4
10
1
1
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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An average short comedy
Overall: a divorced couple goes to a bar in hopes of hooking up (not with each other), but will their plan work out? A 12 minute short film watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: homophobia*
What I Liked
- there were a few funny moments, like taking off the ring, the dating app
Room For Improvement
- *Sandy asks for god to send her a real man (she means not gay which is implying that gay men are not real men = homophobic)
- it was odd that Chris was interfering at the bar
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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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Road trip story with four guys
Overall: Three friends (and one potential hook up) go on a road trip. I'm grading this on a curve as it's from 2008, low budget and addressed a couple important topics. Watched on gagaoolala.Content warnings: homophobia (internal & external), a transphobic comment
What I Liked
- that they addressed the topics of HIV, jobs/poverty and homophobia
- the intro song which is played throughout was fun to listen to
- favorite line "change is the most permanent thing in this world"
Room For Improvement
- it appears that Michael got closure but the way he went about it was bad
- I think they could have cut some scenes out or made them shorter and then developed the characters and their relationships with one another more
- the subs had some errors/I didn't understand a few things
- the night scenes were too dark and it was difficult to see
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Timeline is a bit confusing, but an overall sweet short film
Overall: This 15 minute short film from Malaysia explores a major challenge to an established m/m relationship. Watched on gagaoolala.Content Warnings: homophobia
What I Liked
- starts with an established couple
- that they communicate about what they are going to do instead of 1 person just ghosting the other
- cute scenes like at the beach
- the mom's growth
Room For Improvement
- the frequent time skips backwards and forwards made it difficult to know the sequence of events and made it feel disjointed. When the subtitles said Tokyo, Japan they could have also said X weeks, months or years later
- quite a lot of background road noise in a scene towards the end
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A family centered story
Overall: this centers on Artemisia, a woman with a queer son, a daughter studying/living abroad who then returns with a surprise and a bigoted, penny-pinching motherContent Warnings: the grandma is very bigoted but it is not shown in a positive way
What I Liked
- the m/m had an actual realistic conversation about thoughts on planning a trip together and whether or not to come out
- the kiddo is super cute
- showing challenges and working through them (Artemisia)
- the mom hanging up that underwear to dry was hilarious
Room For Improvement
- the boyfriend coming over unannounced felt like an ambush and was forcing the son to do something he wasn't yet ready for
- the ending feels a bit abrupt or too open ended, though you can infer what is happening with the son and his boyfriend and I liked the tai chi (I think that's what it is)
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A Quirky Short Film
Content Warnings: noneOverall: a cute short film (30min) with an art house film quirky vibe
What I Liked
- the set design is really nice
- the camerawork and lighting made it have an art film/quirky/unique tone
- I could see this being a whole series and I don't think I've seen a fortune teller reading tea leaves in BL yet...
Room For Improvement
- I think I know what happened at the end but I'm not really sure...which generally isn't how I like to feel after watching something
- the goofy sound effects were okay, I liked that they toned them/got rid of them later on
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A Realistic Slice of Life Set in a Religious High School
Content Warnings: none that I can think ofOverview: you might like this if you like slice of life stories
What I Liked
- the setting of an all male religious school is fairly unique from what I've seen thus far
- the main character Dominic has (stereotypical) feminine qualities which is rare to see and I liked that he character wasn't played just for laughs like I've frequently seen with trans women or crossdressing men (though this did happen with the fortune teller/assistant)
- the ex girlfriend wasn't some flat evil character, she saw that he changed, they were more compatible now and wanted to give it another try
Room For Improvement (minor spoilers)
- that Dominic lied and said he just wanted to be friends/platonic when almost the whole time he was looking at it from a romance aspect
- was it ever explained why Dominic didn't go to the playground, did he forget? what happened???
- how the ending played out, it felt like Dominic was trying to force Luke...
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
2 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
BL With A Cherry On Top (Ehhhh???!!!)
Overall: a fantastical realistic BL showcasing a healthy relationship. This is in my top tier of BL shows.What I Liked (mild spoilers)
- the ability to read someone's mind without them knowing is a major violation of privacy, but Adachi does not abuse this power, many times he actively tries to avoid using it. He likes it and wants to keep it because he wants to know how he can help others.
- the way Kurosawa handled the King's game. Even though it's likely what Kurosawa wanted to do, once he saw that Adachi was uncomfortable, he changed it to a forehead kiss and said 'sorry' in his mind.
- the fact that Adachi doesn't have an identity crisis or internalized homophobia when he knows Kurosawa is romantically attracted to him. The reason that he thinks he can't be with Kurosawa is that "I'm afraid of getting more deeply involved and disappointing him" (episode 4), basically it's Adachi's low self-esteem that makes him think he's not worthy of being with Kurosawa.
- the cinematography/color scheme
- the humor, like that bad poetry on the bus
Room For Improvement
- why did Kurosawa wait 5 years before making any moves? Just because they bumped into each other in the elevator he thought it was fate or something? I think he likely continued because Adachi was being more reciprocal, I just wish there had been a bit more of a reason at the start of the series.
- the side couple. The 30 year old comes across as a creeper to me. I wish they had made his character not be exaggerated and more calm.
- Adachi's over acting is not my thing. It appears to be common in many live action adaptations from manga, but I wish it was toned down a bit more.
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a short miniseries with love triangles (or rectangles???)
Content Warnings: none I can think ofWhat I Liked
- visuals, the actors are cute
- production (like sound, subs, lighting) are actually pretty good for what I'm assuming is a very small budget
- the BTS clips at the end of each episode are fun to watch
Room For Improvement
- the crying itself was fine but when he raises his head it didn't look like he had been crying at all (i.e. no tears, red eyes or nose)
- the kiss wasn't the best but it definitely wasn't the worst that I've seen
- this season ends on a cliffhanger
- I'm watching the 2nd season and you really don't know who to ship or what the endgame is, there are multiple people liking other people
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solid ending
Overall: it was exciting to see Singto and Krist again with a story not about high schoolers or university students; however, one of my most hated tropes is the basis for this series which made me not rate it higher. 10 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube Channel (not available in Thailand, Korea or Japan) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI6nPzMs-RhMalpGr-jA0_3C&si=cEfvTY0ErPMrmQZn and Viu (Thailand).Content Warnings: non con touching, non con video recording/sharing/outing, attempted murder, blood, manipulation
What I Liked
- great to see Singto & Krist again
- clear premise in the present
- clear flashbacks
- protect mode
- callbacks like with the engineering shirt
- once together their ongoing intimacy, good kissing
- Mix's cameo
- styling
- excellent finale
Room For Improvement
- the noble idiot trope where a person caused much more pain to the supposed love of their life than if they had talked to their loved one and told the truth, we finally learned what happened in episode 7 part 1 which made it difficult for me to enjoy their past relationship knowing how they ended up in the present and (correctly) guessing their rift was based on stupidity (if you're struggling, I suggest start at episode 5 part 3, then skip over where you see angst/anger, fairly smooth sailing episode 7/4 and onward)
- how Tam didn't tell his mom like it was/standing up for his relationship (he had a conversation off-screen with her)
- a character told something that the mom had instructed him not to say
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