What If It Had An Actual Ending!?

Overall: I initially rated this short and sweet series an 8.5 and could have even rated it higher, but what was that non-ending??? Aired on WeTV.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- young actors did a good job
- the transition/time jump was clear and well done at the end of the first episode
- cute and sweet moments
- I like that the hyper/younger one is more studious
- the subverted trope in ep 2 when they were celebrating and alcohol was present
- outro song (there isn't an intro)

Room For Improvement
- wish they didn't play other music when the guys are learning/playing guitar so we could hear the original sound on those scenes
- for the short run time they spent their time poorly, that whole jealousy thing could have been cut out and they could have actually had Peach confess/do something non-platonic...
- Peach and his friends are idiots, they really didn't know who that song was about???
- this almost seemed like an acting workshop instead of a series
- it's odd that the production company released this at the same time as My Only 12% as they have very similar plots

Leia Mais

standard Thai romcom elevated by Off & Gun

Overall: this is a pretty standard Thai romcom, it was nice to see Off & Gun again. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTVs YouTube channel cut and WeTV uncut.

Content Warnings: past death, grief, mental health struggles, stalking/harassment, bullying, dead body covered, slap, homophobia, unwanted outing, punch, non con video recording/sharing, cyberbullying

What I Liked
- reverse personalities/dynamic from their previous characters
- laughed a few times
- sweet moments
- dream sequences
- motivations/responses of the main leads make sense
- how Prem checked in about Ten's boundaries
- Prem/Ten's mutual and ongoing affection, being supportive of one another
- supportive grandma, Unky's parents and the stepmom
- Ten apologizing for what happened in ep 10

Room For Improvement
- started with an inner voice exposition dump
- not a fan of an aggressive pursuer/reluctant pursuee for the side couple (liked them more starting in episode 7), and then there were some unwanted relationship games in ep 8
- quite a lot of the intended humor was a miss for me
- choppy at times, heard the uncut is less choppy
- the long press and hold kiss with zero lip movement, need more energy in their kissing
- comedy sound effects made things less funny
- could have condensed into 8 episodes, felt slow
- ep 8 the friend going as the in between felt very immature instead of funny
- was disappointed about the Unky arc/telling others without first checking in with the person
- punch was unneeded and then the scene after was jarring with the different tone
- a dad who slaps his son then lecturing him about using physical violence made me roll my eyes
- episode 12 time jump

Leia Mais

Toyko In April Is...a good start with a weak ending

Overall: I would categorize this series as more slice of life/realistic with angst but also sweet moments too. The beginning was very promising but it kind of fell apart a bit with too many flashbacks, plot cliches and a rushed ending. I give it a slight rating boost because it did try to tackle some social issues. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki. 8 episodes about 23 minutes each.

Content Warnings: workplace bullying and several major content warnings which I've added in a spoiler comment

Note: the characters in the past are 15 years old

What I Liked
- tackled more serious issues
- there are hints to certain story elements and as we go on we get more explanation
- younger actors did a good job, I thought it was good they kept it PG in the flashback in episode 3
- good consent in episode 3's flashback
- good morning after, avoided the cliche
- there is miscommunication/poor communication but it's mostly understandable
- sweet moments
- consequences shown for 1 trash character
- production value (use of colors, light)

Room For Improvement
- too many flashbacks including scenes we just watched in the recent present, it made the series feel choppy
- ending felt rushed
- instant reconciliation for that mom, she didn't even apologize for the huge amount of pain she directly caused, ugh
- in episode 3 I wish they had just left it at Ren saying sorry because it was odd/unrealistic that Kazuma did not correct him
- being in the rain and the other thing that happened in episode 3 do not cause a fever/illness but because of the timing that is what the viewer is led to believe
- gay for you trope
- (end of ep 7) people can have a freeze response but I think if they had made Sanada's actor a taller person it would have made more sense
- Yagami makes no sense to me at all
- the pretty single tear down the center of the cheek crying doesn't work for me
- several running cliche scenes

Leia Mais

heartwarming slice of life/romance series (need a Haruna spin off)

Overall: I enjoyed this friends/roommates turned into romantic partner stories, though it could have used slightly faster pacing (almost rated it 8.5 but I liked their dynamic so it ended up a 9). 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Airing on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4215/living-with-him-2024-e01

What I Liked
- caring/sweet moments
- clear flashbacks and enjoyed seeing them when they were young
- ex girlfriend wasn't a cliche, non-cliche female characters
- a character was a bit naive but he did figure things out and communicated
- supportive family members, dynamics felt realistic
- Haruna was such a good wingman and friend
- overall realistic with trying to maintain boundaries but also being jealous
- production value (nice color symbology which included their clothes, pillows, mugs, toothbrushes, etc)

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of starting a series with a voice over exposition dump
- episode 2 had a too long recap of episode 1 at the beginning
- some slow pacing
- Ryota did annoy me a bit but I tried to keep in mind that he had low self-esteem and was likely struggling with internalized homophobia and/or heteronormativity
- cliche almost told something and got interrupted, the running scene

Leia Mais

it was a fun ride (need season 2 and a real uncut version :P)

Overall: I enjoyed this series, though I watched most scenes at a faster speed. 13 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI uncut & YouTube cut which reduced NSFW scenes. Note: this was based on an omegaverse novel which I read but reviewed the series on its own.

Content Warnings: murders, sexual assault, blood, kidnapping, parental abuse, punch/slap, beaten up, stalking, manipulation, stalking, non con recording/sharing, violence, child trafficking

What I Liked
- supportive friends
- sweet moments
- Jeff & Alan
- excellent truth about how family isn't always the best
- pretty good NSFW scenes
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- quite a few characters were introduced at once and it took awhile to figure out who was who, there ended up being too many characters and not enough time to fully develop the relationships
- I realized they wanted mystery but it made it difficult to really support the Charlie/Babe relationship and the fact that they changed that plan from Jeff's idea to Charlie's was a mistake
- total nonsense/huge plot holes, many characters shared 1 brain cell
- cliche ghosting trope, Babe also shoved Charlie a bit too much/frequently
- the NSFW needed to be a longer (even in the uncut version) and were choppy at times
- cartoonish villains (and stupid)
- I wish they had either leaned into the omegaverse and explained it more or just omitted it entirely
- not sure how I feel about a certain character's redemption arc

Leia Mais

started well, went downhill at ep 6

Overall: somehow an awesome slice of life/cooking/comedy series devolved into cliched plot points. My advice is to watch episodes 1-5 and then episodes 11 & 12. 12 episodes about 20 minutes each, aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: past death not shown, non con kiss, slap

What I Liked
- funny moments (the undressing, the van driving off, that look and the crow sounds at the end)
- realistic reaction to an accidental fall and catch
- cooking/the food looked delicious
- Mahiro's friend/coworker (wish we had seen more of that love story in the present)
- the villagers (much rather have had more screentime with them)
- Mahiro supportive of the naked dining
- managed to subvert something in ep 11 but it was due to (yet another) miscommunication

Room For Improvement
- they used cliched plot points including poor communication in order to drive the plot (and how in the final episode do they still have terrible communication skills)
- I ended up disliking Mahiro, wish they showed more in the flashbacks so we'd understand Mahiro better because he seemed very selfish and immature
- Souta was too dumb, at first I thought it was a bit endearing but they pushed it into the unbelievable area
- the pacing could have been better, I think 8 or 10 episodes instead of 12, plot went in circles, why on earth did episode 12 start 1 week after episode 11
- the non con kiss and slap both felt dated and not needed
- comedy mostly vanished
- odd things: why is the house just sitting there for 6 months? why did he have that band aid, they could have easily shown him find it as he went through those boxes, the boss and wife took a train how far for dinner? that potential buyer was oversharing to fit the plot, what was with that thing with the grandma? at the end
- based on the title, I expected a certain scene and I'm disappointed we didn't get to see it
- so she's all good now with dating the boss???

Leia Mais

too slow but with some good NSFW scenes, start at episode 6 or 8

Overall: I initially dropped this after 3 episodes but sped thru the rest and my advice is to watch ep 1 around 12 minutes and then skip to episode 6 (and watch on a faster speed). 10 episodes about 1hr each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on 9NAA YouTube channel. 9NAA also produced Check Out and I Am Your King series.

Content Warnings: manhandling, harassment, kick

What I Liked
- established couples
- NSFW was well done
- sibling relationship
- the title was hilarious
- production value (which makes sense because there was a lot of product placement)

Room For Improvement
- as a viewer I need to want the two leads to be together in a romance series, however, I didn't want these leads to be together, I didn't understand what changed Sky's mind and I think Venus was too harsh towards Sky for way too long, they could have had a five minute conversation but the viewer had to slog thru hours and hours of nothing to get to a mutual understanding
- most of the scenes could have been cut or shortened, watched it on 3x speed, as an example you could start episode 9 after 12 minutes and miss absolutely nothing
- when the beginning scene took place was unclear for awhile, flashbacks/forwards without clear transitions
- who interrupts like that and then continues to have a conversation, get out of the room! (episode 1)

Leia Mais

slice of life with three friends and a newcomer

Overall: a more realistic/angsty vibe. Think of this as a slice of life/coming of age rather than a BL series (because it is not a BL series, see my spoiler comment). 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warning: manipulation

What I Liked
- a few central characters
- glad the guy was interrupted as the other guy was sleeping
- mystery element
- production value (color scheme in particular)

Room For Improvement
- was disappointed because a character knew it was no use but had really high expectations and then had a public breakdown when things went exactly as they knew it would go
- a bit too slow without the mutual tension needed to sustain it
- where did they get that key from, random ropes hanging with a sign which anyone can ignore
- there were opportunities for some clever plot twists but there was nothing
- should not have had this as (especially the last) in the BL time slot

Leia Mais

heartwarming slice of life series

Overall: this series really gets you in the feels. Aired on GagaOOLala, 10 episodes total about 20 minutes per episode. Has a 1 episode spin off. It is based on a manga which I purchased on Amazon and read (and it stayed pretty close to the source material).

Content Warnings: past bullying, trauma

What I Liked
- the intro/outro songs
- sweet moments
- the cooking
- slice of life vibe
- that kid is adorable and the dad is super supportive
- Minoru seeking out communication
- production value

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of some of the exaggerated expressions, many series based on manga have a character like this but it doesn't feel right in the live action adaptation
- too many flashbacks
- wish we got some/more romantic attraction signals from Yutaka
- went too quickly from daytime to nighttime in episode 8 during a short story

Leia Mais

it lost me

Overall: though the man m/m dynamic was not my favorite*, the first few episodes were set up and done well, but then the plot deteriorated and by the end I was angry. Note that there is an extra scene after initial credits. Aired on Gagaoolala and Viki.

Content Warnings: physical abuse/physical assault off screen but wounds shown, punches, non con kiss, mental health struggles, manhandling, manipulation, dentist/patient, age gap (10? years), if you have anxiety about dental visits then there are some scenes that might make it worse

What I Liked
- the sweet moments
- a few funny moments
- acting
- good kissing/continued physical affection
- dance scene at the end
- production value

Room For Improvement
- *the cold dentist and the vulnerable/traumatized (continuous) patient was not a favorite dynamic, I didn't like the side immature high schooler and reluctant bar manager either
- too many couples (4) most of which did not have enough development and 1 of which was extremely rushed
- the sister punching Jin Xun An twice and trying to punch him in the face was awful, you can care about your sibling but Bai Lang is a fully grown adult and you don't physically assault people, speaking of
- WTH was that with the dad, he's a total abuser but then on screen shown as a little grumpy and basically has no consequences (i.e. he should go to JAIL!!!!) This being glossed over was awful and it was totally unnecessary to the plot. He could have been the standard homophobe like the majority of BL parents.
- way too much time spent on flashback and showing an entire past relationship that I cared nothing about
- cliche ex enters the picture which leads to
- terrible communication skills for adults in their 20s/30s
- a straight wedding in the only Asian country where same sex marriage is legal complete with a bait and switch proposal had me fuming

Leia Mais

very enjoyable K-BL

Overall: there was sweetness, angst, realism and non-realism. I waffled between an 8.5 and 9 but I'm feeling generous so 9 it is. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (varied by country).

Content Warnings: violence off screen, punch, manipulation

What I Liked
- the premise
- acting
- sweet and cute moments
- mostly realistic relationship trajectory
- the supportive female friend
- physical affection once they were officially together
- was happy with how Ji Ho Joon handled his dad in episode 8
- production value

Room For Improvement
- wish they had told the story in linear fashion as the flash forwards and flashbacks made things unnecessarily confusing, was also kind of choppy, we'd jump from one scene to the next
- unrealistic elements (dad said to sell all the cars but he still has one? no hotel rooms in what looks like a large city?)
- was sad about the cliched lying at the end of ep 7/beginning of 8, there would have still been drama if the character had been honest

Leia Mais

a mystery/thriller series that tried something different

Overall: I appreciate that this series had a unique premise. This is more mystery/thriller instead of horror/gore, there are some very heavy topics and things shown. Aired 14 episodes about 45 minutes each on GagaOOLala. Make sure to watch the entire post credits scene in episode 14.

BL content: I'll put this in a spoiler comment

Content Warnings: there are some really heavy topics, see my comment with a spoiler for the full list

What I Liked
- unique premise
- blended different elements well
- acting
- liked in episode 2 how Dan sought communication from Nai
- a few sweet moments (including the friend cuddle)
- production value

Room For Improvement
- unless I missed it, 2 characters should have been shown being arrested by police but the writing seemed to suggest that their own miserable lives were bad enough (but they should have been arrested)
- how much Josh & Nai believed Dan who they had recently befriended stretched credulity a bit
- where was the teacher at the pool???
- I dislike that the school priest tried to force forgiveness
- open ending

Leia Mais

excellent visuals, actors deserved better writing/editing (watch suggestions)

Overall: there was quite a bit of potential but the choppy storytelling/editing hurt the series a lot. The last few episodes were better so that week break seemed to help. Aired 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. YouTube cut version https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzTP1IMPICl6R_dsvgKnBAMp6htoQwswK (episode 1 uncut was 47 minutes 29 seconds which is what I added up the cut parts on YouTube minus the breaks between parts so there wasn't a difference in episode 1, later cut episodes removed NSFW) and iQIYI Thailand only uncut version with delayed English subtitles https://www.iq.com/play/battle-of-the-writers-episode-1-21ue1zzg12c?lang=en_us I rated the cut version a 7 and uncut 7.5.

Content Warnings: non con picture taking, threat, stalking, non con kissing, drugged, non con touching?, injured/clubbed, violence/blood, manipulation, sexism, homophobia

What I Liked
- aesthetics/visuals
- good/realistic that she wouldn't give out his phone number
- tropey falls but they were cute
- supportive group of friends
- sweet moments
- good intimacy/NSFW scenes were well done

Room For Improvement
- with dreams, flashbacks, fast jumps, re-telling scenes from a different perspective, etc the series feels extremely choppy both in modern day and in the Xianxia parts
- the writing felt very contrived, the characters didn't act like real people and what people would say/do, also inconsistent characterization with the guy in black who started by being self assured and then suddenly was nervous/anxious, a character who was multilingual chose to speak a language that no one else could understand in the beginning
- having the panda face paint/jammies on the Chinese character felt a bit iffy
- completely not needed to character assassinate an established queer couple, there were multiple other ways the writers could have achieved what they wanted
- comedy sound effects detracted from the humor, the magic mushrooms in episode 3 were cringey and not funny
- the manipulation/lying by a character in episode 9
- random marriage in episode 11
- wearing socks (on feet) in NSFW scene
- no international release for the uncut version, only available in Thailand (deducted a half point for this as the uncut was better)

Watch Suggestions (it was really challenging in the beginning episodes so I included the Xianxia parts and then also included some sweet/steamy scenes)
- episode 1 part 1 beginning to 2 minutes (zero explanation of why one was blindfolded...)
- episode 2 part 1 beginning to 2:15 (pinned against tree, sword won't harm soulmate)
- episode 3 part 1 beginning to 3:10 (got something in his eye), 6:43 to the end (seem to be in school???)
- episode 3 part 2 beginning to 3:05 (talking about a character, gets a royal decree to kill the other guy? then flash forward then flashback???), 4:13-4:45 (2 other random characters talking to the guy in white), 10:10-10:30 (short fight)
- episode 3 part 4 10:50 -13:12 (introduced a noble genius character who becomes the demon guy's master???)
- episode 4 part 1 beginning to 1:25 and then jump to episode 4 part 2 at 2:55-3:12 to see the end of this scene (flower from his hair)
- episode 4 part 1 8:10-end, roasting a chicken blew out dust from his eye (same scene as in episode 3 part 1)
- episode 5 part 1 1:50-4
- episode 5 part 3 beginning to 3 minutes, 5 min to end
- episode 5 part 4 6:17-6:32
- episode 6 part 1 3:30-6:45 and episode 6 part 3
- episode 7 has a random couple introduced but they kiss at 16:30
- watch episode 7 uncut 29:50-33:15 steamy scene and then 33:30-42:30 for Xianxia kissing
- watch episode 8 part 1 3:45-7
- watch episode 8 part 2 2:40-4, 6:15-end
- watch episode 8 part 3 6-7
- watch episode 8 part 4 4-5:50
- watch episode 8 uncut 16-18:55 for a steamy scene
- watch episode 9 uncut 27-36:20 for a very steamy scene and then 43-end
- watch episode 10: part 1, part 2, start part 3 at 7:45 and part 4 at 4:30 (watch ep 10 uncut around the steamy parts for more steam)
- watch episode 11: part 1, part 2 beg to 3:30 and 11:45-13, part 4 beg to 1:45 (the elevator kissing might be a bit longer in uncut)
- watch episode 12: part 1 (watch the uncut until 10:30, they cut 4 minutes of NSFW here), part 2 and part 4 5min to the end

Leia Mais

Great visuals with a choppy plot

Overall: So don't read the summary on gagaoolala as it gives away what is supposed to be a plot twist in this short film. I've noticed very similar weaknesses with m/m romance from Taiwan (i.e. Because Of You, Light, Innocence, Papa & Daddy) which try to cover too much plot and often have flashbacks/forwards that add to the choppiness. I wish Taiwanese writers/directors would learn from Strongberry in South Korea on how to put a cohesive/realistic story into a short run time (i.e. Some More, Step For You).

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- acting
- production value
- the scenes of physical intimacy

Room For Improvement
- choppiness, starts with them yelling at one another, then a guy is in bed, then motorcycle riding, then basketball playing...like what is going on???
- for the basketball playing scene, how did they meet? The story should have started here and given some footing for the rest of the story.
- unrealistic responses/conversations, who doesn't ask what a person does for a job, it's one of the first things you ask someone. Also, if someone tells you not to do something don't they normally give a reason or wouldn't you ask what their reason is?
- how much time has passed, there isn't a sense of how long they've know each other, a few days, a few weeks?
- I didn't like the ending and think there could have been an honest conversation about the challenge/s of their relationship and how they want to proceed.

Leia Mais

heartwarming and heartrending

Overall: this is a prequel to Unintentional Love Story (ULS) with a focus on the side couple from ULS. Originally released as a movie and then broken into 6 episodes about 18 minutes each on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-time-of-fever-episode-1-18mbzov4oiw?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: past death, child abuse/beaten up, homophobia, punch

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry/tension
- sweet and caring moments
- cameo from Unintentional Love Story actor Gong Chan

Room For Improvement
- because it's a prequel the ending is open, I still would love to see what happened to the couple after ULS but we'll likely never get that (this is a rare time I would have been okay with a time gap in order to get closure on their story)
- too much blur filter
- I don't totally understand the actions of 1 character at the end because he must have realized what the drawings meant, maybe internalized homophobia played a part in not communicating/telling the truth

Leia Mais