Unpopularopinionbydemand

Not My Cup of Tea

I've never been the type to enjoy ghost love stories, but I feel like this one isn't necessarily the same thing, however, it still wasn't my cup of tea. I think the romance side of the story was way too fast-paced. The building-up was going well, and then they just went straight to it, and once you've passed the intimate stage, I usually lose interest because there's nothing else to be excited about. And that's exactly what happen and I just had no interest at all. I pretty much skipped a few episodes after episodes 4-5 and watched the last one fully. I think the ghost plot itself was nice, but as I said, it doesn't intrigue me very much. Seenam and Prim's story was very tragic, yet beautiful, but still wasn't enough to keep me interested. There were a few nice plot twists, and I think Seefoon is the cutest.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5/10 - the ghost story is nice, but the romance happened too quickly for me. Nothing was enough to keep me very inspired though.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! The cast all did a good job. A few "eh"s here and there but it was decent.

Music: 5/10 - don't remember but it wasn't distracting so that's good.

Rewatch value: 1/10 - No.

I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this. The main leads had very good chemistry, I just think it happened too quickly for me to be interested in the entire series. I wouldn't mind seeing them again. I personally don't recommend it, but if supernatural plots intrigue you, go for it.

Read More

Better than the Original

I did like Make it Right, but there was something that shifted in Make It Right 2 that made me fall more in love with the characters than the first one ever did for me.

I want to love Book and Frame so badly, but the way they had gotten together in MIT was disgusting. Although, I liked their pairing a lot more this season since they were given an actual plot. The situation between Book and his former partner was so devastating, and Toey did an amazing job at portraying this depressed character. I broke down so hard when Frame found Book and the pills on the floor. Both actors did an incredible job and definitely deserved a pat on the back (especially for making me cry since I NEVER cry). As much as I loved them this season, I can't forget how poorly the writers treated them last season, and I still can't get behind their toxic relationship.

Mo and Yok had to be my favorite couple this season. They had such a fun comedic feel that made the series feel so much lighter. CONSENT IS SEXY. I'll never stop saying it. Yok and Mo did an incredible job at showing what actual consent before and during sex looks like. I appreciate these actors and hope to see them in future dramas.

Fuse and Tee were okay this season, nothing bad, but nothing amazing either. Fuse finally broke up with his girlfriend, so his relationship with Tee actually felt real. The confession at the beach was pure magic. I only cry during two occasions: one, coming-out scenes, and two, emotional confession scenes. I was entirely balling my eyes out again. It was impeccable, and Peak's did an awesome performance.

Overall the series was good. The situation between Wit and Yok's mom was not it. I skipped it all. Rodtang and Nine were finally given a story, but it still felt incomplete. Not that I cared, because I'm still not a fan of Beam's acting. It was a fun watch, and it kept me entertained, so I'm not disappointed at all.

Read More

For the CutiePie Lovers ONLY

This was seriously for the Cutiepie die-hard fans and them only. Because there was pretty much no story, but there were plenty of people kissing and getting naked so you have that.

Let's Dive In.

I didn't start watching this with any high expectations or anything (because I wasn't very impressed with the first season either) but just the little expectation I had was let down. For one, I was hoping for more between Diao and Yi, which we get very little of. I'd say the only real couple that had okay development was Nuer and Syn (and a really patient nc scene that was top-notch content).

My feelings for Nuea and Kilen were half and half last season, and I think it's the same here, but maybe a bit more hate. Their dynamic feels like a father and son dynamic, and I absolutely hate it. Kuea gets treated like a kid who can't take care of himself and Kilen is just the rich daddy who gets him what he wants and kisses him at night. And no, this doesn't scream 'sugar daddy' it screams 'he's acting like my real daddy'.

All the NC scenes are as good as they were last season (although, I will say that Kuea and Kilen's NC scene after their wedding was kind of anticlimactic). This sequel was really just some fanservice and spa ad placement. I'm the kind of person that likes some plot even with a raunchy series and only 4 episodes. But this is good if that's all you're coming to watch for -- skinship and no plot.

Some perks I did like: we saw Perth (Jay) and I love him so freaking much. I really hope he gets his own series one of these days. Foei!! I love him, he's THE best character in this entire series. If he wasn't in this sequel, I honestly don't know what I would do (the thighs on that man?? oh my god?). Again, they had beautiful settings and locations like last season, with an incredible budget. Same with the cinematography. I love that Japanese-feel you get when watching.

Rating:

Story: 4.5/10 - pretty empty. It's a lot of wedding junk and a few sentimental conversations. I'm purposefully giving it a lower score just cause I wanted more Yi and Nuea.

Acting: 8/10 - it's good. Zee's character comes off blander in this series, but that's not him, that's the directing.

Music: 5/10 - It wasn't distracting, but I didn't pay it any attention.

Recommendation Value: 2.5/10 - Really only watch this because you LOVED cutiepie, otherwise, it's nothing special.

Read More

Great Beginning, Terrible Ending

Writing this review is a little hard for me. I really enjoyed this show, but everything callapsed by the end. with my love for Pod, Mike, and Toptap, it's hard to even be able to comprehend that this was the content they gave us. What started off as a masterpiece became a sorrowful excuse of a BL.

Let's Dive In.

Let's start off with the pros of this series. Ai and Ni were the sunshine throughout this series. Mike and Toptap have this comedic energy that only the two of them can create when they're together. There wasn't a single part in the show that I wasn't laughing, they're what kept me watching. They both did an excellent job in this, and I hope that we can see them with their own series. The only thing I can say that bugged me a bit is that we never see them kiss? Every time they would go for a kiss, it would cut, or they would pretend to. It's a GMMTV produced show, so there was no reason to try and hide their kisses (also it's 2021). Miriam was a great addition to the show. She was supportive and caring, and she also had her comedic moments. I wished she was a little less BL-obsessed, but that's my only argument with her. For the most part, this trio was amazing, and I hope to see them again very soon. I loved the character development of Na, He was a snobby kid, but by the end, he improved and even got his own boyfriend to spoil. I'm a sucker for lifelong crush tropes. Tonhon and Chonlatee liking each other but neither knew about it was super lovely and precious. Getting to go back and see the way Ton felt during certain scenes was a really nice touch, and it made me feel differently about him. The dirty humor in this series was spot on, from them pretending to be the two dudes from The Untamed, to them just being themselves. Whoever wrote the script deserves a pat on the back (sort of). Everybody deserves a mom like Chon's mom. Her epic explosion on Ton's dad was the best thing that I have ever seen in my life.

Onto the cons. Tonhon really annoyed me. He was openly homophobic for quite some time (seemingly weird since he had a crush on Chon for quite a while). He was so homophobic that his own roommates didn't even want to admit that they were seeing each other. As I said, it's 2021, there was no need for him to be so homophobic, he could've easily just been a cool dude completely fine with his roommates dating. There was no need for Amp, and definitely no need for Nueng. We are over the petty ex-girlfriend plot, please GMMTV, bring something different to the table. Along with Neung, the bathroom scene with him and Chon was ineffectual. There was no meaning behind it other than Nueng thinking Chon was cute, which he could've just said instead of sexually assaulting while Chon was intoxicated. As much as I love Gunsmile, his character was a nuisance to the show, along with the gay guy that messes with Chon at the restaurant. It puts a bad look on gay people, more especially feminine gay people. The "getting Chon a prostitute" part was so uncomfortable for me. Ton is just straight up not a good person at all. Some part of me thought that Na should've ended up with Chon. At least he tried to do everything for Chon while Ton gave him nothing. Talking about Chon, there was no point in having him kiss Ton without his consent. Of course, Ton was going to freak out that he wakes up and you're making out with him, I would be too. Another case of BL romanticizing these types of things when none of it is romantic, I would've much rather seen a consensual first kiss, even if we had to wait till the very last episode. Speaking of the last episode, what the actual fuck was that? I have never felt so grippingly mad at a plot in my life. This show would've been a solid ten had that ending not happen the way it did. Ton's dad becomes fine with him dating Chon as long as he still has a kid, in which Miriam decided to be their surrogate. What the actual fuck? Number one, that baby was not made out of love, they were made out of greed and power. Two, that dad should be ashamed of himself if that's what it takes for him to accept his gay son. The plot ruined the entire show for me, by the last few minutes of the episode, I was ready to never watch this series again, and I still haven't.

Overall, this was sadly a miss. I would recommend the first 7 episodes which were humorous, fun, and entertaining. By episode 8, everything just goes downhill. All the acting is great, by far my favorite being Mike and Toptap, but Khaotung did an excellent job as well. If we are to get a second season (I honestly think it was fine where it left off), I hope we can clean up that ending, and throw away the father.

Read More

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.

Read More

First half: :) Second Half: :(

Kidnap was the series that I was the most excited about; overall for GMMTV of 2024, but also just BL in general. I love Ohm, most of his work I'm a big fan of, and I thought nothing less of this one. Which is why I hate that I'm so not impressed with what this series brought.

Let's Dive In.

I really enjoyed the first half of this series, and I'm not really sure when I started not enjoying it, but I could tell quickly that this series was headed down hill for me. I had already made two attempts to start Kidnap, which after getting past the first episode, I ended up really enjoying. I think it was between the time of their first kiss that they just started falling off.

Mostly what I was enjoying was the kidnapping aspect of this. I think its gritty, I think the content can get forbidden and sickly, and that's the kind of stuff I can (sometimes, to an extent) really enjoy. I knew even before watching that Min didn't necessarily kidnap Q and more so saved him from dying, but even still, this was not anything like I was expecting it to be. Still, I was rather pleased with what we were getting. Then, their relationship starts to develop rather fast for my taste. Also, of course Q happened to do music *eye rolls* which will just always take me out of a series, especially a GMMTV series.

The plot lost me almost immediately. I was able to understand the situation with the man that wanted Q dead and Q's dad, but the lady? Papang's character? the night club? It might've been a me thing more than a series thing, but I was definitely confused more than I would've liked to be.

I really liked Ohm and Leng, I really do, but they don't click for me like I really wanted them to. Not saying that they weren't cute, not saying that I didn't enjoy their on-screen chemistry, but I wasn't as obsessed with them as I could've been. I think that was another part of the disconnect with this series, when I wasn't really feeling anything for anyone. I think they do good kissing, I think they do good physically, but the emotional aspect is missing for me, not sure why though.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - Really good in the first half, boring and draggy in the second. That the romance was okay, along with the storyline.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Ohm did good, of course, but I'm not really sold on Leng's acting just yet. There were lots of times he was suppose to cry and not even a tear would slip out (not all the time though, there were def scene he was crying in). Everyone did good too.

Music: 6/10 - Not distracting.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - No recommendation of this series from me, other than if you want to see Ohm acting again.

Read More

Starts Well, Ends Anticlimatic

The start of Cosmetic Playlover have me immediately seated and excited to watch. Except, it starts dipping a little starting in the middle and just completely fumbles the ball at the end. I think I would've liked this a lot more with a little more emphasis on the romance and a lot less, "let's add every single disruptive character ever to get in between the leads."

Let's Dive In.

The beginning of this series was excellent, I loved Natsume, mostly cause he gave off shy vibes, and a tad bit of jealously over Toma, his rival, who looks distressingly gorgeous. Their romance starts off almost immediately, but I didn't mind it too much, cause I think the overall vibe of the series is that its going to be fast-pace, also the series is incredibly short, so there's that too. Like I said, the story starts off pretty well, the setup is good, and I like the dynamic between the leads.

The only reason the score is relatively low is because they had about every single problem come about in almost every single episode. We even have somebody come in in the last two episodes to disrupt the leads, and it's so annoying. I think one to two problems was enough, but they dragged the story just to fill time.

Onto the romance, I think they were great. Not anything I'll remember in due time, but I liked them for the majority of this watch. Also, all these kisses were GOOD. This is me being me, but I needed more Taichi in my life, the towering giant cinnamon roll who was blessed with the best genes ever.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Intriguing up until the end. Romance is good, characters are interesting. Liked that it was about men in the makeup industry.

Acting: 8/10 - So (Natsume) did a great job! I think Yudai (Toma)'s character was pretty stoic, so not as good, but good enough. Tomoki is beautiful, which isn't about his acting, but I don't care.

Music: 5/10: didn't pay attention to it, but the theme song was kind of annoying.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - sure, if you're in the mood to watch a Japanese BL. Also the kissing is actually really good in this, surprisingly, so if you're shallow like that, then go for it!

Read More

Geez...

This is obviously a small production with an even smaller budget, but I was appalled at the actuality of the K-BL. On top of a whole mess of things (production, acting, plot) this series just made... no sense? I feel like I watched everything and nothing at all. Everything that happened felt too coincidental, and I really don't even know where to begin.

Let's Dive In.

So let's start off with this plot that's already extremely wonky. Minjae is a new transfer student who keeps coincidentally bumping into the bubbly Yoonchan, who happens to have no friends and immediately falls for Minjae for no apparent reason. Then they add the most irrelevant thrid-wheeler into this that has zero correlations to the characters and immediately shows signs of having feelings for Minjae, again, for no apparent reason. The ending doesn't even serve this series justice cause they end on a cliffhanger as if I'd be back to watch another season (no!!).

This is obviously a small-budgeted series, but it felt more like a student-made series than an entire company behind it. It's hard not to realize that there is literally nobody besides these few actors on screen. Nobody at the cafe, nobody in the library, no one around the school, and no one also taking taekwondo classes. Some of the conversations ran on for far too long, like any conversation with the singular professor who works at the school, or the only senior that Yoonchan had. This series is already rather short, but then they had these long-drawn-out conversations that I definitely zoned out on more than once.

To make matters worse, there's a scene where Yoonchan is confronted by his senior about his relationship with Minjae, which Minjae overhears, in which he tells him that they're "just friends" because, get this, they are just friends! But Minjae gets butt-hurt about it, mind you, the senior came off as extremely homophobic and they quite literally were only friends. So there's a whole episode where they go around mopping and it's hilarious because it's so bad.

Moving onto the relationship...eh. Honestly, I didn't hate it, and they did extremely well during the kissing scenes, however, I will say that they needed to cut the kissing scenes in half because they went on for far too long. Other than that, I think they were okay, but nothing special.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - Just not good at all.

Acting: 8/10 - not bad, a little mediocre, but it's okay.

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

Recommendation Value: 1/10 - Not a lot of K-BLs came out this year, so I'm sad to say that you can go ahead and skip this one.

Read More

We Are... Bored After the 11th Episode

I actually really enjoyed this a lot, initially. The set up of the characters, their dynamics, the start of their relationships, I really really enjoyed it. However, once you get past the 11th episode, with some little hidden gems in the latter, this series falls completely on its face. We Are is a fantastic, extremely long romcom about everyone on campus being gay.

Let's Dive In.

Again, the build-up of all the relationships was definitely my favorite part. Once they all get together (besides one couple) they just kind of fall off completely for me. But before I get into each couple, I'll talk about some other production things. One, the filter on this is actually ridiculous. They all looked so pasty, and not a, "we want to look pale," more like a, "We are the color of white paint." Oh gosh, it was so bad. At times, I had to lower my brightest so that they looked somewhat of a natural skin tone. We get these hidden shots sometimes of their natural, gorgeous skin, and I needed more of that.

This is 16 episodes long, and it just didn't need to be 16 episodes long. The last two episodes are of them going on trips back to back, and had Tan and Fang not had what they've been serving this entire series, I would've skipped it. There's so much dead space that the characters are quite literally doing nothing besides kissing and teasing one another. This could've easily concluded in episode 12 or 13.

Anyways, onto the couples, and I'll start with my favorite, Tan and Fang. They were everything to me. The stoic uke and bubbly seme, literally my favorite trope ever, I absolutely loved it down to pieces. Aou, hand down, played the best out of all the characters. His personality doesn't waver, he continues being supportive and protective and clingy, and I loved him. Their kiss scenes and everything in between were perfect. There wasn't even a second when I didn't want to see them on my screen. Moving onto Q and Toey, Their initial build-up is the best part of their relationship, especially Q coming to terms with his feelings for Toey, and how they navigate those feelings together They don't necessarily lose me, they just get a little stagnant after a while, and then I'm not so obsessed with them anymore. However, they also have that same bubble seme, stoic uke trope, so I did enjoy them enough.

Okay, and to no one's surprise, if you've seen my reviews for another PondPhuwin series, they were my least favorite established couple. First, they take way too long to get together, and this is coming from somebody who absolutely adores slow burns. I think they get together in episode 12? Maybe 13? It takes a minute, and it's an absolute horror. They kiss at least a bajillion times before then. and at some point, I was screaming at my computer every time Peem looked so surprised and appalled when Phum kissed him. Like, dude, this is your like 15th kiss, please stop playing with me. Again, the thing about Pond and Phuwin is that they have no problem with the physical aspect of their romance, but when they're not kissing, they just don't click. I don't know what's not clicking about this couple for me, but quite literally, I still, after every series I've seen them in, can't get into them. They still look like best friends told to kiss. But either way, Peem kissing Phum when he does for the first time felt completely out of place, and I'm still not sure why or what about Peem makes Phum just fall head over heels. At least with the other couples, there's a backstory to their connections, with them, there's nothing but a small, frivolous tussle in the beginning.

Anyway, they slightly tease another couple, but they get a pretty sorrowful ending. Then, the twin and some other guy have a moment, and then that's it. overall, a lot of this goes well, and a lot of this goes not-so-good. But, I think I enjoyed watching this series more than I didn't like watching it, so it's getting a 7 out of me.

Ratings;

Story: 7.5/10: At some point, it gets pretty boring and draggy, but for the most part, I didn't mind it.

Acting: 8/10: Aou plays the best of all the characters, with Santang coming in second place. Everyone did a pretty good job, but again, and like always, Pond has this way of acting that I'm still not a fan of.

Music: 6/10: Didn't pay it much attention, to be honest. Also, so much singing...why?

Recommendation Value: 7/10: It's good, I liked it, then I didn't like it as much. Tan and Fang are why I'd recommend this to anyone, the other couples, ehh.

Read More

Boo

I really don't have much to say other than the fact that this bored the shit out of me. It wasn't bad, but it's definitely not memorable. I guess I would say it teeters on the line of being decent and also not good. Skimmed through the last three episodes and only kept watching cause Stan Huang looks incredibly too sexy with a goatee.

Let's Dive In.

Again, not much to say cause not much happened. It's a very simplistic story of a man who writes and a man who cooks who live in the same building and fall in love. The End. Stacks are very not stack-y, and objectives feel lost somewhere in the middle. But I don't hate this only because the leads are adorable (Stan Huang knows how to rizz) and I'm intrigued by that out of everything. The paper origami was the best little tidbit about this -- super creative and now I wanna learn.

The chemistry between the leads is good, not groundbreaking, but good enough that I didn't drop this. However, this series just drags which is kind of bad cause this is only a 10-episode series that lasts about 20 minutes. The waiter and the best friend and the ex all just feel like filler and again, nothing feels like genuine conflict cause you know that the leads will get together in the end, so who cares? I skimmed through the last three episodes and still got the jist of what happened. They do kissing great though (Only in these last few eps, the ones before were ehh).

Ratings:

Story:5/10 - boring! not bad, just draggy. Romance is decent and yes Stan Huang makes this score go from a 4/10 to a 5/10 for simply existing (that man is too fine).

Acting: 8/10 - It's okay, nothing groundbreaking, and they did good.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay it much attention but it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - Watch simply because Stan Huang is the sexiest man in Tawan. Otherwise, forget this series exist (like I will).

Read More

Pavel Was in This, So I was Seated

Boy-oh-boy, what a series. There's so much to unpack that a lot of people have kind of already done, but I'm here to throw in my 2 cents like always. Pit Babe was wild, in so many aspects, but particularly this new subject that's being bought up, and that's omegaverse. While this is a slippery slope for a lot of people, specifically for me, I think this series handled it perfectly without making it too cringe (sort of) or too wolf-ish. Pit Babe had Pavel in it, nonetheless, so of course I was seated.

Let's Dive In.

This was such a huge project that I was so excited for Pavel to be the lead in. I wasn't fond of his Coffee Melody series, so I'm just so glad he was put into something with a beautiful production value, great actors, and a complex story. This series has become huge globally, and I'm so happy he's getting his recognition since the 2 moons disaster.

Okay, so getting away from my pleasantries of Pavel, let's talk more about the series. Starting off, The production value is high. The sets were so perfect, so many different locations, so many different mansions and cars and motorcycles and the whole nine yards. The story is so compacted and flows perfectly, like it's scary how perfect it kind of was. We go from point A to point B with detail and understanding and I know the character's names. I loved it. There were so many astounding plot twists in this that I never knew what was coming next, seriously. The writers did a fantastic job producing this series. They were able to make it story-heavy and BL-heavy without too much or too little of either.

Moving onto the couples, of course, to no one's surprise. Jeff and Alan stole the show. Their build-up, their chemistry, their dynamic, it was like a present being left at my doorstep. Their kind of trope is my favorite; the uke whose stoic and quiet, and the seme whose outgoing and bubbly and kind. They were what kept me watching when Charlie and Babe's relationship got a little complicated, so I appreciated seeing them on my screen. Their NC Scenes were so good, so perfectly sculpted to be individually theirs and so precious how it was handled. Both actors did an amazing job. Moving onto Charlie and Babe, I think it went a little fast for my taste. I'm a slow-burn lover till the day I die, and obviously, this couple is the complete opposite of that. Their dynamic could be fun, until it just wasn't, until it got complex and all over the place. Do I think Charlie and Babe stay together forever? Maybe, but probably not. Their dynamics were a lot for one another, with Charlie being so quick to try and make Babe feel better without thinking of his own feelings, and Babe being needy for something that he can't quite find in Charlie unless he's in his pants. Either way, I liked them in the beginning, I think their story made it hard for me to see them together with all the secrets and lies and such, but it is what it is. Also, their NC scenes were heated for sure, I'm glad they know how to do physical well.

The omega verse shenanigans was kept pretty down-low and wasn't overly thrown into your face (other than a couple of times). I think the mention of male pregnancy was a bit of a nuance if it's not something they were going to parallel in the future. It confuses the watcher (me) and makes them go on a 2-hour spiral on what the hell that even is. But I think everything else was pretty watered down and could be a normal conversation between mlm relationships (yes, even the mama and papa, I've seen it before).

The side characters did really well. I wish North and Sonic's relationship would've been explored further, seeing as they would flirt and mention their overly friendly relationship, but whatever. I think Way and Pete would've been really cute too, and I just really wanted Kenta to end up with someone but oh well.

My real only problem: This series kind of feels a little draggy. There are a few episodes I sped through or kind of skimmed and still got the point of what was going on. I think this could've been 10 episodes max if they took out some unnecessary NC and commentary scenes.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - Well done! Flowed at a perfect level, had so many different aspects to be excited about, including the relationships.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh Pavel, the man you are. He did an excellent job as Pit, he cried so many times, I know he was exhausted. I think Pooh's acting still has loads of work to go through, but I think he did decent nonetheless. Nut did really well too, and everyone else played a great role.

Music: 6.5/10 - I remember the theme song being kind of annoying. It felt like I was watching the intro to a Power Rangers series.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - It's a well-put-together series, so I highly recommend watching it. The men in this are insanely hot if that helps too. You'll be a bit spooked by the mention of Alpha and all that, but after the second episode, you get over it.

Read More

Little GMMTV Gem

Can't say that this series disappointed, and like others, I'm pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of the story, the romance, and the overall production of this series. Be My Favorite, while still having trouble finding the meaning behind the title, I found the meaning of the series which is that of, "past or present, love always wins".

Let's Dive In.

This series did amazing with the portrayal of time traveling and trying to change the future. My biggest worry was that this was going to be pretty cliche, and while it was (in the BL aspect of the story), it still threw in some plot twist that I wasn't expecting. For one, I was for sure that Kawi was going to be able to prevent his dad from passing, but in each timeline, he does. It goes to show that -- even though there's no way for us to physically change the past -- what happens in our lives is unavoidable, no matter how many ropes we climb or battles we face; the past is the past. There were just other things in this that I really loved, including Kawi's different futures and the becomings of them.

Onto the romance, I really enjoyed it! Going into this, Krist and Gawin were the most random pairing that they paired, but in the end, it worked well. Mostly because both actors can act and Gawin is amazing at pretending to be in love (which is why GMMTV keeps giving him every partner in the company), so the chemistry obviously works. Now from time to time, I was hooked on the romance, and other times not so much, but for the most part, it worked and it worked great. I also really like that Gmmtv is allowing Gawin multiple screen partners so that they can enhance his acting ability and on-screen chemistry. It's great! His acting has also been so fucking good since Not Me aired, I'm so proud of him.

Also, this series is VERY LGBTQ+ represented and it shows tremendously. From Pisaeng accepting himself for being gay, visiting a gay bar, conversations with Max, confessions to his mom -- to having an entire speech and rally included in an episode fighting for lgbtq+ rights and that of sex workers and women. Great, great great! Also, I love Max and his little emo pink highlights lol.

I loved how they also dedicated most of the 10th episode to Kawi being nervous about sex to even having discussions about it with Max to showing a very organic, very sensual NC scene. Very well done, and very well executed.

Now some nit-picky things: Honestly, this series is only getting an 8/10 because I genuinely believe there only needed to be maybe 8-10 episodes. A lot of what we watched felt dragged out. Very nicely done, but I can't deny that I was finding myself to be a bit bored at times. Also not the biggest fan of Pisaeng having to go back to the past to help save Kawi, just felt like they were reaching for something else to put on screen when they realized it was pretty much happily ever after after episode 10.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - The Time-travel storyline was so good. it flowed nicely, it made sense, and it was enjoyable. There were some other things that were a bit tedious, but it doesn't take over the pleasure of watching this series. The romance is nice, all the side characters have their own stories which are also planned out accordingly, and in the end, it was great.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh gosh, Gawin did great since having seen him Dark Blue Kiss. He just gets better and better by the year. But honestly, for me, Aye (Pearmai) stole the show. Loved her acting, loved how versatile she was, and thank the heavens the writers made her bearable and friendly, and accepting. Everyone else did a great job, with Krist also shining through.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay attention to it, so it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - this series has surprisingly low views on YouTube, and I'm going to guess that has something to do with the odd pairing, or maybe Krist who not everybody is very fond of. Either way, please help support the wonderful talent that created this little gem of a series, it truly is amazing with lots of LGBTQ+ representation and lots and lots of fluffiness that just makes a BL series what it is.

Read More

I Liked It!

Okay, so from first glance, this was not much of a fan favorite, but honestly, and to my surprise I liked this, Now, of course, this was far from perfect, especially in the acting department (I shall touch on this a little later) but I mean, come on -- a tall yummy boss has a slow burn with the cutesy idiot employee -- I can't pass that up. Step by Step is so legit in its title as this is the slowest of slow burns I've witnessed this year, and I loved it with all my heart.

Let's Dive In.

The plot is as basic as it gets -- the meanie boss stumbles upon the clumsy and emotional employee whom he immediately starts to admire. The end. It really is a simplistic plot with some more details on the side like a complicated side couple, a pregnant lady, and a confident fem-gay guy. Now the story flows pretty well until the end when it gets a little draggy. For one, they could've easily ended the series at episode 10 and saved us the sappy saga that was so not necessary. 11 and 12 are easily skippable, stop at episode 10 for your own good.

Now, was one of the reasons why I loved this series so much because of Man (Jeng) and his surreal looks including the body of a fucking god? Yes. It was. And I'll be shallow and say it was my favorite part of the series. but no seriously, I don't know where they found that beautiful man from, but I need more Man and any more that look like him. The way I just grunted so loud when we saw him shirtless for the first time, my goodness. Anyways, onto Jeng and Pat's romance -- I liked it. Was it because it was a slow burn? Of course, I'm a sucker for people slowly realizing they like each other, the little stares, smiles, gestures, silly flirting -- I loved it all. Though, Pat being overwhelmed by finding out Jeng was also gay was so dramatic, the writers must've been desperate for conflict. Imagine finding out that a fucking god-like creature also happens to like the same sex as you do and all you can do is wither and be sad -- tf..? I would've pounced, but maybe that's just me. They're cute -- nothing out of this world or top tier, but I did really enjoy watching their romance.

I don't love the ending of Jen and Jaab, but what we did get was everything to me. That kiss?? Top tier. show-stopping. Immaculate. Talentful. Perfection. For real, that might be the best kiss I've seen from a side couple. the emotion, the silence, the build-up, the slow to desperate -- so good. Of course, it's not good to cheat, but I can't deny a good couple when I see one. But they kind of leave off a little weird. I fast forward through the last episode so maybe Jen and Jaab get back together, but from what I see, it's left pretty open-ended. oh well.

I really loved all the side characters, specifically Bruce's character who stole the show for me. I also just love Bruce and his acting, and he did phenomenal. And Zorzo!! I love her, she did a fantastic job! And Poppy!! God, I love him too (and his body). Ying was kind of the only character that I could've done without in the series, but oh well.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Good! Very unnecessary last two episodes, and also just a lot of office jargon that got to be a bit boring. But I loved the slow burn, I loved the side couples, and overall, I enjoyed the plot.

Acting: 7/10 - Okay so, Man is also beautiful and can act! He did a great job playing this boss role. Now for Ben -- eh. He wasn't terrible, him acting happy and goofy and playful was good, but being sad or crying was not his strong suit. The secondhand embarrassment I got from him crying so hard and yet not a tear escaped hurt. They could've at least given the dude some eye drops to sell it more, but there he was boohooing and not a tear in sight.

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

Recommendation value: 7/10 - I liked it, I would recommend it for many reasons, with one obviously being for Jeng's sake. I mean who would want to watch him on their scene being sexy and amazing and wonderful?

Read More

Ehh

So, this was on my plan-to-watch list for some time now, and seeing as I have plenty of that, I decided to finally give it a watch. Final conclusion: ehh. The plot involving Yuma was more fun than the actual leads of the show, but Ritsu is very beautiful, so I'll forgive it. The end of The World With You that SPOILER!! doesn't actually end. And I think the part that I'm most upset about is that it doesn't end and we're given a happily ever-after ending when I honestly wish it could been the opposite.

Let's Dive In.

So Yuma's plot was fun, the leads weren't bad, it's just their relationship was very toxic, so for me, not so fun to watch. Of course, people can change in a decade, so maybe Ritsu will turn out to be a better person, and I can kind of see the growth at the end, but still, dealing with that type of trauma in Matsumi's perspective must've been hard. Good thing he's not stubborn like I am.

Hmm, no wonder this show got good hype, didn't realize I was going to be watching PORN. But on a more serious note, the NC scenes were good, albeit maybe a little much for this series in particular. I also liked that they didn't play music in the background during their intimate moments, and we actually got to hear the ecstasy and all that jazz.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Like I said, would've liked for the world to actually end, but that's a personal preference. I loved Yuma and I loved his story. I've read most of the theories on his character, and I believe all of them. Semi-god coming down to protect the earth, supernatural miracle boy -- all of it. And obviously, the NC scenes were good, again a little much, but good.

Acting: 9/10 - Great acting, especially from Toshiki (Matsumi) who did a fabulous job. Great growth between both leads and Sousyo (Yuma) was a freaking cutie.

Music: 7.5/10 - I liked the music that played at the end of each episode.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Didn't play out how I would've liked it to, so maybe not the first thing I'd recommend. Does have some pretty good NC scenes, so for someone looking to be horny, I'll recommend them this one.

Read More

Surprise Little Gem in the K-BL Sea

Immediately, I thought that I wasn't going to like this. Looking at the MDL overall rating (which I don't pay much attention to, but still, it was pretty low), browsing through the comments briefly, and seeing some of my fave MDL accounts rating it pretty low -- like, I knew what was coming. But out of the blue, I find myself enjoying every little bit of this short series, beginning to end, which is definitely not like me.

Let's Dive In.

For a fat minute, I thought this was some kind of sequel to "Happy Ending Romance" but it's not, just coincidentally they have very similar title names. but anyways, the first episode swept me off my feet, and it's very rare that a series does that for me. It's alike many series I've seen before, but at the same time is something different entirely. I love that they first met and fell in love at a wedding venue, I love that this series dips into mental health struggles, I loved a lot of things about this series.

I think I can make the same argument that I always do with K-BLs which is that this series is severely too short to have played everything out perfectly. We still have a lot of things unanswered, and the romance is slightly abrupt, but I don't mind only because I loved these two. Their chemistry was off the charts. And the kissing?! Being more than decent?! Them kissing each other back?! I nearly fell out of my chair.

Again, I wanted more on Seungjun's mental health and how he's working towards helping himself. We obviously know that his best friend ended up having some sort of feelings for him, so I would've loved to see more of that too. If this series was longer and added maybe 4-5 more episodes, it would've been perfect.

Rating:

Story; 8/10 - Fun! Well, not all parts, but everything was good! It kept my interest and I'm happy with how everything turned out. Again, things are just rushed due to timing.

Acting: 9/10 - Amazing! Especially our main character who plays a very bottled-up person who has so much to deal with from his past. Sungtae (Jaehyun) is such a cutie and plays a perfect boyfriend.

Music - 8.5/10 - Good! Surprisingly I loved it!

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - It's short and an easy watch, along with being pretty good with the allotted time they had. Chemistry is great, skinship is even better. Give this one a watch for sure!

Read More