An Endearing Bromance Between A Genius Chef & A Young Mathematician

“Fermat no Ryori: Where Math Meets Culinary Excellence in a Flavorful Drama”

In the realm of Japanese dramas, where stories often sway towards romance or mystery, “Fermat no Ryori” emerges as a refreshing anomaly, seamlessly blending the worlds of mathematics and culinary arts. The series, a captivating journey of self-discovery, brings together the unlikely duo of Kitada Gaku, a gifted mathematics enthusiast, and Asakura Kai, a renowned chef, setting the stage for a unique exploration of life’s intricate recipes.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/10/fermat-no-ryori-series-review-ep-1-to-10/

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Could Have Been A Better Watch Indeed

When Lovemedia Thailand first started with the promotions, “Twins The Series” was marketed as a sport themed BL. Whilst the Thai BL industry is filled with high school dramas or engineering misnomers, we were never offered a full fledged sports drama. As such, the expectations were high from a cast that included handsome hunks who seemed to fit the bill of volleyball players. Either ways, I was never enthusiastic about sports labeled shows. But then my X timeline was filled with spoilers once the show premiered; the end result- I gave in to the urge. The pilot episodes were pretty lame and dragged on; nothing substantial to hold onto. So, why did I continue on this journey? Despite the mediocre writing with abundant potholes, the lead pairing manage to savage the show. Without pulling any punches, let’s dive into this review!

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/09/twins-series-review-ep-1-to-12/

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A Heartwarming Show Depicting Friendships and Love

I have been watching reality tv dating shows for as long as I can remember and no matter how much other people found it refreshing and true, I always felt every moment of it was scripted. Whether it is about their interaction, connections, fight or arguments, for me everything felt fake and too much formulaic.

Surprisingly, “Boys like Boys” was like a new refreshing introduction to me to Taiwan’s first LGBTQ reality dating series. While observing the episodes, I saw how realistic it felt to watch a relationship as it progresses from friendship to dating in real life. For me, It was as pragmatic as a reality tv show can get. The most positive thing about it was that the show focused on the contestants getting to know each other, developing a good friendship before getting into a relationship, which is what ideal relationships come close to. The way every contestant was not afraid of speaking out about their feelings and what they want without being too dramatic felt good to watch. Personally for me, I felt a lot closer to Eri, as I found him to be a genuine and real person; well he has a very kind and good heart. The show had a total of six contestants named Bobo, Shih-Feng, Nio, Gino, Guan- Yu and Eri. The introductory scenes were nice and everyone seemed unique, kind; they respected each other so much that they made sure to ask each other pronouns so as not to offend anyone and make them uncomfortable. Gino and Guan-Yu were one of the couples who I thought had a wonderful chemistry. Eri’s friendship with everyone was my favorite part about the show, especially with Bobo, who was also one of the contestants. As the show kept moving two more contestants, Jiang- Han and Susu were introduced. Personally, I felt more connected to Eri, Bobo and Gino.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/11/boys-like-boys-series-review-ep-1-to-10/

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Could Have Been So Much Better

The series begins interestingly enough. Even with a worn-out theme of a withdrawn boy who has an unrequired love for his best friend, it was charming for a while. Their friendship seemed sincere and intense. Guy (Ping Krittanun) is a lonely, reserved, socially isolated young man. He is the classic ‘wallflower’ that no one pays much attention to. However, who suddenly pops into his life is Wahl (Winner Nichakoon), a rather outgoing, socially adept, yet surprisingly caring young man his same age. But strangely is possessive of Guy. Over the years Wahl becomes his only friend outside of some gaming acquaintances he meets online. While Wahl has had a steady girlfriend, Guy still pines over Wahl wishing for something to happen between them but knowing that nothing will. Yet always feeling as if there is a deep connection between them.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/03/my-dear-gangster-oppa-series-review-ep-1-to-8/#more-14455

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A Disappointing Watch Despite a Good Casting

This show is a horror series through and through. Dealing with evil entities and spiritual witchcraft that made no sense and would have been enjoyable had they made it fun. But the whole story was dark, brooding, almost pointless, and incomprehensible to figure out. It mixed religious beliefs like you were mixing ingredients for a cake batter and expecting us to believe the cake was going to come out looking like something edible. Instead, it was half-baked, and it fell flat. Frankly, I do know what this series was supposed to be. However, I can tell you what it is not. It is not a BL. And it is not scary. It is not mysterious or even a thriller. But it is confusing as hell (no pun intended) wasted the talents of fine actors, and offensive on two fronts. I am rarely offended by anything, but this series was offensive to gay people and to how it portrayed Catholics, and I am no great admirer of the Catholic Church.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/08/shadow-series-review-ep-1-to-14/

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An Endearing Romance Between a Delinquent & His Teacher

It takes courage to love. While it doesn’t seem like love requires an ‘I can do this’ mentality, it’s a fragile, easily broken emotion.

Adapted from the manga series Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun by Toriya Ko, starring Kizu Takumi (Sahara Ichiro) and Hachimura Rintaro (Toki Kanade), Mr. Sahara and Toki-kun spins a heartwarming and humorous tale that beautifully intertwines the worlds of a tough-as-nails delinquent, Toki Kanade, and the unexpectedly charming Sahara Ichiro, his dashing PE teacher.

Despite the over-the-top humor and stereotypes, the story unfolds with a keen attention to detail, revealing Toki’s pure-hearted nature beneath his rough exterior. Kizu Takumi’s portrayal of Sahara Ichiro adds charisma to the character, making the growing connection between teacher and student all the more captivating.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/07/sahara-sensei-to-toki-kun-series-review-ep-3-to-8/

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A Hilarious, Over Dramatic Romcom

Adapted from the manga series BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita by Suzuri Machi and starring Abe Aran (Akafuji Yuichiro) and Akutsu Nichika (Aoyanagi Hajime), I Became the Main Role of a BL is precisely what its title implies. It follows two actors in two different stages of their careers–one famous, the other a child actor waning in popularity–cast in the leading roles of a BL series.

It’s fun. It’s over-dramatic. It’s full of heart-fluttering tropes. It resonates deeply.

Japan’s romcoms rarely fail me. They pull off over-the-top comedy in a way no other country has quite yet mastered. While the trope-filled comedy scenes in this series could come off as cringe, it somehow doesn’t. The secret but not-so-subtle crush that popular actor Yuichiro has on child actor Hajime is sweet and endearing, full of giggles and warmth, which makes each scene a delight to tune into.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/02/i-became-the-lead-in-a-bl-drama-crank-up-edition-series-review-ep-1-to-3/

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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.

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

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Quite a Disappointment

Love is an unpredictable journey that leaves a lot up to chance and complicated individual human emotions. We don’t choose who we fall in love with. Sometimes that leads to heartbreak. Other times, it leads to joy and healing.

Adapted from the manga Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka by Chiba Ryoko, the new Japanese BL Although I Love You, and You? tells the story of two men who find healing and new beginnings inside a love that takes them both by surprise. It follows Matsumoto Sakae (Kan Hideyoshi), a straightforward restaurant owner in Osaka, and Soga Hisashi (Nishiyama Jun), a shy, reserved office worker who instantly connect at Sakae’s restaurant before falling into a friendship that blooms into love.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/19/although-i-love-you-and-you-series-review-ep-3-to-10/

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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.

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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/

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An Entertaining Watch Indeed

At first glance, “We Are” seems like a cliché bubblegum show without much substance, however, as you delve deeper into the show, without any cynicism it is pure swoon worthy romance and presents a genre I quite like which is equivalent to the early 2000s chick flicks. Although it doesn’t have much to say or has no edge, it gives us heartwarming love stories, actual courtship and although there are elements of slow burn romance in some of the couples, the show balances it out by giving us different solid story lines to follow that are all wholesome and you can’t help but root for each single couple. Comfort shows with low stakes, that are written to make the audience feel good are severely underrated and its easy to write them off as bubblegum shows that lose flavor quickly, however, you cannot deny that when they are sweet, they are indeed sweet.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/01/we-are-series-first-impressions-ep-1-to-4/

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Navigating Complex Relationships

We don’t choose who we fall in love with, no matter how hard we try to avoid falling.

Love defies logic in the Korean BL series Boys Be Brave, adapted from Seok Young’s webtoon Can’t Confess. The male leads, Kim Jin Woo (played by Kim Sung Hyun) and Jung Ki Sub (played by Nam Shi An), navigate complex feelings that become more evident with time. While Jin Woo yearns for a love he doesn’t want to admit feeling, Ki Sub grapples with emotions he’s reluctant to acknowledge.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/30/boys-be-brave-first-impressions-ep-1-2/

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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.

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

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A Serious Question of Attraction

We often don’t realize how little we know about a person until we are in constant proximity with them.

Living with Him, an adaptation of Miyata Toworu’s manga of the same name, explores just that: the complexities of friendship and attraction through the shared living arrangements of childhood friends Tanaka Kazuhito (Sato Ryuga) and Natsukawa Ryota (Sakai Sho) upon entering university. Ryota is reserved and accustomed to responsibility, whereas Kazuhito is outgoing and universally liked. Despite Kazuhito’s popularity and striking looks, his inability to sustain relationships confounds Ryota and sparks a journey of self-discovery. As Ryota probes the reasons behind Kazuhito’s fleeting relationships, he confronts his own emotions and insecurities.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/27/living-with-him-first-impressions-ep-1-2/

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An Engaging Storytelling with Stellar Casting

Sight, scent, taste, touch, and sound—five senses that imprint themselves in our memories and hearts. And while all of them have an impact, sound is a stark reminder of how swiftly something can fade while leaving an indelible mark.

Nowhere is this more evident than in music. Music speaks to the soul when words falter, conveying emotions that defy easy expression. Its melodic language channels joy, love, anger, fear, and pain, forging connections that transcend barriers.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/28/jazz-for-two-first-impressions-ep-1-2/

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