BL Compilations

A beautiful story about family, love, self-acceptance, regret & atonement

Content Warnings: (not between m/m) character death, suicide (not shown and not sure if that's what happened)

Overall: I was moved to tears by a beautiful story about what it really means to be family (it's more than biology), how to accept oneself, and trying to right past wrongs. FYI the title on GagaOOLala is "On The Way Home."

What I Liked
- the themes of the story that I mentioned: family, love, self-acceptance, regret, atonement/2nd chances
- the friend's reactions were realistic, almost like going through stages of grief such as disbelief, anger, sadness and acceptance

Room For Improvement
- the m/m relationship was too off screen for me. It was a major factor of what happened, but if I hadn't read the synopsis, I wouldn't have even known anything until too far into the movie. I'm not saying that I wanted NSFW scenes, just to show the love between the characters and how the daughter was feeling left out (see below point)
- I realize the daughter was going through quite a lot, but there could have been additional motivation (like showing what was happening at school for example, was she being bullied? did she see classmates display homophobia and it made her worried?) to give her actions more reasoning behind them

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Short film about two best friends

Content Warnings: none 

Overall: This is basically the same story told in two parts with the difference being the setting and the endings. It gives a bit of art film vibes. There's nothing amazing here, but it doesn't make me scream into a void so maybe worth a watch...

What I Liked
- I generally like a best friends to something more plot
- the actors are cute
- music in the 2nd part was nice

Room For Improvement
- 1st part had music that I know I've heard before so they need something more unique
- the voice sound in the 2nd part wasn't as good
- wasn't totally convinced by the crying acting

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Had Potential and Then Took a Nosedive

Content Warnings: none

Overall: small budget production with a realistic story that had promise but ruined the ending

What I Liked
- the 2 main guys say what their sexual orientations are and their preferred pronouns (Sam is gay and Andrea is bisexual with an ex-girlfriend who is a trans woman)
- Sam and his ex actually have a mature conversation/resolution
- the beachy vibe/location
- for being low budget, the production value was decent, subs had some errors but very understandable with 1 exception at the end

Room For Improvement
- the pacing was a bit slow
- Sam's ex's stupid "plan" to get Sam back
- episode 7 doesn't make much sense since Andrei seemed very romantically interested in Sam, but then did a 180.
- the final episode (6 minutes and a large chunk of flashbacks) was very confusing. It says "1 year ago" but I think they meant "1 year later." We see Andrei driving and talking about going to a wedding of someone he loved so I assumed it's Sam's wedding, but maybe it's his ex-girlfriend's wedding??? Then Sam has flashbacks about how it was the wrong time then and he concludes by saying it's the right time now and the visuals are Sam & Andrei getting married? Then Andre has the happiness jar in the car and says 'maybe.' Finally, there is a scene where Andrei gives Sam the jar and they hug. WTH???? They should have gotten together in episode 7 and then done a 1 year flash forward with a nice wedding in episode 8.

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Break Up While You Can

Content Warnings: tragedy

Overall: I absolutely hated the "moral" of the story which is to stay in a non-working relationship and hope that magically one day it gets better (spoiler alert, that very rarely happens in real life)

What I Liked
- I think basically everything was well done like production, acting, etc. I recognized one actor from In Between.

Room For Improvement
- I really disliked the terrible "moral". This couple had a huge deal breaker in their relationship which was shown to be a problem that they both acknowledged. They should have broken up, not spent 5 years being unhappy with the other person. Breaking up isn't necessarily bad, it can be the best thing for one or all people involved...

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Be Loved in House: I Do... want the plot to progress faster

(minor spoilers)
Content Warnings: none that I can think of...

Episode 12 bumped up my score to 7.5/10 overall. If you want super slow pacing and breathtaking visuals, then this is the show for you. Otherwise watch the 1st two episodes, imagine in your mind every single romance/bl trope multiple times (accidental falls, getting out of the shower, healing time, etc) then skip to ep 11 to watch most of those happen in flashbacks and then episode 12 for the ending. 

What I Liked
- amazing visuals
- acting
- the cat
- production
- the cameo
- the love triangle (I think the only 1 I've ever liked)
- the coworker/friend stopping the other coworker/friend from taking a picture of an intimate moment without the participants' knowledge
- the 12th episode
- the intro song*

Room For Improvement
The pace is sooooooooo slow. I watched it on 1.5-2x speed and it still felt slow. There is so little progression with either couple. I can like a slow burn done well, but this was not it. There is also little sense of time. Is this taking place over days, weeks, months? Why does the 2nd couple go soooo slow and then rocket ahead???

The plot - I'm used to plot holes and non logical things but this drives me nuts. So basically the new boss (Jin Yu Zhen) puts up a rule that no employees can be in a romantic relationship with anyone (even outside the office, is that even legal??) A m/f are about to get engaged so they want him to get rid of the rule. Logical response by the other employee/manager (Shi Lei) should be to get the boss to fall in love with him and then he has to remove the rule, right? Nope, I honestly can't even say what their plan was. Get more intel on the boss???

Boss - is attracted to Shi Lei. Logical thing, don't put up that rule and instead try to win him over. Actual response - move in with him, make some moves, then reverse your moves over and over again. Basically a ton of mixed signals. Also disappear off to places with no follow up explanations. Things are kind of explained in the last episode, but it still didn't do it for me.

Poor characterization of the boss - he started out super cold, then he went to really awkward/nervous, then he went to a pursuer, whaaaatt, I got whiplash. 

Music - there is legit one and only song that plays over and over again. It's a nice song but it's like "This Is The Song That Never Ends..." song. 

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blended different tones very well - a must watch

Overall: there are very few series that manage to balance humor, romance, realism and sadness well, Love in the Big City is one of them. Based on the book Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park which I didn't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40771c-love-in-the-big-city

Content Warnings: (2 major ones, see my spoiler comment and how the romance plays out), harassment, unwanted outing, homophobia, non/dub con turned consensual, conversion torture (off screen), punch

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- supportive friends
- blended different tones very well
- sweet moments
- intimacy
- character growth
- production value

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump to introduce his friends
- series covered 10 years, so voice overs were used to show passage of time
- odd that a certain aspect wasn't discussed in episode 5
- episode 8 jumped back and forth between flashbacks and the present

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too many characters

Overall: I wanted to give this indie (aka low budget) production a chance but there are just too many characters/confusing/non existent plot and I don't want to watch the remaining 7 episodes. 12 episodes about 16 minutes each cutting out the credits. Aired on KMD Studios YouTube Channel.

Content Warnings: fight, (possibly more)

What I Liked
- OST
- the school nerd and the guy who wants to make money seemed promising (not much movement by ep 5)
- consent, asking for a kiss

Room For Improvement
- there were way too many characters, who are they, who do they like, what is their relationship with one another? I wish they had focused on just 2 characters and made it shorter instead of having so many characters/relationships
- music was too loud and it drowned out the dialogue, though in ep 5 it seemed not as bad
- intros/outros too long

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A cheesy musical that was almost so bad it was good

Overall: I wish they had really leaned into the "so bad it's good" but it didn't quite make it. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: a slap, non con touching/sponge bath (guy was unconscious), kidnapping

What I Liked
- the orchestral music was great, some of the musical numbers were okay
- a flirty protagonist who is clear about his intentions*
- made me laugh in several parts
- I liked Mikey's friends and they weren't just played for comedic relief

Room For Improvement
- the remarks about other people's weight
- there was some rough acting which I found hilarious but I don't think it was intentional
- invasive sponge bath while someone is unconscious
- *Mikey's reluctance was dragging on for too long
- too many characters

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I've checked out of this series

Overall: I'm sad because they took everything I liked about episode 0 (fast paced, likeable characters, great music) and wrecked it. The series should be called "Boring Cheaters." Watched on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: non con kissing that turned consensual, dub con kissing and non con kissing that did not turn consensual, stalking, manhandling, harassment, drunk driving?, slap, manipulation, possible past suicide attempt/s

What I Liked
- the outro song
- I think the actors are trying their best with a terrible script

Room For Improvement
- very confusing, we start with a scene at the end of the first episode, then jump back and forth several times between present day and flashbacks (also too many flashbacks in later episodes)
- meh intro
- boring/slow paced, I watched at 3x speed. The cut episodes were slightly less boring (around 40 min vs 1hr 10) but still boring
- unlikeable main characters, I don't mind flawed characters but I especially don't understand Nine at all
- switching back and forth from a steamy scene where both people are cheating to a scene where a boyfriend is setting up a nice dinner was not appealing at all
- I don't normally notice the music unless it's really good or really bad and this was the later, sometimes the music really didn't fit the vibe of the scene
- the toilet humor (twice in the first 4 episodes!!!)
- I don't know why they are going to OnlyFans, have they seen some of the stuff on Gagaoolala? Also it seems like the actors had to act in the 18+ scenes totally naked when previously they were told they'd have socks... I hope the actors find something with a better plot, editing, really better everything

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wrong characters get redemption arcs/don't have consequences

Overall: it's obvious from the title of the series and the trailers that this isn't going to be a fluffy romance series (which is fine). Unfortunately the wrong characters are receiving consequences and the wrong characters are receiving redemption arcs. The 20 episodes are broken up into 4 stories, each one has 5 episodes. Aired on Gagaoolala and on AIS Play's paid Youtube channel.

Content Warnings: attempted suicide, manipulation, non con touching and kissing, homophobia, mental health struggles, fight scenes/violence, non con video recording/posting, sex trafficking, blackmail, cyberbullying, homophobia, drugging, kind of attempted murder

What I Liked
- intro/OST
- kissing/steamy scenes from Pan/Nott
- acting from Seng/Billy
- the sweet moments
- shout out to marriage equality

Room For Improvement
- it really bothered me that the wrong characters were receiving redemption arcs, I wanted to see jail! maybe this is supposed to be realistic but it's not my thing
- the kissing from the side couple was not good
- there are quite a lot of characters
- how would the manager not know what NC stands for?

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In Your Heart?

Overall: choppy BL with a bad ending. Watched on Gagaoolala (also on Viki).

Content Warnings: rape (portrayed as romantic), non con kissing/trying to kiss, punches, beaten up (off screen)

What I Liked
- the OST and intro sequence was well done
- there were a few funny moments like the music when they were sitting on the wall, broom fighting
- good production value

Room For Improvement
- the non con was totally unnecessary and the ending was stupid, it didn't make me throw my computer in rage but I was disappointed
- the female love interest part was confusing and unneeded
- that mom looked the exact same age as the high school student (actor is 29 apparently, the mom should have been an older actress)
- choppy editing/plot
- the side characters needed more development
- continuity error, after being beaten up with visible injuries, they are injury free in the next scene
- the scene in the principal's office/that money thing were too long

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slice of life mini series

Overall: if you want something short and light, then this is a good mini series to watch. It's more BL thru other characters' eyes or situational, I didn't feel major romance vibes from the two leads. For me, it's similar to the Taiwanese series Bro & Me and the South Korean series The Boy Next Door. Aired 24 episodes about 3 minutes each on Romance Realm's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8vrGoxHdgrqbFj-zzBCU79QRm-RiOkqr&si=N25LnJeD4eVEeOGb

What I Liked
- easy to understand premise (they are non-related/same age guys who have to live together due to their parents wishes)
- caring moments
- Chen Wen (who was in the original Addicted series)
- production value
- that they managed to release this, appears to have been filmed 4 years ago

Room For Improvement
- frequent cowboy western music
- the female love interest
- think they could have had more hints that there were romantic feelings between the leads
- I'm not sure about bringing in Autism as for why a character had difficulty interacting with others, I'm not an expert in that area so I can't comment about the accuracy of the depiction

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too slow paced for me

Overall: I skimmed several episodes (5 and 6 were okay) but it was too slow for me and then I skimmed the final episode and am happy I didn't watch all episodes (not a fan of the ending) 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Watching on GagaOOLala

Content Warnings: non con picture taking, harassment, manhandling, fight scene, manipulation (potentially more)

What I Liked
- clear premise
- how Kiao actually felt like he was from the past and not knowing several things like cell phones
- the other characters' reactions felt fairly realistic with the situation
- addressed transphobia/homophobia in a natural way (Kiao was using an older term)
- character friendships
- how the adults resemble the actors who play their younger selves
- neutral, there are comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- was really slow, scenes dragged on too long, a lot of unnecessary stuff
- set up for the 'gay for you' trope
- the plot, especially towards the end
- that ending

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back to square one (uncut version)

Overall: I enjoyed how Pit Babe was different from most BL, but I wish there had been less nonsense writing and noble idiot tropes. Here is my review of season 1 https://kisskh.at/profile/blcompilations/review/317279
13 episodes about 45 minutes each. Uncut version aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/qlw2ei88cg?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 ; cut version aired on YouTube (I'm guessing NSFW is cut shorter, not available in North America, Central America, South America, UK, Australia, Southeast Asia, Korea or Japan) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc3B9DM2kKP7vC_8E0mCBU7G27St3LqM5&si=wrOib7pJ5705qgdH

Content Warnings: murders, kidnapping, blood, violence, torture, sexual assault, non con touching, punch, dub/non con kissing turned consensual

Watch Suggestions (focuses more on steamy/sweet and removes most violent stuff/love rival)
- watch episode 1
- episode 2 skip 14:10-22:45
- episode 3 skip 23:10-25:45
- episode 4 skip 14:15-19:10, 37:10-37:55 and 41:35-end
- episode 5 skip 15:55-17:45, 42:40-end
- episode 6 watch 27-29 and 43:30-end
- episode 7 watch 15:40, 29-20:10, 35:30-39:15 and 43:45-45:40
- episode 8 watch 21:30-23:55, 25:15-29, 29-31:10
- episode 9 watch 32:35-33:35
- episode 10 watch 12:40-14:25, 16:30-25
- episode 11 watch 8:25-27 and 31-43:45
- episode 12 watch 20:30-21:50
- episode 13 watch 13:40-14:50, 27:10-30:50, 33:55-34:20 and 39-end

What I Liked
- fun racing sequences
- visuals
- chemistry/intimacy (ready for and interested in more)
- sweet moments
- mystery element
- production value

Room For Improvement
- established couples had terrible communication, noble idiot tropes
- idiotic plans
- too much time spent mourning a character who did some really terrible things, I think they should have stuck with showing short grief scenes with a couple characters instead of that scene with everyone in episode 1
- once again we had a ton of characters (and new ones were added), there wasn't really a re-cap from season 1 and I was struggling to remember who some of the characters were/their relationship to other characters
- too much time spent on nonsense plot stuff instead of relationship development
- amnesia trope
- nonsense plot stuff (police aren't aware or involved at all???, believing people because they say so, not having security, etc)

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historical romance/drama

Overall: I'm into the historical setting. This is based on the book "Memoir of Rati" (จาฤกรติชา) by P.PICHA which I haven't read and am reviewing the series based on its own merits. Airing on GMMTV's YouTube channel everywhere except Southeast Asia https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb6_2JamS9iM2MJATWfoFPY-piHFDtvEC and Netflix in Southeast Asia https://www.netflix.com/watch/82056609

Content Warnings: fight, blood, past death, bullying

What I Liked
- historical setting
- tension/chemistry
- intimacy
- styling

Room For Improvement
- exposition dump to start the series
- unrealistic to volunteer him in episode 1
- the pacing feels a bit slow at times
- note: 6/3 is skippable

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