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BL Compilations
swimming in the BL vortex
a long and cute ad/travel promotion
Overall: it was basically a really long advertisement for nasal inhalers but Tar and Bom were sweet. I'd really like to see them act as leads again in a full length series. 5 episodes about 9 minutes each. Aired on Minzz Thailand YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_8fI3XP8q0&t=4sWhat I Liked
- cute moments
- their historical outfits in episode 3
Room For Improvement
- it had that exaggerated/cringey type of humor
- as mentioned this was basically an ad for an inhaler and traveling to Thailand
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entertaining historical romance with thriller elements
Overall: I thought it was a good blend of a historical setting, romance and scary parts, though it definitely could have used a little bit more runtime (1hr 40 minutes before the credits) to flesh the story and characters out more. If you aren't a thriller/horror person, it's not that bad, just watch it at a faster speed and turn down the sound. Originally aired in theaters in Thailand. Aired on Netflix Thailand (need a Netflix subscription and a vpn to Thailand).Content Warnings: past death, attempted murder, violence, blood, jump scares, manhandling
What I Liked
- historical setting, I was so immersed I didn't realize it was a historical setting for awhile (thought he just liked vintage cars lol)
- integrating thriller/horror with romance
- sweet moments
- good kissing/both into it
Room For Improvement
- needed more runtime to better show/explain things like instead of the monk saying a character lost something we could have had a short scene of him looking for it/that other guy getting rid of it, why was he not in the hospital towards the end did he imagine that part? who exactly was that one dude at the beginning, was the before aged 25 made up by him, why? instead of a 'getting to know you' montage we could have had more scenes actually shown, they didn't have time to really develop those two male side characters
- choppy parts, were inside during the day then she says to get food then suddenly they are together and it's nighttime
- a few 'because the writer said so' like a character taking something off before he sleeps even though he knows he shouldn't
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confusing short movie
Overall: I really wanted to like this movie but I did not like one of the lead characters and was confused by the timeline/plot. 35 minutes, aired on Wayufilm's YouTube channel.What I Liked
- production value
- the actors did a good job
- the ending scene was sweet
Room For Improvement
- the timeline was confusing, the friends met up and Motor had a scar, they went on a ride but then their clothes changed (I think this was a continuity error though), then Motor hung out with his girlfriend and the other guy got unreasonably angry, then there was a flashback to a year ago where the same girlfriend he was dating in the present cheated on him and Motor got into an accident, then in the present (a year later) Motor decided to break up with his girlfriend???
the above would have made sense if that was a different girlfriend but I re-watched and it definitely seems to be the same actress, why didn't Motor break up with her for a year after that incident? or was she not actually cheating and he was just sad that she cancelled plans but they kept dating? but his friend didn't know he was dating for a year???
- didn't like how Gentle got angry at Motor when he spent time with his girlfriend, then Gentle doing the silent treatment and basically threatening to end the friendship, it would have made more sense if we had seen a montage of Motor constantly cancelling plans with Gentle last minute
- some of the scenes dragged a bit and could have been cut for faster pacing
- they seemed to establish both of them as straight with the girlfriend stuff and then talking about never holding a guy's waist before, felt like a 'gay for you' trope
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Y Journey: Stay Like a Local
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short and cute tourism promo with BL actors
Overall: 12 BL actors showcased parts of Thailand thru 6 short episodes. Each episode was about 8 minutes. Aired 2 per week on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6jUaCqlEcp3ROAMOSYvXJ2ij5mxjCkzy&si=zEc7KOdeB5fTzvI4 Note: several of the episodes were not clearly BL but open to interpretationWhat I Liked
- it was a cute short story/tourism commercial
- favorite story was probably ep 2 with Mai & Win
- so happy to see Frank without a wig
- happy they aired 2 per week and it was free to watch on YouTube
Room For Improvement
- they needed to subtitle the locations that the characters were at, although the information does appear in the video description
- each episode was very short and several were open endings
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fans of the series will enjoy these follow ups
Overall: I think that fans will enjoy this anthology series which showcases 8 couples from 8 recent GMMTV series. Airing on GMMTVs YouTube Channel, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI4h6zMFEdD2alNmOI4c9TBNContent Warnings: violence, homophobia (Never Let Me Go)
My Favorites
- Bad Buddy and 1000 Stars, especially that ending part of 1000 Stars was extremely touching/beautiful
Biggest Miss
- I wanted to see further development with My School President not a re-hash with the actors playing the opposite character
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a well done m/m reality dating show (ep 7 was the best)
Overall: I believe this was the Philippines first m/m reality dating show and I think they did a good job with it. 8 episodes at about 30 minutes each. Aired on Black Sheep YouTube Channel.Reality Series Note: with any "reality" series I keep in mind that what the audience sees doesn't necessarily reflect what actually happened. There can be guidelines the audience doesn't know about, parts are edited out or ordered in different ways to show a certain narrative. I read in the YouTube comments that the director said it wasn't scripted, but I always take that with a grain of salt. My goal for reality dating series is for people to have a good time and maybe make a new friend. Any actual pairings at the end of the show are icing on the cake.
Content Warnings: discussion of mental health struggles, suicidal thoughts, homophobia
What I Liked
- the intros of the 10 guys to the audience and that they had name tags on most of the series (as someone who has trouble with remembering names, this is very useful and I'm guessing was useful for the participants as well), although it could have been something like a necklace with their name
- that they started with a game and there were two 1 on 1 dates (not really a fan of the twist though but it was okay)
- diverse personalities in the group
- the emcee was great, she was caring and empathetic
- defined pansexuality and emcee said she loved how they were being sex positive
- episode 7 at the pool party was my favorite episode
- excellent that they included a mental health hotline at the end of episode 7
Room For Improvement
- group games: the oil was unnecessary, the guys just met each other and they could have played the game without the oil part, should have had less physical games and maybe some where they pair up, go on a scavenger hunt or something? or maybe group get to know you games like "never have I ever"
- too much group sharing times, it bogged things down, although I think 1 group share is a good idea, I personally don't think it's great to discuss past exes, leave the past in the past
- would only have 1 secret spark exchange or have it more like a phone call or letter where they could write their name, but it's painful to see some guys not receive a spark multiple times
- background noise during the pool party
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an enjoyable KBL with excellent acting/chemistry
Overall: a well done office romance. 7 episodes 20 minutes each. Aired on Viki.Content Warnings: bullying, dub con kisses*, semi outing
What I Liked
- the opening sequence with its manga like animation/editing and the animation other points
- cute, sweet and funny moments
- acting/chemistry
- ongoing affection (could have used a little bit more in the final episode though)
- how the characters don't have identity crises about their sexual orientation
- how the boss Jong Chan is very supportive
- friendship between Seung Hyun and Ji Yeon
Room For Improvement
- in the first episode, it was odd that there was no one in the office when a whole big thing was made about how on time was late, it would have made more sense if everyone else was already there and working when he started
- *I do think Jong Chan knew that Seung Hyun liked him but would have preferred that Seung Hyun initiate at least the first kiss
- needed more runtime, things jumped a bit, also wanted more of a resolution with Yoo Seong
- some night scenes were too dim and needed more lighting
- another stupid "plan" by a villain
- kind of wanted the interns to have more of a plan when they made that video
- Seung Hyun promised not to do something and then he did it in the last episode though he apologized
- an hr nightmare with Seung Hyun talking to his coworkers about his personal relationship and even had some of it recorded
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that was a slog
Overall: it's slow paced and not funny. Aired on YouTube and WeTV (need vpn to Thailand).Content Warnings: non con kiss and touching, homophobia, manhandling, hits/slaps
What I Liked:
- few cute moments
- OST
- the het couple (guy with the glasses) was cute
- a few conversations with supportive friends
- the production value is decent
Room For Improvement
- pacing was way too slow (I even watched it on 3x speed). If they had cut this from 45 minutes to 20-30 minutes, then I would have enjoyed it more. Everything is too draggy and boring.
- that ex is a piece of youknowwhat, the non con was not romantic
- choppy/unknown time jumps, did those two scenes happen at the same birthday party?
- I didn't find it funny (like the maid outfit, employee is wearing a crown, toilet humor), the comedy sound effects don't make something funny they can only enhance something that is funny
- stereotype of the effeminate guy not doing work and focusing on his live
- multiple time jumps
- the homophobic grandfathers random and sudden change of heart
- why did the m/m wedding have 6 people and the m/f wedding was a bunch of people?
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3 separate stories: f/f, m/f, m/m
Overall: you don't have to guess who funded this mini-series but I'm okay with it because finally we have a 2nd season/follow up with a cute story line (episode 1). There are 3 episodes and each episode has a different couple: f/f, m/f and m/m. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: 1 non con picture taken, several self-disparaging comments about weight, body policing/shaming, shoves
Episode 1: 9/10
What I Liked
- plot was creative and sweet (a plot continuation without a love triangle or cheating is almost unheard of, I wish writers would come up with some more ideas like this one)
- good crying, it made me tear up which rarely happens
Room For Improvement
- I get they are a sponsor but I did not like the comments about weight/appearance
- non realistic things done because they needed to happen (i.e. that would have probably bruised not bled, that ladder just happened to be there)
- that was pretty PG skinship-wise with an established couple, just a couple of cheek or lip pecks would have been nice
- I know it was related to the product but 'zero' does not have a positive connotation and 'zero photography' does not sound pleasant for a title
Episode 2: 8/10
I apparently didn't take any notes on this one. I thought it was fine. Yes, it had unbelievable elements (and no not the obvious one) but I enjoyed it.
Episode 3: 7/10
It's really disappointing that an established couple has shown no character growth, they were exactly where we left them even though it's 2 years later. Also, who doesn't spend an hour cleaning, I would have turned around and left. I did like the few cute moments and I want to see Earth and Mix in more series, either together or separately.
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Swing and a Miss
Overall: there was a good idea a the core, how a boy might struggle at school with two gay dads, but it had a poor executionContent Warnings: held against will, looked up skirt - pulled down pants, pervy guy
What I Liked
- the trumpet playing
- the boy said that they should apologize to the girl
Room For Improvement
- the trumpet player was more immature than the child! Who just leaves their child at a dock? Pulling down his pants was terrible. The dad felt stereotypical and I wish they would haven't gone that direction. He could have worn lipstick/nails and been an awesome parent of a child who is struggling at school due to bullying. Instead they made him look immature and silly.
- the first sexual assault to that girl was bad but then they threw in another attempted one??? To show that the boy was now a hero? It was an odd way to show character development.
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a lesser known Pinoy BL that is worth a watch
Overall: This series deserves more views and recognition. If you like enemies to lovers and/or something that deals with real world issues, then check this one out.Content Warnings: cyberbullying
What I Liked
- discussing real world problems such as: cancel (or as I call it consequence) culture*, plight of farmers, and sexual position shaming
- the production value was pretty good for what I'm assuming was a smaller budget production
- the visuals and I thought their acting was decent for (again I'm assuming) new actors
- showing a f/f relationship which is pretty rare
- the very supportive parental response from Ram's parents
Room For Improvement
- The incredibly stupid plot point regarding Cholo's plan. I doubt any human on the planet would have come up with that plan. Like, Migo is your friend and he has a pride flag hanging at his place, pretty sure he's open to talking about his sexual orientation if asked and won't ban you as a friend or anything when he finds out Cholo's sexual orientation
- three couples with three love triangles (I really dislike love triangles and there are 3 of them!!!)
- because there were so many romantic relationships in only 8 episodes, we didn't get to delve deeply into any of them
- Why doesn't Ram just talk to Migo about Cholo's plan and then explain what happened? What person just lets the other person walk away crying?
- *Though I appreciated the discussion of cancel (consequence) culture, it is much more nuanced than it being totally bad. It has to do with trying to hold people accountable for their bad actions/decisions because the law is unable to do so. Consequence culture definitely has major problems though.
- Migo's anger/acting was actually too much at the beginning, it would have been better if he had toned it down
- they only have English, Spanish & Indonesian subs. If they had put out a call for people to translate/sub (like I think Gameboys did), I bet they would have had many more languages
- the special episode does not have any subs
- the first episode "comedic" sound effects were waaaaayyyy too much, but they did tone it down
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Close Friend season 2 was okay
Overall: we have a continuation of my least favorite plot combined with my most favorite plot from season 1. I thought the first episode was a solid start, but it fell into some cliched writing/characters.Content Warnings: something related to the 1st season with Jedi and Ray, non con (photos/posting, live streaming), dub con kissing turned consensual
What I Liked
- nice recaps of the stories from season 1
- integrated the two stories well
- was happy to see 2 established couples
- the cute moments
- the funny moments like when Ray was describing the real Jedi
- happy we saw a morning kiss between Ray & Jedi
- the friendship between Ray & Typhoon
- that Jedi fought for his relationship
- good production value
- enjoyed the behind the scenes clips
Room For Improvement
- Ray really needed a hobby or a job, he felt like a very immature character and it was difficult for me to root for their relationship
- Typhoon's lack of agency was disappointing when he didn't want to go home, also thought the plotline with the parents could have been done better
- not into the Jedi/Ray revelation about season 1
- that vanishing effect in episode 5 felt like they were ghosts
- odd scene with Typhoon and Pierce working out but sounding like something else, the mom opens the door and then is shocked that they are...actually working out???
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Swing and a miss, best episode is #6
Overall, this series was a major miss. Storylines were cliched and the 4 Queer ones were serious/depressing. I really disliked how characters crossed over into different episodes but the timeline wasn't correct, it made it even more disjointed. It would have been better if no characters were in the other episodes and then they could put the episodes in whatever order they wanted. I averaged the scores and it ended up at 7/10, but this might be generous.Episode 1 - "Would You Be My Love" (re-named to "Bullying & More Bullying") 8/10
Well this was a rough way to start the series. Personally I would have started with a fluffier episode but...yeah. I really hope this kind of bullying doesn't exist but I'm sure it does. Ozone could have fired a couple of comebacks at least about how close the 2 goons were... The actor is 17 and I would have preferred he was 18, but the physical affection was 1 kissing scene so it doesn't bother me that much. Both main actors did a good job (as usual Earth is a pro at crying). I dislike ghosting/refusing to communicate with someone and it felt a bit slow. Content warning: bullying
Episode 2 - "Rhythm's Heart" 8.5/10
This was a nice m/f romance plot. It was great to see Yacht play a non-comedic role. Pimdao's dad was amazing. Didn't like Wawa ignoring Pimdao's no answer.
(content warning - I'm going to use a word related to non-con)
Episode 3 "Remember" (re-named to "Hot Mess") 4/10 (all 4 points are for Samantha's acting, lol, the mom was great too)
What a hot mess. I'm not even really sure what actually happened. Sounds like Jaidee purposefully got Tac drunk to sleep with him (so that's rape), then took a picture and texts it to Tac to break them up (he mentions blackmail too). Tac for some reason can't say in 5 seconds "she got me super drunk, raped me and blackmailed me" or text that and instead says "let me explain" and "I'm sorry" a bunch of times. I think he even initially denied it was him...Then 1 year later (so strange, it should have been a few months, why would Jaidee wait that long to flirt with Proud...) Jaidee & Proud become friends then more, but then everything hits the fan and Proud refuses to let anyone actually explain what is going on. Add in a slap, grabs, shoves and vandalism (was that Tac and the flat tire???), and a cliffhanger/unresolved ending, uggggghhh. It was also inconsistent characterization because both Jaidee & his friend Rhythm talked about Tac being a player, but yet he claims that Proud is the love of his life, wth? Also Tac thought there was a relationship between Proud & Jaidee and didn't want to interfere and let Proud be happy.... be happy with the person who raped and blackmailed him???!!!! Proud shouldn't be with either of them. In my alternate version of this episode, Proud's scummy boyfriend did cheat on her (not drunkenly, not with Jaidee), they break up, then later Proud and Jaidee fall in love and live happily ever after.
Episode 4: "Once Upon A Time" (re-named to "Awfully Angsty") 6.5/10
Ugggghhhhhhh. For me to be happy with the ending (post credits) they needed to do two things which they didn't do 1. They needed to set up/flesh out Balloon/Mek's relationship, shown the good parts of it so that I wanted to root for them to make it work despite their flaws and 2. They needed to show character growth/change so their relationship would work, i.e. a very public kiss at the airport initiated by Balloon and Mek communicating better. Neither was done so I was not satisfied post credits. The female character part should have totally been cut and then they could have done the above two things. Here's more of what I didn't like:
- overused plot point that both sons are attracted to men
- overused plot point of a homophobic father yelling at his son
- Balloon just letting his dad tear into his brother Ozone and secretly listening in, Balloon's a senior in college not a middle schooler, seriously grow a pair and help out your younger brother
- Balloon cry shaming Ozone "you're a grownup now, why are you still crying like a baby" He's crying because his/your dad is a homophobic jerk and you didn't help him out!
- Balloon saying that orphan Mek will never understand. That was such a low blow. There are things you say to a partner that even saying sorry is not enough, it destroys the relationship and that is either one of those things or very close.
- Balloon having a heart to heart with Ozone but still starting off as "a friend of mine..."
- Ozone incorrectly apologizes for their dad being a homophobic jerk (Ozone says he's sorry for putting Balloon in this position)
- both Mek & Balloon say that they are always honest with one another when it is shown that neither of them is ever honest with the other person...
- non-logic, why does no-one ask Balloon why he's wearing a ring on a necklace? If my friend or sibling was wearing one, I'd be like - what's up with the ring, who are you dating? Also, there is no flashback scene when they exchange rings which would have been nice to include.
- that was 53 seconds before the credits of 2 people standing very close, staring at each other and not saying a word... almost a whole minute of...nothing...
Episode 5: "Breakup Zone" (re-named to "Will You Be My Love") 8/10
Well that kiss was terrible, but I like friends to lovers stories.
Episode 6: "VS Love" (re-named to "Justice For All") 9/10
Overall this is my favorite episode with a focus on justice and also a protagonist who isn't stupid (yes, cell phones can take pictures and record audio/video!). I would say this is very light BL in that the romance is not very obvious but towards the end you can tell that they are more than platonic friends. Content warning for a couple of fight scenes/intimidation.
Episode 7: "50% My Puppy Love" (re-named to "Stalker Love") 6/10
So we have the typical and annoying love at first sight without talking to the person/getting to know them at all. Almost all of the score is because of Perth.
What I didn't like:
- I'm hoping it was the subtitles but his friend said "she's cute, she's interesting and she belongs in my collection" which yuck. People are not objects that you collect.
- The stalker behavior (that takes place over a semester/year): drawing her picture, stalking her on social media, pinning a photo of her up on the wall, getting her snacks for a prolonged time without writing his name...
- the fact that he only got mad that his friend was a player when it involved a girl he liked, he didn't care before that
- the absolutely cliched lack of communication, jumping to stupid conclusions and ghosting friendsIn the end she was also a stalker without a single spine bone, so I guess it's a match made in heaven.
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short but packs an emotional punch (watch suggestions)
Overall: from the title alone we know this isn't going to be a typical romcom. I would have rated it higher if they had taken out the needless drama and just centered it on the two characters. 40 episodes about 2 minutes each on the Vigloo app. Episodes 1-3 are here https://www.vigloo.com/video/15000018?season=15000018&episode=1 ; 1-5 are free in the app but on August 5th 2024 Vigloo made all 40 episodes free to watch for 24 hours which is when I watched it (did not need to make an account, just downloaded the app and watched it, there weren't any ads).Watch Suggestions (if you want to remove most violence/in my opinion needless drama)
- stop watching at episode 11 1m55s
- skip episodes 12-13
- watch 14-15 if you'd like to see one protagonist fight otherwise skip
- skip episodes 26-28
- episodes 29-30 are flashbacks
- skip episode 31-32
- end episode 34 at 1m30s
- skip episode 35
- skip episode 39
- watch episode 40 at 44s to the end
Content Warnings (if you watch all episodes): attempted murder, kidnapping/held against will, violence, past trauma
What I Liked
- the mom was awesome
- their relationship development/sweet moments
Room For Improvement
- needless drama, they should have just focused it on the 2 protagonists as there was enough drama with the set up
- it pulled me out of the realism that there were almost never any other people around
- open ending
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fashion industry romance with a side m/m couple
Overall: I enjoyed the fashion industry setting, but it became very soap opera like in parts and dragged at times. 10 episodes broken into 2 parts for 50 minutes per episode total. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/honrgjq1uhtv8gn-Intern%20In%20My%20HeartInformation for the age gap: first met when he was 8 and she was 21ish, in the present he is 20 and she is 33, based on how this played out I didn't include it as a content warning
Content Warnings: near suicide, non con touching, bullying, non con picture taking/sharing
BL Relevant Scenes
1a 9:45-11
2b 17:15-end
3a 5:15-6 & 19:30-21
4a 14-16:30
4b 6:30-7:40 & 14:10-15
5a 12:30-14:15 & 18-20
5b beginning-2:15 & 13-18:10
6a 5-6:10, 8:40-10 & 18-19:30
6b 8:50-10:30, & 12:10-13:40
8a 21:30-23 & 32-end
8b beginning to 3 & 8-13:30
9a beginning-6:30, 8:20-12, 20:30-23:30, 26-end
9b 21-26
10b 18-18:40 & 20-21
What I Liked
- sweet moments
- friendships (though he shouldn't have touched the guy when the guy didn't want him to)
- character growth
Room For Improvement
- exposition dump
- comedy sound effects
- cliche see something and don't clarify what it is
- stupid decisions/unrealistic actions
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