A High End Adaptation You Definitely Need to Watch

Love isn’t always beautiful or happy. In truth, love isn’t really about beauty at all but the depths to which we can fall, good or bad. The beautiful is in the good. The pain is in the bad.

The new Thai BL series My Stand-In cleverly captures these nuanced emotions, highlighting both the good and painful. It follows Joe, a stuntman doubling for the famous actor Tong, who develops feelings for Ming, a complex figure who sees him only as a stand-in for Tong. Tragedy strikes when Joe dies in an accident, but fate intervenes, and he awakens in another man’s body, also named Joe. When he reencounters Ming, the truth behind their love story begins to unfold.

And that’s where Ming and Joe’s painful reality truly sets in. Their story starkly highlights the brutal yet touching nature of love and how it has the power to both lift someone up and shatter them.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/09/my-stand-in-first-impressions-ep-1-2/

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A Beautiful Romance Between Two Earnest Co-Stars

Insecurity and a strong desire to succeed in a passion can create barriers between yourself and the world, making it difficult to see the people cheering you on.


In the Japanese BL At 25:00 in Akasaka, adapted from Natsuno Hiroko’s manga series 25 Ji, Akasaka de, the lines between art and life begin to blur for insecure but passionate Shirasaki Yuki (Niihara Taisuke), a struggling stage actor who lands a surprising role in a gay drama opposite a famous actor he knew in his university days, Hayama Asami (Komagine Kiita).

Thus begins a journey of personal insecurity and unrequited love that explodes into a tense and almost bittersweet feeling on screen.

As the cameras roll, Shirasaki seeks authenticity in his role by exploring local gay haunts, only to find Hayama there, leading to a night that ends in a kiss. This encounter leaves him wrestling with his feelings, both on and off screen, as he confronts how he feels about himself while exploring how he could feel about Asami.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/04/at-2500-in-akasaka-first-impressions-ep-1-2/

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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.

Read the complete article here-

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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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.

Read the complete article here-

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

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A Somber Love Story Hinging on Desperation

Shelter.
A place to be.
A roof.
A resting place.
A place to–what?

Shelter. What exactly is it? And why is it so hard to hold onto? Why is it so hard to define? Why is it so hard to understand?

Starring Lee Jae Bin as Lee Yoon Dae and Jang Woo Young as Cha Soo Hyuk, the Korean BL Gray Shelter is all about finding a haven amidst life’s storm, amidst domestic violence and emotional abuse. Yoon Dae is a domestic abuse victim who learned to avoid anger by becoming angry at himself and others, all while fearing being alone. Soo Hyuk is trying desperately to survive while supporting a family whose income is being sucked dry by his gambling-addict father.

And both are looking for the one thing neither has ever truly known.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/26/gray-shelter-series-review-ep-3-to-5/

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Could Have Been Better

This is the real thing. Acting that does not look like acting.” – Quote from The Star

There is honestly so much to unpack here in this short series that goes way beyond the plot or story. Reality and fiction merge together to make this series unique. As the abstract states, this series is based on a ‘true story’. Perhaps a more apt description might be closer to a docudrama.

It begins with a hapless and sad young man, ironically named Hope (Night Yodsakon), who sets up his vendor cart selling fried meatballs in front of a BL production company. He looks and acts defeated and forlorn. Yet maintains a sense of optimism outwardly; merely for show. Inwardly, he seems to have given up ‘hope’.

One day he is approached by the owner of the BL production company who asks if he would like to star in a BL series. Indeed, there is something enticing about Hope that draws you to him. His face tells it all and there is something about his demeanor that is raw and organic. If he could learn to act, channel his difficult life experiences into real meaningful and believable enactments, he could evoke a freshness about a series. Hope knows nothing about acting or even what a BL is but is willing to try.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/25/the-star-series-review-ep-1-2/

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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.

Read the complete article here-

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

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A High School Romance with Oodles of Chemistry

Crushes and being the most popular boy in school isn’t the only thing on a boy’s mind, this is proven true by the new GMMTV BL series “My Boo the Series”. Though by the end of the first episode, it’s not too far off for main character Moo played by Keen Suvijak. The boy on the cusp of graduating from high school if he could just focus on school. But much to his mother’s chagrin he wants to be an idol through dancing. A desire that leads the headstrong boy to sent to the country for a punishment that would allow him to graduate. The spoiled boy that Moo is would be overwhelmed if not for the near constant support of an older boy named Kang (Sea Dechchart). Why Kang helps Moo is made logically clear early on as he helps a woman get to the market and home safely.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/20/my-boo-the-series-first-impressions-ep-1-amp-2/

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A Reflection of Queer Relationships

I could not sleep early on a Saturday morning, and this movie’s review came up on YouTube feed out of nowhere. So, on a whim, I decided to watch it. Before you know it, I had finished it and had become so engrossed in its plot and story, I found myself caring about these characters with a certain sense of affection. I found myself teary eyed and gently weeping for them. It is an intensely gut-wrenching film that is deeper than it is given credit for.

I was shocked and dismayed at how poor the reviews were for this movie. I do not understand. I loved it. To be sure, it does not move mountains, but it is not meant to do so. It is a story about two misfit loners who happen to find each other at exactly the right moment in their lives in exactly the right space that connected them to a feeling of fruition. They found each other’s treasured one.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/19/does-the-flower-bloom-movie-review/

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A Mature Depiction of Lesbian Relationships

Love, Friendship and Delicious Meals

Adapted from the manga of the same name, this drama is very down to earth, close to the real life journey of two women experiencing love, friendship and growth together while cooking delicious meals. Similar to Season One, this season also focuses on relationship between Nomoto (Higa Manami) and Kasuga (Nishino Emi), how they have this really heartwarming relationship that started on basis of sharing delicious meals. In the sequel, new secondary characters were introduced that made the season more interesting, not adding anything negative or cliche but making the show more realistic and endearing.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/18/she-loves-to-cook-and-she-loves-to-eat-season-2-series-review-ep-5-to-20/

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The Most Entertaining Sequel in a Long Time

Constancy, consistency, and comedic. The three best words to describe this triumvirate of OSSAN’S LOVE, which is one of the best, if not the best BL series and franchises out there. It classically defines and shapes what this genre is all about. Perhaps not to a core of current fans who are zealots of the plethora of BLs with gorgeous young men in stories, that, for the most part, are forgettable and whose ‘love for one another’ is defined by the amount of ‘shipping performances’ they do together. This season and the ones before it are the true pioneers of what BL storytelling is all about and how to carry on with a narrative that remains as fresh and original as the first one. And as poignant.

This saga harkens back to its original roots of the love story between Haruta Sochi (Tanaka Kei) and Maki Ryota (Hayashi Kento). They are now fully entrenched in their relationship. So much so that they want to and plan for their ‘wedding’, which of course is merely ceremonial. Not unexpectedly, the full cast of characters return to reprise their roles, including Kurosawa Musashi (Yoshida Kotaro) as Chief. Only this time he is the head of a housekeeping service and manages to manipulate his way into the lives of Maki and Haruta with all the usual hilarity and goofy misunderstandings that this franchise is so good at portraying. You will be entertained from the beginning to the end with all of them.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/16/ossans-love-returns-season-3-2024-japan-9-episodes-2-special-episodes/

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A Journey of Reconciliation for Long Lost Lovers

“I love you” aren’t easy words to say. For many, expressing emotion through actions is much easier than putting emotion into words, especially when misunderstandings and miscommunication have colored how you feel about relationships.

In the Japanese BL Love is Better the Second Time Around, adapted from the manga series Koi wo Surunara Nidome ga Joto by Kinoshita Keiko, Hasegawa Makoto and Furuya Robin takes center stage as Miyata Akihiro and Iwanaga Takashi, two men on the verge of starting over after being torn apart in their youth over a misunderstanding.

Short and full of desire, Love is Better the Second Time Around finds editor Miyata Akihiro being forced to confront his first love when he is assigned to university professor Iwanaga Takashi, a confident, suave man he’d once loved enough to elope with. A man who Miyata believed played with his feelings.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/12/love-is-better-the-second-time-around-series-review-ep-3-to-6/

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A Teenage Romance full of Angst & Yearning

The world is a diverse place full of myriad emotions, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Japanese drama Strawberry Film.

Old film footage, nostalgic glimpses into the past, and growing friendships full of hidden desires lay the framework for a beautiful coming-of-age story that explores love in all its forms while accepting that love isn’t bound by societal rules. Instead, it belongs solely to the heart, to the person who holds it—to the joy love brings them and to the pain love causes.

From the opening scenes, Strawberry Film captivates with its evocative cinematography, transporting viewers into a world where individual emotions take center stage. Led by a talented cast including Fukada Ryusei (Ryo), Yabana Rei (Hikaru), Yoshida Mizuki (Chika), and Tanabe Ririka (Minami), the series seamlessly weaves together past and present, inviting audiences on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/10/my-strawberry-film-series-review-ep-3-to-8/

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