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a short series with a golden retriever and a black cat
Overall: a good short university series. Aired on the Shortime app (more info below). My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus. Episode 1 is free on the Shortime app and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI4qD7xWii4&ab_channel=ShortimeOfficial 15 episodes about 4 minutes each.Content Warnings: past bullying, manhandling, past held against will
What I Like
- when a character knows what he wants
- the miscommunication was cleared up fairly early and there was an apology
- dream kiss
- how they showed time passing with the moving frames
- good, non-cliche female characters
- good kissing at the end
What I Didn't Like
- manhandling, smoked and got angry
- tropey falls and kiss
- dead fish lip press
My Watch For Free Plan (updated Feb 2025)
My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters)
On the Rewards (popcorn bag icon page)
- check in = 5 (increases over 7 days up to 25)
- 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
Because episodes cost 70 popcorn each, it will take you about a week to watch the series.
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opposite personalities
Overall: an indie series that centered on two characters. 8 episodes under 10 minutes each. Aired on QueerDeep YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkrefPXGX2ya2fvYODySdXnGenCnRLMTn&si=rvoa6yi_AUexHzIsWhat I Liked
- opposite personalities
- kissing
- that we didn't have a bunch of characters
Room For Improvement
- I couldn't shake how creepy it was that that delivery person entered his apartment
- the episode 7 drama felt like drama for drama's sake
- (neutral) the English subtitles make some things difficult to understand
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some good, some not so good
Overall: I'm pretty torn on this series. I really like how we had several queer characters and Diamond was awesome but then they had too many characters to fully develop and things were unresolved for several of them. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iWantTFC. The director/writer Ivan Andrew Payawal also directed Gameboys.Content Warnings: fight, transphobia, homophobia, discrimination, past memory with blood
What I Liked
- Uno's mom
- they called out being disrespectful and the hypersexual stereotype
- Diamond was my favorite character, the situations she faced were realistic, rarely portrayed in media, heartbreaking and well done, wish we had more with this characters
Room For Improvement
- multiple lead characters had too much jerk behavior, I was so annoyed with Jared in particular
- the het romance was at the center which whatever but then there was no resolution with queer characters
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I'd Rather Quit Than Die, Director!: Uncut Version
3 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
hot and cold ML
Overall: was not a fan of one ML being hot and cold. Too much time spent on obvious villains. 65 episodes a couple minutes each. Watch episodes 1-5 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94xidyP8QrQ Note the uncut version is almost identical to the cut version, perhaps a few extra seconds of kissing so watch the uncut version. Aired on the Shortime app which also has: Double Play, Please Teach Me, Falling For My Boss, Summer Indigo, The Secrets of Male Students, Accent, Ippon: Hold Me Tight, Influencer Love, Blue Complex and Buddy Boy. App information is below. My invite link is https://playground.shortime.app/en/invite/NKNIWI - the code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i)Content Warnings: homophobia, manipulation, hit, violence, non con kiss, past murder, murder, manhandling, trauma/mental health struggles, drugging, kidnapping, unwanted public outing
What I Liked
- that a ML tried to change his fate
- sweet moments
- perceptive co-worker
- intelligence shown in episode 50
Room For Improvement
- nonsense, who just stands and stares at an incoming car and also the car didn't break? then at the end they decide to walk on the street instead of the sidewalk
- episode 13 back hug felt very out of place
- cartoony villains, wish they had spent more time on the relationship development
- one of the MLs was hot and cold and I couldn't trust his feelings
- the non con sleeping kiss
- telling the plot through voice overs instead of showing the viewer
My Watch For Free Plan (updated Feb 2025)
1 friend referral code = 20 (1 time bonus) My invite link is https://playground.shortime.app/en/invite/NKNIWI - the code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i)
On the Rewards (popcorn bag icon page)
- check in = 5 (increases over 7 days up to 25)
- 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
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glad they made this special
Overall: this special made me bump up the series rating by .5; however, the nonsense worldbuilding prevented me from rating this or the series higher. Eight and a half minutes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcdgalcMUE&feature=youtu.beWhat I Liked
- seaside
- that we got something at the very end
- production value decent
Room For Improvement
- exposition dump
- way too long of a time jump
- more nonsense worldbuilding, so something no longer matters? why? why does a character magically regain something? and if he regained it earlier why wouldn't he immediately tell the other character who has been in a ton of pain?
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soap opera musical with cute BL side couple
Overall: this a series with some cutesy music numbers interspersed with soap opera stuff. 14 episodes about an hour long each. Aired https://youtu.be/la9YzvKhaAI?si=DcAq0zPNhbgvWM8E (episodes 11-14 were never subbed)Content Warnings: past death, grief, intimate partner abuse, child abuse, fights/punches, held against will, homophobia
BL Couple Scenes
- episode 2, 17:10-30:10 and 55:50-56
- episode 4, 14:50-17:50
- episode 6, 16-19:20
- episode 8, 38:30-40:05
- episode 9, 50-53
- episode 10, 28:40-29:40 and 45:35-48
- episode 13, 30-33
- episode 14, 54-54:30
What I Liked
- the BL couple was sweet, needed more scenes
- character growth
Room For Improvement
- BL side couple needed more screentime
- not a fan of love triangles but it ended fine
- never subbed episodes 11-14
- cutesy music numbers interspersed with some serious topics was a bit jarring
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hilarious, poignant and heartwarming
Overall: Ossan's Love Returns was my favorite in the franchise. The writers managed to balance several different genres (comedy, fluff, angst, mystery) well and we had character growth. 9 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (along with the rest of the franchise except Ossan's Love Hong Kong) and Viki.Content Warnings: past death/murder, past violence, grief, non con kiss
What I Liked
- how Haruta and Maki had their flaws but they communicated with one another, apologized when they messed up and continued to love and care for each other, there was some excellent character growth
- clever ways they integrated the episode name
- sweet moments
- funny moments (I laughed so many times)
- realistic parts (like the bed head)
- ongoing physical interest/affection
- Moonlight Chicken (Earth/Mix) cameo
- how they integrated rainbows into the episodes
Room For Improvement
- the non con kiss with the new characters
- perpetuating the stereotype of a mother in law who is mean/exacting to a spouse
- wish we had a bit more time/resolution with several of the characters instead of a mad dash at the end
- if characters aren't comfortable doing something like at the end of episode 9, then the production should cast other actors
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This review may contain spoilers
confusing short movie
Overall: I really wanted to like this movie but I did not like one of the lead characters and was confused by the timeline/plot. 35 minutes, aired on Wayufilm's YouTube channel.What I Liked
- production value
- the actors did a good job
- the ending scene was sweet
Room For Improvement
- the timeline was confusing, the friends met up and Motor had a scar, they went on a ride but then their clothes changed (I think this was a continuity error though), then Motor hung out with his girlfriend and the other guy got unreasonably angry, then there was a flashback to a year ago where the same girlfriend he was dating in the present cheated on him and Motor got into an accident, then in the present (a year later) Motor decided to break up with his girlfriend???
the above would have made sense if that was a different girlfriend but I re-watched and it definitely seems to be the same actress, why didn't Motor break up with her for a year after that incident? or was she not actually cheating and he was just sad that she cancelled plans but they kept dating? but his friend didn't know he was dating for a year???
- didn't like how Gentle got angry at Motor when he spent time with his girlfriend, then Gentle doing the silent treatment and basically threatening to end the friendship, it would have made more sense if we had seen a montage of Motor constantly cancelling plans with Gentle last minute
- some of the scenes dragged a bit and could have been cut for faster pacing
- they seemed to establish both of them as straight with the girlfriend stuff and then talking about never holding a guy's waist before, felt like a 'gay for you' trope
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short and cute tourism promo with BL actors
Overall: 12 BL actors showcased parts of Thailand thru 6 short episodes. Each episode was about 8 minutes. Aired 2 per week on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6jUaCqlEcp3ROAMOSYvXJ2ij5mxjCkzy&si=zEc7KOdeB5fTzvI4 Note: several of the episodes were not clearly BL but open to interpretationWhat I Liked
- it was a cute short story/tourism commercial
- favorite story was probably ep 2 with Mai & Win
- so happy to see Frank without a wig
- happy they aired 2 per week and it was free to watch on YouTube
Room For Improvement
- they needed to subtitle the locations that the characters were at, although the information does appear in the video description
- each episode was very short and several were open endings
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fans of the series will enjoy these follow ups
Overall: I think that fans will enjoy this anthology series which showcases 8 couples from 8 recent GMMTV series. Airing on GMMTVs YouTube Channel, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI4h6zMFEdD2alNmOI4c9TBNContent Warnings: violence, homophobia (Never Let Me Go)
My Favorites
- Bad Buddy and 1000 Stars, especially that ending part of 1000 Stars was extremely touching/beautiful
Biggest Miss
- I wanted to see further development with My School President not a re-hash with the actors playing the opposite character
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a fluffy follow up
Overall: if you are looking for a fluffy slice of life special episode/s then look no further. Aired on GMMTVs YouTube channel.What I Liked
- sweet moments
- flipped a common trope around
- great communication, character growth from their series
- (neutral) there was lip movement with kissing but it didn't rise to the level of excellent kissing
Room For Improvement
- oddly reluctant PDA/physical affection for an established couple, also unrealistic that was their first time in a year?!?
- could have had more plot for side characters
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a countryside slice of life
Overall: this is a nice slice of life story set in the countryside. Now available on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/2623/restart-after-coming-back-home-2020Content Warnings: non con kiss (sleeping)
What I Liked
- the countryside setting
- felt realistic, people trying to figure things out
- I generally don't like a carefree happy golucky personality with a reserved/sullen one but there is character growth and more than what first meets the eye
Room For Improvement
- it did feel a bit slow in places
- the non con kiss
- lack of communication (though they did have some good conversations at the end)
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This review may contain spoilers
Swing and a Miss
Overall: there was a good idea a the core, how a boy might struggle at school with two gay dads, but it had a poor executionContent Warnings: held against will, looked up skirt - pulled down pants, pervy guy
What I Liked
- the trumpet playing
- the boy said that they should apologize to the girl
Room For Improvement
- the trumpet player was more immature than the child! Who just leaves their child at a dock? Pulling down his pants was terrible. The dad felt stereotypical and I wish they would haven't gone that direction. He could have worn lipstick/nails and been an awesome parent of a child who is struggling at school due to bullying. Instead they made him look immature and silly.
- the first sexual assault to that girl was bad but then they threw in another attempted one??? To show that the boy was now a hero? It was an odd way to show character development.
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This review may contain spoilers
a lesser known Pinoy BL that is worth a watch
Overall: This series deserves more views and recognition. If you like enemies to lovers and/or something that deals with real world issues, then check this one out.Content Warnings: cyberbullying
What I Liked
- discussing real world problems such as: cancel (or as I call it consequence) culture*, plight of farmers, and sexual position shaming
- the production value was pretty good for what I'm assuming was a smaller budget production
- the visuals and I thought their acting was decent for (again I'm assuming) new actors
- showing a f/f relationship which is pretty rare
- the very supportive parental response from Ram's parents
Room For Improvement
- The incredibly stupid plot point regarding Cholo's plan. I doubt any human on the planet would have come up with that plan. Like, Migo is your friend and he has a pride flag hanging at his place, pretty sure he's open to talking about his sexual orientation if asked and won't ban you as a friend or anything when he finds out Cholo's sexual orientation
- three couples with three love triangles (I really dislike love triangles and there are 3 of them!!!)
- because there were so many romantic relationships in only 8 episodes, we didn't get to delve deeply into any of them
- Why doesn't Ram just talk to Migo about Cholo's plan and then explain what happened? What person just lets the other person walk away crying?
- *Though I appreciated the discussion of cancel (consequence) culture, it is much more nuanced than it being totally bad. It has to do with trying to hold people accountable for their bad actions/decisions because the law is unable to do so. Consequence culture definitely has major problems though.
- Migo's anger/acting was actually too much at the beginning, it would have been better if he had toned it down
- they only have English, Spanish & Indonesian subs. If they had put out a call for people to translate/sub (like I think Gameboys did), I bet they would have had many more languages
- the special episode does not have any subs
- the first episode "comedic" sound effects were waaaaayyyy too much, but they did tone it down
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This review may contain spoilers
fire chemistry
Overall: excellent chemistry/acting from Smart & Boom and I hope to see them in more series. This series is based on the Japanese manga "Dakaichi: I'm Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year" which was later an anime. I haven't read/watched them and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 11 episodes about 40 minutes each. Note there is an additional scene after the initial end of the episodes. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/d1z6o64bu16ncf3Content Warnings: sexual assault, non con kiss, non con touching, non con video recording, vomiting, gaslighting, non con picture taking/sharing, stalking, cyber bullying, blackmail, coercion, death, grief
Watch Suggestions (to remove angst and focus on their sweet/steamy parts)
- watch episodes 1-5
- episode 6 stop at 12 minutes
- start episode 7 at 21 minutes
- episode 8 watch 6:45-17:45 and 40:20-end (but not the additional end scene after the initial end)
- episode 9 watch beginning to 5:45, can watch 19:35-24:30 and then 51:30-end
- episode 10 watch beginning to 4:40, 45:10-46:15, 48:15-end
- episode 11 watch 20:10-end
What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- clear premise
- styling*
- laughed a few times
- ongoing intimacy
- role playing in episode 8
- that family in episode 9 and the advice
- supportive manager (except the pinning thing)
Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward montage
- the non con kiss
- *the hair was covering Jin's eyes too much in some scenes
- comedy sound effects did not enhance the comedy
- camera was too shaky at some points
- deducted half a point after episode 6, they never addressed the victim blaming and I wasn't sure that if it had actually happened a character would have been okay with that/been supportive, also the villain did not have any real consequences as if they wanted the viewer to forgive him because he's attractive (which likely some viewers did but I'm not one of them), I also couldn't ship him with his hinted romantic partner
- bad how he just forgave his stalker and she had zero consequences
- they had too many angsty parts and were not able to fully explore them
- noble idiot trope/lack of communication where they caused more pain to each other than if they had been honest and worked together through their challenges
- the nonsense CEO villain
- (neutral) confused by the wings, apparently that is something from the manga
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