BL Compilations

it's not funny, it's offensive

Overall: this was a remake of a 2015 series (on YouTube unsubbed). It felt like it was stuck in the past (or even farther back than 2015) with its colorism, body shaming, effeminate male/trans women stereotypes and sexual assault played as comedy. 16 episodes about 35 minutes each. Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: colorism, trans women/effeminate men stereotypes, body shaming, bullying, cyberbullying, sexual assault played as comedy, sexual harassment, sex shaming, transphobia, held against will, non con picture/video taking and sharing

What I Liked
- Jet/New until the end of episode 6 which is what made me drop the series even though I wanted to give this a complete watch/review
- one of the teachers (the one who didn't sexually harass/assault a fellow teacher and didn't bully a student)
- it was good attempt with the message about being able to wear a uniform to match your gender identity, but then that character wore something out of a Japanese manga, would have been much more powerful if that character had worn the Thai school uniform for women
- episode 2 had good sex ed with using condoms correctly

Room For Improvement
- sexual assault played as comedy, it went on for so long and was not funny
- the two teachers who bullied a student and sexually harassed a fellow teacher
- the stereotypical male guys had love interests while the effeminate male characters were constantly fighting with each other and bullying a trans student
- way too much catfighting and bullying
- too many characters (there are 21 on the poster) and I couldn't figure out their names/who they all were
- comedy sound effects
- cliche overheard something and didn't talk

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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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unique premise

Overall: the confusing plot (though intentional) and distrust that the main romance was real made me not invested in this series. Major ending spoiler in the comments. Adapted from the book "Mystique in the Mirror" by Patrick III Rangsimant which I haven't read and this review is based on the series. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/mystique-in-the-mirror-episode-1-13h4cxtv8zg?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: held against will (complicated), non con kiss (complicated), past death, death, grief

What I Liked
- a different premise
- that we couldn't see the ending/it was unpredictable
- fantastic finale

Room For Improvement
- the suspense was more confusing so it didn't keep me hooked
- since I doubted the main romance, I was never fully invested in it
- dubious medical ethics (I'm not a doctor, but some of the medical stuff felt dramalandish)

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better as it went on

Overall: I enjoyed seeing two people working thru their relationship and life challenges. 12 episodes about 23 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (not in Japan, Korea or Thailand) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5473/stay-by-my-side-after-the-rain-2025-e01

Content Warnings: past death, past abuse, vomiting, emotional abuse from a parent

Watch Suggestions from 3 on (will try to go back to episodes 1 & 2 later) focuses more on the main leads
- stop episode 3 at 12:10
- skip episode 4
- episode 5 watch 18:20-end
- episode 6 watch 6-10:15 (though I did chuckle at some of the jealousy afterwards) and 20-end
- stop episode 7 at 20:55
- episode 8 watch 6:30-7:45 and 14-end
- watch episode 9
- episode 10 watch beginning-9:10 and 12:20-19:45
- episode 11 watch 5-end
- watch episode 12

What I Liked
- clear premise
- a reserved worrier and an open fly by the seat of his pants dynamic
- communicated/were honest in several episodes, the check in
- sweet moments
- supportive co-workers*
- laughed a couple times
- a supportive grandma
- a supportive mom and sister
- production value

Room For Improvement
- voicing internal thoughts frequently
- threatening stalking/ignoring boundaries was not romantic
- cared nothing for the mom or the co-workers* (did not like how he was forced to come out and he was grateful that they didn't mind their own business)
- not reassuring if the talk was good news or bad news in episode 4
- dead fish lip presses
- (neutral) a character refused to communicate in the beginning but at least it didn't last too long

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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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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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Actual communication & character growth!

Content Warnings: bullying, maybe that super bizarre meet cute, 
(minor spoilers)

I watched the first 5 episodes but since I'm not a fan of love triangles (rectangles? pentagons?) or slow burn romances, I decided to wait until it was finished and binge the rest if reviews were good. And I'm so glad that I watched the rest (albeit on 1.5 speed).

What I Liked
- hold onto your hats because...characters actually communicate with each other, whaaaaa???? Not perfectly, but there is a bunch of effort and it's so nice to see characters looking for clarification and communication. 
- characters actually apologize for mistakes they made and try to learn/grow from them
- attention to detail with the production/production value. I can tell thought was put into things (such as a character is mentioned to have red ears and his ears are actually red).
- Shi Woon is the best boy, I liked many characters but Shi Woon is a goofball who isn't stupid, more of this please
- the parallel with the cat
- finally a supportive and kind teacher who isn't flirting or hooking up with a student
- some great lines including "steal what, Tae Kyung is not mine just like Da On isn't yours"

Room For Improvement
- that absolutely awful meet cute with the you know what and referring to his butt, no way. The writers must have thought this was funny but it was totally not funny and awful to watch. 
- I know it's based on a game but I wish they would have made the names more unique from each other, because I kept getting confused about which person was being talked about
- It can be slooooooowwww, like those 2 minute lingering glances after a catch and fall, talking slowly, walking slowly
- once again we have the female character who make a terrible decision but at least this one has character growth
- the 2 kisses, especially the 2nd. I give them 1 shocked kiss but when 1 person doesn't move their lips/pucker and the other is making an effort, it looks so awkward. I blame the director/lack of workshopping. Looking at the BTS, neither actor had done an on screen kiss. The actors should have been given some direction/information in a smaller group setting before going to film it.
- the last episode left many things unanswered and felt rushed but perhaps there will be a season 2

Speaking of, I'm looking forward to a season 2 or a spinoff (but don't make me get rid of one of the things on my What I Liked list).

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didn't live up to its promise...

Overall: unfortunately they must have changed writers from the prequels (https://youtu.be/PsGI1LJn-7Q and https://youtu.be/estp_6mHi1s) and we got unfunny parts and nonsense stuff instead of a realistic angsty series. Airing on WeTV and YouTube (according to the company YouTube will be 3 hours later).

Content Warnings: bullying, death (past), grief, vomiting

What I Liked
- the child actors did a great job
- cute/sweet moments
- countryside setting in episode 1
- wish the realistic reaction at the end of episode 5 had happened when they first re-met
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Phu's actions (to me) aren't romantic, they are immature, selfish and extremely hurtful over the course of a looong (10 years) period of time, there is no apology he can make for ghosting his best friend for a decade, I find Phu unlikable and don't want them to end up together (but I'm sure they will)
- because of time jumps/flashbacks it felt choppy in beginning episodes
- I think people who haven't watched the prequels would be confused especially the university part
- I didn't find that workplace humor stuff funny including the caricature characters

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trippy bait & switch

Overall: the promo pics showed 4 guys on top of each other, half naked and oiled up. I thought this would be a sci fi romance, but there was more het romance than m/m romance and the sci fi was confusing. Aired on Viu in a few countries like Thailand, no other release.

Content Warnings: murders/deaths, suicide, blood, attempted murder, held against will

What I Liked
- would like to see all the actors in something else
- different premise
- landscape/setting

Room For Improvement
- a series can have plot twists but should still make sense in earlier episodes
- the riddle thing was kind of lame

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Content Warnings: violence, tragedy (not between m/m)

Watch it for Pitch/Bank if you want, but unfortunately the potential was definitely not reached.

What I Liked
- a nice concept of a bodyguard/protectee
- humor mixed with action
- some cute fluff moments
- Pitch/Bank as the side couple
- Sky's dad's acting
- production value seemed fine

Room For Improvement
- that sponge bath was too invasive
- Gun's sad/angry acting, this was just painful to watch and it's partially the director's fault
- many plot holes/non-logical things such as: why wouldn't Sky's mother pre-donate her own blood (especially when she was pregnant as there can be complications), why couldn't Sky donate to her (granted he couldn't do as much as he was a child but still...), why wouldn't Sky pre-donate his blood since it's so rare, why would you put one of the only blood donors in an extremely dangerous job, why did the writers have them be in the art department when Sun can't draw and that's easily found out by the university, why did Pitch get a personality transplant, how did Pitch/Bank become boyfriends
- how Sky used those two women which I was worried about from the beginning, they should have cut out their characters and focused more on Pitch/Bank
- lack of character growth from Sky especially
- I absolutely hate time gaps and this was no exception, the ending felt very rushed

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repetitive

Overall: the franchise had a fun premise, but it has dragged on too long without progression. 6 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6018/a-man-who-defies-the-world-of-bl-2021-s04e01 (not in Hong Kong, Macau, Japan or Korea)

Content Warnings: slap (played as comedy), fight

What I Liked
- they did a short intro so people don't need to have seen the previous 3 series to understand what is going on
- I did chuckle a few times like at the high pitched sneezing in episode 1
- the intro music open which has a different theme for each season
- was supportive of his brother in episode 3
- for once I was happy we didn't see a kiss at the end

Room For Improvement
- it was a fun premise for season 1 but I want to see some relationship progression, at least with his brother's romance (there was a little in episode 3 starting around 13m30s)
- I don't think the writers intended it but Mob came across as a bit homophobic, though he did talk about how you didn't want to be the main lead
- Mob was selfish when he created a love triangle (and I wish it had resolved differently since all three were nice guys)
- was bored with the napping stuff in episode 2 and did not enjoy the toilet humor at the end of the episode
- two characters that got together were abrupt
- the high school or romantic interest was odd

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not feeling it as a romance

Overall: there is no redemption arc after what we saw in episode 4 unless several things were much different than how they appeared. My rating will be higher if we don't get a happily ever after that I'm fairly sure we'll get. 10? (says 11 on WeTV but maybe there is a special episode) about 1 hour each. Airing on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/obtd828nav226mm/e4101k2fgrj-EP01%3A_Yesterday_(Uncut_Ver.)

Content Warnings: attempted murder/murder?, sexual assault, implied rape off screen, blood, kidnapping/held against will, stalking, manipulation, beaten up, near suicide off screen, blackmail, self harm, non con kissing, past death, gaslighting

What I Liked
- chemistry/intimate scenes done well
- different type of plot
- styling
- two smart and capable women

Room For Improvement
- the continuous time jumps back and forth made it confusing/choppy even with over an hour per episode (finally more clear in episode 4 but that is way too long to be confusing)
- after a character who supposedly loved another character (attempted to murder, I can't believe he said "I tried to hold him back") his best friend, put money over rescuing him and then raped him in episode 5, the romance was ruined, there is no redemption arc that could make me want that character to be in a romance with anyone, he belongs in jail for the rest of his life
- nonsense stuff, a character didn't find it odd he had no communication from a certain person, turns out he had his phone the whole time?!, cameras are everywhere until they aren't

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cringey characters/plot with some sweetness and spice

Overall: (after a couple of days knowing each other) "Why don't you stay and complete this place. Complete me. Give me a new life." There is some truly cringey dialogue, but it's a fast watch and had some enjoyable moments. Two episodes about 1 hour each. Airing on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/lvdxvdkso18fdfe-The%20Renovation

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- good intimacy
- resort setting
- the last few minutes of episode 1 came out of nowhere but it was fun (also a couple scenes in ep 2, one after the first end credits)

Room For Improvement
- character dumps and the voice overs (it made a little more sense once we discovered his job but I still didn't enjoy it)
- didn't care about the characters or want them to be together in episode 1
- tropey, 2 sponge baths in 1 hour
- nonsense dialogue, the flowers in the bathtub
- not a fan of characters who play games like towards the ending of episode 2

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meandering plot and incomplete feel

Overall: I was intrigued in the beginning, but it lost my interest with the large amount of staring and lack of meaningful dialogue. Began airing on YouTube November 20th https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Njz75725bXKH1h92Yn-RCgu5EZb_SW-&si=P7Jx-VCWqEIUqr_b, then moved uncut episodes to a different platform and then moved an uncut version to WeTV in January https://wetv.vip/en/album/dd8g63nmfpkqdwg

Content Warning: sexual assault, non con touching, death off screen, self harm

What I Liked
- unique premise
- caring moments
- steamy scene in ep 4 uncut version was well done but it seemed to go on for too long
- production value for what I assumed was a very indie production

Room For Improvement
- voice over exposition
- too much staring/flashbacks, they needed to talk/learn about each other more
- I'm not familiar with the Thai prison system but it seemed odd they had a fully stocked music room and library based on the other facilities and the whole music video/the voice thing, how some characters had those numbered shirts and others wore regular clothes, also they were packed like sardines for sleeping but then magically at the water area there was no one around
- showing a character defecating was not needed
- the ending was a non-ending, apparently there was supposed to be a special but months later and there's no special, the series feels extremely incomplete
- made viewers wait a month for the last 4 episodes, the release platform/schedule felt like they figured it out as they went instead of it being preplanned

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could have been total campy fun (watch suggestions)

Overall: with a few changes this could have been a super entertaining comedy. I deducted a full point for the atrocious lack of consent (mainly in episode 7). 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/m9ytee03pftoltl-OMG%20Vampire%20(Uncut%20Ver.) There was sometimes an additional product placement scene at the end and this review was of the uncut version (which was the only listing originally on MDL), not sure there even is a cut version. Very Great also made Physical Therapy and Crazy Handsome Rich

Content Warnings: deaths, rape, non con maybe turned consensual, non con kissing, blood, manipulation, vomiting, harassment, non con touching, stalking, breaking & entering, held against will, beaten up/fights, manhandling

Watch Suggestions (takes out most of the love triangles, focuses on cute moments & skinship)
- watch episodes 1 & 2 (or read the synopsis and watch the beginning of episode 1)
- watch episode 3 from the beginning to 17:30
- watch episode 4, 9:40 to 10:40, 25:30-26:15, 36:45-39:50, 43-51:50
- watch episode 5, 7:10-16:30, 32-36:20, 42 to the end
- watch episode 6, beginning to 45 seconds, 6:30-11, 13:10-16:15, 20:20-26:50, 28:30-33:30, 34:45 to the end
- watch episode 7, beginning to 1 min, 11:30-12:20, 14:20-17:10, 32:30-41:06, 42:24-49
- watch all of episode 8 but I'd suggest ending at 59:40

What I Liked
- the over the top campy humor made me chuckle a few times (Thaiwilight City)
- beginning scene got my attention
- good kissing
- sweet moments
- lack of voice dubbing
- supportive friends and parents

Room For Improvement
- the non con in episode 7 was horrendous, being in a relationship does not mean you get to do whatever you want when a person is sleeping (although this was fictional because no way would a person sleep through that), I think with 1 couple they were going for a bodice ripper vibe but it came across as more uncomfortable than steamy, they even had non con right at the end of episode 8
- many world building exposition dumps
- juggled too many plots/relationships for 8 episodes
- nonsense/'because the writer said so'/convenient world building stuff i.e. problem is population increase but then same sex relationships are worse somehow???, why wouldn't he just sleep for 200 years? I guess he was nervous about something happening in 6 years but given his age seemed unlikely, super improbable that would happen to the 4 of them at the exact same time and a ton more
- Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy music, same music from their past series
- the music 'na na na na na na naaaaa' over steamy scenes
- episode 2 when characters argued about who would be the groom
- not a fan of 2 men fighting over a woman in het series and definitely not in BL series
- odd that Patrick went from intrigued to very reluctant to head over heels

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