labcat

This is a difficult series to summarize. We may say that Praewa is bullied by the cheerleading team, which has more than a few highly awful people. The bullying turns violent and vicious after Praewa is maligned of being the woman in a sex video with the boyfriend (Brave) of Aya, a central figure in the team. Here's where things get complicated: Aya and a few members of the team beat her up viciously (I think almost to the point of dying), one of them even sends a group of thugs to rape her (in her badly beaten up state) and, inexplicably at first, she is the victim of black magic. Praewa struggles her way home to her adoptive mother, a black magic practitioner, who can only save her from being killed by the black magic by transferring her power to her. After this, Praewa's vengeance begins.

The baiting of BL fans is fairly obvious, with Boun and Prem looking basically the same as the characters they play in Until We Meet Again at first. It's not clear why though, other than for the sake of complementing the message that things are often not what they seem to be. Nevertheless, the story is good enough to hold its own without resorting to BL baiting.

The vengeance plot is rather interesting: we may feel a sense of injustice for Praewa, and the members of the cheerleading team she goes after are such awful people that we are unlikely to feel sorry seeing them punished. However, the series also falls short , at some points even making Praewa seem like the villain and the rest victims. Sure, given her actions, she may well have turned villainous, but most of the rest do not seem convincing as victims. Furthermore, she has to fight the black magic inflicted on her until she deals with the person behind it (who also happens to be the actual person in the sex video).

As it turns out, one of the cheerleading team members is the person in the video. Maybe there is supposed to be a twist in the revelation, but, to be honest, the identity of the person is quite easy to guess. There are only so few women in the team, after all. I think Praewa should have been able to guess it by elimination, but she doesn't. What is interesting is why the person did it, which is where the series manages to throw us a few genuine surprises. The loose threads of the plot get tied up in a rather nice way at the end.

Yet, despite the rather clever plot, one may find that the twists and surprises in the last two episodes are somewhat excessive. The twists given to the character, Dan (played convincingly by Mark Siwat), may be interesting for the plot but is also bad for characterization. If it must turn out that he's under a spell, I would appreciate knowing more what sort of person he is beyond the spell that makes him so devoted to Lin. There are hints of it, but I find it insufficient, so what is becoming a very interesting character till/in Episode 7 suddenly gets flattened in Episode 8.

In the end, the villain wins. The twists and connections between events are nicely presented. However, there are also plot holes, e.g. why doesn't the person (seem to) appear in photos with some dark shadow around, just like how Praewa appears in photos with a dark shadow?

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Commendable if imperfect in several ways

Apart from a plot twist that I could see coming from Episode 1, I find this series more than decent. It has elements of horror but its horror is not exactly its forte--some scenes that are meant to frighten are clichéd. (But rarely do we see something in the horror genre that is free of the clichés of the genre.)

The series does much better at telling a reasonably good story about two friends (Chiu and Hung) who do something that get themselves into trouble with supernatural forces, changing the entire courses of their lives as a result. There is a plot twist that I think many people are likely to see coming from Episode 1. This could have been handled more effectively: either do without the twist and exploit it fully to convey nuances in characterization from the start or do it so skillfully that few would see it coming.

Another flaw with the story is that there could have been stronger connections between the part of the story about a building with many inexplicably haunted apartments and the part of the story about how the main characters deal with the problem that has started eighteen years ago. (Perhaps the bad guy in the first part could have been given a role to play in the events of the second part.)

One may also find that many of the ghosts are caught too easily and in more or less the same methods without much of a back story for them. Still, through the events, we see how Chiu is affected by his past. On the one hand, he still has a certain anger against ghosts. On the other hand, he is taught to be merciful and not destroy the spirits. He is also tormented by guilt as he sees himself as being responsible for causing a family tragedy. His coping mechanism is different from Hung's, and he tries his darn best to face things bravely, so he becomes an inspiration for Hung when they meet again after eighteen years.

The human relationships aspect of the story is probably the series' strongest point. It is not perfect though. I find the romance element between Chiu and Siu Mei (Yanny?) somewhat unnecessary. The woman spends too much time being irritating at first. I get the feeling that the romance is added out of a sense of obligation to have some romance, and it is not done very well. In contrast, the friendship between Chiu and Hung is nicely portrayed. The bromance is nicely done, and there might even be slight hints of BL for the imaginative. I'm not saying that the story must focus on bromance or have BL elements to be good, but the romance element pales in comparison to the depiction of the friendship..

The HK drama industry is now a shell of its former self, with an exodus of talents over the years and lack of new talents to replace them. While there are still decent productions, one can imagine that the same productions nowadays would look more slick if they had been made elsewhere. Ghost Hunting Ltd does give the vibes of a production that could appear more polished if TVB were still in its heyday. Still, I did find myself enjoying the series while watching it. Some of the weaknesses that I have mentioned were not something that bugged me as I was watching but rather issues that I started to think about when writing this review.

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Not the most riveting story, but still a nice BL

A continuation from Star in My Mind with a focus on different characters, but this is better.

I enjoyed Star in My Mind a lot despite relatively weak plot because the leads are lovable. Sky in Your Heart is surprisingly better. The plot is still not exactly top-notch, but it is pretty good. Fah, a doctor, meets Prince, a volunteer teacher, and we know what will happen.

Perhaps because the characters are slightly older and this is not another BL series with a university campus as its main setting, there is a bit more unpredictability in the plot. Prince falling sick, however, is an overused plot device to get things going and the writers could have toned down on it. Nevertheless, the leads are likable, just like in Star in My Mind. We feel for Fah because he is unable to get over his ex, but the series doesn't make this sappy. There are many humorous moments in the series with the joke being on Fah. And though I wish Prince were more rounded as a character, he is the sort of character that's easy to love.

Compared to Star in My Mind, the side characters here are more distinctive. Whether it's Fah's friends (Mesa and JJ) or Yayah the young lady or the comical Ou (nicely acted by Toptap), the side characters each have something distinctive. (In Star in My Mind, there are many side characters, but there's a lack of distinctiveness for most of them.) It's a pity that the pompous Ou seems to largely written out of the story after his initial appearance. The character has the potential to play a bigger part in the story, especially because some of the best moments in the series are the funny parts. (Watch out for the scene in Ep 3 when Ou offers to take a photo with Fah and his friends as a "present" for them. When the photo is being taken, JJ turns his back to the camera. It's hilarious, but I think it's also a deliberate allusion to the rumored falling out between Toptap and Mike, the actors for Ou and JJ respectively.)

Dao and Kluen from Star in My Mind appear every now and then despite being in a totally different place from the leads. Most of the time, it doesn't really make a difference whether they appear or not, but I guess fans of the DaoKluen ship won't mind.

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An ad compilation with a tinge of BL

10/10 for the cat. AS for the rest ....

This is basically a commercial for a whole lot of different products including cat food. But this isn't what makes it bad.

The production quality is quite low overall, and I think a couple of scenes were added after filming ended, which is why the actors appear with different hairstyles (and even clothes) when such changes are not possible within the 'story'. (I guess certain sponsors demanded more screentime for their products.)

All this would have been potentially forgivable if the BL made some sense. First, the main character, Nine, seems to be depressed for no reason. He lives with his boyfriend (Tar), who seems like an at least ok person and understandably feels neglected. Despite having a rather nice boyfriend, Nine someone seems to feel like he lacks a soulmate. They break up, but Nine suddenly starts missing him because, you know, he used to do sweet things like reminding him to consume some supplements from the show's sponsor.

OK, fine, maybe Tar simply isn't the one. And so who's Mr Right for Nine? His cat, of course. And so his cat has to transform into a human. Yet, one wonders how the cat can be his soulmate when the human version doesn't seem to have the emotional complexity of a human but is more like a talking cat in a human body. (He doesn't progress much beyond this.)

The problem with such a "series" is also that once the cat turns into a human, the cat stops being feature. But the cat is the most watchable thing in the series, and everyone knows that. So maybe that's why the cat makes a return: Somehow Tar turns up at Nine's house and sees him with the cat-turned-human, and he leaves but somehow Nine runs after him. Nine then returns home only to find his cat-human missing. While searching for the cat-human, he sees an identical-looking cat.

Look, this is not the way to use BL as an excuse to trick people to watch a gazillion ads. It would be better to just ditch all attempt to have a plot. Get a pair of cute guys to act as a loving couple taking care of their beloved cat for 1 hour. The cute cat can be present almost throughout, adding to the watchability of the ad.

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Detective, mystery, supernatural, revenge, bromance, comedy ....

The story crosses multiple genres in intriguing ways and it cannot really be judged by the standards of any particular genre. There is mystery, for instance, but it would seem to fall short in some ways if we judge it according to what we expect from the genre.

Despite the somewhat convoluted plot, the assortment of characters, who are comedic at times but also multifaceted enough to be interestingly complex, makes the show a delight. Qiu Qingzhi, as one of the main characters, manages to keep the viewer wondering whether he is a good person right till the penultimate episode (though it does become progressively clear). His back story and friendship with Li Bing (the titular white cat) is beautifully portrayed. One might well ship the two characters.

Quite a bit of the humor, however, is unfortunately lost in translation in Alibaba's misuse of Chinese idioms. (I have to admit that I did not get quite a number of the idioms.) Yet, the approach is quite refreshing and adds to the entertainment value of the series.

One oddity of the series is that it clearly has a supernatural element, with Li Bing being able to shapeshift from human to cat form. Yet, Li Bing is the very character who insists that none of the strange cases he encounters involves the supernatural (simply because he does not believe in the supernatural. This seems a little odd.

At one point, I was wondering if the series would be one of those that would end without a proper resolution and leave the viewer hanging in the middle of nowhere because the plot is getting a little too complicated. However, the story does have a proper resolution even if one may find it a little unrealistic--basically the good guys manage to escape being killed by the villains because they public trusts them and will go great lengths to rescue them.

And while the story does not end with a silly cliffhanger, not all the loose ends are tied by the end of the final episode. Most prominently, for instance, the (female) emperor remains a mysterious figure whose face is never shown. At one point, it is mentioned that she seems to be getting younger and younger; later in the series we see her basically having the height of a child. Given that the central mystery lies in the pursuit of some immortality concoction that can reverse aging, one wonders if she might be tied to all the trouble caused by the pursuit of the concoction. Unfortunately, with the apparent death of Qiu Qingzhi, if there is going to be a Season 2, it may lack a significant character.

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The minor characters get ruined the least

If Gen Y 1 and 2 were an earthworm, Season 1 would be when it burrows holes so deep and twisted (e.g. Pha's unexplained break-up with Wayu and Sandees seemingly diabolical behavior) that it becomes trapped in its self-created labyrinth. And Season 2 would be the same earthworm struggling to wriggle out of its own mess. It is a fascinating watch after a fashion, but let it not be mistaken for something that is actually worth watching. (I think this is why so many people are watching and complaining all the way to the finale.)

Essentially Gen Y 2 is this: two men in love with each other but at least one decides not to seeing the other for one reason or another. Multiply that by a few times for different couples, most of the episodes.

I have to confess I did enjoy some parts like the sweetness between Mark and Kit (before things get messy and excessively sappy). What I liked most was the squabbling potential couple, Jack and Koh, who each vehemently denies any possible romance between them while fighting to have their ship named with his own name first.

Season 2 also attempts to resolve most of the problems created in Season 1, even if the resolutions don't altogether make sense. I guess this is one of the few good things about Season 2, apart from how a Season 3 seems highly unlikely. I can't help feeling that Season 2 could have been decent if Season 1 hadn't been such a mess. Too much effort spent needs to be spent to deal with the problems of Season 1, which had: (i) Pha's unexplained break-up with Wayu , (ii) Pha being uncontactable, (iii) Sandee's behavior, (iv) Thanu's random visions that results in a love triangle with him, Phai and Wayu (rectangle if you count Pha), etc.

In the end, the way the mess is slowly cleared seems forced, and the series ends up having to delve into heavy issues like dying and death that appear very much out of place. In the world of Gen Y, having little happen is perhaps a good thing. This is perhaps why the early Mark/Kit and JAck/Koh scenes are enjoyable. But even such scenes become draggy after Episode 10.

Season 2 also suffers from having a tad too many flashbacks: At first, the flashbacks can be forgiven for being reminders of what happened in Season 1, but soon enough, we get flashbacks of the earlier episodes in Season 2 as well. The flashbacks tend to be brief but either pointless or longer than they need to be.

There are also scenes of bare skin or sex that seem rather laughable or seem added in with the hopes of pleasing the audience. A case in point: in one scene, Pok finds out the truth about something and is angry with Tong. He goes home and confronts Tong, who is having a shower. Yet, despite his moment of anger, Pok storms into the bathroom and starts making out with Tong before confronting him about the matter he is angry about.

Since viewers are probably vexed and are likely just watching to see how the mess is cleared (even in unsatisfactory ways), once the mess is largely cleared, the series becomes utterly insipid. If there is anything that I will remember about Gen Y 2, it would be the stuff that are largely left undeveloped like the Jack/Koh romance and Sandee's apparent crush on Phai, The actor for Sandee handles the abrupt about-turns in the character fairly well and his quiet love for Phai is nicely shown.

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A big pity things are left hanging

When I first started watching this after watching The Lost Tomb (2015), I could not get used to the cast. The lack of continuity from what I had watched also made me lose interest. After enough time had passed for me to forget much of The Lost Tomb (2015), I started on Ultimate Note again with a bit more patience and was pleasantly surprised.

Although the references to other events may be confusing at the start, there is no need to have watched other DaoMuBiJi-based series. Apparently they don't join up very well anyway, and the cast, direction and even characterization tend to differ.

What I had hoped for after watching a few episodes was that Ultimate Note would be a nice series on its own. In some ways, it is. Although there are allusions to adventures that are not shown in the series, we can watch Ultimate Note without having to know the details. Ultimate Note is very much focused on Wu Xie and company's attempt to investigate the truth after receiving some mysterious VHS tapes, one of which featured someone who looks identical to the adult Wu Xie even though the tape was made when he was just a kid. One thing leads to another in the series, and we can follow the characters' adventures with relative ease.

Unfortunately, Ultimate Note suffers from the problem that all DMBJ series seem doomed to suffer from: things that do not get fully explained and ending in the middle of nowhere. Too many things that are important to the story in Ultimate Note end up not being explained, e.g. the apparent replicas of various characters, the identity of the man with the sloped shoulders, etc etc etc. This is the equivalent of watching a series about a locked-room murder and then the series just ends without explaining how the murderer has killed the victim and without the murderer being caught.

Despite the sense of incompleteness, the characters really grew on me in Ultimate Note. This was unexpected given how I was not used to the different cast after watching Li Yi Feng and Yang Yang's Wu Xie and Zhang Qi Ling. Whether it is the interactions amongst Wu Xie/Zhang Qi Ling/ Fatty or the growing friendship between Hua Er and Black Glasses or the understated strong bonds between Wu Xie and Hua Er, there is a lot to make them characters viewers actually like and care about.

At least a segment of viewers will like the bond between Wu Xie and Qi Ling, which is practically a romantic one. It's often portrayed through the characters talking about or teasing them about how they would die for each other. Fatty joking that he wants to complain about Qi Ling to Wu Xie or saying that he doesn't know how to account to Wu Xie if Qi Ling dies are just a couple of examples that make the relationship seem more than just strong friendship. The three of them are close friends, but Wu Xie and Qi Ling are definitely biased towards each other as they are extra protective of each other. However one interprets their relationship, it is a good thing that the characters come to life with the different ways one character would behave towards different people.

There is also nice development in Wu Xie's character. The general impression people seem to have of Wu Xie (from watching one DMBJ-based series or another) is that he is always needing to be saved by Qi Ling, like a damsel in distress. But in Ultimate Note, we see that he may not be very physically powerful, but he has the determination to fight for his friends and save them too. Whether it is the way he carries an unconscious Fatty to save him or the way he single-handedly fights off a snake and a monster to keep Hua Er safe, his character is admirable. Joseph Zeng does a good job portraying Wu Xie, managing to bring out both the kind, righteous side of him and the tougher, more jaded side of him when he has to deal with shadier people or challenging situations.

But why must the story end just as it seems to be getting somewhere near a climax? Even if there is no way to solve all the mysteries set up, there may be more appropriate moments to end Ultimate Note, e.g. at the moment he characters set off for the final adventure in the series. Some effort to provide a credible theory of the phenomenon of character replication-- even if it turns out to be wrong or inaccurate in a subsequent series or as compared to the novels--would also give a better sense of closure than what we have in Ultimate Note.

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Impressive Wuxia-cum-BL

Believing that the BL would be transformed into bromance and that the story would focus so much on the (b)romance that it would not be a good wuxia, I did not expect much of this series at first. Surprisingly, the series fares well in both aspects. In the first few episodes, with Wen Kexing blatantly flirting with Zhou Zishu, the wuxia does take a backseat. Similarly, when the story focused a bit more on the wuxia aspects of the story, the BL took a backseat. Nevertheless, give it a bit of time and the series brings both aspects of the series together very nicely.

The BL

The BL was what I started watching the series for, and it did not disappoint. This wasn't simply because I wasn't having high expectations in the first place. It is a pleasant surprise that the series manages to portray what is quite obviously beyond bromance or friendship between the main characters. The way they gaze at each other, dialogue (with them basically referring to each other as family and basically wanting to just live with each other happily ever after) and the body language when they hug quite explicitly portray a romantic relationship.

A lot of the BL is rather sneakily done, of course. For instance, when Kexing and Zishu move to the Four Seasons Manor (a large place that used to house many disciples), they sleep in the same room though I would assume there are lots of rooms available. The other characters sometimes speak to them teasingly, like the way one might tease a married couple (like threatening to complete about one of them to the other).

The BL does eventually integrate well with the rest of the story, showing the transformative power of the characters' love. Zishu, who is guilt-ridden about the things he has done as an assassin, is at first just waiting to die after injuring himself severely so that he can leave his job. Kexing, who is so obsessed with vengeance that he suppresses his innately kind nature, also finds a reason to live besides taking revenge.

There are some moments when the series seem to disavow the gay relationship through apparent hints of heterosexuality, such as when Zishu says he does not mind having a beautiful lady like Gu Xiang tag along and when Zishu tells his disciple, Cheng Ling, that Kexing bought a whole lot of decorative stuff for their manor because they are sold by a beautiful lady. There is something cunning about these scenes for while they may seem to disavow the homosexual relationship between the characters at first, they also hint at jealousy or an attempt to make the other party jealous in a romantic relationship.

To be sure, I do think that the BL would have been even better if the characters can be openly portrayed as having a romantic relationship. But we do not really lose anything significant, which is an admirable feat.

The Wuxia

I couldn't believe it when I first read that this is a low-budget production. It doesn't look low-budget to me though the production could have run into sponsorship problems at some point. Maybe there are those who expect more of the CG, but not being a fan of CG, I'm actually fine with the execution.--nothing stood out to me as being badly done.

What impressed me early on is the choreography of the fighting sequences. There's nothing exceptional about it, but it is very competently done and made it convincing that the makers of the series are taking the wuxia aspects of the series very seriously instead of relying on the BL elements to attract eyeballs.

The range of sects and characters are also typical of the genre, and the series does manage to develop on several of these characters quite well. As with many wuxia stories, the characters from the so-called respectable sects are often hypocrites, bullies or simply unscrupulous villains. On the other hand, those from the unorthodox "evil" sect are not necessarily bad people and can be surprisingly humane. The back stories of characters like the Glamorous Ghost and the Tragicomic Ghost are interesting even if not strikingly original.

The rather perverse relationship between the villains, Zhao Jing and his foster son, the Scorpion King, is rather unique in the genre of wuxia. Despite supposedly having a father-son type of relationship, the Scorpion King's affections towards his foster father appears more like those of a lover. The parallels drawn between his predicament and that of the Glamorous Ghost (a woman betrayed by her lover despite her devotion) reinforces the idea. Yet, instead of being demonized, the Scorpion King's affections with homosexual undertones give a glimpse of the more humane side of an otherwise vicious and ruthless character. We can sympathize with him insofar as the way Zhao Jing treats him is concerned, and he seems to be able to genuinely identify with Glamorous Ghost and wants to help her.

As a wuxia series, Word of Honor displays a very good grasp of genre conventions. It would have been a very good watch even if the BL relationship had been toned down, and I think the makers of the series deserve respect for daring to take the risk of portraying such a close relationship between the main characters. Even if one fails to recognize it as BL, the portrayal of the male characters go beyond conventions of masculine behavior, which is in itself already laudable.

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Rather disappointing

I will make references to some related productions, so I shall clarify what I understand first:
- My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later is the sequel to the 2014 movie with the same actors playing the main characters, Bank and Gold.
- Between the 2014 movie and this 2021 sequel series, there is a short film, My Bromance: Reunion, which serves as a precursor to the sequel.
- There is also a 2016 series, simply entitled My Bromance, which I believe is an unofficial sequel to the 2014 movie. The cast is different.

The 2021 series the sequel that many fans have been looking forward to as it features the original actors of the 2014 movie.

Unfortunately, despite the charm of the original cast, the 2021 series is a disappointing sequel. In fact, the story of Bank and Golf is so weak that it seems as though the stories of additional couples are added in to make things more watchable. Fans who have been longing to to see Bank and Golf again may feel cheated--for quite a few episodes, they take up little of the screen time. Instead, side characters and their stories are introduced. Any link between the stories is tenuous and labored. The 2016 series with different actors playing Bank and Golf, which got a fair share of criticism, now appears to have a fairly good storyline by comparison.

The stories of several other couples do not fare much better. They are unimpressive but they are not really bad either. The story of Nuea and Tar is probably the most interesting and saddening. Tar is asked to tutor Nuea, an adopted youngster with issues. They seem to fall in love, but Tar's work after he graduates causes him to neglect the relationship. It's easy to be appalled by how quickly Tar starts neglecting Nuea, but Tar's wistful expressions at the end of the series add nuance to the story. Nuea and Tar's story makes one lament how the realities of life, like work and family commitments, can get in the way of romance and how a new romance does not necessarily fill an empty spot left by another person.

Yes, I guess a case can be made for including other couples in the series: it shows that different couples end up differently, and not everyone gets a fairytale ending. But the execution leaves much to be desired even if one were to take this to be the intended theme. The fate of Arm (Bank's boyfriend after Golf's fake death) also seems unnecessarily gut-wrenching. (Yes, some people are unlucky. But do you have to go all out and create a character like this in My Bromance?)

I do like seeing Bank and Golf ending up together, but I think it can be done in two episodes instead of ten. Episode after episode, I waited and waited for things to pick up. But they never did.

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A decent follow-up that perhaps tries too hard in some ways

This sequel to Tientsin Mystic isn't as good as the first season despite an obvious attempt to rev things up.

I found the casting change a little hard to get used to: the most important character in the series, Guo De You, is played by a different actor in Season 2. To be fair, Kingscar Jin who plays the character in Tientsin Mystic 2, has done quite a competent job. However, he gives rather different vibes compared to Li Xian who plays the character in Season 1. Whether it is intentional or not, the roguish side of Guo De You is amplified a little too much by Jin. In contrast, Li Xian's interpretation of the character in Season 1 juggles the playful, righteous and sentimental sides of the character with more nuance.

I must say, however, that the actors who play the villains (some better hidden than others) in Season 2 are very compelling. They steal the show from the main characters in many ways. The actor who plays the governor (not really a key villain) is particularly good with the part, exuding a subtly sinister aura even when he is at his most harmless.

The storytelling in Tientsin Mystic 2, however, is not as good as in Season 1. The story itself is actually quite interesting, but it seems to have been worked into a climax early on without any denouement in sight. (It's like bringing water to a boil only to leave it boiling for the long time before finally using the water for its intended purpose.) I also found the tensions between Guo De You and Ding Mao that crops up in some parts rather unnecessary. The same goes for the tensions between Ding Mao and Xiao Lan Lan, his girlfriend. At times, it feels like the writers are clumsily creating tension for the same of doing so.

Another flaw of Season 2 is how it emphasizes the "scientific" explanations of all the occurrences even if the explanations seem rather labored (such as the explanations for Guo De You's ability to use smoke to trigger visions that help him investigate crimes and for how he loses this ability). Season 1 has a more touch-and-go approach to this, making it easy to ignore "explanations" that stretch the limits of credulity. Season 2, on the other hand, takes itself too curious.

Tientsin Mystic 2 is bound to alienate some fans of the first season. It is watchable, but it does lose some of the charms of the first season.

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Honestly not BL, but who cares?

On every single episode of this series (on GMMTV's YouTube channel), you will find comments on how GMMTV has said that it is not BL. That seems to be very honest, especially considering the shameless baiting of BL fans in some series. But is there anything good about this series apart from the 6 good looking actors who have starred in some of the most beloved BL series ever?

Story wise, there isn't exactly a strong plot. Nevertheless, the series is rather heartwarming, with a groups of guys (all called Tee) who end up renting a room from another guy called Tee (played by Krist who seems to turn in a good performance every time he is in a series with Singto). Each of the guys starts off having some kind of phobia but through their support for one another, they manage to overcome their phobias.

The focus of the series is on Krist's Tee, especially in the last few episodes, which gives the series more coherence overall. He's the most difficult character in more ways than one--he reluctantly rents the house out to five guys in his university after his mother dies, but he has a phobia of trusting others. He doesn't want to befriend the other guys and pretty much tries to isolate himself (though he is softhearted).

Despite honestly announcing that the series is not BL, GMMTV gratifies BL fans with enough Off/Gun, Tay/New and Kirst/Singto moments. Perhaps the makers of the series has a difficulty deciding whether they want it to be hilariously funny or lighthearted but touching. In the earlier episodes, the series can be rather hilarious (especially with Off's Tee and his fear of ghosts). However, the humor seems to be considerably toned down, with rather serious happenings like Singto-Tee worrying about his sick mother and Krist-Tee worrying about his sick father. However, the series is well-produced enough to be watchable as long as you do not demand too much of the plot. Getting familiar faces to play the roles of the Tees is a clever move because the audience will certainly need more time to get used to unfamiliar faces playing characters who are all called Tee. The theme song also sets the mood very well. Overall, everything is put together quite well. What we are getting isn't quite a masterpiece but something that we can love especially when we do not want to watch something emotionally draining.

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I would personally not classify this as BL but as a drama with gay characters and issues. This doesn't make it better or worse, but the viewer's expectations should be set accordingly.

The most significant aspects of the series are that it deals with the issue of homophobia and rape rather seriously. Given the focus of the story, it would have been better if the series had toned down the sweetness at the beginning: Shin's unabashed admiration for Keng (Episode 1) strongly suggests something more than just idolization, and the revelation that Keng is attracted to Shin (early in Episode 2) even before they bump into each other sets things up for the development of a romantic relationship between them.

The tenderness of Keng towards Shin is shown through his inner thoughts and isn't likely to be feigned (unless its an act of self-delusion). It is thus hard to be convinced that Keng would rape Shin (and violently beat him up) at a slight provocation. We do see a hint of a potentially violent streak when he hits Man for an act of malice, but his outrage was justifiable and he certainly isn't hurting someone he is in love with. The sudden and severe violence Keng inflicts on Shin compromises the overall coherence of the portrayal of Keng. Perhaps there is a point being made about how acts of violence like rape can be inflicted by the people one trusts, but it isn't coming across very well.

The depiction of Keng is complex. After hurting Shin, he appears to be sorry and still professes to love Shin. (I guess this happens with a lot of cases of abuse, so it is reasonable enough to show him doing this.) But he also disappears until after Shin has recovered physically, then he threatens Shin with a clip he has recorded during the rape, keeps pestering Shin and even blames everything on Man after Shin attempts suicide. Such behavior threatens to push the character beyond the boundaries of credulity.

As for Shin, it is not clear whether he ever has romantic affections for Keng. This doesn't matter because he was not willing or ready to start a relationship with Keng, so Keng's behavior is wrong regardless of how Shin might have felt towards him. Nevertheless, I can't quite make sense of why he seems infatuated with Keng but tells Keng that he might like guys some day too when Keng confesses that he is gay. It would have been better to show Shin's admiration for Keng without hinting at romantic interest at the start.

For a series of merely three episodes, The Effect deals with plenty of heavy stuff, but the bulk of the heaviest stuff is confined to about one episode. Perhaps commercial considerations are involved here. It invites us the ask what the cause is for the effect that we see. Shin blames himself before committing suicide. But we can also quite clearly see that Keng's violence is what ruins everything for himself and Shin. Even more seriously, the homophobia in society is perhaps to blame for Keng's denial to Man that he is gay (which triggers Man's indignation and leads him to post a photo of Keng and Shin that causes misunderstandings) and the pressure that judgmental comments on social media put on Shin.

The ending is also unsatisfactory. We don't know if Keng or Shin (if either of them) gets knocked down by a vehicle. The ending is open-ended (which is fine), but it is also totally unnecessary (which is not so fine). The series could simply have ended just a few seconds earlier, with Shin graduating (the happy part) and with him reflecting on how he is left to cope while those who have been cruel with their words have forgotten the events (the sad part because we see that there's no way Shin can totally get over his traumatic experiences).

Perhaps one other concern is that the only overtly gay characters are depicted so negatively. Shin's sexuality is too ambiguous although he is not negatively depicted. There is a hint of something going on between Pramote and Bright (Shin's friends), but it's merely a hint. They could have been used as a nice contrast to Keng and Man, who turn out to be really awful gay men. Bright, though, is truly a bright spark in the series. I look forward to his appearance even though Yacht (the actor) seems to be playing a similar role to his role in Love by Chance as a seemingly frivolous but fiercely loyal and true friend. He single-handedly makes the series more enjoyable.

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Other than a touching story, excellent direction and acting make this a series BL fans would not want to miss.

The director has handled elements light-hearted comic moments and serious drama well. When the homophobic Type realizes that his roommate, Tharn, is gay, he embarks on a rather hilarious attempt to either change rooms or make Tharn move out. But the serious parts about the clashes and misunderstandings between Tharn and Type are truly riveting, partly because they have been developed as characters we care about.

Despite having to compress a rather long story into 12 episodes or so, the story does not appear rushed. Both the main characters are developed in well-paced episodes. Tharn's vulnerability beneath his confident behavior is portrayed very well. While he may seem flippant at times, it soon becomes clear that he is very serious about his relationships. Type's homophobia is traced back to the experience of being raped by a man when he was young, and it is sensitively depicted--the series does not make it seem acceptable or excusable to be homophobic just because he has been raped by a man. This is subtly but strongly pointed out by how Type's best friend, who turns out to be gay, is hurt for Type's homophobia.

Credit must go to the actors playing Tharn and Type. They have really good chemistry, and we can really feel that the characters love each other deeply whether it is in the sweet moments or when Type stages a break-up with an unaware Tharn so as to expose how Tharn's best friend has been ruining his (Tharn's) relationships. I can practically feel Type's desire to just hug and console Tharn even as he pushes Tharn away. It may sound strange, but there are moments when I feel as though they are kissing each other tenderly even when they are not actually doing so. This is one of those BL couples (like Krist and Singto) that are going to be hard to unpair.

Despite all the strong points, there are some things that may make one uncomfortable in the story universe of TharnType (which takes place in the same story world as Love by Chance). These stories have serious references to rape (which is not a problem). Type and Tum in this story have been traumatized by rape, and we see just how hard it is for victims to get over the experience. Yet, in the same story world, rape can be trivialized (which is the problem), as we see a hint of in Love by Chance in the Techno/Kengkla couple) as Kengkla basically rapes a drunk Techno and even fools Techno into thinking that Techno is the perpetrator of the crime). Even in the case of TharnType, there are moments before Type actually enjoys sexually intimate moments with Tharn where Tharn's behavior is practically sexual harassment. One example is when Tharn undresses a drunk Type and sleeps beside Type to give the homophobic Type a shock the following morning. If there weren't such moments, the series would be even better.

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Pretty good, but doesn't hit the highs it could have

This Sino-Thai collaboration is the closest we would get to a BL from Mainland China. It is a bona fide BL series with a romance between the male leads that is overtly depicted. This probably already scores it some points in the eyes of many BL fans since we have not had an actual BL series from China for years due to the censorship laws.

To be honest though, Meet You at the Blossom isn't as good as it could have been. Perhaps because of budgeting or other constraints, the story is lacking development in many ways. The main characters' back stories, particularly Huai En's, could have been more fully fleshed out. Although we are technically informed of Huai En's experiences as a child, there does not seem to be enough material to make us feel strongly for the character. To me, this is something important given the character's cold demeanor.

The supporting characters are also under-developed. I was personally a little confused by the behavior of the man Huai En called his father. He could have been a fascinating villain or an equally engaging ambiguous character, but he turns out to be neither here nor there. He is also defeated too easily and suddenly, indicating a rush to complete the story. After having watched a censored-BL period drama like The Untamed, I can't help but wonder how great it would be if the Untamed had taken the route of Meet You at the Blossom and circumvented censorship laws.

The unfortunate thing is that, because the massive China market is essentially taken out of the equation, we might not see better productions than Meet You at the Blossom simply because of financing issues. What we have is a commendable work that, to be fair, is as good as it can get given all the limitations.

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Surprisingly good mini series with some bromance

This is an example of a mini-series (a series with super short episodes) done mostly right. For some reason, most parts do not feel too hurried. The main weakness of many mini series is the pacing and erratic storytelling, and while Decline isn't entirely spared from it, I'm surprised by the plot development and character backstories.

I don't what the relationship between the two main characters is like in the novel, but I would classify it as bromance in the series. I was wondering whether to describe it as censored BL, but I think it is a case where we are left to imagine things if we want to but there isn't really that much BL innuendo. Sui Han Bai realizes that Su Chengxi is someone he has known since his childhood days quite early on although Su, who has lost his memory does not realize it till much later. We see Sui's devotion to Su when he blocks an arrow shot at Su with his own body and even in his semi-conscious state, calls for Su to stay safe.

The story unfortunately does seem incomplete, but to its credit, the series does have at least a tentative happy ending for the main characters and does not end with a silly cliffhanger when there may never be a Season 2. There is potential for a Season 2, but Season 1 at least ends satisfactorily.

Despite the synopsis, I think the series shows more promise if it is marketed as bromance rather than mystery/detective series because it thrives on our interest in the characters, and the mystery aspect leaves too much unaddressed.

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