea. In real life, even if a person's body reacts to touch, it doesn't mean that they want it. Just one verbal or non verbal 'no' means to stop immediately in real life. In real life buying multiple burner phones/sim cards to contact someone who has blocked you isn't romantic it's stalking and creepy. In real life spanking someone when you haven't established a role play/boundaries/safe word is physical assault. I think/hope most people can tell the difference between fiction and real life. There are valid reasons for creating and enjoying non/dub con that I won't get into, however steer clear if this is not your thing. On iQIYI and YouTube (varies by country).

Content Warnings: manipulation, dub con touching and kissing, non con touching and kissing, manhandling, homophobic comment, kidnapping, violence, stalking, harassment, past sexual assault references/brief scenes, PTSD/trauma, gang rape

What I Liked
- really was hooked in the first few minutes
- clear time jump
- Ple said that being gay is not a bad thing*
- bisexual representation
- liked the street racing aspect
- the NSFW scenes were well done, most like Rain/Phayu's
- the sweet/caring moments
- that university students were actually busy with school assignments
- how Sky was sassy in the beginning

Room For Improvement
- separating out the two couples didn't work for me, I was bored in the second half, felt like it went in circles
- not a fan of Phayu's "plan" or Rain's "plan"
- how Rain has a crush on a woman and says that he's not gay he just thinks one guy is hot seems to be setting up or is the gay for you trope, related to this
-* the whole conversation around 17 minutes in episode 1 was bad/odd, Rain said Ple's brother must be gay because he said something about another guy, it was good that Ple did call Rain out on it but the whole conversation was not needed
- scenes kind of jumped a bit a few times
- the second episode had too much recap from episode 1, this happened again in later episodes where they showed a lot of footage that we had already seen
- audio issues
- I disliked Pai at the beginning for the initial coercion and then the harassment/stalking but ended up being annoyed with Sky and his lack of communication with Pai and also making Pai do a bunch of chores to prove his love, then I went back to not liking Pai with the yelling in the final episode
- last episode felt rushed
- consequences not shown for those scum of the earth, only referenced verbally

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awesome setting/styling, slightly confusing plot (watch suggestions)

Overall: while I loved the setting/styling, there were way too many characters/plot for 12 episodes and I was ambivalent about the romance aspect with the leads. Because of the collaboration, actual kisses & wide release, this got a bit of a rating boost. The series is based on a book but I reviewed the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired 2 episodes per week on: YouTube, GagaOOLala, Viki, iQIYI, WeTV, Loklok & Heavenly (more info at the end of this review)

Content Warnings: murders/deaths, rape?/non con turned consensual?, suicide, non con kissing, strangling, manhandling, fights/violence, blood, torture, manipulation, drugging, theft, kidnapping

Watch Suggestions (focuses on the leads, takes out love triangle, most violence/angst/pain)
- watch episodes 1-5 (beware episode 1 has non con/dub con)
- watch episode 6 at 31 minutes if you want a plot explainer
- skip episode 7 (angst and torture)
- episode 8 watch 5m30s-9 for a side couple, the rest is angst, pain, love triangle stuff
- episode 9 start at 29 minutes and watch to the end to get more plot developments
- episode 10 skip 7:30-20 or watch the whole episode
- episode 11 start at 11 min to 14:40, 18:30-20:20, 23:45-25
- episode 12 watch 7:45-18, 26:30-30, 34:10 to the end

What I Liked
- an opposites attract dynamic
- sweet moments
- setting/style
- really happy that a character convinced another character not to see/forgive a truly terrible character in episode 12
- got actual, shown kisses
- the production really made an effort to get this on as many platforms and to as many people as they could, they also wrote out the countries on their social media that had access to each platform
- collaborative effort between China, Taiwan and Thailand; hope this was successful and we see more collaborations

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump to start the series
- too many characters and plot given and I was confused until finally in episode 6 at 31 minutes they explained the plot more clearly, spent too much time on the leads apart
- wish they had modified the scenes in episode 1 and in episode 6
- how no one was concerned about the sister's fate
- wanted more relationship development shown of the side couple, it seemed that it mostly happened off screen
- Su Yin was infuriating and had way too much screen time
- the dubbing especially with 1 character (I guess he was speaking Thai and then they dubbed over it)
- odd camera angles

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 (Huai En was tortured/abused/manipulated his whole life but that doesn't forgive what he may have done in ep 6)
2. how bad was/is the treatment (because this is fade to black and based on reaction afterwards, I'm not sure if episode 6 was rape or turned consensual but it was still terrible, and in episode 9 he was choking the other lead)
3. were both characters grey or was one squeaky clean (Xiao Bao was pretty squeaky clean, he's very dense, Huai En was a cold blooded killer)
4. was there some kind of apology/amend making (I don't think Huai En apologized, he did save Xiao Bao and his family and risked his life to do so)
5. was there character growth (episode 9 and Huai En was still physically violent, in episode 11 he did have a revelation of the tighter he tried to hold on to Xiao Bao the more he slipped away)
6. do I believe that the characters will stay together in a happy romantic relationship (maybe)
final verdict: I'm nervous that the first time Xiao Bao looks at another attractive person Huai En will rape/kill him, but they did seem pretty happy at the end


Airing Platforms/Links/Countries (country info was from the production company)
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzvQsQu-ofvkwO5v1gax9jqOYNYvhWN4
Airing everywhere except: Thailand, Japan and South Korea

GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4541/meet-you-at-the-blossom-2024-e01
Airing everywhere except: Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong China, Vietnam, Philippines, Canada, Australia, India, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Brazil.

Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40650c-meet-you-at-the-blossom
Airing: Americas, Oceania, Middle East, Europe, India

iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/meet-you-at-the-blossom-2024-1689d4pr2sl
Airing: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Macau China, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Brazil

WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/c5o1ffdwm6yhwy5
Airing: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Macau China, United States, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal

Loklok - airing: Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, India, Mexico, Spain, Russia

Heavenly - airing in South Korea

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lackluster worldbuilding and a disappointing ending (watch suggestions)

Overall: Feb 22nd 2025 update - after the special episode I bumped up to 6.5. I can't bump it up more because the special had even more completely nonsense worldbuilding. However, I'm happy we did get the special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.be

I gave this series a 7.5 up until the final episode where I dropped it to a 6. 6 episodes about 40 minutes long. Aired on YoYo English Channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTB73Ibi_X3FNNIaLL1ZThNGuT0l-fFOL (not available in Japan or South Korea); GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5066/i-will-turn-back-this-time-2025 (not available in Japan, South Korea or Thailand) and Heavenly (I believe it's available in South Korea/language is Korean) https://heavenly.tv/en/detail/839

Content Warnings: past intimate partner abuse/violence, blood, fight, death (it's complicated), slap, homophobia, near suicide, punch

Watch Suggestions (to skip a ton of angst, moping, terrible parent, etc)
- watch episodes 1-3
- in episode 4 skip 12-21 and 22:15-38:30
- in episode 5 watch 29-31:45 (stop at 31:45, trust me on this)
- skip episode 6, there are some sweet flashbacks starting at 23 minutes but I didn't enjoy them knowing how it ended
- watch the special episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.be

What I Liked
- relationship progression felt realistic
- supportive friends
- sweet/caring moments
- production value

Room For Improvements
- the cliche running scene and what happened at the end of episode 1
- 2 sponge baths in episode 1 was one too many
- a character didn't have a reason not to reciprocate in episode 3 because the "warning" came much later in the episode
- stereotype of handsy effeminate man
- toilet humor
- cliche saw something, made assumption and didn't communicate (luckily it didn't last long)
- convenient/nonsense worldbuilding: the mysterious guy refused to answer the question but left vague threats, didn't clearly established if the 2nd time was a different situation/world with the parents
- depressing parental stuff
- cliche noble idiot when that was more painful than telling him the truth (which would sound a bit crazy but he could have tried to explain the situation)
- nonsense stuff: everyone was very trusting in episode 2, why wouldn't he spend the whole day with him at the end of episode 3
- terrible ending: especially because it's from China the sad ending where 1 guy will be sad his entire life and they will never end up together felt homophobic, even the final phrase "if we are destined to part, then what is the meaning of our meeting" made me think "if this series was destined to have a homophobic sad ending, what is the point of watching it"

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Overall: a more accurate/understandable title would be "My Wish" (just replace when they say 'blessing' with 'wish'. I gave it a .5 boost because this is apparently a student project and it's better than a whole bunch of other things not written by students. Watched on WeTV.

Content Warnings: kick, maybe kind of something at the end?

What I Liked
- the friendship
- some of the humor was funny like the failed flirting with that girl
- cute moments
- that poor communication didn't drag on
- good kissing
- music, especially the rap song at the end

Room For Improvement
- the relationship/romance felt rushed, I think they could have cut out some other scenes and fleshed out more how/why they developed feelings with each other
- the ending is a bit open/wish they had gone a different direction with it
- how wearing glasses was considered less attractive

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enjoyable m/m reality dating series

Overall: pretty well done, however there was definitely some misleading/confusing editing (especially in the finale) to create additional drama which I could have done without. When watching "reality" series, I always keep in mind that producers might tell the guys what to do/say and that editing can be extremely misleading (not showing things, change the order, etc). My goals were that the guys have some fun and being on the show helped (or at least doesn't hurt them) in their personal and professional lives. I have zero problem with them promoting their businesses as being queer has likely given them personal and professional disadvantages (and perhaps more so after appearing on the show). 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on Gagaoolala & iQIYI (depending on your country)

Content Warnings: discussion related to homophobia/life experiences

What I Liked
- I like how they started with a date and the twist gave a bit more drama
- the 30 second phone call thing was good (I personally think it's best if the guys say who they are and call someone they are romantically interested in to avoid mixed signals/increase the odds of a mutual match)
- the twists were well done
- once again a good decision to not let them say their age or occupation right away. I think people get fixated on those things when in reality personality, values and goals are much more important compatibility-wise and it will make a good reveal in ep 3
- jenga game was a good way for everyone to learn more about everyone else, and although it got kind of serious, it seems to have brought them together and is an important thing for viewers to see/learn about
- production value such as nice music, set design, editing, etc

Room For Improvement
- too many phone calls, would have liked to see some more larger group games
- needed a graphic at the end of each episode to see who called who/was interested in who because I get confused and wanted to see if there were mutual matches
- needed nametags or nametag necklaces at least for the first few episodes to get familiar with all of their names
- there was confusing/misleading editing that I don't think was needed

Life Advice: I really want to have heart to hearts with a few of these guys, but here are my main takeaways/advice
1. Being "nice" is frequently much more hurtful if you are leading someone on verses being honest and saying you aren't interested in a person romantically
2. (related to number 1) Honesty is the best policy - make it clearly known from the beginning who you are romantically interested in, I know it can be embarrassing, but if you aren't mature enough to be honest then you aren't mature enough to be in a romantic relationship
3. Be careful of changing yourself for a romantic partner - it's fine to change things that you want to change, but don't change yourself to fit someone else's desires for how you should be, otherwise you're at risk of losing yourself and your happiness
4. Work on your own self esteem - don't expect another person to complete you but rather complement you. Using another person to prop up low self esteem is likely not going to end well.

Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. Sparks Camp (Philippines) on YouTube. 10 guys, anyone can pursue anyone else, too many group games that are not getting to know you types, but overall done well
2. Love House seasons 1 & 2 (Vietnam) on YouTube (most have English subs, this is ep 1 of season 2 no subs though https://youtu.be/TKzT_nHfVTA ). I liked this set up more than Bromance because the guys could all pursue one another. I didn't like the "secret couple" aspect and dividing them up based on sexual position seemed odd (can't they discuss that in private???) Season 1 was also the most brutal "rose ceremony" I've ever seen in any dating reality show. Season 2 was better.
3. Bromance (Thailand) is also on Gagaoolala. This is the typical Bachelor/Bachelorette set up with a bunch of people competing against one another to be with the 1 bachelor. I didn't like this because they could have all been hitting on each other and we have multiple couples! I got kind of bored and skipped a bunch.

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That's A Failed Parody

Overall: I have really enjoyed parodies like The Boy Next Door (bromance) and A Man Who Defies The World of BL, but this was confusing and I did not find it funny. It looks like the company that funded the series is a live streaming app. They could have built a story just around that... an anti-fan and a livestreamer, a livestreamer and his manager, etc. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: manhandling

What I Liked
- an established couple with a realistic problem (instead of a stupid miscommunication)
- a medical professional being realistically busy
- that they did show some skinship like the hug in public*
- I laughed...twice

Room For Improvement
- *I think it's a bit odd for one person in an established couple to be reluctant to kiss when asked by the other person at home. Also their kissing was really awkward for two characters in a long term relationship and actors who have worked together several times previously.
- many things that were nonsensical but not funny, i.e. potentially leaving someone who is injured on the side of the road, hugging someone while wearing bloodied scrubs, saying abracadabra while someone is likely dying...
- confusing things, Guy gives up but then they reconcile? Why introduce a fantasy element but then don't use it until the very end? Jing knew about the candy? WTH was that ending????
- many scenes were too long like the brushing teeth scene at the beginning, I watched on at least double speed
- I dislike both main characters, one was extremely immature (what a waste of medical resources) and the other apparently can't set phone reminders
- confusing relationship between the side couple, they were a fake couple and then became a real couple? Though he did clear things up relatively quickly, that's still being a jerk with your arm around your brother and making it look like you are dating.
- 5 minute introduction, with the recap and preview, episodes were about 15 minutes shorter than the listed time

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too slow but with some good NSFW scenes, start at episode 6 or 8

Overall: I initially dropped this after 3 episodes but sped thru the rest and my advice is to watch ep 1 around 12 minutes and then skip to episode 6 (and watch on a faster speed). 10 episodes about 1hr each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on 9NAA YouTube channel. 9NAA also produced Check Out and I Am Your King series.

Content Warnings: manhandling, harassment, kick

What I Liked
- established couples
- NSFW was well done
- sibling relationship
- the title was hilarious
- production value (which makes sense because there was a lot of product placement)

Room For Improvement
- as a viewer I need to want the two leads to be together in a romance series, however, I didn't want these leads to be together, I didn't understand what changed Sky's mind and I think Venus was too harsh towards Sky for way too long, they could have had a five minute conversation but the viewer had to slog thru hours and hours of nothing to get to a mutual understanding
- most of the scenes could have been cut or shortened, watched it on 3x speed, as an example you could start episode 9 after 12 minutes and miss absolutely nothing
- when the beginning scene took place was unclear for awhile, flashbacks/forwards without clear transitions
- who interrupts like that and then continues to have a conversation, get out of the room! (episode 1)

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it was a fun ride (need season 2 and a real uncut version :P)

Overall: I enjoyed this series, though I watched most scenes at a faster speed. 13 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI uncut & YouTube cut which reduced NSFW scenes. Note: this was based on an omegaverse novel which I read but reviewed the series on its own.

Content Warnings: murders, sexual assault, blood, kidnapping, parental abuse, punch/slap, beaten up, stalking, manipulation, stalking, non con recording/sharing, violence, child trafficking

What I Liked
- supportive friends
- sweet moments
- Jeff & Alan
- excellent truth about how family isn't always the best
- pretty good NSFW scenes
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- quite a few characters were introduced at once and it took awhile to figure out who was who, there ended up being too many characters and not enough time to fully develop the relationships
- I realized they wanted mystery but it made it difficult to really support the Charlie/Babe relationship and the fact that they changed that plan from Jeff's idea to Charlie's was a mistake
- total nonsense/huge plot holes, many characters shared 1 brain cell
- cliche ghosting trope, Babe also shoved Charlie a bit too much/frequently
- the NSFW needed to be a longer (even in the uncut version) and were choppy at times
- cartoonish villains (and stupid)
- I wish they had either leaned into the omegaverse and explained it more or just omitted it entirely
- not sure how I feel about a certain character's redemption arc

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the writing did not support the interesting premise

Overall: I was super excited for a twisty action thriller but the nonsense/cliche plot turned this into just another teenage GMMTV BL series. Aired on GMMTVs YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: murders, attempted murder, beaten up/violence, bullying, blackmail, manipulation, unwanted public outing, drugging, kidnapping

What I Liked
- that the first scene wasn't a flashback or flash forward
- the beginning/first episode hooked me
- Chopper and Ben (Perth did a great job)
- production value (minus my quibbles in Room For Improvement)

Room For Improvement
- there is a lot of nonsense plot things, some of which could have been explained with a few lines or a short scene and that makes it even more ridiculous (one example, a highschooler is a full time fisherman and he happens to fight and shoot a gun really well)
- characters don't feel realistic or have realistic reactions (Palm's interaction with his mother as an example, both of them just chillaxing on their beach vacation instead of how I think most people would be feeling)
- I wanted some plot twists or for this to be different but it's a standard GMMTV romance with window dressing
- the night scenes were too dimly lit, a couple of times the music was too loud over the dialogue
- it dragged in many places, I wanted an action/thriller and this was not it
- Chopper and Ben felt very rushed at the end
- overall I just didn't end up feeling much of anything, scenes that were supposed to make me sad didn't because of the huge plot holes

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could have been amazing

Overall: imagine if Muffin was actually a police officer and we saw her beat up some baddies in one of her outfits, or what if the mafia boss was actually a secret huge romantic at heart? There were so many ways the writing could have been innovative with this premise, but the cliche writing really ruined it, especially in episode 6. It is based off of "The Ideal Relationship" which I have read but I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: deaths/murders, non con touching/attempted sexual assault, violence, drugging, manhandling, stalking, attempted murder, kidnapping, manipulation

What I Liked
- the intro credits style was an homage to the source material
- how Guy was set up as a queer character from the beginning
- the video gaming sequence, unfortunately we only saw 1 sequence
- cute/sweet moments
- Guy showed agency
- laughed a few times (although mostly at huge plot holes/nonsense writing)
- Wahl's girlfriend in episode 6
- (neutral) comedy noises

Room For Improvement
- cliched/nonsense writing (i.e. Tew's idiotic "plans", Guy probably had 6 bullets in his revolver but seemed to shoot waaaayyyy more than that in episode 8)
- Kenji's backstory makes zero sense, maybe if Tew had used him as a human shield then it would have made sense, they made him into a cliche cartoon villain with nonsensical actions/motivations, even episode 7 didn't make enough sense for his motivation, also way too much screentime taken by Kenji
- the voice over was a fast way to set up a character/beginning but not my favorite way to start a series
- the music was sometimes not what I would have preferred, also think they could have removed the comedy sound effects and just let the comedy come through on its own
- tropey (ie multiple accidental fall and catches)
- avoiding physical affection in episode 5 (although Guy was better by the end)
- cliche plot point in episode 6
- Wahl had way too much screen time, needed to devote some of that to Guy/Tew building their relationship

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Toyko In April Is...a good start with a weak ending

Overall: I would categorize this series as more slice of life/realistic with angst but also sweet moments too. The beginning was very promising but it kind of fell apart a bit with too many flashbacks, plot cliches and a rushed ending. I give it a slight rating boost because it did try to tackle some social issues. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki. 8 episodes about 23 minutes each.

Content Warnings: workplace bullying and several major content warnings which I've added in a spoiler comment

Note: the characters in the past are 15 years old

What I Liked
- tackled more serious issues
- there are hints to certain story elements and as we go on we get more explanation
- younger actors did a good job, I thought it was good they kept it PG in the flashback in episode 3
- good consent in episode 3's flashback
- good morning after, avoided the cliche
- there is miscommunication/poor communication but it's mostly understandable
- sweet moments
- consequences shown for 1 trash character
- production value (use of colors, light)

Room For Improvement
- too many flashbacks including scenes we just watched in the recent present, it made the series feel choppy
- ending felt rushed
- instant reconciliation for that mom, she didn't even apologize for the huge amount of pain she directly caused, ugh
- in episode 3 I wish they had just left it at Ren saying sorry because it was odd/unrealistic that Kazuma did not correct him
- being in the rain and the other thing that happened in episode 3 do not cause a fever/illness but because of the timing that is what the viewer is led to believe
- gay for you trope
- (end of ep 7) people can have a freeze response but I think if they had made Sanada's actor a taller person it would have made more sense
- Yagami makes no sense to me at all
- the pretty single tear down the center of the cheek crying doesn't work for me
- several running cliche scenes

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Made Me Unbelievably Mad

Overall: I'm a sucker (haha) for vampire BL. I was willing to overlook too many characters and a totally unneeded love triangle, but episode 8 made me start screaming at my computer in rage. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: hypnotizing someone against their will and biting their lips, murders/death, gore/blood

What I Liked
- the premise of a vampire wanting to become human instead of the other way around (a la Twilight)
- I liked that the college student didn't just ghost/run away, but he's really pretty dumb to be alone with vampires...
- good production value

Room For Improvement
- this was some really awful writing, the ending was absolutely abysmal. They could have had some smart plot twists but did not. I need another vampire BL that is done well to destroy my memory of this one.
- they needed to cut characters and really build the relationship between the vampire and college student, they spend like 2 hours together and are soulmates...
- the explanation 10 years ago was disappointing, I thought there was more too it but basically the main vampire was just stupid
- the treatment of his friend (for hundreds of years!!!) at the end was awful. Jun Ho was actually worse when you think about it.
- I'm not even going to get into the just odd/unexplained/poorly thought out world building
- some odd camera shots, too many close ups
- way too many flashbacks that were used as filler
- the extreme blur filter that made the vampire look like a ghost

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heartwarming slice of life/romance series (need a Haruna spin off)

Overall: I enjoyed this friends/roommates turned into romantic partner stories, though it could have used slightly faster pacing (almost rated it 8.5 but I liked their dynamic so it ended up a 9). 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4215/living-with-him-2024-e01

What I Liked
- caring/sweet moments
- clear flashbacks and enjoyed seeing them when they were young
- ex girlfriend wasn't a cliche, non-cliche female characters
- a character was a bit naive but he did figure things out and communicated
- supportive family members, dynamics felt realistic
- Haruna was such a good wingman and friend
- overall realistic with trying to maintain boundaries but also being jealous
- production value (nice color symbology which included their clothes, pillows, mugs, toothbrushes, etc)

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of starting a series with a voice over exposition dump
- episode 2 had a too long recap of episode 1 at the beginning
- some slow pacing
- Ryota did annoy me a bit but I tried to keep in mind that he had low self-esteem and was likely struggling with internalized homophobia and/or heteronormativity
- cliche almost told something and got interrupted, the running scene

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