Unpopularopinionbydemand

Not What I Was Expecting

I thought this in 2024, and I still think this in 2025: Japan still hold superiority as the country (imo) with the best BLs. Even though the list is tiny, the series are always so mighty. 9 times out of 10, I will always come to enjoy a JBL, wether it be the plot or the acting or the chemistry. So, I'm extremely disappointed in my feelings for I Hear the Sunspot.

Lets's Dive In.

I have heard nothing but hype for this series for a long time. It was on people's top series for 2024, it was trending on lots of platforms, even folk on here have had more positive than negative to say about this series; and still, it let me down pretty harshly. The story itself is really interesting: a popular student, who ends up developing hearing lost, looses all confidence and then meets an extroverted and loud student willing to teach him how to live again while helping him with his class notes. It had everything in it and more. I genuinely enjoyed the setup of this series. I liked how when Taichi and Kohei meet, it's very natural and organic with Taichi immediately wanting to get to know and be friends with Kohei. I really liked Taichi's group of friends as well, all their conversations sounded organic and they seemed like genuine friends. Overall, outside of the romance, this series delivered very well. It's when we get into the connection between Kohei and Taichi that this series goes downhill for me.

I absolutely hate to say this, but Taichi and Kohei felt more like a bromance than two people that had feelings for each other. A glorified friendship, if you will. Had they not ended up confessing to one another, I would've thought this was just a friendship thing. Sometimes they gave really great longing stares, but Taichi, most importantly, just gave off "I'm a straight guy who really likes to help out my friend Kohei." What really did it for me was the fake kiss. A fake kiss, in 2024? And then, they don't kiss at all once they're together, we get some measly hug and then they sit meters away from each other at their spot. I think someone already said it, but these two needed another episode or two, maybe so that we could see their relationship blossom and grow, to at least see them kiss or hold hands or go on a date. Instead, I was left incredibly crushed by this relationship as it served nothing for me. I think both actors worked good together, but when it came to chemistry, it just didn't reach me at all. And if I don't like the main point of a BL, which is all about the love and romance, then a series is already doomed.

Moving onto the Maya character: I try not to hate the female characters in BL cause we don't get enough of them anyways, but Maya annoyed me to no end. She was obviously used as a tool to help Taichi realize his feelings for Kohei and feel some sort of jealousy, but she was mean and abrasive for no reason. I'm assuming she had a crush on Kohei, then to learn that Kohei had feelings for Taichi, she ended up feeling some sort of way. She tried her best to separate them, to make Taichi feel left out, to dis-include him from things, to paint him as a terrible, horrible, no-good guy. What really irked me more than anything was that they tried to give her some redemption arc, but no, absolutely not.

One aspect that I think I liked the most that saved this series from getting a too low score: the relationship Taichi had with his grandfather and the relationship Kohei had with his mother. His grandfather, although not good with emotions and a little oblivious, was so perfect as Taichi's guardian. I loved that old man to no extent, and he delivered perfectly. The same goes for Kohei's mom, who just wanted the best for him, and tried her best to make him happy. I love seeing these healthy family dynamics, and it always makes my heart swell.

Curiosity question: Was the way Taichi walked Toranosuke (Taichi's actor) own personal disability or was that more of just a character choice? I don't know if anyone noticed in the series, but each time Taichi walked, it was like he was limping or maybe had some kind of disability that made him walk a little funny. Not me trying to bash anyone, just wondering if that was a character choice Toranosuke went with for his character or if he seriously has some kind of disability.

Ratings:

Story: 7/10: the story itself, outside the romance, was well done. I liked seeing the character development in Kohei specifically, from going to being cold and quiet to smiling and friendly. The romance did not romance enough for me, which is why I'll knock off three stars.

Acting: 9/10: Their strongest aspect. Toranosuke did such a good job, with Motoki following second (it also didn't hurt that he was beautiful). Everyone did excellent as well.

Music: 5/10: didn't pay much attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 5.5/10: The last J-BL I would recommend, to be honest. Not terrible other than the fact I felt nothing for the leads. The story itself thought, is rather interesting, so watch for that.

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Eh....

Not one of my favorites that I've seen from Japan, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this series even a tinsy little bit. My Personal Weatherman brings about a toxic tale of poorly executed love and its downfalls.

Let's Dive In.

One reason this series doesn't do it for me is because the leads kept going in a circle and achieved no real resolution, nor did they ever give themselves time to be open and honest with one another. I saw another comment where someone said this couple doesn't do talking and instead they're the masters at paying attention to each other's subtle messages, and once seeing it from that view, I understood them a bit better, but I'm the type of person that's always second guessing what someone is thinking or saying or feeling about me, so I would've loved it if at some point in the series they had a sit-down and open conversation on their feelings towards one another.

And circling back to the no real resolution -- Well, they don't. They'll continue to go in a cycle of Yoh feeling like his life means nothing and Mizsuki will continue being jealous any time Yoh hangs out with his friends and will continue being shut off about his feelings. This also goes for Yoh who wants Mizuki to show some sign of want and need, except he only ever communicated this when drunk. And the way Mizuki manhandled Yoh just wasn't my cup of tea. But besides that, the actors had great chemistry and great intimacy.

I liked the best friend of Yoh, I think she was a great addition to the story and I liked all the added Manga effects whenever we saw her or whenever she was around Mizuki.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - It's very intriguing to see their dynamic, and I kept wondering how they're going to inevitably fix it, but nothing is fixed, and they're still obviously going to have problems in the future. but nonetheless, this was a short and easy watch with me finishing in one sitting. I liked the best friend and her husband a lot.

Ating: 9/10 - Good! Nothing inherently bad or inherently good, but it works for this series. Kouhei's (Mizuki) acting stood out the best with having the fake persona around others and his real one around only Yoh.

Music: 7/10 - Didn't pay it much mind, but I liked how the music wasn't overbearing during their intimate scenes and we really got to see and hear everything going on.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Not something I'd recommend to the regular ole' BL fan. It's very twisted and very dark, reminding me of my hatred of My Beautiful Man, but at least this one isn't as bad. But I have a plethora of other JBLs that hit the mark, so sadly, this one is a no-go.

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Decent Enough

There's nothing wrong with this really down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky series about love life and laughter. I think in general it did its job, kept me entertained and for the most part not bored, but it also had a lot of just nothing to it.

Let's Dive In.

Bon Appetit is the romance story of the overworked office employee and his old college mate who happens to move into the apartment beside his -- and cooks. I thought it to be pretty weird that he moved into the room beside his old crush purposefully, but for fictional purposes, I'll look over this. Anyway, most of the story takes place with Doyoon and his very annoying co-workers so I skipped all the scenes with them in it after like episode 1. And since they take up most of the screen time, I will say that I can't give this the most proper score, but also know that it was just a bunch of office jargon and going back and forth about nothing that was going to move the plot along.

Onto the romance: I thought it was pretty cute. I like that we didn't dwell much on the fact that Yoonsoo was gay or that Doyoon suddenly just started liking guys. It just happened and there wasn't any sad backstory or dark plot to pair with it. They were just gay and in love. Perfect. I honestly could've done without Sangwoo's character cause it just felt like a large waste of time.

Loved Seobin's guest role! It was so nice to see him again!

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - the office jargon was so fucking boring that I skipped literally all of it. And since more than half of the story takes place at the office, this is the best score I can give. Other than that, I liked the romance and Seobin's role.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! Pretty mediocre, but nothing bad about that, it just doesn't really stand out like the acting in other series.

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 7/10 - Sure, if you want another k-BL to watch, and both actors do get shirtless eventually and that's nice too. Otherwise, this might be okay to skip seeing as I'll probably forget I watched it in like a week.

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So freaking Cute

I went into this not knowing the plot, not knowing the characters' names, and not even understanding at all absolutely anything about the series. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised. An original story, one I've never heard of, played by two beautiful men and told in the best way. I loved it!

Let's Dive In.

So, I for one have never seen are watched anything dealing with an amnesia storyline. I think it's an interesting syndrome and personally, one that I've always feared. Imagine just one day waking up and not remembering the most important parts of your life. Scary. So off the bat, I'm very intrigued with everything going on.

I'm glad they showed us their past relationship interloping with their in-present experience. Watching Fumiya hold back and not love on Ritsu like he would've liked to was hard, but he's the reason for that, so I guess I don't feel too bad. Fumiya definitely shouldn't have kept such a big secret from Ritsu when he was trying his hardest to remember the most important parts of his life, which was definitely Fumiya. I wished he would've told him as soon as he got out of the hospital, and tried to somewhat rebuild what they used to have until Ritsu got his memories back and then it could've been happily ever after. But then again, where's the conflict in that?

Their romance was cute but I think their connection was better before they became a couple. After that, It loses some of its spark, but it's still good, just not the best. Decent kiss scenes, very soft and sensual NC scenes, it was all nicely done.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Such a fun story! So original and so new, so super fun to watch. I loved the main characters, even though their relationship wasn't as strong as I would've liked it to be.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Great! The emotions out of the leads were amazing. I hope to see them again for sure.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it so, it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 7.5/10 - A high recommendation! Super fun to watch, the story flows pretty nicely (especially for a series with only 6 episodes) and I really enjoyed myself. So definitely give this one a watch.

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Earth and Mix Do It Again!

While ATOTS is still my by far favorite MixEarth series, they seriously delivered here. They both pulled through with the acting and their ability to be hopelessly in love with one another. This was my most anticipated series in 2022 when it was announced. It didn't come through all the way, but for what I got, I'm more than satisfied.

Let's Dive In.

This was some of Earth and Mix's most complex story yet, focusing on the collateral damage of past relationships and how age and growth play into it. Jim and Wen are some very complex characters that both actors portrayed beautifully. Their relationship doesn't completely hit me in the heart like I wanted it to, but it was still entertaining. I think one reason is that they drag on them being in a relationship and not being in a relationship and it feels very cat and mouse like. Also, they try to push Earth to be 40 years old and since his age plays no factor in anything that's happened in the past or present, it doesn't make sense why he needs to be that age. He could've been his same age and the story would've played out the exact same. Either way, I liked them a lot, especially in the end when they're looking at their future home and building their business together.

Moving onto Heart and Li Ming who are the real reason why I loved this series. Gemini and Fourth do it again, they manage to lock me in a chokehold and I can't ever get out (not that I want to either). They were so perfect in this series -- so gentle with one another and being such an important part of each other's lives. Li Ming is so incredibly patient with Heart, learning the language, being comfortable with other forms of communication -- it's literally so perfect. They felt pretty similar to Tinn and Gun from MSP, which I'm okay with, but it would've also been nice to see a slight difference in their dynamic. However, from MSP to this series, Fourth's acting has improved greatly. He performs the more dramatic moments very nicely. Without any lines, Gemini has to lean on his other skills, and while they aren't as strong as Fourth's performance, he still does an excellent job. I'll be nit-picky here and say the only thing I hated was that they faked their kiss in episode 6 which is very uncalled for, and not something I saw coming in a GMMTV series.

Khaotung. What more can I say? Even with him playing a less-than-important role here, he still hits it out of the park. Just the pure emotion of being excited to tell Jim about his crush to then being let down, and you can see it all in his expression, his eyes. God, this dude is so perfect, like it's surreal. The same goes for First, he does a great job in this. I kind of wished they would've introduced his character in the first episode since the first two episodes were kind of a drag, but his entry was still very clever and very intriguing. I would honestly like to see how things end with those two, so maybe a special episode? or a spinoff?

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - it drags in the first two episodes and then starts getting interesting after that. I would've liked it better had First's character been introduced in the first episode. Other than that, the story is very good and very intriguing.

Acting: 9/10 - Everyone did a phenomenal job, but who really makes the top of my list is Khaotung. That man can act his ass off, my goodness.

Music; 6/10 - didn't pay much attention to it other than the song Kaipa plays for his mom at her funeral.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - very intriguing, very interesting, and I highly recommend it.

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More Weiw Please!

After waiting for 3 years for Between Us, I'm glad that this came out to be a good series, which was entertaining and complex in the plot. I was worried we were going to have a Love By Chance 2 or any other terrible sequel to an already perfect series. But this outdid itself.

Let's Die In.

This takes place at the very beginning of UWMA, but from Win and Team's perspective. They still intertwined some moments between Dean and Pharm, which I absolutely loved. Their story was good, it kept me entertained, it only falters a bit due to some poor communication that I feel like at Win and Team's big age they shouldn't have, but other than that, it's good. Prem is seriously an incredible actor. The pool scene was done so perfectly that I got teary-eyed (which rarely happens). I'm glad that we get to see both of them shine here. Their chemistry is amazing, they have such a dynamic that it's so clear through the screen.

Then we get more into Win's family situation while Team is going through his own problems with the death of his friend (cousin?) from when he was young. Waan was an okay character. His story with Yacht's character was really intriguing, but they literally drag it out so much that they don't get together until the end of the series, which was a bit annoying. They were giving me superman vibed because how could Waan not hear that the voice on the phone was obviously Tul's? Anyways, I'm in love with Weiw and I wish that he had his own pairing.

I really enjoyed the ABC group surprisingly. Bee and Prince's story felt a little out of place, but Benz was so cute, so I don't mind. Kind of sort of the same with Pluek and Manow, I didn't care for them but she's so adorable and hilarious that I don't mind it.

I really appreciated how there wasn't any heavy makeup or bright filters placed over the actors. We could actually see their skin and even some actors' acne, but it just adds on to the reality of all this. I want more barely there makeup, it looks so good.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - It's good! Some spots falter because it's just back-and-forth miscommunication. Other than that, it's a great plot!

Acting: 10/10 - I never usually give a 10/10 to the acting, but there's literally not a singular person who didn't do a good job. Prem being the best, and it just follows after that.

Music: 8/10 - They brought back some of my favorites from UWMA!! Yay!

Recommndation Value: 7.5/10 - Highly recommend. Especially if you were a UWMA person. I still think UWMA is better, but this series does it justice, and it really is an enjoyable watch. I didn't skip over anything, I didn't hate watching one couple than the other, it was really great.

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Eh

I think someone said it already, but yes, the highlight of this series was the height difference, and yes, I am that shallow. I'm not going to harp on this series too much because it obviously didn't have a big budget, nor did it have credible actors. But for what it's worth, I think it actually wasn't that bad for the budget it was given.

Let's Dive In.

The premise of the show is decent. It's actually pretty well thought out and somewhat original. It takes itself off coarse many times due to the lack of a coherent script and actors who can dish it out. But again, for what it's worth, it's not that bad.

The romance is eh. Their height difference carried me to the end for sure. I did enjoy their little face-painting thing, and the interview at the end was cute. Outside of those moments, everything else was okay. Pete's acting is stale and Tonliew's is mediocre. They have zero connection, and only a pinch of chemistry at the end.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - Okay. Good in some parts and bad in others.

Acting: 7/10 - Eh. They were new actors so I'll give them some leeway, but I've seen better. Tonliew was probably their strongest actor.

Music: 5/10 - I don't remember.

Rewatch Value: 2/10 - Maybe any time Putter is looming over Yoshi like a tower. Other than that, probably not.

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More Cohesive Than Season 1

Going into this, I was a little taken back that they only decided to continue the story of 2 out of the 6 couples they told in season 1. But by doing so, the plot was held together nicely, and they developed a decent story that followed along an easier path. Close Friend Season 2 has definitely outshone its prior season, and I'm quite pleased to say I'm looking forward to season 3.

Let's Dive In.

They took the story of Piece/Typhoon and Jedi/Ray and combined the two, where both of their stories overlap with one another. Phoon and Ray have been friends for a while, with Phoon helping Ray with his obsession with Jedi and being a good friend that gives him great advice. And Pierce is the songwriter who writes music for Jedi. So throughout, they all have interactions with one another while simultaneously dealing with their own conflicts. In the end, it all gets better.

Their choice of only continuing the lives of only two of their couples was a great idea. It worked because the storyline isn't jumbled up, and theirs no time for filler or unnecessary situations, and it all flows steadily on a thoroughly planned out plot. Even though I would LOVE to see more of Jimmy and Tommy's story (the 1990s couple) I was still please with what we did get. Max and Nat's story wasn't all that memorable, so it probably would be difficult to fit them in somehow. Lay and Yoon's story was decent, but nothing I craved to see more of. And of course, the cat story HAD to go. Anyways, the choices in this department worked out perfectly, and I enjoyed what I got to watch.

I remembered not liking Peirce and Typhoon's story all that much last season, but they redeemed themselves here. Pierce has that incredible fear of coming out to his parents, and Phoon is patient, but since they've been dating for so long, it's getting old for him. Phoon also gets a job at the same company as Pierce which causes some office turmoil, but I like that this part of their conflict was resolved pretty quickly and didn't linger on much more than needed. Eventually, Peirce comes out to his parents, and everything is wonderful and rainbows. I'm satisfied with what we got, but their story could've definitely been a lot stronger.

Jedi and Ray were why this works so well for me. I'm not usually a big fan of the idol/normal person stories that follow the same plot: the public finds out about idol's boyfriend, idol is told to break up with boyfriend but he refuses, idol then goes public with his boyfriend, it all works out because they both gain more fame from it. It's very much so blah blah blah, but, because it was Kimmon and Copter, it just worked. Copter is fucking adorable in this with his little pouts, panics, and whatnot. Once again, their dynamic is spot on. Chemistry is strong, and I can't wait to watch their other projects together.

Something I don't normally speak on, but I liked that the actors had on barely-there makeup, and we actually see their skin and they look imperfect because that's how everyone looks. It's a very different change in the usually caked-on, filter-heavy shit that's usually plastered onto the faces of these actors. Good job!

I sometimes take time to watch the BTS of series, but this show gave us the honor to watch it by putting it into the outro of each episode, and it was a delight to watch. It shows you that these actors are close in real life and just had fun playing their roles. It makes the story feel more real in a sense.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Decent. A lot better than their stories in season 1. It follows a straight path from point A to point B and doesn't have anything unnecessary happen. Jedi and Ray's story is a lot more endearing than Peirce and Phoons's, but still, a very good job.

Acting: 9 - Good! Everyone did decently, and nothing was off! Some hiccups here and there, but overall, it was fine.

Music: 8 - I enjoyed the intro song a lot. Also, the songs Jedi sings weren't that bad either.

Rewatch value: 4.5 - Ehh, probably not. Not because it was bad, but just because it wasn't so good that I just need to rewatch it.

In the last few minutes, they bring in the adorable Bas and his partner Dun (from Gen Y) and show us that they've been living in Korea as Bas' character lives out his dream until they find out about Jedi and Ray and decide to move back to Thailand. I'm kind of excited to see how season 3 will take place, knowing these two will be added into the chaos. Overall, a decent watch, I recommend it, and you don't have to watch season 1 to be able to watch this.

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Credible Piece of K-BL

I won't spend much time on this since there are plenty of other reviews, but I do have a few things to say. It's nice to see for once a K-BL that has a decent run-time. No quick romances, no rushed plots, and some very nice character development. While this was just another ordinary college love story, Semantic Error did one heck of a job at getting it right.

Let's Dive In.

Semantic Error is a Korean college-based love story about a stoic uke and his bubbly seme (a dynamic I always love). They end up meeting on not-so-good terms, but through some trials and tribulations, their relationship starts to bloom. The plot is as basic as it can get; throw in a little enemies to lovers, and you've got yourself the formula for a simple BL drama. However, with a great cast and a crew that had a good clue about what they were doing, SE came out to be way better than I expected. With something that gains a lot of hype, I tend not to be able to watch it for what it is, and instead for what others want me to see it as. While I really did like SE, it was very far from perfect.

For one, I'm not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, so the first few episodes were quite annoying with Jae Young going around and intruding into Sang Woo's personal space after he's explained multiple times to leave him alone. Same can kind of go with Sang Woo with his tendency to be just a little too stoic at times, and dismissing Jae Young's feelings about not being able to go on his trip. Once we hit the middle mark, things start to get better. Their build-up was fantastic. My favorite part of a BL is watching their feelings for one another blossom, which this series does a perfect job at. However, there was a nonconsent kiss that was thrown in, and it's so left-field. You would never guess that something like that would happen when the plot was running so gracefully, but as soon as that happen, I was pretty much confused. Jae Young would've been so willing to kiss Sang Woo if he were awake, why do it when he's asleep? The ending was pretty good, and I wouldn't have expected anything different.

One thing that for sure caught my eye was the beautiful height difference. I'm so weak for that shit. So when Sang Woo gets on his tiptoes to kiss Jae Young, yep, that was the moment.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - as basic as it could get, but it still was entertaining and enjoyable. With a good cast and a decent script, this simplicity and overused story arc worked. The main pairing also had a really good build-up that was the highlight of my watch.

Acting: 8.5 - Everyone's acting was really good. I think there were times when Jae Chan (Sang Woo) should've put on a stronger performance, or not just have one facial expression for the first four episodes, but that might've been more of a director's choice. Everyone else was decent, including the supporting characters.

Music: 6 - Again, I don't really pay attention to that type of stuff, but it wasn't disturbing to the series, so I'll give it a 6.

Rewatch value: 1 - I did really like it, but this is very far from my taste of rewatching material.

I do recommend this BL for anyone just entering the BL scene. It was pretty lighthearted for the most part, it could be funny at times when it wanted to be, and if the simple plot doesn't do it for you, then the beauty of the leads will.

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Completed-ish

I remember when I saw the trailer for this and was genuinely excited, so excited that I decided to wait until it finished airing so I could sit and binge-watch, something that takes me less than a week to do (depending on how many episodes and run time). But I feel like I've been trapped in an uncomfortable position through this watch. There were times I liked it, there were some hidden gems that kept me going, but then it felt like I was watching paint dry, and I can't explain to you how soullessly boring that is.

Let's Dive In.

The story of Physical Therapy was a concept we had rarely seen before, which is why I was so excited about it. Our main lead ends up hurting himself and because of that, a doctor decides to go home with him and take care of him. Some other things happen that are way left-field, and quite frankly I was confused the entire time. Mind you, I watch thoroughly through the first 9 episodes but skipped over the scenes that tired me out 10-12. By episode 9, shouldn't I have a clue what's going on? Is it only me that felt like I couldn't keep up? So much was happening so fast that the series didn't give me a chance to digest what they were feeding me? I don't know what it was about this series, but I really felt like I couldn't keep up, and that's never happened before. With a decent production team and a mediocre cast, Physical Therapy gave us nothing whilst still giving us a bit of something that motivated me to finish.

Let's start off with what I didn't like to lead us out of what I did like: Again, this was like watching cows eat grass. There were times I caught myself reading the subtitles but not actually catching anything it was saying. And that usually leads me to hysteria and having to continuously go back to re-read, but here, I just didn't care. There were so many side-plots introduced, and I couldn't tell you a single thing about them. Even the main plot was difficult to comprehend. Thre's a part where Pun apparently has known Milk before they met for the first time, and I'm still lost on that part. I don't get Milk's position at his workplace, I don't understand how a certified doctor felt the need to go home with a patient and do not an ounce of physical therapy. How was anything allowed to happen in this series? Seriously, my interpretation of this must've been completely different. There were too many concepts on top of already complicated concepts, and it throws you out of the story completed. Characters weren't full characters, they felt more like last-minute add-ins, moreover, there were way too many of them. I remember two names, Milk and Pun, that's it. You couldn't ask me anything about the rest of them cause I don't even know. I passed over the hetero relationship after I saw in the previews he weirdly grabs her, and I wasn't about to sit through that. The other doctor's story was my little hidden gem until it wasn't. All of the office people were one too many. This suffers badly from poor writing, tiresome plots, and unenjoyable characters.

I rarely ever genuinely cringe, but there were some times in this that I couldn't even look at the screen. These long pauses led to some insufferable squirm, even some moments that were supposed to be intimate and romantic were too bad to watch. While Milk and Pun did have a really good kiss, their chemistry was trash. There were times when it looked like they didn't even want to be touching one another. And chemistry is everything in a BL, if you don't have that, then you have nothing. There were just some other things that were shot so oddly, there were lines said that I could see the look in the actors' eyes like they were suffering through their role. God, it was so bad.

Petch is not a good actor. I'm sorry, I usually say something on nicer terms, but he was just really bad. He had this hideous stare-thing that made him look like a creep more than a guy in love. He said his lines so monotonously, his face had one expression, he delivered no type of motivation in his acting. They took a tall handsome guy off the street and asked if he could be in this. That's how I feel. Of course, there's room for improvement, and lord knows he needs it before he's cast in any other role. This could've been more because of the role he was given or maybe the director had no drive to tell him to do anything else but be tall and handsome. Gosh, if I ever see him again, he better come through with a strong performance, cause this was just absolute garbage.

Okay, anyways, what I liked: I loved Milk, Son specifically. Out of everyone, Son was the best actor. The best I've seen? No, he still needed some room to grow, but he played into the personality of his character, and he did a really good job compared to the rest of them.

The production was really nice. I genuinely enjoyed the music, and I don't remember any ad placements, so that's another bonus.

The height difference was the only thing that motivated me to finish. I'm no stronger than the next person. I see uneven heights and I fall into a void. And Milk was so small and tiny, and Pun just towered him.

Ratings:

Story: 4.5 - I was confused more than half the time I was watching. Again, I didn't truthfully watch the last 3 episodes, which is my own fault but still, I shouldn't be confused on episode 9. I did like the other doctor's story, which I'm giving two stars for, and the height difference gets the other 2.5.

Acting: 6: Petch was just bad. Son was hands down their strongest actor. The rest of the cast was mediocre. I actually really enjoyed it anytime the twins were on screen. I'll give 3 towards Milk, 2 towards the twins, and 1 because I feel bad.

Music: 8: decent. I quite liked it. It was the show's strong suit.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Hell would have to freeze over.

I hate being so harsh on this series because I really did want to like this, but I just couldn't. I had to skip all the behind-the-scenes cause I knew if I watched them, I would immediately feel empathy for the cast and the crew, and my emotions would clog how I genuinely felt towards this series. It needs so much real work. I think this really could've been such a good series, but with a lack of good acting, overly complicated plots, and a dead main relationship, this was mediocre at best.

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Team Non (even though I shouldn't be....)

Surprisingly, I was more enraptured in part 2 than part 1. I know, I shocked myself too, but I found myself overwhelming excited to move on to the next episode. I won't lie, however, the first few were kind of tedious. We take a spin back into the first season, for no apparent reason, and we're also introduced to a potential new pairing (literally the duplicate of Valen, Kaitoon, and Non, just in smaller font) that felt very half-assed as we don't see very much of them. There are some inconsistencies and a few bits that can be labeled aggravating for sure, but overall, it was a good watch.

Let's Dive In.

Love Area Part 2 is the continuation of the first. Valen and Kaitoon continue their little quarrel until Valen finally grows some balls and confesses to Kaitoon, with a lovely kiss. They go through their own trials and tribulations (most of those being aggravating) and again, Non is like the sad little puppy nobody pays attention to on adoption day. King and Peat's story is just utterly sad and raw. I think they're why I enjoyed the series so much. We're introduced to a new couple, June, Bill (forgive me if it's actually Win, but I forgot names and lowkey faces, so I'm just gonna go with Bill), and Toy. As I said, the literal duplicate of the main leads in which Toy pines for June but June is so oblivious and in love with Bill that Toy just has to roll with the punches. I didn't care for them all too much, on top of the fact that their story was given very little development or attention. All of this combined into one little 8 episode series was a lot, and yet, so much was left unsaid.

Getting into what I like. Ohm. Period. Ohm blew me away in episode (whatever episode Peat cheats with Jeff's character). The emotions in his voice, his face, his posture, urgh, it was amazing. I found myself sitting there and weeping with him when in the beginning of Part 1, I could've cared less for him or Peat. But I was invested for sure. I liked how they portrayed a love so unhealthy, yet there's something so compelling that they believe getting back together would work. And we see their faults. We see the way Peat is with Ice and how secretive he acts. We see King have a hard time differentiating if what he's feeling for Peat is love or lust at this point. For it all to come tumbling down (and Jeff is *chef's kiss* a bad person, but so good at it). That turning point in his dynamic is when we see him stop caring, and we see that in the way his apartment is covered in filth and the way he loses motivation in doing anything. I think they treated this couple with the most realistic outcome. Yes, there were some nit-picky things, but they really outdid themselves this season. I also like how Ice wasn't used as King's rebound and felt more like a really good friend. A big step from season one when they made me highly uncomfortable with how they were portraying his character. Granted, this could all change if we get a part 3, but as long as King and Ice's relationship isn't explicit or rushed and shown to be slow and patient, then I think at some point I could come to terms with it.

Again, I fucking loved Non. He still was treated dirty, but I think (..?) I'm satisfied with where he is right now. I was at least happy that they kind of sort of gave us a little look into what a relationship between them would look like, but of course, when you look at it for what it truly is, you see that Non is the only one in it, and Kaitoon is just hurting. There were some weird pauses and some awkward staring in some parts that threw me off of the KaitoonNon love train. It just made them feel like strangers, and it's obvious the connection between the actors is not as strong as it is between Kaitoon and Valen. I really hoped for something different this season, but, oh well. We got a very sweet kiss, a cute little vacation, and some really nice Non-caring-for-Kaitoon scenes, so I'm okay. Hopefully if there is a part 3, Non can be given his own love interest who's actually interested in him.

All the intimate scenes are down so nicely. I was scared that they'd be weak, chaste, forced, but they're natural, and you can feel in the way they stare at one another right before they kiss that they wanted it really bad. Valen and Kaitoon for sure came to show out. So lovely, so patient, so intimate, and so enjoyable.

Lastly, the music was superb. I didn't pay any attention to their music in part 1, but in this, I feel like I thrived in it. The ballad during their tough moments, or even their romantic ones added so much more to the scenes. Toy's actor apparently sang one of the songs, and he does an excellent job.

Onto what needed fixing: Kaitoon and Valen's relationship was good until it wasn't. Again, miscommunication and stubborn characters led to the ever-so-tiring breakup. With just an ounce of communication, all the misunderstandings could've been solved. But then again, Kaitoon did nothing wrong..? He was sitting there minding his own while Peat and Jeff's character decided to get rowdy, I don't see how that's his fault, or even why Valen would get so upset at him the way he does. It's very annoying, and you just can't stop but get even more annoyed as it continues on and you shout to your scream, "let him talk," at the top of your lungs. He also showcases some pretty possessive behavior at the beginning of their relationship. Red flag! They're left open-ended, and I think I liked this better than a last-minute redemption arc for Valen or their relationship.

They introduce this potential new pairing for them to just really give us nothing. Not much to talk about on them since I sadly didn't care much for them. I feel sad for Toy who seems to be a fucking angel, and I don't feel like repeating that sadness yet again. I think this is my first encounter of a trans character's relationship actually being portrayed as real and not some silly, maybe a bit stalkerish thing. Applaud for this series for taking it seriously.

The inconsistency with Kaitoon's haircut is distracting and highly confusing. I kept thinking we were seeing flashbacks, but they are really just the unfortunate timing of Kaitoon's actor getting a haircut. Something that can't really be fixed after it happens, but god, was it infuriating.


Ratings:

Story: 8 - In love with King's story which gets the bulk of the scoring. Valen and Kaitoon are good until they aren't. However, I do think their beginning story is very nicely done. I'll take two stars off for the inconsistency, the bad communication, and the poor writing.

Acting: 9 - King's actor did amazing. Kaitoon is right behind him. Most of the cast did a good job. I think Non is honestly the weakest, but it's not so distracting that it's unwatchable. I'll take a star off for that.

Music: 9 - The highest I think I've rated music, but I really loved it. the ballad is so breathtaking, I listen to it on repeat for hours. However, music is sadly not the saving grace for a series, and a part of me feels sad because of it.

Rewatch value: 1 - I might come back to watch some of those very skilled intimate scenes, but other than that, not a chance I'll actually rewatch. definitely going to relisten to the OST for sure!

I do recommend this. I don't usually think sequels are good, but this and IPYTM are exceptions. I see that a lot of people didn't like this as much as I did, which is understandable, but the pure fact that King's actor did such a fantastic job, raises the bar so much for me. Let's hope for a part 3, cause so much was left unsaid.

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Absolute Perfection in its Depictions

Wow, This was not an easy watch AT ALL. That might have been why I waited almost a year now to watch it. But more than anything, this series was beautiful and disturbing, the exact mix that the audience should've felt when watching this. I will warn that it touches on heavy subjects, such as rape, PTSD, self-harm, and other things, so this really is not the series for everybody. However, for the people that are willing and able to watch this: YOU MUST. The actors James and Oat put on a marvelous performance in playing these very impactful characters in a drama that I will continue to appreciate for its truthfulness and accurate depictions of these heavy subjects.

Let's Dive in.

I wasn't too sure where we were headed at the beginning of the first episode, but it really was just a start-up of us meeting the characters and the situations that are bound to happen. The episodes to follow were where the heavier subjects are brought up, and that's when it starts to get real.

Production was something on the same level as other BL series, but it did feel different and in a good way. Some of the camera angles that were shot added so much realness to the situation happening, and the added-on effects were really nice too. the OST was beautiful, and one that I haven't really enjoyed in a while. A huge applaud goes out to the production team.

let's move onto the plot. While it's super heavy and a lot to try and soak in, it was the most accurate portrayal I've ever seen. But the subject that I want to really highlight and applaud on is the way they handled sexual assault and the aftermath.

Let's first analyze the following series that have also depicted this subject: Book and Frame from Make It Right, Techno and Kengkla from Love By Chance, and the step-brothers in HIStory 4 (there are plenty of others, but these are the ones I want to touch on). The thing that these series have in common is how they swept under the rug the importance and the impact that rape has on the victim. Especially from MIR and LBC that end up romanticizing it and turning it into something happy and comedic when it shouldn't have been taken lightly. I applaud this series for how they showed it happening (because watching it go down helps the audience to understand its severity, and leave them disturbed which is what needed to happen), and how they also dealt with the aftermath. Shin was taken to the hospital, he missed school for weeks, he was on medication, and his family was dealing with the legal side of it all. Beautiful, Perfect, and honest. This wasn't a love story. Shin and Keng don't end up falling in love and living happily ever after. Instead, Keng is put in his place, and they never end up together. Thank you, god!

The aftermath was excellent too. something as real and as vulgar as this comes with terrible side effects, such as PTSD, depression, self-harm, and etcetera. I absolutely loved the way they depicted Shin afterward. Yes, it was hard to watch, especially his self-harming and him wanting to die, but it needed to be seen and it was done in the best way it could've been.

Moving onto Bright and Pramote, who were the best friends ever. I loved the way they stuck to Shin's side, and I loved the way they explained to him how he will get better and that they will continue to be with him through this and after this. There was not a single moment that I wasn't excited to see them on screen, and I'm glad that we get a hint of something between them and the last moments when it's revealed that they end up together. Yacht and Top did an excellent job.

The acting of James and Oat is what I want to give a bigger applaud on, It's not easy playing a victim, nor is it easy playing the predator. That very tough scene to shoot between them couldn't have been easy, and I'm proud that they were able to execute it in its realness.

The only real negative thing I can say about this series is the open ending that I wasn't too mad about, but still, I questioned the reasoning behind it. This show aired two years ago, so I'm not crossing my fingers for a second season, seeing as it would've been out by now, but it would've been nice to see who was hit by the car and if they even actually died or not. In my opinion, I do believe that Shin was the one hit, only because him being hit would cause more of an emotional impact than if Keng got hit, and creators are all about getting emotions out of people. Also, I believe that Shin only thinks that Keng is there, and he's not actually. Deep down, Shin is still dealing with the hardships of his situation, and I believe that his being alone like that brought back some of that turmoil. Part of me wishes that we would've seen who was hit, but honestly, at the end of the day, I'm glad we didn't. Now it's just up to the audience and what they thought.

Overall, I guess I wouldn't really label this a BL series, just because it feels wrong to say that this was boys-love when it was something totally of the opposite. However, I do believe that any person mentally and emotionally able to watch this series should.

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Different from the Rest

I loved a lot of this and mainly for one reason: it wasn't like any Thai BL series I have ever seen before. The cinematography, the sets, even the costumes weren't necessarily how most Thai BLs are, and I had an absolute delight watching this series and being able to enjoy all that it had to offer.

Let's Dive In,

First off, kudos to the production team. This was the first-ever Thai BL series that I didn't watch and feel like I was stuck in an alternate universe where all Thai Bls took place. It was beautifully produced, there was not a point missed, and I hope other Bls will follow suit in continuing the beauty that was Grey Rainbow. While I really did enjoy this series, I hate tragedies, and this one's DEFINITELY on that list. It was such an unexpected ending, and a bit confusing. It was for sure added there as a shock factor, but it felt so out of the blue, which I guess was the point. But, the real shock factor is the fact that this was produced in 2016. If we look at other series produced in 2016 (Make It Right, Sotus, My Bromance...) These series shoot ALL of them out the water. I don't know what type of budget each show had, but Grey Rainbow was obviously given a bigger wage than the others. I just hope we can continue viewing them like this.

The other thing I was a bit puzzled about was the numbers. Now looking back, I know it was counting down the amount of time Porche had with Nuer, but the implications were a bit wonky, and all over the place. If anything, I would've like that part of the concept to be a bit more cleaned up. I think the only plot twist I liked was Ice being Porshe's imaginary friend. Now, that was something I seriously didn't see coming,

Overall, this was an excellent watch with a beautiful production crew and amazing cast. Besides the death, this series had a very different tone than the other Thailand BL series. This one was a hundred percent more gloomy, but the lightning and music and camera work and overall presence were so different than most Thai bl series. I really enjoyed the change, I think it added some flavor to this series that we don’t see with the others. I feel like this is such an underrated bl series, but I would recommend it to anyone wanting to watch something pretty tough and sad.

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Drake's Eyebrows get Bushier Every Episode

What can I say? I truly loved this series with everything in me. It had such a good balance between being humorous and still teaching important life lessons. Mork and Tee had one of the most realistic depictions of teens falling in love because of how awkward, and confusing, and a complicated mess their journey was. I loved how we got to see their relationship slowly progress into something more, with a cute date, and the small gestures that they both made; it all just came together so well in the end, I truly can't forget about it.

Almost immediately fell in love with Morn, and fell even deeper when Gord came into the picture. They were still in middle school, so I was glad that nothing was rushed, and the development between them was so flawless. Even though they didn't get together, they still made such an impact on me personally. The innocence of them, the clumsiness, the reactions to certain things, I just love young love with all my heart. By far, my favorite scene in the entire series is when they're in bed watching Sotus and Kong and Archit kiss and they both get flustered. It was so precious that I literally watched it over and over again. I would've loved to see even more of them in this series, or maybe even another one when they're older. I know both of them are in A Fish Upon The Sky, but from what I can tell, they are not going to be partners and instead just best friends. Sad.

Au and Ton were a really good touch to the series. I absolutely adore the twins and think that they deserve main roles. The same goes for Khaotung, I love the way he played his character specifically. Nui who played Mork's dad did an amazing job, and I loved the way he developed throughout the series.

I have nothing bad to say about this show. I know a lot of others thought the pacing was slow, which I can agree that in certain spots it did feel a bit dragged on, but for the most part, I was captured by all of the stories. This was a fun watch and I recommend it for anyone wanting a true depiction of a new relationship.

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Mid as F**k

So Wedding Plan isn't the worst Mame's series that she's created (cough couch Tharntype), but because she's the screenwriter AND director, I can see why this still doesn't work for me. One of the many problems I have with this series is the overwhelming amount of miscommunication; it's so bad that if you told me a 10-year-old girl wrote the plot, I'd believe you.

Let's Dive In.

So Wedding Plan is about a wedding coordinator falling for one of his clients even though that client is supposedly getting married. But of course, and just like Mame, the client is secretly in love with the coordinator after one measly little encounter (actually, did they even talk to one another at Sky and Prapai's wedding?).

You can tell from the get-go that Lom and Yiwa's "wedding" seems pretty fake, and then we get that confirmation sometime soon after that. Okay great, Lom and Yiwa are only getting married to please their families and instead are delving into their own relationships outside of the fake one they've created. Good. But why the fuck did we wait until nearly the last episode to notify Nuea of the plan? Here he is having these internal battles with thinking that he's fallen in love with an about-to-be-married man, crying and going through a depressive period when all Lom had to do was open his mouth and tell him it was fake. This plot aggravated me to a point of no return. And then when Lom does tell Nuea, there's simply no repercussions of the whirlwind he's created. He's damaged the relationship between Yiwa and her girlfriend, he's caused Nuea a multitude of sadness and misery that he didn't have to go through, along with the countless other characters that had to reap what he sowed. It's so tiring and so dull to watch that I can't wrap myself around the fact that there are people out there who would rate this a 10 out of 10.

Out first Mame GL couple! Not bad, but not good. Mame has a tendency to make female characters the worst possible people in the entire world, so this was definitely an upgrade. But then she goes and makes Yiwa look like a terrible person for ditching her own wedding, but you know, a female can't always be good. Of course, you go throughout the series feeling absolutely terrible for Marine whose having to put up with this dreadful scheme. If I were Yiwa and I saw how depressive my actions were making the love of my life feel, then I would've cut that shit off immediately. But I wouldn't have gone with the plan in the first place, so *shrugs*. Overall, I thought they were pretty cute. I like that in the end they run off to London to get married. I'll be honest though, the kissing was really cringey to watch. It was like Yiwa was giving it her all and Marine was just there.

Another reason I'm not a huge fan is because of the chemistry between our main leads. It gets to a point where it building and building and I'm enjoying the ride, until it's just ruined by a non-consensual kiss. Not that it wasn't lowkey ruined before that when you think about the fact that a soon-to-be-married man is hardcore flirting with somebody who's not his soon-to-be-wife. But there's a certain point in the series, and I'm not sure at which point, but somewhere in the mix of it, you can feel their chemistry just deteriorate. The only scene between them that I really liked (disregarding the beginning when they meet cause I also liked that) was the bed scene when Lom is crying in Nuea's arms because he loves him that much. I really did like that. And of course, they had no problem in the kissing and NC department, which is one of Mame's only benefits, so I'll give them that.

By the end of the series, it feels like we did a whole 360 to where we began. There wasn't a feeling of a true ending, and so many things went unsaid and undone. Like Lom needs to sit down with his mother and actually tell her about Nuea and not her just accept that he'll find somebody else. Definitely a sit down with Yiwa and her mother. Just so many things. I know there's a special episode, but there's no way I have the patience to even sit through it.

Ratings:

Story: 5.5/10 - Elongated the telling of Nuea for no reason. Difficulty in finding the reason why. The main leads are okay, but they won't be memorable after this review. For most of my watch, I was speeding through -- so.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Good. Pak (Nuea) did the best, Sunny (Lom) ehh, not so much besides that one scene I really liked (and he looks incredible with his shirt off, so I'll raise the score a little). Everyone else was decent.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it so that is also good. Not distracting.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - SO many better BL series out. So many better ones that I can't even count them all. But for a pretty lighthearted watch and some, I'll be honest, great NC scenes, sure, knock yourself out.

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