Unpopularopinionbydemand

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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WTF

It comes as no surprise that no one has a clue about this series, or maybe they do and they just don’t bother watching. I desperately missed the 2moons cast, so when I had learned that they were back in this series I was stoked. Immediately after finishing 2moons2, I started binging this show, and there are two words that describe this series perfectly: WASTED POTENTIAL.

You would think that they had plenty of stories to tell with the fifteen-million characters on this show, but all plots fall short with slow storylines, boring circumstances, and an overall stale watch. There was so much they could’ve done with this series, but sadly, they let the end loose. The concept was new, but still not very interesting. Having a bunch of people train at a hotel is something I've never heard of before, but it still left such a wide range of chaos to happen. Having a bunch of young people working at a hotel? something is bound to go down right? But NOTHING DOES.

Right off the bat, there were way too many characters. It took me like the first 4 episodes to remember names with faces. They could have easily cut off a good four characters since their stories' were pointless and added nothing to the plot. Most first episodes are slow and uninspiring, as it is just an introduction to the characters and their situations, but man was this first episode BORING AS FUCK. Not only that one but even most of the episodes to follow. What made them so boring was the fact that they had no meaning to the overall objective (but, then again, what WAS the overall objective?) We were left with watching stupid circumstances happen that left aggravation and annoyance.

I am strictly here to watch BL and BL ONLY. If someone were wanting to watch BL only, then this is NOT the show for them! There was one canon gay couple and several underlining romances (one including Kim and Copter which was one of the only reasons I started Hotel Stars in the first place. smh), as the rest were covered up with hetero shit that I didn't sign up for. I do not consider this a BL series what. so. ever. This is a bromance series at best, but there are too many BL shows in this world for this one to be the one people spend their time watching.

Let's talk about the one canon couple though: Nueng and Kay. With the screen time they did get, they were rushed and had no build-up. they were cute, but I didn't feel anything for them because of the little amount of screentime they had, It's sad honestly, cause I enjoyed these actors so much, and would be down to see them as main characters in another drama. They were the only reason people watched this show in the first place. The episode of them kissing was the only one that had surpassed 200k views (at the time of my watch on YT) while the rest of the episodes could barely hit 100k if that.
I was either half asleep or annoyed by the other plots. Kin and Pong could’ve been something but then that went away. Tone and Akk had a thing, but then some chick and Akk started having a thing and Tone was left in the dust. Ying and Nook were such stereotypical female roles that it was so tiresome to watch them. If there was one good thing to take away from this show, it's that the acting was good and some moments were pretty funny. That's it. Thank god they made Gen Y or I would be in some serious shit right now.

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Proficient K-BL That Get's it Half Right

CBAW is an unexpectedly decent K-BL, and it could even be labeled better than that. I've noticed with K-BLs to keep my expectations below surface level so by doing so, I won't lose any hope I had. Even with CBAW, I read the manga (my first one ever) and I still watched the live adaptation and thought it was on point from its book form (kinda). CBAW took me only a day to watch, it piqued my interest, and kept hold of it throughout the episodes.

Let's Dive In.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter is a live adaptation of the manga following the same name. The basic synopsis is that Haebom lost his parents, so his mom's best friend takes him in as her own where he would live with Taesung, his best friend who indicates that he doesn't want Haebom to be his brother. Years passed and they're now seniors in high school navigating their strange feelings for one another. It's obviously a lot easier to tell a story full of detail in a book than it is in a dama, but in my honest opinion, I believe they did an impressive job at following along with the manga, even having the same lines said from the book. Add that on top of perfectly casted actors and you've got yourself an A+ K-BL.

What needed some work: I'm the type of person who usually doesn't read original work before watching the live adaptation, however, I wanted to give it a go here, and now I've unlocked a new hobby (great, something else to take up the time I don't have). But for the people watching without having read the manga, there are a few things that would seem very off and weren't given enough time for a thorough explanation. Like why Haebom just lets these bullies abuse him (and why they just vanish all of a sudden), or why Taesung is so standoffish and the reason Haebom thought he hated him. There are some other smaller implications, but those were the larger ones that needed more of a story behind them. If I wouldn't have read the manga, I would be partially confused throughout the series. Just a few fixer-uppers would've done the job.

I had to get used to the cinematography of this series that I've never (at least can't remember) seen in any other K-BL, let alone any BL. For a while, it looked like I was watching a vlog on Youtube and it kept throwing me off my wagon. Some of the scenes shot are a little shaky, I'm sure that's how they wanted to interpret the moment being shown, but if it's not fluent throughout the series, then those small moments when they do happen, it's a huge eye-catcher, and a bit of a bothersome. While the sets and the scenery were absolutely breathtaking, the color-grading and editing could use a lot of work. There were so many scenes that just got cut off in the midst, and it happens quite often, causing a stir of annoyance. There were a few very subtle ad placements that I appreciated for their subtleness, but by now, I can tell an ad from an actual motivated action.

Onto what I loved: The casting for CBAW was probably as accurate as I could imagine. Jinuk did an incredible job as Haebom, playing almost perfectly into his shyness, bubbliness, and everything in-between. I just wanted to pack him in my pocket and protect him for the rest of his life. Hui did an excellent job as well playing into Taesung's character. I'm also glad they decided to not make his character as stoic as the one in the manga, and this Taesung actually has some personality. Yonghee is hands down the best-casted character, and Gun did a fantastic job. Everyone else was really good too, even down to the guest roles.

The plot is handled very well and follows the exact same story. Obviously, some things are different (like Haebom working in a flower shop, or the friends all going on a camping trip) but their implications helped to move the plot along, and they were good anyways. Again, the story is about as accurate as they could've gotten it to the book, and it was fun catching all these different moments that I remembered from my read. The time jumps can be easily missed for someone not truthfully watching, but I think even those were done pretty well. The writers do a superb job at connecting the feelings and emotions of the characters in the story, which boosted its ability to give me the feels for everyone involved.

The chemistry wasn't as strong as it could've been between the main leads, but they still were able to give us a real relationship that wasn't full of forced touching and kissing. From the cuddles scenes all the way up to their more intimate scenes, both actors did a great job at making it look natural. I felt more of a connection closer to the end, but in the midst, it felt a bit lacking.

Not very important, but the height difference gets to me. Taesung was a whole ass head taller than Haebom. When he bent down to hug or even when Taebom reached up to hug, it was a-fucking-dorable. God, I can't explain to you how much height differences mean to me.

Ratings:

Story: 8 - Loved the story, also loved how accurate it was to the book. All the characters were genuine, everything flowed nicely, and I wasn't dissatisfied with any of it. I'll take off one star for some of the jumpy cuts and another for some of the weaker storylines.

Acting - 9.5 - Superb acting. everyone did an excellent job, but Jinuk was the best. Gun also put on a very strong performance that outshined the others.

Music - 5 - didn't pay much attention to it, meaning it wasn't distracting. Good.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Could come back and watch certain scenes.

Definitely recommend this K-BL. It's super cute, and if the story doesn't do it for you, the height difference will.

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Typical BL, but Not???

Yes, I won't try to act like this wasn't the typical engineering BL, but for some reason this felt way better than the others ones?? Nititman made this overused BL style feel more authentic and proficient. It brought along the cliché BL tropes, and some repetitive plot devices, but it was also a really nice love story that felt like you had seen it before, but with a few differences.

Let's Dive In.

This was a Thailand BL for you, the most thrown in plot devices you can think of mixed with a few side character problems and singing. Nititman felt like a mix of UMWA (y'know, without the suicide and stuff) and what My Gear and Your Gown wanted to be. It was pretty much just cuteness overload with the little slice of naughty cake and a scoop of comedy and angst to go with it. The only thing this series missed out on was character development. There was no change in anyone except feelings and that was it. Not saying that most engineering BLs do this on the regular, but it would've been a nice touch for this one.

As for production, it was decent. There were time when the lighting was nicely done and colors were used to show subtle moods and I loved it. This was another BL where I didn't see many ad placements, if any at all. The songs were actually really good and I found myself not skipping, so there's a bonus.

But no BL is perfect and this once can attest to that. Let's start with this whole "trying to get Jin and Bbomb to f*ck" situation first. I don't need to go on and on about how terrible this was, cause, you know, don't drug your friends?? At least Bbomb didn't act on those feelings much, and when Jin said no he listened, but something that Thailand BLs do and do only is take serious matters and make it laughable. Not funny?? at all??? At least U had enough sense to see that what they were doing wasn't okay, but of course, he was the anomaly in this situation so his feelings didn't matter. Moving on, The receptiveness of plot devices was astronomically pestering. How many times did Jin need to "break" his foot? How many times did someone need to be jealous of another? How many times did they need to be drunk? I mean, this list goes on, but my golly, I can't do it. I felt like I was watching the same episodes over and over again. There's no need for the repetition of these things, once is enough, and maybe had they done that, Ball and Keam could've gotten at least two more minutes of screen time.

Surprisingly, I didn't have too much of a problem with the overly-obsessive BL fans except for them posting it online. Find a life, I beg of you. And STOP WITH THIS GOD-AWFUL TROPE. It's okay, we can have a mlm love story without outsiders pinning for them. I think I didn't mind it that much cause I LOVED Aruy. He was HILARIOUS and I don't think this series would've been the same without him. (found out the same director here did Oxygen in which was even worse with Yaois, Lawd)

Onto Jin and Bbomb. While their start up was a little iffy, their execution was pretty nice. The one thing they did so good on was actually looking like they liked each other. Even with the way they laid in bed together, how Bbomb spooned Jin and even how he caressed Jin's hair when he was laying on his chest. It was the small things like that that attached me to this couple. Jom did a pretty good job, he was able to actually cry during sad scenes and his smile didn't hurt either. This was Noh's acting debut, so I'll forgive some of his very stale acting and one-and-only facial expression in the hopes that he'll do better in future projects. (But his character didn't have much of a personality other than liking Jin and being good at everything).

Let's move onto the biggest problem of the series, KEAM AND BALL. Ball was a ray of sunshine, and Keam was literally running away because he was too fucking cute. THEY NEEDED WAY MORE SCREEN TIME THAN THEY DESERVED. Ball was on maybe 4 or 5 episodes, and it felt like we were getting somewhere until nothing happens? We got a two-minute something at the very end of the final episode, but that was NOTHING. We need a second season, precisely for Keam and Ball to do literally anything.

They teased at Jay and Song a lot, and I loved their dynamic, so Imma need some more of them if we get a next season. U and Ultra seemed like they could've had something, even Singh and Jack had a little smidge of maybe something that could of happened, but they both had their own girl problems, so probably not. If anything, they had a great on-screen friendship that I really liked. Their comedic touch lightened the already lightened plot.

Overall, I honestly loved this series. Yes it was typical, yes it was cliche, but I loved every single minute of it. This is the BL that BL is all about. No actual act of importance, stupid lovey-dovey tropes, and singing. what more could I ask for? I do recommend for anyone trying to get into BL, it's an easy watch and entertaining one too.

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And This is Where it Should Die

This series is already way overdone, and even if they tried doing a decent third season, they completely obliterated it with less-than-mediocre acting, and an extremely dumb plot. It goes to show that this series should've never been made, and should've died along with the second round of cast members. Here's to hoping it is the last and final round of torture that Motive Village puts us and these innocent actors in!

Let's Dive In.

Motive village introduces a new main couple to the storyline, Looknam and Tatch, to kind of disrupt the repeated storyline of the other three. They're exactly like Ming and Kit's dynamic, with Looknam mimicking Kit by being the stern uke, and Tatch mimicking Ming as the charming and in-love seme. Except, with this couple, there is literally no explanation, no reason, and zero clarification of what Tatch sees in Looknam, and vice-versa. They go from hating each other, to then randomly acting so in love. Their story is ridiculous, going off of the typical "moon contest", which is fine, but there's no actual conflict between them, Like none. They go back to back bickering about nothing, then to falling in love over nothing, to ending up together with nothing reasonable for the cause. The chemistry felt off-balanced. It was giving, "we are here for a bag, see how in love we act". The only things they had was decent kissing and NC scenes. A bit awkward but not bad enough to stop watching.

The other three couples felt very out of place. They try so hard to be like the old characters in the other series, but it's completely off and I got secondhand embarrassment cause you can see how blatantly awkward it is with the cast. They also had no plot to lean on, it was pretty much just random jealousy, frivolous conflicts, and too much unnecessary commentary.

I kept watching bc for some reason my inability to drop a series mid-way through kicked in and I was determined to finish. By episode 6 I skipped a lot, I speed through a lot, and I slept through some too. This cast was probably some of the worst acting I've seen in a while. They're all rookies, so I'll give them some leeway, but Looknam was the only decent one.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - There wasn't any real conflict. by about the 7-8th episode, it becomes more so just very 'eh' NC scenes playing on bc they themselves realized there is no plot. I'm being generous with the 4.

Acting: 6/10 - again, being generous with the score. Looknam was their best, but everyone else was terrible. Not a lick of acting skills, just pretty men in front of the camera. At least they all looked good shirtless. There's my reasoning for the 6/10.

Music: 5/10 - It's not distracting for the most part, but the fact that they would play this loud ass music during the NC scenes was annoying. I want to hear them enjoying themselves, not distracting ballad music.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - There's no reason to watch this unless you're a fan of the 2 Moons franchise. Otherwise, this was a waste of a watch, so please save yourself the time.

This better be the last of this tedious and destroyed series. Motive village needs to burn to the ground, but this series needs to rot in hell. I hope for the actor's sake, they're getting treated better than the others in the past. If we're to see them again, they'll have to be in a different series. And maybe an acting class or two. Otherwise, I hope they can find their passion in a different career.

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babe, wtf..

This series has to be one of the oddest ones in quite a while. After Trapped and MODC, my expectations were through the roof, but sadly, I was left heartbroken and disappointed. Close to You was full of odd subjects, distasteful relationships, and terrible concepts.

Let's Dive In.

Let's start off with the decent pairing: Teng Teng and Li cheng. I wasn't at all pleased with how they had to use an overly-obsessive bl fangirl as the benefactor in their relationship. Mei Fang and her friend(s) left me uncomfortable the entire time. Imagine you just trying to live your life, and some girl won't stop thirsting over you and your co-worker. But I wasn't very happy with Li cheng's behavior either; pretending to be gay and harassing a fellow friend is not in the slightest bit okay. Instead, he could've just tried starting off as a good friend to Mei fang and gaining her trust in the future. Teng Teng was just used as bait the entire time, and most of it was without his consent. It's also a bit weird how in a time of vulnerability, Li cheng was able to fall for Teng Teng. I just couldn't understand how he wasn't able to fall for him at any other time until then. The use of the cliche bl saying, "I don't like men, I only like him" was used again, and quite frankly, it left a sour taste in my mouth. bisexuality and pansexuality exist, do the creators and screenwriters not know this? It was agitating and disappointing. But moving forward, when they were together, they did bring about many cute moments. What I did like about them was their relationship in the beginning and towards the end, and how comfortable they were together. There were times when they each had me laughing cause their comedy was golden. I also really liked how they styled Teng Teng. He was always in something that was such a statement, and I loved it. As much as I didn't even appreciate them that much, they were at least 10 times more decent than Yong Jie and Xing Si and were the saving grace of this series. Speaking of them, let's touch on their relationship next.

Let's talk about Xing Si. He was my favorite character, and for good reasons too. He was a great friend to Teng Teng and Li Cheng, he had such a bright and bubbly personality, and was openly gay and dealing with the conflict of telling his father. He was the only character that had a very detailed personality. I thought that it was beautiful the way his character was going until they introduced us to the toxic stepbrother. Now, there have been many stepcest/incest series that I've seen, but I think this one has been the most disgusting and hardest to watch. I wasn't even mad about the whole step-brothers situation (even though it was rightfully wrong), it was just the portrayal of the step-brother that left me feeling uneasy.

Let me just say this; Yong Jie is not okay in the slightest. I don't want to self-diagnose anybody, but I am. I'm almost positive that Yong Jie suffers from a high-functioning borderline personality disorder or some type of high-functioning autism. One, he grows an unhealthy obsession with his older brother. Mostly due to the trauma he faced as a child, Xing Si showed that he cared, and because of that Yong Jie took that and clung to it. Two, he is openly honest and truthful about everything. He tells his mom about his plans without showing signs of feeling bad about it, the same goes for when he told Xing Si and his father afterward. He's open about how he feels for Xing Si and the way he feels about others. As I said, this is not me trying to label him, but Yong Jie didn't need a boyfriend, he needed some help. He is obviously not mentally stable, nor is he emotionally okay. I wish that his mental illness could've been spoken about instead of never being brought up cause it's so clear that there is some turmoil within himself. The entire plan he had undermined was absolutely sickening, and it was even worst that the mother knew and did nothing about it. His behavior is so unforgiving, but because Yong Jie is so good at manipulating people (psychopath maybe?), his brother and the ones around him forgive him. Xing Si I believe is suffering from Stockholm syndrome, cause it seemed to be that he would actually let his brother down, but instead, he feels empathetic and that takes over his feelings in which he then makes himself believe that he loves his step-brother back. The dad's reaction is so understanding, and I completely agreed with him. I actually was hoping that he wouldn't end up being okay with their relationship, but of course, this is BL, so everything has to end happily anyways.

Overall, this was a very disappointing series, especially since it was a part of the HIStory franchise. All the actors did a fantabulous job, Teng Teng and Xing Si being my favorite portrayals. The production was all decent and the music was okay too. The only thing I wished more than anything was that Yong Jie's mental illness was looked at, the BL fangirls were non-existent, and for the HIStory franchise to stop romanticizing r*pe, incest, and toxic relationships. I wouldn't recommend this series at all. I'd only say to watch it in order to continue watching the franchise cause at least they have produced other content that is WAY better (MODC and CTL (but crossing the line has an incest relationship too, so at the end of the day, everything has its problems.))

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Disneyifed

My overall thought...you saw the title. But outside of that, I think there is such a disconnect for me when it comes to this series, and I was seriously excited about this one. Memoir or Rati showed us a beautiful take on love in a Thai historical setting, but the overall presence of everything: characters, plot, romances, political upheaval, etc., unfortunately did not meet the mark for me.

Let's Dive In.

I want to dive into my statement about this being Disneyifed. Because that's exactly what it feels like. When I was first introduced to the premise of Memoir of Rati, I had so much hope that this was going to be less fluff more grit. Unfortunately, that was the complete opposite. I wanted to see fight, I wanted to see tragedy, especially in an historical piece like this. But, everything, even the more tragic scenes, had this veil of fluff that followed. I didn't hate the comedic parts of this, I think it worked, but it just completely threw me off of what was at stake here. Too many times, when I wanted to feel something for a scene, it cuts into a moment where it's trying to make me laugh. Urgh. And then by the end, everything worked perfectly for everybody, which is completely unrealistic for a setting taking place in 1915 CE. But GMMTV just had to make this happy-go-lucky, just had to make everyone's scenarios so perfect. Personally, I wanted more. A lot more tears and less comedic background music. On top of that, I really disliked the cinematography. I try not to compare every Thai historical BL to one another, but this was so white-washed and dreamy-looking, I hated it.

In my humble opinion, I think this series was rushed, as in, they made this too quickly, and because of that, the plot and the characters fall short. I really think they had an idea what they wanted to happen, and then, because of whatever obstacles or challenges, it just didn't end up being what it was suppose to be. And to also add to my point, some scenes felt like they were oddly cut, or the music would start and then randomly cut, not fade out, or have a smooth transition. I think in all aspects, this was rushed, the editing, the performances from the actors, and the overall plot.

Now, moving onto the plot. I was confused. I won't lie, I have zero idea who anyone was, what their roles played, or how historical Thailand worked. That might've been a me-thing, but I couldn't keep up. Also, with what little time Inn had to learn how to speak French, I personally didn't find it to be just god-awful, but I also don't speak french, so this is coming from a person that could obviously hear the struggle in his voice when speaking french, but I think to learn a language in a short amount of time, he did good. This also goes back to my point of, why not a hire somebody that is Thai who speaks fluent French (i'm sure they're out there somewhere) to play the part. Because GMMTV priorities the actors before the piece of work they're trying to create.

Moving onto the romances: I think they were fine. I think both couples do well, with Aou and Boom coming first. I think there was a giant disconnect for me when it came to Inn and Great's romance. It felt... awkward almost? Aou and Boom performed great, and, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the comedy, it was nice to see them play these funny dudes. I think should've seen more from them, but oh well.

But, don't worry, there was some stuff I liked! Again, I really liked Aou and Boom's characters, and their romance. I did enjoy seeing the wardrobes, especially Thee's outfits, which were immaculate. There are also some scenes that I did find beautifully told, or just beautifully shot. The plot with Rati's aunt is whatI found as the most interesting, especially as we learn that his real mom died and his aunt was the one that raised him.

Rating:

Story: 6.5/10 - Eh. Okay. kinda boring, won't lie. Thee and Rati's romance felt stale and stiff most of the time, also seemed extremely awkward in some cases.

Acting: 8.5/10 I think everyone did well. Nothing spectacular, but good.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay much attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - I'd recommend only if you just love AouBoom or GreatInn, but otherwise, this historical BL can be skipped. Not even Great's abs could help save this for me.

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Darling HS Series

I had to watch this after seeing all the hype, and thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. School Trip is packed with fluff and delivers nearly everything you’d want from a first-love high school story. That said, while it gave me most of what I was looking for, it didn’t quite hit the mark when it came to the romance itself.

Let’s dive in.

The plot is simple: a lonely guy ends up being invited to join four incredibly hot and incredibly sweet popular kids on a school field trip. Cue every fluffy trope imaginable. And honestly? It works. The series does exactly what you expect it to do, and because the story flows naturally and the characters behave consistently, it never feels misleading or disappointing. It’s cute. That’s the point.

I think where it fell a little short for me is that I wanted more. Across the 11 episodes, nothing really moves all that quickly, and there are virtually no stakes beyond the characters’ own internal struggles. Watarai is also a bit too coddly for my taste. While it leads to some endearing moments, it often veers into irritating rather than charming.

Hioki, on the other hand, completely won me over. He’s cute, shy, emotionally unaware, and yes, he cries, which immediately earns points. I wish the series had done more with the other three boys. I loved the bromance and the refreshingly non-toxic energy between the group, but I would have liked to see them given their own romantic arcs too, whether hetero or not.

The chemistry between our leads is a little lacking. Now, any height difference will usually have me locked in immediately, but there’s something oddly bland about these two. I can’t quite pinpoint what’s missing, only that something definitely is. There are plenty of moments that scream “this is absolutely adorable,” but once their feelings are fully realized, the dynamic starts to falter. The kissing isn’t terrible, but Hioki mostly just stands there while Watarai does all the work. That could be a character choice, but after a couple of months of dating, you’d think he’d at least learn how to participate in a kiss.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - It’s good. It has that perfectly Japanese mix of overdramatic and zany, and because it fully commits to being a fluff-forward story, it works. Something doesn’t completely click for me, but this series never aimed to be more than what it is, and that’s fine.

Acting: 8/10 - Solid performances all around. The characters are fairly straightforward, so I wouldn’t call this the strongest acting I’ve ever seen, but everyone fits their roles well and sells the story.

Music: 6/10 - Catchy, honestly.

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - This is fluffy, fun, and a very quick watch. So yes, absolutely go for it.

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Too Good, Too Short

Love Begins in the World of If is a charming BL gift from Japan. What starts off slow for me ultimately became the series I looked forward to each week. That said, with its short runtime and only six episodes, it never fully reaches its potential and ends up falling a little flat.

Let’s dive in.

The first episode is rough to get through. If this is any reassurance: trust me, it gets better. A large chunk of the beginning is spent establishing Kano’s workplace dynamics and the circumstances that land him in this situation in the first place. While necessary, it feels tedious. The series picks up almost immediately in episode two, once we’re introduced to this altered world and to Ogami as Kano experiences him there. That’s when the question of who “nice” Ogami really is begins to take shape.

What I loved most is that this so-called “new world” isn’t new at all. It’s essentially a replica of the life Kano could have had if he’d simply asked for help and opened up to his coworkers. The Ogami in this world is sweet and passionate, but he isn’t the Ogami Kano needs, or even wants. Realizing that, Kano returns to his original world and confronts reality head-on, choosing to actively make things better rather than escape into a fantasy.

It might have been the height difference (it probably was), but I really enjoyed their dynamic. I liked how it’s initially strained, then gradually shifts as both of them take initiative and work through what they’ve gone through. It definitely helps that Kano constantly has to look up at Ogami like he’s a God.

Unfortunately, the ending is where the series loses me. Everything is wrapped up far too quickly. We’re given maybe five minutes to glimpse what their new relationship looks like, capped off with a dead-fish kiss. Sigh. When will this curse finally end?

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - intriguing premise and storytelling. The title sequence is GORGEOUS. The first episode is very bleh and the least episode is anticlimactic. The height dynamic is everything to me.

Acting: 8/10 - Neither leads stood out to me really. I don't like that Daigo Kotaro had one facial expression for everything. Nakagawa Daisuke did the best between the both of them.

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

Recommendation Value: 6/10 - There's a shot of Ogami from the back as he takes his shirt off. Trust me, you will love it.

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Not Really BL

I feel like the majority of what I watched was an action-packed thriller, mystery thing that just happened to take place with characters of the same-sex falling in love. Most stories are suppose to be the complete opposite, with it being majority BL, with the action-pack stuff being there for plot purposes, but the romance the overall goal and objective. I didn't get that with 4 minutes though.

Let's Dive In.

So, 4 Minutes in a nutshell is basically about this rich college guy that (SPOILERS!!) in his moments of dying, gets to go back during these traumatic moments and look 4 minutes into the future to fix his mistakes. One of those mistakes happen to be with a gorgeous surgeon, who also has his own life problem's with Great's family business. Then there's also a side couple who is just as rambunctious and cutthroat with all of their own problems as well.

What I got from the majority of the plot is: they put a lot of money and effort into the characters, story, special effects, etc., but by the 6th episode, I was honestly kind of over everything. I feel like this is the type of series you have to pay attention to, and pay attention to every single little detail, down to the time on the clock, to the writing on the wall. I think I'm just not that kind a person, to get super-duper invested in a series where I'm paying that much attention to the small, what-feels-minuscule moments to then have then be flipped, twisted, and reverse. Had I not watched this with a friend, I'd be in utter shambles trying to figure out with the hell was going on. Which brings me to my point of why this doesn't feel like a BL series. Kind of like Manner of Death, kinda sorta Triage, and other series that deal with this time-warp, time-traveling shenanigans; what they all have in common is that the main goal is for them to figure out what's going on, not within their relationship, but within these weird, mystical powers they've gain the ability to have.

Moving onto the plot twist and whatnot; I think things were handle as well as they could be with such a complex plot, but there were definitely ways I wish they would've done things better. For instance, while Great and Tyme were stuck in Great's hallucinations, we were also seeing Korn and Tonkla's story, but still set in the actual reality. Which is where a lot of the plot gets weird, confusing, and obnoxiously aggravating trying to figure out what is real and what is not. I think most people find it fun to theorize and analyze, but for me, I was just wanting answers immediately, just cause that's how I am. Again, if you're not big on paying very VERY good attention, then you will be just as lost as I was. I understood enough to get me through, but I had to read a breakdown of each episode to figure out what actually happened.

Again, since this isn't really a BL, I feel like I never really got attached to any of the couples, including the main. I think they also didn't receive a good initial start-up for us to even really enjoy the time we get with them. It's literally sex and lust immediately, quite literally on their first interactions. I feel like I didn't get "We're in love" vibes from them at all, not even at the end when they are actually happy together. I think with Tonkla, it wasn't about the relationships at all, it was literally about getting revenge for his brother, no matter who he had to sleep with to get there. I think it was genuine with Korn in the beginning, which they had a really intimate, really beautiful first time NC scene that was done so well, but after that, and with the trauma Tonkla had gone through, it just all turns to shit. His relationship with the police officer was just very hot, and that was kind of it.

This series received so much hype, obviously because of the very explicit NC scenes, which man, did they go all the way, and I mean alllllll the way. I think overall it's a good story, but I think it was one of those things where people only hyped the sex and not the story, so the cast and the crew that put forth the effort of actually trying to tell a decent story gets but on the back-burner because hot-men-naked-and-having-sex-very-explicitly was happening. Kinda sad, but that's just the reality of a series like this.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - I feel like I got lost a couple times, but overall, you can tell what's happening, you can understand how things are working, and I feel like I enjoyed it enough to want to understand it all by the end. The romance didn't romance enough for me, but I still didn't hate it.

Acting: 9/10 - The best aspect about this series. All the actors did such a fantastic job, and it also didn't hurt that they were all fine as hell. I'm actually very surprised (and worried??) that Tonkla's character was played by such a young and upcoming actor, cause he probably did the best out of everyone imo. Which feels a little weird cause I feel like his scene were the most explicit ones, but... okay.

Music: 7/10 - intro music was nice, I love a little instrumental moment. Other than that, didn't pay it any mind.

Recommendation Value: 6./10 - Eh. I think if you're wanting to jump on the bandwagon and watch specifically because they have great NC scenes, than you wouldn't be alone. The plot itself is heavy, it's complex and it's raw, which a lot of people might not be in the mood for, so it's really a BL that you watch when you're in the mood, period.

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WAY Better than Expected

Not that I was expecting a GMMTV series to be bad, but damn, was I pleasantly surprised by this one. The two latest GMMTV series I have seen (MY Love Mix-Up and We Are) have been pretty anticlimactic, and honestly, disappointing. So when going into this, I had very low expectations, but I actually had a great time watching.

Let's Dive In.

I remember when this first came out during their showcase, and I was immediately intrigued, mostly because Great from Manner of Death was in this, but more importantly, because it seemed that they were showcasing high heat with a little bit of comedy, and I was ecstatic. Again, I had been so disappointed with the series coming out that I didn't bother getting too excited about this one, but I honestly loved it. Even outside of the BL part of it all, it had my entire heart.

Both Great and Inn have undeniably great chemistry. Yoryak is such a comedic hottie who's the champion boxer, and Wandee plays the awkward cutie who's in competition with another hunk at the hospital. With a little bit of angst and pining, I fell in love with these two. I liked the steady build of their relationship: from friends-with-benefits, to more than that, to the talking stage, to the "Yoryak has to show himself"stage, to then inevitably becoming boyfriends. The NC scenes were honestly the weakest part of their relationship. A lot of the time it was just chest/neck kissing and some intense staring (but they were shirtless, so I'm not going to complain too much). Yes, it was high heat, sorta, but not in the "Only Friends" type of way. It was more of a medium heat, with good kissing. Overall, I was impressed with this new pairing, and I'd love to see them again on my screen.

The side couple was super cute. I will say, I usually love to see the growth of a new relationship, so I wasn't immediately enthralled with Yei's relationship with Cher. They had been established for a while, but they were cute in the way they teased one another and Cher was basically the mom of the group. The wedding at the end is very touching. As for Plakhao, holy hell, I didn't think I'd be seeing Drake on screen, nonetheless paired with somebody! If I'm not mistaken, this was one of the first times GMMTV has explored asexuality to this degree, and I loved it. Although I wouldn't have minded to see Drake shirtless, I'm not upset.

Taem needed to have been paired with a girl, not Pod's character who was the worst person ever. Speaking of Pod, I need him in a leading role, because it was so hard to hate that man when Pod is just as beautiful as ever. He smiled, and I would yell to my screen for Wandee to take him back. Sorry guys, I'm shallow like that.

As for the internal drama in regard to Wandee and Yoryak's past, it was by far my favorite part of the series. 9 and 10 were my favorite episodes because it's what made this BL feel so much more than just a BL. These characters had depths and flaws, and eventually came out of that with such complex development that I was tearful by the end of it. Wandee's grandma, Yoryak's complicated relationship with all the members of his family, -- all of it was just amazing.

My only couple of negatives/nit-picking moments: there's no way that Yorkak had not a bruise or scar or a swollen something on his face after fights. It's so unrealistic that it really pissed me off at times. You mean to tell me a world-class champion made it there without a mark? Please. They tried to redeem Pod's character, but there weren't any redeemable factors about him. In fact, I wish they would have made him more apathetic since we were already almost there anyway. Would have loved a scene where we see him on the phone talking about all the way he'll try to get the position behind Wandee's back.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - The best part about the series, and that even means outside of the BL aspect. Loved the story, loved the development of the characters, and love the couples.

Acting: 9/10 - Great did a fantastic job, being able to go from being funny, to crying, to being in love. Inn does just as good of a job, and quite honestly, the entire cast did great.

Music: 7/10 - I was kind of obsessed with the theme song, especially the oddly placed moan at the end of it.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - This series is memorizing, and not just as a BL, but so much more than that. I'm hopeful that others can see the beauty behind it, because there is a lot to unpack and you can get easily distracted. but if that's not motivating enough, this series is literally a bunch of hot guys boxing and being shirtless and kissing. No gripes here.

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