Unpopularopinionbydemand

How Can You Not Love This?

Oh, this was like the bread and butter on BL. I can't imagine someone watching this and not falling in love with this adorable makeshift family. I don't know why I haven't watched this before now, but oh boy, am I glad I came around to this wonderfully happy little BL.

Let's Dive In.

Wow, so this was the cutest little J-BL I've seen in a while. The stacks are pretty low, but the feels are incredibly high. Yutaka who has always eaten by himself due to past trauma finds a little dude and his incredibly hot brother to spend his long-awaited time with. It's so nice just to see people connect over food and feel warm and loved. I can't even say anything different than what others have said because it's all true: this was a really special BL.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Such a lovely story. We see so much domesticness go on between the three of them and it's the best thing ever. I also liked how we see Yutaka at work but it's not overbearing or with tedious office jargon. Their relationship is so precious while not having to be too physical, and it's perfect.

Acting: 9.5/10 - That kid stole the show. The way he was able to keep up with these adult actors was insane. I don't think I've seen a kid act that good in a while, and he's so incredibly young to be acting so good!! The leads did great as well.

Music: 6/10: It wasn't directing but not very memorable.

Recommendation Value: 8/10: this was just so precious, I highly recommend it if you're wanting a heartfelt watch. it does have some tough stuff about grief and death which could be a doozy, but for real, please watch this!

Read More

What a Gem of a Show

With only 3 episodes, each about 45 minutes long, IBTLIABLD hits hard in all aspects, specifically making me laugh my ass off, but also hitting you in the heart where it hurts. Both funny and a little tragic, this series has hit the nail on what's to come this year from Japan, and I'm so freaking excited!

Let's Dive In.

Right off the bat, I knew something was up with Yuichiro when we're first introduced to his character. Very charming yet something slightly off, avoiding even looking at Hajime, the adorable other lead cast in his childhood shadow as always been known as the Orange Juice Boy. we find out later on that Yuichiro was actually a giant stan of his, having memorabilia on top of memorabilia, and leading to some fantastically hilarious moments between the two of them. Overall, their story was beautiful. You can see so easily how fond Yuichiro is of Hajime, and exactly when that switches to liking him. It took a lot longer for Hajime to realize it, but once he does, it's just a guessing game on when they'll eventually announce (not in secrecy) to each other on their feelings. This dynamic is so heartwarming to me. The perfect height difference, the perfect balance of cheeky and cute, portraying moments that made me pause so I could laugh, or moments when I had to pause so that I could regain my composure and not cry. A truly lovely pairing, played by some really fantastic actors.

The side romance was a surprise to me, but not a bad one. Both managers of the boys end up together, trying to be secretive about it until it's noticeable, and then on top of that, trying to keep their talents at bay with their antics and worries. All other side characters did a job well done too, being the driving force of our leads to get together while not having much of a story of their own, but I'm really not too mad at it.

A couple of negatives I had about this series: I absolutely hate that they threw in a misunderstanding in the very last episode, considering that we only had 3. And then Yuichiro not explaining that it was a misunderstanding to Hajime was even more aggravating. It's cheap writing for a moment that was resolved in like the next 5 minutes. Another would be that we don't get to see them kiss outside of their "characters". A lot of people complained that the kiss was super bland, and while it was, if you're considering that they were practicing for their roles, I doubt they would've gone all in, especially if it was their first kiss. I would've rather seen them kiss again once they were together; in fact, on the bridge would've been a perfect moment for it to happen. And then we get a cut-off kiss in the very last scene which is urgh, but overall, even with my negatives, this series really did it for me, and I loved it.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - super funny, super relatable, super good. Flowed well for the 3 episodes it got, and honestly, I don't really think it needed more time. If you know how to structure a plot perfectly, then you have a good story to tell, regardless of the time.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Fantastic! these actors really know how to play their characters. Alan (Yuirchiro) played his character to a T, with some fantastic moments portraying the usual over-the-top Japanese intricacy that I've come to love. Also, is it just me or does he look a lot like Johnny from NCT?!

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember any of the music, but it wasn't distracting so there's that.

Recommendation Value: 10/10 - very rare I give 10s out, but this was seriously so good. It's pretty short so it doesn't take forever to watch, and it keeps you entertained through it all. The romance is great, the characters are adoring, and you should definitely give this gem of a series a watch!

Read More

Brillant Story

Triage wins the "best Plot" award of 2022, and I'm already writing that down for when I do my "Best and Worst of 2022" list later this year. Wow, what a freaking ride. From beginning to end, the audience is thrown into the life and loops of Dr. Tin, who fights to save the life of a man he deems irresponsible when they first meet. Triage is a deep and tear-jerking drama that deals with a complicated plot in the best way I think I've ever seen done in a BL series.

Let's Dive In.

Triage was directed and screen written by the same amazing man that make "Manner of Death" in 2020, with us even getting a few cameos with the leads from MOD's themselves (which at the end, it may imply a season 2 or a spinoff of both series combined). He did the same thing he did over there, which is to focus more on the storytelling and the overall appeal of the storyline than the actual BL of it all. And I think it works pretty well in this, except for the fact that Tin and Tol's romance isn't as strong as it could be. But no wonder why Triage is as heart-wrenching and as thrill-packed as was in MOD.

There is just no plot like this one. Tin has to continue going through loops until he can save Tol's life, on top of trying to see if he can save the other's lives around him. It's magnificent. At first, I was scared that with so many different conflicts going on in the series, it would leave plot holes or forget key details, but it never wavers. We get the complete story of Rit, Mai's mom, Dr. Sak, Dr. Doi, Fang, etc. And nothing felt rushed or last-minute, it was all told with very keen detail and in a timely manner. I think the best part is when you, as the audience, finally got enough detail to put two and two together and you can figure it out as Dr. Tin does. I also like that they switched things up and made Tol fight to save Tin's life. Everything was crisp and clean, fun and entertaining, and as perfect as it could be.

The character development in this is so good. Literally the best part. Tin is this very stoic man who hates drunk drivers after his accident with his sister, and he doesn't appreciate his life as he use to until he's put into this predicament where he has to learn the value of living and surviving and we see such growth in him that it's very obvious by the end. Tol is almost the same way, with him being very brooding and harsh, but through all of this he learns to be kinder. Growth is evident in each character, Mai, Heart, Rit, Gap, Sing, Fang, literally everyone. And even some not-so-good growth that we see with Dr. Doi when he goes crazy.

Moving on to the romances in the series, let's start with Tin and Tol. Now Tin has to continuously see Tol die in every loop that he goes through, and the only way to get Tol to not drive or "drink" is to get closer to him, and even come up with the conclusion that Tol needed to fall for Tin so that Tin could get him to not drive, or not do too much to his heart. It's the perfect setup for a deep romance - imagine falling for someone and having to have them fall in love with you all over again and again -- seems pretty harsh, but the premise of it all is genius. But I think it was probably the weakest in terms of plot. Their first kiss seemed a bit off-putting since we only see Tin trying to stop the incident from happening and not so much trying to get Tol to fall for him. I feel like there was only one real moment in which I could really feel the connection and the yearning to be with one another, other than that, it kind of fell flat for me. The ending is satisfying though, and I loved seeing Tae and Tee as a paring again.

Moving onto our other side couple, Gap and Sing. Due to the loops, Gap and Sing end up together during the last loop, so we get to see them being pretty cute and domestic. Before then, Gap just had a very minor crush on the doctor, and Sing was pretty much just a straight-up asshole who didn't know how to go about his feeling for Gap. In fact, I think it was a bit too harsh for me to wish for them to be together. If anything, I was rooting for Gap and Rit for a while since it seemed that Gap brought down his stern walls to really open himself up to Rit. But in the last loop, they were pretty cute, so I'll give them that.

All the supporting characters did so well, even down to the ones with very few lines. I loved Toi and his supportive and energetic aura, Jinta was by far one of my favorite characters, and he pulled the cynical, yet helpful angel role off perfectly. Dr. Doi is so evil that I practically loved him. He falls so much into his schemes with Dr. Sak that he goes insane. Perfect. Art was the cutest, and I really wish that they would girl Mild another leading role. For the characters that I didn't really care for, would maybe have to be Heart and Mai, or really Mai's story in general. Of course, without her, there wouldn't be any plot, but I couldn't understand why Tin was interested in saving her mother when it wasn't necessarily his responsibility. Save Tol and move on. I could say the same for Win and Lookprae.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - Very crisp and very detailed. Nothing was left out, everything was covered, and it moved in perfectly formatted waves. I think the romance of Tin and Tol (even Gap and Sing) could've been better, so I'll take a star off.

Acting - 8.5 - Everyone did great, but Morris (Jinta) and Tae (Tin) stood out the most. I think Gap's actor was a little weak at times, and so was Mai's. But overall, acting was one of the better parts of Triage.

Music: 7 - I didn't really pay attention to it, so it was there.

Rewatch Value: 3 - definitely something I could rewatch if a season 2 is to happen.

Overall, a very entertaining watch, and I look forward to a hopeful season 2. I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a complex plot or something action-packed.

Read More

Tedious

I could barely get through this (and I barely did). When it came down to the last few episodes, I skipped bits and pieces and just watched what I wanted to. This series isn't "bad" per se, just hella boring. Unless basketball games heightened your excitement, then Our Days might not be the series for you.

Let's Dive In.

The concept of this series was something we've seen before, it gave me a lot of "You're My Sky" vibes, with the basketball and the beautiful cinematography. Mon goes to school in the city and meets So who ends up kissing him on a drunken night and stirs feelings between the both of them for the rest of the series. Some more basketball bs and an old friend and then it's happily ever after (kind of?).

For me, this was just really boring. Most parts dragged on for too long, discussing things I was just highly not interested in. This series was able to grab my attention for like two seconds and then it disappeared. This is a sports BL, which I don't usually mind, but this was entirely too much basketball. Basketball this, basketball that, and I skipped pretty much every single game/practice sequence. Mon comes off to me as a sore loser who got his feelings hurt because he sits on the bench, sad sure, but not sad enough for them to play somber ballads in the back and for me to be sympathetic to.

Talking about Mon, I wasn't really feeling it with his relationship with So. To me, they look like two completely straight actors trying to play gay characters and it doesn't work at all. That's what most BLs are, but these two had no chemistry and looked like they'd rather be anywhere else than be stuck together and have to act in love. Most of the time I got "bro" vibes. Towards the end when they're banging on the kitchen counter, it's so sloppy and messy that it also doesn't work for me. These are rookie actors, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but I would've liked to see something better.

I was really intrigued with Mickey and Q but we don't go very far with them, which I can appreciate to some extent. Mickey is Mon's little brother and Q meets him through Mon. They end up becoming really close and hanging out. Mickey runs away and goes to Q where we get an awful kiss, and then something able "not having responsibilities" and then nothing else. I think I'm okay with that just because Mickey is young, so sure, he's still learning, but I would've liked a conversation to at least happen between the two of them (and not about the running away).

Pond was by far the best character and Poon was the best actor, I sure hope we see him again. Saint felt like a nuisance. He was weird to So in the beginning and because of that, I could never come around to liking him. I didn't care for his flashback story with Mon and I didn't care that he had feelings for him either.

The cinematography and the sets were beautiful; it's what really had me holding on (and Pond cause I loved him). I was so close to dropping this, but I held on. And again it wasn't bad, like plot or acting-wise, just boring.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5 - Didn't really intrigue me. It might be for someone else, but I was more bored than anything. The romance also didn't do it for me. I'll give three stars to Pond and 3 and a half stars to Mickey and Q.

Acting: 8.5 - Good enough. The main leads weren't the best, but it wasn't so bad either. Poon was the best out of everyone, I hope to see him again.

Music: 5.5 - Decent,

Rewatch value: 1 - No. Just no. I couldn't sit myself through this again,

This will be very forgotten about soon. I don't recommend it unless it's something that catches your eye. I tried watching this a few months back and put it on hold because it was so tedious, but I picked it back up and just pushed myself through it. I probably skipped over some important parts, but I simply just don't care. Watch if you want or don't.

Read More

Non Deserved Better

I had barely even heard of this series, but once I tuned in, I was hooked. Presumably so, I thought a completely different story was going to happen. I fall in love with one couple, only to be forced to move on? Love Area Part 1 was a great mini-series that kept me on my toes. While I continued to enjoy my watch, I grew angrier and angrier with each passing episode.

Let's Dive In.

Production was decent. Not much else to say on that. I don't remember there being that many ads if any at all. I thought the wardrobes were pretty nice (you know, when they weren't wearing uni clothes), and the makeup was done really well. Nothing to complain about. All in all. it was pretty good.

Onto the plot. I think it was pretty basic, except, I sometimes like basic, and in this context, I actually quite enjoyed myself. Can't go wrong with a cute restaurant love.

Onto the pairings. The one thing this show does is give us two pretty compelling characters to match with the main lead (Although, one is to for sure happen over the other). I was here for Non and Kaitoon before anything. Non is just the perfect guy. We see no problems in his character (which could drive him to be pretty one dimensional, but oh well), he genuinely feels for Kaitoon and goes out of his way to involve himself in Kaitoon's life by helping him mend his wounds, giving him good advice, and just being there. They did him so dirty closer to the end. Non did not serve to be stood up, especially not twice. They treated him with the utmost disrespect and he better be given a heartfelt apology (and hopefully another character introduced for him). Moving onto Valen and Kaitoon. I didn't like them at the beginning, and I mean who would? Valen ends up trying to rob Kaitoon which in turn gets Kaitoon punched and actually robbed. I don't know how anyone could fall for their robber, but this is BL, and anything can happen. I didn't really start feeling for them until about episode 5, but then Kaitoon kept forgetting about Non, and it just hurt even worse in the finale. King and Peat's story felt like a completely different series. I think their pairing is a bit irrelevant since neither of them really play an important role in the plot. However, I did feel for King. Nobody should be abandoned, especially without an explanation. King started gaining my respect until Ice came into the story. Ice looks like a fetus, so if they're trying to maybe make them a thing (possibly not since Peat moved back in with King) then please don't. Even King making him go shirtless was a bit uncomfortable for me. Overall, all the couples in this series were okay.

The acting was alright. I think that the script wasn't all too strong so the actors didn't have much to work with. The strongest actor was probably Got (Tang), even though he had a small role, he still knew how to deal with the cards he was dealt. I think all of the main roles could use a bit of work, but Pak (Kaitoon) was definitely the best out of all of them.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - Nothing special or noticeably different from the others. I think they did an alright job at building up the chemistry between the main leads, so I will give that to them (Also, I'm a sucker for slow-burns, so I'm excited to see what happens with them in season 2). For that, I'll give it an extra 1.5 stars on top of the 6 I was originally going to give it. (But that better do my son Non better!).

Acting: 7 - Again, it was decent, nothing special, nothing better than the rest. Got and Pak give this score an extra two stars. I hope to see some stronger acting choices in season two (and maybe a stronger script as well).

OST: 5.5 - Didn't really pay attention to it. Since it wasn't noticeable for being annoying then it was decent for me. (also, no one was singing, so that's an extra star!)

Rewatch value: 1 - Again, I have to move on to other things I have to watch, but I probably won't come back to this series. Especially since season two drops in just a couple of days.

Overall, this series was a decent one. I'd recommend this for sure. especially someone new to BL. It's pretty fluffy and heartfelt for the most part. I think something should've been different (like them not treating Non like he's a piece of trash).

Read More

Underwhelming

I could tell by the first episode that this was going to be cringe-filled. I'm more disappointed that I went into this with the intention that because Gameplay was in this, it would be good. That's not it at all. Love With Benefits is full of weird editing, mediocre supporting characters, and a plot that could've gone right had they actually put in some effort.

Let's Dive In.

Firstly, let's discuss this production. While seemingly low-budget, this series did a horrible job at editing. There were some scenes that just has these very inconsistent cuts that were strewn together that someone thought were okay to air. I sat there embarrassed for the actors for how terrible the editing team did them. Ad placements literally everywhere, those were probably the only moments that were decently scripted and put together well (got to make sure to get that coin!). The production team did a very sorrowful job, this series could've been better with a more decent crew.

I wasn't very fond of any of the supporting characters. The feminine gays were played up to be creepy, and annoying, and thirsty, so I skipped most of their scenes (when can we get an effeminized gay that's not supposed to be the touchy creep of a series???) The acting coach was decent I guess, but he was just kind of there. I did like Pluto though (and would've rather him and Play end up together).

The only thing that Play and First had was great heat scenes. The chemistry was weird, I don't like how they made Play out to be childish. It was aggravating. The relationship was ridiculously rushed since they "fell in love" within the span of about 10 days. The series was an obvious cash-grab than it was at trying to build an actual decent relationship.

I love Gameplay so freakin much, so I was left feeling a bit heartbroken that this was the series he was in. I don't want to sound insulting about the other actors, but Gameplay is better than this series. He deserves a main role that compliments his acting, and in this, it diminishes it. Give Gameplay a three-dimensional character with actual traits and a personality, and I swear he can do it. I was so looking forward to seeing him in Kinnporsche, and was absolutely devastated when he dropped out. He just deserves the attention and the role that I see others getting.

The acting was decent. This seems to be Folk's first acting gig, so I won't be too harsh, but I didn't like his performance at all. I would've rather them had switched his role with Best and then maybe this series could've been a bit better.

Overall, this was underwhelming. If you're looking for a few good heat scenes, then you got it, but if you're looking for an actual BL with meaningful moments and a storyline, than this is not the series for you.

Read More

Sweet Domestic Love Story

I can't get enough of this sweet web series Gameplay and jeff have my complete heart, and I'm so sad that this ongoing series that felt like it had been on for a lifetime has finally ended. A beautiful friendship turns to romance, with some incredible-looking food, and you have yourself a hella good BL.

Let's Dive In.

Let's start off with Jeff and how amazing his voice is. I don't like listening to people sing, mostly because it's super cringey or off-key, but I can't tell you how many times I went back to replay the parts of his singing. I would pay real money to go see him in concert. Onto Gameplay. Now, I don't know if he really coos, but the food in this was immaculate. I think my favorite parts were him cooking, and putting together the meals he made. It just all looked so delicious, and I'm glad that this show continued to follow the concept of ingredients and cooking.

For the most part, this is a very, very, very slow-burning relationship. I don't think we get to see them actually together until the last few episodes. For the rest, it's these cute moments that build up to them starting to develop feelings for one another. The beautiful domestic dynamic that they had was something I can only dream to have. I think the only problem that I had with this show is the duration of the episodes. ost episodes weren't longer than 15 minutes if that. I would've rather a longer duration and shorter episodes if anything. I don't believe they're making a second season, but if they do, I can't wait to see more of Gameplay and Jeff, and the amazing onscreen chemistry they have. A definite recommendation, it's the best thing ever.

Read More

Best HIStory By Far

My favorite HIStory so far. By the time I got to this series, I was thinking to myself, "is continuing the HIStory series really that important to me?" By this time I had already seen the first HIStories and Right or Wrong, all of which I gave less than 6 stars to. They weren't keeping my attention very well, I wasn't having much luck with liking the couple or the content, so should I really keep going? But, I'm so grateful that I did.

Let's Dive In.

Some soft high school students falling in love?? yeah I’ll take it. Once again, enemies to lovers are not my forte, but I loved this with my entire heart. The first thing that drew me in was Zach Lu's beauty. There is no denying that his presence was one of the best things about this film. He portrayed his character so perfectly, and in such a way that an actual teenager would act, and I'm in awe. Qui Zi Xuan was my favorite character. He had a meaningful story and a sad past that made me feel for him. Even with the enemies to lover trope, it was still a slow-burn. You could see Xia Yu Hao steadily falling more in love with him, which led to one of the best kisses in BL history. Literally a kiss between the net?? Pure magic.

I really liked the shower scene. It was hilarious! I haven’t really cried laugh like that while watching a series in a while. I wasn't sold on the side couple at all. Even looking past them being step-brothers (ewe, why?), they had no chemistry and barely any screen time. Had they not been stepbrothers, I might've actually tried harder at paying any attention to their plot.

I loved this series, point, blank perod. It has to be one of the best ones best that depict a real relationship and how harsh the beginning of feelings and attraction can be. I would completely recommend this to anyone willing to watch.

Read More

Here for PeteKao, stayed for SunMork

Kiss Me Again was a doozy to get through, but fortunately, I enjoyed everything about this series except Pete. He was a condescending, self-absorbed brat that was too wrapped up in his own reality to understand that his boyfriend is a human being and not his toy. Pete telling Kao not to tutor (the job he needed to help out his mom and sister) just because he was jealous of a CHILD is ridiculous. I don't care how stupidly hot Pete is, his actions were so unattractive.
I don't like how they went about developing Non. I really enjoyed him in the beginning; I actually shipped Non and Kao a lot more than I did Pete and Kao. Obviously, they weren't ever going to get together in any universal setting (cause everyone loves taynew), but still, I loved him until they turned Non into this overly-obsessed, vengeful-for-no-reason little brat. #justiceforNon2k21.
I'm not the type to cry at any series (no tears for UWMA or History: MODC. I'm weird.), but when it's a coming-out scene I will ALWAYS cry. Kao coming out to his mom was so breathtaking and so perfect and beautiful that I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. New and whoever played his mom did an amazing job.
Sun and Mork saved this series. Why do you think my overall score is so high? I don't know if it's because Pod is so shippable, or if it's because I'm in love with Gawin (most likely all of the above), but Sun and Mork are the best side BL couple EVER. It was fluffy, it was cute, it was captivating and I miss them. #bringbackgawinwherethefuckdidhego2k21.
The OST was a FUCKING BOP. I usually always skip the intro videos, but there was something so unskippable about this one. Loved it.

Read More

I Don't Know How to Feel...

I remember watching the trailer for this and being like, "Yeah, this is my shit, cheesy uni-love story that will be filled to the brim with cringe and awkwardness... I'm seated!" I weirdly enjoy series like this that take you out of reality to pull you into a story that's literally there to be silly and light-hearted and rather fluffy, and I feel like Your Sky did exactly that. But, even knowing what I was getting myself into with this series, I think, with some very odd twist, I didn't like this at all.

Let's Dive In.

So You Sky, produced by the same people of Cutiepie, have given us this fluffy, cutesy BL series that is literally about a fake relationship turned real. It has everything you can think of: accidental close-proximity, accidental touching, wiping mouths, giving baths, piggyback rides, around-the-waist motorcycle rides, blah blah blah. If I was rating based on the first few episodes, I feel like I would've told you this was the perfect blend of cringe and cuteness. I actually enjoyed Fah and Rak's love story, and I was very impressed by how they handled their first real kiss. but honestly, after that, everything just goes downhill for me.

Let's start off with just analyzing Teerak for a moment. For the majority of the episodes, they treated him like a child. When he started developing feelings for Fah, he literally thought he was having heart problems. What the literal fuck. I can understand wanting a character to have some pureness, some innocent-ness to them, but Rak was treated like he was a 7-year-old in a grown man's body. Which is why their NC scenes don't make sense, and are so hard to watch. I normally have no problem watching NC scenes, but the cut from Rak being this cutesy I-barely-know-how-to-tie-my-shoes to then being this sex-driven grown man was very off-putting. I wanted him to act like how his character would act, I wanted him to be shy and very giggly-like, but instead, he seemed to know how to have sex and how all of it worked. Weird. I feel like in the midst of coming up with Rak's character, the writers were just as discombobulated as we were. If they wanted him to be innocent, they should've went all the way, that's just how I feel.

As much as I love cringey, I think this series took that and ran with it. I said is somewhere on Reddit, and I'll say it here: I wanted this series to give me weird and cringey but all in a good way like Secret Crush on You, but what’s stunting that the most and more than anything, is the acting. Since seeing episodes 11 and even 12, I feel like the acting thing is more false than true, but at the beginning of this shit, the acting was just bombastically bad. Anytime Rak and Fah were suppose to have a "accidental close proximity", it was so robotic and "this is what the director told us to do" instead of feeling natural, which is why it created a certain cringe that I wasn't ready for.

Moving onto the relationships, like I said, I really liked Fah and Rak at the beginning, but could care less for them by the time they get together. I think both actors did the best they could, but Rak was literally just told to be cute, and Fah was told to only smile when looking at Rak. I hated how one-dimensional Fah was, I hate they gave him no other storyline than to be brooding and smile only when looking and mentioning Fah. Thomas is a great looking man, so it makes it a little less annoying.

The side couples honestly did nothing for me. Hia and Real were nice, but Real was a very red-flag character, and they looked over all of his toxic behavior in favor of hurrying up to get him and Hia together. I already didn't really care for them in the beginning, and I still didn't care for them at the end. Although, they did this hot pickup kiss thing, and I loved it.

What kept me on my toes was the relationship they teased with Lee and Klaijai, and then for them to do basically nothing with it. Very annoying, very much so wasted my time.

I liked that Mike is back in the acting scene, although, I will say he felt rather weird in this role only because he's such a vet actor working with these newbies. I hope he can potentially get his own series with this company. I liked Babe, and then I didn't like Babe. I liked that Rak had someone to go to when he needed to talk, but Babe also felt like a nuance in a lot of key points in the series.

Overall, my feeling is that I think I can understand people watching this and liking it if it's for the purpose of not having to think and not having to over-analyze and you literally just watch to watch. If someone is watching this and liking it because they think it's some ground-breaking, show-stopping series with the best actors in the world... we need to have a very serious discussion.

Ratings;

Story: 6.5/10 - There's not really a story. It's minor conflicts handled all in one or two episodes, minus the problem between Rak and Oh. The fluff did fluff, up until it was too much and too cringy. The romance only did it for me a little, but I'm excited to see these two again in The Next Prince.

Acting: 7.5/10 - I think Kong steadily did better for me by the end, but in the beginning, it was seriously hard to watch. The best actors hands down are Save and Auau (Hia and Real), with Babe, Oh, and Dom's actors following next. Also, Rak's parents did a beautiful job as well, especially in episode 11. Thomas was there to be hot, and I'm not mad about it, trust.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay much attention to it, but I do remember it repeating "Your sky" and that's it.

Recommendation Value: 8.5/10 - this is so unserious and so fluffy, just watch for those purposes only. Also, Thomas goes shirtless a handful of times if that's what motivates you.

Read More

It Wasn't Entirebly Terrible..?

I've already written this entire thing, but my laptop decided it had other ideas, so now I don't feel like repeating what I've said (and I also don't remember all of it), so I'll just reiterate some of the things I wrote. For one, I definitely remember saying that I wished I would've watched this series while it aired since it just felt so hard to keep up with in the beginning. This series had beautiful actors, half-a-million-dollar sets, and some perfectly sculpted heat scenes, but it still wasn't enough for me to leave feeling satisfied.

Let's Dive In,

Cutie Pie is a nontraditional Thai style setup (at least that's how it felt to me) about Kuea, an undercover rebel who acts as an angel around his arranged finance since childhood, Hia Lian. Hia Lian is a workaholic whose primary focus in life is his business and keeping the promise he made to Kuea's Grandfather. Through some misunderstands, poor communication, and a couple of heated kisses, it's happily ever after, with two other couples following the same problems. My initial feelings on why I think it would've been better to watch while it aired is so that I could have time to really understand what was going on. Instead, I just went on to the next episode, hella confused and just going with the flow.

In some cases, it felt like things were happening too late, like how I went through half of the series thinking that Hia Yi and Diao were also in an arranged marriage. Instead, Hi Yi just wanted to take care of him after some childhood accident made him forget his memory (even though Hia Yi bosses Diao around. shouldn't it be vice-versa?). Same with Nuea who has an apparent crush or maybe is weirdly overprotective of Kuea at the beginning, but then it's never explained why. He's then in la-la land with Syn and you just, again, have to go with the flow.

Now let's talk about Hia Lian and Kuea who I still don't know if I loved or hated. For one, I think the actors did a phenomenal job or at least did as well as they could with the material they were given. I also liked that Kuea needed to learn how to be his whole self around Hia Lian, and that Hia Lian needed to learn how to show his emotions and love and embrace his feelings for Kuea. But what I didn't like was the constant back and forth, Lian would have to reassure Kuea every other episode that he did love him, but by the time we get to the end and Lian proposes and Kuea shuts him down, it's frustrating, especially since his reason is the same shit that Lian had reassured him about on multiple occasions. And it's yell-worthy just for them to go back to the house and everything be okay. By this point, 2x speed was used. That also goes for the misunderstanding (or bad communication) with Lian's plan to help Kuea's family, something that was added at the last minute, and left me annoyed. And sure, their heated scenes were done very nicely, and the consent was perfectly sculpted, but it's still not enough for me. They tried to explain the whole marriage thing since it's pointless to be engaged in a country that doesn't support same-sex marriage, but it's so filler that I just roll my eyes. I think this show started to rely on the heated scenes and just gave up on telling a comprehensible story. I'm still indecisive about these two, but I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm satisfied enough, but if the showrunners had focused more on their story then they really could've been the 'IT' couple. Instead, they told Zee and New to do some kissy kissy time to get away with their poor writing.

I'm also indecisive about Hia Yi and Diao who I loved, but their story is rather a dumb one. The lost childhood memory is fine, but what specifically did he forget? and did I miss it? How come Hia Yi is bossy and mean and then all of the sudden he's just super nice? I won't even get into the whole fiasco of the weird dog-eating storyline. Anyways, the same goes for them, they had great heated scenes, but something crucial is missing. I can't pinpoint it with my finger, but it's something big, and it aggravates me to the fullest. It was probably the lack of character development out of Diao who is seemingly the same person he was at the beginning to the end, or how he's just written to be pretty much perfect with none of his own problems other than getting caught in lies and not keeping things to himself. Hia Yi has a crack of character development, maybe being a bit more lenient and not so harsh to Diao, but it's nothing much, or rather to-your-face-noticeable. My critique stays the same for these two, a better story, a better build-up to their relationship, and they could've also done well with some more screentime.

Syn and Nuea are cute, but nothing more. They had great build-up, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between the actors. Again, nothing wrong in the kissing department, but it comes out of the blue that it feels more comical than realistic. Also, Nuea is not my favorite character, just because the writers didn't give him much of a story, if one at all, and we know next to nothing about him. They barely have any screentime after the public display of affection in which they start to fall off the wagon for me. I think this could've been a fun couple, but with little screentime and poor development, it just feels like they were thrown in at the last minute, and instead of telling their story, the writers could've focused more on the other two that could've used more work.

I'll leave this off on a good note and talk about some things I did really enjoy: I loved Foei, and he might've been my favorite character. I'm kind of upset the writers didn't utilize him more, and I would've rather seen his story than the third couple. Jay was also a good supporting role, but more so just because I love Perth and there's no way I couldn't love any character Perth plays.

The friendship between Diao and Kuea is nicely done, with them being there for one another no matter what, and it's good to show a healthy male-male friendship like this that is still intimate and meaningful without crossing into romantic.

I want to see this company's receipts because the houses they used are MASSIVE. And yes, BLs tend to use huge houses, but Yi's house? with the multiple expensive cars in the back? They did not disappoint in this department, and I am pleasantly surprised.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - There's a story, but it feels rather vague, and with the hype around this show only being because of the love scenes, it's hard to focus on this aspect when nobody else is. However, I won't knock it all down, there were a few things that I liked and it was enough to keep me watching so, I guess it wasn't all that bad.

Acting: 8.5 - I think most of the actors were good, but Nat was probably not the strongest performer, and you're only as strong as your weakest link. I've never been a huge fan of Nat's acting, but he did rather well in Y-Destiny, but here, I just feel that disconnect again. He's kind of awkward (in a good way) and it shows in his acting.

Music: 6.5 - Fine I guess, didn't really pay all that much attention.

Rewatch Value: 1.5: eh, very less likely.

I don't think this series is bad, but I do grade more harshly on things that are widely popular or hyped because I feel the need to see what others see, and 6 times out of 10, I don't. But if you are looking for some decent NC scenes, then you've got it here. If that's not really you're mojo, then this can be a series you watch later or as slow as you want. No need to rush.

Read More

This was Wasted Opportunity

If there is one word to describe the special ep, then it's "meh". I think it was cute for what it's worth, but there was a LOT of wasted potentials. For one, What if instead of them reacknowledging how much they love each other every five words or so, we got to see them be vulnerable with each other, so vulnerable that they take it to the next level and shiggidy-shang-bang-bang for the first time? Imagine, boyfriends who have been together forever whose stopping point is a damn kiss on the cheek. ??? I think Prince and Fah kissed once and maybe Duao and Kluen did in one of their umpteenth cheek kisses. But this was just cheese on top of cheese which is fine if that's what you watched it for. I wish things would've gotten spicy because nothing happens and it's them just being on the beach and splashing water at each other while eating fried chicken.

The only thing I can really take away from this episode is that Prince is the sweetest and most understanding boyfriend toward his very busy doctor boyfriend. It's sweet to see him take the time and reassure Fah that everything is okay. I also liked seeing Prince and Duao having scenes together and watching Fah glare daggers at Kluen.

Personally, I enjoyed SIYH a lot more than SIMM, so I thought the proposal was cute, but a little performative seeing as Thailand doesn't allow same-sex marriages so then you go, "No this can't even happen so what's the point?"

Overall, I'll give it a 5. It's GMMTV so I honestly shouldn't have expected more, but I was hoping for at least a heated make-out or something more seeing as it's something boyfriends who have been in a relationship for a while would do.

Read More

Good? no. Consensual? YES!

Please don't get me wrong, this series SERIOUSLY had its faults, but it had something that I'm not used to seeing in BL, and that's consent! Everything else? Yeah, she needed some work.

Let's Dive In.

The acting was probably the worst part about this BL. The main characters did really bad, but Win's (Gun) acting was definitely the worst. It got a bit better by the end, but most of the time it felt robotic and stiff, and like he had a hard time expressing different emotions. While I do NOT believe in bashing the looks of Win (like some of you harshly do, as if ya'll look any better), I will say that he was an average looking dude, and them trying to play him off as the hottest guy on campus felt forced. The weirdest part is that they didn't need to play this trope at all, it wasn't like him being the hottest on campus drove the plot or anything, so it's pretty irrelevant. Most of the time I hate this trope because the cast in BL series are equally attractive, and none are overly-cuter or hotter than the rest. Just like Pha in 2moons2 and Sarawat in 2gether, they are played as the hottest on campus, but all cast members are attractive, so it makes no difference.

The one reason this couple is rated higher than the other En of Loves is because of one reason: CONSENT. I loved that even though Bar didn’t like Gun at first, Gun wasn’t forcing himself onto Bar and instead was just being there when he could. We have to speak about their first time because it was everything. We need more of this in BL!!! Bar made it clear that Gun needed his consent, and when it was given, Gun still was being patient and cautious. Even when they were kissing and Bar told him to wait, he immediately stopped and made sure he was okay and still comfortable. I LOVED IT. That scene is what really sold it for me. Had consent not been so broad in this series, then it would definitely be rated at a 5. But, because we weirdly don't see much consent in BL, this gave me a burst of hope that others will fall behind.

Besides that WONDERFUL moment, this series was stupidly rushed. Like, ridiculously rushed. Bar fell for Gun too quickly after saying he didn't like him. I get it, we only have 4 episodes, but it was way too rushed. Don't get me started on the whole "Moon" competition. Cringiest thing in humanity, I skipped all of it. I can't with literally any part of it.

A cringe series that was honestly one of those shows that you love because it's not good. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to see something with clear consent, but this would definitely be the last thing I'd recommend someone starting out in BL.

Read More

A Tragically Well-Done Political Romance

Wow. I am in awe. I am not the type to be fond of romances heavily involving a political massacre or the prospects of living in secret due to high intensities of homophobia, but this was just absolute perfection. Shine, what a series you are. Mixed with the upheaval of political unrest, including student protesters, high-end rich folks, and free-spirited hippies, this series had it all.

Let's Dive In.

I want to first state how impressive of a performance Mile and Apo bring to the screen. This was their best work yet. I'd never seen Mu Huang (and probably won't), but even without my knowledge of their performances in that, I still know this has to be the best they've put out. With the addition of Son, Euro, Peter, and Kob, the acting was top tier. Paired with a delectable script, there's is no way Shine won't be finding its way into my top 5 of this year.

The story is tragic. I would not recommend this to anyone not ready for the themes presented in this, which is every trigger warning about anything ever. Nevertheless, the subjects that Shine "shine" a light on are poetically infused with passion, anger, depression, angst, and even a good handful of humor. Truthfully, this entire series is written like a poem. At first hand, it's a little hard to keep up with, and this is definitely not the series to have as a background watch. You have to pay close attention to the details and the dialogue, or you could miss critical components. Multiple times I had to rewind and really digest the words on my screen. This is not an easy watch, wait to see this for when you can sit down and really observe.

The romance in this is crushingly grievous. Both pairings have unreal chemistry, and leave you yearning so, so, so much. You have Trin and Tanwa's story that is a pleasant warm blanket until it's not. And then you have Krailert and Naran's story that is all clandestine meetups and secretive passages in the newspaper until it's gutted so hard you will cry. I am no crier, but the tears will come, trust me.

I like how accurate of a tale this is. Nothing is rainbows and sunshine and unicorns like some BLs would transform stories like this to be, it is an actual tale of what would happen if this was real life. Placed in a time of needed government reform and fierce bigotry, this was everything it needed to unfortunately be.

The saddest story of them all is Victor's. I cannot believe this was Peter's first acting gig, and what a performance it was. As Victor, he played this rebellious college student to a T. His tragic demise was such a plot twist for me. I wasn't expecting it at all, and it crushed me. I need to see Peter back on my screen. I'm hopeful he'll get new work in the coming year.

I was fooled plenty of times, but the revelation to Dhevi's wicked scheme was so left field I had to pause my screen and just sit in quiet for a moment. Throughout the series, we are meant to feel bad for Dhevi. She wants to be loved, she wants to have a child, all of which Krailert is not mentally and/or physically able to give her. So the unveiling of her plan all along and the way she dragged Krailert since the beginning was just a throat-punch to the neck. But even still, there is a part of me that resonates with her. Not her evilness, but the yearn for something/someone that isn't available. Veera's death was another hard pill to swallow, as you root for him and Dhevi for the longest. I wonder what the circumstance would've looked like if Dhevi would've revealed what she knew all along in the beginning. They could've lived in a lavender relationship whilst having their own romances on the side. Truly one of the mot heartbreaking stories in Shine.

Trin and Tanwa's story is the only one with a happy ending. Thankfully, with only a two-year time jump, Tanwa, tasked with finding his way through his depression and misery by Trin, is able to become his self again thanks to his dad, of all people. They later met, fall in love, and literally live happily ever after. That ending scene was a real tribute of long-lasting love and the possibly of same-sex couples growing old together.

Krailert and Naran...phew. That's all I really can come up with.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Perfection. Also, just a beautiful script. A standing ovation to the writers. The cinematography, the color grading, the camera work compliment the themes in this so well. I also appreciate the hair, wardrobe, and makeup department. Actors looked like they were in the 70s. Brilliant. There are some little things here and there, but overall, amazing.

Acting: 10/10 - beautiful performances from literally everyone. Not notes here.

Music: 8/10 - I am not a music girlie by any means, but every song worked so perfectly in this. I even stayed to listen to Tanwa sing, and I never do that.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - It's pretty low, I know, but I don't recommend this unless you have the guts to handle it.

Omg, doing all of this reviewing, and I didn't even talk about the NC scenes. PERFECTION. but, BOC doesn't usually miss that nail. So if it helps, you see plenty of beautifully naked men that kind of balance out all the sad shit (kinda).

Read More

OffGun Does Cute Well ... Obviously

There was no doubt in my mind when starting the first episode that Off and Gun were going to give exactly what I wanted: sweet, sexy, and silly -- all of the Ss! What a cute little series, packed with some great comedy and some lovely characters. However, for me, something doesn't entirely click.

Let's Dive In.

For starters, this series felt entirely like Off and Gun instead of their characters. So much to the point where I don't even remember their characters' names outside of their nicknames. If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere how this was a series Off and Gun created themselves, which is maybe why it feel so offputting. The acting isn't bad per say -- because they can act, obviously, and there are scenes that they do great emotionally in, but something in their acting didn't reach for me. It might be because they're so comfortable with one another that they start acting like themselves instead of how their characters would act. Either way, this is kind of my only argument, that it feels disingenious somewhere in the middle. However, that doesn't mean I don't love seeing these vets do their thing on screen, and of course, I was still smiling all big and happy.

So going frrm there, I'll try leaning into the relationship of Doc and Chef outside of the actors. The first few episodes sold me. I was absolutely in love with the concept of this, something not original, but such a spin with having a culinary student and another working on becoming a doctor instead of the typical majors BL supplies us with. Chef is very endearing, going for a goal that isn't all that easy to reach while still providing for his family. This is how he gets into this situation in the first place, with needing Doc's money to help his sister out. Doc is silly, he has an edge to him when it comes to his father and stepmother, but yet we see such a precious side around his friends and Chef. Their build-up is great, and their executions in other scenes set their tone perfectly, except, I was bewildered by some of the bad kissing. I'm going to assume this is more of a director's choice, but their first kiss and a few more throughout the series were just -- really bad. Others were great, just like how you'd imagine OffGun to kiss. Closer to the end, their relationship kind of plateaus for me. it's no longer exciting in the sense of Chef and Doc, and more so, again, just Off and Gun. Their individual stories capture how they come about now as adults, but there are some scenes that seem nonsensical, like Doc's dad having a nurse that was identical to his mom, which they could've played more on like being his mom's twin sister, or maybe his dad is crazy and cloned her or something. That just felt very too circumstantial. Another was Doc punching the celebrity chef guy, which yes, he deserved, but in such an environment like that one, pulling Chef away and giving a stern talking to would've been enough too. There are some others, but overall, they are good stories.

Moving onto the secondary couple, Firefly and Dynamite. So in love with their dynamic. Dynamite has this major crush on Firefly who saved him in a bullying accident, doing whatever he can to get this cute guy to notice him. In the beginning, it's a little zany how much Dynamite goes after him, especially without a backstory, which I think they should've shown earlier in the series so I didn't just think Dynamite was kooky for thinking someone is so handsome to the point where he liked them so much. Near the middle, it's when they get a lot closer, and a lot cuter. I like this aspect of their characters that pick and tease at one another and then can become so cheesy and in love the next. Their chemistry and build-up take a little bit to get there, but when it does, it's strong and very tensional. Firefly's whole problem is that he's too loyal to his strict mom, doing everything he can to please her even if it means he ignores his own feelings. This is given a resolution by the end, with Firefly's mom walking away, but then they give her a terrible redemption arc in the last episode, and it's like, okay whatever. Overall, I liked them in the beginning more than I did in the end, only because they didn't do physical very well, even with the couple of hugs and cheek kisses they gave one another. It threw off their connection to me when they did, and them not getting an actual kiss felt weird, but whatever. Aungpao did great for his very first GMMTV series. I liked his dynamic more with the trio, which is where part of this series does it for me.

Talking about the trio, they were golden. I loved when friend groups feel genuine, and you can see the different personality each of them bring to carry this heartful friendship. I loved Samsi, quite literally my favorite character to see. Such a loving guy, who just loved being around his friends, that felt heartbroken with their secrets, but in the end, knowing that they were always going to be there for him no matter what. He does comedy better than any of the other's did, except, there were some weight jokes thrown in there, which is normal for Thai BLs to do with bigger characters, but nonetheless, still pinching a nerve somewhere inside of me. I'm glad he gets his own partner, but my only argument with that is that he and Metha had built such a great enemies-to-lovers trope, so why not just have them get together?

The production value was great, with a bit too many production placements, but I'll digress. The food looked amazing, I liked that each episode starts off with showing a menu item.

Rating:

Story: 7.5/10 - Great! it flowed rather nicely, with a few hiccups, but nothing not watch-worthy.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Everyone did good, with Dome (Samsi) playing his character the best IMO. OffGun felt too much like OffGun, but they can still act. Neo did a great job, but he always does well with comedic roles. Aungpao did amazing for his first time, especially with such an already-established cast.

Music: 6/10 - I didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - this is cute in lots of aspects. Even with my little critics of this series, I still recommend it. it's lighthearted (for the most part), pretty funny, and an easy watch.

Read More