BL Compilations

decent continuation

Overall: though I really dislike this type of plot for a season 2, I think they did well with what they had. I'd love to see the actors in something else, especially the guy that played Pee. Aired on YouTube season 1 part 1 is here https://youtu.be/ZV00vfaAFZc?si=nE63OYDGG4vy1TYA and is about 12 minutes, part 2 is about 15 minutes.

What I Liked
- the theme song is really cute
- breaking the 4th wall (where characters talk directly to the audience) is unique
- a few cute parts
- Pee was forthright
- Bam called Mike out

Room For Improvement
- the love rival plot for a season 2
- that Pee said even if Bam liked Mike that he wouldn't give up
- too much time spent at the beach, we needed more of Bam & Mike
- something that almost happened at the end but didn't

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an indie production that missed the mark

Overall: too much of the story took place off screen. I watched all episodes together in a now deleted video, here is the official playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlpSUv8-x1mCRDCXRB4T7gHLWJxelv2Gy&si=JZNSs5NuiPy2hhbN
Note: around 15 minutes of ep 1? there is a very intense strobe lighting/effect

Content Warnings: manipulation, violence, held against will, stalking

What I Liked
- the premise
- beginning seemed spicy but that all vanished which is extra strange considering the setting

Room For Improvement
- we don't see relationships develop, just suddenly they are in a relationship
- no characterization other than their names and they wanted to make money
- rough subtitles hindered my understanding of what was happening (note: 'brother' doesn't mean biological brother, it means friend, I think the only people related were the woman, her brother/cousin? the club owner and someone's mom or aunt)
- that open ending/cliffhanger was bad when a 2nd season isn't guaranteed

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so happy that I re-watched this slice of life series

Overall: when I first watched this series, I was irritated by the lack of verbal and physical affection. However, upon re-watching it, my view changed a bit. Something to note is that just because we don't see much physical romance doesn't mean that it didn't happen with this couple. Both actors are A-list actors and this is one of the first series to feature m/m romance in Japan (Ossan's Love was the first the year prior in 2018). Watched officially on GagaOOLala (which also has the 2020 New Year's special and hopefully the 2023 season 2).

Content Warnings: homophobia (mainly internal)

What I Liked
- a realistic portrayal of flawed characters who learn and grow
- support characters, they weren't tossed in and had reasons for being part of the story
- some really funny parts like the shaking in ep 3
- amazing acting especially the emotional scene in ep 11
- that Kenji had effeminate mannerisms but they weren't mocked in the series

Room For Improvement
- the cooking bogged down the pacing a bit for me, though the food looked delicious
- I was so angry at Shiro at times, especially in episode 8, however it is made clear that he has deep internal homophobia and we did see him working on this towards the end of the series
- their lack of communication really frustrated me when I first watched it, but I've heard that not having deep conversations could be realistic even for a couple of 3 years in Japan (added with the fact that they are a gay couple and one is mostly closeted/has internalized homophobia)

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steamy second season with a lackluster plot

Overall: though I don't love part of the plot, the production value/acting is good (and it earns its R rating :). 6 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala, cut version on YouTube BL Pictures channel

Content Warnings: grief

What I Liked
- the beginning hooked me in right away
- NSFW scenes were realistic though I wish they hadn't been quite so choppy/broken up and we heard some of their sounds
- grief scene was very well acted
- production value

Room For Improvement
- wish they'd come up with different plots for second seasons of BL
- excellent long take in episode 4
- her actions didn't really make sense to me
- background noise/music was too loud in the pool scene
- did not feel they were ready for what happened at the end of ep 6, they need to work on their communication

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very cute and very short (binge them all at once)

Overall: each episode is 1 minute long (14 minutes total), so I'd recommend watching them all in one sitting. Watched on Thai Mini Series YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- they have a bunch of cute/sweet moments
- Tutor and Yim have good chemistry
- good production value

Room For Improvement
- episodes don't really flow from one to the next, they are more like individual skits
- it would be helpful if the episodes were just a little longer, even 4 minutes per episode instead of the 1 minute
- there was something the characters should have done at the very end of the last episode but they ended it before we got to see it

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wish they would have made 3 separate movies for each of the 3 couples

This is a movie version (110 minutes runtime) of the original 6 episode series (220 minutes runtime https://kisskh.at/680869-second-chance). There aren't any new scenes only half is cut out. I wish they would have made 3 separate movies, each one focused on a couple because this movie did not solve my two main issues.

1. With three couples and not a long runtime, each of the couples' relationships feels rushed and it can feel choppy overall jumping back and forth between them

2. Two of the characters look very similar (they are brothers in real life, they aren't related in the series - one is a barista and the other learns muay thai). The characters don't appear in the same scene until the very end and it was really confusing (I thought 1 character had 3 love interests and actually screamed in the last episode when I realized they were different characters).

By separating the story lines out, I think these two issues would not have been a problem or as much of a problem. They could put some transition scenes (a city skyline with time lapse) to show that time has passed before the next scene is shown.

Content warnings: bullying/beaten up, homophobia

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try not to read too much before watching

Overall: what a wild ride this was. I enjoyed the twists and turns as we went and liked how it was difficult to predict the ending. It's best if you don't read too much about the plot beforehand and I'm going to keep my review on the more vague side (other than the content warnings). If AIS Play ever gives it a permanent official international release (instead of the 2 hour watch window), I'll bump it up to 9.

Content Warnings: attempted murder, murder, attempted suicide, suicide, blood, violence, spying, manipulation

What I Liked
- good way to start a series and get the viewers' attention
- funny and cute moments along with the serious, mystery and action moments
- a new take on an existing sci fi idea
- Tan & Bun cameo

Room For Improvement
- some nonsense medical things, also the medical definitions went by too fast to read
- other nonsense things but I don't want to list and give things away
- the ending was rushed and confusing, they needed a bit more time to explain things in a logical way

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Gav & Cai - Baby, Baby, Baby!!!

Overall: fairly well done but too many side characters. The series is about double the run time of the movie which was both good and bad. There is another scene after the first end credits of the final episode. Watched on Gagaoolala (not available in US, Canada, Japan or Philippines).

Content Warnings: vomiting, homophobia

What I Liked
- season 1 and the movie both start off with Cai gaming so there is a parallel there
- the OST and music
- cute and caring moments like the laundry, apron tying, goggles
- several references to safe sex
- when they were "watching" the movie
- the flashback was pretty funny at the beginning of episode 2
- the actors do a good job with kissing, no dead fish lip presses, also it was realistic with their bedroom scene towards the end of ep 2 although once again Gav feels too pushy
- realistic fights and make ups

Room For Improvement
- as with all season 2s that have a longish break between seasons, I'd like a short recap of season 1
- Cai once again comes across as a bit too uninterested (and Gav pushing/ignoring boundaries) instead of nervous or wanting to keep things private
- too many side characters, I was both confused and bored with Wesley and Terrence
- it's odd that Chill wouldn't know his very good friend was in a relationship, I thought Cai and Gav were posting about each other on social media???
- I wished that the very last scene was not a flashback but a flash forward
- I'm frustrated that the movie just got an international platform 1 full year after it released and neither the movie nor series are available officially in four countries.

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Overall: this was depressing and in the end also confusing. The same production company that made the series Cheat. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: illness, death?

What I Liked
- we have a student who is actually studying and looks realistically stressed/tired
- I liked the opening credits/code which (according to my expert) are pseudo xml and actual javascript that has the name spliced in the middle with invalid syntax; I also liked the ending credits as well
- the realistic response to the message

Room For Improvement
- I think the editing/camerawork was too much at times and it made me dizzy
- the kiss was a bad lip press
- really confused by the ending

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4 established couples including one m/m couple, moved me to my core (minor spoilers)

Overall: I loved how this series focuses on established couples and realistic problems that they might encounter. This series touched on many real life problems, several of which are rarely discussed in media. I sobbed multiple times during this series which rarely happens (sometimes due to being happy and sometimes due to being sad). The series touched my soul, but I do recognize that it is not perfect, so hence a 9.

Content Warnings: homophobia, mention of past abuse, past character death off screen, trauma, fertility struggles, slap between a mother and daughter

What I Liked
- talking about rarely discussed issues
- the communication between characters
- characters supporting one another through various challenges
- character growth from several characters

Room For Improvement
- there were times that things got a bit too preachy/PSA (public service announcement)
- this kissing was bad, especially considering that these characters are in established relationships
- the cliche plot point in the m/m relationship with the woman, but I appreciated it that they didn't do the full cliche
- the new mom says men were not good/pure and germy, it was odd
- one couple especially annoyed me, although I was happy there was some character growth. I needed more backstory sooner in order to not really dislike one character.

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life, love and hijinks

Overall: similar to season 1 and 2, this had the mockumentary feel where Zik, the main protagonist, talked to the camera directly interspersed with other scenes. The first season was a crack comedy with a few poignant moments, I rated it a 9. The second season was a bit more serious and didn't hook me as much so I gave it an 8. This season had a ton of funny parts but also had serious plotlines as well. I think for having probably little to no budget, they did a nice job with the production. Watched on YouTube (Fourson Production).

Content Warnings: non con video taking/posting, drug addiction, pet death

What I Liked:
- some favorite characters returned, his friend Radar from season 1 and also Barbra is back!!!
- many hilarious moments during this season
- sweet moments
- caring/supportive friend group

Room For Improvement:
- a brief montage from the last season (or 2) might be helpful to remind viewers what has happened previously
- I wasn't into the running gag about the one character's sexuality
- wished they'd subtitle the bloopers at the end
- hoping for a season 4 because that was kind of open/cliffhanger
- I didn't deduct points, but I think the very irregular airing schedule hurts their views and it can be difficult to remember what happened earlier in the season

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It's definitely fanatical love (minor spoilers)

Overall: The title gives you a clue that this isn't going to be some fluffy love story, but luckily it isn't unnecessarily tragic like so much other stuff from China. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: attempted murder, kidnapping, manipulation, non con that turns consensual, violence

What I Liked
- the flashbacks to high school were very clear thanks to the different hairstyles/clothing
- there were a couple of funny moments
- I enjoyed the sci fi aspect even if I was super confused about how it worked

Room For Improvement
- the plot, especially in the beginning, is very confusing thanks to multiple flashbacks/forwards/dreams/maybe dreams?/cutting quickly to other characters/choppy editing.
- the audience is supposed to be happy with the ending but I'm kind of not based on what we've seen

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