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mafia heir and good cop vertical series
Overall: this was a soap opera-like vertical series. Note: I rate vertical series against others in the same genre. 53 episodes about 2 minutes each. Available on the iQIYI app. Later available on the Shortime app, my referral link is https://playground.shortime.en/invite/NKNIWI (all letters) and it should get you a bonus.Content Warnings: held against will, violence, non con kissing, homophobia, slap, punch, self harm, addiction, manipulation, non con picture taking/sharing
What I Liked
- verse/no negative connotation with type of preferred position
- grandma
- ongoing intimacy
Room For Improvement
- hobbling around afterwards
- sound effects and corny music
- nonsense stuff
- supportive coworkers
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indie short series focused on two characters
Overall: wanted a few tweaks to the plot (like respecting boundaries/have it be Ian's decision to pursue the other guy). Aired on the True Film YouTube channel first as 4 episodes and then combined into 1 https://youtu.be/6cq8KjfoY-4?si=3Exie8d3YMHGUOJxContent Warnings: manipulation, non con kiss
What I Liked
- visuals
- easy to understand premise
- enjoyed how the friend wasn't a love rival but he also seemed to ignore his friend's boundaries
Room For Improvement
- non con kiss/ignored boundaries
- without seeing why Alt liked/s Ian it felt a bit serial killery
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wanted a bit more
Overall: I was disappointed that they went with developing a fictional couple in a drama that Shirasaki & Hayama were watching instead of the actual fictional characters in their universe. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5847/at-2500-in-akasaka-2024-s02e11What I Liked
- supportive co-workers
Room For Improvement
- didn't communicate clearly
- cliche running scene
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short vertical series with a tutor/tutoree
Overall: I gave it an indie rating bump. 14 episodes under 3 minutes combined into 1 video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXUB5_KAp7o&list=PLF0HYZ-k2RyC_1Rhvi2bgD7BB88xre1l-&index=1Content Warnings: non-con picture taking/sharing, non-con kiss
What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- supportive friends
- forthright character
Room For Improvement
- the non con kiss
- they didn't state their ages but one was in high school and the other was older, I pretended it was 18 & 19
- abrupt ending
- tiny subtitles were difficult to read (did not take off points)
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not very addicting vertical series
Overall: it was okay, but not addicting at all. First few episodes can be watched for free https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzc2-mhKGM0 Rest is on iQIYI app with subscription.Content Warnings: sexual assault, rape? off screen, non con touching, punch, past intimate partner abuse/violence, past death, beaten up, slap, suicidal thoughts, addiction, attempted suicide/self harm
What I Liked (suggest starting at ep 11)
- visuals
- kissing
- showed condom use
Room For Improvement
- "I'm a straight guy"
- comedy sound effects
- love triangle
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took a weird turn (watch suggestions)
Overall: the high schooler romantic interest was an unappealing addition. 6 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5818/a-man-who-defies-the-world-of-bl-2021-s03e01Content Warnings: age gap/minor romantic partner
Watch Suggestions
- watch episode 1
- skip episodes 2 and 3
- episode 4 watch 15-16:30
- start episode 5 at 14 minutes 15 seconds
- episode 6 watch 15:45-18:15
What I Liked
- some nice dreams
- the themed intro dance sequence
Room For Improvement
- an episode 2 the 13-year-old starting a romantic relationship with the 25-year-old was creepy
- the high school romantic interest and the love triangle
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BL Cruel Intentions
Overall: reminded me of the movie Cruel Intentions. 52 very short episodes (around 2 minutes each). Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/6mr50g7ndqp86avContent Warnings: multiple murders towards the end, non con kissing, touching, rape?/turned consensual?, manipulation, slaps/punches, non con video recording/sharing/outing
What I Liked
- visuals
- a character stood up to his mom
Room For Improvement
- way too much time spent on the sister
- gay for you trope
- that ending was wild, this series went into the 'so bad it's good' category several times though
- tons of nonsense stuff (but see the previous point)
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a short movie about confidence/hope
Overall: the writers and actors did a good job with just 17 minutes. Available on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5911/acting-love-2021What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- caring moments
- music
Room For Improvement
- open ending
- showed that BDSM was violent/not consensual
- the owner's voice sounded more stereotypical flamboyant queer and he was portrayed as bad
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a darker and confusing plot
Overall: originally aired on ShortReel, later aired on the Shortime app (more info 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) 42 short episodes, 1-6 were free.Content Warnings: torture, violence, held against will, deaths, manipulation
What I Liked
- actual kisses
- side couple
- visuals
Room For Improvement
- it was choppy and confusing
- the ending was confusing, it seemed that they never saw each other again and then the one guy died and then maybe the other guy died and they may reunite in the afterlife???
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needed more development
Overall: this 4 episode short series had a fatal flaw in that as a viewer I wasn't sure what was acting and what was supposed to be real. There was barely any relationship development and then they were madly in love?! They gave them both significant others, how can I be satisfied with that ending? Aired on The Secret of Us YouTube channel.Was this review helpful to you?
indie short movie with an established couple
Overall: I gave this an indie rating bump. 17 minutes. Aired on Cul Drama's YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/O7RpyECuUM0?si=WXi_szpfEBu-pcUa The production also made this short BL series https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTzMpGBkGlIYOyVq-m3cPEdl4LBIh5hjX&si=Mcsx6cMcvi6-nbEDContent Warning: homphobia
What I Liked
- established couple went thru a realistic challenge
- the supportive classmate though wasn't a fan of how it seemed she was following them
- the mom
Room For Improvement
- wannabe girlfriend cliche
- fever after what was implied
- what was camera blocked at the end
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pandemic era romance
Overall: wish a character had been less of a jerk. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on Ride or Die's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_V1avwPtt1NF0ZfBstql4gBsyt6HKQCA&si=rXzq_Iwwdk_9QbgD - Ride or Die also made Quaranthings s1 and s2.Content Warnings: death, grief
What I Liked
- Reb
- music
- that JM didn't do anything to Reb while he was drunk
- focused on the two characters
Room For Improvement
- flash forward to start
- JM was too much of a jerk: he wouldn't give Reb the wifi password, he told Reb use the bathroom twice a day, and he wouldn't let him go after he made Reb beg multiple times then forced him to pee outside and laughed about it, called Reb stupid, yelled at him
- open ending
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centered on a family
Overall: I enjoyed how it centered on family members, but wish they had had fewer couples to more fully flesh out the remaining ones. 8 episodes 15-40 minutes each. Episodes 1-3 focused on Romeo and his romantic interest. Episodes 4 and 5 focused on two of the brothers. Halfway thru episode 6 introduced the fourth brother's love interest (BL). Aired on Asterisk YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXMbfSmZgHRM2ZKLFtgZzrHPONemdIPj&si=5KRiSYN1SwMfkZGM Later condensed into a 2 hour movie version which doesn't have English subtitles https://youtu.be/zyN6T74edu8?si=2QeAwWrvbZFKdO-V Asterisk also produced: My Extraordinary, Meet My Angel, Diving Into LoveContent Warnings: punches, homophobia
What I Liked
- the mom
- that he stood up for Jenevieve at the beginning of episode 3
- family dynamics felt realistic, that they loved each other and also at times had conflicts
- different types of dynamics with the couples
- good in episode 4 he said he was her friend and she had the right to make that decision
- character growth
Room For Improvement
- too many couples in not enough screen time
- never a fan of that kind of a "plan" where the mom was sad
- 2 and a half minute intro for a 12 minute episode was too long
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7 different couples
Overall: I liked that they tried different dynamics/stories though they were hit or miss for me. 15 episodes about 55 minutes each. Currently on AIS Play YouTube channel with membership https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuDQxrfZVps&ab_channel=AISPLAY At times it has comedy sound effects which didn't enhance the comedy for me. I didn't take off points, but AIS Play had a terrible release. It was on YouTube for just 2 hours and then disappeared with no official platform until years later when they put it on their YouTube channel for members. However, they never uploaded all of their BL series on YouTube (*cries in Triage).Episodes 1 & 2 - enemies to lovers 6/10
The switch between nearly punching each other to being in love seemed pretty sudden.
cw: manhandling, start episode 1 at 34:15
Episodes 3 & 4 - one sided enemy/flirt to lovers 8/10
I liked how the shorter guy was flirty/the pursuer and his styling was great. Nonsense how he didn't know why the guy was upset/withdrawn. Not a fan of the "plan" or livestreaming everything at the end.
cw: vomiting, punch, non con touching, could start ep 1 at 7m30s
Episodes 5 & 6 - love at first sight virgin vs a player 7/10
I was happy the naive character knew about the player guy. I was confused about why he was so upset towards the beginning of episode 6, because it was a bad one? The player had an awful friend (why didn't he say Kaeng lied?) but I liked how the other guy's friends were there for him. Skip ep 6 21min-44.
cw: dub con kiss?
Episode 7 & 8 fake shaman vs a ghost 7/10
Was annoyed that they didn't meet until 33 minutes into episode 7 and I wasn't into the scammer/selfish guy.
cw: manipulation, past death, near suicide
Episodes 9 & 10 friends with benefits 8/10
Besides the awkward start (that student looked 11, can start episode 9 at 7 minutes). I enjoyed the dynamic of the leads, but the love rival was unnecessary/took up way too much time (skip ep 9 19:30-28:30, 31-44, skip ep 10 2:30-40:45, 44:05-48:30)
cw: non con kissing
Episodes 11 & 12 time travel 6/10
It's basically 13 Going on 30 except it was icky how a kid (12) was kissing/gave a hand job to an 18 year old.
cw: minor romantic with adult/it's complicated
Episodes 13 & 14 finding love again 8.5/10
I quite liked the overall theme of this.
cw: past death, grief
Episode 15 had short story follow ups for all 7 couples and then they all went on a trip together with a recap of their stories.
Special Puth & Kaeng side story - enjoyed their cute moments though not the miscommunication which luckily amounted to nothing)
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interesting premise with underwhelming writing (BL side couple timings)
Overall: the past/reincarnation was interesting, but the characters and plot execution frequently fell flat. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/i-m-your-moon-2025-x1y0b7cfb1?lang=en_usContent Warnings: off screen punch, past deaths/murder, past punch/slap, grief, dub con kissing/sex
Timings for BL Couple
- episode 1: 18-20, 22-24, 27-29
- episode 2: 23-25:20
- episode 3: 7:40-14:50, 35:15-41
- episode 5: 18:55-21:45
- episode 6: 2:25-4:10, 16:30-17:35
- episode 8: 15:55-17:20, 45:25-46:50
What I Liked
- the past lives/styling
- the m/m side couple relationship development
- established f/f side couple
- that the guy was pretty mature in the finale
Room For Improvement
- Prey (and what a character name) felt/acted very young, I didn't catch character ages but a character said there was a large age gap
- how she treated Prey, kissing her and then saying it wouldn't work
- odd how they reincarnated into each other's family so Prey ended up dating her reincarnated grandmother???
- the kissing and more when 1 person was shown to be very drunk (but then seemed much more sober a few minutes later)
- nonsense/cliche plot stuff i.e. 1 guy didn't recognize another guy when he looked exactly the same, characters caused a ton of unnecessary pain (not telling her for a month?!), wore clothes in a bathtub etc
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