BL Compilations

it's fine for what it is

Overall: an okay way to spend 2 hours. Episodes are about 15 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/play-me-2026-223c45wlxrp?lang=en_us and Viu (Thailand).

Content Warnings: past death, near suicide (can start episode 1 at 2 min to skip), past abusive parent with injury/blood, non/dub con kiss, not con picture taking

Watch Suggestions (to cut out content warnings and cliches)
- episode 1 start at 2 min and skip 7:55-8:10
- episode 2 you're on your own
- episode 3 watch 3-6:50 and 9:35-13:45
- episode 4 watch 9-end
- episode 5 watch 3:30-10
- episode 6 watch 2-11
- episode 7 watch 1:30-3:10
- episode 8 watch 2:10-end

What I Liked
- visuals
- easy to understand premise

Room For Improvement
- a 2 minute conversation would have solved a misunderstanding that led to years long ghosting
- several coincidental meetings, a horn at a certain time
- love rival
- comedy sound effects didn't maket things funny
- noble idiot trope
- side couple shoehorned in

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wish it was longer/had a special episode

Overall: with only 6 25 minute episodes, they needed to take out/reduce screentime of the main conflict as there wasn't enough time to properly develop their relationship. It's still cute with a solid ending. I gave this an indie rating bump. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/1p9j07cqimg?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 and seems to also be airing on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0P6L1kgy3ITUD-fneCgsyV7-PgDeZuRO&si=vb2NTEwOIj-EXVIX

Content Warnings: punch, past homophobia, cyber bullying, non con touching

What I Liked
- different personalities
- up front about who they were attracted to/sexual orientation
- noble idiot trope interrupted
- a character sided with the guy he loved and stood up to his own company

Room For Improvement
- the 2 false accusations (in reality it is extremely rare to falsely accuse someone of this)
- rushed romantic development, needed more time to focus on their relationship
- (neutral) quite a lot of far away/camera blocked shots for the kissing and also the interrupted kiss

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episode 1 was cute, episodes 2 and 3 not so much

Overall: the episode was adorable, but sadly the taller protagonist became a creep. 3 episodes aired on Sukfilm YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYfaogVGCvwRyiN_T-FGdRCUj9cxgr0Gn&si=hrdtTjcl9etN7ACD

Content Warnings: there is borderline/is emotional partner abuse/lovebombing, non con kissing seemed to turn consensual

What I Liked
- episode 1
- mostly centered on 2 characters
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- the taller guy was giving creepy/ignoring boundary vibes, when he said "if you keep making me upset, you have to be punished", "don't even think about running away" in episode 2 and "do you think I'll just let him run away" in episode 3 the lines came across as very threatening, it's like he thought the shorter guy was an object that he deserved instead of a person with their own agency
- stupid plan in episode 3
- a character said he wasn't into guys in episode 2
- background music is too loud and constant

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a supportive ML

Overall: I appreciated how Lin Xiao was kind and supportive. 55 short episodes. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/%E6%8D%A1%E4%B8%AA%E6%80%BB%E8%A3%81%E5%BD%93%E7%94%B7%E5%8F%8B-2025-1oqynntut75

Content Warnings: drugging, sexual assault, manipulation

What I Liked
- visuals (once that awful facial hair disappeared)
- a character didn't take advantage of another character because he was drugged/not in his right mind

Room For Improvement
- too much of the evil family
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- almost needed to be more unhinged/dramatic to really pull me in (or get rid of the annoying family members)

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opposites attract short series

Overall: this was a decent short series (filmed vertical style). 12 episodes about 4 minutes each. Aired on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL6MkYrE6Co&list=PLX6cx4BgCOtAC9XrO1yBBjLWBRexMGXHH&index=2&ab_channel=Ch7HD

Content Warnings: non con picture taking/sharing, non con kiss

What I Liked
- clear premise
- opposite personalities/their dynamic
- caring/sweet moments
- intimacy
- consent when the 1 guy was very drunk
- excellent way to study muscle groups

Room For Improvement
- sound effects didn't make things funny
- cliche wannabe girlfriend
- the fake out at the end but at least it was short
- O Christmas Tree background song (didn't take off points)
- (neutral) did a grocery store sponsor this series lol (there were a ton of product placements but I didn't deduct points

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still had some fun parts but they needed to focus on the 4 main characters

Overall: season 2 had a promising start, but it fell into season 2 plot cliches like poor communication skills. You can see my season 1 review here https://kisskh.at/profile/blcompilations/review/326187 - 6 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (worldwide except Japan, Korea, Macau & Hong Kong) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5391/i-became-the-main-role-of-a-bl-drama-2023-s02e01

What I Liked
- laughed several times
- acting

Room For Improvement
- dead fish lip press in episode 1 and the finale
- love rivals/not communicating that dragged on and hogged time that could have been spent on the leads
- was disappointed with the manager reveal, secretly feeling one way and then lying/deceiving your partner out loud is icky

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an established couple with too much repetitiveness (watch suggestions)

Overall: I was looking forward to seeing an established couple navigate a challenge; however, re-telling the same plot points over and over made this challenging to watch. There did seem to be some crossover with Y Destiny, but I don't think you need to watch it in order to watch this series. 10 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/suntiny-episode-1-27wncv1edpg?lang=en_us

Content Warning: self harm mentioned, non con kiss

Watch Suggestions (to reduce the repetitiveness)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- skip episodes 3-6
- episode 7 watch 4-6:50, 12:30-22:20
- episode 8 watch 2-3, 17-19:45
- episode 9 watch 7:15-8 for side couple montage and 30:30-33:15
- watch episode 10

What I Liked
- established couple
- different personalities/styles in the beginning
- styling
- ongoing physical intimacy/mutual want
- that Toy stood up for himself
- supportive friends

Room For Improvement
- the spoiler start of the series
- the exposition/feeling dumps with the camcorder verses showing the viewer how they feel/it happening organically
- going into a bathtub with underwear on
- people laughing at him for his issue
- repetitive and since they were frequently styled similarly it was difficult to know when they were in different bodies
- that mask thing was odd
- the side couple guy felt like a player for way too long, at episode 6 we should have seen character growth/change
- too many flashbacks
- the non con kiss with the side couple
- cliche "I can explain" but doesn't explain in person or text with plenty of time to do so
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny

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zero payoff

Overall: I was into the obsessed brother but the progression wasn't good and the ending was awful. 6 episodes under 15 minutes each. Aired on PPeachStory YouTube channel https://youtu.be/81-EFRHQbXE?si=XlJ0V6IjmBTRA0no This production also made Uncle Unknown.

Content Warnings: arson, (past: child abuse, beaten up, murder/death, blood), violence, coercion, sexual assault, non con kissing, manhandling, non biological brothers raised as siblings from elementary age

What I Liked
- visuals
- tension
- how the younger guy was the unhinged one
- enjoyed how they were watching other BL/queer series in episode 3
- good dream in episode 3

Room For Improvement
- sexual assault in episode 6
- the first "kiss" was terrible, not sure their lips even touched and also the circumstances of how it happened
- terrible ending
- the adopted brother thing didn't bother me a ton but he kept saying 'brother' every single sentence which was cringey
- sound effects like the hits or footsteps were cheesy/unrealistic/too loud
- nonsense stuff, they didn't call for help for the dad???
- dubbing
- annoying how free episodes only stay free for 1 week

Note: the two were not biological brothers as the older guy said he adopted the younger guy in episode 2, but it did show that they were raised together (the younger one seemed to be in elementary school). That aspect of their relationship didn't bother me, but I can see how it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

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choppy indie series (watch suggestions)

Overall: way too many characters/plot threads in this series. 6 episodes about 35 minutes each (taking out the intro/outros/etc) Aired on Loy Kaew YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLsPniimXTgfDEGMCYnL_MGY_Ic96dsM6&si=TgztkVxn1VRCg7z6 (note the playlist is in a different watch order)

Content Warnings: murder, blood, gang rape off screen, bullying, beaten up, blood, sexual harassment, non con touching, manipulation, punch

Watch Suggestions (focuses on the m/m couple, sweet & steamy parts, removes the content warnings)
- watch episode 1 part 1 4:30-6:15 and 12-14:45; part 2 9:30-end; part 3 beginning to 5:15
- watch episode 2 part 1 13:40-15
- watch episode 3 part 2 1:30-end and part 3 11:30-end
- watch episode 4 part 1 beginning-9:20
- watch episode 5 part 2 8:10-end; part 3 3:30-end
- watch episode 6 part 1 13:55-end and part 2 beginning-3:50 and 6:05-13:25

What I Liked
- vistas/countryside (or historical, not 100% sure) setting
- 1 kind mom
- good kissing/intimacy

Room For Improvement
- super long intro
- too many characters, I couldn't figure out who they were or their relationships to each other, choppy
- love triangle/s?
- the implied gang rape was horrific, I don't care what that character did, she did not deserve that
- the ending was disappointing, we've seen it done many times before, at least they could have cut out some of the other plot threads and added a reincarnation part at the end

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aggressive pursuer

Overall: the pursuer was too aggressive. 40 episodes 1-2 minutes each, episodes 1-6 are free on the Shortime app and you can watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/6-JLrv9n048?si=39BhMVZVh5SDRba7. Aired on Shortime app which also has: Accent, Please Teach Me, Falling For My Boss, The Secrets of Male Students and Buddy Boy. App information is below.

Content Warnings: blackmail, non con touching, non con kissing turned consensual, manhandling, sexual harassment

What I Liked
- when he stood up for himself
- there was an apology

Room For Improvement
- started in the present then flashback to a week ago
- the blackmail and ignoring boundaries
- they switched their heads too much when kissing

My Watch For Free Plan (updated Jan 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
In general it should take about 3 days to watch for free: Day 1 watch 1-6 (free), 7-21; Day 2 watch 22-33; Day 3 watch 34-40

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enjoyed the premise

Overall: I enjoyed the premise but wish we saw more interactions with the leads and less of the villain. 50 episodes about 1 minute each. Aired first 3 episodes https://www.vigloo.com/video/15000040?season=15000040&episode=0 and all episodes in the Vigloo app (more info below, it also has Love in the Apocalypse). Note that the final episode 50 is on a different tab in the app.

Content Warnings: manhandling, sexual harassment, non picture taking/video recording/sharing, attempted blackmail, punch/fight, past abuse/beaten up, unwanted public outing, past suicidal ideation

What I Liked
- interesting premise
- something that gives a plot point away, has to do with their history
- the few sweet moments
- good kiss (in episode 22)
- only took 2 days to watch the series for free (had to watch ads)

Room For Improvement
- needed to narrow the plot and focus more on the leads
- the background music was too loud at times (though the music was good)
- sometimes the flashbacks weren't very clear
- the villain was very stupid and then did a very quick 180
- comment about how he needed to Photoshop the picture before posting because he wasn't wearing make up in it

How to Watch for Free (episodes are 50 coins each, whole series needs 2,500 coins, you can't skip episodes but once unlocked they stay unlocked forever)
Day 1
- watch episodes 1-9 (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 11-20)
- watch 15 ads per day for 30 coins each on the rewards page and do the daily check in for 50 coins (eps 21-30)

Day 2
- watch episodes 31-40 free with ads
- watch the 15 ads to get coins, do the daily check in and watch episodes 41-50

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an enjoyable KBL with excellent acting/chemistry

Overall: a well done office romance. 7 episodes 20 minutes each. Aired on Viki.

Content Warnings: bullying, dub con kisses*, semi outing

What I Liked
- the opening sequence with its manga like animation/editing and the animation other points
- cute, sweet and funny moments
- acting/chemistry
- ongoing affection (could have used a little bit more in the final episode though)
- how the characters don't have identity crises about their sexual orientation
- how the boss Jong Chan is very supportive
- friendship between Seung Hyun and Ji Yeon

Room For Improvement
- in the first episode, it was odd that there was no one in the office when a whole big thing was made about how on time was late, it would have made more sense if everyone else was already there and working when he started
- *I do think Jong Chan knew that Seung Hyun liked him but would have preferred that Seung Hyun initiate at least the first kiss
- needed more runtime, things jumped a bit, also wanted more of a resolution with Yoo Seong
- some night scenes were too dim and needed more lighting
- another stupid "plan" by a villain
- kind of wanted the interns to have more of a plan when they made that video
- Seung Hyun promised not to do something and then he did it in the last episode though he apologized
- an hr nightmare with Seung Hyun talking to his coworkers about his personal relationship and even had some of it recorded

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tried to do too much

Overall: I liked the unique premise but when people have to make charts to understand the plot, then that's a bad sign. 11/12 episodes (there is an alternate final episode). Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: punches/fight scenes, manhandling, blood, non con picture taking, gaslighting, there is a major one in the first episode but I'm keeping this spoiler free

What I Liked
- unique premise
- the intro sequence
- lighting, kind of supernatural vibe and it differentiates the universes
- the brother/sister dynamic
- some cute moments
- same sex marriage advocacy
- the side couple (though wish for a bit more enthusiasm earlier and also that stuff in ep 10 was way too early/rushed)

Room For Improvement
- the world building was just too confusing, I think they should have stuck with 1 world building concept instead of multiple, the characters tried to explain it a bit in episode 5 and 7 but that was too late
- lack of clear resolution for Dew's universe
- unrealistic how player Mum just flips on a dime and how Dew and Mum interact when 1 doesn't know the other person and then only talk afterwards
- did not understand why Dew/Mum loved each other so much or feel their chemistry
- didn't like Mint's character but did not like Dew either for not being clear and going along with her suggestion, Mint's character did a bizarre 180 in one of the final episodes
- police should have been called a few times and weren't
- Mum with the 'gay for you' trope
- would a younger person not know about bi/pan as options???
- did not like the choose your own ending

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slice of life series

Overall: this is what I would call a slice of life series, i.e. more true to life versus a romanticized version. Though I was put off at the beginning of the 1st episode with the flash forward and the first few episodes were especially slow going, I'm glad that I stuck with the series. Watched on Gagaoolala (also on iQIYI).

Content Warnings: distant past suicide mentioned, punch/bullying, stalking, outing, manhandling

What I Liked
- some cute moments
- there were actually customers in the cafe at times and the cafe workers were actually working
- a character dreams different kdrama scenarios (I think one was Crash Landing On You) which was fun
- a character said that people who love each other should be able to marry
- the female friend wasn't a cliche evil wannabe girlfriend, though I don't approve of how she handled something
- representation (although I think the writers could have had a more realistic explanation/explained things better)
- Le's mom
- that nose ring, I think it's the first nose piercing I've ever seen in a BL, the hair was fun too
- the friendship between Le and Li

Room For Improvement
- I wish they portrayed the relationship between Li and Gwan differently. At first, I wasn't even sure what their relationship was. It didn't seem that they really even liked each other as friends with the way they treated one another.
- cliche "let me explain" then does not explain with side couple
- the main couple/side couple screen time was odd. Li and Gwan had an entire episode and then pretty much vanished.
- a bit choppy when they were in the forest the first time
- slow pacing
- I think the title "DNA Says Love You" should be "My DNA Says I Love You", I see it's listed as an alternate title but I wish this was the main title
- the pronouns appeared incorrect a few times, but I think this was a translation error (I didn't take off review stars for this)

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