BL Compilations

basically commercials with some cute moments

Overall: I don't mind product placement, but in this case there was more product placement than plot. Three episodes about 12 minutes each. Aired on DFJ Entertainment's YouTube channel https://youtu.be/16s4HBeSKUE?si=5wguaKQ0sgnG6ocl

What I Liked
- lap sit and walking fingers up his arm
- the cat
- having subtitles in multiple languages

Room For Improvement
- mostly product placement
- think they should have left the boyfriend out of the series, did the main character learn/grow so a future relationship would even be successful?
- ending was disappointing with them cutting away like that

Read More

some cute parts (watch suggestions)

Overall: cliched conflicts weighed down the otherwise cute plot. 10 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki. The production company also made: Stay By My Side, You Are Mine and Anti Reset (airing in 2024).

Watch Suggestions (unless you enjoy slow pacing and cliched drama)
- watch ep 1 & 2
- skip ep 3
- watch ep 4
- skip ep 5
- could skip ep 6, there is a cameo from the You Are Mine leads and a cute sick/caring scene around 12 minutes but stop at 16 minutes to avoid useless family drama
- skip ep 7 & 8
- watch ep 9 (can also start at 8 minutes and watch thru to the end) and episode 10

Content Warnings: homophobic remark, dub/non con kissing, vomiting

What I Liked
- cute moments
- facial hair (and it looks really good) on a lead
- supportive/wingman friend
- two side characters (though zero screen time in episode 5-8 and only a little bit before then)
- cameo of You Are Mine actors in ep 6 and 10
- that Liu Li stood up to the mom

Room For Improvement
- the whole drunk cliche
- the waiter's rude comment would have made more sense if there were a bunch of people in the restaurant and some were leaving because they couldn't find a place to sit, also the animal sanctuary could have used a few extras as well
- in episode 5 the dub/non con kissing was uncomfortable to watch as was the freeze kiss in ep 4
- instead of introducing that character in ep 6 they could have developed the sassy waiter and the upbeat friend (who basically vanished from the series)
- camerawork sometimes moved too much/had odd angles
- slow pacing
- two grown men fought like middle schoolers over another man as if he was property and not a person, tried to be comedic but failed
- noble idiocy

Read More

(Kind Of) Innocent

Overall: I'm reviewing this 5 minute short as separate from the original short & the series. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: strobe/flash lighting

What I Liked
- the music, editing, color grading made it feel like a music video/art film which I think it what they were going for
- that the voice over had some decent communication in it
- the bdsm & costume aspects of it

Room For Improvement
- pretty sure the couple times I laughed out loud was not the effect they were going for
- it was surprisingly PG-13, thought it was going to be a bit steamier (because nothing says sexy like a teddy bear sitting at that table, I realize it was supposed to represent the 1 personality...but still...)
- they could have done whipped cream and licking/sucking it off, blown out a massage candle and dripped hot wax on a guys back or abs, many ways to make this less innocent

Read More

A Slooooowwww Realistic(ish) Drama

Content warnings: none I can think of

Overall: A slower paced (too slow in my opinion) series dealing with a realistic problem.

What I Liked
- A more realistic reason for the drama
- Supportive siblings
- Lack of evil girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/stalker "fan"
- Focused on 1 couple* instead of a billion (slight exaggeration) couples

Room For Improvement
- 4 year gap: I really dislike time gaps where 1 person makes a unilateral decision and the other person is miserable for years and years supposedly for their own good, ugh.
- Number of flashbacks/flashforwards: it takes me out of the story and this had quite a few of time hops especially via flashbacks. The whole 7th episode was a flashback, it felt like filler.
- Lack of doctor/patient confidentiality: I think the sister could have talked to Nut about Phob instead of his doctor
- *Not being clear about the brother & Tar's relationship until episode 6: just a few romantic moments would have made this clear earlier. I would have liked their relationship to be more developed.
- Pacing felt too slow to me: I watched this on at least 1.5 (or more) speed and I think it would have been better as 6 episodes, maybe even 5.
- The ending: was okay, I generally don't like cliffhangers and I don't think it had the impact it should have had because of the lack of a developed romantic relationship. I would watch a 2nd season though.

I skipped ahead from ep 5 to the end because I was worried and fyi it is not a tragic ending. 
Watch past the credits of each episode as there are side stories/interviews with the cast/director. 
I think I'm being a bit generous with 7.5 as I really had to push myself to finish all 8 episodes.

Read More

excellent chemistry

Overall: hope to see these two together in more series. 2 special episodes, about 1 hour each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/my-stubborn-special-episode-episode-1-1e368v13eq0?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: harassment

What I Liked
- intimacy/chemistry
- showed using lube and condoms
- Sorn may have matured a little by not immediately yelling at Jun towards the end of episode 1*
- good that Jun clarified things pretty quickly in episode 2
- caring/sweet moments

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump in episode 1
- comedy sound sound effects didn't make things funny
- told the co-worker before checking in with Jun
- kind of nonsense why he didn't just block the guy but I guess how they solved it worked so...
- *Sorn stayed overly-jealous as he sent someone to spy on Jun
- didn't like how Jun was insecure in episode 2 and initiated things because his friend suggested it

Read More

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

Read More

enjoyed it more than the series

Overall: it was a decent special, although I wanted a few changes. 26 minute special aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4252/vip-only-2023-e11 and Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40086c-vip-only My review of the series is here: https://kisskh.at/profile/blcompilations/reviews/318961

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- that they explained why the beard was gone in a realistic way
- the characters from You Are Mine

Room For Improvement
- the one lead felt childish/petulant
- one piggyback is fine but 2 was too many
- talking/being concerned about who is the husband and who is the wife
- lip press for an established couple (and then the montage showed more lip presses

Read More

a masterpiece, go watch it

Overall: in addition to being a record setter as the first BL series (later combined into a movie format) in South Korea, Long Time No See had an innovative plot that was well executed despite its limitations. My advice is to not read summaries of the plot as some give away a huge plot point. Available on GagaOOLala, purchase on Vimeo or if you are a member of Strongberry's YouTube page you can watch it there as well. Part 1 is free to watch here: https://youtu.be/QrImtUu1aJk?si=oW6H_NKb0_OlBPrR

Content Warnings: there are major ones and I've put them in a comment with a spoiler tag, you can kind of tell when they will happen and fast forward

What I Liked
- innovative premise (this was an original script, it was not based on a book/webtoon/etc)
- good kissing/intimacy
- fight scenes looked cool
- sweet moments
- supportive sister

Room For Improvement
- I know they were crunched on time/budget but 20 more minutes including explaining Gi Tae's background/how he got to where he was would have raised this series to 10/10

Read More

baby, baby, baby (times infinity)

Overall: this series was filmed and released during the covid19 pandemic, it also has a main plot point that directly ties into covid19. I enjoyed the series when it was released though season 1 is on Netflix in some countries and on YouTube without all of the many language subtitles that it had when it first aired. 13 episodes that vary quite a bit in length, average is around 20 minutes. There is also a season 2 and a movie (the movie is a shortened season 2)

Content Warnings: there is a major one, I'll put all of them in a comment with a spoiler

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- funny moments
- Gav was flirty/forthright*
- Pearl as a supportive friend
- music
- production value considering it was an indie production during covid19

Room For Improvement
- *Gave was too aggressive/ignored boundaries
- Cairo was too reluctant for too much of the runtime
- cliche plot points with the friend/ex and poor communication although it felt more realistic than most

Read More

appreciate that they tried something different

Overall: though I liked that they tried something different (i.e. darker plot with flawed characters, violence, etc), it was just too slow paced for me. I watched ep 1-3 and 8-10 on YouTube.

Content Warnings: murders, attempted murder, attempted suicide?, suicide, graphic violence, gore/blood, held against will, manipulation, manhandling

What I Liked
- different approach with a darker tone
- like how Art didn't just stand there in episode 3 and actually did something
- realistic/well done NSFW scenes (that scene in episode 8 was amazing with the awkwardness and communication)
- acting
- supportive brother
- ep 8 that humor with the chicken was funny
- cinematography*

Room For Improvement
- I wanted scenes cut shorter or omitted and for it overall to be faster paced, an example is how the scene at the beginning didn't hook me into the series
- the pre explanation of how getting hit in the head causes you to lose oxygen and then lose your memory did not make sense, it should have been how blunt force trauma can cause memory loss
- trying to make comedy around the suicide attempt did not work for me at all in episode 1
- I realize the premise is fictional but I wish they would have gone with something that could cause an end of the world situation like nuclear war/fallout, major natural disaster or global pandemic. Countries track asteroids that are thousands of miles away from Earth, and how would an asteroid knock the moon into Earth? How does 80% of the Thai population fit into a bunker? Being in a bunker wouldn't matter anyway if the moon somehow smashed into the Earth.
- the very ending of the final episode was disappointing, it makes everything else before feel unearned
- *a night scene in ep 2 was too dim and I could barely see anything, might have been more night scenes that needed some lighting

Read More

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

Read More

Paint With a Jerk

Overall: We have the enemies to lovers trope along with the fastidious/uptight guy and the messy/carefree guy. I watched the first 6 episodes and then reactions to the rest

Content Warnings: sexual harassment, non con touching/posing, a punch, throwing an item at another person

What I Liked:
- I did laugh out loud at a few parts, mainly Phab who is #bestboy
- fun flirting and also burns in return
- I thought the actors did a good job with a bad script
- overall production value was pretty good except a couple of camera shots that I didn't like

Room For Improvement:
- the main issue is that I can't empathize with a jerk character who is a jerk and the reason is not shown, there is slow or no character growth until right at the end and then they are happily ever after with their former tormentor. Episode 6 and the preview for episode 7 made me drop this for now. Calling someone "stupid" and saying "you f*cking suck" and then throwing and hitting them with an object, nope (and before that, wth were those alarms/dumb schedule)
- the relationship between Maze and Nueng was so bizarre, when there was a perfectly reasonable explanation (and they should have been clear at the beginning to show why Maze has closed himself off so much)
- the cliche 'I don't remember anything last night although I totally remember what happened'
- that hotel manager plot was bizarre and not needed, also he didn't really have any consequences
- the basically blackmailing him, totally not realistic contract, someone can't just say they are your manager and take 40%
- was not feeling the side couple, wish Green had played Nueng
- I think I was not really understanding some of the plot at the beginning, what exactly Maze was doing
- that firefighter carry inside the art studio was odd
- the punch was also odd, I think they could have choreographed it right before but then one of them messed up the choreo. I would have liked that reason more than the reason they gave.
- taking pictures and posting to social media without approval, nope
- I'm not into the stereotypical/cliche scheming trans woman character

Read More