BL Compilations

would like to see these actors again

Overall: it had some fun moments and I'd love to see the actors together in another series, but I struggled with the plot/how the characters were written. I set aside the actual HR nightmare that this would be when writing my review. Aired 10 episodes about 25 minutes each on GagaOOLala and Viki. Note, there are sometimes extra scenes after the initial credits including the final episode.

Content Warnings: past kidnapping, trauma, kidnapping, non con touching, non con kiss turned consensual?, coercion/manipulation, manhandling, slaps, homophobia

What I Liked
- clear flashback and then what is in the present
- cute moments (especially enjoyed episode 10)
- laughed a few times
- supportive coworker
- that vice president guy calling out Xia Shang Zhou in ep 9
- how Yao Shun Yu stood up to the mom
- the interviews at the start of each episode
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- traumatized/cold boss and the nervous/peppy employee dynamic
- the boss's sudden change of heart and the non con touching
- had a crack comedy feel, but then the boss with trauma didn't mesh well with the comedy
- was very tropey, 2 accidental falls in the first 10 minutes of ep 1 as an example
- recap too long, especially at the start of episode 2 and episode 4, I almost thought I was watching the wrong episode
- nonsense plot things like not taking him to the hospital and then not getting him crutches
- almost all of episode 9 and the poor communication throughout
- post credit scene seemed a fast 180 for the mother

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short sweet/bittersweet romance, need a season 2

Overall: this could have easily been a 9.5 or 10 from me except how they handled the ending (information in my comment under a spoiler, I'll bump it up to 9.5 if they have a season 2 and explain things more clearly). Aired on YouTube. Watch the extra scene after the credits.

Content Warnings: threatened violence, past pet death, stalking, mental health struggles, kick

What I Liked
- cute and funny moments
- some subverted tropes*
- Jung Woo's very realistic reaction to the situation
- the actors did an amazing job
- excellent production value (feels very Kdrama with blurred backgrounds, close ups), the music was very well done
- cameo from Long Time No See actor

Room For Improvement
- the explanation for how it all happened is in a separate video and it would have been better to incorporate it into the series itself
- they spent some of their valuable screen time in unnecessary plot threads like the blind date
- *the ending was a letdown and I'll say more in my comment under a spoiler

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solid couple dynamics (uncut version)

Overall: I loved the communication and chemistry between the leads in the beginning but there was some nonsense writing. This is based on the book with the same title that I haven't read and I reviewed the series based on its own merits. 12 episodes about an hour each. Aired uncut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/u23sfk7obd6z87j/k4101c5i4r4-EP01%3A_Knock_Out and the first 2 episodes are on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0xfFEdKNq0

Content Warnings: murders, torture, beaten up, violence, blood, slap, punches, grief, manipulation, drugging, kidnapping, non con touching/molestation (flashing lights beginning of ep 8 until around 8 min)

Watch Suggestions (to focus on sweet/steamy moments and take out most content warnings but a ton of plot will be missed)
- start episode 1 at 44:30
- episode 2 skip 31:45-34:20
- watch episode 3
- episode 4 skip 13 (keep watching if you enjoy boxing)-28:10
- episode 5 skip 12:50-27:30, 36:20-42:30 and end at 1hr2min
- episode 6 skip 39:10-48 and end at 55:55
- episode 7 watch the beginning to 3:30 (keep watching if you enjoy boxing) and 6-6:40
- episode 8 watch 23-25:30 and 46:45-49
- episode 9 watch 33:30-35:30
- start episode 10 at 13
- episode 11 watch 3:50-14:05 and 19-25
- episode 12 watch 5:10-5 and 36-end

What I Liked
- chemistry/tension
- communication (falls apart later though)
- set up the characters and plot well
- that Keen was not a damsel in distress, he actively tried to solve his problems
- excellent massages
- symbolism with the handcuffs
- caring moments
- intimacy, the check in in episode 5
- finale wrapped things up pretty well
- production value

Room For Improvement
- a ton of nonsense/because the writer said so stuff like a character wouldn't sell his car but was okay possibly dying if he didn't sell his car, a diuretic wouldn't work like that (maybe it was a translation mistake), a journalist just went into an active crime scene and what was the end goal because anything collected likely can't be used in court, why didn't a character say anything to another character earlier in episode 8 or apologize right away, there weren't any security cameras on the premises after they've had problems, the dad staying behind etc.
- too many antagonists, I get that it was supposed to be a bit twisty but watching all at once would have been easier, there were a ton of characters and it was difficult to keep track of all the baddies
- started the series with a flash forward but about 18 minutes later that scene happened, which doesn't annoy me as much
- episode 3 talking about her weight
- the slap in episode 5
- love rival/jealousy

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zero communication in class 2

Overall: up until the finale I was going to say this was a decent coming of age story with four protagonists who all have poor communication at times; however, I am so angry at that crappy finale I took a whole point off my review. I read most of the webtoon https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/heesu_en awhile ago. I tried my best to review the live action series on its own merits; however, I can see why fans of the webtoon (including myself) are very disappointed per the last section of my review. 10 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40995c-heesu-in-class-2

What I Liked
- sibling relationships (though I started to get the three of them/their relationship struggles confused and they took up too much screentime)
- supportive mom
- acting
- the dash of GL
- subverted accidental fall (though we got a regular one in episode 2)
- production value (music, some nice cinematography)

Room For Improvement
- I dislike being misled, the series title is "Heesu in Class 2" so I thought he'd be the protagonist with his romance taking front and center but it wasn't like that at all. In episode 9 taking out the 3 minute recap at the beginning him and Seung Won didn't have a scene until 13 minutes in and had 6 minutes of 43 minutes or only 15% of the screentime. In episode 10 there's 1min15 seconds of unhappy convo, a one sided confession for 3 minutes and then 7 minutes at the end or only 23%.
- Chan Yeong is an unlikable protagonist. He yells publicly at Heesu to tell him what's wrong and then when Heesu tells him, Chan Yeong purposefully tries to hit Heesu with tennis balls and makes Heesu apologize for confessing or not preparing enough when Heesu actually prepared a ton (also did it privately, gave him an easy/fast way to leave the room etc).
- in the finale wth was with Seung Won being totally silent and then avoiding Heesu, I'd be way more pissed than Heesu was
- the pacing was terrible, had way too many sideplots thrown in
- started with a flash forward and then a voice over exposition dump
- the jokes/comments disparaging a character's looks (and also that the sister said it was the most important thing in terms of attractiveness)
- the lack of good communication and lack of spines made the series extremely frustrating to watch at times
- series had very little heart fluttering moments, there was finally some progression middle of episode 8 for one couple only for a love triangle cliche to get thrown in, I was annoyed at the star gazing with how far apart they were but at least there was hand-holding at the very end

Differences from the webtoon aka why webtoon fans (such as myself) are angry/sad (note: I need to re-read the webtoon and will update this if things are different from what I remember), I'd give this as an adaptation somewhere between 1-3, any points are for the actors and not the plot/characterization
1. per the title, Heesu is the protagonist in the webtoon vs in the series there are four protagonists
2. Heesu's romantic life is the center of the webtoon vs in the series we have several side plots (family drama, music drama, love rival) that take up a lot of the runtime
3. the webtoon was filled with sweet moments related to Heesu vs in the series there are barely any heart fluttering moments and the relationship development is very slow
4. I don't remember being frustrated by the lack of communication in the webtoon vs I want to shake all four protagonists, their lack of direct communication while perhaps realistic is infuriating to watch
5. the webtoon has a m/m main couple and a m/m side couple vs in the series there is both a main m/m couple and a m/f couple, the m/f couple's relationship develops faster than the m/m's relationship, there are accusations of straightwashing and it does feel like an odd change to the source material
6. Chan Yeong was not an asshole in the webtoon vs he is one in the series

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slice of life with three friends and a newcomer

Overall: a more realistic/angsty vibe. Think of this as a slice of life/coming of age rather than a BL series (because it is not a BL series, see my spoiler comment). 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warning: manipulation

What I Liked
- a few central characters
- glad the guy was interrupted as the other guy was sleeping
- mystery element
- production value (color scheme in particular)

Room For Improvement
- was disappointed because a character knew it was no use but had really high expectations and then had a public breakdown when things went exactly as they knew it would go
- a bit too slow without the mutual tension needed to sustain it
- where did they get that key from, random ropes hanging with a sign which anyone can ignore
- there were opportunities for some clever plot twists but there was nothing
- should not have had this as (especially the last) in the BL time slot

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heartwarming slice of life series

Overall: this series really gets you in the feels. Aired on GagaOOLala, 10 episodes total about 20 minutes per episode. Has a 1 episode spin off. It is based on a manga which I purchased on Amazon and read (and it stayed pretty close to the source material).

Content Warnings: past bullying, trauma

What I Liked
- the intro/outro songs
- sweet moments
- the cooking
- slice of life vibe
- that kid is adorable and the dad is super supportive
- Minoru seeking out communication
- production value

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of some of the exaggerated expressions, many series based on manga have a character like this but it doesn't feel right in the live action adaptation
- too many flashbacks
- wish we got some/more romantic attraction signals from Yutaka
- went too quickly from daytime to nighttime in episode 8 during a short story

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very enjoyable K-BL

Overall: there was sweetness, angst, realism and non-realism. I waffled between an 8.5 and 9 but I'm feeling generous so 9 it is. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (varied by country).

Content Warnings: violence off screen, punch, manipulation

What I Liked
- the premise
- acting
- sweet and cute moments
- mostly realistic relationship trajectory
- the supportive female friend
- physical affection once they were officially together
- was happy with how Ji Ho Joon handled his dad in episode 8
- production value

Room For Improvement
- wish they had told the story in linear fashion as the flash forwards and flashbacks made things unnecessarily confusing, was also kind of choppy, we'd jump from one scene to the next
- unrealistic elements (dad said to sell all the cars but he still has one? no hotel rooms in what looks like a large city?)
- was sad about the cliched lying at the end of ep 7/beginning of 8, there would have still been drama if the character had been honest

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coming of age/slow burn

Overall: this could have been a 10/10 except for a fatal flaw. It is adapted from the book "Mou Mou" by Mu Su Li; however, I reviewed the series based on its own merits. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each, 2 episodes per week. There is an extra scene after the initial end credits in some episodes. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4661/the-on1y-one-2024-e01 ; Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40680c-the-on1y-one ; iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/the-on1y-one-2024-2ge4shuunbp?lang=en_us ; WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/3om6e76t014bzqy and Netflix https://www.netflix.com/mo-en/title/81907297

Content Warnings: non con kiss, fight, past child abuse, past death, kidnapping, threatened violence

What I Liked
- the lead characters and their dynamic (the tension, chemistry, micro expressions)
- sweet/protect moments
- many familiar faces (Zach Lu from HIStory 2: Crossing The Line (teacher), JN Yu from Be Loved In House I Do (quirky friend), Jed Chung from Light (classmate), Stan Huang from VIP Only (PE teacher)
- family interactions felt realistic
- symbolism with the closet
- color symbolism orange and blue
- multiple platform international release

Room For Improvement
- what stopped me from giving this a 9.5 or 10/10 was the fact that the director/writer made a very risky bet on a season 2, in order to do this they made the story drag with side plots/characters I didn't care about (like the female teacher and that random kidnapping???) and ended it in an unsatisfactory way, there has only be 1 Taiwanese series to get a season 2 (We Best Love), because it was a China/Taiwan collaboration a sequel feels even less likely given censorship and how even censored BL has been mostly shelved for the past few years
- ep 1 voice over with incorrect statistics (we don't meet 1,000 different people every day)
- actors who viewers have seen play adult characters played high school characters
- too many flashbacks
- the NSFW scene was odd compared to an earlier dead fish lip press
- the animated intro didn't match the overall vibe

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expected more (watch suggestions)

Overall: I normally really enjoy Strongberry productions because they focus on the couple, have good kissing and are well paced. Unfortunately, this series only did 1 of the 3 well. 6 episodes about 20 minutes each (there are actor interviews after the end credits). Aired on GagaOOLala & iQIYI country dependent.

Watch Suggestions (if you want to avoid a love rival and slow pacing)
- episode 2 watch 15-16:20
- episode 3 watch the beginning to 3:50 then 16:30 to the end
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 1 minute (or could skip)
- skip episode 5
- watch episode 6 from 6:30-19:15 and then watch the beginning to 4 minutes to avoid a cliffhanger ending

What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- visuals
- good kissing/ongoing physical affection

Room For Improvement
- presence of a love rival and too much screen time focused on it
- pacing, almost all of episode 5 was moping
- cliche miscommunication/refuse to communicate
- why did the 1 character like the other so much/aggressively pursue him? I'm not a fan of the childhood rescue trope but at least that would explain it
- comparing m/m romance to biological relative romance was odd
- cliffhanger/non ending
- the comedy sound effects did not make things funny
- explaining things briefly instead of showing them (ie why the guy was worried about a romantic relationship)
- I realize they didn't have much of a budget but setting it on campus and having zero extras took me out of the story, they could have removed the love rival and the professor and paid some extras instead

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zero boundaries and a lot of trauma

Overall: at times I liked the faster pacing, but there was too much pain/trauma/ignoring boundaries. This was an adaptation of MAME's book which I haven't read (but believe she writes bodice ripper type books with the fictional mouth says no but body says yes). There was already a Thai adaptation. I tried to review the Japanese version based on its own merits. 8 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4928/love-in-the-air-2024-e01

Content Warnings: rape, past gang rape, sexual assault, intimate partner abuse, trauma, non/dub con kissing/touching, manipulation, harassment, manhandling, kidnapping, violence, blackmail

What I Liked
- fast pacing (though the first couple could have perhaps used more development/screen time, and less with the past stuff for the second couple)
- hair drying was cute
- the dream kiss
- NSFW scene in episode 4 was fairly well done (though more enthusiastic kissing from 1 person would have been nice)
- Kai was a supportive friend
- non cliche female character

Room For Improvement
- not really sold on the chemistry with either pair, Kai and Fuma actors should have been switched and Fuma's hideous suits made him look younger
- starting in the present and then going to an extended flashback
- the "plan"/nonsense approach
- the spanking was cringey
- odd progression with the flashback in episode 5 and then the devotion in the present, felt very "because the writer said so"
- (neutral) the hyper/over acting type character

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didn't work for me

Overall: the creators tried to be edgy, sexy, funny, sweet and mysterious but managed not to do any of those things well (I did laugh a few times but some of that was not supposed to make people laugh). 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on GagaOOLala (note there is a very important scene after the initial end credits in episode 14). The production company Copy A Bangkok has also produced: War of Y, Y Destiny, YYY and Make It Right

Watch Notes: I'm not even sure what to write here. There is an exposition dump at the beginning of episode 14 so you could watch that and then the final episode (through to the very end because there is a scene after the end credits), which won't make a ton of sense but neither did the series

Content Warnings: (pretty much all content warnings) murders, death, rape, sexual assault, abuse, suicide (it's complicated), grooming, manipulation, kidnapping, torture, coercion, blackmail, kink shaming, homophobia, drug addiction, non con video recording/sharing/outing, beaten up/violence

What I Liked
- a person can definitely be horny as a virgin and a person can be more comfortable giving pleasure rather than receiving it
- saying that wanting it rough was fine (though I didn't see any rough play until later...)
- a mystery
- appreciate that they tried something different from what we normally see (i.e. fluffy romcoms)
- that sports guy was upset about non con recording/sharing
- at least safe words were mentioned and after care was shown
- realistic friendship between the rich guys and the not rich guys

Room For Improvement
- the two false statements right at the beginning annoyed me
1. not everyone enjoys sex and that is totally okay
2. research does not prove that people think about sex 388 times a day https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140617-how-often-do-men-think-about-sex (the average for a college-aged man was 19 times a day which was less than thinking about food and sleep) and that study suffered from the "white bear problem" ie telling someone not to think about something makes them want to think about it
- negative and stereotypical portrayal of sex workers
- the NSFW scenes were at times tossed in (especially in the beginning) and definitely felt they were there for a shock factor rather than an integral part of the story
- NSFW were painful to watch because they felt simulated, everyone was always wearing underwear and they didn't use clever camera angles to leave the viewers' minds to fill in the rest, overall the scenes didn't make me feel anything at all, perhaps because I hadn't connected with the characters yet which leads into...
- there were a bunch of characters and I didn't get a good sense of who they were/didn't connect with them, I finally figured a few out and they tossed in more characters
- there was some nonsense stuff that veered into camp and I think it was intentional but it wasn't enough so just felt awkward
- the Japanese voice overs (think ended after ep 2) and randomly speaking in English which made an unfortunate comeback at the end
- exposition dumps in episode 2, 11 and 14
- super disappointed about talking about a safe word but then forgetting it
- cliche poor communication and not clearing it up right away also "let me explain" and doesn't explain
- styling
- characters shared 1 brain cell, characters just believed someone because they said something
- characters had poorly done redemption arcs/personality transplants
- not clearly explaining a very confusing plot and hinting at a season 2 to explain things

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the power of friendship

Overall: some of us are lucky enough to have at least one friend who supports us, tells us like it is, who loves us and who we learn and grow with on our life's journey. This movie tackles several heavy issues that plague our world and yet it isn't depressing, because there is joy in the friendship between Jang Heung Su and Koo Jae Hui. Aired on Viki www.viki.com/movies/40843c-love-in-the-big-city Make sure to watch to the very end.

Content Warnings: suicidal thoughts, unwanted outing, homophobia, sexism, cyberbullying, bullying, vomiting, voyeurism, beaten up, hate crime, drugging, rape off screen, past attempted suicide off screen, abortion off screen, blood, intimate partner violence

What I Liked
- acting (I cried several times which rarely happens)
- their friendship/bond thru the highs and lows
- tackled real world issues in a realistic way without feeling preachy
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the flash forward to start
- voice over towards the end
- wished there was more time to delve deeper into the issues brought up

Differences between the movie and the series (besides different actors)
- the movie has them as equal protagonists with shared screen time whereas Jang Heung Su is the protagonist in the series and it's about his life journey
- the movie centers on their friendship whereas it plays a role in the series, but is not the core of the series

Is it BL?
- there is m/m romance in it but Jang Heung Su is not in a relationship at the end, it does end on a hopeful note though

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deliciously sweet (please watch so we get the sequel :)

Overall: this is a gentle slice of life food-themed movie. Runtime is 90 minutes with a funny post credit scene. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Notes: see my comment with a spoiler as to a tag that I think this series/description is missing.
They have already filmed the sequel https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/527213

What I Liked
- delicious looking food
- cute/sweet moments
- funny moments
- cleared up problems that cropped up relatively quickly/easily

Room For Improvement
- how Aki didn't know that about Haru (around 46 minutes)
- I think this relationship/what they don't do would be pretty unrealistic in real life but I didn't deduct points because it's fiction

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it lost me

Overall: though the man m/m dynamic was not my favorite*, the first few episodes were set up and done well, but then the plot deteriorated and by the end I was angry. Note that there is an extra scene after initial credits. Aired on Gagaoolala and Viki.

Content Warnings: physical abuse/physical assault off screen but wounds shown, punches, non con kiss, mental health struggles, manhandling, manipulation, dentist/patient, age gap (10? years), if you have anxiety about dental visits then there are some scenes that might make it worse

What I Liked
- the sweet moments
- a few funny moments
- acting
- good kissing/continued physical affection
- dance scene at the end
- production value

Room For Improvement
- *the cold dentist and the vulnerable/traumatized (continuous) patient was not a favorite dynamic, I didn't like the side immature high schooler and reluctant bar manager either
- too many couples (4) most of which did not have enough development and 1 of which was extremely rushed
- the sister punching Jin Xun An twice and trying to punch him in the face was awful, you can care about your sibling but Bai Lang is a fully grown adult and you don't physically assault people, speaking of
- WTH was that with the dad, he's a total abuser but then on screen shown as a little grumpy and basically has no consequences (i.e. he should go to JAIL!!!!) This being glossed over was awful and it was totally unnecessary to the plot. He could have been the standard homophobe like the majority of BL parents.
- way too much time spent on flashback and showing an entire past relationship that I cared nothing about
- cliche ex enters the picture which leads to
- terrible communication skills for adults in their 20s/30s
- a straight wedding in the only Asian country where same sex marriage is legal complete with a bait and switch proposal had me fuming

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Short and Sweet BL Series

Overall: though I disliked both of their "plans", this was pretty well done for a high school setting BL. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warning: stalking, punches, manipulation, sexism, homophobia

What I Liked
- funny and cute moments
- great to see how Uncle Man was an actual character and not a stereotype
- supportive family and friend group
- good production value
- the self promotion with the location of the audition

Room For Improvement
- what stupid "plans"
- the interaction with Uncle Man and X was a bit odd in episode 3
- bored by the two side plots, with the short run time I think they should have had only 1 side plot
- ending was a bit abrupt and I wish we would have seen and not just heard the final line

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