Unpopularopinionbydemand

Wowza

UWMA serves as the 4th BL that I've ever watched and had surpassed my expectations, quickly becoming my favorite. Even now when I'm on my 69th (haha) BL, UWMA still serves as one of my favorites and has a special place on my top 25 list. Although there are plenty of reviews, I'm dropping in my two cents for anyone willing to read.

Let's dive in.

Production: NIcely done. Not too much to praise them for, seeing as though they did not do much differently than other series, but I will say that the music was beautiful, and still stuck in my head to this day. (STAY WITH ME FOREVER, JUST YOU AND ME FOREVERRRRRRR< OOO OOOOOHHHH!!!) One thing I really truly hate about BLs is the number of ads that play. Usually, every BL has the same products to advertise (those drinks guys, I know you know what I'm talking about), but this one is the first to ever advertise Lays chips, so that was fun.

Story: Although I loved the premise of this series, it fell short in some areas. This is one of those series where you really have to sit down and get focused, cause if you don't, you will be highly confused about what's going on. I can't tell you the amount of times I had to go back and watch scenes to understand who was who's uncle, and who was related to who. Some things felt cringe and a little cliche, but it's a BL and I don't expect more or less.

Acting: beautiful acting done by Fluke. He continued to surpass my expectations each episode. He drove the series to be what it was and was so good at expressing those different emotions. Everyone else did a really good job, others that did an exceptionally good job were Earth, Kao, and Sammy.

COUPLES

Dean and Pharm: 9/10

I loved seeing their dynamic grow larger and larger as each episode went on. I'll tell you that the best thing about this couple is that they weren't forced together by those weird circumstances, and actually had chemistry and loved that was reciprocated, My absolute favorite scene between them was them in the grocery store together. I can never get over that scene. They just looked so in love. And they never dropped that expression that they had around each other. It was so intoxicating to see and I couldn't get enough of them. It was such a poetic romance between the two. There really just wasn't anything I hated about this couple.

FIRST KISS RATING: 13/10 - best first kiss ever. period. There is truly nothing like Pharm and Dean's first kiss, the music, the anticipation, the love, the longevity. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. Couldn't have asked for anything more. All romance scenes to go from there were just so good.

Win and Team: 7/10

I really did like this couple, but to be completely honest, I can't remember really any of the moments with them. It's been a while since I've seen UWMA and I never rewatch, but from what I can remember, I enjoyed them. They did the Lays chip advertisement which is what I really remember most.

FIRST KISS RATING: 7/10 - Their kiss was cute. Just a quick little peck under the mistletoe. It happened pretty fast, and if you blink you would miss it, but I still haven't seen a mistletoe kiss since then, so it serves as the best mistletoe kiss for now. I don't know how I really feel about the drunken kiss that happened between them during the trip. I didn't love it, but it was whatever I guess.

In and Korn: 9/10

Their relationship was so devastating, but it was real and Earth and Kao did an amazing job. My heart felt so full every time they popped up on the screen. Somewhere in me, I wanted way more of them than we got to see.

FIRST KISS RATING: 10/10 - Beach kisses are the best. It was a beautiful mix between the music, and their story, and their chemistry. Absolutely loved it. All other scenes after was just as magnificent.

RECOMMEND? Mmmm, I wouldn't recommend this BL to first-timers since it is VERY heavy, but if someone wanted a recommendation I would definitely recommend this one.

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J-BL Gem of 2023

Oh yeah, this was the shit. This was everything and more to me. This is the kind of story I crave more in BL -- simplistic first love stories that can tug at every heartstring until you're desperately crying out for more once it ends. I Can't Reach You was a spectacular J-BL that I'm so glad I found cause this was exactly what my little soul needed.

Let's Dive In.

Friends to lovers will always be my cup of tea, but add on childhood friends to lovers and you've basically sold me. And then on top of that, it's a first love story where we get to go through them experiencing their firsts with each other. And then on top of THAT, you throw in a plot without evil scheming characters or a third wheel -- just pure fluff, and feelings. I loved this, but I think that's obvious at this point.

Oh gosh, how I loved Yamato and Kakeru. They were flawed individuals with traits and odd perspectives like that of any hormonal teenager. Seeing Yamato so head over heels was nice, but getting to go through the story and finding these little moments when you can tell Kakeru is starting to feel something too -- the longing stares, keeping little memorabilia, laying his head on his shoulder, holding hands, the sparkling eyes while he smiles -- urgh, fuck, I love that shit so much.

Everything was so perfect, it was the right mix of awkward first encounters with figuring out feelings and how to go about them. The leads had great chemistry and great connection. Off-topic, but Kentaro (Yamato) is the prettiest J-actor I've ever seen and I could write an entire essay on his essence and soft masculine power. And yes I mean the prettiest (aka hottest) sorry I don't make the rule.

I just loved the plot too. I spoke a little bit about this, but there's nobody getting in the way of the main characters but themselves. No conniving jealous person, no evil parents or siblings, no troubling third wheel. Truly just feelings and a bit of miscommunication (which they fix by the end! Gosh, I love them). And yes, there were the girls practically throwing themselves at Yamato, but they were there as a jealousy mechanism for Kakeru and vice-versa, not an actual third wheel that you would have to worry about.

I love the other characters. I loved Yamato's sister, I loved the blonde-haired dude who was pretty much their love advisor and helped move their relationship. I loved that we didn't spend any time on them coming out or Kakeru having some deep contemplation on the fact that he liked a guy or the fact that others didn't react to it either. It was just a regular-smegular love story between friends and it's perfect. This was just such a gem of a series, seriously, it was so great.

My only little negative thing to say was that I hated when the sparkles would pass by their faces, it looked like some really cheap editing, but that might just be me. Also, the subtitles weren't it for a couple of the episodes, but again, just slight nit-picking.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - So so good! The pacing was perfect the storytelling was perfect and we went straight into the plot as soon as the series started.

Acting: 9/10 - great! They all did really good! I won't say their acting was the best I've seen, but still did really well! I liked Haru (Kakeru)'s acting the most!

Music: 7/10 - I didn't pay much attention to it, but it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 10/10 - I rarely give something a 10 out of 10, but gosh lee, this really was so good and I highly recommend it. It's good for wanting something simple and fluffy and happy. I know I'm happy!

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Great Until it Wasn't

Only Friends has a great beginning, but I can't lie that the incline to it being great crashed somewhere and just started getting rather tedious to watch. And don't get me wrong -- the plot, the acting, the romances -- everything worked like it was supposed to, except, still something just didn't work towards the end of this for me.

Let's Dive In.

Jojo knew what he was doing with this series, specifically with these pairings too. Putting a bunch of hot people in one frame and having them get into some heated mess -- okay yes, of course, I'm seated. I absolutely adore the concept of this BL, which I don't even know if I would label it a BL. This felt more like a genuine queer messy-gay series with no specific yes on a pairing and everybody was just kissing and sucking and fucking one another. It was about friendship and love and betrayal and hatred and loss and it worked perfectly with these actors. They put on a brilliant performance, and I can't wait to see what's lined up for them in the future from here on out.

Now, onto specific characters/pairings: I'll be honest, I would've loved a RayMew endgame. Of course, Ray and Sand worked well together too, but I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and we can't pretend like the moments that we did get between them weren't so fucking cute. Anyways, passed my wrecked ship, I'll start with Top and Mew. I absolutely hate that they ended up together. I really wish that Mew would've moved on, which might be my own bias because I can't imagine staying with someone that cheated on me, and even worse, cheated on me with my best friend. Also, yes, Boston is like a terrible human being, but if Mew can't find it in himself to forgive his friend but forgive his partner when they were both in the wrong, then Mew is being a bit of a hypocrite -- is he not? But skipping past before Top cheated with Boston, I was all aboard the Top Mew train. But initially Top only got with Mew to fill Boston's bet that he couldn't be the person Mew loses his virginity to, so now that I'm remembering that, I actually still didn't really like this pairing much. And I get it, he realized he actually did have feelings for Mew, but the intentions were still there. In reality, I give their relationship 5 months until they end for good.

Onto Sand and Ray, the only couple that I'm okay with. I liked Ray's character development a lot, which is why I can actually see this relationship lasting. They had a lot of ups and downs and honestly, the only real one I can recall is Ray still having feelings for Mew. I think they also complement each other so well that it just works. The rich with the poor, the spontaneous with the calculated, the party animal with the quiet musician, the boy who yearns for someone to love them with the boy who yearns to be loved. It was all so good. Again, I think Ray and Mew would've worked better for me, but I can see why this pairing does too, so I'm not mad about it at all.

Moving onto Nick and Boston -- thank god they didn't end up together. I hated seeing Nick just up and give Boston chance after chance, especially after they actually get together and Boston screws up again. He's just an all-around terrible person, who needed no redemption arc but was still given one (slightly). But again, Neo is so charming, so handsome, so perfect, so I can see why Nick would *shrugs in understanding*. But Nick deciding to work on himself to find the key to loving himself was a perfect ending for his character. Poor dude passed up Gumpa, so he really must've been hurting.

Mond being in this was so random and yet everything I needed and more. Dude is so pretty, so perfect, so everything. I couldn't even be mad that he was put in to add conflict at the last minute, because gosh, I mean just look at him. And the glasses too?? I'm no better than any of these characters tbh.

So what I think went wrong with this series: For me, there were a few times in which this just dragged on. Seeing Mark be hurt over and over again, Ray and Sand going back and forth, Top and Mew playing a game of cat and mouse -- and then it goes on for episodes and episodes. By the end, I was watching this at 2 times the speed. This is me being completely nit-picky and everyone else can disagree with me and that's fine, but how come we never see Ray/Sand and Top/Mew NC scenes as intensely as we saw Boston/any-boy-within-a-two-feet-radius-and-Mark? Maybe because they wanted to put an emphasis on Boston being sex crazy, but it felt weird to incorporate something for one character but not the others.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Overall, it was good. Kind of repetitive and a little bit draggy, but it still worked well and was on theme throughout.

Acting: 9/10 - I got to see Mond and Force shirtless (which has nothing to do with their acting, but they sure did show me a good performance so..). Anyways though, and for real, everyone did a phenomenal job. Again, I'll have to give most of the kudos to Khaotung who just hits it out of the park each and every time. But Mark also stood out and so did Neo too.

Music: 8.5/10: Like usual, I didn't pay much attention, but I would like the sudden shock on my face when I heard an English song playing. I don't know, it just shocks me sometimes. Also, the theme song is so very good.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10: Watch this because the actors are gorgeous and they are kissing at least 1/2 of each episode -- and the plot is wonderful. I give it a low score because I think this would've actually worked out better had I binge-watched it. I just saw all the hype and had to watch, but having seen what I've seen, I could've definitely waited to binge-watch it.

Also, Mix coming in at the end almost felt like they were building up to a potential 2nd season?? I mean, just imagine it. And you know if Mix is there I'm also there. We shall see once the final GMMTV 2024 line-up comes out!

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Something's a Little Off

So seeing that this has a pretty high rating and nothing but positive comments, I feel a little bad going into this review. For whatever reason, I didn't really like it. Didn't hate it, thought it was a cutesy little series, but something was off, and I'm not sure how to explain it.

Let's Dive In.

So during my watch of the first episode, I was pretty elated with this series. The lead is fucking adorable, the setup of his origin story is cruel yet intriguing to see how it'll go. And the more we get into the series, the more my interest just slowly starts to fade. By the end, I was just skimming through the last few episodes to see what happens. I don't know why my enjoyment deescalated, to be honest. I don't want to say it was boring cause I don't think it was that, so my conclusion for now is that it's just one of those series that just wasn't for me.

Now, one thing I can point out that annoyed me (and this is all based on my taste), is so much fucking singing. And I get it, it's literally in the title, but some scenes were like minutes long of just singing. Beautiful voice, but urgh, I don't know, show it don't sing it.

But the leads were really cute. They had some great connection and their kisses were even more than decent. But Baram's back and forth was absolute insanity and I wanted to pull my hair out. It's obvious that Hantae likes him, even says it straight to his face, albeit drunk but still, Baram can't believe that Hantae could like him. And then once Baram confesses to Hantae and he acts all shocked and confused as if he hasn't been all over Baram like a dog on a bone *rolls eyes*. Back and forth just aggravated me and we could've focused more on their relationship than them running around in circles.

Other than that, I loved the side characters, I loved the plagiarism aspect of the series and its resolution, I liked seeing Baram stand up against Sangmin, and again, Baram and Hantae's moments were so fucking cute.

Ratings;

Story: 7/10 - Some aspects don't resonate with me all too well. Some parts are a bit dragged out and I don't like the back-and-forth between Hantae and Baram. Other than that, the plagiarism plot was well thought out and the scenes with the main leads were always nice.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh they can ACT, for sure! Doyoon (Baram) was amazing in this role, I do hope to see him again.

Music: 7/10 - he had a good voice for sure!

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Like I said, this wasn't the series for me. Too much singing, lots of cat and mouse chasing, and some other weird stuff. But it's not terrible and this is definitely the series for somebody.

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Wow.

Wow.

If MDL allowed only one-word reviews, then wow would be the only thing I'd have to say.

I pretty much skimmed through this epic crisis of a series. What was promised to be this very raunchy, BDSM, mafia series quickly turned into a mafia and cut to the morning after series. I only kept watching for Baiboon and Kom cause I liked their dynamic, but their development just suddenly stops, so we don't ever get a proper ending with the two of them.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - I really just skimmed through this series, so I won't even begin to say I understood what was happening. Some mafia stuff? It's crazy that this all starts though because of a one-night stand.

Acting: 6.5/10 - most of the cast was mediocre. With as many series as Yoon has been in, you'd think he'd have improved by now, but no. No one's acting was good, everyone stayed on the same plain as just being ok enough for me to get through the series.

Music: 5/10 didn't pay attention to it which means it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 1/10 - I don't have the strongest say in whether or not to watch this just because I really didn't 100% pay much attention to it, but from what I can remember, it's not worth it. Watch for some comedic relief, but do yourself a favor and watch any other series besides this one.

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One of the Better Korean Drama of This Year

Even with this series' very short time lived, it has been able to do what some K-BLs this year haven't -- actually be memorable. And whether that's because of the story or the fact that their animals -- welp, I'll never know. Choco Milk Shake is an endearing mini-series with an irritating filter, but some much-appreciated good-looking men.

Let's Dive In.

I've said this before with Meow Ears Up, and while animal metamorphosis isn't really my thing, I'm able to look past it if the story itself is at least decent. This series teeters on that line, but I think it was good for what the length was. it suffers from its in's plot a little, but it's obviously because of the time frame they had.

Most scenes were entertaining, except when they were at the cafe doing presumably nothing but wiping tables that nobody sat at and talking. I don't know if anyone else had this problem, but there was this very irritating filter that made everybody as smooth as possible and pale as shit. Other than that, I have no other problems with the production. Obviously, this was a low budget since we only had maybe 2-3 different settings, but it's good where it is.

Onto to the characters. Milk was probably the only one with some depth to his character. Everyone else was a bit one-dimensional, but again, it's not a bad thing considering everything else about the series. I didn't see Milk and the cafe owner thing happening, but I'm not disappointed. They are more so just really good actors, but I wouldn't say their chemistry was jaw-dropping or anything of the sort (although, they know how to kiss, geez-la-wheeze). Jung Woo and Choco I would say are in the same category, but maybe just an ounce of better chemistry, or at least that's what my heart thought when I couldn't stop smiling at Choco's laugh when Jung Woo was tickling him. Also, the height difference is amazing, along with Jung Woo's smile.

Overall, it was a good watch. Somewhere halfway through I forgot about them being animals, but nevertheless, they'll eventually leave again to -- animal heaven...? I like to forget this aspect of the show, ngl.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5/10 - Animals thing is weird but it works. The story is simple but it works for this series. it's memorable because of its plot, and it's endearing because of the characters.

Acting: 8.5/10 - I really liked it. Few hiccups here and there, but it's good. Milk really stands out the most.

Music: 5/10 - too enthusiastic for my taste.

Recommendation Value: (I don't rewatch so I change it to recommendation value): 7.5/10 - It's good, One of the better watches from Korea this year.

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Idk what I just Watched..

I think a lot of people might've liked this cause of the Japanese version, or maybe they're big fans of the Love Stage Manga. Maybe it's because the show stayed pretty authentic to the book, or maybe because they are deeply connected down to the roots of these characters after following them for so long. But for me, someone who hasn't done any of the former, this was chaos thrown into a blender to create a cohesive series, but they left out the most important part of the drink, and now we're left with a terrible aftertaste that we can't get rid of.

Let's Dive In.

This was...something. I went into this pretty exciting cause I had seen some pretty good reviews and comments, again, could be that those were the ones that just love Love Stage for what it is, but anyway, I went into this with some pretty high expectations. All of them besides a few were let down. Love Stage is the story of Anda who was forced to play a girl at a young age for a commercial and meets Ryou, his castmate. Years passed, and for whatever reason, Ryou just can't get that "girl" out of his head. Until he finds out that little girl was actually a dude, and goes through a mid-life crisis. Some shit happens and then it's happily ever, bonus is the brother and his secret love with their family manager.

Now we'll skip the authenticity sake of this series cause I've never read the mangas and I have no plans to. This was just a wild manga to adapt into a series if they were staying true to the original story. It could've one-hundred percent worked for the book, but here, it's just insane. The fact that Ryou, a now-grown adult who has been through the hoops of fame and fortune, is still hung up on a one-time encounter when he was a child is ridiculous. I can't even name to you the kids in my elementary school, much less the people I had crushes on at that age (and I'm only 19). The entire main plot is foolish, and once I was able to look past that, I shrugged and moved on. Then some more idiotic things occur, some of them cute, and others just plain boring, and I pretty much just wanted to skip to see the brother and the manager, the saving grace of this series.

Anda and Ryou felt stupidly rushed. one minute Ryou hates that Anda's a man and hates the fact that he has feelings for him, and then with the flick of the wrist, he's flirting and pretending like he didn't just assault Anda in a bathroom that left his tooth chipped and manhood exposed (that scene...?? was incomprehensible..?? Definitely had to be from the manga cause there's no way they put that into the series and thought, "Oh yeah, this is it!"). Then they had no time to really develop (the one thing that was getting me through the series. I love watching the build-up to the relationship), but then they go and rush for them to be in a relationship, and after their sufficient in that, they just become insufferable and the plot becomes too predictable, and I mean tooooo predictable. To the point that I skipped episode 9 and just went straight to the ending, and look at that! Exactly what I thought would happen happened!

The acting is just not all that great besides Turbo and the brother, everyone else could use some work. Kaownah was okay at times, and then it just wasn't clicking anymore. The friends were straight trash and the fake laugh that Bank give somewhere in the first episodes completely turned me off, and I actually wanted to like him. The manager was okay too, nothing great, but at least he was more appealing to look at. The parents were fine, Lala was bearable, and I skipped that lady manager cause she was perverted and screeched each second she had the time to.

I absolutely loved the brother's and the manager's story. I think the way they implemented it to where the viewer starved for more, and for just a second when we thought we weren't going to get a canon, boom, they reveal their secret relationship. I love a good secret, especially when it comes in six-packs and tattoos. I loved Thee's charismatic side and the way he played the protective older brother. While trying to secure his brother's happiness, he also had to go looking for his own, which he found in his manager. Man, I really liked this duo, they fell flat a few times, but their trip on the beach was the best part.

Great bed scenes, great kisses, something I will always applaud to. But even that got a little stale after a while, and Anda having the body of a 12-year-old didn't help much either. I'm tired of touching on non-con in BL, so it is what it is, and I'm moving on for the sake of my own sanity.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5: The beginning was a bit fun, I could play into the laughable plot for a bit, and then I wasn't really feeling it. Once they get together (which is heavily rushed) things get boring and predictable, and then I doze off and forget I'm even watching. I skipped an entire episode cause I could care less about the main couple and it just got so boring that I thought I would drop this at one point. The brother's story was cute. Anda makes for a beautiful bride, and evil Bank honestly counts as a highlight.

Acting: 7: Ehh, Turbo was their best bet, everyone else needed more workshops. The parents were okay I guess, and the brother and manager had a cute enough story that I wasn't all that much bothered with their acting, although the brother was actually good. Anda's friends were talking robots the entire time, and tried too hard to be funny, it came off forced and unwatchable.

Music: 7.5 - there was one song that played during their sequence at the beach that I absolutely loved. I watched this on YT where for some reason, during a few episodes, the music is cut out, so after that, I didn't bother remembering to listen. It was decent I guess, the brother couldn't sing to save his life, but whatever.

Rewatch value: 1 - highly unlikely unless I want to watch Thee pop out of the pool in slow motion again on a loop.

Watch this if you want, I wouldn't recommend it, but at least if you watch, the actors weren't afraid to touch one another and weren't afraid to get down and dirty. The story is a mess and not one that I'm particularly a fan of. Another BL that will be long forgetful in like 6 months.

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Cute Korean BL

Out of the recent Korean BL's I've tried to sit through (Peach of Time, My Sweet Dear), which caused me extreme boredom, and slight chronic insomnia, you couldn't imagine my reaction when this series popped up next on my watch list. it's the mix of Korean BL's being hysterically short, and disrespectfully rushed that draws me out of their stories, but finally, a BL that I can give at least some type of credit to. Not for being anything different than a regular K-BL, but at least for keeping me entertained. The Tasty Florida was a simplistic plot with beautiful-looking characters and chemistry that I can support.

Let's Dive In.

The Tasty Florida was another extremely short Korean BL, that follows a similar path of My Sweet Dear, but less dull, and characters that I can actually enjoy. It starts off with the new dude falling in the arms of another dude, giving us the perfect love at first sight trope, and from there were introduced to new people, a very weak love triangle, and a rushed ending. However, this series was super laid-back and beautiful -- starting from the restaurant, to the actors themselves. But again, this series suffers from the same matters that other Korean BLs do -- which is sad to say, cause this one had such great potential to be one of the best K-BLs, but instead it falls right under being just good enough.

The things I enjoyed about TTF: Let's give credit where credit is due -- all of the actors are gorgeous. Yoohwan and Kanghyuk have sharp features and blinding smiles, not to mention their incredible build. Seungjun has such an entertaining hairstyle, that fits perfectly with his lean stature, and mesmerizing facial structure. Woomin is adorable, with a childlike aspect in his face, and windswept hair, but Zeze hits different. he's like a God. He looks so ethereal and majestic that he can't be true. so unbelievable that I had to pause the screen for a moment and just gawk at his beauty. And to add on, they all put on a really nice performance. I liked Yoohwan's the most, with Kanghyuk playing a close second. But either way, they all did a really good job. I'd say the lowest acting-wise was Zeze, but even then, he's done better than others I've watched.

I also really did enjoy the chemistry between Seo Hae Won and Baek Eun Kyu. I'm a sucker for the "realizing-I'm-falling-in-love" trope, and just watching two people gain connection and build up chemistry until it reaches its peak and it has to climax. and these two are great examples of that. I wish that it could've been developed a little longer, but then again, that would mean we'd need a longer series, but for what we got, I was satisfied. I think these two did an amazing job at showing their chemistry through eye contact and simple gestures. I absolutely loved them.

I'd have to add on that the production was really nice. I loved the scenery of the restaurant. The colorful vibes and the cool warm pastels accentuated the mood of the series. I liked the overall cinematography of it all.

Some things that needed improving: Cha Ji Soo was treated horribly. I was actually very much interested in this character and very much so rooting for him and Seo Hae Won for half a second. But sadly, the love triangle this show tries to have is so weak that it's barely even there. Of course, we already know who the lead will end up with in the beginning, but if they're going to go for a love triangle then I think they should've gone full force. Have Seo Hae Won also develop feelings for Ji Soo. Have them maybe end up kissing, or have a conversation about it. Love triangles are because the lead is in love with both choices, not just one. Also, how Ji Soo decided that he would be okay with watching the guy he likes and his best friend dating every single day at work is beyond me.

The dojo thing was very pointless. It didn't drive any plot, it didn't raise any conflicts -- it was just there. Sure, the scene with them rustling and rolling around on the mat was cute, but what other justice did it serve? Nothing! That time could've been used to add more plot, to build more connections. I would rather see more Zeze being godly than a dojo.

The ending was rushed, and the year time jump through me completely off guard. Not to mention, that there wasn't any type of character change in regards to features or just relationships over a period of time. I hate time jumps when they don't show a change of growth in characters. Them crying in each other's arms was cute, but I think just 5 or 6 months with him away would've been fine.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - From what we got in this short series, the story was good. I'll take off a star for the weird time jump, and the rushed ending.

Acting: 8.5 - Everyone did a really good job. There were some hiccups here and there, and some acting choices should've been different, but overall, it was good.

OST: 5 - I don't remember it which means it wasn't a distraction but was also not anything to recollect.

Rewatch Value: 1 - I might actually go back to watch certain parts of this series, like Sao Hae Won cuddling a drunk Eun Kyu.

I recommend this series for anyone wanting a quick and pretty lighthearted watch.

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Oh Lord

I feel bad for being just another review that skips the main story and jumps straight into the BL. But, sadly, I m another reviewer that is skipping the main story and jumping straight into the BL part of this series. don't get me wrong, I tried watching the actual series in hopes that I would turn out to like it more than I thought I would, but I couldn't get past the first episode. So I just skipped for Pete and Kao's parts. Ooops.

Let's dive in.

Production: I can't remember too much ( I watched this a while ago) but I do remember that there were a lot of ads stuck in the middle of the stories. It takes away so much of the characterization when half of their scenes is them promoting a company. Other than that, just your usual production.

Story: Obviously, I didn't watch the majority of the series, but from Pete and Kao's story, it was okay. Not a fan of enemies to lovers, and they had a lot to do with that. Not that I despise it, but the thought of your enemy falling in love with you never felt quite realistic to me.

Acting: Tay and New are incredible actors and I once again enjoyed them very much in this series.

COUPLES

Pete and Kao: 7/10

Like I said, not a fan of enemies to lovers, so Pete and Kao weren't my favorites, But I did enjoy watching them. Some of their scenes did come off as being super cringe, and at times I really felt like I should just turn it off completely, but I'm glad I didn't since their story carries over in DBK. Their relationship felt a little rushed, and they got together so fast. There was just such a weird switch in them hating each other and then loving each other.

FIRST KISS RATING: 1/10 - cringe-fest. No, accidental kisses are the death of me. I only accept Ae and Pete's.

RECOMMEND? No. Absolutely not. You can watch DBK without the need of watching this one, which is what I should've done, but oh well.

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Lost

I must've been half asleep for this episode because I'm having a hard time remembering anything good I liked from this episode besides them being attractive.

Let's Dive In,

The guy was in love with his famous step-brother. Yay, we are once again romanticizing incest. God, I love BL.

Don’t ask me what happened in this episode cause I have zero knowledge. Meng Meng was a BL fan and was trying to deliberately get her best friend and his step-brother together. With her whole chest, she thought there was nothing wrong with shipping a brother and his step sibling. I just gave it a four cause I don’t know where my head was at during this episode, and I would go back to re-watch it, but I’m really not interested.

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Can't Get Into It

It's been about a month since the series ended and I still can't get myself to watch the last two episodes, and I think I'm done trying. I really sat my ass through this series because I really do hate dropping, but also forcing myself to watch something I don't like rather than to sit and watch something I do like is torture to myself. Never Let Me Go fails in a lot of spots for me, except for how gorgeous these actors are.

Let's Dive In.

One reason that the series was so hard for me to get into was that the initial plot just doesn't make sense. Why hire a fisherman who's amateur at being a bodyguard to protect a highly important person? Especially after the fisherman's father failed to protect the important boy's dad? Just why? I think this would've worked out better had Palm just been on a scholarship to attend the same school as Nuengdiao and they became friends to then become lovers. Maybe then I could've finished this. But I can't because nothing about this situation adds up. Either that or Palm should've been an older gentleman who was a bodyguard in his past coming back into the job to help out his dad.

I've said this in FUTS, and I'm saying it here too: something about Pond's acting never settles right with me. I will say he was at least slightly better here than in FUTS, but I can never believe his acting. It sounds like he's reading the lines off the paper instead of acting them. Someone on Reddit said his acting reminds them of a last-minute put-together high school play and I couldn't have said it better myself. And I'll probably get crap for this too, but for some reason, I can't play into Pond's chemistry with Phuwin. It's just not there, at all. They do being physical very well, but besides that, I don't feel the chemistry between them in their acting. Pond gives off "I'm straight" vibes like crazy, and while I'm not trying to assume his sexuality or anything, that's just how it comes off.

I would've stayed for Chimon and Perth, cause I was decently enjoying their side story, but it's still not enough. I'll just wait to see them in their series once it airs. The fighting sequences made me squeal with laughter, because what in the everloving fuck was that. The make-up department at least did the bruising and cuts well.

Ratings;

Story: 5/10 - Chimon and Perth's story is entertaining. Some parts of Neungdiao's story is intriguing (like his uncle trying to kill him), but I can't get over that his mother thought it was a good idea to hire a fisherman with no bodyguard experience to protect her highly targeted child, which is why this series will never do it for me. I think they even teased it in one episode, which I'm glad they acknowledged that it was dumb, but still.

Acting: 7.5/10 - I'm mostly giving this score to Perth, Chimon, and Phuwin. I think there are some parts Phuwin lacked a bit for me, but it still wasn't bad. Pond's acting is once again, mediocre if not worse than that.

Music: 5/10 - Didn't pay attention to it. So it wasn't distracting. Good.

Recommendation value: 4/10 - As I said, it might've just been me that felt this way, but there are much better stories out there to watch than this one.

Just a little bit of a rant, but I don't think Pond and Phuwin were the right pair for this series in general. I think having switched up some important plot points would've made it better, but in order to have made this series as good as it could've been with just the original story, they should've found a pairing that was older, or at least a person a lot older to play Palm's role. Someone like Joss or Earth or White or Pod or Gawin or Tul (even though he's not with GMMTV, just trying to throw out some actors that would've done this role well), anyone who seems a lot more mature than Pond was able to portray. Phuwin is fine in Nuengdiao's role, but I'm thinking Khaotung or Pawin, someone who might've been able to handle a more dramatic role.

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Bummer

Kinda of like what a lot of people have been saying, this was a bit of a bummer. It had been so anticipated by everyone everywhere, and to have been waiting so long and this be the solution just feels like we've been cheated.

Let's Dive In.

The first few episodes, probably until episode 6-7, are top-notch. At one point, I was thinking, "man, this is what everyone is hating on!?! This is great!" and then, it's just downhill from there. Of course, nothing wrong in the production of it all, if anything, that's what makes this series so hard to rate lower than an 7, unfortunately.

I hate that I didn't care for any of the romances in this until we're introduced to Calvin and Jay, and then...nothing. What a waste of an opportunity.

The only character I cared about was Chakri. Perfect, brilliant, amazing, lovely.

I skimmed through episodes starting at maybe 8-9. It was lovely to see Jimmy again after so long, but even then, I just don't care much for his story with Paytai.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - so good until we get into the latter episodes, and then everything starts to drag. Lots of potential wasted, like, a lot. Not so much into the romances, but I did get to see Zee's ass, so I'm not too mad.

Acting: 8/10 - Good. Not spectacular, unfortunately.

Music: 7.5/10 - I remember a lot of english songs (I watched this like a month ago from writing this review). Wasn't paying attention, but it didn't seem distracting.

Recommendation Value: 6/10 - Sure. By no means, is this a bad series, it's good cause it's Zee and Nunew and they have the production value to make a decent series. It just didn't hold up to the standards that I thought it would have, that's all. And Zee is naked enough to get you excited!!

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Nothing Like a J-BL to Cleanse My Palate

Oh, what a lovely little J-BL this was. While being everything but normal, this still served a rather telling story about true love, infidelity, and the importance of intimacy. I can't believed I even liked this cause I hate infidelity storylines with a passion, but this was much more than that.

Let's Dive In.

Also want to phrase this in the beginning to say I do not, whatsoever, agree with cheating in any circumstance. If anything, that's the reason this series still can't be a 10 out of 10 for me, even if the premise, the storytelling, and the actors all did a job well done. It's such a weird feeling to want to root for two people are are inevitably doing harm to their "partners" but also are somewhat in the right.

Kazuaki dealt with intimacy problems with his long term girlfriend (the separate beds was crazy wtf??) and the cause of their relationship to fumble being that they had no sexual relationship. This one aggravating me a lot. Kaori, while extremely beautiful and extremely sweet, was still so aggravating as a character. The advances Kazuaki tried to make on her, the separate beds, and you're telling me she had no idea that her boyfriend of three years might've been struggling? But on that same wave-length, how could you be in such a long term relationship and not know how to communicate? Like, would it really be so hard to have a sit down conversation with your girlfriend of three years and ask why ya'll haven't been intimate? That whole thing was insane to me. Sei is a little different. He basically had a partner who pitied him, which I could tell from the get-go was the problem. But at least Sei, even if not entirely in heath ways, was able to communicate with his partner about wanting to be intimate.

But I can't lie that I love this story. You want to hate it, you want to root for the ones being cheated on, but you look at their relationships and you want it to end too. While I would've loved a story where all of this took place when they had broken up with their partners, the point of the story was that they looked for solace in someone else when they couldn't find that in the person they were suppose to love, and I (toxically) think that's beautiful.

Both actors do such a good job in their roles. Their characters have very different personalities, but mixed together, they were perfect. Great NC scene, decent kisses. I liked how the intimacy played a huge part in this, and it's obviously needed and not thrown in for the "vitality" of BL, which is how most shows tend to be nowadays.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - Beautiful story. Had me roped in till the end. I think I would've like some slight shifts in character traits and just the overall vibe of the series, but nonetheless, this was perfect.

Acting: 9/10 - Both leads do a wonderful job. I loved Kaori's character, as much as she aggravated me. Everyone else did a decent job.

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

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - this one is a little hard to sit through if you're not ready for a story full of cheating and infidelity.

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Nostalgic, and BAS !

I loved seeing Bas, I feel like I haven't seen him in forever. It was mostly why I watched, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is nothing new, if anything, it takes a trip back to 2018, but I love it for all the nostalgia it brought. Still can't ingore that it's nothing new nor special.

Let's Dive In.

A lot of people have already described this BL as kind of being like a little time-machine to the way BL use to be 6-7 years ago. I got a lot of My Engineer, Love By Chance, 2 Moons vibes ( I swear it's not just Bas, lol). This is an extremely generic Uni BL that is honestly pretty forgettable, but some of the characters are endearing and so are Pond and Maxky when they're shirtless.

Hill and Ter are pretty boring for me. I think I liked them at a certain point, but their story felt all over the place and then a little placid in some parts. Seeing Pond shirtless also didn't hurt.

What really had me seated was Jo and North. I loved their story in the beginning, and then it loses itself a little once they start figuring out their relationship, but eventually picks itself up again. Jo is extremely toxic and their relationship is almost built off of the fear that North has of him if he doesn't do everything right. Either way, Maxky is a beautiful specimen with the prettiest lips, and I liked seeing him shirtless too.

I kinda started skipping after episode 12 or so. Basically skimmed through the rest and still got the gist. They tease this third couple, but they go absolutely no where. Sammy was in this. Looks so very different (I'm not sure if it's in a good or bad way yet...).

Overall, this BL was full of a bunch of irrelevant beautiful characters, and the plots are full of very small, un-consequential conflicts. But it's cute, it's watchable, and lots of shirtless scenes.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - I liked Ter's and Hill's story about their pasts. That's kind of it. Great kissing/NC scenes me thinks.

Acting: 8/10 - some are good, others not so much. Pond is definitely one of their best actor, with Earth and Bas up there too. Maxky is good, but he's prettier than his acting unfortunately. Everyone else is just mediocre.

Music: 5/10 - didn't pay attention to it, so it wasn't distracting at least.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - ehh. It's okay, watch something else. This is also very extremely long for no reason, so skip, skip, skip! But Maxky and Pond are beautiful shirtless, so actually, you should watch this.

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So Much Wasted Potential

I think I will never understand the point of doing a crossover series, and then make it so very mediocre. I mean, there's so much to explore with two different countries coming together, but like most of them, this series did just that: solidifies on the expectations, and then completely ruins it.

Let's Dive In.

This series could've been good, but they waste it on this weird expectation that we're suppose to think it's normal for one character to speak Thai, and the other Korean. Now, let's just say that between the leads, this works, but you're telling me when Jay goes to speak to other Korean people, they understand perfectly what he's saying? No, of course not. I don't know why we couldn't have gotten a Thai actor that speaks Korean, or a Korean actor that speaks Thai. Either way would've worked best than us just having to kind of go with the flow.

But, after a few episodes, you kind of forget about it. Now, looking into the plot, this seemed to be such a cutesy little friends to lovers story. No, it's so much more than that. We then end up in this murder-mystery plot that is so anticlimatiac. It's set up in the beginning of the series, but it doesn't fit at all within the genre of this BL. It's so fun and dainty and cute, and then all of the sudden the characters are running around fending for their life. I can't take any of it seriously.

Moving onto the leads, they do well within their respected roles. As a couple, they falter. Not only do they get together mid-series, but then they do... nothing. We get a couple kisses here and there, a hand-holding scene, and that's pretty much it. It was very underwhelming.

The best thing about this series is that it is a very easy watch. Took me a day to watch all of it which is why I finished it, because why not? Most of the characters are very attractive, especially Jinuk, who I wish has his shirt off more often.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10: if they wanted to do the murder mystery, I wish they would've made this series more grittier. Not a lot of development between the leads, even as a couple. Some parts i did enjoy, so it won't get too bad a grade.

Acting: 8/10 - Good. No one did just an amazing job, everyone did good and it was fine.

Music: 6/10 - I know most music is repetitive, but I just remember the song playing non-stop. Kind of annoying.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - No. It's okay. And I say that knowing full well Jinuk takes his shirt off and mesmerizes me.

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