An Impressive Watch Indeed

Watching this series is like wrapping yourself up in a warm cozy blanket on a cold winter’s night as you are reading a romantic allegory. While the sensation is comforting, the fable still provides you with enough stimulation to keep you awake. But you suddenly realize that you reach a part in the story where one of two possible endings can happen. Either a fairy tale one or a tragic one. While I certainly love a fairy tale ending (and these two guys deserved one), I was preparing myself for a tragic one as the series did seem a bit dark overall. Unfortunately, I got neither one. And I threw off my warm blanket and started to cry with disappointment. Let me elaborate.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/23/memory-in-the-letter-series-review-ep-1-to-6/

Leia Mais

Totally Unimpressive

Admittedly, this series is perfectly named. It did seem to continue to go on and on endlessly. It was like being adrift in a rudderless boat floating in an ocean of tropes, cliches, banalities, stereotypes, and platitudes. Sooner or later, you would bump into one of them on your way to wherever it was you were supposed to be going. Unfortunately, this series went nowhere because it had nowhere to go to.

Honestly, you have seen this story hundreds of times if you are an avid BL watcher. If not, you will no doubt run across its plot again because it is standard. It is another high school love story between two best friends. Ji (Fluke Pongspat) and Achi (Junior Kajbhunbitt). Both are handsome with each focused on wanting to be successful in different ways. Ji is obviously in love with Achi as he is a bit more overt about it. Achi senses it. Although he likes it, Achi is understandably terrified of reciprocating. This is all such a confusing time for teenage boys.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/21/to-be-continued-series-review-ep-1-to-8/

Leia Mais

A Love Story Full of Yearning & Longing

Sometimes beauty is born out of tragedy, out of a broken place that doesn’t seem capable of growing something beautiful.

And yet, even roses have thorns.

The Taiwanese BL Unknown, adapted from the web novel Da Ge by Priest, is a stunning example of a relationship built from a broken place. Starring Chris Chiu (Wei Qian) and Kurt Huang (Wei Zhiyuan), it delves deeply into a story about two boys who don’t belong anywhere but whose hearts seek a home and family in each other’s brokenness.

And it succeeds.

From the moment a young Yuan follows Qian from the darkness surrounding him in the streets to the warmth of Qian’s home, Unknown becomes a story about finding light in a period of darkness. It’s a concept that threads well throughout the series; from youth to adulthood, strangers to brothers to lovers, light and darkness balance each other, intertwine, and then become one. It’s a transformative experience that grips the soul and doesn’t let go.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/23/unknown-series-review-ep-3-to-12/

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Could Have Been Better

Simple, Sweet but Ordinary

Gu Jing (Stan Huang) is a good chef who owns a creative and retro restaurant. He opens his restaurant anytime he wants. Gu Jing finds that there is a young man who always gets the quietest seat, and that is Liu Li (Chen Xuan Yu). Liu Li is a gay-themed novelist who rents a room upstairs from Gu Jing’s restaurant. Gu Jing starts to send Liu a bowl of spicy beef noodles. Slowly, Gu Jing becomes the person that Liu Li confides in, the person who keeps him company during his hard times. Gradually, Liu Li realizes that his fantasies may be different from reality.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/09/vip-only-series-review-ep-3-to-10/

Leia Mais

A Story of Innocent Love & Longing

There’s something incredibly beautiful about finding the person who sees beyond the mask you wear to the needy heart beneath.

Adapted from the manga Takara no Vidro by Suzumaru Minta, the Japanese BL Takara’s Treasure tells the story of an innocent boy named Nakano Taishin (Konishi Eito), who follows a young man, Shiga Takara (Iwase Yoji), to university after Takara once helped him deal with the grief of losing his pet.

All while Taishin innocently and naively finds a way into Takara’s heart.

All in all, there is little action in the series outside of the emotional journey both of these characters take. They are a perfect balance of innocence and jadedness.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/09/10/takaras-treasure-series-review-ep-3-to-10-spinoff/

Leia Mais

GreatInn Chemistry Works, Otherwise Not So Much

This series is a dichotomous BL, bordering on being oxymoronic. Sometimes brilliant then slipping into utter banality. Occasionally poignant but mostly filled with mundane trite tediousness. Sporadic displays of serious adult behaviors but mostly overshadowed with adolescent/pubescence behavioral patterns acting like petulant teenage children instead of adults in a serious sexual relationship. Occasional story lines eliciting tears and then in the next dialogue nothing but endless dribble of cliches and platitudes. In other words, not generally reflecting real life but an idealized sanitized world peppered with a whisper of reality and an occasional homage to authenticity. The best word to describe this series is: puffery. I simply had a hard time relating to this story.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/08/28/wandee-goodday-series-review-ep-1-to-12/

Leia Mais

Spy-Pon Chemistry is Explosive

The title “This Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans” is based on the Thai dish Pad Kaprao. It is a popular dish that some believe traditionally comprises meat, holy basil leaves, chili, and fish sauce. However, there has been some controversy over these ingredients as others prefer to make their Pad Kaprao with chopped long beans, baby corn, and mushrooms.

In “This Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans”, Pad Kaprao is more than just a dish, it’s a way of life. As the series unfolds, we discover the motivations, and passions of Plawan, Oab, and the rest of the ensemble. The show blends humor with heartfelt moments that together create a “flavorful” series. Here are 3 things I loved and hated about the show.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/08/27/this-love-doesnt-have-long-beans-series-review-ep-3-to-8/

Leia Mais

A Scintillating Revenge Saga

All’s fair in love and war; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. These idioms perfectly capture the essence of the new Japanese GL Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Joshi wa Watashi no Moto Kano.

The drama’s initial episodes, led by Sugai Yuuka and Nakamura Yurika, set the stage for a captivating power play intertwined with undeniable love as it explores the intricate dynamics of a love-hate relationship between Harumoto Itsuki and her ex-girlfriend, Hayashi Fuyu. All set against the backdrop of a corporate gaming world where the Chinese company Fuyu works for and the Japanese company Itsuki is employed by are prepared to collaborate.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/25/chaser-game-w-power-harassment-joshi-wa-watashi-no-moto-kano-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

Leia Mais

A Good Attempt at Recreating a Timeless Classic

Hello everyone! I am thrilled to share my impression of the newest Thai BL adaptation of the well-known Chinese BL drama “Addicted Heroine”. As a huge fan of the original series, my expectations for this version were sky-high, especially in terms of casting the leads, Bai Luo Yin and Gu Hai, now re-imagined as Hero and Poppy. Let me walk you through my thoughts on this exciting new series.

The Storyline:

The emotional journey of Hero, the high-ranking general’s son, who flees his family after learning that his father is about to get remarried, lies at the core of “Addicted Heroine”. Poppy, his stepson, is accompanied by his father’s new spouse. Hero poses as poor in order to gain Poppy’s attention. This leads to a dramatic and emotional connection between the two, who will eventually become stepbrothers. Their romantic tale is rife with complexities, ranging from social divide to familial rivalry, which causes both characters to experience severe emotional distress.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/09/17/addicted-heroine-first-impressions-ep-1-to-4/

Leia Mais

An Endearing Romance Between An Introvert & Extrovert

The series follows introverted college student Diew (Park Anantadej Sodsee) and his extroverted peer, God (Big Thanakorn Kuljarassombat). Although they appear to be opposites—Diew, a reserved, organized, and quiet individual, and God, a lively, outgoing social butterfly—we soon discover that the two have a lot in common.

Diew and God’s first encounter happens when Diew returns an item God dropped, sparking love at first sight for God. As fate would have it, God moves into the same apartment complex as Diew, much to Diew’s initial dismay. Accustomed to his solitude and privacy, Diew is not thrilled about having a new neighbor, especially one with God’s loud and sometimes chaotic lifestyle. However, after God apologizes for disturbing him, the two start communicating through adorable sticky notes. These small exchanges gradually lead to heartfelt conversations on their shared balcony, bringing them closer together.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/08/20/monster-next-door-first-impressions-ep-1-to-4/

Leia Mais

Not That Good, Neither That Bad

Live in Love” follows the story of Kla (Hearth Chindanai Dechewajeekul) and Cake (Junior Chokkorn Deotrakul), two occasional streamers, who meet online by chance, and Kla falls in love at first sight with Cake, who also begins to develop feelings for him. The show is set during a pandemic, which might be to justify the online nature of the relationship (and title), however, all the pandemic related precautions are quickly disregarded. The setting of the show is quite confusing, and the online relationship could have been justified in much simpler ways, that did not need to drag in the over-played pandemic tropes that people would much rather move past. The show has a lot of redeeming qualities and started out simple and grounded, however, by episode 3, it seems to want to be more than it’s supposed to be, which is a fluffy comfort BL.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/09/21/live-in-love-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

Leia Mais

Finally a Thai GL with a Fantasy Twist

Jattawa (Mae Methakarn Anektanasuwan) and Vivi (Manao Natnicha Polsombat) are two sisters who possess supernatural powers. Jattawa can control time and Vivi can see into the future. Although the two have lost their parents and are struggling to survive, they make do with each other and are quite happy. When Jattawa sets off to University, Vivi has a premonition that Jattawa is going to meet her soulmate, who turns out to be Four (Christine Gulasatree Michalsky) a notorious 4th year with a bad reputation.

Jattawa tries to dismiss her sister’s vision because she does not believe that Four could be her soulmate, however, it becomes clear that her sister’s visions are never wrong and the invisible bond between Jattawa and Four seems to always pull them together in some way. Jattawa and Vivi’s manage to find an affordable place to stay when their uncle sells their home, and this condo is miraculously next door to Four’s. This leads to Jattawa and Four seeing each other regularly, which helps the two become closer (in proximity).

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/02/reverse-4-you-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

Leia Mais

A Musical Journey that Transcends Fears & Insecurities

Fear has a way of imprisoning people. Sometimes, we overcome those fears by leaning on something or someone. But what happens when the person you find comfort in is gone? What happens when the person who gave you the courage to face the world no longer stands beside you?

It’s fear that the new Taiwanese BL First Note of Love faces. Starring Charles Tu as Neil and Michael Chang as Sea, it tells the story of two men partnered up by chance. Neil is an idol who stepped back from the industry when his brother (and bandmate) was tragically killed in an accident. Sea is a songwriter and musician who idolizes Magnet, the band he looks up to. Together, they set out on a musical journey that promises to touch the heart.

Music is a powerful and influential art. It expresses a lifetime of emotion in a matter of minutes. It lifts people up, and it brings them down. It’s relatable, raw, and seeking. It’s singing into a sea of people while hoping you don’t drown inside those same people.

And that’s the fear Neil faces.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/08/23/first-note-of-love-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

Leia Mais

A Straight Laced Lawyer & A Dramatic Conman Fall in Love

“All is fair in love and lies” seems to be the theme for TBS’s “Love is Like a Poison”. A mature Boys’ Love story between two men from the world of lawyers and legal cases. Young lawyer Shiba Ryoma played by Hama Shogo has been handed a hard case of proving whether a cryptocurrency company used an influencer’s likeness without his permission. Like a domino falling, he meets conman Haruto played by Hyodo Katsumi. Shiba has been unable to find any blatant legal ways to make his case. But like a second domino following the first, Haruto’s volunteered voice recordings bring the validity of the case before the judges. Despite Shiba’s misgivings and knowledge that Haruto is a conman, he still allows the man into his life and home.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/01/love-is-like-a-poison-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

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An Impossible Romance Between A Robot & A Historian

“Anti Reset” is the story of Chu Yi Ping (Wu Ping Chen), is an aloof and unsociable history professor who gets into an accident at his college and injures his arm. To take care of him, his uncle, the head of a scientific company which is secretly experimenting with artificially intelligent human-like robots, sends him their latest model, Ever 9 (Huang Li Feng). The two spend time together as Ever 9 helps nurse Yi Ping back to health, and feelings develop.

Despite the scientific premise, if you go into “Anti Reset” expecting it to answer deep philosophical questions about the power dynamics of a romance between a human and an artificially intelligent robot who is designed to serve him, whether artificial intelligence can truly gain the sentience to become fully human, what being ‘human’ even means, you might be disappointed. The show brushes off the scientific explanations as being top secret, and presents Ever 9 as already close to completely sentient. He feels both positive and negative emotions, including jealousy of a robot vacuum and fear of being replaced by another model. At this point, the show would have been virtually the same had Yi Ping’s uncle sent him a human caretaker instead of an AI.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/16/anti-reset-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

Leia Mais