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BL Compilations
swimming in the BL vortex
short and sweet
Overall: this is a cute food based series (and I would categorize it as BL/slice of life, I also have a more broad definition of what BL is). Watched on Youtube, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOHd2AnMfkDHd7XAEZKFt7iZ00IsC9uNl The videos have English subs.Content Warnings: none? maybe spying on another person?
What I Liked
- the premise was cute
- enjoyed the baking/cooking (and they even include recipes at the end, but they are in Japanese)
- those dream moments and the sister interrupting were hilarious
- color grading and overall production value
- good outro/credits and the song (by Imase)
Room For Improvement
- wish it had been even 1 episode longer or that they would do a second season
- the subs frequently miss spaces between words, but I could still understand them pretty well
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a BL themed musical
Overall: this was an actual musical performed in front of a live audience and we are watching a recording of it. It had a slow start but I managed to make it through the first part and I enjoyed the second part more. Watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: suicide threat mentioned in song, manhandling, non con picture taking
What I Liked
- outfits/styling
- modifying the set
- music/choreo
- funny moments
Room For Improvement
- there were a lot of characters and it took me awhile to figure things out
- slow start, picked up halfway through the first part
- the stereotypical fujoshi character
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Boku mo Aitsu mo Shinrodesu
3 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
both cute and serious momenst
Overall: this is a 50 minute movie with an established couple. It has both funny/cute moments and serious parts. Watched on Gagaoolala (S. Korea).Content Warnings: homophobia
What I Liked
- an established couple
- their sweet moments like how they met
- that it focuses on their wedding day
- the grandma was awesome!
Room For Improvement
- choppy/abrupt editing, definitely could have used more screen time
- the one dad's change seemed a bit abrupt but maybe it could happen like that
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Cute, almost silent short film
Overall: There is only 1 spoken line in the 7 minutes. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- it's a simple, cute story
- watch the credits because it was nice to see the other perspective* and it gave some helpful information to the viewer
- the hint of the title of the song on his phone
Room For Improvement
- *the scenes were out of order according to the other viewpoint in the closing credits which was confusing
- 1 line isn't subbed (you're late today)
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Content Warnings: bullying, non con touching (when asleep), pretty explicit NSFW
What I Liked
- I thought the acting was decent
- good music
- I liked the cinematography with the mirror in the bathtub scene
Room For Improvement
- I wish we heard Cheolsoo speak more about his thoughts/feelings
- the ending was too open as to what exactly happened, I thought one thing happened but then reading the comments on Vimeo someone from the movie responded and it was something else
- and the last sentence "it's all in the past now" doesn't really give closure
- it would have been cool if the runtime had been 20 minutes to match the title since it was only 1 minute away in the non director's cut
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Funny and fluffy with a little angst
Overall: at only 5 episodes, it's a pretty fast watch if you just want to turn your brain off and be entertained. It has several tropes in it which didn't bother me but this is not anything ground breaking. Has a mix of comedy, fluff with some angst.Content Warnings: a non-con/dub-con kiss*
What I Liked
- has a combo of humor, fluffy and some angst
- there are several product placements per episode but they don't bother me like some do
- overall production value is good
- it has those comedy sound effects which are mostly good (except for the 1 belch), didn't notice as many sound effects later on
Room For Improvement
- *it starts as an accident and the other person seems to enjoy it, but since it started as kissing someone sleeping, I think it's a non-con/dub-con kiss
- I think there are jokes that are not being conveyed. For example, in episode 1 part 2 he said the word onion a few times and from My Engineer I remember that 'kiss' and 'onion' in Thai sound similar or are the same word. So there are likely other jokes that we aren't understanding.
- Match's video comments aren't subbed but from context clues you can guess what they say
- some scenes feel a bit drawn out
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
A Both Sweet & Violent Story Set in the Countryside
Content Warnings: violence, tragedy (not between m/m)It begins as a fairly typical BL series, but does have some pretty dark twists. The first 3 episodes are kind of stand alone as each focuses on 2 guys, but starting in the 4th episode they start to connect more.
What I Liked
- the more rural setting
- talking about some of the issues like corruption, education issues, poverty
- the actors are very attractive and their acting is fine
- the cute moments
What I Didn't Like
- the violence was a bit too explicit at points in my opinion, it felt like whiplash
- maybe check if someone is okay with being your fake boyfriend before you go down that path
- the promotion of skin lightening soap, I understand that they need to get funding but skin lightening soap feeds into colorism...
Hope they are able to do a season two or the actors can star in more series
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more tension in season 3 of His Man (reality m/m dating series)
Overall: though it started with feeling similar as the past 2 seasons of His Man, it ended up with more tension and less friendship in my opinion which could be good or bad depending on viewers' preferences. 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/his-man-season-3-2024-1fl5vc0n6ap?lang=en_us Here is my review of season 2 https://mydramalist.com/743089-his-man-season-2/reviewsReality Dating Series Note: When watching "reality" series, I always keep in mind that producers might tell the guys what to do/say and that editing can be extremely misleading (not showing things, change the order, etc). My goals are that the guys have some fun (maybe make a friend) and being on the show helps (or at least doesn't hurt them) in their personal and professional lives.
What I Liked
- I like how they started with a date and the twist gave a bit more drama
- the 30 second phone call thing was good (I personally think it's best if the guys say who they are and call someone they are romantically interested in to avoid mixed signals/increase the odds of a mutual match)
- production value such as nice music, set design, editing, etc
Room For Improvement
- too many phone calls, would like to see some larger group games/intro games
- I was going to say it was a good decision to not let them say their age or occupation right away because I think people get fixated on those things when in reality personality, values and goals are much more important compatibility-wise; however, some of the guys seemed extremely fixated on this and I think some guys are going to get hurt after their ages are known so maybe it would be best if ages were known from the beginning or to have all the contestants be within 5 years of each other
- I don't like that the producers did something (they must ask the dating histories of the guys, I can't think this was accidental), felt like the producers just wanted to create drama
- needed nametags or nametag necklaces at least for the first few episodes to get familiar with all of their names
- I didn't like episode 14, I think more of a follow up as a group would have been better they definitely shouldn't have shown 1 of the couples and then oddly did not show show a different couple...maybe that couple got smart and didn't want bad editing so refused to film it or something
Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. The Boyfriend (Japan) on Netflix. Guys run a coffee truck and live together for 1 month.
2. Sparks Camp (Philippines) on YouTube, currently on season 2. Anyone can date anyone. Great diversity with the guys.
3. Boys Like Boys (Taiwan) on GagaOOLala, had a very similar aesthetic/vibe to His Man
4. Love House seasons 1 & 2 (Vietnam) on YouTube (most have English subs, this is ep 1 of season 2 no subs though https://youtu.be/TKzT_nHfVTA ). I liked this set up more than Bromance because the guys could all pursue one another. I didn't like the "secret couple" aspect and dividing them up based on sexual position seemed odd (can't they discuss that in private???) Season 1 was also the most brutal "rose ceremony" I've ever seen in any dating reality show. Season 2 was better.
5. Bromance (Thailand) is also on Gagaoolala. This is the typical Bachelor/Bachelorette set up with a bunch of people competing against one another to be with the 1 bachelor. I didn't like this because they could have all been hitting on each other and we have multiple couples! I got kind of bored and skipped a bunch.
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
watched for Wayu & Wayha
Overall: it was a mess but not an entertaining mess. Watched ep 1-4 and 9-12. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.Content Warnings: murder, non con turned consensual, voyeurism, non con recording, blood, stalking/non con picture taking, manhandling, perhaps more content warnings
What I Liked
- Wayu/Wayha (wish their names were less similar though)
- that it tried something different from the regular romcom
- some of the guys being supportive of one another
- I think the first time a character asked about preferred position
- good NSFW/kissing
- fyi there is another clip after the next episode preview
Episode 9 was okay overall, episode 10 watch at 28 min, episode 11 watch at 24-30min, episode 12 watch at 22-28min and 31-33min (or to the end to solve the mystery introduced at the end of ep 9)
Room For Improvement
- very confusing start and timeline jumps
- too many characters, was not invested in any of the characters/couples (except for Wayu/Wayha)
- boring
- nonsense, why wouldn't she have worked on that actor's accent right away, she can hear it right?
- that vent room looked super unrealistic
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Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb!
5 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
wanted more chaotic fun (and BL)
Overall: it had a very similar premise to The Hangover, but I didn't find it as entertaining. This season had totally different actors/characters/plot than the previous 2 series so you can watch this on its own; however unlike the last 2 seasons there was no mutual m/m romance. 6 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.Content Warnings: vomiting, held against will, drugging, punch
M/M Kisses (note, there was not a BL couple in this series): a brief flashback at the beginning of episode 2 and episode 5 2:30 and then 20 minutes
What I Liked
- clear premise
- introduced the characters well
- made me laugh a few times
- the twist/subverted trope in episode 4
- liked the mom reveal
- production value (especially the music)
Room For Improvement
- needed to be even more chaotic, I was bored
- nonsense stuff (the police didn't say/do anything about the handcuffs, they guys would have pain on their backs, their total lack of negative reaction to what was on their backs, the CEO was just cool with everything they did)
- neutral, comedy sound effects
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interesting premise, confusing execution
Overall: I enjoyed that this had a unique premise but there were just too many plot elements thrown in and they were not able to explain or wrap everything up well. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: there is one (which we actually never see and I wish we had) but I'm going to keep this spoiler free
What I Liked
- gorgeous country/mountainside setting
- a bit of mystery/more of a unique premise
- cinematography and music
- the actors did a good job
Room For Improvement
- there was just not enough screen time to fully develop the multitude of plot points and it ended up being too confusing i.e. the two "games", jumping back and forth in the timeline, the scene on the bridge - what was he apologizing for???, the repeated bridge scene, the twist (I would have cut that whole element/character out), how was it so coincidental with the timing with them ending in the place from the first episode, what exactly happened with their relationship?
- I would have preferred that the first episode content was cut down into 5-10 minutes and then they moved into how they met/their relationship, shown (not told) what exactly happened to land them there so close in timing and then have the final episode in the place we saw in the first episode
- it's fine to have plot twists and mystery elements, but in the end, the audience should go 'ah haaa' like in The Sixth Sense and I was left with 'uh whaaat?'
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
His Beautiful Jerk
Overall: Although I heard that the characters were more developed/had character growth in the manga, I am only reviewing what I saw in the 6 episodes. If this had been an explicit dom/sub and/or sadist/masochist relationship with discussion about rules and boundaries, then I would have enjoyed it more. Watched on Gagaoolala, it's also on Viki.Content Warnings: manhandling, repeatedly name calling (disgusting, gross, stalker), there are two scenes in episode three where I began to think that Hira is a sociopath
What I Liked:
- the intro animation sequence was really cool and it set up the story well
- overall good production value
- good acting
Room For Improvement:
- the intro sequence and music sets this up as a silly and upbeat show and the vibe is much darker
- the accordion music was an odd choice for the intro animation, seemed to be the wrong vibe
- Hira is obsessive and does stalker behaviors. I was hoping to see character growth when he went to college, but saw none.
- I was hoping Kiyoi would have character growth but he continues the name calling, kicks and pushes Hira to the ground.
- I didn't like all of the "you are gross/disgusting/stalker", it sounds like it may have been a translation issue but the number of times it was said was a turn off
- did not like the master/servant dynamic without discussion of dom/sub
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Utsukushii Kare Season 2
4 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
a different kind of love story
Overall: fans of season 1 will enjoy season 2 as it has the same vibe (it's not a fluffy romcom). 4 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki.Content Warnings: shove/kick/hit, suicidal thoughts, manhandling
What I Liked:
- recap at the beginning
- the intro/song
- domestic bliss moments
- acting
- character styling
- really liked the last episode and wish we would have seen more of this earlier
- relationship between Kiyoi and the actress
- the parallel with photography/that conversation with the photographer was nicely done in the final episode
- production value
Room For Improvement:
- the descriptions of this series and the series itself position that it happens over a year from where we left off in season 1. However, Hira and Kiyoi's interactions don't feel like two people who are an established couple. It very much feels like we left off at the end of season 1.
- I struggle with their character flaws/this plot isn't really my thing but I think the acting is very good and it is nice to see flawed characters
note: I struggle with Kiyoi calling Hira gross and disgusting. I've heard that that word in Japanese can be translated as several different words including creepy. So I wonder if it's more like Kiyoi calling a weirdo, but kind of more in an affectionate way and not in a negative way...
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slow pacing with unbelievable characters (watch suggestions)
Overall: one character was unbelievably naive and then the other was oddly cruel in episode 7. 10 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4529/takaras-treasure-2024 except Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and PhilippinesWatch Suggestions
- watch episode 1
- watch episode 2 beginning to 2 min, 4:30-5, 15-16:35, 17:30 to the end
- watch episode 3 at 4:30-6
- start episode 4 at 8 minutes
- watch episode 5 at 17:40 to the end
- start episode 6 at 8 minutes
- watch episode 7 at 4-8:20 and 14:40-15:35
- skip episode 8
- watch episode 9
- episode 10 was oddly anticlimactic, you could just watch at 22:40 to the end
Content Warnings: see the comment under a spoiler for 2 of them, stalking
What I Liked
- that it didn't start with a flash forward or back
- meet-cute subverted trope
- I did laugh at the terrible hiding skill in episode 4
- episode 9 was good
Room For Improvement
- Taishin was unbelievably naive (he still asked that question in episode 10, what on earth) and Takara was oddly cruel for not telling Taishin the truth in episode 7
- a glacial pace with their relationship
- odd how very similar behaviors were categorized differently
- nonsense stuff: how they carried tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, food, etc in those small backpacks
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I've forgotten why I liked this series...
Overall: although I love some of the realistic slice of life parts, it's just too slow. Aired on GagaOOLala.Content Warnings: manipulation, something else that is spoilery for a side character and I'll put it in a comment after this is done airing
What I Liked
- those kids were super adorable in ep 1 and did a great job
- set the time well with SARS (2003), although VHS tapes weren't new technology, it should have been a DVD player unless I understood this incorrectly
- differently abled representation with two characters
- the transition with the photo taking helped me figure out who was who in ep 1
- some realistic parts like having school pen pals, how you feel when you first start university and are on your own
- that hair made me laugh and the grandpa and friends reactions were hilarious*
- supportive friends with the pen pal thing
- production value
Room For Improvement
- too many time jumps and some not clearly marked, this reminds me of when I used to write stories and came to a less interesting part I'd just skip over it and jump to the next section
- I watch at double speed and it still feels slow, they should have cut this down to 6 or 8 episodes instead of 14
- in general I didn't care about any of the romantic relationships, I felt nothing about them
- Champ's character's plot could have been folded into another character
- that's an oddly aggressive pursuit from Nan, I guess it's supposed to be romantic but it felt unrealistic and unwarranted
- the whole thing with the Name's secret online friend was annoying and I would have been waaaaayyy more angry but I guess with the other circumstances he didn't care
- the lack of communication/being honest dragged out way too long
- need more than 1 song played on repeat every other minute (it's a nice song but I've come to loathe it)
- the constant references to the time period are unnecessary
- in episode 1, it seemed unrealistic that a parent or teacher wouldn't have talked to the other students about Name (update, confusing if he was homeschooled at that point because he was wearing a school uniform)
- the awful wigs* why oh why were there sooooo many bad wigs for so much screentime
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