First Impression: OMG Vampire

Overall: I was pleasantly surprised by the campy first episode. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Airing on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/m9ytee03pftoltl-OMG%20Vampire%20(Uncut%20Ver.) Very Great also made Physical Therapy and Crazy Handsome Rich

Content Warnings: death, blood, manipulation

What I Liked
- the over the top campy humor did make me chuckle a few times (Thaiwilight City)
- beginning scene got my attention
- good kissing
- lack of voice dubbing

Room For Improvement
- that was the most world building exposition dumps I think I've seen in my life but they did make the world building clear at least
- convenient world building, the problem is population increase but then same sex relationships are worse somehow???
- why wouldn't he just sleep for 200 years? I guess he was nervous about something happening in 6 years but given his age seemed unlikely
- super improbable that would happen to the 4 of them at the exact same time
- Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy music

Leia Mais

messy characters (watch suggestions for BL)

Overall: although I think they did a good job telling the story they wanted to tell, that story was not interesting to me with the amount of cheating and terrible decision-making. Note that every 4 episodes the story re-sets from other characters' perspectives (the middle 4 were my favorite episodes and I did like some plot lines in the ending 4). 12 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on Viu.

Content Warnings: near rape, sexual assault, minor?/non-minor, pregnancy loss, blood, manipulation, blackmail, addiction, vomiting, gaslighting

Watch Suggestions for BL Scenes
- episode 5, 24:40-25:40 & 32-33:40
- episode 6, 22:15-22:30 & 38:55-41
- episode 7, 28:10-33:05

What I Liked
- a trans character that felt like a real person instead of a stereotype
- diversity in sexual orientation
- I hated the beginning of episode 8 but I did like that they showed a 'freeze' response because most people just think of 'fight' or 'flight'
- showcased complicated emotions around pregnancy and pregnancy loss
- touched on struggles of being trans and also being in a relationship with a trans person
- production value (music, start was in gray scale, ending credits changed)

Room For Improvement
- there were 22 characters and it was impossible to remember who was married to who, exes with who, cheating with who, related to who, etc.
- I had no interest in a whole bunch of characters/their plots

Leia Mais

the one that started it all

Overall: there are parts that I liked more and parts that I liked less from the Ossan's Love 2018 series. 47 minute special/pilot. Watched on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3892/ossans-love-2016

Content Warning: non con touching

What I Liked
- his female friend was more supportive and less of a love rival in the pilot
- that a character was already divorced
- some funny parts like outside the shower scene

Room For Improvement
- the fight scene wasn't as epic/hilarious as some of the other ones
- that confession left a lot to be desired
- the almost non con kiss and the non con touching
- missed Maki's sass

Ossan's Love Franchise
Ossan's Love special/pilot, Japan, 2016 - don't really need to watch as the 2018 series is the same story
Ossan's Love, Japan, 2018 - full series
Ossan's Love, Hong Kong, 2021 - a remake of the 2018 series
Ossan's Love: In The Sky, Japan, 2019 - this has some of the same characters and kind of a similar overall plot, an alternate setting
Ossan's Love: In The Sky special, Japan, 2019 - goes along with In The Sky series
Ossan's Love: Love or Dead movie, Japan, 2019 - follows the 2018 Japanese series
Ossan's Love Return's, Japan, 2024 - follows the movie
Ossan's Love Returns Telasa Spin Off: Forbidden Gout/Temps Nouveau, Japan, 2024 - these are additional scenes that go along with the 2024 series
Ossan's Love Returns Spin-off Drama: Haruta to Maki no Shinkon Shoya, Japan, 2024 - this is a scene that goes along with the 2024 series
Ossan's Love, Thailand, 2024 - a remake of the 2018 series

Leia Mais

enjoyed it more than the series

Overall: it was a decent special, although I wanted a few changes. 26 minute special aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4252/vip-only-2023-e11 and Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40086c-vip-only My review of the series is here: https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/318961

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- that they explained why the beard was gone in a realistic way
- the characters from You Are Mine

Room For Improvement
- the one lead felt childish/petulant
- one piggyback is fine but 2 was too many
- talking/being concerned about who is the husband and who is the wife
- lip press for an established couple (and then the montage showed more lip presses

Leia Mais

expected more (watch suggestions)

Overall: I normally really enjoy Strongberry productions because they focus on the couple, have good kissing and are well paced. Unfortunately, this series only did 1 of the 3 well. 6 episodes about 20 minutes each (there are actor interviews after the end credits). Aired on GagaOOLala & iQIYI country dependent.

Watch Suggestions (if you want to avoid a love rival and slow pacing)
- episode 2 watch 15-16:20
- episode 3 watch the beginning to 3:50 then 16:30 to the end
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 1 minute (or could skip)
- skip episode 5
- watch episode 6 from 6:30-19:15 and then watch the beginning to 4 minutes to avoid a cliffhanger ending

What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- visuals
- good kissing/ongoing physical affection

Room For Improvement
- presence of a love rival and too much screen time focused on it
- pacing, almost all of episode 5 was moping
- cliche miscommunication/refuse to communicate
- why did the 1 character like the other so much/aggressively pursue him? I'm not a fan of the childhood rescue trope but at least that would explain it
- comparing m/m romance to biological relative romance was odd
- cliffhanger/non ending
- the comedy sound effects did not make things funny
- explaining things briefly instead of showing them (ie why the guy was worried about a romantic relationship)
- I realize they didn't have much of a budget but setting it on campus and having zero extras took me out of the story, they could have removed the love rival and the professor and paid some extras instead

Leia Mais

delightful characters but not delightful plot

Overall: we've seen this plot device in numerous specials but I enjoyed seeing the characters again. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3342/our-dining-table-spin-off-2023 My review of the series https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/268835

What I Liked
- the supportive dad and that he gave them space in the hot spring
- Tane
- a couple sweet moments

Room For Improvement
- the premise/poor communication is a tired cliche in special episodes, wanted to see them growing more as a couple and a bunch of fluff

Leia Mais

too much of an unlikable character

Overall: I'm generally more lenient on indie productions; however, Wayufilm has been making short movies for several years and they have had some that I enjoyed so I know what they are capable of. However, in this "The Star" they spent the first 20 minutes with a character who was such a jerk to another character that was a complete doormat. Then in the second part, there was a very fast mostly off screen redemption arc. We didn't get to really see their relationship develop/sweet moments. I did appreciate their frank conversation and the condom in the second part. And I understand why the NSFW scenes needed to be cut on YouTube though it made the second part feel choppy.

Aired in 2 parts for a total of about 45 minutes on Wayufilm's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOA6_oQmuXGBm-k0qjRmKX3mZLev2M7do&si=ldSLP6IMp8PTcYJf

Content Warnings: bullying, manhandling, threats

Leia Mais

not a romance and not anything else

Overall: as someone who has enjoyed many bodice rippers, this 90 minute movie totally missed the mark. It didn't do the romance well and it didn't do any other genre (mystery, action etc) well either. I haven't read the books and am basing this movie on its own merits. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/2fs0u4bifngi23w/r4100rhuz4b

Content Warnings: rape (repeatedly), sexual assault, violence/beaten up, drugging, held against will, manhandling, non con recording/sharing, manipulation

What I Liked
- visuals and that mesh top
- other than how the characters are all related to each other, the premise was fairly easy to understand

Room For Improvement
- even when something is based on source material, the production can't assume every viewer has read the source material, they introduced a whole bunch of characters (some with their names written on the screen), did not explain everyone's relationships to one another well, never gave an explanation for why that horrible "plan" was concocted/carried out
- couldn't root for any of the couples, 3rd couple it happened when one was shown to be drunk, 2nd couple had a terrible redemption arc maybe if 6 months ago he had shown discomfort over what he did and then in the present he had not repeatedly violated the other guy's boundaries then I could have rooted for them, and the first couple....I think that's evident, was Stockholm syndrome happening, wth
- total nonsense things ie why first take revenge on a person who created a plan instead of the person who carried out the plan, character was gone for at least 3 days (or long enough for cuts/bruises to heal so weeks???) and no one was concerned about his whereabouts, he seemed totally fine after something completely horrific, he had access to his phone but didn't call the police, etc
- jarring tone of domestic bliss to something extremely horrific
- multiple flashbacks/time jumps
- cliffhanger ending with no guarantee of a sequel

Leia Mais

an enjoyable special

Overall: if you liked the series, then you'll enjoy this 40 minute special episode as well. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/city-of-stars-dehsu9gh8g?lang=en_us Here is my review of the series https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/336795/

What I Liked
- ongoing physical affection
- cute/sweet moments
- supportive friends
- laughed a couple of times (like when a character hid behind another character/pillar)

Room For Improvement
- again with the excessive comedy sound effects that often made things less funny for me
- voice over
- a main plot point is one we've seen countless times in specials and it annoys me every time, wish they had done something different
- (neutral), I enjoy GL rep but the way they explained it wasn't great

Leia Mais

disappointing special, mostly recap

Overall: I was hoping to see some progression of the relationships, sweetness and spice, but it was mostly recap and insurance product placements (only 17% or 8 minutes was new footage not related to product placements). Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/deep-night-2399g3ygk5o?lang=en_us

"Special" Breakdown (47 minutes total)
first 2 minutes was the same scene as the ending scene of episode 8
1.5 minutes of intro credits
1 minute of new footage which looked like it was from the real world/was not scripted
30 seconds of new footage
22 minute recap with Wela doing a voice over (happy Wela clarified something, but didn't like that he basically did a relationship game)
2 minutes of mostly new/extended footage with 1 relationship (this was cute)
6 minutes of insurance ad product placement (new footage, this was okay but wish they hadn't done the product placements back to back)
4 minutes of new footage starting with the mom and then Wela and Khem, some kisses and beginning of something with a very abrupt end to the scene
2 minutes of ending credits
4 minutes of the same aerial silk performance in episode 8 but slightly longer and without cuts to other characters (they could have released this as a special clip separately)
1 minute of more credits
(adds up to 46 minutes but close enough)

Leia Mais

what a special episode should be

Overall: we had 27 minutes of new content that was a progression of their story and fluff which is exactly what I was looking for in a special episode. Available on GagaOOLala & Viki (country dependent).

What I Like
- sweet/fluff moments
- intimacy/physical affection
- styling
- continuation of their story

Room For Improvement
- the 2 cringey fall, catch and awkward holds
- some of the camerawork felt low budget/shaky
- needed the production to include the 2 characters at the end into the special's intro sequence to refresh viewers' memories, per the review comment they are the cousin/colleague and the driver from the series, I'm likely not the only person who had no idea who they were so their appearance felt random

Leia Mais

extremely well done

Overall: acting, tension and production were all stellar in this series. 6 episodes about 22 minutes each. Was available on Viki under the title "The Novelist", currently available on  GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/2189/pornographer-2018-e01 

Content Warnings: manipulation, dub con touching/kissing/and more, alcoholism, punch

What I Liked
- tension/chemistry
- some of the best intimate scenes ever (natural noises, facial expressions, body movements)
- acting (the silent screaming scene in episode 5 was amazing)
- production value (cinematography, music, attention to props like Kuzumi's shirt in ep 3)

Note: I normally struggle with manipulative leads in romances, but although Kijima is flawed, I still want him to work through his stuff and end up with Kuzumi. I think that is testament to strong writing and acting. 

Room For Improvement
- the voice over
- could have shortened the story of the student and his teacher in ep 1
- multiple running scenes
- up to 2 minute recaps at the start of episodes
- in episode 6 I've never understood the "though I'm a liar, I'll keep my promise" as he doesn't in the morning, but perhaps it's the promise to do what Kuzumi asked him earlier in the episode

Franchise Watch Order
Pornographer aka The Novelist (2018)
Pornographer: Indigo Mood aka Mood Indigo (2019) (this is a prequel but should be watched after The Novelist)
Pornographer: Spring Life (2021)
Pornographer: Playback (2021)
Pornographer: Continued Spring Life (2021)

Leia Mais

First Impression: Wandee Goodday

Overall: looks to be a spicier romcom and I'm here for it. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Airing on GMMTV's YouTube channel.

What I Liked
- intro got my attention, though not a fan of flash forwards/backs in general to start a series
- did laugh a few times
- asexual representation
- established couple (hope they have more screen time)
- Wandee isn't a total pushover

Room For Improvement
- the slapstick comedy sound effects detracted from the humor a few times
- the very fictional so drunk a person is passed out and then a few minutes later appears not drunk at all
- friend leaving him extremely drunk, he should have said he had a hospital emergency and called a taxi which Wandee then didn't get into

Leia Mais

goodish for what it was

Overall: this had only 14 minutes of total run time with a fairly confusing plot. However, I gave it a rating boost as they were open to feedback and it looked like a very indie production (plus they might have to deal with censorship rules). PPeach YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8QwMuXkPNuYrJwq3_Gh6rw4HxMkGaIZy&si=OQx5ByyeKA5DG8D9 (episodes 4-9 need channel Membership for $2.99USD (yellow peach or higher))

Content Warnings: kidnapping/held against will, violence, manipulation

What I Liked
- clear premise at the beginning
- tension
- production value for what I assume was a very indie production
- listened to feedback such as adding subtitles in more languages, re-dubbed some episodes

Room For Improvement
- the episodes are extremely short, would have preferred a 15 minute short movie
- continuity error at the beginning of episode 2 with wearing a different outfit
- perhaps a translation error but he isn't a bodyguard he's a housekeeper
- confused about what the reveal in episode 4 meant, were they related? why were the guys trying to hurt him or where there 2 different set of guys wearing black?
- amnesia trope
- their relationship progression seemed very sudden, particularly with that ending, needed more build up to that and showing why they liked each other

Leia Mais