BL Compilations

misstep by misstep (watch ep 1, 2 and 10)

Overall: there was a solid premise here and I would like to see Man again but the writing/editing was lacking. I watched episodes 1-4, 10 and read through comments about episodes. Aired on YouTube, GagaOOLala and WeTV (depending on your country). Same production company as Lovely Writer.

Content Warnings: vomiting, harassment, sexism, non con picture/video taking, likely more

What I Liked
- the supportive friend group, talking about making your own destiny
- Pat pushing back on older people automatically deserving respect because of their age
- Pat almost punching that other dude who was harassing Pat
- a couple funny parts
- nice to see an established couple and Chot was great, that phone conversation in episode 10 was amazing, would have been even better as an in person conversation
- talking about getting a vasectomy is rarely mentioned and much appreciated
- NSFW scenes/kissing in episode 10 was fairly well done
- (neutral) has comedy sound effects (I really dislike the gulping noise that they use)

Room For Improvement
- the timeline/time skips, I dislike time jumps and the timeline here was pretty confusing, I think this took place over 5 years
- choppy parts (they get ready for a fancy event but then we never see them at the event? suddenly they are in a car?)
- the pacing was too slow, there are many scenes that could have been cut or shortened (toilet humor to start with),
- what do two attractive men see in Pat? I was hoping for some character growth but found it very lacking. He drinks too much in front of his boss and then does it again later? He is shocked by Jeng's declaration? He cries when confronting Jeng in episode 10? He cries several times at work, he argues with a client due to personal feelings, etc.
- Jeng bothered me at times as well, he doesn't get to tell another adult to stop drinking (and then bring him to a bar directly afterwards???), he was a bad boss, I was hoping to see some growth but he disciplined a subordinate in front of another subordinate, then somehow it appears that person was not moved to another team? And why on earth did Pat have to apologize to his harasser, he shouldn't have apologized even if he hit the dude. From an earlier episode, I thought Jeng would see he got those pictures and then apologize to Pat but that never happened. Jeng refuses to talk to Pat in episode 10 and goes back to sleep. Jeng had a decent plan in episode 10 but then months go by and he didn't implement it and instead did something that would make things even more of an HR headache...
- the side couple wasn't introduced well (I was never sure what their jobs were) and I wish Jen didn't have an (apparently nice) boyfriend because it made impossible for me to root for their relationship, also they took up too much time in episode 3, then randomly one of them has a new boyfriend???
- in episode 5 Pat (a character in a fictional BL series) says "bl couples profit off the identity of the LGBTQ community", I mean, they probably do but the queer community also benefits from bl series existing, many bl series are romcoms with happily ever afters instead of the normal tragic ending we get and maybe seeing two men end up happily together can change people's minds a little, it at least gives more exposure. And maybe it wasn't the creators intention but putting Zee and Nunew as the other couple insinuates that they are profiting off the LGBTQ community (when first of all they might even be part of that community for all I know) and I've heard they are major supporters of LGBTQ rights
- nonsense things, Jeng manages a restaurant and is a marketing manager?

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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

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missed the mark

Overall: wish Boat and Oat had a better script/editing.12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/knot-episode-1-c3hbjhxtcg?lang=en_us?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: non con touching/attempted assault, fight scenes, murder off screen, non con kissing turned consensual

What I Liked
- chemistry
- styling (sometimes it was awful like cravattes and 70s wannabe gangster flair pants)
- unique premise
- a character had fighting skills and was not just a damsel in distress

Room For Improvement
- world building dump and character info dumps (text on the screen), later episodes had several exposition dumps including a cartoonish villian word vomiting while everyone nicely let him do so
- the end of episode 1 had nonsense/too coincidental (characters happened to be at the same place at the same time in what appears to be a large city), also how rare/secret is the secondary gender that a character has no knowledge of it (and then later in episode 3 a woman made it seem that it was common knowledge)???
- more nonsense and "because the writer said so" stuff: characters had powers until they didn't, they had guns until they didn't, they had bodyguards until they didn't
- comedy moments did not work (comedy sound effects did not help)
- odd camera angles/close ups (obsession with nostrils)
- at times odd music
- Phatsa's lack of agency, no one told him something might be a possibility?!!!
- some things maybe worked better on the page, on the screen they looked cringey such as the nest making and the frantic humping
- the 2 leads didn't feel like leads (they first interacted around 18min of 40min in episode 9 and only had 7 minutes on screen together), the 2nd couple has more relationship development/dates than the main couple

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hidden gem

Overall: this might be my favorite multi-generational family drama. Note that it is not a BL series; however, there is a cute BL couple in this. 10 episodes about 55 minutes each. Aired on Viu with a vpn set to Thailand.

Content Warnings: manipulation, manhandling, non con recording/sharing, death

What I Liked
- that the whole family tried to help
- almost 5 generations (great grandmother, grandfather, parents and the uncle, Save, his younger sister/the orphans)
- character growth (I cried a few times)
- sweet/caring moments
- the ending

Room For Improvement
- some aspects were a bit heavy handed
- a couple nonsense things like what happened with the computer
- how the grandfather suddenly gave up in episode 5, based on his past actions

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One Terrible "Family"

Overall: with a "family" like that who needed enemies? 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-CpzQszt3GyMqPTQVMO_rbvSt6-YUvAg

Content Warning: non/dub con kiss, punch, manipulation, gaslighting, attempted suicide episode 8

What I Like
- beachy/relaxed setting
- sweet moments

Room For Improvement
- that "family" was total trash and they had zero consequences for constantly lying/gaslighting him
- a character swore he would be his memories and when he really needed to do that....he didn't
- open ending
- timeline/what was happening was a bit confusing in the beginning but it was cleared up in episode 1 part 4
- unethical doctor and terrible brother
- nonsense stuff: why didn't a main character have a journal or video diary right away, why wouldn't him and the other ML come up with a plan as they could have easily guessed what would happen the next morning

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brace yourself

Overall: I'm tried my best to see this through a fictional lens and the actors did a fantastic job, but I couldn't support the romance aspect which up until the end of episode 14 was about power and control aka abuse and not love. Adapted from the web novel “Si Mian Fo” by Su Erliang which I haven't read and I am reviewing this series based on its own merits. 15 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41277c-to-my-shore (Americas, Europe, Oceania, India, Middle East, Japan and South Korea); GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6027/to-my-shore-2025-e01 (not in the Americas, Europe, Oceania, India, Middle East, Japan and South Korea) and Heavenly in South Korea

Content Warnings: past (deaths, bullying, unwanted outing/homophobia); current (sexual assault, manipulation, intimate partner abuse, drugging, non con video recording, violence, self harm mentioned and shown, PTSD/trauma, vomiting, intimate partner abuse, non con turned consensual, coercion, repeated rape not explicitly shown (this was coerced and not freely given consent))

Watch Suggestions (this will focus on sweet moments, but there are still visits to grave sites and other things)
- episode 5 watch 16:40-29:50
- episode 6 watch 3:30-15:35, 17:30-21:20, 21:35-27, 34:50-end
- episode 7 watch 6:10-10, 20-22
- episode 8 watch 7:40-15:30
- skip episodes 9, 10, 11 and 12
- episode 13 watch 26-39:30
- episode 14 watch 4-17:45 and 29:30-end (for a character to finally understand/apologize)
- episode 15 watch 30-end

What I Liked
- acting
- that they have a slightly more balanced power dynamic and one guy defends himself
- the obsessed chemistry vibe

Room For Improvement
- I cannot support a character in a romantic relationship, he abused/emotionally tortured the supposed love of his life and continued to do so until the end of episode 14. A few "I'm sorry" were not enough of a redemption arc. He consistently put his own happiness over the one he claimed to love. The other guy was not mutually abusive, anything bad he did was in response to the abuser's abuse. There was a time skip but as a viewer it felt no time had passed which did not help with the supposed redemption arc
- the crown was odd
- too much time spent on 1 character in the beginning
- odd music over a flashback
- multiple guys were obsessed with another guy

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Fah was the best character (watch suggestions)

Overall: the other three characters annoyed me at various times. 10 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on Viu and GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6115/love-alert-2025 (not available in Thailand, Japan or Korea).

Content Warnings: slap, manhandling, blackmail, non con video recording/picture taking, intimate partner emotional abuse, manipulation, intimate partner physical abuse off screen, manipulation, vomiting

Watch Suggestions (to focus on sweet/steamy)
episode 1 start at 20:15 minutes-38
episode 2 watch 20-21:30, 24:20-26:30, 32:30-32:15, 42-end
episode 3 watch 19-25, 38:30-end
episode 4 watch beginning-7:30, 34:50-38
episode 5 watch 10-11:45, 13:45-15, 25:05-26:05, 37:45-42
skip episode 6
episode 7 watch 10:30-14:35, 34:20-35:50
episode 8 watch 36:20-37:20 side, 45-47:30
episode 9 watch 25:40-28:50
episode 10 watch 22:30-26:15, 30-34:40, 42:30-end

What I Liked
- Fah
- easy to understand premise
- some things were so ridiculous they are funny (like massaging the meat was supposedly sexy lmao)
- visuals
- characters didn't shy away from intimacy
- non cliche love rivals

Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward and then went back to 3 months before
- writers wrote Jimmy as more than just a jerk, he was abusive so I didn't want him in a relationship with anyone
- the redemption arc of Jimmy becoming an alcoholic, crying all the time and manhandling when he was apologizing was insufficient
- I needed Toh to have a villain era
- music did not fit some scenes
- time spent on love triangles
- odd how the younger brother said the older brother couldn't date (update, as the plot went on I could see where the brother was coming from)
- how the younger brother didn't just tell another character what was happening in episode 4
- Teh hated a character and suddenly was nice to him?!!!
- (neutral) comedy sound effects, they weren't as bad as some other series

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rival swimmer vertical series

Overall: wish there had been more sweet moments with the leads. 51 episodes about 2 minutes each. First 11 episodes free. Aired on Shortime app (my referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus)) and iQIYI app.

Content Warnings: punches (both between the leads and between other characters), bullying, non con kisses, drugging, non con picture taking/sharing/outing

What I Liked
- swimming setting
- visuals
- at least the water injury had a better reason
- a character reported the coach
- the dad got punched

Room For Improvement
- too much bullying, could start at episode 5, I would have rated it higher except for the punches multiple times
- noble idiot trope
- the dad needed more consequences

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lackluster vertical series

Overall: note that this is not a BL series, there is a small BL part to it. I was annoyed by all of the lead characters at various points. 50 short episodes. 1-5 for free on the Shortime app. The rest you can watch for free by watching ads. My referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.

Content Warnings: intimate partner abuse/violence (including choking), manipulation, mental health struggles, likely more that I'm forgetting

What I Liked
- the gay couple, though there was very little of them
- character growth with the lead guy

Room For Improvement
- all of the lead characters were annoying at various points
- it seemed the abuser and the professor would have some consequences, but I wanted to see him in jail which I realize is unrealistic but at least in fictional media jail time for an abuser would be nice to see
- the stupid jingle at the end of each episode including some that were very serious
- "comedy" sound effects
- odd camera work

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