BL Compilations

a m/m reality dating series with a goal/message

Overall: I think this improved on the first season (which was spread out over a few months). 20 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired (free to watch) on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4786/boyscation-too-2024-e01 and YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdXIknoSRTzuXCiH2eohX0CKbhki0h9Of&si=5uf86CF1tLF2qAxF

Note: 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). This production/emcee appears more involved in Boyscation but that doesn't mean the other dating series productions weren't involved/manipulated things. 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.

What I Liked
- the family/friends and message of the final episode
- that they followed the pairs that matched when they were back in Hong Kong (though it dragged on a bit too long)
- highlighted non profit organizations at the end of some episodes
- that on the first vote they could vote for up to 3 people & they showed a graphic of the vote givers/getters
- nametags in the beginning
- questions about their habits game was likely useful for the guys to think about compatibility
- released 5 episodes each week

Room For Improvement
- that the first game was touching people while being blindfolded
- the roommate choosing should not have been totally random
- that the mutual matches ate breakfast right in front of everyone
- some of the announcements of matches/who people liked/didn't like was a little too brutal

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want them in a new series with a better script (also BL side couple timings)

Overall: I thought the actresses did a good job but the cliched script dragged things down. The BL side couple was cute however 10 minutes of screentime was not enough. Aired on YouTube worldwide and Netflix in SE Asia.

Content Warnings: non con kissing turned consensual, slap, manipulation, homophobia

BL Side Couple
This is all of the BL scenes thru episode 7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKDiAXnZ200 ; then in episode 8 watch 37:57-38:40 and 41-41:20

What I Liked
- visuals
- sweet moments
- supportive friends
- BL side couple was cute

Room For Improvement
- really terrible communication, took until episode 7 of 8 for a character to learn something
- "plans"
- the dad knew and never told his daughter
- the managers fighting
- the BL side couple had about 10 minutes of screen time and way too much of their relationship development happened off screen

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joyful, emotional & drama-filled (reality m/m dating series)

Overall: Sparks Camp contestants bare their souls, get hurt, heal, laugh, cry and love. 10 episodes 45 minutes each. Aired on Black Sheep YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL87uyU6xM7Lft-Lpwbv5G3ZQJZDvxC9_p&si=gVVHvglgds-tTvix Here is my review of season 1 https://kisskh.at/profile/blcompilations/review/278749

Content Warnings: past death, grief, trauma, past coercion

Reality Series Note: with any "reality" series I keep in mind that what the audience sees doesn't necessarily reflect what actually happened. There can be guidelines the audience doesn't know about, parts are edited out or ordered in different ways to show a certain narrative. I read in the YouTube comments of season 1 that the director said it wasn't scripted, but I always take that with a grain of salt. My goal for reality dating series is for people to have a good time and maybe make a new friend. Any actual pairings at the end of the show are icing on the cake.

What I Liked
- really good diversity with the cast, it wasn't all actors/models/influencers
- that the guys had name tags on which was helpful to remember who was who
- the initial game of guessing who the items belonged to was much better than the oil game from season 1, they made items easy enough they were guaranteed to get a few correct but not super easy so there was a bit of a challenge
- the deepest darkest secret game was fine, I'm assuming the guys knew it would be recorded/aired publicly
- Mother Mela is a good emcee*
- the trivia game

Room For Improvement
- the platinum gay thing was cringey
- having them repeatedly draw the sparks publicly was really sad and they should figure out another way to accomplish this (like write letters and the production crew see who has matches and then sends them on 1 on 1 dates)
- a contestant asked to sit something out and the emcee* said no, people should have the right to pass in situations like that
- putting 1 person on the spot to answer all questions was definitely to make things messy/drama-filled

Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. The Boyfriend (Japan) on Netflix. Guys run a coffee van and live together for 1 month.
2. His Man (South Korea) on iQIYI, currently on season 3. Anyone can date anyone. Beautiful production and conventionally attractive guys.
3. Boys Like Boys (Taiwan) on GagaOOLala, had a very similar aesthetic/vibe to His Man
4. 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.
5. 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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excellent chemistry/tension

Overall: the leads really brought it in this university series. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/dy0tqsfvpl73f7f-No.1%20For%20You Also a special edition that has a few extra seconds for paid subscribers (did not see the difference in episode 1) https://wetv.vip/en/play/7isd6uuw6sdr6v0-No.1-For-You-Special-Edition/i0039ifao8c-EP1-No.1-For-You-Special-Edition 

Content Warnings: non con video recording, manipulation/blackmail, non con touching/kiss, homophobia

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- funny moments
- intimacy/chemistry
- that bridge scene was amazing
- supportive friends, the sassy cousin and the mom
- a non cliche female character
- attention to props (rainbow books in the library, the skeleton that changes positions)
- character styling
- music (the actor YU who played Zhou Shu Yi sang the OST "Blue Lover"; the bartender in episode 6 was Alex Chou who was a lead in My Tooth Your Love and also sang "Hard To Let Go" in We Best Love)

Room For Improvement
- starting with a flash forward/montage for the episodes
- cliche leg cramp scenario
- multiple stupid "plans"
- needed more screen time with the 2nd m/m couple

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Overall: this is a 22 minute short available on Mind Trio's YouTube channel (they did On Cloud Nine and Calculating Love)

Content Warnings: teasing/bullying?, gaslighting

What I Liked
- the actors did a decent job
- a few cute moments

Room For Improvement
- the plot was confusing, they started with a flash forward/flashback and then I wasn't sure what their relationships were to each other (long-time friends, acquaintances, classmates, etc)
- not a fan of the central premise and then how it's an open ending
- maybe I missed something but the reactions didn't make sense, the one guy smiled but he didn't return his feelings, why did he smile and then complain later about the teasing if he enjoyed it???
- the two tropes in the very beginning should have been reversed which would have been more realistic
- the character gaslighting and saying he doesn't have those feelings

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Overall: there were some good plot points in this, but they were obscured by several things. Watched on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: death off screen, dub/non con sex (leaning towards non con based on how she addresses him towards the end), fight/slap, past suicide attempt, alcoholism, mental health struggles, defamation?, manipulation

What I Liked
- this does address several realistic issues/struggles that were relevant when this movie was made and are still relevant today (including judgy doctors/people about a woman's past reproductive choices)

Room For Improvement
- it felt that Asako was having a midlife crisis which is a terrible reason to have a child. I didn't like that she didn't just have a one night stand or use a sperm bank. She does explain/show that she wants the feeling of family which she wouldn't get if she did the other options (but this makes me see her character as selfish, not someone I want to route for). I think they could have altered Asako and the plot a bit where I would be happy with their decision (so if the guys had wanted it to start with)
- that part before the final scene came out of nowhere and was so bizarre, I don't understand the reason for it, to show that you should appreciate every moment?
- unlikable characters (and too many), they could have easily cut out some characters especially that female co-worker, it added nothing to the story
- too long, it dragged and cutting out some side characters would have helped move things along

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messy, semi-realistic series

Overall: age gaps and employer/employee aren't my favorite plot points in the romance genre, but the acting was good and production value decent (for what I assume is a low budget production). Aired on YouTube and GagaOOLala

Content Warnings: grief, employer/employee, age gap, manhandling

What I Liked
- the OST is very catchy
- the acting at the beginning of episode 1 was excellent and true to life, I've done something similar when crying but trying to not look like I was crying
- the grand entrance at the end of episode 1 was funny
- pansexual rep (bad - dig at millennials); good conversation about bi and pan
- realistic kissing and intimate scenes

Room For Improvement
- I did not laugh very much with the applicants or that sign at the end
- continuity error/mistake, it said he had interviewed 8 but it was only 7 at that point
- the 2nd episode timeline is very confusing, at first I thought it was a series of continuity errors because their outfits kept changing. I think it would have been better to not do this in flashback but rather do a flash forward towards the end (so put the opening scene at the end, explain to his son that it's been 3 weeks, then show the scenes that happen after that conversation without any flashbacks)
- some scenes were too dim
- in episode 4 the dad just stood next to the pool when a person would have started moving almost immediately
- towards the end felt rushed

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super adorable

Overall: this is a micro series/long ad from a perfume company about a college freshmen and a senior. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- a lead used his brain to figure something out (even though perhaps a bit unrealistic, but I didn't care)
- the ending was really cute
- good production value*
- nice music

Room For Improvement
- they should have cut the female character out and used that screen time with the two leads
- *the blur filter was too heavy and the subs were very difficult to read with the white font and no outline or background

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Short follow up to The Novelist

Overall: This is an 11 minute continuation of the story from The Novelist (aka Pornographer). Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked: (very minor spoilers)
- some sweet moments like the head on the shoulder at the end
- communication about the letters
- that kiss is no dead fish lip press haha
- the car seemed to match the pale pink of the cherry blossoms
- the ending song
- (neutral) they used the same music that is in The Novelist which is either a nice call back or recycling to save money...

Room For Improvement:
- the kick from the sister was unnecessary
- the intro music doesn't match the vibe of the show

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Gentle slice of life story with an edge

(minor spoilers)
Content Warnings: dealing with trauma/grief, suicide that happens off screen in the past

I would describe this as a slice of life story, on the slower moving (I watched it on 1.5 speed)/gentle side but with a sharp edge related to dealing with grief and past regrets. FYI that there is also an animated series and and animated movie, all with the same title (all based on the manga Given)

What I Liked
The main thing that I really like is the moral of how words hurt and even if we apologize that might not fix things. Those words that may have been spoken in anger, not well thought out or even believed in, can be very dangerous and we need to think carefully before we speak. Hope there's a season 2 to delve more into what happens after this and also more about the two other bandmates.

Room For Improvement
- At the end, I really liked the hug and would have been totally happy if it ended at that. Mafuyu is obviously dealing with grief. If there was a kiss, I wanted Mafuyu to initiate it.
- The two kisses, yeah we got the dead fish lips recipient, bleh. The 1st was a surprise so okay, but the second was a no from me.

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wanted more of this dance based romance story

Overall: I really enjoyed the dance aspect, but with the short run time, I wish they had cut out some of the side plots/characters to make things a bit less rushed. 8 episodes about 13 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/37669c-you-make-me-dance and later turned into a movie version (don't think there were new scenes, just all episodes put together https://www.viki.com/movies/37685c-you-make-me-dance-movie)  ;  WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/h6ut21v6mukfymd-You%20Make%20Me%20Dance and Viu https://www.viu.com/ott/th/en-us/vod/339544/You-Make-Me-Dance

Content Warning: held against will, manhandling

What I Liked
- dynamic/different personalities
- caring moments
- dancing
- intimacy

Room For Improvement
- flashback intro (though it was cute) with the time jump
- I really disliked the mom and wish that call in episode 6 had gone through
- what a character did around 7:30 of the finale instead of telling him the truth
- too many flashbacks
- the CEO character's actions felt unrealistic at the end
- cliche running scene

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meta BL comedy continued

Overall: a fun meta story where the main character is in a BL comic/world which picks up where season 1 left off. 3 episodes about 22 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/38419c-a-man-who-defies-the-world-of-bl-2 and GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/2660/a-man-who-defies-the-world-of-bl-2021-s02e01

Content Warning: dub/non con kiss

What I Liked
- awesome dance/music intro sequence
- the flowers and blinding light
- I chuckled a few times
- subverted the cliche ex character

Room For Improvement
- the beginning scene that picked up where season 1 left off
- wanted more focus on Mob & his brother instead of multiple couples I didn't care anything about like the hospital characters in ep 3
- lip press
- cliche running scene
- cut off something at the end
- (neutral) normally I'd take off a half point or more for a cliffhanger ending; however, there was a season 3 though as of 2025 it still hasn't had an international release

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coming of age romance

Since GagaOOLala picked up this movie, I decided to write a review. Watched at https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5213/does-the-flower-bloom-2018

Content Warnings: past death, internalized homophobia

What I Liked
- Yoichi's supportive group
- struggling with living up to a parent's fame, trying to find your own path in life
- that Yoichi said he wouldn't follow someone who was indecisive and wanted to stay where he was
- the hugs

Room For Improvement
- the love rival, that time could have been better spent elsewhere
- nonsense that they didn't bring a character to the hospital, he could have had appendicitis which is deadly
- dead fish lip presses, didn't always feel the chemistry

Note: I didn't put a content warning even though there's a 19 year age gap. Yoichi was an adult (19) and there was no manipulation/coercion in their relationship

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